#cs bellum

[disfordevineaux]

An amalgamation of random CS Character HCs that have been knocking around in my brain for a while, pt1:

- Sheena was released on bail by her family a few months after fall of VILE. They worked their rich people magic and finessed a sweet, sweet plea that one could only dream of. She now works at Sephora for some reason.

- Chief loves a good paid product placement. In fact 90% of ACMEs income comes from brand deals and sponsorships. All the elevators within ACME HQs across America are Pepsi Branded.

- Chase has 2 younger sisters that he is incredibly close (one still a minor) with. They are both extremely intelligent, strongly opinionated and driven women, exactly the way he raised them. Which people in his inner circle find ironic when considering previous behaviours displayed. He admits it's ironic, and admits openly that it plagues his soul frequently.

- Neal was eventually caught, multiple, multiple, multiple times but naturally escaped. And eventually was just never seen again. Probably performing stand up somewhere. As is probably for the best. It's theorised that he kept getting caught just to escape because he was bored. The cafeteria staff within the prison miss him.

- Cleo developed a skin care line right out of her prison cell. Somehow. It's really successful. It is actually one of ACMEs many sponsors now.

- Zack signed up for a local musical theatre group after being inspired by the show Glee. He subsequently quit when he found out that you actually have to dance and sing, to be apart of the group. And not just sit in the corner and wait for a Glee moment to happen so you can 'get the live Glee experience', as he puts it.

- 6 months into Shadowan's 'retirement' in Greece, he found himself horrifically bored, and began fishing. Turns out he is really good at it, a natural, and ended up being featured on TV for his innovation to fishing.

- Chase decided to grow an actual beard, nothing serious, to shake things up. Zack caught on to this change emerging and wanted to copy him and grow one too. He was excited to become 'The Beard Brothers'. Chase shaved it pretty much the next day.

- Zari plays professional indoor beach volley ball. And is really dam good at it.

- Player collects Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Not to play, but just to organise. He keeps all the holographic ones in their own portfolio. He claims his entire collection is totally worth like a couple thousand, at least.

- Julia likes the taste of coconut. Loves those little chocolates that are called Bountys. It's not her favourite flavour but she really appreciates anything with some dessicated coconut in it.

- Chase is lactose intolerant, but like many people in society suffering from that affliction he refuses to live his life by it. He will not be controlled by dairy. HE controls the dairy. But he does commit to skim or oat milk in his coffee, he's not crazy.

- Dash Haber and Trey Sterling are frienemies to lovers to strangers.

- Carmen and Ivy partake in many private rendezvous that are not at all as work related as they lead people to believe they are.

- Brunt's favourite show is Supernatural. She has a huge huge crush on Dean. It's concerning. But understandable. She kicked up a stink about missing the 'new seasons' (she's a few years behind) and gets to watch an epp a week, despite being in prison.

- Ivy becomes ACMEs resident mechanic and supes up any ACME car she can get her hands on. Don't expect to have any appliances in any office she has a workshop in as the best parts come from a toasted sandwich maker and kettle.

- Player grows from like 4"1 to 6ft within seconds of turning 18.

- Carmen begins working on starting a charity which aims at completely reforming the international foster care system, so she can marry it to her 'stealing for the right reasons' motif which she is currently working at making an actual legal enterprise of some sort.

- Gray claims that he's so far met 17 celebrities throughout his life. But when you ask for a list of who he has met he only ever names a few out of those 17, but ALWAYS tells the story of how he met Chad Michael Murry at a service station in Brisbane.

- As a teen, Bellum was once lost within an IKEA for a considerable amount of time. They consider it the best 5 hours of their life and nothing will ever top it.

[skipppppy]

I think about the alternate universes where a different faculty member found Carmen as a baby and subsequently betrayed VILE for her constantly. How the team dynamic would change. How they’d grow as characters. The shenanigans they’d get into

(Also how good Shadowsan would be as a straight up, no holds barred villain. But that’s another drawing for another day)

[captainpluto13]

Memes

If there is one thing I love drawing is high quality memes so enjoy! Expect more to come soon!

[snakesinsocks2005]

I dont think we talk about dexter wolfe as much as we should

[st0r-fruit]

LGBTQ+ HEADCANONS PART 3

TEAM VILE

Team red here

Team acme here

Edit: fixed maelstrom's, see it for yourself :)

Edit 2#: ALSO!! forgot + lazy to do but Roundabout and Maelstrom are polysexual!!

[b0nesy]

CS FANART!!

and then her idea is to kiss her 6 foot girlfriend (theyre kissing mwa mwa mwa) (and theyre both girls)

[potchai]

Maelstrom: and where are the operatives?

Cleo: they're all whooping inside the cafeteria

Maelstrom: is that Dr. Bellum? with the coach?

Brunt: WE WON A BEETLE FIGHT 'GAINST THE KITTY CAT AND THE MIME

Dr. Bellum: Haha yes, they stood no chance against Big Shelly, our adult male dung beetle. Tigress was quite dissapointed

[itsdappleagain]

from this post by @caramel-sandiego

bellum told me to draw this personally

[grahamcracklewho]

01. RED ROGUE.

a Carmen Sandiego (2019) rewrite.

tw (for the entire series): murder, death, mild gore, angst, obsession, ableism. i will add onto this as i go on. this series is DEEPLY redcrackle but includes ocs and reworked versions of characters, canon events, and etc.

this is ch1. ask/comment to be tagged for ch2 and more.

YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW CARMEN SANDIEGO TO READ THIS.

(I made this as understandable as possible to newcomers).

prev. current (ch1). next.

Tall, dark pillars made up the entrance to the faculty room. Black Sheep stood in front of a pair of steel doors a thousand times larger than her, but she remained undeterred. This was it. For the last seventeen years, she had watched as students came and went. This time, it was her turn to be one of them. One of the greats. She only had to convince them that she was ready.

It was time to talk to the only family she’s ever known.

The doors opened. She took in a deep breath, and entered. Her every footstep reverberated through the room, which was dark and empty, like everything else on the isle. She raised her chin, and met the gazes of each and every person sitting at that table.

The faculty. They were the head honchos. The true masterminds behind the carefully crafted game that VILE played.

“Esteemed members of the faculty.” She could feel their states drilling into her; clawing out her flesh and bone to peer at her soul. “I requested this audience with you today for one reason, and one reason alone.” It was cold. All around her, there was a shivering, freezing, bitter cold. Here, in the stone heart of VILE, she was nothing to them. The people she had gotten to know like family were now no more than strangers. They couldn’t afford to see her as dear little Black Sheep in this room, and in turn, she couldn’t afford to see them as people she loved—lest, she be martyred.

She straightened her back.

“I want to be a part of the student roster for this year.” Her eyes met Coach Brunt’s. If only she could dig out a little warmth in all the cold, she’d be alright. If only…

“Black Sheep.” The frosty voice of Countess Cleo made Black Sheep’s gaze snap to her. The woman was tall and lean, dressed in a gown reminiscent of the luxury-brands Cookie herself would wear, and large, hooped earrings that simply drew attention. Then again, that was Cleo’s M.O. She thrived on being reputable and impressive, sitting on her high perch in the clouds.

“Yes, countess?” Black Sheep said, attempting to maintain the layer of politeness she had slathered onto her voice. 

Countess Cleo frowned slightly, picking up on her faux tone. “What makes you think that you deserve to be treated differently from the rest of the students, hm? The minimum age to join VILE is eighteen. You are well aware of that, no?”

Black Sheep bit the inside of her cheek and managed a stiff nod when the countess looked directly at her, expectant.

“Yes, ma’am.”

The countess hummed. “Yes, you are. So, tell us, why would we make you our one exception?”

“I’m a good thief,” Black Sheep said immediately. “Better than most students VILE has. And, if I would just be taught—trained properly—I could be amazing. There’s nothing to lose. You could have a thieving genius on your hands, or, you could delay and stunt my potential. I think it’s obvious which choice is preferable for VILE.” She stopped, slowly pulling her hands behind her back when she noticed how wildly they had been waving. “So, that’s why.”

The faculty exchanged a silent glance. Horror coiled in her gut. They weren’t convinced. What if they said no? What if they decided that she wasn’t ready? That she never would be ready?

“A-and!” Black Sheep practically screamed, the stifling atmosphere coiling around her chest, squeezing, making it hard to breathe, “why would you choose someone… someone disabled over someone like me?” She started to dig around in her pockets, the fear mounting in her chest threatening to crush her completely; to grind her into a mess of blood and skin and bone when her fingers finally brushed against a familiar, sleek surface, and she yanked out the ID card she had stolen from Zicron months ago.

She swallowed thickly, glancing at the card before forcing herself to look away as she held it up into the air.

“I stole this,” she said, “from someone on the student roster.” She paused. “And they didn’t notice. I still have it now, months later. Doesn’t that say something? I have potential. I can do this.” Her fingers dug into her palm as she clenched her fist. “And you know I can.”

This time, the faculty looked at each other. And four of them smiled.

But one didn’t.

Coach Brunt looked… proud. Black Sheep turned her head away, afraid that she would start crying in front of the faculty.

Professor Maelstrom had been silent this entire time, simply watching. He was a pale, thin man, with a sharp, angular face that rarely ever appeared truly happy, but he wasn’t protesting.

Neither was Dr. Bellum, who was grinning wickedly, and though her goggles covered her eyes, Black Sheep would’ve been willing to bet that they would’ve been positively sparkling with a mad scientist-esque delight.

Even Countess Cleo wasn’t arguing. She didn’t look pleased, but she wasn’t arguing! That was progress.

But… then there was Shadowsan. He was VILE’s stealth instructor, but he was awfully loud when it came to his opinions. Black Sheep clenched her jaw and suppressed the urge to glare daggers at the disapproving look on this face.

“Black Sheep is not ready,” Shadowsan stated. “She is immature, petty, and childish. She stole from a fellow student, constantly pranks Ms. Booker, and runs around campus like a wild hog. We have an age requirement for a reason, and she does not meet it.” He intertwined his fingers together. “Black Sheep, if you are to pursue the path of a thief, you must be sure that this is what you want. Once you do this, there is no going back.”

Black Sheep fought off the scowl threatening to overtake her forced smile. “I am sure,” she said thinly. “In fact, I have never been more sure about something in my life. This is what I want.”

Professor Maelstrom cleared his throat. “We can settle this with a simple vote,” he said smoothly. “All in favor?”

Everyone raised their hands.

Except Shadowsan.

“Then that settles it!” Coach Brunt slammed her hands down onto the table. “You’re in!”

Black Sheep suddenly felt warm. That cold from before was washed away, and the fearsome heads of VILE were once again her family. Her loved ones. She couldn’t help the smile that burst across her face and the tears brimming at her eyes. Even the sound of Shadowsan’s chair dragging against the floor as he abruptly stood up and stalked away couldn’t ruin this moment.

She had done it.

“Give ma a hug, lambkins.” Black Sheep laughed as Coach Brunt brought her in for a tight hug, squeezing her. “I knew you could do it. You spoke so well! Even Cleo had to admit that you’ve matured.” The coach tapped her nose. “Of course, you still have that wild side, don’t you? Don’t let stuck-up snobs like Cleo and Cookie talk you down, love.”

Black Sheep nodded quickly, wriggling out of Coach Brunt’s hug to get a chance to breathe, though not without hugging her back first. “Never,” she promised, grinning. “Thanks so much.”

“That’s my girl.” Coach Brunt clapped her back. “Okay, go get some sleep now. Orientation’s early tomorrow. Don’t want ya falling asleep in the middle of it.”

Black Sheep doubted she’d be able to sleep at all, but she managed another nod. “Will do.”

I got in. With a gleeful smile, Black Sheep bounded out of the faculty room, almost failing to notice the albino standing by the door. Slowly, she came to a stop, a chill running down her spine. She looked back at Zicron, whose arms were crossed, and lips tightly pursed into a thin line.

“…Zicron,” she greeted quietly. He gave her a curt nod.

“Black Sheep,” he said dryly. “I now understand where my ID went.”

She rubbed the back of her neck, looking off to the side. “Yeah, uh… I’m sorry about that. I just… you know.” She shrugged, hoping he wouldn’t push her. “Had to make sure you were who you said you were. And stuff.”

“It’s alright.” His placid tone caught her off guard. “I understand. Once a thief, always a thief.” He turned his back to her. “Good luck, Black Sheep. I hope you get what you want from working for VILE.”

Black Sheep felt oddly put-off by that. His words were prickly, like a briar bush, its thorns glazed over with ice from frosty weather. Still, she brushed off the feeling and smiled smoothly. This was what she had been waiting for all her life. She wasn’t about to let someone that was practically a stranger to her ruin it all.

“I will,” she said. “I hope you get what you want, too.”

He had offered her some kind words. The least she could do was return them, even if she didn’t mean them.

Zicron let out a quiet laugh, making her frown slightly. “Oh, but of course,” he murmured. “Yes, I…” he laughed again, a little louder this time. “I will. Thank you for your… kind… words.” Without another word, he walked into the faculty room, and the heavy metal doors slammed shut behind him.

She raised a brow. He’s going to have his head bit off in there.

Still, Black Sheep couldn’t fully bring herself to be upset, or concerned on his behalf. Instead, she headed to her room: just a corridor away from Coach Brunt’s office. It used to be an old storage closet before it was converted to something livable. It was all thanks to Coach.

As she entered her bedroom, she smiled at the sight of the four Russian nesting dolls sitting on her windowsill. Their paint was chipped and a little smudged, but that was the inevitable result of being touched by time. They had been with her ever since she was a baby, after all… her only belongings in a world where they could slip away under her nose if she wasn’t careful.

Her fingers ghosted past the head of one, gently brushing past it. “I did it,” she whispered. Her heart swelled with warmth. If she knew her parents—her real, biological ones—surely, they would be celebrating this great day with her. She shut her eyes.

“I hope I made you proud.”

[nixariel]

Timelines and Carmen Sandiego: To Steal Or Not To Steal

...or, can I make the interactive special play nicely with canon? Meant as a companion to my previous timeline; please note that this is centred around the 'perfect' route where Carmen manages to save both her ground crew and the stolen items. For an overview of how to access all eight endings, I would highly recommend this excellent schematic.

Shanghai (stated in dialogue as approx 1 year after Carmen started stealing from V.I.L.E.; "which part of the last year")

·        "Notorious V.I.L.E. stronghold" is in Lujiazui district of Shanghai; location roughly corresponds to the Jin Mao Tower based on position relative to the Shanghai Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center ·        Carmen can enter from the air by ziplining across from the Shanghai Tower or from the ground via the elevator shaft ·        Walks into conspicuously-open vault to learn her ground crew has been kidnapped; if she does not cooperate, the faculty will use Dr. Bellum's mindwiping device to turn Ivy and Zack into V.I.L.E. operatives        ◦ As per bad ending 1, Coach Brunt had bet Professor Maelstrom a steak dinner that Carmen would refuse V.I.L.E.'s deal point-blank ·        Curiously, a 10-19 licence plate is visible on a passing car during Player's intro of the target; in the main series, this number seems to be used exclusively for A.C.M.E. vehicles

Xi'an (roughly 2h direct flight time from Shanghai to Xi'an)

·        First task is the theft of a terracotta warrior for Brunt; Carmen goes to a "fresh dig site" where more statues have recently been found ·        Exact date unknown but apparently a Tuesday; "it's either dress-up Tuesday for the security staff or..." ·        Tigress has been sent as V.I.L.E.'s handler-slash-back-up for Carmen; leaving her in the pit reveals she has a fear of insects but helping her enables the later 'imperfect good' ending of saving Zack and Ivy while V.I.L.E. keeps the statue ·        Carmen gets her first check-in with the siblings, then is offered the choice of going to either Hell Creek, Montana, to retrieve a T. rex bone for Dr. Bellum or Monte Carlo, Monaco, to steal one hundred tins of Beluga caviar for Countess Cleo

·        If trying to establish a 'canon' narrative for the special, Cleo's caper would make the most sense as the next theft; Carmen has managed one heist for V.I.L.E. but now struggles with the implications of needing to do it again, and to a charity no less. Mime Bomb is also present more to monitor Carmen than to help, much like Tigress, and Julia does not mention a stolen dinosaur bone despite bringing up the missing terracotta warrior during her brief conversation with Carmen. Going from one plainclothes agent in Monte Carlo (or presumably only one; no recognizably-A.C.M.E. faces in the crowd and Julia reaches for her pen rather than an earpiece if tricked into going to the roof) to three officially-dressed agents in Montana also seems like a more appropriate escalation of A.C.M.E.'s efforts to catch Carmen than the reverse.

Monte Carlo (roughly 11h direct flight time from Xi'an to Monte Carlo)

·        Exterior of the hotel hosting the charity dinner appears somewhat similar to the Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo ·        Debut of 'Scarlett Santarosa' as an alias; Player's startled "who??" upon hearing it suggests that this may not have been entirely planned ·        Declining the diplomat's offer to dance leads to Carmen expressing a preference for tango over the waltz; accepting it shows her losing focus/drifting into a daydream partway through, which may be a sign that having to rush through back-to-back capers is starting to wear on her ·        Evidently A.C.M.E. has received intel that V.I.L.E. may be targeting the caviar, Julia assigned to investigate and/or thwart; she seems much more comfortable blending in with upper-class society than pretending to be a fashion model in Milan ·        Julia also much more overt with her willingness to extend Carmen the benefit of the doubt; that she's carrying around a champagne glass full of some unspecified sparkling liquid is probably pure coincidence ;)

·        Carmen acknowledges having "joined forces with Jules before"—a phrasing that suggests something more like their collaboration in Milan than simply leaving the recovered Magna Cartas on a train seat; trusting Julia is necessary to achieve the 'perfect' route ending ·        The successful grab 'n' dash route leads to Carmen landing on a bridge-like structure with some similarities to the Fontvieille Shopping Centre; the unsuccessful stash 'n' sneak option has her walking down what is almost certainly the Rue de Millo in La Condamine

Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport (roughly 2h direct flight time from Monte Carlo to Heathrow)

·        Before continuing on to the third heist, Carmen demands another check-in with Ivy and Zack; comparing the amount of light coming through their cell window at different times of day allows her to deduce that they are being held somewhere with 24/7 sunlight ·        Player confirms that this would currently be the North rather than South Pole; midnight sun in the Arctic goes from late March to late September

·        Choosing to attempt a rescue instead of continuing with the third heist reveals that Tigress has been stationed at the Arctic facility, presumably to oversee the guarding of Carmen's ground crew; unclear how/if she is involved in their transfer to Île d'Oléron for the ending of the 'perfect' route        ◦ The diner from the post-Arctic bad ending is located in none other than San Diego, suggesting that this is after Team Red purchases the Carmen Brand Outerwear warehouse (and is quite possibly the Best Sneaky Detail in this entire special asdfghj XDD)

Hell Creek (roughly 9.5h direct flight time plus 3.5h drive time from Heathrow to Hell Creek State Park)

·        Carmen more resigned than upset at the thought of stealing the T. rex bone for Bellum; would be in keeping with having managed to get through two heists for V.I.L.E. already ·        Archaeologist from Morocco can be seen entering one of the tents at the excavation site (a.k.a. the OTHER contender for Best Sneaky Detail XD)

·        Even considering something as risky as trying to catch and break into a plane while it's taking off may be another sign of strain/fatigue affecting Carmen; this would also fit with Montana being her third caper in a row ·        Research lab is approximately 200 miles away (and is attached to an amusement park like the discount version of a Michael Crichton novel, there's even a Tyrannosaurus head over the main entrance, this is ABSOLUTELY intentional XDD) ·        Bellum expected her to have snagged the bone within mere hours of landing in Montana ("been in Montana for an entire afternoon"); pushing Carmen to complete the thefts as quickly as possible is likely part of keeping her too busy to out-think V.I.L.E.'s trap ·        Carmen is offered the choice of El Topo or Le Chevre for assistance; El Topo will show up having helpfully researched potential exit routes while Le Chevre drops a pinecone on her head and calls her "the bossy one in [their] class" ·        Compared to El Topo, Le Chevre also distinctly under-impressed by the quality of A.C.M.E.'s suits ·        El Topo's knowledge of the tunnels underneath the combo museum/amusement park leads to a quick and A.C.M.E.-baffling disappearance after nabbing the bone; picking Le Chevre, on the other hand, leads to the very serious A.C.M.E. agents very seriously commandeering a dinosaur-themed roller coaster train in order to chase Carmen along said roller coaster's track until she manages a daringly acrobatic escape that ends with her hang-gliding off into the night (yes I have a favourite operative how can you tell)

·        As an alternative to a straight reconciliation with show-canon, might I suggest that riding a literal roller coaster in order to chase Carmen Sandiego through an amusement park in the middle of the night sounds suspiciously like someone trying to prank a newly-reinstated Devineaux? ;)

Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport (unknown drive time plus roughly 9.5h direct flight time from Montana to Heathrow)

·        After she returns to the airport, the faculty sends Carmen an e-ticket for a ferry to the Île d'Oléron; she is to bring the dinosaur bone and caviar tins there to exchange for her ground crew ·        Somehow Julia has managed to track Carmen to Heathrow, unclear if A.C.M.E. aware; her attempt to tail the thief is quickly noticed and Carmen uses the opportunity to ask for her help

Île d'Oléron (roughly 75 min direct flight time from Heathrow to La Rochelle; ferry to the island takes another hour)

·        Paperstar watching from the Phare de Chassiron; as per the final bad ending, V.I.L.E. plans to have Lady Dokuso and the Cleaners ambush Carmen after she disembarks

·        All real-world ferries to Île d'Oléron look to be from La Rochelle; closest actual stop would be Saint-Denis-d'Oléron, approximately 4 km away, as the coastline near the lighthouse is too shallow to permit a commercial dock ·        Carmen has Julia take her place on the ferry and swims to the island instead, finds Zack and Ivy in the V.I.L.E. aircraft hangar there ·        Paperstar notices Julia's glasses and alerts the guards, interrupting their escape ·        Zack figures out how to fly a helicopter in a hurry and Carmen references Casablanca ("here's looking at you, crew"); terracotta warrior conveniently found to be already stowed/never unloaded in back

Julia's apartment, presumably still in Poitiers

·        All stolen items deposited neatly outside Julia's door, complete with a bouquet of roses; we do not see who rings the doorbell ·        One possible explanation for the opening and closing scenes of Ivy and Zack during the post-ending bonus music video is that they indeed managed to break out of their cell at least once while Carmen was busy with V.I.L.E.'s capers, even if they were then recaptured before they could find a way off the Arctic base; certainly their parts of the song are referenced in-episode during both the post-Xi'an check-in and the post-Arctic bad ending

Special vs. Canon

In terms of trying to fit the special with the rest of the show, both Carmen's dialogue ("which part of the last year", see estimated date for Boston caper in previous timeline) and the Arctic midnight sun reference suggest a late spring/early summer time frame, meaning roughly April to June-ish depending on how strict we want to be with the definition of a year. Shadow-san's absence from the faculty and from the special in general, plus the fact that the remaining members appear to be in some transitional location—as per the industrial metal-panel backgrounds during most of their calls to Carmen, rather than anything resembling either the Canary Islands school or the Outer Hebrides castle—isn't as definitive, but would at least be in keeping with a post-explosion (March-ish) pre-move-to-Scotland (October) placement.

There is also Julia's readiness to trust Carmen's intentions in Monte Carlo, combined with Carmen's "joined forces with Jules before" line, which would suggest that this is before Player Trojan-horses the A.C.M.E. database but after the Milan caper. Given the notable absence of any reference to Stockholm, this might further suggest a point after both that mishap and the failed Botswana collaboration because Carmen's willingness to reach out for A.C.M.E.'s help with the diamond mine could be seen as forgiveness for chasing her off a tower in Sweden—and with that attitude of letting bygones be bygones, Julia might consider doubling down on her faith in Carmen to be a more convincing apology than dragging up bad history.

With how quickly things go from Brunt dropping the Wolfebomb to Carmen salvaging the mainframe hard drive to her demanding answers from Shadow-san, it would be very difficult for the special to take place then regardless of how conveniently it would excuse the ninja's absence. However, there is an unspecified amount of time between that confrontation and Carmen showing up at Chief's usual coffee shop in Seattle—and since Carmen wouldn't have confirmed Shadow-san's truthfulness yet, he'd most likely still be benched in San Diego (nor would the faculty expect to see him with her given their belief in having driven a wedge between the two). Chase, at this point, would also have been retrieved from the island and fired by Interpol but not yet reactivated as an A.C.M.E. agent.

Although not a perfect reconciliation—that Carmen would be willing to put a hold on finding answers about her father's death in order to raid a random V.I.L.E. vault in Shanghai is... questionable, to say the least—the most plausible canon setting for the special would therefore seem to be after the reveal of how Shadow-san became a faculty member but before Team Red comes up with a plan for how to hack A.C.M.E.'s database.

As always, this is the work of only one person. If there's something missing or incorrect, let me know and I'm happy to update. Otherwise, I have a CS 2019 trivia tag for the things that didn't quite fit in either timeline, as well as the odd headcanon that does a little more reading-between-the-lines. ;) Have fun.

END

[avatarvyakara]

Might as well work on this one too…

On Age in Carmen Sandiego (2019)

Or, at the very least, in the timeline of Crimson Shades.

First off, Carmen’s mother, Carlotta Valdez (aka “Vera Cruz”), was supposed to have “died” in 1999. Carmen looked around perhaps a year old at that point in time, giving her a possible birth-date in 1996 to 1997. This in turn suggests that the series takes place some time before the actual date of publication—say, 2017/2018 onwards—to maintain Carmen’s rough age.

Rough age ranges of the characters, taking Carmen’s rough birthdate for estimation:

Team Red

Isabela Valdez/Black Sheep/Carmen Sandiego: 16/17 starting at VILE, 18/19 during the Poitiers Caper, 22/23 by the end.

Fairly self-explanatory.

Pierre Bouchard/Player: 12/13 as a White Hat Hacker, 14/15 during the Poitiers Caper, 18/19 by the end.

Not quite old enough for a learner’s permit (Up Here it’s a G1) during the earlier capers.

Ivy Collins: 19 during the Donuts/Poitiers Capers, 23 by the end.

Zack Collins: 18 during the Donuts/Poitiers Capers, 22 by the end.

Zack is supposed to be around a year younger than Ivy.

Nakamura Suhara/Shadowsan: 23 when sent after Dexter Wolfe, 42 during the Poitiers Caper, 46 by the end.

Young but not too young, as it were.

VILE

Eartha McGlynn/Coach Brunt: 39 upon receiving Black Sheep, 58 during the Poitiers Caper, 61 when arrested, 63 by the end.

Gunnar Stromme/Professor Maelstrom: 37 upon receiving Black Sheep, 56 during the Poitiers Caper, 60 when arrested, 62 by the end.

Oluchi Cleopatra Okorie/Countess Cleo: 26 upon receiving Black Sheep, 45 during the Poitiers Caper, 49 when arrested, 51 by the end.

Saira Dhibar/Doctor Bellum: 33 upon receiving Black Sheep, 54 during the Poitiers Caper, 58 when arrested, 60 by the end.

Sir Nigel Braithwaite/Roundabout: 56 when appointed, 57 when arrested, 59 by the end.

Margherita Picasso/Cookie Booker: 54 when first pelted, 62 when the Hard Drive was stolen, 67 by the end.

Vlad Bobinski: 28 upon receiving Black Sheep, 45 upon letting Black Sheep get away, 50 by the end.

Boris Vladinski: 27 upon receiving Black Sheep, 44 while watching Vlad let Black Sheep get away, 49 by the end.

They may be slightly younger or older, but at least Coach Brunt’s age seems to have been confirmed at 60 by the time of the Fourth Season.

Graham Calloway/Gray/Crackle: 18 starting at VILE, 20 during the Poitiers Caper, 24 by the end.

Jean-Paul Marignan/Le Chèvre: 19 starting at VILE, 21 during the Poitiers Caper, 25 by the end.

Antonio Sánchez/El Topo: 18/19 starting at VILE, 20/21 during the Poitiers Caper, 24/25 by the end.

Sheena Landry/Tigress: 18 starting at VILE, 20 during the Poitiers Caper, 23 when arrested, 24 by the end.

Parker Morris/Mime Bomb: 18 starting at VILE, 20 during the Poitiers Caper, 23 when arrested, 25 by the end.

Sawa Jin/Paper Star: 17 starting at VILE, 18 during the Magna Carta Caper, 22 when arrested at the end.

ACME

Tamara Fraser/Chief: 26 when killing Dexter Wolfe, 45 during the Poitiers Caper, 49 when arresting VILE, 51 by the end.

Inspector/Agent Chase Devineaux: 37 during the Poitiers Caper, 38/39 when arresting VILE, 41 by the end.

Agent Julia Argent: 25 during the Poitiers Caper, 27 when arresting VILE, 29 by the end.

This is going to cause some trouble, I just know it. But the average amount of time it takes to get a university degree in the UK is around three years, and Julia has two of them. She also seems to have jumped right to an associate professorship at Oxford in Season 3, the requirements for which are around 4-6 years of study plus a thesis. Thus Julia would have had to have been in school for at least something like seven to nine years before joining Interpol, with whom she had apparently only been for a fortnight before the Poitiers Caper. The number above assumes that she skipped a year and took a year less to complete her second degree. Or took two years less. Or started two years early. You get my point. Basically, Julia has to be a fair bit older than she looks in order to actually have the qualifications she possesses.

Agent Umaira Zari: 38 during the Poitiers Caper, 40 when arresting VILE, 42 by the end.

Some additional ages:

Nakamura Hideo: 17 when his brother Suhara was born, 36 when his brother disappeared, 63 when his brother returned for good, 65 by the end.

Not an unreasonable age given his looks, I thought.

Carlotta Valdez: 27 when she gave birth to Isabela, 47 when Carmen returned home to her, 49 by the end.

Young but not too long, once again.

Any I missed?

[skipppppy]

I’m just throwing things at the wall to get rid of the hyperfixation at this point

[mau-erik]

If I owe you guys about Chase, it's because I wasn't home but while I was away I did this.

Bellum turned the entire red team into cats, it seems like he's happy. Now the problem is how to get back to normal?

And by the way, Mau-Erik (me). I'm small.

I know I didn't turn out excellent but I did what I could.

[youraveragecatastrophe]

Another episode that hurts me in the context of season 1's last episode! This is about Carmen's reactions regarding Coach Brunt in The fishy doubloon caper.

First, and maybe the biggest thing, the scene in the medical tent after Carmen passed out from lack of oxygen.

The way Carmen 1) awakens, notices someone tending to her, and immediately imagines it's Coach Brunt and 2) looks relieved and grateful to have her.

[Image description : a screenshot of season 1 episode 4 of the 2019 Carmen Sandiego show, The fishy doubloon caper. Carmen opens her eyes and sees who she thinks is Coach Brunt taking care of her after she passed out due to lack of oxygen. Her face is neutral. /End description]

Her look when she says "you", even the way she says it - surprised, maybe, but not afraid.

Carmen is in a very vulnerable position right now, alone and weak. And when she thinks one of the people tracking her down is with her, she seems happy. Because it's her mother figure.

[Image description : a screenshot of season 1 episode 4 of the 2019 Carmen Sandiego show, The fishy doubloon caper. Carmen talks with a smile about how Coach Brunt found her in Argentina as a baby. /End description]

"I always knew it was you."

Sure, the lack of oxygen can explain why she's not reacting too strongly, but still. She doesn't even look worried.

Next, the very end of the episode, while saying goodbye to Dr Pilar Marquez.

Below, her face when Pilar tells Carmen she "mistook [Pilar] for someone close to [Carmen]" :

[Image description : a screenshot of season 1 episode 4 of the 2019 Carmen Sandiego show, The fishy doubloon caper. Carmen looks upset. /End description]

Carmen says "a link to my past. We went our separate ways". Of course, she's not going to explain the whole messy story to a stranger, but still. This a pretty nice way to say "my mother figure who raised me goes against everything I fight for today and I indirectly fight her every two days".

[Image description : two screenshots of season 1 episode 4 of the 2019 Carmen Sandiego show, The fishy doubloon caper. In the first one, Carmen looks to the side with a small, slightly regretful smile, saying "a link to my past". In the second one, Carmen looks at the offscreen Dr Pilar Marquez with the same smile, saying "we went our separate ways". /End description]

Carmen does not seem angry, bitter, or fearful. Her expressions are of sadness and fondness. She still thinks fondly of Coach Brunt at this point, even though she knows they're on opposite sides. She still somewhat trusts her not to hurt her, at least subconsciously (see the tent scene).

...which is why the season 1 finale is so horrifying.

[haveaclock]

Literally no one ask for it but

💫The full photo of my Pfp💫

Also CREDITS: @youngninelifer (technically Ellison's Art blog but they're the same person :) )

[vileacademyofficial]

why is everything in your evil lair g r e e n

OH OKAY so when CARMEN makes everything red nobody questions her but when WE do it it's all 'why are you trying to murder me with Dr Bellum's green murder machine that kills you with the concept of the colour green'. There's a BIAS here.