#ic :: imelda

[pucaantaibhse]

Thoughts on Mentopolis Episode 6:

“Please reconsider.” 🥺

Conrad accepting Self-Loathing and her part to play in Elias’ mind? Her then being able to focus in on Elias’ actual wrongdoing and motivate him to take steps to make amends for it, instead of just focusing in on himself? Her being able to let go of spending her time focusing on his childhood passions, and letting them blossom? Definitely didn’t hit home at all, nope. 🥲

A. Tension for Mayor!

The image of Elias having fallen out of a window, shit himself, punched his boss and stolen a birthday cake, asking a woman out AND SUCCEDING- he did NOT need to worry about the dandruff so much.

The Fix and Pasha N. and their kids deserve the world. That reunion with Ichabod was so sweet- idk if hockey has low-stress leagues you can play in for fun, but I hope Elias found one if there is.

The idea of Danny and Conrad living together is amazing.

Imelda coming up to Hunch’s office in the end? Chef’s kiss.

[silveragelovechild]

[phantasmaw]

♢*   —   @tenkoseiensei ​/  𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝

     〈 ❀* 〉┊  The beast emerges from the undergrowth like a shadow from the dregs of night. The cloying stench of cloves, cake, and decay trail behind her as she drifts across the moon-kissed clearing. In the center of the clearing sits a shadow. A little husk, a smear of nothing, that not even the fireflies dare draw close to. As the beast draws nearer, she sheds her cloak of moss and jaws and wiry limbs and shredded iridescent wings. A woman slips through the curtain of disintegrating rot. She stretches her arms as though trying to reach the moon, eyes aglow with mirth and full lips painted into a picturesque smile. That smile contorts to a sneer as she crouches down over the shadow.

       "Oh Brigid, Brigid," she coos, grin all but splitting her face apart, "is this all you've amounted to? Just a dribble of tar the common folk scrape from the bottoms of their shoes? Aha-- Ahahaha--!!" Her laughter rolls across the clearing along with the dusk mist. As it grows in volume, it lapses from the joviality of a young woman to the harrowing call of a wicked creature. A deer bursts from the thicket opposite of the two, bounding away from impending danger. She lowers herself to all fours, bones snapping and popping in a sickening harmony. Her head cocks sideways, allowing shimmering tresses to tangle in the dewey grass. She rests her chin against forearms mired in mud and fetid flesh. "So this is where our fates have led us. You, hardly more than an afterthought, and I, all the unkept promises of the world. What sordid beasties we are." Giggles erupt from the chasm of her collapsed chest. "To think I was ever jealous of you. That I ever--" 

        Her jaws clamp shut before that those dreaded words can spill out. They slither about beneath the skin of her abdomen, an oily snake-like thing that threatens to swell and burst from her guts if she dares try to deny it. But she cannot say it. She will not say it. Jagged teeth grind together and prick her gums enough to make them bleed. Imelda swallows down the acrid taste of her own blood. The bitter drip reminds her of the countless nights she would spend chewing on her inner cheek to keep from declaring the very same confessions she now gorges herself upon to her dearest Brigid. 

       Slowly, Imelda stretches her legs all the way back until she lays fully on the ground. "Oh dear," the beast sighs. "Can you even understand me?"

[illholy]

"Stay for a while?" Imelda coos, offering Judith her most winsome smile: all teeth that glint like moonlight, a promise to show more if only she were to be graced with a few more moments of Judith's time-- though what more constituted of could hardly be anything deemed innocent. But she keeps her lounging position, with legs daintily crossed and claws draped over the mossy fringe beneath her. The monster hides her teeth again. "It's been too long since I had good company."

█ 𝒖𝒏𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅 ,     always   loved.

Judith is no artist but she thinks of   ' muses '   when she sees the tint of brown in this stranger's eyes  ━━━  that if she were a poet, it would have been written about her   &   that painters dream of unruly hair cascading down amongst the mold of her body,  the pleats and fold of her clothe's falling fabric are nothing but romantic, perfectly placed to alight daydreams of peeling them off.    Judith is no artist, but she knows she does not need to be one to understand temptation.   

❝ Thank you for your generosity.  ❞    She willfully stays,  saunters to her make shift throne and lays herself along the floor, rest her cheek against the cushion of her lounge.    ❝ though, not one good company ?  should I assume I'm good enough for you ? ❞     and she is looking at her expectantly,  doe eyes needy behind spectacles.  tell her how good she is - or she suppose she needs to show Imelda first ?     she doesn't mind performing. 

[thisisnotthenerd]

god what a fantastic finale of mentopolis. phenomenal work from everyone.

a list of my favorite things about this episode:

concocting a plan to both get money from don avaricci while not killing conrad. the character arc that dan fucks went through in mentopolis was slow but my god was it funny

imelda flashing her boobs and getting four gangsters on her side

dan flashing his dick and getting it shot immediately. on sight.

the diamond hard balls coming back to deflect the bullets

the mechanical changes that came from the key-pressure combination

ivana rolling a 59. truly what the fuck. two nat 20s and a 19 in front of the board. they watched that happen in real time. and trapp rolling a one sturdy. getting punched a quarter mile out of the station.

dan's heroic sacrifice for conrad fully made me tear up. the fact that he was distracted by the glorious revolution of pleasure does not detract from this

the adrenaline injection moment and curios moxie intake

all of the effort that went into medical attention for dan. fucking wilton. the hand spit guy is dan fucks' dad?!?!?!

the fix taking that key from madam loathing! he did it! he put it in his craw!

conrad talking madam loathing down with a d100 spirit roll! sometimes the mechanics really do tell stories in a way you just can't get in standard media

the 11 sturdy. the 57 spirit. (alex's favorite number because it's the number of Heinz varieties)

elias taking the initiative and getting going

the fix menacing don avaricci with dinoflagellates and punching the shit out of him

the birthday cake!

elias getting an ice skating date with the coffee shop girl!!!!!!!!

i owe my sister a call!!!!!!!

the entire epilogue was great: elias becoming a whistleblower and getting the mind control shut down, anastasia & fawn's relationship, conrad & dan fucks' business partnership, curio finding foot stuff

the fix and pasha get their own bullet point. half of that was hank and brennan just fully flirting. going to madam loathing's to: find ichabod, who had been running nostalgia's, stuck in the past for so long, propose (after 20 years of marriage? Hank what is happening?), find out madam loathing, now guilta is going on a self-discovery trip, fully just get her house, and custody of all of elias' repressed childhood interests!

anastasia running for public office alongside frank freeze (pay attention!) after getting the DA arrested in court

and of course, imelda capping it off with chattanooga choo choo

truly what a fantastic season. while both of the kids on bikes/brooms seasons i.e. mismag and mentopolis were fantastic, i think mentopolis had just enough time to really get a little more crunchy mechanically, and that resulted in some great moments in this finale specifically. this is a sidequest i will be coming back to for rewatching. i loved it.

[ariadne-mouse]

Moc Weepe will pointedly, aggressively, wastefully crack expensive ice cubes with a nutcracker he socially bulldozed the other person into giving him, all with a patter fit for an auction house of casual intimidation, but for the life of him he cannot escape an innocent little collision with a cheerful lady who simply won't let him leave without being rude... because Imelda also is here to socially bulldoze people and has power and acumen to back it up. *A single tumbleweed rolls across the street* No but genuinely I love how textured all the characters are. Moc Weepe is intimidating in his element but he is also awkward and weird (not for his appearance, to be clear) and, like everyone else, navigating each situation as it comes, up to and including the possibility he will accidentally run into someone annoying in a doorway and be conscripted out of politeness into giving a tour of the town. Guess what buddy you're in the narrative with everybody else

[phantasmaw]

     〈 ❀* 〉┊  "Whatever is the matter?" a voice rich with concern asks, fluttering down from the canopy of an oak like an autumn leaf. The eyes following his every move do not much the voice that calls to him. They dance with subdued mirth, an eery mimicry of the sunlight dappling the ground below. Imelda lowers herself into a lounging position on the forked branch. "Oh- I know. You're not used to the air of the unhibited wilds, are you?" She clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Poor thing. Don't overexert yourself; the crows might mistake you for carrion if you choose to give out here." 

"K'euk!" Corruption, so close to what lands he walked. To protect the forest, he knew he wasn't able to stop it all, but if he could at least lessen its grudge by his own being? So be it! Though - to think it would be this vile! He felt agony, sorrow and of course, so much wrath. "A-gh!"

[choco-froggie]

What I would feed HL characters and why

Because cooking food is the best love language

Sebastian Sallow - Beef bourguignon (French beef stew) with scalloped potatoes

(because that boy probably eats like a hobbit and I’m all for it.) (And an Onion soup for starters and a warm caramel apple pie with vanilla ice for dessert. He’s my favourite he gets the full course.)

Ominis Gaunt - Fraisier (French strawberry cake)

(because don’t tell me that boy doesn’t love sweets and especially fancy desserts. He’d try to hide his love for cute desserts tho.)

Garreth Weasley - Fancy Grilled cheese with cheddar and onion jam

(he is the kind of guy to always enthusiastically compliment the food but never remember what it was. Just that it was good.)

Leander Prewett - Bento cake with words of affirmation

(because he needs some reassurance. Like « you’re doing great », or « good boy » to fit in the small space ?)

Amit Thakkar - Dakgalbi (Spicy stir-fried chicken)

(I’m sure that poor boy suffers from being forced to eat British food everyday but I don’t want to insult his palate with my poor knowledge of Indian cooking. So Korean spicy chicken it will be, I bet he’d be eager to discover a new cuisine.)

Poppy Sweetings - Onion tart and a muffin

(all vegan because that girl would be vegan, and she needs food easy to eat while out while she cares for beasts.)

Natsai Onai - Cinnamon rolls with a hot chocolate topped with whipped cream

(because I’m sure her mother doesn’t let her eat too much sugar but she loves it.)

Imelda Reyes - Cacio e Pepe pasta

(because she needs her carbs as a quidditch player and she must like simple things. And she’d tell me I did it wrong, like Italians when you cook Italian food. Same attitude.)

Anne Sallow - Juk (Korean rice porridge) and brownies

(rice porridges in many Asian cultures are popular when sick, to give strength. And a yummy comforting dessert for that strong girl.)

Photo credit : Ali on Pinterest

[myokk]

👋🏻

I would love to know more about 2,7 and 15. ☺️

Hi!!😙💓😙💓 thank you SO MUCH for sending this ask, it was fun to think about!!!

2) her smile

Eloise doesn’t smile much. In her childhood she never really had any reason to smile, maybe when she was younger and her parents still loved her (their version, anyways). Nowadays Eloise “smiles” but it’s always just like this pictures🥹 not really but her face softens and you can tell🥹💓

Eloise smiles to herself when she’s reading Jane Austen, and sometimes when studying she looks up and catches Sebastian staring at her in a way that always makes her blush and smile before quickly looking back down at whatever homework she’s doing. Imelda and Anne have also made it their life mission to make sure she feels comfortable and happy and they’re always in a contest to see if they can make her laugh🥹

7) How they like to dress

Eloise is extremely feminine and loves wearing bows, skirts, etc. she never goes overboard with the frills (except her nightgown bahahahahahaha). I know in wizarding society it’s acceptable for women to wear trousers/show off their legs but just like with wearing her hair down, Eloise is SCANDALIZED when she sees Imelda stomping around in her pants😳😳😳 Imelda’s made it her life goal (working with Sebastian) to try and convince Eloise to wear them sometime.

Tbh for me personally I don’t think I have a set “outfit” I draw Eloise in. I just love old fashion plates and I take a lot of inspiration/different elements from those whenever I draw her! Poofy sleeves, lace, ribbons, bows…all of it is fair game when I draw her🥰🥰🥰 for colors I like drawing her in that light pinkish color but honestly I think dark green/charcoal grey etc look amazing on her too bc they bring out her eyes/coloring to their advantage!!

@ethniee and @ravenwind-75 (🥹😙😙) tagged me in something about our characters outfits & I wanted to participate but there were just so many choices😭😭 it made me think about in the future maybe doing an outfit reference!! But it’s tricky bc I treat Eloise as my historical fashion doll and make up something new every drawing🥹💓💓💓💓💓

15) How they react to a brainfreeze

Ok so in normal sense of the word, I DOUBT Eloise has ever had a brainfreeze bahahahahahaha. She’s MAYBE had ice cream twice in her life, and both times she ate it SO slowly to savor it bc she’d never had something like that before in her life. But she definitely didn’t gobble it down fast enough to get a brainfreeze. She’s a slow eater in general so it never really happens!!

[phantasmaw]

  〈 ❀* 〉 ┊  As soon as her gaze falls upon this particularly ardent audience member, Imelda's smile widens from one of practiced poise to something far more coy. "Asking me for a private show after harassing my patrons? How bold of you," she laughs. Stepping closer to the small stage, Imelda lowers until she's on her knees and eye level with the mage. Her tongue clicks against the roof of her mouth. "I believe the pub is about to close, though, and I'm hardly in the habit of overstaying my welcome."

      She doesn't bother hiding the way her eyes trace across the woman's visage as she speaks. The longer her gaze lingers, the more Imelda's nerves crackle with curiosity. There's a certain scent to this one; like rain-soaked grass smoldering in the aftermath of a lightning strike. Perhaps it's a trick of the light, but her pupils seem to narrow like a snake. She offers a lace-gloved hand. 

      "That doesn't mean we can't find somewhere else to continue the show, hm?"

@phantasmaw (for imelda) | starter call

who? who, who? who does that beautiful voice belong to? and apparently, faina isn't the only one who appreciates her song; a small crowd has formed. she stands on tiptoes, trying to see over the crowd, but frustration quickly overtakes her features and she zaps the people directly in front of her, prompting them to move out of the way. just as quickly as it came, her sour mood leaves once she gets a better view of the singer.

when the song is over and the people begin to disperse, faina remains, clapping cheerfully. "encore, encore~!"

[the-trinket-witch]

This is OFFICIALLY 3 Days Late (for May 15) But I got it! Eugenio Rosario Yaotl Hernandez Finally has their (technically first) Birthday card! I don't really have an event for this, but if you have any OCs you think would wish the GentleThem a happy birthday, go right ahead!

Of course I've thrown a bit of myself into this Yuu-sona, but thinking about it, I more or less wanted to make them a Mom-type figure, but in the Mexican way of 'tough love'. Who better to embody them than Imelda Rivera from Coco?

Taglist:

@ceruleancattail @squidwen @thecosmicjackalope @vaporvipermedia@writing-heiress

@oya-oya-okay @k-looking-glass-house@thehollowwriter@rainesol @cyn-write

@heartscrypt@honey-milk-depresso @br3adtoasty @jackiecronefield @ruggiethethuggie

@demonichikikomori @hoboyherewego @achy-boo @oreoskys@oseathepebble

@tunabesimpin @hamstergal @fumikomiyasaki@valse-a-mille-temps

@hallowed-delights @kimikitti @plutos-hell @thetwstwildcard @atwstedstory

@comingyourlugubriousness @ice-cweam-sod4 @twst-the-night-away @nammanarin

[phantasmaw]

♢* — @illholy / 𝐱𝐱𝐱

   〈 ❀ *〉 ┊ Claws the color of spilled ink immediately begin to comb through equally dark hair as soon as her companion deigns her lap a worthy pillow, their touch like creeping lichen. Her smile widens enough to offer a teasing peek of sharp canines that glisten like silver beneath the rising moon. "You will do perfectly," she soothes. "All I ask for is a bit of warmth to share and a story or two. You've graciously provided me with one of those already."

     She leans down a bit, head cocking so she might see her new favorite sheep's face better. Her gaze sweeps across the pale column of neck exposed to her. Something stirs in the chasm between sternum and stomach. Rather than imagine teeth tearing in to release a river of red or lips planting tender marks that will be covered by a high collar come morning, she instead envisions vocal chords straining with story and song. "A sweet voice such as yours deserves ears with nothing to do but hear," she purrs, a sound that emanates from the back of her throat. Somewhere in the depths of the forest flanking the way back home (for certainly this charming lady borrowing her lap didn't leave like an animal), the sound of a bell chimes. Dinner time. "If you've no stories to regale, perhaps we could tell one together."

[silverspadesss]

all the new friendships and relationships being formed makes me so excited for the happy ending (which we will absolutely get) and seeing how the city has changed to help elias live a happier, healthier life from now on.

just thinking about it makes me so happy. anastasia and hunch realising how well they work together and bolstering the city’s journalism, focusing on things the big guy is actually interested in and that make him happy, helped by the fix and pasha n who’ve adopted all of the wayward interest kids and are at long last allowing them a place in the city. and now elias has a pet snake called ronnie and is learning magic. ichabod ice skates, now an adult, has been found and now elias goes skating at the weekends. maybe even asks his sister to come along sometime. in turn dan’s business is out from behind a vault door, the big guy and the citizens of mentopolis are allowed to be happy and indulge in pleasure again. imelda and h. v. lance, ensuring that this mind can take control of itself and its own actions rather than do nothing, and elias no longer feeling like a bystander in his own life. and conrad and justin, working closely with dan and the city authorities as well as a mark bition removed from the psychometer’s thrall, discovering that there is pleasure and reward in doing the right thing, however small.

elias’s mind will finally be his own, and no one will ever be able to take that from him again.

[optionalcausality]

I've listened to the first episode twice now, and there's a fair amount to admire.

The way Siobhan immediately sets up the real mystery: why was it so important for the Big Guy to take the package? But then deflects our attention to the (much more immediate) concern that because of something involving the package's perceived significance, she's now being tailed. Of course that takes priority, for Imelda, since it puts her in danger, so it's entirely in-character that she'd set everything else up in just a few sentences and then put Why? on the back burner.

Other good bits:

The way Stacy Fakename gets referenced extremely quickly, and then comes back as something Imelda and Anastasia have in common. Not sure if Joanna is alluding to a third relative, but I assume Stacy Fakename is the pseudonym Anastasia used when the cousins were younger.

The fact that Conrad collects discarded bits of information. Possibly because the Big Guy is in denial about certain aspects of the work he's doing -- taking in certain information but not cataloging it for later, except for the bits his conscience won't let him forget.

The cafes having sudden deals on cortisol and adrenaline, foreshadowing that the Big Guy is wildly stressed.

The setting being, as it were, the Great Depression.

The ice skates may come up in the context of a brain freeze, but could also be an old dream or aspiration that the Big Guy had, back in the day.

And the very best problem to have, which is that any of these characters is so good that I can't be concise about it.

Ex: Danielle Radford playing A Tension as someone who is a reformer and absolutely didn't have to be. I mean, we don't know for sure, but she has a key of her own so I think it's reasonable to assume she has roughly equivalent influence to Imelda. And that she's trying to inform the citizens about important topics in a way that could, long-term, really change the balance of power in the city. She feels a bit like a titled Peer who is pushing hard for democratic reforms. She could just be rich and influential but instead she's throwing her effort into communication, trying to legitimately work her way up until she can choose the topics to pursue.

And, like, she's not without a safety net; Imelda says Anastasia's parents miss her and worry. But her boss at the Observer does treat the threat of being sacked as a genuine point of leverage over her. There's just, a lot of nuance here, and I love it.

[jestersloverre]

I know I’m a week late, but it was such an ice cold choice to have Imelda die largely off camera. For all the string pulling and mind games she played, when it came down to a physical fight she really had no chance huh.

[phantasmaw]

   〈 ❀ *〉 ┊  When was the last time she had been sought out with such earnesty? When was the last time hands reached for her and not the other way around? Ages, eons-- and yet the corpse of her berieved heart trembles as if it had only been yesterday. Wrathful fear and instantaneous infatuation fight for control, ripping through the body still partially concealed by dense foliage. Bones and sinew snap in response, growing larger, until a form that has stolen countless hearts and ferried thousands away to an infinite liminal waltz looms above the enchanting belladonna.

      "You will know me," Imelda promises, her voice a million whispers that eke out from the deer-like skull draped with lichen and curtains of rich cherry curls. Giddiness sweeps through her nerves, stirring voracious need from its shallow slumber. "And I will know you." A threat, most would say; but here, it is mere statement. Nothing else could possibly be true. An appendage of gnarled roots and pulsating flesh twisted around inky skeletal fingers reaches down to meet such eager hands. The contact draws a hungering sigh that smells of decadent sweets and blooming rot from the beast. "What will you ask of me? What shall I tell you?"

|| s.c. || @phantasmaw | imelda

―  🜛  ―  creatures that wander the forest are oft borne by her hand, so when the sight of a new subject caught her eyes  ―  she must! she simply must! See there the child spring to life! approaching the creature as if reaching for a babe, the softness of her eyes so unrecognizable from the wicked temptress of these woods, she looks unto that creature and smiles wide  ―  speaking with delicate interest.

    "  Come closer. Come closer. I want to see you closer, dear. "   hands outstretch with spread fingertips, open offering to the beautiful beast before her.    " I want to know you, dear. "