#this is why i love tsh so much

[picnic-at-dreaming-rock]

i think what's really compelling about tsh is how out of the main players (and really out of everyone) there isn't one Good Person (in the sense of moral right/good vs wrong/evil story dichotomy type Good Person). Like,,, henry vs bunny alone. I feel like there's an instinct among readers (at least those I've seen on tiktok, which, i know, im sorry) to go Henry is Good and Right and Bunny is Evil and Wrong particularly upon first reading and then when you think critically it turns to Bunny is Actually Good and Right and Henry is Evil and Wrong to make sense of the story but both are Shitty, Terrible People.

Henry is a self-important, elitist serial-killer who is completely detached from the world around him from no one's fault but his own and Bunny is a leech who considers biogtry and a guiness world record catagory and blackmails his friends over a murder not because they killed an innocent man but because they didn't include him.

I think this is what makes tsh so compelling. You're not there to take sides, no matter how hard Richard (unconsciously?) tries. You're there to watch a series of terrible events unfold and to consider the complexity of human morality. Not one person is either Good or Evil. It's impossible and destructive to look at people that way and I think that's how tsh messes with you and I love it. I don't think Donna Tartt wants you to forgive or justify anything that anyone does, but to simply perceive them and your reactions to it

[insidemyrottenbrain]

Henry gets jealous because you spend time with Richard

The risk of jealousy - TSH

Henry Marchbanks Winter x GN!Reader

Dearest anonymous, I hope you can forgive him and his denial of jealousy.

The sharp claw of jealousy finally scratches the untouchable Henry.

I’ve always been incredibly particular about whom I associate with. The people around me need to be worthy. Now, I am well aware that my choice of words may make me sound arrogant, so allow me to explain: I want them to have shared interests, to be able to hold late-night debates on esoteric topics, while giving me a sense of belonging and consequently not tiring me out socially. I do not ask for much, really. Alas, one cannot always get what one desires.

The little group of which I’m currently a part of is… pleasant. The twins regularly host dinners which are, of course, the birthplace of many fights and arguments regarding the most trivial subjects that usually end up with Henry winning. Francis unhesitatingly puts his aunt’s house at our disposal whenever desiderium naturae strikes us and amusingly complains about some disease or other the whole way there. I even consider some of Bunny’s jokes witty on the rare occasions when he stops being insufferable. Unfortunately, they all give me a shallow sense of belonging that only manages to make itself felt in transit moments. However, Henry is different. With him, I feel content reading in silence after a long day, waking up in the same bed, legs intertwined under the soft cotton sheets he insists on buying with Apolon tugging at our lazy eyelids or simply challenging one another’s knowledge on whatever topic interests us at a given moment. A continuous childlike rendez-vous.

I do not know why I have been so platonically attracted to Richard of late. When he first joined our Greek class, he did not strike me as someone who would manage to integrate his lowly self into our complexly layered group, or even more, someone who would enjoy my presence. He was and still is flawed and ordinary. However, this normality flowing through every habit, every movement, or expression is a strange refresh in an intangible web of meticulously tangled appearances and facades. Richard is not some ancient scholar buried in paradoxical ideals, Gods-praising rituals, and glorious beliefs, but a modern human. He is aware of the current world, unisolated, present, an active participant. Not only does he attend parties but he also drinks, kisses, and loves strangers. Though an exaggeration to the unknowing eye, he seems to me quite the Epicurean in a cult of Stoics (excluding Bunny).

Despite my writings above which one might foolishly mistake as praise on my part, I must now dive into Richard’s own tendency to fictitiousness. He throws, here and there, long, lavish fabrications (with the aid of which he becomes unconsciously arrogant) and slight inexactitudes he considers too small to pass unnoticed by the attentive ear. And according to my fate and against my trusted intuition, I found myself unable to stop listening whenever he started talking about his (fake) childhood in California filled with swimming pools and orange groves and dissolute, charming show-biz parents, teenage years with a new girlfriend every night, the newest dramas (if they truly do exist and are not yet other fictions) circling Hampden.

There is a quirk. I notice it now, when we’re all standing in the day room of Francis’, or rather his aunt’s, manor. Charles is playing the piano filling the room with gifts for ears, showing off as he always does, while Bunny comments on one rhythm or another, challenging him, fueling him further. Everything is normal, except for one detail that does not escape me. Henry grows more agitated with every single one of Richard’s grant histoires. Albeit, the so-called agitations are rather minuscule, but I pride myself in being able to distinguish them. A small frown, creasing his pale forehead just the right amount for it to disappear just as quickly and nonchalantly as it came, a constant rub of his hand against his limped leg, and a novel proneness to small physical gestures: touching knees, pressing shoulders, his hand on the small of my back or idly playing with my fingers. I settle on questioning him later since I know he will not show any truths of his mind in such large company. 

We share a room, since we stopped bothering to hide our relationship long ago from the others. Henry’s already in bed, his nose buried in a book, dressed in his pyjamas, his initials embroidered upon the left side of his chest; H.M.W. If I had been told years ago that I was to be sharing a bed or be in a relationship with the person I suffered the least, the one that I had to compete with in Julian’s classes, the one that knew how to push my buttons I would have died of agony. But now I’m content. I know of the infatuation rendering me blind. My life has become a continuous torture, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to live without him. Just like Zeus who vows to fulfil his promise with a single sacred nod of his head, so am I unable to change the basis of my passion. He is in all my plans. In all the joys the future holds. In the dead of night, in Julian’s lessons, in the summer by the lake, instead of my mind’s eye being fully focused on one specific task, it always switches without fail to him.

I lower myself onto the bed next to him. “You seemed troubled earlier, in the day room.” I ask casually an indirect question.

“You’ve been spending an awful time with Richard.” He responds swiftly, tonelessly, simply pointing out a fact. 

I consider my answer for a moment. “I suppose so.” I hum, just as my head hits the pillow. “Don’t you find him intriguing? He watches the news on television.”

“Intriguing?” He blurts out, closing his book and putting it on the bedside table. Clearly, I have his attention. He turns on his side to fully face me, his hair falling over his forehead and slightly over his glasses. “His intriguing part eludes me. You are wasting your time with him, listening to his rambles.” He says clearly irritated, not bothering to keep up his stoic facade. “I assure you, you would be much better spending your time wisely.”

I frown. This is unusual of him. “He is in our class, is he not? I cannot avoid him.”

“Of course not, that’s not what I am suggesting.” His eyebrows remain furrowed. “What I do mean is that he does not bring you any benefit.” He continues in a monotone. “Why must you listen to him with the same attention and interest as you listen to me?”

Ah, I see. Henry is jealous.

“Is this jealousy?” I ask attempting desperately to restrain the slight smile forming on my face. 

“You are mistaken.” He ‘corrects’ me sharply, raising his eyebrows.  “I am merely stating that I see no point in your interactions with Richard when you could gain much more from being in my presence.”

I raise a sceptical eyebrow. He acts as if I wouldn’t mourn his death in the same way Achilles mourned Patroclus’, with rage and violence.

Words are imperfect communication devices, so I pull him down by the back of his neck and press my lips against his in a pleasant normality. I feel him slightly relax against me, his hand resting on my neck.

“Henry,” I mumble as we part, forcefully stretching our souls apart. I remove his glasses and place them down next to us and his forehead naturally falls against mine “you know better than to have such doubts.”

“I do.” He mumbles back, not bothering to deny his feelings anymore. “However, it proves to be quite difficult to not have them when-” He stops considering his words. “When you plague me so. There is no day or night in which your existence takes mercy on me and does not destroy the little rationality I have left.” He lowers himself down on the bed next to me. “You inexplicably and absurdly manage to be and eradicate my sanity.” He sighs. “And it certainly does not help when you look at Richard with the same eyes you look at me.” Henry mutters.

My hand finds his and I chuckle. “I’d argue I look at him with entirely different eyes.” At my comment, Henry raises an amused eyebrow. “Perhaps you’ll stop seeing shadows where there are none.”

That is all he needs to defeat his insomnia in my arms once again and to fall prey to sleep’s vicious grasp his body indistinguishable from mine under the sheets, sharing one breath.

[astrum-aetherium]

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ astrum's the secret history & henry winter thirst masterlist ⋆｡°✩

hi, all! because we are slowly but surely approaching the 200 posts mark and this blog hasn't even been up for a full month, i've decided to provide all those who are new to my page a handy tool to facilitate orientation. when you expand this post, you will be greeted with a summary of all of my original posts and asks regarding the topic of my blog — incessant, tenacious, shameless thirst for the secret history's very own henry marchbanks winter.

admittedly, i am a complete sucker for lists and organizational tools, which is why this will simply be a heavenly experience for me — even more so because i'm currently procrastinating writing my term paper. however, without much further ado — find the list below the cut.

-> IMPORTANT NOTE: due to the link limit on this post, i can no longer expand it to my liking. because i don't want to create a second masterlist (just yet), however, you will find any newer uploads linked in my own reblog of this post (look in the notes).

˚₊· ❥ general — sfw, informative, personal

my opinion on tsh / addressing the problematic aspects of tsh / henry's middle name being 'marchbanks' and a possible explanation / what henry might've whispered to camilla / my opinion on whether or not henry and camilla were in love / my fancast(s) for henry / my favorite books / my opinion on dorian gray as a character (+ parallels with tsh) / comparing henry to marble statues / modern media henry would be into / elaboration on camilla macaulay / will i be writing about other tsh characters? / tips on getting into classical studies / country house daydreams

˚₊· ❥ henry winter nsfw scenarios

general headcanons about henry's sexual preferences / summer thigh riding / car sex / study date sex / mating press position with henry / riding henry / scratching his back during intimacy / bondage with henry / henry being into bdsm / henry's dirty talk part one / henry's dirty talk part two / neck teasing & biting / henry and cnc / dumbification with henry / henry sucking his partner's fingers / sucking henry's fingers / henry & cigarettes after sex / henry physically responding to pleasure / henry being distracted by your moans while studying / henry & the smell of gasoline / henry muffling you due to your volume / relentlessly teasing henry / cockwarming during studying / sex at bunny's funeral / henry calling you 'good girl' / henry and aftercare / giving henry head to cure his headache / size kink with henry / ignoring henry while he gives you head / clit spanking with henry + coming from your clit being spanked / you and henry at the beach / doggy style position with henry / henry with an inexperienced partner / inexperienced henry with an experienced partner / being bratty with dom!henry + being bratty and fighting henry back / henry burning you with his cigarette / shotgunning a cigarette with henry / jacking henry off with pretty nails / henry using his diary for dirty entries in latin

-> own category — sub!henry: general headcanons / ignoring needy sub!henry / sub!henry punishing you back / making sub!henry beg + reaction to his begging / mirror in front of sub!henry / henry still being dominant while subbing

˚₊· ❥ henry winter sfw / mildly nsfw scenarios

henry & hanahaki disease au / henry with a polar opposite partner / henry with a partner similar to judy / spoiling his partner / getting off on spoiling his partner / enemies to lovers with henry / best friends to lovers with henry / academic rivals with henry / henry being soft(er) with his partner / henry during your period / henry's birthday party at francis' country estate / falling asleep on henry whilst reading / owning a locket with henry's face in it

˚₊· ❥ general satiric / amusing scenarios

gay hampden / list of pop culture scenarios flea wants the greek class to go through / henry holding a baby / playing roblox with the greek class / greek class barbenheimer feud / locking the greek class in a room with the percy jackson movies / the greek class' opinions on percy jackson / being locked in a room with henry / henry watching reality shows with you / henry turning up at your house / showing the greek class colleen ballinger's apology video / keeping the greek class in a glass terrarium / forgetting henry in the cereal isle at walgreens / the greek class being actual people (+ bunny shitting headcanon) / bunny possibly being okay (they revoked their statement) / henry writing smut in his diary

˚₊· ❥ henry winter scenarios inspired by songs

taylor swift — last kiss / taylor swift — illicit affairs / dead girl walking part one + part two

˚₊· ❥ bonus: prose and poetry shared by my saturn anon

one — marble / two — divinity / three — dancing in the rain / four — intimacy overseas

[willothewispwisteriadawn]

One of my favorite things about Donna Tartt books is that you can tell she just *loves* things. Like she’s delighted by classical language. And boy oh boy can she talk to you about each stroke of The Goldfinch. And I never knew so much about furniture antiquing.

I know some people critique certain scenes in TSH and Goldfinch that go on a long time and are just adding details to these topics, but I like them. And, listen, I do prefer fast-paced action typically. But something about slowing down and listening to a truly skilled writer who really cares about things talk about why they’re lovely is just charming.

[autistpride]

Autism Acceptance

Prompt day 7: Performer AU

Word count: 2500

@wolfstarmicrofic

Remus was so excited he couldn’t stand it. He bounced on the balls of his feet and his fists shook up and down. 

“I’d say he likes the gift,” Regulus said to Remus' mum with a laugh.

Remus could see them watching him to make sure he stayed safe as he made his way around the room. He was practically vibrating and he squealed.  

“What did you expect? You just waltz in here and announce that you got Remus a way to meet his favourite people and didn’t think he would happy stim?”

“I knew my brother and his friends were his favourite but I didn’t think he would like it that much,” Regulus shot back with a laugh before his hand shot out as if he could stop Remus from across the room. Both Hope and Regulus gasped.

Remus ran into the table and then the doorway but his squealing and movement didn’t slow.

“He’ll feel that when the excitement wears off,” Hope said with a sigh and Regulus nodded.

Regulus left the Lupin home at the end of the day. Regulus had never realised when he became a personal assistant for the Lupin family, that he would meet someone who would become his friend. Remus was not that much taller than him and he used his communication device for speaking, although he did often express himself with facial expressions and the perfect noise to express his sarcastic attitude. Remus was the master of eye rolls, eyebrow raises, smirks, snorts, and scoffs as well as the ba-dum-tsh and wa wa wa noises. 

Remus’ room was decorated in bright colours and his bed had a tent over it. He needed help with many life skills still, but none of that stopped them from becoming like two peas in a pod. Technically it was frowned upon for Regulus to have developed an attachment to a patient, but Hope and Lyall had confided in him that Remus had come out of his shell and made so much more progress with Regulus as his aid than he had with anyone else.

Remus also had a cutting dark sense of humour. The number of jokes about body bags and comments on eyes honestly bordered on concern to anyone who didn’t understand the way Remus thought. That alone was enough. But then Regulus found out that Remus loved music. And not just any music, a very obscure  small group of people who sang children's songs but in different genres. Hope apologised many times when Remus kept humming the songs while swinging in his hammock chair and yelling in frustration when the older disc would skip or scratch but wouldn’t allow anyone to help him. He listened in his headphones to the same cd anytime he was overwhelmed or tired and so he was often never without the discman. One day when Remus was busy playing in the little pool set up out in the back garden, Regulus opened the old discman and was surprised to see his brother’s face smiling up at him.  

Regulus’ relationship with Sirius was strained after all the things they went through growing up, but when he went home that day, he immediately called Sirius up and asked Sirius to meet him and to work through everything. They went to therapy together and over the months things had improved and while they would always have some hard feelings, they were friends again. So when Remus’ birthday came around that year, Regulus didn’t hesitate to ask Sirius if his friend Remus could meet Sirius. Sirius was confused why Regulus had a friend who liked his music, especially one made for children. After Regulus explained that Remus was autistic, Sirius readily agreed. He even asked what things were sensory triggers for Remus and made a list. He sent Regulus to the Lupin residence that day with the good news and ensured Regulus that he would take care of everything.

The days leading up to Remus’ birthday were long and yet too short for Remus. He was so excited the days seemed to drag on, but with every day that ended Remus would ask Regulus how many more days left. Pressing the buttons for “See friends today?” as a greeting. Regulus would laugh and make some sort of comment about how Regulus “could see where he ranked” or “I see how it is, not even a Hi Reggie.” That always made Remus laugh and he would say hello and then ask again. So Regulus helped him make a small calendar and everyday they would add a sticker to it to help count down the days. 

The night before, Remus swung in his hammock and listened to his discman. Anytime Regulus looked at him, Remus would push a button on his AAC that said, “I’m so excited!” Regulus watched while working on the paperwork for the week and would always respond, “I know. I know. Tomorrow Remus.” 

Remus went to sleep as soon as Regulus left at seven, saying that the faster he went to sleep the faster that it would be the day he met his friends. Then it was tomorrow and Regulus was knocking on the door. Remus opened it and his face dropped and he quickly pressed on his AAC, “its you.” he just held up for Regulus to read. Regulus snorted, “Hi Reggie. Morning.” Remus didn’t laugh this time and he frowned and held up his device again. “Yes, it's just me for now. It’s seven in the morning Remus, they will be here at ten. Okay?” Remus pouted but nodded and immediately went to his timer. Regulus took off his shoes and shut the door before crossing the room making sure Remus put three hours into the timer and set it back onto the shelf to count down.

When the timer went off three hours later Remus threw open the door. Regulus was across the room and dashed to Remus. Remus knew it was because Regulus was worried Remus was going to run into the road, but Remus wouldn't. Remus knew it was to ensure he didn’t leave without someone but it still was annoying that they didn’t trust him. Remus peered out the door to the empty front garden. It was ten. He set a timer. Remus glanced at his AAC. It was actually after ten now! 

“I know you’re excited Remus, but they will knock when they get here,” Regulus said softly when he took in Remus’ dejected expression. Remus nodded disappointed and right before Remus closed the door a small blue Volkswagen parked on the curb. Remus gasped and quickly looked at Regulus who grinned, “Ya thats them.” 

Remus clasped his device to his chest and shook while swaying on his feet and then froze, dropping his AAC when Sirius stepped from the car. This was why Regulus had insisted Remus keep the silicone case around it, even if Remus gnawed on it sometimes. 

Remus held his hand out to Regulus so they could go out the door. Regulus knelt down and picked up the device and took Remus’ hand. Remus squealed and pulled Regulus over the grass to the vehicle and stopped right in front of Sirius. Remus stared at Sirius, unblinking before turning to Regulus and snatching his device from Regulus and quickly finding the buttons he wanted before holding it up to Regulus. 

Regulus read it, looked at Sirius, and burst out laughing, “yes they would be perfect in it.” Remus smirked.

“What?” Sirius asked, confused.

“Do you want to tell him or should I?” Regulus asked.

Remus didn’t wait, he pressed play on his communication device and a slightly robotic male voice read out, “I want to add your eyes to my collection.” 

Regulus couldn’t help laughing at the expression of confusion and slight worry on Sirius’ face followed by James’ as he had stepped out of the driver’s side while all of this was going on.

Remus narrowed his eyes at Regulus who stopped. “Okay okay I’ll get them.”

Sirius’ expression was one of visible panic and Regulus held his phone to Sirius’ face and took a close up picture of Sirius’ eye and then showed it to Remus. “This one good?” He asked and Remus nodded, mouthing the word wow over and over.

Remus knew people thought his fascination with eyes was odd. Many people had said so, thinking that just because he used an AAC device and needed help with everyday tasks, that he was stupid. They talked about him in front of him like he wasn’t there or able to understand the things they were saying. All his past personal assistants had and Remus had decided that if they were going to treat him like that he would just be like that. That’s all they thought he would be, so he stopped trying to show them otherwise. They had treated him like a burden. 

That was until Regulus came along and he took the time to listen to Remus, to understand.

Remus carried Regulus’ phone into the lounge, staring at the picture. Sirius and James looked at each other and Regulus snorted. 

“If you guys want to set up in the lounge, that would be great.” Regulus motioned to the fairly small but tidy lounge. 

Sirius gave Regulus a small hug and then carried his guitar in. James carried an electric drum kit and his sticks. It wasn't the best, but worked in a pinch, and he could turn the sound down so it wouldn’t be as loud. Mary and Lily brought in the keyboard. Regulus took up the rear and closed the door behind them all. 

They all arranged themselves in one area of the lounge. Hope tried to stay out of the way but brought out an extension cord with a power strip for them when they needed to get everything plugged in and they couldn’t all use the one outlet. 

Regulus took his phone back from Remus with the assurance he would print the picture out for Remus so Remus sat in his hammock watching everyone setup and get ready. Regulus held out his headphones and Remus put them on as Mary counted them down and began. 

Remus rocked in his hammock as he listened. After a few songs Lily sang a soft version of happy birthday as Lyall carried out slices of cake for everyone. Remus ate his cake while everyone chatted. He wasn’t often included in group conversations because there were so many people and they talked quickly, not leaving room or time for Remus to use his AAC. 

But Sirius wouldn’t have it. He asked Remus questions or for his thoughts on the topic and waited for Remus to respond.

When the cake was finished, Remus slowly edged his way over to Sirius and gently ran his fingers over the guitar. Remus had watched the way Sirius played. He had this look about it, the same look that Remus felt when he listened to their songs or talked about eyes or cold cases.

“Would you like to try?” Sirius asked next to Remus suddenly and Remus froze as if he was going to be yelled at.

Sirius lifted the guitar off the stand and motioned for Remus to come closer. Remus stayed where he was watching Sirius ready the instrument again. Sirius slowly reached out, giving Remus time to pull away, before gently taking Remus’ hand and placing them on the strings. Remus looked at Sirius and Sirius smiled encouragingly and Remus plucked a string. It vibrated and the sound that it created made Remus so excited he squealed and his hands clenched into fists and shook. 

They continued like this for sometime before Mary and Lily started to pack up. Sirius had James take his guitar out to the vehicle. Sirius then asked Regulus if he could stay longer and Regulus told him to ask Remus. So Sirius did and a shocked Remus nodded happily.

Sirius sat talking to Remus the whole rest of the time Regulus was on his shift. Regulus sat nearby watching while filling out the paperwork he had to do for the week. 

Sirius asked Remus questions. What song did he like best? Did he have a favourite show? What about movies? What other things Remus was interested in. And he answered his own questions back for Remus to know the answers to.

He didn’t shame or judge Remus and when he found out about Remus’ fascination with eyes he asked what about them was so interesting. And Remus told him. 

Remus liked the way the colours in the eyes melted together. He liked how the pupil changes shapes depending on the lighting. But mostly, Remus liked how the eyes held so much depth and emotion. How you could almost see someone's soul when looking at them. 

Sirius stared at Remus like he had just said the most profound things and then begged Remus to let him write that down for him, that it was the most beautiful poetry Sirius had heard. Remus flushed with pride.

When seven pm rolled around, the clock sounded and Regulus started to pack up and put on his shoes when Remus darted to his room. Regulus watched from the lounge, making sure Remus went to his room and not out the door to the back garden and when the door slammed closed and Regulus sighed. 

Sirius looked shocked and concerned, “Hey what happened?”

“He likely got upset you’re leaving. Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him.”

Remus laid on his bed with the door to his tent closed and the blanket over his head. Remus heard the knock and ignored it. Sirius opened it and poked his head in. “Hey. I’m going to come in and just sit here okay. Regulus is in the lounge if you want me to get him.”

Remus bit his nails and picked the skin on his lips before eventually unzipping the tent. Remus looked out at Sirius who was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and Remus’ AAC in his hands. Sirius looked up from his phone and smiled. “Hey, it's okay to be upset, especially when meeting new people and when having a lot of new experiences going on. And because the fun day is over.”

Remus scoffed and rolled his eyes. He knew it was okay, it didn't mean it didn’t suck that the best day of his life was ending and he would never see his new friend again. 

Sirius laughed and held his phone up to Remus’ face, causing Remus to flinch. Sirius took a quick photo and then turned it to show Remus. “I think your eyes are stunning too.” 

Remus smiled. Sirius pressed a few buttons on the AAC before holding it out to Remus. Remus played it, “see friend Sirius tomorrow?” 

Remus beamed and nodded enthusiastically. 

“I'll see you tomorrow Remus,” Sirius said brightly and waved goodbye before leaving the room and the house.

Remus couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

[swordduels]

He is sitting there, minding his own business as well, wanting to get away, but knowing by the time he reaches the gate, he will be a donkey once more, so he is trapped here, with them, around himself nothing other than idiots as well on every single possible level. “Tsh.” As he rolls his eyes and would eat the apples that had been chopped up, he did not wish to see her, or anyone else, he wanted to be left alone, to work, which was to do nothing at all, he had his human body back, he was content, but escape, was impossible for him, as he would feel the itch for the moment and his ears would twitch. “Ugh!” Why, what had he done right now, what had he done this time, what had he done to deserve this as his ears had stretched and sat upon the top of his head, again, once again the proud set of jackass ears, why! Because he stole the apples, or because he killed the visitors that came here, which was it this time around, can he be left alone and not become a mule, could she leave him alone for that!

Circe had been bored out of her mind ever since Clarimonde decided to turn back to her precious farm. There was so much potential for chaos and mayhem since the gates were wide open for everything to pass through. It was somewhat amusing to witness the accidental moments when magic was performed but other than that she was dissapointed.

She had offered to be a teacher but Clarimonde had been so busy. Building things. Visiting families. Act as a teacher. Holding rituals. Giving orders. Having children, yuck. That snotty baby and the adopted twins took away even more time that could be spent to learn magic.

She did admire the effort of building a cult but they could be so much more.

Circe believed this day would have the same old pattern of everyone waking up, having a meal and doing chores. But she soon found out something had changed. After swirling around Clarimonde she returned to see Regulus back in human form. Feasting on apples while piles of bodies had colored the floor.

Oh dear. This was unexpected and troubling...

The witch swirled towards him. "Hmm. I see you havent quite turned back." She stated whole looking at his donkey ears before sitting down beside him. "So, what is your plan now?" Clarimonde had done something right when making a barrier to keep him from leaving by turning back into a donkey. They also managed to put protective spells on themself and the children.

The question was, was it enough?

He was still a dangerous force and people had already been sacrificed to his whims. She didn't mind violence or blood but a man child such as Regulus truly didn't deserve such incredible powers.

No. She wanted a fierce witch to rise above petty men to make them bleed and beg for forgiveness. Circe wanted someone like Clarimonde to give into rage, become a master and take away their dignity.

Clarimonde had to survive...

"You did make quite a mess in here and since you killed these ones, their loved ones will wonder where they went. Then there will be more people arriving to search for them. Not to mention people who are trying to prepare the very food you are eating or those who come to pray in your honor." For once she wasn't spitting out insults or spoke in a condecending tone. Instead she was calm and collected.

"What do think will happen if you keep killing people like this?"

@fallesto

[kozumesphone]

IF U SEEK AMY ! ִ ࣪𖤐

stop ahhh 1. im so proud of you !! 2. you deserve literally every litte follower ngl 🦘

Here's my description, I guess: I can't stand social media, but I use it every day. I've been obsessed with Greek mythology since I was a child—I can't live without it. English is my third language, so I'm still not great at it, even though I speak around seven languages. I'd say I'm a pretty extroverted person. I don't have any specific hobbies, but I enjoy engaging in art a lot since I go to an art school.

My favorite artist is probably Caravaggio, and when it comes to music, my favorite artist is Lana Del Rey. I love her dreamy, melancholic style. I enjoy reading, especially books related to mythology and history. Some of my favorite books include "The Song of Achilles" , "Circe” , any murakami & rick riordan book and “The Secret History”

I'm passionate about learning and exploring new cultures, and I hope to travel more in the future. I’m also interested in psychology and how people think and behave.

I'm turning 17 this year, and I'm so freaking scared about what the future holds... i think that would be all ( btw im a straight female 🙌 )

⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖

HENRY WINTER ⭑.ᐟ

⟢ “but if you send for me, you know i’ll come; and if you call for me, you know i’ll run!”

I think henry winter (tsh) would be the best book bf for you (:

he’s such a grandpa when it comes to social media. you teach him how to operate on insta, youtube, etc.

you guys probably definitely met in julian’s class and it was not love at first sight at all—he was jealous you were so good at greek; so much better than him

but slowly, as you started hanging out outside the friend group, he finds so many similarities that he can’t help falling for you

the time he confessed to you was surprising and funny—he had said it in another language, hoping you didn’t speak it (but how stupid was he to take chances with a polygot like you?)

you compliment his introvertedness with your bubbly extroverted personality

being greek students, you both loved visiting museums—for the statues and the art; so expect a lot of museum dates!

also, library dates!!!! since you both love greek mythology and reading, why not? because you both definitely debate on key themes in many retellings and have a great time doing it

you share the same favourite artists—in art and music—driving you even more together

you guys go on a world tour for your two year anniversary!!

whenever thoughts of the future overwhelm you, he’s always there to reassure you that no matter what, you’ll face it together

+ both of you probably definitely grow older together and become heads of the psychology departments in two different ivy leagues <3

taglist for event — @serendipitous-girl @mqstermindswift @puffoz @skeelly @urmomabby

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event masterlist

[quidfree]

hello! i've followed you to indulge in your TSH content, having just finished the book and your fanfic Sober II (Melodrama) back to back! (i'm destroyed!!)

i'm wondering if you've given any thought to whether Richard (Tartt's Richard, or yours) is gay or maybe bisexual? he ofc probably would not make that distinction himself - given the time period, or his aversion to that kind of self reflection, or the apparent finality of his relationship with Francis, or maybe all of the above - but it's fun to think about now, especially myself being someone who now IDs as a lesbian after 10 years of IDing as bi.

thank you for your service 🫡

hello! love your username btw. and thank you, glad to have you in the quidfree extended tartt community.

i like the 'tartt's richard or yours' distinction- i would say i do make an effort so that (to me at least) my richard is a plausible iteration of hers, i.e. i do not like to write so that the characters are 'my' versions unless i think the source material is bad (or at least bad in that specific way). but some of my less serious tsh material veers further into the 'my' side of the scale, for sure. anyway all that to say i don't have separate sets of thoughts on 'both' richards, it's more that there's some stuff i'm 100% on being in canon and some stuff i know i extrapolated into the extended materials my tsh fic constitute.

all that aside, i actually do not have strong feelings on whether richard is gay or bisexual. i think both have strong canon grounding and present similar but slightly different psychologies of the character. the obvious thing is that richard is repressing his attraction to men, but whether he's also comphet in his attraction to women is debatable. he's consistently attracted to them and sleeps with/dates them across all of canon, but on the other hand the key female love interests for him are 1) judy, whose interest he doesn't reciprocate 2) mona, who he sleeps with post murder in a fugue state 3) camilla, who he deifies as a feminine ideal and also always lauds the androgynous beauty/looks she shares with her brother of and 4) sophie, who does lend the most credence to him actually being into girls but also is someone he latches onto when his whole group has deserted him and then fails to emotionally connect with despite several years of dating. of course that could be the trauma, the repression, or both! but my point is there's evidence both ways, no pun intended. richard has very distinct ways of thinking about men and women but it's not as simple as one thing- there's his own self-perception/masculinity, his sexism, his homophobia, and his sexuality all playing a part.

you're right that he wouldn't make the distinction himself, though- either way, his canon thought process is very much 'well i'm not one of those' and that's a catch-all. if and when he gains self-awareness it would have to be through a prolonged relationship of some kind, e.g. with francis in sober ii-verse, because one-offs he can excuse and repress. which is why i think once that sort of long-term realisation happened he would think that he had been lying to himself/everyone the whole time beforehand and secretly consider himself a homosexual (regardless of whether this would be accurate).

i think modern day richard would be more likely to call himself bisexual regardless of which option you go with as more likely. you know that quote from obama's biography about reading marx to get with bisexual college girls... that's somehow richard-coded but in the sense that he thinks calling himself 'flexible' or whatever lets him sound liberated but plausibly heteronormative. in any setting francis delights in the corner he paints himself into.

[welivetodream]

How much do you think Richard lied about the story?

Because I think he was lying about a LOT of stuff. I do not trust words that come from this man. He is sus.

Since he is talking about the past, it could all be misunderstandings and blurry memories (he was high half of the time) Or it could be just lies.

My favourite headcanon is that Richard was writing a book about his college life. He is a bit delusional and grandiose so when he went to college, he expected to have this main character vibe going on. But his college life was as normal as any of ours and he was disappointed. So, he tried to live vicariously through a book, which he wrote as an "autobiography" (he literally starts the book with "this is a story of my follies"). Richard is telling us, the reader, "his" story. He is acknowledging it as a "real" story. But that too is a lie. Richard made it all up. All the characters were written by him.

That's why Camilla was portrayed as an angel, she is the heroine, his damsel in distress, love interest. Henry was the mythical Jay Gatsby to Richard's Nick Carraway. Henry was someone he could obsess over and idolise. Francis is the gay one, he is another 'kind of' love interest, he is always making passes at Richard, he is snarky and a bit grumpy, that's his entire character. Charles is the mean villain, he is abusing Camilla and committing incest, his existence makes all of them appear better than they are. Bunny was homophobic to a degree that didn't make any sense, he was in a fucking Greek class and was friends with all these people with major gay vibes, what did he expect? If Bunny was sympathetic, we wouldn't have accepted the murder so quickly. And Julian is Julian, he is so out of reach and ethereal; depicted as a type of teacher we would love to have, the story's John Keating.

Now when we come to the ending. The only one who gets to live a "normal" life and has any success (at least graduating college) was Richard. Yeah, Camilla turned him down and all but, he doesn't seem that mad about it (he admitted he loved Henry too, which gives major Nick Carraway vibes) He doesn't really face any consequences of what they all did (he is an accomplice to murder after all)

Camilla is traumatised, she is still in love with Henry and he fucking died in front of her. Her relationship with Charles is ruined and that would be traumatising as well.

Francis is forced to stay in the closet with no choice in the person he dates. And he almost dies of a suicide because of that. He is done with life.

Charles tried rehab but then ran away with a woman in her 30s that was married. His life is a complete mess and he has no contact with his old friends or sister.

Henry commited suicide and Bunny was murdered by his own friends.

Out of all these situations, Richard was the lucky one. He still has ties to Camilla and Francis and they still are kind of friends. He graduated and got a job. He dates one of the most popular girls at college and moves in with her for some time. He is doing something in his life.

In the end, Richard got the best of all of them. Maybe because that's just his real life. He doesn't have a crazy backstory. He doesn't have a huge personality. He doesn't have many connections to these characters. He gets the best ending. He is always the outsider. He is the narrator. He is a liar. He is a storyteller.

It's Richard's world, we are all just living in it.

(I know this theory is not at all true. Donna Tartt was not going for it to be like this. But I find the idea of Richard faking the entire book for his own entertainment and delusion, fascinating. And it's even plausible because of his personality)

Just imagine if TSH happened in the present day. The afterward would be just Richard going to his desk job with four hours of sleep and revealing he was writing an OC self-insert fanfiction about a modern Greek tragedy in AO3.

(okay, this turned out so funny. I get Richard, I want to escape from my boring life with writing too)

[insidemyrottenbrain]

Henry wants to move away from the city and surprises you with a country house …

Surprise get away - TSH

Henry Marchbanks Winter x GN!Reader

Precious anonymous, I hope you enjoy Henry's modest get away plan.

Henry disappears for weeks, only for him to come back with a surprise.

Henry as a lover is not particularly affectionate. He doesn’t suffocate me with besotted compliments and gentle touches. The space he allows me is welcomed with much gratitude, however, this doesn’t mean I do not enjoy the occasional in-bed morning kisses under Apollon’s playful, morning rays, the hours spent in the comforting silence of each other’s presence, or the way his hand finds its way around my waist or on my thigh so stealthily that I only notice it when the familiar warmth seeps through my clothes and into my skin as if it is the very fuel my body runs on.

Lately, he’s been somewhat more distant than usual. I have not talked or heard from him outside our almost everyday classes with Julian for weeks. The other day I even dropped by his apartment only to be greeted by scattered advertisements, cut-out mail, papers with phone numbers, and announcements ripped out of newspapers all revolving around extravagant countryside houses with imposing, marble columns, vast fairytale-like green gardens, and enough rooms to fit a family of ten. I couldn’t figure out why Henry was looking into houses, but something must have happened otherwise he wouldn’t want to go so far away from Hampden, from Julian, from me.

I am wasting my time worrying about him when I should be writing my assignment. He is more than capable of taking care of himself and I trust that if the situation calls for it he will ask for my help. Just as I pick up my fountain pen to finally start the long-overdue translation of the first few books from the Aeneid I hear the sound of the key turning in my door’s lock. The only one with a copy of my dorm key is Henry. 

‘Where have you been?’ I inquire just as he graciously walks in as if he hasn’t been absent for the past days.

‘Get dressed.’ He orders with no care about what I’m doing whatsoever.

‘I’m working on my assignment.’ I point out sharply. ‘You cannot demand me to get dressed without telling me what you have planned.’

‘I assure you, you will not be displeased.’

Moments later, I’m sat in the passenger’s seat watching humans, shops, and houses blur into moving, indecipherable colours as Henry drives us out of Vermont towards Demeter’s neverending golden plains and dense forests. 

‘I consider it unfair when you use my curiosity against me.’ I sigh, rolling down the window to vent out the smoke from the cigarette I just lit. 

‘It is a great disadvantage which the comfort of love drags after itself.’ Henry half-smirks at me, his blue eyes behind the glasses abnormally warm.

‘And what may this terrible disadvantage be?’ I hold my cigarette to his lips and he takes a long drag from it before I bring it back to mine.

‘The mortifying ordeal of being known.’ The smoke escapes his lungs with every syllable he pronounces and I find it utterly entrancing.

.

.

.

.

.

Henry’s faint voice swirls in my mind, disturbing the unconscious state in which I am. Even in sleep, I can distinguish his precious voice from any other external sounds. He whispers my name and it hits my mind’s walls echoing until I wake up.

‘We have arrived.’ He announces with a slight smile and helps me step out of the car.

It takes me a moment to realise the massive manor towering over me with its aged stone walls covered in wicked ivy, large, arched windows with intricate tracery that allow glimpses into the stately interiors and prominent towers crowned with finials and spires piercing the limitless sky. Two watchful statues stand by the grand wooden doors as if anticipating our arrival. Suddenly, it all clicks together and I glare at Henry.

‘Is this why you’ve barely spoken to me in weeks?’ He was already retrieving his luggage along with another one he had packed for me using the various pieces of clothing I had left at his apartment throughout our relationship. ‘I can’t believe this..’ I shake my head and cross my arms, staring at the incredible purchase, knowing that it probably cost him a fortune. 

‘Let us enjoy this.’ He comes to stand by my side, suitcases in hand. ‘I have already spoken with Julian. I told him we would not be attending classes for a few weeks due to personal matters. Naturally, he wasn’t very pleased, but there is nothing he can do.’

‘Henry Marchbanks Winter skipping classes? I did not think I would live to see this day.’ It is nice to tease him once in a while.

‘I needed a break from society. Everyone does after a while and this place is perfect for such an occasion.’ For once, he looks relaxed and I decide to do as he wishes for the time being.

‘Why bring me here then? Wouldn’t it be better if you were to be alone here with your studies?’ 

Henry looks at me as if he has not been expecting the question and bursts into genuine laughter. ‘And leave my only piece of sanity in Vermont? That is something I couldn’t even dream of.’ He starts guiding me toward the entrance, his hand once again finding its rightful place on my waist.

[ninainthetardis]

I don't get why faeries have to find their endgame love when they're still teens and are expected to live for thousands years.

Take Oak and Wren, I would have had many fewer problems with them if they had worked through their issues and gotten together after a time jump. Like this, it's just so much that I can't see them as anything else but problematic. Wren has a lot of work to do on herself and trauma to deal with, and she proved in tpt that she's nowhere to find a healthy way to heal from/cope with it just yet. I can't really see her committing to another person, especially one she has hurt so much.

Oak has his struggles as well and needs to figure out who he is now that he is not Elfhame's heir to the throne anymore. He's also so infatuated that he can't see properly what's been done to him. He needs to focus on his powers and abilities and to come to accept himself the way he is first.

And they clearly can't help each other like Jude and Cardan could at their time. Or at least Oak could help Wren, but she can't help him. She has proven it.

So why rush it? Why diminish the awful things Wren/Suren did to Oak? They are literally the only two characters in the story that did not work their issues out.

They needed time to deal with their stuff individually and then with each other. And then an engagement could have made sense to me, though I'd still feel uncomfortable with Suren/Wren's actions and triggered by their whole dynamic.

Their engagement wasn't even political, so there wasn't that excuse to rush it, like Jurdan's wedding.

Or at least, if the parts from the ending of TSH to around the first half of TPT were justified with Suren not being in control of her own body/mind, like if Mellith was taking over, it would have been very different, but that wasn't the case.

[thejudeduarte]

Hello I noticed your retweet and I'm bored too!

So i wanna ask about the stolen heir.

I'm halfway through, but I took a break for a while, I loved suren and Oak, but I really feel like I miss jude and cardan..so I was wondering, are there any moments between them both in this book and the next? Until now, they're just mentioned but haven't made an appearance . I just wanna know so i don't get my hopes up!

Thanks for the ask!! :)

They're mentioned a few times in tsh but don't show up until around half way through tpt (the prisoners throne) which is the next book in the duology!! And trust me, their interactions are SO worth it!!😭😭🫶 So you'll definitely see them and it'll make sense at the end of tsh as to why and stuff. Sidenote: I LOVE the stolen heir so much, how are you finding it??xo

[medstudentblues]

journaling after a looong day. i’m happy tho after duty, even with just an hr of sleep, i went to dinner with friends and it was fun!!! 🤍

duty also went well. i’m In Love with IM! i am in love with connecting theoretical concepts to actual practice! this is why i went to medicine in the first place.

for example, my patient’s case earlier was primary hyperthyroidism. we ruled out grave’s disease and thyroid storm by answering burch-wartofsky point scale. since my patient was uncompliant with methimazole, we lowered the dose because her TSH is low (dose must be increased if the TSH is high) and just imagine the mental gymnastics— the tables that flashes in my brain about primary/secondary hyperthyroidism, the pathophysio, the pharmacology behind giving methimazole, etc— in that short amount of time while the pt is in OPD (writing diagnostics and prescribing treatment included!). wow. just wow. i love IM so much!

[betryl]

I think my absolute favorite thing about TSH is how vague the whole story actually is in the end. I still have so many questions and things I'd like to know, but at the same time not knowing them and being able to speculate about what has or hasn't happened is probably the main reason why I'm still thinking about it.

And it's not even only about the plot! But also about the characters, their actual motivations, their true feelings, their relationships and dynamics, and more. There are so many clues and details here and there to be used to find out the truth, but they're still indefinite enough to allow the reader to come to their own conclusions.

I love seeing everyone's takes. I may not agree with them sometimes, but it's still so COOL to see so many different theories about even the littlest things. I only have to read one single post about something that I hadn't even considered before to start doubting all I had taken for granted. And that's amazing!!

That's what really made the book for me, and I'm quite sure that I wouldn't have liked it as much as I did if everything was explained. And that's also why Richard is a fantastic narrator and the only one who could've told this story so effectively.

[manikas-whims]

Dunno of anyone has addressed this before but i think one of the main reasons why so many are unable to enjoy The Stolen Heir like they did with TCP, TWK, QON is because you're associating a whole new story with whole new character set to Jude/Cardan.

This isn't Jude/Cardan's story so ofc you won't be seeing them. They're ruling Elfhame just like we all wanted.

This is Oak & Suren's story and TSH is from Suren's pov so even less of Jude/Cardan cause Suren barely knows them.

If we put aside our adoration for Jude/Cardan for a moment, ans do look at the plot with a fresh perspective..then the book is amazing. To me atleast.

Its not about the council politics. Its about a quest and yes, the answer to the treasure is very easy to guess. I think Holly Black did that intentionally to let readers figure it out. Because the significant part of the end of this quest is not about readers feeling right for knowing all along. The ending is about Suren realising what she is and her struggle with her identity and fear of being hated and abandoned for it. Its not so much about her taking back her agency from her parents or turning the tables by holding Oak captive, as it is about her acting the part she believes herself to be..an evil monster who only wished to be truly human but is not..

I think the 2nd and final book will do a good job with showing us how Suren deals with all these issues and come to terms with who she is and to love herself for it as well as allow Oak to love her too.

BONUS: Its from Oak's pov so we'll definitely see more of Jude/Cardan there..

just tired of all the negative reviews i see for this book so call this a rant

[iamabigbox]

Okay my much more coherent rambles of TSH and The Great Gatsby

So, Richard compares himself to Gatsby in the book, the two do have similarities with imitating a certain class/aesthetic and making up lies about their history but I wouldn’t say that Richard has a longing to get super above his class like Gatsby does. I mean sure everybody wishes they could be richer but Richards whole thing was fitting into the aesthetic of the greek class which happened to be expensive. The biggest difference between the two is that, yes, Gatsby romanticises a lot of the upper class life and Daisy but he’s also just flat out DELUSIONAL, which I would say Richard is not

This is why I would say Richard is much more similar to Nick who just goes along with everything Gatsby says and romanticises everything he does, similarly to Richard and the Greek class. If u wanna go with the whole Nick is in love with Gatsby theory then it also makes sense with Gatsby being Henry in this case (which I will get into later)

Another way in which Richard = Nick is how they treat Camilla and Daisy, now I wouldn’t say Nick romanticises Daisy all the much but due to his unreliable narration (another reason why he’s similar to Richard) we don’t actually know how Daisy feels about the situation, again similar to Richard and Camilla. What really makes me see the Richard and Nick, Camilla and Daisy comparison is them both kind of having this idk spite/apathy towards the latter, with Nick referring to Daisy as a “grotesque rose” and the whole “protecting your own interests” scene with Richard and Camilla.

Next we have Henry and Gatsby, with them both being romanised by the narrator and both being DELUSIONAL, with Gatsby being Gatsby and Henry thinking he could take over the college, I do think calling Henry delusional is a bit extreme but I’m gonna go with it for the sake of this comparison. I also find Henry sort of similar to Jordan but that’s mostly due to them both having more distant and independent personalities (this may be the winterpapen shipper deep within me coming out though)

Another person I would compare to Jordan is Francis, but that’s mostly due to her relationship with Nick and the “angry and half in love with her I walked away line” because that’s so Francis and Richard coded to me

That rlly just leaves Charles and Tom but I don’t rlly want to make that comparison since I like to keep the whole incest thing at the very back of my mind at all times. All I’ll say is that the Gatsby and Tom fight lowkey gives the same vibes as the Henry and Richard fight

If your gonna take anything from this it should be that Nick and Richard are just the same person