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themidnightcircusshow · 1 year ago

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Oh, absolutely. The whole Jerusalem thing is basically a neon sign saying he was incapable of reaching an end point. I also think it kind of works in opposition to the arguments that he overreached himself and would have spent all of his life trying to maintain France-- that quite possibly could have been the point. It was only Thomas' death that he seemed genuinely interested in a peace treaty (Vale does such a good job detailing how exhausted Hal seemed by that point) and I wonder if following Thomas' death and Henry's conception Hal knew just how badly things would go if he did die (🙃).

Not only do I think Hal was more than okay with his brothers being his heirs, I also wonder if he was putting off having children as long as possible. Catherine would have been young if they had gotten married when it was first suggested, and I wonder if the plan was either a) reject the treaty regardless so it doesn't matter or b) use her age as a way to avoid having kids as long as possible. His refusal to even consider marrying someone other than Catherine kind of contributes to this. If having a queen was so important, he wouldn't have held off for so long. John seems to have been the most like Hal, so them being close would make sense. Humphrey worships Hal too much and he and Thomas have a Henry shaped wall between them. But Courtenay he doesn't have the same kind of authority over, and I read somewhere that Courtenay was basically Hal's stand in at times because he was the one who knew exactly what Hal wanted. ...that makes it all so much worse. Chris Given-Wilson is the only biographer I've read who actually went into detail about why Hal was coming under fire at the end of Henry's reign, and he hates Hal a bit so it was hard to get a clear picture, especially when it came to problems with Henry (he claimed the assassin incident was fabricated without giving a reason etc). So I was never sure how accurate the accusations were. Them being not just unlikely but borderline impossible and Henry being the one to give them credence is just... bad. That's bad. Henry just does not come out of this incident looking good, to the point where I honestly wonder if their reconciliation was just Hal playing nice until Henry was dead. Like not only does it reflect terribly on him as a king, but it shows him as an absolutely terrible father who just doesn't prioritise the well being of his son. (Poor Mary just spends her afterlife screaming at him). Both Thomas and Henry I can imagine being involved on the periphery, but not actually ordering the assassin. Henry I can imagine mulling over whether he should do something about Hal or not, and just wanting it... not to be his problem anymore. And Thomas I can envision being on Team Hal Must Be Dealt With, but not really knowing what it entails (maybe thinking Hal would just be disinherited or exiled). Arundel interests me because I can't quite pin down why he hates Hal and Courtenay so much. Like I assume Hal was because of Hal's Ricardian sympathies, but that's just conjecture. Arundel and Courtenay had the entire Oxford saga, but that's still a bit obscure. Unless it wasn't just one thing and instead an accumulation of a lot of little things.

To torture you: Courtenay extremely reluctantly giving Hal any last rites he may need in case the Dagger Incident does end fatally

Oh mannnn. I was actually poking at the thing I've been writing about the Dagger Incident and trying to determine just whether Courtenay knew about the Dagger Incident before Hal pulled it or whether he didn't know until afterwards (I think he's somewhere in the middle - he knew the gist of what Hal was planning but not the details). But man. Courtenay being the one who Hal goes to for the last rites? I'm going to go insane.

Though I might raise you a wounded Hal, post-Shrewsbury and delirious with pain, insisting that Courtenay give him last rites...

And both are like an inverse of Hal at Courtenay's death bed, where "after extreme unction, with his own hands wiped his feet and closed his eyes". I'm going to chew glass.

#Henry absolutely pinned his self identity as being more manly than Richard #and that makes him the manliest person in England!#He's manlier than the King!#women flock toward him he has a good marriage and he has four sons look how manly he is #(Hal being a sickly baby could also have been interpreted by Henry as an affront to his masculinity)#(if all that matters is his masculinity then his children would certainly be a reflection of that)#him growing weaker while his son grows stronger is SO Freudian #honestly I'm surprised Freud didn't use the play as a study #(at least to my recollection)#it is indeed very Cronos being terrified of being destroyed by a stronger son so he keeps him from any sort of growth #you're right the constant insistence of some historians #(not just Mortimer but especially Mortimer)#about how much better and therefore masculine Henry was to those around him #sort of highlights how insecure his masculinity was #it's very look how masculine and straight and therefore better Henry is #unlike his queer ineffectual yet tyrannical cousin #and his warmonger son who doesn't have sex what a loser #if everyone just paid attention they would see that Henry is the perfect man!#honestly it kind of feels like Musk fanboys #I was listening to a podcast on Joanne that I think Woodacre was a guest on #(it was a Joanna of Navarre historian and she's the only one I know)#and what she said suggested Joanne was almost more active as Duchess of Burgundy than as Queen of England #because a lot of what she talked about was how Joanne was still doing a great job of controlling her lands while in England #and acting as an intermediary with her contacts from being Duchess #which kind of contributes to the image of neither her nor Henry actually having that much power in England #at least not by the end of his reign #I think Henry's court at this time kind of set the stage for Henry VI's #the king is slowly loosing power but standing in the way of his sons gaining any #so it gives the courtiers increasing influence #which was held back when there was a king who took power but came back as soon as there wasn't that power centre

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angrycloudloud · 9 months ago

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Percy Jackson show art appreciation post!!!

There are spoilers from the books and the TV show also bad quality images from the show. So... Read and look at this at your own discretion.

Now. Let's start with Olympus and the thrones in the last episode. (And sorry again about the bad quality of the pictures, i couldn't take screenshots of it)

I said it last night in another post, but i SAW the arches... And Ancient Greek temples, usually, didn't used circular temples or arches very often, and the uses of those temples are either unknown or for "death related" things (this is an over simplification, the greeks were all over the mediterranean sea and some places adapted the structures of the greek temples to match the practices of the locals) ANYWAY... The tholos were more like circular temples than actually temples with arches so...yeah...arches in greeks IS something historians know they can build, but they weren't frecuently used by the greeks.

So... This... The arches in the show were bothering me,

...until someone pointed out some fan theories that i really liked and that having some context from the books (specially the hoo ones) it make sense that there's some arches there... Just because in those theories Percy is considered (spoiler) both Poseidon and Neptune child so It could be a subtle way to point that out.

And in the temples of Olympus, i needed a moment to analyze the scene.

First, we have the column corridor, which is interesting because those were actually more used in Ancient Egypt temples than Ancient Greek ones, but then i started thinking and saw what was behind those columns and the building with the arches behind...

I'm sorry again about the quality of the pictures, but as you can see (mostly imagine in the last one) there are some temples there that aren't really Greek. But they are temples used in other cultures in the eastern Asia. Also there's a building with a Big ass dome that reminded me of the domes of three Christian temples: Saint Sophia (now isn't a Christian temple anymore but a cool af mosque with so much interesting art and history), Saint Peter of the Vatican (the Big ass church where the Pope does his Pope things) and Saint Maria del fiore in Florence (relevant dome in fact, Brunelleschi did his best there). (I put the images of those domes down here so you don't have to suffer with the shitty images i took from the show... They are in order of mention.)

Now... WHY?! Why putting all those temples? It could mean two things (maybe more, but these two are the ones that made more sense for me)

There's other pantheons and gods living up there in what the show called Olympus, implying that all the gods that are canon in the Riordanverse live up there above New York.

The temples are from gods that had connections with the cultures that are represented with those temples (this is cool because some greek gods are actually being studied for their similarities in their cults and rites to other gods and deities from Asia) or have influenced posterior cultures and they've took the most "modern" temples and structures of buildings for their own temples (which is cool because all renaissance and baroque can't be understand without the influence of ancient greek and ancient rome discoveries at that time).

Now, i'll talk about the thrones and i'll cry because i don't have good pictures from them so you all have to trust me or read this watching the show 😅 because i can't have better pictures now and i need to write this as soon as possible before i forget everything.

That place. That place is ANCIENT, that IS The Mount Olympus throne room, it's there since the gods were gods. It is there since they defeated Cronos, and i think the show captured that perfectly.

...i can't put more pictures... So i'll post another post just for the thrones.

And another one later, just analyzing Percy's cabin. Because i think there's much more than just what we see in the architecture language of that cabin. (Maybe it's just me reading too much because college had made me mad and crazy with reading architecture like i used to read books.)

#pjo tv show #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo tv show art and architecture #pjo tv show analysis #pjo tv show spoilers #welcome to your Ancient Greek architecture basic class #if im crazy i'll turn you all crazy too #see you in the second part #Percy Jackson art appreciation

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ascendancy-echoes · 7 months ago

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Chapter 17: Preparation

Marle returned to the castle and immediately went to find Crono. This early in the morning, she knew exactly where he would be. As predicted, she found him getting ready to spar with Liz out in the gardens. It was part of their morning routine and Marle hated to interrupt it but the news Melichor had relayed could not wait.

“Crono, we need to talk. It’s really important,” she said, her voice edged with urgency Crono had not heard from her in a long time.

Crono looked to Marle then back to his daughter, then back again to Marle. He sighed and sheathed his bokken and set it down on the stone bench next to him. “Sorry kiddo, I gotta talk to your mom. I’ll be right back.”

Liz nodded. She could tell her mom was worried about something. Minutes passed as she waited for her dad to return so they could practice swordplay. After a while, Liz grew concerned as neither of her parents had returned. It dawned on her that it had been weird enough that her mom left so suddenly after breakfast with Lucca and Zarya without any explanation. Lucca and Zarya never came to the castle without Janus, especially so early in the morning. Something didn’t feel quite right. Finally, Liz put down her own bokken and headed for the castle, intent on finding her parents to ask them what was going on.

~o~O~o~

While Liz couldn’t find her parents, she did find Oren in Lucca's workshop. Lucca had trusted him with a key to the building and sometimes he would go in there to work on his own personal projects as he did in his spare time so he could learn how to help her recreate the Epoch.

“Oren, have you seen Mom and Dad?”

Oren looked up from the pile of tangled wires and metal panels he had placed on the workbench. He shook his head. “I thought you and Dad were busy with your morning sword practice.”

Liz sighed. “I was but then Mom-”

“Kids, we need to talk.”

Oren and Liz looked over to the doorway to see Crono standing there. Before either could ask what was going on, Crono continued, “Can you two come with me to your mom’s study?”

They nodded and followed Crono to the study. Oren tried to ask what was going on but all his dad would say was that he and their mom would explain at the study. In the study, they found their mom with her arms crossed, a grim expression on her face.

“What’s wrong, Mom?” Liz asked once Crono closed the door behind them.

Marle sighed. She took Crono’s hand as he offered it to her. Looking at Oren, she replied, “There was an incident in Alastori this morning… Do you two remember Melichor?”

“Yeah, he’s that guy who helped you guys fix the Masamune?” Oren answered. “Did something happen to him?”

Marle replied, “He’s fine… physically. Melichor arrived at the Ashtear’s home early this morning with the news that Mystics had burned his house down.”

“We’re telling you this because we know that you’re both old enough to handle this news,” Crono added.

“But I thought the Mystics didn’t mind him being over there with them before…” Liz remarked. “Why try to hurt him now?”

Marle sighed. She explained what Melichor had told her and Janus, about how the Mystics had a new leader who didn’t want any humans to set foot on their lands. How the only reason he knew to escape was because of the two Imps that had once helped them.

“We’re hoping that this new Elder won’t hurt anyone else… but it wouldn’t be the first time that Mystics have broken the treaty,” Crono lamented. “That’s the other reason we’re telling both of you this.”

Oren and Liz looked at their dad in surprise.

“Twice in our lifetimes Mystics have infiltrated this castle,” Marle explained. “Once during our adventure to stop Lavos… and once more when you both were young. We’re afraid it might happen again and we want you to be ready if it does.”

“Why didn’t you tell us about this before?” Oren asked, almost demanding in his tone.

“We didn’t want you to worry and think there was danger when there was none,” Crono answered. “Janus can see through their illusions when they try to disguise themselves as humans. After the incident when you kids were younger, he spent over a year making sure there were no more Mystic spies, but there was never another attempt after that day, so we asked him to ease up on his searches for the sake of his health.”

“Zarya was actually the one who first spotted the Mystic spy but she still has no idea she uncovered a secret Mystic plot and we’d like to keep it that way,” Marle added. “She’s too young to be worrying about hidden monsters.”

“Why did the Mystics sneak into the castle?” Liz asked. She recalled the history lessons about the Mystic War and how Glenn had advocated for peace, how the king had given the Mystics the island of Alastori so they could have their own nation away from humans with the provision that they stay out of human lands. “Why break the treaty?”

“The first time was for revenge,” Crono replied. “A Mystic calling himself Yakra the Thirteenth swore revenge on your grandfather and the kingdom for the death of his ancestor during the Mystic War. He had a group of likeminded Mystics and well… We took care of the matter and saved your grandfather and the rest of the castle.”

“What about the second time?” Oren asked.

Crono frowned and thought for a moment. “That one is harder to explain. Zarya noticed someone using an illusion spell walking by the library and Janus and I went to investigate. We found and outed the Mystic but she escaped. We caught the other two but they swore they weren’t there for revenge. Unfortunately, they died before we could get more information. We think the third Mystic killed them to keep them from talking.”

Marle added. “After that day, we worried for months that she would return or others would try to sneak back in but it was as if the whole thing never happened. We’ve avoided the news getting out to Porre or Choras regarding both incidents as it would make Guardia look weak. However… if the new Elder is as hostile as Melichor heard, then we will have to warn everyone of the potential danger.”

Oren raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because, while no nation officially has a trade agreement with the Mystics, we know that there are merchants that do trade goods with them,” Crono answered. “I doubt the leadership in Medina will tolerate further human contact.”

“One more thing,” Marle looked at Liz. “I talked to your father about this… and we agreed that maybe now is the time for you to learn how to use your magic for self defense, Liz.”

Oren saw the excited look in Liz’s eyes as she was told she would finally get to learn actual ice magic and all it did was remind him once more how he couldn’t use magic like her, how he had abandoned that part of him. He immediately felt he had no need to stick around and started to leave without asking to be dismissed when Marle cleared her throat and said. “Oren, could you please stay for a moment?”

Looking at Crono, she said, “Why don’t you two go back to practice? Janus should be by later to help Liz with her magic.”

Oren stayed as his mother asked, knowing she wouldn’t let the matter rest if he walked out. He turned to face her as his dad and sister left. He let out a heavy sigh the moment the door closed behind him. Alone with his mom, Oren frowned and asked, “Why do you need to talk to me? I don’t see what there is to talk about. You and Dad know I’m a pacifist and I don’t use my magic.”

Marle frowned and came around from the desk to approach Oren. She would have been blind not to notice that he carried the same headstrong attitude she had at his age. She had to be calm and careful with her words if she didn’t want Oren to resent her and Crono the way she spent years resenting her own father. She would have to let him vent and hear his words if she hoped to prevent a rift between them.

“Oren, I think there’s plenty to talk about,” she asserted calmly. “I’d hate for you to resent your sister or us. So please, tell me what's really on your mind.”

“It’s everything!” Oren exclaimed. “It’s all these secrets and magic and- What am I supposed to do while Liz learns how to use magic to fight? Help Aunt Lucca build you guys some sort of fire-breathing tank so you can fight more Mystics? Are we going to war?”

Marle sighed. What was she supposed to expect of him? He was still a child by all rights and didn’t need this burden on his mind. He was supposed to be doing whatever it was that young teenagers were supposed to be doing. But life wasn’t that simple for royalty or for the children of time travelers.

“Honestly? You shouldn’t have to do anything,” she finally answered. “I don’t want this reality for you or Liz. Worrying about threats from beyond our borders… You two should be as carefree as you can be as the prince and princess of these lands. Your father and I never wanted all this trouble for you two and I am truly sorry… And we won’t start a war if your father and I can help it.”

Oren’s expression softened. He looked down and said, “I don’t see why you didn’t tell us about the Mystics before… I mean, how could you keep that kind of thing to yourselves?”

Marle smiled, trying to find humor in the moment. “Well, the topic isn’t exactly something someone should bring up in casual conversation… There has never felt like a right time to tell you or your sister that your father and I killed Mystics to save your grandfather.”

“Are you really going to let Liz learn ice magic?” Oren asked, sounding a little weary.

“We’ll see…It certainly won’t be anything that will wreck the courtyard,” Marle replied. She smiled and changed the subject herself. “Speaking of you helping Lucca, why don’t you show me what you’ve been working on with her?”

Oren shrugged, still frustrated. “Sure, I guess.”

Oren knew his mom had a point about not telling him and Liz about the Mystics, even if he was frustrated by the secrecy. He truly hoped there was nothing to worry about. While he knew his sister was skilled with a sword and his parents had done amazing things in their youth, he wondered if the Mystics could actually do anything, given they had been rendered powerless by the Mystic War. Thinking more on it, Oren wasn’t sure he would know what to do if faced with the prospect of fighting any Mystics.

~o~O~o~

In the following days after Melichor fled to Guardia, Marle reluctantly contacted the leaders of Choras and Porre with the news of what had happened. Naturally, the two nations sent dignitaries who asked Marle and Crono what Guardia was going to do about the matter.

The day of the meeting, Liz sat beside her parents while they spoke to ambassadors from Porre and Choras. Janus had silently cleared them of being Mystics in disguise and departed before the meeting had started. Liz wished she could have followed him and asked for more magic lessons, but more and more her parents had asked her to join meetings with officials so she could learn how to be queen someday. She understood it was important that she be there and learn but she felt so out of place as the grownups talked.

“Perhaps we should ensure that the Mystics do not harm anyone else,” the ambassador from Porre suggested. “Stop the threat while we can.”

“The Mystics haven’t been a threat to the world since the war four hundred years ago,“ Crono countered, adding that the Mystics presently had no army to invade with.

Choras’s ambassador frowned and noted, “You say they have no army, but we know next to nothing about the Fiends as they have been practically isolationist since Medina’s founding.”

Liz sat there as the adults debated and argued for what felt like ages. Everyone had valid points, she supposed, but it was clear that the politicians from Choras still felt the sting of what the Demon King’s army had done those four centuries ago. They expressed the most concern about dealing with the ‘Fiend threat’ while Liz could see her parents were carefully treading their roles as leaders of Guardia and the fact they personally held no animosity towards Mystics as a whole. Liz found herself wondering why no one else involved could move on or why the Mystics continued to hate humans so much.

Finally everyone came to an agreement. While no nation had an official trade agreement with Medina or its citizens, no one present was blind to the fact that merchants in each of their nations had done trade with the Mystics on Alastori’s shores. An embargo, an outright ban on trade, was the safest bet for all nations. In addition, each nation vowed to ensure that the patrols on their ocean borders to make certain that no ships entered or left Alastori’s waters. Without trade from the outside world, everyone was sure that Medina would be unable to do anything to endanger any humans.

Later that day, Liz told Oren about the meeting. Oren expressed doubt that the embargo and patrols were going to protect anyone.

“If there’s one thing I know, people will do what they want regardless of the rules,” Oren remarked.

Liz frowned. She knew her brother had once made a habit of sneaking out of his room back when their parents had been worried about Mystics sneaking into the castle. A fact she had kept secret for Oren's sake.

“But… they’re going to tell everyone why there’s an embargo,” she protested.

Oren scoffed. “There will be merchants who are willing to take the risk because they don’t want to lose money. Their whole business was trade with Medina… and people aren’t going to be happy when they can’t get the goods they want anymore so there’s going to be smugglers.” “What are Mom and Dad to do then?”

“Without controlling everyone’s every movement? I think they’ve done all they can,” Oren replied.

#chrono trigger au #echoes in time #chrono trigger #zeal ascendancy

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aristotle97 · 5 months ago

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The insurmountable urge to write a Kaiju no.8 fanfic with a random ass idea I came up with

~ Rant Time... I guess? ~

(I DON'T KNOW MUCH I'M AN ANIME ONLY)

(FT. a bunch of home-made lore... imma say this is an au so ya'll don't yell at me.)

So the UN takes note of Japan's issues with the Humanoid Kaiju (8, 9, 10) and Greece offers one of their divisions (known as the Amazon Divison) to assist.

Japan takes the offer and the Amazon Unit comes to Japan to assist.

There are 2 captains and 14 officers

Captain Ioaniss Gabris (Codename: Angel)

Vice Captain Iris Gabris (Codename: Iris)

^ The Captain and Vice Captain are siblings. They bicker quite often during recreational time, but the second a Kaiju shows up they're in battle mode.

Officer Asterios Ariti (Codename: Zeus)

^ Despite what his codename suggests, he's actually a pretty nice guy, albeit very serious in battle, and a bit girl crazy. He wields a spear made from the Kaiju codenamed Cronos.

Officer Marinos Ariti (Codename: Poseidon)

^ He's the oldest of the Ariti siblings. He specializes in handling seaborne Kaiju. He wields a trident made from the Kaiju codenamed Typhon.

Officer Orfeas Ariti (Codename: Pluto)

^ He codenamed himself the Roman Version of Hades because he wanted to be different. Unlike the actual mythology (Where Zeus is the youngest), Orfeas is the youngest. He wields a bident made from the Kaiju codenamed Cronos.

Officer Eirini Athanasiou (Codename: Hera)

^ Unlike the actual mythology, no. She is not married to Zeus. She actually hates the dude. Since Hera has no confirmed weapon in mythology, I settled for her using a rifle with rounds that secrete a scent that spooks the Kaiju. She's more of a back fighter.

Officer Kore Chloros (Codename: Demeter)

^ A very formidable fighter in battle, but outside of it you can bet this woman is giving everyone flowers. She loves plants. She wields a staff made from the Kaiju codenamed Cronos.

Officer Charis Chronis (Codename: Hestia)

^ Mostly a Combat Medic. The eldest out of all of these officers. Very motherly. Would probably scold Kafka for staying up late studying. Also dabbles into research regarding eating Kaiju. Wields a regulation rifle with Flamethrower rounds.

Officer Ermis Hannas (Codename: Hermes)

^ The youngest of these officers (aged 19). He wields a staff made from the Kaiju codenamed Mousiki (ΜΟΥΣΙΚΗ). His suit is much different than the others in his unit. His suit is built with extra speed in mind, thanks to the law implemented in May of 20__, the year he joined, which saw the Greek Defense Force being forced to make all new Officers and etc. able to escape alive.

Officer Sofia Manos (Codename: Athena)

^ The best of the best when it comes to battle strategy. Did 6 years in the Hellenic Armed Forces before being reccomended for the Greek Kaiju Defense Force. She is one who is mainly focused on removing civillians who were unable to evacuate. In a pinch, she has a shield she can use to deflect attacks. She does not currently have a Kaiju Weapon, but has expressed a want for one. She is equipped with a standard regulation rifle.

Officer Alkemini (Codename: Ares)

^ What can I say? She's earned the codename. She's the most ruthless fighter on the Greek force. Also a single queen. This is just in my au, but Soshiro was the only one able to tame this wild beast (If you get what I mean–). She carries a machine gun.

Officer Foteini Agnes (Codename: Artemis)

^ An Aro/Ace queen. The elder of the Agnes twins. Wields a bow made of the Kaiju codenamed Python. So does Officer Apollo.

Officer Heliodoros "Helios" Agnes (Codename: Apollo)

^ A gay king. Probably has dressed in drag at least once. The younger of the Agnes twins. He is the ex boyfriend of two officers from one of the other Greek Units (Hyacinthus and Daphne). Much like his sister, he wields a bow made from the Kaiju codenamed Python. In a pinch, he can switch to a close range rifle equipped with either sonic or stun rounds.

Officer Argyris Martis (Codename: Dionysus)

^ A heavy drinker outside of batttle. Nearly always has alchol on him. Recently, Hestia and Aphrodite have forced him to start drinking less of it. He gets the shakes easily. Some believe the reason he was so good in battle was because of the drinking. Currently in the process of being prescribed anxiety medication. Wields a standard regulation rifle with poison rounds.

Officer (Dr.) Eftychia Eliades (Codename: Aphrodite)

^ This officer has a doctorate in experimenting with Kaiju. She uses pheromones from Kaiju to confuse enemy Kaiju and open them up for the others to attack. She does these all with her own lab made Pheremone Rounds (Patent Pending). Her two titles as Officer and Doctor are used interchangeably.

Officer Miltiadis Eliades (Codename: Hepheastus)

^ This guy is a total bottom. Unlike in the mythology, him and Eftychia are happy to be married. He took her last name. He made his own warhammer from the Kaiju codenamed Mimas.

If- if you read this far. Thanks. You're a real champ. Would you mind commenting or something? I wanna know if you liked it more than just hitting like. I wanna know if I should make something out of this.

P.S - If you use this, credit me.

#kaiju no.8 fan concept #kaiju no. 8 #greek mythology #writing ideas #should I make an ask blog for this?#writing #aristotle rambles

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grimsbygrovedrama · 3 months ago

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Crono, you need inmediately shut your computed down and go outside, play a game, concentrate in school and your studies, STOP being chronically online and STOP looking for drama.

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thinkanamelater · 10 months ago

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repay (The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August fanfiction)

Vincent pays Phearson a visit

Rated T (Implied torture)

Also on A03!

“Franklin Phearson”

Phearson looked up at the stranger standing on the door frame, a stout man in a well worn tweed jacket. He looked rather short, or maybe it seemed that way as he was flanked by two tall, big men. They looked unaccustomed to their suits; most likely two common thugs that tried to appear refined.

Phearson was not impressed by this intimidation attempt; he didn't flail nervously or demand to know how they got in his office, as he suspected they wanted.

“Do I know you?” He asked instead, taking off his glasses and leaving them on the desk.

The man gave him a weird smile, Phearson couldn't figure out if it was ironic or forced.

“Not yet” He sat down without waiting for an invitation, and dismissively waved a hand over his shoulder.

Every movement he made looked dismissive.

His bodyguards looked at each other, and walked out.

“Vincent Rankis” He introduced himself, offering his hand - it was sweaty and slightly calloused.

Phearson never heard that name, but that didn't mean anything, as it may not even be his real name.

“The crown's business are in order, I assume?” Rankis said when he retreated the hand.

Ah. Phearson's mouth curled up, with no humor behind it.

That could be a typical “you're an agent and I'm an agent and we both know it” conversation, but it felt too rehearsed. Too on the nose.

Who even was this man?

“Of course” He replied, putting on a neutral expression. The smile on Rankis' face was starting to irritate him. “How can I help you, Mr Rankis? This is all very unconventional.”

“Indeed. You can start by offering me a cigar”

Phearson gritted his teeth, but he'd decided to play along, so he opened a drawer and found a cigar for the man. Before giving it to him, he noticed Rankis wiping sweat from his forehead, and started to stand up.

“Should I open a window? You seem-”

“Stay where you are, Phearson”

Rankis didn't raise his voice, but it took on an authoritative tone that made it difficult to disobey, and Phearson found himself frozen in his seat. He leaned forward to take the cigar from his fingers, and when he continued speaking it was in his previous, nonchalant tone.

“It is alright, I have to get used to London's weather. It's funny, you don't think you can get used to the extreme cold, but Russia leaves you no choice. It seeps into your bones, you see. And the body remembers. The body remembers.”

Phearson looked at him cautiously, thinking and thinking who he even was, what was doing here. Why these preliminaries? Why the mention of Russia? Was he a double agent?

His eyes, seemingly dull and distant at first, appeared intelligent and cruel the more he studied them.

“I'll ask again.” Phearson said calmly, while his hand sneaked towards the drawer where he kept a gun. “How can I help you?”

Vincent twirled the cigar on his hand, pulled an envelope from the inside of his jacket, and slid it over his desk. Phearson's eye twitched, opening the envelope with both hands. There were pictures.

“Harry August” Vincent said, as if it was supposed to mean something to him.

“I don't know him”

“I know. Look at his face”

Phearson did as he was told.

He couldn't even tell if he had seen the man before or not, that's how unremarkable he was. He kept looking at the pictures - taken from a distance, clearly candid - trying to find something that explained this intrusion, but there wasn't a lot to work with.

A plain middle aged man, furrowed brow, deep eyebags. He carried a briefcase. A professor, maybe? That didn't tell him much.

“Alright” Phearson spoke after a moment, since Vincent wasn't saying anything “Why do I care about him?”

“You don't” Vincent grinned, as if he just told a funny joke, and slid him another envelope.

This one had no pictures, but a scribbled wall of text. On the top, in slightly cleaner handwriting, it read “Cronos Club”.

Phearson looked up at Vincent, who was still grinning like an idiot, and back at the document. It was improbable that he had more information than Phearson already gathered. But, he knew of the club, and knew that Phearson was investigating it.

And there was the picture of the man… Phearson tried another approach.

“Vincent, was it? Can I call you Vincent?”

“I'd appreciate if you didn't”

Phearson gritted his teeth. Rankis was being difficult on purpose. But now he had to see where this was going.

“This August of yours…” Vincent raised an eyebrow “You think he has something to say about the Club?”

“Oh, most likely” Vincent nodded. He had leaned forward and had his hands under his chin, looking very excited. It was creeping Phearson out.

“You need to find him, then? Want me to get him for you, in exchange for information?”

“Oh no, I know where he is.”

Phearson sighed, exasperated.

“Mr. Rankis. Don't you think we should skip all the subterfuges? You're aware I'm a busy man, and I don't appreciate being taken for a fool. So you're going to tell me exactly why you are here” He said sternly, as he went for the gun.

Rankis ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up with sweat. His smile was bordering on manic, and Phearson wondered if he had walked into a trap.

“My apologies. I wanted you to have some context for what's going to happen to you”

He didn't wait for a reply, because the game was over.

Phearson had a moment to be surprised a man like Rankis could land such a punch, and he blacked out.

Phearson knew the ties wouldn't give, but still he tugged and struggled when he woke up.

Everyone did. He had noticed it before, and didn't know why. Now, he wasn't so sure either. Maybe it meant he hadn't given up yet.

He did not scream, though his mouth was ungagged. All he produced was a growl when Rankis' face emerged from the darkness.

“I wish I could stay, Mister Phearson. But don't be sad. You'll be in good company”

Vincent closed the door behind him, but didn't leave immediately.

When the screams started, he wondered if Harry would be happy to hear about this. Probably not.

There was no way to know for certain. The Harry he knew was gone. He'd have to take his satisfaction from getting back at Phearson on his behalf.

He lit the cigar, and walked away.

#the first fifteen lives of harry august #vincent rankis #franklin phearson #fanfiction tag

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