#and it has to be weak because. if lottie is the only thing she believes in she can't lose her

[enslaughts]

thinking about laura lee as lottie's first disciple. laura lee, unable to hear god's voice after her failed attempt to save them, her second plane crash, so she clings to lottie's. unable to hear the wilderness like even the rest of them learn to, but she always listens to lottie, like the little children at jesus' feet.

#mobile. #literally the more i think about it the more i KNOW she would have nothing to do with javi's death #their whole card drawing? it's borderline blasphemy to her. heresy. because lottie from her own mouth only offered up her own body #to try and choose themselves? in direct contradiction? it IS heresy and she won't participate in it #she doesn't believe in Anything out there but lottie and it is!!!! not good lol or fair to lottie :( #but it would lead to laura lee staying out of it after a weak attempt to reprimend them #and it has to be weak because. if lottie is the only thing she believes in she can't lose her #she can't #so she doesn't neither. pulls a whats his name washing his hands of the matter #she might've stopped them was she there. she would also ball her eyes out for javi #but she'll at the same time thank a god she doesn't believe in anymore that lottie's still alive #god why am i writing this here when i could be writing another post..... #religion // #anyway she will shout and scold and hate them for going against lottie's wishes and yet she will reap the benifits of their actions #she is a hypocrite to her core and it's why she experiences so much dissonence even years later #dynamic. . .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝙻𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙸𝙴 𝙼𝙰𝚃𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚆𝚂⠀:⠀laura lee

[wistfulwatcher]

ok not only was this just a bad narrative choice for the show in general and natalie's character, this was also such a WEAK narrative choice for misty, too.

christina has talked about how something happens at the end of the season that "changes" misty. but the thing is, this has happened before. to her. same circumstances. this is the opposite of something that should change her, because it's exactly what happened with crystal!

both times misty found a friend when she was desperately alone, she clung to that friend and put everything into the relationship. and then, due to the intensity of her relationship—sharing everything with crystal, wanting to protect natalie—she caused the death of the person she loved.

there is nothing i love more than parallels, but for a parallel to be narratively meaningful, there needs to be a purpose to it. you need to use it to highlight differences, or show a progression. there is no progression for misty here. this is just history repeating itself. if misty didn't change after crystal died, and nothing has changed between then and now for misty, then WHY does this change her? she just needed it to happen twice??

killing natalie was a disgusting choice, and if we're supposed to believe that it was necessary for misty's character growth, with absolutely no narrative justification for it to be, then—beyond it just being awful—it is an entirely lower level of bad storytelling.

i am all for a story where these women continue to (figuratively) cannibalize each other as adults; i signed up for a dark show about women making bad choices. but 1) this wasn't a choice. this was, once again, an accident. i signed up for a show about women with agency, and making everything around them an accident or an unintended consequence is absolutely spitting in the face of that (presumably to make them more ~sympathetic, and i hate it).

and 2) there are other ways for them to hurt each other without death being a factor. this show is supposed to be about struggling with trauma, and you can't struggle with trauma when you're dead. the far more interesting story is one where the past is well and truly saturated with conflict—with characters you know are doomed and you still learn to love, and with characters you know survive and you have to continually struggle to forgive and understand.

i had so, so much love for season one because that's what i thought we were getting. i thought we were getting a bittersweet love story about the complexity of women, the complexity of trauma, the complexity of survival.

instead, this is becoming yet another show where things happen to women. where, to make them sympathetic—as more palatable to mainstream (cough male cough) audiences—they need to write women as victims of circumstance, as victims of their pasts, as victims of their own actions.

this is becoming a show where women who make bad choices are not allowed to stand behind them. who must be out of control (shauna, lottie, tai), or must be punished for the unintended consequences (misty), or must die (nat, van potentially).

and now, with natalie the antler queen in the past, and a character we no longer have in the present, i wonder how long it will be until she becomes the scapegoat for the surviving characters. how long until the worst actions in the wilderness are put upon natalie's shoulders, to lighten the load from the surviving women. how long until the only characters allowed to have agency, allowed to be complex and make disagreeable choices that they intend to make, are ones who die.

how long until our beautiful, complex, surviving characters are washed down to nothing, to shells of themselves in the name of making them more sympathetic. more palatable. how long until this is just another shallow mystery, without the beating heart of the first season.

#yellowjackets #yellowjackets spoilers #natalie scatorccio #misty quigley #yellowjackets meta #anti yellowjackets #yellowjackets critical #mine #wordles #~ #the more i think about this show the angrier and angrier i get #i should not have rewatched s1 as many times as i have #slash that's all i'll be watching for the rest of my life

[mourning-at-night]

ok im going to ramble for a minute but i think van palmer's turn towards violence is so interesting. like in the beginning, she nearly throws up just thinking about allie's broken leg. she can't watch when shauna sobs over her baby's body. but then she's one of the first to truly believe and accept that they'll end up turning to violence in order to survive - she stops and she watches shauna beat their friend and teammate and she knows. it's brutal and bloody and near deadly, but this time, she doesn’t look away.

despite her weak stomach, she's always been willing to do what she believes is necessary. to her, violence isn't intriguing or sensational or something to be celebrated - but it is something to be resorted to, one of those things she sees as an inevitability, a necessity, no matter how painful or nauseating or depressing. she’ll slap her mother awake, but first she'll call out to her. she'll hunt nat through the woods and she'll let a 14yo drown, but only because she and taissa and lottie and everyone who she cares for, they're all starving, or hurt. she will do what she believes it will take to keep herself and her loved ones alive, at least most of them, at least as many of them as possible - because, of course, she’s always tried so hard to be the protector. that's who she is, shown in a thousand little ways. she plays goalie. she tries to break up the fight between tai and shauna in the pilot and she starts to defend nat when travis is being a dickhead in bear down and she helps hold shauna back until lottie tells them not to in burial. she tries to look after tai when she sleepwalks, like how she possibly had to look after her mother for years. she jokes around and she tells the group stories, trying to keep them connected to the outside world.

i think it's interesting to see a character so solidly rooted in the idea of protection to be the one spearheading violent action. it's ironic and tragic and it makes sense, because as yellowjackets shows, over and over - care is not an inherently gentle or bloodless act!! it's van telling the others to leave her bleeding in the woods after the wolf attack and it's tying herself to tai even though she gets hurt and it's helping carry bodies onto the plane and digging graves. it's telling tai she loves her for the first time by literally writing it in her own blood.

sometimes it’s painful. sometimes it's not healthy or righteous. sometimes it’s the hard choice - putting forth the playing cards and joining the hunt and watching with grim determination as javi struggles and cries out for help, and then separating herself and the others from the choice to let him die by claiming the wilderness made it for them. reaching out and turning his face away from shauna when it’s time for the bloodletting. convincing travis to cannibalize his little brother by telling him that he owes javi this final act of love.

it's giving up retelling movies and tv shows and instead telling a different story, a quiet, cold one, because she believes the only way for them to survive out in the wilderness is to give themselves over to it fully, no matter how horrible - because, after everything, what choice does she feel she has but to persist? even in wiskayok, living was always a fight, another series of necessary actions in order to Get Through It and Get Out. after the alcoholic mother and ambiguously unmentioned father and the trials of being young and gay and butch in the suburbs of 90s new jersey, she wants a future, so badly. and after having to pull herself out of the crash and surviving the wolf attack and the pyre, after spending months watching the others around her suffer and starve and die, she can't pull out of the fight. she wouldn't even know how. like a brutal, desperate instinct, she must survive, and she must protect.

it's agonizing but she won't let herself feel it and it's endless but she can only think about the end result. it's selfish in the way they're almost all selfish and it's loving in the way they all love - but especially van, who is so deeply and fiercely protective, who has always cared so much. in the end, that protective instinct both keeps her painfully human and pushes her out into the deep end. it's the kindest and most wonderful piece of her being and it's an intense force that leads her towards brutality. because sometimes caring is the violent thing!! sometimes love is violence and violence is love!!!!

#i literally have a fever rn. does this vaguely strung-together nonsense make that obvious #this tumblr post is like if a 3 paragraph essay was half-digested and then spit back out and thrown in a paper shredder #anyway me when a character's kindest core traits are what lead them down a dark path....... <333 #god im obsessed with her i want to see her get Worse in s3. like go on commit more atrocities in the name of love and life. cmon do it #don't even get me started on the cancer thing. how she helps instigate the hunt when they're adults. god #obviously this isnt an overarching analysis or a moral judgement. just a thought i wanted to get out of my fever brain bc im insane abt her #van palmer #yellowjackets

[docholligay]

Ep 6: Lottie

Hello! This is about up to Episode 6 of Yellowjackets, and ONLY episode 6 of Yellowjackets. I have not seen beyond the sixth episode, at all, and know NOTHING about this show. Please do not spoil it for me.  Things that are spoilery in nature, for me, include: saying things like  “Just wait!!” confirming or denying anything I put forward, outside information about the cast interviews or creator statements, leading questions like “Do you think “blank moment” means anything?” etc. Remember  that Y’ALL HAVE SEEN THE SHOW AND I HAVE NOT. This informs the way you  talk about things relating to the show. Just be really careful is all  I’m asking. Also: If there is LITERALLY any stance I  could take on this show or character that would make you upset, please  just fucking block the tag

If you WOULD like to discuss the show and my takes on it, the Discord is right here! I don’t go there, so it’s a great place to get every emotion out.

Please thank @sailorsunspot and @moonlight-frittata for backing this odd way of doing a liveblog, and remember my tip jar is always open

So we’re clearly leaning into the idea that Lottie is, in fact, gifted. I don’t MIND this, per se, and I don’t want to come off as disappointed by it, because I’m not, but I will be annoyed if it comes down to the oversimplification of “Lottie’s got a gift and it was wrong to ever medicate her because she is not crazy” I want Lottie to be gifted AND ALSO CRAZY. I want her to be right like…oh I don’t know, is 70% of the time something we can work with? But I also want the difficulty of it, and I want having to deal with her in day to day life to be somewhat difficult. I want the challenge of it. 

Do I think the show is going to go fully into “Lottie was never crazy?” I honestly do not know. We’re half way through the show, but I feel like I’m constantly learning new things about what they are looking to do theme-wise and tonally. 

And don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying, “If they make Lottie not crazy, it’llbe shitty writing” I think there are plenty of great ways to write it, it’ll just disappoint me, personally. Which a work is allowed to do. 

I DO love how they make fun of Lottie. There is absolutely no reason under heaven or over hell to believe that Lottie is fucking…psychic. If I am in that cabin, I am thinking Lottie is having a fucking breakdown and HIGHLY suggestible, because that is a human thing that happens, not even ~to the weak~ but it could happen to me, and it could happen to you. 

Lottie is no perfect angel victim, either, and this is maybe part of the reason I assume that they are going to play it as “Lottie was never crazy,” is that they have her still snapping back and being a bitchy teenage girl, which I enjoy, I don’t want Lottie as a perfect anything, it’s just leading to part of my not necessarily true in the light of day conclusion. 

So what do we think--and this is both about Lottie and not about Lottie--about the deer in Velvet? Obviously, its chosen because seeing a deer shedding velvet is just as weirdly gross as the show suggests, but it doesn’t actually mean anything about the health of the animal. It’s extremely normal. When Lottie sees it, it shocks her, but that wouldn’t surprise me given I assume she’s never seen that before. Velvet is also when they are growing something new, so I could maybe see my way to that, and to the idea that these antlers are going to be a new part of them, a wild part. 

But the maggots. I know this has to be asaying something about what’s going on here, but I’m not sure what it is. Obviously, it makes for a great visual, and for a really brilliantly mounting sense of despair, and it also pushes the envelope on Taissa’s idea to leave and try to find someone. But, I don’t necessarily believe that it’s just as simple as all that. 

They are starving, right? And the deer is their salvation. But at core, the thing that could save them is rotten and disgusting, but it is hidden by the idea of this perfectly healthy exterior. This, of course, could immediately relate to our girls, looking normal (Though I guess I would actually question this) on the outside, but the thing they have ahd to do to survive makes the rotten inside. Being eaten. I don’t know that it’s where we’re going, but it works for me sitting here right now. 

Speaking of that deer, I see the very prominent antler placement behind Lottie’s head as she wanders out to indulge in more prophecy/insanity. I don’t generally go back when I’m writing this stuff up, because I think it leads to an…I don’t know, inauthentic? Experience of watching the show straight through. I SHOULD miss things. I SHOULD be caught off guard. Anyway, so I refuse to prove it, but I’m pretty sure the one running the whole thing when we’re consuming our heart-wearing girl is wearing a rack of antlers. Does Lottie become some sort of priestess? 

Such a bold and really fresh choice, by the way, to have Laura Lee and the notion of Christianity and God be loving and good, instead of the nasty mean judgmental one. Doc I did not expect you to be caping for Christianity. I’m not, but c’mon, we’ve seen a lot of media in our time and it is now basically a stock character to have the mean, judgmental, uptight Christian and the show, not interested in dealing with stock ideas, completely takes away from that, and has Laura Lee be the first person in her life that makes Lottie feel like she does in fact have a divine gift. 

I so much love the dual scenes of the attempted abortion and the baptism, because they both are baptisms of a kind, and they both are about a death and rebirth and a new life. This is particularly striking in the way that they shoot Lottie’s baptism, with her seeming to drown, to die, and then to come up with fire, filled with the Holy Spirit and new life (But also maybe predicting that Laura Lee will burn. I don’t know) I will be so interested to see how this changes the nature of Lottie’s character, now that Laura Lee is essentially telling her to believe in her visions and that will make them real. It is some of the best, worst advice I’ve ever heard. 

The scene where Lottie follows the elk*, follows this wildness and goes to the altar of sorts, and lights the candle that I think is Lottie herself. And that candle becomes the pillar of fire. The thing that leads the Israelities through the desert. So this compounds on my feelings about Lottie maybe becoming a priestess, and what I think that might mean, and is it actually not going to be Jackie appearing in this struggle for leadership at all, but Taissa and Lottie? 

*Human-naive elk could provide, just, so much fucking food for this group. I know they are in the Canadian Rockies. I am not going to get too far into the weeds about this but goddamn is this sometimes a rough show to know anything about the area and wilderness broadly with.

#Doc watches Yellowjackets #Yellowjackets S1 E6

[ariendiel]

Your ask about the boys’ body counts inspired me. What do you think the body counts are for the girls? I’m pretty curious about it, I have completely no idea myself.

I actually thought about this when doing the body count post for the guys, and was low-key hoping someone would ask for it, so thank you!

LITG Body Counts v2

1️⃣ Priya – 32

Our 29 year old queen has no qualms about sleeping around with hot men, and so that's exactly what she's been doing. She probably also has a few celebrities (and politicians) under her belt, and isn't ashamed about it at all. Good for her!

2️⃣ Jo – 15

Grabbing the 'bulls by the horns' so to speak, Jo definitely likes a post-competition hook-up. Nothing is quite like the feeling of hot sex while still riding that adrenaline high. We also know Jo doesn't exactly need time to build a connection, so she's had her share of fun.

3️⃣ Hope – 14

Our very own Hope comes in at a very respectable 14. She's quite picky, but she's also had some fun and drunken nights resulting in subsequent walks of shame. I think she also lost her v-card quite early, as I think she was very mature from a young age. Definitely much more experienced than Noah, and doesn't get attached as easily from just sex.

3️⃣ Shannon – 10

Of course Shannon has had some hot affairs during her poker tournaments. Nothing that's lasted, but it's been fun and she always gets what she wants. I can't see her being the type to start having sex early either, so she probably was somewhat of a later bloomer but is now very comfortable with sleeping around a bit.

4️⃣ Blake – 8

Blake is so ridiculously hot, but also fairly young, so I don't think she's higher than 8. I don't think Blake has ever truly been in a good and long-term relationship, but that she's had a fling here and there, so this seems about right for her.

4️⃣ Chelsea – 8

The whimsical one who willingly sleeps with Rocco now... I'm sorry, but 😭 Has had a handful of hook ups with hot but probably problematic men, and then a few longer relationships. I do think Chelsea could've been the type of person to have been "talked into it" I'm afraid, but she also always knows how to make the best out of things and comes out on top so.

5️⃣ Lottie – 7

She's way too picky and possessive to be comfortable with super casual hook ups, but she's also got a weakness for hot men so we end up with seven. There's been a few relationships in there as well of course, but

6️⃣ Elisa – 5

I would put Elisa higher if it weren't for the fact that she seems quite picky and that she's "only" 22. She'll only sleep with people she deem insta worthy, and so the list isn't long, but very very hot. I think she's had one long term partner too, which means she had a period where no hook ups happened.

7️⃣ Marisol – 3

Combining her still trying to figure out her sexuality with being highly selective, and I can't see Marisol having a high body count. I honestly believe part of the reason Rocco started grafting on others even while trying to get with Marisol is because she wouldn't sleep with him immediately. So yeah, Marisol hasn't slept around too much as she at least thinks she's too good for that sort of thing.

8️⃣ Hannah – 1 or 0

May or not still be a virgin when she enters the villa, as the one story she tells where she ended up "picking out straw from her hair the whole day", but that was quickly called out for basically being taken from a cheesy romance novel. If Hannah's slept with someone before, it was probably one mediocre white man who didn't exactly make it memorable (partially because she's a lesbian)

#litg s2 #love island the game #litg #ask #litg priya #litg hope #litg shannon #litg blake #litg chelsea #litg lottie #litg jo #litg elisa #litg marisol #litg hannah #litg everyone

[lesbianlotties]

for the wip ask game OBSESSED and intrigued at vampire au. PLEASE do elaborate <3

oh vampire au is going to be the Death of Me and i haven't even started writing it hsgjfdhgj the outline is a hot mess but !!

basically. what if dead cabin guy was a vampire on the verge of "dying" because no one has been around for too long and he's so weak but oops! he bites lottie! no one believes her though, and they try bury him, but oops! where did the corpse go? he's haunting and hunting them now <3

in the meantime! the girls are acting weird and gay <3 through a series of Events a few of them start getting a Pretty Specific craving. and there's gotta be some healing thing to it too because Van's wolf attack and Lottie after Shauna kicked her ass, and Shauna after losing her baby... and of course Someone has to offer a bite right? and Of Course these girls are Not going to be normal about it!! you know laura lee would let lottie bleed her dry if that's what she needs, but lottie would rather starve herself, so that's when nat comes in, but careful there nat because she's also the only one kind enough to help misty too, and this is without even getting in taivan and shaunajackie territory!!!!

this is mostly a collection of homoerotic blood drinking scenes tied up with a loose plot but as soon as i can acquire more Plot then you'll all see!!!

#i need to make this one as fucked up as the laura lee corruption arc or else i would fail myself #if anyone has some spare Plot i could really use it!! #thank you SO MUCH for asking <3 #answered #lesbiantahani

[melanielocke]

An experiment with a Fairchild

Alastair goes to the Fairchild's house to visit Charles, but finds only Henry home, who is working on something.

CW for toxic relationship

Taglist: @foxglove-airmid @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @justanormaldemon @styxdrawings @ipromiseiwillwrite

I don't think this really adds up with the timeline since I'm not sure Henry was actually in London at the time but I don't care. It's somewhere during early Chain of Gold.

Alastair knocked on the door of the house in Grosvenor Square. The consul was currently in Idris and would not be home, and Alastair was fairly certain Matthew was someplace else with his band of bandits or whatever they called themselves nowadays. Charles’ father he wasn’t so sure about, but Alastair imagined he would have gone with her. He sincerely hoped Charles would be home. He’d missed Charles and hoped they could talk about his engagement. Alastair could make him understand, how unhappy it made him. They would work something out, Alastair was sure of it. It would be like Paris again, just the two of them. He could be happy, as long as he had Charles’ love.

The door opened, but it wasn’t Charles standing in the doorway, nor any of the servants. Instead, sitting in a bath chair, was Charles’ father. Henry Branwell, known for inventing the portal, although Alastair didn’t think he got the recognition he deserved. He didn’t know much about Henry beyond that, Charles was far closer to his mother than his father and Alastair didn’t think Charles really understood his father’s work.

‘Good afternoon,’ Henry said. ‘I’m not sure we’ve met? I’m Henry Fairchild.’

Alastair didn’t realize Henry used his wife’s name. He knew Charles’ mother had chosen to give him her last name instead of Henry’s because of her position as consul, which was an unusual decision, but he’d never heard of a husband taking his wife’s name.

Charles often claimed his parents hadn’t married out of love either, that his mother had married his father because she needed the support of a husband to advance her career. Therefore, it was fine he was marrying for political reasons and would never love his wife. But Henry Fairchild must love his wife very much, to have taken her name.

‘I’m Alastair Carstairs,’ Alastair said. ‘I’m here to see Charles, is he home?’

‘Right, you must be Charles’ friend. No, I don’t think he’s at home right now.’

‘Oh that’s too bad,’ Alastair said, attempting to hide the disappointment in his voice. ‘Do you know where he is?’

Perhaps he was at his club, Alastair thought. He’d been there once before with Charles, who’d wanted to introduce him to the club. Alastair had not yet managed to win much approval there, but he was determined to keep trying. Many high standing shadowhunter men were members of the same gentleman’s club Charles went to, and Alastair wanted so badly to fit in there. Even if deep down, he knew he never would, not really. Even with his hair dyed blonde, his skin was still too dark to pass for a white English man. At most they would accept an act he put on. Still, Alastair tried the best he could to be what they wanted and win their approval, especially Charles’.

‘No, I’m not sure. But I expect he’ll be home soon. Why don’t you come in and wait there. I am working on something fascinating.’

Alastair hesitated, but he guessed it couldn’t hurt to come in. If at any point Matthew arrived, he could always make his way out. He didn’t hate Matthew, not really. He thought Matthew was immature, and sometimes Alastair was jealous that it was so easy for Matthew to be himself, but that was all, and Alastair deeply regretted his behavior at school.

However, Alastair thought it was best for all parties involved if he stayed away from Matthew, who was clearly still mad with him. Who could blame him, honestly? Charles knew, of course, about the bad blood between them, but had chosen to believe Matthew had been a brat at school and did not blame Alastair for his behavior. While that was true to some extent, Alastair had been far worse. However, if he was to be accepted, he should not show such weakness, and the best course of action was to stay away. Perhaps coming here was a bad decision.

Henry retreated into his lab, and while Alastair waited with some tea provided by a servant, he felt very awkward. What were his duties here? He would have expected someone inviting him in to stay with him, although a conversation with Charles’ father would have been just as awkward. Where was Charles? Was he coming?

In the end, Alastair did decide to take a look in the lab.

‘Ah, there you are,’ Henry said. ‘You were taking your time with that tea. Do you prefer it colder?’

Truth to be told, Alastair didn’t like the way the English made their tea at all, but he reserved his complaints about the awful food and drinks of this country for when he was having tea with his mother and Risa.

‘It was quite hot,’ was all Alastair said.

‘After some deliberation I’ve decided to give the Phosphor another chance,’ Henry said. ‘It was unfortunately, a failed invention, but I still believe I could make it work.’

‘What is it supposed to be?’ Alastair asked.

Henry fell into a lecture of his work, how he’d wanted to invent a light source five times brighter than witchlights. So far the Phosphor had mostly resulted in fires, and Henry had abandoned the project in favor of the portal. Alastair noticed how passionate Henry seemed when he talked about his interests. He could be passionate too, but Charles said that was not a good thing. It was important that he appeared rational at all times, not clouded by emotion.

‘Nor did I like working with something so highly flammable while Charles and Matthew were small,’ Henry said. ‘It would be too dangerous with small and vulnerable children depending on me. But they’re growing up so fast. Charles will be married soon and move out with his wife.’

Alastair wasn’t so sure what Charles intended to do. He’d assured him the engagement was temporary, that he would not marry miss Bridgestock. But she was under the impression the marriage would take place. Then who was Charles lying to?

‘So now is the right time to give it another try?’ Alastair concluded.

‘Precisely. However, something is not right with my calculations, and I cannot figure it out. Do you have an interest in science yourself, Mr. Carstairs?’

Alastair had once, although not to the extent Henry did. He was good at math, at least, and fascinated by the theory.

‘A little,’ he said. ‘But I’m mainly interested in politics.’

Alastair glanced over the calculations Henry had written down. They were complex, but Alastair was good at math and at least this part of the inventing process he could follow along.

‘There’s a mistake here,’ Alastair said. ‘Maybe that’s why it’s not working.’

Henry moved over to look at the calculations, and Alastair pointed out the errors, working with Henry to fix the errors. Would it work now?

‘Are you sure you’re not interested in becoming a scientist or an inventor?’ Henry asked. ‘You’re quite clever. I think it is limiting, to think of shadowhunters only as warriors. Some are, and that’s fine, but there are more ways to make the world better than just killing demons. The experiments Christopher and I do all serve the purpose of improving life for shadowhunters, yet so few understand.’

Henry sounded resigned, had he accepted the way he was viewed? Alastair found it difficult to imagine. He knew what it was to be mocked, and he never wanted to experience that again. He didn’t think he could bear it, but perhaps Henry was simply stronger than he was.

‘That’s their loss,’ Alastair said. ‘There are many ways to improve the world beyond fighting. I’m not an inventor, but I hope I can improve the Clave by getting into politics someday.’

Alastair wasn’t completely sure it was what he wanted anymore. Even if he did succeed, he knew people would gossip. He could never be the perfect politician shadowhunters expected, not without a wife, and Alastair was determined that no matter how much he pretended to be something he was not, he would never pretend to love someone he could never have such feelings for. He admired Henry, for not caring what people thought of him. He wished he could be like that, be himself, and be appreciated, if not by society then by a smaller group of people who loved him. But Alastair didn’t think that was possible, because no one could love the real him, could they? After pretending for so long, he didn’t even know who the real Alastair was anymore.

‘Ah, like Lottie,’ Henry said. ‘I so admire what she does. I could never make people listen like she does. And Charles wants to be just like her. Truth to be told, he’s a far better assistant to her than I could ever hope to be.’

‘Charles is good at what he does,’ Alastair said.

Alastair hoped some day he would be too. He read all the books Charles recommended, he worked tirelessly on formulating his own ideas. But whenever he presented his ideas to Charles, he was met with laughter. As if his ideas were just a joke to him, as if he were far too young and silly to understand. It made him feel awful. Alastair usually tried to downplay it then, pretend he hadn’t been absolutely serious about these ideas. Because clearly if Charles didn’t take him seriously, his ideas weren’t as good as they’d seemed at first and he needed to do better. He’d convinced his mother that he could help their family’s social standing by succeeding in politics rather than marrying, but how could he if not even Charles thought his ideas were worth anything?

‘I must admit I don’t understand his work nearly as well as you must,’ Henry said. ‘I’m glad he has a friend like you. I have worried about him. Always so focused on work, he doesn’t have many friends and I worry he’s lonely. I think he finds it difficult to make friends. But you and he, you are good friends are you not?’

‘We are,’ Alastair said, suddenly terrified Henry would suspect he and Charles were not quite friends, but lovers instead.

He wasn’t quite sure what Henry meant about Charles not having many friends. Charles attended his club along with many shadowhunter men, and he seemed friendly with many of them. Of course, even then he mainly talked about politics and tried to build alliances to further his career. Alastair wasn’t sure Charles really cared about any of them, perhaps he was the only one Charles had former a true connection with. If anything, it made him feel more special to be the only one trusted and appreciated by him.

‘He’s lucky to have you,’ Henry said.

‘Father, what are you doing here with Alastair?’

Charles was standing in the doorway. He looked weary, and Alastair wanted to go to him, but he didn’t dare, not when Henry Fairchild was still here to witness them. Although strangely, he suspected if there were shadowhunters who did not condemn men like him and Charles, it would be Henry.

‘Ah, there you are, Charles. Your friend has been waiting for you.’

Charles sighed. ‘Please do not bother my friends with your experiments. I am sorry for this, Alastair. I was caught up at the Institute, you know how it is.’

Alastair was a bit shocked by the way Charles spoke to Henry. Compared to his father, Henry seemed kind, if only a bit absent minded. He knew Charles did not understand his father well, but it was quite rude to speak to him in such a manner. His mother certainly wouldn’t tolerate it if he spoke to her like this.

Henry didn’t say anything else, and Alastair left the lab with Charles to go upstairs, to his bedroom. As Alastair understood it, Henry rarely left his lab and there was little danger of him interrupting him.

‘Are you very tired?’ Alastair asked.

‘Just work,’ Charles said. ‘It’s becoming a bit much lately, but that’s alright. This is my chance to show my best qualities, after all. Exhaustion is a small price to pay. And I have you with me now, and that more than makes up for it. I could use some relaxation.’

And Alastair obliged, as he always did. Even if part of him was still upset with Charles, he knew that if he wanted to earn his lover’s affection and loyalty, he would have to be there for him when Charles needed him and give him what he wanted. At least now he could experience what if felt like to be loved, and Alastair knew love was supposed to hurt. It was better than nothing, better than being alone. Still, he wished he could be more like Charles’ father, doing what was right for him and being who he was regardless of what anyone else thought. But Alastair had lost himself a long time ago, the only time when he felt even remotely like himself was when he was in Charles’ arms. And even then, he still did not feel quite right and couldn’t figure out what was missing. He did not know who he was anymore.

#Alastair Carstairs #Henry Branwell #Henry Fairchild #Charles Fairchild #the last hours #fanfiction #fic

[agcnt-adem]

❀ *ﾟ dai si. thirty-five. cis woman. she/her. bisexual capricorn. ⇝ looks like joan ‘joanie’ adem blew in ten years ago and never left. they’ve proven themselves to be tolerant & selfless, but being stern & impersonal is their downfall. it’s only fitting that let go by frou frou is playing when they leave the motel, where they live on the 3rd floor. rumor has it that they are a famous mystery novelist under various pen names, wonder if that’s why the supervisory special agent of the white collars crime division moved out of their place in boston, massachusetts.

— HISTORY ( tw: addiction mention, death )

joan’s mother is the sister of the alimjan family’s mother and thusly, she is their first cousin while being born a second child. and similar to her darling sister, the mother in question had great aspirations for her children, but in particular her youngest girl as shown in her choice to name her daughter after hollywood star joan crawford. much like her namesake, however, joanie would squander the woman’s hopes and dreams in various, disappointing ways — starting with exacerbating some pre-existing health issues that began with the pregnancy and would see the woman pass well before her time.

joan doesn’t necessarily blame herself for this seemingly sudden death, aware of the poor logic in that thread of thinking, but she does wonder on the what-ifs and could-bes from time to time

she is also convinced this death is partly the reason her father was so hellbent on the idea of joanie spending more or less every waking second with her cousins despite the distance of the drive — an angle to fill the absence of a proper womanly influence

despite her agitations even at that age, joanie considers her cousins closer than any sibling — particularly because she didn’t much care for her own. this was further cemented with the struggles her side of the family endured financially once her father lost his job due to his addictions that saw the family separate in time, shipped off to distant relatives.

in joan’s case, this would be her grandfather on her father’s side, a man of his community who detested the weakness his son had shown time and again.

her grandfather would also be responsible for further influencing her love of the supernatural and superstitious, alongside her new neighbor, mimi song — a foster child who would become one of her best friends in her youth.

— FACTS

mimi would be the reason she came to know a weirdo named han-jae song, a friendship miraculously maintained well through her college years and to this very day.

mimi’s passing, and the oddities in the tale given, would lend its influence towards her choice in career with the fbi, but not before joan took some time for herself to pen and publish a few short stories of the mystery variety throughout her years under various pseudonyms. they are mostly inspired by her and her family’s experiences, but also any rumors and tales she’s tracked over time. she currently has several collections to her name, of various levels of fame, not that fame in particular matters to her

her grandfather is the one responsible for introducing her to a lot of her culture. her fascination with history and art specifically stem from his influence

joan is lowkey a cheapskate and doesn’t believe in owning nice things for the sake of it, believing anything worth having is to be properly earned — art and wine are her exceptions. and despite the shitty nature of her abode, fine selections of both are present in her home, which few have bore witness to as she is not someone prone to keeping company due to a natural dislike of anyone knowing where she resides

dollie and josie are her favorite cousins, either because of their shared love of the suspicious and supernatural in the instance of dollie or in josie’s case, because of their shared sensibility. lottie teeters on being the least favored for various reasons, but recently, this is due to the woman’s choice in music and residence.

joan absolutely loves her sunglasses and tailored suits, wearing either whenever remotely possible

as a woman who doesn’t believe in the stability of romantic relationships or the advantage they possibly bring ( han and simon’s situation are a good example of what she tries to avoid ), flings are her go-to as they’re quicker, easier and less of a strain in her day to day

language wise, she knows chinese, french, arabic, and can read uyghur

swimming and jogging are her favorite physical activities outside of the gun range

she has a slight liquor and gambling problem, and enjoys a challenge be it in the form of puzzles, people, or otherwise

cats are her favorite creatures, frogs and ferrets are close seconds

she can cook rather well

joan loves guns. like, absolutely loves them

lukewarm coffee is the bane of her existence

to an extent, the same applies to gil even as he’s grown on her over time

despite what her usual personality would entail, she drives like an absolute maniac

— CONNECTIONS

anyone in the han / simon / gil / alimjan circle frankly. these are her people, whether she likes it or not, so anyone connected has a good chance of knowing her

her book agent, informants, fellow art lovers, fans of mystery novels / conspiracies or even fans of her secret work, current boss ( wanted connection here per beanie ) or fellow agents, on-and-off flings, a designated tailor, neighbors, coffee lovers and so on

#salemintro #━ x. about. #ooc — #feel free to im or ask for discord

[imherongraystairstrash]

If the whole promo thing is still going, what would you think of 56 for Henry/Charlotte?

I’m sorry I keep writing such long fics :( I just get too carried away sometimes, especially if I get to write a Hottie fic! (No joke, I squealed from excitement when I saw this request) Anyway, here it is:

Prompt #56: “I did it to protect you.”

Ship: Henry & Charlotte (Hottie/ Fairwell)

Charlotte stared at her husband’s expressionless face and counted each breath, each pulse she felt in her hand. With each beat of his heart, the same sentence repeated in her mind: please wake up. Charlotte kissed his hand and rested her forehead on it. 

She felt horrible. It was all her fault that Henry would never be able to walk again as she was the one to send them to Cadair Idris. The weight of her guilt was unbearable and she had no ways of relieving it. She looked at her husband again. Sweet Henry, with his wonderful boyish smile and his adorable freckles and the way he speaks so passionately of his experiments and— 

Charlotte held back a sob. No, she would not cry. She’d done enough of that and if she cried anymore, it would be absurd. That’s what her father used to say, anyway; don’t show too much emotion because it makes you look weak, Charlotte; you’re too sensitive, Charlotte; don’t cry over a bruised knee, you’re being incredibly dramatic, Charlotte. 

It wasn’t that her father was a bad man, he was just repeating what he’d been taught. As a result, however, Charlotte didn’t show much emotion through her facial expressions, at least not until she began fancying Henry Branwell. 

She was young and had thought all of the other boys rude or dull. But when she first met Henry, when she first had a conversation with him, her heart had yearned for him and had never stopped. 

How he spoke with such passion she had never seen in a man their age. His emerald eyes practically glowed as he spoke of his love for science. He was younger than she and yet he was so interesting, so different. She could have listened to him speak until the sun reached the horizon that night. Perhaps even longer. 

After that, she’d begun searching for his face every time there was an event. She loved him with every fibre of her body. He made her realize expressing emotion was not weak or sensitive and inspired her to be more open to others, to take a tiny piece of herself and display it to the world.

She sighed and switched positions again, resting her head on his chest and listening to the pitter-patter of his heart. The Silent Brothers said he would awake, but he was still asleep, and the longer he slept, the harder it was for Charlotte to trust the brothers. Lying so close to him made her remember of times gone by. Of memories she will hold close in her heart, like photographs in a box, so not to forget them:

She remembered how he fumbled for his stele, how he was red faced as he drew the second marriage rune over her heart. Though she had been nervous for that moment of the night, she found herself at ease with Henry, who never made her uncomfortable. Even though she thought he didn’t love her, she couldn’t feel nervous because all she could think about was how Henry was her husband and that he might one day love her. For now, he cared for her and that was all she needed. 

Charlotte didn’t realize how much she had yearned for love—utter and complete love—until Henry gave it to her. Now, she had grown so accustomed to being loved she couldn’t bear not having it.  

She closed her eyes and willed the tears away. Until, that is, she felt fingers in her hair and, startled, whipped her head up. Henry was looking at her, a sleepy smile on his wonderful face. Charlotte admired him for less than a second before she threw herself at him in very unladylike fashion, and fastened her arms around his neck. She dug her face into his neck. 

“I’m so happy you’re awake.”

She felt Henry chuckle under her. He placed the softest of kisses on her temple and held her. Charlotte allowed herself to bask in the embrace. How many times had she wanted to do this since they were married and hadn’t because she was convinced that he didn’t love her? That throwing herself at him would be unwanted attention?

She couldn’t help but think of a time when she was in a similar position as this, when they had been married for a couple of years…

Days Past:

“Henry, why did you let yourself get hurt like that?” Charlotte asked. She had been in his crypt with him, when they were frightened by a loud bang upstairs (most likely from one of the children upstairs), which prompted Henry to drop too much of a solution into another. Charlotte didn’t remember much of what happened next, only that she ended up behind Henry, who’d taken the brunt of the explosion, covering his forearms and parts of his neck and face in burns.  Thankfully, none were too severe and he should recover with little to no scarring. 

“I did it to protect you, Charlotte.” Henry said. 

Charlotte felt her heart sinking. 

“You let yourself get burned so that I wouldn’t get hurt?”

“Of course, Lottie. And I’d do it again and again.”

“Henry, you could have been killed.”

“I know.”

Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat. Henry had risked his life, his extraordinary life which he could spend inventing something that will save countless Nephilim lives, for her plain life. She was no wonder, nor could she ever dream of being more than a measly Head of Institute, but Henry? His life was irreplaceable. And yet he’d risked it for her’s without a second of doubt. 

She felt herself lean towards her husband before she knew what she was doing. By the time she realized, their lips were too close for her to back away. She stayed there, frozen on the spot, completely and utterly horrified. She looked at Henry’s wide eyes and knew she’d made a huge mistake. How foolish was she to not realize her protected her because of nothing other than friendship? Henry was fond of her, nothing more. He didn’t want this kind of affection from her. She was about to back away, hoping Henry would forget this embarrassing moment, when he lifted his head enough to catch her lips in his. 

Charlotte was frozen in surprise, for only a moment, before she began kissing him back. It was so sweet and wonderful that she allowed herself to be lost in it. It was only her and Henry and it didn’t matter that he didn’t love her the way she loved him because he was kissing her and he liked her enough to jump in front of that explosion so that she would be safe. For now, that was all she needed. His warm hand at the nape of her neck, how his thumb stroked where her jawline began made her feel as though electricity were coursing through her body. Most of all, it felt right; as though this was the way it was supposed to be.

She wished she could kiss him like this more often, that imitate moments didn’t occur once in a blue moon, but at least she was married to the man she loved, at least—

“Must you two do this in public? It’s such an eyesore.” 

Charlotte and Henry quickly pulled apart. 

Henry’s face was red from embarrassment. From the heat she felt on her cheeks, she didn’t doubt for a moment that she looked the same. 

“What is it, Will?” Charlotte said, trying to regain some composure.

“Those ghastly Silent Brothers have gone back to their lonely cave home, or whatever it’s called.”

“The Silent City,” Henry said helpfully.

“I couldn’t care less what it’s called.”

“Will,” Charlotte said, hiding her face in her hands. “A tiny bit of manners, please.” 

Will looked at her for a moment and then turned away in a dismissive gesture.

“Anyway, they said that Henry has to stay in that bed for a day or two… I guess that’s a blessing for the other institute inhabitants, since you can’t have—”

“Will.”

Will gave them a devilish smile. “Well, that’s it. Carry on, I guess.”

Charlotte still had trouble believing Will was twelve; so young and yet so quick to judge. He seemed to try to get her to hate him, but Charlotte could never do anything but love him. Every time she looked into his eyes, she saw that little boy, who begged to not let his parents into the Institute. Who pleaded for Charlotte to take him in. 

“What are we going to do with that boy?”

“He’s just going through something.” Henry said, “all young lads do. It’ll go away with age.”

Charlotte gave the door a long look. “I hope so.”

What she wanted to say, but didn’t dare voice out for fear, was that she hoped he was alright.

…

“What’s the matter, Lottie?”

Now, Charlotte looked into her husband’s eyes. They reminded her always of the first time they’d met and she was enthralled by them.

“Henry,” she said, putting a hand to his cheek. She could feel tears streaming down her face because she was going to have to tell him. Brother Enoch offered to be the bearer of bad news, as had Will, but she insisted on telling Henry herself. She knew he would want it to be her. But that didn’t make it any less difficult.

“Henry, darling, i—it’s your legs.”

Henry’s face smoothed out.

“You’re paralyzed from the hip down.” She said, choking out the words.

Henry caught her eye and then looked down, his eyebrow furrowing. He wasn’t angry; he looked confused. And then sad. 

“Lottie,” he said, looking up at her. “If you wish to get a divorce—”

Charlotte’s jaw fell open in horror. “Divorce?! Henry, why would I divorce you? I love you more than anything I could love in this world.”

Henry locked eyes with her and let out a deep breath in relief. 

He smiled at her with such genuine joy, her heart broke a little bit. “Then being paralyzed can’t be that bad. Not with you by my side.”

Charlotte didn’t restrain herself like she would have, before she knew Henry loved her back. Instead she threw herself in his arms and kissed him.

“I’ll help you the best I can, Henry.”

“I know you will, Lottie. You’re the sweetest woman God ever made. And you blessed me with being able to call you my wife.”

“It is I who is blessed.” Charlotte said, kissing him before he could say anything else. Henry was alright, which meant she would be alright too.

Tagging: @hitheresomeoneusingthus @livvyheronstairs @celias @tsccreatorsnet @ti-bae-rius (I think you enjoyed the snippet I gave for this one, so I’m tagging you in case you wanted to read the fic!) @rinadragomir @youngreckless @atla-lok143 @aceofjesper @autumnangel20 @julemmaes @cupcakesandkittens

If you want to be tagged, let me know!!

#I'm so sorry if this fic is confusing #I just really wanted to write both of these scenes #henry branwell #charlotte branwell #charlotte fairchild #henry fairchild #tsc #tid fanfic #tid hottie #Fairwell #fairwell fanfiction #Henry and Charlotte #tsc fanfiction

[narcissasdaffodil]

A prompt of your choice with Elisa??👀👀

“You thought I never noticed you, but I did. I always saw you.” This is from a prompt by @screnwriter and links to Feels Like This, my Noah oneshot. This one will hopefully be continued, I’ve enjoyed writing about Lucisol.

One minute Marisol was on top of the world, the next her heart was entirely destroyed. Quinn didn’t even have the common decency to tell her to her face, she had watched, helpless, as Quinn followed after Elisa on Girls’ Day, and they kissed. Quinn had promised her this was nothing to worry about, and had let her believe there was still a chance for them as a couple.

“Marisol, can I talk to you?” Marisol looked up from her breakfast to see Elisa shifting from foot to foot. The taller girl leant on the counter and refused to look at her directly. A sinking feeling grew in Marisol’s stomach and she fiddled with a loose curl of hair. “Sure. What’s this about, then?”

Elisa sighed, looking up from the counter briefly. It was difficult to maintain eye contact with her, Elisa was being considerably shifty. “Quinn told me not to tell you, but we kissed on Girl’s Day, right? Well…”

“Well, what? What happened?” Marisol felt herself lash out at Elisa, causing the other girl to move backwards, out of range. Elisa not coming out with it immediately was causing her anxiety to grow.

“I’m so sorry, but last night on the roof terrace, I was with Quinn. We kissed, and…” Elisa kept going, but Marisol blocked it out, her ear popping. Looks like you’re doomed to be forever unhappy. What’s so wrong with you that no one will stay? Quinn has a pattern of cheating on people, yet you didn’t pay attention. She did that to Lucas during Operation Nope earlier in the summer, yet you didn’t see the signs, the neon red warning signs. Hope had warned you to not lose your head with Quinn, she didn’t trust her. But of course, you knew best.

Marisol felt tears spill down her cheeks and she covered her mouth. She pushed aside her food, taking off her glasses and put her head on the counter, not wanting people to see her like this. She couldn’t hear anything and put her hands over her ears, hoping to block out the ringing sound in her head.

She felt a hand resting on her head and fiddling with her hair. The sensation made her feel sick and she sat up, only one person would touch her hair like that and that was the one person she wanted to avoid. Quinn had run over her heart in her tall high heeled boots and smashed it to bits, now she was completely broken.

“Marisol, why are you so upset?” Quinn’s voice softened as the other girl sat next to her. Marisol edged her stool as far as possible from her, turning her head away from the other girl.

“I don’t want to see you right now. You should know why, does last night on the roof terrace ring a bell at all?” She pulled back her composure, refusing to look at Quinn. “I gave up everything for you, and you refused to acknowledge that. Did I mean anything at all to you, or was I nothing at all? Just someone else for you to walk all over and discard when you were done with me, like you did to Lucas. I trusted you, and that was a mistake, pure and simple.”

Quinn grabbed onto her hand, clutching tight to it. Marisol tried to pull away, but Quinn’s grip tightened. “I’m not going to have you run away from me. No wonder Gary gave up so quickly, to think I felt sorry for you when he lied. He made one mistake, then you crucified him for it. Poor little Marisol, every single couple falling apart for you, and how unlucky you were. Spare me the sob story, I don’t care.” Quinn’s words cut deep into her, pressing on some of her deepest insecurities. She fought to keep her composure, feeling tears spill over.

“You cheated on me. How dare you try to blame me for your own fuck up. I’m not the one that cheated. Did you even like Elisa? Or did you just use her because you couldn’t get Noah? And this situation is nothing to do with Gary. I’m over that...” She felt Quinn’s grip lessen on her hand and turned to face her, noticing how the other girl was fidgeting with her hands and looked lost for words.

“And this situation is nothing to do with Gary, or any of my failed couples. I’m over that… I really don’t understand what Lucas and Henrik saw in you, you’re an awful person.”

“Don’t...don’t say that. That’s not fair! I’m not going to say I wouldn’t use someone, as technically speaking I did that to you. You’re hardly over Lurik date day, you keep bringing it up. Lucas would never like you, so I wouldn’t try it.” Quinn’s voice turned high and whiny, faced with the consequences of her own actions.

“Of course I like Elisa, that’s a stupid question. Ever since we kissed, I’ve liked her. And I needed to escape you. You’re far too clingy and expect me to dote on you. I wish I stayed with Lucas, but nope. I had to let you reel me in, I only ever felt sorry for you. I didn’t see you as a real romantic prospect, who would?” Quinn laughed, the sound echoing in the quiet kitchen. She pulled back enough composure to shatter Marisol further.

“I...I’ll say whatever I want. You can’t manipulate me in that way. No wonder you’re close to Lottie, both of you are bullies who are yet to grow up.” Marisol’s voice was weak as she stood up, backing into the stool which squeaked in protest over the flooring. She grabbed her glasses, pushing them up her nose and her breakfast and coffee mug, wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible. “We’re over, by the way. Don’t talk to me at all, unless necessary. You’re sleeping on the daybed permanently, until you can properly get together with Elisa. Why you couldn’t do that earlier without putting me in the middle, I don’t know.” Marisol rushed inside, hurrying upstairs. She dodged Bobby in the living room when he tried to follow her, and made her way to the roof terrace.

She set her coffee and breakfast plate on the bench and sat down, staring out over the Villa. Her bottom lip wobbled again as she felt herself break, and she took off her glasses again, preparing for the waterfall of tears. She curled up, resting her chin on her knees as she sobbed, hiding behind a curtain of hair. It was the start of a new day, but it felt like everything was turning awful again. Getting up early was a mistake, now she was stuck obsessing over her own decisions, what she could’ve done to make things better.

She heard footsteps and looked up in surprise to see Lucas, who moved aside her breakfast, sitting next to her on the bench. She watched him suspiciously, ready to bolt again. “I heard what happened with Elisa and Quinn, if you want to talk, let me know. She did it to me with Noah, and I decided to take her back, which was a bad idea. If you just want silence, that’s fine too.”

“Why...why are you here? Come to pity me? There’s no way you could’ve come for another reason. And I’m fine...Besides, what’s it to you? You didn’t care enough to give me a date when you came in, and haven’t given me the time of day since. I’d be surprised if you even knew anything about me, I fade into the background so easily. How do I know you’re not just going to report back to Quinn, anyway?”

“I haven’t talked to her once since before the last recoupling. I had no idea you two were together, it snuck up on me. It was her responsibility to have the common decency to say something.” He sighed and looked directly at Marisol, wiping her eyes with his finger. “You thought I never noticed you, but I did. I always saw you. I’m sorry for the dates, for all that’s worth. If you want me to find Hope, I’ll do that. But you shouldn’t be alone when you’re like this. I know from experience, I’ve done enough overthinking to last a lifetime because of Quinn.”

Marisol blinked. His finger on her cheek was causing her to short circuit and she blushed. He always saw you? Really? Maybe you’re not alone after all.

“You...saw me? I don’t know what to say to that. Please stay. I’m just really surprised by that. Why would you care about me? There’s so much wrong with me. I either leave, or people get scared off by me…” Her breath caught in her throat and she stared at the bench, grabbing her breakfast and taking a bite of her bagel to distract herself.

“I’m staying right here. And Hope hasn’t been scared off by you. As well as Bobby. I’m sure I can add more people to that growing list, but it’s a start.”

Marisol put the bagel back on her plate and looked up at him. She knew she probably looked an absolute state, and he didn’t have to follow her, yet he did. “Quinn couldn’t even tell me herself. She wanted Elisa to keep it a secret, and they could crack on behind my back. I’m just thankful Elisa had the sense to confess. Poor Bobby, he deserves better than her.”

“So do you. Quinn expects people to just sit by while she destroys everyone in her search for Noah, and until she gets him, everyone else will get walked all over. I learned that the first time she cheated, but went straight back afterwards. I’m not making that mistake again. Being coupled with Chelsea isn’t ideal, but…” He stopped mid sentence and studied her thoughtfully. She blushed under his gaze, cursing herself for getting this flustered. He’s just being kind, and you could do with more friends.

“You interest me, and I’d like to get to know you more. I’ll admit, I was surprised when you coupled up with Quinn. You’re much calmer, you actually give me time to think. Sometimes with Quinn, I’d have her chatting on and on without me getting a chance to get a word in edgewise. On top of that, children aren’t exactly in my plan for life. What about you?”

Marisol shook her head quickly. “Definitely not, I prefer to focus on my career. Cats on the other hand, are a different story. I take it Quinn wants the opposite? In that case, maybe I dodged a bullet.” Part of her felt relieved at the acknowledgement of that, and at the same time, something clicked within her.

“She called me clingy, which is true. Ever since she supported me unconditionally during Roccogate, I fell for her hard. Despite the fact that we were completely different people. Come to think of it, all three of my major relationships here were started by the person being kind to me. Rocco was the only one who cared about me on the day of the Lurik dates, and I mistook that kindness for love, not realising he was playing everyone. While for Graham, he seemed to focus on me and only me when we were together. He saw me as a weak link, an easy way to get into the Villa, and I was too blind to see it. Quinn on the other hand, was completely perfect. She cared about me so much that I never thought that could be a lie. But clearly I was so awful she needed to escape. And everything fell apart, once again. It’s like school again, always the outcast.” She let out a harsh laugh, the situation making her realise that she wasn’t cut out for relationships.

“Maybe I should just cut my losses and be alone forever. As people are always going to leave. I deserve it at this point. I wish people liked me more, but I can’t do anything about that. I’ll never be enough for them...” Her voice wavered and she sobbed again.

Lucas caught her chin, turning her face to face him. He focused completely on her when he spoke. “Marisol, listen to me. You shouldn’t base your own self worth around other people, and you’re not going to be alone forever. You’re not an awful person, it was Quinn who cheated in the first place.”

“The worst part of this whole mess is that Elisa reminds me so much of my ex Olivia, who cheated on me. They don’t look the same, but they have the same energy, it was pretty unnerving at first. So the fact I got cheated on again, and with someone so similar to Olivia, is just typical. Elisa even flirted with me when she first came in and I turned her down flat. She was flirting with both of us, and Quinn saw something special in her, I guess. Sorry, you probably don’t want to hear me moan so much.”

“You don’t have to apologise. It’s better to get it out.”

Marisol felt tears spill over again, and found herself moving closer to Lucas, nestling into his shoulder as she sobbed. His kindness without strings was unexpected, but it was helping. He moved her coffee cup and plate out of the way and let her move closer to him, wrapping his arms around her. The close proximity of him calmed her down, he was good at helping her talk through her feelings. The crush on him that she had before reignited, and she tried to ignore it.

Once they separated, the question on the tip of her tongue made her nervous. What if you’re just projecting onto his kindness, for the fourth time?

“W...would you be interested in a friendship couple with me? It’s okay if you’re not, anything would be better than Quinn.”

He nodded. “Of course.”

The door opened again, and Hope appeared. She rushed over, sitting on Marisol’s other side. “Are you okay? That’s probably a silly question, but you completely disappeared. I’ve been trying to find you.”

Marisol winced. “I’ve been better. But Lucas has been helping, he’s been a good friend to me.”

Hope nodded and looked between the two of them, smiling slightly. Her eyes glittered slightly, which confused Marisol. It seemed like Hope was happier about this than she had when Marisol had spilled the beans to her about her crush on Quinn, and she found herself questioning that. “Come on, let’s get you all cleaned up and ready. You can bring your breakfast with you, I’m staying with you regardless.”

Before Marisol had the time to react, Hope grabbed Marisol’s mug and breakfast plate, causing Marisol to grab her glasses and nearly rushed after her. She turned to Lucas and gave him an awkward wave. “Thank you for caring about me. See you later, then.”

He nodded in response as she rushed after Hope. Even though she felt awful, things were looking up just a little bit. She didn’t want to spend the entire day hiding in bed and letting Quinn know how much the other girl’s actions had bothered her, so the next best option was to spend time with Hope, and hopefully Lucas. She didn’t want to rush into something new quite as quickly, but part of her was hoping he had the feelings that were swirling around inside her.

#litg #love island the game #litgs2 #litg fanfic #litg marisol #marisol x mc #marisol x lucas #fanfic #Quinn Kennedy #lucisol #feels like this

[ravenadottir]

Hello! May I say, I really love your headcanons for LITG characters, most of them are the same as mine /cries/ And uhh, this might be a bit random, I'm sorry, but, what do you think about LITG character's spice tolerance level? We know that Gary canonically can't stand even a dust of spice, what about the others tho? Lucas, with his asian gene might drink gochujang for fun. And thank you again for being an awesome blog!! ♡♡

“I really love your headcanons for LITG characters, most of them are the same as mine /cries/”

“great minds thing alike” CONFIRMED!

ooh, literal spicy question! that’s actually the first time i get this one, and let me tell you... i love it. ‘cause i lost every other opportunity to say stuff about bobby and the spice tolerance, so i should put it out there:

it’s canon BOBBY DOESN’T HANDLE SPICY STUFF, SO LIKE, I SHOULD SAY IT! gary as well. i might go with a guess here, but gary probably has a geographic tongue, ‘cause everyone else was barely feeling it, and he was dying with the drink rahim made. i just think it’s a strong possibility.

henrik and lucas loved the drink, and i think you’re right... lucas really might be very much into spicy foods and drinks, and might even be the type to show off with his tolerance. i can even see him bantering his girl about it, challenging each other to see how far they can go!

henrik can probably take it. on the scoville, anything above 50,000 is too much for him, but he does like the heat too... he mentions it when gary brings them two shots of the ‘violet man’ drink, so... i think he compares it to sangrita (correct me if i’m wrong!). so he’s familiar to spiciness!

carl? forget it! he cannot deal with anything above the 500 on the scoville. i have the feeling he might try to show off and end up burning his entire face! especially if someone else is exceptionally into it. he will try to take the person down, but he can’t go too far!

kassam... surprisingly into it, but nothing too crazy, like over 500,000... he’s very pale, and i can see him turning into pink almost instantly! he might experiment a lot of foods on his tours, and grow a thicker skin for spice. i take it he mostly consumes cocktails, but he must have a vast knowledge of local foods, too.

tai not only can take it, but also likes spicy food. i’m gonna go on the limb and guess he can take more than he lets it show. something around the 100,000. in my head, i always pictured tai being a little weak for spice, but i’m thinking he might surprise us!

to be able to develop a drink that a professional bartender likes, it takes a lot, especially if said drink contains peppers... ibrahim can handle a high heat, too! something around 200,000. now here’s the thing. usually he’s taken as vanilla, but like... boy actually invented this one, and i gotta give credit where it’s due! he can take it! he’s smiling all the time, and preparing the drinks like a gentleman. no desperation or sweat present. 

but the one i really think would surprise everyone is noah! genetically? he’s half asian. and not that count for anything, because i’ve dated indians, koreans and thais who couldn’t stand any sort of heat in their foods or drinks, BUT, i think noah is one to surprise us when we try to test him. i’m talking about above 1,000,000 on the scoville, and barely breaking a sweat! he’s just quiet about everything, and i believe he would love to see his girl’s chin dropping once he shows how resilient he is!

i don’t think marisol can handle as much spice... call me crazy, but everything else about her tastes (except for mc) are so bland. i don’t know, i could be wrong, and forgetting a crutial piece of information, but i really think despite of being hispanic, she can’t exactly handle too much heat!

priya probably can handle a lot! it’s just her personality that really seems to deceive me into thinking that!

lottie can handle SOME spice. don’t get me wrong. she knows her stuff, but that doesn’t mean she consumes all of it! she was a bartender once, and that makes me think she prepared loads of different stuff. she does like the violet man, but everyone else acted the same way “it’s just a little kick”. a little kick is nothing for some people. lottie can go as far as 20,000 without complaining or going pink!

i think hope likes the “little kick” and that’s about it. she doesn’t strike me as the kind of person that enjoys spiciness. she seems, to me, the umami kind of girl, which is mostly avoiding the wasabi in the sushi plates, and the excess ginger in the cuppas.

#litg lucas #litg carl #litg gary #litg tai #litg henrik #litg kassam #litg bobby #litg ibrahim #litg noah #litg #litg s2 #litg s3 #litg season 2 #litg season 3 #love island the game #love island the game season 2 #fusebox #fusebox games #queue #group asks #spice

[fatefulfaerie]

Honesty Part 6

Part One here

Part Two here

Part Three here

Part Four here

Part Five here

It only took Link about an hour before he was too weak to guide his horse, Zelda helping the knight heavy with muscle and lethargic with sickness onto her own horse.

Thus, Zelda rode into Hateno as the sunset rose upon it, Link laying on her upright back like a mattress and softly hugging her waist like a pillow. The position had adorned her cheeks with a heavy blush and a warmth in her heart that wasn’t fading.

The door opened as soon as her horses hooves were in earshot of the house. Link’s mother rushed out and brought her hands to her mouth with a soft gasp and eyes etched with concern.

Link mumbled about his “fine” health as his mother and his princess brought him in the house and laid him down on the largest bed, where he quickly drifted off to sleep.

Zelda didn’t leave Link’s side, even as Link was diagnosed by the Hateno medic. Zelda kept her hand in his as the medic told them that until the food poisoning passed from his body, he would still feel a great amount of nausea, disorientation, and fatigue alongside it. Otherwise, the lad was in perfect health.

Zelda wondered at what goddess-forsaken moldy mushroom or rotten fruit Link put in his mouth on his way to or from fighting the Hinox, but she sat unwaveringly by his side nonetheless. It was a sight that Link’s parents looked at with a smile from across the loft, Ruth’s head locked gently in Hugh’s neck. 

The two youths were now chatting like old friends, smiling and almost laughing as they conversed out of earshot. Link’s head lay uncomfortably on the rim of the bucket inch-deep with puke, but the way he smiled at his princess showed he didn’t mind at all. 

“What do you think of those two?” Ruth asked Hugh. “I think they suit each other well.”

“It’s hard to believe our little boy is all grown up and finding his own love.”

Ruth smiled.

“So you agree?” She asked with a smirk. “You’d think they’d make a nice couple?”

“Well I’m not about to start planning the wedding, but I think they like each other a great deal. If it weren’t for other factors, I think it would be an easy and splendid match.”

Ruth’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Other factors,” she said before lifting her head from her husband’s shoulder. “What do you mean, other factors?”

Hugh gave a side glance to Zelda as he leaned in to his wife’s ear.

“She’s the princess,” he said. “Link fell in love with his charge.”

Hugh waited for a reaction to be amused by from his wife, but none came, Ruth only looking at him with disappointment.

“You think I don’t know that?” She asked rhetorically. “Goddesses sake. Even Lottie was asking if he was dating her.”

“You didn’t say anything,” Hugh reasoned.

“I was trying to be respectful,” Ruth said with a bit of pride. “Besides, I’m not sure what it is but I just have this feeling…I think they’ll find a way.”

——————————————————————————————————

Link had left to get a breath of fresh air as Zelda continued to sit in her chair, jotting various notes in her science journal of things to research when she returned to the castle, Guardian schematics she ached to return to, of course with the option to look up from her studies and gaze upon her knight attendant without his knowledge.

“Excuse me,” she heard Link’s mom say, Zelda turning her head. “May I talk with you for a bit?”

“Of course,” Zelda said, gesturing with her hand to invite her to sit across from her. “There’s no need to ask.”

Ruth sat on the edge of the bed with a warm smile towards Zelda, soon taking the girl’s hand with a motherly gentility that Zelda hadn’t felt in a very long time. She tried not to let it affect her.

“I just wanted to tell you,” Ruth said. “We don’t blame you at all for the danger Link has been in, for the burden he carries. From what I understand, you are weighted down much like he is.”

Zelda furrowed her brow.

“I…I’m sorry,” she started. “You…you know who I am?”

Ruth’s smile grew as she nodded, returning her hand to clasp into her own.

“People who walk and talk like you are few and far between,” she explained, “especially around here. I knew you must have been at least a lady of the court when Link first introduced you to us. It wasn’t hard to place you as the princess in the moments after. Link isn’t a very good liar.”

Zelda chuckled.

“I suppose,” she said in reply. “And thank you for being honest with me. I wish your son didn’t have so many run-ins with danger but…well until the calamity is appeased there are a lot of things that we can’t control. He is a valuable asset to my father and to Hyrule.”

“What about to you?” Ruth asked.

Zelda shrugged, attempting to hide her blushing cheeks.

“He’s my knight attendant,” Zelda said. “And he’s a good friend. He is invaluable to me.”

Ruth studied the way Zelda smiled. It was small and almost forced.

“But…” Ruth prompted.

“It’s dumb,” Zelda insisted, bowing her head.

“Humor me,” Ruth said. Zelda lifted her head to meet Ruth’s blue gaze.

“I was eavesdropping,” Zelda started. “I know, all sorts of improper, but…Link’s father said something about Link telling me the truth, and…well…of course I trust him enough to acknowledge he can have his own secrets, but if it has something to do with me…I don’t know...I’m starting to think...”

Ruth placed a hand on Zelda’s shoulder, the touch warm and affirming. She made sure Zelda’s eyes met hers. The silent show of support was all Zelda needed.

“I’m starting to think he may return the feelings I have for him,” Zelda said quickly, blurting out.

Ruth’s eyebrows were raised at the sudden expelling of words.

“Sorry,” Zelda said. “I didn’t mean for that to come out so suddenly...it’s just a lot for me to grapple with on my own. This connection Link and I seem to have...but then also having to ignore it until after the Calamity is defeated.”

“Why must you ignore it?” Ruth asked.

Zelda shrugged.

“It’s practical,” Zelda explained. “I think we both fear that if we don’t focus completely on the Calamity, Hyrule will fall to ruin.”

Ruth nodded.

“That makes sense,” she said. “You have a smart reason for concealing your honesty, both of you, but...don’t forget that you two do need each other. It doesn’t even need to be a romantic thing. You two are the only people who truly understand the pressure of having the entire world on your shoulders. You don’t have to shut each other out just because you are falling in love and you think that’s a bad idea. You don’t have to be anything to support each other. Love is more than lust, you know.”

Zelda gave a smile.

“I know,” she said in reply.

#zelink #zelda #link #tloz #botw #the legend of zelda #breath of the wild

[yeaahishowedupatyourparty]

Red & the meaning of it’s songs for Lottie. I just feel like doing this is going to help me build her narrative more, there might be some open spots in here but I doubt it. Also, as I said in the chat, it just helps everyone differentiate her from Holly because they both use Taylor’s albums for their character development! Hope that makes sense :) 

1. State Of Grace - Moving to New York and a dedication to all of the friend’s she’s made there. It’s the first time she’s been settled properly in one place and I think it’s about the intense excitement and love she feels for her academy already. She’s met Yasmine, Salem, and so many others and it’s track number 1, because she sees it as the opening to a really exciting new chapter.  2. Red - Elijah! This was her first boyfriend and they drifted as they grew up and moved on to different things. She has no ideas he’s into guys and that doesn’t really matter, anyway. She’s accepted that they’re over but the relationship is always romanticised in her head and moving on fully will probably never be an option.  3. Treacherous - Her first crush at Liberty was Avery and it hit hard. She was intensely pissed off when she didn’t get the reciprocation she wanted but after ‘Better than Revenge’ on Speak Now, she knows better than to put people on blast TOO hard. So, she went down the lovesick route and created this beautiful song. She knows that nothing’s going to come of it, but she can’t fully leave him alone. It’s a little less intense now that all of the academies are together though, because she doesn’t see him as much. 4. I Knew You Were Trouble - This plot is still work in progress, but it’ll be dedicated to Ethan. The two of them have got closer through attending Liberty and he’s attracted to her on a physical level; but nothing more. He’s mainly hooking up with her to prove a point to Addy and it’s working. They’re never official but even still, when she realises/the truth comes out, I think she’ll put her “Stop putting people on blast” attitude out of the window and release this because she won’t be happy.  5. All Too Well - I think All Too Well is really easy to interpret as heartbreak, but Lottie’s meant to be more calculated than that. So, even though it’s very much a heartfelt song and really emotional...she’s crafted it to be that way. It’ll be about Ethan and the purpose of it will be to get the general public and fans on side. She knows it tugs at heart-strings and while I Knew You Were Trouble is a bop, All Too Well is designed to give her the vulnerability that everybody loves to see. In reality, she’s not as hurt about it as she’s pretending.  6. 22 - Every single album has a song about or inspired by Annabel because she’s hands down the most important person in Lottie’s world. I feel Lottie would have grown up hearing Annabel’s stories about St Judes, her adventures and the friends she made. Lottie wrote this song when she got accepted into Liberty, knowing that she’d be having the same thing, and in a weird way feels more connected to her Mum than ever. The line “Everything will be alright if you keep me next to you” kind of points to how much she still relies on Annabel and knows her Mum will guide her through anything that gets hard in the next few years. She basically feels as if she’s her Mum when she was 22.  7. I Almost Do - Elijah. This would be an older song and I think it’d be written when she first started feeling the distance between them. This is probably the least complicated meaning on the album, oop.  8. We Are Never Getting Back Together - NOBODY LOL She just knew it’d get people talking and was catchy and it’ll be one she always acts as if it’s a huge secret who it’s about. 9. Stay Stay Stay - Again, it needs a little bit more development but Flynn is the second guy she’s had a major crush on. He’s really good to her and they have a lovely friendship, but she’s also keeping him at arms length because she knows her career plan is going to end up screwing over a lot of people and their reputations and she doesn’t want him to be one of them. It’s also about how he seems to genuinely like her and not care as much about how successful she is/what she can or cant offer him.  10. The Last Time - All Too Well, part 2. Just to REALLY drive home the fact that Ethan’s hurt her feelings, it’s all his fault and people should feel bad for her. Forget the fact she also knew he was one of the star basketball players and dating him would help boost the attention for ‘Red.’ That’s irrelevant...Obviously.  11. Holy Ground - She wrote this during her visit to St Judes and again, with her parents in mind. For them, Violet Springs is where it all started and I think she would’ve done something really sentimental like visited Annabel’s old dorm room or asked her Mum to take her to the place where they first met. This one tells their story more than any of theirs.  12. Sad Beautiful Tragic - Another one about Elijah. I feel like this is probably the shadiest song she’s written about him and here’s why...’Sad beautiful tragic love affair’ almost implies that something happened or somebody was wrong - and, of course, Lottie’s RARELY going to put herself in the shoes of the villain in any of her stories, so it very subtly nudges people to feel like Elijah did something. He didn’t, though, but one of Lottie’s weaknesses is making things up in her head until she believes them to be fact. There was definitely a stage where she thought he’d found somebody else, so this was the result.  13. The Lucky One - For Violet! Lottie’s been in the music industry for a little longer than most, just because Drew and Annabel let her be home-schooled for a few years while she worked on her debut. I think she sees a lot of herself in Violet and it’s somebody she genuinely cares about. It’s written almost like a fable about fame and trying to warn her that she needs to keep her feet on the ground or she’ll get hurt.  14. Everything Has Changed - I REALLY DON’T LIKE THIS SONG, I FIND IT HARD TO CARE ABOUT. She does have a vague connection with Fae’s new character, Jace, though, so I’ll fill this in when we’ve got a better idea of what it’s all about.  15. Starlight - Her second song about being in New York and starting life at Liberty. Lottie’s version of ‘Red’ is about living life at maximum intensity, which is what she feels like at the moment. She feels like this is the most alive and new she’ll ever be and her passion for everything is burning, so Starlight is another song that expresses that.  16. Begin Again - Flynn and Elijah, ahh. Again, she deep down knows Flynn’s a good guy and the real deal; the only other person she’s had that intuition about is Elijah. She’s kind of comparing them in the sense that they’ve given her that hopeful, heads-in-the-clouds feeling...unlike Ethan who is the other side of the album. I think it’s from the perspective of Lottie looking at Flynn and seeing a lot of Elijah - hence something quite nice is beginning...again. 

17. The Moment I Knew - This will again be for Jace. The vague idea of their connection is that they dated after she dated Elijah, while she was home schooling. She fell hard and looked to him for support and was convinced he’d be the same as Elijah was to her but he is and has always been more focused on his career. So, when she decided to go back to VS, he stayed out in LA trying to make his dreams come true. They tried long distance but he never called as much as she did and it felt very one way. He never did anything explicitly wrong...unless you hear Lottie’s slightly overdramatic version of the story via this song. (For people struggling to keep up, it goes: Elijah, Jace, Liberty, Crush on Avery, vague fling with Ethan, Longterm crush on Flynn LOL) 18. Come Back, Be Here - Leaving LA (when she was being home schooled/working on her debut) and Jace, too. This was the beginning of their short lived long distance relationship when she thought they genuinely had a chance. I feel like she’s embarrassed to admit she fell for him now but she did lmao.  19. Girl At Home - If you didn’t get the clue in her post, Peter C LOL. It’s plotted that when they got to NYC, he flirted with her a few times even though Lottie knew he was with Bianca. Hence why she wrote this song. She could’ve just told him to fuck off and left it be, but why do that when you could have it on an album and cause rumours to spread like wildfire?

#lotties project: red #ITS NOT OUT YET #BUT THESE WILL BE THE MEANINGS #i also love how sneakily shady she is with these songs and the meanings :')

[sepulchritude]

Hey who wants to hear about my ocs just kidding here they are:

Fel Stormbringer is a gold dragonborn who ran away from their parents at Fantasy Disney World in Fantasy Florida when they were 12. They believe that dragonborns are actually dragons (in the same way that chihuahuas and great danes are both dogs; dragonborns are just smaller weaker dragons). When someone interrogates them about their gender, they misunderstand the question and insist that they are a dragon. Personality-wise, they mostly act like a little kid because they never really had the chance to grow past that

So they grew up in a swamp, playacting as a feral dragon, until they decided to head into society in order to obtain a pet dog. Shenanigans happened, and they found themself accidentally on an adventure. Their moms are still out there somewhere, unsure what happened to their long lost child

Tl;dr perpetually 12 y/o feral fantasy flat-earther dragonborn

Jay is a kenku who befriended a retired knowledge cleric who lived with their flock for several years. The cleric grew to consider Jay her own child, so when she died, her god bestowed a blessing on them, gifting them with language. Jay intended to follow in their adopted mom’s footsteps to become a cleric of her god, but Akadi the Lady of Air claimed them as her cleric first because a kenku who can actually form language instead of just parroting words was a valuable asset to her

So you’ve got a grumpy birdy boi learning how to deal with the hand they’ve been dealt and trying to be Good because that’s what their mom taught them. Jay exclusively uses their mom’s voice to speak, to honor her, but they sound like a shitty knockoff Siri stringing words together. When someone tries to interrogate Jay about their gender, they sarcastically parrot “pretty bird!” at them

Tl;dr unwilling tempest cleric just trying to make their mom proud

Lottie is an atlacatl (axolotl-based race) with an intellegence of 5 and a charisma of 20. I’m trying not to go too in-depth about stats but for her they’re important. She’s a bard, and she used to go to the land village near her people’s lake village to play her tambourine. She did it because she liked it, but people gave her pretty shiny things (coins) for it anyway. One day, her brother disappeared without a trace, so she set out to find him

She doesn’t know Common (that 5 int is a struggle), so her village elder gave her a circlet equipped with a built-in variation of the Tongues spell (longer duration but it only works with Common) and a very weak Create Water spell. The circlet weighs down the headscarf that covers her gills on land. It keeps her gills wet and allows her to speak with land dwellers, but she has to use her leftover spell slots at the end of the day to keep it charged

The fast-paced and dangerous world above water can sometimes get overwhelming for her, but she’s determined to find her brother

Tl;dr precious cinnamon roll too good for this world, too pure

Dorian Mercer is a tiefling. At first glance, he looks like a boring (if tall) human dude. White, tan-ish skin. Brown hair. Pleasant but uninteresting facial features. Y’know. You can tell he’s a tiefling when you look a little closer though. He has horns curling back from his forehead, he’s constantly tripping over his long brown tail, and his eyes are a solid white with no iris or pupil

He’s a wizard researching the nature of pain. He’s hoping he can use his findings to create better painkillers, make childbirth easier, stuff like that. But it’s hard to study pain in a lab setting without being crazy unethical about it, so he became an adventurer in the hopes of getting some good data. Maybe even some firsthand experience! He’s very excited

The thing is, he’d never go out of his way to hurt anyone. But he also won’t go out of his way to help you if you get stabbed either, unless he has a new hypothesis to test. He’s more likely to take careful notes. Better bring a cleric along or something

Tl;dr oh shit this dude is way creepier than he looks at first glance

#i love them all so much #the only one i've actually gotten to play is fel #and i played dorian in a horror oneshot a friend made #he's very well suited to a creepy setting #sepulchritudinous

[novemberseas-novemberskies]

Week 2: Character Challenges 2 & 3

              When it comes time to go to the Festival, I attempt to sneak out, as I’ve done quite successfully since that first morning. However, it seems Mother has developed the ears of a fox, and she catches me at the door. Admonishing me for my attire (she does not approve of my wearing pants, and only tolerates it because it keeps me from riding in my knickers), she drags me back to my room where she dresses me like a London high street mannequin. oon, I was dressed in what now counted as my Sunday’s finest, complete with a flower-covered fascinator that was wildly inappropriate for the occasion.

            “There,” she sighed, clasping her hands as she stepped back to survey her work. “Now you at least look presentable. Shall we then?”

            I look at her in bemusement.

            “We?”

            “Why yes of course,” she replies, draping a shawl about her shoulders, and beginning to steer me toward the door. “Lottie! Lottie come on! We’re going to leave without you!”

            “Coming, coming.” My little sister races down the stairs, pink-cheeked and grinning in a flouncy pink dress. I think it’s the first outing we’ve had since moving to Thisby, so I don’t blame her for her excitement. Seeing her happy is enough to make me swallow down my annoyance at this night becoming even more of a production than it previously was. Lottie, sweet Lottie. She has always been my shadow, despite being my exact opposite in almost all manners of the world. My raven curls to her golden, my blue eyes to her brown, my intensity to her cheerfulness. As soon as she was old enough to talk, she even insisted we call her by the shortened version of her own name, Charlotte, to be like me. If having a Collette and a Charlotte under the same roof hadn’t been bad enough, having a Lettie and a Lottie in the house has been perfectly maddening. But I love her. So I simply smile, tuck a flyaway golden curl into her hat, and lead our little parade out the door.

            We’re already running late by the time we leave the house, and I must dash off to join the meandering Riders’ Parade, but not before I slip Lottie a couple of coins, enough for a November cake and a sweet, hot cup of cocoa. It’s the last of my money not reserved for purchasing food for Nyx, but the light in her eyes tells me it’s worth it. She scurries off, towing Mother behind her. Mother gives me a final glance over her shoulder and shouts something about meeting me after the ceremony, and then they’re lost to my view. And I prefer it that way. I never wanted to involve them in this madness, so I’m happy to have them enjoy the more anodyne aspects of the Festival.

            I allow the crowd to carry me along, jostled this way and that by the other Riders. Most are using the parade as a show of bravado, waving to the crowd and laughing and dancing along to the furious beat of the Scorpio drummers. But as I look around, I see others who look how I feel: sick to our stomachs and ready for this whole thing to be over. I’m not about to show my nerves, though. I’ve already tipped my hand one too many times to expose that weakness. So I raise my chin, fix what I hope to be a cocky smirk onto my face, straighten my back, and walk. And, miracle of miracles, it works. I feel confidence slowly fill me, leeching into my bones like the warmth of a fire after a long day on the beach. I belong here, I tell myself, and I believe it. I catch sight of the Mare Goddess out of the corner of my eye, and I match her unblinking gaze with one of my own until she swings her head around, breaking the link between us. I feel so, so powerful. This false confidence become real carries me all the way through to the end of the Parade, walking tall and sure as I approach the rock upon which this year’s bird-headed priestess stands. I take one, two, three steps up the rough surface, and then…

            Crack!

            My foot catches on a bit of uneven stone, and I pitch forward, my hands slamming into the rock in a futile attempt to catch myself. Pain lances through my face as my chin makes contact with the hard, cold surface, my teeth sinking deeply into my bottom lip. Tears prick at my eyes even before the jeers begin, loud whistles and laughs only building as I struggle to my feet, all tangled skirts and scraped knees. The woman in the bird headdress takes a step toward me, hand outstretched, but I wave her off. As the whistles and indecipherable shouts reach a crescendo, I feel the same hot anger I felt on the beach flood me. It does not come slowly like the confidence, but all at once, like a tidal wave washing over me.

            I belong here.

 Rising up to my full height and holding the hot, salty blood in my mouth, I take the final few steps up to the top of the rock. And then I turn, even as the woman reaches for my hand to slice my finger, and I spit that mouthful of blood onto the red-spattered stone below with as much force as I can muster.

            “I will ride. Collette Darling. Nyx. By my blood.”

            The crowd has gone absolutely silent now, and I stand there for two more breaths, chest heaving, staring out at them, daring them, before I swipe a sleeve across my mouth, gather up my skirts, and make my way down the other side of the rock. The bird-headed woman knows better than to try to draw her pinprick of blood. People part in front of me, leaving a clear path to where Mother and Lottie wait. Mother’s eyes are wide with shock, speechless, while Lottie’s eyes are bright with excitement, and she doesn’t stop chattering the whole way home. I half-listen to her as we make out way home, suddenly too exhausted to do much more than nod. Mother bursts into the house, and, having now found her voice once more, drags me by the sleeve to the room where Father sits, raging against me the whole way. Pushing me into a chair in front of Father as she recounts the whole evening to him. Then she puts her hands on her hips and looks at him expectantly, sure that my incredibly improper comportment will be the thing to rouse him from his stupor. And, as it turns out, she’s right. A slow smile spreads across his face, and he leans forward, placing a hand on my knee.

            “That’s my girl.”

            Exasperated, Mother throws her hands in the air, and we hear her angrily making tea and muttering to herself in the kitchen. We sit there for a while, Father laughing to himself and shaking his head and patting my knee, long enough that my lip finally stops bleeding and my eyes are heavy. I catch sight of myself in the hall mirror as I make my slow, sore way to my bedroom. I’ve bitten almost clean through my lip, and it will surely scar, but I smile all the same. A fitting souvenir of this violent, bloody journey.

#Lettie and Nyx #TSRF2019 #the scorpio races #The Scorpio Races Festival

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael After Midnight: The Princess and the Frog

After the disaster that was Home on the Range, Disney wasn’t too keen on going back to traditional animation. It took them five years to release a new traditionally animated movie, and… it underperformed. Not super badly, mind you, it had great reception and solid returns, but a combination of bad marketing and going up against James Cameron’s Avatar really hurt the film. That film is, obviously, The Princess and the Frog.

This film’s pretty interesting in a lot of ways. We have our first black princess, our first American (as in, citizen of the United States) princess, we have a film set down in New Orleans in the early 20th century… this is a pretty interesting film for sure. The real question is, is it a GOOD film? Can it stand up with the best of the Renaissance, or is it a weak work that shows Disney made the right move switching over to 3D animation?

So here’s the tale Disney gave us today: Way down in New Orleans in the 1920s, a young black waitress named Tiana is struggling as a waitress to get enough cash to start her own restaurant. Things seem hard until the wily prince Naveen rolls into town, and Tiana’s rich white BFF Lottie is so into this dude she says she’ll give Tiana fat stacks of cash to cater a party so that Lottie can woo the man. But Lottie’s not the only one who wants a piece of this prince; the wicked practitioner of voodoo and sleazy conman Dr. Facilier tricks Naveen into making a deal with him, turns Naveen into a frog, and turns Naveen’s put-upon manservant into a replica of Naveen as part of a ploy to gather up souls for his Friends On the Other Side. Now a frog, Naveen goes to get kissed, like in the stories… so Tiana kisses him! And then… she becomes a frog too! Now these two clashing personalities are stuck in frog form, and embark on a journey to change back before Facilier gets his way. Can they do it, or will these two croak?

One of the best things about the movie is just how well-researched and authentic so many aspects of it are. Most importantly is the voodoo; directors Clements and Musker avoided using any real symbols so they didn’t piss off practitioners or evil spirits, but you can tell they did a lot more research on it than most do. This is most evident in the existence of the character known as Mama Odie, who is a GOOD voodoo practitioner, a shocking rarity in any film that features it. Yeah, there’s more to voodoo than the wicked pincushion dolls and black magic and chicken sacrifices you see in your typical movie featuring voodoo. Beyond that, we have New Orleans native Randy Newman delivering music that feels authentic to the locale, and we have Jim Cummings playing a character with his authentic Cajun accent he picked up working on riverboats (not the first time he has played this sort of character; he did it before in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, though, uh… Ray is a much more pelasant character than the one he plays there). Then of course there’s Ray’s lover Evangeline, whose name is a reference to a famous poem of the same name by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a poem considered the unofficial national epic of the Cajun people. Mad props to this movie for going out of its way to go to such lengths to make their setting really authentic.

Sadly, this level of quality could not be packed into our main character, Tiana. She’s… alright as a character, but she’s not very interesting as far as Disney princesses go. Her major flaw is that she’s a workaholic and so has to loosen up a bit; in fact, she spends more time teaching other characters lessons than learning anything herself. And she’s completely removed from the villain’s scheming for the most part, with her only getting targeted because she’s around Naveen. The first time she meets Dr. Facilier is during the final confrontation, for fuck’s sake! I hate to say it, but she reminds me a lot of Susie Carmichael from Rugrats, being the poster child for positive discrimination. Now don’t take this as me saying she’s an awful character, or bad representation, or anything like that; there is stuff to like and admire about Tiana for sure! I just don’t find her particularly interesting, especially considering…

...how colorful a lot of the other characters are! We have Naveen, who is the jerkass egomaniac who develops as the movie goes on, becoming humbled by his experiences and learning there should be more to life than reckless hedonism; this is the kind of characterization I would have liked from my princess, and in Disney movies this is usually the case, with the princess being the character with lots of characterization and growth while the prince is just eye candy with little depth (Tiana is not that extreme a case, don’t worry). Then we have Ray, who is a divisive character, but… I like him well enough. He’s so sweet, and goofy, and voiced by Jim Cummings, so how the hell could I hate him? There’s also a certain scene with him towards the end, which I have to applaud for going against a typical trope Disney loves to use. I won’t spoil it, but you’ll know it when you see it. Then there’s one-scene wonder Mama Odie, who gets a song and very little screentime, but damn she makes her mark! This blind old lady steals the show when she struts on screen! Oh, there’s also an alligator named Louis who wants to play trumpet. He has like one good joke. I find him pointless. Moving on.

There are two characters that rise above the others in terms of how good they are. The first is, shockingly, Lottie. A rich white girl in the 1920s in a movie where the protagonist is a poor black girl… ooh boy, you’d expect Lottie to be nothing more than a self-absorbed spoiled rich bitch. But holy fuck, she is actually the sweetest, kindest, most likable rich person you will ever see in a movie! She absolutely ADORES Tiana, and just goes out of her way to help her. She is the poster child for spoiled sweet; she may be a bit ditzy and silly, but goddamn this girl’s heart is in the right place! It’s so refreshing to see a character like her; it would have been so easy to make her a snobby rich asshole, rather than the bouncy sweetheart that she is.

And then, of course, we have Dr. Facilier, the big bad of the movie. Voiced by Keith David, he is absolutely the highlight of the film. In fact, I’d go so far as to call him the last TRUE classic-style Disney villain until Tamatoa belted out “Shiny;” he’s hammy, he’s charismatic, he has an awesome villain song, he has a great performance from a great actor… he can easily stand alongside the greats like Ursula, Scar, Gaston, Frollo, Hades, and so on. If there’s any problem I have with him, it’s that they could have given a little more info on his problems with his Friends, maybe explored that a little more, but still, what we got is classic Disney villain. And as any great Disney villain, he gets an incredible, nightmarish death, rivaled only by his trippy, terrifying musical number’s visuals! Facilier has got it all! He’s easily one of my favorite Disney villains of all time.

The best way I can describe this is as a lost Disney Renaissance film. It really feels like it could fit in that era alongside films like Aladdin or Beauty and the Beast, especially in regards to the villain. Still, the film isn’t perfect, and does suffer at least a little due to our main protagonist not being quite as interesting as she should be. Still, I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who likes animation, and I most certainly believe this movie deserves better than what it got; it’s an underrated gem, not to the extent of Atlantis or Treasure Planet, but definitely a Disney film that deserves a little more love and respect than it got upon release.

#Michael After Midnight #Review #Movie review #Disnovember #The Princess and the Frog #New Orleans #Voodoo #Disney #animation #animated movie