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cafeinthemoon · 7 months

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Ruins - Part XXII

Chapter 22

Wordcount 4,1k

Title Part XXII

Fandom Shummatsu no Valkyrie / Record of Ragnarok

Previous chapters

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 . 13 . 14 . 15 . 16 . 17 . 18 . 19 . 20 . 21

Symbols ⭕ . ➕ . 💛

Warnings: Mentions of nudity, undressing; non explicit sex

Tagging @holdyourwine @lilacshouko @shirayuki-ayumi @telvess @alecfromsaturn (If you want to be tagged in any of my stories, just leave a comment on this chapter or send an ask or a message)

N. A.: I don't even know what to say after so long, except that I'm happy to finally come back and put this chapter out 😭🙏 I've been thinking of it for ages and questioning myself whether I'd be able to give these two a proper honeymoon or not, but this is an issue that haunts me every time I sit to write a honeymoon/intimate scene. The potion stuff was something I wanted to include back in the wedding chapter, but it's end up too long so I abandoned the idea. Now I had the chance to use it, and to try to bring some comedy vibes to soothe things a bit 😅

Anyways, hope you have fun! Missed you all 💜🥰

For you were too tired to stay awake after your brother-in-law left, you never saw the moment your husband came back to the private sections of your chambers, as much as when the rays of sunshine first entered the room. When you opened your eyes, the ceiling and the walls were already touched by the warm light, and the people in the tapestry over your head were as joyful as ever.

You tried to move the sheets from upon you and found out you could do it with no problems. You looked around and sensed the room was too quiet. You were also alone in the bed.

You frowned.

Where did he go?

You took a deep breath and, after some effort, you sat on the bed. You felt a strange, but complete relief with that gesture: your strength came back to you, there were no shivers spreading through your skin and no fear making your heart heavy. Was the transformation finished? You couldn’t believe it’d happen so fast, but maybe the hardest part of the process was over and you’d be able to carry on with your activities while it came to its end. Whatever the case, you were content to see you were yourself again.

You left the bed and headed to the bathroom. You closed the door, turned on the lights around the mirror to wash your face… and were static with what you saw there.

It was still you in the reflection, the same eyes, nose, lips and all, but at the same time it wasn’t. You saw a refreshed, cleaner version of you, with an inhuman glow in the lilac of your eyes and a flawless skin to cover each spot. Yes, you were sure it was still you, but more beautiful, more gracious, even without a layer of makeup and a disheveled hair to frame your expression.

So… this is how being a goddess feels like.

You smiled to yourself.

It’s not that bad.

You brushed your hair (which, understandably, took you more time than you were used) and finished your personal care session without taking your eyes off the mirror. You were a bit ashamed for being so vain, but after all the agonizing hours you had to endure to reach those looks, you couldn’t deny yourself such contentment.

You left the bathroom and searched for your robe. You found it on the same chair Hades left his own the night before. You dressed it and looked around, still finding his absence strange. It was when a soft, rhythmic sound reached your ears – his voice, brought by the breeze entering through the balcony, came to you in the form of a song, but you couldn’t recognize the words at first; you frowned and listened for a while, until you realized he was singing in Ancient Greek.

You smiled. You’ve already heard him sing before, but it was never that sweet. From what you’ve learned during his lessons, you were able to understand some verses, which, in the modern language, was something like this:

Under the red skies

Of the first day of Winter

I saw you

Your tiny feet running upon the ruins

Of the Temple of Love

Where after your touch

White flowers would grow

Would you mind

If I took you away with me?

Would you mind

If I hid you away?

As we built our secret place

Out of your flowers

And out of my song...

You followed his voice to the outside and found him sitting on the small table at the balcony, having a filled cup in front of him. He seemed relaxed, in peace with himself like you’ve never seen him before, especially when you remembered the events of the previous night, with his legs crossed and his eyes lost in the landscape.

You sighed at the scene.

Like a King who has his domains assured.

Change came when you took the first step toward him: the ecstatic glow in his eyes appeared and expanded as he turned to you, swallowing your whole form; he raised an unconscious hand and you accepted it, letting him take you to his lap.

You touched his cheek.

– Hi.

– Hi – Hades took your hand on his and led it to his lips – Young goddess.

A heat came up to your face when you heard that treatment. As much as it was flattering, you couldn’t shake the sensation that you were meeting him as if you were a different person now, and it still too soon to know if you enjoyed it. But you wouldn’t ruin the moment with sad deliberations, so you quickly redirected the conversation through sweeter paths.

– Were you singing about a young goddess as well?

– Yes – he curled a strand of your hair between his fingers – One that would touch the ruins of a dark world with her pretty feet, with the sweetness of a damsel and the courage of a warrior.

– And does she reach her fate with such sweetness and courage?

– Her fate, and much more – he approached and kissed your forehead.

You giggled and turned to the table, taking an empty cup and filling it with the same liquid as his cup, which consistence reminded you of milk, but with the color of caramel.

– What song was that? – you put the recipient of the caramel back on the table and grabbed your little cup – You never sang it before.

– It’s a love song in Ancient Greek. The author is unknown, but it was popular among travelers – Hades explained – It’s much longer than this, but this is my favorite part.

– We should learn the complete lyrics, then – you turned to him with tenderness – Then we will sing the whole song together.

– And we can do that during our travels.

– An excellent idea.

The rest of the breakfast went in silence, but after it you two went to the garden at the upper floor. You were were able to walk through it and that made you happy, still Hades didn’t let go of your arm until you decided to sit on a bench. There were some small trees around it, and you saw butterflies and birds sharing their branches peacefully; a couple of birds arrived, persecuting each other, then leaving as fast as they came, their wings making a rustling noise between the leaves, their little voices at their peak. You laughed at this, which reminded Hades of something.

– So how are your ears going? – he brushed your hair behind the left one – You’ve been complaining about the nature noises.

– They’re getting better. I mean, I don’t think I’d stand a lion’s roar right now, but the birds are completely bearable – you smiled.

– That’s good to hear.

You took some time to silently appreciate your surroundings as they displayed what would be a pleasing Spring morning in Midgard. You thought of this for a moment: the plants, the creatures and that whole environment were those of from Midgard, just everything you saw along your stay in the areas reserved to humans in those blessed lands – and all of them were designed by your husband. You felt your respect and admiration for him grow the same way it did when you took your first walk in the Gardens, when you ate pomegranates.

– You thought of all of this before we got married – you said suddenly; and, turning to him, – You thought of everything.

Hades replied with the same modest smile he gave you when you asked if he was there during the planting of the pomegranate tree.

– I wouldn’t say that. I’d say I’ve work with every necessary resource and with the best people I could find, so everything you’ve seen around would have the power of bringing smiles to the young humans’ faces – he raised his fingers to brush your hair – And, as a payment for all this work, yours will be forever on my sight.

Your smile widened at those words before you could notice. You were really content that, more than wishing to see your smile often, he was also creating reasons for you to show it: not so long after that conversation, he took you to take a walk through the depths of the garden, where exotic plants were hidden, and you spent the next hour talking about them and planning how to include your creations at the Greenhouse in the collection.

When you finally went back to the chambers’ interior, you decided you wanted to spend some time in bed, for your legs were a bit heavy. Meanwhile, Hades went to the kitchen to prepare tea. When he came back, you brought out a subject that has been on your mind for days: the travel to Hellheim.

– I’ve been worried about this for a while, but haven’t had the chance to speak until now – you said while accepting a cup of tea from his hands – Is it too long? Is it a difficult path, or an easy one? How does it look like?

He sat by your side with his own tea.

– It’s certainly a long way, especially for the ones who aren’t used to it – and, smiling at your widened eyes, – But I’m not saying this to discourage you, given that the travels between this realm and that one are far from tedious.

You turned on your side to hear more. Now you were completely interested.

– Really? And what kind of things we find through it?

Your husband started describing those strange lands as if narrating an epic story, going from dark skies, menacing rocks, abysses and terrifying natural phenomenons to powerful creatures, brave, minor deities occupied with their work and suspicious wanderers. You learned to love his ability of explaining concepts and depicting scenarios in a way that the images formed in your mind as vivid as if you were inside them; in that particular case, you also appreciated his power of calming your fears, assuring you that the travel was safe despite the things you were going to find.

After the tea, you told him you were sleepy, even though you’ve slept the entire night.

– I’m sorry for this, because I wanted to spend this day out with you – you told him, giving him back the cup – But I’m too tired, though I did nothing that justifies this tiredness.

– This isn’t but expected, little one – he replied before taking the cups to the kitchen – The transformation isn’t complete yet, and it takes an enormous amount of vital energy. You’ll still need some time to regain it, and an even longer period to manage it when your powers start manifesting.

– I see – you slowly laid down on your pillow, feeling both the sleep and the weight of your future responsibilities pulling you to it.

As if sensing your anxiety, Hades offered you some solace.

– But for now you don’t have to think too much about these things – he walked to the kitchen’s door – Th time to take care of them is yet to come.

You accepted those words and closed your eyes, letting the sleep take over your body, which didn’t take long that time.

***

You thought you were going to feel better the next day, and you weren’t entirely wrong in your expectations, but you in fact needed at least three or four days to feel able to walk, stand and do any other activity without a subsequent fatigue, neither the need of sleeping in the middle of the day. During that period, you were visited by Aesclepius twice, and he was content with your progress, something that made both you and Hades relieved: now, as he explained, your body’s tendency would be gathering energy instead of spending it, so that soon you would be as physically and mentally capable as any other god, and the travel to Hellheim wouldn’t be a problem.

On the other hand, Hades, having diligence as his second name, didn’t stay idle: while you recovered, he divided his time in taking care of you, solving small matters with his brother Zeus, checking on your family through Hermes, talking to Aesclepius about your condition and organizing your travel to the Underworld; he exchanged messages with Adamas at least once in a day, to make sure everything was alright in his domains. You, on your part, spent your time alternating between resting and being worried, despite his advice: at the same time you wanted to tell him to take some rest – after all, it was his honeymoon – you couldn’t do much to help him in this sense, neither in any other.

I’ve been increasing his burden since the beginning. He will deny it if I speak to him about it, but I know I’m not helping in anything; even my preoccupation might become an issue. I can’t wait for this to end.

That was why you received the first sign of a complete recovery with great contentment. You noticed it right after you left the bed that day and, taking a chance when your husband wasn’t in the chambers, you went to the arc where you kept your gifts from the ceremony. You’ve searched inside it with nervous hands and took a small bottle from it.

Your cheeks heated up at the sight of the object, its delicate shape involving a rosy potion which perfume was described as having “its own soul, so once it is used, it will always be recognizable by the ones who first sensed it”.

The gift of Aphrodite-sama. I’ve been so curious about its effects, but her explanations were so mysterious, and I was too ashamed to ask enough questions.

You still remembered how she took the chance to approach you while Hades wasn’t around. She passed by your side and stopped before you with such grace, yet so suddenly that you couldn’t help startling.

She giggled, enjoying your reaction.

– You were already a beauty, dear Y/n, but now – the goddess brushed your hair and cupped your face with tenderness – Now you’re the perfect being…

Aphrodite spent a moment in silence, just appreciating what she had in front of her. Then, as suddenly as her arrival, she moved her hands away and took a small object from inside her dress: a bottle that reminded you of the ones in which people sold expensive fragrances in Midgard, filled with some glistening fluid.

She put it in your hands and warned you to not let your husband see it before you had the opportunity to use it.

– Just one drop or two in the sheets, right before you lie down, must be enough – and, surrounding her mouth with her hands, as to whisper a secret – But it wouldn’t be bad if you used a few more.

You stared at the bottle, barely reaching the size of your palm, thinking of those words.

– Aphrodite-sama, I’m very thankful for your gift – you raised your eyes to her – But I’m a bit confused about it. Is it some sort of remedy, or blessing?

She observed you with a mixture of condescension and diversion.

– Most of the times, if used wisely, it will be a blessing, but in other times it will be a powerful remedy – she blinked her right eye.

It was when finally started to understand.

– Oh, this is a love potion, my Lady – you smiled, then frowned – But Hades and I… We’re already in love with each other…

The Goddess of Love laughed.

– I know, my dear. But the purpose of this potion is not making you fall in love… – and lowering her tone – But falling harder.

She approached you one last time and, with a kiss on your forehead, she left you with the potion and a lot of things to think about.

And now you were there, alone with her gift for the second time, and wondering if that was the moment to use it.

I’m torn between the fear of the effects and the curiosity about them.

After minutes of painful deliberation, you decided to open it and smell its perfume… which filled both your nostrils and your soul, drowning you in a wave of powerful sensations: your feelings, thoughts and memories about Hades were all stirred and turned into one, expanding until you had the urge to pour it out; your eyes were filled with tears, and your breath became difficult as your chest would go up and down in ache as you craved his presence. Even as a young goddess, you could tell that the substance held a terrific power.

Now I understand why she told me to use just a few drops.

You adjusted the sheets upon the bed and knelt over them, stretching for the potion to be poured in the center. You slowly turned the bottle to the side, in your best efforts to control your trembling hand, and observed as the first drop fell on the fabric, disappearing so fast that it was hard to tell it has ever been there. More drops followed it in other spots and over the pillows…

When the sudden crack of the room’s door opening made you scream and drop the bottle on the bed, turning the next drops into a whole puddle.

You sat on the sheets, hiding the bottle behind you as you had a confused Hades standing at the door, staring at you without understanding why his arrival got you so scared.

– Is there something wrong, little one? You look a bit nervous.

You were quick to deny it.

– No… No, of course not! I’m perfectly fine! – you shook your hands around yourself as to reaffirm what you were saying – It’s just the noise of these hinges! I can’t get used to it…

With your face on fire, you fell silent after that, praying that your husband would just accept the explanation and change the subject… but, unfortunately, your pairs weren’t willing to grant you this small wish: Hades closed the door behind him and approached the bed, suspicion filling each of his gestures. At the same time, the perfume made its presence stronger than never as the bottle’s whole content leaked to the sheets on your back, turning any attempt of keeping it a secret unnecessary.

– Y/n, what is it? – he looked around the bed – Are you spreading perfume on the sheets?

You shrugged.

– Ah… Sort of.

– What kind of perfume? – he raised an eyebrow – This one seems to possess some sort of spell. Is it one of your wedding gifts?

You shook your head in a positive gesture and slowly brought the bottle to your front, giving it to him with a shy hand.

Once his eyes laid on the object, Hades turned to you with a strange expression, one that you haven’t seen before, and about which you weren’t sure how to feel; your fingers gripped on the sheets: that was the first time you didn’t know what to expect from him.

But you didn’t need to wait too long to figure that out.

You observed as he held the bottle with an attentive gaze, a smile started forming on his lips: he already recognized the nature of the potion. However, it wasn’t shyness or shame that took over your feelings with the understanding: around him and around yourself, you sensed a quiet, yet steady change that grew as the smell spread through the room; you had the sensation that your sight turned a bit blurry, except for your husband’s figure, and that everything was somewhat covered with a rosy light that reminded you of the liquid’s shade. Maybe Hades was under the same impression, for he stood still, staring at you with a glimmer of hunger in his eyes that scared and interested you at the same time. The temperature seemed to elevate in the surroundings even though the balcony’s door was wide open, so you started taking off your robe and moving your hair away from you neck.

The first words said between you after this were his.

– So… Our friend Aphrodite has her own gift for us – he made this observation with a vague, low voice – So clever of her to handle it to you while I was away…

Without taking his eyes off you, he dropped the bottle on the carpet. You didn’t know if it was anger or diversion you sensed in his tone, so you rushed to justify yourself.

– I really wanted to tell you about it, but I couldn’t disobey her instructions – your voice sounded lower than you remembered it, but you kept going – It’s just that, now that I’m recovered… I wanted to do something special… – the air swirled and heated up around you; the left strap of your gown slipped to the side, but you didn’t mind adjusting it – I wanted to have a proper honeymoon…

And that was the instant that changed everything.

Once those words escaped your lips, the blurry wave of sensations poured out of you at last, reaching for your lover and tangling with his own feelings, pulling him ahead, straight to you: without wasting time, Hades got rid of his coat and shoes, throwing himself over the bed as if afraid that you would disappear if he lingered in his place. You were a bit scared by this new impulsivity, but you wouldn’t push him away: the heat that has been increasing since you first smelled the potion, pulsating all over your body, only calmed own when your husband wrapped his arms around you, pulling you to his lap, your legs spreading and burying in the sheets on each side, his mouth reaching for yours as you helped him take off his blouse with your little hands.

You moved away for a moment to see the results of your work, and the vision left you marveled: yes, you’ve already seen him undressed once, when he stood with you during the worst point of your fever, but you barely gave his figure the attention it deserved; now, with your strength restored and your sight in perfect conditions, you wouldn’t make the same mistake: from his face, your hands slipped over his skin, across his neck and over his chest, your thumbs drawing circles around his nipples; you smiled when a sigh left his lips. You noticed the vine he had tattooed on his left arm, the same pattern of the one on his forehead.

He is perfect.

– You’re so beautiful… – you murmured to him, your fingers brushing over the tattoo – I’m so sorry for making you wait... I promise I’ll make up for it…

You felt his hands going to your hips and tightening around them, bringing you closer. Your gown slipped, exposing your thighs as your knees were buried on the soft mattress.

– I’ll make sure you will – his lips brushed and smiled over yours – But for you, the wait is always worthy…

You felt his hands caressing your thighs, slipping under your gown and pulling it up. Your heart skipped a bit: that was going to be the first time you’d expose yourself for your husband, so that everything had to be in place: you were now a goddess with a well-built, flawless body, but were you feeling that beautiful now? Were you good enough to appear before him with only your skin to cover you?

Heavens, I’ve been waiting for this for so long, but who would say it’d be so scary?

Still, you didn’t stop him, and when the gown was finally taken off, every inch of yourself under his sight, you remembered the conversation you had weeks ago, in that balcony beside the room, and the confidence in it soothed your nervousness, as much as his hands exploring your figure: his right thumb caressed your lower lip, going down to your chin and your neck, where you noticed his hand was able to surround most of it; both his hands went through your shoulders, your collarbones and, finally, your breasts, where he his thumbs caressed you the same way you did to him. A loud moan escaped your mouth before you could stop yourself, and you put your hand over it, your cheeks burning with shame: apparently, erasing one’s shyness wasn’t among the properties of Aphrodite’s potion; Hades laughed, enjoying your spontaneity, and moved your hand away from your lips, putting it around is neck.

– So shy, aren’t we? – and, letting it clear that he had the same conversation in mind as well, – Let’s take care of this together…

He then suffocated any word or moan that might’ve come out from your mouth with a deep kiss, pulling you tighter against himself as your hands tangled in his hair.

Outtake

Part XXIII

#snv x reader #ror x reader #shuumatsu no valkyrie hades #snv hades x reader #ror hades x reader #record of ragnarok hades #shuumatsu no valkyrie x reader

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melrosing · 1 month

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A hypothetical question about Jamie. I know that while he was killing Aerys, the Moutain and the other guy (can't remember his name) were climbing up the walls to Maegor's Holdfast to reach Elia & the kids. And i know there's quite a distance between the throne roon and their chambers, and Jaime couldn't have reached them in time even if had an inkling of what Tywin was planning.

All this being said, in the hypothetical scenario where Jamie kills Aerys earlier, goes to check up on Elia and her kids and stumbles on Clegane - his father's bannerman! - trying to kill them, I assume he'd try to save those that are still alive.

Should he manage to save one of the kids, what would he do with them afterwards? (I think Rhaenys might be more likely considering she hid under Rhaegar's bed if I remember correctly.) Would he hand the child over to the rebels? Would he assume they'd be sent to the faith/the citadel/the wall? Would he be numb due to everything that happened that day and just dissociate and the choice is ultimately taken from him when others arrive on the scene?

Would he take the kid and flee to Dorne to bring them to safety, out of some sense of guilt and fear of what robert/his father might do to them? Would he take the child to Essos ?

I guess the question in summary is what would Jaime do if he managed to rescue one or more of Elia’s family?? and basically idk, I think given how relatively naïve he is at this point, he may have made a terrible mistake and taken them to Robert et al, not really thinking of what might happen next. Jaime does think to himself whilst sitting the throne that he could make anyone king at that point, whether it be Viserys, Aegon, Tywin etc etc (before deciding to leave it to fate) - it doesn’t seem to occur to him that if Tywin were to take the throne there would be implications for the lives of the Targaryen children, hence I think why he leaves Elia and the kids in Maegor’s - he thought the true threat to them was Aerys and Aerys is gone. Jaime seems to think it’ll be a conversation (albeit perhaps a heated one) and that while the children may be removed from succession, he assumes diplomacy would spare their lives. Ned kind of seems to assume the same?? he’s obviously shocked too when Robert goes on to basically approve the murders

and idk I often think about how Jaime has seen relatively little of what his father is capable of at this point. he knows about Castamere but that was before he was born; he knows about Tytos’ mistress but he was barely a year old; Tysha and the Red Wedding are still to come, and the Tysha incident ofc somehow shocks him as well. but yeah in between Jaime’s childhood and the sack of Kl, Tywin has mostly been an exhausted politician terrorising his youngest son out of his eldest’s sight. Jaime knows Tywin’s a dreadful guy but has hardly seen it in practise, it’s largely hypothetical and he clearly finds the man hard to anticipate. the older characters at the time of the Rebellion and those who knew Tywin only by his worst deeds may not have struggled the same way. Jaime knows him as his dad and maybe that obscures it somewhat (although certainly not in an affectionate sense lol)

#ask #jaime lannister #tywin lannister #asoiaf

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holylulusworld · 1 year

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Not a queen (8.5)

Summary: You are no one. What if fate makes you queen?

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Maid!Reader x Nick (Fowler) Barnes

Warnings: dystopian world, modern royal au, shy reader, arranged marriage, implied smut, fluff, cuddling, a little time jump (4 months)

A/N: Another shorter chapter. I wanted to cut out this scene and make a bigger time jump. I decided against it. So were are getting chapter 8.5.

This series takes place in the Two kings universe, at the same time. I recommend reading this story first to understand this universe better.

You can find all arcs here: Of Kings and Queens Arcs

<;< Part 8

Not a queen (Arc 2) masterlist

That night, they told you…everything. About the revolution, the second sons are planning. They also told you that Nick, Bucky, and their friends want to change the world.

Bucky told you that once everything is prepared, war will shake the world you know.

You don’t know if that’s a good thing. People will die. And if they lose the fight, you will mourn Bucky and Nick too.

If this happens, you don’t know if you will survive. Losing your family was painful. But losing the men you fell in love with, will shatter you.

They revealed the truth and their plans four months ago. In the meantime, so much happened. You got closer to both men. Very close.

It started with soft kisses, and little touches and lead to so much more. Lingering touches, passionate make-out sessions, and love confessions.

Until your wedding night arrived and you ended up between the brothers.

At first, you shied away. Afraid they will hurt you or do something you don’t want.

Nick took away all of your fears. He fulfilled his promise and went down on you. Finally putting his mouth to better use than calling you mouse. When you trembled, his mouth on your leaking cunt you chanted their names.

Bucky let his brother have this. He let him touch you first to make sure Nick knows, they are equals in this relationship.

After that night, you never want to leave the secret chamber again. If it was up to you, you’d spend your days hiding in the room, wrapped up in your men.

If only you’d have the choice to decide on the world’s fate.

“Mouse, what are you thinking about?” Nick wraps his arms around you from behind. He pecks your neck, humming as you lean in his touch. “What is my beautiful wife up to today?”

“Our beautiful wife,” Bucky corrects. He smirks, but a hint of jealousy flashes in his eyes before he blinks it away. The prince learned to share your love and attention over the last months. It was hard for him to accept that you are in love with his brother too. “So, what are we going to do today, doll.”

“I want to sit on the bed and read another book. It’s getting chilly and maybe, you can keep me warm while I read my book,” you glance at Bucky. “Only if you got time, of course.”

“Our friends left in the dead of the night again,” Bucky pecks your cheek. “We got all the time in the world. I like your idea.”

“I like it too,” Nick nuzzles his face in your neck. “Maybe there is time to cuddle in between reading books.”

You chuckle. Nick has something more than reading in mind. He can barely keep his hands to himself. The prince always needs to kiss, hug, or nuzzle you.

Bucky loves to touch you too. But Nick is the needier man in your life. Maybe it’s because he always came second. Or that he fears losing you to his brother if he doesn’t shower you with affection all the time.

“We can cuddle too,” you whisper, making Nick groan. ”Cuddle, my prince. I didn’t feel well this morning.”

“You didn’t feel well? Why didn’t you tell us so?” Bucky immediately looks you up and down. He presses the back of his hand to your forehead. “No fever. Good. That’s good. Uh-did you cough, sneeze, vomit?”

“Bucky,” you scrunch up your nose, “don’t ask things like that. I was just a little dizzy and…uh…I had to vomit a little. I’m fine now, though. I drank some tea and ate toast.”

“A stomach bug, maybe?” Nick looks at his brother for help. “She should lie down and have a rest.”

Bucky nods. His eyes drop to your middle and he wonders if his dream came already true…

>> Part 9

Not a queen

@somewereinthegalaxi

___

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#nick fowler #bucky barnes #royal au #prince!nick fowler #prince!Bucky barnes #maid reader #bucky barnes x reader #nick fowler x reader #Not a queen (8.5)

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sunhazeheart · 6 months

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While I understand that they had a lot of ground to cover in the show, I really wish they'd just lengthened the season so we could get move covered in the years between them. I could do this for so many characters, but one person that fascinates me is Alicent in the spaces between time skips.

For example, one thing would be thinking about what basically surrounded her in the days, weeks and months after Viserys announced that he intended to marry her. While I'm sure lots of superficial courtiers flocked to her looking to cozy up to the Queen-To-Be, but there's no way there wasn't also a lot of scorn from others, particularly other girls in court and power-hungry fathers, brothers, etc.

Before this, Alicent is of not practicular importance in court besides the fact that she is the close personal friend of the princess. Her father is Hand, yes, which garners lots of respect, but as far as I know he doesn't have much else besides the station that he's worked for. He's an unlanded second son, and with him having at least one son of his own, while the Hightowers are obviously one of the wealthiest families in Westeros, there would be limitations to her dowery and what else she brings to the table besides prestige and the general good graces of being a young pretty girl supposedly able to provide children. She's slightly removed from the main branch of the Hightower family which will continue down her cousin's line. I'm not saying she doesn't have prospects, BUT she's not exactly worth a King.

So I could see rumors quickly spreading around her about why the King chose her over a Velaryon, or another sister or daughter of a great lord. Honestly, I don't think anyone was thinking there even could be another option besides Laena. Maybe we just didn't see it, but I didn't get the impression of noble families trying to parade their women in front of him. Even with the knowledge Viserys basically has to marry again. If I'm not mistaken, up to this point, no Targaryen King or prince had married outside of the Targaryen or Velaryon families (besides Jocelyn Baratheon who was half Velaryon, and of course Maegor, but he's an outlier is several ways). So imagine the surprise of lords and ladies that young Alicent Hightower, of all people, managed to snag the King. 100% Servants and guards or other people in the Keep saw her in or entering/leaving the King's chambers. In episode 2, the second scene of them together it looks like they're sharing a meal. I would imagine rumors could swirl about her visits to the Viserys being more salacious than they were, and an interesting take could be almost like the reverse of Alicent and Larys talking about Rhaenyra years later in the gardens.

There's the cut scene of Rhaenyra appearing to scream and rage at Alicent directly after the announcement of Viserys' intent to marry her, which imo, completely understandable with the limited information and surprise that Rhaenyra was just dealt. And of course the next episodes showcases Rhaenyra's isolation from both her father and Alicent as her stepmother. But there are the stills of a scene of Rhaenyra helping Alicent dress for her royal wedding and appearing to wipe the blood from around her nails. A few different scenarios could have culminated in this happened, whether Viserys forced her to, as an attempt to reconnect the girls, or this was the first instance of Alicent reluctantly using her soon-to-be rank over Rhaenyra to force her to talk to her, or if Rhaenyra simply chose to etc etc.

But the reason why I bring this up is that in those two poor-ass quality screen caps, Rhaenyra doesn't seem overly angry or hostile. So many the girls had a slight reconciliation at that point? Maybe Alicent tried to explain to Rhaenyra that it was on her father's commands that she became close to the King? Who knows. But then things could turn back very angry and hurt on Rhaenyra's side if, lets say at the feast and celebrations after the wedding, Rhaenyra, who no longer has any friends in court and likely already began to keep to herself, were to begin to overhear the scandalous rumors that Alicent seduced Viserys and visited him in pretty finery as soon as the very night after Aemma's funeral. That could be what broke down again the tentative bridge they may have built and results in Rhaenyra rebuffing Alicent again and again like we see in Episode 3.

Also, how was Alicent when she first found out she was pregnant? She has no mother or really any female figure in her life to speak with her about such things and what to expect, besides the probably very misinformed and clinical maesters. She's very much a child forced to go through the strain and pain of pregnancy, as if the sad truth for most girls in this world. She would have witnessed time and time again Aemma's miscarriages and stillbirths, while not likely physically present at them, seeing the toil of the aftermath on her best friend and her parents would have been terrifying enough.

On top of that, no matter how much remorse and guilt Viserys expresses over what was done to Aemma, I don't think she or anyone could ever 100% believe that he would never put his desire to have children, specifically a son, over her life.

And while I picture her father putting a whole lot of pointless pressure on her for her child to be a boy, and no doubt Viserys as well, I could see her almost wanting it to be a girl. While they're apart, Alicent's personal loyalty and love I would think it still reaching out to Rhaenyra. She wants her friend back, she wants the only person that I believe ever truly loved her for her, besides maybe her own mother. I think that Alicent wouldn't want to take that last thing for Rhaenyra, which she knows how much it means to her.

I wonder how Alicent felt when Aegon was born, a boy and given the name of a conquerer. How she watched Viserys fawn and preen over his new son, while she felt disconnected by the child she never even wanted to have yet. Maybe she expects to feel the mother's love that all women are meant to feel when they first see their child, but when he's laid in her arms she just sees a screaming little babe who is just a point blank reminder of her girlhood being gone and all the different expectations being mounted on her and any child that she has. Like she says later, she'd like to be Lady Alicent, but everyone only sees her at the Queen and now as the Prince's mother.

#Maybe one day I'll actually write out a thing #god I wish we got more time between the time jumps #house of the dragon #alicent hightower #rhaenyra targaryen #hotd

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these-detestable-hands · 9 months

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I just sent a mutual a very normal ask about this but oh my gosh guys imagine Godot as the phantom. This only works one way because Godot could write Don Juan triumphant and he could definitely write it to seduce a cute girl but Erik (book) couldn't drink 17 cups of coffee it would kill him. Movie/musical maybe could but his overall bloodlust and lack of decorum

Hey wait

As I'm typing this out I'm realizing Erik is a horrid mixture of all the worst traits of Franziska and Godot

Hates women

Whip user

Weird face

Scary as crap

Absolutely DESPISES the male lead for a weird reason

And idk I think Godot could make that entire desert torture chamber for Phoenix. Him and Franziska work together to give Phoenix the worst 24 hours of his life. Anyway I think I need to reread the book sometime soon cause all I really remember is the rat catcher (that's Pearl btw) and Nadir (Iris) (man this is so easy) and the torture scene and I think there was definitely a lot of stuff before that.

Mia would not make a good Christine. I think Phoenix could be a good Raoul and Franziska could be an AMAZING (book!) Giry but Mia could NOT work as Christine. Maybe Maya?? But then you'd have to remove all romantic implications. Misty also works just fine as Christine's dad methinks, except Misty has to actually be dead.

Oh my gosh Edgeworth would have a field day prosecuting for the burning of the opera house.

Phoenix: Maya were screwed, our client is so guilty, he definitely killed Joseph

Gumshoe: uh, sir, we have conclusive evidence he also hung a guy, kidnapped a woman and tried to kill two other guys"

Phoenix:

Phoenix asks why he wears a mask and 1 million psychelocks appear regardless of which version of Erik it is

Running gag in the trial where André keeps correcting anyone who says junk instead of scrap metal.

Godot: next witness is André, a rich junk enthusiast who bought an operahouse because he could

André: actually it's scrap metal-

Godot: it's junk. Give us your testimony

Anyway back to what I was saying before

You lose half of Erik's character if his motivation isn't lust but Godot kidnapping Maya could still work.

He goes to the operahouse after waking up from the coma cause what else is he supposed to do. Lives there for a while then finds out his dead gf's little sister is an actress there and desperately needs to talk to her but can't cause the current owners hate him.

On second thought Franziska doesn't work as Madame Giry, that could be Morgan maybe?? Or preferably Misty but Misty is already dead. I guess Morgan is okay then, then Iris gets to be besties with Maya I guess.

Anyway. Godot does Don Juan triumphant but instead of whatever is going on with the prostitutes, it's some different story that he wrote about Mia idk. We're sorta crossing into [I refuse to tag octopath spoilers on a post that is not octopath] territory, don't like that.

Also I forgot to mention before but obviously there's no romance between Phoenix and Maya in this au.

ACTUALLY

Franziska could be a pretty good Raoul....

Ok let's see what we have so far:

Erik: Godot

Christine: Maya

Raoul: Franziska

Meg: Iris

Madame Giry: Morgan

André: honestly it's the judge

Franziska: how dare you kidnap my gf to force her to marry you >:(

Godot: what? No, that wedding dress was supposed to be for her older sister, Mia, I just wanted to ask Maya what happened to her

Maya: hey Franzi, we're playing monopoly, do you wanna join?? :3

Franziska:

Franziska: ough fine whatever

CRAP I COMPLETELY FORGOT NADIR HOW COULD I HE'S MY FAVORITE

Nadir

Ough

Honestly Misty almost? Again, she's supposed to be Mr. Daae and therefore very much dead and it also wouldn't work to have the daroga be someone so close to the Mcs because his entire thing is that he's far off and only really Erik knows him.

But Godot doesn't really have anyone in his backstory that could fulfill that role. At absolute best, there's Grossberg but Grossberg and the daroga are honestly opposites when it comes to lawful good characters.

I don't wanna cut Nadir from this au cause he's my bestie :(

Gumshoe???

I guess it could work

I could see Gumshoe just being buddies with everyone and hanging out below the opera house.

"mysterious weird foreign guy" is just some really friendly idiot who was specifically asked by the big bad guy to pretend to be mysterious and weird.

Again, I think Gumshoe is not at all similar to Nadir in personality but he's the best we've got and at least they're both detectives more or less

Godot could probably sing, he seems like the kinda guy to have the voice of an angel (ha!) for no good reason

Also rereading this post before posting it, I realize I forgot the rat catcher. Near the beginning, I said that could be Pearl but now with Morgan as Giry, it doesn't work. That being said, Dahlia could make a PERFECT rat catcher :3

#Pie won't shut up #asexual attorneys #Phantom posting #Crab dni #Mav dni

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chinloopa · 2 years

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House Of The Dragon S01E02

Continuing my review of each episode we’re on to episode 2, titled: The Rogue Prince!

Clearly there are a LOT of spoilers here, so please don’t read if you don’t want to be spoiled!

We’re a little slower to start this episode, but we open with our first look at the official opening sequence - and it’s to the previous opening theme music!!!!

It’s as lovely as it ever was in GOT - though maybe a little less clear what’s going on as we move into it. No map this time, instead we seem to be moving through an ancient tomb of some kind - or maybe even the streets of King Viserys’ pet project in his royal chambers - the carved city of what is either old Valyria or perhaps plans for an expanded Dragonstone. We get a bloody rose line flowing between different mechanical sigils, connecting families and alliances that I’m sure are important but I honestly couldn’t keep up with them. It’s less clear what’s going on and what the significance of the visuals are but it’s still beautiful to look at for sure and it’s so nice to hear the old theme music again!

There’s a lot happening between characters this episode, less action and more stage-setting but that’s completely understandable. Milly Alcock’s ‘Rhaenyra’ is still carrying this show, but Emily Carey does a lovely job as ‘Alicent’ picking up some of the slack. I was actually very surprised to see some major chops from ‘Laena’ actress Nova Foueillis-Mosé for how little screen time we got of her and how young she is. She was poised, believable and surprisingly endearing. We get a cast change next episode - Laena will be played by Savannah Steyn moving forward, so I’ll be very sad not to see more of Nova on screen - in my opinion she stole the scene between Laena and Viserys in the gardens.

Matt Smith is a powerhouse. He has had very little screen time thus far and still manages to shine spectacularly every time he’s front and center. His depiction of Daemon Targaryen is nuanced, complex and so enjoyable to watch. There’s currents of spoiled brat, potential villain and ‘Mad Prince’ in every moment of his performance but there’s a vulnerability and sweetness there as well - that’s a hard combination to achieve and Matt nails it each and every time he steps on screen.

We also get more of Eve Best as ‘Rhaenys’ or ‘The Queen That Never Was’ this episode, as well, and - just as I predicted - she is every bit the Sassy Queen we deserve in a GOT spin-off - a barbed tongue to compete with the Queen of Thorns herself. She and Rhaenyra have a brief ‘stand-off’ of sorts and it was lovely to see. The way these two actresses feed off of one another was incredible to watch, they were both totally in their element and 100% on top of their game. I can’t wait to see more of Eve Best as the season progresses and I hope to see more scenes between her and Milly, they really played well off of one another.

The scene on Dragonstone between Daemon and Rhaenyra steals the episode for me, however. The chemistry and tension between the characters alone was utterly profound, but the CGI scenery and dragons are the best we’ve seen to date. The long stairway to Dragonstone looming out of the fog is stunning and so visually appealing, but then we get Caraxes crawling onto screen and I actually caught my breath. He is a beautiful work of digital art and every time we see him he seems to get even more lifelike and fluid; The Blood Wyrm indeed! We briefly see Syrax as well, but not nearly as much as I’d like - she is just as stunning as she was in the first episode, however, so how can I complain?

Daemon and Rhaenyra’s stand off is everything I want and need in my life. Rhaenyra as a character is definitely quickly becoming a favorite, and Daemon isn’t far behind. Once again, however, I find myself liking almost all of these characters. Viserys, who I was not too fond of last episode, moved up a few points in my opinion by refusing to wed Laena, despite pretty much everyone telling him it’s the right move at the moment. Alicent is still much too young for this, but she’s better suited to the role than Laena would be. The tense stage between Rhaenyra and Alicent moving forward has been set to absolute perfection and I cannot wait to ache and cry for the falling out between them. I wish they had a happier story, but that’s not the nature of what we’re watching here.

A shoutout to ‘Corlys Velaryon’ actor Steve Toussaint, he brought Corlys front and center this episode and held him there marvelously. He wasn’t as strong a presence as Rhaenyra or Daemon or even Rhaenys - but I get the feeling that was intentional. Corlys is a quieter sort of storm, and I know for sure we’re going to see much more dramatic things from him moving forward, especially with he and Daemon’s secret meeting at the close of the episode.

The Crabfeeder... aaaah, we got our first look at this mysterious character this episode as well. I don’t know if they’re setting him up to be a ‘Big Bad’ or if we’ll see him eliminated as early as the next episode, but either way his design was fantastic and highly memorable.

The costume and design department for this show have really proven that they are not here to fuck around - each and every one of these characters are decked out to the nines and we love to see it.

FINAL RATING: 10/10

As far as I’m concerned, this is the pinnacle of television. Everything from the writing, to the cgi and costuming and sets. The acting, it’s all here and it’s all as good as it gets. House Of The Dragon has cemented itself as THE show to watch right now for me. I have nothing to critique or complain about right now except having to wait six days and twenty hours to see the next episode!

COME ON HBO! Get on the BINGE wagon and give us the whole season all at once, cowards!

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popopodogrev · 2 years

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The group are “basically gods", right? They are on the crusp of becoming one of the most powerful Rings in Avalir, rivaling the Septarion itself.

And they deserve it! They are competent. They get shit done.

... But do they really?

You see, the cracks are already there. Take Nydas. I love that despite the "super rich merchant" vibe Nydas gives off there are already problems with the trading empre he is building. Not enough money to give to soldiers. Not enough wands to give to Patia so he takes them from his own college.

And Zerxus! The title “First Knight” was supposed to be Evandrin's. After he died Zerxus didn't want to be the First Knight. Probably still blames himself for whatever happened (maybe he is right).

But the Ring of Brass? Oh, they wanted him to the First Knight, I am sure. Remember, they drink only one time, and for their First Knight. It's so advantageous to them. Another important figure on their playing board. But Zerxus wouldn't do it, no, he wanted to stay with Elias (that where his home is, he says) - but after whatever happened, Elias didn't want it. So Zerxus, heart-broken, took the title that he felt he didn't deserve to the joy of his ambitious friends. But it doesn’t bring him any peace. Only nightmares. And the people of Avalir? Not better off with this First Knight then they were. How can he protect them, when his thoughts are not here (emptiness behind his amber eyes)? When his home is not here?

And Zerxus doesn't.

Patia - oh boy, she is always in control. Always immaculate. Playing the Big Game. But oops, the secret is already broken. Her most important partnership is already known to others and she is furious of the fact that she isn't as good at the game as she thought.

Cerrit. He seems to be highly, if not over, competent in his job. The Noir Detective in the Apocalypse. But he doesn’t trust anyone. Even other Sightwardens. He keeps everything he found in the psychometric chamber to himself. He seems the least ambitious one in the group of ambitious people in a city of cut-throat amibitious mages.

But he has his ambitions too. He wants to be the one to unravel the mystery. To conduct the investigation privetly. But what do Cerrit’s findings mean if they never reach the authorities? They are worthless, no, worse than that, they are painful reminders that something could be done. If only Cerrit wouldn’t fail. If only he told someone else.

Laerryn. She is THE architect of Avalir’s future. The epitome of Progress. She must be looking forward to next big project, next idea that would bring the arcane science further...

But every so often, her eyes stray back to the past, to the painful memories. She kept Loquatius’ surname. She wears the perfume that reminds her of their wedding day. Her mind is in the Future, but her heart is in the Past. Just like the Heart of Avalir. The olderst technology in the whole city, yet it is the Thing that makes Avalir what it is. And the Heart - so outdated you cannot improve it any longer. Only rip it out and replace with something new. Can you even do it? Change something so fundemental about yourself in order to move forward? And if you do, what is the cost?

I think Loquatius knows. He is a changeling after all. He changes himself every day, every minute. To fit into something. Someone. He moves the gears behind the scene, propping up one candidate instead of the other - and I wonder, will it fail him? Will his candidate lose? And if so, if he is proven powerless and useless, what will be left of him when all the carefully crafted layers are stripped off?

Will there be anything at all?

#exu calamity #critical role #Cr meta #Exandria unlimited calamity

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thephantomessoftheopera · 3 years

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The Phantom Timeline

The order of events in the Leroux novel can be a bit confusing due to the “puzzle“ style of the narrative, so I‘ve tried and listed everything with a chronological indication in the (hopefully) correct order and timeframe. Piecing everything together, it is quite amazing how quickly things happened…

Beginning of November, possibly late October ("a good 3 months" before Christine‘s first disappearance): Erik and Christine meet, Erik starts teaching Christine. Talk of the “Opera Ghost” also arises “several months” before the gala, so probably around the same time.

January 10: Gala night featuring Christine, departure of Debienne and Poligny, Buquet’s body is found, Moncharmin and Richard learn about the ghost. Raoul hears Erik‘s voice in Christine’s dressing room.

The anniversary of Christine's father's death and her trip to Perros take place at some point later in January.

January 25: a note from the opera ghost arrives, claiming Box 5. M and R reserve Box 5 for Debienne and Poligny, so it remains empty.

January 26: Thank-you note from the ghost arrives, Box 5 sold to the public, occupants thrown out. Erik‘s note also states that he will write to them soon concerning the payment of his salary.

January 27: Mme Giry interrogated

The Saturday after: Faust performance where chandelier falls. Erik brings Christine to his house, where she stays for 2 weeks.

2 weeks later (mid-February): Christine and Erik go to the Masked Ball. Christine meets Raoul and later returns to Erik for the night. He gives her the wedding ring and she returns home the next morning.

Next day: Raoul visits Christine at home and sees the gold ring.

Next day: Raoul sees Christine at the Opera and tells her that he will be leaving in 3 or 4 weeks for the North Pole. The engagement game begins.

1 week later: Christine runs off to Erik.

2 days later: Christine reappears in “La Juive”

The following days are not stated, but it seems to be about another week, possibly, until the rooftop scene. Maximum duration of the entire engagement episode: 3-4 weeks, so no later than mid-march. The evening of Christine‘s abduction coincides with the payment of the Opera Ghost‘s monthly salary.

Rooftop scene evening: Raoul shoots Erik on the balcony. Raoul and Philippe quarrel.

Next day: The supposed engagement of Raoul and Christine is announced in the newspaper. Raoul prepares elopement and goes to the opera house at 9 pm. Christine is abducted from the stage. Erik sets her an ultimatum until 11 pm the following night (24 hours). Second payment collected. Past midnight, Raoul and the Persian go off in search of Christine and fall into the torture chamber.

Next day, 11 pm: Ultimatum runs out. Christine turns scorpion. Raoul and the Persian almost drown, but are recovered by Erik and Christine.

The Persian is delivered back to his apartment probably 1-2 days later, depending on how long he slept. Erik lets Christine and Raoul go.

Shortly after: Erik comes to visit the Persian.

3 weeks later: Erik dies (end of March to possibly mid-April).

So Erik met Christine (and most likely started masquerading as the opera ghost) at the beginning of November, and died the following spring at the end of march, maybe mid-April at the latest. This means that the entire plot, from Erik‘s and Christine’s first meeting to his death, spans only 5 to 5 ½ months in total. Therefore, they knew each other for a much shorter time than commonly assumed, especially within the context of the ALW musical.

#leroux phantom #phantom of the opera #gaston leroux #erik the phantom #the phantom of the opera #erik x christine #opera ghost #poto timeline #le fantôme de l'opéra #poto

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queen-rainy-love · 2 years

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Suprise yall, part 2!! One day during an elder's meeting, Clotted announced he was planning a special event, and wanted to get their opinion on it. Elders ask what it is , C. Cream explains the promise he made to Caviar and Oyster. Most agree to it, Custard and few others disgree, reexplaining the deal with Oyster's father. Oyster speaks up about it, but it still applies. A hurt Caviar snaps and argues with Custard about it, it ends up Caviar punching him and storming out.(Custard slander!)

Here we go! (Just as a reminder)

*The scene takes place in the Créme Republic months after Dark Enchantress's attack. The Elders were gathered in the Convocation Chamber, waiting for Clotted Cream. In the meantime, the Elders greet the new member.*

Oyster: It's a pleasure to have you join our ranks, Grand Madeleine Cookie.

Tangerine (Grand) Madeleine: Thank you Lady Oyster. It's an honor to be part of this council. It is sad that I have to replace Mille-feuille Cookie under such conditions. Is there news about Canelé Cookie?

Mulled Juice: We are still deciding on what to do with her. We should come up with our decision in a few days.

Baumkuchen: Yes, but we should get started. Where is Consul Clotted Cream?

*After he said that, Clotted Cream calmly walked in. He bowed his head before speaking.*

Clotted Cream: Very sorry for the delay. I was organizing some papers for a special event.

Captain Caviar: (By the seven seas...he doesn't mean...)

Vanilla Sugar: What special event are you talking about?

Clotted Cream: Well...I wish to uphold a promise I made with two close friends of mine that I will

Oyster: (Will he...?)

Custard: And what is that promise?

Oyster and Captain Caviar: (Can we finally...)

Clotted Cream: I want to help set up Captain Caviar and Lady Oyster's wedding.

*Silence filled the air. Oyster placed a hand over her mouth and was on the verge of happy tears. Captain Caviar smiled at Clotted Cream, happy to hear that he kept his promise. Sablé was the first to break the silence.*

Sablé: A wedding? Why of course!!! I believe these two deserve it after so long!!

Tangerine (Grand) Madeleine: I agree. After what happened a few months ago, this would be a great event to cheer all of the Republic.

Mulled Juice: It won't stop the obvious flirting but at least it would be with a good reason. *nudges Captain Caviar*

Clotted Cream: Yes. I believe that they both-

Vanilla Sugar: No.

*Everyone looked over at Vanilla Sugar, unsure if they heard that right. Despite getting shocked (and maybe two angry faces), Vanilla Sugar kept her ground.*

Vanilla Sugar: We will not do a wedding between them.

Mulled Juice: What?! After what they've been through why?!

Custard: Did you forget about the promise this council to the late Poached Oyster? He requested that for a reason.

Sablé: It's been years since that demand was made. It should be time to get over it.

Baumkuchen: We must uphold his request. Even if we don't like it.

Clotted Cream: What promise?

Oyster: My father refuses us to marry each other since he wanted me to marry a different noble Cookie. But since he is no longer around and that Cookie I married is no longer around, we can overrule his demand. It's just time-

Custard: No. We will uphold his promise. We cannot break it. He swore by the Divine Light that it will bring hell to our Republic.

*At this point, Captain Caviar is at his limit. He slammed his hands on the table and stormed over at Custard.*

Captain Caviar: Why are you keeping a promise to a dead Cookie?! What did he threaten you all with!?!?

Custard: Poached Oyster knew something that we didn't. We couldn't risk-

*Custard didn't finish that sentence as he had a knuckle sandwich, made by Captain Caviar himself. As he flew out of his chair and held his jaw in pain, Captain Caviar growled, keeping his tears at bay. Before Clotted Cream or Oyster can calm him down, the Choco Mud Town Savior stormed out of the room.*

Part 3! Part 3! Part 3!...Please?

#cookie run kingdom #crk headcanons #clotted cream cookie #mulled juice cookie #grand madeleine cookie #baumkuchen cookie #vanilla sugar cookie #custard cookie #oyster cookie #captain caviar cookie x oyster cookie #captain caviar cookie #oyster cookie x captain caviar cookie #sable cookie

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love-takes-work · 4 years

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Notes on SU Commentary Tracks

I watched the commentary tracks on the Complete Steven Universe DVD Set and I took some nerd notes.

The episodes with commentary tracks are “Reunited,” “Change Your Mind,” and “The Future.”

I’ll bold stuff that was maybe bigger news or more surprising for easier reading. And yes, some of this was already known from podcasts, other Q&As, or interviews, but I listed it if they said it again here.

Read on after the jump to read these and other highlights:

Steven’s original wedding speech

Older ideas on dialogue for Lapis when she came back to the beach

Scrapped concepts for the scene that ultimately included Steven communicating with the others in a mindscape

Discussions of earlier concepts for White Diamond having a power to “freeze” Gems into statues to make them perfect and having a gallery of them on Homeworld

Pink Pearl’s original fate

The translation of the writing on Obsidian’s sword

The origin of Pink Steven’s design

What Rebecca did to pitch the “SHE’S GONE” scene

Earlier plans to include Shep in “Change Your Mind”

An unused concept of how Steven feels about Biggs

The inspiration for the Heaven and Earth Beetles’ healed design

How Volleyball/Pink Pearl was almost a mini-villain

Discussion of how they did not get to share the origin of the Diamonds

Jasper’s scrapped participation in the movie

“Reunited” -

Commentary with Rebecca Sugar, Ben Levin, Matt Burnett, Hilary Florido, Joe Johnston, Ian Jones-Quartey, and Kat Morris.

In 2015, an episode idea called “If You Love Yourself So Much” was discussed but rejected. It included some early ideas that ended up getting incorporated into “Reunited,” most notably Garnet marrying herself and putting rings on both hands.

The idea of the Cluster arm wrestling was planned for a long time. A scrapped idea of Steven banging his fist on a vending machine to get some Chaaaaps was supposed to visually parallel some of that scene, but it was axed.

When they got pushback on the wedding idea, they kept adding more and more “high entertainment value” items like a big musical number so the episode would be absolutely unmissable and appealing to everyone.

The song at the beginning of the episode was meant to check in with the entire cast and sort of remind you they exist and what their state of mind is going into the wedding.

Ian made a comment joking about “All 15 people in Beach City” being in the audience.

Just about everyone on the Crew touched this episode, despite that there are four main storyboarders credited for “Reunited.”

In 2016 Ian Jones-Quartey proposed marriage to Rebecca Sugar. They felt like the characters based on them (Sapphire and Ruby) HAD to get married in the show now because otherwise it wouldn’t be honest. But then their characters got married before they did.

They really love the idea of having characters get married who have known each other for a really long time, versus the fairy tale trope of movies ending with weddings between people who have met very recently.

Steven’s speech as officiator at the wedding used to be longer in its first draft--it was described as being weird and full of jokes, and there would have been a scene with Pearl getting weepy and pulling tissues out of her pearl.

Ian mentions loving a joke Jeff came up with having Greg play one chord to make Steven fall asleep--it’s sort of a “dream” chord you hear in cartoons a lot before a dream sequence.

The Crew discussed what it might be like if someone had never seen the show before and started with this episode.

Ian really wanted Steven’s psychic powers to figure into the episode.

Blue using a sadness wave to attack the Gems was a very old idea they’d planned for a long time. So was Lapis’s arrival.

There was a discussion of having Lisa Hannigan performing her lines as Blue VERY early in the morning.

Ian was happy the sword got broken because it was so momentous but it was just a sword. And later appeared on a shelf in the house as an artifact.

Miki had drawn a torn dress for Garnet at one point so she could be shown fighting and moving around more accurately, and this led to a long discussion of whether Gem clothing can even actually get torn the way human clothes can. They concluded that no, it shouldn’t be torn, so they backed up and gave Garnet an open-front dress from the beginning so the fighting version would make more sense.

Lapis originally might have had a longer speech upon arriving back on the beach. They eventually decided to just have her say “Hey.”

The barn falling on Blue Diamond was an intentional Wizard of Oz reference.

They point out that Steven even once said “drop the barn on the beach” (in a previous episode, “Can’t Go Back,” which was also a Miki episode).

Destroying the house was a big deal, and they always thought they’d end up doing it but backed away from it until “Reunited.” They almost even did it back in “Coach Steven”! But it just ended up with a little damage to the porch.

The Crew thinks Miki is really good at drawing ensemble shots.

Rebecca was always overwhelmed whenever she got to have Patti LuPone record for Yellow.

Originally the giant figures of everyone’s statue bodies in the mindscape were too dark and had to be revamped so they could be seen.

An earlier idea of Steven’s “psychic-ghost-situation” had him as a ghost actually trying to interact with the other characters during fighting action, but it was pulled back to this mindscape so there wouldn’t be as much confusing action to keep track of and more focus on what Steven was doing to encourage his teammates and contact the Diamonds.

Hilary was glad not to have to block out a fight.

Ian mentions loving having Bismuth back in the group.

They originally wanted the “Diamonds sensing Pink’s energy” plot to happen when Steven was in the palace somehow, but everything got moved to this scene--which the Crew all agrees turned out incredible, like how cool it was to have Steven essentially reminding each character why they fight and summing up their whole arc in a sentence.

“Change Your Mind”

Commentary with Rebecca Sugar, Ben Levin, Matt Burnett, Hilary Florido, Joe Johnston, Ian Jones-Quartey, and Kat Morris.

They like to refer to this episode as “The movie before the movie.”

They loved incorporating “princess tropes” into Steven’s time on Homeworld, which is why there were so many references to “mice” (well, Pebbles) making clothes, being locked in a tower, being reminded of his manners, loving animals and freeing imprisoned pets, etc.

Deedee did the voice of the rainbow worm pet. She apparently didn’t find it memorable and was surprised when she was reminded she did the voice.

Rebecca was super excited for the confrontation with Blue.

There was some discussion of how Steven would have died of starvation if he didn’t have someone practical like Connie to remember to bring food.

They love working with the huge scale the Diamonds present.

The Crew always wanted to put someone in Blue’s hair loop. Originally they wanted Blue to tuck Greg in there when she kidnapped him, but they didn’t end up being able to do any hair-loop-carrying until this episode.

The Crew bantered back and forth about what the heck those Pebbles’ names were and how hard it was to track them.

They agreed that Paul draws the best Yellow Diamond, which makes sense since he also drew the first episode with Yellow (and her stink face).

The scene where Yellow asks Blue to stop using her powers on her and then realizing she’s crying on her own was one of Rebecca’s favorite scenes to get to finally.

Steven Sugar thought Gems would spend a lot of time in their own chambers/rooms just not really doing much of anything unless they had to fulfill their purpose.

Some of the Homeworld ideas were based on a Soviet artist’s concepts, Boris Artzybasheff, and also many ideas were inspired by Busby Berkeley regarding how people were objects and furniture.

The mech was an old idea. Once they had the hand ship from “Jailbreak,” they knew there had to be bodies somewhere.

They focused a lot about what could be the coolest and funniest way for something to happen. The concept of the yellow and blue spaceship arms appearing out of the sky to smack the White Diamond mech around was one of those.

Rebecca really wanted things to look more and more cartoony and bizarre as you get deeper into Homeworld.

They spent a very long time trying to decide on characters’ new outfits.

The trash can lid is said to be a reference to “a flying bear cartoon” and they dance around speaking a direct reference because they’re not sure they’re allowed to say its name.

In discussing the powers of the Diamonds, there were debates on what White’s power would be; with Yellow being physicality-based and Blue being emotion-based, they thought White as identity-based made the most sense.

Different ways to express this were played with before settling on the idea that she thinks she’s perfect and others’ colors make them less like her and less perfect. But then she becomes a hostage to her own beliefs about herself because if she does anything that reflects on everyone else, so it’s best to do nothing.

They had some cool earlier ideas of White’s powers making statues out of other Gems and having a gallery full of frozen Gems, frozen by White to make them perfect.

They also weren’t sure what fate befell the original Pink Pearl and discussed whether she might have been destroyed.

Rebecca discussed how creepy it was to have White Pearl speaking in Christine’s voice and not Deedee’s--that we should find it fundamentally disturbing at this point.

Tom Herpich came up with the crack on White Pearl’s face.

In real life, pink diamonds aren’t understood as well as yellows and blues. It’s more known what makes a diamond yellow or blue, and some of those facts Rebecca researched were originally woven into the speech White gave about their “impurities.” But it turned out to be too dry and most of it got cut.

Rebecca loves having Lapis with pants and sandals for easier cosplay.

Ian had to draw the scene where Steven is falling and fusing with inert characters--he wasn’t able to properly explain it to Rebecca so she had him draw it.

They really wanted Rainbow Quartz 2.0 to have a scarf, but they couldn’t figure out how to get that into Pearl’s design. They miss the scarf.

It was really important to have these Fusions display call-forwards of the Gems’ new outfits which we hadn’t yet seen.

Rebecca points out that Sunstone’s design breaks a design rule and she feels like Sunstone should have Garnet’s pant leg colors on their legs, but at the same time she understands the rule of cool and likes it like this.

It’s discussed how none of Steven’s fusion weapons are exclusively offensive weapons either.

Rebecca still really wants a suction cup Sunstone toy.

Sunstone’s ability to transcend reality and break the fourth wall was a joke that exploded in the discussion room among the Crew. As soon as the idea was pitched everyone kept coming up with ideas. Sardonyx’s fourth-wall-breaking is more snarky, but Sunstone’s is helpful.

Rebecca was disappointed that the rule about Steven’s clothes wasn’t always followed with having his clothes appear on Obsidian’s hand, but she was delighted that you could see them in one scene.

They spent a lot of discussion time on making sure Steven-Obsidian was different somehow from Rose-Obsidian. The hair is different.

Old versions of Obsidian were drawn with wrapped-together Twizzlers legs, which sort of is reflected in the present design.

The sword had been planned forever--and it first appeared in “Bubble Buddies.”

Miki worked on the Ninja Turtles show so Rebecca was really excited to see her depictions of Bismuth and Sunstone.

An early plan to have Obsidian draw the sword from their mouth was complicated because fusion weapons should be combinations, so they finally reached the solution of having them combine to make the hilt, then get the blade out of Obsidian’s mouth.

The blade of the sword is thought to say “We’ll always save the day,” but you’d have to ask Steven Sugar.

Another really old idea was climbing into the White Diamond mech eye.

Rebecca was disappointed that some of the merch made of White Diamond did not feature her cape sparkles.

There were many debates early on about where Rose might “actually” be. There were tons of references to this fundamental question throughout the show--introducing Lapis as a Gem trapped in an object, having Pearl ponder pulling Steven’s Gem out as a baby, straight-up wondering what would happen to him in “Bubbled” when Eyeball was trying to take his Gem, etc. They all decided Rose was definitely gone but that the idea of her possibly being inside him should be on his mind a lot, leading to disturbing images like dreaming about coughing up her hair.

Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond both challenged Steven about things he was very confident about, but White’s question of his identity got to him because he in fact is not confident about that.

The black and white eeriness of the fuzzy background and the other characters having their colors washed out helped make the scene in White Diamond’s head so disturbing and creepy.

The split screen showing Steven’s two perspectives was exciting to Rebecca, and was a pretty old idea. And she points out it sort of “breaks the show.”

The Gem Steven, Pink Steven, was represented by a slightly modified version of his model sheet. Everyone laughed when they saw what was getting used.

They decided that an earlier idea of Pink Steven looking angry should be replaced by an emotionless version of him. All the emotion should be with Organic Steven.

In the pitch meeting for this episode, Rebecca herself screamed “SHE’S GONE!!” and shocked the hell out of everyone. She pointed out how no one expected this of her because she’s pretty quiet, but she just wanted to shock everyone the way Steven would in the show.

They point out this is the first appearance of the geometric shield that got so much use in Future.

The fact that Steven is Steven is the ultimate reveal of the show. Usually in fantasy shows there’s some other kind of revelation, but Steven just being amazingly human and amazingly Gem and amazingly himself is wonderful here.

They like having the pilot reference with “What’s your excuse?”

If Rose had somehow still been alive in him, all of this would have been cheapened.

Ian loves that you can faintly hear Sadie’s concert from way out in space as the camera approaches Earth.

They got a lot more use out of the Beach-A-Palooza stage than they thought they would when it had to be designed for “Steven and the Stevens.” There was a joke about how at one of the conventions a real Beach-A-Palooza stage was constructed and they had a thought about how oh good, it’s getting reused.

Sadie having green hair in the finale was a late change but they liked showing her progression.

They had originally kicked around the idea of Sadie already having her new partner Shep at this point, but decided to develop that in Future instead.

They compare White Diamond’s stepping gingerly into the fountain to skeptically getting into a public pool.

Some silliness they didn’t get to use was that Biggs would be “beloved by everyone” except Steven. They never got to cover it, but originally Steven was just going to not really understand why everyone loves her so much and doesn’t personally much care for her.

The Heaven and Earth Beetles are based on the Mothra Ladies.

The healed Gems’ horns are supposed to be side effects of the corruption that they continue to bear in the present.

Larimar and Orange Spodumene ended up different in the ending scene than they became in Future. Many of the designs were retroactively pulled into this scene after being designed for the movie.

Rebecca wrote “Change Your Mind” as a personal song to express her feelings surrounding her fight for the wedding.

“The Future”

Commentary with Rebecca Sugar, Kat Morris, Alonso Ramirez Ramos, Hilary Florido, Joe Johnston, and Ian Jones-Quartey.

The animatic for this episode ran SO long--they’re supposed to be just over 11 minutes but this one was 17 minutes.

Steven’s calisthenics routine, a callback to “Future Vision,” was on the chopping block to make the episode shorter but Rebecca wouldn’t allow it to be cut because she wanted to show that Steven’s been taking care of himself.

They were very excited to get a chance to cover some of the things in Future that they couldn’t squeeze into the original show, like the unbubbled Rose Quartzes, Volleyball, etc.

The new writers on the show also helped bring forward the idea of Steven finally making some of his OWN mistakes to fix.

This also helped construct the idea of Steven essentially being the “final boss” of his own battle.

Usually stories that involve someone being in a fight and winning don’t explore the effect just being in a fight has on a person, regardless of whether you won.

Rebecca really wanted to play Ocarina of Time after beating it so she could go back to all the places and see how people were doing. She wanted this epilogue series to explore that a little too.

Little Homeschool is sort of a Tiny Toons reference--older cartoons teach younger cartoons how to be cartoons, and this is Gems teaching other Gems how to be Gems on Earth.

Lamar came up with the silly joke about receiving that art set with all the different media types in it--the one artists are always getting from a well-meaning relative at holiday time.

A scrapped plot idea involved Volleyball/Pink Pearl as a sort of “mini-villain,” with a focus on her activating the un-activated Pearls.

There’s discussion of how victimization turns people into villains sometimes. But since showing that happening with Volleyball wouldn’t have served the interests of Steven’s arc, they couldn’t fit it in.

There was also a “very specific” Gem origin and Diamond origin story that’s quasi-religious in nature--it’s very cool and complicated. But they do not tell us what it is.

Ian and Joe both really wanted to have Jasper living alone in the woods and stacking rocks. They’re glad they got this series to do that with her.

There was originally an idea for a B-plot involving Jasper in the movie. They don’t discuss the specifics.

There were many ideas they didn’t get to work on because they would have started new arcs and Future was not about kicking new plots into gear.

“Mr. Universe” was the last episode they wrote/finished.

Miki really wanted to include a kiss between Connie and Steven to show their relationship was okay. Among the Crew everyone knew their relationship was basically eternal but Miki wanted to make sure WE knew that.

Steven driving conveyed momentum for Future; in the original show, we always came back to the laundry hand, back to home, but in Future that’s changed and home isn’t what it was.

They were really excited that a gourd family made it to the crowd scene in Future.

Thanks for reading!

Note: The movie had some commentary tracks too, but the one on this DVD set is the same as the one released on the original standalone movie DVD, so I did not outline it here. Here is my post about the DVD commentary from the movie.

#steven universe #steven universe future #rebecca sugar #crewniverse #my su analysis #myblog

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what-i-call-men · 3 years

Text

Loyalty

James Patrick March x fem!reader

Warnings: a lot of murder, cheating on multiple occasions, some sex mentions, a proposal

Request: from me Fic thought of the night- you become James’ first prodigy because you were in the hotel with your husband and ended up pushing him out the window or something (where he wouldn’t end up in the hotel) and James wants you to carry on his work but you just fall in love with his passion. I’m thinking like housewife in the 60s poisoning her husband or something. Maybe she’s running from the crime scene and hiding in the hotel. Murder suicide and when she wakes up James is just clapping

Picture credit to @copy-of-a-cheeto

That was it, you were over his stupid screaming and fighting with you and constant harassment over how bad you were at everything. You’d had it. You were on vacation with your husband and this was the last straw after nights of fighting instead of what should’ve been a romantic get away. He currently stood beside the window, looking out to the city, and muttering about how his assistant was so much better than you in bed. It wasn’t something you didn’t know about either but this was the last straw in your book.

With a rush of rage you walked behind him, grabbing an ice pick off the bar and ran it through his back. He gasped at the sudden pain, but before he could turn around to you you were removing the pick and picking him up with the strength of your adrenaline, pushing him head first out the window onto the street in front of the hotel. You leaned out after hearing the thud of his body from the 8-story drop. As you stared down at the body on the street you felt nothing other than rage, but as soon as you turned back to your room you realized that he’s dead and you just killed him. As soon as people figured out who he was you’d be suspect number one.

You hurried to his bag and grabbed the razor out of his toiletries. Killing yourself or your husband wasn’t even the strangest part of the whole affair. The strangest part was you waking up, staring down at your bloody body in the bath tub. At first you didn’t even realize what was happening until you heard slow clapping from behind you in your room. Turning around, you saw a man dressed in a suit with a cane and an ascot around his neck. “That was quite a show deary, I’ve never seen a woman with rage quite like yours.” He said and untucked the cane from his arm to lean against it again. “If you would’ve waited a few more seconds I would’ve offered you my own knife. Or I would’ve even done him in myself.”He gestures to his cane where it unlatched the head to reveal a small dagger.

You looked at him for a second, still at a loss for words until you finally murmured out a “who are you?”. James offered his hand to you to which you took as he introduced himself. “My name is James Patrick March. I built this hotel and I was walking past and heard the commotion. Serves him right for what he did to a beautiful woman like you. He got everything that was coming to him.” James muttered as he looked out towards the window where the body had fallen right off the property but behind the building where no one would see it.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long. He makes it so hard to even carve up a chicken for dinner without imagining it was it throat. He had been sleeping with his assistant for a year but I never went to college so I could never afford leave him.” You muttered as James walked towards the door, beckoning you to follow him. You followed and he nodded for you to continue talking. “He always wanted kids but I was never able to give that to him so he would seek her out in hopes she would provide that for him.” You felt like James was protecting you and made you feel better about what had happened. It was comforting until he placed his hand in yours to lead you down the halls and you felt a wedding ring adorned on his finger.

As the night went on James helped you, making a woman from the front desk carry in the body of your husband and throw him down a chute. He also had Ms. Evers dispose of your body and your husbands things. You soon sat in what you assumed was his room at a dinner table, eating along with him as he spoke about how artful your murder was. How a murder suicide was how he died as well with Ms. Evers and how that never stopped him from killing others. As James spoke, you quickly became enthralled with how passionate he was about death and killing. You didn’t have a weird or gross feeling when he talked about it, only a passionate love for the art of murder.

As days passed James had begun to taking a liking to your intrigue, in his murders. He began to show you the ropes of his preparation towards murder, the gory treasures he took from those he killed. On a trip you two took around the hotel on one of these days, he seemed particularly exited as you followed behind him past the bar and down a flight of stairs. “Mr. March I wanted to thank you for helping me out of my situation.” You spoke towards the man before you as he walked ahead of you.

“It was no problem dearest, I built this hotel as a safe haven for my hobby. A body is the least of its concerns.” He went on as you walked behind him. “May I ask where your wife is?” You asked and he faltered for a moment before stopping his walking and turning to you. “She’s none of your concern dearest.” He said and then continued walking, you falling a bit behind before he moved on to show you the torture chambers in the basement of the hotel. Surprisingly you weren’t weak stomached as he spoke eloquently about everything. Instead you held onto his elbow as he lead you around.

Something still felt wrong with him wearing a wedding ring and yet no talk of his wife or even a hint of her being around him. You’d been with him pretty much all of the last few days and he didn’t even have women’s things in his room to hint she lived there. “I have a surprise for you.” He said and you turned after hearing a door close behind you. Ms. Evers stood with a man and woman being hauled in behind her. “He’s just like your husband. He’s here today with his mistress because they chose to run away together. I thought this might excite you.” James said and the couple was thrown before you, gagged and tied.

You paused for a moment. You saw fear in both of their eyes. This woman was years younger than the man and he had grey littered through his hair. “Is she your assistant?” You spoke to him harshly, feeling the same anger towards your husband to this man now. He looked up at you and nodded. You felt your face grow hot as James slipped something into your hand. You glanced down to see a blade, the one from the top of his cane. Looking back to the man, you stared him down as you plunged the knife into the woman’s chest. His eyes widened and he screamed behind the gag.

Soon after stabbing the woman a few times you ripped the blade out and pointed it at the man. “You ungrateful traitorous bastard of a man deserve the worst and hottest place in hell for treating your poor hardworking wife as if she were nothing! She’s not nothing. I’m. Not. Nothing.” You yelled, punctuating your last words with a stab to his chest. You now straddling his body as blood coated your front. You felt no remorse. You in fact felt relief and you only felt better when James scooped you up and praised you. He ended his praise with a kiss to your lips. One that lasted a few moments as your heart dropped in your chest.

Nothing was really the same after that. James would ring your room every time a new man came in with a mistress and you would show up to their room usually with a knife behind your back. And every time you returned to James with blood splatter across your face and dress he would kiss you and help clean you off. You loved the praise he gave you but you knew you’d become his woman on the side. You’d never even slept with him but you still felt bad every time his wedding band touched your arm.

It wasn’t until he’d invited you to a dinner with him and his wife was there that you had truly met her. “Y/n, dearest, this is my wife Elizabeth.” He said as he gestured to the other woman at the table. She was a major juxtaposition in comparison to him. She was more into the times with her fashion, beautiful blonde hair swept across her face. “I’m so happy you could join us. I wanted to talk to you about your relationship with James here.” She patted a seat near her as James nudged you forwards. You sat nervously beside her, her aura oozing confidence and radiance.

“I want you to know I know everything you do for him and that him and I have an open arrangement for him and i to do as we please. Because I am the living owner of the hotel I keep the name and the legality of what we had, but none of the love he had for me.” She said and placed her hand on yours. “If you’d like to keep him company in the romantic sense I will be all the more supportive of your choice.” She added.

From that night on your relationship with James become more gory. Now instead of kisses and praise. You two would kill together in the hotel, then make love on the sheets stained with the blood of the adulterous couples. James was a rough man but you were just as commanding which he loved. He became so infatuated with killing with you, he invited you to a dinner he had which he coined “Devils Night”. It was his birthday dinner which initially was you and Him alone, but as the years went on he found others he deemed more impressive than you.

These others were alive and he coached them to kill for him in the outside world. It wasn’t until John that you had truly become fed up with these new guests, each one more horrid than the last. When John came around you wanted nothing more than to kill him along with Sally. He took up all of James’ time. You had turned to Elizabeth for comfort which she welcomed with open arms and bare chest. Sure it was taboo to sleep not only with her husband but also with her. It brought a new flame to your existence to find comfort in her arms at your shared loss in the murderous man. It wasn’t until she announced to you she planned to marry again that you grew excited again.

“James will not take it well. I’m telling you now so that you can swoop in to comfort him. I see how in love with him you are and how passionate he is about killing with you.” She said as she lit up her cigarette, the two of you clad in your silk robes as you laid in her bed. “James was never enough to make me happy but he truly will be for you for eternity.” She said and you grinned. That smile didn’t leave your face until James came you to hours after their monthly dinner, his hair a mess and his cheeks red with what was either anger or tears.

You welcomed him into your room with open arms, pressing his lips to yours as you closed the door behind him. He lifted you up and brought you to your bed, muttering quietly about how he didn’t see it coming and how stupid Elizabeth’s man was for choosing her. You shut him up with your lips as you undid his jacket, throwing it on the ground as you began on his button up. He kissed along the column of your throat as you felt the fire ignite in you again. A fire that hasn’t blazed since the 70s when James had found his second prodigy after you.

He set you down and you looked up to him as he paused in thought. “There’s a couple in room 36. Can we go back to how we were?” He asked gently and put his hands on your arms, his wedding ring now missing from his hand. “I’d love to James.” You muttered and leaned up to his lips once more. The couple was no trouble, to murder. You always loved to get the men while he had no problem taking care of the women.

Moments after you were both straddling the bodies, now soaked in their blood and enjoying the adrenaline rush at its peak. You heard James say something but you couldn’t hear him over the buzz in your ears. Looking to him, you egged him to repeat his words. “Marry me. You’re the only one who truly understands me. Better than Elizabeth ever was.” He said and turned to you fully from where he kneeled on the bed. “No one is as good to me as you, you are the best thing to happen to me in this eternal life. You bring light to this dreary eternity more than completing some stupid commandments killings from my lifetime.”

He said and moved over the bodies to you where you just smiled and nodded at him. He grabbed you by the waist, letting you fall back onto the bed into the pools of blood, kissing you fervently as you grinned against his lips. The kiss tasted like so many before, coated in an iron taste and the love of this man before you, but this was different because as he pulled away he smiled down at you. “Let me help you up, Mrs. March.” He offered and you took his hand, butterflies swarming in your chest as he helped you.

#james march #james patrick march #james march x reader #ahs hotel #fic thoughts fulfilled

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imkylotrash · 3 years

Text

The Noble Kind

Pairing: Sir Gwaine x reader

Request: She's the queen, married to uther but is just a year or 2 older than Arthur. She has magic. They had an arranged marriage cause her kingdom which is extremely powerful didn't want to go to war with uther as they were taking in refugees to protect and didn't want to inforce the idea that magic is evil. She has an affair with gawain and they run away when she's pregnant. Anonymous

Tagging: @bitchwhytho @music-of-melody @shadowhuntyi

“It’s for the greater good,” you mother tells you right before you marry the King of Camelot in an attempt to prevent a war. Uther is a great king for the most part but he is frightened by what he doesn’t understand. Magic is one of the things he knows nothing of - leaving it up to your kingdom to take in the refugees running for their lives.

“To a strong alliance,” he toasts at the wedding party and you keep a smile plastered on your face through the entire evening even though you hate every second. You’ve always said you’d marry for love but there’s no lost love between you and Uther. He agreed for the alliance and nothing more. You agreed because it was the right thing to do for your people. None of you could afford to go to war with each other.

“A strong alliance,” you echo lifting the glass of wine placed in front of you. In the crowd, you spot Gwaine looking at you with sorrow in his eyes. He didn’t want to believe it until he saw it with his own eyes. But then something changes, you see the flip switch as he raises his glass to you before downing the whole thing. You should’ve known he wouldn’t take this well.

“Have I lost your interest already?” Uther asks with a sparkle in his eyes of something you can’t quite figure out.

“Of course not, dear. I was simply amused by the people dancing.” You’re quick to recover having been taught etiquette and manners your entire life. You know the game well enough and you’ve only gotten better after your mother abdicated and handed the crown over to you. The loss of her king, your father, had been too much. You stepped in knowing you’d had to give up what little life you had acquired. Gwaine was the only thing you refused to let go of.

“You should join them. Show them they can trust their new queen.” You wonder where Arthur but that question doesn’t go unanswered very long. He comes in by a back entrance quietly sitting down next to Uther.

“As you wish, my king.” You join the common people dancing and they’re quick to welcome you and show you the steps. It’s the most fun you’ve had all night. You don’t see Gwaine in the crowd though which worries you. It won’t do anyone any good if he gets drunk enough to make a scene.

“He’s in your chamber,” Merlin whispers using his magic to carry the sound to you and only you. He must’ve figured out who you were looking for.

“Thank you,” you whisper back. Merlin is the only one who knows about you and Gwaine but he’s promised to keep quiet. He doesn’t want to cause problems for neither of you. It’s another hour before you feel it’s appropriate to retreat for the night. Uther doesn’t object when you inform him that you’ll be spending the night in your private chambers and you don’t feel guilty for doing so. The marriage is strategic and you both know it. Besides, there’s something about only being one summer older than Uther’s own son.

You finally reach your chambers having sent your servants to bed with the promise that you’ll be able to take care of yourself. It’s an excuse to keep them from seeing Gwaine. He’s drunk when you enter, he’s very drunk.

“Do you ever stay away from trouble?” you ask noticing the split lip and the bruise on his cheekbone. He’s been fighting again.

“You know, I had the strangest dream,” he starts but you’re too tired to make sense of his metaphors. You want him cleaned up and ready to sleep.

“Let me,” you whisper carefully wetting a cloth and rinsing the worst of the blood from the cut.

“You could always do the witchy woo,” he says wiggling his eyebrows and puckering his lips.

“It’d do you some good to heal naturally. Perhaps you wouldn’t worry me so much,” you reply but the second he mentions the pain you’ve lost all resolve to let him heal on his own. You can’t let him be in pain when you can take it away.

“Fine,” you whisper placing your hand right about the cut and closing your eyes. In mere seconds, the wound has closed as if he’s been waiting for you here the whole time and not been out looking for trouble.

“Thank you,” he says this time a little more serious. You feel as though you can finally exhale as you crawl into bed with him. These are your moments of peace, the moments where you can avoid the pressure of your title and the expectations that come with the crown.

“You know, you did just get married. Normally, there’s something you’d consummate the marriage as well.” He’s drunk and out of his mind, but he’s your crazy drunk and looking into his eyes you feel nothing but love.

“Sober up and I’ll think about it.” You don’t consummate anything that night but you do the following nights. You get careless and before you know it, you’re late. Gaius confirms your suspicions and congratulates you thinking it belongs to Uther. But Merlin knows the truth though which means he’ll be the only person who can help you.

“We must leave tonight,” you confide in him. If Uther finds out that you’ve disrespected him in these manners, he’ll have you hung and declare war on your kingdom. If you flee, you’ll be able to have the baby and come up with some sort of plan for your return. It’s the safest option.

“Meet me down here tonight. I’ll get you out of Camelot but then you’re on your own,” Merlin murmurs already concocting a plan for how to distract Gaius as he helps you escape. There’s no time for excitement when you tell Gwaine what has happened but you can tell he’s over the moon.

“And it’s mine?” he whispers eyes full of affection. He never thought he’d want to become a father but learning the news of your pregnancy has proven him wrong.

“Of course it’s yours,” you say with as much dignity as you can muster. How could he ever think it wasn’t his? You stop dead in your tracks when Arthur appears around the corner.

“Sir Gwaine. My Lady.” He kisses your hand from obligation rather than willingness.

“Could I have a moment with her Highness?” Gwaine knows he can’t say no but the hesitation is enough to raise suspicion. He continues down the hallway as you remain with Arthur.

“He’s good with a sword but that brainless head of his is going to get him killed one day.” You chuckle having said the exact same thing to Gwaine many times.

“Perhaps his sword skills will be the thing to save him from the troubles his brainless head creates?” you suggest hoping the talk of Gwaine will distract you from the real question; why are you down here? But it doesn’t and you mention the only thing that will make him run the other way.

“I have terrible cramps. Gaius promised he had a potion that could help.” The mentions of menstrual cramps is enough to send him running and you hurry on laughing at how easy men can be distracted. Sound travels through these tunnels and you’re close enough to hear both Gwaine and Merlin.

“I used to think you hated nobles,” Merlin laughs enjoying the company of his best friend one last time.

“Yeah, well... maybe that one’s worth dying for, eh?” You don’t mention their conversation as you enter but your heart is beating a little faster after hearing his declaration. That night you and Gwaine escape Camelot with help from Merlin. You seek refuge in your own kingdom using magic to distort your features and remain hidden. By the time, Uther realises what has happened, you’ve taken in too many sorcerers for him to launch an attack that will ultimately lead to a war he will lose. Not too long after the birth of your child, you return to the throne with Gwaine by your side and a little heir running around the throne room.

“Is it wrong for me to miss being on the run?” Gwaine asks you as you walk in the garden surrounding the castle.

“I miss it too sometimes. But I couldn’t abandon my people.”

“You just might be the first noble to care for their people,” he smiles. He takes your hand in his and the topic is never brought up again. Gwaine settles into his role with grace leaving behind the tavern fighting instead focusing on little Merlin and you.

“I’m pretty proud of our little family.”

“Me too.”

#gwaine x reader #gwaine blurb #gwaine imagine #gwaine bbc merlin #bbc merlin blurb #bbc merlin imagine #bbc merlin #sir gwaine x reader #sir gwaine blurb #sir gwaine #king arthur #merlin #uther pendragon

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bbrandy2002 · 4 years

Text

Fool’s Rush In

Chapter 17

This is my @wackydrabbles post for week 87. The prompt is bolded. "No offense, but I'm not interested."

Book: TRR

Pairing: Liam x Riley

Warnings: Drake and some language.

*I was in a silly mood and this turned into a dumpster fire lol and it feels very rushed but I was trying to meet the word count. There may be a little bit of plot in this.

Word count: 1999

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Liam sat on the floor with his back pressed against the mattress; one leg bent upright with the other extended crookedly out in front of him. Half of a bottle of Don Julio dangled loosely from a hand settled on his knee while two shiny gold rings encircled the pinky tip of his other.

In a fit of anger late last night, he searched for and consumed the first bottle of alcohol he came across in the liquor cabinet. He had no intentions of getting hammered or even a little drunk; Liam just needed something to take the edge off the hurt. Not that he for one second believed a word Riley told him before she walked out and boarded a red-eye commercial flight back to the States.

As Liam pondered her abrupt departure in the early hours of the morning, one thing was for sure: He'd never been in love before, but what he felt for Riley was real -- and reciprocated -- that, "no," she spewed from her mouth when asked if she loved him was a lie.

But why? That was the question he just couldn't figure out.

Having racked his brain for hours and with the sun finally coloring in the darkness of his chambers, Liam set aside his drink and lifted himself off the ground. Every thought that consumed him for the last several hours was riddled with putting the pieces together of why she actually left and why she felt she couldn't tell him the truth. Nothing made sense, yet ruminating alone in his room until he figured it out wasn't going to solve anything; the only way to get to the bottom of this was to retrace Riley's steps from the time she left the ball to when he made his way up to join her a little later.

Stumbling to the bathroom -- mostly from exhaustion and perhaps a little drunker than he realized -- Liam stripped off the tuxedo he wore the prior evening and took a quick shower before heading down to the security office.

-----------

Riley's heavily drooping eyelids popped wide open when the plane shook from another vigorous tremor of turbulence. Gripping the armrests on both sides of her seat, she hesitated to peek out the window but was relieved when she saw the billowy waters of the Pacific had transformed into small, mosaic blocks of land covered by a shadow of the nearly setting sun.

When the aircraft settled again, Riley reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone to check the time, grateful to be landing soon. She planned to go straight home, sink into her bed, and sleep the rest of her life away. Maybe wake up every once in a while to sob again before going back to sleep. Whatever Riley decided to do, she hated Madeleine, she hated Tyler, and she hated telling Liam she didn't love him; the more Riley thought about the stunned look on his face when she said it, the more nauseous her stomach felt.

And the nausea was getting worse.

Riley caught the eye of a nearby stewardess and waved her over; she needed ginger ale, and she needed it fast.

"Can I help you, Miss?"

"I … I need, ginger ale, please." She asked through ragged breaths.

"Let me check and see if we have more." Riley nodded appreciatively.

"Hey. Don't I know you from somewhere?" A relatively large guy in the center seat, whose sweaty arm flab had been lodged in Riley's shoulder since takeoff, asked. Oh shit! Riley cupped a tight hand over her mouth and shook her head vigorously; the last thing she wanted was to be recognized.

Or vomit.

While the stewardess searched the service cart for the requested drink, the gentleman's eyes enlarged. "Wait a minute. Yeah! You're that little gal who married some king, with ..." he snapped his fingers before adding in his thick Texan drawl, "the monkey and hookers and shit. Wow, my fiance wants to have a wedding just like yours." He held his hand out to her. "The names Beaver Calhoun, mayor of Slippery Nip, Texas. I guess you could say we're both royals, huh?"

Riley lowered her hand slightly; she was past the point of ginger ale helping, and this guy was blocking her way out. "Beaver, I need you to move."

He stroked his chin in thought. "Well, I don't know, Queenie. I'm pretty content with my life there in Slippery Nip, Not really lookin' to uproot."

"No!' Riley's strained voice responded forcefully, "move out of the way--" She tried to fight it, but her head flung forward and everything came out with her last word.

Beaver looked down at his shirt and quirked a brow. "That's gonna leave a stain."

=============

On the second floor of a run-down Motel 6, just off the beaten path in Las Vegas, Drake tossed in the last of his clothes and airline tickets in a duffle bag and zipped it. Stepping over to the window, he pulled aside the tattered curtains to check if the airport's shuttle van had arrived yet. Disappointed, he grumbled to himself, "Where the hell are you? I'm ready to get the fuck out of here."

The past week had been intense -- well, frankly, the entire month had been nothing short of shit balls. Five weeks ago, Drake landed in Las Vegas for Liam's bachelor party and won big money at the casino, only to have it all pissed away on some old, decrepit hooker who stole his wallet, cell phone, dick health, and what little joy he had in the world. Liam left with a sexy ass wife, and all Drake got was the false claim of fathering triplets and his scowling face on the front cover of the National Enquirer with Dr. Ethan Ramsey detailing the entire sordid journey from pre-surgical rooster rot to the aftercare.

He made a quick $500 for the story, in which he badly needed the money, considering he couldn't leave Vegas until the paternity test results came back. It was enough for his lodging, a couple cans of Beenie-Weenies and a few boxes of pepperoni Hot Pockets; his stomach felt like oil sludge at this point. But as a joke, Leo had sent a box of Ding-Dongs, so it wasn't all bad.

The rotary phone in his room rang out, and he answered the call from the front desk, which let him know transportation had arrived. Drake grabbed his bag, flicked a cockroach off of it, and exited his room into the enclosed hallway.

After stepping onto the elevator and hitting the down button, another person strolled on in a black leather mini-skirt, white see-through halter top, and a pair of fishnet stockings that he'd recognize anywhere.

"You!" He growled at the chain-smoking hooker, backing her up into the corner. "Do you have any fucking idea what you did to me? And I WANT my wallet and cell phone back, now!" He hovered menacingly over the much smaller woman.

"No offense, but I'm not interested in giving them back to you," Pinquee Kittee sneered before reaching into her bra for mace and spraying him directly in the eyes. The rapid burn gave way to her next act of defense when a screaming, blinded Drake was doubled over by a swift karate kick to his newly transplanted organ. "Hiiiiyah!"

Drake cupped himself in anguish, fell to the floor, and slumped over as the elevator doors opened. Pinquee Kittee grabbed his duffle bag and peeked down the hallway to make sure no one was around before making her getaway.

------------------

Just outside of the palace's security office, Liam knocked on the door several times without an answer. It was rare that the King would personally pay a visit. Usually, he would call Bastien and have the head guard look into any issues. With him gone, this just felt like something Liam needed to do in person.

After several more knocks, Liam reached for the door handle and slowly opened it to let himself inside. The lights were off, with only a few CCTV screens displaying various images of places within and surrounding the palace. Finding the light switch on the wall beside the door, Liam flipped them on, and his mouth fell agape at what he saw.

"What the hell happened in here?" He shouted as his hands shot to his hips, glaring around the room.

On the floor was a maze of beer cans, whiskey bottles, remnants of silly string, a five-gallon bucket of butter next to a slip-n-slide, a voodoo doll with Liam's face on it, and half-a-dozen guards passed out.

A furious Liam made his way through, kicking the feet of guardsmen as he stepped along. "Get up! All of you!"

One-by-one, they slowly roused until they realized it was the King in their presence, then they jumped to their feet at attention.

"Would someone like to explain what the actual fuck happened in here?" Liam wasn't one to swear in front of his staff, but there was no way he could hold back after walking in on this scene. His glowering eyes shifted with expectancy from one man to the next, waiting for an answer, until someone finally called out, "We threw Rogers a going away party for his last night on the job, Your Majesty."

"And you thought having a wild party while you were ON DUTY to protect 400 members of the nobility for a major event was the time to do that?

The guard shook his head. "Not at all, Sir. I admit we weren't as attentive as we should have been last night ..." he pointed behind Liam, "but Prince Leo came by and suggested we kick it up a notch."

Liam turned around and caught Leo slithering along the edge of the wall toward the door. "Leo!"

The Prince stopped dead in his tracks, then flickered his eyes and jolted his body as if he were just waking up. Leo looked at Liam, acting surprised to see him. "Liam? Is that you? H-How did I get in here?"

Liam rolled his eyes. "Knock it off, Leo."

"What?” Leo shrugged innocently. “You know what I think happened. I must have been sleepwalking again. You know how I get when I watch The Duchess before bed." He cocked his head introspectively at his brother. “And you do look like the Duke from that movie, you handsome devil you?” He grinned impishly.

Liam stared blankly at his older brother for a few seconds, then turned around to face the others gathered around. "Who's in charge here?"

When one of the men raised a hand, the King stepped up to him and explained, "Alright, I need you to pull up security footage from last night. I want to review everything from the moment I stepped outside the ballroom to meet the Queen around 9:30, and where she went after I went back into the ballroom."

If this were any other day, Liam would have fired every one of them on the spot and sent Leo to Antarctica, but he only had one concern: Finding out what happened to Riley.

As the guard typed in his computer to pull up footage from last night, Leo stepped up to Liam, who was hovering over the guard's shoulder with anticipation. "What's going on?"

Never taking his eyes off the screen, he responded. "Riley went back to Las Vegas last night."

"Wh-Why? What happened?"

Liam let out a breath. "That's what I'm trying to find out."

Leo remained silent before giving his little brother's shoulder a reassuring squeeze and watching with him.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as different camera footages were switched to follow Riley walking from the main staircase, through several passages, and finally ending with the corridor outside of his quarters.

"Stop!" Liam leaned in closer as the guard paused the video; his entire body tensed up at what he saw.

"Is that ..." Leo scrunched up his face in disgust.

"Madeleine."

___________

Tags: @burnsoslow @dcbbw @ao719 @jessiembruno @texaskitten30 @janezillow @merridithsmiscellany-blog @mskaneko @callmeellabella @queenjilian @sirbeepsalot @drakexwillow @jovialyouthmusic @forthebrokenheartedthingss @bebepac @kingliam2019 @lovablegranny @cordoniaqueensworld @amandablink @liamxs-world @choiceskatie @iaminlovewithtrr @hopelessromanticmonie @charlotteg234 @annekebbphotography @txemrn @thecordoniandiaries @alyssalauren @cordonianroyalty @monsoonbloom12 @mom2000aggie @theroyalheirshadowhunter @princessleac1 @kimmiedoo5 @graceful-leah @iam-the-kind-and-thoughtful @thegreentwin @gkittylove99 @neotericthemis @pink-diamond13 @walker7519 @natureblooms24 @yourmajesty09 @gabesmommie1130 @sweatyrysconnoisour @kat-tia801 @debmcg1106 @lifeaskim @choicesstan650 @emkay512 @royalromancer

Liam x MC: @cordonia-gothqueenn

Anything with Drake:@tinkie1973

FRI Series Tags: @narrytheworld @queenwalton @cordonianprincess @zaffrenotes @zilch3 @drrookie @sfb123 @secretaryunpaid @masterofbluff

#fools rush in #liam x mc #liam x riley #the royal romance #prince liam #king liam #bbrandy2002 #wackydrabbles

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your-angle-of-music · 4 years

Text

Okay, but one of the most striking differences between musical Phantom and book Erik to me (besides their gaping disparity in sluttiness levels) is that musical Phantom wants to make Christine into him, while book Erik desperately wants to make himself into her. The most glaring example of this is probably the “Music of the Night” scene in the musical, with which I have...issues.

Now, in the book, what’s happening in this moment is Christine screaming at her mysterious kidnapper while said mysterious kidnapper grovels at her feet and wallows in a bit of self-loathing for a while: Christine describes how “he accuses himself, he curses himself, he implores my forgiveness!” and then “lays at [her] feet an immense and tragic love.” He clearly does have a super uneven and manipulative power dynamic with Christine, but one gets the sense that he doesn’t want to think about that. He isn’t trying to sell Christine anything, or to put her under some spell. He’s putting almost all of his cards on the table right away and begging her to forgive him, or to save him.

And, of course, at the climax of the novel, it becomes increasingly clear that he sees Christine as a representation of the normal life he so desperately craves. He says so himself: “I want to have a nice, quiet flat, with ordinary doors and windows and a wife inside it, like anybody else! A wife whom I could love and take out on Sundays and keep amused on week-days.” I don’t doubt that he cares for Christine for her compassion and wit and courage and voice, but I think that more than anything, he is in love with the idea of “a wife,” any wife, any person he can pour his love and creativity into and who will “love [him] for [him]self” instead of for his conveniently murderous tendencies. Between his obsession with a public church wedding and the Sunday walks, it’s clear that Erik wants to be seen, by Christine and by everyone. And in that vein, he views her as an escape from the isolation he has imposed on himself; he exclaims, “I'm sick and tired of having a forest and a torture-chamber in my house and of living like a mountebank, in a house with a false bottom!” He does not want to be magical or secretive anymore; he wants to climb into the light in a real and physical way. The fact that he views Christine this way is dehumanizing and objectifying and unfair, and it’s definitely not a healthy basis for a relationship. People don’t belong on pedestals. But it’s still a markedly different situation from the one in the musical.

So, that being said, what is up with “The Music of the Night?”

“Turn your face away from the garish light of day,” sings the Phantom. “Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before,” sings the Phantom. “Let your darker side give in,” sings the Phantom. He doesn’t really want to be lifted up and saved — he wants to drag Christine down with him, and he is trying to convince her that her oh-so-ordinary life cannot compare to his glamorous one, instead of acting genuinely vulnerable. Her actual expressed personality and desires (“all I want is freedom, a world with no more night”) are disposable because he thinks he sees a darkness in her that’s like his own. If he thinks she has a “darker side,” then that means he is “dark” in a moral way, and he has almost a sense of pride in his own evilness that’s a far cry from book Erik’s claim that “I am not really wicked...If you loved me I should be as gentle as a lamb; and you could do anything with me that you pleased”. No, this Phantom doesn’t want to be gentle with Christine, and he wants her to do what he pleases.

And furthermore, it means that the musical Phantom has completely abandoned hope that he could ever escape from the life he has made. Maybe it means he’s less deluded than book Erik: “either way you choose, you cannot win,” he says during the “Final Lair” sequence; this version of the Phantom really doesn’t believe that Christine loves him the way he wants to be loved, or that she ever could. But maybe it just means he’s more hopeless. Before, when he tells her “pity comes too late, / turn around and face your fate: / an eternity of this before your eyes,” we are reminded that this Phantom does not intend to put on his mask and pretend he’s normal for the rest of their lives — he really does imagine his life as just him and Christine in the basement of the opera house, miserable and angry and hidden away, forever and ever. That fantasy seems almost more childish to me than book Erik’s, like a lifelong tantrum.

Both of these versions of the character are immensely tragic, although in entirely different ways. And ultimately, only book Erik is truly saved. After he admits to Christine, “I know you love the boy” and lets her go, he makes the journey to see the Daroga at his own apartment, in the upper world, for the first time, and takes off his mask on his own. It may be too late, but he is learning and changing. But at the end of the musical, the Phantom does what he always does. He finds a trap door and he disappears. He decides to go deeper into the dark.

#poto #phantom #phantom of the opera #the phantom of the opera #erik #christine daae #gaston leroux #alw #andrew lloyd webber #angle o speak

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