My favourite part of Takeuchi designs is sort of that coherency between characters and who they’re close to, and the contrasts/similarities between them.
Like, in FGO, Olga Marie’s design stands in contrast to Wodime’s and her father’s, which mirrors her role and relationship -
We know that Wodime was a student of Marisbury’s, and was even seen as his the one to continue his legacy because Olga Marie could not be a master candidate, and was also not a great director of Chaldea, in contrast to Wodime’s genius and skill as a magus.
As such, she and Wodime have opposing colour palettes - she has warm colours, especially orange with major black accents except for her skirt and hair, while Wodime is in all white with blue accents.
Obviously she resembles her father appearance-wise, with even the braid tying together their designs, but colour scheme wise? It’s Wodime that has his whites and cold colours.
This is also used a lot in Fate Zero/FSN to show characters who are connected or related in some way.
Ilya and Irisviel have the same purple top and white skirt combo, though Ilya’s reads as more childish compared to Iri’s more mature silhouette. Berserker also has the kilt which connects his and Ilya’s designs despite them being completely different in every aspect.
Rin, Tokiomi and Emiya Archer all share a red color scheme, with Rin and Emiya both being the same shade of red with black, and Tokiomi having a slightly darker red. Gilagmesh also has red - but significantly less which pulls him slightly out of that cohesion.
Waver’s dark green serves to make him look small and insignificant besides the bright warm colours of Iskandar, but as an adult he starts wearing the red jacket - both symbolizing his growth and his lifelong love for Iskandar.
Medea’s original Master has a very black and white colour scheme (while also being blond like Jason, and even more of a womanizing asshole), which ties into her dark outer cloak - her inner purple dress is lighter, and that matches Sasaki’s own colour scheme and silhouette.
Shirou’s main outfit is white and blue, which are Saber’s colours, connecting them early on.
In the HF epilogue, Shirou no longer has the blue sleeves - he is wearing white, which is strongly associated with Sakura, who herself is wearing a white top. It’s also the route where Shirou rejects his father’s ideals and his own ideals, so he is wearing black - the opposite of Kiritsugu’s white.
Archer’s colours are black and red - red is clearly connecting him to Rin, but the lower layer of his clothing is black, Kiritsugu’s colour, indicating that his status as a CG means that he’s at his core like his father if he pursues this fate.
Aight, as the poll dictates, here's a Gabu x Makoto oneshot I wrote back in 2020, now posted here in Tumblr!
As per my old A/N, the two are 15 y/o
Also, I'm not taking more requests, sorry! I just saw a long discussion about this ship so I figured I would bring this here too for those interested
Word count: 3.7k
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"I'll be out in a bit!"
Makoto ran downstairs, throwing a scarf around her neck while putting on her mittens. "Where are you going?" Kyoichi asked concernedly as he walked out of the kitchen. Makoto didn't even look at him as she rushed to put on her boots.
"The new candy store just opened yesterday, and Sho told me they're selling my favorites, so I have to go," Makoto explained.
"The dagashiya from the next block?" Kyoichi asked.
"Yup!"
Makoto stood up, putting on her sling bag over her shoulders. "All right, but hurry back, the snowstorm's about to hit anytime soon," Kyoichi advised. Makoto bade farewell once more before heading to the garage to take her MTB. Years may have passed, but her love for MTB never faltered, and the feeling was mutual for her brother and friends. Quickly she rode off, plunging herself into the chilly winter world outside.
It was Christmas break, and everyone in the neighborhood seemed to be enjoying the calm afternoon. It had snowed for quite some time already, so it was the opportunity for the people of all ages to unleash their creativity in the white snow all around them... or simply avoid the cold outdoors and stay inside.
After a few minutes, Makoto stopped in front of a store. It was evident that it was new, seen from the balloons that framed the entrance and the large speakers that blared nostalgic music. Without a doubt, she was there, and surprisingly enough the dagashiya was much larger than a typical neighborhood candy store.
She put her Neptune in the bike parking before heading in, grateful to have her face be greeted with literal warmth. Inside was much bigger than it looked, with a sign of an arcade leading to the stairway at the side. "Can you even call this a dagashiya?" Makoto wondered. There were children of all ages swarming the place, overwhelmed by the practically limitless choices of snacks to decide on.
However, tempting as it was, Makoto brushed these other options aside and began searching for the ones she was familiar with; she knew well enough that a lot of people, especially those within her age range, would flock into dagashiyas im search of their childhood candies, so she didn't want to waste time on exploring before the nostalgic ones ran out.
As she went through the store, she found some of the sweets that were on her mental list and took them, and she was quite happy with this. Though, her satisfaction was not met until her eyes fell on a particular chocolate-strawberry bar, and it was the last one, too. Makoto stared at it in awe, before she broke into a gleeful grin; if she were to rank sweets, this one would surely top on her list.
"Nope."
Just as Makoto was about to have that blissful moment of having such a beloved candy wrapped around her fingers, someone else had managed to snatch it before her. She retracted in surprise before whipping her head at the culprit that separated her from the chocolate.
"Hey, that's mine!"
Gabu gave her a scoff. "Yours?" he questioned mockingly. He waved the bar in front of Makoto like a flag of victory. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm the one who got it first, so it's mine," he stated proudly. He gave the candy another good look before stashing it in his basket. Makoto growled, mentally cursing the redhead before her.
"You don't even like chocolate strawberry," she grumbled angrily under her breath.
Gabu smirked, enjoying the sight of the fuming girl. Dare he even say that he found it... cute. "So what? I take whatever I want since I can, so deal with it," he shot back, pushing back the last though he just had. No way would he admit that! He turned around and left to scour through what else the dagashiya had to offer. Makoto huffed as she crossed her arms, disappointed to have failed to get the candy bar.
While Gabu walked around, he spotted a particular blue box that stood alone in a shelf. His eyes widened in surprise, for it was none other than a a pack summer-special orange flavor pocky sticks. "It's not even summer," Gabu breathed. The idea of getting a rare seasonal candy was appealing for him, though.
He quickly reached for the box, but before he could get his hands on it a purple gloved hand managed to take it before he could. "Oh wow, it's the limited-edition Brazilian orange pocky!" Makoto gasped. She then shot her head up, giving Gabu a teasing close-eyed smile as she tucked the box in her own basket.
"Sorry, but this is mine," she said, "thank you for showing me, though!"
"I found it first!" Gabu complained.
Makoto opened her eyes and readily put out her hand. "Then, let's trade," she offered. Gabu clicked his tongue, annoyed to have fallen for the girl's schemes. If anything, he refused to succumb to any of what was happening. "The choco strawberry for the orange pocky," Makoto insisted, her smile never leaving.
She was aware that she had the upper hand as she knew Gabu had a taste for both minty and tangy sweets, just like how he knew that chocolate strawberry was her absolute favorite. How they found out, it was through a long and heated argument about candies that they had years ago, and since then neither of them had forgotten.
"I'm not playing your games," Gabu denied, his voice hinted with a bit of bitterness. "You can have that damn box of sticks."
Makoto frowned, a bit taken aback by the refusal. "Well, I'm not going to stop bugging you until you agree," she pointed out. There was a visible drop of sweat that rolled at the side of Gabu's face as the boy gave her a half-lidded stare.
"You must really want this chocolate," he muttered.
Gabu then whirled around, shocking Makoto even more. "Then suffer," he told her plainly. He then began to walk away, but Makoto followed close behind to continue proposing her offer. After a few minutes of being stalked, Gabu was starting to get annoyed by the constant tail that he had been ignoring the whole time. With a groan, he gave in.
"Fine."
He stopped and took out the candy bar. Makoto lit up like an excited puppy at the sight of the chocolate finally being handed to her, but just as she was about to take it Gabu pulled it away. "The pocky," he demanded in a monotone. Makoto let her expression drop before rummaging through her basket and taking out the box of pocky.
"Same time."
At a mental count of three, the two simultaneously put out the candies for trade, and with their free hand, grabed a hold of the other sweet. Having satisfied to get his favored snack, Gabu went off to the counter. However, he caught Makoto still following him.
"What are you doing?"
"To go to the cashier, duh."
Gabu flinched a bit, catching up to his own thoughts. He assumed that Makoto wanted something else from him, when really they were just coincidentally heading at the same direction. Flustered, he looked away and hurried to the cashier without a word. Makoto wasn't numb to this and noticed Gabu's sudden freeze, but she brushed it aside.
"Oh dear, the storm's coming."
Both Gabu and Makoto's ears perked at the clerk's comment. "Let me finish this up quickly, so you kids can go home before you get stranded," the clerk told them worriedly. She scanned the items in quick succession, and as soon as Gabu paid she began to scan Makoto's. Deciding it was a faster way, Gabu bagged up his goods on his own, to which the clerk was visibly relieved at.
"But what about you?" Makoto asked.
"I still have to close up the store, but I'll be fine sweetie don't worry."
While the clerk was punching in the payment, Makoto felt her phone ring in her bag. She quickly answered it, and she was immediately greeted by her brother's worried voice.
"Makoto, are you not done yet?"
"Just paid," she reported. "I ran into a little problem earlier..."
At that note, she lightly glared at Gabu, who raised a brow at her in return. "Has the storm hit there?" Kyoichi asked. Makoto looked outside through the glass doors, where she could see the snowfall slowly getting stronger. "Not yet," Makoto told him.
"Well it has here."
"Already?!"
"And I'm not quite sure how far in the storm is here. I would advise you to head home now, but..."
Kyoichi's voice trailed off, hesitancy clear as a sunny day. Noticing the worry in Makoto's face, Gabu decided to speak up. "What's the hold up? Expecting me to bag your food, too?" he quipped. Makoto shot him another glare, but answered anyways.
"The storm reached my block, so Kyoichi isn't sure if I should head back now."
"Well I just practically live across the street so you can stay with me and Taiga for the time being."
As soon as he finished his statement, Gabu froze up. The words just slipped out of his mouth that he didn't even realize what he was saying until he said it. He couldn't find an excuse to take back his words when he really meant it. Fortunately though, Makoto was too wrapped up with her own worries that she didn't see Gabu's reaction.
"Are you sure?"
"Y-yeah..."
Makoto gave him a quick hopeful smile, and the sight of it was enough to tug at his heartstrings. He wouldn't dare confess to such feelings, but it would seem that he was too obvious that he noticed the clerk giving him a knowing look.
"Yes, he said he lives here... okay, I will... of course, I love you."
Makoto ended the call, letting out a sigh of relief. "Kyoichi said it's fine, and I'll call him as soon as the storm stops," she announced. "Aight, get your bag and let's get out of here," Gabu instructed. Makoto did so, waving the clerk goodbye as she exited. Once they were outside, the two teens were slapped by the harsh cold winds.
"Hurry up."
Gabu led the way, and not even a minute after they stopped at the gates of a house. He opened the gate and let Makoto inside. He led her to the garage, and at the push of a button the door slowly slid up.
"Gabu, you didn't even bring your MTB, why are you--oh."
Taiga, who was inside the garage tuning his MTB, stopped himself from his nagging when he saw that his brother was not alone. "She's stranded with us for the meantime," Gabu explained flatly, pointing at Makoto behind him with a thumb. "Well, since you're here you handle her right now. I'm heading to the kitchen," he followed, and without waiting for a response he entered the house, much to Taiga's dismay.
"Hello, Makoto. Please, come inside."
Makoto greeted him with a bow before entering. Taiga stood up from his work and closed the garage door with the button inside, keeping any more warmth of the home from seeping out. "I take it you were at the dagashiya?" he guessed, and Makoto nodded. He then ushered her inside, where it was even warmer. While Makoto took off her boots, they talked.
"I'll get you a blanket."
"Thank you Taiga, but that isn't necessary."
"Then, how about staying at the kotatsu?"
"No way, you have those?!"
Taiga chuckled at Makoto's response. "Since Gabu practically ditched you, that makes you my guest," he reasoned out. "So, would you like to?" He didn't have to ask again before Makoto eagerly agreed. He led her to the living room, where a kotatsu was set up in replacement of the usual coffee table. There were cushions around it that served as something to lean on.
"Make yourself comfortable, I'll just go get something."
Makoto didn't wait another second and took off her mittens, coat and scarf, which were all starting to turn sticky due to the snow melting off on it. She folded them neatly and set them at the edge of the kotatsu before tucking herself under the table. She immediately felt the warmth of the futon, sliding her freezing arms underneath it as well.
"That's my spot."
Makoto looked up from relishing the hotness of the kotatsu and saw Gabu giving her an annoyed look. In one hand was a can and two mugs with a spoon each, and in the other was a kettle. "I'd apologize, but you leaving me in the cold like that makes me not want to," Makoto pointed out. Gabu's scowl only deepened, but the redhead didn't bother to reply and instead placed the items he held on the table before settling in adjacent to Makoto.
As Gabu popped the can open to prepare his hot chocolate, he noticed that Makoto was staring at him, perhaps since the moment he set the can down. "What are you looking at?" he asked. Makoto jolted, her face flushing once she realized what she was doing. "I was wondering what kind of chocolate that is," she admitted, pointing to the can. Gabu gawked at her, as if he heard the most sacrilegious thing in the world.
"Don't mess with me," Gabu huffed. "You, of all people, would not know the existence of hot chocolate drops?"
Makoto narrowed her eyes at him, seeming more offended by the accusation. "Excuse me, but not knowing one thing doesn't make me an abomination of the candies," she shot back. Gabu rolled his eyes, tipping the can and letting two packs of drops spill out. "So much for a chocolate enthusiast," he murmured.
Makoto was about to open her mouth to retort, but decided against it as she figured she wouldn't go through another lengthy debate about sweets with Gabu; the last one they had lasted for a week. That's how passionate they were with candies, and equally determined to prove their points right as well.
...and perhaps the only way they could find an actual reason to talk to each other.
As kids, neither had any real purpose of interacting. Questions about MTBs? Sho, Kakeru, and Kyoichi would provide for Makoto. Schoolworks? Gabu couldn't care less about it, in contrast to Makoto. Sweets? Now that's the common ground they had.
Ever since their first debate on it, they got that reason. They would bump into each other in just about every place there'd be something sweet; cafes, ice cream parlors, candy stores. Name it, they've met there once or twice, and it would either lead to them arguing which is better or having a discussion without being at each others' throats. Since a time neither could pinpoint, feelings began to creep its way to their chests at the mere sight of each other, but even it was obvious, neither dare admit.
"So is this one for me?"
Makoto pointed to the mug that Gabu wasn't bothering. "Well, duh. You're my guest," Gabu replied as if he was stating the most obvious thing. Makoto could feel her cheeks suddenly warm up, but she hid it away by not so subtly lifting the futon over half of her face. Gabu watched her in amusement, seeing how dumbly was trying to cover her blush. Now, he could tell the obvious reasons for her face turning red, but he'd rather pretend it was from the cold... even if they were already inside.
"Hey, let that go. I'm going to educate you how to make hot chocolate using this."
Gabu hastily pried off the blanket from Makoto's face. With one hand he held hers, while he took one of the drop packs with the other. He placed the pack on Makoto's hand that he held before finally letting go.
"Her hands are freezing," he thought.
In contrast, Makoto felt that Gabu's hand was freakishly warm, like a moving hot compress. It was only for a short moment, but the feeling of Gabu's hand on hers was something she found quite indulging. Gabu was talking about something, most likely about the proper way of melting the chocolate, but Makoto was too absorbed in her own thoughts to actually listen.
Dare she admit, she want to touch his hands again.
"I don't think I have to explain why the milk shouldn't come to a boiling point, but-"
Gabu stopped from his explanation, noticing that Makoto was clearly lost in thought with her distant eyes. "You... weren't listening..." he trailed off, sweatdropping. He was disappointed that Makoto wasn't listening, so he figured to just make the drinks. He poured the hot milk from the kettle and into the two mugs, which already contained the hot chocolate drops.
"Here."
Makoto blinked at the sudden contact of the mug to her fingers, feeling the nearly burning sensation that seemingly thawed her freezing hand. "You'll be fine here, it's not like I'm going to imprison you," Gabu huffed. There was an underlying tone of concern in his voice, and a bit that showed on his face, but he was more of annoyed by the fact he was ignored throughout his explanation.
"That... uh, wasn't what I was thinking about."
Gabu raised a brow at her, unconvinced, as he stirred his drink. "Whatever, just try out the hot chocolate," he replied. "This is one of the best, so I reckon you'd find any bad critic of this." Makoto hummed, feeling challenged by the statement. She picked up the spoon and stirred her own drink, watching as the rich brown chocolate swirled in with the milk.
She then rose the mug to taste the hot chocolate, but then suddenly stopped before her lips touched the rim. "This isn't a trick, is it?" She accused, lowering her mug. Gabu immediately stopped drinking to give her an offended look.
"Last time you made me taste a chocolate you bought, you made me pay for it, literally!"
Gabu opened his mouth to deny, but he slowly closed it as he tried to recall such memory. His face scrunched for a while, and then his lips drew to a flat line as he remembered the instance Makoto mentioned.
"Well, you can rest easy, I didn't plan to do that this time."
"Oh, really?"
"I planned to give you one of these, just didn't expect it to be now."
Makoto's eyes widened in shock. Gabu returned to his drink, but turning away at the same time to hide his tinted cheeks. "Oh... thank you," Makoto breathed, smiling widely. She looked down on her mug, and as she began to drink she savored in the luscious smell of chocolate that overpowered the milk.
As soon as she took a sip, her eyes lit up with surprise. "This is good!" she exclaimed happily. Gabu smirked upon seeing her reaction. "See? And here I thought you'd force yourself to fight against it," he noted quietly.
After a long silence, Gabu dared to give a glance at the girl beside him. Makoto was evidently enjoying the new kind of hot chocolate, and after a bit she looked over to the window. Her joyous expression suddenly faded, changing to a more dejected one as she watched the storm ensue violently outside.
"Still worried, huh?"
Makoto tore her gaze away when she felt something warm envelope her hand that laid on the table. She looked down at her hand, then up to Gabu. The boy had his eyes closed, and from the way he held her hand she knew that he was unusually tense. "Look, we have no clue how long this storm will last, but Taiga contacted Kyoichi already, so he knows you're safe here."
"I'll make sure of it."
Makoto stared at him, at a loss of words. She was touched by such a sincere assurance, but her silence was only making Gabu more anxious. "That's... well, if it's you, then I'm not that worried at all," she finally mustered to say. Gabu, with his ever growing blush, willed himself to open his eyes, and what greeted him was something he could only call enchanting.
Makoto was smiling warmly, her brown eyes gleaming with such softness. She gently placed her other hand on top of Gabu's, and the reassuring act was enough to put the both of them at ease. Gabu let out a breath, relieved that he didn't embarrass himself. Though, with his nervousness gone, he realized that he made such a direct move.
Having no excuse to break contact, Gabu opted for the best choice he could think of at the moment and immediately yanked his hand away. He coughed through his fist and awkwardly looked away. Makoto, although taken aback by the sudden action, couldn't help but giggle at his fiddly behavior.
"While you're here, and since we just came from the dagashiya, I wanna see what you got from there. Definitely nothing better than what I got, that's for sure."
Recovering from the sweet moment earlier, Makoto narrowed her eyes as her lips curled to a challenging smirk. "Oh, I'm confident with my candies, that's for sure," she declared proudly. Gabu returned the grin.
"We'll see."
As the two started their debate, Taiga chuckled silently, for he'd been watching them from the staircase the whole time. "I'm glad to see your attempts have become successful, brother," he laughed quietly before standing up. He knew Gabu had been purposely going to the same places that Makoto went ever since he started to have a liking for her, but heavens forbid him to be honest with himself from the very beginning.
Hey Anon ! Yeah, sure, Kato-sensei writes crush and blossoming romance well !
Obviously, Rin x Shiemi is a given for me right now, but I strongly enjoy the fact that it wasn't always the case and that I used to like Yukio x Shiemi more at first (because that's how the narrative seemed written) ! For more details, please read this post. :)
Anyway, I love the back and forth between them, I love that she's the one who's hesitating because of her own circumstances rather than the more typical Shonen case of "he didn't notice her until the end". You know, because women can have romantic feelings for a guy but other pressing things to also deal with in life.
The fact Izumo-chan knows her secret and tries to encourage her is also a great part of it and I'm glad Shiemi has a girl friend who can help her with this (not just recently, but ever since Rin asked her to go out with him). :D
Meanwhile, Rin is being a pretty respectful guy about it and we stan him for that ! He wasn't pissed about being rejected nor did he insist, he's a good kid. Anyway, they're endgame for sure, I have 0 doubt !
Shiro x Yuri, who loved each other despite death parting them, is also beautiful writing, even more so considering Yuri is written as a survivor of domestic abuse. Maybe there's an alternate reality that Mephisto knows in which they managed to grow old together. :) One can hope.
If it weren't for the current age difference, I'd be a more avid supporter of Yukio x Shura, for reasons presented here. I think they're a pair who makes a lot of sense, narratively speaking, especially since the Aomori arc. But hey, since Shiemi somehow managed to grow 2 years in an alternate reality (see ch144) and with Satan warping time & space, who knows, it may still happen one day !
Otherwise, Yukio losing his composure and shooting the King of Lust creep in the face to help Shura, despite urging Rin to leave her fight alone the whole time, was simply hilarious.
Lastly, I have a big fondness for Juuzou x Mamushi ! Even though, it more or less came out of nowhere during the Impure King arc, it still made a lot of sense. x) Mostly, I love how we got to witness their wedding and how happy they currently are.
Toudou ruined a lot in the series, but I'm happy Mamushi survived his schemes and still had a place to call home. :)
Other than that, I sometimes wonder about Shima x Izumo and Suguro x Izumo, but without any certainty.
For the former, I don't know how serious Shima's crush on her is and Izumo simply isn't too trusting of him. And besides, I think Renzou has a lot of other personal realizations to reach first, about his family and about Myo Dha, so romance will simply have to wait.
For the latter, I enjoy their bickering and they have a few scenes here and there that I think give off shipping vibes, but they do not seem to be a primary romantic focus of Sensei either. So we'll see. :)
I hope it answers your question ! Have a good day, Anon !
I wanted to finish this one before the year of the snake ends let's see how it goes! I'm guessing the next update is the last one(maybe 5 pages more at most?)
OMG I thought I wouldn't finish this one :_: I had such a bad end of the year and I'm still recovering, but you guys loved this comic so much and tbh I do too. I felt the theme fit soo much mch ;__: at this point idk if I will make another comic. i will try to draw here and there(There are two more drawings for this month though)
How do they react when their so runs off after a fight and stays out with a friend?
Suitors: Mozart, Arthur, Theo, Faust
Mozart
Mozart could be...sharp with his words at times.
He doesn't always mean harm by it, its just that if he doesn't have the time, he will say as much and the blow will not always be as gentle as required.
Such a time came when he rebuffed his love a little harsher than necessary and she left the room without another word, her jaw tight and her step hurried.
The musician realizes his mistake inescapably clearly when she is nowhere to be found and Jean comes to him, curious as to if everything was alright, as Y/N had stormed past him to leave the house with a bag.
Mozart looks further stricken when he explains that she had intended to be with a a woman she befriended recently for the night, especially given that the sun had already set. Where was a woman going alone at that time.
He is only moderately relieved when Jean assured him that he saw to it she was escorted safely to her friend. By none other than himself.
However. Mozart is given a wide berth for that night as he is mostly silent, a dark cloud hanging over his head, threatening to fire lightning at whoever felt foolish enough to get on his last nerve.
Even at the piano, his mood is leaking through, each note of the piano sounding as though its being ground out through gritted teeth.
When she does return, he won't let her out of his sight, whisking her away to be alone, his words both scathing, but the worry slips out from under the current, especially since he hasn't let go of her hand since she got back.
"If you were trying to punish me, you've made your point. So don't do this again."
Arthur
He never intentionally tries to upset his love, but well...nobody is perfect.
When an argument springs up, concerning his admirers and recent persistent one at that, Y/N turns on her heel and runs off, teary eyed. It's only when she is nowhere to be found in the mansion that Arthur realizes how truly upset she is.
The mystery author mostly puts the pieces together himself, tipped off by finding a few of her essentials missing, that she may have run off to her friend's house, a woman she recently started spending time with, and his heart drops.
She's so upset she left home?
He is so torn between wallowing and going over there and pleading with her, until Theo reigns him in, telling him to give her the night and if she's not back by tomorrow afternoon...
Then, they'll go get her home themselves.
As soon as she returns, cooled off and in a significantly better mood, Arthur is all over her, apologies and explanations in tow.
This is followed closely with many hugs and kisses and frankly, adamant refusal to have anyone else around her for the next handful of hours.
He is a little sulky, but glad that she is back home, safe and sound in his arms.
"Next time, just have a go at me, luv. It was torture, I tell you, being without you."
Theo
Theo's general rudeness and abrasiveness is something that Y/N had grown used to because she knew that inside that was a kinder passionate man, but some days, he seemed particularly hurtful and she felt particularly less patient.
He initially didn't think all that much of it when she stormed off. After all, it was already dusk, where exactly would she even go?
However, when it had become night and she hadn't been seen by anyone in the mansion, his feigned apathy turns to unease. She is nowhere in the house and it's actually Vincent that tells him he saw her pack a bag and leave the mansion.
The way his heart jumps into his throat when he hears that, he nearly runs out to find her, prepared to hunt through Paris for her, until Vincent specifies that she was going to a girlfriend's house for the night.
That makes him feel less panicked, but not better, no.
She can't just leave home because of a fight!
He will feel terrible about it the whole night and nobody dares test him for the rest of that night. He is both upset she left and a little wounded she told Vincent where she was going but not him.
When she returns, he buries her in an embrace, his arms tight and secure, despite his snappy and tight tone reprimanding her for worrying him.
"Don't even think about doing that again, hondje."
Faust
Faust is a blunt man who has little patience for immaturity. He lives with two big babies after all, really.
That apathy may sometimes splash onto his guinea pig unfortunately and as a result, he may incite a reaction with that apathy and bluntness.
He doesn't react much when she storms off. She'll likely cool off in the old goat's garden, or baking with Charles.
No. Charles comes by later, asking what he did to make Y/N so sad that she left home with a bag.
Faust's grip on his scalpel tightens when Charles reveals this. Well now...
It is later Vlad that confirms that she went to a friend's house for the night, a slight hint of taunting behind his blissful smile.
For her to wordlessly leave this way...
It doesn't help that Vlad is quietly teasing him while Charles openly chastises him.
He stands there to meet her when she returns the next morning, somewhat menacing in his stature and demeanor, the sharp smile on his face reflecting an equally sharp look in his eyes. Y/N very nearly turns on her heel and walks out the door again when she sees the menace that is her beloved.
I really want them to end up together and I hate to ask this, but do you think he even loves her anymore?
The fact that he didn't mention divorce or cheating gives me hope but the fact that he doesn't know what he wants, makes me feel like he will try to live without her and even sleep with other women🤢 just to decide he doesn't want her anymore in the end, or worse, after all that, come back as if nothing has happened.
I hate that Bertha seems to be the one that'll have to work to save the marriage. I hope she acts all unbothered and he has to work a little at least. If anything I hope for some romantic angst, on both sides. If he acts like he doesn't even care I'm going to lose it
Also I feel like stupid larry got in his head with the stupid "being Bertha's pawns" thing and he is just an idiot who feels less of a man for that
Putting this under a cut for spoilers just in case.
I deeply, deeply agree with the sentiment that you express in hating the idea that Bertha would have to do all the work to save the marriage.
To your first point about whether he still loves her, I think he does. I think the problem is that he links loving her with compromising his own principles. He loves Bertha so much that he allowed himself to be persuaded to go along with marrying Gladys to Hector. Even if that turned out well, it means that he knows he can't trust himself to be true to his own beliefs because, as he says, Bertha makes him weak (which is really to say, his love for Bertha makes him weak).
If I were writing the show, I would have him midlife crisis it up for the first half of season 4. He should be getting drunk and high and going to the Haymarket to leer at women and his business should start going worse and Larry at some point should also be alienated by all of this fuckery. This should culminate in him missing the birth of Gladys's baby or some equivalently shitty family thing, at which point he realizes he's being an idiot. Bertha however by this point has heard that he's gone to the Haymarket and assumes the worst and no longer wants him back (harkening back to the Turner incident), so the 2nd half of the season him proving himself to her. By episode 8, they can get back together, both having realized that they are each other's weaknesses and strengths. Will Julian Fellowes write this? Of course not. Sigh.
As for Larry, I get why he might have at first thought that Bertha intervened between him and Marian. It's not clear that he knew that Bertha was in England, he knows Bertha wasn't a fan of the engagement and he knows she has done that before. However, the fact that after he knows that she did nothing and, in Ep 8, actually invites HER NEMESIS just to get Marian to come to the ball for him, that boy should be like, I'm so sorry, mom, you're the best, and he only isn't doing that because...idk why. Probably because George needs someone to do exposition with now that he can't do it with his wife because he's being AN IDIOT.
imagine almost dying and your enlightenment from the incident is that your wife is actually the devil and the divorce is back on??? same wife that was with you when you had nothing and was holding your body down panicking bc she was scared of losing you? this is why men don’t deserve rights
in the hands of a better, more radical show runner, season 3 of the gilded age could have been about how marriage as an institution was (and still is) inherently oppressive for women, how the quality of your life was completely in the hands of the man who decided to marry you (“marriage is a gamble” ), and how even the most besotted “wife-guy” still had the power to destroy you socially, emotionally, and financially. this season could have been about how upper class women, dealt a less shitty hand than most, took advantage of this system to protect their daughters socially even if it meant violating their personal autonomy and forcing them into a dangerous situation where they could be legally abused, sexually assaulted etc. it could have been about how even all of bertha and aurora’s wealth and status could not shield them from their own husbands. it could have been about how women like peggy and marian, who have very little material power (one far, far less than the other), are still held to impossible standards and are thus forced to make difficult choices to protect what little social standing they do have. it could have been about how women were only protected by kindness of the men of their family, and that any perceived offense could cause them to be evicted from their own homes. and once again, this season could have been about how marriage is a gamble that is based on the whims of a husband, and that regardless of all of bertha’s planning and love for gladys, there is very little either of them could have done to protect gladys if the duke decided he wanted to exercise his power over her in the domestic sphere (such as pressuring her into sex on their wedding night)
but jfells (in love with and belonging to the british aristocracy) wanted to have his cake and eat it too, which is why we get gladys being in a happy marriage with a well-meaning, kind duke who respects her (because we can’t ever malign the aristocracy in this show), yet somehow bertha is the villain for pushing for this very marriage. we get dr kirkland’s prejudice and missteps being resolved in a grand total of ten minutes without any follow up conversation between him and peggy, and we also get larry having the final word and blaming marian’s justified fears for their failed engagement. i can only imagine that season 4 will begin with the most intense doylist and watsonian defamation campaign against bertha yet. the tory strikes again
So I haven’t watched yet but I have seen the spoilers and I actually think the George-Bertha separation is going to be amazing.
It would have been TOO easy to have this all go away because he was shot. Maybe if this was the final season I’d be okay with that but considering we have another season to fill out I am more than okay with this drama.
What I really want for next season is George to speak with Gladys. His issues aren’t necessarily with Bertha but with his own capability with Gladys. His failure to keep his promise, him walking her down the aisle while she sobbed, him even negotiating with Hector over her. None of that was Bertha’s fault, George could have stopped it any point.
So far he’s been distancing himself from Gladys, and especially after learning she is not miserable but has become happy with Hector. Gladys misery was something he could cling to prove he was “right” and Bertha was “wrong”. Her being happy challenges this narrative and likely why he sent the letter to Hector saying he was having money issues. Nothing about his money troubles was certain, but he felt the need to immediately tell Hector. Why? Because Bertha had come back and told him that she had helped Gladys settle in and she was doing well.
It’s not that he doesn’t want his daughter to do well, but her being happy makes the reality of the situation hit him harder. Bertha’s “ruthlessness” with Gladys was right and his fair-weather promises of a marriage for love were wrong. Remember George pointing out that his own marriage to Bertha was a marriage for love, he wants to believe that’s what it was. He wants to have a better view of himself, a romantic view. But the truth is, he and Bertha married because they were well suited and love is a bonus.
Next season what’s needed is for Gladys and George to speak, for George to forgive himself for his part in it and not just bc Gladys is happy but because that marriage was better for her then what he wanted for her. Only then can he and Bertha reconcile. The question then becomes does Bertha wait for him to figure this all out or does she start planning for a life without George or being Mrs George Russell.
Have you ever articulated your thoughts on Ms. president? Like in the way you did with Kiara?
It can't be the way I did with Kiara because Olga is still not a character with a complete narrative. I don't have a conclusion already to work backwards what she's about. That said, I think the latest reveal about her is something with a lot to comment about.
Olga Marie Quest 2 reveals the original Olga Marie was created as a control unit for CHALDEAS's system. That's a thing we speculated about before but now it's important to have it confirmed. It's really significant information when it comes to defining Olga.
As we can see her now, Olga is a machine who was never told she was a machine. She assumed she was a real girl, and because of that, she thought she needed approval from the creator she assumed to be her real father. She didn't get the approval that should come naturally to her apparent identity, so she began to hold herself to higher standards for it, which also comes with holding everyone else to higher standards, consequently making her a deeply unpleasant leader.
Her complexes blew up with Marisbury death, which pushed her to take command of Chaldea before she felt like she was ready for it, and made her contend with the fact that despite her incredible power, she was somehow unable to Rayshift and contract Servants (probably a more extreme case of Daybit inability to summon because he's not part of Earth's humanity). Olga Marie never felt more out of place in the identity she wrongly assumed to be hers.
In contrast, U-Olga is far more aware of what she was made for and a lot more in her element. She still holds everyone to very high standards, as it shows in her commentary about humanity's war and fuel problems, but her attitude about it is less that of an aggressive boss and more that of an attentive teacher and advisor.
But even then, U-Olga still proves herself too heavily affected by labels and the perceived responsibilities attached to it. In her reset state, she found dear companions in Fujimaru, Mash, and Marine 4, and she found her ideal in the deinos society that Wak Chan showed her, but at that point, she couldn't bring herself to act upon these desires that clearly originated from herself, because she was vaguely remembering her identity as an enemy of humanity. The only thing that ultimately made her break out of this role was accepting the other role Fujimaru said belonged to her, that of Chaldea's director.
One of the bigger mysteries in Fuyuki's story is how did Olga rayshift to Fuyuki when as far as everyone knew, she was incapable of rayshifting. The answer Lev gives is that Olga Marie's body was vaporized by being at the epicenter of the bomb, and without the restriction of the body, her mind and soul were naturally capable of rayshifting. Back when this was all it had, Olga being a ghost through her Fuyuki screentime feels like a really random twist that added nothing to plot. But now, Olga being unaware she was a ghost becomes part of a pattern of Olga being always incorrect about what she is.
Before Fuyuki, she assumed she was a human when she was actually a part of a Mystic Code. In Fuyuki, she assumed she still had a body when she didn't. From Olympus to Mictlan, she assumed she was an alien god who traveled to Earth to answer the SOS signal of a tortured peer (but in her Mictlan reset state, she changed her fake backstory to answering Earth's death cries) when she was unknowingly a Servant version of the Alien God CHALDEAS in the position of one of its Apostles. I don't have a conclusion to drop since the story isn't over, but I look forward to seeing how the 4 E-Olga Maries are also misinformed about their identity.
long ass one, i think, so im putting under read more (though i doubt many will). i also have a light idea about what the Ordeal Calls are about, but i'd like to avoid any direct spoilers
Goetia, knowing that the cosmic shit is coming, devised the Incineration of Humanity to (iirc) basically launch Humanity clear of Earth. Saving them, even if none of them survived.
Marisbury, playing 5D chess, anticipated this and set up the Chaldea Security Organization (using the wish-based funds he got from winning the HGW) to correct the Singularities that Goetia would bring about and stop the Incineration of Humanity. This is their Grand Order.
Olga Marie Animusphere is killed by Lev Lainur Flauros, in service of Demon God Goetia's plan, by being inserted into the Chaldeas globe. This, unintended by both Flauros and (I believe) Marisbury, sets up Olga to be the Foreign God of the 'foreign planet' that will be brought into being much later.
Team A is brought in for a different purpose than the other Master candidates, though ostensibly as Masters, and were given Sirius Lights, a sort of dead man switch that Beryl could trigger in order to blow up the Team A member and (iirc) the whole dang Singularity too, effectively resolving both that Singularity and potentially dealing with a rebellious or treacherous Master.
But their actual role would be that of the Crypters, Daybit was the only one who knew about this before the coffin explosions caused by Lev. It seems to me that the role of Crypter would have been to watch over their Trees of Emptiness and steward their growth; and it seems these trees were connected to other galaxies/stay systems, based on their names and the stars we see inside them as they 'bloom'.
But their culling seems to have always been Marisbury's plan. Daybit states that the felling of all 7 Lostbelts would make Earth the most reviled thing in the galaxy. Daybit does seem to think this is wrong, and he tries to threaten Marisbury into stopping, only for Marisbury to kill himself and put his plan in motion anyway, now with little in the way of stopping it.
What I think (at least part of) his ultimate plan was: the torture and experimentation of Subject E in Area 51; it cries out to the stars for aid. Allies from beyond descend, in the form of the branches that are mentioned in the Bluebook portion of a couple Lostbelts. Earth is fully bleached. The stage is set.
I think the original 'lie' was to have the Crypters and their Lostbelts fight amongst each other, over which had the right to become the new foundation of Humanity. But I don't think any of those seven were ever going to be 'allowed' to win. I believe Kirschtaria and Daybit were the only ones who knew this, though it's possible Beryl may have known as well. Kirschtaria's savior-like goal, of a new god-like humanity free of suffering, was something that both conformed to his own ideals and history, and would be capable of facing whatever came next.
Because I think all seven Lostbelts were meant to be destroyed; they were meant to just be a tool used by Marisbury to wipe the planet Earth clean. No wonder Daybit says that the planet would be reviled, it lured seven… galaxies? cosmic entities? here to help only to murder them and use them as a basis to form a new, separate planet: CHALDEAS.
YOU SEE HOW THIS IS LOSTBELT SIX, RIGHT? LIKE, THE CERNUNNOS OF IT ALL?! The rage?! He and his priestess were only trying to help, and they were killed, and their corpses laid the very foundation of a 'new' world! THE TRUTH IS RIGHT THERE!
George saying Bertha has never asked the family about their desire is crazy when she told this man she would do anything for him in season 2. When every single advantage the family has is because of Bertha’s efforts.
Larry getting his first nepo baby job for his architectural career that his father dismissed was because of Bertha and her social connections to Mr Ward.Gladys had a successful debut ball, made friends and male suitors both worthy and unworthy were because of Bertha’s careful plans. If it wasn't for her mum even wet rats wouldn't approach her.
George getting admittance into the union club he loves so much (I guess the mattress there is so comfortable much more than the one in Bertha’s room) is because of Bertha. Even George acknowledged in season 1 to evil Ken (Charles Fane) that their standards hadn't dropped that low to grant him access.
If the show meant to frame Bertha as a villain being punished, it is honestly doing an abysmal job, at least in this latest episode. It felt like an endless let's kick the puppy parade, and the way these scenes were framed is making me think that she is being deliberately made to look like a martyr.
This "woman is being punished for her sins through her family turning on her" narrative brings to mind Lady Catherine de Bourgh who in some adaptations of Pride and Prejudice is shown sullenly isolated with her daughter as her punishment for being a horrible person. I could easily imagine Bertha in a similar shot, all haughty and mighty, with a "who needs a family anyway" air while alone in some dark room with her plans for the ball. But that did not happen. Instead, we have scenes proving that Gladys is actually falling for the Duke (aka Bertha managed to pull the most incredible move ever and give her daughter both a title and a happy marriage), Bertha genuinely happy to see her son back (son, not pawn) only to get trampled down on in return, the male Russells ignoring her in what is an almost caricature of an "underappreciated wife & mother" moment, and then what is perhaps most telling; the initial scene where George drives her out of his office. When he yells at her, you see her actually flinch. That is not an antagonist getting a taste of her own medicine moment. I feel like that was meant to genuinely upset the audience. Like why would that be included otherwise? How is seeing a woman frightened of her own husband be meant to be seen as cathartic in any way? It was more so George who seemed to be getting the villain edit, being so flippant with Bertha and excessively arrogant with Clay.
If the show decided that Bertha should now have to suffer for being too ambitious after rewarding her for it for two seasons straight, this is the strangest possible way to frame it. To me, it seems more like she is being set up for a vindication in the finale. One review promised a great emotional acting moment from Carrie so I am really hoping it'll involve her chewing up George and spitting him out. And then she'll have her glorious ball. Hope the ooc moment is George straight up getting on his knees in the middle of the ballroom to plead for her forgiveness. A girl can dream.
This episode upset me so much that I had to pause and consider whether or not I feel like continuing😮💨 Like was it intentional??? And in the end, Bertha WAS right with Gladys. And the utter GALL of Larry Russell, wtf man, his arrogance and disrespect and LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY pisses the fuck out of me man.
Gladys is privileged but it’s hilarious that she doesn't see it (I'm not a fan of the crying in a Lamborghini is better than crying in a lower grade car or whatever because I would prefer if women weren't crying at all) but girl at least you would be sad in a castle. We had Marian almost become homeless because of her useless father in season 1. We had Peggy almost lynched or burned alive in season 2. We have Mrs Bruce stuck in a marriage with a man who has Melancholia and can’t divorce him because there were no grounds for a no-fault divorce in New York then.
Bertha who is the child of immigrants and probably one herself had to scrub floors, hustle, and help her husband to build their wealth. Agnes had an abusive husband and she had no choice but to marry him because her brother Henry Brook had spent whatever their late father had left behind. Aurora’s husband is a bum even though it seemed like a love match and he was spending her money w/o her knowledge in season 1. Peggy is facing racism and colourism yet she is still fighting to make a name and career for herself and creating awareness about women's rights and segregation in the south.
Marian is trying to find her footing and place in the world. Is this the world we want? No, but it’s the one we live in. These women had no rights and the only way they could attain social mobility was through marriage so why not aim for the highest if possible? Women had no agency this time and even now. On the opposite end divorced women are dragged for filth but our all worry should be focused on Gladys? Not me though.
There are more despicable things happening!! Women have always been fighting for decades!! Yes, it’s sad what happened to Gladys but not all dollars princesses' marriages were doomed. If you think about it Peggy is even more educated than Gladys. (At the end of episode 4 I felt bad for Gladys but I'm thinking that the marriage had to be consummated so the marriage could not be annulled. Now could Hector have waited? Yes and wish he did. Back then then the purpose of sex was for procreation and not focused on women's pleasure. I'm glad we have this awareness now and we are able to pick up on these things. Some would argue that it was rape by coercion but back then it wasn't seen as that. Also, I will always be an advocate for women's pleasure and closing the orgasm gap. Some of you who beleieb that women should be as pure as snow won’t have an issue with the brothels and gentlemen's clubs we are about to see because you feel men should experience pleasure but not women. When a woman wants to seek pleasure she’s called names for example Bertha. You people called all manner of things because she tried to initiate sex with her husband.)
You have to work ten times harder just to be mediocre. Other women are fighting for rights but Gladys’ problem is Billy😒Rubbish!!!! Please let’s move to the suffrage plot and focus on people who need rights against the patriarchy aka society. Just imagine Arthur Scott being looked down on for making a name for himself as a free man and giving his wife and daughter a good life. But when it’s a white person it’s called new money. It’s a shame that even in the Black community Arthur is looked down on because he has no proximity to Whiteness.
Even the Irish and other immigrants face prejudice because they are not seen as the right type of white. So no I don’t feel bad for Gladys Quote me anywhere. The world I live in is still very much this way so I can’t feel bad for someone whose mother is an immigrant trying to open the doors for her daughter so she never faces what she faced for being poor and Irish🍀
I'm solid behind Bertha Russell, Marian and Peggy Scott with ten toes down. The Russells and Scotts are very much the same except with race and capitalism(George being a robber baron).
But you see Bertha and Arthur Scott those are hustlers and I'm ten toes behind Bertha and the Scotts. Heavy on Bertha O’brien Russell. Heavy on Peggy.
The divide between a lot of the characters is money and race(white supremacy and capitalism)
