#father roberto nicholas

[deathandnonexistentialdread]

This was based on very not scientific compilation of data.

Also please watch Vatican Kiseki Chousakan. It is glorious.

[nightwalker6200]

Roberto, pulling out his flask: It's hard being a single mother to three kids...

Roberto, taking a drink: Especially when you have no kids, and you're a man in his mid-forties.

[adventures-written]

While there may not be a note or anything, there is a rather nice bottle of vodka squirreled away in Roberto's bag. Who knows how it got there.

Huh. Well isn't that interesting.

Roberto picks it up and inspects in, making sure it hasn't been tampered with. Couldn't be too careful. Then again, if someone was trying to poison him, it certainly was a fancy bottle to do it with.

"I'm sure it'll be worth it if it is," he murmured as he opened up the bottle, taking a smell of the pungent alcohol inside before taking a heavy swig. The burn was nice. "Mmm..."

He'll have to thank the sender later...

[crimson-amarone]

Fancasting for a Trigun live-action tv series/movie!! I know we got just Trigun Stampede, but we can’t let Cowboy Bebop get a live action and not Trigun right??

For all my selections I would say about 75-80% are actors I have seen in one or more of their most well known roles. For anyone else I narrowed down to 2-4 options and I did extra research into their filmography, interviews to hear their voices and general vibe, etc. And I also looked at what kind of roles they trended towards—sci-fi/fantasy and superhero media giving them bonus points.

See below for info about the actors and my runner up choices for each character. I included tidbits like their age, height, and notable roles.

For Vash and Knives I wanted to first look for real life identical twins. After some research, I believe I found a fitting pair. Cole and Dylan Sprouse, best know for their childhood roles in the Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Although I don’t think I knew their adult roles as well as their Zack and Cody days, that real twin dynamic just adds that extra layer.

Of the two, I found Cole having a softer look, and lately it appears he’s been going with black hair which seemed fitting if we think about black-haired Vash at the end of TriMax. Dylan’s look has just that different sharpness and edginess that I slotted him to Knives.

Ruby Cruz (Kit Tanthalos, Disney+’s Willow) is a very talented young woman and recently made a feature length movie debut as Hazel Callahan in Bottoms (2023) and will be starring in an upcoming rom-com The Threesome. (See notes about edit below.)

Milly was a tricky one for me. I have a couple of runners up below. My current pick is Mina Sundwall, especially for her role as Penny Robinson in Netflix’s space family drama Lost in Space.

Although I’m on board with the HC that Wolfwood is Latinx, I had to go with famous werewolf Jacob Black from Twilight, Taylor Lautner. I got a couple other choices below too.

Liam Hemsworth (or Chris idkkkk). Nuff said?

Rem was a bit hard to choose. I had to go with Candice Patton as a personal big fan of her role as Iris West in The Flash as a DC fan. She has just the right oh-crap-I-have-kids-I-am-not-prepared-at-all motherly acting vibe down pat that is essential for Rem.

Despite the fact that Christopher Daniel Barnes is always smiling in photos, his breath of filmography makes him such a good fit for wise Drunkle Roberto.

Being so effing hyped about Nicholas playing Lex Luthor in Superman Legacies (2025) he has the perfect mix of heroic and villain roles for Legato’s psychotic righteousness. And he’s already had blue hair (and fur all over his whole body) as Hank “Beast” McCoy, c’mon too easy.

Zazie Beetz… that couldn’t have been a coincidence? Like Studio Orange must have know about this actress when they worked on the Beast’s revamped design. For a second option I’d probably pick a child/adolescent actor but Zazie can pretty much take whatever form they want, so why not both? Edit: I’m going with Scarlett (Trixie from Lucifer). Very very talent young woman. She’s funny, smart, sassy.

Role: Vash the Stampede

Actor: Cole Sprouse

Age: 31

Height: 6’0”

Best known role: Cody Martin ( The Suite Life of Zack & Cody)

Runner-up Actor: Mason Dye (Jason Carver, Stranger Things)

———

Role: Millions Knives

Actor: Dylan Sprouse

Age: 31

Height: 6’0”

Best known role: Zack Martin ( The Suite Life of Zack & Cody)

Runner-up Actor: Christopher Lowell (Sebastian “Bash” Howard, GLOW and Jess, How I Met Your Father)

———

Role: Meryl Stryfe

Actor: Ruby Cruz

Age: 23

Height: 5’3”

Best known role: (Kit Tanthalos, Disney+’s Willow)

Edit: I swapped Ruby Cruz in for Bex as I learned how far along Bex was in their gender journey. As much as I respect Bex’s journey and the gender representation is important, I still want to pick someone I feel leans more feminine for Meryl.

Runner-up Actor: tbd, maybe Christine Lee or Ana Yi Puig

———

Role: Nicholas D. Wolfwood

Actor: Taylor Lautner

Age: 32

Height: 5’8”

Best known role: Jacob Black (Twilight movies)

Runner-up Actor: David Castro (Raphael Santiago, Freeform’s Shadowhunters)

———

Role: Roberto De Niro

Actor: Christopher Daniel Barnes

Age: 51

Height: 5’11”

Best known role: Spiderman (Spider-Man 90s), Prince Eric (The Little Mermaid 89)

Runner-up Actor: Edgar Ramirez (Bourne Ultimatum 2007, Carlos the Jackal, HBO’s The Undoing)

———

Role: Milly Thompson

Actor: Mina Sundwall

Age: 22

Height: 5’6”

Best known role: Penny Robinson (Lost in Space, 2018)

Runner-up Actors: Liana Liberato, Kennedy McGann, Ellie Gall, Luna Wedler

———

Role: Rem Saverem

Actor: Candice Patton

Age: 35

Height: 5’4”

Best known role: Iris West (CW’s The Flash)

Runner-up Actor: Lyrica Okano (Nico Minoru, Hulu’s Runaways)

———

Role: Legato Bluesummers

Actor: Nicholas Hoult

Age: 34

Height: 6’3”

Best known role: Nux (Mad Max Fury Road), Hank “Beast” McKoy (X-Men movies), Lex Luthor (Superman Legacies, 2025)

Runner-up Actors:

2. Samuel Larson (Joe Hart, Glee) 3. Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers, Stranger Things) or 4. Brenton Twaites (Dick Grayson aka Nightwing, DC’s Titans)

[miamochi-writes]

I Choose You Wolfwood x Reader

A/n: Not a request but something I've been meaning to write when I first watched Wolfwood get introduced. This is much different from what you’ve seen of my writing so far. Let me know what you think! I try to do gender neutral with the reader but for this piece I’m going to make the reader female. Also mild trigger warning for those who don’t have a great relationship with religion. There’s a scene where I get into it after the read more button. Read at your own discretion.

You had no idea the impact that Nicholas Wolfwood would have on your life when you met on that faithful day. You were just an ordinary medic, except you ran away from your home and the religion that you grew up. You couldn’t take it anymore with their teachings and being forced to help people you didn’t exactly felt comfortable with. You thought anywhere was better than living or working with a cultlike community. Eventually you bumped into Vash, Meryl, and Roberto and managed to join the rag tag of a team.

You were traveling with them through No Man’s Land like any other day until you bumped into a man holding what looked like a giant wrapped up cross. You didn’t notice as you were bummed by the whole Jeneora Rock incident. It wasn’t until you felt a huge bump and felt yourself jolt from the impact and shaking your thoughts away.

“WHAT HAPPENED?” you asked as you saw a man unconscious. Meryl accidentally ran into a guy and you were panicking. You were not going to let him die on your watch.

“Hey! Stay with me! Guys I can patch him up but I need a place to work on him!” you panicked as you were trying to keep the man alive. You rushed to get him treated, and ended up in a nearby plant to nurse him back to health. Eventually he regained consciousness as you looked him.

“Hey are you okay? How are you feeling?” you asked. The man looked at you in a daze.

“Am I in Heaven because I’m looking at the face of an angel,” he muttered. You practically blushed as you were checking him.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but you’re still alive. I’m a medic that helped patch you up,” you explained trying to force your blush away. You then found out how he was “a priest”. You were very skeptical of him as you were still wary of religion, and kept your distance. It wasn’t until you saw a child within the area who asked to help bury their parents and say a eulogy for them you saw this man’s true colors.

“Uh...Heavenly Father who art in Heaven...” the priest began.

“Forgive us our sins o Lord, as we forgive those who sinned against us,” he continued as you furrowed your eyebrows. That was not how the Lord’s prayer went exactly, maybe it was a different iteration?

“Please welcome their souls and the souls of all those who have faithfully departed...Into your...in your...what is it? Welcome them into your humble abode...into your prayer gates,” he said.

You opened your eyes to peak at what the heck this man was saying as Vash and Meryl were all giving each other confused looks. You knew for sure, this guy was not a priest with what he was saying.

“Deliver unto them...Deliverance...not quite but I’m getting there,” the man tried to continue but he faltered as his “cross” was leaning towards the ground as he tried to catch it. You couldn’t take it anymore as you and Meryl smacked him on the head.

“SOME PRIEST YOU ARE! THAT’S NOT EVEN THE CORRECT WAY TO SAY THE LORD’S PRAYER!” you yelled at him.

“Oh? And just what makes you say that?” he asked growling at you while rubbing his head.

“For your information this is how you start it! In the name of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit! Our Father, who art in Heaven,” you began as you did the hand motions to start. You recited it just like how your parents taught you all those years. Hell, you even added your twist to the eulogy with praying that the people who passed find peace and rest in their next chapter.

“Now that’s how you do a prayer and eulogy, got it?!” you yelled at him with your hands on your hips and walked back with the group. The “priest” just stared at you with a slight growl and tched as he grabbed his “cross”.

Little did you know after that whole ordeal, one thing led to another. There was the whole worm incident and how the man’s “cross” was some other worldly high tech weapon that can obliterate a worm. He practically rescued you when you got lost, and freed everyone from being trapped in the worm. You were just speechless when you witnessed him using it as he chuckled at your shocked face.

“Cat got your tongue angel?” he commented with that shit eating grin.

“I have a name you know, it’s y/n,” you retorted.

“The name is Nicholas D. Wolfwood, don’t forget it angel,” he replied forever calling you that nickname that irked you.

You’ve been traveling with him for quite awhile and started to learn more about him. Despite his tough exterior he’s got a soft side. You learned he was an orphan and how he had a soft spot for kids. Seeing him trying to get kids to look at the brighter side or cheering them up warmed your heart. It was one of the things that made you want to spend more time with him despite how much you bickered with each other. Little did you know your crush for him only grew bigger the more you spent time with him.

Eventually you started growing fond of him, and practically knew him. But he didn’t know you or your background. You figured you wouldn’t bring it up unless he did. You took a pit stop at a town bar one day. Both of you sat next to each other grabbing a drink, just enjoying each other’s company while the others did their own thing.

“Hey, remember when we first met?” Wolfwood asked.

“Yeah, how can I forget? We practically ran you over and found out you were a shitty priest,” you chuckled.

“Yeah, but you know something’s been bugging me since we met. What’s your story? You practically know religion from the back of your hand perfectly. Doesn’t make sense why you’re with us when you’re not at a church,” he continued. You gripped your drink slightly as you looked down. You knew this was going to be brought up sooner or later. You took a deep breath and gathered your thoughts.

“I ran away from home and my religion. To say my family is overly religious is an understatement. I practically grew up with it and was forced to learn the customs early on. At first I thought what I was doing was normal until I made some friends and realized the way we practiced was excessive. I was always uncomfortable with the people I went to at church. I never felt welcomed, I felt judged constantly like everyone focused on my mistakes and never my accomplishments. It’s like I had to keep up appearances or I get lectures,” you started. You can feel your hand gripping your clothes. Remembering or even talking about religion always made you tense.

“Sorry, it’s a bit TMI, I know,” you apologized as you took a swig of your drink.

“No it’s not, I had no idea you went through that. Continue, I’m listening” he answered as his shades hid his eyes and showed your reflection.

“I was sick and tired of being told what was right and wrong in their eyes. It just felt like I wasn’t living my life how I wanted. I wanted to be free, and decided to run away. I haven’t looked back since then and I’m glad I bumped into this group. I haven’t felt so comfortable being myself in a long time. I felt welcomed, and I can choose who to help instead of being forced to. I’m actually helping people who need it you know? So when you first introduced yourself as a priest, I was a bit scared of you. But after learning more about you, I’m glad you’re not a priest telling me my soul is going to rot in hell,” you continued as you let out a small chuckle.

“Can’t forget how you hit me when you found out. You left a nasty bruise that day. But I like someone who can put up a fight,” Wolfwood commented as he pulled out a cigarette and started smoking. Thankfully, he blew his smoke away from you as he knew how much you didn’t like it. You blushed with what he said and nudged him.

“Knock it off!” you whined as he chuckled.

“But seriously though, I didn’t know you had to go through that. I can see why you would leave. Sorry for bringing that up,” he replied rubbing his neck.

“I mean you were going to find out sooner or later, but honestly I’m glad I’m far away from home now. Meeting everyone here has been great. But I guess you don’t want to hang with some ex-church member after finding out huh?” you brought up and looked away from him. You understood if he didn’t want to be near you.

“I don’t care about that crap. I think it’s brave of you to leave something like that. That takes guts,” he answered looking you dead on.

“Wait, you mean it?” you asked.

“Dead serious. I think it’s brave that the person who brought me back to life did all that and is with us,” he explained as he smoked again. Maybe it was the alcohol, but you felt yourself get hot as a blush crept to your cheeks. You didn’t know if he was actually serious like he said, but you figured you might as well enjoy it before he goes back to being his usual self again the next day.

"Thanks that means a lot Wolfwood. I’m glad we met. I can’t thank you for the amount of times you kept me safe,” you muttered that last part thinking he didn’t hear it. You saw Wolfwood rub your hair and turn away as you told him to quit it. He then raised his beer and looked you in the face looking a bit red.

“Toast for new beginnings,” he said waiting for you to do the same.

“To new beginnings and good company,” you added as you clinked his glass and drank the night away. 

~*~

The next morning, you went to go grab some medical supplies for the group before heading out to the next city. You wanted to go alone and not bother anyone since you wanted to take care of things as soon as possible. You were about to head back until you stopped in your tracks when your eyes locked on to someone you least expected.

“Do my eyes deceive me? Is that you y/n?”

You couldn’t believe that the priest from your old church was right there standing across from you.

“No, it can’t be. Why are you here?” you asked taking a step back.

“Oh come now, is that how you welcome me after we’ve been searching for you? After all, I practically knew you since you were born. We miss you and your parents as well. Why don’t you come back with us and leave this wretched town? You’re wasting your efforts on saving people who don’t deserve to be saved,” he offered.

You were practically frozen in your tracks, horrified that this was real and not some nightmare.

“That’s not true, I’ve helped so many people who deserve a second chance. You only let me help people you wanted to save and shunned people who really needed it. I had to watch people suffer when we turned them away when we easily could have helped them. What you did was not right or godly! You made people suffer!” you argued shaking from anger and fear.

“I see you’re still going through a rebellious phase. You should know that suffering brings us closer to God remember? As for helping people in need… You say that, yet how would those same people felt if they knew the real you?” he asked as you felt your stomach do knots.

“That’s right, no one would understand you but us my dear. A runaway who abandoned their parents, church, and community just so they can explore the world? I don’t think people would like that now would they? No matter, if you come back I’ll forgive you of all your sins and the trouble you’ve caused since you left. You wouldn’t want to upset your parents more do you? After all, they’ve been a laughing stock ever since you left us. Maybe they’ll forgive you if you’re obedient again. Even your friends, they’ve all been punished by your leave. It’s your fault you know. You brought this upon yourself” he continued as you felt the guilt crawling up your neck. You dropped your supplies and looked at the ground feeling trapped. He knew how to get in your head. You hate how he still had a hold of you mentally. You didn’t realize how your departure would affect other people. Were you causing more harm than good?

“That’s what I thought, I’ll take that as a yes. Let’s bring you home shall we?” the priest spoke as he walked closer to you. Your heart was racing as you were screaming to get your body to move. This is not what you wanted, but you were paralyzed with these overwhelming emotions and thoughts. Maybe this was for the best? Maybe you were being a burden? Did you even consider how others felt about you joining them?

SLAP!

You looked up to see Wolfwood was in front of you and how he slapped the priest’s face.

“Wolfwood...” you spoke.

“Take another step towards ‘em and I’ll be sending you a one way ticket to the afterlife, and I guarantee you’re not going to Heaven,” Wolfwood threatened.

“How dare you hit a messenger of God! You must be one of the people who’s been filling their head with nonsense. Let me guess, Y/b must have sold you the sob story about how horrible we were just so they can follow those selfish desires,” the priest hissed.

“Shut up! Some priest you are! You say you miss Y/n and that you’ll forgive ‘em, yet here you are making them feel like it’s their fault for everything? For the record, Y/n has saved more people than you can count compared to your stupid cult! I trust them more than someone who claims to be symbol of God,” Wolfwood spat back.

“And just who are you to insult me?” the priest asked.

“I’m the Punisher! I make a better priest than you fool! And for the record, you didn’t even ask Y/n to choose asshole! Y/n is a person who can make their own decisions! Let them decide who they want to be with,” Wolfwood offered.

“Fine then, y/n who do you choose? Your family and community that truly know you or this unholy man you barely met?” the priest asked. You looked at Wolfwood as he looked behind you with his hand reaching out to yours. The priest did the same as you bit your thumb. You then looked at Wolfwood again as he said something only you could hear. “Whatever you choose, I respect. Just know, I felt like I was the luckiest guy on No Man’s Land when you took care of me that day we meet. I meant everything I said last night. Anyone is lucky to have you with them, including me...y/n,” he spoke.

Your glossy eyes widened as you felt your mouth quiver. You were shaking, but hearing those words did something to you. How could you possibly forget about last night? The fact that he was serious and not influenced by the alcohol made you realize something. Wolfwood accepted you for who you were. He listened to you and gave you the time of day. He didn’t judge you when you opened up about your past. He liked you for you. You ran to Wolfwood and held on to him for dear life as you buried your head on his chest.

“I choose you! I choose you Wolfwood! I will always choose you!” you managed to let out as you started crying. You felt him hold you tight as he caressed your hair.

“Don’t worry, you’re safe with me angel,” he reassured and then looked at the priest.

“If you lay one finger on ‘em, or if I so much catch you trying to guilt trip Y/n again, I’ll skin you alive and play with your bones until you’re dead. You’re lucky I didn’t bring my weapon or I would shoot you on the spot. You got that?!” Wolfwood sneered as he held you close to his side.

The priest staggered as he took a step back and ran the other direction as he looked in fear. Hopefully that was the last you would ever see of him.

“Hey, you’re okay now. He’s gone,” Wolfwood said as you felt your legs give out from how mentally and emotionally exhausted you were.

“How did you know I was here?” you asked.

“You took too long and figured something happened. Glad I went looking for you,” he said as he picked up your things and put it in your bag. You tried to stop crying, but no luck. You then saw Wolfwood give you one of his lollipops.

“Take it, you need it after today. It’s your favorite flavor anyway,” he offered. You popped the sweet candy into your mouth. 

“Thank you Wolfwood,” you managed to speak as you tried to stop the tears from flowing.

“Can you stand?” He asked as you shook your head.

He then picked you up bridal style leaving you flustered. You figured he was strong enough to carry you since he carried that machine gun of his all the time. But him carrying you? That’s a first.

“Save it, let’s get you back with the others. Plus, I meant what I said back there earlier. I’m not letting anyone hurt the person I care about so long as you’re with me. Got it?” he said as he carried you back to the hotel you were staying at. he held a firm grip on you making sure you were secure in his arms.

You held on to him on the way back just listening to his heart beat. You were lucky to have him. He kept you safe and sound after everything that happened. You felt yourself getting sleepy, but you also kept true to your word. If you could choose all over again, you would always choose him.  

[a-chip-in-inosukes-nichirin]

Shot Through the Heart and You're (Not) to Blame

Fandom: Trigun Stampede

Rating: Teen/Mature

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Angst

Pairings: Meryl Stryfe/Nicholas Wolfwood/Vash the Stampede (can be read as platonic or romantic)

Tags: Meryl Stryfe, Vash the Stampede, Wolfwood/Nicholas, Roberto, Whump, angst, Protective Wolfwood, Protective Roberto, Protective Vash, father-figure Roberto, bullet wounds, injuries, Violence, Canon-typical misogyny, Swearing, blood, Hurt Meryl, Meryl Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Third Person POV, Meryl-centric

Word Count: 2.9k

Meryl gets caught in the crossfire, and things don't look so good.

Cross posted from my AO3 account

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meryl rolled over, still groggy as her lids started to lift, the blanket tucked tightly around her shoulders. The double bed she’d shared with Vash last night was suspiciously empty and her sleep fogged mind wondered if he’d gotten up to use the bathroom. Usually, she and Roberto would share one double while Wolfwood and Vash shared the other, but her superior and the so-called priest decided to stay up smoking and drinking despite the plans to leave early the next morning, leaving her grumbling about being woken up when they finally decided to head to bed. Vash had timidly offered to share the room with her as he was tired as well, and after a moment of consideration and squinting at the human typhoon, Roberto nodded.

They two of them had settled down to sleep with minimal talking, Meryl asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. She’d slept like a rock until waking up just now from the sound of the doorknob jiggling.

Vash must have forgotten his key, she thought and sighed, not wanting to leave the cozy warmth of the bed just yet.

A sharp crack! had her eyes snapping open as she pushed herself up, short hair stuck to her face. The door had been busted open, handle now broken. She was about to snap at Vash for being impatient when she froze. Vash was not in the doorway. Nor was it Roberto or Wolfwood. She didn’t recognize any of the men standing there, guns levelled at her head. They wore dirty tank tops that left their broad, sunburned shoulders out, heavy boots, and thick, loose pants.

“Where is he?”

“Who?” Meryl’s heart was pounding loudly in her ears.

“The Humaniod Typhoon; where is he?”

“I don’t know,” Meryl said. It was the truth. He was gone when she woke. Where? Who knows. He was the Human Typhoon; he didn’t exactly keep a schedule.

“Don’t play dumb,” the tallest -and broadest- man strode forward, the rest of the men spilling into the room behind him. “The innkeeper said he was in this room!”

“Well, he’s obviously not!” Meryl snapped, her nerves getting the better of her. She regretted not sleeping with a gun under her pillow.

A shot rang out, and Meryl gasped, clutching her calf where a bullet had grazed. Small feathers puffed up from the hole in the bed where the bullet had ripped through the mattress.

“I’d think twice about lying, whore,” the man was uncomfortably close to Meryl. She could see his stained teeth and smell the tobacco on his breath. The other men were rooting around the room, searching for clues.

“I’m not! He left already!” Meryl gritted her teeth, a hand pressing to where blood beaded on her leg. It wasn’t deep; it probably wouldn’t need stitches. Still hurt like a bitch though.

“Then tell me where he is now,” the barrel of the gun was pressed against her collarbone. The cool metal of the gun barrel made her shiver. “Or things may get a little messy.”

“He didn’t tell me.”

The barrel of the gun pulled away and Meryl let out the breath she was holding. The man turned his back, taking a step away and sighing. His once-white tank top stretching even more as he took in a deep breath, gun resting against his shoulder in what could only be described as “nonchalant”. Meryl had the briefest hope that they would all just file out of the room without any further conflict.

Meryl registered the gun smoke and noise before realizing she was falling backwards off the edge of the bed. She hit the ground with a thud, wondering what had knocked her there. She could hear commotion near the door, which was blocked from her view on the floor. Several rounds of gunshots pierced the air. Cries were heard and gurgling like someone choking on their own blood. Something slid down her face and she reached a hand up to wipe it away as she tried to push herself up from where she’d been knocked on her back.

She pulled her hand away to see blood. Was that hers? Meryl realized the gurgling had been coming from her throat and she coughed, trying to pull in air. Blood dribbled down her chin and onto her rapidly darkening shirt. There was a spot that was pulsing, burning with pain. Thick, dark fluid spilled from a hole a little under her right collarbone.

The realization hit Meryl like a truck as her arms gave out and she fell back to the floor. She’d been shot. Meryl had close calls before; almost falling off the edge of a crumbling cliff, bullets grazing her on occasion during a shootout, getting knocked around a bit, but she’d never been in any actual danger of losing her life before. Up until now, she’d been protected by an immense amount of luck.  Roberto had always been there to pull her out of the way while Vash or Wolfwood took care of whatever was causing the problem. She wasn’t genetically modified like Wolfwood or skilled like Vash. Bullets and falls would cause lasting damage.

The pain was radiating from the wound, rolling over her with each heartbeat. She tried to maneuver her hand to stop the bleeding but everything felt heavy and disjointed. How much blood had she lost? It felt like a lot. She was drenched with blood and sweat, adrenaline running through her body, but refusing to make itself useful.

Shots rang out for an eternity before dying down.

“Where the hell are they?” she heard Roberto’s voice, laced with worry.

“Hell if I know,” a dull thud that must have been the Punisher hitting the floor was heard on the other side of the bed.

Meryl tried to call out, but her head felt light. She couldn’t get enough air into her lungs.

Running feet were heard faintly before, “Oi! Where were you?”

Vash’s voice sounded after a moment of panting, “I… I was buying bullets before we left.”

“Well, where’s shortie?”

Meryl wanted to scream, I’m here! Help me, I’m bleeding out! She’d never been one for tears- she was a tough reporter- but they stung her eyes as she opened her mouth to take in as much air as she could, her lungs not cooperating.

“She was still sleeping when I left.”

“There’s blood on the bed,” she heard Wolfwood curse softly.

Three figures appeared in Meryl’s field of view. They were all a little blurry from the tears in her eyes, but they were there.

“R...ber…” Meryl gurgled, struggling as the blood that had accumulated in her mouth spilled over her chin.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Roberto was kneeling next to Meryl, both hands pressed to her chest, staunching the sluggish blood flow.

“Why the hell did you leave her here alone?!” Wolfwood was yelling at Vash.

“I-I’m sorry,” Vash’s face had crumpled into guilt and shame.

It’s not his fault, Meryl wanted to say. She’d do anything to make that look on his face go away. He already suffered so much regret and guilt; she couldn’t be another burden.

“S-sss…” Meryl hissed, unable to form words.

“Don’t try talking,” Roberto murmured. It was unusual for Meryl to see him this serious. He’d always been more laid back, leaving her to do all the worrying.

Wolfwood had knelt down opposite Roberto on the other side of Meryl. He had a lollypop stick clenched between his teeth. Meryl could feel tears dripping down her face as the pressure applied by Roberto didn’t exactly feel comfortable.

“She’s bleeding out. I’ve got it slowed, but I need bandages,” Roberto pointed to where Punisher sat propped against the wall.

With uncharacteristic obedience, Wolfwood swiftly unwrapped the cloth from his cross and handed it to the reporter. Vash was frozen behind them, panic painting his features. Meryl could see the thoughts at war in his head. He trying to decide if he should run. Meryl’s mind wasn’t sharp right now, but she knew that if he ran, they’d likely never see each other again. Meryl reached out a shaky hand.

“Vvv…Vashhh,” she slurred, her lips not quite working.

His eyes snapped to where she lay, Roberto on one side, Wolfwood on the other, white shirt stained crimson, blood pooling in the hollow of her throat.

One second.

Two.

“Dammit, needle-noggin’, she’s asking for you so get your ass over here!” Wolfwood snapped.

Vash settled himself at Meryl’s head with lightning speed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he breathed repentance like a prayer, muttering with his eyes pressed tightly together, his forehead touching hers as he provided his lap as a cushion for her head.

“We need to get the bullet out,” Roberto glanced down at Meryl. “It’s going to hurt.”

Meryl’s only response was a gentle fluttering of her eyelids. She felt so tired…

She was only mildly aware of her shirt buttons being undone, and the strap of her bra being pushed off her shoulder and out of the way. Something bumped the wound and she jerked, the raw nerves screaming. Roberto was digging in the hole under her clavicle with a pair of tweezers, or something similar. Every time they touched her exposed flesh it stung.

“Got it,” Roberto tossed the offending metal to the side and immediately uncorked his flask.

This really wasn’t the time to be drinking, Meryl thought.

Roberto paused, and then poured the contents directly onto wound. Screams burned her throat as she thrashed. Vash pressed his lips to her forehead, hands carding through her damp hair in some semblance of comfort.

“Stop, stop!” Meryl screamed. The booze dribbled into the cavity created by the bullet, and it was almost worse than everything else. Her body went limp, adrenaline slowing as Roberto and Wolfwood tag-teamed wrapping her with bandages and wiping of the remaining blood. Meryl’s teeth were chattering, whimpers escaping her lips in a pathetic display of weakness as she turned her head and pressed into Vash’s human hand, seeking comfort. His touches were gentle as he caressed her cheek. Fat, salty tears dripped onto her face from Vash’s eyes.

“I never should’ve left you alone,” he whispered, voice tight with guilt.

“We need to get moving,” Wolfwood’s eyes shifted to the holes in the bedroom wall. “It’s not safe to stay here.”

Roberto gave a grunt and tightened the bandages. In one swift motion, the older man had Meryl cradled in his arms. Vash and Wolfwood were close on his heels as they made a beeline for the truck.

“One of you will need to sit in the back with her,” Roberto said, “Keep an eye on her while I drive.”

“I’ll do it,” the words were out of Vash’s mouth before he could stop them.

Wolfwood pressed his lips together, an unspoken comment lingering in the air. Vash climbed into the backseat and Roberto passed Meryl up.

“Don’t let her jostle around too much.”

Vash took off his coat and wrapped it around Meryl, zipping it up so she looked more like a caterpillar than a human. He settled her down so her head lay on his lap again, and began running his hands through her hair. Meryl had fallen asleep at some point during the trek to the truck, her chest rising and falling with the exhaustion of a life-threatening ordeal.

If only I’d been there… Vash traced the round part of Meryl’s cheek, still speckled with a little blood. He was never there when someone really needed him.

The truck rumbled to life and gently bumped out into the desert and across the wide expanse of sand. The drive was silent for a long time as the sand stretched out behind them, putting distance between them and the town. Roberto glanced up to the rearview mirror after a while, noting the crumbling expression on the Vash’s face.

“She’ll survive,” he said gruffly. “Just make sure her wound doesn’t reopen.”

Vash nodded mutely. Wolfwood snuck a glance back at Meryl. Her brows were furrowed as she turned her head towards the front, eyes screwed shut still.

I should’ve gotten there faster, Wolfwood clenched his teeth, pulling out a cigarette. He rolled the window down a crack and lit the end. If only I’d gone to check right when I heard the first gunshot.

Roberto leaned his head back against his seat, letting out a long breath through his nose. Wolfwood glanced at the man, who seemed to have aged ten years in the last few hours. He pulled out another cigarette and held it out to the reporter. Roberto raised his brows a fraction but took it and even allowed Wolfwood to light it for him.

“I never should’ve left the newbie alone,” Roberto sighed, puffing out the smoke. “She’s… my responsibility. I should’ve been watching her.”

“It’s not!” Vash had to stop himself from jumping forward. “It-it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left her alone. I thought it would be fine, I was just restocking bullets before we left, but… It’s all my fault…”

Wolfwood took a drag from his cigarette. “You’re right.”

Vash stiffened.

“It is your fault for leaving her. It’s the old man’s fault for letting her share a room with you instead of someone else. And it’s my fault for not getting there sooner.” Wolfwood kept his eyes glued to the window, refusing to meet the shocked gaze of Vash. “We’re all at fault. So shut up and stop whining about it. Just… make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Vash nodded; the harsh words strangely comforting. He couldn’t help the tears swelling up, plip-plip-plipping onto the jacket wrapped around Meryl.

The small reporter shifted, turning her head towards away from the front of the car and towards Vash’s stomach. The plant froze, doing his best to not wake her. A small hand lifted and was enveloped by Vash’s large one.

“V-Vash?” Meryl asked, her eyes still closed.

“I’m here,” he put his free hand on her head.

“Promise…”

“Promise?” he cocked his head.

“Promise you won’t run away,” she murmured.

Vash swallowed. It was all he’d wanted to do since seeing her laying there on the floor of the hotel, eyes wide with terror as the blood had bubbled out of her. Every moment he wanted to flee; afraid his presence would kill her. He was dangerous.

“You’re… a good guy,” Meryl shifted, nuzzling into his black shirt gently.

Butterflies jumped in Vash’s abdomen, her pointy nose tickling him. Warmth bloomed across his cheeks and chest.

“You’re delirious,” Vash mumbled.

A bullet bounced off the passenger side mirror.

“We’ve got company, old man,” Wolfwood said, glancing at the mirror, which was miraculously still intact, minus a chip in the edge.

Roberto’s foot pressed down on the gas. Vash placed a hand on Meryl’s stomach to steady her as the car began to shake.

“Who is it?”

Wolfwood looked out the window. “Looks like a small group of bounty hunters. Probably the rest of that group that we left in the hotel room.”

 The car bounced, hitting a bump in the sand. Meryl cried out, hands flying to her chest. Vash pulled down the zipper frantically and watched in horror as the bandages started to darken.

“Shit, Roberto, fuck!” he pressed down on the wound. “She’s bleeding again!”

The older man slowed the truck a fraction in an attempt to smooth the ride out. Vash swore again, panicked as he felt the warm liquid still bubbling up and around his hand.

“It’s still too bumpy!”

“We can’t slow down much more than this or we’ll be dealing with more than one bullet wound,” Roberto’s knuckles were white as he gripped the wheel.

“Keep driving, I’ve got this,” Wolfwood said grimly. He climbed out the window, pulling himself onto the roof of the truck. Jumping the small space between the truck and the trailer, he crouched to avoid the bullets that whistled past. He pulled Punisher from its spot under the bags and lifted it, setting his sights on the rapidly approaching group. It wasn’t a big group, thank god. It looked to be about seven riders on Tomas’s and two vehicles holding two or three people. Wolfwood levelled Punisher and steadied the weapon, eyeing the group. A bullet clipped his shoulder and he had to regain his balance. Once he was solid again, he looked down the sights and scowled.

“This is for shortie,” he muttered and fired.

Inside the truck Vash was struggling to keep Meryl’s wound from reopening. He could hear the Punisher firing repeatedly. Several moments later Wolfwood slid back in through the window.

“You can slow down old man,” he grunted, looking a bit dustier than before. “I took care of them.”

“You didn’t kill them-”

“Yes, I did,” Wolfwood snapped at Vash. “And don’t give me shit about it. It was that or shortie here bleeds out.”

Meryl’s eyes opened in a squint as Roberto slowed the truck to a crawl.

“Thank you… Wolfwood,” she smiled blearily.

The dark-haired man couldn’t hide his red ears as he muttered to himself, turning back to gaze out the front window. “Shut up and stop bleeding already.”

“How’s she doing,” Roberto glanced in the rearview mirror.

“I think its starting to stop,” Vash said, still pressing down with enough force that it felt like Meryl’s ribs would crack.

“Good,” Roberto relaxed a fraction.

There was a beat of silence.

“I could use a drink,” Meryl croaked.

Roberto cracked a tired smile. “Me too, rookie. Me too.”

[tyriq-edits]

In the plain of Nysa

Milly Thompson - Iphigenia

Based on Iphigenia

Met Vash during the beginning of the Trojan war and the two of them became friends very fast when her father (or simply Agamemnon) asked her to come down to the harbour/beach so she could get married to Achilles (or some other reason).

But it is later revealed to be a lie and she should actually get sacrificed to the goddess Meryl to appease the goddess so the wind may return and the ships may sail to Troy.

Unbeknownst to Vash and everyone else however, Milly did not die during the sacrifice as Meryl had swooped down to save her just as the flames were about to reach her and spirited Milly away and made her immortal through Ambrosia.

She has spent the past 800 years on an island as a priestess and huntress of Artemis

Regularly visits the sanctuary of Nysa to deliver ambrosia and nectar to Vash to keep up his immortality and powers.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~

In the plain of Nysa - Synopsis:

Loosely based on the myth of Persephone and Hades.

Vash, the god of peace and twin brother of Nai, the god of war, has been sheltered for millenia within the safe havens of Mount Olympus. Or rather has been held captive by his brother for millenia.

That is until the goddess of the hunt Meryl and a satyr named Roberto help the deity to escape from Olympus into the human realm. There Vash is forced to hide in a small temple from his brother where he meets the priest Nicholas D. Wolfwood and slowly falls in love with him while also finding a sense of his own independence.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~

Other Moodboards for the plain of Nysa

Vash - Persephone

Nicholas D. Wolfwood - Hades

Nai -Ares/Demeter

Meryl Stryfe - Artemis

Roberto de Niro - Satyr

Livio the double fang - a seer

Legato Bluesummers - the Hierophant

Zazie - a dryad

Luida - Demeter

Brad - Hephaestus

Rem - Athena

Tesla - Nike

[plague-of-insomnia]

Vatican Miracle Examiner Vocab: Chapter 1

100+ vocab terms from Ch 1, Vol 1 of the 5-part manga series.

Mostly Catholic terms in Japanese and unique usage related to the series.

This list is not exhaustive. I focused on terms that would be unfamiliar (or unfamiliar as used in this series), and/or directly relate to Catholic terminology in Japanese.

I list part of speech, pronunciation, and simple definitions. I have not included additional of these if they are not relevant to this series.

Character names will have titles where applicable and those will be in brackets to minimize confusion; titles will be listed under general vocab as well.

At the end of the list I’ll have a few sources for some of the more obscure terms in case you want to read more or get better context.

As of now I have things listed in the order in which they appear, roughly, in the manga.

Note: This will be a long post since it’s the first chapter in the series and 31 pages long.

~#~

Character Names/Places

Note: I’ve chosen to spell names close to the katakana spellings; keep in mind some may be transcribed with slightly different spellings (like Joseph instead of Josef).

平賀•ヨゼフ•�� [神父] - Hiraga, Josef Kou [Father], Franciscan order

ロベルト•ニコラス[神父] - Roberto, Nicholas [Father], Franciscan order

良太 - Ryota (Josef’s younger brother)

サウロ[大司教] - Saul [Archbishop] , Franciscan order

ニコラス[枢機卿] - Nicholas [Cardinal], secretary of the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints (also potentially the head of the miracle examiners), also known as “the prefect (of the Curia)” in English

ドンナ•ドロレス - Donna Dolores, a nun from St Rosario Church

[大天使]ミカエル - [Archangel] Michael

[聖]ペテ - [Saint] Peter

パウロ[大司教] - [Archbishop] Paul, Dominican order

アントニウス[神父] - [Father] Antonius

セントロザリオ教会 - St Rosario Church, a church in South America where Josef & Roberto are sent to investigate

バチカソ市国 - Vatican City, the City state of the Vatican

Other Vocab

奇跡、きせき (n; の adj) miracle

常識、じょうしき (n) common sense, common knowledge, common practice

科学、かがく (n) science

説明、せつめい (n, する v; trans v) explanation, account, caption, legend, description

不可思議、ふかしぎ (な adj; n; yojijukugo) mystery, miracle, something inexplicable, unfathomable

現象、げんしょう (n) phenomenon

神、かみ (n) God, divinity

御業、みわざ (n) the works (of the gods)

真偽、しんぎ (n) veracity, authenticity

確かめる、たしかめる (Ichidan v; trans v) to ascertain, to check, to make sure

神父、しんぷ (n) Catholic priest [Note: this is the term used when speaking to someone , like “Father” So-and-So, as opposed to a general word for priest, 司祭, which you don’t use when speaking TO someone but rather about them.]

害、がい (n) evil influence

礼服、れいふく (n) cassock, vestments, etc

暗号、あんごう (n; のadj) code, cipher, password

解読、かいどく (n; するv; trans v) deciphering, decoding

聖年、せいねん (n) holy year, jubilee [see additional notes below]

大聖年、だいせいねん (n) the Great Jubilee (of 2000)

聖堂、せいどう (n) church

バチカン (n) (the) Vatican

市国、しこく (n) city state (as in the Vatican)

宗教、しゅつきょう (n) religion, faith

ブラザー(n) brother (as in, a monk or priest)

天使、てんし (n;のadj) Angel

悪魔、あくま (n) devil, demon, the Devil (Satan)

骨肉腫、こつにくしゅ (n) osteosarcoma

治療費、ちりょうひ (n) cost of medical treatment

ルルドの泉、いすみ (n) Fountain of Lourdes, aka home of “Lourdes Water” in France

奇跡調査官、きせきちょうさかん (n) miracle examiner

調査、ちょうさ (n; するv; trans v) investigation, examination

聖痕現象、スティグマータ (n) stigmata (phenomenon)

未知、みち (のadj; n) the unknown

知れる、しれる (ichidan v; intrans v) to become known; to be discovered; to be known; to be understood

舞い込む、まいこむ (godan v む ending; intrans v) to happen unexpectedly

大司教、だいしきょう (n) archbishop

キリスト (n) (Jesus) Christ

聖書、せいしょ (n) Bible, scriptures, holy writ

黙示録、もくしろく (n) book of revelation; the apocalypse

悪魔が書いた魔法書 - literally, “magic writing written by the devil” [see additional notes below]

古文書、こもんじょ (n) historical document, ancient manuscripts

断片、だんぺん (n) fragment

読む、よむ (godan v, む ending; trans v) to decipher, to read, to recite (a sutra, prayer)

原文、げんぶん (n) original text

会、かい (n; n suffix) meeting, assembly, conference, clerical order

イエズス会 (n) society of Jesus, aka Jesuit order

ドミニコ会 (n) Dominican order

フランシスコ会 (n) Franciscan order (which Josef and Roberto belong to)

派閥 (n; のadj) faction; used in the manga as in orders of priests

破門、はもん (n; するv; のadj) excommunication

枢機卿、すうききょう (n) Cardinal (title)

執行部、しっこうぶ (n) leadership (for example, the Roman Curia, that is the administration of the Vatican)

列聖、れっせい (n; するv) canonization (of a Saint)

列聖省長官、れっせいしょうちょうかん (n) literally, “canonization ministry secretary”; I believe this is intended to refer to the Secretary/Director of the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints; a position in the Vatican overseeing things related to canonization [see additional notes]

祈り、いのり (n) prayer

申請書、しんせいしょ(n) Written application

申請、 しんせい (n; する v; trans v) application, petition, request

教会、しょうかい (n) church, congregation

修道女、しゅうどうじょ (n) nun

大天使、だいてんし (n) archangel

神の子、かみのこ (n) son of God (Jesus Christ); child of God (Christian)

処女懐胎、しょじょかいたい (n) virgin birth, such as Mary with Jesus (immaculate conception)

受胎、じゅたい (n; するv; intrans v) conception

聖母、せいぼ (n) Virgin Mary; holy mother

カソリック (n) Catholic, Catholicism, Catholic Church [note there are a couple diff katakana spellings of this word, but this one is used in VME]

受肉、じゅにく(n) (Christ’s) incarnation (as Jesus of Nazareth)

降臨、こうりん (n; するv) descent to earth (of a god); advent; epiphany

罪、つみ (n; なadj; のadj) sin

永遠、えいえん (n; なadj) eternity; immortality

贖う、あがなう (godan v, う ending; trans v) to atone for

最後の審判、さいごのしんぱん (n) judgment day; final judgment (religious sense)

聖、せい (n) Saint (may also be written with katakana, as in 「セント」, like “St Rosario’s Church”

ローム (n) Rome

司教、しきょう (n) bishop (catholic)

代理人、だいりにん (n) proxy, representative

存在意義、ぞんざいいぎ (n) raison d'être, reason for existing

冒涜、ぼうとく (n; するv) blasphemy, sacrilege, desecration

主、しゅ (n) the Lord (God)

カルト (n) cult

教徒、しょうと (n) believer, adherent

法王、ほうおう (n) Pope; aka ローム法王

司祭、しさい (n; のadj) a priest [do not confuse with 神父, the title of “Father”]

大罪、たいざい、(n) mortal sin, grave sin

契約、けいやく (n; するv; trans v) covenant, contract, pact [as in a deal with the devil]

最高責任者、さいこうせきにんしゃ (n) chief executive [such as, of the Vatican Bank]

教皇庁、きょうこうちょう(n) the Curia, the administration of the Vatican

地位、ちい (n) position, such as within the Vatican hierarchy, or in line to be a papal candidate

潜り込む、 もぐりこみ (Godan v, む ending; intrans v) to go undercover, to infiltrate

マリア (n) (the Virgin) Mary [sometimes seen as 聖母マリア]

聖母子 (n) Virgin and Child, Mary & Baby Jesus

全知全能、ぜんちぜんのう (n; のadj; yojijukugo) omnipotence and omniscient, all powerful and all knowing

救世主、きゅうせいしゅ (n) savior, the messiah, Jesus Christ (the messiah, savior)

背徳、はいとく (n) immorality, corruption, lapse of virtue

堕落、だらく (n; するv) depravity, degradation, corruption

偶像、ぐうぞう (n) idol, image, statue

天罰、てんぼつ (n) divine punishment, wrath of God, judgment of heaven

主よ、しゅよ (なadj; n) Lord, head (of a group)

信仰、しんこう (n;するv; trans v) (religious) faith, belief

印、しるし (n) a sign

聖所、せいじゅ (n) sanctuary, inner sanctum

邪悪、じゃあく (なadj;n) wicked, evil

~#~

Additional Notes

Holy year, 聖年 ; Great Jubilee, 大聖年

“Devil’s book,” 悪魔が書いた魔法書

I did a lot of searching trying to figure out what book, specifically, was meant here, and came up with 2 possibilities:

the Gigas Codex, ギガス写本 or 悪魔の聖書, a book that is not held by the Vatican but was supposedly written with magical assistance from Satan himself;

the Grand Grimoire, 大奥義書 or 大いなる教書, not written by Satan but that is held by the Vatican.

It’s possibly intended to be vague, but the exact phrasing here is different than used for either of these actual books and I couldn’t find any other possible real option. Note the anime does call a book “the devil’s book” and describe it as a “Bible written by the devil” but it doesn’t seem to really be a reference to Gigas, so maybe it’s intended to be a fictional book inspired by these real texts for the purposes of the story.

Secretary of Dicastery of the Causes of Saints - 列聖省長官

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicastery_for_the_Causes_of_Saints

~#~

As always, I’m human and make mistakes. If you find anything feel free to let me know.

[postguiltypleasures]

My Peak TV Journey *Betty la Fea La Historia Continua*

I need to say upfront, that I was really excited about this series, and I remain mostly satisfied. I look forward to the second season continuing (and wrapping up?) this story. I also finished watching the edited-for-Peacock version of the original.  I will say that the sequel is for people like me, people who think the original loses steam after the return from Cartagena. While the original series shows Armando in touch with his emotions, it doesn’t show him having any idea how to act on them in a healthy manner. Despite this he and Betty accept that they’re still in love, generally better together so they get together without resolving Betty’s deep trust issues, or how Armando still needs to learn anger management and better communication skills. It’s amazing they lasted as long as they did.

I don’t want to fight anyone over the quality of the series, but there are some things I have to defend. Namely the structural differences between the sequel and original. By structural, I mean mostly pacing, cast size, and how information is revealed. The differences between setting up a story that will most likely run through through hundreds of episodes more or less uninterrupted for over a year vs something that the two episode once a week, for a total of ten where continuation will be indefinite is essentially a change of medium. The techniques and rules for storytelling change. The now de-cannonized sequel spinoff Ecomoda is criticized for being too much of a sitcom when figuring out how to deal with similar structural change.  La Hisotria Continua is more like the original telenovela in tone and plot points, but those have to unfold differently than the original. (Also in being more like the original, it’s going to torture its main characters anew. If you can’t accept it, don’t watch and don’t comment.) In the original an early episode is dedicated to Betty and Nicholas reading a magazine covering an event Ecomoda hosted, with flashbacks to said event. Through this we really get to know many of the major characters and what they are trying to do. This season comes with the assumption that we are familiar with most of the characters, but we don’t really know what they’ve been up to, and most importantly, we don’t know how they relate to the new characters. Crucially, it isn’t laid out so we know what kind of danger Betty is walking into this time. In the original the intrigue was “what will happen?” Here it’s more “what has happened?” This comes with mixed results. The first episode especially felt needlessly confusing. And even by the end of the season, there were things, like how and why Majo got involved with Ecomoda, that I wish had been clarified already. However, there was a moment in the second episode made it more clear that they knew what they were doing. This starts with Betty telling Bertha and Sandra that she was not a good president of Ecomoda because she only made the rich richer. I took this as a sign that this was taking on the extreme classism in the original, how it was mostly treated as “that’s the way the world works” kind of way. 

The series opens at Don Roberto’s (Armando’s father) funeral. Armando’s relationship with his father was always  fucked up though the original series seemed to lose interest in the more negative aspects of his character as it went on. One of the messed up things about their relationship was how accommodating Roberto was to Daniel, son of his former business associates and Armando’s rival. The not too subtle subtext is that Roberto thought of Daniel as a more serious minded person for business and wished Armando was more like him, while also showing little to know interest in anything else about who Armando was as a person. He didn’t have much interest in who Daniel was as a person either. This all business approach helped him appear to be out of the fray, when he really very much was in it. In the new series, through  a video of his will, Roberto sets up a plan for Ecomoda that manipulates a reluctant Betty back into the office of the presidency while telling Armando how he once again failed as president.  No wonder after Roberto’s death Armando is haunted by visions of Roberto saying Armando should have spent more time in prison, and that he doesn’t deserve someone as wonderful as Betty. The latter statement is ironic, given that Roberto treated Betty pretty coldly. Everyone ignores the fact that in the original series when they first met he refused to shake her hand. Roberto definitely deserves some of the blame for how Marcela became a lingering presence over Betty and Armando’s marriage, and Betty never feeling entirely welcome in the Mendoza family. And of course as we later learn, her fired Betty to appease Marcela, when that was bad for everyone.

Looking back after the season, I think Marcela might have been the character who most benefited from the changes in structure. The story was put into motion by her worst qualities, her anger, lack of curiosity, the ways she isolates herself. But she didn’t have enough air time to for these traits to become too tiresome and have us give up on her. And she is left in a position where she has to make some life changing decisions. We learn early on Marcela blames Betty for Daniel’s downfall. Betty was aware that something was wrong with the company financially, alerted the police and the investigation led to Daniel being arrested for money laundering and then being murdered in prison. But, for the plot of this series, the real issue is how aggressively Marcela only sees what she wants to see. Marcela seems to have natural blinders towards so much in life. She wants vengeance against Betty and Armando by forcing them out of Ecomoda and then taking over with Ignacio. But she is not paying attention to what Ignacio is doing. When she learns if a lot of it in the last episodes she’s appalled. Her relationship with Ignacio is the inverse of how she treated Armando as a boyfriend. But it is reminiscent of how she never had interest in the running of Ecomoda, never checked in on Armando and Mario’s business schemes and ignored how her brother sexually harassed her best friend. So her not checking in more on Nacho feels in character, if a part of her character that’s always been frustrating. After the reveal that Ignacio is her half brother, instead of her nephew as she believed, I began to wonder if it was a revelation to force her to change this aspect of her character? Does knowing her father had a second family make her aware that this isn’t just keeping her head high out of the muck? (Or whatever she says to herself.) She’s ignoring things that matter. It also made me think are we supposed to reassess her constant monitoring of Armando during their relationship as some kind of subconscious way of making up of all the ways she ignored the poor behavior of the men in her immediate family? For most of the season the relationship between Marcela and Nacho was treated as a mystery, much of the office assuming that he was her boyfriend, while fans knew he was a secret member of the Valencia family and having the full answer include how much Marcela doesn’t look at or explore things involving her familys interesting. I hope the next season follows up on this. Some of the follow up will involve Pascual, Nacho’s secret parter and Marcela’s new love interest. I’m not sure Pascual will actually be good for Marcela in the long run.  She needs to have her single minded desire to hurt Betty and Armando broken by other desires. And I don’t think she’s thought of wanting anything else for a while. But he gives mixed messages all the time. As a secret patter who express interest in becoming part of the high society fashion world. But in his first scene he says the line “Para mi papero y papito son los mismos nombres.”  Indicating he’s not that interested in changing his identity.  He has a couple of ugly divorces and says he wants to be fawned over by models, but he also is instantly smitten with Marcela and pursues her with the most blunt and crass language I can imagine.  He also has as little interest in remaking Ecomoda’s image as he does his own image, to Nacho’s presumed chagrin.

Marcela also had surprisingly little interaction Patricia, which did affect a lot of the show. It’s an interesting way showing of how people have changed and stayed the same. During the first episode I hated Bertha and Sandra’s jokes about Patricia’s husband. They were gross and agist.  (Later meeting him at the quinceñera flash back made Patricia’s relationship  seem like elder abuse. But, I kind of like that Patricia’s in a relationship that she wants to be known, but doesn’t want to bring attention to. It’s a change of pace from the original where she was single, desperate and frequently saying how she could have a boyfriend whenever she wanted. The change seems like an appropriate response to Daniel regularly offering to pimp her out to his friends. I also like that she was promoted to Gutierrez’s position as a way to show everything being different but similar. Patricia was always about bossing around el cuartel. Gutierrez also seemed to think of his job as chiding people back into looking busy whenever. The change in position a good reason for Bertha and Sandra’s renewed hatred for Patricia a fits with the ways Gutierrez was awful. Bertha’s obsession with “chisme” might actually make her good at the job, She can make people feel seen and heard and communicate between workers and executives. People could feel more motivated to work when they understand more of what is going on in the company. But it doesn’t fit with the intense classism that rules Ecomoda. It would be a view of the position completely alien to Gutierrez.  

As I was saying earlier, whatever is going on with Majo, Mario and Armando seems more needlessly confusing than intriguing. Why is Armando friendly with Majo again after her kiss at the end of the first episode causes such disruption? Those scenes with the them at the club were weird. I don’t for a second believe she’s an alternate love interest, but why should I care? As the season went on I find myself more intrigued by the lack of scenes between Majo and Mario. He talks her up whenever he’s alone with Armando and even expected her to have a conjugal visit with him in prison. Yet she never talks about Mario, and they never talk directly to each other. I’ve come to think of her as not so much wanting Armando, as wanting Armando to want a divorce because that what Mario, her secret real employer, wants. But this is based on absence, rather than what’s on screen. For what does Mario want control over Armando? And why is he still so bad at vetting potential business alliances? I hate the character of Mario, but the season could have improved by filling in some gaps about what he’s up to.

Betty’s alternate love interest, Esteban, isn’t a better defined character than Majo, but at least he’s not supposed to have created some kind of bond with the main characters off screen in the time between series’s.  He’s a better alternative love interest than Michel in that he’s a better listener and has more in common with Betty. But he’s still too boring to compete with Armando.

As someone who always thought Armando didn’t show enough what he learned, os that he necessarily knew how to be, I kind of loved events on the third and fourth episodes as revisiting things in the original series. This included punch Esteban like he punched Nicolas in the original for being a perceived romantic rival. While that was a new low originally, it didn’t motivate Armando to change his behavior. If anything, the original series suggests that violently lashing out is fine when you’re lashing out at the right people as demonstrated by him later punching Mario. His attempt to change includes joining a group therapy with Freddy. This leads to revisiting Armando in drag, only this time to better understand Betty’s point of view, not simply be emasculated for the failures of his toxic masculinity and homophobia as in the original. In some ways I felt for him more in this series than I did in the original. He just seemed so lost, but also not putting himself at the center of everything as he did in the original.  Betty briefly made him VP of Finances, a role to which he is not suited, but doing so gives him the time to confess to his misdeeds on his own time. I found myself wishing that they made Armando majoring in something more mechanical a bigger part of his character. Then I could say “that’s what he’s good at.” But he seems otherwise most interested in maintaining vendor and supplier relations which seems closer to Marcela’s specialty. Being at Ecomoda is bad for him as a person. During the flashback to the fight while Betty left him he says he sacrificed his social circle for their relationship. There is a truth to this. Mario’s ability to slip back into his life is a sight of how real it feels. But the bigger truth is that between the hours he spent at Ecomoda, and the class rigidity of the institution, he never had the opportunity to make new friendships. This is poignantly present in his scenes with Freddy, where we see how hard it is to accept Freddy as a friend. 

All this talk about how social hierarchies having ruinous effect on personal it’s time to do a brief, segue about the uses of “usted” and “tú” in both series, with the caveat that I am neither a native Spanish speaker nor a Colombian nor someone who’s ever been to Colombia. I know I’m missing a lot of cultural context. I have heard that Colombia uses “usted” more than other Spanish speaking countries. Still, the use in the original seemed extreme. It helped illustrate the ingrained classicism of the original. Betty and Armando reverting to “usted”  even en a flashback to happier times, after beginning to use “tú” near the end of the original is a bad sign. It adds opportunity to misunderstand one another and hints that they haven’t quite gotten over the class divide after years of marriage. In the original it sometimes seems like one has to be upper class to deign tutear. The Cuartel, Betty’s parents within their relationship and with Betty, as well as Betty with Nicolás all use “usted” with each other despite being personally close. In contrast to this Patricia’s use of "tú" comes off as impudent, and Nicolás only uses "tú" when trying to impress Patricia by pretending to have more money than he’s worth. This language barrier, in the original Betty sees herself as an extension of Armando who always had to prove herself. (This is common amongst Ecomoda employees, see Berta’s reluctance to share Gutierrez’s home phone number while he was sexually harassing Aura Maria and Sandra’s self-flagellation after lying to Mario.) By the new series Betty strongly associates more with the employees of Ecomoda than any of its owners. Which explains her return to “usted,” and Mila’s regular use of “tú” as a sign of how hard it is for them to get each other. The continuation seems pretty aware that this emphasis on formality was a not great set up for life.

Mila starts the season very angry with her mother and ends angry with her father. While taking notes I surmised that all the hurtful things Mila said to Betty early on showed a fear of understanding what happened between her parents. She knew it was too potentially painful. She chose to support Armando because she thought he wanted to reconnect in a way Betty didn’t. This fear is completely founded, and when she does find out about her parents history, the reason her mother quickly abandoned trust in her father, she switches allegiance. Though this happens right around the time Betty is starting to consciously realize that her reaction 

Early in the season Betty says something about needing to break vicious cycles. She’s right about that need, but her technique of just cutting off all contact is by now her own contribution vicious cycle, and therefore counter productive. She would have known more about what she was walking into returning to Ecomoda if she opened those emails. Also, while she definitely had the right to be angry with Armando about how his failed negotiations with Roberto and Marcela affected her, and the way she was cut out of them, it would have been better for all if after a couple of days of cooling down they decided to meet for counseling. The extended radio silence was just bad for everyone. Also I would like more detail on what Betty and Nicolas were up to in their time away from Ecomoda. I am under the impression that Doña Julia was ill and died during that time period, so Betty spent a lot of time with her mother during her last days and shut off any contact Armando tried to make simultaneously. But what else? What was she thinking about as possible futures? Nicolas is even more of a blank slate. All I know is that Mila has apparently t been telling I’m for yeas that the amount of hair gel he uses makes him look older than necessary. She is right, see any picture of Mario Duarte out of character. 

While I wish more detail was given to Betty’s life away from Ecomoda, I like pretty much everything about how she acts after she returns. As I said before, I like how explicitly she relates to non share holding staff instead of favoring the actionistas. This includes her room ring Freddy and demoting Mario. I hope there is more follow up on that next season. More concerning this season’s plot, I like that Betty got the heads up about financial shenanigans from Hugo. It was unexpected, but in character for both. Also it reflects poorly on Marcela, who could have gotten answers to what Armando was doing if she just talked to Hugo like an equal. 

I don’t know anything about the Colombian’ legal system. So I can’t say anything about how realistically or not Armando turning himself and Gutierrez in between the episodes. The important thing is how it plays in comparison to his downward spiral after Betty exposed the Terramoda scheme in the original. Which is that he’s more willing to take responsibility for his actions, go public and not pick fights. Betty also has changed since then, demonstrated by going to visit him in jail and talk. Then they have sex in a scene reminiscent of their first time in the original, only with some roll reversal. This is emotionally confusing for Betty. In someways exactly the situation that she thought of to justify cutting him off with no contact. On the other hand she gets to speak to someone who cares about the real emotional turmoil affecting her and learns more about Ecomoda’s quagmire. 

Another aspect recently revealed aspect of Betty I would like to see more of is the things that led Betty to tell her father that he wasn’t a great husband. He wasn’t, but it was something that couldn’t be articulated outside of some face making Doña Julia did, and the way Betty and her mother hid things from him. It fits with a theme of the series of saying things they couldn’t say in the original. Hermes’ dogmatism is in conflict with Betty’s journey of becoming more of a humanist. 

I’m now going to wrap this up by writing about the new generation followed by some thoughts on finish the original series in a more complete way than ever before.

Other than Mila, Ignacio is the best defined of the new characters. Viewers were quick to say he has the Daniel Valencia role of the original. After all he is someone aligned with Marcela acting antagonistically towards Betty and Armando. And while this series played with that assumption, the two characters are most interesting in their differences. Ignacio is charming while Daniel was aggressively not. To the extent Daniel had charm, it’s based on the idea that he’s saying to your face what other people say behind your back. As a guy setting up a mass surveillance program through Ecomoda, Ignacio not going to pretend that he’s the one person telling the truth to your face. But he sincerely does like Mila, even though the circumstance means he’s betrayed her before anything started between them. At the end of this season I found myself wishing that there was more time spent on Jeff and Carmen so that the love quadrangle that Mila and Ignacio are with them felt juicier. It’s got long running soap potential. 

Finishing the original while watching this has brought back some of the dread that I had going into the last section of the novela. Much of the post Cartagena plot feels like the show is spinning its wheels before deciding how to hastily rush to the finish line. Contributing to this feeling is the over reliance on flashbacks. The scenes involving Betty’s return to Ecomoda are particularly bad with this, and they didn’t even cut them from the Peacock edits. (These would have been some of the first edits if I were supervising it.) This section drops  various subplots, including Inesita’s estranged husband coming home to die, which real does make the way the series doesn’t know what to do stand out. Theresa are some high points likeel desfile del Cuartel. But that is also supposedly the resolution of the Sofia/Jenny plot, and it’s not satisfying as such. I get that the cast and crew were exhausted, and some of them had signed contracts to work with other tv networks lessening their availability. But on a level of pure drama, these plots points are simply inexcusable. Also dropping the cuartel’s pilots makes them worse friends. They suddenly only have gossiping about Betty going and no respect for boundaries or treating her like an actual person, instead of the lead in a telenovela. Equally inexcusable is how because Armando now is conscious of his feelings for Betty, the fact that so much of the way it’s shown involves violating her boundaries by stalking her on meetings he wasn’t invited to and secretly steeling and reading her diary, is why I can’t be too angry at Betty for dropping him the way she did.

This time around I was aware of how often real life designer Bettina Spitz had her name dropped and showed up on screen. Didn’t even realize I was missing that before. 

[best-underrated-anime]

Propaganda for Vatican Miracle Examiner:

(This is the description on MyAnimeList, is that ok?)

Fathers Josef Kou Hiraga and Roberto Nicholas are Vatican Miracle Examiners who investigate the authenticity of miraculous phenomena reported from all over the world. In every seemingly sacred event lies horrors of hidden conspiracies, mysterious murders, and devil worship. In this battle of good and evil, Hiraga, a scientific and mathematical genius, and Roberto, a polymath in linguistics and classics, must work together to bring the truth to light. Will their friendship and faith endure the evils in their journey to find a true miracle?

A propaganda is not a summary...

[tewwor-moving]

"Didn't peg ya for such a sweet-talker," Nicholas continues crumbling the cigarette he stole from Roberto and keeping eye contact to make sure he can catch the way it pisses him off, before shoving it in his mouth, "you know, you coulda been No Man's Land next top dilf, but you're so damn cranky, you're just someone's prickly dad now. Got a light, father?"

@mythvoiced

Don't look at it.

Don't look at the outrageous and unnecessary act of that smarmy hand. Keep looking at those reflective sunglasses; the only normal accessory adorning the blockhead.

A single pinky plugs an ear. Even rotates like there's actually something to be dislodged. "Sheesh— no wonder so much trouble's drawn to you. Flies like the taste of shit, and you're so chock-full of it."

Don't fall into the trap lain by such an infernally irritating idiot. Just so the right reaction can be weeded out.

"Father?" Now that manages to lift a bushy brow a millimeter up. "I'm no priest— last time I checked, that's your cross to carry." Was that too on the nose? "That what this's all about, though? You got some unresolved father issues, Wolfwood?"

[incorrectvkc]

Hiraga: Whose turn is it to give the pep talk?

Roberto, sighing: It's McGee's turn...

McGee: Fuck shit up out there but don't die

Bill, wiping away a tear: Inspirational

[justiebunch]

Part 2 of Pirate Au (I have no self control)

As promised, here’s a doodle of our dear protagonists along with more information about the au

Behold. Them.

Anyways back to the info—

-One of the reasons why the King’s Row crew is seen as superior (other than most of them not being any known pirates or sailors/descendants of) is because pirates used to see women in the ship as cursed/unlucky, and Captain Williams is, indeed, a woman.

-However none of the privateers or pirates look down on dark skinned people, and that’s based on how some pirates (most known being Blackbeard) would offer slaves being taken on enemy ships to join their pirate crews and be free (I read once that by the time Blackbeard died, around one or two thirds of his crew were former slaves), so dark skinned pirates did exist and they were great!! (Though the au won’t touch much on this, I thought it was a nice fact to mention)

-Aiden’s the one who always has a way to get into expensive places and that’s thanks to the Kane family name as well as his looks. However, he likes to use these as an opportunity to get the crew to lose the “peasant” clothes as much as possible

-Jesse knows how to use a gun, his father taught him how to aim correctly. Something that the same father did with Nicholas so he’s not skilled in either a sword or a gun yet

-Aiden always takes Harvard to the best places whenever they dock the ship on land (obviously hidden)

-whenever everyone’s on high alert, one of the main problems is that Bobby can’t get down from the crow’s nest because he needs to stay on the lookout (by the way, are we not gonna talk about how his name’s a nickname for Roberto???), so there’s a pulley system to get things up to him, like food and drinks, blankets, a compass, anything he asks

-like every pirate ship, there are rules and there’s a bedtime, but Nicholas (and often also Seiji) tends to ignore it and stay up while the others are asleep. This is always punished with having to do chores in the morning like swabbing the deck and cleaning the dishes

-when they’re bored, they sing sea shanties. Most of the time, Bobby starts them, followed by Eugene and Nicholas, and eventually the whole crew

-Eugene likes to get out of the ship as much as possible, so he’s on every order when it comes to stealing or selling

-Eugene’s the only one in that crew that Jesse tolerates, and it’s mostly because he doesn’t know he’s part of it

And that’s all I got for now until I inevitably make more

[lastheiress]

📂📂📂📂📂📂📂📂 i wanna send more but i'll calm myself down

SEND “📂“ FOR A RANDOM HEADCANON. ( still accepting! )

1.)  the ancient & noble house beneviento is not nearly as wealthy as one would perceive it to be, and it never truly was. there was a point in time, dating centuries back, where a fortune existed but even then, what few surviving records exist differ on the estimated value of it. regardless, that family was riddled with bad luck long before miranda got her hands on it, and the fortune was lost over time -- between alcoholics and poor gamblers, conniving relatives and inheritance who made off with it bit by bit, scheming spouses which led to a rumored poisoning or two. by the time donna was born, there was maybe a fraction of it left ( which would later be lost in the turmoil post - ww2 ) and so the only card the family had to play was their noble name and societal reputation, that was it. to this day, donna lives relatively moderate and modest, and perhaps the one good thing about her quietness is how no one really has any insight to the truth that house beneviento was in gradual decline.

2.)  i choose to interpret the bernadette b. in miranda’s files as a beneviento, more importantly, as donna’s elder sister. born in 1929, she was the original heiress and known as the hope of house beneviento. bernadette was beautiful, clever, and kind-hearted; she had all the proper skills of an elite lady, but was never afraid to help tend to the poor and downtrodden, assisting in their prayers to the holy mother. miranda had tunnel vision on that girl, believing she would be her most successful experiment yet, and was heavily involved in dictating her upbringing. when she was twenty-one years old, she underwent the implantation, and all were confident she would be a success. instead, the cadou never took root, and she died within an hour -- it was said to be a gruesome scene. miranda, infuriated over the failure and that she’d bet on the wrong horse, could only settle her rage long enough to write the one page recording entry summarizing the results. donna, only fifteen years old then, was devastated to lose the elder sister who she admired and wanted so badly to emulate.

3.)  donna’s father, giorgio, adored her dearly. bernadette was the firstborn with duties as both heiress and as being chosen by miranda. donna was secondborn and set aside, so at that time, that meant she got to be simply his daughter rather than the village’s daughter. ( borrowing inspiration from an actual quote tsar nicholas ii said at the birth of his daughter, olga. ) donna loved both of her parents, but his death is too painful for her to reflect upon, second only to her daughter’s. on the rare occasion that she thinks of him, she tends to refer to him, she tends to refer to him in the present tense.

4.)  despite the temptation, donna has never used her hallucinogenic powers on herself to ‘revive’ any of her relatives -- not her parents, not bernadette, not any of the cousins she loved long ago, certainly not claudia. she learned a particularly harsh lesson with this through the usage of it on her beloved gardener, josef, with the good intentions of reuniting him with his own wife & newborn son that had passed from typhoid. she unintentionally drove him to madness becasue of his inability to accept the end to any of these sessions, it got to a point where he was convinced that his family had returned. he was not the same wise and benevolent man she’d always known at the time of his death -- a death which, arguably, she caused too. it’s sad knowing that even when she tries to do good, it can arguably end up with even worse results than that of her malicious visions.

5.)  there once was an extended ‘secondary’ branch of house beneviento, giorgio’s sister, the widowed fiorella and her two sons, bruno & roberto. she fled italy in the late 1920s as m*ssolini transformed the nation into a one-party dictatorship, failing to realize that an oppressive force also ruled her brother’s lands. she called herself a beneviento, in hopes of reaping the fame and lordship giorgio retained, but miranda paid little attention to her. her sons where closer to bernadette’s age, but cared for donna as well, and were fiercely protective of her from bullies that tormented her for her scars. they were both eventually executed on charges of blasphemy, when it was discovered they dd not truly worship miranda + spoke ill of the religion. donna was powerless to intervene, and worse, so deep in miranda’s clutches at that point as her officially adopted daughter, chose not to assist. fiorella died a bitter, old woman without grandchildren and emptied of what little wealth she had. there exists three unmarked graves in the cemetery, as donna’s subtle means of secretly grieving for them too. 

6.)  the music you can hear from the radio in the basement is reminscent of pieces played during underground parties which her cousins would secretly host. all the young townspeople who were in those friendship circles would gather to a particular house with a secret basement level to drink, party, and be merry until sunlight. the beneviento sisters were frequently invited, in which bernadette always flourished and danced with handsome suitors on tabletops, whilst a terribly shy teenaged donna would face her back to the wall fidgeting until the time came to sneak back to the manor. her cousins would lovingly bully and peer pressure her into ‘leaving that old ragdoll behind’, so she was not allowed the comfort of angie to pass the time. it wasn’t always a miserable time, though -- bruno would usually try to invite her to dance with him, and sometimes she’d oblige, and it was actually quite fun despite her nerves. ( think the irish third class party scenes from titanic. )

7.)  because she chose to fixate on bernadette, miranda rarely acknowledged donna beyond necessary friendly obligations. donna was still important, in that, her existence was justified with historical examples about royal families always ensuring there was an heir and a spare. but just about everyone had no reason to believe that bernadette would fail, so miranda somewhat neglected donna and did not subject her to any special treatment the way she did for her sister. when bernadette died, among the many things that brought miranda into a frustrated tirade, was the horrible realization that she was fifteen years too late to mold & shape donna into something as perfect as bernadette was. she’d allowed the girl to grow up meek and pathetic, it was too late to do any real work, but there was no other choice. miranda adopted her not long after her parents took their own lives -- horrified by what happened to bernadette & realizing the same fate was in store for donna, powerless to stop it -- and devoted ten years to bettering donna. results were poor, there was little improvement in her confidence. by the time donna was twenty-five, already four years older than her sister would ever live, miranda had conceded that she was as close to ‘good enough’ as it was going to get, and could only hope for unexpectedly grand results. she somewhat got her wish.

8.)  and to round off this rather depressing series of hcs with a single light hearted one: angie & donna regularly have tea parties. per angie’s request, donna will occasionally indulge and bake sweet biscuits or cookies for her. angie does have her own miniature dish set -- fork and knife included -- and she enjoys eating, or at least, what her interpretation of eating is. it’s a catastrophic scene like when cookie monster ‘eats’ cookies -- crumbs and pieces are flying, nothing is actually swallowed, angie just loudly mashes her jaw. it’s endearing for donna to see, probably disturbing to anyone else if they were ever an unfortunate dinner guest.

[plague-of-insomnia]

Even funnier bc their boss actually says that just before this lmao 😂

I’m just going to leave this here ε=ε=ε=ε=┏(￣▽￣)┛

[plague-of-insomnia]

Vatican Miracle Examiner

(バチカン奇跡調査官 ; Bachikan Kiseki Chousakan)

I would really love to read the novels, but my Japanese isn’t quite there yet, sadly.

Although I still have a lot of work ahead with 宝石商リチャード氏の謎鑑定 (The Case Files of Jeweler Richard), I love Robert and Joseph so much I really want to give the manga a try.

(Even if I suspect —from my quick glance of the preview— that it’ll be a lot more challenging.)

Since no one to my knowledge has fan translated the manga to English, and I don’t see these being picked up by an official publisher for localization any time soon...