#she's very deferential... when it matters

[elavoria]

WIP Whenever

Tagged by @sylvienerevarine, thank you! I tag @dirty-bosmer, @sheirukitriesfandom, and @nostalgic-breton-girl. : )

Some Tyrion and Evey banter in the gardens of the Red Keep:

“She’s not just a servant,” Tyrion said. “She’s an old friend. I’ve known her since I was but sixteen. She’s practically family—if my family happened to be made up of decent people, that is.” “My lord,” Evelynne admonished gently, inclining her head again in an attempt to hide her smile and noticing a stony glare from the handmaiden as she did so. “Would you join us?” he asked. “It’s a beautiful day for a walk.” She laughed outright at the suggestion, then clapped a hand over her mouth for what could have been taken as insolence and sobered herself when she saw that he wasn’t laughing. “Ah, you’re not joking,” she said, blushing lightly. “No, my lord, I would not dream of intruding. Besides, I was just about to return to my work.” “Your work can wait,” he said. “Yes,” she said with slow sarcasm, “because your father is well-known for his infinite patience.” “You can tell him,” he suggested, “to shove that infinite patience right up his—” “Keep that up, my lord,” she threatened playfully, “and I will send him your regards.”

[p0orbaby]

Born to Love You Back

summary: a very important question is on the horizon

warnings: none

a/n: some rich!reader for you all

word count: 1.7k

-

The jeweller’s salon is tucked into a narrow street in the 1st arrondissement, down a street so narrow you almost missed it, the kind of place that doesn’t need signage because everyone who matters already knows where it is. The building itself is unassuming but pristine, a five-storey townhouse with cream-coloured stone, wrought-iron balconies, a double door painted a deep charcoal with brass fixtures that gleam in the waning afternoon sun. Outside, a delivery van idles, spilling faint notes of Edith Piaf from its radio as a man unloads crates of flowers: cyclamen, lilies, eucalyptus branches arranged in bursts of green and white. They’ll likely find their way to the salon’s interior within the hour, arranged with almost mathematical precision to evoke a studied nonchalance.

Inside, it’s quiet—museum-like but less sterile, hushed but alive. There’s a balance between the soft hum of conversation from another room and the faint, barely perceptible scent of lilies and leather. The floors are a herringbone parquet, polished to an impossible sheen, and the walls are panelled in dove grey. Everything about the space is designed to whisper money. Even the receptionist, stationed behind a desk lacquered to such a high gloss that it might double as a mirror. She’s mid-twenties, probably just out of university—Sciences Po, perhaps, or one of the Grandes Écoles—wearing a black crepe shift dress that hits just above the knee. Chanel, you’d bet, though it’s hard to tell from here. Her hair is sleek and straight, parted sharply in the middle, her nails painted in Rouge Noir, a colour so iconic it’s practically shorthand for Parisian sophistication. She greets you in French first, then switches to English the moment she hears your accent, though her tone remains precisely the same—warm but not too warm, deferential but not subservient.

Aurélie is waiting for you on the stairs. She’s maybe late thirties, tall, with that certain froideur that women in her line of work cultivate like a second skin. Her blazer is Saint Laurent—black, sharply tailored, peak lapels—and her silk blouse is an ivory so fine it catches the light in a way cotton never could. Her trousers skim the tops of her Louboutin heels—black patent leather, red soles so subtle they barely register. Her jewellery is minimal but deliberate: a single strand of Mikimoto pearls, their lustre so perfect they almost look artificial, and a pair of matching studs. She smiles when she greets you, her lips painted a nude so neutral it could have come from any number of Tom Ford palettes, but you’d guess Casablanca.

“This way, please,” she says, gesturing towards the stairs with a hand that’s manicured in a soft ballet pink, not a chip in sight. You follow her up, noting the faint scent of her perfume—Chanel No. 19, not a popular choice but a discerning one, with its crisp notes of galbanum and iris that feel both professional and unapologetically feminine.

On the landing, there’s a painting—a still life, maybe Cézanne, maybe a very good imitation. You don’t stop to look, but it catches your eye enough to linger in your mind as Aurélie opens a door to the second-floor where Its quieter, darker. The walls are a deep navy—Farrow & Ball, maybe Hague Blue—and the rug beneath the central display case is thick enough to swallow the sound of your footsteps. The case itself is glass-topped and backlit, the kind of lighting that renders diamonds almost supernatural in their brilliance. The rings are arranged by cut and carat, each one nestled in its own velvet slot, the symmetry of the display both calming and slightly overwhelming.

Aurélie steps aside, giving you space but remaining close enough to anticipate your needs. She stands with her hands loosely clasped in front of her, her posture immaculate.

“Take your time,” she says, standing back with the same attentive grace she’s shown since you arrived.

You nod, your gaze already falling to the rings. You’ve thought about this for weeks, maybe months, but standing here, it feels more real, the weight of the decision settling in your chest. Not because you’re uncertain—you’re not—but because this is a moment you’ll remember, whether you want to or not.

The first ring is a cushion-cut diamond, two carats, set in a band of pave diamonds. Platinum, naturally. The proportions are flawless, the craftsmanship impeccable, but as you turn it in the light, you know immediately it’s wrong. Too ornate. Too eager. Alexia would hate it. You imagine her wearing it for a moment, and the thought feels so ridiculous you almost laugh. She doesn’t like excess, at least not in the obvious sense. Her taste is clean, modern, unfussy.

The second ring is pear-shaped, slightly smaller, but with a brilliance that draws your eye. The stone feels alive under the light, its facets catching every subtle movement of your hand. For a moment, you hesitate, thinking about how it would look on her hand, but then you remember something she said once, flipping through a magazine in bed: “Pear cuts are too delicate. They look like they’re trying too hard.”

You sigh, not quite aloud, but enough for Aurélie to notice. She steps closer, just enough to offer a quiet suggestion. “Does she have a preference?” she asks, her tone light, neutral. “For the setting, or the cut?”

“She likes things simple,” you say, the words coming out more clipped than you mean them to. It’s not her fault, this unease you feel. “Classic, but not boring”

Aurélie nods, her expression unchanged, and steps back again. You wonder if she can sense the weight of what you’re doing—if she’s seen enough of this to know the signs. The third ring catches your eye before you reach for it. A round brilliant diamond, 1.8 carats, set in a plain platinum band. No pave, no halo, no embellishments. It’s striking in its simplicity, the kind of ring that doesn’t need to assert itself because it knows what it is. You pick it up, holding it to the light, and as you turn it, something settles in you. This is the one. You don’t need to overthink it.

Aurélie smiles faintly, as though she already knew. “Shall I prepare it for you?” she asks.

You nod, handing it back, and she takes it with both hands, disappearing into a back room.

While she’s gone, you pull out your phone. You shouldn’t call her—she’s probably still at training, her mind on drills and tactics—but you do it anyway. She answers on the third ring, her voice steady but soft, with that familiar cadence you’ve missed more than you’d care to admit.

“Hey,” she says, her voice clear, grounded, with just the faintest lilt of distraction. In the background, there’s a low murmur of voices, the familiar thud of a ball meeting turf, maybe a coach shouting something that’s swallowed up by the wind. You imagine the sun slicing through the Catalan sky, the kind of relentless brightness that makes the whole city shimmer.

“Hey,” you reply, smoothing nonexistent creases from your blazer out of habit, though no one is watching. Your reflection in the polished glass of the display case looks composed, disinterested, but the sound of her voice pulls something taut inside you. “How’s training?”

“Same as always,” she says, and there’s a pause—just long enough for you to hear her exhale softly, almost imperceptibly. You know she’s stepped aside, moved to some quieter corner of the training complex where no one will overhear. She’s careful like that, never careless, always aware of her surroundings.

“Still exhausting?” you ask, and she laughs under her breath—a low, warm sound that lingers longer than it should.

“Mhm,” she hums, the sound of it makes you smile despite yourself. “But it’s a good kind of exhausting. You know how it is”

“Not sure I do,” you tease, leaning against the edge of the display case, its surface cool against your hand. “I can’t say I’ve run laps around a pitch lately. Unless you count running several businesses as exercise”

“Of course,” she says, dry but affectionate, “such an athlete. Truly inspiring”

The corner of your mouth twitches upward. “I aim to impress”

There’s a faint rustle of movement on her end—maybe she’s leaning against a wall, maybe adjusting the strap of her training bib. You picture her in that effortless way she carries herself: shorts sitting just right, socks perfectly rolled down, hair tied back in that half-loose, half-styled way that only someone like her can pull off.

“Where are you?” she asks, not because she doesn’t know, but because it’s the kind of question you ask when you want the conversation to last a little longer.

“Near Rue de la Paix,” you say, keeping it vague. “Finishing up a meeting”

“You’re always finishing up a meeting,” she says, and there’s a lightness to her tone, but it doesn’t quite hide the subtext.

“You’re always training,” you counter, matching her tone, and you hear her chuckle, soft but genuine.

“Buen punto”

There’s a brief pause. In the background, someone calls her name, a voice you don’t recognise, and she responds with a quick, sharp “Un momento.” The way she switches languages so fluidly—it’s seamless—and yet it reminds you, in a small but certain way, that her world is different from yours. Barcelona, with its golden afternoons and relentless sun, its terracotta rooftops and restless streets, feels a thousand miles away from the polished stillness of this Parisian jewellers.

“You should,” you encouraged knowing full well she’ll make no move to end the call herself.

“I’ll see you tonight?” she asks, and it’s a question, but not really.

“Of course,” you say, without hesitation this time.

There’s another silence after that, but it’s not uncomfortable. It’s the kind of silence you could live in, one where nothing needs to be said because the words are already understood. Finally, she says, “Te quiero,” and you hear the faint click as she ends the call.

Aurélie returns with the ring, now nestled in a velvet box so pristine it looks almost untouched by human hands. You slip it into your pocket, the weight of it grounding you, and leave the salon with a nod of thanks.

Outside, Paris feels sharper, brighter. The air smells faintly of rain and burnt sugar from a nearby crepe stand, and the light is just beginning to soften as dusk approaches. For the first time all day, you feel steady.

[libellule-ao3]

Solomon Sallow & his relationship with the Sallow twins

While working on a chapter, I felt the need to organise my thoughts about Solomon Sallow’s role in Sebastian’s downfall, and how his rigid worldview ultimately led them all to tragedy.

⚠️: dysfunctional family, toxic relationships.

Solomon embodies a rigid, disillusioned authority figure, marked by his past. A former Auror, he has been so close to darkness that he became tainted by it, resorting to Dark Arts himself =>"fighting fire with fire". Traumatised and disgusted with what he became, he withdrew to Feldcroft.

After the death of his brother and sister-in-law, Solomon suddenly found himself with two orphans to raise, when he was neither prepared nor emotionally equipped for such a role.

Above all, he lacks the temperament needed to raise a boy like Sebastian: impulsive, curious, and provocative. From the outset, there is a fundamental incompatibility of character, and Solomon shows neither the emotional flexibility nor the maturity to adapt.

In truth, it never even occurs to him to try. Solomon's method of parenting is rooted in prohibition, discipline, and resignation which manifests in:

- A total disregard for Sebastian’s emotions (and Anne’s, too).

- The constant repression of Sebastian’s attempts to heal Anne, which he deems naïve or even dangerous.

- Subtle, yet persistent guilt-tripping, making Sebastian believe his efforts are not only futile but harmful.

There is no physical abuse shown in the game, but we are undeniably looking at a case of psychological violence and emotional neglect.

It’s an oppressive environment, where Sebastian is denied recognition, support, and autonomy, despite being a sensitive boy, driven by emotion, by love and hope, and trapped in an unbearable situation: a twin sister condemned, and drifting away from him.

To this is added a patriarchal model of boyhood, typical of the time: masculinity equated with endurance and blind submission to authority. But Sebastian is suffering and he's not allowed to say so. Nor is he allowed to contradict his uncle, as that would be deemed improper for a well-brought-up young man.

To make matters worse, Solomon projects a deep-rooted resentment onto Sebastian. He recognises in him certain traits inherited from his father —recklessness, stubbornness, and a tendency to drag others along in his passionate pursuits. These are the very traits he holds responsible for the Sallows' tragedy and, by extension, for the fact that he now has two children to raise.

(Note: in the game, Ominis refers to their recklessness, and I’m convinced he’s merely repeating Solomon’s words. Neither Sebastian nor Anne would ever have spoken of their parents in such terms.)

My HC is that Solomon resents his brother all the more because he was secretly in love with his sister-in-law =>a situation not unlike that of Severus Snape, burdened with the duty of protecting the child of the woman he had loved in silence. A woman who died after marrying another.

As a result, Solomon doesn’t see Sebastian as a grieving teenager. He sees him as an extension of the brother he had unfinished business with and he tries to crush him.

This projection renders reconciliation nearly impossible: Sebastian can only fail to be loved by an uncle who, deep down, resents him for being his father’s son.

In contrast, his relationship with Anne appears more peaceful... at least on the surface. Where Sebastian embodies rebellion, Anne embodies submission.

She remains dignified in her suffering, deferential to male authority, quiet and unobtrusive. She endures her curse in silence, never attempting the impossible or challenging her fate. This ‘virtuous’ resignation aligns perfectly with Solomon’s worldview and with societal expectations of women.

But I don’t think he loves her for who she truly is; he loves what she represents: a quiet, obedient, morally irreproachable girl, a flattering reflection of his authority, of the care he believes he provides.

He repeated so often that all he could offer her was the gentlest end possible, that there was no hope of recovery, that she eventually came to accept it as truth. And since the Dark Arts are unthinkable to her, she gradually surrendered to that imposed vision —a vision carefully sustained by the isolation Solomon maintains, all in the name of protecting her. But honestly, it’s just another form of toxic behaviour.

One thing must be acknowledged, however: for all his bitterness and severity, Solomon never abandoned his responsibilities. When the twins’ parents died, he could have sent them to an orphanage, and some might argue that would have been kinder, but he chose to keep them. He gave them a home and an education, despite being wholly unprepared. It even appears he continued to tutor Anne, as her magical skill suggests.

Finally, by destroying the relic, Solomon didn’t just destroy an object. He destroyed Sebastian’s last hope. The fragile thread to which he clung in order to save his sister. For Solomon, it was an act of authority, but for Sebastian, it was above all a denial of his suffering, his efforts, his belief, and his love. That's cruel!

Cornered, consumed by grief and rage, Sebastian lashed out. There were no words left. And so he brought a brutal end to years of tension and misunderstanding. But that act, far from freeing him, sealed his downfall.

🙏Thank you for forgiving any possible grammatical errors. ESL writer.

[optimisticgardenhologram]

Not to be some sort giant simp, but because it's his birthday I wanted to write something nice and complimentary for him. But also genuinely and objectively as possible I think Mello is actually a fair bit more humane (or maybe the better term is "less cold-blooded") than he gets credit for?

The evidence:

1. He was very genuinely upset when they are informed of L's death, and doesn't even think about the matter of the successor-ship until Near speaks up alluding to it.

2. After Sayu was rescued/traded from the mafia she's asked to help in the investigation by providing any details of her experience. However she can't because she says she neither saw nor spoke much to her kidnappers. This indicates Mello (as the mastermind of all things related to this project) told the mafia members that they were to stay away from her and generally left her alone. She's a tool to him to achieve his ends but he takes no pleasure in using her this way nor has intention to cause her any additional harm, fear, suffering than is already an unavoidable part of being kidnapped and held hostage across the world.

3. When Soichiro confronts him with the Death Note by announcing Mello's real name and then actually starts writing, Mello could have killed him on the spot faster than Soichiro could write. He had access to the gun next to him in the open desk drawer. You can tell that even in this case he doesn't want to shoot Soichiro, and though Mello's hand hovers over the gun ready to grab it, he does his best to talk Soichiro down instead. Then he apologizes to Soichiro and thinks about how he never intended for Soichiro to die but at the same time he shouldn't have joined up with Kira. There is an important difference here between the anime and the manga; in the anime he tells this to Soichiro aloud which might be interpreted as a way to distract Soichiro while Jose prepares to fire, but in the manga because it's unspoken we know it wasn't meant as a distraction, but genuine regret and remorse.

4. When Mello crashed the SPK, Lidner wasn't really a hostage. She'd already been helping him secretly for a while and continues to do so afterwards; and she -wanted- Mello and Near to work together and was trying to help them do that - meaning she'd have gladly brought them together regardless. But they role-played her like one to cover for her in front of her colleagues, make it seem like she was being forced into it rather than reveal the truth that she was a double-agent.

5. While Mello frequently brandishes his gun as a threat and for coercion, he never actually fires it. Still no one ever doubts that he would use it if needed. Despite fanon often portraying him as a trigger happy nut-job, the canon demonstrates how controlled and coldly resolved he truly is.

6. A pretty commonly repeated sentiment on social media discussions is that unlike Near, Mello doesn't work well with others because he's too much of a lone-wolf and too insecure to work in a team because he would make everything about dominance and power struggle.

I really don't think this is right. Despite stubbornly refusing to work with Near, the evidence shows he's pretty good at getting along and working with other people. Like in the mafia he seems perfectly happy to let Rod Ross be top-dog; he doesn't appear to have any interest in being a big shot and throwing his weight outside of matters directly involving the notebook. Rod Ross is the one to give orders, dole out discipline, and is generally in charge, and he trusts Mello because Mello's proven his value as a loyal team member over time.

He also works well with Halle and Matt who both appear to be there by choice, neither are in the least afraid of or deferential to him and they seemingly work on equal terms together as opposed to a hierarchical boss/subordinate relationship, which for example so prominently characterizes Near's interactions with his group.

With Matt in particular he's way more patient than is even reasonable to expect, given how it seems like Matt spends a lot of time whining, slacking off, and messing up - no shade meant on Matt (love him dearly) but going by the manga that is what we see. But Mello never scolds him or gets angry or snappy. Mello's internal monologue does show that he's annoyed but he doesn't externalize it, doesn't lash out and is patiently long-suffering when it comes to Matt's shortcomings. He basically just accepts the situation being what it is and moves on. And of course is regretful and sad when Matt dies.

We don't see much of Halle and Mello's interactions as they mostly take place offscreen/off-page but from what there is they seem very casual and comfortable with each other and Halle was very clearly emotionally affected by his death and speaks up for him in 104, believing he sacrificed himself intentionally. Basically, Mello's issues and anti-social behavior stemming from his inferiority complex is SPECIFICALLY centered on and triggered by Near. With everyone else he was able to work very effectively, and they hold him in high regard and can maintain good relationships with him.

7. He seems to have sympathy for Misa and is judgmental about the way Light weaponizes her trauma and idolization.

8. Although she's on his enemy's team, he felt enough pity for Takada provide her a blanket when he orders her to undress, which directly contributes to his own demise. I believe he knew (intended as part of his plan) that X-Kira would kill her to stop her from talking, so it was a small gesture that is practical in that it could make her more willing to quickly cooperate, but also give some small comfort during the short remaining time of her life.

None of this makes him not-evil or villainous, but I do think he's genuinely a more compassionate person than he's typically cast as. Certainly the least villainous of Death Note's wide cast of villains. As it's noted in the Japanese wording of Volume 13 he's "not pure evil" and he "has a pure heart and acts mean to get the attention of the person he likes" (scream). I don't think Ohba intended any of the Wammy's characters to be either pure good or irredeemably evil.

[saltywinteradult]

How is Dany is abusive to Jon?

Honest question, I’ve never given it a thought

I'm sorry this took me so long, anon, and I am really sorry for how long this post got. I had a lot of thoughts on this.

Before we begin, I'd like to point you to this compilation of Jon's reactions to Dany, which hardly paints a picture of a man who is happy and in love, as well as this post and this gifset, both pointing out the parallels between Jon's relationship with Dany and Sansa's relationship with Littlefinger, the latter being a relationship I hope most people can agree is abusive.

It's absolutely crucial to remember that in this relationship, Dany is the person with the power. She is the one with the dragons and the biggest army, and she is willing to both use and abuse that power to get her way.

Furthermore, Dany wants the North's loyalty, but the North needs her help. (The fact that it's Dany's duty as well as in her own best interest to help fight the Others is a different discussion; she doesn't seem to understand this anyway.) She has agreed to grant that help, but she could easily withdraw it if she chooses. She has more power than literally anyone else and there's simply no escaping that power imbalance - it permeates every single interaction Dany has with Jon and all the other Northerners for all of s7 and the first half of s8.

I want you to remember how Dany treats Jon on Dragonstone. His weapons and his boat are taken away immediately upon his arrival. She says Jon is "not yet" her prisoner, but 1) that line very clearly implies that she could make him her prisoner if she chooses to, and 2) how much does it really matter that Jon is "not yet" her prisoner when she's already taken away his means of defending himself or leaving the island? Remember how she later tells him "I haven't given you permission to leave." Girl, what happened to Jon not being your prisoner?

I think it's also very telling that Dany never once addresses Jon by his proper title of King in the North, even before he bends the knee. As you may recall, Dany cares a great deal about titles. She never grants Jon the same respect she demands for herself, and she likes to remind Jon that she is his Queen even during a supposedly intimate, romantic scene.

(Gif by yocalio via gameofthronesdaily)

Earlier in this scene, Dany pointed out that they could stay here in this secluded spot, away from the kingdom and its politics, and no one would find them. Yet even here, away from the rest of the world, she makes a point of referring to herself as "your Queen".

I point all of this out to illustrate that from the very beginning and throughout their relationship, Dany views Jon as a subordinate, not an equal. That is very much not a good foundation for a healthy and equal romantic relationship. Her constant expectation is that Jon will submit, obey, give things up to benefit her, and ensure that the people he has power over act the way she wants.

Case in point:

"Your sister doesn't like me. [...] She doesn't need to be my friend, but I am her Queen. If she can't respect me..."

The implication is that Sansa is doing something wrong by not liking or respecting Dany (meaning "not acting deferential enough for Dany's taste"). The fact that Dany is saying this to Jon and not to Sansa herself implies that it's Jon's responsibility to ensure that Sansa behaves acceptably. "If she can't respect me..." Then what? What exactly is she implying will be the consequences? That their romantic relationship will end? Something worse?

At this point, the North has bent the knee to Dany. As their monarch this is not an entirely unreasonable thing to ask of her subjects - but it's not a very reasonable thing for a girlfriend to ask of her boyfriend, is it? The line between Jon and Dany's political relationship as monarch and subject and their personal relationship as girlfriend and boyfriend isn't just blurred, it's practically nonexistent. To state the obvious, there is a reason we decided that absolute monarchies are bad here in the real world. There is also a reason why a boss dating a subordinate is frowned upon in the real world. Big power imbalances are a bad idea in general and in romantic relationships especially. They should at the very least be considered and navigated carefully. Dany not only fails to do so; she is only happy with her and Jon's relationship when she has power over him.

For proof, let's look at how she reacts when that power imbalance is upended by the revelation of Jon's true identity:

This revelation is a bombshell for Jon. Everything he thought he knew about his own origins turns out to be untrue. However, Dany's first and only thought is how this affects her. Her first reaction is denial and scepticism; the second is to turn cold as soon as she realises that this makes Jon a threat to her ambitions.

There's also this line:

"A secret no one in the world knew, except your brother and your best friend. Doesn't seem strange to you?"

Which implies... What, exactly? That Sam and Bran made this up? Why? Just like with Sansa in the previous scene, we see Dany questioning the actions and intentions of Jon's loved ones. Remember that.

Things escalate in episode 4:

Dany is faced with the notion that Jon might hold more political power than she thought, that they might actually be on somewhat equal footing, and this makes her unhappy.

"I want it to be the way it was between us."

Her desire is to continue their sexual relationship and to return to the previous status quo where she held more power than him and therefore didn't consider him a threat. Jon having a stronger claim to the throne than her threatens Dany's sense of her own identity and purpose, and she reacts by trying to deny and suppress this reality:

"You can say nothing, to anyone, ever! Swear your brother and Samwell Tarly to secrecy and tell no one else! Or it will take on a life of its own and you won't be able to control it or what it does to people!"

(Imagine this with the genders reversed. Yikes.)

Dany is demanding Jon keep his own identity secret from his own family. That's not a reasonable thing to ask of a person you love. Not for one second does she show any consideration for how Jon might feel or what Jon might want. It's all about her. Her expectation is that Jon suppress his own identity, his own reality, to benefit Dany's ambitions. Never once does it seem to occur to Dany that what Jon does with this secret is up to him to decide, not her. His agency is of no concern to her.

Jon: I have to tell Sansa and Arya. Dany: Sansa will want to see me gone and you on the Iron Throne. [...] She's not the girl you grew up with. Not after what she's seen, not after what they've done to her. [...] Jon: They're my family. We can live together. Dany: We can. I've just told you how.

Here we are again with Dany questioning the motives and agendas of Jon's loved ones. Now she's no longer implying but outright stating that they're working against her. What we have here is a pattern of Dany implying that Jon's loved ones are up to no good and can't be trusted. I don't need to explain why that is a dangerous and manipulative thing to do to one's partner, right?

I also want you to pay extra attention to how Emilia delivers that final line. Throughout the whole scene Dany is distraught and desperate, but at this point she turns cold and closed off with an unmistakable anger that Jon won't agree to do as she demands. It is very hard not to read a threatening undertone into that line. "Keep it secret, or else."

Before we move on to episode 5, I'd like to highlight this line, spoken by Dany to Tyrion and Varys in episode 4:

"Speaking to Cersei will not prevent a slaughter. But perhaps it's good the people see that Daenerys Stormborn made every effort to avoid bloodshed, and Cersei Lannister refused. They should know whom to blame when the sky falls down upon them."

Let's be clear on one thing here: Cersei could choose to back down and surrender to avoid bloodshed - but, and I cannot stress this enough, so could Dany. Cersei and Dany are both being selfish and power-hungry by refusing to give up the throne in order to avoid bloodshed. But to admit that would ruin Dany's deeply rooted self-image as morally superior to her enemies. So what does she do instead? She deflects blame. She's the one with the dragons, but if she makes the sky fall down on people, as she puts it, it's not her fault. Keep that in mind.

Now for the absolute low point:

"What did I say would happen if you told your sister? [...] She betrayed your trust. She killed Varys as much as I did. This was a victory for her. Now she knows what happens when people hear the truth about you."

Okay. Varys was conspiring against Dany, which he could've chosen not to do; I guess Dany was within her rights to punish him. She still could've chosen to imprison him, or at least give him a trial. Nobody made her kill him. But as we've just seen, Dany doesn't like to accept responsibility for her own decisions. She'd rather deflect the blame onto the people who displease her.

What's more, she's not just blaming Sansa for Varys's death but Jon as well, for telling Sansa the secret in the first place - which Jon was well within his rights to do! He never agreed not to tell anyone. That wasn't up to Dany to decide in the first place. Jon did what he wanted to do and not what she wanted him to do, so now everything Dany does as a result of Jon's actions is Jon's fault? Do I even need to explain how shitty this is?

"Far more people in Westeros love you than love me. I don't have love here. I only have fear."

This is entirely true. She never stops to think about why Jon is more beloved in Westeros than she is, but whatever. What's important is that after this, Dany initiates a kiss and Jon rebuffs her.

(Gifs from snowsource)

"Alright then. Let it be fear."

Again, what exactly do we think she's implying here? Remember the context. During this conversation, Jon already told her "you will always be my queen". He hasn't rejected her as his queen (which at this point he damn well should), he's just rejecting her sexual advances. And yet, Dany's reaction to his personal rejection of her is to embrace "fear", which again refers to how all of Westeros sees her, not just Jon. Dany already deflected blame for her previous actions onto people who displeased her including Jon, and now she's deflecting the blame for her future actions in the same way. And we all know what she did after this, don't we? I don't know how the line "let it be fear" can mean anything other than "you rejected me and that's why I'm going to embrace being feared, so whatever I do now in the name of being feared is really your fault. Look what you made me do." If that isn't abuse, I don't know what is.

[manichalseys]

Hello! I saw that you write for TVD so I wonder if I can get a Damon x witch!poc fem reader, in which she, deferential to everyone who only expects the worst from him, sees something good in him, which is why she always chooses him and defends him (only Damon receiving all the love and care he deserves) please? With lots of fluffy and angst

thank you <333

deserving

damon salvatore x witch!poc fem reader

summary; you were not blind to everyone's aggression and faults, so why was everyone blind to everything but Damon's?

a note that this is not set anywhere specific in timeline - alsooo... minor Elena hate? She's such a villain to me.

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The living room of the boarding house had been destroyed, couch flipped and table turned to scrap by Stefan's outburst. He had stormed out quickly afterward, but not before telling both Elena and Damon that they had made him this way.

You stood near the entrance to the room, the magic in your veins humming as it begged to be released on the retreating, erratic vampire. He had been binging on human blood for so long now, you weren't sure he would ever go back to the mild mannered man you had first met all those years ago. No matter what scheme Elena and Damon concocted in their desperate attempt to save him.

"This is all your fault." Elena's voice wavered, but it was full of venom. Your eyes snapped to find her but she was locked on the eldest Salvatore. "You did this to him."

Damon shook his head, confusion marring his face. "Elena, you know that I've been trying-"

"If you had just cleaned up your act a bit sooner, Damon!" She was angrily gathering her things now, getting ready to storm out after her equally as volatile ex. "He wouldn't be this way if you hadn't influenced him."

Your eyes were only on Damon then, you could see the tell-tale clench of his jaw from across the room. The way his fingers flexed. He was upset, because he cared, but he would lash out because he didn't know how else to stand up for himself.

"That's not very fair, Elena. Stefan is his own person. Damon didn't make him do anything." Your voice was firm as you took the single step down into the living room, inching closer to Damon. Trying to let him know he wasn't alone.

Elena's eyes narrowed, a disbelieving smile gracing her face. "Are you really defending him right now?"

"Yes." No hesitation. "I am." You could feel his gaze burning a hole in your back while you stood like a human shield between him and the Gilbert. "I understand you're upset, we're all worried about Stefan. But it isn't fair to blame everything on Damon."

Her scoff would bother you for the next week. "Whatever you say." And with that she left.

The nervousness was settling in your chest when you finally turned to Damon, offering him a small smile. "Sorry about that."

His eyes searched yours for just a second before he turned around and walked upstairs silently.

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"Damon, you're bleeding." You noticed the blood literally pouring from his abdomen when he peeled himself away from you, having shielded you from the explosion that just rocked the gym of the high school. You vaguely noticed your friends pulling themselves to their feet around you, Caroline and Stefan arguing with each other over something. You didn't notice Elena storming over.

Everyone else's yelling voices faded away when you looked up to meet his gaze, noticing his eyes flickering over your dark skin, checking you for any injuries of your own.

You reached a hand out to heal him. You knew he would heal eventually, but it was the least you could do since he most definitely got injured shielding you. You didn't know what was going on with you and Damon lately, but just the thought of him bleeding made you nauseous.

Before your hand could make contact he was yanked away from you, a barely perceptible wince coming from him at the movement. You were angry before you even decided to be.

"How could you not warn us?" Elena's voice was shrill against the pounding in your head from the boom that happened moments ago. You couldn't help but noticed she didn't have a scratch on her but didn't hesitate to hit Damon right in the chest.

"Elena." You stepped forward to wedge yourself between them, not wanting Damon to take the matter into his own hands but not allowing Elena to put a hand on him. Vampire or not.

Everyone was staring now.

"No! Don't Elena me. He full knew that this group of vampires had ex military with them. A warning about potential bombs would have been nice!"

You tried hard to put a cap on your frustration. "Why would he willingly walk into somewhere that could blow him to pieces? Pretty sure there's no coming back from that. Even for a vampire."

Elena seemed to debate her reply for a moment, gaze going from the rigid vampire behind you to your own eyes. "One day, he's going to hurt you so bad, you won't care about his feelings anymore." She left with that, Stefan and Caroline in tow. Caroline was the only one who cast a haphazard glance back at you.

"Thank you." His voice was quiet, and your shock was loud.

"Of course."

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"Can you believe him?" You winced as Elena's angry voice sounded after the slam of the front door. You and Caroline had beat her to her own home after the showdown at the grill, hoping to clean up the broken glass you knew was waiting for her.

"I mean, what else do we expect?" Bonnie's reply was sardonic when they both rounded the corner, spying the other women in the kitchen.

"Damon is the most selfish, disgusting idiot that I have ever had the misfortune of knowing." Elena's tone was final as she slammed her purse down on the kitchen counter, pulling up one of the stools to plop into.

You tried to ignore that angry twinge that always started in your chest whenever people set their crosshairs on the older Salvatore. He seemed to be everyone's resident punching bag, despite the recent uncovered issues Stefan also harbored.

"I still say we should get rid of him." Caroline sounded chipper at the idea she presented, ready to have his head on a pike.

That was most definitely all that you could take. The glass you had been cleaning was roughly thrown into the trash can. "So we're going to get rid of Stefan too, right? Cut out the evil right at its root. Maybe Tyler too."

Her friends looked taken aback, each ones eyebrows pulling together while they stole glances at each other.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie was hesitant in her question, her caramel colored eyes focusing on your own.

"I'm fine, Bon. But it doesn't seem like you guys are. For the last year, all I have heard is how Damon is the bane of everyone's existence. How he's evil. How is what happened tonight his fault? Do you blame him for trying to save his mother? You surely wouldn't fault Stefan for doing the same. How can you make him the villain if you wouldn't hesitate to do what he does? If you were put in the same position?" You gripped the kitchen counter, willing your magic to calm from the swirling mess inside of your stomach.

"You can't mean that. He's done terrible things." Elena argued, arms crossing over her chest.

"So have you. So have I. But he's also done amazing things, Elena. He's sacrificed himself time and time again to try and win some kind of favor with you people but you've done nothing but take him for granted, and then demonize him even more when he dares to let your treatment of him hurt his feelings." By the end of your statement, you had your purse hanging off your arm and you were shoving past Bonnie to get out the door.

"Where the hell are you going?" Caroline questioned.

"To go make sure Damon's okay."

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You were pretty sure you knew where you were going to find him. Since The Grill was out of commission due to the commotion early in the night, he was definitely drinking at home. That's where you came upon him, sprawled out on the couch in the living room of his home, tumbler of amber liquid dangling from his fingers.

"Shouldn't you be plotting my demise with the Scooby Gang?" The defeat in his voice nearly made you halt, a sadness pulling at the back of your eyes. This man had no venom to him, only defeat.

You came around the couch and gently moved his legs to the ground, taking the seat you just cleared. Those clever blue eyes tracked your movements, something foreign shaded in them.

"I know you don't usually want to, but do you want to talk about tonight? It wasn't an easy decision to make, Damon." You tried to sound understanding without being placating, fearing him holding up behind those walls he so loved to build.

"It wasn't a difficult decision. She had to die. So she did." You would've believed his cold mask if you hadn't heard the cracking in his voice.

You sighed a bit, daring to reach a hand out to rest on his knee. His gaze snapped to yours quickly, hardening slowly like water in winter. "You don't deserve to feel like the villain, Damon. You're put in impossible positions to make terrible decisions, and then shunned for them. Please don't let their hatefulness make you feel any less than you are."

You thought he was going to quip back at you at first, a sardonic smirk on his face - but it dropped quickly, and his voice was almost a breath when he asked his question. "Why do you keep defending me?"

A million answers floated through your mind, because there were so many. But you felt like there was only one that would suffice right now. "Because I care about you."

His lips found yours quickly, fitting together like the last pieces of a puzzle.

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[mariacallous]

The past three weeks have been auspicious for the anti-vaxxers. On June 9, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. purged the nation’s most important panel of vaccine experts: All 17 voting members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which sets recommendations for the use of vaccines and determines which ones must be covered through insurance and provided free of charge to children on Medicaid, were abruptly fired. The small, ragtag crew of replacements that Kennedy appointed two days later met this week for the first time, amid lots of empty chairs in a conference room in Atlanta. They had come to talk about the safety of vaccines: to raise concerns about the data, to float hypotheses of harm, to issue findings.

The resulting spectacle was set against a backdrop of accelerating action from the secretary. On Wednesday, Kennedy terminated more than $1 billion in U.S. funding for Gavi, a global-health initiative that supports the vaccination of more than 65 million children every year. Lyn Redwood, a nurse practitioner and the former president of Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine organization that Kennedy used to chair, was just hired as a special government employee. (She presented at the ACIP meeting yesterday.) A recently posted scientific document on the ACIP website that underscored the safety of thimerosal, an ingredient in a small proportion of the nation’s flu vaccines, had been taken down, a committee member said, because the document “was not authorized by the office of the secretary.” (A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told me in an email that this document was provided to the ACIP members in their meeting briefing packets.)

What’s clear enough is that, 61 years after ACIP’s founding, America’s vaccination policy is about to be recooked. Now we’ve had a glimpse inside the kitchen.

The meeting started with complaints. “Some media outlets have been very harsh on the new members of this committee,” said Martin Kulldorff, a rangy Swedish biostatistician and noted COVID contrarian who is now ACIP’s chair. (Kuldorff was one of the lead authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, a controversial proposal from the fall of 2020 to isolate seniors and other vulnerable people while reopening the rest of society.) In suggesting that he and Kennedy’s other appointees are opposed to vaccination, Kulldorff said, journalists were misleading the public, weakening trust in public health, and fanning “the flames of vaccine hesitancy.”

This was, in fact, the most pugnacious comment of the two-day meeting, which otherwise unfolded in a tone of fearmongering gentility. Robert Malone, a doctor and an infectious-diseases researcher who has embraced the “anti-vaccine” label and published a conspiracy-theory-laden book that details government psyops against the American people, was unfailingly polite in his frequent intimations about the safety of vaccines, often thanking CDC staff for their hard work and lucid presentations. With his thick white beard, calm affect, and soldierly diction—Malone ended many of his comments by saying “Over” into the microphone—he presented less as a firebrand than as, say, the commanding officer of a submarine.

When Malone alluded to the worry, for example, that spike proteins from the mRNA-based COVID vaccines linger in the body following injection, he did so in respectful, even deferential, language, suggesting that the public would benefit from greater study of possible “delayed effects” of immune-system activation. The CDC’s traditional approach—its “world-leading, rigorous” one, he clarified—might be improved by examining this question. A subject-matter expert responded that the CDC has been keeping tabs on real-world safety data on those vaccines for nearly five years, and has not detected any signs of long-term harm.

Later, Malone implied that COVID or its treatments might have, through some unspecified, bank-shot mechanism, left the U.S. population more susceptible to other illnesses. There was a “paradoxical, sudden decrease” in flu cases in 2020 and 2021, he noted, followed by a trend of worsening harm. A CDC staffer pointed out that the decrease in flu during those years was not, in fact, a paradox; well-documented shifts in people’s health behavior had temporarily reduced the load of many respiratory illnesses during that same period. But Malone pressed on: “Some members of the scientific community have concern that they’re coming out of the COVID pandemic—exposure to the virus, exposure to various countermeasures—there may be a pattern of broad-based, uh, energy,” he said, his eyes darting up for a moment as he said the word, “that might contribute to increased severity of influenza disease.” He encouraged the agency to “be sensitive to that hypothesis.”

Throughout these and other questions from the committee members, the CDC’s subject-matter experts did their best to explain their work and respond to scattershot technical and conceptual concerns. “The CDC staff is still attempting to operate as an evidence-based organization,” Laura Morris, a professor at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, who has attended dozens of ACIP meetings in the past and attended this one as a nonvoting liaison to the committee from the American Academy of Family Physicians, told me. “There was some tension in terms of the capacity of the committee to ask and understand the appropriate methodological questions. The CDC was trying to hold it down.”

That task became more difficult as the meeting progressed. “The new ACIP is an independent body composed of experienced medical and public health experts who evaluate evidence, ask hard questions, and make decisions based on scientific integrity,” the HHS spokesperson told me. “Bottom line: This process reflects open scientific inquiry and robust debate, not a pre-scripted narrative.” The most vocal questioner among the new recruits—and the one who seemed least beholden to a script—was the MIT business-school professor Retsef Levi, a lesser-known committee appointee who sat across the table from Malone. A scruffy former Israel Defense Forces intelligence officer with a ponytail that reached halfway down his back, Levi’s academic background is in data modeling, risk management, and organizational logistics. He approached the proceedings with a swaggering incredulity, challenging the staffers’ efforts and pointing out the risks of systematic errors in their thinking. (In a pinned post on his X profile, Levi writes that “the evidence is mounting and indisputable that mRNA vaccines cause serious harm including death”—a position entirely at odds with copious data presented at the meeting.)

Shortly before the committee’s vote to recommend a new, FDA-approved monoclonal antibody for preventing RSV in infants, Levi noted that he’d spent some time reviewing the relevant clinical-trial data for the drug and another like it, and found some worrying patterns in the statistics surrounding infant deaths. “Should we not be concerned that maybe there are some potential safety signals?” he asked. But these very data had already been reviewed, at great length, in multiple settings: by the FDA, in the course of drug approval, and by the dozens of members of ACIP’s relevant work group for RSV, which had, per the committee’s standard practice, conducted its own staged analysis of the new treatment before the meeting and reached consensus that its benefits outweighed its risks. Levi was uncowed by any reference to this prior work. “I’m a scientist, but I’m also a father of six kids,” he told the group; speaking as a father, he said, he personally would be concerned about the risk of harm from this new antibody for RSV.

In the end, Levi voted against recommending the antibody, as did Vicky Pebsworth, who is on the board of an anti-vaccine organization and holds a Ph.D. in public health and nursing. The five other members voted yes. That 5–2 vote aside, the most contentious issue on the meeting’s schedule concerned the flu shots in America that contain thimerosal, which has been an obsession of the anti-vaccine movement for the past few decades. Despite extensive study, vaccines with thimerosal have not been found to be associated with any known harm in human patients, yet an unspecified vote regarding their use was slipped into the meeting’s agenda in the absence of any work-group study or presentation from the CDC’s staff scientists. What facts there were came almost exclusively from Redwood, the nurse who used to run Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that at least one citation from her posted slides had been invented. That reference was removed before she spoke yesterday. (HHS did not address a request for comment on this issue in its response to me.)

The only one of Kennedy’s appointees who had ever previously served on the committee—the pediatrician Cody Meissner—seemed perplexed, even pained, by the proceedings. “I’m not quite sure how to respond to this presentation,” he said when Redwood finished. He went on to sum up his concerns: “ACIP makes recommendations based on scientific evidence as much as possible. And there is no scientific evidence that thimerosal has caused a problem.” Alas, Meissner’s warnings were for nought. Throughout the meeting, he came off as the committee’s last remaining, classic “expert”—a vaccine scientist clinging to ACIP’s old ways—but his frequent protestations were often bulldozed over or ignored. In the end, his was the only vote against the resolutions on thimerosal.

Throughout the two-day meeting, Kuldorff kept returning to a favorite phrase: evidence-based medicine. “Secretary Kennedy has given this committee a clear mandate to use evidence-based medicine,” he said on Wednesday morning. “The purpose of this committee is to follow evidence-based medicine,” he said on Wednesday afternoon. “What is important is using evidence-based medicine,” he said again when the meeting reached its end. All told, I heard him say evidence-based at least 10 times during the meeting. (To be fair, critics of Kuldorff and his colleagues also love this phrase.) But the committee was erratic in its posture toward the evidence from the very start; it cast doubt on CDC analyses and substituted lay advice and intuition for ACIP’s normal methods of assessing and producing expert consensus. “Decisons were made based on feelings and preferences rather than evidence,” Morris told me after the meeting. “That’s a dangerous way to make public-health policy.”

[yuesya]

The barrier breaks.

It’s too soon. The thought flashes across her mind like lightning. Swift and sudden, without any time to dwell on it; for there is an overwhelming surge of sheer destruction wreaking havoc everywhere –with her standing in the very epicenter of it.

Balor stumbles, as her barrier falls. As it breaks. Far too soon, releasing all the mindless rage and malevolent energies of the god she’d just killed into the world around her. A veritable flood of darkness, with roiling shadows that twist themselves into bestial forms. Simulacrums of the thralls that the Mistress of Dreams had commanded in life, that turn on her and lunge forward viciously.

Exhaustion tugs at her limbs, from both the high expenditure of energy and the backlash from her barrier being forcibly broken. The two factors only serve to compound the lethargy and numbness in her body. It’s been so long since she’d been drained like this, but Balor knows that this is not the time to be showing any weakness. Not now, and not ever–

Her powers have yet to recover–

She cleaves the shadow-beast in front of her in two; but there are claws aimed at her back and three more beasts plunging down from above–

Something crashes into her, bodily knocking her aside. Briefly, the breath is knocked from her lungs.

Balor looks up, only to see a wind spirit crouched above her like a protective guard. The avian spirit’s chest heaves visibly, clearly from its own exhaustion, but sharp gold eyes remain locked on the shadowy enemies circling them. These beasts born from the Mistress of Dreams’ lingering malice are focused on Balor –and yet this wind spirit does not move to escape.

He’s bleeding. Blood drips down from open wounds, and the heat and miasma of it scorch her skin.

Wordlessly, Balor pushes herself upright from the ground. The wind spirit obligingly moves to crouch at her side instead, lowering its head in a deferential bow.

Why?

… She shelves aside the question for now. For all that the wind spirit had formerly been one of the Mistress of Dreams’ thralls, it no longer appeared to be actively hostile, and there were currently far more pressing matters for her to deal with.

Eyeing the prowling shadow-beasts for a moment, Balor takes stock of her surroundings –so many dead humans; so many corpses– and then turns to look up towards the skies instead.

Almost as if on cue, a massive tremor shakes the air. Golden swirls of Geo energy surround the half-dragon entity clashing against a five-headed Hydro serpent, each head hissing with laughter. The half-dragon’s Geo spire is blocked by a twisting pillar of water; shattered pieces of stone go flying everywhere, followed by a deluge of water spilling down from the heavens.

No wonder her barrier broke.

Still, she’s not exactly pleased that apparently two gods decided it was a good idea to start a fight right above her barrier before she’s had a chance to tidy everything up properly. Decarabian had impressed upon her the potential dangers that could occur when a god was slain in combat, so this was…

Balor clicks her tongue.

She lets go of her sword, allowing it to dissipate in a shower of brilliant sparks. A new weapon materializes in her hands instead, a curved bow. Accented with gold and traced with an almost feather-like pattern upon its head, white and indigo hues entwined in harmony. Unlike her sword that is only a simple weapon of mortal steel, the bow radiates power, and even just holding it is enough cause for Anemo energy to begin gathering around her.

As it should.

Balor pulls back the bowstring. A glowing green arrow of pure Anemo condenses beneath her fingertips in the empty space where an arrow should be, and the wind picks up in her surroundings.

She calmly points Decarabian’s bow towards the two gods battling high above, and loosens the arrow; a thousand howling winds instantly fill the skies.

[wolfeyedwitch]

(hey! @pigeonwhumps here, starting off the Bailey and Phoenix crossover!)

Phoenix looks up as Zera walks into the medical bay. They don't even really need to be in here anymore, it's just that– well, Bailey.

"Hey Phoenix. We've heard back from your team. Abbie's free to come and pick you up tomorrow morning, if that's okay? I know it's a bit sudden."

Their heart skips a beat. Well, they've missed enough of work, they suppose, although they could've gone back on their own ages ago if Zera's team had let them. But, oh, fuck, Abbie's going to find out about them getting medical treatment, isn't she?

They could ask the team to lie but no, no. They deserve it. Whatever punishment they get for the medical treatment and being idle for so long when people need them, they deserve it. They should be more self-reliant, they shouldn't let people give them medical treatment, they don't need to rest, they don't need rescuing, they're immortal. Immortal and pathetic.

Zera's starting to frown now. Oh, no, that's not good. What've they done wrong now? They tug their sleeves down over their hands nervously.

"Yes, sir."

With Bloody Outstretched Hands Masterlist

Immortal Cannon Fodder Masterlist

This is set after Phoenix's crucifixion; they're recovering and staying with Zera's team for that period. For WBOH, this is after part 6; the team has just learned who Bailey is.

Also, just pretend that Phoenix called Bailey Poppet, and Zera called Phoenix Firebird. Phoenix doesn't know Bailey's name yet, and they're using their codenames in front of the villain they've taken in.

---

Zera is about 0.3 seconds away from screaming. They swear, if someone calls them "sir" one more time—

"Yes, sir," Phoenix says.

—they will sigh internally and put it in their mental "motivation to punch things" box.

Why is Phoenix being so damn... respectful? No, that isn't the right word. Deferential? That isn't quite it, either. They're acting like Zera is somehow... more important than them. Someone they have to placate, almost. Given that Phoenix has been a hero longer than Zera had, it makes no sense.

"Okay," Zera says aloud, tucking the confusing mess away to ponder later. "Well, you're due for your next dose of pain medication."

And for some reason, that sends Phoenix into a spiral. They claim that they don't need it, that Zera shouldn't waste the medication on them, that they're sorry for being an inconvenience. The whole thing feels like sandpaper on Zera's nerves, scraping them raw.

Eventually, through a judicious use of puppy-dog eyes, Zera convinces Phoenix to accept the medication. Then it's time to administer them to Poppet, or Bailey as they now know the villain's name is, as well.

Bailey wakes from their uneasy sleep when Zera gets close, drawing on their powers enough to make Zera's hair stand on end.

"Woah, it's okay, take it easy," Zera says, trying to de-escalate the situation.

Bailey stays poised to attack, one hand outstretched and powers at the ready, for a moment longer. Then their eyes focus on Zera, recognition finally dawning.

"Foxfire," they say, lowering their hand. The electric tension of their powers leaves the air. "I'm sorry, I thought— it doesn't matter what I thought, I messed up, I'm sorry."

Zera waves off the apology and offers Bailey the medication. Bailey, inexplicably, has...

Almost the exact same reaction that Phoenix did. Right down to claiming that Zera shouldn't 'waste' the medication on them.

"It isn't a waste," Zera says, trying to figure out why these two were having such a reaction. "Please, let me help you."

Bailey swallows and nods. Zera gives them the medication and leaves the medbay. They need to talk to... well. Everyone.

What the actual entire fuck is going on? This behavior is weird and unsettling enough coming from Poppet, or Bailey as they now know the villain's name is. But coming from Phoenix? Their fellow hero, who's been at this job even longer than Zera themself???

Something is very, very wrong here.

And Zera is going to find out what it is.

---

Let me know if you'd prefer not to be tagged for this crossover!

Taglist:

@heathenville @nonbinary-disaster @kim-poce @whump-world 

@dolls-circus @pickleking8 @ghostfacepepper @cupcakes-and-pain @badluck990 

@mylifeisonthebookshelf @pumpkin-spice-whump @deluxewhump @extemporary-whump @whumpwillow 

@multiple-characters1-acct @sunflower1000 @fleur-alise @equestrianwritingsstuff @scp-1296 

@livingforthewhump @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @suspicious-whumping-egg @kaiwewi @lelly-belly 

@neuro-whump @newbornwhumperfly @whumpthisway @whumpcreations @wicked-whump 

@heart4brains @myhusbandsasemni @how-to-be-a-hero @kixngiggles @kurochan 

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@elrysdoesstuff @whumperflies-and-roses @ha-ha-one @whatwhumpcomments @ramadiiiisme 

@towerlesskey @emmanemanemm @pigeonwhumps @whumpycries

[auguryofjellyfish]

You talked a bit about some of the episodes yesterday but what did you think of [Flat Rejection]

oh boy, that's an interesting one.

first point I want to get out of the way: I think the way Mai is acting is a little immature. not unreasonable, there's a difference. but I, personally, will never condone ignoring someone and avoiding them if it's not absolutely necessary to protect yourself, because that can completely destroy people mentally.

Yanagi was kind of an ass in the trial in general…I think the worst he did was harping on Watari for doing damage to her room and not getting punished, that was COMPLETELY unnecessary and very ungentlemanly of him. at least Watari doesn't seem to hold it against him.

but other than that, his intentions towards Mai were good. he WAS right about her being too reckless. before she was abducted, he was very deferential and cautious with her, almost demure with his suggestions. all in all trying to be respectful. he was warning her repeatedly to stop damaging the door, pleading with her, trying to get her to see reason, and she didn't listen. then… she disappeared, and came back unconscious, bloody, and bruised black.

…what else was he supposed to feel, than that it was HIS fault this happened? because he didn't try hard enough to protect her?

he was trying to take her opinions, her strength, her independence into account, and look where that got her. no matter what, he's going to feel responsible, he needs to help people, he can't just be a bystander. he NEEDS to protect those who he feels need protecting. even if it's from themselves. I understand his point of view. he can't just leave people be, he can't let injustice stand, he won't turn his eyes away from people getting harmed. he's proactive. and most importantly… he really, really cares about Mai specifically.

now, Mai. Mai is incredibly strong, physically and mentally. she can take care of herself, she takes care of others. she is fiercely independent. but she's not made of stone. she's not unshakeable. there was a time when she was weak. when she was scared. when all she cared about was survival above all else. and she hated it, not being in control, of herself, of her actions, of her own fate, and she never, ever wants to feel like that again. and it's like…who the fuck does YANAGI think he is? to butt into HER life and HER decisions like that? to her, he has 0 reason to do that. it makes no sense because she doesn't need protection. she doesn't need a knight in shining armour, what the hell? it feels like Yanagi is undermining the strength she's been working so hard to cultivate. which is incredibly insulting. she can handle herself. …but she can't. not 100% of the time. Mai was so, so shaken after she came back from being tortured. she was scared. she was made completely powerless. she collected herself eventually. rested, gathered her strength again, because life goes on. because it was horrible, but it wasn't her first time. she can't just break apart here, that's not who she is. she has to keep moving forward.

…but Yanagi saw Mai's tears. he saw her break down. he heard her cries. and he didn't forget it. the sight was seared into his brain. he never, ever wanted for something like that to happen again.

…and here we are. yes- he was being controlling. Yanagi is a very, very passionate person, and the terror he felt when he saw her disappear, and the heartbreak from when he saw her cry from pain and fear- it was too much. it still doesn't mean his behaviour was appropriate. just understandable.

what he did was wrong. but let's circle back to my first point- Mai ignoring him. I really dislike that. she has every right to be angry with him, but this is childish. and borderline cruel….she should at least hear him out, one last time. let him say his piece, and then decide whether to thwack him over the head and tell him to fuck off forever or not.

being in this sort of limbo is extremely bad for Yanagi's mental state. stuck ruminating on his own thoughts, he has to supply his own reasoning because he doesn't know hers. he thinks that his behaviour was threatening instead of invasive, which isn't true. and now he's spiraling, wondering if he's destined to hurt people like his (grand)father, if he is even capable of treating them right, capable of care.

and of course he is! Yanagi is NOT his father. he has bad tendencies, but he knows he acted rashly and on his emotion. most of the time he's doing his best to care about other people's comfort and wellbeing. his hot-headedness pushed him to make huge mistakes, like the ice fairy incident and trying to control Mai, but that's not who he is. he is not cruel, violent, and selfish. he has flaws, he's had bad examples, and he hurt people, a lot, but he's not irredeemable.

and just like Wada said- this is a high-stress situation. this environment is designed to break them, to push them to the brink. to kill them. and he doesn't want her to DIE. his reaction was that of a well-meaning, but overprotective parent, who saw his child get bit by a dog a bit too hard, and got so frightened he tried to bundle her up in bubble wrap.

still patronizing, but it doesn't mean he's a MONSTER, an abuser. and he's not destined to be one.

but as long as this silence persists, he will continue to invent his own arguments, which will make sense to him, but will be blown completely out of proportion because he feels HORRIBLE, and he needs to self-flaggelate as a way to punish himself.

anyway. they need to talk.

[faithandfairies]

Positions of Power

So, Interview with the Vampire famously examines the questions

What happens if one decides not to love or choose someone in a position of power who wants to be loved and chosen?

When the person in the position of power can then wield said power to decide the fate of the person that doesn't love or choose them as well as the fate of those that person does love? To hurt, destroy, help or save said person?

And it does this through all of its relationships although it's most obvious through the relationships between Louis and Lestat and Louis and Armand.

And it starts immediately with Louis the pimp. You see, Louis starts out in positions of power in all of his relationships. Or so it seems.

Lestat actually names them all starting with:

1.The stern landlord=the pimp/building and business owner

He is in a position of power as the pimp that governs his girls. We see this starting with ms. Bricktop Williams when she insults the alderman and Louis doesn't actually punish her for it. He also doesn't punish the girl who yells at his brother. He does punish his brother for making him look "weak" on Liberty street, therefore threatening his position of power. One wrong move in how he governs his girls or his brother could lead to him losing this position.

2.The deferential businessman

Louis has made it as a black man. As a successful black businessman he has made himself a place among the white businessmen but his position is precarious. It requires him to defer to them in order to keep that position. And once he stops doing that, once he stops "knowing his place" by having a white same sex life partner in plain view, who is richer than all of the other businessmen combined and then makes power grabs for businesses he shouldn't want ownership of, he eventually loses this precarious position of power he once held.

3. The loyal son

Louis is also in a position of power at home. He's the successful businessman keeping his family's heads above water and bringing them honor by taking care of them as a loyal son should. He controls the money for the family. He takes care of the family financially. He owns their ancestral home because his father left it to him. He even mentions to Daniel I believe that he's not just the eldest son, but the favored son. The caveat to him maintaining this position isn't what his business entails as in having a respectable business, but his loyalty to the family, to his mother. It initially seems like he's allowing for it to look like his mother is in control by having her take credit for financial purchases of his. But later it turns out to be the other way around, his mother was always in control. Because the moment he fails to fulfill his father's dying wish "to properly take care of Paul" and then also follows it up by moving in with Lestat and barely coming home, he loses the position of the loyal son and it is his mother that takes this position from him directly and gives it to Levi. And it no longer matters that the house belongs to him or that he was the one financially providing for his family.

Enter Lestat.

Who is fascinated by this man who has managed to crawl his way up to the top of the food chain in his world in spite of his race and initial financial state making it seemingly impossible.

Lestat is also at the top of the food chain in his world. In his world, he is in THE position of power and there's very little above him. Especially since he's apparently the only vampire in New Orleans at that time.

In relation to Lestat, Louis wields almost no power. Louis' is a black human. And Lestat is a white sadistic, manipulative vampire, a predator, with an endless supply of funds and to Louis largely unknown ancient powers he's been honing for over a century and no qualms about using his toxic traits against Louis. Louis' power lies in the fact that Lestat is in love with him but even that has its limits. The caveat is that Louis has to love him, choose him in turn. And Louis does, initially. When the power imbalance between them isn't known to Louis he chooses Lestat. He loves Lestat. As his friend. As his confidante. As his lover. For a brief moment Louis chooses to live in the fantasy where he and Lestat can choose each other without there being far-reaching repercussions for him within the society he lives in. Where he can be a black, gay human without it having major unwanted consequences for his businesses, his family and his life as a whole. And then he literally wakes up to the realization that he can't go back on that choice. And that he maybe never really had one. Once Lestat lays eyes on him, once Lestat loves him and chooses him it's game over. Lestat's inherently predatory nature means Louis' time is running out because Lestat's self-control is reaching its breaking point. Louis' only choice then becomes whether he wants nine unlimited lives or just one cut very short by Lestat.

When Louis rejects Lestat at his brother's funeral and then condemns him in the church, Lestat shows up believing himself an angered god ready and justified to dole out judgment on humanity. Reacting to Louis' actions by revealing the sinister side to his powers and clearly revealing the power imbalance. He reveals the breadth of his power in all of its terrifying glory and likens it in words to godly power through which fates of life and death can be decided depending on who is deserving of mercy or not. Showing Louis exactly what can become of him and those he loves if he chooses to (further) anger Lestat.

This, the power imbalance, continues on throughout their relationship. Louis' power comes from the fact that Lestat loves him which he uses to manipulate him and get what he wants out of the relationship. Lestat continues to manipulate Louis as well and continues to hold the power imbalance over his head by displaying said power in big and small ways to try to keep Louis in line within the relationship. Early on I think Lestat also realizes he can use sex to manipulate Louis. Offering it to Louis to distract from the power imbalance, presenting himself as more vulnerable to Louis, making him and Lestat closer to equals which is honestly what they both crave but can never truly achieve. Lestat also tries offering sex to others once Louis no longer has the energy and later the willingness to have it with Lestat, hoping to get Louis to bend to his will (and indulge) when it comes to his appetites. Hoping to restore their sex life and intimacy through it. Which is the one manipulation that doesn't really work. Which means eventually their relationship doesn't work since it hinges on them having similar appetites, human, the blood, each other.

In the meantime Louis tries to hold on to his positions of power in the human world even more so since he holds almost no power in his and Lestat's vampire world. Then he loses those positions of power.

Enter Claudia.

An eternal child, initially as innocent as they come, and physically the weakest vampire among the three of them.

And suddenly Louis is no longer the one with the least power in his and Lestat's vampire world. In becoming Claudia's parents, suddenly he and Lestat are equals. But also, as far as race, culture, history and humanity goes, Lestat is outnumbered. Suddenly Louis is in a position of power not only as the parent who has the most knowledge about Claudia's background having been human and a black human from New Orleans at that fairly recently himself, but to Claudia he's also the favored parent. Lestat allows it and everything is right with the world. Except that it's not. And over time that becomes abundantly clear again.

As a parent, Lestat initially softens more but eventually becomes even more the predator. He tries to regain some of the power he's lost by cultivating the vampire, the predator, within Claudia and Claudia is the eager and prodigious student. Except she isn't just a predator or a vampire, she is now a teenager with teenage human tendencies, wants and needs. Except she's not human. Incapable of and eventually not allowed to indulge in those human tendencies for fear of the human world she desperately wants to be a part of discovering and destroying Louis' and Lestat's little vampire world.

This is when Claudia becomes aware of power. That she has it, much more than the average human, but can't control it and as an eternal child realizing that it pales in comparison to that of her fathers and she will never be able to wield it in the same way that they do. The power she possesses is practically useless to her. Where Lestat was able to wield his love and vampiric power to get what he wanted from Louis initially and Louis was able to wield his power of both his own love for Lestat and Lestat's love for him to get what he wanted, she cannot do the same. Her vampire powers continue to fail her, her love for her parents and their love for her isn't enough for them to give her what she wants and needs to feel fulfilled and she has no love of her own and seemingly very likely never will.

She exists to fulfill Lestat's and Louis' wants and needs, as their daughter, to even out the power imbalance between them in order to improve their relationship with each other. She is not allowed to have wants or needs of her own. This is eventually enforced by Lestat any time she chooses to forget it. Although initially when he thinks she's done her part he allows her to leave, until the 7 year drought makes him realize that in order for Louis' and his relationship to somewhat continue to work and Louis to not peace out permanently from vampiric life and life with Lestat Claudia needs to keep inhabiting the role she has been. Also her leaving again and traveling to Europe of all places could also expose them all to Lestat's actual coven leader, Armand. Lestat's power does not extend to Europe and he knows very well what Armand does to those who disobey the great laws. Her chasing after what she wants could mean death for all of them and Lestat knows this.

And for Claudia to get what she wants from life she needs either

a love of her own

a different role that gives her useful power of her own and/or

for one of her parents to love her enough for it to make a difference.

Claudia, ambitious as she is, goes for all of the above.

Commence the power struggle.

Claudia decides that she already has a love of her own in Louis, the parent that even in her 7-year absence, chose the memory of her over a very there and present Lestat. So Claudia returns. Commence the power struggle. It becomes a game to Claudia, one she thinks she's already won even before it starts. She just needs to tweak the companionship a bit. Instead of simply being his daughter, she'll be Louis' Grace, his Lestat. She won't sleep with him of course, but she'll be all that he needs by loving him better than Lestat or Grace ever did, by being more devoted to him than either of them ever were. And luckily for her, with Grace recently out of the picture that position has just opened up. And Claudia is certain of having what Lestat doesn't know he has and certainly hasn't felt he has in a long time. Louis' love. Given that, all Claudia needs to do is convince Louis to leave Lestat.

Only it was never a game. And if it was, Lestat was never just a player, but the gamemaker. Something that Claudia never realized until she did and Louis had forgotten until Lestat made him remember. In doing so though, by exhibiting his power in all its terrifying glory again in order to keep everyone in line he crosses lines he drew up himself in order to keep Louis with him and preserve the authenticity of as well as reduce the power imbalance in the relationship as much as possible.

Lines such as:

No eating black people or if yes, no letting Louis know about this

Physically hurting Louis and his family members is off limits

No limiting Louis in his human hobbies

No forcing Louis to have sex even if sex is desired

Because the one thing Louis can still do is choose to walk away regardless if Lestat then decides to kill him for it. Either way it will mean Louis is lost to him which is the one thing Lestat doesn't want.

Commence the reset.

In Lestat acting out and treating Louis like a rag doll for trying to protect and potentially choose Claudia, the power imbalance between him and Lestat once again becomes glaringly obvious and in such a way that there's no going back to the way things were. There's no sense in pretending. The illusion of Louis having a choice has shattered. The inherent "Choose me and love me or die." that was barely concealed subtext when Louis became a vampire is now undisputed text. And has turned into "Hesitate to choose me and die." seeing as Lestat didn't even wait for Louis to choose this time.

Lestat almost kills Louis and there's really no coming back from it. Lestat then tries to regain the power and Louis initially by trying to create the illusion of completely giving away the power to Louis. But it doesn't work. Acting powerless doesn't actually make him so as evidenced by past events. The only thing that might constitute a reset is Lestat dying at their hands.

For Claudia it's a continuance of her original plan but instead of just leaving Lestat behind she now decides to completely take him off the board.

Once again it's a power struggle. But I think what changes here is that Lestat no longer really wants the power. He makes half-hearted swipes for the power but his heart just isn't in it. He just wants Louis and whatever will make Louis want him again in return. And Lestat's starting to realize all the power in the world is not going to get him Louis back. Technically Louis has all the power but Louis doesn't really want it either. Louis hands the power over to Claudia. And Lestat grudgingly allows it even though it also irritates and low-key terrifies him. He trusts Louis. He does not trust the mini version of his own sadistic self he raised in his image that is Claudia to wield any kind of power over him.

But the one thing he does trust is that he can outsmart Claudia. Until she wins a game. And then Lestat doesn't know what to think. For the first time Claudia holds the power but only because both her parents are allowing it. And not because it has anything to do with her. No. But because they're trying to find their way back to each other and all their power play has done for them so far is destroy them and alienate them from each other.

With the power in Claudia's hands, without their power struggle between them, Louis becomes numb and retreats into himself and Lestat becomes increasingly antsy and paranoid. Claudia realizes that her parents are like a bottle the top is about to pop off and if that happens there will be another power grab from one of her parents, most likely Lestat. So she tells Louis to pretty much go back to the start. To rekindle the love. With Louis' focus on restoring the love he and Lestat initially had between each other at the very beginning and Louis' heart blown open to Lestat and showing and sharing that love in all the ways between them I think for the first time since their initial courtship Louis and Lestat settle into peace.

And Claudia becomes the odd one out. And even with all the power it is at that point in time useless to her. Both her parents are lost to her, too focused on each other, belonging to each other once again, with her once again stuck in the role of the daughter simply bearing witness to their love for each other, with no love or lover of her own. Even though having fulfilled her role in their lives by removing the power play completely between them by advising Louis to simply allow himself to love Lestat without reservations and pushing him to take her advice. And Lestat following Louis' lead. With Lestat having what he actually wants, which is all of Louis, he becomes less of a threat, which is the goal. And with Louis having all of Lestat, Louis I think realizes this is what he always wanted. For Lestat to not be a threat to them sure, but not because he was dead or incapacitated but because he was completely in love with Louis with no room for anything else.

And so when it's time to eliminate the power source, Louis takes back the power from Claudia forcefully and chooses a reset instead. A reboot.

[forcewound]

gilded shadow (anora and kieran, 875 words, rated G)

She finds Kieran in the dust flecked light of a stained glass window, head tilted upwards as he takes in the scene it depicts in flowing lines and an array of colors. The Battle of the River Dane, or an overtly romanticized version at least. Her father would often point out its indulgences and inaccuracies whenever they passed it together. Loghain stands tall at its center, rearing his sword at a retreating Orlesian force on the banks of a shore, young, defiant and battle weary. King Maric, ever at his side, sports a shield with the Theirin heraldry, and silhouetted behind them both is the symbolic wreath of an approaching dawn. They’ve left out all the mud, her father used to grouse. 

She wonders what it is about it that draws him now. Kieran had shown no interest in his paternal history before. She can't read the placid expression on the youth’s face, and even that moniker doesn’t seem to fit him, despite their thirty some odd years of separation (she could be his mother, for Maker's sake). There is an agelessness to his twenty year old countenance.

Since his arrival at court, Anora has searched Kieran’s features for traces of her father, but the longer she looks, the more she comes away with only contrasts. His eyes are the most startling of these, an intense golden hue, almost unnatural in coloring. His skin is olive toned, warmer than Anora’s or her father’s light pallor. He carries Loghain’s height, but not his build, slender and wiry in all the places her father held the bulk of a life-long warrior. Even the way he adorns himself in a quiet elegance, with the spindling mages staff at his side speaks to this antithesis.

“Your Majesty,” he says without turning to her, but still inclines his head with deference and maybe it’s there that she finds a remnant of Mac Tir, in the squaring of his shoulders, the tempered way that he holds himself. Or maybe she’s imagining it. “‘Tis a very flattering depiction. Flashy for Ferelden,” he continues with an undercurrent of irony. 

She steps beside him until their profiles align and he is tall, but so is she, their heads reaching within close proximity.

“King Maric had it commissioned from Antivan artisans for father’s appointment to Teryn,” she says. “I’m told he didn’t attend the unveiling. He was never one for pomp and ceremony. He always said his deeds weren't something to be gilded or admired, that they would endure longer than any monument.” She questions if that rings as true to her now as it did as a girl. If the heroism of the “Traitor Teryn” will live longer in the hearts and minds of the people, or stay confined to this solitary pane.

There had been a few disgruntled Bans in the wake of the Blight who had petitioned for its removal, likely as a scapegoat to cover their own misdeeds and advantages taken during the chaos. The matter had dropped from a lack of traction, but Anora will do whatever she can to preserve both the legacy and the architecture that commemorates her father, so long as she draws breath.  

But the past, however worthy of remembrance, is still the past. She turns her back to the window and sets her eyes on the heavy oak doors in front of her. Beyond them lies the throne room and all that will shape the future of her country, with one declaration of Kieran as her heir apparent; the product of a circumstantial union between her exiled Warden father and an apostate witch that Anora had been in the dark about for decades. Who had been raised in the Orlesian court of all things.

She has complicated feelings on the entire matter and there's a strange mix of pride and distance when she watches Kieran with his educated answers and quiet intensity. He in turn respects her, is deferential to her judgement, but still she feels the caution he regards her with. Sometimes she can sense his eyes on her, dissecting her, for what she cannot guess. Sometimes she thinks he might resent her so, for thrusting this destiny on him even if she made it clear that it's nothing he cannot walk away from. He is a very odd boy.

She profers her arm, her sleeve heavy with red velvet and fur-lined at the wrist.

“Are you ready?”

His eyes are finally drawn from the visage of their shared father. He hesitates with that analytical edge he seems to regard everything with, and then his hand, slim and steady, clasps around her arm. In the other, he grips his staff.

“I am - sister. With lofty ambitions not to trip on your gown.” 

She matches his humor with a dour expression, maintaining her straight-backed posture as she guides them both forward. “You bring an optimistic outlook to the monarchy. How very un-Fereldan.” 

If Anora hadn’t punctuated this remark by pushing open the doors, she might have heard him laugh - low and derisive, might have glanced back at the glassy specter of her father as though it had come to life. 

But she doesn't hear it, and together they stride through the doors into the maw of Ferelden's court, side by side. 

[thelaithlyworm]

in which anotsu kagehisa is invited to a tea party...

[ID Full page of Anotsu Kagehisa and Otonotachibana Makie sitting in a lushly appointed chamber facing their host. Four young women in elegant kimono and complicated obis are standing around them in a less than deferential manner. End ID]

When your host invites you somewhere to talk serious matters and then the nameless but decorative serving girls start radiating killing intent and drawing steel and your host apologises for getting tacky but then you realise he has no idea who your unnamed (but extremely decorative) dining companion is and all in all the killing intent suddenly radiating from these largely unnamed but very lethal pretty girls is very, very high...

Hmm. There were some kunoichi in Kagimura's latest assassin group, trained by Master Sori no less. I wonder if these girls come from the same training cadre, and if we'll be seeing more of them.

Could be, could be. All in all, Blade of the Immortal fields some interesting female characters -- from the sword saints through 'actually yes we are going to think about that waitress who helped Rin and hope she's doing okay', so we'll see how that goes.

[graciouswings]

OKOKOK explain to me pretty please who is cass i am so curious!!!!!

HIII HIII!!!! hes my player character for my friends dnd campaign !!! he's a kalashtar oath of devotion paladin & a prophet of the god of trust, unity, and respect, ozymandias.

THIS GOT SOOO LONG so im putting it under a readmore !!!

he was found 40 years ago by the church (he was roughly in his 20s at this point), very weak and injured. they nursed him back to health and quickly learned he had rather significant amnesia and was also a prophet. he was taught a lot about the church and ozymandias in this time, and has spent the last 40 years working as an echo in the church (basically, there are 3 sections of the ozymandian church. the sepal sect maintains order and ensures everything runs smoothly, the anther sect is the faith section with priests & nuns & etc, and the narcissae sect is the one that deals with divine will. these are the prophets and miracle workers, with echoes being the truest of divine prophets). he trains styles (while knigjts fall under the sepal, styles are instead knights who are taught to utilize divine will and holy magic), and is a very close friend of corasis ameinia (corasis is basically the ozymandian churches pope, appointed by ozymandias himself). shes also um. cass' only friend? in the last 40 years?

cassandrias' memory of his life before being found by the church is very spotty. he had a terrible terrible ex boyfriend (who i cannot name because his identity is secret from other players, so i just call him the pervert. this is in part because one time cass scraped his knee and the pervert LICKED THE BLOOD OFF. LIKE A FREEEEEAAAAAAAK), and his parents were also um. pretty terrible. his father (iasus) was cold and abusive and his mom (ceridwen) was pretty permissive of it. cass is deeeeeeply afraid of his ex and his father, but he doesnt actually. hate them? hes too scared to. there is exactly ONE person cass hates, and they are also one of the only people who care about him. sorryyyy i have to ne vague because of spoilers for other players

cass himself is a complete and utter sweetie pie. when he first started as an echo he was like "oh you can pay me however much you want :)" and ameinia was like NO. NO. NO. PAY HIM A LIVING WAGE HE NEEDS MONEY TO SURVIVE IN THIS FUCKING CITY. he has a little house on the waaaay outskirts of the city (his commute to work is terrible) where he has a nice little garden. its a small house and its very important to cass. every day at 6:30 pm on the dot, cass has the same dinner. tomato basil soup & pesto grilled cheese. he loves soup. its his favorite.

now. heres the catch with cass. he IS genuinely a sweet guy, and he cares a lot about the people around him. but he is also, objectively, not a good person? there's a lot of shady things happening in the royal family, church of lexan (the father of his god & the like. main god), and even in the ozymandian church itself. but because of his endless devotion to trust and respect, cass REFUSES to question authority. he is endlessly, obnoxiously deferential to it. in the case of the king making people go missing, cass is the first to shut down any rumors about it because he finds it disrespectful and unbecoming of ozymandians. it doesn't matter how much evidence there is, or how serious it is: if it's done by someone in authority to him, cass will not question it, nor will he tolerate anyone ELSE questioning it. i'm sure this is fine !!!!!!!!

the campaign hasn't actually STARTED yet, but basically. the other three party members (orion myerdız, moxie squall, and calyx . rosch. roshchoil. roscheil. hold on

ANYWAYS. the other party members (orion myerdız, moxie squall, and calyx roschoill) were all (somehow) made to help the king collect some stolen artifacts. originally, king jame delevis asked ameinia to join them on their quest, which she declined because she has. a whole fucking church to run? so instead she sent cass. he's essentially their chaperone & protector. he literally asked 0 questions about this quest and accepted immediately (much to ameinias dismay because she desperately needs him to have Some self preservation).

ummm what else do i want to share. the ozymandian church is basically a lovechild between judaism and what i think catholicism is probably like. aside from the main continent we're on (leaxondria), the ozymandian faith is actually fairly persecuted? violence isnt like. Commonplace (though they really arent protected against it either), but its moreso a situation of just generally being viewed very poorly & being heavily discpursged from practicimg openly. even within leaxondria, the ozymandian church being an official branch was mostly just to appease them, not put of any real recognition or protection. also, ozymandias has a twin brother (prihektor, god of family, community, and loyalty), and the two are worshipped in tandem so often that at churches for one, there is almost always a place to pay respects to the other.

here are some holy symbols of ozymandias!

and here is my doc that explains a lot of the hierarchy and a couple customs! sorry if anything is contradictory to this post, i havent updated the doc since making it.

finally. the cassandrias stormsight images.

the ref is going to be remade sometime soon, whenever i have the energyyyy.... i made it at a point where i was struggling a lotttt with drawing (still am... i just drew the first thing ive drawn in a MONTH the other day for a campaign im dming), and im not super happy with it. i made his arms and waist way skinnier than i wanted to but i also didnt want to fix it because i was so sick of drawing it 😭

ANYWAYS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING IM SORRY I TYPED SO MUCH!!!!!!! cass is sooo important to me and this truly doesnt scratch the surface. id loove to explain more but i cant do it here... but if anyone ever wants to know EVERYTHING about cass........ i am so happy to explain in dms or on discord or something. hes my everythingggggg

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Also going on about the 25th anniversary performance of Les Mis - there are so many brilliant subtleties in the performance of Javert. (It’s not that I don’t love the performances of the heroes, but I seriously find Javert and Thénardiers the absolute highlights of that performance, I can’t imagine either being done better anywhere; and the contrast wth that is what makes the film musical so hard for me to watch in parts, despite it having some very good other elements.)

Javert’s words in dialogue are always very firm amd clipped, but there’s one moment in the scene with Fantine:

She will answer for her actions

When you make a full report

You may rest assured, monsieur

That she will answer to the court

The tone in which ‘monsieur’ is spoken is audibly different from everything else; it’s less sharp and clipped, more polite and deferential, and it speaks volumes about how Javert sees the world and how he sees his job. He knows nothing about what has actually happened, and it doesn’t matter two him, because for him society is divided by class, not actions: “this good man here” and “monsieur” against “this nest of whores and vipers” and (later, in Paris) “this swarm of worms and maggots”. The poor - specifically, those who are not working-class (peasants, labourers) but underclass (homeless, prostitutes, convicts) are literally subhuman to him; for Javert, a gentleman is automatically in the right and a prostitute automatically in the wrong simple because they are a gentleman and a prostitute.

[paperbunny]

S2, E1: The Arrival, Pt. 1

Not a Meta, Just a tribute.

(Eldritch tendencies) Aziraphale could not give less of a shit about the rent, and doesn't appear to even realize that he should. It's waved away seemingly because as soon as he's there he is thinking about getting his records. He completely dismisses the rent with the air of someone who is keeping a record shop for the sake of not learning how to find records elsewhere? Money seems to be no object, but it also seems to hold little value. It's like he's been playing The Sims with this neighborhood and has it just how he likes it, thank you very much.

(Van Life Crowley) There's no way that Crowley has been living in his car that long. Less than a year. Not only was he in his apt seemingly during Lockdown, but Shax is delivering mail and it seems like the first time that she's telling him about the issues with the bills. 4 to 6 months seems reasonable, up to a year if it took awhile for them to establish this communication.

(Boss!Shax) She's not able to get the bills paid because her signature isn't being accepted as his replacement. . . . Why? Is she squatting in the apartment? Is this promotion through sheer force of will via takeover? Also if she can't get the bills paid does that mean the apartment is going to get the utilities shut off? Are there no lights in Crowley's flat, Shax? Was the wifi cancelled? Why isn't her signature good enough, if she's a valid replacement?

(Eternal Beings Don't Get It) Shax doesn't get why the mail service can't be forwarded to the Bentley. I enjoy the total lack of understanding that is maintained both textually and subtextually.

(Fashion) I love Shax's whole outfit. She looks fantastic.

(Existential Crisis Crowley) Confirms that Hell doesn't know Shax is checking in/seeking advice. Crowley doesn't seem adverse to talking but isn't taking it seriously either. Hell doesn't care how jobs get done. Why does any of it matter if ... they don't even care? It's all a sham. Nothing matters as long as the numbers are good and everything appears as it should. The bureaucracy is always a secret favorite part of mine.

(Boss!Shax) She really wants to do a good job. She's planning things! She's trying to get thngs done! but.... it's secretly easy and the humans basically self-punish constantly in new and ingenious ways. Feels very First Grownup Job where you realize that no one is actually a grownup and office politics are worse than you thought but the job itself is easier and it feels like a confusing look behind the curtain.

(Existential Crisis Crowley) Crowley is still on the outs, yeah, he knows. Doesn't care. But he still wants the information. Protective/Defense Crowley. I know he's called Protective a lot, but I lean toward it being much more of a hyper-vigilant defense mode. Not as worried about being attacked as he is about disrupting his small piece of existence where he finds meaning, peace, or happiness.

(Boss!Shax) (Afterlife Conspiracy) Half rations for demons? Is this Beeze being upset or more Hellish cutbacks? Why is Hell having so many issues? We know people don't become Demons when they die, they go to an afterlife, but we have very little to suggest that anyone actually ends up in Heaven. Is everyone going to Hell, possibly except a very few? Is this going to be a problem? All the musicians that Crowley lists in season one are said to be in Hell, plus all the nazis we saw, but no mention that I can recall of someone actually going to Heaven. Shax is excited to have some juicy dirt. She's so willing to play the political/office game of favors here, and in 1941, and later. Someone wants Employee of the Month.

(Best Buddies Mentioned) Shax wants him to report back if his "contact" in the bookshop mentions anything. Is she playing nice and not suggesting anything untoward? She's clearly still somewhat deferential/intimidated by Crowley (who by all accounts was considered a star employee until he wasn't, so that makes sense for our Non!GirlBoss).

(Boss!Shax) Bless. She tries too hard. There's an attempt to get Crowley to agree to trade info or to give up some in the moment. Though it's an understandable try, Crowley is not phased. He is, as per usual, thinking about ducks. This non sequitur is enough to throw her off balance.

(Future Hopes) I would really love a mini origin moment where we find out how Crowley learns about feeding peas to ducks. I would like it to be something that Aziraphale tells him, as a gesture perhaps, since Aziraphale knows Crowley loves ducks. Even so, any origin would be fun.

(Maggie/Nina) She's a skinny latte but it feels like they've never had much interaction? Is this maybe the only time she's come in when it wasn't the morning rush or something? How is she a regular and Nina knows her order, but it seems like they've never even said hello? It's not wild, just a little odd.

(Fashion) Maggie's sweater is so cute. I particularly love the embroidery on the back. Not into the rockabilly look but she wears it well.

(Jim!Gabe) (Nina The Shit Stirrer) People are straight up filming Jim!Gabe and I wonder what happened to that footage. Is public nudity legal in SoHo? If not, why isn't anyone concerned that a naked and seemingly unhinged man came out of the pub (that's where the elevator is) totally naked. Maybe there's a reasonable assumption that he lost a bet or took a dare? Maggie seems shocked and Nina seems delighted. Do the tomatoes mean anything? Just a standard fruit stand gag?

(Bookshop Omens) The Book with the story of Job is on display next to Aziraphale as he listens to his music. It is open to three dancers? Not sure. The music is Shostakovitch Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op 47 - Allegro Non Troppo. Fast, not too fast. Are you listening, Crowley?

(Aziraphale the Comfy) The Bookshop Owner, supposed seller of books, during what is clearly working hours, is very annoyed that he has to answer his shop door. He is made very uncomfy by the visitor and seems alarmed but not embarrassed by the crowd? Like he's more worried that he's on Heaven's Candid Camera than just a horny bookseller getting a Sex Delivery (as per Nina). He stands there talking to the naked man on his doorstep for what feels like an eternity. No attempt to cover him up or even the very reasonable closing of the door and leaving. Also Jim!Gabe asks to come in. Could he enter without permission I wonder? Bless Jon Hamm for being so silly. I don't know what sort of modesty garment he was wearing but his whole ass was out and there were SO MANY people on that set.

(Maggie/Nina) First soft moment, laughing about the Stripper-deliver-o-gram, and Nina smiles, enjoying the moment, only to instantly push Maggie away when she introduces herself. (Wouldn't it be funny if I did the right thing and you did the wrong one? Hahaha... NO!) Mirror moment to Az/Crow shutting down their soft moments with harsh turns.

(Heavenly Scandal) Michael is talking to someone on the phone about Jim!Gabe. Is it Beeze? Xray doesn't indicate. She neither confirms nor denies whether Heaven is complicit in his absence. First mention of Extreme Sanctions and the Book Of Life.

(Aziraphale the Comfy) Gives Jim!Gabe some hot cocoa in his own mug. Seems unlikely that there were no other mugs. Is this THE cocoa mug? Or is it a good host sort of move? Why give Jim the mug that he clearly uses for himself and was purchased as some kind of joke or nod to his Angelic identity? Aziraphale seems upset at the idea of Jim not knowing who he is and then relieved at the thought that does, only to be tentative and confused when Az realizes that no Jim is still saying that he has no idea. He's playing carefully, neither wanting to give information or to get in trouble. A trepidatious host.

(Aziraphale the Company Man) He's only half listening. It looks like half his brain is dedicated to damage control/wondering what is happening. "Why did you come to my shop?" Thoughts nervously immediately seem to wander. He's nodding along absently until Jim!Gabe's words sink in about wanting to be near one person. Everyone knows there's at least some kind of ... loose co-worker relationship with Az and Crowley, but Az still instantly has to stomp any possible thoughts of recognizing that relationship into the ground. "No. Certainly not! I have no idea what that feels like." Buddy. Come on. Nothing louder than a guilty conscience. He's fired but he still wants to stay in line with company policy. Eating and drinking aren't against company policy it seems, just not really encouraged. Like people who microwave fish or use someone else's defacto mug in the canteen. Instantly moves away and gets defensive. Seems ruffled and flustered, very aware of the actuality of the situation IMHO. I fully believe that Aziraphale knows exactly how he feels about Crowley and is, like an asympote on a graph, constantly trying (albeit verrrrry slowly) to get as close as he can without actually making their situation a reality. He's passionately dedicated to that fine line. I don't see it as a homophobic Heaven (and that wouldn't track with GNeil's comments) but more of a divided loyalty, anti-personal relationships sort of Jedi mindset. It weakens one's resolve and dedication to The Cause if there is a worldly attachment, even if it's to an otherworldly creature. Doubly so, I imagine, since Crowley is a demon.

(Heavenly Scandal) The Something Terrible. Do we know exactly what this is? Is it the Re-Pocolypse, or is it his memory being wiped?

(Aziraphale the Comfy) Az is of course instantly trying to get more information but also treading somewhat carefully still. Both boy-shaped-creatures are very worried about protecting their peace. He's trying very much to not snap at Jim!Gabe, but also very frustrated. Is this Aziraphale more tightly wound than before? He seems more stressed. Are both the Husbands feeling very precarious about their precious niche of peace? I feel like S1 Aziraphale was more confrontational?

(Jim!Gabe) Ever an optimist. Things will be fine! Also he carried a very nearly empty box down an elevator and less than half a block. Maybe even just across the street basically? If his arms were tired, that says a lot about Gabriel's use of the Heavenly Gym facilities.

(Existential Crisis Crowley) He throws away all his junk mail. Or all his mail. What kind of mail is it? What lists is he on? Does he park on the same street always? He still gives advice to Shax though. A reluctant mentor. He's so pleased to hear that there's something wrong with Gabriel. It's kind of nice to see him get a bit of good news, considering. He immediately gets in the Bentley and drives off. Clearly already heading toward the bookshop to deliver the news.

(Good for me) I saw the fly. I didn't make any connections but I saw it and I knew it meant something.

(Aziraphale the Company Man) This makes me so sad. One of the ways that G&B bond is kind words and actions that are so clearly lacking in their respective departments. Az is tickled by Jim!Gabe saying he loves Az, but can't say it back. These words going unsaid feel like foreshadowing to refusing to speak things aloud (their precious niche) and being unable to speak things later (A group of the two of us).

(Aziraphale the Comfy) he's at war with himself a bit. He wants to throttle Jim!Gabe, but also isn't sure what is happening. Not sure why he doesn't call Heaven to clarify the issue, except that I definitely think his instinct is to protect his niche until he knows more. I don't feel like he's protecting Jim!Gabe yet, I feel like he's trying to figure out the problem and protect their little oasis. There's no softness towards Jim, just questions and fretting and finally the start of "hiding" Jim!Gabe by giving him a different name. And, naturally, calling his Good Pal Crowley.

(Jim!Gabriel) Jon Hamm. Just. Love.

(Domestic Moments) I'm convinced that Crowley drives to the Bookshop almost every day. This call is to re-route him, not to call him over. I know Crowley moans about the reasons that Az calls, but honestly. He's clearly already driving and if he's two minutes away then he is 3 miles away, assuming he is going 90 mph. Obviously they spent more time apart during lockdown, but there's way too much casual intimacy with the space of the bookshop to be only a rare visitor. Others have covered this deeply and well. Small note, Az is calling on the store phone, and while he is able to call via both dialing and just talking to the phone, it seems like the Bentley has some kind of call feature? Crowley hangs up by pressing something in the rearview mirror region. If he was speaking through the radio like others have, the switch would be on the dashboard instead.

(Pratchett) We see Jim!Gabriel through a bookcase and the shot is framed with what I assume is PTerry's hat. Also, the sound of a fly. The clues are really up front in retrospect.

(Muriel!!) She's still a Scrivener, we find out later, but she's walking the heavenly halls so she isn't by herself in that office allllll the time. She immediately notices the matchbox. How many others passed it?

End: 22:22