I am so, so happy that Danai has finally been given the opportunity to write for TWDU, and especially to write for Michonne. Screeners are saying that episode four (the episode Danai wrote and showrunned for) is the best episode in the show so far and I’m not surprised by that in the slightest. Danai is a very talented writer (writing is what she’s most passionate about) and I’m so happy and glad that Danai can truly give the respect to Michonne (and her journey thus far) that she deserves. :’)
You see AMC, this is what happens when you give the reigns to talented people that actually really care about their character’s journey. Magic happens ❤️
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Here, to help you go insane over them again, a question: If they are basically a couple in the way they act but not official, how aware are they of that fact? Does Neuvi suspect these are human courting rituals, or is he oblivious? And what about Eclair?
It's!!! Complicated!!! Well not really, but it teeters on the edge of them being aware of it and also thinking that they're overthinking it!
For Neuvillette, it's a case of not completely understanding certain actions and behaviors (or the reason behind why someone would behave that way) mixed with knowledge of some human courting rituals that he's only actually observed from a distance. He does things based on draconic instincts (which can be somewhat similar to human rituals), speculation based on what he's observed over 500 years, and the bits of advice he's overheard or has been given directly.
Unfortunately, this has also led to misunderstanding and has caused him to not take certain steps. For example, he's been told that flowers can convey feelings towards your love interest and can make your own love for them known. However, Neuvillette has seen Eclair reject gifts of flowers from other men before and concluded that this is because she does not like flowers.
Basically, he does almost everything based on judgment calls. He very rarely acts on chance.
On Eclair's side, it's a cumulation of working with Neuvillette for several years and never actually seeing an opening for affections and figuring that he's just not interested. Which, to her, makes sense as he's never actually shown interest in anyone before. It's easier to ignore and stamp down infatuations (or, more accurately, genuine love) for someone when they aren't even aware that it exists in the first place.
Neuvillette doesn't do things simply because he can. There's always a reason and a purpose behind each of his actions. If he doesn't do something or does not accept something, there is a specific reason and purpose behind it. To Eclair, that means any potential hints of flirting from her side that have not been addressed or returned is a potential rejection of such affections. "Potentially" in the sense that Neuvillette has not directly said anything against it and he always speaks against interactions that he deems unnecessary.
So she keeps those feelings locked in a little box and considers herself a very close colleague of his. Maybe even a friend of his.
It's really just a bunch of yearning, the want to understand, and the desire for mutual affection on both sides but it's hidden under years of keeping emotions out of the workplace, mutual misunderstandings, and the fact that neither of them will just. SAY SOMETHING.
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Imagine: you are Idril and you hate your cousin viscerally and this hate is later justified in every way possible. He is a monster and a traitor and as unlike your belovéd aunt as possible. And he dies, and he does not come to the Halls of Mandos and does not reembody. Perhaps you are horrible for thinking this: but you are glad. You are glad he is gone and unable to return. He was a nightmare who crawled into your stainless city and tore it down when it was least expected. He made your father love him, and then he betrayed him, and you will never forgive nor forget it. Now there is no way he can hurt you, your husband, your son, your people– and there is no one he can betray.
and then your aunt reembodies.
Your aunt reembodies and yes, she died for that monster, but she was blameless for she was forced to marry evil and birth evil and love evil. But now she's reborn without those cobwebs of enchantment and you are prepared for her grief and rage over having been controlled. She will not be the same. But she will be back, at long last.
Except. she comes back and none of these things happen.
She doesn't care that her son is evil and treacherous, more his father's son than hers. She doesn't care. She grieves for your city and in the next breath she wishes for her son's return. So you love your aunt and your aunt loves the creature of your nightmares– the betrayer that nearly killed your son and brought your home to ruin. So you love your aunt but she does not listen when you tell her to let her son go because she never saw–
and so your aunt leaves. and it feels like betrayal. like your cousin ruining your family further from beyond the grave.
she still visits, but no one in the family knows where she lives. She is strange– both the steely eyed aunt you remember and yet sometimes she looks like she has never seen you before. you try to break the enchantment that she must be under to keep looking for your Marred cousin, but there is nothing for you to find. all your trying does is send her into a rage the likes you have only seen once before: when she dragged your father away from following your mother in death for your sake.
you love your aunt, and most days, you are sure your aunt loves you.
but you cannot understand her, and in this you have lost her as surely as when she died.
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I'm still not over Nahida's second story quest, and it confirming that her physical form and appearance is based solely off how much power she holds, especially when you combine that with the info Venti gives us about how a god's power comes from their people's love and worship. This is a story that has plagued my thoughts for forever, because like. Please, that could be so sweet and heartwarming. ♡
I love the thought that now that Nahida has finally taken rightful rule of Sumeru, the Sabzeruz Festival becomes what it should always have been, a huge nation-wide celebration of the Dendro Archon's birthday. The previous celebrations involved the dendro archon riding by in a carriage, and everyone throwing flowers to her. And so they do that, like all through Sumeru City and maybe even all the way through Port Ormos.
Nahida is a little embarrassed, it's even a little bit overwhelming after how long she spent trapped alone in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, but it's still very fun for her. And it maybe doesn't happen the first year. Or the second or even the third. It maybe doesn't happen for a long time.
But there is one year where the turnout is greater than ever, all of these people, her people, are gathered to celebrate her, and Nahida climbs into her carriage at the start of the route, and she watches and waves to everyone she passes, and everyone is happy to see her and be under her rule, and that emotion is higher and more present that day than any other, and it exists like a thrum in the air that Nahida can feel.
And at the end of the route, the carriage stops, now so completely covered in flowers that no one can even see into it, but the people all wait for their beloved god to step out and address the masses to kick off the festivities.
And the door swings open, and out stumbles a woman who has to fold herself and duck just to fit past the frame, and her green-streaked white hair hangs nearly to the ground, her long dress dragging on the carriage steps.
And the whole crowd goes like dead silent because they have no idea what this means. The woman is just looking down at her hands in wide-eyed curiosity.
So it's not until Cyno suddenly steps forward and drops to one knee as he offers his congratulations to his lord and Nahida beams at him that the people realizes it really is her, and the whole crowd is ecstatic and it becomes a huge celebration!! Their god has gained more power!! This is a physical manifestation of their love for her, their kind and gentle ruler, how could they not feel such pride?!
And after it's all over and done with, Nahida returns home to the Akademiya, and she sits on the floor in front of a tall mirror, studying her reflection. Something about looking like this, it feels strangely...right.
So she has no idea why it also makes her want to cry.
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💘🍛 I like both of these. What's most important to your oc (of choice but I'm thinking of Maggie), and what their usual dinner looks like <3
Hiiiiiiiii <3
💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them?
Maggie has sooo few people she's close with BUT the people she IS close with she is VERY close with, the three main ones would be her brother, Hawke, her Girl Best Friend (come to your own conclusions on this one, they'll never have an actual discussion about it), Jenna, and one of the ghosts that hangs around her, Opal. Hawke she was always fairly close with as a kid, while he never actually believed her when she would talk about the ghosts and their various shenanigans, he was always one of her strongest and most reliable supporters, and would claim to believe her. She knows now that he never actually believed her (She figured that out as a preteen), but she definitely appreciates the fact he was still always there for her and standing up for her when she'd get talked over by others. When she wakes back up after her murder, finding where he lives is one of her first priorities, because she's basically having like a million crises at once and figures he's the person she trusts must to be able to help her.
Paragraph break because I'm going on longer than anticipated WHOOPS. For Jenna, she's close with her for several reasons. The first part is... honestly just a bit of necessity. Maggie's lost and scared and has no idea what's going on, and Jenna's the first person to approach her and is someone willing to try and help her figure out what's going on, during a situation where anyone else would've just forced her to go to a hospital (Which... to be fair Jenna definitely should've suggested they go to some sort of medical help, given that she was passed out in the middle of a field and wakes up talking about being murdered). Outside of necessity, however, she and Jenna just like... basically instantly latch onto each other. They're frankly both a bit obsessive with each other because they both... really don't have anyone else? Once the plot ends and their lives calm down they'll get some other friends and their dynamic will become more sustainable longterm, but in the moment they've only got each other and GODDAMN do they have each other. Jenna's like 90% of the reason Maggie wants to actually take care of herself, because if she's not doing it, Jenna just does it for her, and she doesn't like feeling like a burden, even if Jenna's doing it willingly and without viewing as such. Their bond is so largely based on their willingness to support each other, so. yknow <3
For Opal, she's known Maggie since she was only a few months old! Ghosts took notice of Maggie's ability to see them LONG before Maggie would be learn this was Not normal, AKA, as a several month old baby, she'd track ghosts with her eyes and try and interact with them like any other person, which alerted the ghosts to the fact she could actually see them. This made her essentially a bit of a celebrity/VERY weird and kinda creepy to the ghosts, so word of the Magic Baby Who Can See Dead People spread, and tons of local ghosts would hang around just to see her themselves. Opal ALSO heard of her, and she just generally loves kids, so she went to go see baby Maggie, only to realize that oh man. This is going to be. a tough life for this kid. So she takes it upon herself to watch over her, and chases away other ghosts who bother her so that Maggie doesn't have to spend her entire life being harassed by ghosts. Their dynamic is a bit weird throughout Maggie's life, as Opal tends to be a bit overbearing, and also tends to talk over the living people Maggie's trying to talk/listen to, making it difficult for her to concentrate, but as frustrating as Maggie finds her to be, they still are very close, Opal's someone Maggie can be actually open with, and someone who is always trying to look out for her and protect her any way she can. Their dynamic gets WAY more strained after Maggie's death but this is already a VERY long ramble and that would involve a LOT more so I'll save that for another day
🍛 CURRY AND RICE — what does your oc's typical dinner look like? do they usually eat dinner?
Bad it looks bad.
Okay the actual answer is more nuanced <3 Prior to her murder, Maggie was still living at home (She was only 17 and had JUST graduated highschool, graduating a year early), so her typical dinner was just... whatever her mom made! Nothing too fancy, just pretty generic dinner items. Maggie's never really had much of an appetite, but also stayed up extremely late every night, so typically it'd be eating like half the normal portion of whatever dinner was -> stay up until 2am -> Get hungry and finish off the other half of dinner -> stay up until [god knows how late]. Her favorite meal is probably stew, though while she is an extremely picky eater, of the foods she's okay with she doesn't tend to have really any standout favorites.
Once she wakes back up after her murder and has to care for herself, her dinner is... crackers. As mentioned, she's an extremely picky eater, but she also has no skill in cooking and is also just deeply depressed, so she can't really give the effort to care about it enough to want to eat properly, so she just. doesn't! However, once Jenna starts hanging around more, specifically hanging around for long enough stretches of time to see Maggie's abysmal self care and eating habits, THEN Maggie's typical dinner stops being "crackers" and starts being whatever Jenna makes her. This is typically things like easier to prepare meals like mac n cheese, but Jenna always adds things to them that aren't included to make them nicer, so it's always more than just "box of kraft mac n cheese", its got some added vegetables and meat added in there to make it better!
Once Maggie actually starts trying to learn how to cook herself, her typical dinner consists of one single bite of whatever she tried and promptly failed to make, and then a plate of Whatever Jenna Made Instead. She's trying her best but oh boy. its not great.
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