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sammy-deserves-better · 5 months

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Hey people who definitely didn’t follow me for my AUs here’s another AU I thought up on the spot!!!

Fantasy/Royalty AU bam lets get into it

Julia and Bowie are the princess and prince of the kingdom, as you do, it’s gay and lesbian hostility in that castle every day

Axel, Wayne, Raj and Emma are knights with Axel being the head of the knights, Emma is also secretly a florist because why not

Priya is the head of the guards while Caleb is the personal guard/advisor to the king

Chase is a travelling bard who loves to talk about his ‘amazing’ adventures of ‘helping’ people

Nichelle is still a famous actress but instead of movies she’s like, famous from plays and all that jazz

Ripper’s a barbarian that’s pretty good at his job, unfortunately he is not taken very seriously

Millie is a famous writer but she’s so damn difficult to find at times and only a few people know where she actually lives

Damien is a wizard’s apprentice, he’s still learning but he’s got some real talent within him

Zee is the court jester, he didn’t even like try out for the role he just started talking one time and the king thought he was hilarious

Scary Girl is a famous necromancer because she is, funnily enough, scarily good at her job

And MK, silly ol’ MK, is a master thief who is wanted all over the world, but can never be located, always managing to escape at the last moment

Alright here’s some more details yippee

Raj and Bowie are like, in love, obviously, knight x prince romance! Forbidden love that isn’t really forbidden but like it’s super cute and Raj is so smitten and Bowie just loves this handsome knight that would do anything for him

Wayne and Emma are friends here because I also think they’re silly, Wayne’s the only one who knows Emma’s secret florist job because she trusts him enough and also he accidentally found out but it’s fine!! But he also nearly gives away Emma’s secret so many damn times because he’s just a little bit stupid

‘Man I wish I could get Bowie a nice bouquet…’

‘Oh well Emma is actually a fl-‘

And then Wayne gets elbowed so hard he can’t breath for 2 minutes

Emma also definitely has a thing for the cute court jester but she has no idea on how to actually approach Zee so she just sends him flowers anonymously and sighs while looking at him lovingly

Julia and MK meet because MK climbs up the damn castle walls at 2am and sneaks into Julia’s room just to rob her, gets absolutely slammed by the princess, wakes up and is tied to a damn chair with Julia right up in her face about to rip her to shreds and all MK can say is ‘you are REALLY attractive oh my gods’

This throws Julia off, they start talking, Julia realises that despite the fact she is holding one of the most wanted criminals hostage in her room, she wants to keep seeing MK because she’s entertaining and mean and just slightly pathetic, so she lets MK go on the promise that the thief will come back every night and so she does and yadda yadda lesbians toxic yuri wins

Millie’s stories actually come to life because shocker she’s actually a wizard in disguise and she needs to be really careful about what she writes so that’s why she hides herself away and is so hard to track down because if the wrong people knew about her magic capabilities oh no that’s a lot of blood and injury and angst and 10k words every chapter

Millie’s parents also had this ability to create anything from mere writing, they shared this ability with the kingdom, and so if an important figure asked them to say…make a protector of the kingdom, they would do so, and they did, and that’s where our villain/antagonist comes in but that’s a story for another day

The older gens are also involved in this one way or another as well, most are just backgrounders but some hold important to the story

Damien is the wizard apprentice to Leonard and Tammy, two great and powerful sages who spend their time helping the world

DJ is the one who taught Emma how to be a florist, he’s kind and understanding and always helps Emma choose the right flowers to give to Zee

Eva trains Ripper under her watchful eye, she’s proud of how far he’s come, but feels he can do just a bit more

Aleheather are the king and queen of the kingdom, Bowie and Julia are their adopted children

And that’s all I got for now uhhhh add whatever you want to this it’s just a silly time

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vee-is-a-clown · 1 year

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Here's the theater au that some of you wanted to see:

Ok so Lance joins this play to get closer to his crush, Allura. She's really pretty and auditioning for the princess in this play that was written by a group of students and approved by Adam (the theater club director). Obviously, he's going to try out for the prince/fiance character. Plus, her character kisses him.

And, they both get the parts! Hurray! Maybe they can have a romantic date where they rehearse their lines!

One problem. This group of students was the GSA and they refuse to write a straight Romeo and Juliet rip off. So, the princess has a lesbian lover, the court jester (played by the lovely Romelle). And also, Allura has a major crush on Romelle (it's reciprocated). And plus, the prince ends up developing a crush on a knight in training (reluctantly played by Keith).

Ok now basic explanation of the play:

Princess Rebecca is to meet her fiance, Prince Isaac. He travels with his favorite knight, Elijah, to Rebecca's kingdom. Issac seems smitten by Rebecca once he meets her.

She then realizes that she can't bear marrying Isaac and runs away with with her court jester, Lydia. But, just before leaving in the middle of the night, she plants a kiss on Isaac's sleeping forehead. (She also has a kiss scene with Lydia while running away).

Elijah comforts Isaac about having his fiance leave him in the dead of night and it turns into a star gazing session. The play ends with them kissing as the sun rises. (The running away happens on the same night as the stargazing.)

Of course, throughout the play, Rebecca and Lydia very obviously flirt and have some scenes where they talk about wanting to run away together. Ya know, girl stuff. Then, Isaac's character has this whole thing where it gets increasingly obvious that he's convinced himself that he's in love with Rebecca so he doesn't have to confront his feelings for Elijah.

Now sadly, Lance cannot read the very obvious homosexual undertones or the second half of the script for that matter because he didn't know that Rebecca and Isaac don't end up marrying. He read the lines that he needed to for the audition. He swore he would read the rest before the audition but he kept getting distracted.

Now Keith's pov. Keith is a costume designer for the theater club and does some technical stuff behind the scenes with Pidge and Hunk too. He was helping out by reading some of Elijah's lines and accidentally got casted as Elijah. Since he's not too big of a part and only really talks in the last part, he decided that it wouldn't be *too* bad.

So now Lance and Keith are stuck playing forbidden gay lovers in their school play. Hopefully they don't fall in love.. (The plot of the play mirrors the what happens in the au)

Some currently irrelevant details:

Coran is Allura's legal guardian and the art teacher so he volunteers help with the set and costume making

Keith still works on costume designs and stuff while playing Elijah

Keith was friends with Allura, Romelle, and Pidge before

There's a different spotlight on Lance and Allura when their gay lovers are on stage so they look more vibrant

There's a betting pool going around for when Lance is going to ask Keith to practice their kiss scene

Matt is also there but he's a senior and is working the lights (and teasing Keith)

Everyone but Pidge and Matt are sophomores

Pidge is a freshman but skipped a year so she's 13 and not 14

Keith is still working on Costumes while being in the play

Adam "begged" Keith to play Elijah (Keith didn't have a choice)

Also, there's a scene where Elijah says "Oh don't cry, my prince, for I cannot bear to see such a beautiful face full of sorrow." And when Keith first rehearsed that line with Lance, he very visibly malfunctioned. He had the biggest bi panic moment.

#Half baked au that I might write a fic about #voltron #keith voltron #vld keith #keith kogane #klance #lance voltron #vld lance #lance mcclain #Klance theater au #Klance au #romelle vld #vld allura #Romellura #clownie's voltron aus

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djservo · 5 months

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movie recs w bro auras??

ohhhh you shoulda never asked me this question I think about those things way 2 much.. get your reading glasses on pal it gets real ugly down there

ok firstly want to clarify wit "bro aura" there's "whoa this character is so [bro]" in a singular characterization way n then there's "ohhh this is somethin the bros would do" in a situational way n then there's a more general/subtle yet distinctive vibe like the Pathos n Dynamics of it all... that's how i think of it at least all very convoluted yes but just 4 distinction 🦠 that being said I think these recs are more situational/dynamics rather than than str8 up characterizations bc if i tried listing all the individually sergio or joaquin aura coded movies we'd be here forever and i have a pie in the oven rn i don't have the time!!! ok onward .

Some Like It Hot (1959) — sorry to be corny but it's a classique for a reason!! Tony Curtis is so demure and Jack Lemmon is god's favorite court jester U can't take ur eyes off that man's mannerisms + they both play off each other so well!!! I love dummies stumbling thru silly hijinks!! I'd also recommend Matt Baume's video essay on the making of the film for a TMC #herstory moment

The Odd Couple (1968) — kinda theeee opposites-as-roommates movie, not my fav tbh it's a bit of a slog when Jack's not on screen but worth it if you want like a Cinema Classic Bro (brorigin..) moment that's kinda the foundation for the opposites-as-roomies dynamic

Paul Newman + Robert Redford are the original bros in my heart so Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid (1969) is a must and U might as well (in fact I implore you to) toss in The Sting (1973) to cement the fact that their chemistry is magical even just from the way they look at each other with those freaky beautiful blue eyes man it's like they're telekineticing... telekineticizing... shakspear luv.... I got into cards bc of this card trick Paul's character does ugh truly titillating work...

Rope (1948) inspired by Leopold and Loeb (the original Billy + Stu from Scream if u really think about it) sociopathic buddies with a buttoned-up formality that gives it this smexy polite n repressed edge (don't you love when the killers are true gentlemen!) this film also has a fun gay history so pair with Matt Baume's vid if u end up watching! if you like murder mysteries I think you'll enjoy

all 3 of the movies I did simstober edits based on obviiiii though I feel like generally every other 80s/90s horror movie has bro moments + I'm sure I've even posted a few rando screenshots here if u wanna dig around. I rewatched Re-Animator (1985) last month + almost did that for this year's simstober edit instead 🤭 and An American Werewolf in London (1981)!!!! good ol chummy back n forth right from the start + it also has the best transformation scene Ever (to me).. the Fright Night remake (2011) if u wanna stay in that 'friend comes back wrong' lane (the original is so good too but doesn't have as much buddy interaction if rmbr correctly)... also Lair of the White Worm (1988) which is soooooo fkn fun and worth it for the campiness alone but THAT ENDING !!!! I think about it all the time, it's one of my favs!!

Thelma & Louise (1991) is monumentalllll (lightly referenced in this bro post a couple years ago hehe) if U watch Butch Cassidy u gotta pair these two together, outlaw buddy movie marathon baybee!! & while we're in '91 might as well toss in Point Break ("I know you want me so bad it's like acid in your mouth" bonk) there's just somethin about late 80s/early 90s homoerotic undercover cop/action cheese .. the devastating n overbearing power of friendship(+love) or somethin... something gay was in the water in '91

if u don't mind more of an ensemble film Jason Lee + Jeremy London's characters in Mallrats (1995) are so spot on right down to their stupid conversations + even their outfits and PATHOSSSSS🤌 wise, that general meandering 90s feel ticks the bro aura in my head well BRAIN TURNING TO MUSH god this is getting long but I feel like I'm barely scratching the surface OK buck up (<-me to myself)

situationally Y Tu Mamá También (2001) is prob obvious when it comes to 2 friends getting into a Thing that drastically changes their dynamic (not that that's necessarily the bros .) + Splendor (1991) also fits the 2 guys 1 woman dynamic too but in a sillier way + Araki's style is a treat for the eyes just in general. Hush! (2001) also fits that dynamic but they're actually boyfriends rather than just friends (girl wants one of the guys to get her preggo bc she wants a baby & kinda forces herself into their relationship. me as hell. jk) but it's surprisingly really heartwarming!!! perf for the holidays!! Plan B (2010) is sooo underrated, that's another silly plot where a guy wants to get back with his ex-girlfriend & he hears that her new bf is bi so he tries to seduce the current bf to get him away from her...???? soo fkn silly and fun but Also surprisingly sweet and charming!! I posted about Matthias & Maxime (2019) when I first watched it bc it felt that uncanny... tbqh I'd recommend any early Xavier Dolan to immerse urself in joaquin's early québécois herstory (I totally ripped his backstory from I Killed My Mother not that we would even KNOW that @ djservo's slow ass smh) but this one in particular is soooooo....??!!! just watch it and report back to me . and i'm sorry to say in the year of lord 2023 that The Social Network (2010) is still that bitch to me hand covers bruise I WAS YOUR ONLY FRIEND YOU HAD ONE FRIEND oh my god JAIL TIME mr fincher for making me emotional over BILLIONAIRES !!!

not a movie but I've been sick n wanting something easy on the brain so I've been rewatching Boy Meets World from the start and if you don't already know, I based the bro apartment on Eric + Jack's in s5 and I've finally reached s5 and MAN O MAN!!! goldmine of bro auras through n through honestly cory + shawn have their moments too but literally just watch any eric + jack compilation on youtube (or jump to s5 tbh) to see the vibes it's actually so serious that I've been building an apartment from scratch in my feverish haze to closer resemble their with a working balcony it's soooooo soo gravely serious to me wait what were talking about again

#sry for taking so long to answer j'adore this Q TY!!!#asks

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edwardsparkleblood · 9 months

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What Are We Now, if Anything at All

Fandom: Pirate101

Relationships: Catbeard/Ratbeard

Word count: 3,155

Rating: T (could maybe be considered G, but raised it up to T because kissing)

Tags: Gay, very gay, awkward moments + awkward kissing, pirates, circus shenanigans, love/hate relationship

Summary:

When a traveling circus comes to port regal, the crew comes up with a plan to swipe that circus' gold. Ratbeard and Catbeard are chosen to infiltrate the circus while disguised as performers, but they quickly find themselves in an awkward situation after making the other performers believe they are actually a married couple.

A/N: Written around pride month but only recently got around it posting it online. You can find my continued work on Ao3 under E_SparkleBlood

Ratbeard and Catbeard hurried across the grounds and ducked down near what they assumed were the circus' changing tents.

None of the circus performers were nearby, so that was good. Probably because they were in the middle of a performance right now. The sounds of drums and shouts from a wild event were coming from the much larger tent nearby.

Catbeard opened the bag he was carrying and quickly passed its contents over to Ratbeard, who looked like he was having second thoughts about putting on such funny looking attire. But he stepped inside one of the tents none-the-less.

Every couple months around this time, Port Regal hosts an extravagant traveling circus group, for it's moderately wealthy citizens. The circus group is well known, as is the amount of gold they are able to swindle out of the people of port regal. Especially among pirates. However, no pirate crew in the skyway would dare risk stealing from them as Port Regal is so often heavily guarded.

But one pirate crew is going to take that dare.

"Hurry up, Ratbeard. You big, lout." Catbeard whispered to himself. He peaked out from behind the corner to keep watch, and then ducked back down as 2 circus performers exited the large circus tent. The larger of the two was a tiger dressed as a clown with a red nose, and a frilly neck piece. The other, probably a knife thrower if Catbeard had to guess, just based one on all the knives attached to his leg, was a tall lanky wharf rat. They seemed to just be stretching and taking a smoke break. Thankfully, they didn't seem to have any intention on coming over here.

"I don't think it's gonna fit!" Ratbeard said from behind the curtains of the changing tent.

"Well make it fit." Catbeard replied.

Catbeard sat in the grass and let out a breath. Their mission was to infiltrate the circus and find whatever money box or safe the circus folk were keeping their gold in. The rest of the crew waited down by the docks for the perfect getaway. Catbeard wished so much he could have been down there instead, and that Bonnie Anne or Hawkulese had taken his spot instead. After a lot of arguing amongst the crew it was decided that a 2 man team would be the best way to pull the heist off, and that it would be Ratbeard and Catbeard who would be going under cover. This was decided because Ratbeard was the only one who could fit in the clown costume, and because Catbeard... Well, he pulled the short stick, so he was forced to tag along.

Catbeard and Ratbeard did not make for suitable partners. They butt heads more than anyone else in the crew. If their personalities had to be compared to anything, it would be that of oil and water. Which was a shame because visually Ratbeard was quite attractive, Catbeard thought. His handsome face couldn't be denied, but it just had to be contrasted by the most unattractive and quarrelsome personality.

Ratbeard emerged from the tent after just a few minutes, nervously clutching at the vibrant fabric of his waistband he walked. He struggled to keep it up as he waddled.

Seeing Ratbeard in full getup made the two realize pretty quickly that the attire suited more a court jester than a circus performer. But it was all they could get their hands on in time. The circus was only going to be in the port for one more evening, after all, so they had to hope nobody would pay them too much mind.

"Arr, this be a disaster in the making. I feel ridiculous." Ratbeard said.

Ratbeard really did look rather goofy, especially with the white and red makeup, and the black teardrop under where his left eye would be if he still had it. His costume was a riot of mismatched colors and his crusty old pirate hat that he's so attached to had even been replaced with a harlequin style hat with oversized bells. Although, the tights suited his round form quite well, Catbeard thought... When they weren't slipping off. He'd never say that out loud of course. It would give the rat too much self-esteem, and his ego was already grandiose enough.

"You LOOK ridiculous. But it won't be a disaster as long as you play your cards right" Catbeard said. He turned his body away. "Which does worry me. Have you ever played any cards right in your life?"

"Have at least some faith in me, why don't ya!!!" Ratbeard shouted. He immediately ducked his head down as the tiger and wharf rat turned their attention to the pair, and so he continued talking to Catbeard in a whisper. "If ye really think I can't pull it off, let's switch. The role of a fool is more fit for you than it is me."

Catbeard looked appalled that Ratbeard would even suggest such a thing.

"Those clashing colors? As if I'd ever be caught dead wearing that."

"Now what's going on of here? You two having a lil' scuffle or somethin'?" A gruff voice came from over Catbeard's shoulder.

Catbeard turned to see the tiger leaning against a pillar, and the wharf rat making his way over as well. Up close Catbeard could tell they would both look rather menacing if they weren't in such colorful attire.

"Uh, no, no. No dispute going on here. We're fine." Catbeard said, animating his hands a bit too much to be natural.

"What are you doing out here when the show's ago?" Asked the wharf rat. Then he turned his attention to Catbeard. "And you're not even in costume."

"Ah- ha! Just gettin' ready, I was! I had a new fit tailored for me and it took a bit longer to get done than it should have!" Ratbeard said. Then he turned to Catbeard, Catbeard heard Ratbeard gulp.

His heart was probably racing. Expecting Catbeard to come up with a quick cover story for himself. Ratbeard was about to open his mouth again, however before the rat could say anything, Catbeard stepped forward, his voice wavering with nervousness.

"I'm his husband!" Catbeard declared, surprising even himself with those words.

"Husband?!" Ratbeard shouted. His face was flushed with a tint of red.

"We're here to enjoy the circus together." Catbeard continued, placing his hand on his heart. "I mean- I wanted to come. I'm usually so busy you see, that I rarely get to see my dear... Norrington... at work." A bead of sweat trickled down his cheek. Ratbeard really didn't look like a Norrington, but it was the only name he could think to say.

The circus performers exchanged intrigued glances, seemingly accepting the explanation. Yet, they looked to Ratbeard, expecting some confirmation. Ratbeard had to act quickly to keep up the charade.

"'Tis true! He's my... hu-hu-husband!" Ratbeard mustered a blush and wrapped an arm around Catbeard's waist, and Catbeard was pulled uncomfortably close. "Been married for..."

"-For 3 years now. Today is our anniversary, in fact!" Catbeard interrupted, placing a hand on Ratbeard's chest. Ratbeard's eye twitched in annoyance at Catbeard adding more layers to this lie than necessary.

The circus performers grinned mischievously.

"Well, well, aren't you two just the sweetest couple!" the wharf rat of exclaimed

"I must say, it's not every day we see two guys so open about such a relationship. I almost don't even believe it. I wanna see how genuine this love of yours is." the tiger added with a chuckle.

Catbeard's eyes widened with apprehension, realizing where this was heading. Catbeard and Ratbeard exchanged desperate glances. Without giving himself time to overthink it, Ratbeard leaned in. Catbeard's heartbeat quickened then came to a sudden halt as Ratbeard pressed their lips together in a brief, chaste kiss.

It was meant to be a simple act, just a means to keep up the ruse, but Catbeard couldn't help but feel a jolt of... something. The was a warmness to said "something", and for a second the spiral itself and everything in it seemed to have frozen in place.

As Ratbeard pulled away, the spiral came to life ones more. Catbeard's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and surprise. The tiger nodded in approval, seemingly satisfied with their display of affection, and the wharf rat just laughed.

"Ah ha-ha, young love! You two are adorable together," the wharf rat commented with a knowing grin, wiping a tear away.

The tiger rustled the fur on Catbeard's head. "We're just messin' with ya. But keep that rat of yours close. One who can make a move like that without judgement is a real keeper."

The circus performers moved on and Ratbeard removed his hand from Catbeard's waist after realizing it still lingered there. Catbeard covered his face with his hands, his face was flushed, giving him a pink glow.

"I... wasn't thinking when I kissed ya. What I mean to say is I wasn't planning on it happenin'." Ratbeard stammered, his voice barely above a whisper as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"But it happened." Catbeard's voice came out muffled.

"It's yer fault! What were ye thinking just claimin' me as yer husband like that?!"

"I was nervous..." Catbeard's removed his hands from his face but immediately looked away, trying to hide his vulnerability.

"Well...," Ratbeard nudged at Catbeard's side and continue "Least ye got the best damn kiss ye could ever get in the spiral."

"Oh, please. I've rather kiss a bumbaloons backside!" Catbeard rolled his eyes.

But as Ratbeard walked forward to enter the much larger performance tent, Catbeard brought his hand up to his mouth. He felt a mix of relief and confusion. Relief of course that the awkward situation was over, and confusion over... Well, he couldn't quite explain it. A kind of emotion that he couldn't deny if he tried his hardest.

Catbeard and Ratbeard successfully made it into the circus tent. One kid who was with his mother pulled Ratbeard aside and asked him to juggle, which Ratbeard tried to do, but failed humorously. The kid was quite young though and laughed. Ratbeard stumbling over himself probably made for a more entertaining and memorable moment for the kid, than in Ratbeard had actually succeeded. Catbeard couldn't hold back a smile when Ratbeard even pushed himself to make a goofy face at the end. Now THAT was a sight to behold.

Catbeard grabbed Ratbeard by the arm before telling the mother and child pair that they must be off to get ready for the next performance. "Well, well, well, so you like children?" Catbeard asked.

Ratbeard grumbled. "Don't think too hard on it. The kid gave me stuff to throw in the air, so I did it."

"Well I think it's admirable. The great captain Ratbeard has at least one soft spot." Ratbeard no doubt thought Catbeard was just teasing him, but Catbeard was truly and genuinely surprised to find a quality in the rat that he liked.

"...The face you made was rather cute." Catbeard continued, but this time in such a tone to convey that he was just teasing now.

"Okay, okay, enough of this. We're done talking." Ratbeard said waving a hand, and using his other to pull his hat down over his eyes.

They were done talking, but only because they got to the back of the tent that held all sorts of things, from supplies for the performers, to lights, tools, and extra costumes. This is where the gold they collected from this evenings attendees will be located. Catbeard and Ratbeard split up. Ratbeard moving the heavier supplies around, and catbeard going through whatever box he could find.

Ratbeard scratched at his long beard. "Hey, I, uh..."

"Less talking, more looking." Catbeard said while sticking his head down into a tiny crawl space.

"I can do both ya know." Ratbeard said, heaving as he moved a large dresser and knocking it on it's side. So Ratbeard continued. "I wanted to... say... Well, I'm sorry okay? For just... kissin' you like that. Back there."

"Oh... Right." Did Ratbeard just show empathy? No way. Absolutely not. Catbeard must be imagining things. Discovering 2 positive qualities from RATBEARD in a single day, that's just un-heard of in the Spiral."

"Well, It wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be." Catbeard said, his back still turned to the other.

Ratbeard folded his arms and leaned on a colorful table.

"... So ye have imagined what it'd be like to kiss me?" Ratbeard smirked.

Catbeard choked on those words that weren't even his. He would be lying if he said no. Maybe he could just "Sure.". It's not like it'd be a declaration of undying love. There is a stark difference between lust and love after all. And Catbeard isn't so narcissistic that he'd play dumb and say the rat pirate wasn't at least somewhat attractive.

But there is also the underlying thought that was clouding Catbeard's mind. Was Ratbeard simply teasing or flirting? The tone in Ratbeard's voice was unique to say the least. There was something to it he's never quite heard of before, so he decided to play along. Come what may. That's what they say, right? Catbeard got to his feet and leaned against a cabinet, mirroring Ratbeard's posture.

"Perhaps... once or twice," Catbeard confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. His cheeks felt warm. "My mind has a habit of wandering into all sorts of hypothetical situations..."

A flicker of mischief danced in Ratbeard's eyes as he got up from the table and walked over to Catbeard.

"D-don't let it flatter yourself." Catbeard turned his head to the exit, as if planning an escape route, to run away in sheer embarrassment if it gets to be too much. "A pretty face means nothing when the one who wears it is so unpleasant to be around."

"Ye think I'm pretty?" Ratbeard asked.

He removed his goofy hat with the bells and tossed it in box full of other costumes and props, than wrapped his hands around Catbeard's waist and pulled him in close. Well, this solidified to Catbeard that he was indeed flirting, at least. His gaze met Ratbeard's.

"I also said you're unpleasant." Catbeard said.

"Aye, but also pretty?" Ratbeard asked once again.

Typical Ratbeard. List twenty problems you have with him and one redeeming quality, and he will focus only on the one till the end of days. So Catbeard gave in. "Yes... Pretty..." Catbeard said.

Ratbeard leaned in close, making it clear exactly what he wanted, but Catbeard was not about to be on the recieving end for the 2nd time today. This time it would be him making the move. Catbeard pushed himself forward, meeting Ratbeard halfway, who seemed taken aback at first. He took a step back, before going back in and letting their lips touch.

The wild sounds of the circus seemed to fade into the background and all Catbeard could pay attention to was the warmth of Ratbeard's lips. Ratbeard entwined his fingers, sealing Catbeard in the embrace and deepening the kiss, leaving Catbeard to bring his own hands up and caress Ratbeard's waist.

And then there was one more thing he started to feel. That same confusion from earlier in the day. The first time they kissed, this confusion swirled around in Catbeard's head. And so Catbeard chose to ignore it, after. To shut it down. But this time he had completely surrendered to it.

Finally breaking the kiss, Catbeard stared into ratbeard's emerald green eyes. Unsure of what to say, he chose not to say anything until Ratbeard spoke first.

"Better than a bumbaloons behind?" Ratbeard grinned.

Catbeard softly chuckled.

"It was better than the first time, I'll give you tha-" Catbeard cut himself off and pushed Ratbeard to the side before rushing over to one corner of the tent.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Ratbeard shouted, almost tripping. "Almost made me trip on me peg leg, ye did!"

Ratbeard was almost envious of whatever it was that was more important to Catbeard at this moment, but once his eyes caught what exactly Catbeard saw, he rushed over there too.

Catbeard pulled out a wooden box with red trimming, burried between colorful ribbon. With a knife Catbeard pulled out of his boot, he was easily able to break the rusty lock. H elifted it open to reveal quite a lot of gold. Probably a weeks worth of gold the circus had earned from their shows.

"Well, nice goin', Cap'n kitty! I think we have what we came for!" Ratbeard said. He took a handful of gold and flipped a coin in the air before shoving the handful into his pocket.

"What do you think you're doing?! Give that back, the gold is for the whole crew!" Catbeard shouted. He chased Ratbeard around in circles before Ratbeard playfully shoved him away, and this time it was Catbeard who almost tripped over himself.

"Ah come on. They won't be missin' just a couple pieces o' gold." Ratbeard shut the lid of the box with his hooked hand before giving a devilish look. "Besides, we're gonna be gettin' a room tonight, right? Somewhere fancy? Just the two of us, as celebration for a job well done? ...Preferably with thick walls?" That last bit was topped off with a sly wink.

Catbeard blushed. "That kiss earlier wasn't simply an attempt for you to get lucky for one night, was it?"

"Oh please, cap'n kitty. If anyone is lucky, it's you. Now let's get out o' this musty place. The crew is waitin."

Ratbeard turned and started to walk away, and Catbeard followed after shoving the box of coins into the bag that once held Ratbeard's jester attire.

Catbeard stared at Ratbeard's back. He wondered what they were now, if they were anything at all. He felt like not much had changed between them, but at the same time some kind of door opened, deep in his soul. Or perhaps heart would be a better word. They should talk about this, and they will. Catbeard will make sure of that. Catbeard lifted his head to catch himself falling behind and sped up to match Ratbeard's pace.

As they exited the tent the two performers gave them a wave and Catbeard waved back. He slung the bag over his shoulder and Instinctively, probably to keep up that little performance from earlier, grabbed hold of Ratbeard's hand. Ratbeard entwined his fingers around Catbeard's without skipping a beat, and then it dawned on him just how much larger larger Ratbeard's hands were compared to his own.

"Yer paw is pretty soft, y'know that?" Ratbeard said.

Yeah... They will definitely talk about this. Definitely. Catbeard cemented all these memories in his mind, ready to relive them when that talk comes. But it will have to be for another time.

#pirate101 #p101 #ratbeard #catbeard #pirate101 ratbeard #pirate101 catbeard #p101 catbeard #p101 ratbeard #my art

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colorisbyshe · 2 years

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istg this isn’t related to the supernatural dude’s thing (I only find out about supernatural drama bc of tumblr lmao) but I feel so meh now when a celebrity comes out as bisexual (or “fluid” or “don’t see genitals pansexual 🤪”) and idk is that internalized biphobia? bc it’s also “sure thing jan” bc coming out as bisexual has been done b4 for clout and then they’re str8 again and we’re supposed to forget that they used us. I just don’t believe 99% of famous ppl coming out as bisexual tbh :/

Could be biphobia, could just be a detachment from celebrity life. Like... celebs being bi or whatever has very little material value to any of their fans besides them maybe (MAYBE!) creating some art that reflects their experiences but a lot of celebs just.. don't really do that. They just drop a hint or maybe even a definitive statement and it's nevre relevant again.

Some celebs absolutely have taken advantage of ambiguity to imply they might be when they definitely aren't (this like... was undeniably the cse with Ariana Grande, like you can split hairs about many other celebs but ariana... absolutely did this) and some have come out ONLY to deflect criticism (See: Rita Ora). And it's just like... it makes you weary. I get it. Is that weariness saturated with biphobia? Maybe. Yes. Perhaps. No.

It's a defensiveness.

Like, if your argument is solely "I've never seen you date a same gender partner, you're lying, you're a fake," towards a bi or "bi" celeb, yeah, that's just straight up biphobia and ignores why someone might only date one gender (it's just their strong preference, there's less stigma in m/f relationship EVEN THOUGH m/f relationships have their own hardships as a bi partner, it's just easier to find a partner of the other gender than it is to find another gay/bi person in certain circls).

But if it's "I'm aware of how LGBT issues and status can be exploited for attention, impled progressiveness, or even profit by celebrities and that bisexuality is the easiest one to bring up for as long as its useful and then never again and it is also the label with the most leeway in terms of like... a cishet person trying to pull it off, like they don't even have to even pretend to have a same gender partner and lmaooo god they would never even try to pretend to be trans," then like... I get it.

Maybe it's not fair to them. But you expressing skepticism to yourself or to your friends or even on your small blog has no capacity to actually affect them but them playing a game of "I'll hint that I'm bi but never ever say it" has a lot of ability to affect you.

Because... none celebrities can't play this game. We can't half come out to our bosses and then act offended when they get frustrated or curious. We can't make money off of being bi the way celebs can either. No pride merch, no fan base, none of that shit.

So... we're allowed to have uneven, wouldn't-be-fair-if-they-weren't-famous standards for them.

But... beyond that... I think a more valuable response to this weird era of "Bi for just one song, just one interview, just one promo period... just for one IMPLIED moment" era of celebrity isn't to harp on it or the celebrity too much.

But rather to just disengage from celebrities as representation in general. Harry Styles sucking cock doesn't liberate the rest of us. IT doesn't gain or lose us rights. Especially if he doesn't wnt to forthrightly talk about it (and he doesn't, technically, owe anyone that conversation, so, that's fair on his end but like it IS weird to spend years implying it and then saying it's unfair for the public to speculate, like, again, non-celebrities can't fucking do that).

A famous LGBT pereson more often than not just a class traitor who values their wealth more than they do the wellbeing of other LGBT people so like... who cares!

Some celebrities make their gayness or whatever fun and DO make the mot of it but even then... it's still best to treat them as like... court jesters and not our allies in arms. Not unless they truly, actively commit to the bit and take ALL the consequences on the chin and engage in actually radical dialogue and not just "IT's okay to be gay :)"

#if you aren't bi do not engage with this post btw #like bi people alone are allowed to have complicate dfeelings about 'bi' celebs #because it hurts us if they're just exploiting it #it doesn't affect y'all the same way

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midzelink · 4 years

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Got any Shant headcannons? I've seen that ship floating around a bit and it seems cute

Shant is, for anyone wondering, the name of the crackship between Shad and (a good guy) Zant, the origins of which I go over somewhat loosely in this post. Of all my TP ships, it is the most ridiculous, but alas, I am jester and this is my court. So! Some headcanons, shall we?

When Zant first moves in with Shad (more on that here, what I’m about to say was more or less covered in that post too), he spends most of his time cooped up in his room with the door shut tight, feeling very out of place amidst Hyrule and its denizens. Whenever he does leave his room, he consistently refers to Shad as “the purple one” and “the scholar” in a Supremely Jackass Move to Top All Jackasses, but despite his stubborn refusal to try and acclimate to his new surroundings, Shad’s continued respect of his boundaries and patience throughout the whole thing is what makes Zant realize that maybe living in Hyrule won’t completely suck.

This went on for months, during which time Shad spent a lot of time reporting back to Zelda on what the dude was up to (Zant was entirely aware of this, he has his past looming over him, after all) and lamenting his inability to connect with him in any meaningful way, as that was entirely the reason he agreed to let Zant move in with him to begin with. Eventually, he gets the idea to try something new - maybe he spends some time with Midna, learning all there is to learn about the Twilight Realm, so he can help Zant feel more at home - and this is the tipping point that makes Zant apologize for his Supreme Jackassery, in a very brief but genuine moment where Zant calls him by his actual name for the very first time (Shad is caught extremely off-guard by this). Yippee!

Here’s the thing about Zant: he Does Not Like to Be Touched. At all. There are very few exceptions to this rule, but it’s mostly a sensory thing. So it’s pretty significant that, after the two start spending actual time together (mostly spent around books, Zant pointing at a picture of a cow in a children’s story and going “what the f**k is this,” stuff like that) and, one night, Shad asks if it’s okay for him to reach up and touch his face...that Zant says yes. And here’s where the dam really bursts open; Shad is just so, so interested in everything about him, his eyes, his runes, the shape of his body... It’s the first moment of closeness they really have, and even though Zant is a little overwhelmed (and embarrassed) by all of his questions, he’s also kind of...warmed? By them.

Not long after this, Shad convinces Zant to try eating for the very first time (there is no food in the Twilight Realm), which Zant really only does to make Shad happy, because that slop looks nasty and gross! ...And most of it is, except...it turns out the dude has a bit of a sweet tooth. So he gets into baking. Hard. Cookies. Pastries. Cakes. Pies. Brownies. Those little breakfast croissants that have chocolate chips in them. He dedicates so much of his time to it that Shad’s place is littered with the stuff, and Shad doesn’t really like sweets at all but still tries everything Zant makes because he can tell Zant wants him to. In the end, it’s less about Zant liking sweets or any of the actual food itself than it is about Zant finding something new and hyperfocusing on it as his One Real Anchor on getting a grip with life in Hyrule, which Shad is aware and is very appreciative of.

(Zant still doesn’t really wind up eating that often, but any time he does, it’s gotta have a shit ton of sugar. And, like, the dude actually got really good at baking. When he sets his sights on something, he really goes for it.)

Zant helping Shad sort through old texts and uncovering new shit together, Shad helping Zant feel comfortable enough to walk through the streets of Castle Town at night (sunlight makes him uneasy), Zant noticing Shad’s glasses are dirty so he takes and cleans them before leaning over and gently placing them back on his face, Shad being in awe every time Zant uses magic to do literally anything

blah blah blah they open a library blah

Their relationship isn’t exactly one I would define as explicitly romantic (probably hovering somewhere between romantic and queerplatonic, as Zant has never been interested in anyone at all), but despite it never being discussed between the two of them, they are unequivocally Together, insomuch as they have no interest in Being With anyone else. It’s weird, what they have, but that’s good! Weird is good, yeah?

BONUS: Ashei and Shad are still very much two disaster gay BFFs in this scenario and she and Zant have to learn to occupy the same space every now and again which is INCREDIBLY funny because they’re both very Bad at Talking and just being around people in general (imagine, like, they’re trying to have a conversation comprised entirely of one word sentences. It is Not Going Well).

In summation, and I know I’ve said this before, but again: And They Were Roommates (Oh My God They Were Roommates)™

#anonymous #twilight princess #shant #zant #shad #stupid post tag #*puts on my clown nose and my clown wig*#shant is here to stay #sorry fellas #was gonna say i don't make the rules but i literally do #My City Now #welcome to hell! welcome to hell!#asks #myasks*#myposts*

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coinofstone · 4 years

Text

SCENE 59

Three fucking seasons in a row it’s been “I’m going to watch the special features at the end and if there’s anything worth mentioning I’ll make a separate post.

Three fucking seasons in a row there really hasn’t been anything separate-post-worthy in those special features.

Today that’s changed.

DID YOU ALL KNOW ABOUT THIS?! DID NOBODY TELL ME ON PURPOSE TO WITNESS MY RIDICULOUSLY OUTSIZED REACTION BECAUSE JOB WELL DONE

I am sitting at a computer with the air conditioner off to write this post. THAT IS A BIG DEAL.

First of all, I managed to find the clips on youtube. For those that don’t know, here’s the deleted scene: https://youtu.be/8r5eui13EtY

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youtube

Here’s the scene that was included in the episode: https://youtu.be/YleIpvDDexs

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youtube

You only need the first minute or so in that second video. They condensed the crap out of the scene, cutting some dialog, playing it more of a tense-joking-adrenaline-mid-battle scene than the intimate, introspective moment it had been. Because there’s no captions in either video I’ve transcribed the relevant dialogue here. Keep in mind this is by-ear quick transcription and not guaranteed to be entirely accurate.

Deleted scene:

Arthur: All the things I’ve faced, I’ve never been worried about dying.

Merlin: Don’t think you should now.

Arthur: Sometimes you do puzzle me.

Merlin: You never fathomed me out?

Arthur: No.

Merlin: Well... I always thought if things would’ve been different we’d have been good friends.

Arthur: Yeah.

Merlin: If you weren’t such an arrogant, pompous, dollop-head.

Arthur: ::laughs::

Merlin: That’s what you have to remember... things never turn out how you expect. You’ll see. We’ll defeat the Dorocha, we will. Together.

Arthur: I appreciate that.

Arthur: (holding sigil) This belonged to my mother. It bears her sigil. Here. (hands sigil to Merlin)

Merlin: Arthur, I can’t -

Arthur: Just- Take it.

MERLIN DOES’T KNOW HOW TO SAY THANK YOU!?!?! Moving on.

The version of this dialog that aired in the episode:

Arthur: All the things I’ve faced, I’ve never worried about dying.

Merlin: I don’t think you should now.

Arthur: Sometimes you puzzle me.

Merlin: You never fathomed me out?

Arthur: No.

Merlin: I always thought if things had’ve been different we’d have been good friends.

Arthur: Yeah.

Merlin: That’s if you hadn’t been such an arrogant, pompous, dollop-head.

Arthur: ::laughs::

Merlin: We’ll defeat the Dorocha. We will, Arthur. Together.

Arthur: I appreciate that. Y’know, you’re a brave man, Merlin. ...between battles.

Merlin: (laughs) You don’t know how many times I’ve saved your life!

Arthur: (laughs) If I ever become King, I’m gonna have you made court jester.

(they both laugh)

It’s important to look at the timing here - the deleted scene ran nearly 2 minutes long. The scene that aired ran just over one minute long. They REPLACED (not removed) three lines of dialog but the scene shortened by about 50 seconds overall - nearly half the run time. Speeding up the conversation the way they did takes it from genuine heartfelt moment to nervous battlefield banter - it virtually erases the weightiness of it. And obviously, removing the engagement sigil is a really significant change.

Another thing is the atmosphere. In both scenes, it’s just the two of them alone. but the deleted scene is undeniably more intimate.The crackling of the fire is louder than the music, which is playing so softly it’s barely there. The music doesn’t kick in at all until 40 seconds in, before that it’s just the sound of the fire, which is a deliberate effect. The castle version has music that’s a lot more noticeable, it’s that variation of the Merlin theme (I’m terrible with music meta in general but I genuinely do not know the titles of the music so I apologize for that) which also feels like a very deliberate choice - it’s distracting from the moment. Just like the screeching Dorocha. It seems like they were actively trying to lighten that moment between the boys, which I can only figure had to be orders from on high.

Looking back at the episode it seems like the deleted scene was meant to be wedged between Merlin gathering firewood while Lancelot tells him to go back to Camelot before he gets hurt, and the Morgana scene. Or maybe after the Morgana scene but before the scene where they find the frozen bodies in the road. Either way, this was clearly timed for the overnight stop en route to the big castle ruins. There’s a certain amount of tension, due to the mission, but they aren’t in immanent danger. The conversation between Merlin and Arthur is more introspective than anything else. There’s long pauses, thoughtful glances. Whereas the aired scene, in my opinion, looks like it was shoehorned into that moment just before Merlin jumps in front of the Dorocha to save Arthur. If you watch it carefully, you can see that the little prelude scene between Merlin and Arthur, which was spliced with the knights coming to rescue to them, would just as seamlessly flow into the ending WITHOUT that specific conversation as written above. Now, I say ‘shoehorned’ and I absolutely do not know the filming schedule and nothing was specifically said about it in the commentary track, but what WAS said is that they ARE on set in that scene, not on location. That means they could’ve added that as a pick up at any point during filming. The cave in the deleted scene was almost certainly a set as well, but that scene wasn’t mentioned at all in the commentary, I went back to check and during the portion where I think the scene was meant to be aired, they were just talking about Game of Thrones. But this is still important, because in choosing to put the conversation in that moment, the result is, as I said above, a far ‘lighter’ moment, because they are in very real and very immanent danger, they cannot be all thoughtful and introspective, they’ve got to be full of adrenaline and nerves and gallows humor. I liked that little moment in the episode, but now that I know what was cut I feel cheated 😂

I’ve seen some people say that they had to cut out the thing with the sigil because by medieval rules, possessing that sigil would make Merlin a member of the royal family. I’m sure it would, but I really doubt that’s why it was axed, especially since as we all know, this show is a total stickler for historical accuracy. The only reasonable explanation is that someone decided it was toooooooo gay, too in-your-face-obvious that there’s a romantic relationship there. I mean, Arthur proposed to Gwen with his mother’s ring, he gives Merlin his mother’s sigil after confessing he’s worried he might die on their mission? COME ON. (I know that’s not the only reasonable explanation please just let me rant in peace this is new information for me)

And while I’m here I’d like to share this with you all... because it is ahhhmazing.

The deleted scenes didn't have captions which was VERY disappointing, but this was so funny I had to edit it out and throw some captions in there. I've also uploaded it to YouTube as well. And here, have a gif

#bbc merlin #bbc merlin spoilers #merlin #merlin spoilers #merthur #onceandfuturerewatch #deleted scene #scene 59 #scene 53 #bbc merlin 4x07 #bbc merlin 4x02 #merlin 4x02 #merlin 4x07

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fuzzyface · 5 years

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“You make your own fairytale” - Jester, comphet, and realizing you might not want what you thought you did

It’s no secret to anyone who follows me that I headcanon Jester as a lesbian and have enjoyed pointing out the not-so-straight moments she’s has on the show every week. Until recently, I wasn’t any more invested in this than I usually am in my lgbt headcanons - which is to say it’s fun and meaningful to me but I don’t think it holds much weight outside of my own imagination.

However…

These past few weeks finding “evidence” for this headcanon has felt like less a treasure hunt for subtext and more like just… watching the show. It’s been very easy lately to read Jester’s behavior as that of a closeted lesbian or bi woman, to the point where I’ve started questioning whether it even makes sense to continue calling it a “crack theory” or “conspiracy”. If you’re willing to entertain the belief that gay readings of characters don’t always have to be purely self-indulgent, please enjoy this long-winded explanation as to why I think there’s a legitimately good chance that Jester is canonically in the middle of figuring out her sexuality.

To start I want to say that, no, I don’t think this is something that was planned from the start. I don’t have a portal to the inside of Laura Bailey’s head, but if I had to guess I’d say that she probably left Jester’s sexuality “undecided” at the start of the campaign, but defaulted to having her like men. Even then I didn’t see her as straight, but there were decidedly less ‘moments’ early in the campaign to support that. This actually lines up fairly well with my theory, which is that Jester’s arc is one of self-exploration. But more simply, I think the idea probably just wouldn’t have occurred to Laura when she was busy just trying to get a feel for the basics of her character. I don’t consider any of the early campaign to “contradict” anything I’m going to say next, I just know somebody would bring it up if I didn’t address it first.

(I have some friends who do very firmly believe that Laura is playing the full long con with Jester and has been slow-burning her sexuality crisis since the start of the campaign, and they’re valid, but I won’t really get into that here since that’s not my personal interpretation. If Laura wants to prove me wrong on a Talks episode sometime in the future, I will gladly eat my words.)

Jester did start out as a character who ostensibly “liked men” but even from the start I thought her way of interacting with that attraction was… interesting. She had an idea in her head of what an ‘ideal man’ was like and projected it onto nearly every man she found attractive, regardless of their actual personalities. All the men she likes are dashing, they’re all handsome heroes, they’re all suave and they’re all definitely interested in her. She thought she wanted a fairytale prince, and so she saw fairytale princes everywhere she looked. It was also really interesting to me that she never made an effort to pursue most of the men she was ‘attracted’ to. With the notable exception of Fjord, she only commented on the appearance of men after she was already distanced from them. Even Nott - the married woman - made more actual passes at men they met than Jester - the romance obsessed one - ever did. Jester seemed to care more about using her attraction to men as a way to gossip and bond with the rest of the party than she did about using it to actually court anyone.

Speaking of Fjord… boy, he’s a whole thing in of himself. Fjord was the first man she ever befriended outside of the very small bubble of people she knew growing up. He was nice to her, they trusted each other, their meeting probably felt like fate, and because of that Jester thought she was in love with him. The fact that Jester was in love with the idea of Fjord rather than the real him was something I had been speculating for a LONG time, but now that Laura has outright confirmed it I can talk about it without having to use any sort of disclaimer. Jester took a very short amount of time to decide that she was “in love” with Fjord, and almost all of the instances where her attraction was most obvious were prompted not by anything he did, but by things that reinforced Jester’s own beliefs on what romance was supposed to be like. She bought a cheesy smut book and started comparing Fjord to the protagonist because of course he’s exactly like Oskar - he’s a man and he’s handsome, isn’t he? Another woman flirted with Fjord and Jester got sick with jealousy because he’s supposed to fall in love with her, isn’t he? When the two of them were free from expectations they were cordial friends with no particular tension between them; it’s when Jester was reminded that they’re ‘supposed to be’ a love story that she got anxious, upset, or started putting on an obvious front.

A lot of this could be argued away as Jester just trying to take things too fast, but what really stood out to me was that Jester never seemed happy about her crush on Fjord. She wasn’t giggly and bubbly when talking about him, and with few exceptions she didn’t seek him out to spend extra time with him or confide her desires in him. The three times she openly addressed her crush - to Nott, the Traveler, and Caleb respectively - she was anxious, confused, or outright upset. Her talk with Nott seemed like she was trying to get reassurance that she was “normal” and that she was having the “correct” feelings in response to Fjord kissing her, which is extremely easy to read as Jester starting to realize that she might not have the feelings for men that she “should” have. Her conversation with Caleb was equally distressing, because by that point she was starting to see her fantasy was falling away. She asserted that she was “stupid” for believing it in the first place and openly admitted that she’s no longer sure her feelings still exist now that the idealism is gone. From that point forward all of Nott’s attempts to set her and Fjord up only caused her more anxiety and distress. The couple of times they were forced to be alone together they were stilted and awkward - a far cry from their original easy friendship - and after a point, Jester started to turn down offers to spend time with him altogether. “No, he’s not flirting with me,” she said, no longer even able to pretend she’s excited by the prospect.

The thing about Jester is, so much of her outward personality is based on appearances. She acts happy and cheerful and confident all the time because she thinks she has to, and she’s an accomplished liar who doesn’t like other people to see her upset or doubtful. Only in drastic situations does Jester willingly let someone see her vulnerable. It would have been incredibly easy for Laura to play Jester as her usual, cheerful, ‘no problems here’ self during her conversations about Fjord if we weren’t supposed to interpret her as being obviously and deeply conflicted. Something in her head felt very, very wrong when Fjord kissed her for her to be able to tell Nott that the only thing it made her feel was “not dead”. Something in her mind didn’t click right when she finally got what she wanted for her to be able to tell Caleb that she wasn’t even sure her crush was real.

The slow resurgence of the bond between Fjord and Jester recently made me wonder if I was wrong about my interpretation, if maybe Jester had just been sulking because she thought Fjord didn’t like her, and now she was convincing herself again that he did. But Laura confirming on Talks that Jester was mostly over her crush on Fjord solidified for me that her arc was intentionally about learning how to move on from unhealthy infatuation. So if it’s undeniably canon that Jester’s only real crush on a man was based on her misunderstanding both the situation and her own desires, and it’s canon that she is moving on from that attraction and starting to learn what she actually wants, that leaves us with the question: Where is Jester going from here?

I’ve talked a lot so far about Jester’s relationship to men and how so much of it mirrors the experience of a woman dealing with comphet; performatively talking about attractive men without pursuing them, idealizing and projecting ‘ideal’ traits onto crushes instead of developing them naturally, convincing herself she’s in a fairytale romance because a man was nice and nonthreatening towards her. But being a wlw doesn’t ‘require’ comphet, and regardless I can’t - and wouldn’t - build a gay headcanon just around her feelings about men. So let me talk now about Jester’s relationship with women.

Jester has been naturally complimentary of women since the start of the campaign. She’s quick to call them cute, call them pretty, compliment their clothes. I don’t necessarily think - until more recently - this was meant to be read as ‘not straight’. If anything I think it was just another example of Jester’s naturally flirty personality - she likes to compliment people, she likes to tease. However, the difference in how she approaches women and men has been extremely blatant recently and I genuinely don’t think it’s an accident. The ways that she - and Laura while playing her - acts around characters who are beautiful women isn’t the same ‘casually complimentary’ demeanor she had towards all genders since the start of the campaign. Jester calling Lady Olios ‘beautiful’ no less than three times in a single meeting and being noticeably flustered isn’t usual Jester behavior, Laura repeatedly asking Matt what the Bright Queen is wearing only so that Jester can be visibly awed by her beauty isn’t usual Jester behavior. The fact that she compliments women to their face, while with men it’s always an offhand comment after they leave, also stands out to me. It’s the little moments too that I notice, the times where there’s no reason to even make a comment in the first place unless you’re trying to make a point, like Jester telling Caduceus that the Wildmother is hot, or mentioning how attractive Yasha is in the middle of an unrelated conversation. It all adds up.

I’m aware of my biases in viewing these scenes as a lesbian, but completely outside of headcanons it’s obvious that Jester has an established fixation on beautiful women, and it’s obvious that this has come up more frequently now than it used to in the past. It’s the fact that this overlaps with her realizing that she’s no longer sure what she wants - that love and romance and attraction aren’t what she thought they were - that feels deliberate to me in a way that Jester’s earlier offhand comments about women never did. If Jester’s feelings towards women are meant to be entirely platonic, then the insistence on highlighting them - sometimes even interrupting scenes to do so - seems strange to me. It’s not played for comedy, it’s rarely relevant to the scene at hand, so why does it come up often enough that my friends and I keep a running joke that if there’s a beautiful woman in a scene Jester will comment on it at least once? (Play that game yourself when you’re watching new episodes, you’ll be amazed at how rarely you’ll be wrong)

So where’s this going, if Jester is being played as in the middle of discovering her sexuality? She gets over a major crush on a player character just to flirt with random attractive NPCs? Is Jester’s gay awakening supposed to be centered on her occasionally thinking powerful and unattainable women are hot, or would Laura have the logical sense to plan such a serious character decision around something that would have an actual impact on the party? Well, let’s be honest, you probably knew this part was coming eventually…

Jester’s relationship with Beau is one of the closest and most stable friendships in the group. The two of them have an intense love and trust of one another and are both verbally and physically affectionate on a greater level than any pair in the party. I’ve talked myself to death about these two already and I’ll do so plenty in the future, so I’m not going to give an entire summary of their relationship (if you need a refresher, here you go). Yes, I ship them. Yes, I’ve talked plenty about what I think of Beau’s side of the relationship. But it’s regardless of shipping or the potential of mutual feelings that, for the purposes of this essay, I say there’s a good chance that Jester canonically has a crush on Beau.

Hear me out.

The two of them had an ostensibly platonic relationship for the majority of the campaign. There were some charged moments but nothing that could really and truly be read as explicitly romantic or sexual without shipping goggles on. Then Episode 46 aired. Jester was directly in the middle of her crisis about her feelings for Fjord, Laura was clearly playing her as starting to realize that she didn’t feel the way she originally thought she did, the group had just been through a tremendously traumatic experience that made Jester question whether she could trust them… and then Beau hugs her, and talks about their shared childhood trauma, and tells her she’s beautiful, and tells her that she loves her. I can’t say for sure that this would have been the moment that Jester fully developed feelings, but I do know that if you were already planning for your character to have an arc about learning what she wants from love, this would feel like an awfully convenient moment to build off of. And I can certainly observe the ways that Beau and Jester’s dynamic has visibly changed in the episodes since.

We already know what platonic friendship between Beau and Jester looks like; we watched 40+ episodes of it. What we have now is Jester blushing and giggling when Beau blows her a kiss, Jester asking Beau if she’s secretly in love with her, Jester stepping in to counter every derogatory thing said about Beau with showers of compliments, Jester asking to look down Beau’s pants, Beau offering to let Jester watch her make out with another woman, Jester approaching Beau and only Beau to discuss her thoughts about love and romance. These are often explicitly flirty interactions that we genuinely never saw between the two of them previously, and given how it directly lines up with Jester falling out of love with someone else and clearly having romance on the brain, it feels oddly perfect to just be a coincidence. Even the more ‘dubiously platonic’ moments between them are more frequent and more tender. Jester doing things like giving Beau a massage to help her fall asleep (a scene she logically shouldn’t even have been awake for), pulling Beau aside to ask her to commit some vandalism for her, or repeatedly complimenting her when she shows any sign of insecurity. The fact that Jester immediately chose to stay roommates with her - in a house with so many rooms that the only other people bunking up are a married couple - at the very least confirmed for me that Jester has been prioritizing Beau in her life in a major way lately.

The little comments, the encouragement, the way Jester seems to almost hover over Beau for any sign that she needs to be comforted or reassured… it all adds up to something big in their relationship having changed and there is absolutely nothing contradictory or unreasonable in viewing it as Jester having developed romantic feelings for Beau. If Jester went up to someone the very next episode and told them she was in love with Beau, everything that’s happened between them would feel like a perfectly natural progression up to that moment. Call me crazy, but when you can draw a line that easily from A to B using only what’s available to you in canon, I think at the least you usually call that an entirely plausible theory.

So what’s my point here? Am I saying Jester is for sure being played as a closeted gay woman who’s secretly in love with Beau? Of course not. I don’t claim to be any more certain of what Laura Bailey has planned than anyone else. I’m also not trying to say that Jester is “coded” as gay or anything like that. But I can look at the storybeats that I correctly predicted due to my own headcanons (Jester questioning and ultimately abandoning her feelings for Fjord, Beau and Jester growing closer and having more non-platonic interactions) and follow it to its logical conclusion.

If all these things have been correct so far, and Jester being gay is an easy and logical interpretation that contradicts nothing and explains a lot, then why not assume it might actually be what Laura is intending? At the very least, why not stop treating it like a wild fringe theory that could never have solid supporting evidence?

Jester is gay, tell your friends

#critical role #jester lavorre #cr jester #beaujester #minor spoilers #fuzzy tries to be meta #i'm so sorry if the read-more doesn't work on mobile #i can't fix it

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mnemememory · 4 years

Text

they are SO GAY you guys

“No, you don’t understand,” she says. “They’re really gay.”

“They can be very homosexually active in your comic,” Mr. Sharpe says. “But in this television series there will be less of an emphasis on the…romantic aspects of their relationship, and more of a – let’s call it a ‘very strong friendship’.”

“Let’s not,” Jester says.

(set in the same universe as this)

“Beau! They’re going animate my comic!”

The lump on top of Beau’s bed doesn’t even twitch as the apartment door slams open. Jester pouts for a moment, and then launches herself across the room to jump onto the mattress. Beau lets out a squawk of indignation and rolls out of bed, taking half of the blankets with her.

“What?” Beau says, sitting up on the ground and rubbing her head. Her hair is in complete disarray, coming out of its sloppy updo, and her makeup has smudged itself into the pillow. Jester is too excited to care; she’s practically bouncing up and down on the bed, unable to contain her excitement.

“Beau! Beau!” Jester says, rolling out of Beau’s bed so she can land next to her. Beau subtly leans away, rubbing at her eyes and checking her sweatpants for her phone. Nineteen missed calls. Thirty-seven texts. “They’re going to animate Tusk Love!”

Beau blinks a few times, and then seems to actually wake up. She looks up at Jester, a massive smile forming on her face.

“That’s incredible,” she says, grabbing onto Jester’s muscled forearm and pulling her into a hug. Jester laughs into her chest, feeling warm and bubbly. “I’m so proud of you, Jessie.”

“Thank you,” Jester says, snuggling closer. She can’t stop smiling. Her Mama had been so proud of her when she had called right after the initial contact – and the checkout lady at the supermarket had seemed really sweet about it, and the stranger on the corner-side who was trying to peddle support for the Moonweaver, and also that nice man at the flower store –

There’s a loud thump on the wall, and a muffled voice comes through:

“We’ve discussed this!” Mollymauk yells. “If you’re going to have sex, keep it down!”

Jester is having such a good day.

Today sucks.

“I’m sorry,” Jester says. She doesn’t stop smiling. “I don’t think I understand what you’re saying.”

The man in front of her has a rather pained look on his face, which would be amusing under pretty much any other circumstance. He was a tall man, with a receding hairline and a creepy-looking moustache that Jester wanted to lean over and poke to see if it was real. His hair was very obviously dyed – far too dark to be natural, especially paired with the sallowness of his skin and the wrinkles around his eyes that Botox just wasn’t hiding anymore.

“As stated in your contract,” he says, and pauses.

“They’re gay,” Jester says blankly.

“Yes, I understand, but –”

“They’re in a very sexually active relationship.”

“Yes, but –”

“Their dicks have touched. Quite a few times.”

Mr. Sharpe. “That’s not what – Ms. Lavorre, the validity of your characters sexualities isn’t in question. However, the contract you signed stipulates that we can change certain aspects of the narrative that could be – damaging –”

“Being gay isn’t damaging anyone!”

Mr. Sharpe ploughs through. “Damaging to our reputation. We’re adapting out their relationship.”

Jester sighs. “No, you don’t understand,” she says. “They’re really gay.”

“Let’s not,” Jester says, crossing her arms over her chest and sliding petulantly down in her chair.

The meeting had been setting off all of Jester’s red flags from minute one. Mr. Sharpe had introduced himself and urged her to sit down, and then commented on how he was a “fan of her mother’s work”. While this wouldn’t usually be too much of a cause for concern – Jester was very proud of her Mama, after all – coming from a fifty-something man with a bad moustache, it hadn’t been exactly welcome.

Things had only gone downhill from there.

“We started the brainstorming sessions for the script last week,” he says, ignoring the awkward silence that has fallen between them upon the revelation that he and his company are going to ruin her baby. Oskar could never be straight! “We’ve got a very accomplished scriptwriter for the job – you might know her from The Scent of the Sea and Rosed Embrace –”

Jester squints at him suspiciously. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”

Mr. Sharpe smiles condescendingly at her. “She’s won a lot of awards for us,” he says. “I’m not heading this project – I’ll introduce you to the director later – but I’m going to be your main go-between for it. They’ve very excited to be working on this.”

“Even if you’re erasing my main love story,” she says.

“My company bought the rights to your work because it had an intriguing plot – two best friends –”

“Boyfriends,” Jester insists, smile turning slightly strained.

“Trying to be together while their families go to war. It’s a very compelling read. Or so I’ve been told. I haven’t actually read it, of course – we’re managing a lot of projects. The projected ad revenue alone from your website certainly says good things, though.”

“Thank you,” Jester says stiffly.

Mr. Sharpe clears his throat and checks the time on his computer. “I trust that you’ll be working with us to make our adaptation of Tusk Love as popular as the comic is,” he says.

Jester flexes her fingers. This whole time, she hasn’t stopped smiling.

“Oh, yes,” she says. “This whole thing is going to be very fun.”

Greetings of the Traveller!

Welcome to the patreon of The Court Jester – otherwise known as Jester Lavorre – creator of the widely acclaimed VERY GAY comic-book series Tusk Love. It is a story of revenge, murder, political intrigue, more murder, sex (well, the NSFW stuff is hidden over here :P), and most of all – VERY GAY romance. It’s so gay you guys. Very homosexual. Oskar and Guin are in a relationship and their dicks touch. All the time. There are a lot of dicks in my comic book series. Pledge information to the side!

[last edited: yesterday]

#critical role #critical role campaign 2 #jester lavorre #beau #robert sharpe #i think i'm funny #my writing #fanfiction

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knightowl725 · 4 years

Text

Small Steps

Fandom: Critical Role

For Fjorclay Week 2020′s Fake Relationship Prompt

Read on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23779240

Fjord would like for it to be documented on his gravestone--

--one likely in the Clay family’s graveyard, the one he’d only heard mixed stories about where they could make cheeky jokes about him being a Stone and drink tea made from his decaying body--

--that Jester Lavorre was the cause of his death.

“We have to get in if we’re going to get information,” Jester whined.

They stood around the corner from the unexpectedly exclusive tavern, Jester’s third attempt at sneaking in failed. She plucked off the painfully obvious false mustache and frowned at them in a little pout.

“Maybe we can try a more...subtle method?” Caleb ventured.

Beau snorted. “Yeah, us. Subtle.”

“Why don’t I just sneak past the guard?” Nott asked.

“You can’t just sneak in if we need to get information,” Fjord pointed out. “We have to enter legitimately.”

“Well, the guard doesn’t take bribes,” Jester told them. “And none of my disguises or distractions worked.”

From the corner of Fjord’s vision, a familiar pink-and-green giant ambled up to the group.

“Where have you been, Caduceus?”

“I, uh, just went to speak to that nice gentleman at the door,” Caduceus said in his slow, smiling way. “Looks like this is a tavern reserved for specific folks.”

“What kind?” Caleb asked.

“The kind that court the same sex, it seems. Some kind of, uh, couples tavern.”

“Ooh, like a dirty tavern?” Jester grinned slyly.

Caduceus laughed. “Ah, no. No, it seems it’s just for socializing and the sort, but only for gay couples.”

“So a few of us can just pretend to be dating,” Nott suggested.

Fjord turned to Beau. “Shame Yasha isn’t with us tonight. I feel like you two’ve done something like this before.”

Beau, arms crossed, scoffed in amusement, but before she could say anything, Jester cried, “Beau can’t go!”

Silence fell over the group.

“Yeah, Jes, that’s what they were saying,” Beau told her.

A deep purple flush colored Jester’s cheeks. If the group had seen the dynamic between the two shifting over the past weeks, no one had said anything. And based on Jester’s reaction, it was still too soon to bring it up.

“Well, I’ve already talked to the guard,” Caduceus began.

“Which would make you perfect to return with your partner,” Caleb said. Caduceus pressed his lips together in a way that told them he was not planning on finishing his thought that way. “If you’ve already buddied up with him.”

“I suppose…”

“You should go with Fjord,” Beau suggested, earning a bright-eyed grin from Jester. “I mean, since Fjord is so good with people and all.”

“Caleb’s not a very good liar,” Jester said severely, drawing an incredulous look from anyone present enough to actually hear her.

“But Fjord and Caduceus are brothers!” Nott objected, drawing a firm and simultaneous, “No!” from the men in question.

Caleb nodded. “Then it’s settled. Fjord and Caduceus will go as a couple and find out what they can regarding the man we’re looking for.”

“Maybe he’s gay,” Beau offered.

“We can only hope,” Fjord muttered. Glancing over to see Caduceus looking at him with concern, he forced a tense smile and said, “Come along, then, Caduceus.”

“I’m sure you’re going to do just fine, Fjord,” the cleric assured him as they walked off.

“Have fun!” Caleb called from behind them, the final clue that he was absolutely aware of what he was doing.

While the Nein skirted respectfully around whatever was being built between Jester and Beau, they only barely contained their giggles and teasing about him and Cad. There wasn’t anything between them, though. Just a deep friendship built on mutual respect and admiration. And a shared deity. And a continuous warmth whenever they stood close, or met their eyes, or worked together or… Whatever.

They made their way back around the block to the tavern. The same guard stood at the door, a large goliath man who nodded in couples and the odd single person.

“Wonder how they get in,” Fjord mused.

“Regulars?” Caduceus offered. “Think he said something about that.”

“Right.” Fjord took a breath. “Let’s, let’s get going then. Get in, get what we need, get back to the others.”

Caduceus nodded, and they walked side-by-side up to the door.

“Ah, you’re back,” the guard noted. He looked at Fjord.

“My partner and I were hoping to come in for a little while,” Caduceus said with a smile.

“You didn’t mention him before,” the man said.

The firbolg slung an arm around Fjord’s shoulders, a little loosely due to the height difference. Fjord did his best to look completely casual about the contact. “Ah, well. You never know.”

He nodded. “Fair enough. Enjoy your evening.”

Fjord gave a courteous nod to the guard as he stepped aside.

The tavern was warm, a little dim in a relaxed way. There were your standard tables and bar and food and drink, as well as sunken in areas filled with pillows and low tables where couples lounged.

“Doesn’t really seem like the kind of place to be so exclusive,” Fjord murmured, Caduceus’s arm still around him. Gods, what was wrong with him? Between healing and battle and the close quarters of the dome, he should be used to this. And yet, were it not for the grace of the low light, he’d been a blatant deep green.

Caduceus withdrew his arm, scanning the room slowly. “Suppose that’s why they keep it so exclusive.”

“Huh.”

“What was this gentleman like, again?”

“Human. Beard.” Looking around, Fjord bit back a sigh. “Terribly unique. Name is Berth.”

“We’re going to have to mingle, then.”

“Right.”

There was a pause, and Caduceus leaned down, closer to his height, to ask, “Are you alright, Fjord?”

“Yes, of course.” Seeing the frown on his face, Fjord faltered. “I’m just...uncomfortable, I suppose. It’s not you, it’s just...the situation.”

“We could always leave, go about this another way.”

“No. We’re here already, let’s just--”

“Pardon me, gentlemen,” said a smooth voice. They turned to see an elven man, or perhaps half-elven, standing just at their side. He was dark-skinned, with long, curling hair and tight clothing. A bright smile greeted them.

“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.”

Fjord felt himself tense, but forced his expression into something more relaxed, a bit perplexed.

The man went on, “I know we’ve all been in your shoes - new place, new crowd, old discomforts. Why don’t you join me and my friends for a drink?”

“That sounds nice,” Caduceus said. “Fjord?”

Fjord smiled. “Yes, of course. And thank you…”

“They call me Wyth,” said the man. He turned and led them to one of the sunken areas. Amongst the pillows lounged five others, two pairs of women and a single man whom Wyth settled in beside. Each pair was in varying states of contact. Nothing scandalous, but certainly intimate.

Fjord turned so that they wouldn’t see him whisper to Caduceus, “When in Vasselheim.”

He let out a low chuckle that might have given them away, but seemed to draw no suspicion. Fjord sat first, taking the last open section within the ring of cushions. The one he found was propped up against the edge of the sunken floor, so he was still able to sit mostly upright.

Caduceus sat beside him, more relaxed and stretched out. His long legs reached the edge of the low table in the center, and he let one arm rest behind Fjord, just touching. Fjord, uncertain what behavior was fully expected, set a hand as casually as he could on Caduceus’s leg. That...seemed okay.

“These are my friends,” Wyth said, half on his partner’s lap. He rattled off names until it was their turn.

“My name is Fjord, and this is my partner, Caduceus.”

They hadn’t discussed fake names, but Caduceus wasn’t exactly versed enough in lying that he wanted to take the risk. Besides, they shouldn’t be doing anything too risky. What was the worst that could happen? They run into people later on that thought they were dating? The entire Mighty Nein already did.

A server came by, unloading drinks for everyone on the low table. Fjord took his to have something to hold.

“Always nice to see new faces around,” said one of the women, a halfling. “How’d you two meet?”

“We’re adventurers, of a sort,” Fjord explained. “The group I was part of, well, I was captured by an enemy. On their way to save myself and other members, they came across Caduceus.”

“It was time for me to leave home,” Caduceus said in his cryptic way.

“And he helped with our rescue. Our paths have...aligned ever since.”

“How daring,” Wyth said.

“Very romantic,” said another of the women.

Caduceus chuckled. “I like to think so.”

“Yes, I’m certain finding me in a dank cellar, covered in blood and dirt and piss was very appealing,” Fjord muttered, taking a long swig.

That earned him a laugh. “You forget I was raised in a graveyard.”

“You two are so weird,” Wyth said. Then he grinned. “I love it.”

As the others laughed and chatted about their own strange encounters, Caduceus gingerly picked up his own tankard and peered into it.

“Want me to get you some water?” Fjord asked. “It’ll, uh, give me a chance to take another look around.”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind,” Caduceus said, setting back down the drink.

Fjord rose and climbed from the sunken area, focused on maintaining some level of cool.

This was fine. This was fine. Those people seemed perfectly nice. They were buying it. Of course they were. If people who knew them thought they were seeing each other without them trying, then this would obviously work.

It had to be the setting. The romantic lighting and soft cushions and couples and nonsense. And the alcohol. Nevermind he’d had all of one drink. As in, one drink from his glass. It was having an affect, certainly.

Alright, so now even he wasn’t buying it. As he stood at the bar, waiting for the barkeep to get a free second to grab her attention, he allowed himself a moment of honesty.

There was something...there with Caduceus. He couldn’t say if it was returned. Clearly the other feelings were, the mutual respect, the kinship, all that. The foundation, if you will. But the structure being built atop it, well. It was hard to say if it was Fjord’s work alone.

And did he want anything more to happen? Liking someone didn’t mean something should be done about it. Look at Jester! There had definitely been something between them at one point, a seed with the possibility of growth. But then Caduceus had happened and Beau had continued to happen and it just...didn’t grow. He loved her, but not like that.

“Water, please,” Fjord asked when the barkeep glanced his way. She nodded, then continued work on the drink she was mixing.

“Hey.”

He glanced over his shoulder to see a broad human man, no beard.

“Couldn’t help but notice you’ve been standing alone here for awhile,” the man said. “Mind if I keep you company?”

The brief short-circuit that happened any time someone flirted with him shut down Fjord’s brain for a few seconds. The man mistook that for approval and stood a little closer.

Before Fjord could politely send the man away, he felt someone wrap their arm around his shoulder, tighter than before.

“Thank you for getting me a drink,” Caduceus said, close enough to his ear to send an unrelated shiver down his spine. The cleric looked down, down at the human was a smile. “Have you been keeping my partner company?”

His arm shifted, almost more around his neck now, though not uncomfortably so. Just… a clear signal.

“Sorry,” said the human. “Didn’t think he had anyone considering how long you left him here.”

“Water,” said the barkeep, and Fjord took the distraction.

“Here you go, Cad,” he said, handing off the glass. Caduceus took it with his free hand.

“Thank you.” To the human, Caduceus said, “I have enough faith in our relationship not to spend every moment with him. Until I sense he needs me to intervene. Shall we head back to the group?”

“Yes, let’s,” Fjord said quickly, awkwardly grabbing the hand over his shoulder and guiding Caduceus away from the bar.

“Our new friend Wyth happens to know our man,” Caduceus told him softly. “I think I got enough for us to leave, if you’re still uncomfortable.”

His arm still around him, his breath all too close to his ear, thinking about laying side-by-side again, Fjord felt his face heat up. “No, I, ah, would hate to waste this opportunity. We should stay a little longer, just in case we learn anything more.”

“They are such nice people…”

“Exactly!”

Caduceus looked at him for a moment, then he reached out with his free hand to take Fjord’s. His eyes went heavy-lidded as he left a single, slow kiss on Fjord’s palm. Then, he pulled back, freeing his other arm, and smiled. “It’s a lovely shade of green on you.”

Fjord took in a sharp breath, knowing the blushing was only getting worse. “Right. Back to the group, then.”

Still, he slid his hand into Cad’s before they rejoined the group.

Maybe it didn’t have to change overnight, what was growing between them. Maybe it didn’t have to be a structure built, but a garden nourished. It would take its time, in little ways, no matter the teasing or misconceptions.

Yeah, that might be nice.

#my writing #critical role #fjorclay #teahaw #fjorclay week 2020

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letstalksymphogear · 5 years

Text

Symphogear, EP. 3 (Cont.)

“aight fellas im here for the fortnite session where we droppin boys”

Hibiki shows up, ready to participate in this four player game of sociological tension.

“hope hibiki’s doing okay. im worried about her. ryoko, stop resting your arm on my head.”

“ryoko does as ryoko pleases baby”

Vibrates angstily.

“im missing my wife for this guys please lets just do this”

“wish i had a wife too instead of this vase filled with fucking ashes” SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORP

The squad analyzes the statistics of all Noise outbreaks over the last month to see if there’s a pattern somewhere. Somehow, Hibiki is regarded as an authority on this, despite being just a normal girl.

This is not the face of someone who has a degree in Noisology, let alone even listened to a Noisia album.

“looking photogenic while this girl describes how these horrible, lovecraftian entities butcher entire populations will look great on my acting resume”

Strained sounds of holding back laughter at this absolute clownery.

*coughs quietly*

Exposition goes on about the UN acknowledging the existence of Noise, but them existing for far longer, existing in myths as demons and monsters of long ago. This makes little sense, but fuck it, just roll with it. They also say the Noise is rare, but this being Symphogear, the Noise will be here forever, until the end of time.

“its like the noise are a metaphor........................”

Hibiki, looking dead inside as the average overnight studying student would, muses whether someone is behind the noise. She also asks if you can hear the sound of one hand clapping.

Tsubasa makes a very relevant observation that the school is smack dab at the center of all these outbreaks. In retrospect, you probably should have asked her first. She points out it may be because someone wants their get their hands on the almost complete relic hidden away in the 2nd Division: Durandal. Why anyone wants an old ass french sword is beyond me.

“yeah i can do exposition too, fuck you”

Finished relics are extremely rare and as a result extremely powerful. Incomplete ones are pretty powerful, but need to be rebuilt a bit.

“i discovered all this, conveniently, as the only person left to do so! totally not suspicious at all.”

“anime plot hurting brain. bullshit levels make think no good.”

“wish i got hired for a macross anime instead, they get to go to space”

“being meguca is suf- wait, im confusing my roles”

The exposition goes on to note that America wants the relic. This is one of the few shows that depicts America in a very serious and antagonistic light. America never cooperates in any useful way except once.

“it should would suck if someone was sending us them noise monster all on purpose-like”

“yeah............! suuuuuure would suck.... mmmmmmmmmhmmmmmmm...”

Tsubasa and Ogawa quietly plan idol ruminations. This animation used to be far, far worse.

This is the moment where Tsubasa becomes sword-kin. From here on out, she will always refer to herself as a sword. This is law. Literally every single season has this same deal. She believes she is a sword. I know it’s not literal, but I like pretending it is.

Succ Intensifies

“gonna get her number later after the season is over, damn”

Hibiki muses on the nature of war.

“why we gotta fight”

“cause yall suck”

Ryoko then says some very not nice things that we’re just going to walk right around because Ryoko is a little bit of a weirdo and should probably keep her flirting to the short haired lady working on the bridge.

“i will call the cops, lady”

Hibiki starts her next day at school as she spots Tsubasa during her choir class.

“forget my nintendo switch with the latest smash bros game in the classroom goddamnit”

“hibiki please tone down the gay for five seconds while we try to get through this dumb singing class in one piece”

“i smell a homewrecker”

“THE GAY CAN NEVER BE TONED DOWN, IT CAN ONLY BE TONED”

Hibiki is then fed by multiple classmates for this statement.

The Anime Janai crew is fond of Hibiki, much like a group of Lords being fond of the royal court jester. Hibiki clowns it up by working on a report she procrastinated until the very last minute. “Your life sure is an anime!”, one of them says. Hibiki then says, “I wish!”. They smile in unison at the irony.

Look at how they mock the threads of reality. Absolute monsters.

Hibiki nails the report at the skin of her teeth, Miku’s gonna get ready for the meteor shower, everyone’s real fucking happy, the evening looks peaceful, all is well.

“i cant wait to do all these fun things we promised several times over!”

Unfortunately, the worst case scenario happens.

Her tiddies start ringing.

“no.... fuck.... my tiddies... they’re ringing...”

She knows now she cannot go.

In retrospect, she probably could’ve blown them off. I mean, what are they gonna do? Fire her? She’s practically irreplaceable. Alas, her conscience is too strong. The ringing from her tiddies too loud to ignore.

“okay im back for the thing you promised we’d do repeatedly that we planned for a good amount of weeks now”

“...”

“i got fucking ghosted didnt i”

“cannot fucking believe i got ditched on my hot date with hibiki. bet its because her tiddies rang, isnt it. always her and her... GODDAMN tiddies ringing ALL THE TIME. LET ME BE WITH HER... god...”

“bae. im sorry. the tiddies rang. i have no choice.”

Miku tries to keep it together. Neither of them are happy about this state of affairs, and rightfully so, because it’s fucking stupid. Hell, it would have made more sense of Miku knew but still got jealous anyway, because she feels her job is establishing too much distance! And they talk those problems out instead of issues that only arise if everyone’s a goddamn moron about communication!

“but thats the point of the pl-”

NO! IT’S NOT CLEVER! IT’S FRUSTRATING! THERE ARE CLEVER WAYS TO SHOW A LACK OF COMMUNICATION BESIDES A CHAIN OF OBSTACLES TOO STUPID TO EXIST!

Miku takes the whole thing with grace even though I’m absolutely certain she threw her phone at the wall in raw, gay frustration.

Hibiki, understandably, is pretty fucking pissed.

“im gay. im angry, and im gonna fuck yall up for RUINING MY DATE AFTER HAVING FINISHED MY DAMN REPORT”

Hibiki fights the Noise. She’s gotten slightly better at fighting, but for now she’s still sorta trash at it. A grape themed Noise throws bombs and crushed her under rocks from a ceiling.

You’re a student. You’re the lone survivor of a concert that you got flak about for years. You go to an institution for singing with your best friend and basically get shoved into a life of crime fighting unwittingly. Your only teammate hates you and tried to kill you. You don’t get to hang out with your best friend anymore. Your teachers hate you. And you’re losing against the abominations that may have potentially warped your life negatively, forever.

This is probably the pivotal moment where Hibiki fucking snaps and decides she ain’t taking shit anymore. She’s not at her strongest yet, but mentally? She has decided to tell the world to go fuck itself.

“MY WIFE THINKS IM CHEAAAAAATING, MY TEAMMATE THINKS I SUUUUUUUUUCK, AND I’M SICK AND TIRED OF IT”

My, Hibiki, what big fangs you have. All the more to grit your teeth and beat the shit out of things with, I assure you.

Needless to say, even without having the skill, she’s starting to understand and get more comfortable with the full extent of the power her suit provides her.

She’s gotten so mad that even the illustrators are afraid of her.

To note: this isn’t just anime drama silhouette stylization. She is actually physically turning into a red eyed shadow. You’ll know why later down the road.

“YOU WANNA FUCKIN FIGHT ME NOW TSUBASA? HUH? HUH? YOU WANNA FUCKIN’ FIGHT ME?!”

Needless to say, her rampage goes on for a while.

She manages to dispatch all the Noise except for the Grape themed one. Up in the hole it made, she sees the meteor fall from the sky...

Wait, look closer. Is it a bird?

A plane?!

No, it’s...!

“i aint gonna tell her i just did a wish on her”

Sword!

“why the fuck does SHE get jetpacks?!”

Hibiki randomly yells out she wants to protect things too, for absolutely no real reason. Who would even break the ice with that. Hibiki, please.

They sorta stare each other down in a field awkwardly, like a bad high school reunion. But, a mysterious voice breaks out of literally fucking nowhere.

“didnt know they legalized gay marriage in japan already, otherwise id be showing up to this joke of a marriage sooner, you absolute buffoons”

“did this bitch just insinuate id waste my time getting married to this complete idiot, let alone even contemplate getting married in a public park as opposed to having a customized karaoke based marriage in the FUCKING HILTON?!”

“hey time out dont say that shit im already married and my wife already feels enough like im cheating so please keep those comments to yourself okay please”

“eat my ass, nerds. id tell you to come to the park in 15 minutes for an ass kicking...

but we’re already here, now aren’t we?”

#symphogear #symphogear season 1 #recap #anime

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katiewattsart · 5 years

Text

29/10/19 : TEDDY BOYS. HAUL GIRLS. #1

What are they?

Teddy Boy: (in the 1950s) a young man of a subculture characterised by a style of dress based on Edwardian fashion (typically with drainpipe trousers, bootlace tie, and hair slicked up in a quiff) and a liking for rock-and-roll music.

Haul Girl: A girl or women who makes a haul video.

The revolution will not be televised.

youtube

The tv shows you what it wants to show you.

Television tells us what the people who run the TV stations want us to know. But social media today sometimes provides an alternative.

Subculture - Under/Beneath

We are looking today at youth and subcultures… their historicity and their contexts, and where we are with what might be called subcultures and youth cultures today.

GUIDE TO THE CULTS

A genuine piece from the mirror in the 1980s.

youtube

Sex Pistols : This is one of the most infamous moments on television. Today it seems tame, but in 1976 this was enough to get the presenter fired.

Like Duchamp's 'ready mades' - manufactured objects which qualified as art because he chose to call them such, the most unremarkable and inappropriate items - a pin, a plastic clothes peg, a television component, a razor blade, a tampon - could be brought within the province of punk (un)fashion...

Dick Hebdige - Subculture: The Meaning of Style

Hebdige’s book has long been consider the authorative text on subculture.

In the book he discusses the ready made aesthetics of punk. Punk was the first reaction to the developing politics of Thatcher and Reagan… here a refusal to take part in business as normal led to music that sounded amateur and fresh… the opposite of the progressive rock that had dominated the mid 1970s and early 80′s.

Vivienne Westwood

Objects borrowed from the most sordid of contexts found a place in punks' ensembles; lavatory chains were draped in graceful arcs across chests in plastic bin liners. Safety pins were taken out of their domestic 'utility' context and worn as gruesome ornaments through the cheek, ear or lip...fragments of school uniform (white bri-nylon shirts, school ties) were symbolically defiled (the shirts covered in graffiti, or fake blood; the ties left undone) and juxtaposed against leather drains or shocking pink mohair tops.

Jamie Red and others made zines that could be assembled in this same way, collaging and making work that felt it could have been made in the house, and often was.

Subcultures

Subcultures are tribal, bringing people together to form loose relations outside of the mainstream.

Different subcultures:

Even subcultures have subcultures… specific types of goth (steampunk, lolita) rude boys, K Pop sub genres, grunge punk rock etc

Once about a specific youth culture movement based around the disco music of the 1970s, clubbing subculture developed into rave culture in the late 80s and 90s, and has become a mainstream movement in the last few years.

Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore, Mark Leckey, 1999

youtube

“Something as trite and throwaway and exploitative as a jeans manufacturer can be taken by a group of people and made into something totemic, and powerful, and life-affirming.”

Subcultures are about a sense of belonging, often to people who feel excluded or disenfranchised from the mainstream.

youtube

Cosplay - form of subculture

The Joker and Harlequin are both characters who live for misrule, and both of them come from characters in the commedia dell’arte.

Harlequin relates directly to Harley Quinn… the Lord of Misrule was the peasant who was given the task of making sure that Xmas revellers got very drunk and very naughty.

The World Turned Upside Down

These characters link back to the ideas of the carnival, a time when the world was turned upside down. Christmas was initialy this kind of festival. People didn’t know if they would make it through the winter, so they made merry whilst they could. In the carnival Kings become Jokers, Jokers became kings.

Carnival extracts all individuals from non-carnival life, non-carnival states and because there are no hierarchical positions during carnival, ideologies which manifest the mind of individuals cannot exist.

...And finally in a few relatively rare instances, we find an extreme form of revelry in which the participants play-act at being precisely the opposite of what they really are; men act as women, women as men, kings as beggars, servants as masters, acolytes as bishops. In such situations of true orgy, normal life is played in all manners of sins such as incest, adultery, transvestitism, sacri- lege, and lese-majeste treated as the order of the day...

Edmund R. Leach, Rethinking Anthropology

In Rabelais and His World (1965), Mikhail Bakhtin likens the carnivalesque to the type of activity that often takes place in the carnivals of popular culture. In the carnival, according to Bakhtin, social hierarchies of everyday life—their etiquettes, and normal structures—are turned on their head.

Court jesters become kings, kings become beggars; opposites are mingled (fact and fantasy, heaven and hell).

Drag Cultures

Much in the same way that Madonna, undeniable icon though she is, in no way invented voguing, neither did the queens on RuPaul’s Drag Race invent the concept of "shade", "realness" or any of the other essential sayings liberally adopted wholesale by the internet. But what the show has done is continually provide a potted queer history. Whether it’s through highlighting ball culture, trans activism, gender fluidity, or queens like the legendary Lady Bunny; or simply by allowing the contestants to talk about their lived experience, the show has put an all too rare slice of gay and trans history in American (and the world’s) living rooms and laptops.

Drag Race has brought a subculture into the mainstream. It has brought secret languages into modern parlay.

From RuPaul raising a pair of opera glasses to say archly, “I can’t wait to see how this pans out”, to season four queen Latrice Royale’s “the shaaaaade of it all”, social media’s gif game has been vastly bolstered by nine seasons of this show. A gif reaction needs to encapsulate maximum emotion, drama, and appearance – and the queens on Drag Race have all three in spades. Tumblr couldn’t create gifs fast enough in the early seasons, and the joy of so many strong characters, and sound-bites, means that there is a reaction for absolutely every occasion. Season 6 winner Bianca Del Rio named one of her world tours after her own much-gif’d catchphrase, “Not today Satan”.

Memes and online culture have helped the show become part of the everyday.

Historically, "sissy" has been used as an insult against feminine-seeming men. Ru-Paul’s Drag Race not only reclaims the word – “now sissy that walk” is the phrase said at the top of each catwalk, usually preceding a demonstration of almost gob-smacking creativity – but shows that adopting a truly feminine character requires massive amounts of charisma and self-confidence. The show is wildly popular with women, not simply because of the incredible looks and transformations served by each queen, but because it is a celebration of feminine mystique in all its forms.

It has helped reclaim a sense of agency in an era of toxic masculinity.

The little show that could has turned into a global behemoth, with tours around the world each year, and an annual convention in Los Angeles. Last year, a second US convention launched in New York, while London hosted the first European edition, DragWorld UK, which saw a number of the show’s queens and RuPaul’s right-hand judge, Michelle Visage, holding court. And as fabulous, glamorous and downright funny as the queens are, the real joy came from seeing the response of teenagers to meeting their idols. RuPaul and Visage are giving hope to lost kids around the world, whatever their gender, ethnic background or sexuality. By sharing their stories, the Drag Race contestants are giving comfort and inspiration to viewers, as well as swathes of entertainment.

The show has brought disenfranchised, often hidden cultures into the open. And given people something that not only entertains, but also empowers.

The difference between Drag Race US and Drag Race UK summed up in one perfect tweet…

With RuPaul’s Drag Race UK finally airing on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, it’s got fans realising just how different the two editions of the show are… International fans were subjected to the colourful world of British slang and swear words, leaving dozens bemused about what exactly the UK queens are actually saying…. But in a viral tweet shared by one of the British queens, it’s managed to capture the crucial difference between the US and UK versions of Drag Race.

Sum Ting Wong shared a screenshot of a Facebook post that so beautifully sums up the two shows:

Pink News JOSH MILTON OCTOBER 8, 2019

Drag is culturally derived, and finds its forms based on local customs. In the UK drag has a relationship to Vaudeville and play, which means it does something different to the american show. It is less about the act of putting on a show, and more about the comedic, slightly catty relations that we have come to associate with saturday evening tv here in the UK.

But that doesn’t mean it is mean in itself… it still brings a subculture to a mainstream audience. Remember, if I talked about this with you in the 1990s, I would face prosecution under Section 28

"shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".

New Subcultures

‘It's hard not to be struck by the sensation that, emos and metalheads aside, what you might call the 20th-century idea of a youth subculture is now just outmoded. The internet doesn't spawn mass movements, bonded together by a shared taste in music, fashion and ownership of subcultural capital: it spawns brief, microcosmic ones.

In fact, the closest thing to the old model of a subculture I've come across is Helena and the haul girls. Their videos are about conspicuous consumption: a public display of their good taste, carefully assembled with precise attention to detail. When you put it like that they sound remarkably like mods.’

Alexis Petridis

Marie Antoinette, 2006 (Sofia Copolla)

youtube

#gcop200

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izzyfandoms · 6 years

Text

Centuries - Chapter Five

This is basically just an angsty human au (with magic) Sanders Sides fanfic.

Pairings - Prinxiety, Logicality and background Emile x Remy

Warnings - Death, Major Character Death, Blood, Fighting, Deceit, minor cursing, let me know if there’s anything else

Taglist - @royallyanxious @itsjustmeandmisterfinch @fight-or-flight-amirite @memepool1 @some-lost-meme-boi @quillfics42 @ajdraws0430 @sanderstalker @quietlypondering @so-many-fandoms-in-kc @applecantbebothered @shippernaturalsanderspjoandscifi @rileyfirstname @creativity-killed-thekitten @skylagamingv2 @mychemicalfandom @ccecode @zoalis @strongindependentcheesecake @xlilllllie @temmiecupcake @justfangirlythings-27 @were-all-gay-here-or-not-idc

Masterpost

Prologue

Chapter Four

Chapter Six

Almost half an hour had passed since the accidental reveal and the trio were now sitting in a circle on the living room floor. All the furniture had been pushed to the edges of the room and Logan was flipping through the pages of one of his spell books, muttering to himself quietly as he did.

Roman opened his mouth to ask something, but he was interrupted by Logan slamming the book to the floor and pointing at the page it was open to. "There! That’s the spell that we want. It will show you a few memories from our first life, provided that Roman and I were there too."

"Aren’t there any spells that, like, fully bring back memories?"

"Well, yes, those spells do exist, but, unfortunately, Roman and I haven’t come across any spell books that contain the right one." Logan adjusted his glasses and frowned. "Spell books are very much a rarity these days, so it may take some time to find the right one, if we ever do."

"Hmm... well maybe I could ask Emile. He’s got, like, so many different spell books in his house, it’s crazy." Remy said casually and after a beat of silence he noticed the shocked looks on their faces, he added. "What?"

"Emile has spell books?" Logan said incredulously. "Can he do magic? Why didn’t you tell us?!"

Remy shrugged. "IDK, I didn’t, like, think it was necessary. Plus he can’t really, like, do magic, but I think his grandparents could."

"So is that why you weren’t that shocked when we told you about our past?" Roman asked.

"Well, yeah, but I don’t think I would have been that surprised anyway. I’ve seen all kinds of crazy shit before, magic wouldn’t have been that had to believe."

"Okay... but you said he has spell books?”

"Yeah, he’s got, like, shelves of them. Why?"

"One of those spell books could have a full memory restoration spell!" Roman said excitedly. "And that would mean that we can fully restore your memory and Virgil’s and Patton’s when we find them!"

"If we find them." Logan mumbled, but he stopped when Roman glared at him. He cleared his throat and sat up properly. "We’ll talk to Emile about this when we see him next. Now, Remy, are you ready to see some of our old memories?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay." Logan held out his hands to Remy, on his left, and Roman, on his right. "We must be making physical contact for this spell to work, and holding hands is the easiest way to do that. Then, everyone must close their eyes as I recite the words. I’ll focus on retrieving the memories, so all you’ll need to do is keep your mind clear."

Roman and Remy did as instructed, taking the hands on their left and right and closing their eyes. As soon as Logan said the words, they were pulled into the first memory: the memory of the first time Roman and Remy met Logan.

The duo had been waiting for the new royal advisor to arrive for the past half hour and they were getting quite bored.

"Why am I even here? You don’t even need me to meet the new advisor. I’m bored." Remy whined, leaning against the wall and fiddling with his sword.

"That’s why I need you here! Royal advisors are always just so BORING, so I need you here so I don’t get bored to death by this guy."

"Well, I apologise if I bore you to death, your highness." A new voice said dryly, and both Remy and Roman spun around to face him. Standing there was Logan, watching them with his arms crossed. He then sighed and held out his hand for Roman to shake. "My name is Logan Abbott, your new royal advisor."

Roman paused for a moment in surprise, before taking and roughly shaking Logan’s hand. "Well, I’m sure you already know who I am, but this is my best friend Remy, one of the royal knights." He then dropped Logan’s hand, making him stumble, almost falling over, and grinned. "You seem pretty cool for a nerd."

"Uh, thank you? I think?" Logan said, looking a bit confused but going along with it.

There was a moment of silence before the door opened and someone stepped into the room, jumping in surprise when he saw that there were already three people there.

"Oh, sorry! I didn’t know anyone else was in here, I’ll go!

"Patton!" Roman exclaimed, grabbing Patton’s hand and pulling him further into the room to introduce him to Logan.

"This is one of my other best friends, Patton, he’s one of the court jesters. Pat, this is the new royal advisor, Logan."

"Hi! It’s nice to meet you!" Patton said, waving.

A slight blush had formed on Logan’s face as he said, "Uh, h-hello."

Patton smiled at him before his eyes widened and he turned to Roman. "Oh no! I have to go! I need to practise for the big event next week!"

He rushed over the door, pulling it open and turning to give Logan one last smile before leaving.

There was a second of silence before Remy snorted. Logan and Roman turned to him and he said, "Looks like the nerd’s got a crush on Patton."

"What?" He exclaimed, his blush increasing. "N-no I don’t!"

"Oh my god, he totally does!"

The memory faded away and Remy, Roman and Logan opened their eyes.

"Wow..." Remy said. "So I guess that was Patton?"

Logan nodded, frowning.

"Okay..." The trio was quiet for a few moments before Remy turned to look at Roman. "What about Virgil? How did we meet him?"

"Well, it’s a long story, but I suppose that that would be a good memory to look at next." Logan said. "Both of you, close your eyes again."

They did as they were told and they were all soon swept up into another memory. This one was set quite a few months after the last.

Roman, Remy, Logan and Patton were on a walk. The latter two had just recently gotten into a relationship and were holding hands, a slight blush apparent on both of their faces. They were wandering through the woods nearby the local village, when they heard movement behind a nearby tree.

They all turned to look at it and Logan looked to Remy and said, "You should go check that out."

"What? Why me?"

"You’re the knight, Remy."

Remy sighed in annoyance, unsheathing his sword and stepped towards the tree. "Show yourself!"

A moment later, someone stepped out from behind the tree, both hands up in surrender, one of which clutching a half-full sack. His face was hidden by a dark cloak.

"Who are you?" Roman said loudly, moving forward to stand next to Remy. "Show us your face!"

Slowly, the man reached up with his free hand and pushed the hood of the cloak back, revealing a pale face and a head of messy dark brown hair. "My name is Virgil Prince."

Roman was silent for a moment, experiencing a minor crisis at how attractive this guy was. Remy glanced at him, smirking slightly when he realised what was happening. Logan and Patton also realised what was going on, Logan rolling his eyes in response and Patton giggling.

Roman glared at his friends and stood up straighter, putting on his princely voice again. "And what’s in the bag, Virgil?"

"Stuff."

Roman narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Hand it over."

Eyeing the sword that Remy was pointing at him, Virgil reluctantly handed up over. Roman reached inside, pulling out handfuls of jewellery and gold coins.

"Did you steal this?" He asked accusingly.

Virgil stayed silent, just glaring at the group with his hands still up in surrender.

"So you did steal them! You’re a thief!" Roman exclaimed.

"What should we do with him?" Logan said, subconsciously moving in front of Patton to protect him. "Perhaps we should bring him to the castle?"

Virgil’s eyes widened. "Please don’t! I- I can’t..."

"Can’t what?”

He hesitated for a moment, before sighing. "Look, I’ll return what I stole, just, please, let me go."

"And why should we do that?" Roman exclaimed, stepping forward.

"I just- I don’t want him to find me."

"Him?"

"My fiancé." Virgil said, and at the confused looks of the others, he sighed and continued. "My parents were, well, they used to be quite well known and rich in my kingdom. But then, my father lost most of our money, we owed a lot to a lot of people. So, their solution was to marry me off to someone rich. I ran away a couple months ago, the day before the wedding."

"But, how-" Logan started.

"It’s legal in my kingdom, that’s why I ran to this one, where things like that aren’t allowed. I’ve stayed hidden because I know he’s looking for me."

"And what’s your fiancé’s name?"

"Janus Faux."

A look of recognition appeared on all of their faces. He was quite well known across the nearby kingdoms, and not for very good reasons (not that anything could ever be proved). Remy lowered his sword, but said nothing. He, Logan and Patton all looked to Roman for what to do.

"Please... let me go, you can return the items. I just don’t want him to find me."

"Well, we just can’t let that happen." Roman said, using his princely voice once again. "We’ll hide you in the palace!"

"Are you sure that’s-" Logan started, only to be interrupted by Patton stepping out from behind him.

"That’s a great idea! There’s so many rooms, I’m sure we could find one for you!"

Virgil’s eyes widened. "You... why?"

"Well, why not?" Roman stepped forward and put his hand on Virgil’s shoulder, grinning at him.

Logan sighed. "What will your father think of this?"

Roman shrugged, not looking away from Virgil. "We just won’t tell him."

Again, the memory faded away and the trio opened their eyes. Remy glanced at Roman and Logan, who were both looking down and Roman was smiling sadly.

"Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we’re okay. We’re just... tired." Roman sighed.

"Did your father ever find out about Virgil?" Remy asked, and Roman laughed.

"Of course he did. It was only a few weeks after we met him, too." His sad smile returned. "But my father was a kind man and he let Virgil stay. He was also immediately accepting of us when we got together." Roman sighed. "I miss them."

There was a beat of silence before Logan looked up at Remy. "Is there anything else you would like to see? I have just enough energy for one more memory."

Remy thought about it, before saying, "How did we die?"

Logan and Roman glanced at each other, before Logan asked, "Is that what you want to see."

Remy nodded, so they all closed their eyes again, and were soon pulled into the memory.

It was a few years after the last memory, and the group was sitting in a small clearing in the woods, close to where they first met Virgil, having a picnic. It was Patton’s idea, of course, but the others didn’t take much convincing to go along with it.

"We can’t stay here for too long, Patton, we do all still have work to do." Logan said; he was about to continue but Patton had picked up and stuffed a piece of cake into Logan’s mouth.

"Shh, let us have a few hours to relax. Your work will still be there when you return." Patton smiled, brushing off a few crumbs from Logan’s face. "And I’m sure you’ll get through it all quickly, it’ll be a piece of cake!" Patton giggled.

Logan rolled his eyes and mock glared at him for the joke.

"Quiet, nerd. As your prince, I order you to stop complaining." Roman exclaimed, throwing his arm around Virgil’s shoulders. "We deserve a break. Don’t you agree, my love?"

Virgil rolled his eyes and shrugged, absent-mindedly leaning on Roman. He put his chin on Virgil’s head in response, pulling him into a proper hug.

"Yeah, you should just, like, chill out." Remy said, leaning back on one hand and picking up a sandwich with the other.

When Logan finished his mouthful of cake, he sighed. "Fine."

For the next hour or so, the group just relaxed, talking about a range of topics as they snacked on the food that they had brought.

Remy and Virgil had just started a conversation about all of the gossip that Remy had heard from the other knights and Roman was just quietly admiring Virgil.

After a few minutes, Virgil looked up at Roman. "What are you looking at?"

"You."

Roman then pulled his now-blushing boyfriend into a kiss, but they were rudely interrupted by Remy speaking up.

"Eww, affection."

"I walked in on you making out with three separate guards on three separate occasions yesterday alone, Remy. You can’t talk." Logan said; he would have had his arms crossed, but they were currently wrapped around Patton’s waist, who was half-sitting in his lap.

"Yeah, but I wasn’t, like, cute about it."

"I’m not cute..." mumbled Virgil as he put his head on Roman’s shoulder.

Roman laughed, and was about to disagree, when they heard someone behind them.

"I’d have to agree." A smooth unfamiliar voice said.

They all spun around to look at the owner of the voice. It was a tall man with dark hair, oddly familiar yellow eyes and black mask covering most of his face. Behind him were a dozen more masked men; all of them were holding weapons.

The group all immediately jumped up, Remy and Roman standing protectively in front of the other three, unsheathing their swords.

"Who are you?" Roman growled, glaring at the man.

"Does it matter?" The man grinned, before saying to the people behind him. "Kill them."

He stepped back as the others moved forward and Roman’s eyes widened as he quickly turned to Logan.

‘Run. Take Virgil and Patton with you. Get them to the castle.’ He thought to Logan.

‘No, we can’t leave you!’

‘Just go!’

Roman turned to face the enemies again and his eyes widened in horror at what he saw.

It was Remy.

There was a sword through his throat.

The man who stabbed him pulled it out with a sickening squelch and Remy collapsed to the ground. The blood and the life drained out of his body.

"No..." Roman whispered, feeling bile build up in the back of his throat.

His best friend... dead.

His horror turned to anger as he looked up at the men with a menacing glare on his face. "You killed him."

"Yes, I would have thought that that would have been obvious." The leader smirked, not a trace of guilt on his face.

"You’ll pay for that." He ran forward and began to fight. He didn’t know if Virgil, Patton and Logan were still there, but he hoped that they weren’t. He hoped that they were safe. Roman couldn’t hear them, so he had assumed that they had left.

That was until he heard a scream behind him. He turned to look and nearly threw up when he saw the knife through Patton’s chest.

Patton fell forwards onto Logan, getting blood all over both of them. He grabbed Logan’s face, kissing him hard before breaking away and whispering, "I love you," and collapsing to the ground.

Logan fell to his knees, clutching Patton’s now-lifeless body to his chest. Virgil stood there in horror, slowly stepping back until his back suddenly hit someone’s chest. It was the yellow-eyed man. Before Virgil could escape, the man was holding a knife to his throat.

Roman was surrounded, unable to do anything as the man he loved had something whispered in his ear (that made his eyes widen with fear). Virgil looked at Roman and mouthed ‘I’m sorry’, before his throat was slit and he too collapsed to the ground.

The overwhelming emotional pain moving through the connection was too much. They both gave in.

The yellow-eyed man got to Logan first and, due to the curse, when the blade pierced his heart, they both bled to death.

They were pulled out of the memory when the two died. Their eyes all snapped open; all three of them were crying.

They were all silent, nothing could be heard apart from the occasional sob. After a minute of this, Remy reached up and wiped his tears with the sleeve of his jacket.

"Well, that was fun." He joked, his voice still thick from crying.

"At least now you know about your past." Logan said, taking off his glasses to brush away his own tears.

"Yeah..."

They all went quiet again, lost in thought, until the silence was suddenly broken by the sound of the doorbell ringing. They all jumped up, still tense from the memories of their deaths.

The three glanced at each other, unsure of what to do until Logan said. "It’s probably Emile, he left his bag here, remember?"

They all then visibly relaxed and made their way towards the front door. Roman opened it and, as Logan had suspected, it was Emile.

"Hey, I think I lef- wait, are you guys crying?" Emile’s eyes widened. He stepped inside and grabbed Remy’s hand, looking at all three of them in concern.

"It’s a long story."

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