#or minerva's fault for that matter

[finnm]

Part of me wishes Martin could've been in the show longer just because I think an interaction with Dr Gross would be funny.

Dr Gross: aha! Never thought I'd see you again... Martin...!

Martin: gasp! haha I've definitely not been engaging in criminal activit-... wait, what are YOU doing off the island

Dr Gross: oh, just a little misunderstan--

Tiffany: she released a virus and killed like a third of your civilization

Martin: Jesus fucking christ

[sunny-mercya]

A mere Human

Sting Eucliffe x Male Reader

Fandom -> Fairy Tail

Masterlist

When Sting had meet you—accidentally during one of his missions—he thought, you too were a child of the dragons. With your complexion of beauty and the way you spoke, so mighty end elegantly as if you belonged to a upperclass—royalty even—family, you easily could be counted as such.

You weren't.

Sting notice that soon enough, bringing a roar—one of deep buried down in the guts—of anger out of him. Not because of you, you weren't at faults here, but at your "Master" or to be more precisely—your handler.

The handler, who had requested the help—and belonged to a guild, which was more a tribe of fanatics worshippers and dark mages—had asked Sting to help him bring you closer to the true power of the Water-Dragon.

You weren't an actual child of the Dragons—like Rouge, Natsu or him—you're just a mere human. Meant to be sacrificed to the deities above.

Sting was baffled, couldn't understand how humans could be so absurd cruel to their own kind. Neither did he understand the ritual they were doing to you. Though what Sting understood—a sort of desire, like a small flame it felt like—that he had to save you. Even if it meant buying you. Prices, how ever high, wouldn't matter to him.

The price was high, so ridiculous high that it took Rouge and Minerva 4 hours to bring it down to an affordable price of 50,000 Jewels (original price, 9950,000,00) for you and Sting had proudly claimed it had been worth all these Jewels.

~~~

Half a year later since Sting had brought you into freedom and yet you're still the same skittish boy with an servant like mindset, when he first had met you and it drove Sting always into a fit of upcoming anger.

Rouge had reminded him over and over again, that it would take some time, effort and patience to break those patterns from you—but Sting wasn't known to be a patience person and when he had cornered you—one day when you were about to clean something again—you got into fright so much that you wailed shrill into a sobbing and released a weeks downpour of heavy rain.

Sting pinched the bridge of his nose, massaging it slightly to ease the pressuring ache of annoyance which keeps building up. Just watching you, how you kneeled on the floor—head down, which gives your neck and back pain again and Sting knows that means another steaming hot bath, looking focused on some simple old card game in front of you—was turning the once felt annoyance into anger again.

Of course, Sting was and would never be angry at you—only at your past handlers, who made you into this mess of anxious fright and dumbly strict following every rule and command—but sometimes the fuel of up staggering annoyances, does made it look like as if Sting was angry with you.

»Oi! [Name], how about we take a stroll around town?«

»We can't, Master Sting. It's getting dark and it rains.«

Sting wanted to laugh at the paradoxical answer you gave him. Someone like you, who could—even when it's unintentional—do weather magic, was not a fan of rain is surely a silly thing to say.

He didn't laughed, decided to sigh out instead. Knowing well the story behind your distaste of rain, which he truthfully had gotten from Minerva—because somehow, for whatever reason, you spoke more with Rouge and Minerva than him and it makes Sting only slightly jealous.

Being forced to create a heavy downpour and than having to sit in said rain for month, was a new form of punishment—Sting didn't knew existed till now.

»Fine. At least sit on the bed to look at those stupid cards. Please.« Sting scoffed

Wordlessly you scoped up the cards in your hands and stood up—making your bones crack and snap sickeningly loud—taking a seat on the bed, next to Sting and holding the card deck now—letting a silence emit between the two of you.

Sting sprung up from the bed, turning to you and ripping the cards out of your hands—throwing them onto the ground, making them scatter around in a mess—face visible morphing into a violent expression of rage.

»Why are you like this?! Why can't you be normal for once, huh?! You know what, don't fucking answer at all! I have enough, fucking enough!«

With an uproar of curses and nasty words towards you, Sting took ahold of your wirst, gripping them tightly and pulling you up—with such a force, that a whine escaped your lips—from the bed and out of the room.

Marching through the guild towards the front door with you, Sting sneered at everyone who comes across his way—especially at Rouge and Minerva, who came running to him and demanding to let you go.

»Sting. Let [Name] go.«

»And why should I?«

»Because you're frightening him.«

»Oh really? Well, that's the only thing he's good enough for, being a little whiny boy. He's so fucking useless and pathetic, annoys me to no end!«

»Sting! Don't you dare!« but Rouge's objections to whatever Sting was planning to do with you, felt on deaf ears.

Sting had opened the door, throwing you outside into the rainy darkness—telling you not to dare to come back inside at all, if you hadn't learned to be useful.

~~~

The heavy downpour—filled with so much sadness—hadn't stopped even weeks after, flooding the riverbanks and streets into a small ocean like lake—the water almost knee high and fishes already been seen swimming in it.

Minerva stood before you, umbrella held above the both of you, looking down at you—and your bone drenched, shivering and trembling mess of bodily limps form—with an expression of minimal sympathy and concern.

In Minerva eyes, you looked rather pathetic and pitiful—a weakling like a newborn is what you are—but that's your charm, Minerva mused, which makes her—kinda, in a sibling like way, after all you too are a child of the water—like you.

»Don't you want to come back inside?« she asks, voice lacking from any kind emotion to speak.

Rouge and Minerva had tried many times, to convince you to come back inside, but all their attempts had been futile—as you didn't want to leave your spot, wouldn't bug with whatever way of sugarcoating and bribery they tried—and they both came to the point, where neither of them wanted to continue with such time consuming wasting.

»No. I can't. Not till Master Stings allows me to.« you uttered in a whisper, voice hoarsely meek.

Minerva sighed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head—should have expected your standard answer.

Despite what Sting had said to you, Minerva knew he hadn't exactly—really not all—meant it in such way, not fully at least—only a small portion of it perhaps, but otherwise it was just the anger which spoke volumes out of Sting.

But without you, Sting was a mess too—lounging around and nagging about boredom and how lonely—especially in bed, without his personal heater and cuddle buddy, which he only begrudgingly admits—he felt, but Sting is too proud and arrogant—in his own selfish way—to say such things, those signs of weakness for a an might Dragon-Slayer, out loud.

»Alright. I come by later then.« Minerva walked away and leaving you by your lonesome once again.

If Sting, Minerva mused in her thoughts—while getting back inside the guild—only wouldn't be so egotistical dumb.

[vigilskeep]

Wait what’s the dynamic of Alistair and Minerva? Could’ve been lovers but worse actually ? Or something else?

well that really is the question all of ferelden asks itself daily

what alistair and minerva endure together makes them truly inseparably close during most of dao, that kind of forged-under-fire bond. minerva has so much faith in alistair’s protection and loyalty that he’s the only person she really feels safe being publicly affectionate with, and alistair trusted her, thought the world of her as his leader, and followed her anywhere. but the friendship messily explodes when minerva’s political agenda leads her to spare loghain at the landsmeet. which is what i refer to as their platonic divorce

they love each other a lot, and no matter what point the relationship is at, harm to the other would be unbearable to them both. but there were always fault lines in the relationship liable to at some point erupt, major ones including: a) alistair’s history with the templars and certain mindsets he was taught, vs minerva’s lifelong trauma with them that she only during dao even begins to come to terms with. b) minerva does not have the sense of honour or justice alistair assumes is universal among those he considers good, which leads him to wrongfully assume she would draw his same line with loghain without it having to be discussed, and to no longer be able to categorise her as “good” when she suddenly fails his standard. c) she is a manipulative political person who, due to circle mage backstory horrors and growing up as a first enchanter in the making, simply has never been taught and does not believe that individuals getting the lives they want is realistic or necessary or even a requirement of doing right by them. she pushes alistair to take the throne and marry anora to serve her own big-picture goals. he does not have the necessary courage/confidence to stand up for the life he wants, while she fatally simply assumes that he would refuse if it really mattered enough to him (which she literally would have adjusted her plans for with minimal complaining! because she loves him! but because he’s alistair, and also because he loves her, of course he’d never refuse outright what she said was so important. maddening.)

alistair considers loghain to have massacred the only true family he ever had, and minerva not only turns around and spares him but gives him a place in that very family like it’s nothing. alistair abandons minerva at the most public moment, and when she and the world perhaps need him most, in the final battle against the archdemon, he isn’t there. neither of them are really built to be able to overlook what each other did. but the love is still there, as i like to say

post-dao they have a weird painful dynamic in which king alistair continues to give her the cold shoulder while doggedly pursuing the freedom for mages she asked for as her boon from the crown, and minerva, loyal to him to the death, refuses to let slip a scrap of emotion or remorse in his direction because she cannot bear any further damage to her pride. they work together constantly but usually at the distance between denerim and amaranthine rather than seeing each other in person. they’re both very angry, they both miss each other all the time. i like to think that over the years the latter eventually wins out but maybe that’s wishful thinking

because their relationship has the appropriate plot relevance and intensity—friendship always seems too weak a word, and comparisons to siblings useful but not quite right—i do have aus where they are romantic, but i don’t consider those to be “canon”. alistair did flirt once or twice in her playthrough which probably muddies the waters of his feelings a little bit but i don’t think even he took that particularly seriously, he’s just 19-20 and she’s extremely pretty and extremely right there. alistair isn’t really minerva’s type she goes for scoundrels

[teecupangel]

Catboy nonny here with the weirdest idea yet. So Desmond for some reason doesn’t activate the Eye (his choice or some intervention, doesn’t really matter) and the world burns. World is an apocalyptic wasteland. AND for some fuckin reason, Des is now a catboy.

Now here’s the fun part. The survivors are obviously gonna go coocoo for coco puffs because I said so, and a group of them start worshipping Desmond and using surviving anime and comics as proof of his divinity. MODERN APOCALYPSE CULT FOR CATBOY DESMOND!

Where is his team during this? Unclear, but Bill’s dead because fuck Bill.

Desmond has no idea why it turned out like this.

After being knocked out by some kind of blast that appeared from Minerva’s hologram before he could touch the device, he woke up to the feeling of flickering cat ears and swaying cat tail.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, he couldn’t make any other noise other than cat noises.

His phone was also cracked beyond repair and, considering how much his ass hurt, it might have been his fault.

Wait, he didn’t planned to get toppled by Minerva’s mind blast or whatever.

It wasn’t his fault!

Anyway, with no other ways to communicate with his team, he put his hood up to hide his cat ears and hid his cat tail by making it curl around his waist so his hood could cover it.

It wasn’t exactly comfortable (especially since he had to puncture a hole on his jeans for his newly acquired tail) but it would have to do.

It was more important for him to find his team.

.

The world burned and it changed the entire world.

Some changes were immediate.

All electronic devices died…

The death of so many people who were unable to stay in a building fortified enough to protect them from a force of nature they don’t even know about.

But the worst was yet to come.

The Solar Flare did more than destroy what it touched.

It changed the world itself.

The soil itself lost many of its nutrient, making it harder to grow plants necessary to survive.

Animals were not spared from its flames and their population dwindled into frightening numbers.

And the humans…

It is during these kinds of tragedy that humans show both the worst and best of them.

Humans formed different groups and tackled this new world in different ways.

And the weak groups…

They usually fell because it was the strong groups who managed to horde resources, leaving little for the weak to fight over.

It was during one of these ‘skirmishes’ that Desmond found his first followers.

Calling it skirmishes wasn’t exactly correct.

A group of humans enjoying the carnage and lawlessness of these lands were hunting down a small group of young adults who were just trying to find enough food to make it to the day.

Their first mistake was checking a convenient store, a hotspot for every other groups in the area.

They would have fared better had they broken into empty houses and looked for canned food instead.

Desmond took care of the ‘hunters’ easily. They weren’t professionals and stood no change against Desmond.

Still…

It brought a bad taste in his mouth how these people used to live normal lives before everything happened.

The people he saved tried to thank him but then…

They saw his cat ears.

And one of them shouted…

“WE FOUND OUR PROTAGONIST!!!”

.

Desmond’s luck smacked him right on the face.

The people he just saved?

They were part of an Anime club in junior high (to be more specific “Japanese Culture Appreciation Club”) and they all shared a delusion that this is now that set of an anime and they all have to find the protagonist to survive.

Desmond being a badass with cat ears and a silent type (not by choice!) became their protagonist.

When Desmond tried to explain that, no, he was not a government experiment that escaped or he wasn’t isekai’ed and that he used to be a normal human, they just believed that Desmond has ‘awaken’ his powers after the Solar Flare.

No matter what he says, the group follows him around and treat him as the ‘protagonist’ which is, really, just a word they use to deny any allegation of ‘worshiping’ going on.

Desmond can’t leave them behind because they’re kids, for fuck’s sake. They weren’t harming anyone (other than Desmond’s self esteem and pride) so…

Uuuhhh… Desmond is now in charge of young adults who believe him to be the protagonist.

… and it will grow to include other people.

… later on.

[overheard-at-camp-half-blood]

Athena is an Awful Mother- Yes, Even in the Books

As a child of Athena myself, and as a professional Athena hater, I am honestly shocked at how many people think the show itself made her bad, when to me she was always this bad. The books kind of gloss over the stuff she does, and we’re expected to believe she’s one of the “better” godly parents.

I also think that because most of us read these books when we were 11-12, we didn’t quite actually understand the fucked up shit she was doing, but as I get older, the more I question alot of the the decisions she made as both a parent and a “wisdom goddess.”

Because, yeah, a lot of the decisions were straight up horrible. Like, I don’t think you guys understand that there is more issues to her specific brand of neglect, than most of the other gods.

Spoilers for the books below! Also, this will be talking about Athena in the books, not Greek Myth Athena.

I think my main issue with Athena has always been the way her children came into existence. Because children of Athena are born from thoughts in her mind, born to mortal men she admires. Now, as a child, this didn’t seem as bad, because I didn’t understand the complexities of parenting. I still don’t, but I know a bit more from having friends and peers who have children.. and now I see several issues with this.

First, it’s the idea that even at the beginning, she sees her children as commodities. Her children were made to be “gifts” for men, who she admired. And the messed up part, is based on Frederick’s reaction to Annabeth, she doesn’t actually have enough conversations with these men to know if they’re ready to be fathers. And the fact that men getting their PhDs is something she admires… I’m willing to bet a lot of these men aren’t (getting a PHD is already hard, but add a baby on top of that?!?!).

I still think Frederick’s neglect is his own fault, but to say that Athena cannot be blamed for choosing to have her, and then not even being sure if the man she had her with - who had no choice in the matter- even wanted a child? Yeah, that’s fucked up.

But Athena doesn’t even really care.

And I think that’s what bothers me in particular about Athena’s neglect. Is that she had a choice to have not have the children if she wasn’t going to raise them. She chose to have them, whether or not the men she liked even wanted kids.

But she had them anyways- because, again, she sees her children as a commodity.

Now this isn’t to say she has no redeemable qualities. She helped Annabeth find her way to Camp Half Blood. She gave her that invisibility cap. But here’s the thing- nearly every godly parent is seen helping their children in some form or another, or giving them gifts.

Even the bad ones.

Ares is probably a worse godly parent than Athena… but he still gave Clarisse her spear. Zeus turns Thalia into a tree to save her. And idk, I still feel like we all hate Zeus and Ares as parents.

That being said the Mark of Athena… that is what really confirms every negative thought I’ve had about Athena. That she sees her children as commodities and nothing else. Because as much as we love to try to explain it away by saying that it wasn’t actually Athena, it was Minerva… still Athena. Different form, maybe, but it is implied that these gods hold the same beliefs, so this is something that Athena thinks WHOLEHEARTEDLY.

Annabeth refuses to kill the Romans, and then her mother proceeds to call her nothing and disown her. Because again, Athena sees her children as commodities, nothing more. They are gifts given to men. They are resources for her to use to fight her battles- and this whole scene becomes worse when you considering what she was trying to get Annabeth to do-

To find the Mark of Athena, a quest so many of her children have died on, and yet she proceeds to keep sending her children on these quests. But she doesn’t care how many of her own children die on this quest- her pride is more important.

[multifandomfix]

What They’re Like When They’re Turned On (Harry Potter Preference)

Barty Crouch Jr: Insatiable. He’ll look at you like you’re not just a snack, but a full blown meal and he won’t rest until he’s had all of you.

Bellatrix LeStrange: Playful, teasing. She’ll use every trick in the book to get you feeling just as she is so she can have her way with you.

Draco Malfoy: Honestly, he’s a little bit shy at first. Until he knows you want him that way too, that is, then his confidence returns and he’ll flirt up a storm.

Lucius Malfoy: His voice gets lower, almost to this rumbling sort of growl and he absolutely has to have you in that moment. He won’t be able to concentrate on anything else until he does.

Minerva McGonagall: Minerva doesn’t lose her classy demeanor, even when she is feeling a little frisky. She’ll politely pull you aside and set up a time with you to, shall we say, get her needs met.

Molly Weasley: She gets a little clingy, but more in the extra cuddly and touchy sort of way, and not in a smothering or annoying sense. And should her increased physical touches lead to some bedroom activities, well then mission accomplished.

Narcissa Malfoy: When Narcissa is turned on, she’s going to make sure you know it. She’ll bring you’re full attention to her, and tell you that she needs you. Now. That’s usually enough to make you fold.

Rita Skeeter: Rita will make her state of arousal 100% your problem. It’s a tiny bit manipulative, really. She’ll tease you, say it’s all your fault for making her feel that way and that you should help her take care of it ASAP.

Severus Snape: Severus would be quite shy about it, not wanting to draw attention to the way he’s feeling. But you know. It’s in the way he gets quiet around you, not wanting to say anything and not wanting to impose, but you remind him that his feelings, no matter what they are, are never an imposition.

Sybill Trelawney: Sybill will often get tongue tied when trying to convey that sort of feeling to you. She’ll often quit speaking altogether and just sort of leap into your arms and hug you tight. Once you suss out what’s going on, she’ll fess up and you’ll take her to bed.

For anon

Harry Potter: @whither-the-wind-goes, @bluenystic, @reminiscent-of-sentiment, @unexpected-character, @ppgrayson, @becomingthedreamversionofme, @bloodinthedarksworld, @gothtrash6969, @music-bird, @chaotic-mushroomz, @iciclesandsnow, @animeloverfreak310, @americanphyscos, @m-rae23, @asocialrandom, @404-its-alr, @beyondgaby, @scarlettmal, @wynt3rrr, @geekyandgay98, @link-is-genderfluid-44, @sweetyprincesschaos, @turb0j0cks, @isimpforfictionalppl

[yourivy-grows]

So, i'm currently experiencing artblock and have been kinda busy with college, and since I've seen a lot of twdg AUs lately, I'd love to share some headcanons for my Tenn lives! AU :)

Note: Most of this AU follows the original plot and includes some scrapped content from The Final Season (Yes, Tenn was supposed to live)

(This time, I'll only focus on Violentine's route since I chose Violet, but I can make a Clouis version later)

And feel free to ask if you would like to know more :)

• If Clem chose to trust AJ, he won't shot Tenn like he actually does in the game

• During the bridge scene, Tennessee doesn't die. Neither does Louis or Violet (except if Clem didn't trust AJ, ofc)

• Instead, AJ purposely shoots Louis/Violet in their right shoulder so the bullet could hit a walker behind them, saving their lifes.

• After being shot, Violet reacts immediately. She throws Tenn across the bridge so he can reach safely to the other side, while AJ keeps shooting at the walkers behind her

• Then, she jumps too. She barely makes it to the other side, so Clem rushes to help her climb up

• Once they are all together, the four friends hug each other thigly, tears streaming down their faces while Minerva keeps screaming in anger and pain. They are all hurting, bleeding, scared

• But safe

• And most important: alive

• Violet was bleeding, and so was Clementine. Tenn, in the other hand, was completely in shock

• AJ tried to make him react. The gunshots caught the attention of a large horde in the woods, and this time, they were almost behind them. They needed to go, and fast

• Just like in the original game, they got separated by the fence. Violet climbed up first since she was bleeding the most. Once they were surrounded by the herd, Clem insisted that she needed to go

• Violet insisted, but she could barely stay on her feet. She needed to go back to Ericson and find help as soon as possible

• So Clementine stayed with the kids

• When they tried to climb up the rocks, Tenn didn't move

• AJ went first, so he could shoot at the herd from above while Clementine and Tenn followed his way. However, Tenn was still in shock, and no matter how hard Clementine and AJ insisted or how desesperate they were, he didn't move or say a word

• When the walkers were almost touching their backs, Clementine pushed Tenn and forced him to climb as fast as he could. Once he made it to the top, Clementine began to climb up as well, but her leg got caught by a walker and we know what happened then

• She got bitten

• After realizing what had just happened, AJ started crying

• He was devasted, but also furious

• He knew Clem was gonna die

• But not because of bad luck or an accident

• He knew it was Tenn's fault

• So, if Clem stopped AJ from shooting Lilly, AJ won't react this time. They kept moving forward until they make it to the barn. But once they got surrounded by the walkers, Tenn will desperately run into the woods to escape, leaving Clementine and AJ behind

• Just like in the original game, AJ found him a few weeks later wandering by the river

• But sadly, it was too late. He had already turned

• On the other hand, if AJ shot Lilly, he slaps Tenn. Even though he was furious and wanted to kill him right there, Tenn immediately reacts after the hit and apologize for what happened

• He's still in shock after witnessing his sister literally died in fron of his eyes

• Just a few weeks after finding out she wasn't actually death like Marlon and Brody made him believe

• One year mourning over a living person

• Even though she wasn't the same Minerva he knew and loved

• When they walked into the woods and got surrounded, Tenn insisted on going to Ericson and find some help

• Clementine didn't feel right about this idea, but before she could even respond, Tenn was already running towards the school

• Or at least, he tried

• He got lost. He was so shocked and disoriented that he didn't recognize the way back home. He wandered in the woods until James found him

• But his effort wasn’t in vain. Tenn dropped one of his crayons while running, so Ruby and Aasim could follow the trail towards the barn and find Clementine before it was too late

• Yes, AJ carried her on a wheelbarrow, but he's only 5 so I don't think he got too far away

• Tenn was so ashamed and felt so sorry for what happened that he didn't want to go back to Ericson or face AJ again. He genuinely thought Clementine was dead because of him, and he couldn't bare with that guilt

• James took care of him for the next weeks. At Ericson, everyone thought Tenn was dead and stopped looking after a few days

• Except for Violet. She kept looking every single day

• She was so mad at Clementine she didn't even speak to her after she woke up. She was relieved because her girlfriend was alive, of course, but she was also grieving the kid she raised for almost eight years

• She didn't speak to AJ either. He missed her, so much

• AJ found Tenn wandering by the river, just like in the original game. Tenn explained him what happened and that he lived with James in the woods for a few weeks, because he was not ready to face him after putting their lives at risk and almost killing Clem

• AJ was relieved. Now, he knew Tenn was alive, and James was also okay

• He forgave him and went back to Ericson together

• After all, Clem was alive

• And they both were best friends. But not like Clem, cause she was old.

• Like real best friends

• Cause they were only kids

• They didn't deserved to die just because they "weren't made for that world"

[gralunaisland]

juvia Wasn't Needed

by: @perfectlyimperfectcharacterfan

"juvia really wasn't needed plot wise. Some would argue she help[ed] the team enter the Tower of Heaven but I'm pretty sure they would have found a way without her. Same for Battle of Fairy tail. she literally accomplished nothing there. she was absent from Edolas and Oracion Seis.

I'd ignore the filler arcs because they are trash, but in the Daphnee arc she didn't do anything either, besides blindly defending Gray even though he was 100% in the wrong (and I say this asa massive Gray fan). In Tenrou she arguably dragged the whole fight down with her obsession with Gray. she only saved Meredy because she was about to kill Gray. And it was entirely JUVIA'S fault. If she could actually put her feelings for Gray aside in a very dangerous fight, Gray would never have been so close to die to begin with.

In GMG, she didn't care about her own guild's reputation, only to be with Gray. I'll never get over her LOSING A BATTLE IN WATER. she could have changed in water and force everyone out, but got distracted by Gray, again. her winning would have prevented Minerva from torturing Lucy. she was absent from Sun village. Only in Tartaros did she do something remotely useful by killing Keith. But that was only because he was a threat to Gray.

Also the whole fight against Invel in Alvarez was forced af. It's not indicative of juvia's usefuleness. Invel would have used anyone around."

My Two Cents

Huge thank you to @perfectlyimperfectcharacterfan (I'll refer to them as "Perfectly" for ease now in this post), a delightful regular on my blog who always comments insightful thoughts about juvia and gr///via on my posts, who sent this to me in a dm and allowed me to make a post about it!

They did an amazing job parsing through the arcs, and I really don't need to add anything, but I'll just slide in my two cents at the end here.

About the BOFT arc, one could say that juvia did manage to free her and Cana from Freid's spell, but as I've said before, that was just her earning brownie points, and she kept none of the alleged "character growth" from that. Plus in the end, it was Mirajane who had to defeat Freid anyway, so her "sacrifice" really was useless.

I love what Perfectly said about the Daphne arc. I completely and totally agree with them (and I actually have an old post about this exact topic here if y'all want to read it). I couldn't have said it better myself, that juvia blindly defended Gray despite his wrongdoings, showing how she really only "cared" about Gray and not the rest of the guildmates that got horribly hurt by his stupid mistakes. That's not trust, that's insane obsession that keeps her believing Gray is infallible and perfect no matter what he does, which is so toxic towards Gray and her and everyone around them.

In the GMG, like Perfectly touched on, juvia didn't care about the guild's reputation. she didn't care that for 7 years, Fairy Tail struggled, was bullied, was mocked, was actually oppressed by the other guilds into paying absurd taxes, because they lost their most powerful members to Tenrou Island. Not only that, but they mourned for years because their friends and family had disappeared, and they didn't know if they were dead or alive. All of this hurt and trauma FT went through couldn't matter less to juvia lockser.

True FT member my butt; she doesn't love any of them, not even Gray. she didn't care enough to actually try in the GMG, and she actually wished for her FT guildmates to get hurt so badly that they had to drop out so she could participate with Gray. The wickedness of her heart is astounding. And yeah, she totally whiffed what should've been the easiest match up for her in the water battle, leading to Lucy being abused just as Perfectly said, and she also threw the Hide and Seek match by being a "love" obsessed idiot as she always is.

And let's not forget that after the GMG during the dragon battle, juvia literally gets Gray killed because she's not paying attention to anything except for Gray as always, even in the midst of a life-and-death situation, and makes it so that Gray has to save her butt for her. I mean, how much worse could this ship get, when it literally causes one of them (the victim, even) to die needlessly???

On the whole note of juvia's uselessness, one could even go as far to say that juvia is an active hinderance and blight on the lives of the people around her. she really constantly oozes toxicity and sucks the life out of everyone she comes into contact with, most of all Gray through her manipulation and abuse, but also all the women in Gray's life, as well as her fellow FT members. she is a weak link, a liability, an impediment, a stone dragging down and drowning everyone, including herself. she will never notice or care about that fact because she gets what she wants in the end, what she thinks is good: Gray's brow-beaten, brainwashed "affection".

No one wins when they rely on her. she is a parasite.

Anyway, gigantic shoutout to Perfectly again for taking the time to think so deeply about all these things, for sharing their thoughts with me, and for allowing me to share them with all of you! juvia really is a useless character, and the Fairy Tail story and her guildmates would've been infinitely better off without her.

[dhr-ao3]

Mione Not Mine

Mione, Not Mine https://ift.tt/jmUt65X by greylovespadfoot Hermione has become every girl’s shadow. As a teenager, she was thrown into the shadow of “Lolita” Dolores Haze and Meggie Cleary, and every girl who was told she was pretty by an older man and thought that made her special. Lolita is a nightmare figure that follows her every day, in cars on her way home, in movie theater lights watching kids live their lives uninterrupted, helping to hold up her baby with his eyes. And every now and again, there is someone around her who still thinks that Lolita is a love story—who will inevitably believe this is a love story. But Severus will always be her teacher. Is she still his student? *** Student/teacher romances should never happen. It’s an abuse of power. No matter the gender of either party, it’s one person taking advantage of someone in their care. It’s grooming. It’s abuse. It’s rape. If you’re outside of the situation and see something, say something. This is about Hermione healing. This is about more than romance. Words: 2374, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 1 of Realizing Faults Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Explicit Warnings: Underage Categories: F/M, Other Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger's Mother, Hermione Granger's Father, Minerva McGonagall, Weasley Family (Harry Potter), Original Granger Family Characters (Harry Potter), Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, Padma Patil Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Additional Tags: Teacher-Student Relationship, Hermione Granger-centric, Severus Snape Bashing, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter Friendship, Protective Draco Malfoy, Good Draco Malfoy, Children of Characters, Smut, But It's Sex That Feels Like Watching Paint Dry, Healing, Angst with a Happy Ending, Black Hermione Granger, Indian Harry Potter via AO3 works tagged 'Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy' https://ift.tt/SjR3BAO August 26, 2024 at 10:16PM

[gracehateseggnog]

not a lot, just forever ˚˖𓍢ִ໋ will turner x oc

summary: minerva battles with will's leaving and the loss of their baby.

pairing: will turner x fem!oc

word count: 2.8k

a/n: this is a devastating character analysis of my oc, minerva. please read at your own discretion!

tw: graphic depictions of miscarriage. angst, no comfort!

gif creds: unknown

Three months had come and gone with fleeting visits from The Black Pearl, and more importantly, Will Turner. Once in a while they would return after a voyage or treasure with bullet holes and burn marks on their sails, thanking their stars that the mists opened for them and seemingly only them, but no matter how odd the whole island seemed, the crew was thankful for the relationship harboured between themselves and the island’s keeper. Cantre'r Gwaelo became a sort of safe haven for them on the occasions that they were too far from Tortuga to take refuge, but the people offered them happiness, liberty, and most importantly, food and medicine. It was very clearly much more to that to Will. He got to see Minerva who treated every outing together as if it was their last. She cared for him as much as he cared for her, it was a battle of minds and hearts to see who would outwit the other, but it always ended out in a tie.

Minerva lay in her bed, counting every tick of the grandfather clock at the far end of her grand bedroom, begging for the time to pass slower or faster; she didn’t know what her mind wanted. Intense spasms in her stomach crushed her into a fetal position, wrapped in her nightgown and the sheets that were now stained with deep, crimson blood. Old tears had dried onto her cheeks and pillow, her black hair a mess atop her head as she curled ever further into herself and into her bed. No amount of handmaidens could wipe the pain that rippled through her head with every pain that struck her abdomen, not a single wet cloth could rid her of her own conscience keeping her awake through the night, but also begging to allow her to sleep. Her eyes were glassy, she didn’t want to cry anymore. Everything in her felt ripped apart, but she had already come to terms with what had happened.

She had done this dance over and over throughout her life, she knew what losing the unborn child inside her felt like, how much she bled until the mattress beneath her was red, the intense cramps pulsating through her stomach, and worse of all, the darkened feeling that it was her fault. Minerva knew it wasn’t because of anything she had done, the fertility gemstones hanging around her neck, the herbs she drank until she threw up, the ointments she bathed in, she had done everything she knew. Sovereign Conwinna had been trained from birth in the churches and amongst the castle maidens and knights in anticipation of the very situation Minerva found herself in, her family would no longer exist past her. The founders and rulers of her island would never be of her hair or her face ever again. Cousins were uncommon in her lineage and she was the last to have inheritance to rule. She would never hold a daughter or son of her own in her arms.

In her sixth and tenth year, Minerva lost her maidenhood to another nobleman after three years of being the Lady of Cantre'r Gwaelo. There was no pressure to conceive a child from her people or her family, but she couldn’t help but pray that it would come easily to her, that a child would be born sooner than later so her reign could end when she wished and under her own volition. She wept with excitement and gathered her handmaidens to celebrate when her monthly bleeding didn’t come the following month, and a nursery was built when her stomach became swollen. A Sovereign wouldn’t be needed to train, and the church could stay still and quiet until the time came for her child to begin praying and preparing to become Minerva’s successor. Excitement bubbled in her chest at every thought of the process, and she thought about how big the child would be, if it would be a Lady or a Lord, or how her handmaidens would likely need to take a role much closer to her as the end stages of her pregnancy.

The first time, she believed it was because of the excitement. Her stomach had barely begun to increase in size when she awoke in the night to violent pains in her stomach and blood soaked deep into her nightgown. Her shaking, terrified form cried out to her handmaidens, for the first time uncaring how bare her body was in front of her waiting ladies and begging for help. Her mother dead, her closest handmaiden explained what had happened as she helped bathe her reeling body, pains still racking through where her unborn child had once been. She reassured Minerva that it was anything but her fault, and that she herself had miscarried a few times before baring her two beloved children. Minerva fell asleep in the tub shortly after, exhausted from the toll the loss took on her body, and she let her handmaidens carry her back to bed, her bedsheets clean of blood but her heart and mind unchanged; it was a loss she had felt so incredibly deep.

Ten more times had followed in the years until she turned twenty, before she had met Will. Sex was viewed so incredibly differently on the island than the passing, fleeting rumours she had heard about it on the mainland. It wasn’t viewed as an act of passion, but one of convenience and parenthood. It was meant to bare children, and it wasn’t taboo. Her handmaidens gave her the herbs from every plant that had been believed to boost fertility; chasteberry, black cohosh, red clover, and mac, they had dressed her in necklaces and earrings with gems of moonstone and rose quartz, and she had prayed from the moment she woke to the moment her eyes fluttered shut in the night. Minerva had a bell put in to the side of her bed, attached to the stone wall that she would ring when the pains awoke her to blood in the night, and she could request their help without facing the blood running down her thighs as she walked, pain-stricken down the halls of her own castle.

Minerva longed to hold her own baby in her arms, she felt as if she would be a good mother if she had the chance to try. She looked at the empty nursery often, at the paintings she had hung up of her family members so she could teach her child about the past of her history, at the crib made from the very wood of the trees that grew in the castle’s courtyard, and at the window that looked out onto the plains and mists of the island, she wondered if her baby would appreciate the gaze of the best view the castle had to offer. She once vainly cared about the shape of her body, the way her breasts would change after feeding for months. But even when she had missed that very first bleeding when she was six and ten, she forgot why she even worried about it in the first place, all she wanted to do was forget her duties and stay with her child forever. She didn’t care what the toll would be on her body, her mind, her title, or her reputation amongst her people, she just wanted to be a mother.

Her prayers never stopped when she met Will, but nor were they answered. Fate was a fickle thing that little believed in, but she had tried everything else already, and if there was even the slightest chance that Minerva would succeed in baring a child with Will, she would take it without question. The first night they laid together she bore herself of her regular regiments and casted her fertility jewelry aside. She didn’t gather her hopes high even though she so terribly wanted to, and they laid together many times before he left that very first and fateful time. They had found the fated treasure and he had returned for a few nights before leaving for certain, only to come back in rare passing. Three months passed and led Minerva to this moment, lying in a painful vat of her own blood in her beautiful bed, eyes glued to her shaking hands and trying to muster up the courage to ring the bell at her bedside table for the eleventh time in her rule. Will had given her a baby and she hadn’t known until it was ripped from her. 

“My Lady?” A wandering voice caught Minerva’s ears and echoed through her room.

She tried not to cry through her words, a sob cough in the middle of her throat as she replied, “Yes, Sovereign Conwinna? What must you need at this hour?”

“I—I do not want to overstep.”

“Just speak, child.”

“I heard you crying, but you did not call for your handmaidens.”

“I could not reach my bell.”

“Should I light one of the wall lanterns?”

“No!” Minerva cried harshly, a choked sob barely slipping from her lips. She didn’t need her trainee to see her in such a state. “Please gather my handmaidens.”

“But—”

“Now!”

“Yes, my Lady.” 

Minerva didn’t look up from her bed, but heard the rushed and hurried footsteps of Conwinna as she disappeared from the Lady’s bedroom, the doors creaking under her rush but not shutting behind her form completely. She didn’t dare let a single tear leave her eye, as she was sure her handmaidens would alight the room with their matches and see the shine of her face, her swollen eyes, and the reddened bedding beneath her and put the clues together pretty quickly that she had lost another child that was meant to be her own, but became the Goddess’ like the many others had. Her hands gripped tightly on her blanket as a brush of cold air consumed her body, spattering her skin with goosebumps and making her body convulse. What had happened to her? Did she truly wish to hold a babe in her arms so badly that she would reduce herself to such a powerless form? Two hours ago she had been practicing archery with the soldiers that worked at the ship port, now she could barely walk.

The doors swung open once again, and more footsteps made themselves clear. Minerva shielded her eyes from the sudden intrusion of light from a handheld lantern, her body alight and the events unfolding. “Thank you, Sovereign Conwinna, you may take your leave.” The voice of Minerva’s most trusted handmaiden, Laudine, called out.

Conwinna protested, surely seeing the violent sight that surrounded Minerva. “But—”

“You may take your leave!” Laudine stated firmly, raising her voice louder than Minerva had ever heard it reach, and it did the job it was intended to do, as scurried footsteps exited the room as fast as they had come the first time. “Oh, my sweet.” Laudine was the only handmaiden who didn’t call Minerva by her title. She was her most trusted confidant, she held herself as if she was the wisest woman who lived on the island, and to Minerva, she was. She was the very handmaiden that gave Minerva the fertility necklace she wore.

“I can’t—”

Laudine shook her head, stepping to the head of Minerva’s bed and laying down her lantern on her table. “It has gotten worse over time, dear. Do you believe you can walk?”

Tentatively, Minerva nodded. “It hurts.”

“I know, dear, I know.”

One of Minerva’s other handmaidens, Igenes, helped Laudine at her command by rolling Minerva over onto her back, sending another jolt of pain through her stomach and making her shake. Laudine shushed her comfortingly, grabbing onto the junction of her arm and her torso firmly and slowly pulling her up from the bed, releasing a cry from Minerva’s lips as her body wept. She tried to pry her eyes from her blood-soaked thighs, now illuminated by the faint light of Laudine’s lantern on the bedside table, and she also begged for her mind to stop thinking about the unborn child, the daughter or son that could have spent its days wandering around the island with hair as silken as hers and eyes as brown as Will’s. Her legs trembled as her feet hit the warmth of her carpet, her body being held up by both Laudine and Igenes, the latter of which held the lamp in one hand and her shoulder in the other. She didn’t care how powerless she felt in such a vulnerable position, she could only think about the child she had lost before she even knew.

“A bath has been drawn by Adendole, and Igenes will send for the cleaning and replacement of your bedding when you are situated.” Laudine explained, leading Minerva out of her bedroom and towards the bathroom. “Do you wish for me to call upon Sovereign Conwinna to assume your role tomorrow?”

“No,” Minerva shook her head, which seemed to be the only movement she could muster her body to make. “I may not be fit to ride a horse tomorrow, but I can still sit on my throne.”

“As you wish.” Laudine nodded, but Minerva could hear the hint of uncertainty in her handmaiden’s voice.

The bathroom was thick with steam from the hot bath that had been drawn, fogging up the windows and leaving a haze only comparable to the mists that surrounded the island across the room. Some form of eucalyptus scent had been placed into the water, filling the room with its scent and calming Minerva, though her heart was still racing against her chest like drums. Slowly, Laudine peeled Minerva’s blood-soaked nightgown from her body, pulling it over her head and from her shoulders before handing it to Igenes. She didn’t look down beneath the curve of her breasts, but she knew that the blood and sweat mixed against her skin was a sorry sight, and she felt pity on Igenes, who had not been in service of the castle long enough to see Minerva in that kind of state, like most of the other handmaidens had. She wondered if the young handmaiden had children of her own, or had dealt with infertility such as Minerva had. Her mind wandered, she wanted it to stay put.

“Can you step in yourself?” Laudine asked, gesturing to the tub in the centre of the room. 

“Yes.” Minerva swallowed, holding tightly onto Laudine as she took one step up, legs still shaking, and laid her right leg into the scalding hot water, sighing at the relief it gave her. 

“Ingenes, you may call for her bed to be stripped.” As Minerva submerged herself save for her head into the hot water, Laudine instructed Ingenes to leave the room, and she did. “Oh, my dear.” Laudine sat on her knees next to the tub, face-to-face with Minerva. “I am so sorry.”

“It isn’t your fault.” Minerva sobbed, her voice as shaky as her legs. “Why can I not bear a child? I have prayed forever, it is the only thing I have ever wanted.” 

“Some women do not have the body to hold a child, my dear.” Slowly, Laudine reached out to Minerva’s head, stroking at a piece of her hair. “Something inside of them is uninhabitable, despite the prayers and the herbs.”

“I have not asked for anything else,” Minerva cried, tears flowing freely down her cheeks and mixing with the hot water and slight blood surrounding her. “I did not beg for power, I did not beg for acceptance, I just wanted to be a mother.”

“I know, darling.”

“It was supposed to be him. He was the only one I could see as a father. What am I if I can't even bear him a child?”

“He loves you for much more than that, just as your people do.”

“I just want to be a mother.”

Laudine nodded empathetically, and Minerva’s head collapsed into her neck, her body wracked with sobs and cries. She felt as if she was six and ten again, crying into Laudine’s arms in the bath for the first time. Her mind was so young back then, yet she had regressed to the same state nearly five years later after the eleventh time. It was such a raw and new feeling, to have fallen in love. Minerva, for the first time, could see herself alongside Will with their child; she wanted to know if he would be a son as handsome as his father or a daughter as wise as her mother. She could see him teaching them how to clash swords and her showing the ways of Cantre'r Gwaelian medicine. Minerva cried deeply again, the sound of Laudine shushing her reassuringly and the hand stroking the back of her head only spurring it on. She didn’t want to feel so strongly anymore, she wished to be able to move on as other women were able to, to find a new lover when theirs left or to simply live alone when their babies passed.

Despite losing so much, Minerva never changed the nursery. It would sit there, unused and gathering dust and cobwebs across the cribs and the toy chests, until the end of time.

[smileyallthetime77]

Yandere!Barbara Minerva X Reader

A Yandere Alphabet, Part 5/60 (In Alphabetical Order)

(The Songs Under The Yandere Characters Are The Songs That They Remind Me Of. They’re Strictly Going To Be From Taylor Swift.)(Hugeeee Swifty, If You Couldn’t Tell)

⚠️Warnings⚠️: Kidnapping, Physical Abuse, Mental Abuse, Cursing, Pepper Spray, And Face Deformation.

🇺🇸Word Count🇺🇸: 1,288

👾Characters👾: 8,461

𝔸 - 𝔸𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟, ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝔻𝕠 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕊𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝔸𝕟𝕕 𝔸𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟? ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕖 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕀𝕥 𝔾𝕖𝕥?

I can’t see Cheetah showing her affection in the normal kind of way. I feel like she defiantly uses words of praise. The praises can get intense, but only if you deny her comments about you.

𝔹 - 𝔹𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕕, ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕄𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕪 𝔸𝕣𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕋𝕠 𝔾𝕖𝕥 𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕀𝕥 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕋𝕠 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘?

Cheetah is one of the bloodiest people when it comes to her getting messy. She’s a villain with experience and will never have remorse for the amount of blood she’s had people shed.

ℂ - ℂ𝕣𝕦𝕖𝕝𝕥𝕪, ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕋𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕆𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝔸𝕓𝕕𝕦𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕕. 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕄𝕠𝕔𝕜 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕞?

Cheetah will usually mock you for trying to leave her. But it can very. She might mock you for being scared, nervous, angry, etc.

𝔻 - 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘, 𝔸𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝔽𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝔸𝕓𝕕𝕦𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟, 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔻𝕠 𝔸𝕟𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔸𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕎𝕚𝕝𝕝?

Cheetah isn’t one for physical touch, but will make you sit next to her. It doesn’t matter if she’s bloody or just got out of the shower. She wants you next to her.

𝔼 - 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕕, ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕄𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕆𝕗 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝔻𝕠 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔹𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕋𝕠 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘? ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕍𝕦𝕝𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝔸𝕣𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕀𝕥 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕋𝕠 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘?

Cheetah is one of the secret vulnerable kind of people. She would bare her heart to you without you even realizing it!

𝔽 - 𝔽𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥, ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔽𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝕀𝕗 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔽𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝔹𝕒𝕔𝕜?

She’s honestly laugh. She finds it very humorous that you think you can escape her. She’s a villain after all, and would physically punish you if it meant you would stay by her side.

𝔾 - 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖, 𝕀𝕤 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝔸 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖 𝕋𝕠 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕞? ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕄𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔼𝕟𝕛𝕠𝕪 𝕎𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕋𝕣𝕪 𝕋𝕠 𝔼𝕤𝕔𝕒𝕡𝕖?

As I’ve said before, she thinks it’s funny. She’s a villain for crying out loud. She could get you back to her in a month tops. It does give her some adrenaline that makes her feel….whole.

ℍ - ℍ𝕖𝕝𝕝, 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝔹𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘’𝕤 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕞?

When Cheeta first took you, you were a little paranoid as someone grabbed you and pulled you inside an ally way. You obviously had pepper spray and decided to spray her with it. She had scratched your cheek making a permanent scar. It wasn’t her fault, I mean what did you expect when someone sprays you in the eye with such dangerous liquid?

𝕀 - 𝕀𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕤, 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕂𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕆𝕗 𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝔻𝕠 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 ℍ𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕀𝕟 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝔽𝕠𝕣/𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘?

Cheetah defiantly wants you to move with her into a very warm place. Such as Maine. She would totally have loads of cats and every year, on vacation usually, you guys definitely go to Africa to see cheetahs. That’s if you can handle going out in public of course.

𝕁 - 𝕁𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕪, 𝔻𝕠 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔾𝕖𝕥 𝕁𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕦𝕤? 𝔻𝕠 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕃𝕒𝕤𝕙 𝕆𝕦𝕥 𝕆𝕣 𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝔸 𝕎𝕒𝕪 𝕋𝕠 ℂ𝕠𝕡𝕖?

Cheetah is one of the most jealous people. She doesn’t even try to hide it. She’ll give this person talking to you, a very sharp death glare, and later on when your sleeping, she’ll kill then with no mercy.

𝕂 - 𝕂𝕚𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕤, ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝔻𝕠 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔸𝕔𝕥 𝔸𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝕆𝕣 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘?

Cheetah can surprisingly be a very frequent kisser, but she won’t really touch you THAT much. Though, from time to time, she does like you sitting on her lap opposed to you sitting beside her.

𝕃 - 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤, ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔾𝕠 𝔸𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 ℂ𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕆𝕣 𝔸𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘?

When she firsts meets you, she was probably commuting some illegal crime, and you seemed to be the/a witness. And then, she had just snatched you away when you were walking on the side walk, and you never saw your family or friends again.

𝕄 - 𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕜, 𝔸𝕣𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕖 ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕣𝕤 𝔻𝕣𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝔻𝕚𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝔽𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝕒𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔸𝕔𝕥 𝔸𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝔼𝕝𝕤𝕖?

Cheetah is a villain after all, so naturally she’s a lot meaner to others than she is too you.

ℕ - ℕ𝕒𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕪, ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 ℙ𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕙 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘?

Cheetah is violent in her every day life, so there’s no promise of her not physically punishing you. She’ll probably leave a scratch mark that turns into a scar.

𝕆 - 𝕆𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟, ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕄𝕒𝕟𝕪 ℝ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕋𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝔸𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝔽𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘?

She’s defiantly take away your freedom away from her and anything that involves objects that could be used as weapons. Knifes, forks, large objects, etc.

ℙ - ℙ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖, ℍ𝕠𝕨 ℙ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝔸𝕣𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘?

Cheetah COULD be patient, but what’s the fun in that? She loves the little chase between you and her, and being impatient will shape you to her will, or so she thinks.

ℚ - ℚ𝕦𝕚𝕥, 𝕀𝕗 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔻𝕚𝕖𝕤, 𝕃𝕖𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕤, 𝕆𝕣 𝕊𝕦𝕔𝕔𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕗𝕦𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝔼𝕤𝕔𝕒𝕡𝕖𝕤, 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝔹𝕖 𝔸𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝕋𝕠 𝕄𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕆𝕟?

If you die, she can’t bring you back. Not a single person would let her. But she does keep living in hopes of seeing you again. If you escaped you’d need to move contents, change your name, dye your hair, etc, if you REALLY didn’t want to see her again.

ℝ - ℝ𝕖𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕥, 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝔽𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝔾𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕥𝕪 𝔸𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝔸𝕓𝕕𝕦𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘? 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕃𝕖𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔾𝕠?

Cheetahs a villain! If she doesn’t feel bad for killing innocent people, she defiantly won’t feel bad for keeping her love close to her.

𝕊 - 𝕊𝕥𝕚𝕘𝕞𝕒, 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝔸𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕊𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕆𝕗 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕞 (ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕕𝕙𝕠𝕠𝕕, ℂ𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕤𝕚𝕥𝕪, 𝔼𝕥𝕔)?

Cheetah has always been jealous of Diana. Diana’s got everything she’s ever wanted! But you, you are different. She will not let Diana nor anyone else have you.

𝕋 - 𝕋𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕤, ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝔻𝕠 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔽𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝔸𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕊𝕖𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕊𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞, ℂ𝕣𝕪, 𝔸𝕟𝕕/𝕆𝕣 𝕀𝕤𝕠𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕖𝕤?

If you cry she usually keeps you in a confined space. If you scream at her, it really depends on how in depth your words hurt her. If you do push her past her limits she will not hesitate to bring her claws out. If you isolate yourself she doesn’t really care, though you better not refuse her when she tells you she wants something from you.

𝕌 - 𝕌𝕟𝕚𝕢𝕦𝕖, 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔻𝕠 𝔸𝕟𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔻𝕚𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝔽𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕔 𝕐𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕖?

Cheetah is really the only one who would and could mess your face up, and make you look unrecognizable. Though, she would only do it if your behavior continued or got worse.

𝕍 -𝕍𝕚𝕔𝕖: 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕎𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤 ℂ𝕒𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕝𝕠𝕚𝕥 𝕀𝕟 𝕆𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕠 𝔼𝕤𝕔𝕒𝕡𝕖?

Cheetahs really bad at locking doors or windows, so if she goes out for a little bit, jumping out of your two story high window is the best way to escape her.

𝕎 - 𝕎𝕚𝕥’𝕤 𝔼𝕟𝕕, 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣 ℍ𝕦𝕣𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘?

Defiantly would. I’d even say there is a 85% that she’ll hurt you. And what makes it worse is that she doesn’t even care as long as she gets what she wants.

𝕏 - 𝕏𝕠𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕟, ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕄𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕆𝕣 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕡 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘? 𝕋𝕠 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕃𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕙 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔾𝕠 𝕋𝕠 𝕎𝕚𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕆𝕧𝕖𝕣?

Cheetah defiantly think everything you do is perfect, but she doesn’t really know how to express that. Therefore, a lot of the times you honestly think she hates you even because she kidnapped you out of ‘love’.

𝕐 - 𝕐𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟, ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕃𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝔻𝕠 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 ℙ𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝔸𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔹𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕊𝕟𝕒𝕡?

Cheetah can only go a day at maximum before taking you. She can’t be taking any risks of you getting hurt, now can she?

ℤ - ℤ𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕙, 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝔹𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘?

Yes. No question about it. With her emotions, reactions, and violation, it is high above a 50% chance of her breaking you.

Written: Wednesday, August 30, 2023

[officalroyalsofpierreland]

A Street, Windensen, Pierreland

Magdalena: This was a bad idea...is it to late to turn around? Louis: Mags...relax...you promised my mama one visit. This therapist is trusted. She's never spilled anything and she's got some ammo on your mom. Magdalena: I know I know....I just...

Louis: It's okay to be nervous Mags...given everything that's happened to you. But this isn't Lunaria. If anyone dares to leak anything here, mama will make sure they pay... Magdalena: One visit...it's...kinda weird that the office is on this street... Louis: According to security, guess the therapist turned her front room and entry way into her business areas...probably some...theraputic reasoning of a calmer street, calmer patients...

Magdalena: this looks...normal? Louis: Yeah...a normal looking house...what were you expecting? Magdalena: Something cold...clinical Louis: Mags... Magdalena: Let's get this over with Lou...

Therapist: Your Royal Highness? Please, come in. I'm Dr Shruti Dayal, please come in. Your Imperial Highness..please have a seat out here. Louis: Yes Ma'am.

Dr. Dayal: Please, make yourself comfortable. Magdalena: Where did you get this photo? Dr. Dayal: Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Minerva, sent it to me when she got engaged. A thank you for helping to find her best self again, so she'd be ready to pour everything into her new family. She spoke fondly of you...she was constantly worried she wouldn't be the best role model for you. Magdalena: She's treated me with nothing but love...[tears well] I'd have no one else as my mama [deep breath] No offense though Dr. Dayal...but my experience with therapists have been shit.

Dr. Dayal: Funny you say that...your mom said the exact same thing when we first met. Please, have a seat on the couch and tell me why you've decided to see me. Magdalena: I promised Empress Katalina I'd visit you at least once. Dr. Dayal: Well, you could've seen any therapist, the Empress could've recommended anyone. In Pierreland, breaking Doctor-Paitent confidentiality is a serious crime punishable by at least 2 years in prison. What has you sitting in this seat specifically? Magdalena: The Empress mentioned you treated my mom...and if my mom trusts you... Dr. Dayal: Your willing to give me a chance huh? Now...tell me about your family, in your own words please Magdalena, may I call you that in this session?

Magdalena: Yeah..that's fine....umm..well, there's me, papa, mama...and all my siblings... Dr. Dayal: How many siblings? Magdalena: 3...3 little sisters.. Dr. Dayal: What is your relationship with them like? Magdalena: It's good...we all love each other...we play pranks...we make fun of our parents and how gushy they are... Dr. Dayal [chuckling]: no...ill will towards any of them? Magdalena: No...not at all...it's not my fault that...well, I am who I am... Dr. Dayal: What do you mean by that Magdalena? Magdalena: I mean...I'm their half sister...my...fudge I don't know what to call her but...the person who gave me half my dna...attempted to kill our mom...its something I can't shake...no matter how hard I try.. Dr. Dayal: Have you spoke about this with your parents? Your feelings of otherness due to the woman who gave you life?

Magdalena: yeah.. Dr. Dayal: And how has that gone? Magdalena: They both tell me...that I'm not her...even if I see her in me when I look in the mirror...who I am inside, is nothing like her... Dr. Dayal: And how does that make you feel? Magdalena: That they are trying to make me feel better....I know..both of them love me but...Papa resents me...because I remind him of his trauma... Dr. Dayal: Is that fact or a projection Magdalena? Magdalena: I've heard him say it. Not directly...he's a Crown Prince, he would never be able to say it directly...but he's...kinda said it... Dr. Dayal: When did you first hear this? Magdalena: Not even a year ago...but he said it along time ago... Dr. Dayal: And how does that make you feel? Magdalena: Like...my childhood was a lie...

@simsroyallegacy

[vigilskeep]

Why & how did minerva come to betray alistair? What was her thinking behind it?

oh i mean in the sense that she spares loghain at the landsmeet! i guess it’s up for debate if that is a betrayal and minerva would certainly argue it wasn’t (no matter any second thoughts she will not admit to having). but alistair takes it as a betrayal and it uhhh serves as one narratively if that makes any sense. betrayal is a heavily repeated theme in dao esp w mage origin included, so i’m having all that kind of build up to this choice. to briefly summarise a complicated moment, minerva jumps at the chance to spare loghain because she’s characteristically very concerned with reputation/how all this will go down in history. she hates what the guy has done, but for her, that’s beside the point. she’s too pragmatic to truly see the purpose of revenge and has absolutely no desire to be remembered as the elven mage who killed the hero of river dane. she’s been worried about that the whole time with the civil war and suddenly there’s this shining opportunity to, idk, have her cake and eat it too! great! an excellent compromise to bring ferelden together! she could never have refused

alistair’s refusal to accept the decision completely takes her by surprise. she’s good with people but she often misses motivations going on under the surface, and she had no real idea how set he was on revenge. even if she had understood that, she’s never failed to persuade him of anything before. he’s literally here to take a crown and wife he never wanted because she convinced him both were the right thing to do. of course she knew he would hate to see loghain spared, but she never even imagined there were possible circumstances under which he would go as far as to abandon her to end the blight alone, let alone that it would be for this. she feels pretty betrayed herself, i suppose that’s a matter of perspective. from her side, the fact is that the world is under threat, ferelden is under threat, and he walks. and he thinks she’s the one who betrayed the honour and purpose of the grey wardens?

ironically his response couldn’t be better designed to lock her decision in. minerva chronically can’t take criticism, which goes double for being in front of the whole landsmeet, and the ‘grey warden honour’ argument infuriates her when he knows full well what kind of magic she’s had to turn to. what’s him having to spare one man’s life compared to what she’s had to sacrifice already? the grey wardens don’t fight for honour, they fight to win, no matter the moral scruples, no matter the recruits they have to take! this is what duncan would have done! and minerva’s never had even the remotest possibility of justice being done to anyone who’s hurt her or the people she cared about, so frankly alistair can just cope, like everybody else! to be honest having him turn on her like that in public pulls up a fair bit of the resentment for alistair’s templar background she’d long since made the effort to bury. unfair or not, to her ears, to her defensiveness, in his idealistic perspective on the wardens she can’t help but hear a templar’s commitment to self-righteousness, and she’s no longer the kind of person who can back down when faced with that. this really has nothing to do with alistair’s objections but with the life she’s lived if he goes against her she’s incapable of not seeing it as suddenly templar v mage and reacting accordingly. she’s very defensive of the decision and wouldn’t be capable of admitting fault later, not outside of the privacy of her own head

[softquietsteadylove]

For part 4: I've got this idea of mine where Thena blaming Minerva for what happened to Gil and she ordered her that he wants Gil back under her after this mission.

I want you to decide for the rest! I know this is a lot and I am sorry TT, I just wanna say again that your works are beautiful and so are you. Thank you! xoxo

"How'd it go?"

Thena closed the passenger side door with a huff, clipping her seat belt rather aggressively. "It could have gone worse, I suppose."

"So you didn't mouth off and get fired?" Kingo asked as he pulled out of the lot of the agency office building. "I would say I was impressed if you weren't already on suspension for it."

Thena just shrugged. She didn't much care about the suspension, even considering she was a senior agent, and this kind of thing would reflect on her for a very long time to come. It was a well deserved suspension, given how she had screamed in the face of not only Minerva but the Section Chief as well.

All that having been said, Gil had almost died.

The recovery operation was a success. Thena was the best when it came to infiltration, especially after things had already not gone to plan. She and the rest of Special Ops had arrived at the scene and cleaned things up concisely and without mercy.

She had gone further in with Kingo, intent on finding Gil. At the very least they had confirmed that he wasn't one of the reported casualties, but that still left him as potentially injured.

Thena had found him in one of the back corners of the labyrinth of storage lockers. He was barely breathing and there was blood everywhere. If they had been any later, he probably would have...

She had gone in the ambulance with him, Kingo having covered for her absence, with Minerva's help to corroborate Thena's definitely-good-enough reason for leaving the scene.

She owed that much to Minerva, and after she had gotten in her face about the whole thing being her fault. That was unfair of her, and Thena knew it. She knew what being a team leader meant--what it meant to have people's lives in their hands and be solely responsible for it when things went bad.

She was feeling...fragile.

Minerva had taken it like a champ, because of course she had. She didn't reprimand Thena for it, didn't shout back at her, didn't even demand an apology for it later.

The Chief still had her suspended for her behaviour but Thena hadn't cared then and she still didn't, now.

"Did you do what I told you?" Kingo asked as he drove, letting Thena take it easy in the passenger's seat.

Thena crossed her arms, "I displayed...appropriate remorse."

Kingo rolled his eyes, "come on, Boss. I can't do shit with both you and Gil out of commission."

"I know," she mumbled, looking down at her bag on her lap. She really had attempted to appear apologetic for her actions. "I did offer my apologies for it."

"Did you seem sorry?" Kingo looked over at her as he slowed to a stop, "really?"

Thena rolled her eyes and shook her head, "sorry enough."

"So, no," Kingo scoffed and shook his head as well. "If you and Gil get fired, I've gotta get out of this line of work."

Thena smiled, "we're not fired, Kingo. Not yet, anyway."

"Yet," he huffed as he started driving again. He glanced at her, "the transfer?"

"I said that even if I was fired, Gil would be back on Special Ops in exchange."

"Thena-"

"It was the only way I'd go peacefully," she shrugged, repeating it exactly as she had stated it in her probation hearing. "That's all that matters."

Kingo snuck his eyes over to her as she toyed with the bag on her knees. She was fidgeting. "You really think Gil is going to still work here if you don't?"

Thena ignored him. "It's just one more week."

Kingo made a grand show of rolling his eyes at her as he pulled over, "I don't know, Boss. I've already neglected all the paperwork I can. They're going to start asking me to actually do it instead of waiting for you to get back."

Thena gave him a smile as she gripped the handle of the car door, "serves you right."

He leaned down to look at her even as she got out, "just come back soon, please? And tell the big guy I want him back even sooner!"

Thena waved to him as he drove off again. She had to admit, Kingo didn't drive as much like a hellion as she had initially expected he would. And he had very helpfully given her a ride whenever she needed it during her suspension period. She turned, letting herself into the apartment with her key.

"Hey!"

"Hey," she smiled as she walked in, kicking off her shoes by the door and walking into the kitchen. "I'm getting a little too used to not having to wear heels."

"Well, it's not like you need 'em."

Thena rounded the corner, leaning against the wall as she admired the sight of Gilgamesh in the kitchen, on his feet, alive and well. Moderately well, "what's on?"

"Just some easy pasta," he smiled at her from the stove, stirring it with his left hand while his right remained in a sling. She gave him a look and he laughed outright, "relax, nothing strenuous involved."

He had taken a bullet to the leg, as well as endured a shattered clavicle that would have him in a sling for two months. He would still be on desk duty even by the time he was cleared to return to work.

Thena wandered closer, inhaling the delicious smelling sauce. He really was a surprisingly skilled home cook.

He looked over at her, the sizzling of pasta underscoring them. "Get fired?"

"No, but I think Minerva vouched for both of us," Thena sighed. She didn't love the idea of being indebted to her old comrade, but she had to admit that she owed her quite a lot, at this point. "They said that the suspension will be over next week, and after that they'll 'keep an eye on me', so... "

He nudged her with his good elbow gently, "I told you not to speak your mind. Just tell them you're very sorry for what you did and move on."

She raised a brow at him, "is that what you said at your probation hearing?"

"No, I told them that they were old bastards who could go to hell."

Thena laughed, partly from the joke, and partly because it probably wasn't that far from the truth, knowing Gil. For all the shit she got for not minding her manners around their superiors, Gil was a pretty honest guy, even in the worst scenarios.

Gil turned off the stove burner and turned to her, "you were pretty hurt, after that op. I couldn't just let that go."

She looked up at him too, her eyes drifting over the sling holding his arm and then down over the extensive bandaging he had received in the hospital. Even a week after being released, some of them still had to be maintained regularly. "How do you think I felt?"

He smiled, giving her shoulder a squeeze before moving to the cupboard with the bowls, "hey, we got through it--both of us."

Thena moved faster, bumping him out of the way with her hip to reach them before he could, "barely."

He smiled, letting her reach them for herself, instead moving to get them both water glasses. "But we did."

Thena set down the bowls beside the pan of pasta. She had apologised plenty already, and that was after Gil had awoken and told her he didn't have any clue what she was apologising for (and telling her to take it back, too). But seeing him more in the past week than she had in the past month still made her heart clench in her chest.

"Thena?"

She smiled, spooning out plenty for both of them (although that meant that his serving was double the size of hers). "Sit down, Gilgamesh."

He chuckled, obeying the order with a big grin on his face, "yes, ma'am."

She let him see her rolling her eyes at him as she came over with their lunch. She sat down, leaving her suit jacket on the back of her chair. She kept forgetting things at Gil's place, being here to help take care of him so often. She had reminded herself plenty of times already not to get so comfortable here.

"Hey."

Thena looked up, already smiling because Gil was. He twirled some pasta around his fork from his bowl and held up the bite for her. He was cute; she shook her head at him. "I have my own."

Gil shrugged, "you need more. This is why you're so skinny."

Thena's jaw dropped, although it made an opening for Gil to poke at her lip with the pasta fork. She huffed before biting down on it with a glare. "You are still my Agent, Gilgamesh."

"Sorry, sir," he laughed as he pulled the fork back. "Y'know, I thought you were kinda skinny for an Agent when you first recruited me, too."

"Oh, did you," Thena scoffed as she took a bite of her own lunch. "What else did you think?--since you're feeling candid?"

Gil shrugged, his shoulders still moving with his barely contained laughter, "that you weren't nearly as hard to read as everyone said you were."

She rolled her eyes again.

"And that you were kinda pretty, too."

She stopped in the middle of bringing her fork up to her lips. She looked over at him but he was shovelling in another bite, as if he hadn't even heard what he'd said.

"This is isn't bad for only having one hand," he commented as he took a massive bite for himself.

Thena just sighed and took another bite as well. It was moments like this that made her not want her suspension to actually end.

[grassyhorizon45]

Changed. || Marauders - 08

Prof. McGonagall's POV

“Minuet-” 

I took my sister aside.

��Erva?” 

I shook my head, this was a serious matter.

“Oh, um… Yes professor?”

phew, she understood.

“What happened during flying class?” I asked sternly.

“What do you– Oh……” She paused, probably thinking how to phrase things. 

“He was bullying my friend!” Minuet started to protest.

I lost my cool somewhere in between…

“Doesn’t give you the right to cast Felifors on your classmate of all things!”

I know Minnie was only trying to help a friend but this was definitely against school rules.

“I’m taking 30 points from Gryffindor for both the spell you cast and the bullying. You’re all at fault here. I don’t want this happening again. Do you understand Minuet?”

“Yes, professor,” she sighed. “I’m sorry Erva.” 

Minuet walked away.

Who knew showing your baby sister an advanced “cat spell” would cause a problem……

Minuet's POV

“She took 30 points from Gryffindor,” said Minuet sadly.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up,” Lily encouraged. “You were only trying to help… Though, maybe next  time try the spell ‘Accio’. I read it in a book somewhere, apparently it brings things to you like–”

She pointed her wand at a book.

“Accio book!”

The book vibrated a little then went still.

“I’m still trying. But a little shake’s better than nothing for a 4th year’s spell, right?”

“Mhm. You got this,” smiled Minuet. “Plus, you’re great at potions… And history of magic of all things,” she grumbled, making Lily laugh.

“Whaat? It’s boooooring~”

“Nooo~ HOM is very interesting, thank you very much.”

“Sure it is.”

They had no more classes after dinner today so Minuet decided to explore the school grounds. The campus was huge, the muggle schools were tiny compared to the castle-like Hogwarts. She’d always wondered what this place looked like. Minerva would (seldom but) sometimes bring back stories from her time here. Though their age gap was huge, it didn’t mean they couldn’t be close. Minerva was like a second mother to her, she liked that.

Minuet heard a howl in the distance. Instinctively, she looked up.

“A full moon?”

I shouldn’t be out here at night then.

Previous chapter | Next chapter

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC Review: The Dueling Duchess by Minerva Spencer

4.25/5. Releases 5/23/2023.

For when you're vibing with... Confident, mature heroines, adoring rakes, a bit of trick gunslinging, and situationships that turn into real relationships.

I like my first Minerva Spencer read, The Boxing Baroness. The follow-up was even better--sleeker, more romantic, with less focus on the history and more focus on the couple (and the fun lady circus!). There were a few bold takes with The Dueling Duchess, and I was into it.

Quick Takes:

--Cecile, our heroine, is French; and the book actually kicks off during the Revolution when she's a young teen. I loved this, just as I enjoyed the awareness of a world beyond England in the previous book. While most of this novel does take place in England, Cecile doesn't feel like an English heroine, and you get a sense of a wider, richer world than is often present in Regency historicals.

--Another thing about Cecile, a heroine I loved: she's 35-36 over the course of this novel, and she knows her shit. She knows what she likes, she knows what she doesn't like, and she suffers no fools. This doesn't mean she's cold or incapable of emotion (one of my favorite moments in the book lets us know just how much this isn't the case) but she's seen the world and she's both guarded and voracious enough be unable to resist Guy. Because Guy is Hot. And Guy is famous for his ability do sex things.

--So often--especially recently, I'm not gonna lie--I read about heroes who are presented as rakes, and as you read the book you're like... this is not a rake. Guy reads like an actual rake; he's charming, he's hot, his exploits are written about in newspapers, and he cucks randoms. We love him. Both Guy and Cecile are people who have slept with others. The book does not shy away from their experiences. It does not shame them for it. They get jealous, but they're also like.... fucking adults about it. The conflicts they do have are less about their mutual pasts, and more about their feelings for each other.

--One thing I felt like The Boxing Baroness suffered from was a somewhat slower feeling because of how much was going on outside of the central love story. Here, we're a lot more focused on Guy and Cecile's relationship and character development. There is external conflict and it matters, but the story is much tighter.

--I really enjoyed the lady circus in this go-around, as well as how much of Cecile's identity was tied up in it. A lot of this book was about Cecile having such a strong sense of independence... which is good! However, her journey involved recognizing that she hid behind her independence to avoid hard, risky emotions and relationships. It felt really authentic, and it transcended the historical setting.

--While this is definitely a heroine-forward book, Guy is such a good hero. He's a hero who basically spends most of the book groveling; but his faults are more down to a lack of understanding than true cruelty. He fucking looooves this woman, and the fact that this is a second chance romance (wherein we do flash back to the beginning of their first go) solidifies that.

The Sex Stuff:

Yeah, this one is hot. You get all the "good girl"-ing you could want (I have such a thing for when a hero is younger than the heroine and calls her a good girl), there's no worrying about virginal hesitance, Cecile! Likes! It! Rough! I absolutely loved the sex scenes in this book.

This was just such a solid historical romance. I would love to see more in this vein--rollicking, with just the right amount of emotion. It felt very old school meets new school.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.