arm chopping is their love language 😭

Rewatching the fighting scene, making GIFs and this came to me...

Apart from Ballister being crazy talented, I think Ambrosius also lost here because he's fighting with the energy of reluctance and despair that he has to go against Ballister. No way is this Ambrosius at his best. He's pulling his punches because he stilll loves Ballister.

Ballister is fighting with the energy to survive and anger from Ambrosius not taking his side. He also still loved Ambrosius. That's why this line was both of anger and sadness.

"Did I ever mean anything to you, or was it all just a lie?!"

Ambrosius comeback of "Says the guy running around with a monster!" is weak at best. It's surface level. It's not a response. It's a thing to say for a "lack of response" to weakly justify why he went against him. If I could write it differently...

"That's not fair! I don't want to do this anymore than you do!"

"Then why are you?! Goldenboy always has to stick to everyone's expectations, is that it?!"

"You're throwing that to my face now?!"

"Cause you're being blind to what's in front of it! She's using you Ambrosius!"

-insert Nimona passing by- "You two should literally get a room! Middle of a brawl here!"

-fight continues- "How do I know you're not making that up?!"

"How do you know I am?! And how do you really know I killed the Queen?! I loved her just like I still love you!"

Surprised, Ambrosius stumbles, and instead of using that to his advantage, Ballister lays off and grabbed his arm after flipping the sword away and disarming them both.

"I don't want to keep fighting you, so please... Fight with me, Ambrosius."

Then cue some plot changes where Ambrosius worked together with Ballister and Nimona from that the point on.

(My video btw-)

IVE BEEN LAUGHING AT THIS FOR ALMOST AN HOUR IDEK WHY ITS SO FUNNY I JUST ZOOMED OUT AND SAW THAT

Shortly after Nimona's disappearance, it's been relatively peaceful with minor crimes while the city is being rebuilt.

During this time, most of the important headlines is about Ambrosius and Ballister's "will they/won't they" journey to becoming "Goldenheart power couple" again.

Of course, Ambrosius and Ballister loved each other and that never stopped. However, after everything's that happened and considering how they hurt each other during the time apart, it took some time for Ambrosius and Ballister to figure how they were going to handle their relationship moving forward.

Like, "Ambrosius, I love you, but stop saying how much you feel guilty about chopping off my arm. We've been over this. No buts, it isn't about you and even if I forgive you by now, I shouldn't be feeling bad that you still feel bad about it. Are you sorry I lost my arm or are you sorry you had to be the one to do it?"

Or, "I know we were both mad at each other at that time, but when you called me 'Goldenboy', that really hurt especially since I know that you knew how much the pressure of being a Goldenloin and Gloreth's descenant gets to me that it gives me anxiety and sometimes I can't sleep at night. It wasn't fair of you to use that just because we were on opposing sides."

They managed to figure things out eventually, and this happened shortly after that.

The media had a field day.

In-world popularity contests

Okay, so at one point there's gotta been a voting poll of "who's the most handsome knight" or something and I just know Ambrosius either created a bunch of accounts just to vote for Ballister and/or told all of his fans to use their vote for Ballister instead of him or they aren't his real fans and Ballister's like

"Angel, that's not how voting works. You're dictating… this is basically dictatorship…"

"Fuck democracy, Bal. You're winning this thing."

No because I was rewatching nimona ofc and it just hit me full in the face that the director did not mean what we thought she meant when she said this.

In the beginning when, before the knighting, she says this to Bal, she's already rigged his sword, she means that the kingdom will see him as a villain, as someone who doesn't belong and who should never have been a knight. ShE'S TRYING TO SAY THAT YOU DONT BELONG AND I KNOW IT AND NOW THE KINGDOM WILL KNOW IT YOU FU-

Like i k this is probably obvious and I'm an idiot for not noticing before but oh god it just hit me so hard-

Stupid fic ideas 2: Cyclopean Boogaloo

Odysseus revealing exactly who he is and where he lives results in his getting home to find Polyphemus hitting on Penelope. 

doodles

Achilles: Guess what I'm thinking about?

Patroclus: How you want to pummel the absolute daylights out of Agamemnon..?

Achilles: No

Patroclus:

Achilles: Wait- yes

Do you guys ever think how in every universe, one's decisions will always lead to the other one's downfall like with Merthur and Patrochilles. How Achilles' stubborness and obsession on keeping Patroclus safe is what led Patroclus to his death?

Same with Merthur, how Merlin's obsession with keeping Arthur alive and safe even though he literally went against everything he stands for in the process and his doubt to listen and just believe in himself is what led Arthur to die?

Because I think about this every night!!! And if I'm thinking about it, you guys should too 😭

Agamemnon: Tea is for the weak!! Coffee is for real men!!

Achilles: Coffee is just bitter dirt poured into hot water! Tea is elegant and refined!

Odysseus: sometimes I like to add sprinkles to my hot cocoa :D

actually sobbing abt this wtf

screaming crying throwing up

I love this 3000+ year old ithacan man with questionable morals

another Nimona fic, are we really surprised?

Nimona doesn’t know what to make of Ambrosius. 

Of course she knows who he is, everyone knows the golden boy, the descendant of Gloreth. Her first instinct is to hate him, to snarl and growl whenever he gets close. And at first she does. But that makes Ballister upset, he wants her to like him, even though she can’t see a single redeemable quality in him. 

So she keeps her glowering to herself and snarls at him whenever Bal can’t see it. Plus it’s fun to see him jump when she breathes fire a little too close to his hair. 

Eventually, she gets more used to him, but she doesn’t like him. It’s hard when they’re all living in the tower together, but she still finds ways to let Ambrosius know that he’s on thin ice with her. 

The first time her opinion of him shifts is when she is a cat walking through the tower. She can hear Bal talking and follows his voice, fluffy tail swaying behind her. She pads down the stairs and peers into the makeshift living room.

Perched where they can’t see her, Nimona sees Ambrosius and Ballister sitting on the couch. Bal is curled against his partner’s chest, tears visible on his cheeks as his whole body shakes. Ambrosius holds him tight, murmuring softly words that Nimona can’t hear.

“I feel so useless,” Ballister says softly.

“I’m sorry,” Ambrosius murmurs, running his fingers through Bal’s thick hair. The look on Ambrosius’s face is what gives her pause. In addition to love, there’s clear guilt. It sits in his brow and in the tension of his jaw. 

Nimona’s eyes fall to the metal arm sitting on the coffee table. It doesn’t take much to understand why Bal is upset, the robotic arm has been glitching more and more recently.

Nimona watches them for a long moment, she watches how Ambrosius wipes away Ballister’s tears and the strength in which he holds him and the way his comfort seems to diffuse all the tension in Bal. If Ballister feels so safe and comforted around him, maybe he’s not so bad after all.

Things like that start to happen more and more. Nimona notices how gentle and kind Ambrosius is with Ballister, even with her. He’ll touch Bal’s back or her head as he passes behind them, he learns how to make her favorite foods. But more than that, he is accepting. 

Every time she shifts in front of Ambrosius, she expects him to look at her in fear and disgust. Instead he smiles, and far too seriously says, “Metal.” She and Bal are rubbing off on him apparently. She can’t say that she doesn’t like it.

When Ambrosius is making dinner, he’ll always let her steal some of the ingredients, he won’t even snap at her, which takes away half the fun. Ballister will hug him from behind and kiss the back of his head. They’re so mushy together, it’s gross sometimes. 

But her feelings about Ambrosius change completely one night. 

She’s in the middle of a nightmare, rapidly shifting between animals, curling smaller and smaller in on herself. And suddenly she’s shaken awake. Expecting Ballister, she barely even opens her eyes before throwing herself against his chest.

Ambrosius lets out a soft, “Oof,” but holds her nonetheless.

When she realizes who it is, she freezes and tries to pull away. Ambrosius lets her, but looks down at her with a concerned frown. His hair is braided back out of his face, allowing her to read him more clearly. His voice is almost unbearably gentle as he says,“You’re okay, Nim. You’re safe.”

She swallows thickly and pulls her knees to her chest, shifting into the younger version of herself almost instinctively. She’s not sure why, but being like this makes it easier for her to accept comfort. 

Her hair falls into her face and Ambrosius reaches out and smooths back her hair with a soft touch. “Want to talk about it?”

She shakes her head and asks him, “Why are you here?”

“Because you were having a nightmare,” he tells her gently. “I got up to get some water and I heard you. Is that alright?”

Nimona’s heart clenches in her chest. He came to wake her up, to comfort her even though he used to hate her, even though he called her a monster. He cares about her, he must or he wouldn’t be here. Maybe he’s not so bad.

Ever so tentatively, she leans back into his chest. Just as slowly, Ambrosius embraces her again, pulling her into his arms. He’s warmer than Bal, she realizes, but not as soft. But just like Ballister always does, he cradles the back of her head. Despite herself, the gesture brings her an immense amount of comfort, chasing the nightmares all but away. 

Maybe, she thinks, she could be his sidekick too.