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silverloreley · 2 years

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Wait a second...

So this is page 37 from “Auradon’s book of secrets“ (thanks @fortitudinem for the scans) and, uh, this is the only info I came across about the actual origins of Auradon so far (the earlier part of the book has something too, but this is very specific so it caught my attention).

We could consider the webseries “Villains’ Lair“ the prequel for Descendants, or at least a plausible recostruction of the events. It’s a story in which the Villains, after mysteriously escaping from death’s clutches/ are revived, decided to tamper with time, perhaps managing (the webseries is ongoing) but (will be) ultimately defeated by the Princess’ Academy girls + their princes, and it could make a lot of sense as Descendants’ prequel.

Okok, I’ll elaborate.

If you talk about a rebellion, it means a group not in power going against the ones in power. This means, at a certain point, Maleficent was the actual leader of the world (page 45 talks about “Maleficent’s takeover”!!!), along with the other Villains who had formed an alliance (like in Villains’ Lair, but with Maleficent as the official lead).

This means the Heroes fought after training with the system later developed as the game of Tourney. Which could have happened in “Princess Academy” (the parallel yet shorter webseries to V’L, perhaps the origin of Auradon Prep?).

This means, by the time this rebellion happened, all the stories had been completed (or rewritten according to the will of the Villains, like in “Cinderella: A Twist in Time” but for all of them). (this also would give time for all the minors in the stories to become adults and get married at an appropriate age, but that’s another matter).

This also means a big scale fight happened between Heroes and Villains. This is no small thing because it would mean there was no such thing as Beast deciding to move war and annex all his neighbours, it could have more easily been that they all fought together, formed a large alliance and once defeated the enemy someone (BatB) came up with the idea of uniting their lands for a better development and defense.

The Isle was corollary: since the dead Villains came back from death once, they could do it again, so they needed to be restrained in a more effective way. The fact they may end up having children was not accounted for, the only thing the Barrier did was to prevent the Villains from 1)using magic, 2)escaping, 3)dying and be revived outside therefore foiling points 1 and 2.

Now, I already thought this last bit before (although my best guess so far was that they were trying to prevent necromancy and similar things) and I stand it makes sense. It doesn’t explain the large population of the Isle, though, not in full, unless we add a few more bits.

In folklore, fairies think by absolutes. Black or white, this or that, good and bad, they just have their own moral code and rules and never change their minds. We know Fairy Godmother was the main (if not the only) maker of the Barrier and I think the moving of the Villains to the Isle could have not been done by normal means. Magic was used, a huge spell to teleport all Villains from every corner of Auradon to the Isle. Except it worked too extensively and took mean-spirited people (Cinderella’s step-family), more or less innocent minions (the goblins, trolls, people under Jafar’s paybook...), major and minor criminals, even animals! (Scar, Shere Khan, Iago,...) etc. aka every being a fairy would deem “not good“, and this despite the eventual redemption some of them underwent (Iago and Anastasia in the sequels, LeFou in the live action,...).

What am I saying? That maybe the metas depicting Beast and Belle as the evil overlords who conquered it all are a tad off from canon, especially if the same stories don’t take into account Fairy Godmother’s involvement.

Now, that’s not to say Auradon isn’t under a very strict monarchic system, it is (please don’t use “fascism” to define it, the two things are different) Auradon is an absolute monarchy that uses propaganda like any other ruling system in history (the basis of fascism and nazism are different and I wish people would start to learn proper terminology before using it. “colonialism” is also wrong in this context for the reason mentioned above) and it’s perfectly fine to give this kind of reading to the main plot in fanfics, exploring the themes and expand ideas is one of my favourite things about fanfictions, just as long as you realize this diverges from canon. Canon which has fantasy racism and children neglect and other dark themes, I’d like to add.

One more thing about the Barrier. I think the spell has one more use other than keeping the Villains alive and powerless: a form of brainwashing, aimed at mellowing the worst traits of the Villains, otherwise it would be hard to explain how clever and smooth Jafar became blumbering and loud, how elegant and controlled Maleficent turned jumpy and excitable or how the smart and poised Evil Queen is a botox-dead-brain. And so forth. I know the Doylist explanation is that Descendants is aimed at kids, but that’s my Watsonian explanation to the downgrade of Villains.

#disney descendants #analysis #auradon lore

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lumiereandcogsworth · 5 months

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tagged by @thavron thank you my dear :)

1. are you named after anyone? yes! my great-grandma lydia. we share a birthday AND she died on her birthday exactly one year before i was born. a very fun and slightly spooky anecdote

2. when was the last time you cried? last night, i got a very angsty fic idea and as usual i somehow manage to put myself into the character’s shoes so easily and i was crying a character’s tears. last time i cried my own tears was the night before i think, or something like that. idk, i cry a lot lmao.

3. do you have kids? no but my build-a-bear stitch IS my son

4. what sports do you play / have you played? i played basketball from ages 6-17 and it was basically my entire personality. haven’t done any sports since then and probably won’t, though i’m trying to find some kind of exercise that could actually be fun :/ i loved rock climbing in college but there’s no wall near where i live. but anyway i’ll figure it out

5. do you use sarcasm? noOooOoo i would Neverrrrrrrr

6. what’s the first thing you notice about people? i genuinely have no idea, i don’t really look at people. maybe their voice/the way they speak? or their shoes cuz that’s where i be looking lmao

7. what’s your eye color? i don’t knoowww. blue green grey. depends on what i’m wearing, sometimes the blue really pops. but sometimes it doesn’t look like my eyes are blue at all so. i think they’re mostly grey.

8. scary movies or happy endings? once again this question makes no sense because a lot of scary movies (most?? nearly all????) HAVE happy endings. but anyway to quote the fairy fauna from sleeping beauty, i just LOVE happy endings :”)

9. any talents? well i like to think i’m an alright writer! i actually Know i’m a good writer at least when it comes to school essays because that was always where i got the most praise. but i think my fics are pretty good too!! writing’s just always come naturally to me. other than that idk, i’m pretty good at memorizing stuff when i want to.

10. where were you born? pacific northwest babey!!!! (northwestern united states)

11. what are your hobbies? writing and day dreaming are like, my two staples. i’m striving to make 2024 the year i start being more crafty though. i have a couple projects brewing and i have a batb 2017 coloring book that i just bought some markers for to start coloring more. in the future i’d like to try crochet and embroidery but i don’t wanna overwhelm myself. one step at a time

12. do you have any pets? no :( i’m just an auntie to a lot of pets. the one i see most often is my brother’s shiba inu, mishka. he’s my little baby nephew and i wanna eat his face off. but anyway i’d like a cat or two some day! probably whenever i move out of my parents’ house. (which i’m not in a big rush to do, i like it here :3)

13. how tall are you? somewhere between 5’5 and 5’6. but with shoes definitely 5’6

14. favorite subject in school? elementary to high school it was probably english/creative writing, since i’ve always had a knack for it. in college it was my two majors, comparative ethnic studies and history. my favorite CES classes were “race and racism in pop culture” and “blackness in film.” my favorite history classes were “history of the late middle ages” (shout out to my girl joan of arc!) and “history of ancient greece” which was my absolute favorite course in all four years of university. it was actually one i happened to take in the quarantine year (my junior year of college) but it still slapped even despite being over zoom. that professor was awesome and i was so obsessed with the material, i kept most of the books and even asked him for more recommendations. (haven’t read them all yet, but i like seeing them on my bookshelf lol)

15. dream job? whatever ends up supporting my desires in life, and brings me at least some semblance of joy. the job i have right now is actually really awesome. it has a couple downsides but overall i’m extremely happy with my job and it feels great :)

tagging: @gayassbenaffleck @freakwiththeknifecollection @gavotteangel @roberrtphilip @ariiiloves @autumnrose11 @ginnyweatherby @enchanted-keys @romeoandjulietyouwish @japhan2024 @splendiferous-bitch + anyone else can say i tagged them :))

#tagged

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emma-what-son · 1 year

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For me, comparing Watson to Zendaya, Ortega and Swift isn't just about success, but also work-ethic/dedication to their job.

Ortega learned to play the cello and to fence for Wednesday. Everyone says Zendaya did a great job showing the down side of being on drugs in Euphoria. And Swift obviously does put in effort in her music/work. Both Zendaya and Swift seem to have a good "relationship" with their fans, which is important as well. (Ortega's success is to recent to say, imo.)

And Watson? Can't even be bothered to wear a corset (BatB) or a wig (hp) or do cast interviews (Little Women).

Agreed. Remember when Regression took place in Minnesota and she didn't do a Minnesota accent because "because it could have happened anywhere in the United States, and probably anywhere in the world."

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luna-ainsworth · 2 years

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Part 2 of my The Devil Judge intro analysis. Warning: ⚠️ long post ⚠️

My English isn't great, but I'll try to explain this as comprehensible as possible.

PART 1 | [PART 2]

5️⃣ "There's no justice in real life. There's only a game, a dreadful, unjust game" - Kang Yohan.

Now from the previous parts of the intro we know that The Devil Judge is set in a dystopia SK where everything was in chaos and the government wasn't being reliable. Yohan was the main character so what role did he play in the story? Inside the two statues of Lady Justice is the image of Yohan standing in his courtroom with "showman-mode ON" and playing his "game", the next shot is the same statues but with the words NO JUSTICE inside. This is basically what he believed and did in the drama. He realized that the rotten judiciary wouldn't give people the justice they deserved so he turned his live court into a game that he had made sure to win even before it began, and justice, as well as revenge, were the prize for the winner.

6️⃣ This last part is so important to me it makes me go feral every single time. This is where my Gahan-shipper heart takes control so if you're not into that, you can stop reading here.

Someone on Twitter pointed out that the composition here is very similar to that of Beauty and the Beast live action poster.

While it's an interesting coincidence since writer Moon also said BATB was one of the works he took inspiration from, the composition itself carries a meaning which both BATB and TDJ used: to emphasize that one important person *cough* love interest *cough* in the characters' heart. The two characters facing opposite directions hints the differences between them, as well as the "monster vs human" narrative. Well, don't people usually say "opposite attracts"? In the drama we see Yohan and Gaon clash due to opposite worldviews, they defy each other's beliefs and by doing so they found what they've been missing from each other. We know Gaon is a symbolism for light. He's not only the light of a dark dystopian world but also the light in Yohan's heart that shines through Yohan's cold darkness and ignites the fire in his soul (cue the fire surrounding Gaon). Fire has long been widely recognized as a symbol of love. It's the passionate kind that can burn. It left a scar on Yohan's left hand and made him be willing to die for Gaon. And for Gaon, although not shown here, we know Yohan gave Gaon the freedom to embrace his darkness, to make choices. For these reasons, they keep gravitating towards each other, especially Yohan, hinted here by showing a Yohan in blue, appears from within the Yohan in red and he's turning his head around. If you notice, the fire doesn't start until blue Yohan appears. Blue Yohan is that more peaceful side of him which he has forgotten, now reappears and that part of him long to be with Gaon.

Now if you look to the left corner, you'll notice two cars running side by side with each other and again, this is from the car chase scene in ep2.

It's just them on the road, their light unites and light up the dark road in front of them. It's interesting how they chose this particular scene instead of anything else. One can argue that it's for the sake of composition, but at this point we've gone through most of the intro and come to realize that "everything is there for a reason", therefore the parallel cars aren't an exception. In the previous part of this analysis, I mentioned how this car chase scene could be seen as a symbolism for Yohan and Gaon's relationship dynamic. This scene in context is basically Yohan "the hunter" chasing his "prey". However, the reason why Yohan "chases" Gaon is because he wants Gaon to be by his side. And so Gaon does. Together they fight the corrupted world, chase away the darkness around them. But one thing about this is that, after they pass, everything behind them is dark again. This reminds me of what Gaon realizes at the end of ep16: "It's all the same, nothing changed." Writer Moon said "the world doesn't change so easily". The symbolism is amazing, it's something you won't easily catch without watching the entire drama.

Another thing I think this scene symbolizes is Gaon is Yohan's equal. I know this topic is somewhat debatable but personally I think their power dynamic gradually becomes more balanced as the drama progresses and it reaches an equilibrium in ep12 when Yohan says he doesn't care if humanity falls as long as he has Gaon and Elijah. (Other POVs on this topic are much welcomed, I'd love to read them.)

Last scene of the intro, my ultimate favorite (because it looks so dope with the reverberated ending notes of He Is The Abyss 🔥). The bright lines and the cars (which I recognize are from the beginning on ep1 where Yohan is driving to the Foundation's gala, the night the story begins) guide your focus to Yohan standing in the middle and make the layout look less empty. The fire surrounding Yohan (the flame on his back is shaped like devil wings to me), keeps on burning, and inside him is a silhouette of Gaon walking down the court hall (fyi, it's a scene from this trailer) and being him there a bright light in yellow. The usual blue that pairs with Gaon's yellow has been replaced with the purple that was previously used in Gyu-young's title card. As I said in my previous analysis, purple is a color of sensitivity and mental stability. Nevertheless, purple can represent arrogance, immaturity and intuition. Gaon becomes Yohan's support system, the light Yohan has found, the one he can be comfortable with. How about Gaon's brash and naive side? I think that's a fact everyone knows already.

One thing is, while I look at this last gif, another character comes to my mind: Kang Isaac. Writer Moon said in his interview that similar to how Soohyun was to Gaon, Isaac was Yohan's moral anchor and support system. Isaac helped him hold on to his life, even after death. After the church fire, Yohan has been tormented by Isaac's unfair death, and what happened to his family in that fire fueled his 10-year plan to wipe out the evil caucus - the very reason he became the "Devil Judge".

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

That's it for my analysis, I hope this makes sense to you 😅. Thank you for reading!

#i'm pretty sure there are points which I failed to make but #until next time... if any #the devil judge #the devil judge meta #the devil judge intro #gahan #lawful husbands #yohan x gaon #kang yohan #kim gaon #ji sung #park jinyoung #kdrama

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youreverycolor · 4 years

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An Unlikely Love: Unspoken (Rafael Barba x Anna Stein)

AN: Prompt #200 from 200 Prompts from @drink-it-write-it (“He loves you, you know? He’s just afraid of admitting it.”)

Tagging: @thatesqcrush @madpanda75 @misssirenlove @danahart1 @nikkijmorgan @ele-esposito @dianilaws @sunnyfortomorrow @mommakat32 @lucifersadvisor @gibbs274 @oliviamariathegirl @evee87 @tropes-and-tales @garturbo @delia26 @neely1177 @jennisdirtyimagines @lostintech0011001 @letty-o @lucifersadvisor

Song: “Tale As Old As Time” from the BatB soundtrack (I’m giving you the one from the new movie but pick your poison).

~*~*~*~

“Beauty and the Beast.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Nope,” Anna said. “I wanted to be Belle, but only because she got to live in a castle with an enormous library.”

Rafael laughed quietly at her latest confession. Although the sex was mind-blowing, his favorite part of staying the night with her was the afterglow. She would curl up next to him, tucked under his arm, head on his chest, and they would play twenty questions. After six months from their first dinner, he thought he knew everything about her, from her favorite color (cerulean) to her most precious childhood toy (a Jiminy Cricket doll from her aunt in California). But he never seemed to be able to learn everything, and he was perfectly happy with that. He didn’t want to stop exploring her. For now, he would settle for his hand exploring the curve of her back.

For Anna, the game was more about opening him up. Rafael Barba was an enigma; even his best friend, Olivia, didn’t know much about his life before the DA’s office. From the day she’d asked for his help getting into law school, Anna wanted to know more about him. At first, it was just professional—how he had gotten from the Bronx to Harvard, what made him want to be a lawyer, how he’d gotten into the DA’s office—but then, slowly, she started to see the man behind the Armani, and the more she saw, the more she wanted to see. It just so happened that he was at his most open after they made love. Among the things she had learned so far: his favorite color was green. His birthday was October 17. He was an only child, but he always wanted a sister. His eyes were the same as his father’s, which she knew didn’t please him. And—so far, her favorite thing—he loved HGTV. That was a secret he never shared with anyone before. She felt honored that he shared it with her. But something was missing, and she couldn’t tell what.

“If you could live anywhere in the world, besides the United States, where would you live?” she asked.

“Not Cuba,” he replied. She laughed. “I think I’d like to live in England. But not London. The countryside. Somewhere quiet.”

She ran her hands lazily over his chest, through the smattering of hair in the middle. Her fingers played over his Crucifix. “I could imagine that. Did I ever mention that I went to England when I was in college?”

He looked down at the top of her head. “No. Would you go back?”

She turned her head upward and laid her chin on his chest. “I’d go anywhere with you.”

His chest tightened. Occasionally, Anna would say things like that, and he never knew what to say back. He cared for her deeply. The word “love” always played at the tip of his tongue. But he didn’t know how to say it. Anna was the only one who could do that to him. So, he hedged. “What’s your favorite breakfast food?”

“Hmm.” She thought for a minute. “Pancakes. Chocolate chip pancakes.”

He sat up. “What do you say we go get some chocolate chip pancakes, then?”

“It’s almost midnight, Rafael,” she laughed.

“So?” He kissed her on the forehead and grabbed her hand. “Live a little.” That was another thing only being with her could do: make him decide to get up after making love, just to get breakfast at midnight.

***

“Come on, Barba, you know we have probable cause to search his apartment,” Detective Sonny Carisi said. “We just need the warrant.”

Rafael rubbed the back of his aching neck. “There is no way I can get you a warrant based on what you’ve got now, which boils down to nothing more than the suspect’s prints in the victim’s house, and, considering he was delivering the Chinese food she’d ordered, it’s not unreasonable for those prints to be there. I need more,” he replied, frustrated that the newly-licensed attorney didn’t seem to recall anything from first year criminal law.

Detective Amanda Rollins came back from the break room, carrying a fresh cup of coffee for herself and also for him. He was grateful; pancakes at midnight with Anna had been a great idea in theory, but he was paying for the sleep deficit today. “What if we get DNA from the house? Something more than prints?” she asked.

“If you can find evidence that he was there longer than your typical pizza delivery guy, then I can probably work with that,” he replied. “But until then, keep digging.”

As he turned to leave, a familiar, heart-shaped face was striding into the squad room toward him. “Hey, guys,” Anna said, acknowledging the rest of the squad first.

“Anna!” Amanda exclaimed. “It’s so good to see you!”

“Hi, Detective Rollins,” Anna replied. “Long time.”

“Please, it’s Amanda. You look fantastic! How’ve you been holding up?”

“I’m good,” Anna said. “I’m actually applying to law school—fall semester, Fordham Law.”

“Oh, hey,” Carisi chimed in. “My alma mater. You need any advice, just—”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Anna said. “I’ve got all the advice I need.” She glanced over at Rafael, whose face had turned a subtle shade of pink.

Olivia smiled and laid a hand on Anna’s shoulder. “Glad you took my advice.”

Rafael cleared his throat. “I, uh, have to get back to the office now. Ms. Stein,” he said, barely acknowledging her, “I’ll see you at our next meeting?”

Anna whipped around. “I—oh. Yeah, next week. Sure.” She was taken aback, but, as Rafael had once said, she had a good poker face. After he left, there was a slightly awkward silence.

“So, Anna, what are you doing here?” Amanda asked. “Did something happen?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that,” Anna said, suddenly caught off guard. The truth was that Rafael’s office had told her he was over here, and she wanted to catch him to see if he wanted to get lunch. But she hadn’t expected him to act so coldly toward her. “I just—uh—Olivia, I wanted to see if you were free for a second. I have a question for you about…”

“The phone call we had?” Olivia offered, rescuing Anna from the situation. “Sure, let’s step into my office.”

Anna had never been as grateful for Olivia Benson as she was at that moment. They had kept in touch over the last year and a half, having coffee or lunch every so often and exchanging emails frequently. It wasn’t Olivia’s practice to develop friendships with victims, but occasionally, one reached her more than others. Anna was one of them; her resilience and determination were inspiring.

Once they were safely in the confines of the office, Olivia gestured for Anna to have a seat on the couch. She brought some tea over and sat down next to Anna.

“Thank you,” Anna said. “I was fumbling out there.”

“Do you mean with the excuse or with Rafael?” Olivia asked, a small smile on her face.

That caught Anna off-guard as much as Rafael’s attitude had. “I—what?”

Olivia cocked her head in the way she did when she already knew the answer to her own question. “I admit, I wasn’t expecting it when I sent you to see him. But you aren’t the victim you were when we met. You’re a survivor, but I think you’re ready for something more than just survival.”

“But the way he just acted out there,” Anna said, gesturing toward the squad room. “You’d never be able to tell…”

“Correction: they wouldn’t be able to tell. Rafael is my closest friend.”

Anna looked at her hands. “I didn’t mean to feel the way I do,” she said sadly. “I really did go to him because I wanted advice. And he was nothing but professional, until…”

“Until you told him off,” Olivia replied, the smile on her face spreading wider.

Anna was astonished. “He told you about that?”

“Like I said, he’s my closest friend. He tried to play it off like he was just disappointed that he couldn’t have helped more. But he has a tell.”

“Oh yeah?” Anna asked, intrigued. “What’s that?”

Olivia shrugged. “He wouldn’t look me in the eye when he said it. Rafael is nothing if not direct and confident. When he doesn’t look me in the eye, I can tell he’s holding something back.”

Anna sighed. “I can feel it.”

“Feel what?”

“I can feel that he’s holding back from me. Sometimes…sometimes, I’ll say something, and he won’t respond. He’ll just move on. I know about him, but I want to know him.”

Olivia looked Anna straight in the eyes then. “He loves you, you know? He’s just afraid of admitting it.”

Anna chuckled. “Then why did he just act like that?”

“Because he’s afraid that if he doesn’t, he’ll have to admit it to himself, and to everyone else. And that means that if it doesn’t work, he’ll have to admit he failed. That said…”

“What?”

Olivia sighed. “That said, if you want him to admit it, you’re going to have to do what you did before.”

Anna knew what Olivia meant, but she realized she was also afraid of admitting it. If she couldn’t, how could she expect Rafael to? “I get it,” she said.

Olivia smiled. “After everything you’ve gone through, you deserve to be happy. If he makes you happy, then pursue it. And if he doesn’t return those feelings, then, well…at least you’ll know. But take it from me,” she added, “don’t let the possibility of getting hurt keep you from pursuing happiness. If I had done that, I wouldn’t have my son.”

“Thank you, Olivia. For everything. Especially for sending me to him six months ago.”

Olivia stood up to let Anna out of the office. “Of course. My only other option was Carisi, and he’s a good attorney, but…”

“But he’s no Rafael Barba,” Anna finished.

***

Anna had called Rafael’s office to see what his schedule was for the rest of the day. She found out that he had a closing argument that afternoon, so she decided to sneak into the courtroom to observe. It had been a while since she’d watched him in his element, and she wanted to be reminded of the reason she’d fallen for him in the first place. When she entered, he was already close to the end of his summation, so she just stood in the back, close to the door.

Rafael leaned on the jury box. “The defendant in this case didn’t just ask Ms. Thornhill to dinner multiple times. He didn’t just send her flowers. He didn’t just write her love letters. He did all of these things multiple times, despite being told to stop. And when his advances were rejected multiple times, he showed up at her door. When she asked him to leave, he refused. When she threatened to call the police, he got angry. And then he put his hands around her throat and squeezed until there was no breath left in her to reject him again.

“You might be inclined to think, ‘She could have just given him a chance. What would it have hurt?’ But ask yourself this: do we want to live in a society where we tell women that they are required to give their time and energy and—dare I say—affection to someone, just to avoid being killed? And if we do tell them that, how many dates is enough? How many must she give a man before she has satisfied the requirements? Do we really want to go down that road?

“The Declaration of Independence memorializes the rights of our people to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In 1890, Justice Louis Brandeis determined that the right to life included the right to be let alone. That is all Amy Thornhill wanted; to be let alone. The defendant didn’t respect her right to life, but you can, by putting the defendant in prison. Thank you.”

As Rafael walked back to his table, he saw a flash of yellow in the back of the courtroom and knew instinctively that it was Anna. Her canary-colored coat was not exactly subtle. He felt a tightness in his chest, certain she was upset with him for how he had acted that morning. It wasn’t intentional. He wasn’t embarrassed by her. But despite the passage of time, he still did not quite believe that she was going to be around for the long-term. When she began school, she would meet all sorts of younger, more interesting men who had far more time to give her. It wasn’t an easy truth to accept, but he felt he had no other option.

After the defense’s mediocre closing, the judge adjourned for the day. Defense counsel approached him to ask to discuss a plea; apparently his client had become uneasy after Rafael’s closing argument and wanted to see if there was a deal to be made. Rafael was willing to hear him out. It was always satisfying to get a jury verdict, but juries were unpredictable. Besides, with plea deals, the defendant was admitting guilt rather than maintaining his innocence despite the opinion of twelve people in a box.

The courtroom emptied out until it was just him, Anna, and silence. She approached the front of the room and passed by the bar separating the spectators from the attorneys. “Excuse me,” he said, trying to break the tension, “but I believe only licensed attorneys are allowed up here.”

“Call me an intern.”

At least she’s willing to joke with me, he thought. “What are you doing here?”

She shrugged. “I hadn’t seen you close in a while. Just because we’re dating doesn’t mean I don’t still want to learn from you.”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “So did you learn anything?”

“Can we sit?” she asked, ignoring his question.

He nodded and gestured to one of the seats just behind the bar. They sat together, both looking at their hands. It occurred to her that she had no idea how to start this conversation. “Did you want me to come over tonight?” he finally asked. “I could make dinner.”

She shook her head. They had spent almost every night they were together in her apartment. The only time she had been to his place was the first time she had kissed him. It was like he was keeping her out—physically and emotionally. “Maybe I could come to your place instead.”

“I mean…my place is a mess right now. I haven’t been home more than a couple hours a night this week.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Rafael, what are we doing here?”

He avoided eye contact. “What do you mean?”

“I mean we’ve been dating for two months, and we got to know each other for four months before that. Is this going somewhere, or—”

“It hasn’t been that long. What do you want, exactly?”

“I want…” She trailed off, trying to think of how to say it. Then, it dawned on her. “I want the guy I just watched in this courtroom.”

“What does that even mean?”

“When you’re in court? You’re honest. You’re confident. You’re real. I want that guy, because I think that guy is who you are. I see glimpses of him, but only after we’ve made love, and even then, it’s just what I ask about. I want to know what’s in here”—she put a hand to his chest—“because I’ve given you what’s in mine.”

He lifted his eyes, a veritable jungle of emotion, to meet hers. “I didn’t mean to act the way I did today. The problem is, I know what I’m doing in the squad room. I know what I’m doing in this room,” he said, looking around. “I know how to be. I know what to say. I come prepared. But I wasn’t prepared for—for you.”

She felt tears welling in the back of her eyes but held it together. “I wasn’t prepared for you either, Rafael. But here we are anyway. I told you months ago, the stuff we expect least is the stuff that changes us the most.”

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Then he said, “You don’t know what you’re saying. I’m—you’ll realize—it’s too soon—”

Her eyebrows drew together. “Don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m saying, Rafael Barba. You asked if I learned anything today. Well, I did. I learned that there are no rules for how love works. If there were, I wouldn’t want to follow them anyway.”

He stared at her, hard, searching, eyes darting back and forth across her face. Once again, he couldn’t pull the words together. Only Anna, he thought. And then he thought it again. Only Anna. The only words he could think. Only Anna.

“Why me?” he finally asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Her expression softened at his whisper, and she realized that he might be the guy giving the closing argument in court, but he was also this: unable to comprehend that he was worthy of love.

She scooted closer to him and took his face in her hands. “Because even if I had a castle with a library, it wouldn’t mean anything if I didn’t have you in it with me. I love you, Rafael.”

And from somewhere deep inside himself, buried under stacks of legal briefs and former girlfriends and glasses of scotch that drowned the pain, a smile washed over his face. Maybe, he realized, he didn’t have to have the right words. Maybe he just had to spill them from his heart before he could catch them.

“I’d go anywhere with you,” he finally said. “I love you, Anna.”

#rafael barba #rafael barba fanfiction #rafael barba fan fiction #rafael barba fanfic #rafael barba fan fic #rafael barba imagine #rafael barba x oc #ada rafael barba #law and order svu #law and order special victims unit #l&o:svu #an unlikely love #my fic #svu fanfiction

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thisgodwontforgiveyou · 4 years

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i guess kojima might also be worse. if only for the BATB unit. but i genuinely dont think he was writing that out of a sense of ableism i think the fact that they had ptsd was genuinely humanizing for him the hang up was that they were women

#i highly doubt he had any real input on the LET ER RIP shit from revengeance #even he has more self awareness than that

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sinister-shark · 2 months

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wips...

#laughing octopus #crying wolf #mgs4 guns of the patriots #mgs4 #batb unit

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outlikeflynn · 4 years

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

X: Accepting

Let’s do this.

@imbicilite

I keep meaning to stop and make a starter - any starter - where I can interact with Whitley’s original take on BatB’s Lefou. (It’s one of those things where you stop and go “Wow, that person takes better care of the character than the IP owners do. Just let them own it.”) But if we lived in such a world, I’d sit on my throne of skulls favs, drinking vanilla coke from a plastic goblet and telling Netflix to “leave this place! And take Disney+ with you…”

…. let them have Lefou, Mouse. They earned it.

@kelseyfitzherbert

I promise this is random, I promise. Kelsey is one of the best reasons I can give for derping around on Tumblr in so much as what started as a “I expect nothing to come of this account” situation ended with a few hectares worth of conversations with her and a handful of others. Yes, I’m serious. No, I’m not using a unit of measurement like ha’s to confuse you. Kelsey is a mun, and her own take on Eugene is something I absolutely admire and respect.

@cxtra

#LetAerithSayFuckVIIR - Shai is one of those people I’m mutual’s with but don’t interact with very much. I guess you could say I’m shy. (Drum + cymbal crash.) Also because it’s hard to work out how the heckity heck to make her brilliant portrayal of Aerith and my Eugene interact, outside of meeting one another at a nail clinic and both bitching about being romantically blocked by their companions. Alsothey’resoflippinggoodyoujustadmirethemfromafar.

@moonstonetm

You can probably add up the times I’ve interacted with Miyeon on one hand… that’s missing fingers. (Like that one guy from Man with the Golden Gun.) But they’d end up on a bias list simply because their portrayal of Cassandra is fucking perfection. Perfection with sprinkles on top. Made of…. pearls. Don’t eat them, just admire them.

@theheartstreasure

Did you know Aqua is better than you? It’s alright - she’s better than me too. (Well, almost better. I’m delightful, you know.) And frankly this portrayal of Aqua is so amazingly well written, conceived and executed that it’s… wow. Even though I hardly interact with them I still read their posts because it’s all so good. Just go and follow them already. I mean, you already follow me, so go see what other beautiful muses look like! Branch out a little!

#Answered #imbicilite #cxtra #moonstonetm #kelseyfitzherbert #theheartstreasure #lokeandevout

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amplifyme · 6 months

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Fannish Year Review - 2023

1. Your main fandom of the year: The X-Files, Beauty and the Beast 1987, A Song of Ice and Fire (specifically SanSan). Can't narrow it down to one.

2. Your favorite film this year: Barbie. America Ferrara's monologue on the rules women are expected to follow made me laugh and then sob. Been there, trying my best to no longer do that.

You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can't ask for money because that's crass. You have to be a boss, but you can't be mean. You have to lead, but you can't squash other people's ideas. You're supposed to love being a mother, but don't talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people.

You have to answer for men's bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you're accused of complaining. You're supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you're supposed to be a part of the sisterhood.

But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful.

You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It's too hard! It's too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.

3. Your favorite book this year: Wayward, Chuck Wendig's sequel to Wanderers. Read these! Chuck is the modern day old-school Stephen King. Not to be missed.

4. Your favorite album or song this year: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit's Weathervanes. Every album these guys put out is better than the last, and they're all superb. Jason Isbell's lyrics are always a revelation. Best songwriter of his generation.

5. Your favorite TV shows this year: The Last of Us. Humanity and inhumanity all wrapped up into a heartbreaking and uplifting package. Best show of the year. Long, Long Time will live with me forever.

6. Your favorite Tumblr community this year: Don't have one. I love all the different 'verses I move within.

7. Your best new fandom discovery of the year: That's hard to say, what with the age of my favorite fandoms. They're all getting on in years, which makes new discoveries rare.

8. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year: None, really. Well, maybe the weirdness of the SanSan fics I've seen posted lately. Hopefully that will soon pass.

9. Your TV/movie boyfriend of the year: Gotta go with Vincent from Beauty and the Beast. He never disappoints. And everything he does and why he does it is the epitome of what it is to be human. And to be alive. 🥰

10. Your TV/movie girlfriend of the year: Weird Barbie. She is me.

11. Your biggest squee moment of the year: Introducing @randomfoggytiger to the BATB universe through Nan Dibble's writing, and soon after that the show itself, and her getting it. Best feeling in the world, to bring a new fan into the fold.

I'm tagging @randomfoggytiger @nobodysuspectsthebutterfly @kateofthecanals @storybycorey @baronessblixen @littlefeatherr @enigmaticxbee @xxsksxxx @lilydalexf @ladytp @daisies-cats-and-spacemen @musingsofaquietmind @settle-down-frohike

No pressure. Only play if you want to.

#fannish year review 2023 #about me

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lumiereandcogsworth · 4 years

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UNO REVERSE. GO OFF, GIRL: deep ask time: tell me about your love for beauty and the beast. when did you get into it. what were your first impressions. when did you Know it was a big fave for you. how many times have you seen it. what’s your favorite thing about it!!! why the heck do you love it!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH OKAY🥺 this is gonna be long i’m just already warning you. I gotta do the under the cut thing cuz really I just can’t unwillingly subject people to such an essay. It’s good but like. anyway, here ya go:

when did you get into it? well [the stage goes dark, a spotlight centers on me, fog forms around my ankles] it all started on a calm spring evening, april 12th, 2017.... okay lmao i’m not gonna do that the whole time. but yeah so i loved the 1991 cartoon version a lot! it had always been one of my fave disney films as a kid, it was one of ones we had on vhs so it was a frequent flyer in on the big boxy dinosaur tv! but then, when me and my parents were touring my future university (i was a junior in high school at the time) we decided to catch a movie! i couldn’t tell you what else was playing that night, but live action batb was the only one that jumped out at me. it’s funny cuz it had been out for nearly a month, i really didn’t make any effort to go see it. i was like “ah, disney makes live actions all the time. who cares.” LITTLE DID I KNOW. but anyway, we went to see it and.... gosh i was enchanted. even that first night, it was like a switch turned on in me that i didn’t even know existed!

what were your first impressions? goodnesssss. it’s interesting because i hadn’t seen batb 1991 in YEARS, but as i watched the live action it was all coming back, i was comparing everything. which is funny too because, the comparison is what turned a lot of people AWAY from batb 2017. now, i could make a whole powerpoint comparing them, but i have no shade!!! if you like 1991 better, go off!!!! just don’t hate on one or the other :/ hate is lame! there’s a lot of love in the world and there’s, my goodness, CERTAINLY enough love for two film versions of a disney princess movie. goodness gracious. anyway, let me hop off my soap box!!!!!

i remember thinking it was DOPE that they made belle the inventor, and that they made maurice an artist. i remember loving the new songs, eSPECIALLY evermore. like wow. i was so happy they gave beast his own song. i remember being so entirely delighted by how extravagant be our guest gets. like lumiere!! you dramatic boy!!!!! it just kept going i was so dazzled and amazed and happy. i can remember how big the smile on my face was during that whole number. i remember how INCREDIBLY swept away i was when there was the whole “what do you say we run away?” scene and the enchanted book and going to paris!!!!!!! still to this day, every time i see the scene where it goes from belle’s hand on the book pages and pans up to the starry sky, i feel that joyful peter pan magic. and that’s what i thought the first time too. i LOVED all the added backstory for belle and beast. absolutely stunning. even at the beginning! they open it right away, really take you to the scene of the crime, in a sense. you see young, spoiled prince adam. his nasty, pompous behavior and all. it made him so much more real. i remember just overall being so thrilled with how much longer it was. it gave belle and beast so much more time to fall in love, it made the culminating end way more genuine. and of course i loved all the little jokes and their quirky little personalities shining through. and i also remember being so punched in the gut by the last petal falling and actually seeing everyone turn into inanimate objects. i was like *sobbing* HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME. but, even today, it makes the turn around of the curse lifting way more relieving and joy-filling. and don’t even get me started on The Kiss. the silent amazement between them. i can’t. surely, you get the point. i was in the car ride back to the hotel just utterly astounded, i couldn’t stop thinking about it. i’d never seen such beauty.

when did you Know it was a big fave for you? pretty soon!! i saw it a second time in theaters and i regret to this day not going a third time. but that’s life. i couldn’t pin point when it became my number one, but i’m sure it was that summer when it went on netflix and i had unlimited access and was deadass watching it most every night. that’s an exaggeration but is it though? anyway yeah it was love at first sight so it didn’t take long to reach my favorite movie spot at all.

how many times have you seen it? UHHHHHH okay so, that was something of an exaggeration, to a degree. i was counting how many times i was watching it but i stopped at ten. i honestly wish i had continued counting. do you know how cool it would be to do my 100th watch?? i’d have a whole party. my dad and i tried to do the vague guesstimate math once, and we figured something around 60 times. i don’t know how accurate that is but it sure feels like i’ve seen it 6,000 times. at this point i watch it every few months but... summer of 2017..... yikes lmao.

what’s your favorite thing about it!!! the film itself? is that an option? the entire. gosh dang,,, thing? lol but idk i think what i love most is adam’s growth, probably. i mean. it is. you can’t write an 18k pre-canon fic highlighting adam’s troubled past and then go on to write who knows how many thousand words of fic of post-canon adam just being so gosh dang happy and happier than he’s ever been without his growth and arc being your favorite part. so :”) yeah. adam deserves the whole entire world and he’s got such a big heart, he just never knew how to use it, never thought he had it in there. he’s been kicked around and torn apart and Literally Turned Into A Monster, but he still grows and learns to love and learns that maybe life can be okay for him. but also i love belle so much too. her courage, her adventurous spirit, her no-thoughts-head-empty griffindor attitude about everything. like who just sees a giant castle and is like “cool, allow me.” it’s in the genes, cuz maurice does it too shdkdksk. anyway i just love belle so much, she’s so smart and clever and sweet and KIND and she has so much compassion in her heart. so much love when she’s literally been seen as a social outcast like probably her whole life. and yet? the kindest. but also so funny and sarcastic and GAH!!! i love my girl!!!!!! and the uniting of my two favorite characters in the whole world.... it just floors me every single time.

why the heck do you love it!!!!! oh my gosh literally how to answer this. i think at this point in the essay it’s pretty clear all my passionate opinions about it LMAO. the way i usually explain it to like, my dad, for example (i’ve brought him up twice now, he’s just always been a good ear for my fangirl interests. let’s me go off about anything haha.) anyway, the way i explain it is that it just checks off all the boxes. and i don’t even know what all the boxes are, but it’s everything. i think i’ve always loved beauty and the beast (even as a kid) because it flips the damsel in distress narrative. SHE has to save HIM. and of course, that’s been done countless times. but idk, for a disney princess, for my little kid mind, belle was special and this story was different. but more specifically to batb 2017, the aesthetic just slays me. the wardrobe is exquisite. the characters are so lovely and funny and wonderful. the songs, the NEW songs!!! the DANCE!!! THE CASTING. i love the cast so much. there’s so much gosh dang heat about emma watson as belle especially and it’s like i will fight all of you in the streets come to my house my address is— okay anyway. i think the casting was absolutely 15/10 phenomenal everyone from josh gad and luke evans to audra mcdonald and stanley tucci and literally everyone in between. DAN STEVENS HAD TO DO EVERYTHING TWICE. ONCE IN THE SUIT THE BIG CGI SUIT AND ONCE MORE WITH HIS FACE TO GET BEAST’S EXPRESSIONS JUST RIGHT. the dedication. i’ll fight everyone. he did a ballroom dance in a big suit on stilts. i just. okay so yeah i love the cast and i love THE LOVE STORY OBVIOUSLY. I REFRAINED TALKING ABOUT ADELLE UP UNTIL NOW BUT HELLO?????????? i guess that’s not true i talked about them a little bit. but obviously their love story drives it and boy do i love taking that drive every single time. it’s about the enemies to friends to lovers my guy. it’s about the saving each other. it’s about the seeing each other. i’m gonna lose my mind. i need to finish this oh my gosh i don’t know how to shut up about this film.

#I SERIOUSLY WROTE AN ESSAY #IM SORRY TO NOBODY BUT WOW #so anyway...... love that live action disney film........#batb 2017

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tubofskippy · 4 years

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what is your favorite roll that josh has been in?

Chloe I love you thank you so much for asking

I’ve decided to answer this question in a lot of different ways because I can’t choose!

Lefou will always hold a special place in my heart because that’s the role that first got my attention, and he’s what brought me into this small harmonious unit of a fandom. I love Lefou so much but I also love all of the art and fics I now associate him with. The batb fandom is literally the warmest fandom I’ve ever seen ❤️

I think my favorite movie (as a whole) that Josh has ever been in is Wish I Was Here. I adore every aspect of that film and it’s actually in my list of top favorite movies of all time. It’s just so artistically unique and it pulls on my heartstrings!

My favorite role for Josh was Sam Friedman in Marshall. To see Josh play a Jewish lawyer (his second career choice, actually!) who was complex, kickass, and a family man, makes me so incredibly happy. I’m so glad he got the chance to play a dramatic lead in such an important historical film. And he crushed it! I wish that film got more recognition, it was really great and I can tell Josh is really proud of it.

But I have to say my all time favorite project Josh has ever been a part of... It has to be The Book of Mormon. I love a good satire. The comedy is genius, the message has so much heart, the characters are tons of fun, the music is literally my favorite and I know every word, the sets and choreography is beautiful, it’s just. Incredible!!!!! My all time favorite musical.

Bonus: A really underrated Josh character that I have a Very soft spot for is one of Josh’s first roles, Ryan Church from the short-lived tv show Back To You. He’s a nerdy bisexual news director and I would marry him in a heartbeat. The show itself is pretty entertaining and has super witty humor, ngl tho - some of the jokes are problematic, which is uncomfortable. But Josh’s character is literally the sweetest, dorkiest boy and I Melt every time he’s on screen.

Wow that was a really long response. I just love Josh’s stuff!!

#inbox #josh gad

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wackygoofball · 5 years

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Wacky’s Brooding Box

Okay.

Here is the thing.

We are only a few hours away from the next episode. And I am barely containing my HYPE right now.

Okay.

That was a lie.

I never contain my HYPE.

But that’s not the point. The point is that I have some fanfic-y thoughts I want to share with you that are likely wishful thinking for what awaits us JB-wise in this and the final episode. I have many more headcanons of that sort, but those are the ones I am now putting in this little box here.

I will lock those headcanons inside the box and below the cut. These are all scenarios I would dig to see, and whatever doesn’t happen... I will try to make fanfiction, I suppose. If I somehow unbreak my fanfiction bones. If at least one of them turns out true... I will get a crystal ball.

1) Brienne somehow learns about Bronn having been tasked with assassinating Jaime and Tyrion. Perhaps Podrick knows from Tyrion that Bronn showed up again, but Tyrion instructed Pod not to tell anyone. But since when can Ser Son keep anything from Ser Mom for long, right? Tables turn when we see Bronn the next time, drinking himself silly at an inn close to Winterfell. Pod comes in and they have conversation - only for Brienne to come up from behind and honor Bronn with the same kind treatment he gave to Tyrion. If she breaks his nose for real, she gets extra cookies. Brienne quickly disarms him and makes it clear that she is not like Tyrion, not like Jaime, she is not here to negotiate or play castle-swap. It’s either that he does as she says or she will end him. Bronn is pissed but impressed, makes jokes about Jaime's cock being magical if someone goes that far to get it back or something to that effect. It turns out that Brienne has a new plan, which involves taking Bronn to King’s Landing with her as he has knowledge of the passageways underneath King’s Landing, as can be assumed after he led Jaime down there to meet up with Tyrion. I would just about die to have a roadtrip moment of Bronn having the giggles about JB finally having done it, though things would likely turn serious soon. I keep having that mental image of Brienne telling him that she pities him for being so alone in the world that he can’t seem to care for anyone or anything beside himself, how his life is devoid of meaning and how he will die alone no matter what castle he comes to own. Since I still have that headcanon that Bronn will choose to die an honorable death in the capacity of actually risking his life for his friends (Jaime and Tyrion are really the people he could care about even if he says and acts like he is the only one who matters to himself) or perhaps for Brienne now.

2) We zoom in on Winterfell. Brienne tries to distract herself from her anger and sadness by training excessively with Pod. She barely talks, grits her teeth a lot. Maybe Sansa watches from the balcony, looking a bit concerned or at the very least troubled. Then the IMPOSSIBLE happens. Pod lands a hit for the first time because Brienne is distracted. Podrick has a total WTF moment ("When did I become so strong? What power was I given by the Seven? What is happening??? Did I just kill her??? Ser Mommmm?"). He starts to fuss and apologizes to her as Brienne straightens back up. She tells him there is no need, then excuses herself and storms off.

3) possibly in connection to 2) if Jaime did indeed put a bun in that oven (I think he did), we see Brienne puking somewhere, or hear her, we can fill in the blanks on our own, thank you. Then either ENTER Gilly going like "oh, girl, I know the feeling, it'll pass once you are a bit further along with the pregnancy". Brienne stares at her as wide-eyed as ever , thinking "the lady is mad" or ENTER Dadvos showing concern for Brienne (I really kind of want them to have another scene because they have a twisted history together and ever since the whole honorable man and just woman, I have my headcanons, so many of them). Brienne tries to brush it off but soon realization dawns on her that, yup, there is a Braime Bun. 4) Sansa tells Brienne that Bran wants to talk to her. Brienne goes to see him and he drops some truthbombs. This ould be a number of things, scenarios my brain is currently favoring: a) Bran reveals he had another conversation with Jaime before he left wherein he told him that "you will have a child, but it isn't the Queen's" which made Jaime connect the dots that Brienne already was pregnant with his child whereas Cersei actually was not, doubling the angst for him to put her at risk; b) Bran tells her something along the lines of what he told Jon, that Brienne has to make a choice about where she wants to go moving forward as she has an important role to play in all this, which may or may not cement her crucial role to endgame; c) he reveals to her that he drove Aerys mad to bring Jaime to where he was to even things out between them, basically, how he had to set it all up for Jaime to be right where he is now, that he has to bring everyone to where they are needed and that Brienne now also has to decide where she wants to be, though whatever choice she makes “will come with great sacrifice;” d) he drops a massive hint towards the YMB(Q) being about Brienne in an even more overt way; e) some talk about East and West united, f) Bran repeating to her "Nothing's more hateful than failing to protect the one you love” to Brienne.

5) Brienne readies the horse for herself (similar to how we saw Jaime ready his before he left), we see her taking a moment to hold on tight to Oathkeeper or we zoom in on it, to affirm that she's holding on to her bond with Jaime through the twin swords; ENTER Pod asking her what she is doing. If he opens with "Ser" or "M'lady Ser" he gets extra points. Brienne tells him that she will be leaving for King’s Landing. If Pod got the clue that she may be with child (if that's the scenario we are rolling with), he may express concern about her going alone, arguing that he as her squire should come with her. Even if not with the bun going on, he may still insist on doing that because he is a good squire and she raised him well. Brienne then touches him in a very soft kind of way and tells him that she needs him to stay here, that she trusts him with her promise to Lady Catelyn now to protect Sansa from harm. "There's nothing I can teach you anymore, Podrick." Something like that. She then rides off to kick that lovely man with golden hand in the balls and make him come home.

6) Alternatively, I could see Sansa and Brienne having honest conversation about the status of her oaths and her staying at Winterfell. Brienne may express fear that Sansa would not understand why she'd want to go after Jaime, just that she does, showing that she is more adult than most others, arguing that Brienne doesn't have to stay to know her protected, hinting at the fact that Pod is more than capable as she trained him well.

7) Brienne actually doesn't head straight to KL but meets up with Selwyn or a commander of Tarth forces (maybe a kind of Goodwin character). Big reveal is that she wrote to her father to request help before she left Winterfell. I mean, they have soldiers right? I want to see more of those??? I bet they kick ass??? I would just love it if Brienne commanding Vale soldiers would now bring her one step closer to doing the same for her own people/troops. It would so neatly fit with her arc about finally taking up on her position as only living heir to her House. This could well be incorpated with Bronn being dragged along and Brienne basically not just planning a rescue mission for Jaime but also to protect his finest act by getting people out of the Red Keep and to safety by enabling evacuation protocols.

8) If there is such a thing as a father-daughter reunion between Selwyn and Brienne at some point (not necessarily before going to King’s Landing), I just want him to say how much she's changed upon first seeing her. Gah.

9) After Brienne is normally always the one to ask “what are you doing?” I kind of want Jaime to now say that to her upon seeing her wind up at King’s Landing.

10) I can still see a fakeout death scenario for either one of them. Since they were so heavy on misdirecting us with regards to Jaime’s fate, I start to think that maybe it’s really Brienne. She didn’t have a stand-alone near-death experience ever since the bearpit and the fight with the Hound. The rest was more regular battles that left us little second-guessing. At Winterfell against the living dead, eveyone could have been gone any minute, so that hardly shed the light on her (not that this episode shed much light *nudge* *nudge* Long Night *nudge*). Like, I was personally very fearful we would lose Pod that episode because they gave him the song and all those things, but she momentarily lost Jaime. Now the show’s dropped the idea of “you don’t have to die with your sister, Jaime” which is why I think that is precisely what is not happening. Otherwise it’s extremely... oddly... straight-forward. Plain. Point being, in the BatB trajectory, we are now at the point where Belle leaves for her home to be with her family, only to be held off by her evil sisters who are jealous of her. The Beast “dies” as a result of that neglect, but awakens/is reborn when Belle returns and professes her love for the Beast, and the curse is broken. In that part of the story, Jaime is Belle and Brienne is the Beast. So it may be that this is the time when we are led to believe that Brienne died, and Jaime will believe that she died, just that she didn’t. “Who wants to die defending a Lannister?” Big foreshadowing right there from all the way to their first encounters. So I can see her coming to King’s Landing and saving Jaime, only to nearly get killed herself, or leaving Jaime under the belief that she may be dead, only to then reveal that she is not. He still has to say the magic l-word, after all.

Anyway. Those are some broody thoughts for Wacky’s broody box. Thanks for your attention.

#got spoilers #jaime x brienne #jaime lannister #brienne of tarth #wacky rambles

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