#emilio: among us

[scavengedlegacy]

TIMING: Current LOCATION: Axis Investigations Office PARTIES: Emilio @mortemoppetere and Natalia @scavengedlegacy. SUMMARY: Natalia finds out she's being tracked by Emilio and confronts him. He accuses her of doing the stalking. CONTENT WARNING: stalking, brief mention of family death

The night before, Natalia had been sitting across from an old client who was coming to make good on their part of their deal, and he had mentioned passing on her name to someone else. It was a normal event in her particular line of work, it wasn’t like she could publicly market stolen goods and secrets for trade. But when they described the man who had asked about her, it gave Natalia pause.

When he first moved into town, Natalia had clocked him as someone who she needed to watch. It was a gut instinct that had quickly proven to be right. He was a Cortez. And while her beating heart disqualified her from being his usual prey, knowing that he was looking for her made her uneasy. Was there a vampire that she had helped that he was looking for? Was the trinket the last one had traded to her something he wanted? 

Standing with her back to the wall, just inside the office of Axis Investigations, Natalia crossed her arms and stayed far from the chair that a client would normally take. “Who hired you?” Her tone was less questioning and more accusatory. “I can’t for the life of me think of what you would want with the scavenger, so, someone had to hire you. I’ve gone through all the suspects in my head, just rotating through names, and they’re either too lazy to go looking, too tied up in their own fucking principles to decide the ‘best option’ let alone agree on who to hire — and none of them would hire outside their own groups.” 

—

You saw all kinds of different cases in Emilio’s line of work. He got the feeling most of the ones you saw in Wicked’s Rest weren’t exactly standard for P.I.s in the rest of the world, but he’d gotten good at clocking them anyway. Missing people usually turned up in the stomach of something in the woods. Suspicious changes in behavior tended to find the subject with less of a heartbeat than they’d had before the shift. Stolen items were sometimes better off not returned when they were rediscovered in cursed shops. Emilio danced the line between detective and hunter pretty well for a guy who could only use one leg, and he was good at clocking which cases were supernatural and which weren’t pretty early on in the process.

But this one… This one could still go either way. The woman who’d hired him had been nervous. People who hired him usually were. No one ever really hired a private investigator because they were having a good day, after all. She’d told him someone was following her, and she was afraid it might have something to do with some illegal dealings she’d been a part of, so she couldn’t go to the police. Emilio didn’t care much about legality, especially not when it was for laws that didn’t matter, so he took the case without question. He did some digging, he found a name. 

Natalia Moreno seemed to have her finger in a lot of pies throughout town. And just as Emilio had found her on his radar, she seemed to have put him on hers. It wasn’t entirely surprising to find her in his office; if anything, he was surprised she hadn’t shown up sooner. From what he’d found out about her, she probably wasn’t someone who liked people digging into her work. “I’m not going to tell you who hired me,” he replied flatly, leaning back in his chair and mimicking her stance, arms crossed over his chest. “Es una política de la empresa. I tell you, other people want me to tell them, it goes out of control. People want privacy. You should understand.”

—

It was company policy. The words could have made her sick if she let them sink in past the surface. Too much like her parents who stood in a room with a bunch of other aging Scribes, making decisions for everyone around them, damning them with their desire to remain hidden and ‘neutral.’ Natalia wrinkled her nose and then rolled her eyes, letting the words roll off her in the same movement. 

“And yet, something tells me, Mr. Cortez, that if you were coming to me and asking me for information, you wouldn’t take ‘company policy’ and walk away, would you?” She watched him for a moment longer, a beat of silence before the blank look on her face cracked into something of a smile. Close to humor. She pushed off the wall and then pointed at the chair across the desk, “Can I sit here?” Natalia didn’t wait, she sat down and propped her feet up on the desk, making herself comfortable. If they were going to be posturing the entire time, she might as well do it where it looked like it was her office, instead of his. 

“So then, explain this company policy to me, love to hear the full thing. Especially the ‘in the event someone’s life might be in danger’ part. Because unfortunately for people like us, company policy has to be flexible to some degree, doesn’t it?” Natalia tipped her head to the side, wondering what had been asked of him, if he was just there to find her and out her, or if he had been asked to do something more. (She wasn’t a vampire, she reminded herself. And for all accounts, she didn’t remember the Cortezs making a habit of killing humans.) “Unless this is about money?” She blinked a few times, letting the question breathe before she shrugged her shoulders. “I mean, you wouldn’t be the first to sell your morals for a couple bucks.” It had been a long time since Natalia had felt desperate. Longer still that she had to rely on someone else for the answers. 

—

“Ah, I’m a bad example,” Emilio replied, waving a hand dismissively. She was right, of course; when met with ‘company policy’ that prevented him from doing his job, he had a habit of finding some way around it. Digging, or pushing, or threatening if he thought the person deserved it. But he felt differently when he was the one holding the cards… especially in a situation like this one. If Natalia was the person who’d been following his client, sharing the information of who’d hired him could put their life in danger. He had no idea if Natalia was dangerous or not; he’d prefer not to find out the answer to that question in a way that got his client hurt. 

And if he explained that, there was a chance she’d understand. If she wasn’t a worst case scenario, if he let himself believe that she was a decent person. But… Emilio and trust issues went hand-in-hand, most of the time. He didn’t want to risk trusting someone who was going to screw him over and Natalia, for all he knew, was just waiting for her chance to do that. So he crossed his arms, he tilted his head up, said, “Sit wherever you want. I don’t care.” 

He narrowed his eyes at her questions, irritation rising. “It isn’t about money,” he said flatly. Fuck knew if he was in this for the money, he’d be doing a shit job. Axis offered discounts to anyone Emilio found less annoying than the typical client, didn’t charge people he empathized with a little too much. “Try to think from my seat. Someone hires you. Says there is someone following them. Someone else comes in. Asks for information about this person. You see how this is a bad idea.” He leaned forward a little. “I don’t know you. I don’t know why you want to know what you want to know. I’m not putting my client at risk. Nothing you say will change that. If you want to waste your time, you can waste your time. I’m good at that. Or you can save us both a headache and fuck off.”

—

“A hypocrite, you mean.” As if Natalia didn’t wear that hat often when it suited her, pretending to do or believe in one thing as long as it fit the narrative she was trying to portray. The world was full of imperfect people: Scribes and hunters chief among them. She was curious, though, what had driven him to this line of work and why he was dealing with petty bullshit between humans. But a beat passed, and her mind opened up further, wondering, perhaps, if the person who had sent Emilio after her wasn’t human at all. 

She tipped her foot on his desk, rolling it back and forth while she listened to his short rebuttals. Not caring about what she did or said in this situation, not caring if she wasted her own time and how happy he would be to waste Natalia’s if that was what she wanted. But before all that, he told an all too familiar story. Of a client walking in, saying someone was following them, likely begging for help. “Someone was following them?” She repeated, brows furrowed as she looked up from the tips of her shoes to his face. “They said someone was following them? Did they accuse me directly? Or…” 

Sitting up straight, Natalia pulled her feet off the desk and threaded her fingers together on the surface of his desk. Janessa Hommel came to mind. “Let me… wager a guess as to who it was. Mid twenties? White? Blonde hair? Green eyes? Small scar under her left eye? Looks like she hasn’t slept in a week?” She sighed, working her jaw as she held eye contact. “My client looked like that. Said the same thing to me. Said someone was following her, she was sure of it.” What would have caused her to come running here as well? Had something escalated? Natalia ran through the last meeting she had with Janessa. “Did your client accuse the shadows? Say they were longer and darker than normal?” It had sounded absurd when Natalia had first been told, but there was often a shred of truth in the most outlandish claims in Wicked’s Rest. “Or we can just, you know, do this back and forth pissing match too instead, I like this part. It’s fun. Keeps the mind sharp.” 

— 

“If that’s what you want to call it.” He was self aware enough to know that it wasn’t an entirely unfair accusation. Hypocrisy was something Emilio wore well. Vengeance tended to be soaked in it, after all. He’d come to accept it a long time ago, allowed the word to drape itself around him like a blanket. It didn’t do much to keep him warm, but at least he could accept the truth when it was hurled at him. It made it a hell of a lot harder for anyone to weaponize against him. 

He watched her now, the way she sat with herself. She was putting on a show, just like he was. Feigning apathy, pretending to care less than she did. It was interesting. You could tell a lot about a person just by watching them. It was something Emilio relied on heavily, especially after his move to the States. When you didn’t speak the verbal language well, fluency in body language became a necessity. Tense shoulders and narrowed eyes meant the same thing in Spanish as they did in English. That made it a lot easier. He watched her reaction to his revelation, tilted his head to the side slightly. Surprise, concern, thoughtfulness. It seemed genuine. 

She described his client pretty well, but… that didn’t necessarily get her off the hook. There was a chance she knew what Janessa looked like because she had been following her, after all, so Emilio only crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. But then she went on, talking about the specifics of what his client had said when she’d hired him, and… There weren’t a lot of ways she could know that without speaking to her. The possibility that Janessa had been bugged was there, but if that were the case, why would Natalia be here? She wouldn’t waste time looking for information she already had, especially not if it meant exposing herself to a private investigator who might not know about her involvement. “She was paranoid,” he confirmed. “Afraid. Desperate, by the time she got to me. What was she working with you on? We both share what we know, this goes faster. Or I can toss you out in the snow and have a drink, then work this by myself. Up to you.”

—

Natalia tipped her head to the side, a smile coming too easily to her face. False, but present. “I think that’s what most people would call it. Hypocrisy, maybe even condescending? Depends on the tone and angle you want to take. Shades of gray, perhaps? But either way, you don’t do as you say. We both know you’d force the information out of someone if you thought it would help your cause.” There was a reputation that was attached to the Cortez name, one that Natalia wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with, but perhaps, it was one that he was banking on people not knowing. From what she had heard, which was unfortunately very little, he hadn’t been making the same violent waves that the Cortez family was known for.

Then again, as far as she knew, he was the last of them. 

The way he kept his distance from her, but there was an olive branch offered. One that Natalia knew better than to pass up. Information for information. She had no guarantee that he’d hold up his end of the bargain, but that was a risk worth taking, wasn’t it? Better than being on the shit side of a slayer. Turning her head slightly from Emilio, she pretended like there was something far more interesting on the far side of the wall. “She kept talking about the shadows last I saw her. Something was following her but she could never place what it was. She said…”

Closing her eyes, Natalia tried to recall the exact wording. “Something was trying to take her place.” It was a strange sentiment. Darker than what she would have imagined for a stalker, not that having a stalker was something to sneeze at, but the wording was… hard to shake. “Every time I saw her, she had a fresh wound bandaged up. I don’t know if it was paranoia causing her to accidently harm herself or if the harm was the cause?” Natalia thought outside before finally looking at Emilio again. “She missed our last meeting. Last night, the Wormhole. I keep a strict schedule with my clients.” It wasn’t much, but it was the truth. And she figured that was better than embellishing anything. Especially with him. “Your turn, what did she say that tipped you in my direction?” 

—

“I’ve been called much worse.” He made no effort to deny any of it. Trying to do that would be an insult to them both. She was right, after all — Emilio could and would go to certain lengths to get information when he needed it. He had more limits than he used to, sure — these days, he only got information ‘the hard way’ from people who he knew had earned such methods — but he wasn’t so stupid as to think that he was a good man, and he wouldn’t pretend to be one. He did what he needed to do. She struck him as someone who did the same. But Emilio didn’t know if she had the same limits he did, and that was part of the problem. She was an unknown variable and, to him, that made her a threat. 

But he knew enough to use even a threat to his advantage. He was learning — slowly, sure, but still — that you could solve things without a knife, sometimes. An exchange, an agreement… you could turn a threat into an ally with the right deal. He’d done it more than once now, and it hadn’t bit him in the ass too hard just yet. It would someday, he knew; that was inevitable. But until it did, he might as well keep using people to his advantage. 

“Take her place?” That was an interesting tidbit. A stalker was one thing — it could be explained away in a thousand different ways. A human threat, or a vampire who liked to play with its food, or a fae looking for a constant source that they could snatch up and keep locked away somewhere. But something trying to replace someone? That narrowed the field a little. The wounds were another clue. “When was the last time you saw her? Did she seem… different at all?” His brow furrowed, gears turning in his mind. “She came to me, like I said. Told me she couldn’t go to the police because she was worried whoever was following her might have something to do with some… activities she was a part of that the police might not agree with. So I looked into her activities. Found your name through that. Thought maybe she’d missed a payment to you or something and you were trying a scare tactic. But you wouldn’t be here talking to me if that’s what it was.” If Natalia were responsible for this disappearance, she would have been more likely to kill Emilio than to talk to him. He knew that. “So I’m thinking… You and me are after the same thing here. On the same side, maybe.”

—

There was a smile at the corner of her lips when he admitted that. “Me too,” Natalia offered. It was almost a sign of friendship. Of kindred spirits meeting. If he was anything else like her, then this confrontation wasn’t going to be the deal breaker it would have been with anyone else. “But I am going to mark those statements as correct then, since you didn’t deny anything.” Raising her hand, Natalia made a checkmark in the air for dramatic effect. 

He repeated the line and his immediate reply pulled Natalia’s attention away from the rocky start of their conversation. “She kept saying it, over and over again, every time I saw her.” Which had only been a handful of times, but the fact that Janessa had said it each time had stuck with her. It had to be important, otherwise why was it stuck so firmly in the front of her mind during their short meetings? “I was supposed to see her last night but she never showed up. Instead I got a little rumor about you looking me up.” She hadn’t even realized the two were connected until he had been accusing her of being the mysterious stalker. “But last time she did make our meeting, she looked like she hadn’t been sleeping. More paranoid than before.” Closing her eyes, Natalia tried to imagine what she looked like again. The dark circles under her eyes, her unbrushed hair, the desperation.

She said she had nothing to give me, had been Natalia’s initial reply, but she kept it behind closed teeth. The last thing she wanted was to point the finger back at herself and try to defend how she hadn’t charged Janessa anything because when she had first met her, she had seen that look of desperation in her eyes even back then. Natalia wasn’t usually someone’s first call in a stalker case, but she wasn’t about to make her exceptions public. “You didn’t beat the shit out of one of my clients for this info, did you?” She hoped it had just been a conversation, but that’s not exactly what the Cortezs were known for. Standing up from the chair, she looked him in the eyes, considering what he said, before nodding. “Better allies than enemies.” In this situation, at least. “But I take it if you got as far as me, you didn’t get any leads about who the real stalker might be, no?” 

—

It didn’t bother him, the way she took his lack of denial as a confession. It kind of was one, after all. Emilio wouldn’t pretend that he wasn’t a hypocrite, or that he was never condescending. He was, beyond shadow of a doubt, both of those things. But… “I’m not a liar.” He had that going for him, at least. He was more than willing to admit to his flaws, more than ready to confess to being less than perfect. Wasn’t everyone?

Of course, there were far more important things to worry about here. If their shared client had found this fear large enough to repeat it every time she spoke to Natalia, it must have had something concrete behind it, right? It could have been simple paranoia, but it had clearly been a big concern. It wasn’t something Emilio thought someone would assume without reason. It was a big leap to make, a bigger one to admit to someone. So… there had to be something behind it. “Did she ever say why she thought that?” There had to be more to this story than someone paranoid that she was being stalked. Emilio got the feeling the stalker in question wasn’t the human sort. “She was… on edge when she met with me, too. Looked like you said — tired, paranoid. Felt bad for her.” Bad enough to give her a discount, though he wouldn’t advertise that. “Thought it might have been an ex-boyfriend at first, but doesn’t look that way. Then, I thought it might have something to do with you. Now, though…” 

Odds were, the stalker they were looking for wasn’t the human sort. But what was it? Emilio would need to do more research to be sure. He might have had a near encyclopedic knowledge of the undead, but no one could know every supernatural creature out there. There were just too many to keep up with, especially in a town like this one where the rules seemed constantly broken. Snorting at Natalia’s question, Emilio raised a brow. “I have other tricks up my sleeves.” Namely, Javi. The bartender tended to know a lot more about other people’s business than anyone had any right to, and he was more than willing to share that knowledge with Emilio for a price. (A monetary price, now that Emilio wasn’t sleeping with him anymore. It was getting expensive.) “I don’t have anything… concrete,” he confirmed. “But with what you’ve told me, I think I know where to start.” He paused a moment. Then, “I don’t think we’re looking for something human here. I don’t know how much you know about this shit, but I’m not holding your hand through it if you’re clueless. There’s not time for that. Not if we want any hope of finding a person instead of a corpse.”

—

There was something about the way Emilio said so fully that he wasn’t a lair that brought a smile to Natalia’s face. “Good, I hate liars.” A pause. “But withholding the truth, that’s different, isn’t it?” It wasn’t the jab it could have been, if anything, there was too much humor in her words. Because she had skirted the truth a number of times, but that wasn’t the same as outright lying, was it? (Then again, even if she was a liar, a healthy dose of self-hatred wouldn’t be the worst thing.) 

Her eyes shut as the question bounced around in her mind. Had there been any hints as to what it could have been that was following her? Were there any other clues other than her clear exhaustion and paranoia? No. Natalia’s brows furrowed, frustrated with herself. “Not that she said, and nothing that I noticed. I chalked it up to paranoia with her being stalked.” The word left a foul taste in her mouth. There had been too many cases of stalking on her college campus, too many times where she had heard women asking for help from anyone who would listen because the police couldn’t do anything — and now she was worried that she was part of the problem. Not acting fast enough, not solving it fast enough, and now she was missing. Likely dead. 

Shaking her head and the feeling from her body, she looked up toward Emilio once more. “Glad we’re on the same page there, then. Last thing I needed was a Cortez on my ass.” He said it wasn’t human and Natalia, at first, nodded her head in agreement before offering him a smile. “I promise the stupid look on my face is just for show.” There were a thousand things that she didn’t know about in the world. The quakes in the sky could punctuate that point if it cared to rear its ugly head once more. “You won’t need to hold my hand. I can’t say I know everything there is about the supernatural, but I know a whole hell of a lot. Like I know your family was renown for being hunters. Specialized in vampires. Figured I didn’t hit the marks for you to be on my ass, but I guess the times are changing.” She stood up straighter. “I know about fae, not all of them or their subtypes, but enough to know that when I said I promise, had you been one, I could have been royally fucked. I know about werewolves and I know about..." She couldn't remember if Felix had ever put a word to what they were. “The cat people?”  

She paused, shifting her weight. “If you have a name for what you think we’re after, I have access to some archives that might be useful to us. There are more like me. Human, not hunters, but still… knowing.”

—

“It’s not my job to tell everyone everything all the time,” he replied with a shrug. He didn’t tend to lie directly unless the situation called for it, but he had no problem leaving out important details. After all, there were things that people were better off knowing, and things you’d be killed for admitting aloud. “I’m sure you can agree with that.” He didn’t know her well — or at all, really — but he could tell she wasn’t the type to give more information than she had to. And he could respect that.

Paranoia. Emilio was an expert in that, wasn’t he? “Sometimes it’s… for a good reason. The paranoia. Can’t always write it off.” He was paranoid and he knew it, but given the amount of people out there who pretty specifically wanted him dead, he figured he had a right to be. And given the fact that the client he and Natalia shared was now missing, it seemed her paranoia had been pretty well-founded, too. But he could hardly blame Natalia for writing her off; plenty of times, Emilio had done the same. And plenty of times, it ended with someone dead. He hoped that wouldn’t be the case this time. For Natalia’s sake, for the client’s… This one, he thought, really needed a decent goddamn ending.

He tensed a little at the way she said his name, eyes darting down to his pocket where a knife was carefully stowed away. But she wasn’t undead, and most things with a heartbeat didn’t have a grudge worth having a conversation before killing him over. He hadn’t found anything in his brief dive into her that suggested she could have ties to anything he’d had his hands in. Maybe she was just… someone who knew more than she ought to. Still, he couldn’t keep the bitterness from his tone when he spoke. “Then you’re lucky you only have one Cortez to worry about.” He watched her a little closer now, trying to gauge her reaction. Was she a threat? He’d decided she wasn’t before, but maybe he needed to reevaluate now. She confirmed she knew about his family, knew what they hunted. Nostrils flaring briefly with an anger he didn’t entirely understand, he leaned back in his chair. “My family killed vampires,” he agreed. “I kill anything that needs killing. As long as you don’t make that you, we won’t have a problem.” She seemed to have a decent grasp on things beyond that, though. Fae, werewolves, balam even if she didn’t know the right word for them. “And what are you? You know about me. Seems polite to return the favor.” 

Archives? He thought of Arden, wondered if this was a situation like that. Should he ask her, he wondered? Would she know Natalia’s name if he said it? He made a note to test it out later. “I have a hunch,” he said. “I could be wrong, I don’t know. This isn’t exactly my area. But… Look in your archives, your books. See what you can find about doppelgangers. If I’m right, we go from there. If I’m wrong, we start from scratch. Sounds good?”

— 

It was funny, in a way, that everything coming from Emilio’s mouth was something that Natalia would have said. In another life, perhaps they could have been friends. Folding her arms, a frown touched the corners of her mouth. “Paranoia is in frequent supply in this town. It’s not always something that requires action.” Which she had failed to tell the difference in this case, but she had a feeling he understood. After all, a private investigator in a town like this? There was no doubt in her mind that he had seen his fair share of people worried about all the wrong things. “I was wrong here, clearly.” 

He tensed and there was this feeling of satisfaction in the back of her mind. Like she had won something here. His eyes darted toward his pocket and Natalia kept a straight face. Thankful, for a brief moment, that she had studied psychology and not art like she had wanted. Reading people was far more useful. “Oh, I know. But I’d rather not deal with any Cortez.” She hadn’t known them to hunt humans but the look in his eyes? And the confession that he killed anything that needed killing? He was one she’d have to watch out for. The last thing she wanted was a knife in her back. Or a stake. Who knew what his favored method would be? Family was a sore nerve, as she knew it would be, which was why she didn’t mention what had happened to his family or that she knew about the tragedy — she just wanted to give him enough so that he’d understand that she wasn’t some blind child walking into danger without knowing. 

“A scavenger,” she offered at first, knowing that wasn’t what he had asked. “Human. I’d meet you at the 3 Daggers if that would prove it for you.” If he had any other questions, he could pay like anyone else. Natalia was sure he could afford to trade something for it. Or he could look it up himself, prove how good of an investigator he was.

“Doppelgangers?” The word took her by surprise, but Natalia nodded her head immediately after. Off the top of her head, no one she knew had interacted with any directly. But maybe there was a reason for that. Maybe they didn’t know. Or they had been replaced. Natalia’s mind fumbled around, thinking of anyone from the Scribes that defected over the years or had been acting odd — and outside of Natalia herself? No one came to mind. Not immediately, at least. “Agreed. If there’s anything to be found, I’ll get it.” That was a promise. And it had been too long since something went ‘missing’ from the Library. “I’ll be in touch.” She knocked on the desk before heading out the door. Doppelgangers. Natalia had a lot to think about.

[fleouriarts]

time for a jamie and co LORE POST!!!! here's them with their (immediate) families. all the actual lore and such below

JAMIE: only child with a single mom. since furries in this universe can only have kids within their taxonomic families, adoption is really common among smaller families like prionodontidae. however jamie's mom erica really wanted a bio kid, so she ended up marrying another linsang who she liked... well enough, but not that much. they get divorced when jamie's a little kid. she had jamie at an older age; by the time he's in college her markings have already started greying, which is why she looks a little dull next to him. nowadays she works as a teacher and she loves her son vewy much :3

SANTIAGO: santiago is the only one in the main cast with different species parents. cross-species kids are just the species of either parent with a 50/50 chance cus i don't feel like dealing with hybrids... HOWEVER sometimes genetic fuckshit happens. because of said genetic fuckshit, santiago grew to a cow size instead of a sheep size. i couldn't fit all the family relations shit on the actual image but emilio is santiago's OLDER brother (hes 25) but people always assume hes younger because santiago is a giant. magnolia and amapola are twins and both 8. mariana is either a teacher or a librarian (haven't figured it out yet) but she used to paint when she had more free time which is how santiago got interested in painting and eventually went into fine arts. jorge is a plumber and emilio is a graphic designer. santiago is the first in the family to leave their hometown (key west) for a degree (emilio went to a local college) and his mom + sisters were SOOOOOOOOOO SAD so he comes home to visit as often as he can. also since he is in family bovidae he has several cousins/aunts and uncles/etc that are different species. all i know for sure is that one of them lives near jamie and co's college and is some sort of antelope (leaning towards bongo bc i like them). also using this poast to announce that i changed santiagos outfit here is his new cute flowers and bees sweater look

JOHNNY: her family works on a chicken (and other assorted birds) farm, the chickens are for both eggs and meat while the other birds are just for eggs. this is actually a common set-up in the dorian furryverse, it's hard to farm livestock as a carnivore (because all the livestock are deathly afraid of you) so herbivores usually do the job even if they can't actually eat what they farm. johnny's parents are sorta "confused but got the spirit" about her being a butch lesbian. jimmy is an ass about it but he gets better. shoutout to this horse color calculator for helping me figure out which coat colors were plausible for them

NULL: null has an older brother and does not talk to their parents. sakichi is six years older than null and they were never very close; their parents treated sakichi as the "successful" child and null as the "problem" child. they're also quite conservative. null realized they were agender in high school but stayed closeted at home, they planned to come out to their parents immediately once they got to college and were able to support themselves. something happens that instead makes them come out a few days after their graduation and they get kicked out. null doesn't know where to go and ends up living at johnny's farm for the summer before college (sakichi lives far away doing some tech job and so can't take them in). the clantons are basically null's family at this point. once null legally changes their name they remove their last name entirely (it probably says X on their documents just cus there has to be SOMETHING there). sakichi and null see each other very occasionally, and sakichi still talks to their parents, but only when absolutely necessary. it's not malicious, he'd just feel too guilty cutting himself off from them completely

ARGYLE: argyle is an only child with well-off parents, his mom is a lawyer and his dad is a quirky ancient history professor. his parents are like EXTREMELY doting so they were secretly kinda glad that he came back home so they could see him more often. argyle was really scared that they would hate him for going into a less stable field, but his parents love him to death and are ready to support him in whatever. suzanne was probably a nightmare at pta meetings i'll be so real

[tmntkiseki]

Oh damn, some more previews have been made available for the TMNT 40th anniversary comic anthology, one of which includes the complete listing of stories and the writer/illustrator credits. They are as follows

Mirage Comics

Mirage 1 Story

Story, Art: Kevin Eastman

Poem: Edgar Allen Poe

Letters: Tom Napolitano

"Monsters"

Story, Art, Letters: Jim Lawson

Colors: Steve Lavigne

"Gang Wars"

Story: Tristan Jones

Art: Paul Harmon

Letters: Tom Napolitano

Urban Legends

"Downtime"

Story: Gary Carlson

Art: Frank Fosco

Colors: Adam Guzowski

Letters: Tom Napolitano

TMNT Adventures (Archie)

"The Man Behind The Mask"

Story, Art, Letters: Chris Allan

Saturday Morning Adventures (1987)

"What About Tomorrow?"

Story: Erik Burnham

Art: Sarah Myer

Colors: Luis Antonio Delgado

Letters: Shawn Lee

2003 Series

"Splinter Forever"

Story: Lloyd Goldfine

Art: Khary Randolph

Colors: Emilio Lopez

Letters: Tom Napolitano and Shawn Lee

2012 Series

"Kraang Among Us"

Story, Art: Ciro Nieli

Letters: Shawn Lee

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

"Farewell"

Story, Art: Andy Suriano

Letters: Tom Napolitano

IDW

"Father's Day"

Story: Tom Waltz

Art: Michael Dialynas

Letters: Tom Napolitano

"Teen Spirit"

Story: Ronda Pattison

Art: Pablo Tunica

Letters: Tom Napolitano

They also list all the art credits for the pinups that will appear in the issue, which include

Freddie E. Williams II

David Petersen

Ken Mitchroney (with colors by Aaron Hazouri)

Dan Duncan (with colors by Ronda Pattison)

Ronda Pattison

Sophie Campbell

Jodi Nishijima

Stan Sakai (with colors by Emi Fujii)

[pralinesims]

On a fine november night at the cinema 🎬

Start | Next

TRANSCRIPT under the cut:

Pic 1: Luca: "Hey!" Emilio: "Evening..." Vale: "Oh, hey." Aaron: *eyes glued onto the screen*

Pic 2: Aaron: "You're wearing a suit?" Emilio: "Yeah, yeah, good evening to you too."

Pic 3: Emilio: "Anyways, we're late, I'm gonna grab the tickets." "I'll take care of everything, trust me, it's MY big day!" Vale: "Appreciate that!" Luca: "Thank you!" Aaron: "You really don't have to do this!"

Pic 4: Luca: "How come that you two were faster here than Emilio and me, just by walking?" Vale: "Aaron got his ass up for once, solely for some sickly sweet coffee..."

Emilio muttering to himself: "breathe, Emilio, just breathe..."

Ticket Seller: "Good evening! What can I do for-" Emilio: "Good evening, Ms! Well..."

Pic 5: Emilio: "We're 4! 3 tickets please for the movie "Crumbs of Destruction", hello and thank you very much." "3 tickets, okay? A V.I.P. is among us!"

Pic 6: Luca: "You think the movie is actually gonna be good?" Vale: "Might be." Emilio prepared himself and is ready to take over the world.

Pic 7: Ticket Seller: "Oh, I recognize your friend in green." "He'll get a free entry. Thank you for stopping by"! Emilio: "Why is HE the one getting a free ticket?!" Aaron: "..." Ticket Seller: "Sorry, I can't do anything about that. I'm just following the protocol."

Pic 8: Emilio: "HE'S NOT EVEN IN THE MOVIE, I'M THE ONE WHO'S DEBUTING AS AN ACTOR!" Aaron: "Would you quiet down? I can pay for my own ticket..." Luca: "Should we step in?" Vale, muffled sounding: "nu-uh." Emilio (to the ticket seller): "no, no, you're getting that wrong, I'm telling the truth-" Aaron payed for his own ticket meanwhile.

Pic 9: Vale: "You EXACTLY know what happened the last time we tried to intervene." Luca: "pffft, don't remind me." Emilio: "It's time to get going, we've got the tickets."

Pic 10: Aaron: "...my god, that was SO embarassing." Emilio: "Can't you see how embarassing this was for me too?" Aaron: "Christ, YOU were the one making a scene! Why didn't you just shup up and pay?"

Pic 11: Emilio: "You're ALWAYS freeloading with that influencer bullshit." Aaron: "DUDE, I PAYED FOR THAT DAMN TICKET, I'M NOT A FREELOADER!"

Luca walking from the background towards Emilio & Luca: "Ugh... this is going to be a long night."

Emilio: "but I'M in this movie! Why don't I get any kind of compensation?"

Pic 12: Luca: "Yeah, we get you, but you're acting a bit weird today. Is everything okay?" Emilio: "...it must be the nervosity, I'm sorry. I really-" Aaron: "Just stop screaming at me."

Pic 13: Emilio: "BUT I DIDN'T SAY ANY-" Luca: "Aaron, you too. Calm down." Aaron: "Huh?"

Pic 14: Vale: "You know what?" Emilio: "At least someone told him to shut up for once." Luca: "I'm not choosing any sides. You're both insufferable right now." Aaron: "Newsflash: he's FOR REAL the one who's built this whole circus." Vale: "I can't take this anymore, let's go inside." Aaron: "CAN'T YOU EVER BEHAVE LIKE A PERSON?" Emilio: "WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS SUCH A SMARTASS?

Pic 15: Vale: "What the hell is wrong with them?" Luca: "...fucking finally- Yo, where did the ticket lady go?" Emilio & Aaron are still arguing in the background.

To be continued...

[theaddictedwatcher]

Hello everyone!

We're meeting again today to talk about a show that's very different from the ones I'm used to reviewing, but more importantly, different from the ones I'm used to watching, so I just wanted to thank you for the opportunity you've given me and for choosing it in the poll on Instagram (@theaddictedwatcherrewiews) last Saturday. The series I'm about to tell you about is an adaptation of Daniel P. Mannix's 1958 book of the same name, which was re-released in 2001 as The Way of the Gladiator. The book is said to have inspired David Franzoni's screenplay for Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000). The series' release on Prime Video at the end of July this year could also suggest that it is paving the way for the release of the film Gladiator 2, scheduled for November 2024. As some of you may have guessed, I'm going to tell you about Those About To Die.

And as usual, a short synopsis : Rome, year 79, a few years after the death of Princeps Senatus Nero. The population is tired and bored. Some are starving, mainly because of the slow arrival of grain from Egypt. The ageing princeps Vespasian, who had initiated the construction of the Flavian amphitheatre, tried to distract and entertain the people with gladiatorial fights and chariot races. All this kept many people busy behind the scenes, providing a real 'spectacle' for the people. The new amphitheatre also provoked jealousy among the Roman elite, who resented Vespasian's desire to share the site with the people. Vespasian also had to deal with the rivalry between his two sons, Titus and Domitian. Against this backdrop, we follow the fate of Tenax, a man who starts from nothing and tries to reach the upper echelons of Roman society. Along the way, he crosses paths with Cala, a mother who has come from Numidia to recover her three children, who have been forced into slavery and transported to Rome. And now a short technical presentation: - Created by : Robert Rodat - Music by : Andrea Farri - Starring: Iwan Rheon, Sara Martins, Tom Hughes, Jojo Macari, Moe Hashim, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Rupert Penry-Jones, Gabriella Pession, Dimitri Leonidas, Emilio Sakraya, David Wurawa, Pepe Barroso, Gonçalo Almeida, Eneko Sagardoy, Lara Wolf, Anthony Hopkins.

As I said at the beginning of this article, this series is an adaptation of the novel Those About to Die by Daniel P. Mannix (1958, reprinted 2001) by Robert Rodat, the man behind films such as Saving Private Ryan (1998) and the Falling Skies series (2011), both directed and produced by Steven Spielberg.

In this work, which takes the form of a peplum, we find many of the codes found in other well-known productions such as the films Gladiator (2000), Spartacus (1960) and Ben-Hur (1959), as well as the series Rome (2005) and Spartacus (2010), to name but a few. The title of the work is a direct reference to the Latin salute given to the princeps during the games: Ave Caesar, morituri te salutant, which translates into English as 'Hail Caesar, those who are about to die salute you'. It's a quotation that is used almost systematically in all types of works dealing with gladiatorial fights, chariot races and, more generally, the Roman arenas, as in the comic strip Asterix Gladiator by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny (album published in 1964).

But let's stop for a moment. What is a peplum? The Latin name peplum is derived from the ancient Greek word péplos, meaning 'cloth used to cover the body to make a toga'. Since the twentieth century, it has been used to describe a genre of historical fiction films set in antiquity, particularly ancient Rome, ancient Greece and ancient Egypt. There are also biblical epics based on the Old or New Testaments. Its place in the history of cinema is proof of its importance. At once noble - because it deals with history and religion and uses authors such as Homer (The Iliad, The Odyssey) or Gustave Flaubert (Salammbô) - and vulgar, because it exploits violence and eroticism, the ancient genre is associated with epic, comedy, fantasy and even the miraculous through its use of various mythologies. The basic recipe for the American peplum was laid down by Cecil B. DeMille: a handsome hero, preferably muscular, a beautiful heroine, spectacular action (orgies, battles), lavish sets and costumes.

Now that we've looked at the genre, let's take a brief historical look at the characters and the various themes.

BACKGROUND

Before we begin, this section will probably contain some historical spoilers about some of the main characters, but you need to know a little history to understand what's at stake.

Although the series begins in 79 AD, under the reign of Princeps Vespasian, we need to go back a little to understand the socio-political context of the time.

Before Vespasian

After the death of Nero in 68, the Roman Empire plunged into civil war, known as the Year of the Four Emperors, and power was hotly contested, leading to a highly unstable political situation. While the usurper Vitellius took power during 69, the Roman legions in Egypt and Judea declared Vespasian emperor on 1 July 69. He marched on Rome with his larger legions and defeated Vitellius, ending the civil war and becoming the first representative of the new Flavian dynasty.

Princeps Vespasian - played in the series by Anthony Hopkins

On 20 December 69, it was announced that Vespasian had triumphed over Vitellius, and his appointment was confirmed by the Senate the following day. Vespasian's reign was marked by a series of financial reforms and ambitious building projects. His most famous project was the Colosseum, an amphitheatre the size of which had never been equalled. Through his delegate Agricola, Vespasian also pursued the conquest of Britain.

Vespasian was the first Roman princeps to come from a family of the equestrian order (the order that followed the senatorial order in the hierarchy of classes), and was also the first Roman princeps to be succeeded by his natural son, Titus, on his death in 79. His military career was the source of his fame (Roman conquest of Britain in 43, Roman domination of Judea - modern Israel and Palestine - during the Jewish revolt of 66).

Princeps Titus - played in the series by Tom Hughes

The son of Vespasian, Titus reigned from 79 to 81. Initially serving under his father, he rose to prominence as a military commander during the First Jewish-Roman War. Titus aroused the suspicion of the Romans when Vespasian became princeps, not only because of his status as prefect of the Praetorian Guard, but also because of his relationship with Princess Berenice of Judaea. Despite several breaches of Roman morality, Titus became increasingly popular after Vespasian's death in 79.

His reign, though short, was marked by a series of disasters. Having just come to power, Titus had to deal with the aftermath of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and distinguished himself by his great generosity towards the victims. The following year he had to deal with a fire that ravaged Rome just as the construction of the Colosseum was nearing completion. Finally, he personally intervened to help the victims of a plague epidemic that killed thousands in the city. Considered a good princeps by ancient historians, he died of a violent fever on 13 September 81.

Princeps Domitian - played in the series by Jojo Macari

The youngest son of Vespasian, Domitian succeeded his older brother Titus as Princeps from 81 until his death in 96. He was the third and last of the Flavian dynasty. As Princeps, Domitian strengthened the economy by revaluing the Roman currency, reorganised the frontier defences and embarked on an ambitious building programme in Rome (including the construction of the Arch of Titus in honour of his brother). His foreign policy was marked by Agricola's campaigns in Britain and the wars against the Germans and the Dacians.

He is also remembered for expelling from Rome the philosophers who, by spreading their ideologies, were creating opponents of the regime. Domitian's government, and in particular his policy of centurionism, showed many signs of despotism. Indeed, he saw it as his destiny to lead the Roman people into a new golden age. This image was conveyed through propaganda developed on religious, military and cultural levels. In fact, Domitian was popular with the people and the army, but he was considered a tyrant by the senators, to whom he had left only vestiges of power. Domitian's reign ended in 96 when he was assassinated by members of the court. After his death, like Nero, he was condemned by the Senate to abolitio nominis ('suppression of the name'; the modern equivalent would be damnatio memoriae, which literally means 'condemnation to oblivion' but was not coined until 1689), and Latin historians such as Tacitus and Pliny the Younger published versions of Roman history in which he was described as a cruel and paranoid tyrant. Since then, modern historians have rehabilitated his reign, whose political, economic and cultural programmes helped usher in a flourishing era for the Roman Empire.

Berenice of Judea - played in the series by Lara Wolf

Berenice, also known as Julia Berenice, born around 28 BC, was one of the daughters of King Agrippa I. She was a descendant of the Herodian dynasty, being the great-granddaughter of Herod I of Judea. She was a descendant of the Herodian dynasty, being the great-granddaughter of Herod I of Judaea, known as Herod the Great.

She was married for the first time at a very young age. After this first marriage, Berenice spent some time in Alexandria until her husband's death. While still a young girl, she remarried her uncle, Herod V, King of Chalcis (south-eastern Roman Syria), with whom she had two sons. Widowed again around 48 AD, she married for the third time to Marcus Antonius Polemo II, the client king of Cilicia (in modern Turkey), whom she left to return to her brother Agrippa II in Jerusalem. At his side, she performed the duties of queen, a status that was recognised even though no wife of Agrippa is mentioned in ancient sources.

She became the mistress of Titus, the eldest son of Vespasian, while he was in command of some legions trying to crush all resistance in Galilee (northern Israel) between 67 and 68. Their relationship continued while Titus crushed the Jewish revolt of 66-70, known as the Great Jewish Revolt or the First Jewish-Roman War. Titus returned to Rome to witness his triumph (late 70s) and to help his father. Berenice joined him around 75. Because of negative rumours about the affair, he sent her back to her brother in Jerusalem when he became Princeps in 79.

The charioteer Scorpius - played in the series by Dimitri Leonidas

Flavius Scorpus, also known as Scorpius, was a famous charioteer in Roman times who lived at the end of the first century AD. Scorpus amassed 2,048 victories (that's almost 10 chariot races a week).

As one of the most famous chariot drivers in Roman history, Scorpus earned extraordinary sums of money; his income exceeded that of professional Roman sponsors.

Geographical context

A number of places are used in the series, and some of them have changed names over the course of the story, so here's a short list so that everyone knows where we're talking about:

Some of the characters are from Numidia, which now would be Algeria and part of Libya.

Berenice is from Judea, the kingdom that included Israel, Palestine and part of the modern West Bank.

CASTING

I'm not going to beat around the bush so I'll be quite honest about my feelings. This is just for me, and you are free, of course, to have a different opinion.

One of the main reasons that made me want to watch this series, apart from the subject matter, was the presence in the cast of Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs, Elephant Man, Dracula, One Life) and Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones, Misfits, Inhumans). The former, used to very charismatic roles, plays a Roman Princeps, so the casting could hardly have been more dreamy. As for the latter, whom many of you, like me, discovered in Game of Thrones, he plays Tenax, a secret crime boss and owner of the biggest betting tavern in Rome. It's a new role, full of duplicity and manipulation, and I was curious to see how it would differ from his role as Ramsay Bolton. So why not give it a go?

With the exception of them both, the entire cast was unknown to me, at least by name, and sadly I think for many of them, this isn't the show that will showcase their talents. And I'm not necessarily talking about a lack of talent, although some of the performances leave something to be desired, but I'm mainly talking about visibility. The show is packed with so many characters that the main cast of the show is also immense, and the distribution of screen time between each of them leaves them with only meagre moments of appearance per episode.

For my taste, the interpretations of certain characters are either too caricatured or too effete, and this gives the whole thing an unpleasant lack of harmony. In fact, when you go from a very intense scene full of political stakes to a scene of discussion between two pages (this is just an example, but I think it's representative enough), the emotion created by the first disappears and, with it, a large part of the viewer's attention as well.

However, I have to admit that I discovered some talented actors that I didn't know and who deserve to be seen more. I'm thinking in particular of Jojo Macari (Morbius, Sex Education, Harlots), who gives a brilliant performance as the ambitious and manipulative Domitian Flavius, the youngest son of Princeps Vespasian, and also as Aedile Ludi, the person who organises the gladiator fights and chariot races in Rome.

But I'm also talking about Sara Martins (Les Petits Mouchoirs, Petits Meurtres au Paradis, Alexandra Ehle), a French actress who plays Cala, a Numidian merchant and mother of three children - Kwame, Aura and Jula - who does everything she can to free them from the clutches of the Romans.

They're not the only two, of course, but their performances and complex characters contributed greatly in making me want to watch beyond the first episode.

Although the characters played by Anthony Hopkins and Iwan Rheon are both very interesting and their stories could be explored in greater depth. Their presence in the cast isn't enough to make up for the lack of material in the script. It's a flaw I've already mentioned, and I'll come back to it later in the article.

However, I would like to pay tribute to the work of the actors/stuntmen in the race scenes and the arena fights.

THEMES

There are several important themes in the series, and although they are not always tackled with sufficient depth or with a fresh eye, I won't list them all here as it would take far too long. Themes inherent to the genre such as politics, rivalry, but also slavery and arena fights as entertainment are all part of it.

However, I can't help but mention one of the key themes of the genre, and of historical works in general: the exploitation of sex. It's an interesting topic, not only because of the importance of understanding the sexuality of the characters, but also because of their sexualisation. In many works of this kind, when male homosexuality is depicted, it's not so much to show relationships between men as to show the decadence of Rome, whether through fascination or moral condemnation. While male homosexuality is suggested and (self-)censored, this is not the case with female relationships, which are instead shown with voyeuristic force to satisfy a male audience, as in Sapho, Venus of Lesbos (1960) or Sodom and Gomorrah (1962). When the characters are explicitly lesbian, they are portrayed as hating men, and it wasn't until Xena the Warrior in the 1990s that on-screen sapphism was appreciated and reclaimed by lesbian culture.

What I like about the show is that although there are - far too many - carnal relationships between numerous characters, they are mostly brief and often censored by a frame or a well-placed sheet. Sexual vulgarity in the primary sense is not necessary to understand the stakes of the story and therefore doesn't need to take up so much space. However, it is notable that the majority of relationships between characters of opposite sexes almost systematically involve some form of sexual relationship or exploitation, which prevents the creation of the slightest connection between the two genders portrayed.

Another important theme is rivalry, especially political rivalry. Whether it's the relationship between Titus and Domitian as they fight over who will inherit the title of Princeps, the factions trying to seize power from the Flavian dynasty, or the relationship between Roman rulers and their provinces - in this case Numidia and Judea - political rivalry abounds. And yet, for most of the season, I got the impression that none of this was more important to the characters than their choice of dinner.As I said in the casting section, the sheer number of characters leaves too little room for each plot to develop, which is a shame because politics is one of the two main themes of the series. In fact, that's why I was considering watching this series in the first place: to better understand the political stakes behind the Circus Maximus games and, more broadly, to better discover the era of ancient Rome. But here the relationships remain superficial, predictable and therefore, for the most part, rather boring. Nevertheless, as Roland Emmerich himself said when the trailer for the series was released, "So much of it seems relevant in today's society, from the intertwining of politics and sport to the disciplines of the games, which haven't changed much in the last 2,000 years. The most electrifying spectacles for the general public still involve two men in an arena fighting each other, and today's chariots are called racing cars, whose drivers still have accidents and often pay with their lives". And I quite agree, if you look at the dirty tricks played by our politicians - anywhere in the world - the way celebrities are stripped naked as if they were gods, certain aspects of life back then are easily transferable to our times.

Finally, the approach to slavery with Cala's family remains, in my opinion, one of the rare successes of the series. Although certain events remain unlikely for the period, the recruitment of her children into the service of the Roman Empire and their sale into slavery remains plausible. I particularly appreciated the writing of Cala's character, who, as a visibly single and black mother, knows how to use these two characteristics to her advantage in order to manipulate her environment and try to free her children.

She's a strong, determined woman; she doesn't back down until she gets her way, and for once I find it refreshing to see not only a woman fighting to save her family, but to see slaves in a position of strength, all proclivities aside, of course. Speaking about the series, actress Sara Martins - who plays Cala - says: "Narratively, it's a side of Rome we've hardly seen. It's not just about the rich, the patricians, the ruling family and their opponents. It's also about all the workers, the slaves, the wealthy… everything that's behind the curtains of a city like Rome, like all the slaves who built those beautiful buildings. It shows life in Rome at that time and on all social levels". And I agree that through her character's and other's journey, the show gives us a glimpse of that, and it's enjoyable.

PRODUCTION

With a budget of over $150 million for a ten-episode first season, the series marks the first venture into television for German filmmaker Roland Emmerich, known for his disaster films such as Independence Day (1996), Godzilla (1998), The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and 2012 (2009).

Along with Marco Kreuzpaintner (Trade, The Collini Case, The Lazarus Project), with whom he had worked several times in the past, Roland Emmerich had already been commissioned by the American network Peacock back in July 2022. The script was to be written by Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan, Thor: The Dark World, Kursk), with whom Roland Emmerich had already worked in 2000 on The Patriot.

But apart from the very ambitious technical aspect, which I'll come back to shortly, the production made a few mistakes which, in my opinion, are very detrimental to the series.

Firstly, the show jumps straight into the action without taking the time to set context, which is very important. The only introduction we get is a short monologue by Iwan Rheon's character, Tenax, who briefly explains how the circus games work and his role in them. As a result, viewers who aren't historians specializing in Ancient Rome - which is frighteningly specific in itself - will lack many of the elements needed to even understand who half of the main characters are and what's at stake politically in the series.

Secondly, the terminology is sometimes historically incorrect, although this may be done to help the viewer understand certain elements. For example, when talking about Andalusian horses, they should have said that they were horses from the Betic region, as it is incorrect to speak of the region of Andalusia 700 years before its creation. In fact, "Al Andalus" - which gave Andalusia its name - originated with the Arab invasions of Spain in the 7th century. At the time of the series, it would have been more accurate to speak of horses from Betica, a region created during the reign of Augustus [63 B.C. - 14 A.D.] by the division of Hispania Ulterior, which at that time covered the south of what is now Spain and roughly corresponded to present-day Andalusia. Its name derives from the Latin name of the Guadalquivir River, Baetis.

Finally, and this is perhaps the thing that annoyed me the most, but I've already mentioned it, is the over-numbering of characters, which drowns out the stories of all the characters, doesn't really bring anyone into the spotlight and loses its own purpose in random, superficial scenes.

Book adaptation

I won't go into too much detail on this, as I haven't read the book, but from what I've been able to skim through and understand from the various analyses of it, Daniel P. Mannix's work seems to cover several centuries of Roman history, and not just the principate of the Flavian dynasty, which may make it a more complete and complex work than the adaptation suggests. Indeed, on the very first page of the book, a single sentence briefly introduces the primary context in which the novel begins, as we are told:

"The situation here is out of control. The emperor is mad, the army is on the verge of mutiny, and the people are dying of hunger. For God's sake, get the sand! We must take their minds off their troubles! - Daniel P. Mannix, Those About to Die, Reed. 2024, p.7.

This only reinforces my feeling that the TV adaptation lacks a crucial introduction to the situation.

SPECIAL EFFECTS

I'd like to delve for a moment on the visual aspect of the series.

The series was filmed at the iconic Cinecittà Studios in Rome. This is one of the largest film studios in Europe and was originally a propaganda machine for Benito Mussolini's fascist government. It has been in operation for almost a century and has been used as the backdrop for classic productions such as Roman Holiday (1953), Ben-Hur (1959) and Cleopatra (1963). In fact, the site has become so popular with American film-makers that it has become known as 'Hollywood on the Tiber'.

The fact that the cast and crew of Those About to Die were able to film in the city where their story was set allowed the show's creators not only to shoot in the Eternal City, but also to immerse themselves in its history while telling a fictionalised version of real events.

"We shot the series in Rome and we're surrounded by buildings built by these emperors. You are constantly surrounded by their legacy. So you can read as much as you want and research as much as you want. But when you go into Domitian's bedroom, which is still on the Palatine Hill, there is nothing like it." said Jojo Macari who plays Domitian.

Of course, the production couldn't necessarily film in the actual bedrooms of Roman statesmen, so ancient Rome had to be recreated through sets and visual effects. The sets for the series were designed by co-production designer Laura Pozzaglio, a native of Italy, who was inspired by archaeological discoveries made in a number of important Italian cities, including Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Ercolano and Oplontis. Together with Johannes Muecke - the production's co-designer - and the production team, they worked with a number of museums to reproduce certain objects for the props. A team of sculptors also reproduced statues from the period and carpenters reproduced furniture they had seen in Pompeii or in history books explained Laura Pozzaglio in the production notes, underlining the effort made to achieve precision.

What could not be achieved in practice was left to visual effects supervisor Peter Travers, who used the Volume LED video wall technology pioneered by The Mandalorian. He explained that the digital wall used was huge: around 51 metres in circumference and eight metres high. It's made up of LED panels and can be stretched infinitely, so even the smallest conversation scenes could have the Colosseum or the skyline of ancient Rome in the background, giving the actors the impression of living in ancient Rome.

And it's true that although the sets - be it the various patrician residences or the outdoor settings such as the Basilica of Julia or the Temple of Vesta - are grandiose in their excess, there's a big problem with the lighting in many scenes. This problem of light contrast is very present throughout the season, and as a result we sometimes can't see what's going on or even the physical reactions of the characters.

There are also problems with the use of special effects. The green screens are sometimes visible in some of the distant shots - particularly the aerial shots of the city at the beginning of the series. And I'll just mention the CGI of the lions, which is absolutely terrible.

However, I must admit that most of the cinematography of the chariot races and gladiatorial fights - particularly in the last two episodes of the season - is quite beautiful, and the photography of the scenes in the Circus Maximus is reminiscent of works such as Ben-Hur. I also think that the athletic realism of the chariot races is due to the fact that the horses were real animals and the races were not digitised. Of course, they were choreographed and stuntmen were hired for the most dangerous scenes, but the actors, including Dimitri Leonidas - who plays the charioteer Scorpus - had to learn to drive a real chariot pulled by real horses. Of this experience, he said :

"Learning the several stages [of racing] before they let us get onto chariots and practice with the chariots was a lot of fun. And then finally when the stunt guys let us on the four-horse chariots to try and learn, the feeling is just incredible. There's nothing like it. Four giant Hungarian horses going all out. It's like riding an earthquake. It's hard to describe, to be honest. All I can say is those guys that do it, the stunt guys and then the guys like Scorpus who actually raced, you'd have to be insane. It's completely bonkers what they're doing. [...] I didn't go that fast except for one moment where we were sort of training and the horses decided they wanted to race and I just got dragged along. There's a great photo, actually, one of our set photographers took just as the horses went, and you can see me and one of the other actors just trying our best to stop them as we hit the turn on Circus Maximus. And he said to me that he stopped taking photos because he thought something bad was going to happen. To be fair, I was on the chariot and I thought something bad was going to happen. But that's why you do all that training. You have to just train as much as you can, hope that everything goes smoothly, but then trust that if something does go wrong, you know the protocols and you know how to make it safe. But I'm glad I got to experience it because that was the only time really that I got to feel them go full pelt was when I wasn't expecting it. And it's wild. It's completely wild. And gave me a newfound sort of respect for Scorpus and all those guys that were doing it." - Dimitri Leonidas in an interview for NBC on July 12th, 2024.

The colouring of the series is also of high quality. They make up for a lot of empty moments in the plot by captivating the viewer's eye with grandiose imagery, which, combined with the spectacular sets and opulent costumes, is one of the show's few strengths in my opinion.

COSTUMES

My penultimate stop is the costumes! This is one of the great strengths of the series, and one that I have no criticism for: the costumes in this series are breathtaking! Under the supervision of Gianni Casalnuovo as head costume designer, not only the characters' outfits, but also the armours are of the highest quality. With the help of costume supplier Peris Costumes - which is based in Spain but also has a branch in Rome - the production team had access to rare, high-quality pieces that were tailored to fit the needs of the show. No stranger to film and television sets, Peris Costumes has also worked on projects such as Gladiator II and House of the Dragon. Together they have created a costume collection that faithfully reflects the opulence and grandeur of the great age of Rome.

The only downside would be the blood splatters, prosthetics of severed limbs and gashes in the gladiators' flesh which at times look crude, but in the heat of the action are almost negligible details.

MUSIC

The soundtrack of the series, composed by Andrea Farri, is quite interesting and epic enough to seduce the viewer. However, if you listen to the music outside of the episodes, you won't always be reminded of ancient Rome. Nevertheless, the violin and cello compositions are very beautiful and will appeal to music lovers, even if they do not match the instruments of the time, as the violin and cello were only invented in the 16th century.

What's more, the work on the show's theme music - which depicts rivers of blood running down the streets of Rome and its emblematic monuments - is reminiscent of many of the show's themes in recent years: Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Westworld and more. Set to music by Woodkid, the epic status announced by the show's synopsis is truly palpable.

CONCLUSION

Despite having called on some big names for this series, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. While the superb costumes and some of the sets may appeal, the lack of any real depth to the story leaves room for the clichés of the genre, which have already been exploited far too often. Even the presence of Anthony Hopkins isn't enough to restore the reputation of this epic, which is fantastic in name only…

I won't go through the whole review again, I think it's self-explanatory enough for you to understand that this series was a big disappointment for me. Although peplums are far from my favourite genre, I was looking forward to another chance to be proved wrong, to learn more about an era I know so little about, and what's more with Anthony Hopkins and Iwan Rheon in the cast! Well, what I'll take away from this is yet another disappointment that has the bitter taste of time wasted…

I was expecting the exploitation of the games to highlight the political issues of the time and this is partly achieved. However, I think they could have emphasised the politics and toned down the sexualisation of the characters. Perhaps this is due to the period chosen, which is not the most eventful in history? Perhaps another period of the Roman Empire would have been more suitable for a series?

So I won't be going to the cinema today to see the next Gladiator, and I almost hope that Amazon doesn't renew this series, because there's nothing really at stake in this dull story. It would save everyone time and money… If they do decide to renew it, maybe they'll choose to do a temporal ellipse and focus on a period where the stakes are potentially higher. They had the opportunity to diversify and innovate with the peplum genre and, in the end, they chose to stick with the outdated clichés it's full of. Hopefully this is a mistake they won't make again if the show is renewed for a second series.

That's all I have to say about Those About to Die. I hope that those who have made this choice will still be curious enough to give it a try, if only to see for themselves. Maybe you won't be as picky as I am?

I'd like to give a special thanks to my partner, who watches all these series with me. She proofreads each article, supports me and, especially for this one, was my historical advisor, as this is her field of study.

Until the next article, I hope you enjoy your viewing, have a great week and see you soon on Instagram (@theaddictedwatcherreviews) to choose the next article!

Eli

[ask-emilz-de-philz]

Emilio (Hunter): "Now I know that what was shared to us is they sometimes live among humans, I mean they do, but you wouldn't know. Even I, myself, a hunter? Can't distinguish them. They're that good in hiding. However, since hey're quite the elitists hehe, then I think they're among the rich and famous and you wouldn't know. And that they're the engkanto no one of their race don't even want to deal with. Like the rest, they make deals with those they consider to be of use or have great power in them. Don't eat the black rice they offer, you'll become their slave. And uh, don't actually make deals with them because they have fine prints in their deals that you'd only know once they come collecting."

#philmytcrea

#planetputo

BLOG: ask-emilz-de-philz.tumblr.com

If you like my work, pls consider supporting me @ ko-fi.com/haimacheir

[ultrameganicolaokay]

Soul Taker #1 by Thomas E Sniegoski, Jeannine Acheson, Valeria Burzo and Emilio Lecce. Cover by Michael Sta. Maria. Variant cover (2) by Meghan Hetrick. Pride variant cover (3) by Rosi Kämpe. Out in July.

"LIVING FOREVER ISN'T WHAT IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE. Amarantha is the last of her race, an ancient species that has lived among us for millennia, feeding on the life energies of humanity. Now enjoying a peaceful existence in a retirement community, she continues to consume just enough to survive. But Amarantha has made enemies throughout her long life and an ancient foe thought long defeated has returned and is out for blood, while a newer threat seeks to capture her for their own nefarious purposes! Now Amarantha must do everything in her power to vanquish her enemies and protect the life she has made for herself."

[honeysmokedham]

Alternate Reality || Solo

In an alternate reality Declan’s hand was in hers. Nora had told him to close her eyes, his light laughter echoed in the abandoned chapel above the crypt. She would walk backwards, making sure he didn’t trip down the stairs. She’d settle him at the bottom, and memorize his face as he took his first look at their new home. The sign would say Welcome Home Declan and Nora. The birthday gifts would be opened together, because what was her was his and his was hers and this was theirs. They’d curl together on their cot, she’d put names to faces as they looked at the photos taped to the wall next to her pillow. Blood wouldn’t pool beneath them.

In an alternate reality Nora hadn’t gone to Ireland. The gifts at the steps had been opened on her birthday. She wouldn’t have gotten in a fight with Emilio about Regan’s choice, then ultimately pick at him so he wouldn’t think twice when she wasn’t around the next day. She’d have spent her birthday playing Fortnite Festival with Van, and forced her to play the same Olivia Rodrigo song over and over again until Nora managed to get a good score. She’d shown up at Teddy’s for dinner. Wynne and Emilio were at the table, Teddy would come through the door with the biggest display of ham. The night passed by in merriment, a game of trick Emilio into eating was played. Teddy hugged her goodnight. Wynne clasped her hands. Emilio patted her arm. She was happy with her family. She would never know that in Ireland Regan was crossing paths with Declan. The world would never explode into colors she’d never known existed. She’d remain who she was. Now ham reminded her of hamstring, and hamstring was disgusting.

In an alternate reality Declan was born to a family that loved him. He was raised with humans, among humans, as a human. He never knew a life where he was born to die for someone else. Instead he was valued for who he was. A shadow didn’t follow him around in life, waiting for the day a scream replaced his life. In that reality fate chose to cross their paths. He saw the monster before him and he felt fear. Without living in fear his whole life, he never learned about the emotion. It was always what waited in the darkness, the risk of heights and the stress of poor performance. Without fear cradling his whole life, he was unable to look at Nora with the same fearless love he’d held by the waterfall.

In an alternate reality Nora wasn’t sitting alone in the dark crypt. The sign welcoming her home hadn’t sent an arrow into her heart, and the presents neatly piled at the stairs hadn’t brought tears to her eyes. She hadn’t cut her finger on the paper while opening them. The cut hadn’t distracted her for hours as she watched drops of blood slip from the slash, a weak imitation of the cut across Declan’s throat. A shadow didn’t remind her how worthless and undeserving she was.

In the alternate reality there were no cups from Ariadne. An invitation to a picnic. A want to know her more. A carved bear from Metzli. Osito, the name she’d loved. A hope for a good birthday, and many more. A picture from Van. A message of good things to come. A hope that she was having fun. Fuck. She had been having fun in Ireland until reality snuck in and slit fun’s throat. In that alternate reality there wasn’t a bear from Emilio. A note that he was sorry. A note that he wanted her to come by. A note that told her he’d leave if he had to, as long as she had a good birthday.

In that alternate reality she read Regan’s note the day of her birthday, and after some brief annoyance, she let it go. She accepted the words. “If you’re reading this, then I am already in Ireland. I’m sorry I did not tell you when I was leaving. It was for the best. Your tenacity might have gotten you killed. Besides, this town needs you. It is full of people to extort, and help, if you are so inclined, which I know you to be. You’re a strange one, you know. I do not think that’s bad. I used to. Now I’m less certain. I will even suggest that you are correct not to listen to anyone, including Emilio.”

In that alternate reality Nora was still the girl that needed to hear those words. And she would have listened to them despite the last line. And Declan would be alive. People in the town would be extorted. Maybe she’d have found one person she was capable of saving. Every now and then she’d think of Regan, the screams they shared, and fun they’d had. She’d think ‘I hope Regan is doing okay.’ But the thought would pass and life would go on, and their fates weren’t so intricately woven together that she considered Regan to be family and hated her for it. In that alternate reality she wasn’t crying in the dark over a pile of presents and loathing herself for every choice she’d ever made.

But this wasn’t an alternate reality. This was the path she’d chosen. The consequences of her actions. The mistakes she’d made. The reality of it all. And that was too much. So Eleanor “Nora” Pine did what she always did. She walked away.

[useless-catalanfacts]

Yesterday's posts made me think of this song that I love. It's also a song inspired by the maquis (guerrilla fighters against Franco's dictatorship), or so I have always interpreted.

I si demà no tornara ("If I don't come back tomorrow") by the Valencian band Obrint Pas.

Here's the lyrics in Valencian-Catalan and the translation to English:

La por em desvetla a les nits sense dormir i sent el vell revòlver que descansa sobre el pit en aquest bosc humit els silenci és l’enemic a trenc d’alba partim seguint les llums del matí

Fear keeps me up on sleepless nights and I feel the old revolver that rests on my chest. In this humid forest silence is the enemy. At the break of dawn we leave following the morning lights.

Travessem l’aurora entre els cingles del massís en aquestes muntanyes sobreviure és resistir hem canviat mil cops de nom però tots sabem qui som guerrillers supervivents combatents de l’últim front

We cross the sunrise among the mountain range's cliffs. In these mountains, to survive is to resist. We have changed our names a thousand times but we all know who we are: surviving guerrilla fighters, combatants of the last front.

Unes flames roges cremem el nostre horitzó la casa on dormirem és un esquelet de foc han matat el masover ens solia refugiar anit em va somriure quan ens vam acomiadar

Red flames burn in our horizon: the house where we slept is a skeleton of fire. They have killed the sharecropper, he used to take us in, last night he smiled at me when we said goodbye.

La lluna ens recorda que som com estels errants ombres d’una guerra perduda en sendes de fang i quan la foscor em venç acaricie en soledat un record en blanc i negre el motiu del meu combat

The moon reminds me that we're like shooting stars, shadows of a war lost in muddy paths and when darkness beats me I caress in solitude a memory in black and white, the reason for my fight.

I si demà no tornara al lloc on et vaig deixar vull que recordes que un dia joves com nosaltres vam marxar a lluitar armats d’amor i coratge i un clavell roig amagat combatrem fins l’últim dia sota bandera de la llibertat

And if tomorrow I don't come back to the place where I left you I want you to remember that one day young people like us left to go fight armed with love and courage and a hidden red carnation we'll fight until the last day under the flag of freedom.

(Repeat lyrics)

The voices towards the end of the song, before the last chorus, are reading the names and ages of some of the antifascist fighters who were executed by Franco's dictatorship. Some of the voices overlap so I'm not 100% sure of all, but this is what I hear:

Àgueda Campos Barrachina, 29 years old. Isabel Sáenz González, 24 years old Agustí Jofre Capelinos, 50 years old Emilio (?), 16 years old (?), 29 years old (?) (?), 34 years old Emilio Caballero, 29 years old (?) Cabrera, 57 years old Vicenta Pont(?) Ferrer, 30 years old.

[empyrcals]

‘ hazal filiz küçükköse, cis woman, she/her, 34 / 340 , high fae ’ ― cauldron save you. it seems ZEHRA DRAVEN has finally made it to the capital, the LADY from the NIGHT COURT is said to be DYNAMIC and is said to describe themselves with STARFALL PERSONIFIED; YOU BURN BRILLIANT AND LEAVE THE WORLD IN AWE IN YOUR WAKE, A SOUL OF STORMS; YOU ARE AT WAR WITH THE MANY HIDDEN PARTS OF YOURSELF, A RARE SOFTNESS AMONG SHARP SHADOWS; YOUR LOVE IS HARD-WON BUT REWARDING, THE BEAUTY OF THE BEAST REFLECTED IN ANOTHER CREATURE WHO KNOWS THE DARK, A SCATTERING OF ROSE PETALS and with all of this in mind their CALCULATIVE nature always seems to get them into trouble. may the mother hold them as they navigate this unthinkable time. 

BASICS

full name. zehra yildiz draven

position: lady of the night court, sister to the high lord of night

nickname(s): none, she doesn't really do nicknames. give her one I dare thee

age. 34 / 340 yrs old .

d.o.b.: july 20th

status. betrothed to emilios acheson, high lord of spring.

gender. cis woman.

orientation. bisexual

species: high fae ( able to storm wield, winnow due to the draven bloodline/court of night )

allegiance. zehra is loyal to those who have earned it, meaning her family - especially timur. only recently within a year is she loyal to emilios seeing part of herself in him - the rest of his family the jury is still out on where she stands with them currently..

spoken languages: common tongue, illyrian, old fae

FAMILY

father:  former high lord draven -- status deceased / murdered.

mother:  former high lady -- status: deceased  ?

siblings:  timur draven ( high lord, elder brother ), emira draven, melinoe draven ( younger sisters )

partner:  emilios acheson ( they've been betrothed for a year now )

children: none.

other  familial  relations: seraphina draven ( sister-in-law ), aylin & aslan ( niece and nephew via emira ). we also count her brother's inner circle as family.

PHYSICALITY

faceclaim. hazal filiz küçükköse

hair color. dark brown/ near black (it's a rich natural color changing shades depending on the time of year ) .

eye color. brown .

height. five foot nine.

scars. none.

build: athletic yet curvaceous. She is finely honed and has all the right curves in the right places - goddess level please.

dominant hand: while ambidextrous, zehra favors her right hand

notable features : her eyes, her bone structure, all the things

TRAITS, PERSONALITY & VICES.

cowardly     ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ●      brave energetic    ○ ○ ● ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○     lethargic forgiving     ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ● ○      vengeful charitable    ○ ○ ○ ○ ● ○ ○ ○ ○ ○     selfish authentic     ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ● ○ ○      deceitful chaste     ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ● ○ ○      lustful humble    ○ ○ ○ ● ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○     boastful naive     ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ●      experienced cautious     ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ● ○ ○ ○ ○      daring restrained     ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ● ○ ○     bold trusting     ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ● ○ ○      suspicious

SMOKES ? : no. .

ALCOHOL USE : yes. within reason but not to access - zehra is the sort who always likes to keep command of her own senses.

PRONE TO VIOLENCE ? : no. not unnecessarily violent but it can be stated that while not able to manipulate nightmares as her brother can being high lord Zehra can be an absolute terror and force to be reckoned with. she is the storm and the darkness and the stars hurt something she cares about and she will burn your world down. this, though, is mainly kept at bay; part of herself she hides well and does not tap into regularity, choosing to plot her way through things and using her mind for much of her life, which is equally as dangerous with dark ambitions that whisper at the edge of her mind.

PRONE TO CRYING ? : no, not that she's not cried. its a deeply private emotion that even if she trusts her own blood its not ever on display. it takes great emotion to push her to tears..

EMOTIONAL STABILITY ? : quite high. zehra is emotionally stable through years of training herself to only show what she wishes.

SELF DESTRUCTIVE ? : no. zehra is a builder, an architect of her own design plotting out a way while not her brother's advisors nothing she does is ever not a calculated move playing a game ten steps ahead of everyone else. while her ambitions are not fully voiced or yet believed in - in the right circumstances her darker shadows and plans would thrive but destructive - never to herself but she will ruin you for anyone else.

PHOBIAS ? : none that she would admit.

BIOGRAPHY / OVERVIEW

vague but detailed enough | tw death, murder, violence mentions

you are named for what they've always hoped for you - radiant brilliant light sparkling amidst the heavens as a paragon of your kind. You will never lead, and you will never be a high lady of the night - you are the dazzling one. in many ways, from the moment you are born, they do a disservice to you. Your parents love you. There was never any mistake in that, but you were not the child born first to them, and try as you might, and you would try incredibly hard; you were only their spare. A decade of so younger than your brother, your beloved and beautiful brother - you were there if he were to fall. If he failed, the line of succession would fall onto you, and as much freedom as you had, there was structure and preparation for a thing all of them were thoroughly sure would never come to you. Still, their brilliant little star, their shining, shimmering darling, had to be prepared for all things to go at all costs.

Maybe you were born broken - the girl meant for greatness already shoved into a box you hadn't made for yourself, slowly tearing at walls, wanting to be more. You always, always wanted more, knowing from before you were even a century old you could never be a sister, daughter, or wife to just anyone and be just that. It was in that realization that you discovered facets of yourself - you found who you were amid the chaos of living for what would be an eternity to some. you love fiercely who deserved love back but waste none of it on pure folly or idiotic love sick passions in yourf youth. train for your own war, knowing while you would fight and could nearly claim to be better than a good portion of your brother's inner circle, even asking to work with Illyrians - the wars you would fight would be of deeper shadows. Let Timur prepare to be a lord of lords, and while younger sisters could thank you for their relaxed freedoms and privileges, you were the one to watch and be in awe of. A master of the game and of politics, knowing nothing you did was left to chance - everything was meant to move things in the right direction.

You loved your father more than anyone - you would dare say more than any of your other siblings despite not knowing secrets stil kept from you. you admit to him once at a game of chess under the stars, having parted from adoring followers at a midsummer party, that it is exhausting trying to impress him. You admit all you desire was to be helpful, irreplaceable, and invaluable - to be appreciated and involved- and to be told you were those things to the man you admired most. He merely sipped his wine with a smile and proceeded to play chess until the sky grew quiet and the sun shooed the moon from sight. you thought a most dangerous thought - Mother, preserve me. I wish he were dead. It was only a thought - one you'd never act on, but did it shock you any less when the next day he was? Did you also not selfishly hope just for a moment, even as you adored your brother, that maybe, in some twist of fate, you would inherit that power? It had been shocking, and you had such a passing thought, but this was never for you.

Timur had his inner court, the court of nightmares and all the things that came with it. You would be the storm, you would be protector and destroyer beyond them knowing as much as he hides it your brother fears and you will not allow him the same fate. You protect your jovial younger sisters and you protect your niece and nephew. How do you protect them, shoving down your own dark ambitions, wrapping yourself in a more profound mystery, and making sure you leave the rest of the world in awe of who you are? Let them stare at you, they will never know all that you are but in accepting this role you hide a piece of yourself that lingers in the dark. Where is the woman who wanted everything - wanted power and might - to have it all because one deserved the world? Do you remember your shadows?

You hide them; you fight those tendencies until you meet an unexpected stranger. Spring. Oh gods, how you loathed pastels and pretty, flowery things until the high lord of the spring court was nearly enough tripping over himself for you. Instantaneously, he could've declared you his ideal and perfection realized - everything he had ever wanted. You try to resist advances to make him earn what he desires - your hand. You see him, though, and you see yourself - you see what could become, and for the first time in centuries, the monster you know you are who craves a world shaped by your own hand, which has for so long been dormant beneath flesh, and bone is reflected in someone else's eyes. Do you love him when you accept his hand - do you love him now? Yes, it would be too simple an answer and a word too easily tossed around, but you've come to find something admirable in flowers, roses especially, and in wild beasts, and it is just the beginning.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

All the things please. Let me help you build up your beautiful characters and create something amazing. Old friends, new friends, enemies, former lovers, illyrian pals, sparring partners, rivals, people she is ready to use, unexpected and cool things. also to echo a want from timur's intro the person who ended the draven siblings father - all the things.

[livsunit2]

THE SWINGING SIXTIES

The Defining Look of the Sixties

Taylah Brewer. (2022). 60S FASHION FOR WOMEN (HOW TO GET THE 1960S STYLE). [Online]. www.thetrendspotter.net. Last Updated: 7 August 2022. Available at: https://www.thetrendspotter.net/60s-fashion-for-women/#google_vignette [Accessed 4 January 2023]

The Supremes

They were not only the most commercially successful female group of the '60s but among the top 5 pop/rock/soul acts of that decade. Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard had a mature, glamorous demeanor that appealed equally to teens and adults. Beautiful, musically versatile, and unique, the original Supremes were America's sweethearts.

Steven Ward. (2019). VINTAGE GOLD: AMERICA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL VOCAL GROUP IN THE SUPREMES. [Online]. www.grimygoods.com. Last Updated: 25 February 2019. Available at: https://www.grimygoods.com/2019/02/25/americas-most-successful-vocal-group-in-the-supremes/ [Accessed 3 january 2023].

Edie Sedgwick

The original 'it girl' inspired Bob Dylan and Andy Warhol, and was the toast of the New York art scene with her bouffant blonde hair, vintage chandelier earrings and by wearing nothing but a leotard and tights.

The Designers

London's fashion sector existed until the 1960s in the shadow of the renowned Parisian couturiers. Paris served as the centre of global fashion, specialising in tailored clothing for a fantastically wealthy, elite group of women. But all of a sudden, as the youth market expanded, London started to lead the pace.

Thanks to a handful of up-and-coming young designers trained in the couture tradition, Paris has maintained its edge. Fashion firms like Saint Laurent, Cardin, and Courrèges discovered how to appeal to younger customers. They established ready-to-wear shops and concessions in department stores and produced "space age" clothing that was quickly imitated on the high street.

The youth market was enormous in the US, and department stores made millions by importing London fashions. But retailers also recognised the boutique's potential. Local stores that catered to affluent customers by selling unique, cutting-edge designs thrived, notably in New York.

Andrè Courrèges

André Courrèges

The French designer is best known for introducing the revolutionary space look- featuring white boots, goggles and boxy dresses designed in futuristic metallic shades, high shine fabrics such as PVC. His look was a blend of avant-garde geometry with sports classic driven by the youth culture.

Pierre Cardin

Became famous for his brightly colored mini dresses. At the time his garments were "avant-garde" he like other designers at the time was heavily influenced by “Age" movement. His design style is mainly geometric shapes and colours.

Paco Rabanne

The Spanish born designer made a name for himself in the 1960s with his space-age inspired fashions. He used materials such as metal, aluminum, plastic, plexi glass and even fiber optics. He was the first fashion designer to use black models in a catwalk show. As a result, he was almost thrown out of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, the governing body of Parisienne fashion.

Givenchy

Responsible for the iconic little black dress that is essential to every woman's wardrobe and dressing the most elegant ladies of the time such as Audrey Hepburn, U.S. first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Princess Grace of Monaco; Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor and socialite Babe Paley.

Yves Saint Laurent

Shift dresses and pea coats became YSL trademark styles. In 1965, colour blocking made its entrance in the world of fashion, when Yves Saint-Laurent introduced the colour block dress, inspired by the works of the famous painter, Piet Mondria.

Emilio Pucci

Is best known for colorful psychedelic prints, especially for headscarves and dresses. In 1962 the world lost screen siren Marilyn Monroe. It's believed that she was buried in one of his dresses. Monroe was a huge fan of his work which can be clarified by the volume of Pucci garments in her personal collection displayed at Christies in 1999 prior to auction. Although an already established designer, Pucci saw an increase in sales in the sixties which he attributed to Miss Monroe and her popularity.

The Birth of the Hippie

(1960-70s)

Originally used to designate beatniks who had settled in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood, the word hipple is derived from the hipster. The hippies sought for alternate lifestyles. The majority of hippies cherished independence, nature, closeness, peace, generosity, and spirituality.

Nudity was another expression of freedom that hippies used to set themselves apart from society's norms. They frequently stayed in parks or set up camp in the woods, discarding their belongings.

All throughout, people wore tight-fitting bell-bottom jeans, preferably with flower patches and ankle fringe, T-shirts, or just a skimpy halter top. All of the peasant blouses complemented jeans. Anything handcrafted was considered an accessory, and many of them had peace symbols. Popular shirts and dresses had floral prints that stood for peace and love.

In general, people dressed in a way that they believed represented who they were as individuals and not only to follow the rules of fashion. For instance, both sexes wore their hair longer and it had an unruly, uncared-for appearance. This was in response to the mid-60s girl in the miniskirt who had neat, short hair.

Woodstock 1969

At Woodstock over 250,000 hippies showed up to hear artists like Janis Joplin, The Who, Canned Heat, The Allman Brothers, and County Joe and the Fish. Woodstock was not just a music concert. It was a "profound religious experience."

vintag.es. (2015). 40 Rare and Incredible Color Photographs That Capture Scenes of the Woodstock Music & Art Fair in August 1969. [Online]. www.vintag.es. Last Updated: 7 February 2015. Available at: https://www.vintag.es/2015/02/40-rare-and-unseen-color-photos-of.html [Accessed 3 january 2023].

The controversy of drugs

The most popular music of the time was psychedelic rock. Many of concerts were places for lippies to protest, socialise, dance, or take drugs. Drugs like marijuana and LSD were a big art of the hippy/counterculture movement. Using drugs made hippies feel like the were belling from mainstream society.

[dailycharacteroption]

Fist of the Godclaw (Warpriest Archetype)

(art by Emilio Rodriguez C. on Artstation)

 Power. That is the goal of lawful evil. Whether it be the one at the top or a dutiful (or not so dutiful) cog in the machine.

Officially, the many orders of the Hellknight mercenaries do not specifically worship the powers of Hell. They merely build their entire ideology around the idea of Hell’s order as the example of a perfect society, in which all are subservient to the whole, and those at the top reap the rewards that their “hard work” of ruling it all.

It is utterly baffling that even the lawful neutral among them believe that they don’t in fact serve the will of Asmodeus in deed, to say nothing of the rare lawful good ones (they do exist, though mostly in minor orders like the revived Order of the Torrent, whose focus is on disaster prevention and rescue). However, the delusion persists, and it doesn’t end there.

Among the Hellknight orders, there is the Order of the Godclaw, which specifically revolves around the worship of a pantheon of the five major gods of law in the Inner Sea Region: Abadar, Asmodeus, Irori, Iomedae, and Torag, each forming a “finger” of the “Godclaw”, the mighty fist of order. Of course, while the lawful neutral deities among them might be alright with occasionally working with Asmodeus, most worshippers would consider it blasphemous to associate Iomedae and Torag with the Dark Prince except in the most desperate end of need.

We’ve talked about the Godclaw before on the blog with the oracle mystery that shares a name with it, but the general gist is that the order cherry-picks doctrines from all five religions, creating a twisted version of all five as stern, armored rulers and paragons, and it their divine right and duty to stamp out disorder and lead the world to a perfect society by force (which conveniently adheres most closely to Asmodeus’s vision, because of course it does.)

This brings us to today’s subject, the so-called Fists of the Godclaw. These warpriests, whether they wear the armor of standard hellknights or as signifers, act as vicious warrior-priests and leaders in the order’s crusades. They act as mighty destroyers of chaos and disorder, though like all hellknight orders, their interpretation of such foes often leaves ordinary citizens in their line of fire.

There is no denying their power, however, and whether they serve as villain or antihero, they can be quite effective.

 Naturally, these priests must be of a lawful alignment, but they can actually worship any member of the Godclaw pantheon, or the Godclaw itself.

Regardless of who they decide to put their faith in, they must choose the blessings of Law and the special Godclaw blessing, the former granting them the power to harm chaotic foes and summon lawful allies, while the latter grants them the ability to break magical control by instilling an ally with their duty, as well as command their allies to act in unison. The fact that every fist must choose these blessings does raise the question about what exactly is granting them their divine power.

As soldiers against chaos, they also have an ability to sense it nearby, letting them root out hiding dissidents and confirm the morals of their foes.

They also have a knack for channeling their fervor to harm chaotic outsiders, being able to channel energy for that purpose much more efficiently and with much greater output.

The most powerful among them are able to briefly become paragons of law, gaining enhanced durability that only chaos can pierce, becoming totally immune to magic that sways the mind, and being able instill so much order into their actions that any action has perfect average results for a brief period.

Destroyers of chaos no matter the form it takes, if you’re interested in a paragon of law that has a nice slew of anti-chaos abilities, this archetype may be for you. The only super major thing it gets that other warpriests do not is the ability to use only one fervor to channel energy when using alignment channel against chaos, so you can build them however you like, though their locked blessings does mean that they likely favor buffing allies in addition to laying down the law directly, wading into battle rather than standing behind their troops.

 Now, this archetype does allow you to be lawful good, so you can in theory play such a character. Whether such a character believes the that the order can be steered in a more benevolent direction, or more likely, they believe in the warped versions of goodly deities that are roped into it. Either way, such a character might struggle to uphold such beliefs over time given the company they keep.

  The Fist Clan samurai, devoted to complete order, have taken a remote village hostage as they attempt to turn it into a new base of operations. The locals have been “conscripted” to build a fortress for them, and worse still, they have allied themselves with a yuki-onna, promising her to find the one who caused her death in exchange for preying upon interlopers that might disrupt their plans… or villagers trying to escape their yoke.

 The playful and mischievous vanara are exactly the sort of beings that the invading hellknights cannot abide, so they have sent a small army of their number into the mountains to hunt them. Obviously the armored warriors have the disadvantage in the treacherous terrain, but their tenacity, and the profane power of their leader, guarantee that the casualties to the monkey-folk will by high if nothing is done.

 There can be no doubt that the pantheon of the claw is blasphemy for all gods involved save one, the Dark One. This fabricated unity of deities seeks to corrupt the worship of the other deities into that of the master of evil, and the fact that it’s members gain divine power is proof in the eyes of many that it works, especially since true scholars of the divine are in short supply.

[s2willbyers]

the pierrot mike wheeler el público vision

exactly one (1) person asked me to elaborate on mike wheeler/el público vision so i wrote 1k+ words on this and pierrot mike wheeler. lets get into it

tldr the pierrot figure and the play el público are a space in which writer federico garcía lorca confronts internalized homophobia, and i discuss this in relation to michael wheeler, his worldview, and the ways in which will confronts/challenges it

So. pierrot and el público posts were created separately but are very closely linked thematically. i think the best place to start is with federico garcía lorca, a spanish poet and playwright who was born in 1898 and was killed by francoist fascist forces at the start of the spanish civil war in august 1936. his assassination was covered up by the franco regime, his work censored while being paraded around as emblematic of an exoticized ancestral spain for tourists. in the decades since his assassination, research has generally shown his assassination was prompted by his celebrity, his connections to and support for the spanish republic, and his more or less open homosexuality. 

lorca’s homosexuality was something that he struggled with throughout his life (as best we know). he was raised catholic in a conservative area of spain in a conservative period of spanish history — of course he struggled with it. as a young man he struggled with some compulsory heterosexuality, and then when he moved to madrid and away from his family, able to explore this aspect of his identity, he had the misfortune of taking a liking to salvador dalí. dalí is horrible for a number of reasons which i shan’t get into here, but really for our purposes it’s enough to say that he couldn’t return lorca’s affections and likely, through his own homophobia (internalized or otherwise), touched on some sore spots for lorca. added to that was his split with his boytoy emilio aladrén (epic bad bisexual representation), and lorca fell into a pretty bad depression. he needed a fucking break, so he travelled to new york and cuba from 1929-1930. the play el público was started in cuba and finished back home in granada spring and summer of 1930.

from 1924 (when he first met dalí) to 1930, lorca’s work became increasingly modernist and ventured into surrealist territory, which brings us the el publico and the pierrot. the pierrot figure (basically a clown) is a stock character that became popular among modernist artists in the late 19th century and continued into the 20th century as an incarnation of the artist. it was different for every artist, but for lorca the pierrot figure was a doomed, sort of pathetic character doomed to fail in love and perpetually ridiculed and ostracized by society. i think it’s easy to see how this might have connected to his homosexuality — he was a performer in his own right, giving dramatic readings of his plays and poems, but you can imagine how it might have felt to give voice to really personal feelings in a room with people you know are violently homophobic, that make jokes at your expense, that would throw you aside if they ever knew. the audience isn’t really a fear so much as it is a threat, which is when you get el público, a play that’s (sort of) about a play.

its been a while since i’ve read el público, and its one of those avant garde plays that eludes summary, but basically it centers around a character called the director who is trying to put on a production of shakespeare’s romeo and juliet. in between the scenes audience members comment on the play, while the director struggles with his own understanding of love and its implications in the public sphere, interacting with the audience themselves, other people in the theater troupe, the characters, set pieces, and costumes. it’s a hard read and very experimental, but its worth taking the time to sit with it if you are interested!

anyway so where does this put us with mike wheeler? i think fundamentally what unites the pierrot and el público is this fear of the public, the cisheteronormative majority that looks down on you. and with queerness, it is often a process of self discovery, not just a given part of someone’s identity. you’re conducting this process of self-discovery in a public arena of shame and hatred, and it’s constantly influencing your personal life. i mean, if we go back to lorca and dalí, their relationship undoubtedly suffered from homophobia. its fair to say dalí found homosexuality lesser than heterosexuality, he made fun of lorca for it more than once (even after lorca’s death) and regardless of whether he himself was queer or not, he was persistently belittling to lorca in this respect. this is a private relationship that was immensely important to both of them, but ultimately it could not hold out when all dalí ever wanted was for The People (this cishet majority) to admire him. queerness as being constantly under scrutiny, the punchline literally and figuratively, queerness as an invasion of privacy and a forced performance you can never escape.

within el público, within the masks and performances doing everything you can to perform a love that is acceptable and palatable and “correct”, love is difficult and messy and gross, hearts as an organ spilling blood and guts all over the stage, there is also this undercurrent of what it means to be a man, what masculinity is when its divorced from cisheterosexuality. i LOVE that last bit from BELLS, because its so opposite of lorca’s “ode to walt whitman,” a poem that gives masc4masc grindr profile from beginning to end. this play allows physical weakness as manliness, gay love as strength. if the pierrot figure is a weak buffoony guy, he’s also a MAN, regardless of what the rest of the world says.

i think mike admires will for the same exact reason we all do, which is to say mike admires will because he’s unrelentingly honest. when mike asks him if he expects to stay in mikes basement forever, mike is expecting to hear the voice of the majority echoed back at him, that they need to “grow up” and live out a suburban nuclear family fantasy, but will refuses to buy into it. will refuses to give anyone any ground on who he is. will, just by being himself unapologetically, is constantly and persistently challenging the CisHet voice in mikes head that’s telling him to shut up and blend in, that he is a man and so he is not queer, that if he is queer then he is lesser. i think, in el publico, mike is the director, trying his best to construct a heterosexual ideal when no one, not even the characters or the audience are buying into it. i think he’s already feeling it slipping out of his fingers and any time now it’s going to click for everyone and they’ll see him for who he really is.

thats why this bit from the students is so so lovely to me…. here are people in the audience who see the show and instead of hating it they discuss it and come to find refuge in it. this is so easily a conversation between mike and will to me (mike being first student and will being fifth) because you know if mike just asked, if he stopped performing, will would love to carry him. he’d be delighted to. i can imagine mike reading the play up to this point, feeling that half sick sort of feeling you get when you feel like someone can see right through you, that he’s destined to this constant push and pull that he’ll inevitably fail, and THEN he reaches this part and he realizes that if he just fucking TALKS to will, if he allows his performance to end, will is standing right there. always. and that’s not to say it won’t be difficult, that he won’t be ridiculed, that he’ll never feel the effects of homophobia and feel lesser and frightened and ashamed, but that he’s a man, a person, regardless of that, and that being a person is enough. 

i don’t know but as someone who deals with internalized homophobia and transphobia and whose life feels governed by shame sometimes, i love lorca’s work because it gets into the ugly meat of it, the gross stuff you never really want to say out loud and gives you that cathartic release, but there’s always this reminder that you are human regardless, that you are earth to feel bad and to feel good and to feel as much as possible, that your existence justifies itself even if it is rife with pain. it feels like crying into your own shoulder as you hug yourself so tight it hurts, and i think mike needs to learn how to do that.

let’s end with one of my favorite james baldwin quotes and this drawing from lorca: “It took many years of vomiting up all the filth I’d been taught about myself, and half-believed, before I was able to walk on the earth as though I had a right to be here.”

btw i didn’t proofread or edit this. sorry :/

[sins-of-the-sea]

"There was only one instance where my Master was ever this angry...

"And that was when he lost his Eye to begin with. The Battle of Lake Taal.

"1575. The colonization of what would become the Philippines was underway. Fortifications were already established in Manila and Cebu, and while Legazpi had died a few years before, the Spanish were fighting harder than ever against the local Indios. Emilio Montego, by then a celebrated commander of his own army, was tasked to take care of the Devil's Pirates, composed of the Master's thralls from different parts of the South China Seas.

"At the time, Guy, Josep, Giovanni, and I were still mga alipin under Datu Dalugdog, having lost Ulan. No one thought twice about white men acculturated like the Indios... because the Master's influence was growing. More and more thralls were joining his army, even among the colonizers and conquistadors. A war was raging. It wouldn't be long until the Master's power would have grown exponentially, with so many souls to consume and enthrall. It was just a matter of time.

"Until Emilio found our Master during his downtime in by Mount Taal. He had a massive army with him, big enough to take down a nation. Well, it felt like it, at least. Even the Master's thralls couldn't handle the numbers. Once Emilio cut down enough to face the Master himself...

"He was able to gouge out an Eye. The battle not only ended immediately... but all of the Master's thralls, felled at the time, turned into salt.

"It was, perhaps, sheer luck that my three friends and I were not among those who became one with the Sea. It surely would not be by the grace of G-d... He had abandoned us long ago.

"And from there, Emilio tried to find a way to purify the Eye so the four of us could be released from it... but it is not possible! No medicine or holy man could purify the Eye, so Emilio passed in old age with us left. The Master would come back eventually, obtain three more thralls, and the cycle would repeat anyway.

"Please.... for those who ever find his Eye... know that the Master can be defeated by normal human beings. It takes virtue. It takes courage. It takes willpower. And above all... faith. Faith in a higher power, faith in your fellow man.... and faith in yourself. It can be done.

"I don't care what happens to us. None of us do. Please... don't hesitate. Love us, fear for our fates if you want... it's not going to stop the inevitable.

"Just finish the job."

[chronussy-bc]

Some info on the Guardians that only appear in the anime. All of these are provided by Kentaro Yabuki, posted on the official account of the anime.

1. Emilio Lowe - No.III of The Time Guardians

A person that approves the Eden project. He is meant to be Sven’s opponent (?).

His voice and speaking manner is also similar to Sven’s former partner, Lloyd.

The glasses he wears also gives an impression similar to those of Lloyd’s, though the design is not the same.

Unlike Lloyd, his look can turn into a very scary glare.

When he's not working as a Number, he lives a normal life in the city, probably having an ordinary job: a doctor at a small clinic, someone working at a flower shop…

He could have encountered Sven by chance while he was in his civilian cover and become a close acquaintance.

2. David Pepper - No.IX of The Time Guardians

The image on the left corner is his serious expression.

He has a bright and friendly personality, can easily befriend anyone.

His hairstyle will change depending on his mood. He can bundle them up or wear a headband. This is the basic design.

He is quite tall compared to a Number.

His voice is imagined to sound like that of Norio Wakamoto (laughs).

Some of the Numbers have a fake identity to blend in with the public. David seems to be a musician.

3. Anubis - No.VI of The Time Guardians

Note: his description is the most detailed, claimed by the official Twitter.

He is a biological product of Chronos’s science. His humanoid character is implanted by them and he is loyal to the organization. His intelligence is equal to that of a human so he can understand our language.

He has never met anyone among the Numbers other than Sephiria since he is a secret member.

His fur is completely black to match with the theme color of the Guardians.

His face looks like a real wolf (probably this explanation is given due to the fact that overall, Anubis still looks somewhat different from normal wolves). The original werewolf in the manga is perhaps an inspiration to the creation of Anubis.

Since he is one of a kind, his design must have a reasonable proportion between the length of the limbs and his huge size. The anatomy plays an important role in demonstrating the coolness of his appearance.

He has a calm and collected personality.

His Orichalcum weapon, Osiris, is a versatile arm moving according to his will. It is embedded in his body (the Orichalcum tail is likely to be connected to his spine, not just attached on his behind). The weapon can also be used as a pistol (can function like a firearm) with great precision.

The author thought that him speaking human language by himself would be an overdo. To facilitate communication, the organization has given him a device that can vocally convey his thoughts, or perhaps something that interpret his natural sounds into words. If he speak, he address himself as “I” (first person like people do usually, not by name or anything particular).

The color of his tattoo is red maybe.

4. Ash - Former No.X of The Time Guardians

Note: The Guardian doesn’t always know their comrades. There are some they have never met, some they don’t like. However, in the setting of the anime, he and Nizer appear to have been friends for a very long time, said the official Twitter.

He is Nizer’s best friend. Before being recruited into the Guardians, they used to be mercenaries fighting along side in some country.

He usually wears a headband.

5. Mason Odrosso - No.XII of The Time Guardians

Note: canonically, he is the only witness to the Taoist war that is still alive until this point.

Although he is old, his skin looks fairly good, not having so many wrinkles.

He looks better with a cane maybe.

The metal ornaments on the coat has been changed into fabric patterns in the anime.

The translation is done through apps and my efforts to grasp the ideas so don’t take this too seriously.

[themagicmaharajahs-retired]

ANNOUNCEMENT!

"Hello, everyone! All two of you left, at least. We the Magic Maharajahs have an announcement to make! We're being exported as fandom OCs to fully original characters!

"Immy loved writing us during TAD and TAD2 that, for the longest time since we were last written for in 2016-7, she felt bad that, for all the development we received, it wouldn't go anywhere beyond just RP. Nothing wrong with that--but you know how she loves converting fandom works to fully original! And no we have a new home: in Devil's Eye!"

"That's right! In 2005-6, the original India arc for the Devil's Eye story by Immy and CappnRob was full of anachronisms, inappropriate writing, and yet still no solid narrative. None of this works at all in the current rewrites, and for this reason, the entire India story (which is still important to the Voyage of the Devil's Eye) had to be rewritten from the ground up--plot, characters, history, and all."

"And rather just create entirely new characters for the sake of this part of the story, Immy and Cappn has decided to bring in most of the characters of Tiger Appreciation Day 2 into the India Arc as important supporting characters for the Dharmic Key, the legend of St. Emilio around it... and the tale of Sukhbir Kaur. In other words, we are now a part of Rashid al-Qadar's story--specifically his wife's. The one who ran away and is the reason for his Gluttony story."

"The best part of all this is that we don't have to be torn apart to adapt to the story--we're already fairly traditional! In addition, India as a country is going through the most tumultuous time in comparison to other regions visited in the 1720s like England, the Middle East, and China, as we would be during a time of war between the Mughals and the Marathas! This is also the time of the Khalsa Fauj, which was taking place after the 1699 death of the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, but before the formal creation of the Sikh Confederacy in 1733. So if anything, the backdrop of our family history would be much more 'exciting' compared to our mundane and relatively peaceful modern day life in this blog. We'd be constantly on the move to avoid warzones as we are figuring out our place among the Khalsas.

"And it won't be just us Maharajahs being exported. Even Bhagwandas Kapoor and Akash Chakpram are being used as India Arc-unique antagonists! Nagina, however, is still dead, and there will be a reason why there is no Sumit in Devil's Eye (and by extension, no Harpreet or Parachai).

"So yeah! We're excited to have a story to breathe life into as fully original characters not bound to a fandom! So this blog will be fully retired! If you want to meet us in the modern day as Great Tiger's family, you just go over to @the-great-tiger-of-mumbai as side muses, just as we were back in the day! If you want to meet us as fully realized OCs, then we'll be at @lookthedevilintheeye! See you all then!"