#but isaacs story require i be there and i love the kid
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starry-simming · 2 years ago
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i have a lot of ideas for the Beckhams going into at least the 50s, i just have to get back into it. i think its good to take breaks and do other stuff, ive been having a grand time doing strangerville and sharing that. but i also am excited especially to get to the 20s and 30s with the Beckhams
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flightfoot · 22 days ago
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Do you have recommendations for future fics starring the current cast's children? Preferably ones where the kids have become superheroes themselves, but not required.
Sure, I've got a few! I dunno how much focus is required to qualify, but I'll do my best!
a story retold by @hanaasbananas
“No, no no, darling,” he shushed Emma, “don’t cry, your maman needs her sleep.” Rocking Emma slowly until she settled again, he continued “What if i tell you a story, hm? Shall I tell you all about how I met your maman–you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” or: 4 times Adrien told his children how he met their mother, and 1 time someone else told it instead.
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Cheating Cat by @11jj11
When Emma and Isaac Dupain-Cheng realize that Adrien is Chat Noir, that can only mean one thing... that he's cheating on Marinette with Ladybug, and they're the only ones that know!
This is really cute, with Emma and Isaac being worried about Adrien supposedly cheating on Marinette and wanting to talk to Ladybug to stop her from dating Chat Noir. That’s not all that’s going on here, though - Isaac’s actually adopted, but he and Adrien are still related, which puts an interesting twist on the tale. There’s a reason he’s especially sympathetic to the fact that Adrien being Chat Noir means he would have had to fight his own father…
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Turtle-y Awesome! by chatonne-rousse
Hugo Dupain-Cheng loves turtles, and by extension, he loves Carapace, his favorite superhero of them all. He doesn't know yet that his idol is also his Uncle Nino, and Nino hasn't yet seen the Carapace shrine that is Hugo's bedroom. But the little man is turning five and has just two wishes - a Carapace-themed party with friends and family, and the latest, greatest Carapace play set. This is a story of best friends, laughter, good kids and even better parents, and a whole lot of turtles.
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Into the Unknown by NUMBER1ANGIRL
Marinette Dupain-Cheng has been Ladybug for 12 years now. She’s been fighting Hawkmoth by herself in this time, without the partner she was promised. When Hawkmoth is defeated, she starts fighting a new villain, and the strange ache of something she wasn’t aware was missing.
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Growing Fangs by @rosie-b
Louisa Dupain-Cheng has always liked to keep secrets. When she finds out that her parents are the heroes of Paris while spying on them as they transform for a patrol one night, she decides to keep this new finding all to herself. But as the years go by, will she change her mind?
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This last one's incomplete, but it's got quite a lot of focus on the future kids.
Primary Sources (And Other Historical Epiphanies) by Hoover_the_fish
Mary Beauréal hates history, so she's not too jazzed for the history reports and group presentations that Caline Bustier assigns for her class. However, the people in her life have an odd connection to an era her teacher refers to only as, "Ladybug and Chat Noir," a connection that none of them seem to want to remember. "For some reason, there aren’t a whole lot of newspaper articles, but there’s an old blog online that might be worth checking out. As far as I know all the pictures, interviews, the articles that still exist- they all ended up there at some point or another." "Do you know what it's called?" "I believe she named it the Ladyblog."
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jamiesfootball · 1 year ago
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How about word for the word thing.
I abuse the word 'word' I literally did not even have to search it was already right there in the doc.
So I went out and found more. Like, in each story, I use the word word a heinous amount of times. You're welcome <3
You're Gonna Go Far, Kid (the tiktok recipe / jamie's career retrospective fic)
"But you're a good coach!" Warmth pooled into Roy's chest, the easily-given praise hitting him in a spot he hadn't realized felt vulnerable until Jamie went poking his fingers at it. Unfair of him, to go around spitting those kinds of words at people without warning.
Gift Fic
"Which one is not making sense?" Dani frowned. "Did you sleep? It is harder to remember new words when you are tired." Jamie shrugged. "I napped a bit while you were out. I don't always sleep well in public. See, it's this one here." He leaned over to show Dani the spot on the page that his finger was pointing to. When Dani grabbed the book from his hand, Jamie stayed there, pressed against his side, and Dani wiggled his arm around so that he could wrap it around his his shoulder. Jamie exhaled deeply, his eyes slipping closed. His friend was more tired than he'd admit.
The Vacant House Behind Our Home
Every day, it seemed he would find Sam writing his papa a letter. "You can read it if you want," Sam offered. He held the paper out with a smile. "I usually ask one of the others to look it over. It is a struggle for me to record my thoughts about this place on paper. I often find later that my words have been blotted and my thoughts censored. This place does not care for the way I speak of it." He phrased this as though this was a fault of the world, not the fault of himself. A commendable trait, and something Dani loved dearly about his friend.
I Still Feel Like the Same Person I've Been (the 5+1 jamie falling asleep pavlovian fic)
Jamie yawned. A fresh wave of exhaustion rolled through, and he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes in the hopes that it'd ward off the tension headache that'd been brewing since word of his loan came through. His water bottle pressed solid against his arm, tantalizingly close, but that’d require sitting up. While Roy growled at Colin, the fuzzy feeling returned, wrapping around his head like a stuffy hat. Even after showering, his skin still felt flush from the pitch, and the soft prickle of the A/C was like...was like the opposite of wrapping yourself in a towel after you'd just been in the pool. Was goddamn relaxing, was what it was. His eyes slipped closed.
Oh God You're Gonna Get It (You Have Not Been Given Love)
Chartreuse didn’t begin to cover it. Why Jamie considered a - and he was using the word loosely here - designer track suit appropriate attire for anything higher than a food court was beyond Roy’s comprehension. The acidic highlighter color rendered it nearly glow in the dark. "It’s bright and distracting so won’t recognize my face,” Jamie explained. Isaac wagged his finger at him. “Smart.”
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incomingalbatross · 2 years ago
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I wanted to do something with "Faithful John" for the Four Loves @inklings-challenge event, but I didn't carve the time out to figure out what exactly I was doing. So I just keep...revolving the story in my head.
It's the ENDING I want to do something with. Because the ending is Weird in that fairy-tale way you instinctively want to smooth the edges off of, make Acceptable somehow, but also as soon as you do that you diminish what makes it compelling?? And I haven't reconciled all those factors in my head yet but I don't want to just erase the part I'm interested in.
You see:
Once there was a prince who fell in love with an ambiguously-cursed princess and brought her home. His faithful servant (charged by the king on his deathbed to look after the prince, all of which happened immediately before the prince found out this princess existed) ends up saving both prince and princess from the manifestations of the curse and making the wedding go forward. Due to complicated circumstances (not least the prince's failure to fully trust his servant), said servant ends up turned to solid stone. This is very sad. The prince (now king) keeps the statue in the palace. He and his now-not-cursed wife live their lives and have two little boys.
One day, while the wife is at church and the two boys are playing near the statue, the now-king sits in front of it and sighs "Oh Faithful John, I wish there was some way to bring you back!"
And then the statue answers. And it says good news, there is... but bad news, the way in question is for the king to kill his little boys and sprinkle their blood on the statue.
The king's response is "Oh no. OH NO." But he owes Faithful John his wife's life, and he's basically responsible for the statue thing through not listening to Faithful John last time, so he OWES him.
So, and this is the decision I keep thinking about trying to write, he DOES IT.
And in the way of fairy tales, of course, not only does Faithful John come back to life, but as soon as he's restored the two little princes also jump up, fine as ever. There is much rejoicing.
...But lest you try to push the filicide under the rug in your mind, then the queen comes home, and the king decides he wants an unbiased opinion from her on this, so he hides the kids and Faithful John and says "hey, you know Faithful John?"
And she says "of course, I was actually thinking about him the whole time I was praying at church, wishing there was something we could do to save him." (This is a FASCINATING hook to casually throw in, by the way. The story is LITERALLY implying this episode was a miracle spurred by her prayers. Kinda love that, honestly!)
The king says, "Well! I just learned we can bring him back, but we have to sacrifice our children's lives for his."
And, like the king, her response is "oh no. OH NO," because she also knows they owe their servant everything, and she concludes that they have an obligation to go through with this.
At which the king rejoices, because she came through, and he throws open the closet door and their sons and Faithful John come tumbling out, and all is revealed. And then they live happily ever after.
I still haven't decided what to do with this. Like, on the one hand, killing your children is BAD. Something that sounds like blood sacrifice is DOUBLE BAD. And no, this isn't exactly Abraham and Isaac, because Faithful John isn't God.
On the other hand, I love the gesture of total sacrifice. I love that this whole story revolves around the love of a servant, and I love the sense of honor and the idea of this overwhelming debt to be honored out of love (and trust, which there wasn't enough of the first time around)! I feel like this particular eucatastrophe needs some gesture of supreme sacrifice, bigger than the king giving his own life even, and the next generation being required to fix what went wrong with the first happy ending is very much my jam. I am also a sucker for characters giving "all that they are and all that they have" for someone or something else. And the implications of divine intervention to give them the chance to break this final curse...
There's a LOT of fodder for retelling in this one. I just... didn't quite get there.
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the-geek-librarian · 2 years ago
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BLACK CLOVER HEADCANONS
Ships addition
The ships in question: Vanica x Megicula ( VanMeg?), Yuno x Leo ( YuLeo?), Lolopechka x Gadjah, Asta x Noelle (asunoe)
The hc will be on : 🌑Nightmares, 💍 Wedding day, 🧒 Kids, ❤ Love language and 🏀 activities they like to do together
ASTA x NOELLE
🌑: both Asta and Noelle have their fare amount
Of Nightmares, so whenever one of them as a Nightmare the other will do their best to calm the other down and ground them. Then they will probably cuddle and if that is not enough they will go star gazing
💍: Asta and Noelle's wedding day was large and grand even tho it happened in Hage. Asta's grommets were: Yuno, Magna, Leo, Luck and Gadjah while Noelle's on the other hand were Lolopechka, Mimosa, Nero, Kahono, and Vanessa!
While waiting for Noelle to walk down the aisle Asta was sweating like an animal bc he was worried that Noelle was taking to long and that something had happened. But Gadjah assured him that it was normal for the bride to come in later, so when Noelle came in with Yami by her side and the girls right behind her he broke down and started crying(p.s they hadn't seen each other before the wedding)
🧒: Noelle and Asta have two children an older girl named Acier and a boy named Isaac with a 5 years differences. Acier has long grey hair like Licita and has green and pink eyes, her magic is like her uncle Mercury and she serves in the silver eagles alongside her mother. Isaac on the other hand has short straight silver hair and green eyes, his magic in contrast to his sis is water and services in the bbs
❤: Asta's love language is both physically touch and acts of service. Bc my boy never learned what boundaries are so he can and will cuddle for hours on end and acts of service...dos it really need an explosion?
Noelle's love language on the other hand is just acts of service and maybe quality time? Idk bc of her childhood she never learned how to properly react to affection none the less give it to someone else( but asta, lolo and Mimosa are doing their best to help)
🏀: Asta and Noelle are both very physically active and they enjoy sparring, working out just anything that requires movement and that applies to their kids as well
YUNO x LEO
🌑: The one that was Nightmares not the most but entirely in there relationship is Yuno his Nightmares are not rare but they aren't common either they mostly revolve around the Zeno vs GD fight. What Leo dose in order to calm yuno down is hug him for you see Leo is like a warm blanket he may be sorter but he sure as hell is wider
💍: To many people surprise there wedding happened at the heart kingdom bc Leo was scared that his grandparents were going to crash it. So Lolo being the sweetest big sis she is agreed immediately, and so there wedding happened on the beach bc Leo and lolo have style+ Leo's grommets were: Randell, Luck, Gareth and Floga, while Yuno's where: Klaus, langris, David and Asta.
🧒: To cut a long story short, Yuno and Leo do eventually want to adopt kids but first they need to deal with both Leo's grandparents and see exactly what is going to happen with Yuno's heritage to the Spade thrown and go from there.
❤: Now in terms of love language Yuno is a Corben copy of Asta the only man difference between the two is that Yuno knows what boundaries are. Leo's love language is physical touch and quality time and I don't think that really needs an expansion. Like man's will make you feel like royalty and like you are the center of the world
🏀: In their spare time I feel like they would either train or sit in front of the fireplace cuddle up in blankets with a cup of tea ( Yuno) and a cup of hot chocolate (Leo).
LOLOPECHKA x GADJAH
🌑: Ok now look Gadjah is one of the lucky mf on the planet like he has no idea what experiencing a Nightmare is like bc he as never EVER had one ( and he never will ). But now Lolo on the other hand as Nightmares almost every night, now most of the nightmares Lolo does have are normally pretty tame but there are those times when they are not tame like at all. In those times Lolo panics like a lot and if nothing is done she will have an all-out panic attack so Gadjah does his best to came her down insert lots of cuddles, head pats and hot chocolate.
💍: So when Gadjah and Lolo got married it was like the entire kingdom was having a large Festival although the only people that were allowed in the era of the wedding, were those that were invited. Gadjah's grommets were: Floga, Smurik, Potrof, asta and luck while lolo's were Noelle , Nero, Mimosa, Kahono and Sarado. ( Ps a handful of days before the wedding many of the people left gifts and cards with well-wishes in front of the palace, lolo broke down and Gadjah almost cried )
🧒: Because of the law that all the Heart Queens must conform to they can not have any biological children. So after an attack on a research facility that did illegal experiments on children with special magic attributes, there was only one survivor a young girl with bright orange hair, ocean blue eyes and plasma magic named Freya who they end up adopting
❤️: As for Love language Gadjah is one smooth-ass bastard so words of affirmation and acts of service which is Self-explanatory. And for our beloved Lolo, we have physically touch like she will smother Gadjah to the point that he will not know what to do with himself and quality time, she is willing to do anything but her work
🏀: when they are not working they enjoy taking long nature walks which was one of the first family activities they did along with Freya! But beyond that love to cuddle with each other
VANICA x MEGICULA
🌑: Very similar to Lolo, Vanica has had nightmares even night since she was young ( like 4-5). But because of that, she was grown used to the feeling of waking up in cold sweat so in the unlikely event that she does in fact have a nightmare that scars her that much Megi will make her a hot chocolate and cuddle her to sleep. Now if it is the other way around and Megi is the one having them then she goes into full panic mode and vanica needs to sing to her. Vanica doesn't know why but it always seems to soothe her
💍: although yes they legally are married they didn't have a wedding! They just went down to Damantios's office on a Tuesday and some signed papers later there married. But granted Asta did give them the week off sooo
🧒: Alright, so out of everyone in this list vanica and megicula are the ones with the most kids coming in with 3! The oldest a boy named Arthur, with long wavy black hair and bright red eyes who in fact has two magic types soul, and curses warding. The two others are Twins named Anastasia and Julius, they both have short straight white hair and dark red eyes, similarly to Arthur they both have two magic types for Ana we have cursed blood and devil bone magic while Julius has cursed blood and devil spatial magic. Ironically enough Ana is in the silver eagles with Acier, Julius is in the black bulls with Isaac ( they are bffs) and Arthur is in the research facilities with Meg ( ps he has a thing of Acier)
❤️: Now love language is a little difficult I can imagine Vanica would be physical touch and quality time so she can spoil the hell out of Meg both physically and materially. As for Meg, I would say acts of service and quality time now similar to Noelle Meg was never good at expressing love and affection but Vanica, Sally and Makusa have helped a lot.
🏀: As of things they like to do together Vanica loves helping Meg brainstorm ideas for new curses. They will sit for hours on end talking about new ideas. Another thing they enjoy is cuddling and when the kids join in it is even better.
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eusuntgratie · 2 years ago
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camboy buck because I'm pretty sure that was my fault and also untitled isaac and chris and derek and FEELINGS please
camboy buck
this one's definitely your fault. i think this was originally your idea and you threw it at me? you at least strongly enabled me and even made me some graphics that i still have ready to go in the doc 👀🥹🥰
i would LOVE to copy and paste a big chunk of our text convo in here but i won't do that to you 😘
nothing concrete written, but long story short, buck's gotta pay for that loft somehow and that ain't happenin' on a firefighter's salary (enter: onlyfans) MEANWHILE eddie is maybe having some realizations and decides to do some browsing bc he's just curious, okay?!?! and hmm what could happen from there who knows who could say?!???
untitled isaac and chris and derek and FEELINGS
this one's old old... i started poking at it after daniel sharman and jr bourne did an insta live together and then just started swirling with derek and chris and isaac feelings. this one would be canon divergent ish and focus heavily on the fallout of 3b and early season 4 if the show had continued to acknowledge isaac's existence. derek's dealing with the fallout of kate deaging him or whatever in early s4 and chris calls derek because he needs to go to beacon hills to help scott but won't leave isaac alone. derek feels like he can't help isaac but chris knows that derek is exactly who he needs.
finishing this one and keeping it and canon-integrated as i intended would require some rewatching which OOF but i really do love the concept.
here's a bit:
His phone rings in the middle of the night. He shoots up, heart in his throat. He wasn't asleep anyway. Hasn't slept since...hasn't slept in a long time. 
"Chris? What's wrong?"
"He needs you. I… fuck, you know I love the kid but I can't… I gotta come back, Derek. Scott told me about-"
"Kate" Derek growls. 
"It's gotta be me, Derek. I have to end it. After everything she's done. I can't let her. I have to end it. But I can't leave him. I can’t leave him alone."
“Bring him home, Chris. I’m not- I can’t- but I won’t leave him alone. Bring him home.”
Derek sits in his cold, empty bed in his cold, empty loft, hugging his knees to his chest and cries. Cries like he hasn’t let himself since Boyd and wishes his Mama were here to tell him what to do. He’s fucked everything up, lost all of his betas, lost Isaac’s trust. But he won’t let him drown. Not like he did for years. He’ll pick himself up off the floor, drag himself out of the darkness, for Isaac. He just wishes he knew where to start.
wip game | ask me about my wips!
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quantumcartography · 11 months ago
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Deeply in love with this take because it adds a subtextual explanation to my own theory about thanergetic vs thalergetic beings. I had arrived at this exact same conclusion about how it was only Wake who could carry The Bomb because Jod was still a thalergetic human same as she was. And it's partly because of the the books and stories frequently reference things that make it clear that fertility is a big issue in the Houses. I want to provide some specific examples to support their point:
Opposite, Dulcinea murmured to Abigail: “I think that is a perfect shame.” “Thank you. We’re over it; it simply wasn’t in our cards,” the necromancer said, a bit bracingly. “My younger brother’s the next in line. He’ll do well. It gives me more time to collate the manuscript, which I’ve been married to longer than I have to Magnus.”
It's mentioned both in Gideon the Ninth and in Harrow the Ninth, that Abigail Pent, Necromancer of the Fifth is infertile or otherwise unable to have children.
Isaac Tettares, born on Tisis. Resurrection-purity family, the eldest of eight. As is normal on the Fourth, children were a mix of vat-womb and XX carry. Father killed by terrorists out on [REDACTED] nineteen years ago: all of his children have been posthumous and the title held in stewardship.
The Cohort Intelligence Files make note that vat-womb (what I assume is artificial growth of humans) is common in the Fourth and that Isaac, at 13 years old, was born six years after his father died. And he isn't even the youngest: Jeannemary said that he had "three younger brothers and four younger sisters" This implies that fertile necromancers, or at least ones of "Resurrection-purity" are so rare that they will cryogentically store their genetic material with the assumptions that they will die for use at least a decade after their demise.
Bloodline requirement in the Sixth would be a waste of time. Consanguinity tables get narrower year by year. I was born with four kids in my generation eligible to produce children with me. Palamedes had two.
The Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex shows that the Sixth House is so interbred that they have tables where they track who is related to who and how. That's not a sign of a healthy and fertile population capable of growth.
And of course there's Harrow:
“It’s important. My mother needed to carry a child to term, and that child needed to be a necromancer to fill the role of true heir to the Locked Tomb. But as necromancers themselves, they found the process doubly difficult. We hardly had access to the foetal care technology that the other Houses do.”
“My mother miscarried multiple times before I was born; I don’t know how many. ”
And more than that, Harrow the Ninth offers even more clean cut examples:
It was an uncomfortable thing, to remove the soul of a dead planet like this: it would be the first time you had done it, and the first time you had killed any planet alone. The creatures would not die immediately when the planet did. But they would—slowly—come to change, and in the end they would be thanergy mutants who could not reproduce. A rather Ninth House death, and the death that came for all flipped planets in the end.
All of these are small ways that we are shown that necromantic ability is not a powerful boon, but a curse that slowly strangles the life from those who use it.
You know how it goes: through some incredible circumstances, God and a young woman living under the shadow of an oppressive empire have a metaphysically unusual baby who grows up to be a general nuisance, won't stay dead, and sports a few additional holes...
It's the third Sunday of Advent and I'm a little concerned Bible studies for weird goth kids might be turning into a series... Let's talk about the Blessed Virgin Mary and Commander Awake Remembrance of These Valiant Dead Kia Hua Ko Te Pai Snap Back to Reality Oops There Goes Gravity.
Wake was probably never described as "gentle", "meek", or "mild", but there are a few similarities: distinctive outfits, snazzy shrines, commitment to putting down the mighty from their seats, and of course babies with great and terrible destinies niftily conceived without sex.
On the topic of conception, let's clear up a common, uh, misconception: the term "immaculate conception" does not refer to Mary becoming pregnant with Jesus. It's Mary's own conception.
Why are we talking about how Mary was conceived and what does this have to do with lesbian necromancers?
To answer that question, we have to go back further still, way before Mary's conception. Back to these guys and their unfortunate snack cravings:
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Remember how last time we talked about the concept of being in a state of grace? Well, the Christian read on Adam and Eve is that a state of grace was, as it were, the factory setting for humanity. They were fully in tune with God, there was no sickness or death, there was no sin. Until, that is, the whole unfortunate business with the apple. The first sin. The world is fundamentally altered. Humanity is expelled from paradise, burdened with sin, death, disease, patriarchy, and work. Worse, this sinful human nature turns out to be sexually transmissible: every human being is born tainted by this "original sin" of Adam and Eve.
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This is why Catholicism is so big on baptising babies: even if they're many years off being able to commit any sins themselves (a sin has to be something consciously chosen and understood), they're still contaminated by that original sin of Adam and Eve. Baptism is understood to erase original sin, wiping the slate clean.
Bear with me, we'll be back to necromancers soon I promise. Have a picture of Mary beating up the devil while an angel holds baby Jesus:
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OK, but what does Adam and Eve's danger snack have to do with Mary's conception?
The "immaculate conception" refers to the idea that unlike every human being between Adam and Jesus, Mary was conceived without the contamination of original sin. The rationale for this is complex, but essentially boils down to something like the saving power of Jesus not being bound by piffling things like time and space and thus saving his mother before her own conception and allowing himself to also be conceived and born sinless.
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But the important bit is that something specific about Mary means that she is uniquely able to be pregnant with Jesus.
You may be starting to guess where this is going...
Because while unconventional pregnancy seems to have been the plan from the get-go for Jesus, it was not with the artist formerly known as The Bomb:
“I had the baby,” said Wake. “The baby I’d had to incubate myself for nine long fucking months, when the foetal dummies these two gave me died.”
“Oh, God, it was yours,” said Augustine, in horror. “I thought you’d used in vitro on one of Mercy’s—”
“I said they all died,” said Wake. “The dummies died. The ova died. Only the sample was still active, no idea how considering it was twelve weeks after the fact, but I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.”
“So you used it on yourself,” said Augustine. “Anything for the revolution, eh, Wake?”
We have to assume the foetal dummies plan was hatched by Mercymorn, a brilliant scientist with a myriad of experience. If the problem encountered by Wake were as simple as Lyctoral infertility, I suspect Mercy would have spotted that long before.
But what do Wake and John have in common that Mercymorn or any of the other ova-having residents of the Mithraeum did not? They are both (to some extent at least) factory setting humans: unlike everyone else in the Dominicus system, they never died and were resurrected, nor are they the descendants people who were. John's abilities, while macabre, are not straightforwardly the necromancy otherwise practiced in the Houses. That necromancy is a direct result of one specific act of taking that resulted in the very nature of the world changing: a thanergetic system, inhabited by human beings who, necromancer or not, are fundamentally tainted by thanergy and by the after effects of that action of John's. You might call it a sin. An indelible sin. He does.
It's not an exact parallel, but necromancy certainly occupies a space not dissimilar to original sin: the result of a single action, tainting every descendant of its progenitors regardless of their actions of abilities.
And then enter Gideon, born in space away from the thanergetic energy of the Dominicus system to a mother lacking the 10,000 year intergenerational burden of the resurrection and necromancy. The child of Jod, born to die.
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uomo-accattivante · 3 years ago
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At this point in its history, Marvel isn’t known for tinkering with its proven superhero formula. And yet “Moon Knight,” the studio’s current Disney+ series, has taken some unexpected chances.
Its debut episode introduced Steven Grant, a maladroit museum gift-shop clerk with a dodgy British accent, played by Oscar Isaac. Isaac also plays Marc Spector, a grizzled American mercenary who shares the same body with Grant — and who is also Moon Knight, the crime-fighting avatar of an ancient Egyptian deity.
As the story of “Moon Knight” has revealed, Spector has had dissociative identity disorder, or D.I.D., since childhood, and Grant is an alternate identity he created to shield himself from trauma and abuse.
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“Moon Knight” was a risk for Isaac, too, even though his résumé already includes some of the biggest fantasy franchises Hollywood has produced. While he has made a whole career of projects that are many orders of magnitude smaller — performing “Hamlet” and “Romeo and Juliet” for the Public Theater and starring in intimate dramas like “The Card Counter” and “Scenes From a Marriage” — he has also been featured in film series like “Star Wars” and “X-Men.” Those blockbusters elevated Isaac to greater levels of recognition, but the grueling work they require and lack of input they typically allow made him hesitant when Marvel sought him for “Moon Knight.”
As Isaac, 43, explained in a video interview last week, the pleasure of “Moon Knight” was getting to explore the title character in a way that felt right to him, even if his approach did not always fit the Marvel mold.
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Whether Moon Knight moves on to his own movie or a superteam like the Avengers “doesn’t matter so much,” Isaac said from the offices of the production company that he and his wife, the writer-director Elvira Lind, operate in Brooklyn.
“It’s a new character that we’re taking a chance on,” he said. “The nature of the story is this investigation, this slow-reveal mystery.”
“If it goes somewhere else, that’s great,” he added. “I’m glad it’s not just an advertisement for synergy.”
Ahead of the “Moon Knight” finale on Wednesday, Isaac spoke about the making of the series, of which he is also an executive producer. He also spoke about the unexpected oscillations of his career and about working for Disney while the company weathers a political firestorm. These are edited excerpts from that conversation.
Do you get two paychecks for playing two roles on “Moon Knight”?
I should, man. It’s funny because that’s what I was apprehensive about: I didn’t want it to feel like this masturbatory thing. When I started off, I was very adamant that I didn’t want to do the gimmicky, switching back and forth, Jekyll and Hyde part of it. I really segregated Marc and Steven, even asked if we could shoot them on different days. Just do it through reflections and don’t ask me to put on a different hat.
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Some actors say they accept immediately when Marvel comes calling, but you didn’t. Why not?
I wasn’t, at that point, super eager to jump into a big production. I wanted to fall in love with acting again. I was a bit tired. I’ve got two young kids, and I was ready to take a step back, do smaller films that weren’t as big of a commitment. When this came, my immediate sense was, ugh, this is bad timing.
As a comics fan, did you feel like you were getting a B- or C-list character foisted on you?
Yeah, they’re pretty much down to the dregs. Although people said that for Iron Man, too — then it changes cinema forever and what an amazing performance that was. Part of the attraction was its obscurity, to be honest.
What were your inspirations for how you play Steven Grant?
It’s an homage to the things I love, like Peter Sellers and the British “Office” and “Stath Lets Flats” and Karl Pilkington. I was also watching “Love on the Spectrum” — these people are going on these dates, who are autistic, who are feeling all the same things that we all would feel, but they haven’t developed these masks to hide it all. It’s all out there in the open. There was something I found so moving about that. I started doing the character at home, and my kids were asking me to do him all the time
You spoke of feeling burned out on big-budget projects. When did you start experiencing that?
Toward the middle to end of the run on “Star Wars.” The commitment of time was such a long one, and the windows of availability were very specific. I started to get hungry for those character studies and working with those great directors.
You had worked professionally as an actor for several years and had some prominent theater roles. But did you find that big-budget films gave you some breakthrough opportunities?
There were a few supporting performances that gave me the opportunity to do really different characters on these big stages, like “Robin Hood” and “Sucker Punch.” What was fun was that nobody had any idea who I was. I played the King of England in “Robin Hood,” and nobody had a problem with that. Now that I’m more known, suddenly it’s like, can he play English? Should he play English? In this age, we know everything about everybody, and of course people have a problem with suspension of disbelief.
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So as a Juilliard alumnus and a veteran Shakespeare performer, you didn’t think these types of films were somehow beneath you?
No, I didn’t feel like that. I wanted to make a living as an actor. I didn’t have the luxury of ethics; I didn’t have the luxury of integrity. [Laughs.] I felt like I could bring my point of view to whatever came my way. Early on, I was like, “If I had the one shot, I could prove …” And then I would get a chance, it would come and it would go, and I would realize, Oh! I guess I need another shot now. After a while, it was clear the only thing you can control is your craft and staying curious, and exercising that craft in whatever comes your way that you think is good.
Did starring in “Inside Llewyn Davis” feel like one of those opportunities for you?
That was completely life-altering in every single way. That was my first lead role. It was a Coen brothers movie. I played music. I still can’t believe that happened. I wanted it so badly and just worked my ass off beforehand. It was the serendipity of the moment that I did what I intended to do and the Coens took the risk on someone relatively unknown.
Was it strange that it led to even more fantasy franchise roles? Like, this is what they think of me?
I’ve been doing it long enough to know that there’s no “they” — it’s just people trying to make movies, whether they’re on a huge scale or a small scale. J.J. [Abrams] wanted to meet me [for “The Force Awakens”] while I was still shooting “A Most Violent Year.” I remember because Albert Brooks [his co-star on “A Most Violent Year”] left me a really funny message pretending to be J.J. before I went to go meet J.J. You take a leap of faith. And sure, had I not done that, perhaps I would have been available for some other thing that would have come my way. But no one ever knows.
You got an earlier shot at comic-book adaptations with “X-Men: Apocalypse.” It wasn’t well received, though I think it gets a bad rap. Is that a role you’ve disowned?
No, I don’t disown it. I know exactly what I went in there wanting to do and the reasons why. There were these amazing actors involved that I really wanted to work with, [James] McAvoy and [Michael] Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence. I collected X-Men growing up, and I loved Apocalypse, I just found him such a freaky, weird character. And then you get there and you’re like, Oh my God, I’ve got all these prosthetics on. I’ve got a suit on. I can’t move. I can’t see anybody. All these actors I wanted to work with — I can’t even see who they are. I still think back to that time with fondness. I wish it would have been a better film and that they would have taken care of the character a little better, but those are the risks.
Would you count your time making “Dune” with Denis Villeneuve as one of your typical franchise film experiences?
Denis was the reason to do that. When he came to me, he actually didn’t have a role in mind for me yet. He was like, “I’m doing ‘Dune,’ are you interested? What role is interesting to you?” We decided it was Leto. It was challenging to be a very specific sound in a big symphony.
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And you knew, going in, that it’s a character with a limited life span?
Yes, that was part of the attraction.
Was “Star Wars” your closest frame of reference when Marvel sought you for “Moon Knight”? Was that what made you wary?
They are such big, huge films. As fun as they can be, you’re outputting a lot of energy and then you leave and you’re just exhausted. That was part of the fear. I didn’t anticipate how much creative flexibility there was going to be — how much energy it gave me back.
How so?
Once Mohamed [Diab, a director on “Moon Knight”] and I started talking about what it could be if we could put our lens on it, we were like, it’s way more important that we’re true to D.I.D. than to some kind of comic-book back story. When you do the research on what causes D.I.D., it’s not like one thing. It’s not, you watched something horrible happen and suddenly you break out into all these different personalities. It’s from sustained trauma and abuse over time. This is a survival mechanism that clicks into place for someone who’s experiencing that. That they’re able to fracture their mind to survive it is kind of astounding.
For much of the series, Marc and Steven would interact in discreet ways, like talking to each other in a mirror’s reflection. How did you handle the sequences we saw in last week’s episode, where the two were often standing side-by-side?
I had my brother, Michael [the actor Michael Benjamin Hernandez], who is a great actor and shares my DNA, stand in as my alter. Other times, it was a huge challenge technically as sometimes, especially in the wide shots, I’d have to act with no one and remember the blocking I had done as the other character and respond to the lines being fed to me in an earpiece I wore.
Was D.I.D. a subject you knew about before making “Moon Knight”?
I didn’t. I had just done “The Card Counter,” which was all about trauma and living with P.T.S.D. I had been doing some research into that, and there was something that felt organic about seeing what’s on the other end of the spectrum.
Does “Moon Knight” speak to why stories about alternate identities and multiverses are becoming increasingly popular?
We live in a post-reality world. Things used to feel a lot clearer, and now they’re not. Nothing can be true or authentic anymore, and I think that’s being reflected in a lot of our popular culture.
You’re a prominent ambassador of Disney’s brand at a time when the company is experiencing conservative backlash and political retribution for its opposition to Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” law, which its critics call “Don’t Say Gay.” Is this something you feel a personal investment in, and does that backlash affect you individually?
No, I’m not experiencing that. I’m not on social media, so luckily, if that is coming my way, I’m ignorant of it. But everything has a political undercurrent at the moment. Disney was forced to take a stand, and I’m glad that they took the right stand there. Sometimes silence or neutrality is just not going to work. It’s astounding to watch a vindictive politician try to own the libs. I grew up in Florida, and I recognize how dysfunctional the state is. But it’s an interesting time where everything is parsed, and if Disney is going to own so much of the entertainment industry, they’ve got to expect to come up against some tough decisions.
Are these the kinds of considerations you’re going to have to make now whenever you work for a major studio?
I’d rather not. [Laughs.] That’s going to require me to do a whole lot of research beforehand that I’d rather not do. I’d rather spend that time figuring out a good character.
There has to be some conscientiousness about it, but at the same time, you’re also trying to make a living and you’re trying to live in the world. I just want to make good stuff and hopefully try to do it in a responsible way.
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incorrect-ikevamp-quotes · 3 years ago
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What’s your opinion for Leo’s reaction to finding out the mc was immortal as well- not necessarily a vampire, maybe they’re some other type of supernatural. I’m really curious because Leo seems like he’s mainly in love with the mc bec they are human.
Hi lovely!!! Always wonderful to see you, hope you’re well! 💛💛💛💛💛
Tbh I think my opinion remains the same about something like this? I'm going to link to an ask I wrote up a while ago, only because it's v pertinent to the subject matter and good background for what I’m going to expand on here.
That being said, I'm happy to kind of tl;dr/expand on what I talked about there. Basically I had the feeling that Leonardo choosing MC as a lover was more circumstantial--regarding the state of his life in the moment, regarding his general feelings about vampires and vampire society, and regarding his unresolved trauma as a young kid.
I guess my answer to that question--and forgive me if it seems like a cop out--is that it really depends, I feel? I think his attraction has a lot more to do with the kind of person somebody is, their sensibility, more than it has to do with mortal vs immortal. If it was an immortal MC that showed ridiculous fortitude and self-control, measured patience and maturity, I really don’t see him not noticing that? I think he would be wary at first (assuming it’s all a front) but with time would likely feel a great deal of love if they were interested in a life together. If they were able to see and understand what he needs and answered those needs, I guess I just really doubt his ability to say no. It’s all he’s really looking for, and the fact that he hasn’t found it after so long really speaks to his frightened evasiveness and the rare nature of that kind of unshakeable strength.
I also think a lot of his hinging away from purebloods (true immortals, in other words) is that he 100% does not want his familia having any involvement in his meaningful relationships. Which might be why he shows more acceptance towards turned vampires, or potentially different supernatural beings.
But I also don’t like giving a vague answer without some kind of explanation as to how I got, to that conclusion, so a boatload of analysis follows below the content warning.
Spoilers for Leonardo’s route and a few mentions of JPN ver content:
I think he has less of an obsession with the idea of mortality, and more like a constant association of goodness and freedom and maturity with humanity. And while it's understandable, there are signs that--when he has the proper time and space to heal--his views seem to soften from those extremes. I mean his decision to live with Comte is pretty much his first step in that direction; it was him acknowledging for the first time that vampires aren't inherently loathsome or incapable of normal living. (On a revealing note, I think it says a lot that he agrees with MC that she is living in a “wolves’ den” but also feels the need to clarify the men are basically the domesticated equivalent. They don’t pose the same threat other vampires typically do to humans because of their lifestyle and sire.) Additionally, his tsun-like behavior towards Comte also seems to solidify this concept for me: Leonardo’s trying to come to terms with something he's sworn to reject since he was young, but also can't entirely deny that Comte is as chill and mature as purebloods come lmao
[There was also an event in the JPN ver–which seems to be approaching the ENG version rapidly, though only the first part is here right now–in which Leonardo fully offers to turn her. MC is essentially on her death bed, and Leonardo doesn’t want to lose her after so little time together; it’s MC that rejects the future as a vampire out of sheer principle. Even more noteworthy is that, when a reincarnation of MC is reunited with Leonardo in modern times, he is revealed to be exceptionally shaken by that loss. There are suggestions he can’t take losing her again, which could mean succumbing to the desire to bite her.]
Two things I feel are necessary to hit home:
The first being that, at least within the storyline so far, the most mature and human-like vampires we’ve seen are Leonardo and Comte. They seek to emulate the maturity they see reflected in the human beings they’ve known all their lives. Given how vampire society and their hierarchies work, I get the feeling humans are nothing more than amusing tools to them--a way to survive and creatures to exercise control over. There’s an objectification and delusion that comes with what I’ve seen, and I think it’s important in this discussion? If the vast majority of vampires behave this way (because I’m ngl, Leonardo and Comte don’t seem very keen on remaining in touch with other vampires all that much) then it only makes sense they prefer the company of humans who can at least share this sensibility of “been there, done that--stop hurting people bc you’re bored/repressed, grow up.”
One event story where this was exceedingly evident was actually Leonardo’s proposal story. If y’all remember, an old pal/acquaintance of Leonardo’s finds out he’s gunning for a human woman and basically goes “lmao not on my watch.” His name was Adam iirc, and he felt he had every liberty to try and pressure Leonardo into turning MC. Failing that, he insisted they should break up and not be together anymore. Now, on the one hand, it’s fair to say that he was looking out for Leonardo in a way–he didn’t want him to end up miserable and alone when she was gone. But at the same time I feel that Adam’s behavior is deeply revealing of vampire society as well lmao. He doesn’t really try to understand the situation, just immediately assumes it’s the only appropriate outcome. It does insinuate a lowkey cultural disdain for humanity: they are imperfect, they do not last or cannot have real value without preservation. If Adam was really Leonardo’s friend, wouldn’t he realize that Leonardo considers vampirism nothing more than a burden that he would wish on no one, much less his future wife? Additionally, wouldn’t he also keep in mind that Leonardo considers human beings beautiful just as they are? Since he fails these basic requirements to understand Leonardo, my impression is that he is influenced by the larger vampire culture to some extent. Furthermore, it underscores just how thoroughly Leonardo has been trained to keep his cards close to his chest for fear of ridicule/violent reprisal: no vampires know his true feelings on the matter because he would be vehemently rejected outright.
[One can also offer that maybe Adam wasn’t being malicious, maybe vampires find human women they fall in love with all the time and turn them (or any other permutation of companionship that occurs), so he doesn’t understand why Leonardo wouldn’t. But even then, to try to force them to break up if she doesn’t turn? A bit overkill imo but also revealing--Leonardo’s will is being ignored for the sake of upholding a kind of ill-founded superiority complex lmao]
While Leonardo does have a somewhat overbearing need to control the pacing of his relationship and who sacrifices what, I don’t think it’s wrong to be cautious--to want to think things through. I think it’s fair to be afraid that the person you’re with can’t handle what you’ve seen/known. But that also leads me to a core issue I have with MC: she doesn’t inspire much confidence that she can handle the life he’s lived, and that’s a problem of both incapacity and incompatibility. I have to wonder how he reacts when he’s with somebody at the same maturity level, or at the very least somebody with whom he can see her strength with time. When MC’s life was dying out he was desperate enough to accept biting her because he didn’t want to lose her–human or not. It’s MC that rejects this solution, which leads me to further believe that he just doesn’t care about the divide when it comes down to it; it has more to do with his difficulty with being vulnerable and fully trusting someone to care about him. (Assuming they also have the fortitude to stay hopeful and relatively strong over the course of a very long life.)
In line with that, the second thing I think it’s important to acknowledge is how deeply hurt Leonardo is as a result of his family treating him like a fool/black sheep. He outright says and heavily insinuates that his family would write her off as worthless, that they’d never accept her--that's his first thought:
Leonardo: “My familia would call you frail. I think you’re strong and beautiful. You do more with your time than we try to do with ours.”
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MC: “And those letters were from your familia?”
Leonardo: “Yeah. I don’t talk to them or see them anymore. We don’t agree...on a lot of things.”
[Brief intermission here. But lmao. Who does that sound like? If any of you guessed Isaac, that’s exactly what I’m alluding to. Isaac says in his own route smth along the lines of “Why bother trying to get through to people when no amount of talking does any good or gets you any closer to being understood?” Which also explains the way they get along to uncanny degrees: they find comfort in making things/researching because it means being able to avoid the distress that comes with being blatantly misunderstood by others. Their pain simply comes in different dimensions; for Leo it’s about loss and hiding who he is out of fear of rejection, for Isaac it’s about betrayal and people turning on him--ultimately abandonment for both. But I digress, back to the main argument.]
Leonardo: “Once they discovered my location, they began hounding me with letters again. They don’t want me to be with just anyone...They want more purebloods. I’m no more than one half of an equation for them.”
There is a clear implication that his desire to choose somebody that truly makes him happy means jack shit to them. They keep talking over him and trying to wear him down to force him into what they want. It’s no wonder--imo--that he has such a hard time just saying what he wants in his life, to feel like he has the freedom to wish and pursue anything freely. It’s no wonder he just expects MC to spit on everything that’s important to him. It appears as though only other human beings in general and Comte have ever come close to understanding him.
At some point MC realizes that his insistence on being compagni provvisori was originally just another act of sacrifice, and that he was fine with giving up his time and a little privacy if it meant she would be safe. The thing she doesn’t seem to realize in the course of this--and he struggles to say it until later on--is that it stopped being blind generosity. He really did start to fall in love with her, and that’s the whole reason things became even more messy; because he didn’t anticipate not being able to let go on top of the vulnerability. And it’s a big part of why he’s hesitating to speak. He feels he has no right to those feelings, and that he’s imposing on her--not that he’ll be welcome.
And when she did finally admit those feelings were welcome, it was compounded by the parroted views of his family and larger vampire society as a whole. Saying that she herself wasn’t enough, that she had to become a vampire to make him happy. Imo that sounds very potentially retraumatizing given his experiences (people trying to force him into marriages with other vampires who didn’t remotely understand or care about him because it was “the right way of things”). It’s no wonder he freaks out and does something incredibly stupid and insensitive–which is pretty insanely ooc for him.
Leonardo: “...It shocked them. Quieted them down a bit. Hard to get peace when your familia is immortal. Grazie, cara mia.”
Leonardo: “You’re strong, and you’re kind. So probably you won’t cry while I’m here to see it. But when I’m not looking, you’ll cry. If I had done that to you (bitten her, in other words), you’d still be crying when I wasn’t watching... Maybe it’s selfish of me, after what I did, but I just wanted to make you happy. You always look pretty, cara mia, but your smile takes my breath away...It’s not your destiny to love someone who will only make you cry.”
This man literally cannot handle anyone deeply sad or in despair. He’s always going to try to cheer people up and care about them, but general tragedy/emotional discord affects him very powerfully--and it’s likely a reflection of what I’ve mentioned before. He can’t bear to see people feeling helpless or miserable because he’s just been there too many times to be able to cope. He wants to help and heal (even if he’s suffering from prolonged compassion fatigue), but he knows that his powers are limited--even if he is a pureblood.
And the thing is? While it’s misguided to believe she would cry alone when it comes to the context of healthy romantic love (bc the idea would be that you lean on each other when something upsetting happens) he has zero reference point. He was not born as a result of authentic love (his parents never married, he was the result of a procreative arrangement), his family talks over every wish and belief he has and they still claim it’s done out of love/honest concern for him. One can only imagine the serpentine and obnoxious lengths to which his family has deceived or tried to force him into reconnecting with them. Every person that ever did know him/care about him in a real way is gone. Love, for him, has only been a series of losses that left his heart hollowed out; I don’t really blame him for expecting further disappointment and isolation and exhaustion. 
He’s also not wrong in the sense that he partially saw MC do what he outlined, and it’s a big part about what he loves about her. When she was feeling alone and lost–powerless–all she did was shrug and move forward. That doesn’t make it hurt any less, but focusing on what you can do instead of what you can’t do is healthier. And they both have the tendency to hide when they’re in pain or feeling lost, all because they don’t want to trouble anyone. Remember that when he says this, it’s a reflection of himself too: because even if he was heartbroken beyond measure, all he would do is hide it every second; he would never expect anyone to see right through him or care.
I mean I tend think of that one post I saw that talked about how people often see themselves as a social burden when most of their life has just been a series of neglect and loss. They don’t really have a concept of “you’re not heavy because I want to stay with you. It’s my choice to care about you.” How do you feel worthwhile an existence when four hundred years later your family still won’t treat you with basic dignity. The men in the mansion also all look to him for guidance and soothing because of the kind of person he is–he’s either silent in the periphery or helping. He never betrays so much as an inkling of insecurity or distress. 
I mean the whole reason Leonardo comes to the mansion is because he has absolutely no issue helping Comte in a pivotal time of need without seeking much of anything in return. Remember that Comte explains how Leonardo came to the mansion in response to Comte’s distress about the future. This makes sense considering Comte was rapidly trying to stop Vlad by beating him to the punch, and had only enough time to plan the basics. He had no certainty things would work out, much less that his boys would thrive. But Comte, unlike the boys, has become acutely aware of how much Leonardo is hiding his fatigue and despair in the course of being helped. As such, he wants to return the favor--and tries to be a good friend to him as much as he can (handles his insane familia, keeps things light and silly time between them, takes him seriously as a person, doesn’t pry beyond what’s fair.)
[I also think of that psychology concept of “the good enough mother.” It’s not always about being perfect every second of your life. It’s about paying attention and acting where it really counts. I feel like people who grow up under an enormous burden of neglect or parental/mentor abuse have a hard time coming to terms with the idea. This notion that just trying is enough for a lot of people, that showing them they’re not alone is enough to make  difficult memories bearable. Because it’s the oppressive silence and apathy that tends to kills people, imo--not people who mean well. But Leonardo doesn’t really understand any kind of reciprocal or non-self-emptying model because the concept is beyond him. He has no experience with it beyond Comte and a select few humans he’s befriended.]
Let’s continue on this point of MC crying where he can’t see her, shall we? The reason this scares him so much is not because he doesn’t care, or doesn’t want to make the effort. It’s precisely that he cares to the point of madness. It’s that he is legitimately convinced nothing he has to say, nothing that he can do, no part of him is enough to ease what she will have to trade away to stay with him. The core issue is not one of disregard or objectification, I find it to be more about his belief that he just isn’t enough. He doesn’t trust that anyone can love him to the point where just the sight of him or time with him can heal. And while there is a foolishness to this belief, it’s understandable when you consider where he’s coming from. You can call it selfishness, but it just feels involuntary--he has a lot of fear when it comes to love.
I mean Comte even says it himself? His words here always strike me: “I want you to understand, it’s because he cherishes you just as you are--more than he cares about his future or his well-being.”
Comte is openly identifying the way that Leonardo has a tendency to give more than is healthy. That Leonardo isn’t hesitating because his feelings are lacking, he’s doing it because he knows it’s going to hurt like a bitch trying to love her and never ask beyond what feels reasonable. (Spoilers: no request is reasonable. That’s the problem here. He’s convinced he deserves nothing.) Therefore turning her into a vampire to stay with him is--consequently, to Leonardo--out of the question. This is the literal hingepoint at which Comte and Leonardo divide; Comte simply tells MC he’ll take full responsibility for asking so much of her. He intends to make her happy with every single resource and skill he has at his disposal. Even if he doubts his ability or fears losing her to vampire rhetoric madness, he’d rather try than live with the regret and immediate loss. Leonardo is more resistant because of his dour outlook, that her fear of immortality is never going to be something that either of them can overcome. And/or he’s likely afraid she’s only going to regret being together after so long, and might succumb to the ridiculous sort of power/greed complexes vampires seem so attracted to by nature.
I think Leonardo is still coming to terms with the idea that he isn't alone in the world in a lot of ways, and I think he's also coming to terms with the idea that immortality does not equate to evil. Sure, human beings on average are probably more open to flexible modes of thinking and living compared to vampires--their maturity is in some ways guaranteed due to the instances they're forced to adapt to survive. However, just one look at the ruling class and oligarchies of all kinds (even just stubborn human beings) reveals how they are not immune to the same sort of megalomania, arrogance, and thoughtless violence purebloods/vampires are capable of.
So I guess I hesitate when it comes to the thought that he only loves her because she's human. If anything, I think he loves her for the fact that she's very rooted in reality--not quite so bound by the extremes that trouble him. It's one of the many reasons I believe Leonardo needs a lot of maturity and patience; the ability to differentiate between his panicked/overwhelmed/hurt reactions versus his calm is a skill in and of itself considering his capacity for concealment. To say nothing of getting him to slow down when this happens, too.
I suppose I think about it in a way that’s similar to how Napoleon’s main story narrative is framed. While Leonardo’s route doesn’t focus on the grandeur of being a former emperor, there is a clear insinuation here that he also craves normalcy? Just a little life, with a person he loves dearly, where he can rest and be himself for once. I think because he gives off such an appearance of steadiness, people fail to see that he is barely holding on--not to mention the kind of experiences he’s been deprived of (the exact security and understanding he so expertly emulates).
Closer to your question, it’s worth mentioning that Leonardo’s life goal for a while was the creation of an immortal human being--in that he fully recognized human beings could not offer what he needed as they were.
He loves humans because of their adaptability, their frequent desire to keep seeking out hope and making the best of the broken pieces they have. But then again, it has more to do with the nature of how frequently that sensibility occurs in humans vs vampires (and immortality in general): mortality does demand some level of necessity to change and grow. Which is one of the largest trauma points for him; the vampires around him just refused to grow up, always demanding at him like children and obsessed with their power complexes.
Thing is I also don't know enough about vampire society to know how correct this perceived ratio is. However, given Comte's similar avoidance of other vampires and general inability to live with them (he and Vlad were literal childhood best friends and Comte can't stand him anymore lmao) I think Leonardo may have more validity here than people give him credit for. Which begs the question--why did he quit trying to make a human immortal? What was it that stopped him? Was it the horror of what needed to be done to achieve it? Or would a potential companion start to fall more in love with the idea of immortality than they do with life itself/him? I think it’s a worthwhile question to ask, given the disdain he seems to aim at Shakespeare in particular--once human, but now emulates all of the violence and insatiability marked by vampirism.
This is where the transition from human to vampire/immortal contains another hingepoint: is Leonardo so incapable of finding a middle ground because he feels like any choice he makes will be a wrong one? Marry a human, deprive them of a normal love where they can grow old together. Marry a human and turn them, what if they are reborn with immortal wounds/psychological harm? What if time proves they get bored of him or hateful, what if they begin to act like the predatory purebloods he hates so much? Marry a pureblood/immortal, and be hounded by his family for heirs--risk being with somebody who will never love him or their children, and only inspire more misery in the world.
Does it make sense how this can really start to become an anxious downspiral for someone like him? How the personal insecurity and life history comes together to just compound stress endlessly?
That's the thing that's important here, I think. Leonardo just needs somebody who is open-minded, firm, and not easily deceived. If one takes a look at Leonardo's main story route, the whole reason everything goes to shit so disastrously is because MC stops listening at a critical point. Granted Leonardo could have been more forthcoming for sure, but when she started assuming Shakespeare was right instead of seeing how Leonardo was feeling/reacting, she responded in ways Leonardo wasn't prepared for. He never wanted to shake her faith or insinuate whatever she is is not good enough for him, and tbh I think Leonardo downspiraled because it was just the same thing all over again. What he is--a vampire and immortal--keeps ruining everything he wants with his life. 
#asks#ikevamp#ikemen vampire#ikevamp meta#ikevamp leonardo#ikevamp leo#ikevamp saint germain#ikevamp comte#can you tell i think too hard about these things kjhdglshf#sorry this reply took me a little longer than i meant to--but i really did want to do the topic proper justice!!#leonardo is such a dear person to me and I can't help but sympathize#people are free to disagree with this but it's just how i feel about the topic#the more i see about him in event stories--the sense this his trembling heart is slowly easing--the less i can believe such things matter#to him all that much tbh#i also think the event where he loses her is just all the more telling too?#i feel like if it really was a matter of principle and not love he would have just accepted it#humans have a v short lifespan--what can be done#sort of reaction#but that's not how he reacted at all: he was a man beside himself with dread and sadness#and even when he meets her reincarnation he can't help but want to be with her again#iirc he starts shaking at the slightest mention of when she died--and shows a lot less ability to resist the urge to turn her#so anywho brief summation is that i think this is more about so many sad boy hours and fear of widespread immortal megalomania#than it is abt hatred for immortality#he has no confidence good things can last without being warped--and that's the key issue here#'nothing gold can stay'#long post#rambles#not incorrect quotes#if you manage to read this without falling asleep i applaud you ajkhldghkfjsdg#thanks for the ask tho--i love any excuse to yell abt leo <333
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travllingbunny · 1 year ago
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I didn't see that poll. But I often see the "Shiv was Logan's favorite" takes from people who are like "Shiv is SPOILED!" - which is funny, because yeah? Of course she is and so are her brothers! They were all spoiled and also abused.
It could be also based on the method of elimination and people going by "things that Logan didn't do" rather than what he did do. Like "she didn't get hit like Roman or completely neglected like Connor, and there was no point at which Logan chose her to go to jail, so I guess she must be his favorite"-
which is again a misunderstanding of the "blood sacrifice" theme in fiction, which is always used to show a person putting other concerns (be it God or destiny or some higher purpose - or just their own selfishness, of course in Logan's case it's himself and his business) over human love, to make a point about sacrificing something really precious, so with child sacrifice it's usually the favorite child (from Abraham and Isaac in the Bible, to Thanos and Gamorra in the MCU). Or you have stories like King Lear where he exiles his favorite daughter because she refused to play the "prove you love me the most" game and called him out on his BS. None of this is ever meant to be interpreted as "wow I guess this person must have actually loved their other kids more and wouldn't have done this to them too if the situation required it".
why are some kenstans (mostly on twitter) so difficult about kendall being logan’s favorite? they like to lean in on logan having no favorites (which I think is also interesting) but its not like logan’s abuse of kendall disappears by him being the favorite. it also doesnt negate the fact that logan loves all of his children. he just sees them very differently and the way he sees them affects his treatment of them. idk i just really love ken being the favorite and it obviously caused conflict in his relationship with roman and shiv (and connor) (which is honestly my favorite thing to explore so maybe im a bit bias
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ash-and-books · 2 years ago
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Rating: 1/5
Book Blurb: A city bookshop owner heads to the English countryside for a holiday reunion— only to face her childhood enemy. Elinor Noel—Nory for short—is quite content running her secondhand bookshop in London. Forever torn between her working-class upbringing and her classmates’ extravagant lifestyles at the posh private school she attended on scholarship, Nory has finally figured out how to keep both at equal distance. So when two of her oldest friends invite their whole gang to spend the time leading up to their wedding together at the castle near their old school, Nory must prepare herself for an emotionally complicated few days. The reunion brings back fond memories, but also requires Nory to dodge an ill-advised former fling. When she falls quite literally into the arms of Isaac, the castle’s head gardener, who has nothing but contempt for the "snobby prep school kids," the attraction between them is undeniable. And as Nory spends more time with Isaac during the wedding festivities, she finds herself falling hard for the boy she used to consider an enemy. Nory and Isaac explore their common ground, but pressures mount on all sides, and Nory must decide what kind of life she wants to live and what sort of love is worth the risk . . .
Review:
A used bookstore owner is reunited with old friends for a holiday wedding at a castle. Secret relationships, old wounds, new romance, and family secrets all come to light as this tight knit group of friends are spending time together. Elinor “Nory” Noel is reunited with her old school mates and friends when two of her friends from her private school days are getting married in a castle. Along the way Nory finds herself encountering an old crush, the son of a gardener that she had a crush on when she was younger. When past relationship secrets get out and friendships are tested, things will get out of hand and this holiday romance will definitely take a turn. Isaac is the son of a gardener who is now the gardener for the castle and he has a huge dislike for Nory’s friend and for their private school privilege. I’m going to be real honest, I just was not feeling this book, the romance, or even the characters. I wasn’t invested in Nory and I was most definitely not seeing the chemistry between her and Isaac. I wasn’t even really getting a Christmas romance vibe from this book which was unfortunate. Nory and her friends were flawed, and honestly the rivalry between Nory and Issac wasn’t even much of a rivalry. he was a the poor son of a gardener and she was the fancy private school kid, but it doesn’t really discuss how their relationship was or how there was any grounds for romance between them. Honestly this one just missed the mark for me and i was hoping for a Christmas romance but unfortunately this one did not hit the spot. So while this one didn’t work for me, maybe it’ll be the right one for you. Definitely give it a go if you are looking for more drama romance story rather than Christmas romance.
*Thanks Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*
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ofweirdestship · 2 years ago
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New Horizons!
Hi, I’m Rage and I deadass went on a nine-day trip to see my best friend & writing partner in person on June 2nd. So I JUST got to watch both of the currently released episodes of New Horizons just now.
I’m not gonna pretend to be spoiler-free, unfortunately that just won’t work if I’m going to get things started over here again, but for the courtesy of this post I’ll be putting the info regarding it below the cut.
While this post will not be pinned, I will reblog with updates with each released episode. This blog IS canon-divergent from the point right before Identity pts 1 & 2 in season 2, however I’m going to see what I can/will retain of the story within my own canon. I will be posting a refresher course on my canon-divergent story as an accompanying post to this one.
Electric Sheep: This one’s a keep, with changes. Contending for the canon, this takes place in the Star Trek/Federation universe, thus features some of the Starfleet crew featured on my main blog, @starbcrn-kids. I am retconning Gordon being “uncomfortable” with Isaac due to this-- because of the circumstances the Orville crew has been through with him in my particular canon, even considering his initial betrayal, NO ONE who was on the Orville crew prior to Identity would EVER doubt Isaac if he did come back around and help them. They’d feel the pain of it, but they would trust him again. HOWEVER, I will be keeping Marcus’ response, and this timeline of events does properly intersect with Charly Burke joining the crew when she does (speaking of, this post will also act as her tag dump, don’t mind me). I don’t intend to change any part of Charly’s story or character as seen thus far. I like her so far even if I don’t agree with her and I’m interested to see where she goes.
Shadow Realms: Ew. But, keep. I don’t see much I’d have to do to adapt this one into my timeline tbh. Besides actually placing it, anyways.
Mortality Paradox: HOLY SHIT Y E S. Keep, just a matter of where I put it.
Gently Falling Rain: Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. OH MY GOD??? OH MY GOD!! OH! MY! GOD! Okay. Okay. I’m okay. OHMYGOD. Okay. This one I will be keeping BUT I’m not sure how. Because of the timeline of my canon, this takes place in my Trekverse, with my Trek muses, and the reality of the situation is that there’s no way in hell that would have gone down like that in my canon, which I don’t like, but I acknowledge nonetheless. I have no idea what’s going to happen or what’s going on. What I know for sure is I will have to WRITE this story OUT within my canon to figure out what went down. It’s the only way to place it correctly in my story. Stay tuned, I guess?
A Tale of Two Topas: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Ahem. Keep! No changes, just fit it in where I can. No change is necessary, this episode was perfect.
Twice in a Lifetime: As emotionally moving as this episode was? Discard. None of what happened is necessary as literally the only character/relationship development that happened (Gordon’s, Talla/John, and Isaac & Charly) either unhappened (Gordon) or could be inserted anywhere for the same effect. And frankly, in a show canon sense and as a viewer, while I personally LOVED that we circled back to Gordon falling in love with a girl from 2015, and showed that what could have been, I hate how Gordon becomes regarding her. I absolutely cannot stand what he is with her. I choose not to perceive the circling back beyond the show-canon narrative, and since I’m canon-divergent, I’m disregarding the episode itself and re-inserting major developments that didn’t disappear elsewhere in my own canon.
From Unknown Graves: I AM A FUCKING MESS. I HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY FUCKING EMOTIONALLY DESTROYED AND I DON’T KNOW IF I WILL EVER RECOVER. Keepn’t. I think this one, like Gently Falling Rain, will require a rewrite within my canon to figure out what’s going on. It shouldn’t need a ton of changes (the Janisi plot should remain completely untouched, for example) but some things will be going differently or may diverge from future plans (Isaac’s emotions. I can see they may revisit this and work this out on their own, but with my OC additions I may end up altering how that goes). UPDATE (07/21/2022): I have written the retelling of the ending of this episode within my canon.
Midnight Blue: Being totally honest with you, I couldn’t stomach watching this episode in full. I watched about 20 minutes of it in total-- watched the beginning up till Haveena asked Topa to help her with communicating with her smugglers, watched Haveena with Dolly, and then skipped to Gordon telling the Moclans OFF and watched the end. I physically couldn’t stomach it, but piecing together my understanding of what happened, I’ll be keeping this episode canon and glossing over talking about events I didn’t see.
Domino: WHAT JUST HAPPENED. NO, SERIOUSLY, WHAT. THE FUCK. JUST HAPPENED. I am-- I am emotionally destroyed, I can’t stop fucking crying, I don’t understand anything, I have been shattered. What the fuck? What the fuck was that!! Ohmygod. And I think the worst part is... this is a keep. I have to. I don’t know that I want to, but I have to. Just. Just don’t touch me right now. Thanks.
Future Unknown: Um, is this even a question?! Keep! Though it may require the tiniest bit of editing for my canon. As far as my reaction? ... I can’t fucking process this one, actually. I mean, in nearly every episode, I was able to compare something that happened to my actual rp shit. But this week’s was so wildly comparable I don’t even know how to put anything into WORDS. I loved EVERYTHING about this but I’m in shock. I’ll come back to this later.
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nafeary · 4 years ago
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Can I have some really short headcanons with MC spending time with the Ikevamp boys?
✧✎ A/N: Hiii sweets! As I’m dealing with pretty heavy topics right, both in life and writing (my cheating!mc headcanon, oh my), I decided to make this short fluffy one first. Make sure to drink water and to sleep well :))))
Also, these kept on getting longer (and longer and longer)... I dunno how that happened 🤷‍♀️
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Napoleon Bonaparte
While you enjoyed accompanying the former emperor and Isaac to teach the children in town
Or going for tranquil evening strolls
Or watching him spar with Jean (HOT)
Both of your favourite past time by far was you waking him, and the cuddling that would always follow (among other... activities *wink wink*)
He’d nuzzle up against your neck, enklindling giggles from you as he protested about you wanting to help Sebastian with breakfast
You couldn’t bring yourself to care too much (sorry Sebas)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Music is the centre of his life; but so are you
He had to learn to give you the attention you deserved, and he’d often wonder if you were were truly content with sitting beside him as he played
You’d love to watch the genius in action, humming and singing along when you happen to recognize his songs
If you don’t already know, he’d teach you to play the piano and the violin
And despite being the ever strict instructor, you’d often catch his tranquil simper as his hands would ghost over your own
Leonardo Da Vinci
After all your chores would be completed, you’d hunt down the Renaissance man
Which would be quite time consuming, as he could be anywhere. Literally.
Once you succeeded in your mission, you’d sit beside wherever he decided to sleep this time (sometimes with one of your heads resting on the other’s lap) and you’d talk. As simple as that
You were, of course, aware of the scientist’s unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and you were more than glad to tell him about everything you knew about your time in detail
In return, he’d find a way to charge your phone, as you always expressed the desire to show him actual pictures of your old life
Curious boi is impressed
Arthur Conan Doyle
If his girlfriend were to be a social butterfly, you’d probably enjoy tagging along with the third wheel Theo to their regular bars, sharing embarrassing anecdotes of each other
Both of you could often be seen taking Vic for a walk, and Arthur would, no fail, try to get your attention away from the dog acting as his love rival
You could only roll your eyes at his histeronic behavior as he pulled you close, hiding his flaming cheeks at your teasing
If you tend to be more quiet loving, you’d indulge in some alone time in his room [goddammit, not that type of indulging]. As you listened to his calming puffs or air, he’d sometimes ask you to read some of his drafts
Whatever the case was, it would always end with Arthur sweetly pecking your purses lips, a smile gracing his handsome face
Vincent Van Gogh
Wanderlust is a mutual feeling you two shared, and Theodorus had to come to terms with the fact that you two could disappear for hours to end
As soon as you two would find a stunning location, he’d unpack his painting supplies while asking you questions about your old life
You two preferred to stay until the sun would retire for the moon to reign, so that the artist’s canvas had the chance to dry
Sebas would always prepare some snacks for you two upon Comte’s suggestion (because Sugar Daddy takes care of his kids)
As the picnic blanket lay beneath you two, Vincent would pull you close, basking in the serene serenity of your embrace
Thedorus Van Gogh
Baking!
Whether you know or don’t know (in which case Sebastian would gladly help you out) how to cook, the others would find the resident couple in the kitchen as Theo judged your pastries
Of course, he might be mean about it, but that was just apart of him that you’ve learnt to live with; after all, you weren’t perfect either
You discovered that he preferred his sweets... well, sweet, so you have grown used to making two batches of every dough/custard/anything, really: one for you and the other residents, and one solely for him
He’d sometimes saunter behind you, swiftly swiping some saccharine cream onto his finger from a bowl you were currently using. Before you could utter your protests, he’d paint your lips with it, a smirk parading across his cheeks
Successfully shutting you up with a tooth rottingly sweet kiss, he’d say, “Your creations are quite delicious, wouldn’t you agree, knabbletje?” [Would you look at that, Food Play!Theo has returned]
Your knee joints were seemingly replaced by the jelly chilling in the basement
Dazai Osamu
When he’d require inspiration for his novels (or simply felt trapped in his own misery), he’d find himself looking across the vast expanse of le Comte’s land
And somehow, he’d find you more than often amongst the flowers, waving at him to join you
He’d assist you as you cared for the flowers, watching your lithe and nimble hands as they practically danced across the fields
A few butterflies would appear, and he somehow had the ability to make them land on his finger as he explained each of their meanings, explanations spanning from eastern culture to Native American even
You’re always so fixed on the little butterflies resting on him, the writer can’t help himself but kiss your forehead, the subsequent crimson staining your face eliciting such a calm expression from him that you can’t help but smile at his joy
Isaac Newton
As you were both more than busy during the day, you’d vacate your time as the first stars speckled the horizon, Isaac busying himself with mapping the stars
You’d sometimes ask him to teach you, but you tended to zone out as the lectures became more and more scientific and “can you please repeat that in English”-like
Despite the ire lining his voice when he noticed your blank stare, his pouting made it rather apparent that he didn’t mind
He’d scoff whenever you’d start with astrology. “But you’re determined, just like a Capricorn.” “That doesn’t mean anything.”
As more and more stars would appear, you’d catch yourselves gaze more into each other’s eyes than the sky, alabaster rays illumining your loving eyes
His research would be entirely forgotten as your head rested upon his shoulder, liking the prospect of your figurative weight resting on him
Jean d’Arc
You want to watch him spar
Soft boi doesn’t want you to watch him spar
You want to try using his foil
Soft boi doesn’t want you to try using his foil
More than adamant about not revealing his dark side (you couldn’t care less, him sparing was hot but you didn’t know how to bring that up)
As such, you’d ask him to go shopping with you, arguing that his presence would act as the perfect protection
Foolproof way to persuade the stoic soldier: Volume I
You’d enjoy spending time with him in quiet cafes, enjoying him struggle to contain his expressions of content upon trying all the delicacies
Stone on the outside, panic in the inside when you decided to lower yourself onto his lap, telling him that no one could see you two (soldier life did not prepare him for his flirty amour)
William Shakespeare
Stabbing is his favourite past time
To Theo’s disgust, whenever you and and his broer would visit THE creep, he’d often return alone, relying your wish of staying at his mansion for a little while longer
He’d be besotted by all the stories you relayed to him, all the anecdotes of modern life
As you saw his latest works, you were glad he wasn’t using the residents for his drama anymore
He also liked dancing with you, in the moment the clock would hit midnight. As you would both sway beneath the moon’s embrace, he had never felt more at peace
Comte de Saint-Germain
Sugar Daddy likes buying you stuff, that’s it. That’s the headcanon
Jk, but he genuinely enjoys the prospect of shopping clothes with you
He’d even draft some on his own (I mean, have you seen his fashion style? Yes babayyy). If you were a fan of design, you’d both make outfits for one another
Would buy you the best silk if you wanted it... would buy you holo fabric from the future if you wanted it
After your shopping would be done, you’d walk along the Seine, reminiscing about the times none of you have gotten to life in
He enjoyed having you in his office, allowing you to vent about noble ladies that thought they could do as they please and parade around your man
As your ire left your ears fuming, he’d muse how scrumptiously adorable your jealousy it
He’d probably lift you ontop his desk to show you that you had absolutely nothing to fear— if you get what I mean ;)
...What are you talking about? I wasn’t talking about that 🙄. He’d simply show you all the designs you’ve made together smh
Sebastian
Vampires were goddamn lucky creatures. They, unlike him, didn’t have to deal with those horrid muscle cramps
However, his pain was more than familiar to you. Thus, one evening, you proposed as you prepared for bed if he’d like a massage from you
It would... sometimes lead to other acts, but that’s a story for another time 🙃
...I- that’s- I was talking about him massaging her... I should probably omit these insinuations
Now, you’d also spent time by adjusting your (and Dazai’s) favourite Japanese dishes with ingredients the 19th century France granted
This would oftentimes lead to questionable results, but you two would laugh it off with mirth enjoying your company
I am physically unable to write a Theo without foodplay, or Dazai without angsty undertones
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yakocchi · 4 years ago
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My Darling’s the Strongest (Scenario Event) // Leonardo
(graphic is separate from the event)
me: wow i wonder what cool and amazing new content there will be for white day week cybird: we heard from no one that u like reprints that only have new ranking avatars. so heres another reprint that only has new ranking avatars me:
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…….cybird it’s ok to not make every event have ranking cards. yea i know they make gangbusters versus events without cards, but if it results in less new scenario events overall… that’s not great
anyway, it’s been like 4 months since a new Count scenario event has been released (which is a better track record than several charas) and i wanted to do a longer string of text to test out a keyboard i ordered. yea im very fickle with my output but ehehe what’s new i archive leo events sometimes, so i decided to dredge one up to translate. i actually wanted to do vlad’s first post-main-route event as a sort of celebration for when it would inevitably happen, but then said scenario event appeared and it ended up being an AU. why does this game like AUs so much? the canon universe already pretty farfetched… u literally have dracula and ure telling me u would rather put him in a situation where he would not be dracula. cowards
This event (first released ~July 2020) was made for the 3rd Anniversary of JP Ikevam later that month. The event was split into two parts, where iirc the first part contained the Count, Arthur, and Mozart. Leo was in the second part with Napo and Isaac.
Spoilers under the cut!! Please credit if you take any of it, thenk u (・ω・*) image-heavy!!
The master of the manse, from time to time, starts his conversations with the most unexpected topics. One of those “times”, was today.
...
[Count]: “—So, I’d like the two of you to go out for the Best Couples’ Contest.” [Leonardo & Kara]: “Huh…?” As soon as we had excused ourselves into his quarters, the Count had said something completely unexpected. Leonardo and I had responded with a confused noise spilling out of our lips. (The “Best Couples’ Contest” is that event where they pick the best couple in Paris, right?) (I wonder why he suddenly decided to say he wants us to go.) Even as the two of us stood bewildered in front of him, the Count’s smile remained, untarnished. Leonardo then heaved a massive sigh…
[Leonardo]: “Now, I’m used to you telling me crazy things—" [Leonardo]: “But at the very least, could you give us the entire story, O’ great Count?” The Count began to speak once more—
[Count]: “Well—” [Count]: “Last night, I had visited an acquaintance upon them telling me that they had gotten their hands on some good wine.” [Count]: “At one point, they informed me that they were going to hold a contest to determine the best couple.” [Count]: “Then, they asked me if I was acquainted with any prospective couples for it.” Leonardo then took over from Count as if he had read this story before.
[Leonardo]: “Then, in your drunken state you selfishly entered me and the little sweetheart to the contest, did you?” (And that means… the Count thinks me and Leonardo would have a chance?)
The Count responded to Leonardo’s summation of the events with apparent amusement. [Count]: “I do believe I wasn’t drunk at the time, I’ll have you know?” [Leonardo]: “That’s even worse, then.”
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[Count]: “Oh my, Leonardo. Is it really all right for you to say that?” [Leonardo]: “Hah?” [Kara]: “gh-…” The Count had turned in my direction— and so Leonardo, as if in pursuit of the gentleman, then turned to face me as well. Their gazes seemed to urge me to confess my true feelings on the matter, and I earnestly comply.
[Kara]: “Ah-, I… I just thought it sounded fun.” [Kara]: “And on top of that, I’d be really happy if everyone acknowledged me and Leonardo as the best couple.” (Even though I’d be nervous to stand in front of so many people,) (I’d be able to boast that such a wonderful person is my lover…) (And I also think it’d be a good opportunity to see if I’m able to become a suitable woman for Leonardo.)
[Leonardo]: “…” A surprised expression appeared on Leonardo’s face for a moment, before it was replaced with a smile…
[Leonardo]: “Shall we partake?” [Kara]: “Huh? Is it okay?” I had blurted out my question, and Leonardo gently patted my head. [Leonardo]: “This situation’s turned into nothing but a good opportunity, so we might as well have some fun and aim to win this thing, yeah?” [Kara]: “gh- Okay…!” Glad that Leonardo was also interested, my voice naturally gained a bounce to it.
[Kara]: “But, I wonder how they’re going to determine the best couple?” Muttering this, the Count then handed me the invitation, which had a general outline of the event written inside. Promptly opening it, written was—
(The contest is to be a few days from now, and I can look forward to what we’ll be tested on… on the day itself?) The portion I wanted to know about most of all hadn’t been written, and I internally slumped my shoulders.   The invitation concluded with a single line— “The key to victory is to have a mind and soul of love towards one another,” (I guess the ‘mind and soul of love’ is supposed to be a hint, but…) [Kara]: “Hmm… With just this, I don’t know what the contest could be about, at all.” [Leonardo]: “Don’t sweat it, sweetheart.” (Huh?) Leonardo brought his face up close to the Count… And as if he had devised a scheme, a mischievous smile had turned the corners of his lips. [Leonardo]: “You’re close with the contest organizer, right? I’m led to believe that they have some sort of hint on ‘em.” [Count]: “Leonardo…?” [Leonardo]: “We may have willingly chose to participate in the contest— but it doesn’t change the reality that it was our lovely Count who dragged us into this in the first place.” [Leonardo]: “So, naturally, you’re gonna cooperate with us, no?”
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As a result of forcing the Count (against his will) to spill the details, we were able to make a guess on what we’d be doing in the contest. But…
most everyone else in this event: (thinking hard on what to do bc they dont kno what the contest is going to cover) leo: fuc it CHEAT
[Leonardo]: “…” (…Leonardo has an awfully complicated look on his face right now.) In my mind, I think over our discussion from a moment ago:
The organizer of the couples’ contest appears to have hosted several dance contests as well. To put it plainly, the organizer is both a huge socialite and a huge fan of dances. (So, individuals are called from high society circles to be chosen as the “best couple”, and) (The probability of competing based on our dancing… is high.)
[Leonardo]: “Hagh…” [Kara]: “…Hehe.” Seeing Leonardo’s pouting face, I unwittingly laughed. Then— [Leonardo]: “What are you laughing for, sweetheart?”
[Kara]: “I just remembered something from back before we became lovers.” The conversation of that day, the day where a weakness of his had been exposed, replayed in my head—
[Leonardo]: “…I can’t dance.” (Huh…?) [Kara]: “You’ve got to be kidding, right…? You can build and play instruments, and yet…” [Kara]: “Is it because you don’t go to many socialite parties to begin with, so you haven’t had many opportunities to dance….?” [Leonardo]: “No, I’ve participated in ‘em the point where I’ve even had a hand in producing those sorts of dazzling venues.” [Kara]: “’Producing’…” (This person really can do anything and everything. No, no, that’s not true…) [Kara]: “Leonardo, the mystery that surrounds you is only getting deeper and deeper.”
[Leonardo]: “I avoided having to do it.” [Kara]: “…’Avoid’?” [Leonardo]: “…Try to imagine it. Me, dancing?” [Leonardo]: “It doesn’t suit me, I don’t have the look required for it…” (…What… is this?)
[Kara]: “…Hehe, ahaha!” [Leonardo]: “…Hey, sweetheart. What are you laughing for?
(He said the same thing back then.) Unable to hold it in, I continued to giggle… [Leonardo]: “Don’t laugh.” [Kara]: “I think you’re the one smiling here, though?” [Leonardo]: “…I’m just feeling terribly nostalgic right now.” Answering me, his eyes held a gentle light within them as if cherishing those days, [Kara]: “You still hate dancing, I assume?” [Leonardo]: “Even to this day, I find it embarrassing to do. Radiant, cheerful stuff doesn’t mesh with me. But—" (Huh?)
The second I wondered if Leonardo was going to start something, he suddenly pulled my waist towards him for an embrace… [Kara]: “Woah, woah-…!” Regaining my senses— Led by Leonardo himself, I properly danced. [Leonardo]: “I’m able to dance like the average person now— and it’s all because you came to keep me company.” While I was still surprised, Leonardo dropped a light kiss on my forehead. [Kara]: “Nn-…” Flustered, I looked up to find a completely composed smile on his face… [Kara]: “…ngh-“ An impulse overwhelming me, I lean my head against his chest.
[Kara]: “…Sly as usual.” [Leonardo]: “Hm?” [Kara]: “Even though I thought I had finally found a weakness of yours, you’ll get over that hurdle too pretty soon.” [Kara]: “When you do things like that, you become sly so smoothly, exquisitely.”
(When he shows this side of him… I get driven to work even harder than before so I can catch up to him.) While even feeling a frustration from it, I turned my gaze back to Leonardo.
[Kara]: “It seems like this world is going to become one where there’s absolutely nothing you can’t do.”
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[Leonardo]: “…Maybe?” (…Hm?) For a second it felt as if he were pondering over something, a particular emotion washing over his face.
But before I could say anything, I was swiftly embraced, and that thought of mine scattered, and vanished. [Kara]: “l- Leonardo?” [Leonardo]: “Hey, look there, sweetheart.” (Huh?)
Following Leonardo’s gaze— I could see the dusk dying the sky from a distance away. (Pretty…) The view that he showed me, was beautiful.   But, at the same time… my chest was tightened by this sorrow. (Although the scene before our eyes is the same between us, time passes differently between us…) (During moments like this, I feel that difference.) (However— When we became lovers, I had decided that no matter how different we are, I’m going to embrace the present, make the most out of it.) (I’m going to savor even the passing seconds, cherish them… as we live together, as two.)
As if to confirm he was really there, I embraced his warmth in return… [Kara]: “Leonardo, I’m looking forward to the contest.” [Leonardo]: “Mhm.” In the vivid sunset, we smiled to each other.
—Time passed, and the night of the contest arrived at last.
(W-Wow…) When we had entered the venue in our formalwear, there were several couples eagerly waiting for the contest to start. (All of the people here have to be participants for the contest, huh. …Somehow, my heart’s pounding.) I took a deep breath to calm myself down, and when I did that— Leonardo, as if to soothe my heart, lightly stroked my hair. [Leonardo]: “Why is it necessary for you to feel all anxious?” [Kara]: “Leonardo?” [Leonardo]: “To the point where there’s just no way we can lose to any couple here— I love you, you know.”
[Leonardo]: “—Well, and you?” Inquiring me, his smile was brimming with self-confidence… And caught up in his mood, I smiled cheerfully.
[Kara]: “I love you too— to the point where it’s impossible for us lose to anyone…!”
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[Leonardo]: “Heh… Very nice, then.” [Judge]: “—And so, the contest shall begin now. The means of competition is to be by dance.” (Ah-…!) We look to each other, and Leonardo, extending his hand towards me, says, [Leonardo]: “Kara… You’ll do me the honor of a dance, no…?”
PREMIUM END
[Kara]: “Yes, I’d be delighted!” (Even though I was so nervous about this until now… Now, I can’t help but just be excited about it.) (I want everyone to quickly feast their eyes on our dancing, and our bond!) Taking his hand, I nestled close to him as an elegant melody began to echo within the dance hall. To become a flower that offsets the man before me, I step forward—
—When the contest had ended without a hitch, the both of us walked along the moonlit Seine as we made our way home. The chilly breeze felt pleasant on my heated skin. [Kara]: “We really were able to win!” (I was able to prove my bond with Leonardo to all of Paris… I’m so happy that I can’t stop a smile from showing on my face.) [Leonardo]: “I did say we wouldn’t lose to anyone, didn’t I?” [Leonardo]: “But, well, to think… the winning prize was a year’s supply of wine of all things. ‘Guess sensuality and allure are as good as goddamn useless to them.”
he’s trying to say that he doesn’t like the prize cuz it isn’t very sensual/sexy (suppose he imagined a prize for a lovers’ contest would be more along those lines). even Arthur in the epilogue is like “…thought the prize for a best couples’ contest would be more special”….
[Kara]: Hehe, it’s a nice prize, isn’t it? Let’s drink it with everyone else in the manse.” [Leonardo]: “If you’re satisfied with it, that’s good, I suppose.” As he spoke, Leonardo looked to be the same as usual, but his eyes reflected some kind of joy from within. (I’m glad that this will become a lovely memory I’ll have about him.) (…But, even then) The very sight of Leonardo of when I had danced with him in the dance hall, wouldn’t leave my head. [Kara]: “Your dancing was really, really stunning.” [Kara]: “As I had always thought… you’re the strongest one around.” [Leonardo]: “What’s all this about, hmm?”
i probably should’ve bothered explaining it last year since i used the title “My Darling’s the Strongest” for the other translation but uh might as well do it now that it’s explicitly used in the story so by “strongest”, it doesn’t necessarily mean physical strength (though it can be). It’s “strongest” as in a form of “mightiest” or “most powerful”, kind of like when someone says “my baseball team is the strongest in the league”,
[Kara]: “I just think that you’re the mightiest lover as there’s nothing you can’t do.” Carried away by the thrill of victory, I professed my thoughts. In doing so Leonardo’s brows lowered, and a bit of a troubled smile graced his lips. [Leonardo]: “If I’m able to put some effort into it, then I guess there’s really nothing I can’t do. But…”
[Leonardo]: “There is something I simply cannot do, no matter how hard I try.” (Huh…?) [Kara]: “Something you can’t do… I can’t imagine such a thing existing.” He was undoubtedly an almighty genius, and was also the type of person willing to confront even his awkward dancing skills head-on.
At my murmurs, Leonardo continued as if the topic was no big deal.
[Leonardo]: “It exists.” [Leonardo]: “I cannot become an ordinary human.”
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(gh-…) His words had vanished into the night breeze.
I inadvertently stopped in my tracks, and he stopped as well… and the both of us stood still in that one corner.
In my current view, the moonlight illuminated his figure as he stood before me. [Leonardo]: “As a pureblood vampire,” [Leonardo]: “I give you much loneliness— A loneliness that, if I were an ordinary human, you would never have to experience.” [Leonardo]: “However, if I went and lamented over every single little detail of that truth, I would be rendered unable to be with you. —Thus from the very beginning, I do not intend to lament either.” [Leonardo]: “I’m going to use as much of my power as I possibly can to grant your wishes, and that’s all.” (Using his power, my wishes…) I recalled the exchange we had a few days ago:
[Kara]: “Ah-, I… I just thought it sounded fun.” [Kara]: “And on top of that, I’d be really happy if everyone acknowledged me and Leonardo as the best couple.” [Leonardo]: “…”
[Kara]: “Did… you say that we should go and try to win the contest… merely because I…” With a smile, Leonardo proceeded to stare intently at me. [Leonardo]: “Well, there’s that, but additionally… I had the same motive as you had.” [Leonardo]: “I also had wanted the both of us to be acknowledged as the best couple.” [Leonardo]: “I wanted news to spread that I had been able to become the man of such a wonderful woman, you know.”   (gh- Leonardo…) Leonardo, whenever and wherever, envelops me in his great, unparalleled affection. Roused by the surging love within me, I went to grip his hand.
[Kara]: “…Leonardo, I want to be by your side tonight, and all night.” (I want to give him, in return for the love I received from him… those same feelings, that same love.) (I want him… to feel my love as well.)
[Leonardo]: “…” [Kara]: “gh- Ah-!” I was suddenly yanked towards him; and almost stumbling over my feet, it had closed the distance between us. Bringing his lips to my ear, he whispered:
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[Leonardo]: “What a coincidence. I was just thinking the same thing.”
—As soon as we entered his room, we melded, deeply kissing each other. [Leonardo]: “…Hah-, Kara…” He called my name with a wet, heady timbre between kisses, the sensuality of it making me go lightheaded. Crowded atop the bed, he pried my lips open with his finger… [Leonardo]: “Thinking about it, I haven’t received a reward from you yet.” [Kara]: “’Reward’…?” [Leonardo]: “When I’m feeling, touching you like this… I know that you’re not so dumb to be oblivious to what I want?” [Kara]: “ngh-…” Taking a guess on what he desired from me, I slowly brought my face closer to his.
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[Leonardo]: “Good girl. Come on— Try to turn me on with a kiss?”
FIN
yes the event really stops here before the epilogue teaser. cybird when a sexi scene is about to start:
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since this was a glorified keyboard test, this is mostly a one-off… so don’t expect leo translations from me otherwise ahah
u know, it’s always weird to me that leo’s stuff is always very sorrowful bc of the vast diff in lifespan, humans vs. vampires thing. like, does he not plan to turn her into a vampire? the wedding stuff makes it sound like they’d like to be together forever but they still don’t really like to broach the topic itself……… kinda sus given that the Count’s stuff gets several mentions of biting in events and vlad clearly doesn’t mind biting whenever (and is just waiting for her to give him the go-ahead). ive seen some ppl talk about how maybe leo likes her because she’s human (both as in being a literal human and the figurative idea of being “human”) and honestly……… it is kinda messed up to think about, but i can see it LOL now im not saying the other pureblood x mc relationships are super healthy but that’s a convo for another time
well at least these guys don’t have to ask someone for vampire-turning assistance. im imagining one of the other charas having to ask the Count to bite mc akin to how teenagers have to ask their parents to drive them and their friends around to do stuff…….. who wants to relive that nightmare
also sorry if like leo’s voice doesn’t match up with w/e the official engl localization does. ive literally never played an engl cybird game in my life, so it’s a crime of ignorance i swear. tho imo if they’re not making him sound like a rascal… that’s very lame, im not gonna lie
the epilogue is obviously not available for purchase rn, but please buy it and/or support the game with purchases when you can!!
As always, thanks for reading!
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mandaloriangf · 4 years ago
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Something that I find hilarious is the fact that the Disney Trilogy is such a dead end in terms of story possibilities and profit. Those movies were such a mess and have so little potential for further stories or spin-offs that literally NONE of the new announced shows/movies have anything to do with that era. And since none of the actors want to return to Star Wars, with Boyega and Isaac even outright scorning the idea, there’s no way that their stories can be continued in live action. And even if they DID want to continue the story, what would it even be ABOUT?? The rebuilding of the New Republic and making a new Jedi order after the old one was destroyed?? That’s just a literal rehash of the Disney trilogy LMAO ☠️
And in terms of profit, this trilogy is dead in the water. It made its box office money, sure, but aside from that, it’s not going to be a long-term moneymaker since none of the merch related to it sells. Like the profits on the merch were so overwhelmingly bad that when they unveiled the merch for the 40th anniversary of ESB, there was NO new merch for the sequels, even though the Mandalorian and Jedi:Fallen Order got a whole bunch. There were literal executives at toy companies complaining about how much money they lost on making merch for the Disney trilogy, and they outright stated that it doesn’t sell. And I know that Disney’s hoping for another prequels situation where fan reception got better over time, banking on kids being a future generation of fans who will grow up, express appreciation for the trilogy, and spend money on it because they love it out of nostalgia, but that won’t work because that would require today’s generation of kids liking it in the first place?? Nostalgia only works when people liked something as a kid, and today’s kids don’t care about Star Wars — they care about the MCU. So today’s kids won’t grow up to be a generation of fans who will loyally buy merch for the Disney trilogy. Instead, the only people who will bring in continuing profits for the Disney trilogy are the current fans, and as we have mentioned before, they are so few/dispassionate that Disney’s actually LOSING money on merch
LMAAAO, like at this point, Disney should just cut its losses, stick the Disney trilogy into an alternate universe, and replace it with a new post-ROTJ trilogy. Maybe that way, we can actually get a trilogy that gives us a coherent narrative arc, respects the successes and personalities of the OT trio, treats its nonwhite characters with respect, gives us storylines that aren’t just boring rehashes of Empire vs Rebels, and actually allows POC to be the main characters. I guarantee that THAT will bring in a lot more fan passion and money in the long run
i really do hope that disney and other companies can at least learn a lesson from this so it never happens again. they really thought that by using nostalgia they could make a HUGE profit but star wars fans aren’t like other fanbases.
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storysnapshot · 4 years ago
Text
Pnat Secret Santa 2!
@pnatsecretsanta
@mylkshaek I’m your paranatural secret santa! Here’s a short story about Max and Isaac being friends!
A Proper Teenage Birthday
“Coo-ee! Maaaaax! One of your friends is here to see you!”
The musical intonation of his dad’s voice caused Max to stir in bed.
“The one with the spiiiiiky haaaaair!”
Max groaned and got out of bed. What could Isaac want? On a Saturday, no less. Max changed into a comfortable Insolent Children hoodie, and sulked into some slippers. 
Lefty hung in the air, disapprovingly. 
“It’s a Saturday! I’m not getting dressed.” Max waved the disembodied hand away as Lefty floated slowly through the wall.
Downstairs, Isaac was waiting for him.
“ ‘Sup, man?” Max yawned his greeting, ignoring the million dollar smile his dad was putting on. Well, hundred dollar. Before taxes.
“Big day coming up Max.” Isaac whispered conspiratorially. 
“Something…” Max lowered his tone to a whisper as he pretended to check out the shelves. “Spectral?”
“No! Your birthday!” Isaac beamed at him.
“What? You woke me up at…” Max peered outside at the midday sun “The crack of dawn just to talk about an event happening in a MONTH?”
“Yes.” 
“Why? It’s not like I’m even sure I’m inviting you yet.” Max smirked wickedly
Isaac feigned being injured, “Oh, Max, you wound me so. I’m here to HELP you, ya dork.”
“What could I possibly need your help with? It’s MY birthday. And it’s in a MONTH.” 
Isaac casually tossed a Vegi-rap (Made of real Vegetarian Rappers!) into his shopping cart. “Because, young Max, you’re going to be a teenager. And I am a teenager. And as such,” he paused to dramatically gesture with his hand “I’m going to make sure you have a Proper Teenage Birthday!” He held the pose for a moment, seemingly expecting applause. None came. Max coughed, awkwardly.
“I was just going to have a few of you guys around and eat junk food, play video games, and stay up late.”
“Which guys?”
“Um. The club, I guess? Not Mr. Spender - I feel like he’d try to get an invitation.”
“Great! Teenage birthdays are all about small groups of people you actually like. We’re done with that ‘the whole class gets an invite’ stuff. That’s kid stuff.”
“Isaac. Why are you so into this?”
“It’s important! First birthday as a teenager!” Isaac double checked his cart. “Any chance of a discount?” he smiled, a rare sight on the broody 13-year-olds face.
“I’ll ask my dad. You want to continue this conversation upstairs? I’m kind of interested in what you think a ‘teenage birthday’ should be like.”
Isaac purchased his stuff, Max managed to swindle a discount (friends, family, and ferret owners! Surprisingly, Isaac qualified for 2 out of the 3), and they ran upstairs to Max’s room.
Isaac conjured a spectral board on one wall, and began making notes, pacing the floors in a vague impersonation of Spender. 
“Right, a proper teenage birthday party requires 3 things!” He gesticulated to the board.
“Firstly, food. There are limits here - I’m a Vegetarian, and Ed doesn’t eat anything with fewer than 3 artificial flavours or preservatives.”
Max looked incredulously; “You know we own a convenience store, right?”
“Great point! So that’s sorted - you can steal as much as needed, right?”
“We own it, Isaac. It’s not stealing.”
Isaac waved away Max’s logical reasoning.
“Theft is cooler. You’re a teenager now. Well, will be. Second thing! Music. I see you already have… advanced taste for your age,”
Max looked over to the Necromantid poster on the wall. “Yeah, and who doesn’t like Insolent Children?”
Isaac nodded, clearly impressed. “And Saint Hat Trick too! That’s unexpected for a pre-teen.”
Max bristled at the comment. “And third?”
“And THIRD: Games. What consoles do you have, and this is important - do you have enough controllers?”
“Uh… can I borrow like… two?” Max looked towards the slightly beat up console 
“Aha! This was an important conversation then. I am vindicated. What games do you have?” 
“Uh… Timothy Blackbird’s Semi-professional cyclist 2? Average Attack Associates? Puppet Monsters: Gotta Observe Them All?”
“Good selection, I’ll bring the controllers, and some other classic party games - Mimo From Accounts Wacky Racers, and Mimo From Accounts Celebration Board Game.”
“Oh I love those, I need to get my own copy!”
“Well, that’s a good idea! Don’t buy it before next month. For no particular reason.”
Max looked up at Isaac as he smiled, and the spectral board disappeared.
“This is going to be the Best. Birthday. Ever.”
“A Proper Teenage Birthday! See! Told ya this was good. I’ll text the group.”
Isaac flipped open his phone, and messaged the Activity Club group. Max’s phone buzzed in response. It was nice to have friends in this new town, he thought to himself. And a proper birthday coming up!
Max opened his own phone as it buzzed a second time.
“A PARTY? I’d LOVE to come!!! Who’s gonna text me the deets?”
Isaac had managed to text the group with Spender in it. Max smiled, despite himself. It WAS good to have friends.
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