#charlotte meridian

[addictedtostorytelling]

I LOVE your insight to GSR! I am re-watching the entire series and I have a question. If Grissom and Sara had a relationship before she came back to Vegas how does Grissom reconcile perusing other women? Is it because he doesn't think he can have Sara so he's trying to fill that void? I am interested in your thoughts!

hi, @i-collect-things!

i've previously written a bit about this topic here, if you're interested.

however, to elaborate (and update) a bit:

the short answer here is that while grissom falls in love with sara at first sight and has a kind of nebulous romantic and possibly sexual connection with her prior to her moving to vegas between 1998 and 2000, he is never in a committed, monogamous relationship with her at any point prior to 2005.

furthermore, for as much as he loves her from the first time he meets her in 1998, before october 2000, he never has any reason to believe that they can be together as a serious, committed couple, given that they live in separate states.

those things being the case, while i don't believe he dates a lot of people outside of her during this time and especially none seriously, he is technically at liberty to do so if he so chooses—just as she is technically at liberty to date other people if she so chooses—which is something he does at least one time that we know of (i.e., when he takes charlotte meridian to the dark side of the rainbow show sometime before mid-october 2000).

the reason why he does go on at least that one date (and possibly others unknown to us) is not because he's trying to move on from sara or because he "enjoys playing the field" or even because he is seeking to fill the hole in his life caused by her living faraway from him but rather just because he seeks social companionship.

certainly, he has no intentions to fall in love with anyone not sara and he's not searching for any kind of "deeper connection" outside of with her. likewise, by the same token, he also (as i read things) isn't interested in seeking out sex with anyone who isn't sara, either.

he is just interested in spending time with a person he finds intellectually and socially stimulating in the only way social conventions will really allow him to (i.e., by taking her on a date).

as for how he can justify pursuing other women (in this case, teri miller) after sara moves to vegas in 2000, at that point, he is very much trying to distract himself from sara, as he feels he cannot ever have her.

however, he is wildly unsuccessful in doing so, which is why his relationship with teri miller ends so abruptly and disastrously.

longer answer after the "keep reading," if you're interested.

__

so let's put the issue of grissom's romantic adventures between 2000-2005 on ice for a second and focus instead on the precanon era of his and sara's relationship between 1998-2000.

in order to answer the question "if grissom falls in love with sara the first time he meets her in 1998 and then they have some kind of ~relationship~ between 1998 and 2000 before she moves to las vegas and joins his team, why would he date other people besides her during this time?," first we have to deconstruct it.

point of deconstruction #1: for whatever grissom and sara's pre-vegas relationship is, it is not an official or labeled one. while during this period, they fall in love at first sight, may go on some sporadic dates, may potentially have some physical component(s) to their dynamic, etc., they aren't "boyfriend and girlfriend," per se.

given that they are living 400 miles away from each other and have no opportunities to see each other regularly, while connected, they are not committed.

in no sense is their relationship a formalized one, particularly since at this point in their history they have no reason to believe that their situation will ever really resolve itself, as she is living and working in california while he is living and working in nevada, and neither one of them has the intention to quit their job and/or move without first having some other place to land. as far as they see things, for as strong as their feelings for each other are, their separation from each other is interminable.

ergo, there is no expectation for monogamy between them at this point.

though they both are secretly heart-set on each other and would gladly give up seeing other people were the option to be exclusive with each other somehow suddenly to appear on the table, with her living in san francisco and him living in las vegas, they aren't actually in a position to build their lives around each other in that particular way yet.

so, though in love, they are still technically single.

and as single people, they are technically at liberty to date other people, if they so choose.

—which brings us to point of deconstruction #2: we don't actually know what either sara or grissom chooses in this regard.

like.

we don't know how much they do actually "date other people" after meeting each other.

doug wilson is the only even potential non-grissom "gentleman caller" from sara's past we know of whom she could possibly date during this time. however, not only is it unclear exactly what kind of relationship she and doug actually have—are they just mutually attracted to each other or do they actually hook up?—but it's also unclear when exactly during her san francisco days sara knows him; he is just as likely to predate sara meeting grissom as postdate it.

that so, we can't definitively say whether or not sara actually dates either doug or anyone else after the time when she meets grissom or not.

meanwhile, while we know grissom goes on a one-off (bad) date with charlotte meridian sometime prior to the events of episode 01x01 "pilot" in 2000, we can't actually speak to the fact that he sees any other women besides either her or sara between 1998-2000 before sara moves to vegas.

though it's technically possible that he may date julia holden during this time, it's also possible that he dates her before he ever meets sara (i.e., sometime prior to 1998).

excepting his unnamed college girlfriend (see episode 09x08 "young man with a horn"), whom he breaks up with long before even meeting sara, his only other confirmed "lady friend" on the show at all besides those two is teri miller, whom he meets and takes on a date in 2001, which, for those of us playing along at home, is only after sara moves to vegas and he begins trying, ineffectually albeit, to distract himself from her.

so while of course it's possible that he may date other women between 1998 and 2000—either casually or seriously—the fact is that we just don't have any explicit evidence that such is the case.

and, in fact, we have circumstantial evidence to suggest that maybe it isn't.

recall that in episode 01x04 "pledging mr. johnson" (which takes place, within the universe of the show, in november 2000), catherine accuses grissom of living "alone in [his] hermetically-sealed condo" and "[having] no relationships, so [there is] no chance one will slop over into a case."

again, though it's technically possible that grissom does have romantic relationships during this time and catherine simply doesn't know about them, based on how perceptive she is and how much she tends to be interested in his personal life, it seems unlikely to me that if he were in the habit of regularly dating, she would be entirely oblivious to that fact (especially since if the women he were dating weren't coworkers, there would be no reason for him to try to conceal his relationships with them from her a la what he later does when dating sara).

if catherine is savvy enough to pick up on the fact that he's attracted to and has some kind of romantic connection to sara right away when sara moves to vegas, then it stands to reason she could probably also do the same regarding other romantic relationships that grissom were to be having at this time if said relationships existed.

so the fact that she seems to be under the belief that he has no personal life/doesn't really date to me implies that maybe he is not in the habit of entertaining female companions very often during this 1998-2000 time period.

honestly, it's possible that charlotte meridian is one of just a very few women he dates after meeting sara—possibly even a singular anomaly unto herself.

—which brings us to point of deconstruction #3: there is a difference between going on dates and dating, particularly where grissom, with all of his nontraditional views on sex and romance, is concerned.

we know he feels that he and sara have been "connected" and have always had a relationship from their very first meeting (see episode 08x02 "a la cart"), but, as discussed above, just the fact of them being in love with each other from day #1 doesn't automatically mean they're dating in the sense of having a formalized relationship.

by that same token, just going out with someone for an evening doesn't necessarily mean one is dating them in the sense of having a formalized relationship, either.

there is a difference between a date (noun, singular) vs. dating (verb, present continuous).

and, to my mind, that distinction is very much in play with charlotte meridian, as grissom is concerned.

of course, i read grissom as being demisexual, so i don't think it's in his m.o. to approach random women with sexual intentions anyhow, but even if one doesn't share my views re: his orientation, we know for a fact that with charlotte meridian in particular, baby boy views their outing to the show as a social activity rather than a romantic one—hence why he doesn't even attempt to kiss her during the course of the evening, much less initiate sex, despite her sending him clear signals that she would like him to do so.

as i talk about in this post,

through grissom is certainly “smoother” and more charming with charlotte than he will be with other women throughout the course of the show, he is also seemingly oblivious to her sexual cues until she states them to him outright.

when she makes her quip about wanting to be pinned to a wall, grissom raises his eyebrow, surprised and intrigued, as if the thought had never occurred to him. his explanation of why he planned the date he did points to the fact that, for him, the object of the date was something other than sex. he wanted to do something new and interesting. in his view, the date was a means to explore a curiosity.

were sara in vegas at this time, there's no question grissom would've taken her as his date to the show instead.

now.

admittedly, we don't know the exact nature of grissom and charlotte's dynamic, and neither do we know how he approaches her to go to the show with him.

are they longstanding work friends prior to the time that he makes his invitation or is their acquaintance perhaps more nascent? is it the kind of deal where he calls her up one day after shift and asks her out with him in a formal way (giving her every expectation that the outing will, in fact, be a date, in the traditional romantic sense) or is it more the type of thing where somehow the topic of the show comes up while they are talking at work and he mentions his desire to go and then asks somewhat spur-of-the-moment if she might like to accompany him? does she possibly float the idea of them hanging out after work together to him (though she leaves him to determine the activity) or is he the initiator? are they in the habit of flirting before the date takes place or have they always maintained a professional rapport prior to this first foray into "extracurricular activities"? how does charlotte feel about him before they end up on their date—has she been nursing a crush on him for a while or had she never really thought about him in "that way" until he asks her out?

honestly, we don't know.

only headcanon can say.

but what we do know is that however everything goes down, grissom doesn't even attempt to "put the moves" on charlotte while they're out, despite the fact that she is sending him all sorts of signals that she would like him to do just that.

grissom's lack of sexual/romantic intentions with charlotte raises the question: "why does he even bother asking her out if he has no interest in pursuing a physical relationship with her?"

and that's where the whole "grissom has some different views about sex and romance than most folks do" angle comes into play.

again, regardless of whether or not one shares my view that grissom is demisexual, the fact is that he is somewhat "old fashioned" in how he socializes.

he isn't the type to try to sleep with someone on the first date (even if that someone would perhaps like him to); he likes to get to know the person first.

he also doesn't assume that one date will necessarily transpire into others, even if the company is relatively pleasant and the date itself goes well.

you know in the reboot how sara talks about how the "gears don't shift for [her] husband until he sees how they work" with regards to how he approaches his cases (see episode 01x04 "long pig")? well, the same principle applies to his social relationships: he likes to see how things play before he commits to anything (his falling in love with sara at first sight here being a notable exception to what is otherwise his standard operating procedure).

so him asking charlotte out for one night doesn't necessarily (to him) mean that he is trying to get into a relationship with her and/or sleep with her.

he's much more of a "one step at a time" guy (again, with everyone but sara).

maybe charlotte is under the impression that if he's asking her on a date, he must want to sleep with her and be nursing at least some hopes that they could eventually have a long-term romantic relationship.

but his thinking is way more discrete.

to him, it's just one date, and it will likely only ever be "just one date."

because that's the thing:

putting all of these points of deconstruction all together, what we're left with is a situation where we have a grissom who has met the love of his life but isn't in a formalized romantic relationship with her because they live 400 miles away from each other. though he has no real interest in dating (in the present continuous tense) or even with having casual sex with anyone in lieu of her, he does on occasion want for social companionship and so he will—rarely—go on one-off dates with other women.

were sara available to him instead, she would be his first (and only) choice for these activities.

but in her absence, he has to make do with others.

how many of these "others" there are, we can't say—though my personal sense (again, based on the fact that catherine seems to view the grissom of this era as being perpetually alone and single) is that there aren't many; maybe just charlotte meridian or possibly one or two more women beyond her during the entire two-and-a-half-year period between when he first meets sara and when he invites her to move to vegas and join his team.

it's not something he seeks out often.

just when there is an activity that he would enjoy having a companion for.

he's not stupid, of course: he knows that when he asks a single woman to spend time recreating with him outside of work, he's asking her on a date.

however, he also doesn't assume that just asking a woman on a date is the same as dating her, and neither does he have any expectation that the date will include any "physical activities," particularly as it is a novel occurrence.

so, to tie all of these loose threads together, here's how i parse the charlotte meridian situation in particular (as described in the first post linked at the top of this reply):

i believe grissom and sara have some kind of nebulous relationship going on between 1998 and 2000, while sara is living in san francisco and grissom is living in vegas. 

they’re both in love with each other, though they haven’t said so aloud. they see each other at conferences, and grissom occasionally visits sara in san francisco. they’re intimate in their own way, though not necessarily regularly. there’s a lot of assumptions held on both sides.

i tend to think that this relationship isn’t formalized and that there is no expectation for monogamy with it—i.e., that neither party presumes that they are dating each other exlusively or considers that the other will forego dating and sex with other persons, despite their interactions with each other.

when they meet at conferences or grissom comes to visit sara in san francisco, they’re together, but sara imagines—and cringes to do so—that grissom sometimes picks up other women when he’s home in vegas. 

(how could he not, being as handsome and brilliant and charming as he is?)

grissom likewise grits his teeth as he supposes that sara probably has dates and hookups in san francisco. 

(she’s young and beautiful and full of life, and he’s seen how younger men look at her when they’re dining out or walking around conference centers together. how could he ever hope she’d confine herself to him, particularly when they only see each other a few times a year?) 

of course, because it’s gsr, neither one of them ever broaches the topic with the other, and they each suffer in private as they consider the possibilities surrounding the other one’s love life, which they presume must include more persons than just themselves.

the truth is actually that neither one of them really has a great interest in dating other people, now that they’ve met each other, so they don’t really date around.

they’re more monogamous than either one of them would expect, but neither one of them knows it.

that’s not to say that neither party ever takes notice of someone else or that there aren’t a few times during those nearly three years—they meet in february 1998, and sara moves to vegas in october 2000—that they don’t occasionally go on dates with others, either because well-meaning coworkers set them up or they chance encounter someone interesting in their work or leisure time.

after all, they’re not technically a couple, and they don’t even live in the same state, so there’s no harm in it. it’s just that, in the backs of their minds, they both tend to think, “what’s the point? i’m already in love with someone else”—which means that even when they do go on dates with other people, these dates never transpire into anything bigger or more lasting. they’re both just kind of biding time and are emotionally loyal to each other, even if they’ll sometimes socialize with others.

so the thing with charlotte meridian?

that’s not something grissom goes into thinking, “i want to take a woman other than sara out on a date. i’m looking for someone else.”

that’s something where grissom hears about this “dark side of the rainbow” show playing at a drive-in movie theater in the desert. he’s read about the synchronicity, jungian theory, apophenia, and confirmation bias behind the whole phenomenon, and he’s eager to observe it for himself. if possible, he would like to bring someone from work in order to have partner with whom to discuss his observations.

he tries hinting at the possibility to catherine, but she shoots him down before he can even extend her a proper invitation: “alan parsons said the whole thing is a coincidence,” she tells him. “there’s no way i’d waste a night off watching ray bolger dance to ‘brain damage’ when i could be home with lindsey instead.”

nick and warrick he doesn’t socialize with outside of work, especially at this point. they’re his subordinates, and, while he enjoys their company, there’s a boundary there he isn’t going to cross.

so then grissom thinks of charlotte. he has had conversations with charlotte at work. she’s his friend. she’s whip-smart and fun to banter with. he asks charlotte to go to the show with him for exactly the reason he later states to her: he thinks it will be something different, an interesting pop culture adventure for two scientists to embark on.

her powers of observation have always impressed him, so she’ll make good company at an event like this one.

he is vaguely aware that an unrelated man and a woman attending a public event together can be construed as a date, and he isn’t opposed to thinking of it that way or of allowing charlotte to do so herself. to him, there is a difference between going on one date and being “involved.” 

(involvement implies an emotional connection and devotion that he doesn’t have with anyone but sara.)

he really doesn’t intend or expect for this one event to turn into a ~thing~. he also doesn’t suppose that all dates have to be romantic or that this date carries with it any expectation for intimacy. he’s old-fashioned. he’s not looking to kiss charlotte or take her home with him. he just wants to converse with her and pick her brain about correspondent accidental symbolism and meaning-making.

of course, since he doesn’t want a repeat of what happened with catherine, in asking charlotte, he extends a blanket invitation first—i.e., “would you honor me with your company next friday night?”—and only tells her it’s the pink floyd thing after she actually says yes.

what he doesn’t realize is that charlotte has had a thing for him ever since she started at the lab. he’s kind of got this silverfox charm going on, and he’s so mysterious. she’s been playing her best flirt game with him for months, trying to be witty and forthcoming and send him all the right signals, so when he makes his invitation, she thinks all her hard work has finally paid off, and they’re really going to connect.

unfortunately for her, grissom spends the whole night paying attention to how the songs match up with the visual cues. never once does he try to get “on base”—not even when she purposefully leans up against him during “us and them.” hell, he doesn’t even try to hold her hand! occasionally, he asks her if she caught this or that lyrical allusion and points out that some stanford study describes people’s willingness to adhere to discredited notions as a form of psychological preservation of the self and world-schemas, but he seems oblivious to the fact that, if she had her way, they’d be rounding third in the back seat by now.

she has a terrible time, not only because he ignores her but because she can’t stand pink floyd. he has a great time because he gets to see his show, and charlotte ultimately agrees with him that the coincidental synchronicity between the film and the album is less than remarkable.

(postulate debunked!)

grissom doesn’t think anything more of the adventure until charlotte brings it up a few weeks later. it’s only then he realizes that he disappointed her. he’s not quite sure what to do about her disappointment, as, honestly, he has no intention to ask her on another date. 

the trouble completely slips his mind when the holly gribbs debacle busts wide open—and especially because, even after everything’s settled, charlotte eventually switches to day shift, and he doesn’t have reason to talk to her much anymore, especially considering that sara’s moved to town.

while the above conjecture is focused on charlotte meridian specifically (as she is the only non-sara "female companion" we know grissom has between 1998-2000), i believe the same principles outlined for this scenario would apply to any other potential dates grissom might go on—if there are any—during this same era, as well.

it wouldn't be a deal where grissom was super attracted to some other woman than sara and wanted to have sex with her or commence a committed romantic relationship.

it wouldn't even be a thing where he was trying to distract himself from sara or "fill the void" without her, either.

it would just be a thing where he'd be looking for a social companion for a particular event and so asked someone on a (completely chaste) one-off date.

and because he and sara aren't technically themselves dating at this point and have no expectation for monogamy, he wouldn't feel any degree of guilt in what he was doing or feel the need to justify it were she to somehow find out.

"involvement" is different than just going on a date with someone, in his mind.

and, besides, it's not like he was going to sleep with this other woman anyway or likely even ever go out with her again.

he would presume sara was probably doing similar things on her end (i.e., that she occasionally was going out with other guys aside from him)—and though that thought wouldn't necessarily please him, he'd be resigned enough about it, because, really, what other choice would he have?

for as long as they weren't actually together and couldn't be because of the distance, they'd both just have to keep "living their lives," you know?

it'd be unreasonable to expect both of them to never spend time with another person even though they weren't technically together.

of course, all of the above said, getting back to the 2000-2005 era of grissom's life, i do think that once sara moves to vegas and after her and grissom's relationship dynamic starts changing around mid-s1, grissom's approach to dating other women besides her does change, at least for a while.

again, teri miller is his only confirmed non-sara romantic companion from this time (as it is uncertain, per canon, whether he has ever had a romantic relationship with heather kessler or not).

so just focusing on teri miller, she is definitely meant to be a distraction from sara.

—and, indeed, it is noteworthy to me that within the universe of the show, grissom asks teri out in episode 01x14 "to have and to hold" only about a week after the events of episode 01x13 "boom."

to me, that choice on his part suggests panic, like he spends the serial bombing case working in very close proximity with sara, basically treating the investigation as if it were a date with her, but then he realizes what he is doing, freaks out (because by this point he knows that he and sara can't be together, despite finally living in the same state; not if they want to keep their jobs), and, in an effort to convince himself that he isn't actually still hung up on the her, he asks another woman out as soon as the opportunity to do so presents itself to him.

even so, while grissom does go through the phase of trying to distract himself from sara during s1, i think he very quickly gives up on it, not only because he blows things with teri after just one half of their first date but also because (deep down) he recognizes the futility of the exercise.

his heart is still with sara, and no amount of seeing other people will change the fact that it is, so why bother trying to date anyone who isn't her?

better to just focus on trying to resign himself to the fact that he and sara can't be together, you know?

anyway.

rambling now.

suffice it to say, i think that the best way to view grissom's relationships with other women between 1998-2000 is through the lens of him seeking social companionship, and the best way to view his relationships with other women between 2000-2005 is through the lens of him trying to distract himself from sara (whom he believes he can never have).

however, the bottom line in both cases is that no matter whom he may go out to dinner with, his heart is ultimately always with sara, and he realizes as much.

thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.

[kationella]

All of Bruce's canon exes should unionize. Benefits include:

Medical coverage in case of torture at the hands of villains

List of safe channels where they can sell all that expensive jewelry he gave them (guess who ends up stealing them from the buyers and the first two guesses don't count)

Discounts for the sooner flight out of Gotham, cause you're cursed now for some reason. Speaking of...

Paid funerary services in case of your death

[archivaltrigger]

“Because the US government was not acting on mass shootings, we directly attacked a trait Americans are most known for: their pride in their country. Change the Ref created the Shamecards, a postcard collection designed to demand gun law reform from Congress. Subverting the traditional greeting cards that depict each city’s landmarks, ours show what cities are becoming known for.”

shamecards.org

There is 54 cards total representing:

Annapolis — Maryland: Capital Gazette Shooting

Atlanta — Georgia: Day Trading Firm Shootings

Benton — Kentucky: Marshall County High School Shooting

Bethel — Alaska: Regional High School Shooting

Binghamton — New York: Binghamton Shooting

Blacksburg — Virginia: Virginia Tech Massacre

Camden – New Jersey: Walk of Death Massacre

Charleston — South Carolina: Charleston Church Shooting

Charlotte — North Carolina: 2019 University Shooting

Cheyenne — Wyoming: Senior Home Shooting

Chicago — Illinois: Medical Center Shooting

Clovis — New Mexico: Clovis Library Shooting

Columbine — Colorado: Columbine

Dayton — Ohio: Dayton Shooting

Edmond — Oklahoma: Post Office Shooting

El Paso — Texas: El Paso Shooting

Ennis — Montana: Madison County Shooting

Essex Junction — Vermont: Essex Elementary School Shooting

Geneva — Alabama: Geneva County Massacre.

Grand Forks — North Dakota: Grand Forks Shooting

Hesston — Kansas: Hesston Shooting

Honolulu — Hawaii: First Hawaiian Mass Shooting

Huntington — West Virginia: New Year's Eve Shooting

Indianapolis — Indiana: Hamilton Avenue Murders

Iowa City — Iowa: University Shooting

Jonesboro — Arkansas: Middle School Massacre

Kalamazoo — Michigan: Kalamazoo Shooting

Lafayette — Louisana: Lafayette Shooting

Las Vegas — Nevada: Las Vegas Strip Shooting

Madison — Maine: Madison Rampage

Meridian — Mississippi: Meridian Company Shooting

Moscow — Idaho: Moscow Rampage

Nashville — Tennessee: Nashville Waffle House shooting

Newtown — Connecticut: Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting

Omaha — Nebraska: Westroads Mall shooting

Orlando — Florida: Pulse Nightclub Shooting

Parkland — Florida: Parkland School Shooting

Pelham — New Hampshire: Wedding Shooting

Pittsburgh — Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting

Prices Corner — Delaware: Delaware Shooting

Red Lake — Minnesota: Indian Reservation Shooting

Roseburg — Oregon: Umpqua Community Collage Shooting

Salt Lake City — Utah: Salt Lake City Mall Shooting

San Diego — California: San Ysidro Massacre

Santa Fe — Texas: Santa Fe School Shooting

Schofield — Wisconsin: Marathon County Shooting

Seattle — Washington: Capitol Hill Massacre

Sisseton — South Dakota: Sisseton Massacre

St. Louis — Missouri: Power Plant Shooting

Sutherland Springs — Texas: Sutherland Springs Church Shooting

Tucson — Arizona: Tocson Shooting

Wakefield — Massachusetts: Tech Company Massacre

Washington — D.C.: Navy Yard Shooting

Westerly — Rhode Island: Assisted-Living Complex Rampage

[ddarker-dreams]

☾ book recommendations: *✲⋆.

my all time favorites:

the brothers karamazov by fyodor dostoevsky

notes from underground by fyodor dostoevsky

the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde

frankenstein by mary shelly

the plague by albert camus

we have always lived in the castle by shirley jackson

the seven who were hanged by leonid andreyev

blackshirts & reds by michael parenti

others that i'd recommend:

break the body, haunt the bones by micah dean hicks

tomie by junji ito

uzumaki by junji ito

berserk by kento miura

the haunting of hill house by shirley jackson

i have no mouth, and i must scream by harlan ellison

the tell-tale heart by edgar allen poe

the cask of amontillado by edgar allen poe

rebecca by daphne du maurier

wuthering heights by emily brontë

dune by frank herbert

a shadow over innsmouth by h. p. lovecraft

the color out of space by h. p. lovecraft

the dunwich horror by h. p. lovecraft

crime and punishment by fyodor dostoevsky

demons by fyodor dostoevsky

the idiot by fyodor dostoevsky

jane eyre by charlotte brontë

do androids dream of electric sheep? by philip k. dick

a long fatal love chase by louisa may alcott

the stranger by albert camus

the metamorphosis by franz kafka

the trial by franz kafka

dragonwyck by anya seton

discipline and punish by michel foucalt

the castle of otranto by horace walpole

faust by johann wolfgang von goethe

the fall by albert camus

the myth of sisyphus by albert camus

the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde by robert louis stevenson

blood meridian by cormac mccarthy (do look into the content warnings though, there's heavy violence/depictions of 1840s-1850s racism)

the death of ivan ilyich by leo tolstoy

the dead by james joyce

the overcoat by nikolai gogol

dead souls by nikolai gogol

hiroshima by john hersey

useful fictions: evolution, anxiety, and the origins of literature by michael austin

no exit by jean paule satre

candide by voltaire

white nights by fyodor dostoevsky

notes from a dead house by fyodor dostoevsky

the shock doctrine by naomi klein

the 100 year war on palestine by rashid khalidi

killing hope by william blum

the karamazov case: dostoevsky’s argument for his vision by terrence w. tilley

stiff: the curious life of human cadavers by mary roach

lazarus by leonid andreyev

imperialism, the highest stage of capitalism by vladmir lenin

the viy by nikolai gogol

dracula by bram stoker

carmilla by sheridan le fanu

[pupsmailbox]

do you have any names close to martyn or magnus ? ♥️

MARTYN / MARTINE︰ adrian. alain. amelia. andrée. annick. arwyn. august. aurora. benfrey. bernard. brigitte. cenobie. cersei. chantal. charlotte. christiane. christine. claire. clementine. cleos. concorde. corentino. cornelis. cyran. darryl. david. dominique. edel. elijah. emane. enda. evan. evangeline. evie. evlyn. famke. felix. finnlay. francoise. françois. genevieve. genevre. gracelynn. henry. hodel. imee. isabelle. isla. jacques. jaime. jamie. jammos. jan. janei. jannah. jean. jeremiah. jeyne. johanne. john. josan. joy. julian. lancel. lee. legate. lesley. lida. lola. luc. lucas. lucia. lucy. lythene. malyn. marc. marie. markise. martin. martina. martine. martini. martinique. martino. matilda. maude. mellara. melwys. meridian. merton. michel. michele. micheline. michelle. minerva. mira. monique. morice. morton. morya. myrddin. natassia. natividad. nicholas. nicky. oliver. owen. pascal. patrice. patrick. paul. pela. perriane. philippe. raina. red. reen. roman. ronel. rosalie. rosalynne. roslin. ryger. sereno. serge. sherees. shirei. silas. stella. stephane. summerlynn. sundance. sylvie. theodore. tion. tyrek. tyrion. tyta. venusita. vere. violet. véronique. walder. whalen. willem. winni. yagmur. yvon. zinia.

MAGNUS︰ adelaide. agnes. alexander. alistair. ambrose. amelia. anders. angus. anna. annabeth. asher. atlas. atticus. augustus. aurelius. aurora. bix. caius. cannon. cassius. chance. chanel. charlotte. christer. cosmo. cyrus. dorothea. douglas. emilie. felix. fergus. finn. freja. gannon. halo. hana. hazel. henry. hugo. ignatius. ishtar. jamie. jan. jana. jasper. john. lana. lazarus. lenore. louis. lucius. mackenzie. maconaquea. maddox. malcolm. maleah. malthe. marina. markus. marte. marus. maryse. mathias. matthias. maxence. maxim. maximos. maximus. mckenzie. mechanicus. megan. meghan. meguinis. mensonsea. mikkel. milo. mina. monchonsia. mátyás. nao. oda. oliver. olof. orion. otis. psyche. rasmus. remus. saber. scarlett. sebastian. shade. silas. sofie. sophie. sverre. synne. theodore. tiberius. ulrich. violet. zila.

[writerthreads]

YOUR FAVOURITE BOOKS

We asked, you responded with your favourite books. Tell us your favourite on here, or not on here! Listed in no particular order:

Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde x2

1989 by George Orwell x2

God of Fury by Rina Kent

The Mindf*ck Series by C. M. Owens and S. T. Abby

Anne of Green Gables

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

Maurice by E.M. Forster

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Assistant to the Villain by Anna Nicole Maehrer (series)

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint (Korean series)

A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes)

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien

Harry Potter (obvi) by JK Rowling

Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong

Circle Nine by Anne Hetzel

Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Pranek

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

Dracula by Bram Stroker

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet

[mydarlingbat]

How many women Batman kissed?

April Clarkson. Chase Meridian Selina kyle. Talia. Barbara Gordon. Wonder Woman. Bakka. Charlotte Rivers. I think her name was Felina. Harley Quinn. Poison ivy. Laura Avian Jennifer. I don't know her last name. Jezebel jet. Jillian Maxwell. Kathy Kane. Kimiyo Hoshi. Lois Lane. Luna Glass. Natalya Trussville. Silver St. Cloud. Susan Maguire. Superwoman. Vicki Vale. Julie, Princess Portia. That's all I remember, but I'm pretty sure there's more.

[podcastgirlsweek]

You're invited!

This central podcast wlw couple is getting married (or renewing their vows) and you're invited! This may or may not be a good idea, but it is definitely happening.

[misterfeller]

the cryptic asks are fun :)

you'll never know who i am

mainly because we're not mutuals and i dont follow anyone, so i'm invisible to you

so uh

you can call me whatever you want

ohhh okay!!!! i thought you would be one of my mutuals. you kind of remind me of faggot mouse. i am okay with more cryptic asks this is so fun yay! deciding what to call you is going to be really hard bc i barely know anything about you. i have this stupid thing in my phone where it gives me cats and i name them. maybe you could look through them and see if any names feel like you. i would put screenshots of all the names here but there would be too many. i will copy and paste some for you. under the cut bc there are 5 million even with some taken out

a kiss without the moustache is like an egg without salt

agate

al crane

alabaster

alberta

aldebaran

alexandra vondude

alfie

alma

andromeda

aphid

arnold babatunji

arthur

aziraphale

baas kwaadwillig

bat masterson

bcos

beach ball

bebop

betty

beverly

big audrey

big louise

billy brown

billy the phantom bellboy

birdie

blubbert

blynken

bobby

bobo botn

bora karaca

bruce bunyip

cab calloway

captain buffalo birnbaum

carl azuz

cassiopeia

catskills

catsup

chase

chick the cherub

chicken nancy

chris harrington

clarinda quackenboss

clive montague

colonel ken krenwinkle

copper

cordelia

crowley

d'artagnan

dandelion

darlin companion

davy

davy jones

dawn

deady bye bye

dinner

dionne

dirty bobby

doris

dot

dr. charlotte

electric larry

elizabeth van vreemdeling

elizatryst

erlking

eunice

fancy

fats waller

flapsur

flop

flossie

floyd

flying saucer

ford

found

francine

francis

frankanon

frosted mini spooners

fuffy

ganymede

gee wilikers

gizmodgery

gladys

gloopy

gnash

go to bed

good

goopy bloppy drippy sparkly

gradene

gwendolyn marshrat

hammersmith odeon

harold boonstangle

her majesty

hergeschleimer

hootenanny

horatius birnbaum

hot dog supper

ichabod

iggy birnbaum

irving

japonica

jason

jaws

juno

jurgen leitner

k spar

kitty nebelstreif

leitmotif

little bunny foo foo

live at the beeb

lola

louis

lullabye

mab

magic

maple leaf rag

marlon

mary

matches

maurice

melvin

meowy

milk

millicent

minnie the moocher

molly o'malley

moly b. denum

molybdenum

monkberry moon delight

mr bloodvessel

mr moon

mr moonlight

mr. plumbean

mrs. wimpydimple

ms. magistra

muffin man

nash

neddie wentworthstein

nick bluegum

nod

odds bodkins

nick bluegum

nod

odds bodkins

opal

orion

orthoclase feldspar

pajama

paloma

pearl

peppernut

percy "thrills" thrillington

peterkins

pickled pepper

pierre

pizza pie

plagioclase feldspar

pleistocene

polly pocket

potassium feldspar

povitica

prairiedog birnbaum

presyncope

prime meridian

professor tag

rex the wonder horse

ricky

rip van winkle

roberta

roger van tussenvuxel

ronnie wolfspit

rural

sadie

sally

samuel klugarsh

sandor eucalyptus

sargent caleb

satin spar

scarecrow

seamus finn

serutan yob

shangri-la

sheridan

sholmos bunyip

sinister

smokey joe

sorghum

space station level 7

sparkle

spookhuizen

sporty

stella octangula

steve craft

strega nona

suzie bunny boo boo

sweetie

syncope

the baritone buckaroo

thine

time machine

topsy

tough bananas

uncle borgel

valentine

wah watusi

wallace

wanda

weer

wendell

whorlygig

wicked anabella

wing ding

winnifred

wolluf

woofy davis

woopty doo

wynken

yggdrasil birnbaum

zaphod beeblebrox

zooxanthellae

[d-criss-news]

UPCOMING EVENTS 2023

Tour Dates - http://www.darrencriss.com/tour

A Very Darren Crissmas Tour 2023 http://www.darrencriss.com/averydarrencrissmas2023

November

・Tue Nov 21: Atlanta, GA - Atlanta Symphony Hall ・Wed Nov 22: Charlotte, NC - Knight Theatre ・Fri Nov 24: Charleston, SC - Charleston Music Hall ・Sat Nov 25: Clearwater, FL - Capitol Theatre ・Mon Nov 27: Fort Myers, FL - Barbara B Mann Performance Arts Hall ・Tue Nov 28: Ft. Lauderdale, FL - The Parker ・Wed Nov 29: Orlando, FL - Steinmetz Hall at Dr. Phillips Center

December

・Fri Dec 1: Durham, NC - Carolina Theatre ・Sat Dec 2: Vienna, VA - the Barns at Wolf Trap SOLD OUT ・Sun Dec 3: Vienna, VA - the Barns at Wolf Trap SOLD OUT ・Mon Dec 4: Red Bank, NJ - Hackensack Meridian Heath Theatre ・Tue Dec 5: New York, NY - The Town Hall ・Wed Dec 6: Ridgefield, CT - The Ridgefield Playhouse ・Thu Dec 7: Boston, MA - Emerson Colonial Theatre ・Sat Dec 9: Toronto, ON - Elgin Theatre ・Sun Dec 10: Detroit, MI - Fisher Theatre ・Mon Dec 11: Chicago, IL - Athenaeum Theater ・Tue Dec 12: Madison, WI - Barrymore Theatre ・Wed Dec 13: Columbus, IN - The Commons at Nugent-Custer Performance Hall SOLD OUT ・Fri Dec 15: Northfield, OH - Center Stage at MGM Northfield Park ・Sat Dec 16: Indianapolis, IN - The Cabaret at Columbia Club SOLD OUT ・Sun Dec 17: Indianapolis, IN - The Cabaret at Columbia Club SOLD OUT ・Tue Dec 19: Lexington, KY - Lexington Opera House at Lexington Center ・Wed Dec 20: Nashville, TN - CMA Theatre at the Country Music Hall of Fame

[mbta-unofficial]

US people who care about railroads should definitely read the Corridor ID Selections. While it was published a little over a year ago, the program is designed to fund shovel-ready programs and dedicate money to assessing the viability of corridors which would be either new or upgraded, and they just posted a massive update to the map including new HSR viability studies.

A partial list of served cities:

High speed rail candidates

San Francisco, Anaheim, LA, Vancouver, Portland, Seattle, Eugene, Charlotte NC, Atlanta, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Las Vegas, Palmdale

New Conventional rail candidates

Asheville NC, Salisbury NC, Savannah GA, Chattenooga TN, Nashville, Memphis, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Boston, Albany, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, King's Mountain NC, Moline IL, Naperville IL, Wyanet IL, Chicago, Fort Wayne IN, Columbus OH, Pittsburgh PA, Cleveland OH, Cincinnati OH, Dayton OH, Toledo OH, Detroit MI, Coachella CA, Fullerton CA, Indio CA, Riverside CA, Palm Springs CA, Fort Collins CO, Pueblo CO, Denver CO, Boulder CO, Colorado Springs CO, Newport News VA, Charlottesville VA, Roanoke VA, Richmond VA, Dover DE, Wilmington DE, Berlin MD, St Paul-Minneapolis MN, Eau Claire WI, Fayetteville NC, Raleigh NC, Lillington NC, Fuquay-Varina NC, Mobile AL, Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula MS, Houston, San Antonio, Rosenburg TX, Flatonia TX, Seguin TX, Meridian MS, Mineola TX, Longview TX, Marshall TX, Shreveport LA, Ruston LA, Monroe LA, Vicksburg MS, Jackson MS, Jacksonville FL, Miami FL, Orlando Fl, Tampa FL, Indianapolis IN, Louisville KY, Milwaukee, WI; La Crosse, WI; Eau Claire, WI; St. Paul, MN; Fargo, ND; Bismarck, ND; Dickson, ND; Glendive, MT; Billings, MT; Bozeman, MT; Butte, MT; Helena, MT; Missoula, MT; St. Regis, MT; Sandpoint, ID; Spokane, WA; and Pasco, WA, Duluth WA, Peoria IL, Phoenix, Tuscon, Maricopa, Reading PA, Scranton

These are most of the cities with new service

If you are between two of these cities, there is a serious chance you will have a train coming to you soon. Check the Doc for more as well as service upgrades on existing services

[tcsernisauthor]

Alucard Aleksei Reiner

Learn a little about Alucard, one of The Numen Chronicles' main characters!

Grab yourself a copy of the dark fantasy gay romance book through Amazon or several other platforms, with shipping to any country! (Head to my website HERE for more information!)

Alucard (Aleksei) was born into the Diabolus, a cult of witches, humans and demons who worship Lucifer as their god. Alucard's mother, Charlotte Reiner, was a Meridian, a very powerful witch in possession of Numen ethos. His creation was solely for the purpose of freeing Lucifer from his prison, but Damien intervened, condemning Lucifer to remain locked away forever, and Alucard to a life of depravity.

Damien grew tired of Alucard, though, and after wandering Aegisguard for many years, Alucard eventually found himself a family. However, they were shortly taken from him by the Diabolus. Devastated and enraged, he sought revenge, and Janus, the God of Beginnings, unlocked a hidden power within him, turning him into Aegisguard's first vampire at twenty-four. However, Janus had a nemesis, who created Ada, Werewolf Queen. For their amusement, the two gods pit Alucard and Ada against one another, unleashing years of battle and conflict between their two species'.

Years later, Alucard killed Janus and withdrew from the gods' stage. He focused more on the 'Nosferatu', his globally-known organisation. He strived to make the world a safe place for his people and started by placing covens all over Aegisguard. He soon returned to his homeland, Dor-Sanguis, and dedicated his time to ridding the land of werewolves, creating a treaty with the humans, and ensuring his vampires were safe.

And then he met Zalith.

[kwebtv]

Beggars and Choosers - Showtime - 6/19/1999 - 12/12/2000

Comedy / Drama (42 episodes)

Running Time:  60 minutes

Stars:

Brian Kerwin as Rob Malone

Charlotte Ross as Lori Volpone

Tuc Watkins as Malcolm Laffley

Christina Hendricks as Kelly Kramer

Isabella Hofmann as Cecile Malone

William McNamara as Brad Advail

Paul Provenza as Parker Meridian

Keegan Connor Tracy as Audrey Malone

Bill Morey as Emory “E.L.” Luppin

Carol Kane as Lydia “L.L.” Luddin

Sherri Saum as Casey Lenox

Beau Bridges as Dan Falco

Alex Zahara as Wayne

Ben Bass as Brian Peske

Colin Cunningham as Herb Kolodny

Rudolf Martin as Nicky Krasnakov

Klodyne Rodney as Latitia Martinez

Kaj-Erik Eriksen as Carey Malone

[reputationsaviors-blog]

#Online #Reputation Management# #Crisis Remove Complaints# Consultants# Services# Local# #Search #Engine Optimization# SEO# GMB# Tools# Software# Online# Companies# Reviews# Tips# Social Media Management# Remove Complaints# BBB# RipOffReport.com# Complaints.com# ComplaintsBoard.com# Blogs # Reviews# Webites# Online# Advertising# Marketing# Ads# Computer# Web Site Development# Hosting# TV# Television# Commercials# Internet# PR# Public Relations# Legal# Lawyer# Law# Attorney# Attorneys# Finance# Loan# Classifieds# Directories# Local Search# Business Leads# Sales Leads# Personal Data Removals# Internet Legal# Training Seminars

[robtopus]

Here's everything I read in 2024. I did not include anything outside of authors and titles. If anyone wants to talk about this list, feel free to do so.

January

1. Heiner Müller: Germania.

2. Roland Schimmelpfennig: Anthropolis. Ungeheuer. Stadt. Theben.

3. Werner Schwab: Offene Gruben Offene Fenster.

4. Werner Schwab: Hochschwab.

5. Boston Teran: God is a Bullet.

6. Stephen Konkolly: Black Flagged 2: Redux.

7. Eugene Ionesco: Die kahle Sängerin.

8. T.J. Payne: Intercepts.

9. Thomas Bernhard: Midland in Stilfs.

February

1. Thomas Bernhard: Ritter, Dene, Voß.

2. Thomas Bernhard: Frost.

3. T.J. Payne: In my Father's Basement.

4. Werner Schwab: Messaliance aber wir ficken uns prächtig.

5. William Gibson: Neuromancer.

6. Brian Evenson: Song for the Unraveling of the World.

7. Adam Nevill: Some will not Sleep.

8. Alex Michaelides: The Silent Patient.

March

1. Thomas Bernhard: Alte Meister

2. Thomas Bernhard: In der Höhe.

3. Hiron Ennes: Leech.

4. Thomas Bernhard: Holzfällen.

5. Jonathan Sims: Family Business.

6. Thomas Bernhard: Watten.

7. Jason Rekulak: Hidden Pictures.

8. Craig DiLouie: Episode 13.

9. J.G. Ballard: The Atrocity Exhibition.

10. J.G. Ballard: Crash.

April

1. Riley Sager: Home Before Dark.

2. Philip K. Dick: VALIS.

3. Philip K. Dick: The Divine Invasion.

4. Taylor Adams: No Exit.

5. Thomas Bernhard: Der deutsche Mittagstisch.

6. Grant Morrison: Doom Patrol.

7. John M. Ford: The Scholars of Night.

8. Laird Barron: The Imago Sequence.

May

1. Mick Herron: Real Tigers.

2. Mick Herron: Spook Street.

3. Mick Herron: London Rules.

4. Heiner Müller: Krieg ohne Schlacht.

5. Steve Kavanagh: Thirteen.

6. Ben Macintyre: A Spy among Friends.

7. James Swallow: Nomad.

8. Thomas Bernhard: Beton.

9. A.M. Shine: The Watchers.

June

1. Sammy Scott: BETA.

2. Theodor W. Adorno: Minima Moralia.

3. Chuck Palahniuk: Lullaby.

4. CJ Tudor: The Drift.

July

1. M.T. Edvardsson: The Woman Inside

2. Heiner Müller: Philoktet.

3. Bertolt Brecht: Furcht und Elend des 3. Reiches

4. Bertolt Brecht: Das Leben des Galilei.

5. F.X. Kroetz: Ich bin das Volk.

6. Darcy Coats: The Carrow Haunt.

7. Sammy Scott: At Home with the Horrors.

8. Kuno Raeber: Das Ei.

9. Kuno Raeber: Bocksweg.

10. Jason Arnapp: The Last Days of Jack Sparks.

11. Jason Arnapp: Ghoster.

12. Grabbe: Gothland.

August

1. Mark Haber: St Sebastian's Abyss.

2. Laird Barron: Occultation.

3. S.T. Edvardsson: A Nearly Normal Family.

4. Paul Tremblay: Horror Movie.

5. R. Scott Bakker: The Darkness that Comes Before.

6. Heinrich v. Kleist: Die Marquise von O....

September

1. Friedrich Dürrenmatt/Charlotte Kerr: Achterloo I/Rollenspiele/Achterloo IV.

2. R. Scott Bakker: The Warrior-Prophet.

3. Friedrich Dürrenmatt: Die Panne. Erzählung, Hörspiel, Komödie.

4. Friedrich Dürrenmatt: Der Mitmacher.

5. R. Scott Bakker: The Thousandfold Thought.

6. Christa Wolf: Kein Ort. Nirgends.

7. Simon Strantza: Burnt Black Suns.

8. Todd Keisling: Devil's Creek.

October

1. Willi Winkler: Die Geschichte der RAF.

2. Rolf Hochhuth: Der Stellvertreter.

3. Adam Neville: House of Small Shadows.

4. John Hornor Jacobs: The Sea Dreams it is the Sky.

5. Steven Konkoly: Black Flagged 3: Apex.

6. Werner Schwab: Fäkaliendramen (vier Stücke).

7. Steven Konkoly: Black Flagged 4: Vektor.

8. Mark Haber: St Sebastian's Abyss (re-read).

November

1. Steven Erikson: Gardens of the Moon.

2. Steven Erikson: Deadhouse Gates.

3. Gedichte von Celan + Hölderlin.

December

1. Peter Weiß: Hölderlin.

2. Steven Erikson: Memories of Ice.

3. Junji Ito: Uzumaki.

4. Cornelius Ryan: The Longest Day.

5. Paul Celan: Von der Dunkelheit des Dichterischen/Der Meridian.

6. Friedrich Nietzsche: Götzen-Dämmerung.

7. Hans-Peter Kunisch: Todtnauberg.

Honorable Mentions

(Books I read sizable chunks of and spent time with but didn't actually finish)

1. Adorno/Horkheimer: Dialektik der Aufklärung

2. Barbara Wiedemann: Die Goll-Affäre.

3. Elfriede Jelinek: Ulrike Maria Stuart.

4. Francesca Stavrakopoulou: God: An Anatomy.

5. Jon Fosse: Septology. (Vol.01 finished in December so I don't want to tag the whole novel).

[mekkyuun]

Some BSD OC ideas Part 1 Foreign Authors

Ann Conan Doyle

genderbended cause I like drawing women.

"Hound Of Baskerville"

She can summon a bloodhound dog by her side. And can connect her senses with it. Can be used as an attack dog, used to sniff evidence and trace scents.

Now this is stupid, and unnecessary, but for the life of me I cannot RP here without thinking she can only work for the Order of the Clock Tower cause she's bri'ish (my condolences for her btw) I'm imagining she uses the name Saburo Kagami since that's the name of one the translations into Japanese I read Sherlock Holmes and was the first to translate the anthology "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" into Japanese, if you want to go the whole living in Yokohama route.

I love to imagine she has sight impairment and her bloodhound, dubbed "Watson" is a sight dog.

And considering it irratationally pisses me off how a lot of Sherlock perception like the "Elementary my dear Watson" wasn't in the book when I read it, I will not allow her to follow the Sherlock tropes out of spite.

Charlotte Gilman

"The Yellow Wallpaper"

Kinda like Lucy's ability "Anne of Abyssl Red" it creates a room and entraps her and her targets in a pocket dimension of sorts, but unlike Lucy's being her escapist break from reality, Charlottes is just miserable, and she has no control over it's design or functions towards her, makes a great prison with how damn dingy it is. If Lucy's ability is the ultimate escape from reality, Charlottes is the snap back to reality. It's designed like a liminal space, unlike Lucy's that's a mostly closed off space, I imagine Charlottes is a never ending expanse, with no end in sight.

Aesop

Yep, just fucking Aesop. No limit to how old the authors I pick go. Considering the amount of fables this fucker wrote, and now way in hell I'm reading any of them, listen everyone read some rehash of Aesop in a childrens book, I ain't doing that.

"Boy who cried wolf"

OP as it is, he can alter reality or create manipulate circumstances, if he can convince the person what he can do is true. He can't necessarily "create" anything, or "alter reality" in any grand way, just has to rely on reasonable scenarios since they have to be believable. Like for example, he isn't saving anyone from Ame No Gozen cause there' no way anyone will actually believe he can do shit. With BSD being full of characters who just read the script (Dazai, Fyodor, Mori, Ranpo you don't get nearly enough screen time) I can't imagine he could do much against them.

C o r m a c M c c a r t h y

Ohhh this one is going to be fun, and I'm saying this as someone who dislikes Cormac Mccarthys works.

"Blood Meridian"

I get it, most popular work, kinda boring one to go with but I do not give a flying fuck.

Judging by the "Judges" whole shtick of depravity, and nigh omnipotence, I'm imagining he can see into the future, but it's limited by the scope and morality of the person, someone like Kenji? Probably at most a second or two, if it all cause it's Kenji, someone like say Fukuchi? Probably maybe months of planning ahead. Now to balance this already OP ability, the stipulation is the person has to be aware they're immoral, and doing the wrong thing. Someone like Fyodor who thinks he's doing good? Doesn't work.

Probably joined the Guild just to watch it burn frfr, just an indulgent OC who purely exists to observe and fuck shit up.

Joseph Conrad

"The Secret Sharer"

Can create doppelgangers with the same voice and appearance of others, great for infiltration all that.

Since the Captain sees himself as a "double" of Leggatt, all that, I just took it literally. Bla, bla, bla, limitations, I'll think of some later.

Bella Dickens

Genderbended again from Charles Dickens but this time I have a reason

"Our Mutual Friend"

While there's plenty to pick fron, a Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, I wanted to choose this one.

Similiar to Mori, Bella summons her "ideal" partner, John Rokesmith / Harmon. And while we don't know Mori's extent of control over Elise, Bella cannot control John at all, ans he ultimately has his own will even if it coincides with her subconcious goals, that way I can write fun scenarios of them getting royally fucked over by John. Since Bella lives in poverty, a lot of her main goals is just to survive and is vague shit like "I want money to survive" that way John can do it in the worst way possible. Ability that makes your life worse? Yes. Fun to write? Also yes.

(Just feel the need to note this, god I hate the name Bella so damn much, and Isabella too, but I can't in good concious call her Wilfer Dickens or some shit.

Miguel Cervantes

"Don Quixote"

Just a perfect knight in shining armour, generates a suit of armor around him and a sword. He really, really likes his ability. Takes great pride in it. I imagine he's with the transcendents but no one there likes him, and they all think he has a screw loose. VERY VERY MORALS DRIVEN, not in a Kunikida way, more like the Azure King way. Thinks he's the most upstanding noble guy in the world. Overall just the goofy funny man OC when I write too much angst. It'll make the angst all the more potent when he fails and realizes he isn't the infallible knight he thinks he is.

I'll be back with my massive backlog of Japanese author OC's, since I've gotten into more Japanese literature as of late. But for now these are some little snippets.