#this decision has of course absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he actually managed to get a full nights sleep this week

[perseruna]

Endiness made a beautiful long post with all his quotes on that topic that I think is very informative and worth looking at, so here’s a link to that. And with that already discussed, I thought I’d make a thread of all his changes that we are aware of, because when you look into them, you find that none of his “book accurate” changes are actually book accurate. 

His decision to make Geralt grunt and cut his lines.

HC: "All the grunts, I either added or I didn't say anything and just grunted instead. It was often up to the other actors to go, 'I think he's not gonna say anything now.'"

JB: "Henry likes to cut his lines, 'cause he's lazy. No, he literally just likes to cut them. He likes to do more up here [frames his face with his hands] and just with face and hmms and grunts. There's a lot of hmms, and so I often have to take a lot of his lines and turn it into a lot of my stuff so that the plot happens."

So, as everyone who has read the books knows that Geralt is and always has been a yapper. Gerakt often talks or thinks in monologues, and definitely not in short grunts.

Of course when the audience started making fun of Geralt for not being able to speak in full sentences Henry promptly went back on admitting the blame and instead said that the big bad writers were the ones who didn't give him lines, and now it was his life’s mission to fight for a book accurate Geralt who speaks. 

Roach’s death scene

After S2 came out, Lauren received a lot of backlash for Roach’s death scene, with multiple sources citing that she wanted the moment to be more “comedic” before the brave Henry Cavill stepped in and refused to participate in such horrible anti source material activities.

LH: "Henry was so unhappy with the line. Finally I said, 'You know what, you come up with something. I trust you, you know this material so well, you know the book so well, you don't even have to pitch it to me.' And he came back the next day with a beautiful speech that's at the end of 'Sword of Destiny' when Geralt is facing death.”

This is the line he ended up using:

“Enjoy your last walk across the meadow and through the mist. Be not afraid of her for she is your friend."

This was Lauren’s response AND the original line.

LH: “Here's what was scripted, in homage of the fact that a previous Roach had existed, and another one will exist soon. It's hardly a joke. Henry wanted a longer, more emotional moment, which I was more than happy to give him. Don't create drama where none exists.”

So in S2 Geralt ends up quoting a part of his monologue from ‘Sword of Destiny’ when he’s at his lowest after thinking that Yennefer had died at the battle of Sodden Hill, and he has nothing left to live for. Which to me doesn't work that well with Roach at all. That line was a response to Geralt thinking he's lost the love of his life, not his horse. In my opinion, the original line Lauren penned out is more heartfelt and actually more emotional and more book accurate as well.

The absolute removal of any Triss and Geralt “romance”

This one we don’t have that much information on in comparison to others. But there were multiple reports that at the beginning of S2 Triss and Geralt were supposed to have some kind of a romantic scene with each other which then was cut during production, and it was largely speculated that it was due to Henry Cavill. 

“Several months ago we reported on a sex scene happening between Geralt and Triss, sometime in the first half of Season 2. That didn’t happen, as we all saw, but here’s what we know about the original plan for that: Geralt and Triss are in a room together, they seem friendly at first. They are playing some kind of weird game. Whoever wins a round, gets to ask a question. We’re not privy to the exact flow of the conversation, but it eventually leads to both of them ending up in bed. We can only guess why this was cut, but perhaps it was thanks to Henry Cavill.”

Now, irrelevantly on your feelings on book Triss and Geralt you have to admit that that short-lived “romance” is indeed a part of the books and therefor book accurate. So the removal of it would go against Mr I’m fighting to make this show as much book accurate as possible. 

The removal of the Yen and Geralt sex scene in S2

"We just wanted to be very careful that it was true and real, and it didn't turn into something that we, as actors, didn't believe it should be," Cavill stated. When Yennefer and Geralt unite, they embrace, but it doesn't go further than that. He continued: "We wanted it to be emotional rather than sexual. It was really, really important, and we had to lean away from what was originally on the page." Initially, Geralt and Yennefer were written to have a more passionate night. Henry Cavill and Anya Chalotra went to "The Witcher" producers and explained why they thought a steamy evening was not the way to go. "These are people who believe one thing about the fate of another and then find out something else is true," Cavill said about Geralt believing Yennefer was dead. "That's not how they behave," the actor added. "How they behave is they just want to be with the person and emotionally recognize their existence again in that shared space.”

This one is a bit tricky because I am willing to get behind an actor who doesn't want to do a sex scene out of comfort reasons or whatnot, but Henry saying that "That's not how [Yennefer and Geralt] behave”, is quite absurd in my opinion. Because that is very much how Geralt and Yennefer behave, especially in the short stories and ToC. They are inherently a very sexual couple who come crashing in and out of each other’s lives while having very passionate sex. But I can understand wanting this scene to be more “emotional” (as if sex isn't emotional), so this one I am willing to give him a bit more leeway on. (But then again looking at the blinds saying that he refused any sex scenes because oh his “ideals” and was allegedly really nasty to Anya about it, well..)

Geralt being the perfect father figure to Ciri with no flaws and no struggles (which inevitably snowballed into the Yen Betrayal Arc)

This one I don’t see talked that much at all, and to me this one is his most detrimental one. 

@LHissrich: “In interviews, Henry explains how he felt strongly that Geralt NOT be bumbling, nor a struggling father figure. In fact, a lot of S2 is about how Geralt does come from a loving (albeit unconventional) family. Henry was passionate about this shift, and we discussed it a lot, and ultimately thought it was wonderful for his character development. But it also had the domino effect of changing what Ciri needed from Yen when she entered the picture. Thus, introducing the idea of balance.”

So I don’t know about you, but I love when characters have flaws and naturally progress be it for good or bad, some would say that that's what story telling is about, well that someone wouldn't be Henry Cavil. Geralt being a struggling father figure at first, someone who makes mistakes and learns from them and tries is very much a prominent theme in Blood of Elves and is actually very real, people make mistakes! Especially in huge shifts such as “becoming a father overnight’ but we didn't get that because Henry refused to play it that way. What we got is Geralt who already basically knows exactly how to parent, he always knows what to say, what pep talk to give and also doesn't hold any resentment and any negative feelings towards Vesemir at all. It's all one dimensional happy family here! Which goes against not only the books but what he preached about fighting tooth and nail to make the “forgotten” male characters three-dimensional as well because the horrible feminist Lauren only thinks about female characters. 

Lauren then goes on saying that “it also had the domino effect of changing what Ciri needed from Yen when she entered the picture. Thus, introducing the idea of balance” So, it is fair to speculate that Henry’s refusal to showcase Geralt having any flaws at all and act book accurate snowballed into The Controversial Yennefer Betrayal Arc. 

These are the ones that I can remember off the top off my head, so there might be more, there’s probably more that we aren’t even aware of. I think putting them all together showcase a very interesting picture. One of Henry Cavill never actually understanding who Geralt fundamentally is as a character, and of him not being a team player at all. I just hope that more and more people are aware of the insane PR his team did for him when it came to this show, and that more people are able to see through it. 

[hanaonesflower]

“let me do this for you.”

“let me get that for you.”

“don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

when nanami was around, it was like being watched by a hawk. not in a bad way of course, just not a way you're probably used to. he is always on it, taking care of everything from beginning to end, hell bent on you not ever lifting a finger and actually bar you from doing it, even behind his back.

"seriously, kento, I can do it myself!"

"absolutely not, you worked all day, when you come home, I take care of you."

you try to bargain, dishing out facts that he, too, has a full time job that usually pushes him to the brink of exhaustion that he may or may not recover from, yet, here he is, elbows deep in dough, insistent on making pasta from scratch. according to a recipe that you may have briefly mentioned weeks ago that you wanted to try.

you tried to pick up the knife and dice the tomatoes or turn on the stove, he shoos you away.

"this is getting out of control, kento."

"you can help me by taking a nice warm long bath, honey."

nanami knows what he's doing, the majority of the time. but will he ever express that he fumbles from time to time? never. not that his ego is inflated, but because he has prided himself for being to care for you boundlessly.

so when you leave the bath and find kento with his hand in a bucket of ice water, you realize something have gone south in the kitchen.

"kento! what happened?!"

"nothing to worry about my l-"

"enough! tell me, now."

your stern voice and attitude stun him, he's never seen you like this before. his behavior is downright concerning, he hasn't always been this way though. sure, he loves by serving, but he isn't always this stubborn or ridiculously protective. you have always cooked together, why would it be different this time, or the last few times within the past couple of months. nanami isn't unreasonable, but he can be if something pricked at his pride.

"I may have burned myself with the hot steam."

"may have? your skin is having a terrible reaction! for a smart man you can be so clumsy sometimes."

"it's not that bad."

you glare.

"okay, it's pretty burnt and it hurts."

"I bet it does."

you slowly pull his hand out from the ice bucket and lead him to the kitchen table and command him to sit still when you fetch the first aid. his palm is raw from the burn and his face twists in pain when you apply some pressure.

there isn't much conversation exchanged between you and him, but something is definitely hanging above your heads. kento seems to be closed off to it, but you're willing to get to the root of things.

"you haven't been yourself lately."

silence.

"I feel like this is not just about providing for me, something happened, and it affected you."

kento looks saddened by this. you are spot on. something did happen.

a few months ago, during a dinner party amongst friends, kento found himself begrudgingly involved in unpleasant conversations with his colleagues, the way they audaciously questioned his ability to care for his partner when he was always away on work trips or spending extra time at work. he took it to heart, kento questioned himself. he realized, that even though his colleagues were terribly annoying and invasive, they made some considerable points. he made the executive decision to fully take over, spinning a complete 180 on you. at first you thought it was sweet, until it became authoritarian.

"that's really how you feel?"

"have I been absent to you, y/n?"

you contemplate for a while, you truly wish he is around more, but you always understand the nature of his job.

"I do wish I can see you more often, when you had that 2-week long vacation, I was able to spend such amazing quality time with you, and it was awesome, but I also understand how your job is. I didn't want to come in between that."

"so I have been absent." he moaned defeatedly.

"please don't blame it on yourself like this, it's not healthy, I still love you, kento."

"this is all my fault, y/n, I should have been there for you more."

truthfully, you wish he was, but once again, you are both stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"have you been doing all this to somehow compensate?"

"is it working?"

he is trying to humor you, although at quite a horrid time, you still crack a smile.

"I think it's very kind of you."

he sighs.

"please, forgive me, my love. I became what you called a workaholic, I tried to get more hours to provide for you, only to come short in other aspects."

"I'm not an unemployed housewife, kento."

“this isn’t my way of saying that you are incapacitated in any way, i just wish that you didn’t have to worry about anything,” he groaned from the incessant gnawing of the antiseptic on his burnt wound.

“kento, this is a partnership, you’re not my servant and i’m not a spoiled brat,” he felt a little silly, nanami knew this fact yet he felt impotent in this sense. he opened and closed his lips, hoping to get his point across even further but nothing seemed good enough at theis point, he’s done fighting.

“whatever you’re going to say, it’s not going to change the fact that i love you,” you silence him.

“then can i say that i love you, too?”

“that, you can.”

⭒˚‧ ︵‿⭒ཐིཋྀ ཐིཋྀ⭒‿︵ ‧˚⭒ ⭒˚‧ ︵‿⭒ཐིཋྀ ཐིཋྀ⭒‿︵ ‧˚⭒ ⭒˚‧

note: PHEEeewww… it’s really good to be back :33 this piece shall be the redebut as it is one of my cuter fics. going back with smut pieces after such a long hiatus didn’t feel right so – soft nanami is always the way to go!! more content will be coming soon (smut included >.>), stay tuned ( ˘ ³˘)

[kudossi]

Tigerclaw and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Senior Warrior Position AU

In a world where deputies can only be named after their first apprentice has been granted their warrior name, Tigerclaw struggles to keep an apprentice alive long enough to earn their name.

or, a comedy-tragedy AU in which having an apprentice isn't enough — you have to see them to their warrior name, and Tigerclaw cannot fucking get any of his goddamn apprentices to live, damn it.

—

It starts out mostly normally, except for the fact that Tigerclaw hasn't gotten any apprentices to their warrior name, and he needs that so he can accomplish his (very noble, of course) kitty genocide goals. And also be the supreme leader of the world or something. Darkpaw died stupidly, he hasn't had a chance since, and now he's got some tiny thing that's afraid of his own shadow.

Well. It'll have to do.

So naturally this man is so protective over Ravenpaw that Ravenpaw barely even leaves his sight. Firepaw and Graypaw think that this is adorable. Look how much Tigerclaw cares about his apprentice!!

Ravenpaw, of course, is fucking terrified and also slowly losing his mind, just in a different way.

—

"Redtail assigned us to go on a patrol to Snakerocks." "OH NO HE DID NOT. WE'RE STAYING IN THE SANDY HOLLOW WHERE IT'S SAFE."

"Nothing matters more to me than making you a warrior, Ravenpaw. Nothing." And the terrible thing is that Ravenpaw is sure he's being sincere.

—

Ravenpaw disappears and Tigerclaw nearly fucking has a conniption because the timing was all RIGHT and he was going to finally get the position AND HE NEVER GOT HIS DAMN NAME FUCK.

"Do you think I could convince the elders that Fireheart was my apprentice?" "Fireheart was Bluestar's apprentice, as approved by StarClan. You're going to have to wait for the next litter to be apprenticed."

So he begs and begs and gets Cinderpaw and then she accidentally falls into the trap he'd set for a better deputy candidate at the Thunderpath. Fuck.

—

Well. Time to resort to drastic measures.

"I was thinking that Darkstripe would have been a good name. Because he had dark stripes." "Again, Tigerclaw, it's admirable that you loved your apprentice so much, but I cannot grant him a name." "Are you sure?" "Honestly, Tigerclaw, I'm not sure he ever would have gotten a name. Missing quite a few feathers from his nest, that one..." Fuck. The worst part was that she wasn't even wrong.

— Swiftpaw and Brightpaw get mauled by the dogs he set up to happen like right after he got the title and they sprang it before and he's like FUCK NOW WHAT DO I DO WITH THESE DAMN DOGS? His world domination plans literally never come to fruition because he cannot keep his apprentices alive/in the clan/his own.

— "Brightheart counts. She HAS to count." "Actually, Cloudtail took over her training…" [demented noises]

—

Turns out that Ravenpaw is alive and no one — no one — in the Harper Collins Extended Universe is happier than Tigerclaw.

"You're alive! …You deserve your warrior name!" "Actually, I've come to peace with my name and my way of life. I have no need for a—" "GET YOUR FUCKING NAME RIGHT NOW RAVENPAW OR SO HELP ME STARCLAN—" "I know you really wanted Ravenpaw to become a warrior," Barley says gently, "but he's made his decision. It's very kind of you to acknowledge that he deserves it, though. You must have been so close as mentor and apprentice." Tigerclaw's eye twitches. "Yes. Close. Very... close." —

He finally, finally retires as an elder after his plans go absolutely nowhere for years on end. And maybe StarClan is still like "Brambleclaw would be chill actually, we can forget that pesky little law" and Tigerclaw is sitting there like "excuse me what the actual fuck?" —

But at this point Tigerclaw is about as dangerous as Ashfur without a freak forest fire. Which is to say about as dangerous as using a leaf as a weapon. Which is, incidentally, how Darkpaw managed to get himself killed in the first place.

—

"Is this the Dark Forest? This has to be the Dark Forest. It doesn't look like Thistleclaw described it, but it must be. This Clan is all an elaborate punishment meted down by StarClan for my sins." "Tigerclaw, sir, I'm just here to help you with your ticks. See? I have the mousebile right here." "…Yes, thank you, Alderpaw." — Graystripe joins him in the elder's den and he's like, "You know, Ravenpaw thought you were up to some… scheme, back in the day. Crazy, right? You've been a model Clanmate as long as I've been alive." [muffled screaming] "Huh, what do you think that is? It sounds almost like someone killed a rabbit, but they know not to come this close to camp…"

[gottagobackintime]

Ellie is 14 years old. And while she's, in some ways, mature for her age, she should not be asked to sacrifice herself for the whole world. "She should have been given a choice and we all know she would have been fine with dying if that meant there is a cure." Absolutely not. You do not ask a 14 year old to make a choice like that. Hell, I'd argue that it's not even a choice. The fact that it's adults that would tell her that makes it even more messed up. These cool adults who are out there trying to save people tells you that you are special, that you're the key to save humanity. Of course you're going to listen to them. Especially if you've gone through the things Ellie's been through. If she as an adult wants to make that decision, sure. But not when she's a scared, vulnerable child.

Should Joel have told her that he killed all of them to save her? Probably. Then he could have explained that she's valuable, not because she's possibly the key to a cure. But because she's a human being that has feelings, that deserves to live. And you could argue as much as you want that she's old enough or mature enough to make that choice. But I don't agree. Yes, she seems to be like that, we see her being snarky and tough but the more Joel shows that he cares about her, the more she lets that mask slip. And she acts like a child would act with their parents.

If her only goal was to reach the fireflies so that she could give herself to them to do whatever with her so that they could find a cure. She wouldn't have been so angry/upset that Joel didn't want to take her, why would it matter who took her there? Because Joel cares about her, and having him let her go hurt her. She could have left Joel to die and gone to find Tommy so that he could take her, like Joel asked her to do. But she didn't because she cares about him. The way she clings to Joel when he finds her and he calls her baby girl should tell you that she isn't ready to make a decision on whether she should sacrifice herself or not. SHE IS A CHILD. And Joel allows her to be a child.

I honestly have no problem with him killing them all to save her. "He took the choice from her!" What choice? They didn't give her a choice, they didn't tell her what would happen to her. And do you really think that they would ever give her a choice. If she'd said no, do you actually believe that they would go "Ah, well. Nothing we can do then, off you go with your new dad. Bye!" Don't make me laugh. They would have just done what they did now. Sedate her and begun to harvest her for what they needed. That's not a choice. She NEVER had a choice, Joel didn't take the choice from her because it was never there. It would have been an illusion of choice. She's also traumatised, most recently from her run in with David. And you want her to make a literal life or death choice?? I completely understand why Joel decided to go on a killing spree, he's protecting a vulnerable traumatised CHILD from people who doesn't care about her, who just wants to use her body for spare parts.

It's not about choice or not having a choice, it's about being valued as a person and not having your life taken away from you by vultures.

[coffee-with-mint-syrup]

The case of live-action atla zutara.

First of all, the scarf scene. I won't be repeating myself, here are some main points - there was absolutely no reason for Zuko to act the way he did and for the scene to be shot this dramatically. Even if they did the shipbaiting in this scene - it means there's a ship which is much more than live-action kataang has at this point. Also I don't really think these guys are shipbaiting type but that's just the impression I got.

Then - the second obvious one - Oma and Shu's visuals. We have star-crossed lovers from two towns at war, basically the local equivalent of Romeo and Juliet (as in legendary lovers who are known above all for their love) wearing coincidentally colors that are primarily associated with two of our characters (who shared this dramatically shot scene in the previous episode).

And I know, it may seem so insignificant - but but but but! - you have to think about this. Of course there are creators, writers and showrunners that are unaware of some non-canon ships or don't care about them. But it's not the case for atla. No, creators of atla were so aware of zutara - they wrote a parody scene in a in-world trashy play to mock this fan pairing and it still proved absolutely nothing and just gave zutara more content. The creators and writers of this adaptation clearly had the discussion "what we should do with kataang" - because there is no trace of kataang in the 1st season. So it was a conscious decision to omit that - but where would the romantic subplot go? Well, I don't know, but they are showrunners, they most certainly discussed options. They are clearly very, very, very much aware of zutara. And they still do this? They still show us Oma and Shu wearing red and blue? All they had to do is to give at least one of them any different color. Any. But they didn't. (for fuck sake, it is the Earth Kingdom - yellow and green would do it)

There were zero, no, nada Kataang interactions, implications or those scenes that are filmed just a little bit too dramatically like the scarf one. I don't know, there's still a chance that they will wait for season 3 to make Aang's crush on Katara happen. I'm also not so sure what will happen to Aang failing to open seventh chakra, I mean - his love for Katara has a huge purpose in series, so it still doesn't look very good. But you can't even imagine how glad I am that they didn't do this secret tunnel thing. It was very uncomfortable.

So it was the more fact-based part of my case, let's get to the irrational, almost delusional part, tin foil hat probably needed.

Almost all the scenes Zuko and Katara shared in the first season kept reminding me of another famous enemies-to-lovers ship that actually became canon in the infamous final episode - Reylo, the way it was filmed in The Force Awakens. I mean - the first fight in the woods where she looses, the intensity of him staring at her, the final fight in snowy location where she kicks his ass and shows her mastering this superpower, him trying to talk to her during this fight and mentioning her learning/having to learn...Zuko calling Katara a peasant reminded me of this "Rey is no one" discourse. I don't know man, I haven't thought about The Force Awakens reylo for a very long time and it just kept popping in my head.

All of this - it's like a blueprint for enemies to lovers.

Also I actually think that the look they shared in the 2nd episode was also shot kinda weirdly and dramatically. It's not to the extent of the scarf scene but I do remember thinking that "why did they film it they way? it's too intense".

In the conclusion I'd like to say that as much as I like all the season 1 zutara stuff they left out in the adaptation - necklace subplot and implications, pirates and the famous "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun" - I think I actually prefer the scarf scene. Yes, it would be so great to see those things in adaptation but in the end of the day they would still be just the things they kept from the original and probably noting more. Like the cabbages or the secret tunnel song or anything else, just things from the source material that implicate nothing. While the scarf scene, the Oma and Shu's clothes - it means they made a conscious decision to make it that way. It means they put some thought into that and some meaning. And this gives me hope there's a chance for Zutara in this adaptation.

P.S. I told about this my sister who hasn't watch the series yet and she said "I think people who made this show are just shipping zutara in secret". I do not necessarily imply she might be right - but creators of animated series (the very same people that made kataang canon, not zutara) DID leave because of some creative differences and because they couldn't control creative decision. Might as well be THAT kind of decision.

[burst-of-iridescent]

I hate when people say(*writers*) when zuko is an emo bad boy. When zuko acts "emo" and "badboy" as they say it's him reacting to his trauma and abuse as a kid(most of time. Zuko is still badass. But badboy no). Is it an excuse? No. But when zuko is acting that way in canon, his obsession with honor, his yelling, his moodiness, his short temper. That is the product of having his empathy literally beaten/burned out of him by his father(and mocked and emotionally abused by Azula). The reason Zuko is doing this whole thing is because he wants to please his father. Become someone he's not. His struggle of who his father wants to be with who he is. It's because of the abuse of his father and his family. As the series goes on you get more and more flashes of the person Zuko was and the person he can become. By the end of the series it's such a great contrast and Zuko is much more happier because he's with the gaang. His family. He got out of that abusive situation he was in and finally became himself. A dorky, empathetic, caring, skilled swords men, a balanced person. Does he still have moments of anger? Yes. But over all Zuko becomes a fully balanced person.

gasp! but if we don't call zuko a bad boy, however will we make sure people don't get any ideas about shipping him with katara?

jokes aside, you're absolutely right and i roll my eyes so hard when people point to bad things zuko did, or his behaviour pre-redemption as indisputable proof of the kind of person he'd be post-redemption. like you said, a lot of zuko's actions and mannerisms before day of black sun is a direct result of the trauma he suffered, and though that doesn't excuse him - and neither does the show allow it to - discounting it entirely is to erase the abuse zuko endured and how that shaped him.

using the first half of book 3 as evidence of zuko being a supposed bad boy irks me in particular because a) the narrative makes it pretty clear that this is zuko as the worst version of himself, the opposite of everything he actually is and could be, and b) he is stuck in an abusive household at the mercy of his abusers, in an actively life-threatening situation.

zuko knows that he is in a situation where he has no real agency, freedom or control. he knows that aang is alive, that azula has turned him into a scapegoat and that his life will be forfeit if his father finds out the truth. that is an incredibly terrifying and stressful situation to be put in and it's worsened by the fact that he can't even admit it - not just because doing so would mean accepting that he gave up everything that actually mattered in the catacombs to gain nothing in return, but also because no one around him will allow him to do so.

his girlfriend can't understand his experiences or his turmoil and doesn't seem to particularly want to, brushing off his anxieties and encouraging him to stay the course. he is manipulated by his father and gaslighted by his sister, aware deep down that he is entirely under their control and that they have a vested interest in keeping him helpless, yet forced to pretend as though nothing is wrong. he is isolated from the one person who could help - his uncle - physically and emotionally, both because visiting iroh puts zuko in danger, and because zuko's choices have created a rift in their relationship.

all of this compounds the psychological stress zuko is experiencing, forcing him into a constant state of fight-or-flight, and this context is vital to understanding many of the decisions he makes and how he behaves in the first half of book 3.

(this is why i don't agree with the take that hiring combustion man is an ooc moment for zuko because even though i think the idea of combustion man himself is stupid - not to mention disrespectful to the hindu origins it's pulling from - it's a fundamentally desperate move, and zuko at this point is more desperate than he's ever been.)

that's why it's unlikely that zuko post-redemption would behave similarly since many of the factors that contributed to his anger, hostility and moodiness would no longer exist! judging zuko's future behaviour based on a time when he was constantly abused, gaslighted and threatened is just not an accurate or fair means of measurement, especially since we know what he's like at his best. the zuko we see with the gaang still has a bit of a short fuse, sure, but he's also sincere, honest, awkward, shy and far happier than he's ever been. because shocker, people tend not to act the same way in healthy, supportive environments as they do in abusive, traumatic ones. who would've thought?

people who make this argument also usually tend to compare zuko to aang, especially to glorify how aang remains cheerful and peaceful despite his trauma, and... no. just no. first of all, the show barely gives a fuck about developing aang's trauma the way it does zuko's so of course it seems to affect him less, and secondly, there's something to be said about how trauma responses like aang's are a lot more palatable and comfortable for audiences than responses like zuko's, or even katara's in the southern raiders.

anger or moodiness, or wanting to punish the people who hurt you, are not inherently wrong ways to react when you've been wronged and traumatized. praising aang for remaining cheerful and forgiving while calling zuko a bad boy for being angry and moody implies a sense of moral superiority that comes with reacting to trauma in the "right" way, which is both inaccurate and insensitive.

zuko will never be aang, and that's fine. he doesn't have to be. he ends the show reclaiming everything his abusers tried to take from him, having found himself and his destiny, in a place of healing that is all his own. that is an incredibly meaningful and powerful narrative, and the last thing zuko deserves is to have all of his complexity and development stripped just to be reduced to the tired trope of a "bad boy" when he was never one in the first place.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

re.: the weasleys + parenting

what's always bugged me most abt percy's fight with arthur (especially in the fandom, where everyone's like 'oh, he turned his back on harry and betrayed his family to side w the ministry) is that. that's hardly what the fight is about at all. the fight is about the fact that percy, an 18yo kid who just got promoted to his dream job instead of straight up losing any chance at ever being Minister (because they tried to scapegoat him into taking the blame for the crouch business even though he managed to keep the whole department running while his boss wasn't even there), comes home all excited to tell his parents that "Hey, he's not unemployed and bereft of any and all hope for his biggest dream", but rather that his skills and competence got recognized by The Most Important Man In The Government, and molly and arthur look him straight in the face and go—"no you didn't."

there is no mention whatsoever that they even try to be gentle about it, that they congratulate him first and then bring it up later like "just be careful around Fudge, he's always looking for people to get information from and you are the best of both worlds, close to the action and actually good at the job he hired you for", nothing of the sort. they straight up don't even consider how any of those factors might've weighed in Fudge's decision to hire him.

and, perhaps worst of all, they have no faith in Percy. he tells them "I'm working for the minister", and not only do they not spare a second to be happy for him over this frankly momentous achievement (or at the very least concern for the position it puts him in), they jump straight to conjectures and accusations. "you only got this because of Harry" has got to crush Percy, who was raised to believe that good things come to honest, hard-working people and who has been working for this since he was a small child. and it digs the knife deeper when you realize that most of his siblings have basically replaced him with Harry. Harry, who also plays Quidditch and also keeps throwing himself into death-defying dangers and overalls fits much better into the family dynamic than Percy ever has.

and there's just this. crystal clear implication that they do believe Percy would spy on them. he's so Different and Other and Un-Weasley/Gryffindor-like and they've alienated themselves from him so absolutely that they can't see any reasons he wouldn't willingly and consciously jeopardize his parents' livelihood and Harry & his siblings safety just to stay in the Minister's good graces, when if anyone's actually at risk of losing their job for siding with Dumbledore is his father, who's still working there quite merrily and continues to so for a long time afterwards.

Percy, who runs into a freezing lake mid-February while attending an international event as Crouch's replacement to make sure Ron is alright, who pesters Ginny to eat and have a pepper-up potion most of her first year bc she doesnt look well, who tails Harry and Ron a lot of their second and third years bc there's something petrifying kids and then Dementors on the grounds and a mass murderer on the loose and they all just think he's being willfully bothersome like no you idiots he's worried.

of course he left. of course he left. what did he have to gain by staying at the Burrow, beyond fresh home cooked meals harassment and disagreements? why wouldn't he leave?

sorry I have a lot of feelings about this.

No need to apologize, this is brilliantly written!

I don't even feel like I need to add anything as you summed up the Percy situation perfectly.

But I can't help myself because I love discussing the Weasley family dynamics, so it's a bit more rumbley than my usual...

Percy cares so much for his family. When Voldemort is revealed and the war actually starts, he puts all his disagreements with his parents aside to come and help and make sure they're okay, because he cares. And still, he is being shunned and treated like an outsider.

Arthur and Molly Weasley are just really good at alienating their kids because it isn't just Percy.

Somehow all of them succeded in feeling like outsiders in a family of 9. Bill shows frustration with his parents and only returns to Britain because of the war, Charlie's in Romania for most of the series. Fred and George run away the moment they can and are treated like trouble by their parents most of the time (Molly and Arthur assume they are selling stolen goods from Mundungus when they hear they have money, not that they, idk, somehow earned it), Ron has a whole complex of low self-esteem and a tendency to blame himself for everything. Ginny is isolated from her brothers as the only girl and youngest...

And Percy cares and tries to be the best and most responsible sibling and gets scorned in turn.

Harry and Ron do acknowledge Arthur's and Molly's accusation towards Percy was awful and that he was right to respond negatively in OOTP. Ron is just sensitive about their family's financial state which soured Percy to him after Percy blew up at their dad (rightfully so, honestly, I'd say way worse to Arthur if it was me).

The thing is, Percy also gets scorned by his siblings, not just his parents (like Fred and George do). He gets grief for trying to be responsible and for wanting his siblings to do well in school and not get in trouble, Fred and George lock him in a pyramid...

That being said, do I think Percy is perfect? No, he is pretentious and overbearing at times, but he is a child in a large family who tries to find a place to fit himself in. According to child psychology, usually when it comes to siblings, the eldest would usually (at least in childhood) try to be everything the parents want (Bill), and then each next sibling will carve a different niche for themselves, and we see this with the Weasleys. I think the twins being born right after Percy and demanding a lot of attention from their parents from a young age as they were little troublemakers from the start is a big reason why Percy chose the niche of being bookish, ambitious, and responsible for himself. To contrast himself with them and his older brothers and get some attention from their parents.

I'm not a fan of the epilog (like everyone), but I find it hard to imagine Percy being close to his family post-books. I think he never fully got over the sting of not being seen as skilled and competent and that his parents believed he'd turn on them all without a second thought. Nor do I think he should just get over it.

Like, I'm really salty that Percy was the only one to apologize:

“I was a fool!” Percy roared, so loudly that Lupin nearly dropped his photograph. “I was an idiot, I was a pompous prat, I was a—a—” “Ministry-loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron.” said Fred. Percy swallowed. “Yes, I was!” “Well, you can’t say fairer that that,” said Fred, holding out his hand to Percy. Mrs. Weasley burst into tears. She ran forward, pushed Fred aside, and pulled Percy into a strangling hug, while he patted her on the back, his eyes on his father. “I’m sorry, Dad.” Percy said.

(Deathly Hollows, pages 512-513)

Like, yes, it's great he was smart enough to realize the ministry is corrupt, but this demand only for him to apologize when Molly and Arthur Weasley were just as much in the wrong. Fred and George weren't beacons of sainthood here either. But none of them have apologies demanded of them. None of them are demanded to confess they are "morons". Just Percy.

Who even after his apology is still an outsider. Probably always will be one.

You said it best: "Why wouldn't he leave?"

And that's what we see him do (if temporarily).

[mimsynims]

Fool For Love

part 4

~~~

part 1, part 2, part 3

~~~

Astarion x reader/Tav

Tags: (mild?) angst, pining, pining while fucking, jealousy, eventual happy ending

Summary: You thought you knew what you were doing when you let Astarion into your bed. He doesn’t have feelings for you, and vice versa. Only… now you do.

You’ve finally made a decision on how to handle it, but it turns out it might not be that easy to actually do as planned.

~~~

It’s as if all the gods have come together to conspire against you. Truly, you wonder if you accidentally angered one or several of them, because after dinner, nothing goes as planned.

First it is Shadowheart, seeking your counsel about a scroll in her possession she wants you to take a look at. Next it is Lae’zel, wanting to discuss again your findings about Orpheus and what it might mean.

You almost scream out loud when Karlach calls for you just as you are finally about to approach Astarion.

You definitely do scream, just a little, when you collide with a tipsy Gale and the collision causes red wine to splatter all over your shirt and trousers. Cursing under your breath, you see Astarion glance your way with a chuckle. As tempting as it is to stomp over and drag him into his tent just to have it over with, you decide a change of clothes first is the wisest course of action.

It’s much less conspicuous, for one — everyone would notice and wonder if you decide to talk to him now — and you need a moment to cool down.

You’re quick about it, grabbing the first clean pieces of clothing you can find — but it’s not quick enough.

When you walk out of your tent again, Astarion is nowhere to be seen. Telling yourself that it’s not strange for you to inquire about his whereabouts, you ask Halsin if he has seen him.

“I think he went to find something to eat.”

“Ah.” Dammit. ”I see.”

You stare into the dark forest surrounding the camp, wondering if it will seem odd if you go after him. Probably not, if they even notice you leave.

In the end, you decide to remain where you are, sitting down by the fire with the others. He will be back sooner or later, and until then, you can enjoy the company of your friends. Or try to, at least.

Astarion’s still not back when Gale suddenly stands and announces that it’s time to head out. Watching them all laugh and banter as they gather blankets and wine, you realise that you should do things like this more often. Take the time to just have fun. Especially now, when what you have to face next is the Shadowlands, a place that sounds more terrifying than anything else your party has encountered so far.

Not counting getting tadpoles inside your head.

It’s actually a quite nice spot Gale has found. Wide stretches of soft grass swaying in the night breeze, the surrounding tree line creating a sense of protection and serenity. If your heart wasn’t already attached to another, you think you would’ve enjoyed going here alone with Gale. Maybe.

“Where’s the food? Surely we need something to snack on too?”

“Karlach…”

Shrugging, Shadowheart held up the bottles in her hands. “Sorry, too busy grabbing the wine.”

“I’ll go,” you offer, because it would be a shame to bring the mood down with unnecessary squabbling. The fact that there’s a chance you might find a certain elf back at camp has absolutely nothing to do with it. Well, maybe a little.

“Thanks, soldier, you’re the best!”

You leave before anyone gets the idea of tagging along. If Astarion is back, you wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to finally talk with him. Even if it ruins the night for one or both of you.

When you get back, you see Withers by his tent. But no Astarion in sight.

“Where is that goddamn man?” You stomp over to his tent. “Astarion? Are you here?”

Nothing.

Muttering to yourself, you take a basket and fill it with bread, cheese, and some fruit. With how everything has gone so far tonight, you grab a bottle of what you presume is wine, because the urge to get blissfully drunk is too hard to resist.

As you trudge back to the others, you wistfully wonder where Astarion has been all night. Was he avoiding you? And if so, why?

“Tav, there you are!” Karlach shoots up from her seat on the blanket and relieves you of the basket. “Look who we found!”

And there he is.

“Astarion.”

Sitting between Halsin and Shadowheart.

“Tav,” Gale pats the spot next to him, “I saved you a seat.”

Of course he did. “Thank you, Gale.”

Even if you had it in you dismiss him, you realise quickly that there’s no other space available. So you sit down, because there’s not much else you can do.

It turns out that the bottle you snagged isn’t wine but rum, but that suits you just fine at this point. You try to listen as Gale talks to you about the constellations he points at, but your focus keeps shifting to Astarion. The way he leans closer to Shadowheart, the way he keeps touching Halsin. You are used to him being a bit of a flirt, but this feels like more. It feels like there’s actual intent behind it and not him just being his usual self.

If you didn’t know any better, you’d say that he’s trying to make you jealous. Which is ridiculous, of course.

Unless it isn’t. You take another swig of the rum. “Ridiculous.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Astarion glances your way but quickly turns to Halsin again when he catches you watching. The bastard. Well, two can play that game. “Oh.” You inch just a little bit closer to Gale. “I was just saying to myself how ridiculously beautiful the sky is.” Smooth, Tav, smooth. You almost roll your eyes at yourself.

Gale smiles. “It is, isn’t it?”

For the next half hour, you make yourself focus on Gale, and Gale alone. He is an interesting man — when he’s not talking about Mystra. In the back of your mind, you know you shouldn’t be doing this, but your drunk brain justifies it by telling yourself that Gale deserves an attentive audience. He’s the reason why you’re all here, after all.

He really is nice — too nice for someone like you. You realise that at some point while observing Gale and Karlach talk about… something. You’re not really listening anymore, once again caught up in your own hazy mind.

The bottle in your hand is almost empty — when did that happen? Oh, right. You have been taking a sip every time you hear Astarion laugh or call someone else a pet name. Stupid idea, that.

With a heavy sigh, you flop back to lie down on the blanket. Everyone’s voices turn into background noise as you stare up at the stars. Or try to, because the world is spinning, spinning, and the last thing you hear before you doze off is someone saying your name.

~~~

[reblogthiscrapkay]

So I just finished rewatching Succession (immediately after watching it for the first time) and it really is a show that demands multiple viewings. What struck me most this time around was that in your first viewing of the show, you're kind of set up to view Kendall as the default main character and the most likely "winner" but when you divorce yourself from that idea, you notice a lot more.

Because Roman snuck up on me as my favorite character during my first viewing, I wasn't really following his story as closely so the second time, I found myself following it a lot more and, bias aside, if any of the kids were to "win" in the end, it should have been him (although I absolutely wouldn't change the ending; I think it was perfect).

This is most clear to me in the final episode. Everyone talks about the scene where Kendall hugs Roman so aggressively that his stitches reopen and it's a great scene but what happens before it is really powerful too. When Kendall first sits in Logan's chair you see this very subtle discomfort on Shiv and Roman's faces like, "Oh no. What have we done?" but it's not enough for you to necessarily think they are going to betray him.

Then after Shiv leaves, Roman sees Gerri in the hallway and kind of breaks down. He says he doesn't want to go into the meeting and this eventually turns into, "It could have been me." It's a reminder that throughout all of season three and half of season two, Roman was actually the one doing the best work at the company. Why? Because he had an actual ally in Gerri. Kendall had his experience and sheer determination and Shiv had a false promise from Logan but Roman had actual, tangible support from someone with power. He and Gerri spend a bunch of time raising each other up and it actually works. She believed he could win. He believed she could get him there and if it wasn't going to be him, he wanted it to be her. But his messy feelings for Gerri is also the reason everything fell apart for him. Being reminded of what he could have accomplished got into his head.

Even his assertion at the end that everything is bullshit and they're all bullshit (echoed from the first episode) also kind of shows why he would do well at the job. Kendall believes he's entitled to it and is constantly shooting himself in the foot. Shiv lacks the experience and is incapable of loyalty. But Roman always knows deep down that it's all a silly game. He wants to win, sure, but he's able to bend to whatever needs to happen without letting it personally affect him. His emotions that he denies having are about individual people, not business. The fact that he has a genuine capacity for love means Logan views him as weak but it's that separation of emotions that makes him stronger than Kendall or Shiv who are constantly letting their feelings affect their business decisions. The one time Roman slips up on this, the dick pic, it takes him down completely, but that's so minor compared to all the times Kendall lets his feelings control him. Honestly if Logan hadn't been so horrified by it (and let's be real he seemed more horrified by the fact that Gerri is "old" than that his son is sending dick pics to employees) and Shiv hadn't been so determined to use it against her brother, it could have been nothing.

Of course, the "it's bullshit" attitude is also why Roman will be fine. Kendall and Shiv are in hell, and Roman is just chilling with a martini: kind of sad for what was lost, kind of nostalgic as martinis are Gerri's drink, but he'll be able to move on far better than his siblings.

[saintsenara]

Call for asks: I’ve noticed you’ve avoided saying anything about Jegulus for the last few asks so…. Jegulus 😈

anon please, i’m not avoiding saying anything about jegulus, i genuinely don’t know her.

but, fine, let’s imagine i do.

i don’t enjoy it as a pairing, not because i think it’s unfeasible [in my view, the joy of fanfiction is taking a completely implausible premise and making it work], but because i don’t like the way that the fandom which has built up around jegulus expects certain tropes and characterisations which turn the characters into just profoundly uninteresting people.

and this is the case for all the marauders and marauders-adjacent characters [i’m looking at you, fanon barty crouch jr.!], undoubtedly because the era has so little actual canon material that fanon becomes canon and authors run from there. and that’s great - anyone writing stories in a world hostile to hobbies and creativity is a triumph - but the standard way of writing jegulus which has coalesced around this fanon doesn’t appeal to me in the slightest.

there are many jegulus tropes i don’t love: how it always becomes a parallel wolfstar [james and peter would be the cultured choice if we have to do that]; how it’s just drarry but in the seventies [when the cultured choice for that is lucius malfoy/arthur weasley]; how james becomes a tediously good person when the evidence of canon is that he’s a bit of a dick; how it relies on an exaggerated portrayal of orion and walburga’s abusive parenting which misses the fact that regulus evidently colluded with them against sirius; how it assumes the marauders aren’t intensely codependent [sirius mentions-lily-once black is definitely going to let his brother hang around with them, sure]; how snape is sometimes there and always a knob. james and regulus are also so similar in terms of background, social position at school etc. that there’s no juicy spark [as in snack, for example]. and, of course, prongsfoot is canon.

and so on… 

but the biggest reason i can’t get into it? 

regulus is a death eater, and not by mistake.

now, we all love a fluffy no-voldemort au, but unless that is a jegulus author’s stated setting, they are going to have to deal with the fact that regulus fucking loves the dark lord. this is a teenage boy who has press clippings about voldemort’s terrorism taped above his bed. he knows exactly what he’s getting into and he likes it.

indeed, my reading of deathly hallows is that regulus’ decision to go and get the locket has absolutely nothing to do with a damascene conversion that conducting a campaign of sectarian violence against muggles and muggleborns is bad, but that learning of the existence of the horcrux - and also voldemort’s lack of respect towards his property, kreacher [after all, we see an attitude expressed canonically by wizards that other people have no right to interfere in how you treat your slaves] - makes clear to him that the dark lord’s aims are not oligarchy, with those from pureblood families ruling in happy condescension over a ministry which is fundamentally unchanged, but ruling in majesty as an immortal absolute monarch. his death is a repudiation of his beliefs, yes, but it is a repudiation of the fact that he believed voldemort was his champion, rather than that he believed voldemort was wrong.

and, actually, i don’t think this in and of itself makes jegulus insurmountable. james is a pureblood, and while there is absolutely no evidence in his few canon appearances that he harboured blood-supremacist views, the very fact of his background would allow a complacency which might let him overlook some of regulus’ opinions [think, for example, about ron’s attitude towards house elves]. equally, we have no evidence that regulus couldn’t completely disavow his former beliefs.

but, it requires the fact that regulus isn’t just a tiny baby who aspires to join a terror group by mistake to actually be dealt with, and i have never seen a single piece of jegulus which does so.

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

So it may just be me and my personal interpretation, but one thing that absolutely infuriates me is the "Cardan is a genius for his banishment plan and Jude did a dumb dumb by not returning" idea that some readers have.

Because that plan, as it was, would only work if, and only if, Jude was fae.

In fact, Jude even thinks about pardoning herself, and how that would not work (given the current situation as she knows it).

(I will illustrate my points with extracts of Queen of Nothing (QoN), and The Wicked King (TWK) of the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black)

recap: the plan was to exile Jude, and have her return via her pardoning herself a bit later when the coast was clear (lol unintentional sea pun) of the wrath of the Undersea disturbing negotiations.

"I exile Jude Duarte to the mortal world. Until and unless she is pardoned by the crown. (...) Meaning by the King of Faerie. Or it's queen. You could have returned anytime you wanted." (QoN chap 18)

Here is where the issue lies. Jude is High Queen of Elfhame, but has literally no way to prove it. She doesn't have the powers conferred to her as queen yet, she doesn't have the trust of the people, and she doesn't have the magical inability to lie that the fae have.

Now if Cardan had proclaimed her queen, she could, but he didn't. In fact, when he first exiles her, she proclaims that he can't do that on account of her being queen, which no one believes:

"But I am the Queen of Faerie," I shout, and for a moment, there is silence. Then everyone around me begins the laugh. (...) "Deny it, then," I yell. "Deny me!" He cannot, of course, so he does not. (TWK chap 30)

Which leads to Jude seeing through the plan and pushing it away because she could not trust Cardan to do what would be needed for it:

It occurs to me that maybe he made a mistake with that phrasing. Maybe I can pardon myself. But then I remember when I insisted I was the Queen of Faerie, and the guards laughed. Cardan didn't need to deny me. He only had to say nothing. And if I pardoned myself, he would only have to say nothing again. (QoN chap 6)

Meaning for her to actually pardon herself, she would have needed to illegally enter Faerie, not get caught, get into presence of Cadan so he could confirm the claim she is rightful queen, and then pardon herself publicly. Of course many of those steps are dangerous, and she has no reason trust Cardan.

If at any point she was caught in Faerie before being pardoned and confirmed queen by Cardan, well, it pretty much almost happens in the book.

"Clap her in chains," says Randalin. Never have I so wished there was a way for me to show I was telling the truth. But there isn't. No oath of mine carries any weight. (QoN chap 16)

The only thing that stops them from trying to arrest or kill her?

"Whatever do you mean?" Randalin says. "She's-" "She is my wife," Cardan says, his voice carrying over the crowd. "The rightful High Queen of Elfhame. And most definitely not in exile." (QoN chap 16)

Cardan even seems to be aware of it at one point (a couple hours before he names her queen in fact):

"Since you're mortal, Jude, I cannot hold you to your promises . But you can hold me to mine: I guarantee you safe passage. Come back to Elfhame with me and I will give you the means to end your exile." (QoN chap 13)

Okay, so the plan was flawed, but why make it then?

"Let me remind you that I didn't know you'd murdered my brother, the ambassador to the Undersea, until that very morning," he says. "My plans were made in haste. And perhaps I was a little annoyed. I thought it would pacify Queen Orlagh, at least until all promises were finalized in the treaty. By the time you guessed the answer, the negotiations would be over." (QoN chap 18)

So we get the entire picture: the entire thing was a hastily made plan with expected flaws (Cardan's lack of undertanding of the treatment of mortals and the consequences thereof on Jude's decisions), born from the miscommunication and lack of communication between them, that ultimately worked, only with a couple hiccups.

It makes sense to their characters, to where they are in their character growth, individually and as a couple, to their understanding of each other.

Jude, who has figured out, manipulated, and maneuvered entire coups to take the throne and subsequently took one of the highest political positions did not suddenly become an idiot ignorant of political maneuvering. And Cardan, who did not expect, want, or even took over the functions of the throne if he didn't absolutely have to, did not suddenly become a political genius.

Instead, Jude, who often works alone, trusts only herself, and consequently does not report everything to Cardan, accidentally put him in a difficult position, and Candan, who has yet to really work with Jude and take into account her limitations and differences, did not take them into consideration in the plan he had to come up with on the fly. And then the complete lack of communication (and trust) aggravated the problem.

Lo and behold, what happens after their reunion? They start working together, communicating better, and developing trust.

Character development stemming from an incident caused and aggravated from their flaws. Aka good storytelling.

I.e. when the political fantasy book with a sprinkle of romance in the background actually brings the romance to the foreground and starts working on the couple.

This is of course, my own interpretation at the end of the day.

[raayllum]

Now, don't get me wrong, by all accounts, Rayla isn't a particularly 'good' assassin. She fails to follow mission orders when she's actually given them (1x01, 1x02) and outright defies them (1x03). A lot of this is because of her own sense of morality and compassion, which is exactly what Runaan criticizes her for and what Ethari worried about.

R: Your heart isn't hard enough to do whatever it takes.

E: I told Runaan you were too good hearted for the work of an assassin, so I know you did not betray them out of malice.

However...

There is still a reason that Runaan thought she would be a good assassin. Part of that is because he's a lot like Claudia, his love for his family obscuring a more objective reality. The other part is that, other than her 'too soft' heart, Rayla has what she needs to be an assassin in terms of the skill set (her blades were at Marcos' throat) and because she doesn't always listen to said 'soft heart'. In fact, she often tries very very hard not to (see a lot of early S1 in particular).

“Of course. For…” she chewed her lip and counted on her fingers. “Hrm, maybe fifteen years now. Anyway, you can call me Redfeather.” [...] Rayla felt her heart turn soft in her chest in just the way she hated. She wanted to know more, had to know more. “What did you do?”

Now, we see that in S4 Rayla is a lot better at well, not listening to that soft squishy part of herself, and that Soren was less good at appealing to her about it than Ezran. Some of this is probably because he pivoted away from the dragon and went after it from an identity standpoint — which, not only does Rayla have a pretty malleable sense of self in her own head, she does not believe that any part of whatever identity is there is particularly good / does not think she's a 'Good' person quote unquote — but this was absolutely doomed to fail post-return. Spending two years alone, trying to singularly hunt down a man and murder him, and knowing all the while that you hurt the people you love the most and have nothing to show for it... Yeah, no one's gonna be in the best head space for that, or be overly inclined to trust their own judgement or capacity to save people.

Like most characters in the show, Rayla struggles with always knowing what the right thing to do is, and what served her well in the past — trusting her gut, taking on things alone, laying herself down in the line of fire, removing her hesitation, and going to save Phyrrah in 2x07 — may not always serve her well in every scenario. She thought she was right to do all the same things when she went after Viren, didn't she? So she errs on the side of inaction, of not wanting to make another mistake by acting with her heart rather her head (again), and inadvertently waltzes into another mistake (Soren being captured and going missing).

Rayla will do the right thing, and hate herself for it, and will stubbornly ignore the signs screaming at her when she isn't doing the right thing (and she'll hate herself for that, too.)

[ Sidenote: bonus post about how Arc 2 increasingly treats more and more character traits and decisions as circumstantial rather than inherently good or bad ]

As she says to Ezran:

R: I let him go. I don't know why. E: Because you felt for him. R: But he was a human — my enemy! E: Yeah, but then you saw he was scared. And you knew he was a person, just like you. R: That shouldn't have mattered. I had a job to do.

I think we can read this in two ways. The first is that to be an assassin, you have to be able to dehumanize others on a fundamental level because you're 1) murdering strangers 2) on someone else's orders. Although Runaan preaches about balance in Bloodmoon Huntress (when you kill someone, you remove their capacity for love and change) we have all of Arc 1 talking about why that mindset is flawed and isn't good enough, especially because it culminates in Harrow's death when he still had plenty of things to love, like his children, and so much he wanted to change, and it would've led to Ezran's death as well. This is one of the reasons why assassination and dark magic, conceptually, often go hand in hand for the characters and their explorations of personhood and the right thing to do, etc etc.

The second way is that Rayla, by ignoring her own wants and personhood — her own heart — is also dehumanizing herself. It shouldn't matter that she's a person with wants and weaknesses; she had a job to do. We see this reflected in a lot of her behaviour ("Don't worry about my hand. The egg is all that matters now" —> "It's agonizing. But I know our mission comes first: the world is in danger, and you can trust me to stay focused") and in Runaan's / Moonshadow elves infamous "I am already dead" thing.

(There is also the factor that, because her and Callum mutually informed the construction of each other's new senses of identity to an absurd degree, if Callum doesn't want her then she doesn't know / doesn't have a firm footing on who she is anymore without him, but that's a codependent post for another day.)

All of this is a very long winded way of saying there, much like Viren and Claudia, are two consistently contradicting aspects to Rayla's personality that she is catapulting between, and the Assassin Rayla and Protector Rayla are, as of S5, still equal parts of her as she finds her way. Both have good and bad qualities of her, even if the Assassin Rayla side is — let's say more negative — and far more worrisome given what Callum has asked her to do if he is possessed again, and how it seems like S6 will be going full steam ahead in exploring that plotline.

In a lot of ways, Assassin Rayla and Protector Rayla have the exact same set of traits — selfless, protective, strong, willing to sever close bonds or divert from the mission to do the Right Thing — but instead describe the circumstances she's making those choices in. Protector Rayla is the one who stands against Runaan on the battlements; Assassin Rayla is the one who refuses to prioritize her parents even when she absolutely could (or at least, more than she is).

Assassin Rayla causes her to forget her own needs and put the world above everything else. Assassin Rayla causes her to ignore other people's needs, either not helping them (although iirc 4x05 is the only real example of it) or by leaving / keeping secrets.

The part of her we don't want her to listen to, the part she listens to when she's Scared — the one that walks away from the drake in 4x05, that tries to walk away in 1x09, and what led to her leaving, in a lot of ways, in TTM (both out of love, trauma, and a desperate need for control) — and how S4 reaffirms those qualities is precisely what may lead her to hurting Callum (again) in S6.

Because Callum is asking her to become an Assassin, Aaravos marks her as a failed one, and Rayla still — deep down — wants to ultimately be a Protector. We'll just have to see what side she answers to (and why).

More thoughts on Rayla, identity, and murder to follow lmao

[nicherayyy]

Okay, so reading through your La Squadra and Child/teenager reader posts, I just suddenly had the thought. How do you think they’d react if they were dating Trish or Giorno? (Another teen who’s the same age as them) (no idea if there’s a timeline or somethingh

I decided to make it with Giorno bc I think the fact that reader would date the literal La Squadra’s boss is   hilarious, maybe later I’ll do the same thing with Trish, just let me know if you’d like it <3

La Squadra x Teen!Reader who’s dating Giorno

Family fluff, everyone lives nobody dies, dating

Lately you’ve become too thoughtful, sometimes without even paying attention to anything. 

Sometimes you would sneak out of the house without telling anyone, of course, the whole La Squadra would be mad at you about it. You may consider yourself as “all grown up” but damn, you’ll always be a baby for them. So of course your behaviour made them worried. You never were like that. Is something happening with you? Are you in danger?

“What the hell is wrong with you?”, Ghiaccio snapped at you one morning, just about the moment when you were leaving.

“I literally have no idea what you’re talking about”, you replied calmly, putting on your jacket.

“No, you are absolutely aware about what Ghiaccio means”, Prosciutto intervened, looking at you sternly. The man had no idea what was your deal. Partly he thought it was his fault. Did he upset you? Why won’t you even talk with him as much as you used to. He may look serious, but damn he cared about you. After all these years you’re like his own flesh and blood. 

You sighed dreamingly “Nothing is wrong with me, I’ll see you at the dinner”, with that you closed the door. 

The whole room was speechless until Melone quietly giggled. 

“What’s so funny?”, Ghiaccio muttered. 

“Well, it looks like I was right”, Melone replies without taking his eyes off his laptop “Di Molto!”

“Melone, specify please”, Risotto joined the conversation, actually intrigued what could you hide from highly skilled assassins. 

“It looks like our dear child are secretly dating someone”, Melone exclaimed excitedly.

“What do you mean dating?”, Illuso’s jaw dropped, he expected anything, anything but that. 

“It’s normal for teenagers to date someone, as long as they use protec-“

“I don’t want to hear this nonsense, Melone” Risotto interrupted “Anyway, if that’s true, we need to ask ourselves”. Risotto’s upset with you now. If you’re really seeing someone, why would you hide it from them? 

The door opened again, interrupting the whole conversation. 

“Forgot the keys”, you said, trying not to look at your family. 

“We know”, Formaggio said, it looked like he was burning a hole in your back “Sit down, tell us about this date of yours”

You shivered, sooner or later they would have found out, but you were hoping that it would happen as much later as possible. You didn’t want to have this conversation with them. 

You sat down between Prosciutto and Illuso, taking as much air in your lungs as possible, after a few seconds you exclaimed “Giorno Giovanna”

..What?

“I’m dating Giorno Giovanna”, you exclaimed. Everyone couldn’t believe their ears. What did you just said? You’re dating.. their boss? Maybe they heard something wrong? Maybe it’s just a joke? But you looked too serious for this to be joke. 

The meetings with the boss were awkward after that conversation, especially for Risotto. He has no idea what to do. Of course, he’s happy for you, but damn. On the one hand Giorno’s his boss, but on the other hand he’s your boyfriend. It’s too complicated. But he still respects your decision. As long as the boy won’t hurt your feelings, but if that happen.. well, we already know what would happen.

Pros, oh dear man Pros. He doesn’t care if it’s his boss or not. He’s not even afraid of him. When it comes to you, his instinct for self-preservation disappears instantly. So yeah, he definitely would stand behind Giorno like this.

Also supportive, but will give you a long lecture about dating stuff. And of course he still will be mad at you for a few day because you were silent about such stuff.

“Does that mean that we would be paid more?”. Formaggio’s pretty chill. And he’s 100% you’ll be fine with Giorno, I mean, the dude has a lot of security and stuff. Sometimes would ask you about your dating life. 

Illuso needs no know EVERYTHING. Sometimes will help you to get ready for dates, but it’s only if he’s in a good mood. “So he bought you this as a gift? Hmph, he could do better”, would review all your gifts. Because you deserve only the best and if Giorno can’t give that for you, well, too bad.

Pesci is just happy for you. He remembers you so small and carefree. And now you’re young adult, now dating. He’s proud of you. But sometimes it would hard for him to realise that you’re growing up. Maybe you’ll want to have your own family. And that means that you would want to move out, oh wait, he’s crying.

Remember that gift stuff? Ghiaccio would want to buy something better for you. He’s pretty competitive. “Oh, that golden bracelet that he got you.. Ha, I got you two golden bracelets”. You continue to tell him that this stupid competition is not necessary, but he just not listens. So yeah, get ready for a lot of gifts from him. 

Melone’s excited to see your bright future. He knew that you’re dating from the beginning after all. If something bothers you, you always could tell him. “Ah, young love. Have you had your first kiss yet?”. Of course he would look through his laptop if you and Giorno are a true match.

[sideburndanny]

Okay, I don’t know how true this is, but if it is, we only barely dodged a bullet.

I don’t believe for a picosecond that David Zaslav and his yes-men ever intended to bring back the shows they pulled; the fact that they went out of their way to go through all their websites and social media profiles to memory-hole every last piece of evidence that those shows ever existed should have made that loud and clear.

I can just tell how confident they were that nobody would notice or care. “It’s just a bunch of cartoons; it’s not like we’re canceling stuff people actually watch like White People Renovating Houses or Rednecks Doing Nothing in Particular.” They were so confident about their decision that they didn’t even do it professionally, just announcing it out of the blue without telling anyone beforehand and wording the announcement so vaguely that nobody had any way of knowing that the shows would specifically be deleted later that same day.

This shouldn’t have come as a surprise, since Mr. Zaslav has long epitomized the idea of “failing upward”; he’s the brain trust that restructured the once-aptly named Discovery and Learning Channels to center around trashy, exploitative reality shows, prioritizing short-term profits over any kind of stable model.

He spent years scoffing at other entertainment giants for daring to focus on scripted content which he smugly dismissed as a thing of the past, confident that his primary focus, a niche built on fleeting trends and pandering to very specific audiences to the exclusion of everyone else, would be the future of entertainment and the focal point of all pop culture.

After decades of creating nothing of substance, skating by on the moderate successes of low-risk-low-reward crap, and endlessly patting himself on the back for so doing, Zaslav suddenly had one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world foisted on him by the corporate robots at AT&T desperate to offload an unwise investment, and like a bear cub being handed a PlayStation controller, he didn’t have the first clue what to do with it.

Warner Bros was defined by scripted content that required actual talent and effort to make, and those were nowhere near Zaslav’s wheelhouse. Could this, people thought, be the day that he actually puts in the work to have his company create something of worthy impact to our culture? FUCK NO! Instead, he took the easy route by, quoth John Oliver, “burning down my company for the insurance money.”

Unfortunately, he was so used to nobody knowing or caring who he is that he never once considered that people would actually have reason pay attention to him this time, that if he goes out of his way to destroy the hard work of so many talented people purely out of arrogant refusal to admit he was wrong, of fucking course we’ll all notice!

If the above tweet is telling the truth, we can at least be glad that our voices are being heard and the people at the top can take notice. The HBO Max Purge wound up being such a PR nightmare and made the folks at Discovery so hated among the public that they actually caved and walked back their disastrous decision that they had been so adamant in achieving just the previous day. You can absolutely fuck off if that doesn’t prove that protesting works.

[queenshelby]

Yes! Mr Murphy (Rewritten)

PART 36: FRIENDS

Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Warning: Lots of Angst, Age Gap, Teacher x Student, Pregnancy Loss, Infertility

PLEASE COMMENT AND ENGAGE!

Later that day, when you arrived back at your apartment, you were greeted by Emma, who looked at you with gleaming eyes.

"So, how was your night?" she smiled, eager to hear about your encounter with Cillian.

"It was amazing," you confessed, blushing slightly as you recounted the events of the evening.

"You look like you did not get much sleep," Emma observed, running her fingers through your hair.

"No, we were busy all night," you chuckled, a hint of shyness lingering in your voice.

Emma's eyes sparkled with curiosity, and you could see she wanted to ask more questions.

"Of course you were. I am actually surprised, you know. He is 45 already, and male performance does decline at a certain age," Emma laughed teasingly as you blushed even more deeply, feeling the heat rising in your cheeks.

"Oh shut up," you giggled, playfully swatting her arm. "The sex is incredible and there is absolutely no decline in... whatever you are referring to," you laughed, trying to brush off the remark. But the truth was, your night with Cillian had been nothing short of phenomenal, leaving you wanting more and desperate to explore the depths of your passion.

"So, you are back together then?" Emma inquired curiously, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

"Yes, we decided to give it another shot," you confirmed, a smile spreading across your face.

"That's great!" Emma exclaimed, clapping her hands enthusiastically. "The age gap?" she then asked. "It's no longer a problem for him?" she wanted to know.

"No. It doesn't seem to be. He regrets ending it because of it," you explained, hoping to convey that Cillian has changed his mind about the age gap being an issue. "He sees me as a woman he loves, not just someone younger," you added, trying to reassure Emma that everything was fine.

"That's good! And you feel the same way?" Emma asked, genuinely interested in your feelings too.

"Yes, absolutely," you confirmed, smiling softly. "We may have a few hurdles ahead, but we are committed to working through them together."

Emma nodded in agreement, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Just be careful. The press will have a field day once they find out about your age and the fact that you were his student for a little while," Emma said with concern before asking you whether Cillian intended to make your relationship public.

"Well, he wants me to attend the BAFTAs with him, so I would say that he does, and I think that this shows just how much he believes in our relationship," you explained thoughtfully.

"The BAFTAs?" Emma asked, chin dropping. "That's big. I think he is nominated as best leading actor," Emma remarked, wide-eyed. "The media attention might be intense, though," she then pointed out, and you nodded in agreement, considering the potential consequences of attending such a high-profile event with Cillian.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. We've discussed it, and I believe we can handle the pressure," you told her, sounding confident in your decision. "Despite, I cannot not go. Kit is going too and I don't trust her," you continued, your gaze locked with hers.

"I wouldn't trust her either Y/N. He slept with her and the fact that their one-off encounter ended up in the paper seems to be too much of a co-incidence for my liking," Emma told you thoughtfully, causing your mind to tick over. "Does she think she still stands a chance with Cillian with you in the picture?" Emma then wanted to know and you shrug your shoulders.

"I honestly don't know, but something about her attitude makes me uncomfortable," you admitted, expressing your growing concern over Kit's behaviour.

"Maybe you should talk to Cillian about it," Emma suggested carefully.

"I can't do that Em. We only just got back together and the last thing I want is sound like the jealous girlfriend," you told her with a sigh, leaning against the countertop in the kitchen.

"Good point," Emma agreed, placing her hand on your shoulder. "But, remember, sometimes jealousy can be healthy. It helps you evaluate what you truly want and value in a relationship," she advised, offering some friendly advice.

"True," you acknowledged, thinking about your previous insecurities when it came to Cillian and the fact that he was sought after by many women, not just you. 

"The worst thing is, we will be sharing an apartment with her in London," you grimaced, recalling the prospect of spending several days in close proximity to Kit. "I don't think I can handle it," you muttered, your brow furrowing in worry.

"But that's perfect. You should mark your territory," Emma encouraged, her eyes alight with mischief. "Show her that she doesn't stand a chance, Y/N," she told you and you laughed lightly, shaking your head at Emma's suggestions. 

"What are you suggesting, Em?" you asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Well, what I am suggesting is that, after the award show, you go back to your apartment and have very loud sex with your boyfriend. So loud that she can hear it in her bedroom too. Make the bedrails creek and ride him like there is no tomorrow, babe," Emma giggled mischievously as she watched you blush again. "She won't be able to resist wondering what's happening in the other room," Emma whispered conspiratorially, nudging you further down the path of her plan.

"Em, please stop," you pleaded, laughing nervously as you tried to dismiss her wild idea.

"Don't worry, sweetie. I'm just playing," Emma laughed, patting your shoulder comfortingly. "Just enjoy the moment with Cillian and let the rest take care of itself," she advised with a knowing smile.

"Now, what are you going to wear?" Emma interjected, changing the subject abruptly. "You need something stunning to wear at the BAFTAs," she told you and you gave her a little smile.

"Well, I was hoping that you could make me a dress?" you hesitated, biting your lip as you awaited her response.

"I was hoping that you would ask..." Emma replied excitedly, already planning out your outfit. "I know, let's make it a red silk gown with a plunging neckline and a floor-length skirt. The fabric will hug your curves perfectly, showing off your killer body while maintaining elegance and sophistication," Emma described, her eyes filled with confidence and excitement.

"Red? Really?" you asked, surprised by her choice. 

"How about black with some lace?" Emma then asked, knowing very well that you were not one for colour. 

"Black with lace sounds perfect," you agreed, feeling reassured by her choice and, over the next couple of weeks, Emma diligently worked on creating the perfect dress for you to wear at the awards. She chose luxurious fabrics, intricate designs, and carefully crafted each piece to fit your unique figure flawlessly.

Two weeks later...

When the dress was finally complete, you couldn't help but feel mesmerized by its beauty. The black silk flowed gracefully around your body, highlighting your femininity and alluring curves. The daring cutouts on the bodice accentuated your decolletage, drawing attention to your cleavage and evoking a sense of mystery. The elegant, delicate lace lining brought an air of sophistication to the entire ensemble, making it both captivating and breathtaking.

As you stood in front of the mirror, admiring yourself, Emma took a step back, observing your reaction intently. "Wow, Emma, this dress is stunning," you exclaimed, turning around to reveal the entire gown. "The attention to detail is impeccable," you added, running your hands along the lace.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Emma replied, her heart swelling with pride.  

"I never wore a dress like this before. It feels strange," you confessed, feeling both excited and apprehensive about the idea of wearing such a bold outfit. "I usually prefer more casual clothes," you admitted sheepishly, turning away from the mirror to face Emma.

"This dress is an investment, not just in your wardrobe, but also in your confidence," Emma assured you, reading your concerns accurately. "Trust me, you'll look sensational in it," she added with conviction, trying to boost your self-esteem.

"Despite, it's the BAFTAs. You have to wear a gown," Emma insisted, knowing that you couldn't possibly wear jeans and a t-shirt to such an exclusive event. "And anyway, it's time you start stepping out of your comfort zone. This is the perfect opportunity," Emma continued, pressing the point.

"I guess you're right," you conceded, accepting the reality of the situation before reminding her that you had to leave soon as a dinner to attend to with Cillian and his children tonight.

***

After having spent the morning with Emma, you made your way back to Cillian's apartment, which is where you had been staying every night since you got back together two weeks ago.

As you entered the apartment, you noticed Cillian sitting on the couch, watching television. When he saw you walk in, he smiled warmly and gestured for you to join him.

"So, how did it go?" he asked, referring to your meeting with Emma earlier today.

"It went really well. Emma designed a beautiful dress for me to wear. She is incredibly talented," you told him proudly, unable to hide your excitement.

"Oh, I'm looking forward to seeing you in it. I have no doubt that you will look incredible," Cillian said, smiling affectionately at you before pulling you atop of him to give you a playful kiss. 

Your heart fluttered, and you felt the heat rising in your cheeks as you pulled away, giggling nervously. You couldn't help but notice the scent of his cologne mixed with the subtle smell of his skin, a combination that seemed to envelop you like a warm blanket.

"I love you, you know?" he then said, tenderly holding your face in his hands. His eyes were full of sincerity, making your heart race faster.

"I love you too," you responded earnestly, leaning in to seal your declaration with a soft kiss just as Cillian's daughter, Nina, came walking out of her room.

"Ew, guys," she complained playfully, rolling her eyes at you both. "Get a room," she said. 

Laughing, you glanced at Cillian, who smiled and gently pushed you away.

"So gross. I still don't see why you find him attractive Y/N, but by all means...," Nina teased, crossing her arms defiantly.

"Oh come on," Cillian protested, giving his daughter a good-natured shove. 

"Well, for what it's worth, I think your dad is very handsome," you teased, smirking at Cillian, who chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. 

"Thanks, darling," he replied, grinning before suggesting for you to get ready for dinner at Bob's house.

Having dinner with all of his friends, most of which you had not met yet, made you nervous. But you knew that if you wanted to build a future with Cillian, you had to confront these fears and be open to getting to know his circle of friends.

You took a deep breath, feeling the courage grow within you. This was not about your past insecurities, but rather an opportunity to connect with the man you loved.

As you prepared for the evening, you slipped into a casual outfit. A pair of jeans and a black jumper, plain and simple. Since Cillian's friends were older, you wanted to appear older yourself and Cillian noticed that you were somewhat nervous about the night ahead.

"You know, you look absolutely beautiful tonight." He said. You smiled, slightly embarrassed.

"Thanks Cillian. I am trying to look, you know, a bit older I suppose," you explained, biting your lip nervously.

"Why?" he asked, clearly confused by your concern.

"Well, your friends are older, and I would like to fit in," you explained with a slight blush. "I don't want anyone to think that I'm not right for you because of my age," you told him, causing Cillian's brows to furrow.

"They won't think that Y/N. Despite, they all already know how old you are" Cillian assured you confidently, brushing aside your concerns. "You're more than capable of holding your own. Just be you and you will be fine," he then said and you nodded, appreciating his support, but still couldn't shake the feeling of anxiety lingering within you.

***

When you arrived at Bob's house, you could feel the anticipation in the air as everyone gathered together in the living room.

Your heart thumped loudly against your ribcage, and your palms grew sweaty with anxiety. Cillian guided you towards the group, introducing you to his friends one by one. Each person greeted you with warmth and welcomed you into their circle. Despite your initial fears, you found yourself opening up and enjoying their company, engaging in lively conversation about movies, books, and travel experiences.

Bob and Lorna, Cillian's friends, were delightfully hospitable.

Throughout the evening, they ensured that you were comfortable and well taken care of. Their warmth put you at ease, allowing you to relax and truly enjoy the company of these fascinating individuals. As the night progressed, the conversations became more animated, and you found yourself joining in on various topics effortlessly.

Dermont especially proved to be particularly charming as always. He shared stories of his life as a radio host, a career which he had recently given up and, after a little while, you even met Cillian's godson, Lucas, when he woke up from his slumber.

His adorable face lit up as he looked around the room, taking in the gathering of people who surrounded him. As he reached out for Cillian, he quickly picked him up, cradling him in his arms and whispering soothing words into his ear.

"Look at you, little man, growing so much," Cillian cooed, gently stroking Lucas' hair as the baby nestled closer to him.

You watched the tender exchange, feeling a sense of contentment as you observed the undeniable bond between them.

"Would you like to hold him?" Lorna then asked you, but you shook your head.

"No, thank you. It's alright, I'm not good with babies" you replied politely, taking a step back to allow Lorna to take Lucas from Cillian's arms.

As you stood there, you couldn't help but feel a sense of longing for your own childhood, wishing that you could have experienced the love and joy that a family could have provided for you. 

Growing up in foster care was not easy and it made you not want to have a family of your own.

"You know, if you ever have a baby with dad, I will be able to babysit for you. I will even give you mates rates," Nina teased, looking at you while standing amongst her friends, namely Dermont's two daughters.

"That's sweet of you, Nina, but I don't think we will be having a baby. Thank you though," you replied carefully, returning her smile.

"Hmm, never say never Y/N. We started fairly late, and Cillian is still a few years younger than Bob. So, there is time, right Cilly?" Lorna said to you both, causing Cillian to look at you with concern, knowing how uncomfortable you were talking about the prospect of starting a family.

"I can't have children," you responded with a forced smile, hoping to change the subject. "I had an operation a few months ago after an incident and I...," you began to say, and Cillian intervened. 

"Let's change the topic," he said while Cillian squeezed your hand gently, comforting you.

"Okay, yes. Of course. I am sorry," Lorna apologized swiftly, seemingly aware of the delicate nature of the discussion.

"It's fine. Really. Having children is not on my radar, so don't apologise. It's all good," you told Lorna and Cillian gave you a reassuring squeeze again.

The atmosphere lightened as another friend entered the room following a long shift at work. The laughter and conversation filled the room once again, and you felt relieved that the uncomfortable topic had been shifted. You settled into the evening, continuing to engage with Cillian's friends in a deeper manner, discovering a connection with many of them.

The night flew by, leaving behind a whirlwind of laughter, stories, and shared experiences. At some point during the evening, the conversation turned to the idea of a second child for Bob and Lorna. You listened intently as they discussed the joys and challenges of raising a child and witnessed firsthand the genuine affection they held for their son. Watching the interactions between Bob, Lorna, and Lucas solidified your decision to remain childless, ensuring that your relationship with Cillian remained focused on each other though.

You couldn't deny the fact that having a child would create a new layer of complications in your life, something you didn't want or need.

With Cillian being so busy with his acting career, the added responsibility would have only created stress for both of you. You decided to put all thoughts of having a child behind you and instead focus on enjoying the present moment with Cillian and his friends.

The night ended with heartfelt goodbyes, and as you stepped outside into the cool night air, you realized that this experience had transformed your perspective about Cillian's friends. They were no longer just people whom you feared to disappoint, but now individuals whom you had formed connections with through shared laughter and thoughtful discussions.

Unbeknownst to you, they all told Cillian that they really enjoyed your company. According to them, you were a great match for him and the way you engaged with Cillian's daughter Nina, made their hearts melt.

In their eyes, you seemed wise beyond your years and you were a perfect companion for their friend.

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[chasingthedragons]

Oh I agree Anon! The green is all Allicent. I don’t think the rest of the family could care less. Except maybe Aemond and that’s because he’d imitate her. Do we ever see Otto in green? Maybe really dark that looks black? Helena as an adult doesnt coat herself in it, beucase as you point out she doesn’t like her family much. She dresses her own children as she chooses too. Allicent just threw a tantrum all those years back at the heir’s wedding and never let it go. She thinks it makes her look better but it’s just head to toe showing her pettiness. Good example of Daemon, the Targaryens wear their colors because they are proud of their house, as they should be. Because they are dragons and it’s their history. He can def be frilly though. Man had rubies on his armor! His Pentos robes truly made a statement. His walk is perfect, so right. Towers only wear the ruling house colors to use them. Like Aegon being ‘crowned’ Lol I see that you did there! I wouldn’t be surprised if Otto was the one to start dressing his daughter in red, to make her seem less wrong actually. But I don’t think he knew what she would do at the wedding. It was a stupid move, so it wasn’t his idea. True that, Daemyra in black/their colors/together, is everything! Season 2 wardrobe I’m sure will be amazing! Here’s hoping the writing follows it!

of course it is Alicent, since ep 4 when she learns of Rhaenyra's lies, Alicent turns her wardrobe into a sword because she has nothing else to express herself or protest with and that she passes it on to her children because they are HER children, aegon, aemond and helaena of green is a declaration that they are Alicent's children and not Viserys', she makes the decisions because they are hers and hers alone.

Otto on the other hand always wears green (and personally he is the best dressed man in the series), a dark green, that is only noticeable when you look closely, as well as Otto himself, he does his things in the shadows and the rest see from him, what he wants them to see, Otto doesn't let anything slip, he is absolutely neat in his every move (as well as his clothes), I think Daemon is the only one who can see him as he really is. Otto doesn't need to say anything with his clothes, in fact I feel Otto uses his clothes to hide things not to say them, plus he also doesn't need his clothes to express himself, he is a man, therefore he has a voice, plus he is the Hand of the King, there is no more power, no more voice, no more influence to take, he has ALMOST everything.

And one last point about gold and black for Targaryen women is curious, Rhaenyra in gold “the realm's delight”, Rhaenyra in black “Maegor with tits”, Helaena in dark colors belong only to mourning, because it is the image that the greens NEED of her.

What I think is coming for the second season, a lot of mourning, a lot of war and a lot of falsehood, I think our two aspirants to the iron throne will use their wardrobes to show the image they need (but not who they really are) Rhaenyra as an angry and vengeful queen, Aegon with the conqueror's crown on his armor. I think if they could see those images of themselves they couldn't stand it.