#Rev's Musings

[agallimaufryofoddments]

When Huey tells Victor in Vol. 14 that his second-worst memory is "being unable to save my wife's life back in my hometown," and Victor musters a "...Hey.", that's him reliving watching Lucrezia's ship explode and conducting a frantic, futile search for Lucrezia afterword. 100% that. Even if Narita hadn't planned that part of 1711 yet.

Of all the things for Victor to have in common with Huey outside of their alchemic/scholarly mindsets, Narita chooses the most emotionally charged option via "long-dead lady loves" ...who remain the dead women in Victor & Huey's interrogation room because Victor has a job to do and Huey's not about to tell Victor that Lucrezia is, in fact, not at all dead.

Every. Single. Interrogation. Huey cordially indulges Victor while sitting pretty on the knowledge that he sent Lucrezia some sweet immortality elixir back in the day. (So did Fermet and Elmer, but who's counting?)

(Can you imagine Huey idly telling Victor as much in 2003 and Victor having to briefly contemplate the idea that Lucrezia is alive thanks to Huey? Victor's brain fries on the spot, already overheated with outrage that Huey's not only known but been in contact with Lucrezia.)

Huey could—if permitted to prove his claims—utter a few names, locations, and other details that might lead Victor towards a reunion with his 21X-years-deceased lady love within the month.

He doesn't do that since revealing he's connected to the Dormentaires would be a Stupid Thing to do. Sure, jeopardize 1935, why don't you.

He doesn't do it because I imagine that Lucrezia, at any point post-1711, would have reminded Huey to keep her a secret from Victor (should H & V meet again). Perhaps she'd even make that a petty stipulation in some deal.

He doesn't because watching an emotional man express complicated emotions over a long-dead, tricksome lover might be some sort of health hazard. Watching Mr. Emotions express raw anticipation of reuniting with his tangible, alive, never dead loved one might even be self-harm. Eh, but who says Huey still has a self to harm? Being immune to situations like this is his specialty.

(He doesn't because, hey, Victor already has the alive dame. Huey does not.)

Telling Victor about his desire to reunite with Monica is...not happening. Never mind any jabs Victor could make about Huey being loveless and unloveable; imagine what a waste of time it would be to trigger Victor thinking of Lucrezia and getting sentimental. Well, more than the "save my wife...hometown" line did.

Victor is sentimental about her. This is the man who signs off his reports to Lucrezia with "Yours alone" (LN17, Interlude II & III) while knowing he isn't "hers alone." In that second Interlude, he admits, "If I get the chance, I’d like to board that boat, too," but immediately quells Lucrezia's imagined fears by adding, "Don’t worry, I won’t leave for America on my own."

He probably wouldn't have, given his incentive to remain on Lucrezia's (much smaller!) continent. His love for Lucrezia gently tethers him and his scholar-adventurer's spirit. This is the man who came to Lotto Valentino "hoping to find was something out of some heroic drama, an evil secret society," and personally expose their dastardly deeds" (Interlude I). Szilard had mocked him. "What’s wrong with that, though?" Victor writes. "Alchemists can dream, can’t they?"

They can also go around picking anti-slavery fights with aristocrats, aka Victor's hobby. They can dream of exploring America, a land far from the immediate reach of said aristocrats, and conduct pioneering research, especially if they fancy themselves "a scholar by nature (with) a thirst for knowledge," like Victor still does in 1935-A, Ch. 2.

Victor's sense of justice presumably drove Victor into the employment of the federal government, whenever that first happened, but we've less information on when and why Victor became as patriotic as he acts. I think Victor has a longstanding need to be somebody with a cause, whether that's the dashing hero who liberates a town from an evil society, the activist who confronts pro-slavery aristocrats, the noble scholar who pursues and generates knowledge...

...or, in this case, an agent of a governing body who has sworn to support and defend (the Constitution) of the United States against all foreign and domestic (Huey) terrorists. Lucrezia will die of old age someday. Szilard is hunting us immortals down; so much for guaranteed eternity. This young nation is fragile—but what might it evolve into, in this land beyond the Old World's stuffy reach? If Victor perhaps becomes the Patriot for a sense of greater purpose, he may develop some genuine loyalty as he watches young America evolve over the decades, from rebelling against his former countrymen in the Revolution to choosing the path of emancipation.

(And perhaps he envies all the inventors and scientists who America keeps spitting out or inviting in from overseas. Patriot life nowadays is relegated to deskwork; Huey is busy tinkering with all sorts of contraptions and keeping busy with alchemy while Victor is reaming out some newbies in an office for the sake of a short-lived ego boost. This Victor has lived through wars and atrocities that the Victor who was ill one day into Lotto Valentino could never foresee.)

If Lucrezia still has (copies of) those reports, maybe she'll have remembered that Victor mentioned Niki in them and therefore decide to include Niki as part of the surprise, without any forewarning of Niki's inclusion. "Remember Niki? You mentioned her in your reports from Lotto Valentino, but that was so long ago." Niki was with her when they had that close shave with Victor and Jessica, which ~~along with some B! fics~~ means I have to entertain the possibility of a double surprise.) I mean, what if Victor had spotted them? It's not impossible.

If Victor sees Niki outright, that 'damnably ill' sickness he felt in Lotto Valentino may very well resurge.

He absolutely will remember Niki because he was impressed by the strength she had for a young person who endured what she did. "I think it was so painful that she had to maintain that distance to be able to speak of it at all," he writes to Lucrezia (LN17, Interlude I). He attempts a joke about Niki being no match for Lucrezia, but it's just a feeble coping method for writing about Niki's "revolting" account.

There's little doubt that Victor and Lucrezia will slip back into their romantic groove once the dust is settled, but I do...think perhaps this older, changed Victor ought to acknowledge the dust first. I'm not sure I want him to revert to 1711!Victor and react the same way he did when he learned that Lucrezia faked her death, nor react like Carla did, since Carla was similarly young. The timeframes aren't comparable.

(I'm vaguely reminded of Archangelo confronting Renee over the downright evil (his words) activities she's carrying out at Nebula. It's not the same level of badness, at all, but the "what are you thinking" approach has something to it.)

I am somewhat interested in a scenario where Victor learns about the homunculi experiments and Huey's "Monica" motive, because I can imagine Victor getting drunk and saying "wow, I handled the loss of my love infinitely better than Huey / At least I didn't create sentient beings and put them through stressful experiments all in the name of reuniting with a dead loved one / Holy shit what the fuck."

[kinardsevan]

I can’t believe I have to address this again, but since it’s clear the Buddies have started to trickle into Empty Bones…

Yall, have your ship. I could care less. But I s2g the next person who sends me a review telling me they think Eddie’s actions are “hot” or that they’re disappointed they aren’t together… GO FIND ANOTHER FIC. That is not and NEVER WILL be the reality of which Empty Bones is based in. Not to mention, it’s so cheapening to make a story so heavily based in dealing with severe, complex trauma all about a ship.

Or did you miss the part where we’re in chapter 19 now and Evan and Tommy still haven’t had sex? [/rant]

[mary34blog]

Milgram Wednesday and Ave Mujica Thursday back to back might have been too much emotional damage for me I'm affraid.

[mountainofhistory]

Look at these two. Just look at them. It's great. It's really great stuff.

[lcftcult]

After the convention yesterday my mom expressed interest in Hazbin on the way home. And today said she wanted to try the show out. So we played the first two and while not a fan of all the swearing, my mother has expressed that she enjoys the music a lot.. a helluva lot.

[sandcastle-art]

YAY :)

OC-tober day 1: favourite oc! Can't have just one..

[nyerusnova]

i like the concept of reverse robins AUs in principle but my thing with them is that I simply do not think Tim would have become Red Hood

[keyfabed]

i genuienly dont think ive obsessed over a character like i have with xan in a long hot minute.

[kxllerblond]

♡

Send ♡ to see what my muse thinks of yours

●●●●○ | ATTRACTION

●●●○○ | AFFECTION

●●●●○ | INTEREST

●●●●○ | LOYALTY

●●○○○ | TRUST

LOW | ●●●●● | HIGH

[ogrepons]

It's been a while since anybody's seen Kieran outside. For one reason or another, he had kept himself holed up in his room, only coming out every now and then to help his grandfather, or Carmine, with chores around the village.

Today, however, you can spot him - crouched down in the forests surrounding his village, hugging his knees close to his chest with one arm. In his free hand is a stick, prodding at the ground, drawing nonsensical doodles in front of his Dipplin, not saying anything else.

He does seem to be in a somewhat better mood, though. Maybe - if you wanted to, you could approach him...

[bleach-your-panties]

More smut prompts to add to the other list!

Feel free to combine a few together! (Please specify which prompt list you're requesting from!)

[janeromeroshow]

not quite sinday but could be interpreted as such?

anyway jane's ideal partner is someone who helps her forget that she's supposed to a public figure and a role model for millions of people she has never met and will never meet. someone who lets her just be a person with no sense of obligation or responsibility for a while.

[stcries]

the way i can sense my helluva boss muses are gonna skyrocket thanks to the new episode coming out in the next 24 hours.

[timeguardians]

~Open to all~ Muse: Susan Pevensie

"I'm looking for my brother. He-- THINKS-- he's a soldier." Well, that wasn't entirely true. He was known for professing that he was a KING of a far-away land. While that may be TRUE, those credentials hardly seemed to apply in the war-fractured colonies. "I realize that this may be absurd, but have you seen him?"

[valorxdrive]

"Never stand down from finding a path you can call your own. Even if in the way of it, many, many things would welcome the chance to tear down those the emotion infused in that." Probability. The overprotective. The doubtful. There was an ocean of intent that serves as the rushing rapids against the strength of potential.

"What never stops being the most free is the Heart, for better and for worse."

[chaoticxbeast]

"I´m NOT Mikey...!!!!"