#bonus points if you can guess which image i used as reference

[princessmadelines]

intricate rituals etc etc — in which dean decides to cut cas’s hair before the end of the world

[sw4nfire]

hell of eternity

🩸 INPRNT 🩸

[rallamajoop]

Translating the original RE8 trial scene storyboard

RE8’s bonus DLC concept art pack includes a couple of pages of an early storyboard for the trial scene, dating to back when Miranda was still going to be a foreign researcher rather than a village native, and Ada Wong was still part of the cast. Though the text is all in Japanese, I had a crack at translating it ‒ it makes for a fascinating comparison to the finished game.

Images and translations are under the cut below – but here’s the dot-point version of how this older storyboard compares to the finished one.

Instead of Miranda, the trial is overseen by a masked figure called only ‘shaman’ (祈祷師). Instead of lycans, the trial is attended by numerous villagers, all eager to see Ethan punished.

This may be the big one: the shaman claims an ‘Adam-sama’ has been angered by Ethan’s (unspecified) crimes. My best guess at this mysterious ‘Adam’ is that it might be a name for the megamycete. Whoever he is, all the 'Eve' connotations of Eva/Eveline (and even the Rose flasks) suddenly start to sound a whole lot more significant.

Even here, the trial is dominated by Dimitrescu and Heisenberg fighting over who gets Ethan – or at least who gets his body, after his execution. Dimitrescu still wants his blood, while Heisenberg presumably wants him for soldat-material. Moreau briefly makes his own bid, but he just wants to eat Ethan.

Donna’s one act is to apparently stop time at a crucial moment to speak directly to Ethan without anyone else hearing – though this seems to be an illusion she creates while contacting him psychically. No sign of Angie, who probably isn’t part of the game yet.

Rather than escaping through Heisenberg’s gauntlet, Ethan is rescued by Ada Wong (disguised behind a plague mask). I’m guessing Heisenberg’s role as pseudo-ally hadn’t fully developed while Ada was still supposed to be involved.

Conflict between the lords seems to be framed more as conflict between separate houses/families. Heisenberg makes a reference to ‘us Heisenbergs’ (perhaps this is from the time when his mother, father and twin brother were also supposed to be characters?) and Moreau to his ‘Kuku-family’.

Though the name ‘Heisenberg’ does appear, he’s mostly called ‘Geek’, while Moreau is ‘Half-fish-man’ (半魚人), and Donna is simply 'Spirit' or 'Ghost' (心霊). Lady Dimitrescu is the only character who is actually called that (though it’s mostly abbreviated to just ‘lady’). I could not tell you why a Japanese dev team would decide that ‘geek’ was a good moniker for their heavy-metal-Frankenstein-wannabe, but here we are. (Note that most of the game files associated with Heisenberg are still labelled ‘geek[something]’, so clearly this was a moniker that stuck. Donna’s files are almost all called ‘ghost[something]’. Moreau and Dimitrescu mostly get shortened/mangled into 'moro' and 'domi'.)

Heisenberg and Dimitrescu actually come to blows over Ethan in this version, with Heisenberg launching his hammer at her and seemingly killing her, or at least blowing her away. But I think we can take it as read that even in this version, she'll show up okay and be back to torment Ethan later.

Oh, and did I mention this little addendum at the end which hints at Miranda doing some kind of surgery on Chris? WTF?

Standard disclaimer for all my Japanese translations: I’m nothing like fluent, and rely on online dictionaries for a lot of harder vocabulary. Corrections from anyone better qualified are welcome.

Okay, on to the actual translations! I'll include the full pages as we get to them, but I'll also break them down into smaller chunks so I can share and translate smaller chunks as we go through.

Page 1

[Ethan wakes up to find he can't move because his handcuffs are chained to the floor]

[Ghost-nobles and villagers buzzing in the church]

[Banging noise as shaman bangs his staff]

Shaman: "Everyone, quiet!"

[Church falls silent]

Shaman: "I have heard from each of the lords. This man's crime threatens the very foundations of our family! Lord Adam is furious! To allow this man to live will bring disaster upon the village! Only his death will appease Lord Adam's anger!"

[Cheering from the crowd]

Lady Dimitrescu: "In that case, after the execution, the Dimitrescu family shall receive the victim. My daughters haven't had nearly enough blood to drink of late."

Geek (Heisenberg): "Oi, wait a minute. From what I've heard, you witches have had it your own way long enough."

["Geek" burns Ethan's hand with a cigar]

Geek: "Us Heisenbergs will be taking this one, got it?"

[Ethan shrieks in pain]

Lady: "Didn't you have several victims sent to you just the other day?"

[Half-fish-man (半魚人) walks up to the Geek]

Half-fish-man (Moreau): "Oh, grant him to my Kuku-family, I.. I want to break him open and eat his insides!" (Note: I think Moreau's actually saying something even more colourful here, but I'm having trouble translating it)

[He approaches Ethan, parasites emerging from under his hood]

["Geek" halts him, brandishing his hammer]

Half-fish-man: [Groaning noise]

Lady: "I will not allow you two to do as you please!"

Geek: "Hm, how to settle this?"

Half-fish-man: "Oh, oh…!"

[Rising noise of cursing onlookers]

[Geek raises his iron hammer]

Page 2

[The moment he throws his hammer at Lady Dimitrescu, a halucination begins and time seems to stop. Direction and focus of camera fits the spirit]

Ghost (Donna, in a voice no-one else can hear): "….(You… have summoned him… receive your reward…)"

[Reality returns]

[The hammer pierces Lady D. and blows her away, part of the church collapses. Panic as villagers fall or die]

Geek: "Don't worry. Your corpse will become my plaything."

[A mysterious masked figure appears and fires three shots into Heisenberg, five into the shaman]

Masked figure: "Run!"

[Cuts the chain holding Ethan to the floor]

Geek: [getting up] "..what the…?"

Shaman (still full of arrows) yells to the villagers: "What are you doing! Don't let them escape! After him!"

Masked figure: "This way!"

[Still handcuffed, Ethan runs through passages before finally making it outdoors]

Page 3

Masked figure: [while reloading crossbow] "Your daughter is alive. Go get her back, okay?"

Ethan: "What are you…"

[Masked figure sees someone coming from behind] "No time, go!"

[Ethan screams as he's thrown over the railing]

[And here endeth the storyboard]

Page 3 Addendum

This brings us to the latter half of Page 3, which contains only a single column of panels. Remaining space features an extra half-page of Miranda in her original foreign-scientist incarnation, pictured with what I assume were some of her experiments. There's some text on these too ‒ hand-written rather than typed, which made it a right bastard to figure out. But I had a crack anyway, because even at a skim-read it had me going, "wait, does that say the monster is Chris?"

Yep, it does. The captions (as best I could make them out) read "Miranda's paranormal organism experiment" (奇生体の実験) and "After plastic surgery on Chris' face" (クリスの顔に整形後).

This only raises so many more questions. Is Chris actually working with Miranda, or has she captured him for experiments? Is she repairing Chris' face after some horrific accident? Is she altering some monster to make it look like Chris Redfield? Or ‒ in a far more entertaining possibility ‒ was this meant to be an in-game justification for why RE7's Chris looks nothing like he does in RE8?

I have no answers for you, but you can really feel how much this game changed in development just from these little glimpses of what might have been.

[gobs-o-dice]

Dice Set #203: Glacial Moonstone Silver (Green)

Okay, so, you might have been wondering (to the extent that anyone is paying that much attention to things here), back during Sets 197, 198, and 199, why there was no "Winter Solstice" set. And you might be wondering about the name.

Well, back when Die Hard Dice first released that line of dice, it was specifically as a counterpart to their existing Moonstone dice, such as Purple Moonstone (my Set #90) or Moonstone Dreamwalker (Set #133)

But in this case, the main one to look at is Set #130 - Glacial Moonstone, as I called it:

(I probably would have used "Blue" in that name somewhere, now, but at the time, it was the only one I planned on getting)

There's your wintery counterpart to complete the set of seasons.

But then, Christmas holiday deals come around, and I get today's set out of their holiday bundle, along with tomorrow's set. So, nice, more winter dice.

"But Gobs/Naz/Jeff," you might ask [Re-Ask. Remember, I said you asked about it in the framing device above too :p] - "Why do you have 'Green' in parentheses in the name you have for this set?"

Well... Let me tell you:

Sometime Later, I got a second set of Glacial Moonstone Silver as a bonus set when I ordered from Die Hard. I was content to just call that one "Second Glacial Moonstone Silver" (Set #257, to be precise about order, if not timing) and accept that inevitably, the two sets would become intertwined during a hoardscape shoot, and I would never know which was which, originally.

(Set 1 above, Set 2 below)

But...

During cleanup of some hoardscape/other photo session of some sort, I noticed something. It's a little tricky to capture with still images, though.

(Set 1 above, Set 2 below, again)

Can you see it?

Now - Both sets of dice are made from the same white acrylic that has a green tint to it under direct light, or might pick up some warmer orange hints from the light itself. That's not the green I refer to in the name. The second set got the addition "(Pink)" to its name

On DHD's site, they currently describe the Glacial Moonstone with Silver set as having a "light green and blue shimmer", which holds pretty true for the first one:

But for whatever reason, my second set has a definitely more pink shimmer to it:

It's much, much more obvious when the sets are in-motion - To the point that I'm pretty reasonably certain of which dice belong to which set.

I even had gone back and confirmed it by looking at their sets of photos, because they definitely were taken before the two sets ever could have intermingled. Like I say, it's much more obvious in motion, but you definitely can see the pink in the second set and the green-blue in the first one, though it's less obvious.

My guess? The batch of dice this set is from was either an experiment that they didn't pursue further, or perhaps a screw-up in the factory - Pink glitter being used instead of the regular blue-green glitter.

And since DHD is in the habit of including bonus sets with all their orders (well, was anyway - I don't know if they still do, haven't ordered from them in a long while), they used the pink-glitter Glacial Moonstones as the freebie for my order and presumably others from around that time.

So, yeah, that's storytime for tonight, I suppose.

[pisoprano]

I'm not exactly an expert yet, but here are a few bits of my comic-making wisdom:

Do a practice comic with something preexisting

If delving into creating a comic that you really want to make good sounds intimidating, you might want to do something simple that you're less invested in instead first. Find a fun bit of dialog or a moment in a fic you like and then try recreating it as a comic. It doesn't need to be fancy--you can even draw it on sticky notes if you like--but the practice of fitting characters into a frame with some speech bubbles can help with training your brain to what to look for when breaking up the scene into panels and how to space things out in the panel. (And as a bonus, you might brighten someone's day if they saw you made a comic of something they wrote)

Decide which aspects of making the comic you don't want to concern yourself with

One thing that is always helpful to keep in mind when making a comic is that you do not need to be spectacular at everything. Part of this is the usual advice to not judge your own art too harshly, but part of it is simply the fact that you shouldn't be putting Michael Whelan-levels of detail into every single comic panel--you're going to want to cut some corners at some point.

It honestly can feel like a weight off your shoulders when you decide that you're going to limit what colors you use, that you'll not bother with backgrounds unless you have to, that you'll use your image creation software to generate certain aspects of the image instead of doing it all by hand, etc. For example, with my comic, I realized about three pages in that I didn't really want to have to always be adding shading/highlighting--it's one of those skills that I've historically had trouble with and I was more concerned with getting to the end of the story in a reasonable time frame, so I decided to just eliminate this part of my comic art process altogether and only spend time working on those skills in non-comic artistic works.

While there is the conventional art advice to do the parts that are difficult for you so you can get better at them, that doesn't mean that you have to do all that practice now, especially if you're just starting out in this medium. Your job when starting a comic is to just figure out how you want to go about making a comic, don't make your life more difficult by trying to juggle other things you want to eventually get better at too if you don't have to.

And if you do decide to simplify one aspect of your work, you don't always have to simplify it. I decided fairly early on to simplify aspects of Catwalker's costume since I didn't want to be constantly referring back to Catwalker's character sheet or episode screenshots and trying to guess what it would look like if he moved his arm such-and-such way. The degree of that simplification has varied a lot throughout the comic (pawprints or no, black connecty bit between the shoulder and glove or no, abbreviate all the gold accents all over his chest and arms and by how much, etc.), and while I might consider my lack of character design consistency to be a flaw, drawing this character so many different times and ways has helped me get comfortable enough with him that I'm not as intimidated by all the detail work as I was when I started and I'm now pushing myself to reflect his canon designs more accurately now that I know I can handle it.

No matter what you choose to simplify, that simplicity doesn't devalue your comic--plenty of my favorite artists in the fandom are making me laugh my head off with nothing but comics doodled in pen. We're just happy to get the comic in whatever way it comes.

In short: figure out all the ways you can get away with being lazy and take advantage of them, you can push yourself to do more complicated things whenever you're feeling up for the challenge.

Figure out layout constraints

One of my larger regrets with Runaway Catwalker is that I decided to have each page be it's own image. I did this to follow the format of the first (originally intended as a one-off) page I did, where I just threw in random panel borders at random angles to fit around whatever pictures I drew. While it does create a distinct visual identity (and it has led to me coming up with some page layouts that I'm rather fond of), I'm constantly dealing with the issue of not having enough space to let everything breathe. I'm always moving things, resizing things, rotating things, adjusting the dialog so the bubbles won't cover as much of the picture up, cutting off/extending/redrawing images that I cannot get to fit in the available space... and it's all only necessary because I won't let myself deviate too far from my original image template (the only real change I've let myself have is making the template 50% longer starting with page 12, but I'm still having all the same problems). If you are not constraining yourself on purpose like I am, I'd highly recommend doing what many other online comic artists do: have each panel be it's own image. It'll make your life so much easier.

And whatever you do, try not to have images that are overly large--I've had complaints that my very long comic pages are difficult to read on phone, but fixing the issue isn't really an option since my previous design choices are not always compatible with cutting things into more digestible chunks (not to mention that tumblr can be very annoying about image files when they get too big). It's best to avoid that all entirely and keep your pictures to more manageable dimensions if you can.

And a couple previous posts I've made about making comics for your reference:

Video and advice I gave Selkie

My art process circa July 2022

doing a comic thing is like oh I have ideas!!! wow that looks like shit, composition wise

[accio-victuuri]

🍭🍬 : wang laoshi’s “Twenty”

Before we start, let’s take a moment to appreciate the masterpiece that is his new single 🎵 Despite his busy schedule, he still managed to do this. Happy New Year to Us! THIS IS HIS TIME. not trying to take it away by clowning, I’m very much aware that this song is HIM. It’s Yibo’s. It’s his gift to his fans and people who will hear it and need that message in their lives right now.

I already did a primer, with the first teaser photo we got over here ( Yi ) .

Okay, let’s go. 💪🏻

Part One

The Lyrics poster for the song was released 12/27. It was a simple design, to emphasize more on the lyrics. TRANSLATION IS OVER HERE. This is when we realized that the song will be called 20.

• A possible meaning to the number : 廿 is twenty, it means 挚and 爱 which both has 10 strokes, so twenty also means 挚爱 (True Love/Beloved). 20 kadian also 爱你 (love you).

• Initially, people were screaming because he used he/him instead of her.

• The lines were first thought to be that from a heart monitor. People got that impression first because of the fake rumor before that they send each other their heartbeat recordings ( from apple watch ) to each other. However, further research into it, more bxgs agreed that it’s more of the pattern you see in sound bytes. a stretched out version of it.

• this bxg tried to match what is being said, it’s “xiao zhan” and when you put it side by side to how Bobo says his name— it’s very close. 👀

• at TWENTY, Yibo was cast as LWJ in CQL. He filmed with Xiao Zhan and got to know him. You can say that it’s an important year for him.

• Initial clues from the teaser lyrics. “shooting star” / meteor which is a recurring theme for both of them. and that line “returning with you”. With who yibo?

Part Two

The Teaser audio was released 12/29, a short clip giving us a glimpse of what it will sound like and an album art (?)

When you first look at it, the art seems to be a hand painted work. Which reminds most of us of GG’s ideal life painting.

Now let’s look at the other details ⤵���

• The caption on this post mentions a glimmer that breaks through the night. It could be interpreted as Bobo being the “lonely star” but he’s not alone anymore. There is already a light in his life.

• I’m just adding it here even if i don’t personally buy it, but some bxgs are saying they see some images in the clouds. ☁️

• Now I’ll be going on some shooting star/star reference and why it makes bxgs 👀. Just a quick recap, to those who are familiar, this is not new to you. 1.) Kepler. The lyrics GG changed, i’m in love with a lonely star. 2.) In an interview, GG said, a person you love coming to your life, he likened to a shooting star suddenly appearing 3.) Bobo’s Kimi No Nawa wallpaper, which I discussed here. 4.) The Brightest Star in the Night Sky, which a song GG performed on CCTV. and in an episode of TTXS, when asked about a song, DLS said he thought Yibo would choose ( to describe himself ) .. you guessed it... Brightest Star in the Night Sky. 5.) His moto suit, which as this point, we are 95% sure is designed by GG. not just because of details, we have unofficial bts material that has them talking about GG designing on for him. lol. It has a shooting star.

• there in a LRLG rumor of Web speaking to GG on the phone, asking for a painting. 🎨

BONUS: same day, YBO and XZS posted the same time. time stamp of 20, which is the song title. and in the photos of XZS post, there is a literal NUMBER TWENTY. There are so many photos they can use as a template, so why that? And in the eve of Bobo’s single release.

Part Three

Single Artwork 💡

It looks like we were not clowned this year, there is a definite “theme” to this release. With this one looking like a hand painted work again. A Light. Light spot anyone? lol. Is the consulting designer of YBO at work here? 🤣

• QQ music and Kugou Music has two different covers, in a way that QQ’s is more refined. Compared to the other’s that you can clearly see the strokes.

• Another detective moment of details we can see. It’s not a stretch to think that there are hidden things in this art. It’s just that we can’t CONFIRM it. It’s all up for interpretation. But when I first saw it, I really thought there was a figure of a person.

Part Four

The SONG itself ; Take note that lyrics are not written by Yibo. but it’s not impossible to think that he had some sort of input. I don’t think he will be okay to release a personal single that doesn’t speak to him. lyrics translation here and here.

The write up of streaming platforms for this song is as follows:

>>Wang Yibo's new solo single "Twenty" >>Twenty is officially launchedon @酷狗音乐, this is a unique song. The story of the song belongs not only to Wang Yibo, but also to everyone who keeps the faith "Twenty" and strives to shine in the dim night.

>> At the end of 2021, @UNIQ-王一博 will speak again as a singer, once a year, perform this "" Twenty ", in this cold winter, ignites the faith to continue to run for us. The world is so big that all sentient beings are small; but we are not dust, but stars scattered on the earth. This world has never been dimmed, because we use our dreams as light to warm ourselves and illuminate each other, You are not alone.

• There is an intro, and his voice comes on at 00:23 timestamp. He has an affinity to the numbers 2 and 3 *coughs* summer surf shop *coughs*. 23. Also means Ai Zhan.

• the “He” came up at 23 and 105 seconds mark.

• a part of the lyrics had 1 2 3 4 at the start of each line. Also, stand up = 站 is the same pronunciation as 战. and it’s a part that keeps on repeating.

• LISTEN TO THIS part at 3:08, some people are saying the harmony sounds like 🐰

• Parallels to Guang Dian 🤍

I already posted this earlier but I’m just gonna put it here.

Yibo : ( explanation of his song in streaming platforms ) we are not dust, but stars scattered on the earth. // Soon, he sees hope and realizes there are many like him and he is not alone and is one amongst many shooting stars.

Xiao Zhan : we’re all made of shooting stars

Again, Yibo did not write this but the message is (probably) close to him enough that he decided to release it as his single. If we know anything about Yibo, everything he puts out has “him” all over it. The two songs have the same theme of “unity” / “we” , you are not alone. We are here for each other to succeed and love even if times are tough.

It’s not toxic positivity, they acknowledge that life is tough. It’s not always gonna be good but you still gotta fight cause things will be better. You have people with you. It’s such a good message cause celebrities like them, even with lots of fans, their life tends to get lonely. They are like other people too. We’re all sharing the same struggle. 🙏🏼

• Their similar state of mind & values / experience:

🐷: (about 20 song ) ... The dream chaser in front of you who never gives up ...

🐰: dreams never end

This is why they both got along as fast as they did back in 2018. If you look at them, they are different. Yibo is the active one who likes dangerous sports and making legos/ ride motos. Xiao Zhan is the artistic type who doesn’t even know how to properly ride a bike. the one who smiles alot. But those are just surface level things. What matters most are their values.

They both had struggles in reaching their dreams, during filming of UT, they mentioned talking about their desire to be Actors. How they will take acting classes. It’s more than just making money and becoming popular for them. It’s their dream. It never ends, they are always looking our for the next thing to do. New thing to try. There will always be a new dream to reach and they have each other every step of the way. ✨

BONUS: kadian for Bobo’s post about his new single. Let’s Add!!!

That’s all for now. I will edit and update this as needed.

sources:

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4718994932633127

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4718983549026933

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4719019141629488

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4719748934012736

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4719691320265546

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4720074155887624

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4720074600222535

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4720074655007744

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4720070011392263

[v-mundi]

Uh oh...I figured out how to make models in Blender. So of course the first thing I do is use it to create impossible items. By “impossible”, I mean these are from Digimon World (PS1). There are no models of these. These will be making an appearance in the next set, which is a set of item cards!

Firstly, these images are huge so click to zoom.

Polaris Sigil —  北極星の印 Whamon evolution item. Had to be pretty interpretive about what this even is. It’s clearly a gold-colored star with 4 points and a grey colored ring around it. Is the ring round? pointy? beveled? flat-topped? Who the F knows. Is the star metal or supposed to glow? Are these gold and silver or yellow light and a white cloth loop??? WHO KNOWS! So I decided to make them literal gold and silver shining brilliantly. Then I remembered real objects are very imperfect...so it’s pretty scratched up.

Offering Sake — お供え酒 Seadramon evolution item. Had to model a freakin Japanese liquor jug. 酒 “Sake” (liquor) char printed on there idea from this Bandai card. This is something that’s very hard to get a reference for outside of Digimon, meaning I had to interpret a lot about its material properties and shape that you can’t easily see in that tiny card image. Probably hard to find because it’s historical. For the cork stopper, I tried my hand at subsurface scattering and it got that nice reddish hue I wanted. Another great thing this did: I now I know how to make candle wax! Same technique.

Iga-Style Secret Scroll —  イガ流の秘伝書 Igamon (Ninjamon) evolution item. Bonus non-Blender, made in Miku Miku Dance PMX editor. Funny enough because they put “Iga” in katakana, I knew it was Igamon’s scroll specifically. So for this one, I stuck the actual “IGA-RYU” characters on it...I guess so players who know how to read Japanese in my English card game can feel good? Here’s the comparison with the old render Bandai did (different name).

[heavenlydevine]

From the prompt list please do 28. “No, I checked my receipt. I didn’t buy any of your bullshit.” with Bruce Wayne I think that would be so funny ffsshjngk

Bruce Wayne [DCEU/Affleck] x Female!Reader.

Warnings: Language. And sexual references. Slight domination if you squint.

As you wanted Affleck, I couldn't imagine him finding it amusing. His portrayal of Bruce Wayne took on a far more darker side than what Bale gave us. So I hope this is what you had in mind.

Don’t fuck up.

Those were the parting words your father had uttered to you after announcing that he had gotten you the opportunity of a lifetime, and loathe you were to admit it, working for Wayne Enterprises had its perks.

Though most would frown upon your job description, you had taken it with stride, as there were far worse jobs in the business than being an errand girl—true meaning, coffee girl.

You didn’t mind the up and down, back and forth—and though it had taken you no less than three weeks to learn just how everyone preferred their coffees, you often wondered whether it would be the only thing you’d be doing.

And then just three months into your new job, you had done the one thing your father had urged you not to do. You fucked up.

But could one consider it a fuck up if you managed to become the personal assistant of the one and only Bruce Wayne? You had never met the man before, yet you had heard enough to know that he was a respectable man with a take no nonsense persona, and yet nothing could have been further from the truth.

Bruce Wayne might have been a gentle, caring man to the public, but to you, no, to you he was much more than that. Your first encounter would be a memory you’d often cherish, the remnants of your coffee tarnishing to what appeared to be a rather expensive suit, and though you had expected him to give you a verbal lashing, fire you on the spot, he had simply looked at you and smiled.

“Guess this gives me a reason to shower.”

And you didn’t know whether to be flustered or mortified, his laughter ringing through your mind—and it was then that you realized that the man was insanely attractive, the steaks of gray hairs scattered about his dark brown hair an added bonus.

You cannot remember when your relationship with the eccentric billionaire had changed from employer and employee, to whatever the fuck this was. This wasn’t the first time you found yourself stripped bare in his office, spread across his desk as he pounded into you from behind.

No.

He had made sure that you understood the significance behind the relationship you two shared—you were his and his alone, to do with whatever he pleased.

And you couldn’t find the notion to actually care.

He was never rough with you, yet you knew the man kept himself at bay—as you’d catch a glimpse of the darkness lingering behind his eyes whenever you’d catch him staring at you from afar, the obvious glint of desire swimming within his orbs a haunting reminder that this was not what you had imagined your life becoming.

And now, as you stood in the quaint, yet spacious room with everyone’s attention focused on you and you alone, you knew you had crossed the line. Never before had you been late to a board meeting, and as this was held annually every year in consideration as to which direction the company was heading, you knew no explanation could ever trump the wrath that emitted from Bruce Wayne.

“This meeting is adjourned,” never once did he take his eyes off you, and for a fleeting moment as the room burst in an abundance of activities, men and women alike murmuring amongst each other, whilst others gave you a sympathetic glance and a pat on the shoulder, you knew you fucked up, “—I’ll expect everyone’s reports on my table my Monday morning.”

And then silence.

Heart pounding in your chest, eyes wide as you continued to hold your iced coffee in trembling hands, you couldn’t help but shudder in fear as the doors behind you closed with a loud thunk and the blinds zipped tighter, encasing the room with a darkened hue despite the sunlight streaming through the large windows that gave view to the bustling streets below. “I can explain..”

“I don’t want to fucking hear your excuses,” he had never spoken to you in such a way, and though it did unspeakable things to your neither regions, your thighs pressing against one another, “—it’s irrelevant to me. This meeting, as you know, consisted out of people who sponsor this company, as well as the Wayne Foundation. So imagine what they must think of me,” and then your heart seized to function.

Bruce Wayne was pissed.

Because the sight of him loosening his tie, jacket now discarded and hanging across the chair, was an image you had often entertained at night, whispers or sinful things echoing through your mind at the thought of him unleashing the seven hells upon you, “—when my beautiful little assistant barges into the room like a bat out of hell, looking like she just ran a fucking marathon, four hours late, when she should have been the first one to arrive. I had to organize my own papers. I had to do everything myself, so remind me why I pay you?”

And then the rage sparked within your chest, your mouth opening and closing, and with a single thought running through your mind, you threw caution to the wind and leveled him with a look that would make any respectable man tremble yin fear, “Well excuse me, your highness,” his eyebrows rose in surprise, a look of fury following soon after, and yet as it lingered at the forefront of your mind that you were crossing your boundaries, you were far to lost in your own anger to give a shit what he or anyone else thought of you.

“You were the one that made me run around like a headless chicken. You made me drive all the way to the docks to secure the shipment that came in, and then you had me drive all the way back to the manor to get your precious files—which I organized, and on top of it all, you had me miss the deadline for my article and had me stuck in traffic for almost two hours,” you pointed an accusing finger at him, never realizing that you had moved closer to him, “—so in hindsight, you are the one that should apologize to me, after all, you were the one that insisted I wait in a que of more than twelve people to get your precious decaf.”

“Are you done?”

And then you just had to say it. “No, I checked my receipts. I didn’t buy any of your bullshit,” and with the goal to turn around and leave, the gasp of surprise that slipped past your lips was swallowed by his lips smashing against yours, arms encasing you in a tight embrace, immobilizing you and rendering you a quivering mess.

“You are going to regret taking that tone with me,” he murmured, pupils blown wide, “—so I’ll show you what happens to insolent little brats who talk back to their superiors.”

And then he was pushing you backwards, lips still attached to yours with the intention to suck all the air from your lungs. “I’m going to ruin you and you are going to take it.”

And ruin you he did.

Squeezing your waist in confirmation, a silent desperation to feel you submit to his advances, all rational thought flew out your mind, “Just fuck me, Bruce.”

His control vanished the moment your words echoed through his ears. “Be careful what you wish for.”

I stopped here, as I wasn’t entirely sure whether I should delve further down citrus lane. Though should you want another part to this, a continuation to this, then feel free to request another prompt. I’m sorry it took so long. Hope you liked it.

[palimpsessed]

Medieval History AU

for @carryonthroughtheages

For my piece for the medieval era, I took inspiration from illuminated manuscripts.

(Please click the image for better quality.)

Read more about the piece below the break.

I want to first say a huge thank you to @bazzybelle​ for organizing this event and also for just being a really great human. ILY! Despite the fact that I of course left everything to the last minute, I have had a blast working on my two posts and can’t wait until I have time to actually look at what everyone else has done.

About the artwork:

This is a haphazardly researched piece at best.

I initially planned to simply do a group drawing, showing the gang dressed appropriately for their places in my medieval AU. I had that sketch sitting around for months and never felt inspired. Then I started to think about how I could adapt my arsenal of art supplies to give the effect of something more suited to the time periods. And then I thought about a lovely comment that someone made on one of my drawings, that it reminded them of an illuminated manuscript. And then the book art nerd in me was activated. Thus, I spent the next week pulling references from various illuminated manuscripts that have made it online in some form or another over the years. Next came the design. I wanted to find a way to still include the whole group, but a simple line-up no longer made sense. I wanted to make SnowBaz the focal point, for obvious reasons, but I found a way to include the others in insets, as some full page illuminated manuscripts depicted smaller scenes around a central idea.

I knew that I had to include at least one dragon for Simon and somehow reference Baz's vampirism. Monsters appear all over illuminated manuscripts, after all, and I saw no reason why they shouldn't be in mine. Vampires in medieval folklore were different to the way we think of them now; they weren't living people who turned into blood drinking creatures, but rather reanimated corpses. These revenants are usually depicted as some variation on a rotting corpse or skeleton. I decided to stick with our modern understanding of vampirism, because I'm not wholly sold on the zombie thing. A skull and some rats chilling around it probably gets the point across, and ties in Baz's years in the Catacombs, which definitely still exist in this AU. Also, I see medieval Baz as a minor feudal lord of some kind, which plays into the classic vampire metaphor. Simon is a former knight errant who gave up his questing days once he faced the reality that perhaps he wasn't all that different from the monsters he hunted.

The vessel at their feet, which sits over flames, is a crucible. Because of course I was going to include a crucible in my medieval AU. The crucible is an ongoing metaphor in Simon and Baz's story, and I wanted to carry that motif into my piece, too. I based the shape off a couple different depictions I found that related specifically to alchemy. Alchemy is all about transmutation, rather fitting for two half monsters who continuously challenge the roles they've been assigned. (One of the crucible drawings I found even had a tiny dragon looking down the spout and blowing fire into the vessel!)

The alchemy theme continues to the top right corner, with a green lion eating the sun. This is a very common image in alchemical texts, a metaphor for vitriol purifying matter, which would then leave behind gold. Next to the green lion is Agatha, who finds far more to interest her in making friends with unicorns than in the attentions of any courtly suitors. The larger panel in the center shows the castle, the hub of medieval life, inspired by the look of Watford as depicted in the map at the end of Carry On. This version of Watford is also protected by a moat filled with merwolves, because they are exactly the sort of unholy beast that would appear in the marginalia of an illuminated manuscript. (Maybe the Mage got the idea of the merwolves from one of the "four-hundred-year-old texts" he dripped gravy on.) Stars fill the sky, because we all know how important those are. On the castle's other side is Penelope, bent over a parchment in a room filled with thick books, living her best scholarly life, now that she's retired from life as Simon's shield bearer. She and Shepard are both modeling the latest trend in eyeglasses, which is to say, the only trend, because that was cutting edge technology back in the day. (Would either one of them have had access to that kind of fancy tech in their respective positions? Idk, but they have unicorns, and flying sheep, and merwolves, and dragons, so let them see is all I'm saying.) Shepard is, if you couldn't guess, a shepherd, because I had to. But he's still a nomad at heart, and this new flock was acquired in a rather secretive deal during his last adventure. Lastly, the slogans on either side of Simon and Baz are the Google Translate Latin equivalents of: "Magic separates us from the world. Let nothing separate us from each other" and "Light a match inside your heart, then blow on the tinder." (If you can actually read my writing, and you actually know Latin, and these aren't correct, just pretend that they are.)

Illuminated manuscripts were usually embellished with gold leaf, and my budget version is metallic gold marker, which I used sparingly throughout the piece for fire and other objects of note (though it's probably hard to see in the scan).

That's all, I think. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk!

Bonus! Process shots;

[magnificent-nerd]

Why Naqib in The Boys sucked

Image description: fictional character Naqib in Amazon Prime’s show The Boys.

(Is the fire in the background an excuse to use racist Yellow Filter to show how exotic he is? Hmm.)

I first posted this on my blog in Dec 2020, and since nothing in superhero media has changed for the better at this time (September 5th, 2021), I’m going to keep talking about it.

Because nobody else does. So, without further ado:

WHY NAQIB SUCKS.

I was a big fan of The Boys season 1; I love superheroes, I love deconstructing a genre. Sure, it has its problems, but overall I enjoyed season 1 and thought the show had potential.

(That’ll learn me for being hopeful!)

When season 1 ended with this big build up of mostly nameless brown and background characters as Muslim terrorists (deep sigh) we the audience are left thinking this one Muslim character (Naqib) whose superpower is to blow himself up repeatedly (insert another long deep sigh here) is going to be The Big Bad of season 2.

I had my misgivings about that direction. Firstly, as you can see from the image of Naqib, he is highly exoticised and is walking around bare chested with Arabic writing on his chest. He looks more like a generic western media depiction of a genie than he does a supervillain. 

And yet he's the first prominent Muslim character in superhero media I've seen in YEARS.

-

(See my post about MENA and Muslim character good guys, including Joe played by Marwan Kenzari in The Old Guard, which is technically a comic book movie but it’s not what I’d call ‘caped and costumed’ superheroes so it’s more... superhero adjacent.)

I follow superhero content closely and as far as I'm aware the last time we saw any named Muslim characters in superhero movies WITH SPEAKING LINES was:

Instance 1) Iron Man 1 back in 2008 with The Ten Rings in Afghanistan, showing multiple Muslim characters as baddies/terrorists, but only two of them as a named character and with any meaningful lines to say. And despite one of them, Yinsen (actor Shaun Toub), being a good guy he still dies! Which is common in western media for Muslim and MENA characters.

Note: Fellow Iron Man 1 castmate, actor Sayed Badreya, makes an important point in this GQ article: "I die in Iron Man, I die in Executive Decision. I get shot by everyone. George Clooney kills me in Three Kings. Arnold blows me up in True Lies…" (x)

Instance 2) A more recent instalment in Batman V. Superman in 2016, with some unnamed 'General' character and mercenaries/terrorists in Nairomi, Africa, referred to only as "the desert" throughout the movie. All reference to the General's actual name are available in an extended/deleted scene only, so a very poor and vague depiction in the final cut.

Instance 3) The generic and badly written ‘bad guys’ in Wonder Woman 1984 (2020 movie), which was honestly such a racist depiction of Arabs and Muslims that many critics pointed out we hadn’t seen a depiction this terrible since 1994′s True Lies. (At least most critics were in agreement that WW84 movie was generally terrible, so there’s that.)

And that's it, those are the only major instances showing any Muslim actors or characters in a caped and costumed superhero movie. 

Some other fleeting glimpses of Muslims onscreen:

Glimpse 1) I spotted a girl wearing a hijab among the nameless and unspeaking background characters of Peter Parker's class in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). A first for Marvel movies, apparently.

Glimpse 2) Disney Plus show Falcon and Winter Soldier (2021) had two nameless Muslim characters walk by in a scene that’s supposed to be Tunisia (using Yellow Filter), and ‘thank’ the present American Air Force (eye-roll).

Glimpse 3) Netflix show Jupiter’s Legacy (2021) had a nameless Muslim sailor conversing with one of the main characters in a scene, with meaningful dialogue about racism. (WOW. Really good.) Bonus: no yellow filter. It’s a pity he’s a nameless background character because this brief instance is the least problematic MENA rep I’ve seen in ages, but it is very brief.

I just wrote about Glimpses 2 and 3, and how the Netflix show outdid Disney when it comes to these nameless walk-on Muslim characters.

This is pretty pathetic overall, these small crumbs, especially compared to better rep and probably the only instance of legit MENA superheroes in a ‘costumes and capes’ style superhero show, the Tarazi siblings on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.

-

Anyway, now I’ve listed what crumbs are available across the live action superhero genre, back to The Boys.

I was intrigued about how season 2 would handle Naqib and any characters relating to him, and what storyline they'd use. 

Was I excited at the possibility of seeing Muslim supers onscreen? Damn straight I was. Did I mind that they were baddies? Well, yes and no. When you only ever get crumbs or no crumbs at all, you tend to get excited over one stale old crumb.

After the build up for season 2, I eagerly sat down to watch the first episode, only to have the first five minutes of episode 1 Trigon him.

Note: who's Trigon, you ask? Well if you didn't watch the DCEU's Titans show, Trigon was The Big Bad who was hyped up throughout season 1, introduced in the season 1 cliff-hanger episode as this big 'oh shit!' moment for the cast of heroes, only for him to fizzle out like a wet fart in the first episode of season 2 while the show pivots wildly in another direction. 

Exactly what happened to Naqib in the first five minutes of The Boys season 2.

Erm, so, Naqib. Farewell, I guess? As a character you briefly appeared in 2 episodes, portrayed by a different actor in each (Krishan Dutt, and Samer Salem). It seems the writers used you as a plot device when they needed a cheap cliff-hanger for a direction that ultimately went nowhere.

Am I disappointed? Yeah, I am. Overall I thought season 2 of The Boys was weaker than season 1, but I'm not here to talk about the whole season: I want to talk about Naqib and this missed opportunity.

The Boys and its showrunners sell the show as being a satire of recent and well known superhero content, of all the big movies and TV shows. There's been a lot of patting themselves on the back for calling out overused tropes in superhero media (and sometimes they've done this satire well: see the LGBT marketing scene with Queen Maeve in season 2), but my issue with the show on their Muslim rep, or should I say lack thereof, is if your show has even less Muslim character rep than the content you're trying to parody, how is this a win for satire?

Naqib and that whole angle came across as a lazy, half-assed swing from the writer's room. Sure, perhaps a lot of the non-Muslim and non-MENA audience won't even notice, as we've been ignored by western media or made into nameless, generic, vacuous baddies for decades now. Non-Muslims and non-MENA just accept that we're always the baddies for no particular reason at all (which feeds into Islamophobia, by the way) and The Boys' writers could say they are simply satirising the tropes already present in media...

But, and this is a big but, the media that The Boys is satirising has already made a step toward better inclusion and representation: Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Marvel comics' first Muslim superhero, is entering the MCU as a lead character in her own Disney Plus show, debuting in 2022. 

Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan is also cited to appear in upcoming Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels (2022), which will be a major movie.

The MCU has also cast a Muslim actor (Mahershala Ali) as the lead in a reboot of Blade. That's going to be big news when it starts filming.

So to the showrunners on The Boys, I say this: now you've done this small angle of 'all Muslim characters are terrorists, yuckity-yuck!' like we've seen in major superhero movies thus far, and you've brushed that aside in favor of focusing on other whiter villains, my question is will you come back to Muslim and MENA characters again? Or is that all you got?

Because if that was ALL, then the current score is Disney/MCU:02, Netflix:02, DCEU:02, and The Boys: a big ZERO as far as Muslim and MENA rep goes.

-

Originally posted on my blog, magnificently nerdy.

If you, like me, are always on the lookout for onscreen Muslim and MENA characters in superhero media, and have spotted any characters in superhero TV shows I haven’t watched yet, let me know about them!

Here is my post on good guys, featuring Old Guard’s Joe, and Blindspot’s Rich Dotcom.

Here’s my post about the Tarazi siblings on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow TV show.

And, if Marvels’ Eternals gets released on schedule for 2021, we will have a MENA actor portraying a supporting character. I just hope Marvel gives him a name.

[festivereason]

The Dehumanisation of Dave Miller

So, I was RPing as Henry Miller and had an internal dialogue comment of Henry musing about how William Afton was not a person. My RP partner, @plushmenace , had put in the tags of their reply basically asking "what is Henry's definition of a person"?

So! I'm finally here to explain my reasoning behind writing him that way. :') And as a bonus, this’ll also explain why I write Dave with abysmal self esteem and body image too wahoo. :’)))

Talk of abuse and trauma + DSAF spoilers under the cut.

First off, Henry literally says so before the ending fight.

Now, you have been kind of lead to accept and probably think "Well in this series, William Afton *is* a literal Purple Guy so of course he's not a human."

But... Henry isn’t either? For the sake of this essay, I'll refer to the "brightly hued people with black scleras and white glowing irises and pitch black maws" as "Amazing Technicolour Void Produce People™" or ATVPPs.

Henry acts like William is this huge freak while basically being the same as him, just pink instead of purple.

But here's the thing: like with most of what Henry says and does, what if this is on purpose?

First off, William may be self conscious about his appearance:

For starters, William blames the fact that he's an ourple ATVPP for why he was never adopted.

Which is possible for sure. However, from what we see in the series? Nobody seems to really care or mind William's appearance.

Except for Henry (who hates William and is an abusive POS towards him), and depending on player choice, Jack (who is just Henry 2: the Sequel also depending on player choice).

Further backing up that this is a sore spot for him, he gets pretty upset when Jack reminds him of it (despite commenting and joking about it often himself).

Example 1:

Example 2:

Secondly, from how he acts, Henry probably used this as part of his abuse towards William:

I find the first reaction pretty telling tbh. Usually when picking an antagonistic dialogue option, Dave’s response will be anger and telling you to fuck off (closer to the second example). Yet in the first one? He tears up and just meekly points out with a stutter that he’s hurt.

( Also important to note too: from the second conversation, we can see that in this universe, “human” refers to “fully sentient, emotionally and intelligently complex beings with free will” (or however you want to word or spin it). Which would def include ATVPPs. Certainly makes what Henry says above even worse lol.)

Next up, something I’ve referenced before because bo y I think it’s one of the most well written parts of the series tbh -- meeting Davetrap in the third game.

Considering it’s been established that Davetrap is the “feral” half of Dave’s soul; the part that is bitter, angry, and can’t let go of things, I think his dialogue can be very insightful into his character.

Anyway, you can have this exchange:

He is clearly hurt by that term, pleading with Jack not to say it and taking on a cowering stance– turned away with his hands up defensively— and then reinstating that he’s “still a person”.

And guess who else refers to him as a monster?

This lines up with how passive we see him around Henry (the fight at the end of DSAF 3, the flashbacks in DSAF 2), so I think it’s easy to put two and two together and say Henry belittled him for his appearance, and that bringing it up makes him regress to how he was around him.

And again, in DSAF? This is apparently not anything that weird. I could be also be looking too much into it (but hey, death of the author bby), yeah, but the fact that nobody knows that Dave = William Afton kind of means being a purple ATVPP isn’t *that* unique in this world.

One thing I find interesting on that point is this exchange. Dave claims "kids loved drawing him because they were fascinated with him". Jack challenges that...

And then Dave basically shifts the conversation to, "Well they like me because I'm not scary and weird like you lol!" Even though he's joking, he does switch from making it about "what's inside".

I definitely think he may be making light of things to cope considering that he makes this quip in DSAF 2 which is definitely meant to be a joke and... yeeeaaah...

Anyway, some more examples of how Henry talks about William in a dehumanising way:

Furthermore, Henry has every reason to do this. From what we can see in the short story and some of William's dialogue, he seems to often belittle William to create co-dependency.

Ex: "Everyone is trying to hurt you, and you're weak, so you need to stay with me and do what I say so I can 'protect' you."

However, since the dialogue in the Void is him speaking his mind honestly, and combined with the tapes,... I'd argue it's completely possible he really may have literally not seen William as person. My guess is because of William being, you know, a weird form of undead. Maybe he started out demeaning him to easily control William, and began to sincerely believe it over time. Henry could also just suck like that.

And finally, William... kind of admits it himself in the bad ending, just like how Henry does in the good.

As I've pointed out before, he says Jack was the only person– he excludes Henry despite, in this route, still adoring the man.

... At least that's what I think! Wahoo!

[trainsinanime]

Trains in Miraculous Ladybug - Part 2: The Metro Station

[Part 1: The Metro Train]

Part 2: The Metro Station (you are here)

[Part 3: Startrain]

[Part 4: The Gare du Nord]

[Bonus: The Bus]

As promised/threatened, here is the second part of my series critiquing the trains in Miraculous Ladybug. This time, I’m going to look at the metro train stations.

Well, really just the one. Miraculous Ladybug really loves reusing 3D assets, so every station we see on screen is literally the same just, maybe, with the names changed.

[Image: Screenshot, looking from a platform in a metro station to the far end o the station, with no train and a few passengers.]

[Just like last time, I’ll add image descriptions for any images that I don’t already describe in the surrounding text.]

This is really perfectly okay in Paris. While the city is full of exceptions, as a basic rule, yeah, most stations really do look like that. One platform per direction, curved walls, fluorescent lights suspended from above, white tiling, all the key elements are there. Here is a similar look in real life, at Metro Station Jaures:

There are a few differences and in particular this station uses a different lighting system, but these are normal variations within Paris Metro stations.

Fun fact: The fact that the walls are round all the way down to the platform, instead of having a straight vertical final section, means that this is a station built by the CMP as opposed to the Nord-Sud, the two different companies that built Paris’s metro network originally. The CMP style is indeed much more frequent.

The station has different names in different episodes. Most frequent appears to be André Boullouche, seen here. Paris Metro stations are named after nearby roads or public squares, but generally omit the “Rue de X” (X street) or “Place X” that you’d see in other cities, so stations that are just literally someone’s name are common. There is no actual André Boullouche station in real life, which is probably deliberate - the show in general plays in a Paris with quite a bit of fictionalized geography.

André Boullouche is not a particularly interesting name; he’s a dead french politician, the kind of guy who could conceivably get a metro station of his own one of these days.

In Prime Queen, we get Frisano and, barely visible, Ader.

It’s obviously the same station if you pay attention to details like the same advertisements… but then, why would you?

Frisano appears to be a reference to a family of French painters and comic illustrators. I have no idea about Ader; there are a number of French institutions and people named Ader, but nothing seems really obvious.

When we look at the details of the station, they’re really well represented as well. We can get a good look at many of the details in a shot along the length of the platform: There is signage, ads, benches and vending machines, all of which looks basically accurate.

At the end of the platform, we get the stair case, and we get signals, panels, and all sorts of switch boxes and a fire extinguisher.

For a comparison, here is the similar arrangement from real-life Solferino station:

The arrow pointing to the destination is a detail found only in some stations (the Nord-Sud ones, and as we already established, this isn’t one), but note how Solferino has essentially the same modern lighting system as the fictional station. The fire extinguisher is in a different spot here, and there are a bit more cable boxes, but overall it mostly matches. The yellow panel with the grey stripes is in the wrong spots, I guess; it’s supposed to tell passengers to not go into the tunnel. And since it isn’t there, in Miraculous Ladybug, people do go into the tunnel all the time.

[Image: Screenshot, Marinette in the subway running tunnel, just after the end of the platform, getting ready to transform.]

Those are minor niggles, especially since these are areas that aren’t on screen that often.

The signing for the public is also essentially accurate.

[Screenshot, Adrien waiting for a train, above him hangs a metro sign]

This sign implies that the station is an interchange with a line 28. There is no actual line 28. The general style is correct, though in real life, the “Sortie” (exit) is not written in all uppercase, and the Paris Metro uses a different, custom font called Parisine.

The sign, as shown there, implies that immediately to the left, there is a passageway leading over to line 28, which is not actually the case. Oh well.

Another good look at the signage, and of how to best the enter a train if you’re in a hurry, comes to us from Gorizilla:

[Image: Screenshot, Adrien throwing Marinette into a train while the Gorilla watches; above the Gorilla is a sign]

This sign, which shows when the next train will arrive, is found in every Paris Metro station. The precise labelling here indicates first that a train is currently in the station (correct!), and that the train is going to André Boullouche station as its final destination. That doesn’t quite make sense in episodes where this is André Boullouche station, I guess.

The sign also indicates that this station is on line 17. In real life, the line numbers only go up to 14 at the moment, so both 17 and 28 are fictional. An actual line 17 is currently under construction (along with 15, 16 and 18) as part of the Grand Paris Express project. When finished, it will connect the airports Charles De Gaulle and Le Bourget with Saint Denis, meaning it will technically not be in Paris at all, and as a new construction, it will definitely look very different from this. But for now, 17 is a fairly safe bet for a fictional line, and I don’t think Paris will come close to 28 any time soon.

We also get the tiniest glimpse of the 17s route map inside the train car, but it’s sadly impossible to make out any station names.

[Image: Screenshot, map of a single subway line inside a car; all the station names are illegible.]

The station also has a metro plan, which looks fairly okay at first glance… and not at all on second glance.

They got the style right, yes, and that’s clearly all that mattered. But why is the Seine now running in a huge semi-circle outside of Paris? Something which only happens on the plan, by the way, when actually shown, the Seine is exactly where it’s supposed to be. Best not to think about this.

Moving on: We never see the ticket hall area, generally situated on an intermediate level, with gate lines and the works in the show. But we do get the station entrances. In this case, Miraculous Ladybug offers two types. Weirdly, only one of them is ever used to reach a train.

[Image description: Screenshot, a metro entrance at a road intersection. The entrance has no roof, only a stairway leading down and a sign that says “Metro”.]

This entrance configuration is the one that is used to reach stations; it is part of a generic set with a road crossing and a metro entrance that appears a lot and stands in for “generic metro entrance anywhere”. And honestly, it fits well for that purpose.

Paris’s Metro does not have a unique distinctive sign; instead different signs have been used and sometimes replaced throughout the ages. The entrance totem here with its lamp and its sign appears to be the type “Adolphe Dervaux”. Here is how that sign looks in real life:

You can find this type of sign basically anywhere in Paris. Some metro stations even have different signs on different entries, just for confusion’s sake. The fictional version is somewhat simplified, but clearly recognizable.

The other type of metro entrance that we see is right in front of Marinette’s school and bakery, which means it appears constantly, but almost always only in the background:

[Image: Screenshot, Marinette and Alya running past a metro entrance with a roof.]

[Image: Screenshot, Marinette and Alya standing in front of the same metro entrance with roof.]

The best look we at the actual entrance side is in Origins:

[Image: Screenshot, Ladybug in front of the same metro entrance with roof. In the front of it a metro sign type Dervaux. in the background Notre Dame… from the wrong side I think?]

This type of Metro entrance is famous and a landmark for the Metro. It was designed by Hector Guimard and installed from 1900 to 1912. This Art Nouveau style entrance was designed to look friendly and pleasing, so passengers would not fear that they would enter a subterranean industrial hellscape. It had already fallen out of fashion again by 1910, so not a lot of it survives. The Metro entrance with a roof seen here - as opposed to a single arch - was hit hardest by that. Nowadays, two survive, one of a slightly different type with closed sides. The only one left with open sides, like here in the show, is nowadays found at Abesses station.

[Image: Photo of Abesses station entrance. There is no additional Metro sign in front of it.]

Technically, that entrance has no business being here; Abesses was a Nord-Sud station while Hector Guimard worked for the CMP. The entrance got transferred here in the 1970s. It sure looks nice in the picturesque environment of Montmartre, though.

Miraculous Ladybug has implemented it really well. They don’t show all the intricate details of this design, but they get the impression over well. Yes, it is in reality not in front of that school, but then, in reality that school doesn’t exist, so who cares. Just one tiny detail:

Why does the entrance in Miraculous Ladybug have an additional Dervaux-style entrance sign in front of it? That is not how that works. The entrance with its canopy is itself the entrance sign, and you’ll note that it already literally contains a sign saying “Metropolitain”. Adding yet another sign in front is redundant and not something that was actually ever done.

This is a mistake they keep repeating, actually. In Chat Blanc, they’re using the same metro entrance at a different spot (that doesn’t have a metro entrance even in other episodes of Miraculous Ladybug), and once more, they add an additional sign to it.

[Image: Screenshot: The same metro entrance, from a slightly raised angle, but this time it’s gray and raining. There is an additional metro sign next to it.]

Chat Blanc worst episode ever confirmed.

No, I’m kidding. Yes, I do think it is necessary to clarify that.

The Metro station in Miraculous Ladybug is overall, much like the train, really well made, with all the important bits and pieces and details. And just like the train, if you really want to, you can find all sorts of things that are wrong. But overall, it is still really solid work, and I really like that.

For stuff that is not solid and just fictional, next time, I’m going to look at the Startrain.

[Part 1: The Metro Train]

Part 2: The Metro Station (you are here)

[Part 3: Startrain]

[Part 4: The Gare du Nord]

[Bonus: The Bus]

[op-peccatori]

Hopefully, Yours (part 2) | MLQC Victor

Fandom: Mr Love Queen’s Choice

Pairing: Victor/Fem!Reader

Rating: Mature 

Word Count: 8326

Summary: It took some cake, a friend, and some impulsive behaviour, but they got there. (part 2 of Hopefully, Yours)

Warnings/Tags: making out, language, my cheeseball antics

a/n: I was afraid of opening this doc at one point because every time I did I added more words to it ;; Also accidentally deleted the first draft, so I hope I didn’t leave anything out for this one. 

[video]

After Hours | Victor and Y/n

200, 280 views • Feb 8th, 2020

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JTV ✓

1.19M subscribers 

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5100 comments

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somsom 5 minutes ago

They’re both so nice. Victor’s always made out to be this heartless CEO, so it’s nice to see this side of him :) 

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tooktiktook  7 minutes ago

hmmmMMM

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cheribb 15 minutes ago

their eyes said more than enough <3 <3

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saltqueen 16 minutes ago

what i wouldn’t give to have someone look that soft over me

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Victor eyed the cheerful grin splitting Jason’s face, just a little uneasy in his seat. 

While having eager eyes on him was not an unfamiliar experience, he’d never been in a position where he was expected to talk about his feelings on camera. Not that he was about to confess in front of the entire crew of the show, but when it came to you the lines always got a little too blurry for his comfort. 

He got a little too eager.

“Just be nice,” Jason had instructed gently, and Victor steeled himself. 

They started, quite predictably, by asking him about his ideal type. Resisting the urge to scoff, he tried to stick to the script he’d worked on with Goldman, who had insisted on being present for today’s shoot. Not that Victor was complaining; it wasn’t exactly part of the job description, but Goldman had been enthusiastic, which Victor could appreciate and would certainly reward. 

Goldman had also spent most of yesterday handling the public relations department in his absence, preparing them for his appearance on the show. A tentative plan would be sent to him by tomorrow morning. He had faith in them, believing that they would be able to make this look good for him. 

“Someone who works hard,” he answered, knowing you would laugh at that. “Who can be themselves around me, someone I can be myself around. Someone...kind.”

The times you’ve spent in Souvenir flit through his mind, some quiet and some full of bright-eyed chatter.

“You’ve known Y/n for some time, right?” the interviewer asked. She looked nice, but he’d been on the block long enough to know that even the kindest faces can often hide the sharpest teeth.

“Yes.”

“What do you think of her?”

“She’s a very kind person,” he said easily. “One of the most hard-working and inspiring people I’ve ever met.”

You would surely gape like a fool after  seeing this. It was a little embarrassing, but Victor was determined to leave your image shiny after this. He would not have any words of his twisted to give you a bad name. If it got even a fraction of his feelings across, well, that was a bonus he wouldn’t mind having. The intimate setting of the ferris wheel had seemed to help some, but his admittedly indirect confession didn’t reach you as he had hoped.

God, but his father would love this.

“Did you have fun on your date?”

“It was lovely.” They tacked on another question and he nodded. “I...yes, I’d love to do it again.”

It was a little curt, but he didn’t really get what Goldman had meant by ‘nod tenderly with a far-off look.’

What would you think of that?

The interviewer raised a brow, her smile widening. “Let’s get to it, then. How do you feel about her?”

For some bizarre reason, the first thing that had come to his mind at this question was his inexplicable need to check your social idea every day. And the way his heart beats just a little faster when you’ve posted a new picture. How, in moments of weakness, he’d given in and saved a few to his phone. Even a mental reminder of it made him a little hot under the collar.

There were many things he couldn’t even begin to try and explain when it came to you.

Really, the list is endless.

Victor’s current favourite was the video you’d uploaded of eating the tiramisu he’d cooked. He watches it at the end of a bad day and just like that, he feels a little better.

“I think anyone who ends up with her would be the luckiest person in the world,” he said honestly. “She’s beautiful in every single way.”

The last three words were supposed to have stayed in his head, but saying them felt natural. Goldman seemed to approve, shooting him a discreet thumbs up.

When you walk in, sleep-deprived and grumpy but trying to hide it, thinking he won’t catch on as if he isn’t running sharp eyes over every inch of your face. When the first sip of your coffee is too eager, leaving your tongue burnt and him with a pressing need to soothe it with his own. When you eat too much sugar and complain about a stomach-ache; he scolds you for it, but his arms are left straining with the need to wrap themselves around you.

He cherished these moments and wanted every single one all to himself. 

She makes me greedy.

“Would you want to be that person?”

Victor laughed, light and incredulous. 

Yes. Yes. Yes. 

“I guess time will have to answer that question for us,” he said, the ghost of a smile on his lips, leaving it at just the right note to keep viewers hanging—right along with him.

lightscameranaps ✓ @jasonp

Hope y’all enjoyed the episode! #HopefullyYours

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bandanaman @headaccs

@jasonp sooo really sorry about this but we’re kinda dying over here

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raspberrydream @berryberry

@headaccs Victor’s acc is still private. Maybe there’s something there? 

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srirachafire @hotsauce

@berryberry But Y/n’s isn’t private, and there’s nothing there. Give it up guys, they’re just friends. 

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bandanaman @headaccs

@hotsauce bruh that look?? was not friendship 

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raspberrydream @berryberry

@hotsauce those words?? were not friendship

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srirachafire @hotsauce 

@headaccs @berryberry you two?? are hopeless romantics

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lightscameranaps ✓ @jasonp

@headaccs honestly? me too D: 

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bandanaman @headaccs

@jasonp !!!!!! asdfgdvsd

Closing your Moments and the entire thread discussing the episode, you flop back down onto your mattress. Reaching for your newest plushy, you hug it tight, perhaps a tad too aggressively. 

It’s odd. You struggle between the visceral sort of pleasure that comes from a job well done—because the response is terrific—and the trembling nerves that come from watching yourself on a date with Victor.

Watching the episode had been harder than you had expected; you hadn’t quite been expecting the way Victor was looking at you—the intense gaze was a little too convincing, and watching it from the audience’s perspective was flustering. 

You spent most of it trying to suppress the inconvenient surges of hope, telling yourself it wasn’t real.

There really was nothing to know. The ferris wheel shot had ended there because you had nothing to say to Victor’s answer. You don’t know if he was referring to his past or his present, but the look in his eyes made it clear: his feelings were still there. Instead of pressing him, you chose to stay quiet, exhaustion clear in your face and sinking deep into your bones.

Victor had seemed to understand and maybe even appreciate it, probably not wanting to discuss it either, and only insisted on dropping you home. The ride to your place had been mostly silent, but you had tried to ask him his thoughts on the day and the shoot. He kept his answers concise, appearing a little distracted, which was so unlike him it made you wonder if he regretted opening up.

You’d spent the entire ride trying to quell the delicate little thing trembling in your chest.

The next video started while you were lost in your thoughts, and it happens to be your individual parts. Curious, you lean in, wincing slightly at the way you were fidgeting. 

And then they switch to Victor. You both had to wear the outfits from the date for these, but you still weren't quite expecting the impact his voice alone would have on you. 

And as always, those fierce eyes have you freezing in place.

“Let’s get to it, then. How do you feel about her?”

He looks unfazed by the question. Of course, they go over the questions with you beforehand, but you still remember how nervous you’d felt when asked how you felt about him; Victor’s eyes flick towards the camera, filled with intent, as if addressing you—and you close the laptop with a snap, your throat tight.

You don’t have to watch that right away.

You had been very careful about what to say, how to act, channeling your inner-Victor to adopt a marble-smooth expression. Say nice things about him? Easy, you didn’t even have to make anything up. Imply just enough to keep people guessing. 

Keep your unwanted feelings to yourself. 

Palm coming to rest over your heart, pressing down as if it would alleviate the ache there, you try to sort through your thoughts. You never really thought there was a chance, but to hear it confirmed was a blow you weren’t prepared for. 

It’s ridiculous to feel so insecure, you think. You feel like you lost a competition you had never even had the chance to compete in. And over an unnamed, mysterious figure? So silly! 

But another part of your mind says it’s okay to feel this way, that it’s only natural. You’ve had such strong feelings for Victor for so long. And all of these feelings, the good and the bad, are yours; the wounds of your heart, the light in your laughter. Fighting them would only make you suffer. The love and the hurt are part of you, both important in their own right.

Knowing all of that doesn’t make it easier, though. 

After all, Victor had alluded to his feelings on camera, to your face. Knowing him, he would never do that unless he was sure about the person. 

“This fucking sucks,” you admit out loud, and at the heels of your words come the tears. Because, to make it even worse, people really seem to think it’s you. 

You can’t blame them, because even you had been taken in by his soft looks. Anyone watching would believe he’s smitten with you. Good for the show, terrible for you. 

You’re not strong enough to reply to them, to tell them you aren’t that fortunate, and have been hoping Victor, or someone from his team, would put a stop to it. 

But there hasn’t been any word from them and you curse out loud at the fact that he expects you to do something about it. As if there’s any more emphasis needed, your phone vibrates. Unlocking it with a miserable sigh, you scroll down quickly.

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Minor [19:40]: am I watching this right? Boss, are you dating the CEO? PLS SAY NO

Chik [20:21]: You bitch. When were you going to tell me you snagged THAT? So I was right back then, ha! Anyway, you two are adorbs. The puppy eyes are disgusting. I’m proud of you.

Chik [20:22]: also...deets. Now. I’ll even throw in a please!!! 

Lucien [20:40]: Well, now. I seem to have missed out on quite the opportunity.

Kiro [20:45]: I wish you’d invited me. But I guess it wouldn’t have mattered. I hope he makes you happy, Miss Chips! He better, or else ;P

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Frowning at the texts you scroll back up, hoping, hoping, hoping, and at the sight of the name that always sits at the tip of your tongue, you curl up tighter.

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Victor [21: 05]: Are you okay?

Y/N [21:20]: I’m fine. Moments seems to be blowing up, haha. Did you watch the episode?

Victor [21: 20]: Yes.

Victor [21: 21]: Did you?

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You pause at that, looking guiltily at your laptop. You had, sort of. Fighting off your own thoughts had taken up most of your attention. Resolving to watch it again—a clear display of previously dormant masochistic tendencies, roused by Victor— and actually pay attention this time, you turn back to the screen.

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Y/N [21:22]: Yeah, but not the individual parts. It was nice, they made it seem so real! But we’re going to have to say something to let them know there’s nothing like that.  

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You wait anxiously for a reply, a part of you clearly suffering from delusion hoping he’d oppose that. When there’s no text from him for a few minutes, you plug your phone in to charge and get out of bed, heading for a quick shower before you get something to eat.

Heartbreak hasn't been enough to curb your appetite, and you feel more than ready to let dessert have the chance to make you feel better.

Who needs Victor when you have cake, right?

Just as you’re halfway through cutting a slice of the cake Jason—well, his team—had sent as thanks, trying to keep your thoughts away from the bottle of wine you‘ve got tucked away, your doorbell rings, breaking the melancholic silence of your apartment. A part of you wants to roll your eyes at your dramatics, while the other feels you have the right to wallow for as long as you need to.

The irrational side of you stirs once more, conjuring thoughts of Victor rushing over, and you peep through the hole with a wildly thumping heart. 

Lucien’s serene smile chases those thoughts away, and you open the door with a sheepish grin. 

He looks a little tired, his dark bangs ruffled; unlike his usual sharp appearance, he looks impossibly soft in his barn red sweater and comfortable looking track pants. He’s also got a folder tucked under one arm.

“Hi!” 

“Sorry to drop by so late,” he greets you, his warm eyes bringing you a little comfort instantly. “But you mentioned you’d be working on Miracle Finder tomorrow and I wanted you to have the chance to go over my remarks before that.”

“Lucien! Thank you,” you insist, waving away his apology. “Would you like to come in? I’ve got cake.” 

He searches your face for a moment, and his eyes narrow the slightest bit. You feel a little self-conscious in your over-sized sweatshirt and shorts, but it’s not like he hasn’t seen you in various states of disarray before. 

“Can’t really say no to that. Let me get my laptop,” he finally agrees. You wait at the door as he gets it, before leading him in. But you notice his curious, inquisitive looks, so subtle and so Lucien, as he toes off his shoes.

“Everything okay?” You reach for another plate, cutting a second slice as Lucien takes a seat at the table. 

“Yes, of course. It’s just,” he hesitates, and there’s that odd scrutiny again. “I wasn’t expecting you to be alone.” 

“On a Sunday evening?” The first bite of the cake tastes like sweet comfort over the taste of despondency, and you send a silent thanks to Jason. “I spent the day napping.”

“Well, after the show I just watched,” he says, quite slyly in your opinion. “I wasn’t even sure if you’d be home.”

“I didn’t know you were interested in dating shows.” You’re aware your tone is more than a little petulant, but Lucien only laughs around a mouthful of the cake. 

“I am if you’re in one,” he retorts. “This is quite nice, by the way.” 

“The director, Jason sent it. And, honestly, it wasn’t planned. We were supposed to have Kai and Hollow on, but they ended up clashing horribly. Jason asked me and Victor was around, so…” you trail off, uncomfortable. 

“Is that why you texted me that day?” He seems to have remembered your message, and you wince slightly. You had texted him later with an apology, but hadn’t really expected him to cotton on. He doesn't look mad, just expectant.

“Well, yes, but Jason wanted, he wanted Victor.” Stumbling over your words, heat suffuses your skin as you flounder for a moment.

Lucien watches you with the eyes of a fox and the understanding of a good friend. “Just Jason?”

“Huh?”

“Was it just Jason who wanted Victor?” he asks, tilting his head as your mouth purses. 

No, no, of course it wasn’t. You stare down at your half-eaten cake, the other half of it beginning to churn in your stomach. His small, soft smiles. His scent. His rants on street food and the way he dragged you away from food that would ‘absolutely make you ill, you absolute dummy’ as Jason resigned himself to having to cut all of that out. It all comes back in a rush, your head left feeling heavy.

And then it feels the weight of a hand, as Lucien reaches over to pat it gently. “Never mind. Why don’t you get your organizer and we can go over tomorrow’s episode?” 

Relieved, grateful and slightly emotional over his silent acceptance, you rush to your bedroom to find your notebook and laptop, barely catching the light of your phone screen before it went black. Unplugging and checking it as you exited the room with your materials in hand, your train of thought comes to a screeching halt.

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Victor [21:59]: Do you really believe that?

Victor (2 missed calls)

Victor [22:15]: Y/n.

Victor [22:16]: ...Did you fall asleep?

Victor [22:18]: Dummy. Goodnight. 

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Unwilling to delve into what his first text means, you shift your thick planner in your arms and type a quick reply. 

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Y/N [22:19]: Hi! Sorry. I went to get something to eat and then Lucien dropped by. We’re going to get to work haha ^^

Victor [22:19]: …

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You wait for a whole minute before Lucien calls for you, and let your hand fall, phone locked, with a sigh. 

Well, at least he’ll be happy to hear you’re working hard.

Sinking into familiar, engaging discussions with Lucien is easy. Even with the thoughts of Victor looming at the back of your mind, you straighten out a plan for the shoot. Lucien listens to your input carefully, adding his own notes as you squint at yours. His voice, familiar and soothing, lulls you, distracting you from yourself for a short while.

Before you know it, it’s eleven and you’ve got a fantastic plan in hand. 

“I’m sorry I kept you so late,” you say for the second time in a minute, and he gives you an exasperated look. “And thank you.” 

“I’ve told you, there’s no need for all that between us,” Lucien repeats, crossing one long leg over the other as he adopts a thoughtful look. “However, perhaps you could satisfy my curiosity regarding one thing.”

“What is it?” 

You were prepared for a philosophical question. What he comes up with is, in your opinion, way more difficult to answer. 

“Why aren’t you with Victor?” he asks seriously. You blink, uncomprehending.

“Like, right now?” 

“Right now, or in general. I didn’t think he would just...let you be,” Lucien mutters the last part under his breath, but you still catch it. He continues to say something about possessive bastards, but you’re not touching that.

“I think you’ve misunderstood,” you say, slowly, with a nervous laugh, shoulders hunching a little. “All of that was just for the camera. Victor and I aren’t like that.” 

“But you have feelings for him,” Lucien points out, cutting straight to the heart of the matter and yours. Really, this is almost cruel. Lucien turns to face you fully as you sigh and sink back into the couch. 

“I do.” It’s the first time you’ve admitted it out loud. Sure, some of the people in your life have had an idea, but you’ve never said it. Lucien seems like a good person to start with. “But he doesn’t feel the same way, so.” 

And you’ve never said that out loud either. It hurts, as you put it out into the universe. As if shying away from it before would have increased your chances. 

Lucien looks at you oddly. “Did he say that? Because the way he looks at you says otherwise. It’s quite embarrassing.”

You feel heat creeping up the back of your neck.

“I’ve never told him how I feel,” you mumble, pressing the side of your cheek into the soft fabric, hoping it would swallow you up. 

“Then how do you know how he feels?” Lucien continues to probe, and you exhale forcefully because it’s so clear to you; why isn’t it ever as clear to everyone else? 

And Lucien is supposed to be your smart friend!

‘Well, there’s also someone else in his life but I can’t exactly say that.’

“Because it’s Victor,” you declare with an emphatic sweep of your hands, hoping it would somehow get your point across, that it would explain how unattainable he is. Just as you do, two things happen successively. 

One: Lucien looks at you as if he wants to boink you on the head or laugh really loudly. He does neither, but his mouth twitches violently.

And two: there’s a series of loud, heavy knocks on your door, before the culprit seems to remember you have a doorbell and rings that instead. It only rings once, but you can sense that the person is still there.

Exchanging alarmed looks with Lucien, you rise to your feet and shuffle towards the door.

“Let me,” Lucien murmurs, stopping you before you can reach the entrance, and steps forward to look through the peephole. His only reaction is a quick, sharp exhale before he steps back to unlock the door. 

Without telling you who was just knocking at your door like a maniac. 

“Wait, who i-” the words fall away with your panicked thoughts, as Lucien opens the door to reveal your uninvited visitor.

It really is Victor this time, with his chest heaving as if he’d run up the stairs. Victor, with his inky hair pushed back carelessly, in dark grey sweats and a light grey t-shirt and indoor slippers. 

Victor, with a furious look in his eyes as he pushes past Lucien, who looks a little too entertained in the face of such ire. 

“Sorry to intrude on your cosy evening,” he says, after a short pause, through clenched teeth. You stare at him in disbelief, unable to form actual words at the moment. It feels as if a concentrated storm itself has swept into your living room, ready to swallow you up. 

Of course, a part of you would be more than okay with that. Even with that knife-sharp glint in his eyes, you can’t help but want to throw yourself at it, let it graze the softest parts of you, in an emotional variation of bloodletting. 

Sometimes you surprise yourself with the things you think.

Maybe you should’ve changed into nicer pyjamas after all, damn it.

“Victor? What-is everything okay?” You look him over carefully, seeing no visible signs of injury. The stony look on his face, however, keeps you from coming too close. What could you possibly have done now?

Swiftly, you run through a list of work-related tasks. Nope. Nothing. You’ve been sure to give it your all this week just so Victor wouldn’t feel the need to call you.

Even now, though, something under your skin starts buzzing, as it always does when his entire attention is on you.

“Yes. Why wouldn’t everything be okay?” he says mutinously, crossing his arms over his chest. Okay, you’re sensing more than a little hostility here. 

And, because life is unfair, bitchy is also a good look on Victor.

“Well,” you draw out, looking past him at Lucien, who shrugs lightly. Victor frowns at the exchange. He levels a downright lethal glare at Lucien, who tilts his head in clear interest. Kinda hot, but you should probably keep that to yourself lest you push Victor to the point of spitting fire. “It’s...late...and you’re here…?”

That has his mouth doing that little spasm it does when he’s pissed. “And I notice I’m not the only one. What, is it just me who’s barred from coming to your place this late?” 

“Well, n-no,” you stammer, looking once more at Lucien who seems content to watch and be unhelpful. “But Lucien was just here to talk about tomorrow’s episode.” 

Why are you here? 

The question seems to hang in the air, unsaid yet clear. 

Victor says nothing, standing tall in your living room like an indignant matron. You feel helpless, confused, elated and increasingly offended because of the implication in his words that only catches up to you now.

You pick the path of offense.

“But what, exactly, did you think Lucien was doing here?” you ask, your tone turning decidedly cooler. He returns your glare. Behind him, you see Lucien trying to hide a smile. “You seem to be under the impression that I make it a habit of entertaining people in my evenings?” 

Victor blinks at that, arms coming loose, and you hold up a hand.

“And even if I did want to have friends over at night,” you say loudly, through gritted teeth. “What business is it of yours?” 

“It’s inappropriate,” he insists. 

“No, what’s inappropriate is you coming into my house and telling me who I should, or should not, be spending time with, regardless of the time.” Much to your frustration, you find yourself blinking back tears as your voice cracks towards the end. 

Victor deflates at that, the ice in his expression melting in the face of your furious tears; Lucien, concern clear on his face, takes a step towards you. Your eyes squeeze shut, as if that would hide you from them; anger and embarrassment war within you at not only crying in front of Victor, but to have a quiet Lucien witnessing this ridiculous drama. 

Where did your peaceful day go?

You hear footsteps, hesitant and barely audible, come closer, feel the heat from a body as it nears yours. 

“I’m sorry. I’ll leave.” It’s Victor.

Your eyes snap open to the sight of his back, your feet carrying you forward without the aid of your thoughts, a hand curling loosely into his t-shirt. 

Leave? Just like that? 

He stops in his tracks, looking back down at you in surprise. You’re not sure what he sees as you keep your eyes fixed on his shoulder, but it makes him sigh softly.

A thumb wipes under your eyes, gentle, and strong arms wrap around you carefully, pulling you into an—unreasonably broad, you think—chest; his comforting scent envelopes you, pulling you back from the edge. 

It’s frustrating. You want to yell at him for barging in like a lunatic. But you don’t want him to leave. You want to sink into his steady embrace and allow the solace it brings.

With your face pressed to his t-shirt, you miss the way he looks back at Lucien, who nods and turns to leave, but not before holding Victor’s gaze for a moment longer—you don’t see the warmth drain from his face, the vicious warning warning clear in his eyes. 

Victor pulls you closer, nodding once. 

If Lucien’s answering smile is a touch more resigned than amused, neither of them can really acknowledge it. 

You try to pull back when you hear the door close gently, but Victor cards a hand through your hair and you slump back into his embrace. 

“I’m sorry,” he repeats, stroking your hair, with a gentle hesitance uncharacteristic for the decisive man. “That was...extremely inappropriate of me. I should not have done that. I can leave. I should.”

He should. But neither of you move. His heart beats a little faster, the sound clearer the longer your ear remains pressed into his chest. 

With cotton in your mouth, your mind totally mush with the knowledge that Victor’s hugging you, and with the little voice yelling that he does not get to hold you after driving you to tears—it takes you a moment to form a response. 

But you can’t resist. “So what you’re saying is you made an impulsive decision.” 

The soft motions of his hand pause before he huffs into your hair. There’s no other response, and it makes you smile a little.

“Why did you?” you finally ask. Victor quite visibly lost his cool. While he did seem to have something against Lucien, this was a bit much. You hadn’t been aware that the hostility ran this deep.

He tucks your head under his chin, the arm around your waist tightening, and as the anger subsides, your face begins to heat up as you realize how intimate this is. But Victor seems content to stay like this, and your heart hammers when you feel something brush the crown of your head. 

“Dummy,” he mutters, and yes, his words are slightly muffled by your hair, and you feel the urge to stick your head in the refrigerator. “You had that guy over this late at night. Do you really need to ask?” 

“It’s just Lucien,” you respond, and this time he lets you pull your head away to look at you with abject disbelief. 

“Just? There’s no just with that guy.” He seems serious, so you swallow the laughter bubbling up.

“Lucien is a dear friend,” you assure him. “You were really that worried about it?”

“Worried,” Victor repeats, staring at you. Your confusion is clear in your face, as the feeling that you’re missing something creeps in. “Worried. Yes. I was worried.” 

You nod encouragingly, and take a quick step back when he laughs. It isn’t one of his airy laughs, that escapes him when he finds something funny. It’s low, almost strangled—and then he steps forward, expression melting into sheer intent. 

When he speaks, his voice is a full octave lower and it scrambles your brains with shameful ease.

“Since he was the one you considered over me for our date that day. Yes, I suppose I was worried,” he muses, matching every unsteady step you take backwards with one towards you. You refrain from pointing out that it was for a show, and all too soon, the back of the sofa hits your hips and Victor looms over you. 

You tuck the part about him knowing you wanted to ask Lucien first away for later. Victor, his soothing scent, the heat from his breath, his tempestuous gaze—your senses flood with him.

“Y-yeah. But you didn’t need to be, he always helps us out,” you point out confusedly, and he gives you a familiar, unimpressed look that brings a small, and odd, measure of relief. 

“What kind of a person would I be,” he says, and your stomach swoops as he leans over you, hands resting on the top of the sofa as you lean back. “If I let dangerous men like him think they have a chance with you?” 

“Dangerous? He’s…” The rest of his words catch up and you can’t think, tongue struggling to form coherent speech. “Not...dangerous?” 

“Too dangerous,” he murmurs, lips brushing over your temple. Something in the back of your throat trembles. “Even if I don’t have the right, I…”

He doesn’t continue.

Holding your breath, you count to five before releasing it, pulse beating an anticipatory beat in your veins. “Why should anyone think they don’t have a chance with me?” 

You know he hasn’t, but with how everything in you stills after asking that question, you wonder if he stopped time.

You’re not sure if it’s the right question to have asked, or the worst.

But it gives him pause, and when the tip of your tongue slips out to wet your lips, his eyes slide down to your mouth. A large hand slides up your spine to rest at the back of your head, your skin erupting with goosebumps at the touch. 

Your lips part on the softest sound and it makes something rumble in his chest, quiet but clear with how close he is. 

It gives you what you’ve been dreaming of—Victor’s lips falling over yours, soft, with a rushed breath and fervent eyes, something desperate at the edge of it. Everything goes quiet, with only your blood pounding in your ears. It feels as if every inch of you is awake in a tingly sort of way, your thoughts deserting you at the way he looks at you, ready to devour. 

There’s hunger in his eyes, and you feel faint when it hits you.

It’s also his answer, you realize, mouth opening to say something, anything, and he pulls you back, kissing you fiercely. Something in you caves, spilling into your blood, setting it alight with a burst of sparking desire.

Victor kisses with his entire body, like he does everything else: controlling every inch of it, sweeping your mind clean, licking into your mouth with the determination that drives his every action, to conquer.

But you’ve been determined to match him since the day you first met him, all too eager to push back and clash. You don’t mind the clack of teeth, the lack of rhythm, and Victor only presses in harder as your arms slide over his shoulders, fingers weaving into his hair. Your tongue is a sly thing that licks along his, your mouth a clever warm weapon that sucks at it, and he unravels. 

Hands that were so careful lose their caution as they dig into the sides of your hips, slinking down and hooking around your thighs as he lifts you up, your legs wrapping around his waist.

“You’re not stopping me,” he rasps against your lips, almost questioning, pupils blown wide. He looks so good you might just lose your mind, and this is after a kiss.

Taking a page out of his book, you kiss him again. 

He carries you around the sofa—with a strength you’ll be sure to admire deeply once you’ve regained the ability to form thoughts—even as he sucks bruises into the delicate skin of your neck, sitting down with you sinking into his lap. 

You’re shivering, you realize, at this sudden fulfilment of a desperate, impossible wish. Your knees press into the sides of his thighs as Victor kisses the corners of your mouth, the curve of your upper lip, the plush, swollen jut of your lower lip—and you feel deliriously drunk. 

He watches you carefully.

“Oh,” you say, half-slurring, kissed stupid. “That’s why.”

“Hm,” he agrees, nuzzling the side of your face. His eyes are bright, his arms a grounding touch around your back. “No one should think they get to have this.” 

“No one but you?” It’s meant to be clever, sharper, but it comes out shy instead. He nips at the shell of your ear, and you can’t bring yourself to be mad about it. 

“If you allow it,” he confirms. He presses his lips to the soft skin behind your ear.

Something swells within you, sweet, sudden and threatening to dissolve you into tears. It breaks open, everything you’ve worked so hard to suppress spilling out like hoarded treasure out of a box now too small to hold it.

“I like you.” It comes out in a rush, and you slap your hands over your face. This time, his low chuckle rings clear in your ears. But when your breath hitches on a sob, his grip on you tightens, lips finding your forehead. “I really like you. So much. I have for a while. At the fair, all of it, I wasn’t...wasn’t acting.” 

“What, and you thought I was?” He looks a little offended when you take a peek at his face. But the sight of his ruffled hair and kissed-puffy lips sends a hot, thrilled jolt through you, and you have to restrain yourself from pouncing. “I have many skills. Acting, admittedly, is not one of them.”

“I thought maybe it was a hidden passion or something,” you mutter, trying to repress a wet laugh at the withering look he gives you, gentle hands wiping at your eyes. “What, you were great!”

“Nope. That was all real,” he declares, pulling you in to rest against him, your head on his shoulder. You feel a little awkward, but that’s mostly outweighed by how much you want to stay here. “...well, maybe I was a little…”

“Nicer than usual?” you offer, and he huffs into your hair. “Cheesy, like you binge-read several romance novels the night before?”

“Cheesy?” He protests, and you laugh with warmth building and rushing through you. “I thought you liked all that.” 

“I do.” This time, the kiss he presses into the crown of your head is firmer. 

“Then I’ll do it.” You look up at him, a little enchanted, a little bewildered, but the former wins out as the corners of his mouth curl up. “Every silly thing you want to do. Oh, and I really like you too.” It’s almost a scoff, but the tremor in his voice and the flush that spreads across his skin speaks his truth.

“Really?” you ask, your grin a little mad and ridiculously beatific. It feels unreal, the joy and relief spreading through you; he pecks the tip of your nose.

“Have I ever given you reason to doubt me?” Victor asks, and the solemn sincerity in his voice prompts you to deliver a loud, smacking kiss to his cheek, just because you can. To your unending joy, the lobes of his ears are almost impossibly red. 

“Never,” you assure him, peppering more kisses over his skin, fascinating by the sight of him pinkening. A thought strikes you, dampening your rising spirits. “I thought...thought there was someone else.” 

He makes a soft, surprised noise in his throat, disbelief winning out over the tenderness for a moment. “Who?”

“I don’t know!” You press your face into the side of his neck, inhaling his comforting scent, hoping it would help with the remnants of hurt. “Some mystery goddess.” 

He’s quiet as you nuzzle his rapidly warming skin, feeling the first hints of sheer mortification settle in at the way your voice just cracked. He whispers something. 

“Sorry?” 

Victor clears his throat. “Just you.” He buries his nose in your hair before you have the chance to lean back like you want to. “It’s only ever been you.” 

Not expecting the sincere confession, it feels as if the breath was punched out of you.  “Why didn’t you ever say anything?” 

He toys with a strand of your hair, curling it absently around a finger. “I didn’t want to overstep. And to make you feel like you had to reciprocate.” 

You stay silent, sensing that he has more to say, even though you want nothing more than to wrap yourself around him and never let go.

“I’ll admit that I feared you would feel pressured to be with me. And that would...I would rather see you happy with someone else, than see you miserable with me.”

“I could never be miserable with you,” you protest at once, feeling almost offended by the mere suggestion. 

“I’m not...I know I can be difficult.” The words fall out in a rushed exhale, as if he wants to get them out before they can be swallowed; you feel weak with the force of your emotions. “But I can try for you. I did that day. I wanted you to relax, to have fun, like you do with your friends. I didn’t want you to be so...cautious.” 

It’s true, you realize guiltily, that there are times where you can’t completely relax in Victor’s company. Those are the days where your feelings sit a little heavier in your stomach, when his words strike a little sharper. The thought of disappointing him, of doing something not to his taste, of judgment, held you back. 

But the day of the fair had been different. He met you halfway, maybe even more than that, and never said a word of complaint. You’d assumed that had been for the camera, though.

“Please,” he says with a roll of his eyes, and you realize you’d said that out loud. “No, that was…” He lowers his gaze, long lashes fanning over the tops of his cheekbones. “That was to show you that you can have fun with me too. I...like you. The way you are. Every bit. The determined, unyielding parts.”

You stare at him.

“The hurting, unsure parts,” he says, a little quieter. “The silly, ridiculously cute parts—don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what,” you ask, your overworked mind trying to process his words, knowing your smile is probably embarrassingly dopey. 

He scowls at you. “Just be yourself with me. Dummy is fine.” 

“Victor,” you exclaim all of a sudden, startling him. “How am I supposed to stay standing in the face of you saying things like that?” 

He rolls his eyes again. “First of all, you’re sitting right now, and I don’t plan to let you move for a while.” Predictably, you feel a little lightheaded at that. “And as for the future...then don’t try to stand, dummy. You can just rest here.” He pulls your head to rest on his shoulder, patting it firmly.

“I’m going to die,” you say with absolute certainty into his shoulder. “I can’t survive this.” 

“You have to,” he mutters dryly, tucking you more firmly against him. “Haven’t you seen the discussions? Our ‘love story’ can’t end in your death, too many would be left devastated.” 

“Including you?” The look you direct at him is positively vulpine, and he snorts, pushing your head back down. Bully. 

The titillated fluttering in your stomach makes you smile.

“...I can’t become a widower before we even get married,” he says solemnly, and you can nearly feel the blood drain from your face as you rear back. 

The corners of his mouth twitch with something like mischief, and the smack you deliver to his bicep is perfectly justified. 

The undoubtedly chiselled muscle you feel very briefly will also require further rumination once you’re alone.

He’s cracking marriage jokes, no doubt referring to the few comments gushing about a secret wedding. An hour ago, you had been under the impression that he was madly in love with some mystery figure. 

Like a bird just freed, your heart flutters at the thought of him having feelings for you.

“Say it again.” 

To his credit, he doesn’t do you the disservice of pretending he doesn’t know what you’re asking for. He clears his throat, eyes flicking to the side before finding their way back to yours. 

“I like you,” he says, a little lower, a lot deeper. “Dummy.” 

You wish you could see what your face was doing, because it makes his eyes go really, really soft. Now that you aren’t weighed down by the frantic need to hide your feelings from one of the most astute people you’ve ever met, you feel like you could float away the way you’ve seen Gavin do, just from how free and happy you feel.

“Just for the record,” you say quietly. “I like you the way you are too.”

“Hm?”

“Even when you’re being a jerk.” He tweaks your ear lightly, rolling his eyes when you giggle. Your heart beats a harsh beat as you try to come up with the right words. “But you’re also the best man I know. When you have it together, and when you don’t—I’ll be there for you. Always.” The way he’s always been there for you.

He kisses the tip of your nose, his pretty eyes a little shinier than before.

“We should aim for a real date first.” He sounds decisive, and a little hoarse.

“...I have a list of places I thought would be good for our first date,” you admit, eyes still locked with his despite your shy admission. He looks pleased, always happy when you take the initiative, and you watch his mouth do that tender thing for a second before leaning in for a swift kiss, catching his lower lip between your teeth as you pull away.

“Good.” His head falls back onto the sofa as your lips trail down his neck curiously, mouthing at the slope of his adam’s apple. Just because you can. “Send it to me.”

“Good,” you murmur, breath hitching in your throat as his hands curl over your waist, skimming the hem of your sweatshirt. “We’re doing this, then.” 

“Most definitely.” With how throaty his voice has gotten as you reach his clavicle, a gentle explorer, you’re not sure words will be your allies for much longer.

“Will you be my boyfriend then, Mr. CEO?” you ask playfully, tasting the words in your mouth. Victor makes a soft, content sound in his throat. 

“I’m all yours,” he affirms, relishing the words in his mouth, raising his head to look at you through hooded eyes. You both know it, just a little, but saying the words brings a giddy, vulnerable sort of feeling with them. “And you…”

With no need for hope, just certainty, you rise up to kiss him softly. 

“I’m yours.” 

BTS:

Goldman stares at Jason in horrified disbelief, shocked by the words that had just left the director’s mouth. He glances at his boss, whose only reaction had been to cock a brow. 

“Would you be open to replacing Kai?”

“I’m...not really one for such shows,” Victor says, quite delicately in Goldman’s opinion, knowing the man usually has no qualms about being savagely blunt.

“I’m aware. I just thought it would be something different, something that would let people see a different side of you,” Jason explains, still completely at ease. 

Victor’s expression makes it quite clear he doesn’t care about people seeing other sides of him.

“Who’s the other participant? Did Hollow come back?” Goldman asks, curious despite himself.  In his very personal opinion, which he will definitely be keeping to himself, it might be nice for Victor’s image if people saw he isn’t always heartless. 

“Oh, no. She didn’t,” Jason says pleasantly. But the look in his eyes is almost hawklike as he keeps them locked on Victor. “I asked Y/n to do it instead. She agreed.” 

Now, to the untrained eye, Victor gives no outward reaction to that statement. 

But Goldman sees the way his brow twitches, the way his lips purse the slightest bit. He wonders if Jason, as a director with many years of experience under his belt, caught it too. 

“She agreed?” Victor asks, sounding as if he doesn’t quite believe it. 

“Yes,” Jason answers, suddenly distracted as he glances at his wristwatch. He sighs, a touch too dramatic to be convincing, but Goldman doesn’t think Victor cares about that. “But I understand. We wouldn’t want you to do something you’re not interested in. I have to go check on her, we’ll keep you updated.”

Something is happening here, Goldman realizes. Jason isn’t rushing out, but seems to be waiting for something. 

Victor, staring at the surface of the coffee table, is struggling. 

Goldman struggles too. He struggles not to roll his eyes in abject exasperation, to pray for divine patience. Why is he like this? Of course, to step into such an obvious trap surely goes against all the instincts he’s honed over the years, but none of that matters when it comes to the delicate matters of the heart! 

Instead, he catches Jason’s eyes, pushing his glasses up his nose, eyes glinting. 

“But who else would you ask to step in on such short notice?” Goldman asks, pointedly. 

And finally, Goldman holds his breath as the ghost of a smirk passes over Jason’s mouth.

This is it.

“Oh, it shouldn’t be a problem. Y/n said she could call Professor Lucien, having already guessed Victor wouldn’t be, um, up for it. She really knows you well, huh?” Jason informs them cheerfully, and even Goldman isn’t expecting that. He thought Jason would go for the ‘who will help poor y/n’ route.

It’s obvious manipulation, and they all know it. Knowing Victor, he will stubbornly refuse to give in and suffer for it. At least, the way he’s glaring at Jason seems to indicate that.

Goldman rushes through several justifications in his head, forming a rapidly coherent argument as to why he should do it, carefully keeping ‘if you don’t want to see her with someone else, suck it up’ and ‘please, please, watching you sulk is really sad I can’t do it’ off the list. 

Surely, Victor wouldn’t let the sexy professor sweep you off your feet? He’s heard the man talk, that kind of smooth talk should not be allowed and holy hell, Jason has played this really well. 

“They do get along well, so it should work,” Jason muses, slathering a little more icing on his three-tier cake of clear-cut manipulation, drama, and subterfuge.

“I’ll do it.” It’s said through a tightened jaw, but it rings clear in the silence of the room. Goldman abandons his mental speech, head whipping around to stare at Victor.

“Oh?” Jason sounds genuinely surprised, as if he hadn’t been aiming for this from the start. 

“Yes,” comes the answer, leaving no room for argument. 

“Are you sure?” Jason asks, oddly somber, finally abandoning the pretense. So he is in possession of some morals, who would have thought?

“Give me the briefing,” Victor says, shoulders set in a firm, determined line Goldman is all too familiar with. 

Jason relaxes into his seat, relief clear in his face. 

And as Victor turns to him, giving him specific instructions about his outfit, cologne and flowers, determined to do this right with that familiar, besotted spark in his eye, Goldman feels warm pride trickle in. 

‘We’re gonna get you the girl, boss.’

Aaaaaaand...CUT. 

I know the last behind the scenes thing wasn’t really needed but I had to 

Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it!

[thatsjustsupergirl]

rewatching 6x11 for podcast prep so let’s have some fun this beat is sick

no really, the score for this magic battle is great i love it

we had originally planned to do an episode about all the series references to harry potter over the hiatus and now i’m so very sad we didn’t bECAUSE,,,,,,

mxy is laying out this ye olde folktale like we’re about to get deathly hallow’d

anyway then we get some speedy setup for the main question of the season, which is: what ultimately gives us power— our abilities or what we choose to do with them?

fun fact this concept was also relevant to kara’s arc in season 3 when she was stuck in her mind palace and that was also a harry potter nod [x]

you all have no idea how many unprompted musical interludes we cut from our show but mxy attempting to sing his exposition here truly sparked joy

Every time they mention that Nyxly’s brother is named “Jared,” my brain immediately cuts to this SNL sketch:

who are you, nyxly?

ANYWAY,

we’re also going to search for horcruxes i guess because there are seven totems but apparently they can be anything so i really hope they go for a visual gag like the pieces of eight from pirates of the caribbean world’s end because those were literal pocket litter

hey neat mxy explaining this whole blood requirement for magic that will definitely not be relevant again later in this episode 😈🧙🏻

and then, what’s this? a golden child and a scapegoat? surely that’s not a thing that happens in families with narcissistic parents and we are in no way being set up for more foil character stuff 👀

oh nia, your mom was right about the level of screw-up you did, but also your hair looks amazing

also the show has been going hard on Into the Woods motifs since 6x09 and here we have a cool subversion of Your Fault in which everyone feels overly responsible for what’s happened instead of trying to deflect the blame onto each other

a song that is, delightfully, interrupted by the Witch so she can gloat about how they’re all going to be squashed flat by a giant so i mean. giant cat works?

awww, this whole storyline with brainy and nia was so good we love healthy communication

also, the scene with nia and kara??? HEART EYES

hey look it’s those two friends who thought that using the most romantic line in "titanic" to seal their bond was somehow not even a little bit gay but this episode written by queer people knows exactly how gay it was and i just think that’s beautiful

i have been joking for literally three years about how they’ve been using elements of Wicked in this series and it’s always been tied to lena, so i am fucking rolling with laughter at this having a sudden and unexpected payoff

okay so that scene with kara jumping back afraid @ the phantom zone projector was was such a good reveal of how very Not Okay she is (and how not okay alex is either), and then her determination to Fix Everything even though she can’t is another part of that :(

really loving nyxly being like SOCIAL DISTANCING! with every zap of magic at her minion pal

was a cat the cheapest render they could get??? like. don’t get me wrong it’s so damn chaotic and weird and a way nyxly would get under kara’s skin but also it screams "i am conserving my budget"

nia has such fun mix of both kara and alex’s worst self-sacrificing qualities; also we love brainy using his unfortunate family legacy powers for good

nyxly is out here looking like a female jack sparrow and i so want this now

andrea like "the unknown is always scarier than the truth" tHIS IS ALSO RELEVANT TO INTO THE WOODS so i’m glad we’re leaning into all the witch stories all at once

speaking of which, they have held out for so long on doing a typically dramatic adoption-oriented storyline about birth parents and i’m frankly so glad they just went all in on making it as ridiculously campy as silver banshee’s origin story in season one i am hERE FOR IT

bonus points for the super 90s Practical Magic vibe to all the "lena’s mom" images and also for you have your mother’s eyes but to the extreme

nyxly @ mxy like

i really loved the conclusion to mxy’s arc that they put in this episode??? he’s so touched that they all want to help him and then he decides to help them in return even though it comes at great personal cost we love to see this continued depiction of kara’s legacy as a hero and that it’s really her compassion and willingness to Hope that are the winning factors

also, nia. my beautiful daughter. please hire me to interpret your dreams because i’m pretty sure you’re seeing a hint that you need lena to destroy that orb

[haberdashing]

A Humble Abode

Jon and Martin learn the backstory behind Daisy’s Scottish safehouse. Inspired by this tumblr post (spoilers).

on AO3

“You must be Nancy’s boy then?”

It was Jon and Martin’s fourth visit to the village... well, technically Martin’s fourth and Jon’s third, as Jon had opted to skip the second go-around; he’d worried that he’d stick out like a sore thumb, even more than Martin alone would in a town as small as this one where new people didn’t exactly show up every day. Given that the villager (a middle-aged woman with gentle eyes whose name Jon didn’t know) was looking up at Martin as she asked the question, though, Martin’s presence evidently hadn’t gone unremarked upon either.

Jon glanced over at Martin, had his gaze returned before Martin looked back at the woman who’d asked the question and broke into a soft, shaky laugh.

“What gave it away?”

The woman didn’t so much as blink an eye. “You’ve been coming from her house, haven’t you? Well, her old house, the one up on the hill, though I assume now...”

Her speech trailed off, but Martin didn’t hesitate to pick up the missing pieces.

“It’s ours now, yeah.” Martin’s hand brushed against Jon’s when he said the word ours. “Though it’s been, er, a bit of a difficult ride to get that far. I don’t know how much she told all of you... did she ever- ever mention me, by chance?”

Jon looked over at Martin again, but this time Martin’s gaze remained focused on his current conversation partner instead of him.

The woman shook her head. “Only in passing. Your mother was always a very private person, especially when it came to her family life, what brought her up here in the first place... I wouldn’t take it personally.”

“Honestly, it’s good to hear we had something in common there, at least.” Another laugh from Martin, this one a bit fuller, a bit more genuine. “The name’s Martin, by the way, and this is Jon. Now, if you don’t mind...?”

“Oh sure, sure, don’t let me keep you. And I’m Sandy; it’s nice to meet you, Martin and Jon.”

It wasn’t until after they finished getting groceries, when the two of them were far enough along on their walk home that they weren’t risking being overheard, that Jon and Martin discussed the matter.

Jon hadn’t been expecting Martin to speak up before he could get around to it, truth be told, but Martin plunged ahead anyway at the first sign of a lull in the conversation.

“So who the hell is Nancy?”

Jon blinked a couple times in surprise before realizing what Martin was referring to. “Your mother, apparently.”

“I promise you, my mother never lived in the Scottish Highlands, of all places.”

“That’s not what you told Sandy.”

“Well, no, I wasn’t going to... hang on, did you actually think I was telling the truth there?”

Jon didn’t say anything, but the way his face heated up said enough for him.

“I just figured playing along was better than the alternative! Do you really want people asking why two strangers are suddenly living in ‘Nancy’s house’?”

“Well, no, but- ‘did she ever mention me?’“

“Yeah, I wanted to know if I needed to- to go by a fake name or something, to make sure I kept the story straight! Not... Christ, Jon, you’re ridiculous.”

Jon waved his hands in the air in protest. “I’m ridiculous?”

“We’re both ridiculous, if that makes you feel any better.”

It didn’t, really, but Martin grabbed Jon’s hand as he spoke, and that did make Jon feel better, at least a small bit.

They walked for a moment in silence before Martin spoke up again, his tone a bit more solemn than before.

“I don’t suppose ‘Nancy’ is just the name Daisy used when buying the house, and that woman happens to be really bad at guessing ages?”

Jon snorted at the mental image of Daisy being assumed to be Martin’s mother, though his heart wasn’t really in it, not now that the knowledge of the truth was starting to trickle in. “No, I’m afraid not.”

“So we’re- we’re living in a dead woman’s house, then, is it?” Martin gestured up at the house in question, which wasn’t all that far off now.

“I mean, when you think about it, most houses have been a dead person’s house at some point in time. Especially around here.”

“Not what I meant, and you know it.” There was no real fire in Martin’s voice, despite the protesting words.

“...fair enough.”

“Did- did Daisy really kill some sweet old woman named Nancy, er-”

“Houlihan.” Jon hadn’t meant to speak, really, not out loud, not so Martin could hear, but evidently his voice traveled enough for Martin to make out that he had spoken, because Martin was looking back at him with a strange expression on his face.

“Sorry?”

“That was her name- her, her full name. Nancy Houlihan.”

“...right.” Martin wrinkled his nose a bit. “Forgot you can just- Know things like that sometimes.”

“Sometimes even when I didn’t ask to Know in the first place.” Jon’s laugh was a bitter one, and he shook his head a little as the two kept walking.

“So did Daisy really kill sweet old Nancy Houlihan just to get herself a new safehouse?”

The information was coming whether Jon wanted it or not now, pictures as well as words, some more directly related than others: a few seconds of Daisy and Nancy fighting, then the amount of times Nancy left her house between the hours of midnight and dawn, then an old photograph of Nancy with her arm around her teenage son (whose only resemblance to Martin lay in his freckles), then the date that the two fought and that said date was the night of a full moon...

“I don’t think Daisy did it just to get the safehouse. I think that was just... a bit of a bonus.”

“Then why would she go after-”

“Do you really want to know?”

Maybe there was something in Jon’s eyes, a weariness showing from the knowledge being poured into him against his will, but just staring at Martin for a moment was enough to get him to back off a bit, hands raised above his head.

“No, not- not really. Just... I guess it explains some things? And leads to more questions, too. Like-”

Martin opened the front door and the two of them began putting away their groceries, but the conversation continued just the same.

“I always kind of wondered why this place was so... cozy? It really doesn’t seem like Daisy’s style, you know?”

Jon shook his head, his laugh genuine as he added, “It’s really not.”

“So I guess this must all be Nancy’s style, then, but I’ve never seen any- any old photos, or papers with her name on them-”

“Daisy burned them all. Didn’t want any way to trace the home back to its former occupant.”

“That makes sense, I suppose...suppose we should be glad she didn’t think to ask the villagers, eh?”

“Hmm?”

“Or she’d have to, what, burn them too? Just a big bonfire of everybody who knew about Nancy Houlihan?”

Martin’s tone was light, joking. Jon wasn’t so sure Daisy destroying everybody in her path was proper humorous material. He didn’t speak up, but his silence spoke volumes in and of itself.

“I guess it’s a good thing it worked out this way, so we’d have somewhere to go, at least. And somewhere so nice, too. Thanks, Nancy, I guess.”

Jon nodded, echoing the words with a bit more solemnity than Martin had put into them. “Thank you, Nancy Houlihan.”

[ivanaskye]

I’ve been thinking about making this post for a while, since I finished reading Wheel of Time, a series whose first book I read many years ago and hated, a series which ended up being very much one of my favorite of all time if not my single favorite, a series that has my two favorite characters ever.

A series that is very flawed.

So behold, my long answer to the question...

Should you read The Wheel of Time?

I’ll split this into three sections (but not three posts): What Even Is The Wheel Of Time, Some Likely Dealbreakers, and Tl;Dr.

Under the readmore, of course.

1. What Even Is The Wheel of Time?

A system of circular time in which the same rough eras of humanity repeat

However, the fact that time in the series operates this way... doesn’t actually matter that much.

And out of seven total repeating ages, we only spend time in one, and only know anything at all about four others.

The last three? A mystery

Don’t worry about it

Okay, that’s probably not what you were asking. You were probably asking something more like: what’s the plot of this series?

Let me be straight with you about that one.

It’s a Chosen One plot.

But,

It also has a very large cast of characters, many of which are very Protagonist in their own right

Including the main character’s immediate foil, who is absolutely not a “Chosen One” except for the fact that she freaking chose herself, basically manufacturing her own call to adventure out of the main character’s. 

The six Most Main characters (by most fans’ understanding), can IMO be divided exactly into three foil-pairs: the Central Saving The World one, the Self Awareness Whomst? I Hate People Of Course I’d Never Help Anyone (Trips over 139289131 Pictures of Helping Other People) one, and the Study In Leadership one.

And remember that Chosen One I mentioned?

Yeah, he actually has a shit deal with being Chosen

Specifically: he is 100% prophecized to destroy the world. Whether he also saves it is a little more up in the air.

He’s also almost certainly fated to Go Insane.

(...Which is why the first ~3 books of the series are just him Running Away From His Fate at Full Speed, which--spoiler alert--Does Not Work.)

See also: Alienating All Your Friends 101, How NOT To Accept Being Polyamorous, It’s War Crimes Time

(Yes, there is canon polyamory.)

(...And a LOT of canon war crimes.)

But. In order to go any further, I have to talk about the Possible Dealbreakers of these series. 

2. So, About Those Dealbreakers

Broadly speaking, I’d say there are three: length, The Gender Binary, and Oh God Why Is Everyone Such A Dumbass.

Let’s go at these one-by-one.

Length

Let me be very clear here: WoT is over four million words long in total.

This has at times been calculated as perhaps the longest word count for any series... ever? It’s certainly one of the longest English-language series that occurs to random statistics geeks to look at the word count of.

For reference, in case you needed it... that’s longer than Homestuck. This is true even if you translate images, videos, and so on into equivalent word counts. And include the epilogue. And... yeah.

It’s like, shonen-long.

The upside of this, however... is that it’s really long.

That might seem like a weird upside, but if you’ve ever wanted to get really immersed in a series... especially if you read very quickly and usually get through things fast... well.

To put things in perspective, I often read 300-page books in one sitting without trouble. WoT took me about six months.

So uh

Do you want your life, mind, body, and soul to get eaten by a book series?

The answer to that question will probably tell you if you should read Wheel of Time

The Gender Binary

Okay, so here’s the thing: in the time period WoT takes place in, only women can use The One Power (the main form of magic in the setting).

The reason for this is that the One Power, despite being called one right there in the name, is divided into the Female Version and the Male Version. Only women can use the former, only men can use the latter. And the latter has been tainted such that any man who uses it goes mad.

Our main character is a man who can use the power.

The upside is that things actually go very un-sexistly from here. The different ways to access male (saidin) vs female (saidar) power don’t actually correlate to any consistent difference in personality or attitudes between men and women.

The fact that the MC is The One Man Using The Power and The Most Powerful, Because Chosen One... is actually also played shockingly un-sexistly. 

However, there very much always is that binary. Trans people? Nonbinary people? Uh... you can headcanon if you want, but the canon is not giving you that much to work with.

To make matters a little worse, men and women distrust each other to an almost hilarious amount in the setting. (My guess is something about Mostly A Patriarchy + Women Are The Mysterious Powerful Magic Users has really frayed gender relations in this society.) There are many, many in-character statements of “All men are [x unflattering thing]” “all women are [y unflattering thing]”, but these do not seem to in any way reflect the author’s beliefs, and are never actually true in-world; the characters are just Bad At This.

(A common example of this is “Women are all gossips!” *cut to a group of women* “Men are all gossips!”. Of course, the truth is that there are both male and female gossips and non-gossips in the series).

You would think this situation would lead to more just-women and just-men groups, but except from Magic-User Stuff, there isn’t that much of that, becaaaaause

~Heterosexuality~

Sigh, yes, this series is very het.

It’s not as het as it is binary; the Aes Sedai (female magic users) have a word for women who are having sex with each other, and there’s an onpage FF kiss in the prequel.

But it’s... not a lot.

So if you need a hit of sweet, sweet LGBTQ rep, it’s... not going to be here. Sorry. (Thankfully, a very large amount of fantasy books coming out today do have rep! It’s not that hard to find!)

Thankfully, most of WoT’s het romances are pretty good and believable/shippable. Though not all are.

And, the final likely dealbreaker...

Everyone Here Is A Dumbass

Listen. Nobody in this series drank their Having Brain Cells juice, uh... ever.

(Okay, exactly two characters--Min and Loial--did, but that’s it)

You know how I was talking about the gender mistrust? That’s just one example of an endemic problem of absolutely no one trusting other people, telling anyone things, or in any way having functional conversations

Min Literally Saves Lives By Being The Only Person Who Tells People Things

In addition to interpersonal problems, the characters’ problem-solving skills are uhh

Uhhhhhh

Uhhhhhhhh

Well, as I said, Rand, our main character, spends three books running away from his problems at full speed

After that, he’s only uh... dodging! Jogging away! Yeah

Meanwhile, basically everyone is doing the I Must Put Myself In Extreme Danger To Protect My Friends Who I would Never Accept Doing The Same (bonus points for when two people are doing this to protect each other at the same time) thing

And I Will Face God And Run Into Danger At Mach Speed

The upside is... you might like reading about these kinds of characters

But if you prefer characters who are not walking trash fires

Then I’m sorry

WoT is probably not for you

3. Tl;dr

In summary, Wheel of Time is an almost comically long series about a large cast of characters who have never functioned in their life trying to prevent the end of the world and having a really bad time.

(For some reason it doesn’t have a reputation as a Dark SeriesTM, but it actually is very dark at times. Although far from grim--every action seems to really matter, nothing is meaningless, it’s just that sometimes those actions are war crimes and people dying and a shit-ton of torture).

IMO, some of the other series that might be good predictors for liking WoT are Homestuck, Hunter X Hunter, and ASOIAF. In other words, other very long, large-casted series about trash fires.

If you want one other bit of enticement, the main character has the lowest nadir of any character arc I’ve ever seen, followed by the most impressive high and resolution. So if that’s your kind of thing, and if the dealbreakers don’t break your deals. Go ahead and give it a try.