#Linus || Mad Dog

[justicefanged]

💢 ANGER - what are some habits they have that will take some getting used to?

probably a lot

Linus doesn't really have a concept of personal space! I think, growing up how he did, he's just incredibly used to muscling in on a conversation or throwing his weight around. He's also just...a very physical, tactile person! He pokes and shoves, and pats and just-- he speaks a lot through touch (and through talking but we'll get to that). This absolutely comes from primarily being raised by his father and brother; it was more of a physical guiding hand upbringing than just like...a guiding hand, if that makes sense? So he can inadvertently or purposefully push somebody's boundaries very easily, stranger or not.

Linus is also obnoxiously overconfident, and he will challenge most people any chance he gets in some way or another. He doesn't give out respect easily, though it's pretty simple to actually earn it from him. But he has a Top Dog style of mentality; if he's not dominating in some way, making sure people are toeing the line, it feels like there isn't a clear chain of command to him -- which is problematic in a more casual setting.

He has a habit of "listening" and then either not actually listening to what he was being told, or full out ignoring what was said to do his own thing. We see this on display in game, where he chooses to engage with the Lycians as soon as Lloyd leaves, despite Lloyd literally telling him not to and having Igor try to stop him on that basis alone. Linus has a wildly ridiculous amount of respect for his brother, but even that isn't enough to get him to sit still when he really, really wants to do something!

He has a hair trigger on his temper. I cannot begin to express how much of an issue this is. It isn't just that things can happen when engaging with another person or event, he can just be very angry for no discernable reason. And when I say very angry, I mean angry. I would have to do way more research than I already have to fully gauge if this is accurate or not, but the closest I can pinpoint it to is IED (intermittent explosive disorder). Anger is his go to reaction more often than not, it's a sword and shield all rolled into one. If someone can't handle him when he's being volatile, he feels justified in the relationship not working out. Likewise, in regards to family and close friends, he regrets his words or actions once he's come down from the spike.

I think we particularly get to see this in his conversation with Nino at Cog of Destiny. While there is the obvious trigger for his rage -- Lloyd's death -- the fact that he's willing to kill his sister (as well as a formerly close friend, Legault) out of pure anger that she's with the Lycians is wild. He knows Nino, knows that she couldn't have had anything directly to do with Lloyd's death, and she's literally trying to talk him down to the correct path -- but it doesn't work. He's completely out of control, completely irrational, and his grief is so tied up in his anger that he would do something unforgivable without so much as stopping to consider the validity of his actions or the potential fallout.

[lordleonster]

[Music request to the band]: To be clear, she did not request this song, she hardly recognizes it. The strings of the violin lead the band. There are some odd pauses, for effect she supposes, in between. In spite of her own cluelessness, many others seem to join in with great fervor sparkling in their eyes.

And before she has time to protest or step away, she is pulled into the crowd and is handed off to a man who she could only assume had joined the same way she has.

“Are you familiar with this piece…?” She asks. “I overheard others mentioning… Pitbull… Is that not a dog?”

"It sounds....." Quan wondered if his taste in music was outdated. Even so, it was rather alluring in its own right wasn't it? "Actually, this is quite a fetching piece. I don't think I've ever heard the crack of cymbals and violins played in this fashion before. Ha! And you don't sound like you have either."

"Perhaps it is in season, little miss. Here, your hand, please!" He guided her to a less crowded space on the dance floor, watching the shadows of dancers ghost around them. "Pitbull? What an odd name... Do you think the musician was once an arena fighter or something?" Spinning them both in small circles, he guided her down a stream of rapid notes and stepping twice to the right, before switching on his feet to the left. He laughed, thinking it nothing short of amusing. "I would certainly expect something more vapid from a name like that, but I suppose we shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

As he rose their hands, he poised her straight to twirl. Breaths even, steps uneven, he waited until the piano to crescendo before releasing her into a final spin.

"Ha!"

And the violins went quiet.

"How's that? Memorable, yes? Even Pitbull would be proud, I would think."

Pulling a black feather off his lapel, he pressed it gently into the girl's hand. "I suppose the music here is commendable. Even if I'm still catching up with the times, ha! Thank you for the dance, little miss. You've caught me by surprise with this one."

[optimismxmagicism]

When Ewan caught the gist of his new assignment, his excitement couldn’t be beat. He was to rig the forest full of traps and chase down some students as they attempted to find the flag which he hid in the heart of the forest. This mission was absolutely perfect, it was like it was made for him!

He spent all morning setting up a variety of tricky, funny and aggravating traps. None of them hurt of course, at least not more than your pride. From tripwire that would pelt you with berries (non toxic, but they stain), pitfalls stuffed with glitter (horrible to get out of your clothes) and his personal favorite, the eggplant cannon (will make eggplant explode into your face).

Now then, a light fog was starting to set in, all he had to do was wait for his target to approach. Since the surprise and the danger would be kinda ruined if they saw the person chasing them was just a little kid, Ewan made sure to stick to the treetops where it was hard to see him. Build a little suspense and all that jazz.

After a little while, someone finally came into his view. A big man who… for some reason had his chest bare? …Was he stupid? It’s cold, not to mention how easy it an opening it would be for a sudden attack… or maybe he’s just that full of himself? Either way, Ewan was even more excited to see how this guy would handle himself.

@justicefanged

Mad dog in wonderland

Seminars are encouraged at the monastery. They help others learn from their peers while strengthening friendship at the same time. Well... most seminars. This seminar, on the other hand, is on... the basis of keeping one's composure? That's what the paper says, after all. "Learn how to withstand interrogations that may test your emotional and physical strength." What wasn't included in the description was that the instructor would attack you the moment you arrived at the meeting place! By their words, they'll chase you and your partner through a booby-trapped forest to raise the tension, but if you're caught... Well, they only smile at you and count down. [Grants Sword +1]

[kidstemplatte]

i asked my best friend who doesn’t know ghost to name the papas and give them personalities.

here is what she said. i can’t stop laughing. she nailed it. i’m literally in tears.

nihil-

big fred energy. i feel like he’s like farkle from girl meets world. nerd asf and very annoying. messed around in his moms makeup for halloween, no older than 25 but still lives with his parents.

primo-

has a fucking name like linus the mystical. oh this bitch wishes he was the fucking wizard from sofia the first. he has mad vision problems and that’s why his eye makeup is fucked up. lil slytherin ass about to cast a spell on you at a magic themed restaurant. cheap ass costume (he bought it from party city)

secondo-

this is tate from murder house, bitch ass needs anger management classes asap. frequent victim of flashback. he really hates tomatoes. permanently constipated and rlly upset about it

terzo-

william. the least weird so far but also the worst makeup. best outfit though. lowkey giving brendon urie v&v era. but he makes these high heels work (ik it’s not v&v leave me alone) his fruity ass will not walk on wet grass and only drinks mimosas even at night. he thinks he gets bitches but he actually has zero game.

(papa) copia-

oh his name is like angelo or smth. do not get me started on this bitch. while all the others were significantly under 30 this man is like 60. he hates the mailman and gets really pissed when his neighbors’ dog barks. his house is like the neighborhood haunted house and the kids knock on his door as a dare on halloween and he answers the door every 4th kid and tells them to fuck off. his ass saw the movie saw once and said this is my new look forever. he only leaves his house once a week for a 10 microwaveable meals and an entire jar of theatre grade black and white face paint.

cardinal copia-

holy fuck this bitch (paul) is the worst one. makeup still bad but also he didn’t even try. he thinks he’s the shit but he’s the most annoying one, worse than fred, no one likes him. he asks everyone to call him frederick the fierce or some shit and they’re all like “shut up paul” his favorite movie character is uncle fester and he gets way too into the younger one’s jokes in the way millennials try to assimilate w gen z humor, but his 45 yr old ass always fails

[linesonscreens]

Let's Read Peanuts (The Dark Souls of comic strip reading assignments) – March 1956

There are lots of great strips I just don't have room to comment on. I strongly encourage everybody to read the full month at the official GoComics page. Today's month starts HERE.

March 2, 1956

This storyline is right on the razor’s edge between “Hell yeah!” and “Oh fuck off!”. It constantly threatens to be about Snoopy learning to accept his place in the universe as a dog (Booo!) but then will simply not do that and just keep on having Snoopy imitate other animals while Charlie Brown continues to get mad about it (Yay!).

March 3, 1956

I’m choosing to interpret this as Linus having strong opinions on the evils of colonialism.

March 5, 1956

I mean... it kind of was in his case.

March 9, 1956

You can kind of see why Patty eventually gets sidelined. This joke would work much better if it was delivered by Lucy.

March 16, 1956

Are we seriously still doing “Charlie Brown is a narcissist” punchlines?

March 23, 1956

I think we all sympathize with this reaction on some level.

March 30, 1956

A surprisingly insightful take on toxic masculinity from a comic strip for children written in the 1950s.

[feh-alt-battle]

Poll 118 - Linus

Please do not criticize any art you may not like or compare one art to another in terms of quality, it's unkind and downplays the amount of work that the feh artists put into them. Please treat the feh artists how you would as any other artist - with kindness and with love.

Artists in order: Meka, Suekane Kumiko

[enarmor]

A PASSIONATE BITE or a biting, passionate. whichever choice you make, you are getting bit!!!!! >80

"A-Ah! Ow! Ow ow ow! Dishonorable cur...!"

Sain tries with all his might to pry the Mad Dog from his arm, but no matter how much he budges, that man's teeth don't let up. It freaking hurts to be chomped down so hard! Not nearly as much as having his heart broken, mind you, but the pain is very much there.

"L-Let go! Let go this instant! This is not how we knights ought to fight!!" And when it becomes clear that Linus won't, Sain does the only thing he can think of. He starts pounding on the Reed's head with his spare arm, thwacking harder and harder and harder with the hope that one of these hits will be his last...!

"Hey--Quit it! I am serious! Women are starting to watch... They'll be distraught by their savior Sain in such a state!!"

[hosannan]

Occhiolism!!!!

(obscure feelings) meme— drabbles. Occhiolism: The awareness of the smallness of your perspective.

               "Princess." He starts.

               "Nanna, if you're so inclined."

               "Kid." He finishes.

               Nobles. The lot of 'em weaving a cursory set of rules only to have 'em strewn on the floor—he doesn't really get the way they mount themselves on titles and the low beat of a distant drum. Mighty fuckin' convenient if you asked him. (But he's a sellsword— a mercenary. He'll march to this bedlam if there's a long enough pocket-string attached.) But, sure. Yeah. Fine. If she's Nanna, she's Nanna. Linus thinks the lass needs a second stool; she's so petite, he wonders if girls like her were made in the same place Nino was.

               (You know.)

               "Mister Reed." She makes him swallow on his finish with the way her smile reaches her eyes.

               (Where they crushed common sage and lemon balm and made girls of the same ilk as the sun.)

               "Ah, that ain't even how my ol' man would want to go by! Come on, kid, you're killin' me here!" His mug meets the unpolished table with a banal thud, the weight of his words notwithstanding that gaze of olive and emerald. She has no business with him, no, but sticks around thinking he's got enough bedrock to be shaken. "I'm usually the one hitting rounds 'round here. Talky sort, and th' like. And sure, right. We may have been strung int'a the typical pickpocket bullshit that comes with the turf, but I hardly think that's conversation worthy."

               Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. When a fiddlin' thief tried to slip his hands into Linus' coat, it was a test to see which finger got the firecracker treatment first. Except. That time mercy came with a swift twist of a wrist, and a cinnamon girl lifting the stranger's whole arm skyward in the middle of a busy street.

               "Hey! Is someone missing a hand? I found it in another man's pocket." She ends the fiend before he begins, enacting a will that felt so radically different from Linus' own. Piece of shit went flying by the seat of his pants, away from prying eyes and the saltiest condemnation à la judge, jury, and fanged execution.

               While Linus had had the best laugh of the day back when, now was different. Now was not some extraordinary day, just a card from the same ol' mundane. What could a princess make of the mundane?

               "I don't see why you're so opposed, but if it displeases you, I'm off then."

               Was she even old enough to drink? He doesn't mean to, but halts her by the heels with a question that's been boggling him to hell and back.

               "Listen, kid. What's there to talk about? What are you going to get from it?"

               "Do I need to get something from it to get to know you?"

               "You're never gonna get me, even if you tried."

               "You make yourself out to be a myth." She bats.

               "And you, a sage." He bats back.

               She releases an airy scoff from her nose. "Hardly. I would love that worldliness, but all I have is what I know."

               "And what do you know?"

               "That it's men like you living from day to day that make our world wider. You cannot bear witness to the horizon if you cannot listen to the pulse of the people."

               A snort. "Ah, so that's it, is it? I'm a pulse? You're the hand from above, trying to feel for me?"

               "I was born of flesh and grew up by the coast—with not much to come by besides my makeshift family. Reformed bandits, struggling off the lands because of the tariffs of my forefathers." There's a fondness, a regret, a nostalgia tinging her voice like a spritz of sea salt. It's that look in her eyes that makes even a distant memory feel so close he could share it. He sifts through the same sort of memory, as Bern's common folk made even a mad dog honorable. "There's no reaching from above when I was already at sea level to begin with."

               "Huh."

               "Huh." She smiles, matching his beat.

               In the back of his mind, he hears the low beat of a distant drum. And wonders if, of all people, it's actually his.

               He raises a hand to the barkeep, with a toothy grin gradually growing in peculiar amusement. Fangs and all.

               "Can we get this girl a drink? I wanna hear what she's got t'say."

—End.

[lmstella]

@justicefanged

Ghosts plague endlessly, do they not? It was not enough to meet the elder Reed — the youngest blood-related one stands in the midst of clammering students, smiling broadly at the cacophony of battle rung around him. He is teaching, now — yelling out commands to his students, occasionally demonstrating himself. There are no reservations, it seems, about him hurting one of the studiers. Curious, that he would be so bold. 

Perhaps this job does not matter to him. Perhaps whatever thing he serves — value, or master, or ideal — he does not respect fully, or it does not hold him to reservations about not injuring those he watches. It is curious, but it should be interesting, anyway, to do battle with him. 

Perhaps Limstella can make up for their failure of allowing one Reed to live by belatedly finishing off another one. 

“Linus Reed… the mad dog… to think, even you still live.” 

[four-loose-screws]

FE7 Novelization Translation - Chapter 11 Section 2

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Chapter 11: Four-Fanged Offense (Section 2)

The town's atmosphere, previously joyous as the people prepared for the upcoming ceremony, had changed to one of complete chaos.

All manner of weapons were being used, from sword and axe to magic and bows, and the battlefield had expanded to the edges of town. Any attempts now to tell either army not to cause any chaos would be in vain.

As Eliwood fought the Black Fang while being very careful to avoid hurting the townspeople, he noticed something strange.

'...They're trying not to get the townspeople involved either?!'

Those clad in black were refraining from attacking any of the locals, as regular citizens would not be associated with Eliwood. They also avoided casting any spells or shooting any arrows that had a chance at catching one of them in the crossfire; and even when slashing away with their weapons, they made sure none of the people were in range before acting.

Their way of fighting was so fair and just that it was unthinkable they could be Nergal's underlings, and it shocked Eliwood.

"Hey! Are you Eliwood?" 

A man's voice rang loud and clear in his ears. 

He laughed fearlessly and glared at Eliwood. 

From both his bold demeanor and appearance, Eliwood knew very well that he was no ordinary man. "...Are you this group's commander?"

"The name's Linus. Not that my name is something you'll need to remember when you'll be dead soon!"

"...In that case, there's something I want to ask you. I've been told the Black Fang is a group with strong convictions. …So why are you siding with a man like Nergal?”

Linus looked like he was thinking about Eliwood’s words, but only for a moment. He quickly drew his silver blade, shining in the sunlight. "...Nergal? That creepy guy Sonia introduced to our Father? I've got nothin' to do with him! I just carry out my orders!"

"And you haven't doubted whether those orders are right, even once?"

"Doubted? What is there to doubt? My father and brother's decisions could never be wrong!!"

"That's exactly why I…"

"Quit messin' with me!" Linus shouted to stop Eliwood from continuing the conversation any further. "I don't need Brother's help for this. In the name of the Fang, I will execute judgment!" That was the last thing he said before ferociously lunging at Eliwood. 

Eliwood himself also decided that there was no more room for conversation, and immediately fought back.

"Take this!" Linus put all of his strength into a single swing of his blade. 

In comparison to a standard, lighter sword made out of steel, his silver blade was much heavier, but he swung it with ease, fighting as if he was mad. Even Eliwood, who did not know his title, got the impression that he fought like a mad dog.

But Eliwood was not the kind of person to be put under pressure by such a fighting style.

“Haa!”

With a battle cry, in the blink of an eye, he brandished his rapier and cut a shallow wound into Linus' nondominant arm. 

Linus licked it and flashed a violent smile across his face. "Not bad. You're the second person to ever hurt me head on!"

The first was of course Lloyd.

"But I won't let you do it ever again!!"

He started his ferocious assault once again, forcing Eliwood to go on the defensive. 

Linus swung his blade down, thrust it in front of him, and ran forward to stab Eliwood with it. Eliwood either dodged or blocked each and every attack. To an observer, it looked like he was struggling, but the reality was quite the opposite.

"Dammit… Stop messin’ around with me!” Linus yelled in frustration as he continued his onslaught. He was actually becoming very angry. It irritated him that no matter how many times he attacked, he could not land a decent hit.

That was what Eliwood was waiting for.

The frustration built up inside of him would create an opening. When that happened, Eliwood would have his opportunity to claim victory.

"Eat this!" Linus raised his sword over his head and put all of his strength into swinging it down on Eliwood’s head. 

But instead his attack only sliced through thin air, and became lodged in the cobblestone laid out through the street.

"I-I failed?!"

As Linus shouted, Eliwood did not let the opening go to waste, thrusting his rapier in a blow intended to stab its sharp tip through Linus' throat.

However…

"Grrraaaaah!!"

Linus poured every ounce of strength in his body into pulling his sword out of the cobblestone. The force sent chunks of stone and dirt flying into the air, blinding Eliwood, and making him hesitate for a moment in his attack. For Linus, just that one moment was plenty.

He jumped back to put some distance between them, taking a moment to catch his breath and fix his stance.

"That was close. You're makin' this pretty fun!" He said with a fearless smile on his face. 

However, to Eliwood, this was not a time to be smiling.

After being on the offensive for so long and failing to take advantage of the opening his enemy created when impatient, he could not use that same tactic again. And Linus was a dangerous foe for him to fight head on. Both his strength and stamina were far superior to Eliwood's. With the opportunity he'd waited for gone to waste, now Eliwood was the one getting frustrated. 

Meanwhile, Linus, on the other hand, was enjoying their fight so much he could hardly contain himself. "It's been a while since I've found prey with this much fight in them! I'll be the one to take you down myself!"

“You won't have the chance!"

“Huh?”

Eliwood whirled around towards the source of the voice that had suddenly cut in between their fight from behind, and there saw the blade of an axe swinging down towards Linus' face. 

Linus swiftly blocked that attack with his blade, but the man - Hector - stood up and followed up with a second and third attack.

“I won't let you kill him!" Hector swung Wolf Beil and shouted.

“Alright, if you wanna die, then I’ll take you out first!” Linus raised his blade and roared.

They matched each other in both stamina and strength. Their head-on fight could only be described with one word: ferocious. 

Axe and blade clashed viciously, and their overflowing energy sent sparks flying. At its start, their grand battle overwhelmed all who saw it, but over time, it was Hector who became overwhelmed.

When two opponents are matched in strength, stamina, and skill, then superiority is determined by the difference in their weapons. In comparison to swords, axes have a shorter reach and smaller turn radius. Of course, victory against Hector would not be determined simply by what his foe was holding, but if his foe was just as strong as him or stronger, then that was a different story. The more equal they were in strength, the slighter the margin in the outcome would be.

“Hiiii-yaaaaaah!” With a thunderous battle cry, Linus unleashed a powerful attack.

Hector tried to block it with his axe, but in the end was pushed back. With the dry sound of scraping metal echoing into the air, Hector lost his grip on Wolf Beil, and it rotated through the air before finally lodging into the cobblestone.

“That was fun. But this is the end for you!” Linus shouted and swung his blade into the air.

But oddly, Hector, though he had lost his weapon, was smiling calmly. By the time Linus realized how strange it was, it was too late. At some point, Eliwood had gotten behind him, and was aiming the tip of his sword at Linus' back.

"Dammit, were you two plannin' this from the beginnin'?!" Linus said in regret as he threw his weapon on the ground. 

One foe was closing in on him from the front, and the other was taking him from behind. Linus thought that they had him completely trapped, but that wasn't really their intention. Hector had seen his best friend in trouble and saved him, and Eliwood had searched for an opportunity to help Hector once he was cornered again. They were in true harmony with each other.

From the very beginning, this fight had never been a one-on-one duel, but one where they risked their lives together. Linus did not think of Eliwood as a cheat, but was ashamed of himself for focusing so much on the enemy in front of him that he neglected to watch his back.

“L-Linus!”

“Don't come over here!" Linus barked at one of his men, who was coming his way to help him. "They're my prey! All of you get out of here! Now!"

"But…!"

"Shut up! Have you forgotten the laws of the Fang?!" 

Though it was obvious by the expressions on their faces that his words pained them, they slowly retreated.

To maintain their structure as an organization, the Black Fang had several rules. One that Linus’ followers could not betray was “Your superiors’ orders are absolute.”

After seeing that every last one of his followers were gone, Linus turned his head to look at Eliwood, who had the tip of his rapier positioned right up against his back.

“...I’ve lost. Brother was right. You guys are strong…” He said, expressing how deeply impressed he was, then took both of his hands off his blade, still lodged in the ground.

With that act, they could no longer sense any will to fight from him, and Eliwood relaxed.

He was too soft.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna die like this, without anything to show for it!!” The moment Eliwood let his guard down, Linus moved with unbelievable speed for someone so giant. 

He swiftly pulled away from Eliwood’s rapier, then immediately whirled around and wrapped his thick arms around Eliwood’s neck. “I’m takin’ you with me!!”

Crushing his enemy’s neck bones was nothing for Linus.

Like a large snake strangling its prey, Linus’ arms slowly began to move.

Though Eliwood knew that he was staring death in the face, his expression did not change.

“...Do as you wish.”

“...I’m sorry, what?!" At Eliwood’s unexpected response, Linus’ arms stopped moving.

“...I noticed something while we were fighting. All of you… were careful not to get the townspeople involved.”

“Of course! Our target was always just you!” Linus said with pride. 

Eliwood looked at him and continued,

"We don't think the Black Fang is an evil group. …Why do we have to fight?"

"That's because you're the bad guys… Dammit!" Linus clicked his tongue, loosened his grip on Eliwood, and let him go. 

"I don't get it either! Sonia told Father you're evil, and he trusts her, so he gave us this order!" Linus shouted, getting everything that had built up inside him off his chest. His expression was a complex combination of both and pain and confusion.

He was visibly wavering and questioning everything he had trusted.

"Sonia? She's…"

"...I'm gonna leave for now. Once I get the details straight about you, I'll be back." Linus did not answer the question Eliwood began to ask, instead leaving the conversation at that before walking off.

ー

[justicefanged]

Professor Linus Reed. That's what the placard on the desk says, same as the name on the faculty roster. It's just hard to connect 'Professor' to the Linus Reed that Legault is familiar with. The one who's been missing for years—or presumed dead, depending on how much hope managed to flare to life in Legault's heart from day to day. It beats anxiously now, as he rifles through the contents of this mystery professor's desk for any sign that could connect it to the man he once knew. He's not sure what he's looking for—but he hardly has time to find it. Heavy footsteps come down the hall at a pace far too quick for Legault to make a swift exit out the window. With a curse under his breath and a swift excuse about getting lost on the way to the archbishop's chapel forming on his tongue, he prepares himself to face whomever it is who has claim to this room. And when the door opens, he faces Linus Fucking Reed. For a second, he's speechless. Wide eyes simply take in the broad, fearsome man in front of him. Years might've changed some things about them both, but the Reeds aren't a forgettable sort. "Pardon the intrusion," Part of Legault's pre-planned excuse comes forth, practically unbidden. He adjusts the rest, mouth twisting into a smile. "When I heard there was a Linus Reed teaching up here, I thought I'd see who was out here using an old friend's name. Never thought they'd hire a Mad Dog to run a classroom."

Linus is absolutely sure he's at the right room this time, and yet Saints' fucking dangly balls, there's someone already fucking in it! Maybe it's on account of the ass lighting at this time of day, or the fact that someone is clearly in his space and going through his shit -- or maybe it's that the sticky-pawed, sneak thief bastard was talking at him like they knew each other, real and code names alike.

Whatever it is, Linus doesn't waste any further time trying to place the guy; he puts on the heat suddenly and bull rushes the fucker.

He crashes into the slighter body full force, pinning arms against the intruder's sides with a crushing bear hug as they unceremoniously clamor to the floor. Through the still open door, Honk -- still growing into his paws and ears -- barrels on through at the sound of roughhousing, barking and trying to shove his big snout into the thick of things, tail pinwheeling in his excitement.

"Ya picked the wrong fuckin' asshole to try an' steal from, I ain't got nothin'--"

Linus goes horribly still, finally getting a good look at the intruder's face. He lets go as if he'd been burned, mouth working but nothing coherent coming out, before he's leaning in again and keeping the man's head from moving with a too tight grip of his hand on the guy's jaw.

Brown eyes stare into steely gray, and there's a shudder of breath through gritted teeth.

No gold.

He lets Legault go, forehead knocking against the other's chest for a moment in what might have passed as relief before he sits back on his haunches, bringing his weight fully off of the other man.

"...The fuck's this then, huh?" he mutters out, quieter than he'd been in years. He's not sure if he wants to crush the man before him in a hug or punch the daylights out of him. "Thought you'd already seen your way out of the Fang a while back, why ya give a shit now that it's in pieces?"

Linus isn't looking at him, has pulled Honk away from nosing curiously at the new person, rough fingers messing with dopey ears as the dog tries to lick at his hand. It feels stupid and petulant, like a child having a hissy fit, but he thinks he's doing Legault a solid by not beating the snot out of him right here and now.

He snorts, recalling the last thing the other had managed to get out before he'd been brought to the floor.

"Wasn't my idea, you should know better 'an that. Signed up for the wrong fuckin' gig."

[luminousrider]

Although Raven had tried to remind himself - over and over - that it was none of his business, Altena's presence at the party was loud.

Or rather, her interactions with someone were loud.

He'd hesitated a bit, kept just out of arm's reach, but it was impossible not to see or hear the bark of Linus's laugh - nor, indeed, Altena's return. A far cry from what he'd seen of her so far (imprisonment notwithstanding).

And although it wasn't any of his business - it really, really wasn't - Raven still found himself beside her at a moment of respite, just before the dancing competition sank its hooks into everyone.

She was easy to find, for she was dripping wet, and the train of her gown, sopping against the marble floor, left a trail.

"Here," he said, extending a towel he had grabbed from a bussing station. Frowning, he gestured vaguely to his face; "You've got some - ah..."

It seemed as though she had been wearing lipstick and it had been hastily wiped away.

It was none of his business.......

"Listen, I know. Him. That guy. And he can be...aggressive." His broken rib had healed just fine, but it was difficult to forget the first impression Linus had left on him. "If he..."

If he what? It was none of his business, and anyway Altena was a capable combatant in her own right, surely. She didn't need him to play knight in shining armor, and he had no intention of doing so.

So what was he doing? His face screwed up into a grimace, and he shook his head, trying again. "He's loud and he's stupid and he's annoying. But...he seems to have some good in him."

What?

"Just. Hit him hard and fast and walk away if he barks too loudly."

She'd have thought that between the spaghetti sauce and the water from the fountain, all traces of lipstick would have disappeared from her face. But the damned makeup just will not wipe off. It's infuriating and she takes the towel Raven offers to furiously scrub at her face. "Thanks. I am never letting anyone put lipstick on me again. It's way more trouble than it's worth." Maybe she did think she looked good with it on but not good enough to deal with this again. Ug.

Raven continues and it's clear he's not just here to comment on her sloppy makeup. He's trying to look out for her. Just like he had done while they were trapped in that gaudy doll house together. She wonders if that's just the type of person he is or if there's more to it than that. She'd seen the way he and her mother looked at each other in that house. But it's none of her business.

"We were just having some fun." She tries to shrug it off. Nanna had been ready to jump to her aid too. He's just some guy. It's not like it's a big deal or anything that he's funny and handsome and easy to be around. "But sure, I'll kick his ass if I need to. Does he really just go by Mad Dog? He didn't actually give me his name."

There's a pause, a bit of an awkward silence as Altena uses the towel he'd given her to try and wring out the hem of her gown. But eventually she asks, "you haven't seen my mother, have you? It almost feels like she's avoiding me."

[askforfireman]

"Hey, what kinda sword was that?" Linus asked, forgoing any sort of introduction because -- well, the guy didn't exactly scream hi how are ya, and that wasn't really why he approached anyways.

"Looked like an armor breaker, if I had to take a guess," he continued on, oblivious or uncaring if Volke seemed interested or not. He was used to talking into empty air. "Ain't see much'a those where I come from. Rare, hard to get ya hands on -- 'less ya know the right people. Ya used to fightin' tin cans or what?"

"Huh?"

Golden Deer faculty. All brawn, questionable brain. Mad Dog, he's heard. ( Rabid, eh? Seemed the sort, hurling himself all willy-nilly here and there, whiffing shots. All bark, little bite. Heh. ) Went in all madman-like with the axe and blew his every shot. Roaring and raging.

Volke knew him. He knew most people, actually. Knew enough here and there about the three other clients he wound teamed up with. ( He hadn't expected a business alliance ― explicitly informed the church that the idea would yield insurance fees over any actual profit, but, well, he ended up on a team anyway. ) Knew enough people to know enough about other people ― a little network, hand-made.

Didn't mean he interacted with the people he knew, though. Not a conversationalist, and never claimed to be ( might be the only job not for him. )

"Armorslayer, yeah." Tin cans. Heh. That's a way to put it. "One thousand ― to answer that question."

[linesonscreens]

Let's Read Peanuts (Only 45 more years to go!) – November 1955

There are lots of great strips I just don't have room to comment on. I strongly encourage everybody to read the full month at the official GoComics page. Today's month starts HERE.

November 3 1955

1) It’s interesting that laws requiring you to keep your dog from wandering the neighborhood apparently first started popping up in the mid 1950s.

2) Jesus Christ, Chuck.

November 6, 1955

Apparently there were multiple versions of this strip made for various publications, which is why there’s that duplicate panel. The bottom one is actually the original version of panel 3, which you can see in the original newspaper run of the strip here:

Linus’s face is way too small in the original version so I can kind of see why they wanted replace it when releasing a book collection. I have no idea why they felt the need to replace the top two panels though since they look fine to me (if a bit rough compared to the others). I do like the new panels though.

November 8, 1955

Linus what the FUCK!?

November 10, 1955

Linus’s blanket is literally the only thing keeping him from going on an imaginary killing spree.

November 13, 1955

5 year old me would have killed a man for one of those pedal powered car things and I'm still kind of mad I never got one.

November 26, 1955

Now that I think about it, how on earth does Disney not own Peanuts by now?

November 30, 1955

Did we just discover the earliest incarnation of the meme?

[profitsabode]

"You!" Linus barked, jabbing a finger at the woman as he stomped up to her. "How the fuck did you beat me?!" It's presented as a disbelieving, angry sort of question, but he was...more or less, actually asking. He remembered most of the fight, but the point where he got knocked out was a bit of a messy jumble for him.

Sure, he was pissed about getting knocked out right after he finally landed a hit, but he didn't think his foes incapable.

"I was just gettin' my shit goin', and then you--!! What did you even do?!"

Ah, she was wondering when the oversized pup would show up.

As much as she would have loved to support her side of the battle as the fight begins to meet its end, Anna's elimination in the previous combat prevents her from directly stepping back in. She could spectate the remaining participants, although the thought of only watching a fight she holds stakes in doesn't sit well with the commander. So instead she decides to remain at the medical tents, perhaps seeking out previous combatants or meeting some new faces.

As of right now...well, he at least fits the former request.

Anna naturally is pushed back by Linus' poke, but his vulgar prose and pissed tone prove he is more bark than bite for now. Besides, she couldn't imagine even him picking a fight in the middle of neutral territory. The redhead takes back her ground and flashes a light smile.

"It's simple, Mad Dog. I kept a clear head at a time when you could not," while her words are true, memories of flubbing two openings in her last battle linger on her mind to remind her of the contrary. But he didn't need to know about that! "You should know best to respect a worthy foe on the field, no?"

It's hard to be threatening, let alone intimidating, towards a man that holds a fair amount of height over her, but Anna leans in slightly with a wink. "But you can always swing by for a lesson of mine if you need a refresher, Linus. Deal?"