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themovieblogonline · 2 years

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Top 100 Movies Based On Books

Well, today is the official opening day of "Twilight". A very highly anticipated movie... not because of the marketing campaign (which has been average at best), but because of the rabid and loyal following that the book series has. With that in mind, I thought it would be an appropriate time to put together a top 100 movies list of movies that were based on books. Whenever I hear of a new movie coming out based on a popular book or comic book or a sequel, I instantly hear naysayers complaining about a "lack of creativity in hollywood". "Why not write something original" some will say. But I say thank goodness gifted screenwriters adapt novels into movies! As you can see from my list, some of the greatest movies in the history of film were adapted from books... films that I can't even imagine what the world of film would look like today if they never came to be. A world without any of these classics or Hallmark movies is a world I'd rather not experience. So I spent a couple of weeks putting together this list with three purposes in mind: 1) To highlight the important role books have played in the movie world 2) To draw attention to some fantastic movies that some of you may have never taken the time to watch before 3) To draw attention to the fact that these movies are indeed based on books, which may encourage you to try reading them (which I confess is a little hypocritical of me since I've only read a fraction of the books here.) Now let me emphasize this next point very explicitly. THIS LIST IS NOT A LIST OF THE BEST BOOKS OR WHICH MOVIES DID THE BEST JOB ADAPTING FROM THE BOOK. It is a list of the best movies which happen to be BASED on books. Also, while I did not include Graphic Novels or Comic Books in this list, I do include short stories or novellas since they are usually a part of a single issue collection. Like all movie lists, this one is subjective and in no way authoritative. The main purpose of which is to spark discussion and maybe interest in seeing some of these fantastic films again, or for the first time. So now I present to you The Movie Blog's Top 100 Movies Based On Books:

#100 - THE JOY LUCK CLUB Rottem Tomatoes Rating - 90% Synopsis: Through a series of flashbacks, four young chinese women born in America and their respective mothers born in feudal China, explore their past. This search will help them understand their difficult mother/daughter relationship. John's Thought: Yes, I am a heterosexual male... and I loved this movie.

#99 - THE MAMBO KINGS Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 78% Synopsis: Musician brothers Cesar and Nestor leave Cuba for America in the 1950s, hoping to hit the top of the Latin music scene. Cesar is the older brother, the business manager, and the ladies' man. Nestor is the brooding songwriter, who cannot forget the woman in Cuba who broke his heart. John's Thought: No Antonio! Too sexy! Too Sexy!

#98 - STARDUST Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 76% Synopsis: "Stardust," based on the best-selling graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess, takes audiences on an adventure that begins in a village in England and ends up in places that exist in an imaginary world. A young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox) tries to win the heart of Victoria (Sienna Miller), the beautiful but cold object of his desire, by going on a quest to retrieve a fallen star. His journey takes him to a mysterious and forbidden land beyond the walls of his village. On his odyssey, Tristan finds the star, which has transformed into a striking girl named Yvaine (Claire Danes). John's Thought: Easily the single most underrated and under appreciated film of 2007

#97 - FRIED GREEN TOMATOES Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 82% Synopsis: A heartwarming tale of family, friendship and murder in rural Georgia. In a Southern nursing home, a feisty resident and old local fixture named Ninny Threadgoode (Tandy) befriends Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates) a depressed housewife and stirs her to action with an inspirational tale. She tells the story of a transcendent friendship between two young women living in Georgia in the 1930s, Idgie Threadgoode (Mary Stuart Masterson) and Ruth (Mary Louise Parker), who forge a powerful bond after witnessing a terrible tragedy together. The two women open a cafe (where fried green tomatoes are a house specialty) together in their small Southern town of Whistle Stop and manage to survive the hardships of life, despite racism, prejudice and the pressures of trying to live their lives as individuals in a strict and close-minded Southern society. John's Thought: Powerful cast, powerful story. An honestly moving film.

#96 - THE SHINING Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 86% Synopsis: A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future John's Thought: Iconic film with some of the most quoted one liners from a horror film in history.

#95 - PATRIOT GAMES Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 80% Synopsis: Jack Ryan, the hero of Tom Clancy's techno-thriller series, returns in the sequel to _The Hunt for Red October_. Ryan is on vacation in England when he spoils an assassination attempt on an important member of the Royal Family. Ryan gets drawn back into the CIA when the same splinter faction of the IRA targets him and his family. John's Thought: Once again proving you CAN change actors and still make the franchise work. Ford in his prime and my introduction to the brilliance of Sean Bean.

#94 - WAG THE DOG Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 84% Synopsis: When a Firefly Girl accuses the president of sexual misconduct in the Oval Office less than two weeks before the upcoming election, White House official Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) is told to bring in Conrad Bream (Robert De Niro) to fix the situation and save the president's chances for reelection. This mysterious "fixer" fabricates a conflict with Albania in an effort to detract attention from the sex scandal, bringing in legendary Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) to "produce" the war. When the CIA foils the initial plot, the creative team turns to a new story line, creating the saga of a U.S. soldier left behind enemy lines whom the president vows to find and return to American soil. John's Thought: Especially funny watching this movie now after the events of the last 8 years. Hard to go wrong with Hoffman and DiNero before he started sucking.

#93 - CHARLOTTE'S WEB Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 74% Synopsis: Wilbur the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen. John's Thought: Loved this as a kid, still love it today and will leave it on whenever I stumble across it channel surfing. Much better than the Julia Roberts voiced one from a couple of years ago.

#92 - PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1940) Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 88% Synopsis: From the classic novel by Jane Austen about the morals and mores of the class system in early Georgian England. The intelligent and spirited Elizabeth Bennet is one of 5 daughters -- which, during that era, meant trouble: because women cannot inherit, upon her father's death her family's home will become the property of their nearest male relative. Only marriage, preferably to someone wealthy, can ensure her security. But the proud young lady instantly takes offense when Mr. Darcy, a promising newcomer in town, doesn't seem quite admiring enough, and she spurns his advances. Slowly and painfully, Elizabeth realizes her error, but not before it seems she has lost him forever. John's Thought: Easily the best adaptation of this book ever done. Not taking away from any of the other ones... but Olivier rules.

#91 - THE NOTEBOOK Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 51% Synopsis: The movie focuses on an old man reading a story to an old woman in a nursing home. The story he reads follows two young lovers named Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun, who meet one evening at a carnival. But they are separated by Allie's parents who dissaprove of Noah's unwealthy family, and move Allie away. After waiting for Noah to write her for several years, Allie meets and gets engaged to a handsome young soldier named Lon. Allie, then, with her love for Noah still alive, stops by Noah's 200-year-old home that he restored for her, "to see if he's okay". It is evident that they still have feelings for each other, and Allie has to choose between her fiancé and her first love. John's Thought: I avoided seeing this for a couple of years because it had "chick flick" written all over it. My loss... turned out it's an exceptional film.

#90 - FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 82% Synopsis: A straight arrow coach leads his team to the 1988 Texas state semifinals in the west Texas city of Odessa, where high school football is king. Expectations of classmates, coaches, family, and community members exact a toll on the athletes central to the story. Economic and racial undertones pervade this adaptation of H.G. Bissinger's book by the same name. John's Thought: My first thought is that we've seen this movie 100 times already. Wrong. This is a special film, and a reminder that despite taking a lot of junk roles, Billy Bob Thornton can act his ass off sometimes.

#89 - BRIDGET JONES' DIARY Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 80% Synopsis: Bridget Jones is an average woman struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her many imperfections. As a New Year's Resolution, Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. The fireworks begin when her charming though disreputable boss takes an interest in the quirky Miss Jones. Thrown into the mix are Bridget's band of slightly eccentric friends and a rather disagreeable acquaintance who Bridget cannot seem to stop running into or help finding quietly attractive. John's Thought: I've yet to meet a woman who hasn't seen this flick... and there's a reason for that.

#88 - THE COLOR OF MONEY Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 91% Synopsis: Eddie "Fast Eddy" Felson, a former pool player forced into retirement by gangsters (as seen in "The Hustler",) finds himself, self-respect, and finally, redemption when he enters a relationship with young pool player Tom Cruise very similar to his own early career. As they travel together, Fast Eddy realizes how much he had lost, and can see the inevitable finale of their relationship as history begins to repeat itself. In an effort to avert tragedy, Eddy severs their relationship, and returns to his first love, pool. Finally, in a big Atlantic City tournament, Cruise returns the favor, and teaches Eddy the final lesson that allows him to finish his quest of re-discovery. John's Thought: Hey, remember back when Tom Cruise wasn't a raving lunatic? Yeah, those were good days.

#87 - MINORITY REPORT Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 92% Synopsis: Based on a Philip K. Dick short story, Minority Report is about a cop in the future working in a division of the police department that arrests killers before they commit the crimes courtesy of some future viewing technology. John Anderton has the tables turned on him when he is accused of a future crime and must find out what brought it about and stop it before it can happen. John's Thought: Spielberg and Curise are an unlikely couple, but man it worked well for this flick.

#86 - APOLLO 13 Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 95% Synopsis: A movie based on what was to be the third lunar-landing mission. This film shows the trials and tribulations of the Apollo 13 crew, mission control, and families after a near-fatal accident cripples the space vehicle. A mission that couldn't get TV airtime because space flights had become routine to the American public suddenly grabbed the national spotlight. This is a tale of averted tragedy, heroism and shows a testament to the creativity of the scientists who ran the early space missions. John's Thought: A solid cast highlighting yet another brilliant performance by Tom Hanks.

#85 - CAPOTE Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 91% Synopsis: In 1959, Truman Capote, a popular writer for The New Yorker, learns about the horrific and senseless murder of a family of four in Holcomb, Kansas. Inspired by the story material, Capote and his partner, Harper Lee, travel to the town to research for an article. However, as Capote digs deeper into the story, he is inspired to expand the project into what would be his greatest work, In Cold Blood. To that end, he arranges extensive interviews with the prisoners, especially with Perry Smith, a quiet and articulate man with a troubled history. As he works on his book, Capote feels some compassion for Perry which in part prompts him to help the prisoners to some degree. However, that feeling deeply conflicts with his need for closure for his book which only an execution can provide. That conflict and the mixed motives for both interviewer and subject make for a troubling experience that would produce an literary account that would redefine modern non-fiction. John's Thought: Most avid film fans already knew Philip Seymour Hoffman was stupidly gifted... this film just sort of introduced him as an "A" lister to the rest of the world.

#84 - ACCIDENTAL TOURIST Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 84% Synopsis: After the death of his son, Macon Leary, a travel writer, seems to be sleep walking through life. Macon's wife, seems to be having trouble too, and thinks it would be best if the two would just split up. After the break up, Macon meets a strange outgoing woman, who seems to bring him back down to earth. After starting a relationship with the outgoing woman, Macon's wife seems to think that their marriage is still worth a try. Macon is then forced to deal many decisions. John's Thought: Nominated for best picture and best screenplay. Geena Davis actually won best supporting actress for this one.

#83 - TRAINSPOTTING Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 88% Synopsis: A wild, freeform, Rabelaisian trip through the darkest recesses of Edinburgh low-life, focusing on Mark Renton and his attempt to give up his heroin habit, and how the latter affects his relationship with family and friends: Sean Connery wannabe Sick Boy, dimbulb Spud, psycho Begbie, 14-year-old girlfriend Diane, and clean-cut athlete Tommy, who's never touched drugs but can't help being curious about them. John's Thought: I still think this is Danny Boyle's best film

#82 - THE VERDICT Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 96% Synopsis: Frank Galvin is a down-on-his luck lawyer, reduced to drinking and ambulance chasing. Former associate Mickey Morrissey reminds him of his obligations in a medical malpractice suit that he himself served to Galvin on a silver platter: all parties willing to settle out of court. Read the full article

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komatsunana · 4 years

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My Reincarnation Isekai Villainess Rec List

So. I’ve gone and found myself in Isekai/Reincarnation/Villainess hell. For those who don’t know Isekai is a genre in which character(s) are transported to a different world. Initially you might be thinking “oh, she’s gonna share a both a series like Sword Art Online.” Oh no. You have underestimated the amount of taste I have. By which I mean I have none but that SOA is a taste I’m not here for.

Now a very specific sub-genre of that is the reincarnation one, particularly in which a character is reborn as a character from one of their favorite books or games from their previous, modern life. An even more specific sub-genre of that one is in which the MC is reborn as a villainess from that book or game, thus creating a bit of a challenge as villainesses usually are destined to die in the source material.

So! Here are my favorites, many of which are all 3 but some combine one or two of the above tropes. It’s my list so I do what I want. And most of my faves have a shojo genre tag, or at least a romance tag, because that’s where all the good stuff is:

Survive as the Hero’s Wife by Nokki

Canaria is reincarnated as the villainess of a popular cliche novel. Based on the novel, she is destined to be executed but can she prevent this from happening before it’s too late?

Why *I* like it: So this one was the one that really got me into the villainess reincarnation isekai genre! And it remains the top of my list. The huge draw for me in this one is that I actually really like the main couple! Like not even just lukewarm, I really like it! I’d read fic for it, if that existed. A lot of the villainess genre tend to portray the original heroine as vapid, unworthy of their status of heroine, or the actual villainess but in this case Gracie just turns out to be just an amazing strong woman who doesn’t actually need a man. (In fact I ship the three together full stop tbh lol). In fact, it’s a subplot that Gracie realizes (because of MC’s words) that if she wants to inherit her father’s title even though the law says a woman cannot... That she just should strive to change the law rather than be a tool with no use outside of marriage. And not to spoil anything, but she will definitely do just that.

And since I’m mainly finishing the rough draft of this list out of absolute RAGE at being made fun of for being into this genre.... A compilation of the main love interest, Cesar, because he’s absolutely beautiful. Look at those eyes! He’s such a great example of the sullen, dark love interest because he’s not those things when he’s with his wife, the MC!!! He’s so soft for her. And the whole point is that the love interest shows a different side to their lover right??

And like the great thing is Canaria, the MC, totally doesn’t notice for the longest time. She read the novel in her previous life so she’s *convinced* that one day Cesar will fall for the novel’s original leading woman, and she makes plans accordingly throughout their early days of their marriage. She completely hadn’t thought about the fact that since she’s not being a villainess this time around and not abusing him and everyone around her, and makes friends with Cesar... Like of course the course of events change. It utterly baffles Cesar when his wife keeps bringing up divorce because he’s so completely in love with her and you just gotta eat that shit up with a spoon because it’s so good and perfect drama but also funny.

There’s even a Halloween chapter where everyone wears costumes and basically I believe I was pandered to specifically.

Tbh, the arc going atm is sorta losing my interest but that’s because there’s political intrigue and I’m like just here for the romance lmao. So someone looking for substance and not just fluff might be more pleased than I. But it’s still on-going so. It’s just all in all a fun and great introduction to the genre imo.

I Reincarnated into an Otome Game as a Villainess With Only Destruction Flags by Hidaka Nami (Art) and Yamaguchi Satoru (Story)

Eight-year-old Katarina Claes is the only daughter of a duke, living her life peacefully and without incident until she hits her head on a rock... and then remembers that she is not actually the duke's daughter. She used to be an otaku who died on her way to school after spending the entire previous night playing Fortune Lover, her favorite otome game. After noticing that her current surroundings seem oddly familiar, she is shocked to discover that she has been reincarnated into the world of Fortune Lover as the villainess.

The villainess in the game usually winds up dead or exiled, so Katarina decides to use her knowledge of the game and its routes to avoid any bad situations. But is it even possible for the villainess to reach a good ending?

Why *I* like it: Ok ok ok, lol. So this one is probably one of the most well-known of the villainess reincarnation isekai genre atm! Particularly because of the anime currently running. And for good reason... the MC is so brilliantly stupid in the best of ways. While she plots on how to escape her fate of being killed or exiled by learning to sword fight and how to garden, she’s more or less seduced every capture target in this dating game... AND all the female rivals to boot AND heroine. The thing is that she is completely unaware and continues training for the day she is inevitably killed or exiled, as per the game’s original ending.

It’s just a silly, fun series and all the women’s feelings for her are taken about as seriously as all the guys’... Which isn’t much because absolutely no one really has a chance of getting this woman to understand they are all madly in love with her. Not a series to take seriously which is part of it’s charm, but it retains a lot of heart especially when it comes to the MC Katarina (affectionally called Bakarina by fandom) remembering her friend and family from her past life.

This series also has a manga spin-off about what if she’d been reincarnated while already in high school and bullying the heroine instead of a child... So basically she’s in hard mode, and yet she still succeeds in getting even more people into her little harem she has for herself.

Whether you chose to watch the anime or the manga (or the LN, which I haven’t got to) you can’t go wrong.

It Seems Like I Got Reincarnated Into The World of a Yandere Otome Game by Hanaki, Momiji (Story) and Setsuri (Art)

As a precocious child, Lycoris suffers from a strange sense of deja vu. On the day her father told her about her fiancé, she realizes that her fiancé was a character from an otome game she once played in a previous life.

“I am the heroine’s rival from the game?

And in the bad ending, I get stabbed to death?

What a joke.”

A story in which the protagonist is determined to avoid a yandere situation.

Why *I* like it: Hear me out! I know what you’re thinking... Yanderes??? But here’s the thing... Just by the MC being kind and getting 2 of the “yandere” characters out of abusive environments, they no longer end up as yanderes as they grow up. They aren’t those tropes any more! While the characters remain protective, they aren’t possessive and are happy to see MC branch out, if a little lonely. And the yandere that remain aren’t treated as hot, but annoying. So like sorry to disappoint if you think yanderes are hot but this isn’t the series for you.

Additionally, unlike other series of this trope, the MC is pretty quick to realize she just needs to trust her lover, that he will not turn on her and kill her as he did in the game nor will he fall for the heroine instead of her. It’s somewhat refreshing, as a huge part of the trope is the MC typically doesn’t realize until it’s spelled out that by not acting as a villain.... the rest of the characters don’t want to harm them... And might even have fallen in love with them.

Another fun aspect is how MC doesn’t remember things immediately, but only remembers things from her past life (and of how the game went) until it comes up. Additionally, she wonders some interesting things that aren’t even mentioned in other series like... What if she’s destined to be exactly like the game character? Will she be forced to be exactly like her? It’s a fun exploration of some common reincarnation isekai villainess tropes if you have experience with the genre!

Ascendance of a Bookworm by Shiina You (Art) and Kazuki Miya (Story)

A book-loving student and soon to be librarian ends up crushed to death by the pile of books during an earthquakes and wakes up as a five year old girl named Main in another world where books are scarce only available to the elite. Main, retaining her memories of her past life, decides to create and print her own books so she can read again.

Why *I* like it: So here is we depart from solely the villainess sub-genre (but only briefly!) Because there is another sub-genre of reincarnation isekai and that’s in which the MC uses the things they learned on our planet earth to re-invent things like shampoo and the printing press. And no other isekai does it better than Ascendance of a Bookworm imo. Main’s love for books leads her to recreating things she took for granted on Earth and starts selling them from a young age... Which might just end up saving her life as she ends up having a terminal disease that ordinarily she’d only be able to survive by being a slave to a noble... But by selling her products she has a chance to save herself!!! And the products she creates are available to commoners, not just the nobles who of course make it impossible for the poor to have nice things.

Additionally, a majority of this trope centers around nobles and royalty (and all the best ones are historical settings)... The fun thing about this one is that it actually centers around a povert stricken family. It’s a good break from the noble hierarchy within most isekai.

Finally, this series is the one that hits most closely to my feelings if I were to be reincarnated in another world... Which is to cry at the realization that I will never finish any of the on-going books and manga I had going on. That’s absolute hell, I don’t know how any of these MCs deal!! ;_;

btw there is an anime and manga both. Also LN but tbh almost all of these have LN.

Isekai Omotenashi Gohan by Shinobumaru (Story) and Medamayaki (Art)

Akane, an ordinary office lady, gets summoned to a different world along with her younger sister and pet dog. There, she ends up treating rare guests one after another with hospitality through meals!! Can she satisfy the citizens of a different world with home cooking...?!

Why *I* like it: Continuing our brief deviation from the villainess trope, Isekai Omotenashi Gohan is my favorite example of another subgenre of isekai - one without reincarnation - but one in which a “hero” is transmigrated to another world to save it... The problem? Oppsie, 2 people were taken. Sometimes in this sub-genre there is a question who the true savior is but in Isekai Omotenashi Gohan’s case they figure that out pretty quickly. They quickly figure out the MC’s younger sister is the savior. At first the older sister (Akane) is set aside as unimportant... But her sister only wants to eat the food her sister makes and it quickly becomes obvious that Akane’s role is important.

Akane makes lots of allies and friends by sharing the food from Japan and of course has a very subtle romance going on with her guard. But honestly I just enjoy this series as a person that likes food manga, like that’s it lmao, so much so that don’t be surprised when I make a best food manga list and yeah sorry Food Wars won’t be on it.

But fr, even if you don’t love the food manga genre try it!! It’s a sweet series and mixes domestic with fantasy in a great way. Plus only a few series are complete, with the rest being on-going, so if you want a complete and finished series try this one!

The Duke's Fiancee, Why She Had to Go to the Duke by Milcha (Story) and Golae (Art)

When Park Eunha dies in modern-day Korea, she awakens in the body of Raeliana McMillan, the eldest daughter of a nouveaux riche baron. However, this is no ordinary world; it's the exact same one as a novel she once read. Beloved by her family, it would seem as though she is in a fairy tale. But Raeliana is far from the main character—she is a mere plot device, whose murder at the hands of her fiancé instigates the entire story.

Raeliana has no intention to accept her fate quietly. She sets her eyes on someone in a position of great power—the vieux riche male protagonist Duke Noah Volstaire Wynknight—aiming to completely change the original story. Using her knowledge of future events, Raeliana offers information to Noah on the condition that he acts as her fake fiancé, but the Duke's two-faced nature throws a wrench in her plans!

Why *I* like it: This one is a fun one!! It really plays with different concepts that don’t often get explored in reincarnation isekai like where did the original consciousness of the character the MC became go??? Because MC only remembers her life on earth and is otherwise treated as though she has amnesia.... But is it amnesia? Is she another person entirely?

Also the humor is... great. Listen I refuse to give the best joke in the series just to make you read it but... the series is worth it just for this running joke.

Of course the romance is good too. The dude is kinda an asshole but she gives as good as he dishes out and it quickly becomes flirting anyway. I don’t want to say too much and give any thing away... but s’good!

Who Made Me a Princess? by Plutus (Story) and Spoon (Art)

The beautiful Athanasia was killed at the hands of her own biological father, Claude de Alger Obelia, the cold-blooded emperor! It’s just a silly bedtime story… until one woman wakes up to suddenly find she’s become that unfortunate princess! She needs a plan to survive her doomed fate, and time is running out. Will she go with Plan A, live as quietly as possible without being noticed by the infamous emperor? Plan B, collect enough money to escape the palace? Or will she be stuck with Plan C, sweet-talking her way into her father’s good graces?!

Why *I* like it: Ok, big sigh. How do I explain the pull ‘Who Made Me A Princess?’ has on me? Now a lot of the pull for many people is how cute the budding father daughter relationship the MC (Athy) has with her dad. But like, her dad is the worst and I want to fight him. On the other hand, most of the fandom hates Jeanette, the MC’s sister who has done literally nothing wrong except make everyone around her miserable but it’s not her fault ok, and I’ll fight the entire fandom in her honor. So it pains me to rec this series knowing that more than likely anyone who picks up this series because of me might have Wrong Opinions and I invite you to tell me just so I can shake my head about another wrong person existing in this world.

Never the less, this series is very cute! All the other series I have recced had the MC remember their past life at early childhood at the earliest, if not as a teenager. Athy? She has the misfortune to remember as a *baby* and it’s exactly as hellish as it sounds for an adult to be stuck growing up as a baby and suffer through the absolute embarrassment of having people feed and wipe her ass.

The MC was an orphan in her previous life and the book that she wakes up in is a shitty book even by her standards but then she really only skimmed it it sounds like that’s what interests me. As Athy makes changes to the original events of the novel and depth is added to the world, I start to wonder if the added depth was in the original novel or if the world had to add its own depth to stand as an actual lived in world?

Additionally, since I made the cover image Athy and her dad you might as well see her with her 2 love interests (and Jeanette!). People need to know who to ship, I get it.

Also I need a moment to appreciate, up close, the beauty of Athy’s eyes. So gorgeous.

Living as the Tyrant’s Older Sister by Aperta (Story) and Chyobab (Art)

When I opened my eyes, I was inside a fantasy novel world! The beauty I see in front of the mirror is the future tyrant’s older sister, Alicia! She’s not even a protagonist or an antagonist, but a character that doesn’t appear much and gets beheaded by the (upcoming) tyrant little brother. My life is all about escaping that fate from the novel. In the end, I seduced the male lead’s merchant friend who also doesn’t appear much and was about to leave the country with him. How-e-ver. The face of the man who spent the night with me was extraordinary, and was the male lead himself!

Why *I* like it: ……………...keke. Ok so this one is one I like just for the laughs. The love interest is an arrogant asshole, but see… The important detail the summary leaves out is that the MC’s… cousin (?) wrote the book that she woke up in! Moreover she’s the one that told her cousin to change the MC of her novel and make him good at everything and also make him a freak in the sack. Like who is really at fault here??? Lmao. Especially when she goes out intending to seduce a character she remembers being rich from the novel and accidentally bags the MC from the novel, aka the dude who kills her and her brother in the original novel.

In seriousness though, it really is funny. The facial expressions of the MC is just… chefs kiss. She’s got a pretty face but then she makes all these goof ass faces and I love it. If you need any more reason to at least give it a go, just know that at one point the male lead comes to check on her, expecting to find her crying and instead…. Walks in just as she screams FUCK at the top of her lungs and then begins a tirade of very creative curses including "Bitch oompa loompa ass bitch" which how can you not love her? Anyway the face the male lead makes after that has me maintaining that’s the moment he fell in love with her lmao.. but this is not Confirmed so it’s not a spoiler!!

EDIT: as of August 2020, I’ve since dropped this series. It remains on the list since I’d still rec it to people looking for a laugh.

Seduce the Villain’s Father by bia and dalseul

Upon opening my eyes after a bus accident, I found myself in the fantasy world of a webnovel I enjoyed reading... the only catch is, I reincarnated 20 years before the novel begins! Reborn as Princess Yerenica of the small Lebovny kingdom, I'm determined to change the future in order to prevent the series of unfortunate events that will soon occur!

Why *I* like it: How many times have you yourself had a suuuuuper side character be your favorite in a series and be depressed to see them done dirty? Well MC has a chance to fix that, to save a character that basically one appeared in prologue and basically prevent the birth of the villain character that later kills his own father… by seducing his dad, before he can marry the villainess!!

Yerenica is just adorable in her attempts to thwart the original novel. And like, I have to give her lots of respect for seeing the villainess character and having herself a good moment where she had to consider seducing her instead lmao. She knows when to let well enough alone though so she immediately boards back on the dad train, much to his chagrin because she keeps calling him father……………….. Even though he’s like…. Not a dad yet.

The characters are still relatively early on in their romance, but I have high hopes for it yet!

Edit: As of August 2020, I’ve dropped this series. It remains on this list because I think it’s a cute series and I think anyone who feels really strongly about the main couple will enjoy it.

Death Is the Only Ending For The Villainess by Gwon Gyeoeul and SUOL

Penelope Eckart reincarnated as the adopted daughter of Duke Eckart and the villainess of a reverse harem dating sim. The problem is, she entered the game at its hardest difficulty, and no matter what she does, death awaits her at every ending! Before the "real daughter" of Duke Eckart appears, she must choose one of the male leads and reach a happy ending in order to survive. But the two brothers always pick a fight with her over every little thing, as well as a crazy crown prince, whose routes all lead to death. There's even a magician who's enamoured with the female lead, and a loyal slave knight! But somehow, the favourability meters of the male leads increase the more she crosses the line with them!

Why *I* like it: So this one is another relatively new one added to my list, but it’s shot high up rather quickly!! The other otome game isekai’s that I have on my list are just like the real world, but the interesting thing about this one, is that it also retains otome game mechanics such as she can see the love interests love meter and also she can chose to use the video game script choices to reply to the characters, in the hopes of raising their love meter. This adds challenge, since she knows that if she gets any of the dudes to -10 she’ll be killed even as she sort of wonders if she truly would die or wake back up in reality.

What’s interesting also is that while she is the villainess character in the game… It ends up that the character was actually abused for years and that her title as a villain is unfair and that the game can be played as the villainess as even a player as a ‘hard’ mode compared to the heroine character. It’s up to her to turn things around and it’s actually a fun take on the villainess genre. I’m really looking forward to how things proceed even as my fears about which dude she’ll end up with continue to increase.

Finally, another layer I enjoy is that the MC lead a similar life in her previous life. She’d only just escape her own abusive family before she’d ended up here and MC just desperately wants to escape once again… using any means necessary.

The Villainess Reverses the Hourglass by SanSobe (story) and Ant Studio (art)

With the marriage of her prostitute mother to the Count, Aria’s status in society skyrocketed immediately. After leading a life of luxury, Aria unfairly meets death because of her sister Mielle’s schemes. And right before she dies, she sees an hourglass fall as if it were a fantasy. And just like that, she was miraculously brought back to the past.

“I want to become a very elegant person, just like my sister, Mielle.”

In order to face the villainess, she must become an even more wicked villainess. This was the new path Aria chose to take revenge on Mielle who murdered both her and her mother.

Why *I* like it: If you thought that this list might be in descending order, guess again! This one is one of my favorites. Now this one lacks isekai, but is a reincarnation of a villainess!! Rather the MC was an absolute horrible person in her past life, but finds out at the last minute that her ~pure~ sister had been leading her by nose into acting like a brat just seconds before she is executed. Now that she has a second chance, she’ll be a proper villainess and turn the tables on her sister.

In her last life, Aria never bothered educating herself so now that she’s a teenager again she actually has to learn things again (it’s not just like she gets to act like she’s a genius and good at everything) but she works hard at maintaining a sweet image and making everyone love her, even as she snickers behind their backs, all the while subtly setting her sister up for failure.

This is a proper revenge story, I’m promised by those who read the LN!! Revenge stories about women are rare to come back, especially one that doesn’t make revenge look like a total evil thing lol. What can I say, I have my interests. Anyway, it’s super cathartic to watch Aria slowly unfold her masterplan to foil her sister’s plans and take everything that her sister had cherished in her previous life. And all that not to mention the certain powers that Aria later discovers she has at her disposal... :3c

Beware of the Villainess by Bbongdda Mask (story) and Pureunkanna (art)

I became the villainess of a novel! Do I hate it? No! I find it rather nice. A duke’s daughter equals a jobless rich person. How can I miss out on a chance like this?! This is the best chance to just enjoy life. I should throw out the main plot and just live life how I want to! Not long after waking up as the villainess, I witnessed my fiancé, the crown prince and the novel’s male lead, cheating. I saw him embrace a lady other than I and he was smiling so bright. I was brought to tears… Just kidding, I didn’t cry! My tears are worth too much to be wasted on that garbage. Instead of tears, I yelled out, “Your highness, are you trash?”

Why *I* like it: Listen there are 2 ways to react to waking up as a villain of a series you once read… Either you turn the tables and become a good guy OR you can embrace it! The world the novel is based on has the basic premise of the pure and good heroine winning the affection of 4 bratty, horrible men. MC is the fiance of one of them and says fuck that. She also has some thoughts that none of these dudes deserve the heroine of the novel but this one is still pretty early on so the jury still out on if she’s going to save this poor girl from her fate of ending up with any of these absolute assholes.

This one is along the veins of the previously mentioned Living As the Tyrant’s Older Sister, in that the pull for this series is even less of the romance and more about the comedy aspect… Also MC’s facial expressions are…. Choice. Just so good. Enough with pretty girls making pretty faces!! We need more girls being ugly. It’s what we deserve. Yell at cheaters!!!!!! Tell them to fuck off!! Yes please.

Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter by Reia (Story), Umemiya Suki (Art)

Although she had reincarnated as the daughter of a Duke's house, by the time she regained her memories, the Ending was already here.

"After he cancels my engagement, the story would have me confined to a church. Where can I find my happy ending?"

Why *I* like it: I never read or watched Wolf and Spice but I imagine this is isekai Wolf and Spice… Well it’s got a lot about the economy at least lmao. That’s literally the only thing I know about Wolf and Spice. Anyway!! The twist in this one is that the MC remembers her past life just as she’s about to be exiled, the end of the original game. What the series focuses on is her life afterwards, as she scrambles to grab at any semblance of a good life… And she does so pretty quickly!

Her past life comes in handy as she sets to work managing a dukedom and fixes the economy!! Moreover, even though it pains my heart whenever two women are pitted against each other… It does a great job of putting into question the original heroine’s pure shtick as she spends extravagantly on dresses and would rather just donate to the poor one day, instead of Iris the MC who sets to work on fixing the economy and creating jobs for the poor and putting money into bettering their lives in the long run, rather than throwing money at them and running. Also, she’s grabbed the attraction of a mysterious man who takes a job helping her even though he is a prince aka the brother of her ex-fiance who he is fighting for the crown for.

And that’s it!! My list for now!! Tbh by next month there’ll likely be even more faves as I continue to add more and more series to my read list lol. Because this isn’t even a fraction of all the reincarnation isekai series I’m into, just the best for certain reasons.

BTW, if you’re like... wow this list sure is straight then true unfortunately. I’m waiting for the day “I Favor The Villainess” gets adapted somehow. Also there are several isekai in which a straight girl reincarnates into a yaoi novel but I haven’t found a true gem among them yet.

#isekai #i scream #long post #recs #this post was sponsored by pure spite #but frankly yes i know i didn't have to go this far #but this is just who i am... which is too much

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luxurylives · 4 years

Text

Missing Pieces Part 6

Pairing: No pairing

Book(s): Ride or Die: A Bad Boy Romance

Word Count: 2,363

Rating: T (Mild language)

Summary: Ellie and Toby find Colt; Logan and Vanessa come to an agreement.

Author’s Note: Part Six! I’ll wait to post the rest on the last day 😊 Pixelberry Studios owns the characters. The De la Cruz family is from High School Story (I chose first names for Bartholomew's parents). Thank you so much to those who read!

Tagging: @liam-rhys @desireepow-1986 @mfackenthal @rodappreciationweek @brightpinkpeppercorn @leelee10898 @choicesarehard @client-327

A lot was riding on tonight, Logan was in trouble, Colt was up to something, and someone was after the Mercy Park Crew. The only thing Ellie felt was fear and uncertainty, lately, she had begun to wonder what her life would have been like if she never got involved with the Mercy Park Crew. However, the answer to that has remained a mystery.

“Ximena sent me a text, she just arrived at Lilac Palm”.

Ellie snapped out of her thoughts and turned to Toby who fell into step beside her. “Good, where is this club anyway?”

“Just up ahead,” Toby said.

Soon they arrived at a building in an alley with a few people standing around. As Toby approached the door, a man from the nearby group approached Ellie.

“You look familiar”.

Ellie swallowed as she turned to face him, he looked identical to Detective Wallace. “I— “.

“Did you used to bartend at the Ostrich Garage?”

“Oh...no sorry” Ellie answered calmly.

“My bad” the man backed away to join the group he was with earlier.

“Ellie,” Toby said.

Ellie turned to see Toby standing in the doorway of the club and quickly walked over to join him. As they crossed the threshold, thick, smoky air greeted them along with the sounds of upbeat Latin music. Many patrons flocked to the dance floor while others sat at their tables smoking and drinking.

“Full house,” Ellie said as she took in the vibrant atmosphere.

“If you think this is full, then you should see this place when Matt Rodriguez shows up, it is packed”.

Ellie gripped Toby’s arm and motioned her head towards the bar. “Look”.

Toby averted his eyes and his eyes widened. “There’s no way…but why?”

Both of them watched in complete shock as Vicente approached Colt. After a moment of speaking, they retreated to a back room.

“What the hell is doing?” Toby asked worriedly.

Before Ellie could respond, she watched two burly men take their place on both sides of the door. “We’re about to find out”.

“You can’t be serious, running off to Detroit? Especially now?”

“I know someone that I can stay with until things cool down”.

“Just you?”

Logan sighed and shook his head. “Look, we have to split up”.

“Well, I think that is the worst thing we could do right now”.

“Vanessa, Javier knows we are in Massachusetts and for all we know, he could be in Birchport too”.

“Logan, you cannot keep running! And I’ll be damned if I get sucked further into this black hole you and your friends created! My parents have a summer house in Nantucket, we can go there and hideout. I’ll call my Dad and tell him what is going on, we can get you a lawyer— “.

Logan shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No”.

“Logan!”

“Vanessa, too many people are involved in this already. I can take you to Nantucket but after that, I am going to Detroit…alone”.

Vanessa stared at him, only this time, really seeing him.

“We need to split up”.

“Aren’t you supposed to meet Ellie?”

“I’ll just have to postpone that until the dust settles”.

“And if it doesn’t?”

Logan shrugged and gazed out the window. “I’ll figure it out”.

Vanessa shook her head, there was no point in arguing with him and deep down she knew Logan was right. Javier was after him, not her so it was best if they split up now. “So when do you want to leave?”

“We’ll sneak out during the barbeque”.

“You’re going to need transportation to Detroit so keep the car, I’ll come up with something to tell my grandparents,” Vanessa said.

Logan stared at her quizzically. “They won’t suspect anything?”

“You’re looking at the girl who went streaking on a public beach while intoxicated, they’ll draw their conclusions first and ask questions later”.

“Alright, with that said…are you ready?”

“Now or never”.

Logan walked over to his bag and began packing while Vanessa entered the bedroom to do the same.

“How are we going to get close to them?”

Ellie’s eyes swept over the crowded club and towards the guarded door. “Well, there’s only two of us...maybe one of us could distract the guards?”

“Eh...” Toby’s voice trailed off as he looked at the burly men near the door. “Got any other ideas?”

Ellie turned to see the man who approached her earlier, enter the club and head towards the bar. After exchanging a few words with the bartender, he began walking in their direction.

“Toby, forgive me”.

“What?”

Ellie mustered up all of her strength and shoved Toby, who lost his balance and collided with the man she met earlier who stumbled into a nearby group of people.

“What the hell is the matter with you? Watch where you’re going!”

Toby stared at the man for a second but then saw the altercation caught the attention of the men guarding the door.

“How about you watch where you’re going!”

The man stepped up to Toby and shoved him, who shoved back. Suddenly, both men guarding the door left their post to intervene.

Ellie maneuvered around a few people and slipped through the door, only to find herself in a small hallway.

Bzzzz bzzzzzzz

Ellie quickly answered her phone as she neared a room with the door cracked. “Hello?”

“It’s Ximena, look I’m at Lilac Palm but it's dead…that Vicente guy isn’t here…”.

“He’s at the club, whatever is going on he is in on it too”.

Ximena sighed and shook her head. “Okay, I’ll head over, it’s close by, right?”.

“Yea but hurry, I had to think fast, and I may have complicated things”.

“Got it,” Ximena said and hung up.

Ellie crouched behind some crates and boxes nearby as she leaned towards the door.

Colt Kaneko casually took a sip of his beer as Vicente narrowed his eyes at him. Ever since the Mercy Park Crew had split up, he was hellbent on continuing the legacy his father created. However, doing so from scratch was no small feat.

Luckily, he was able to track down Mona, and together they decided to infiltrate and conquer. He figured, what better way to do this than to go after the people his father had unfinished business with? He’d be making an even bigger name for himself and continue his father’s legacy.

“I just got word from David that Logan is in Boston”.

“Good, you can thank me for tracking down Zoe and Rita and passing that information to him anytime,” Colt said.

“Hm, we’ll see about that” Vicente took a sip of his beer and slid his phone back into his pocket.

“Look, I want to know if we have a deal? You know where Logan is, and I gave you all the information that I have on Mona”.

Vicente stroked his chin and gave Colt a dubious once-over. “What about Toby, Ximena, and Ellie?”

Colt slid a folder towards them. “Still working on tracking down Ellie but here’s where I last saw both of them”.

Vicente opened the folder and began sifting through Colt’s notes.

“Well?”

“I’m suspicious Kaneko, you aren’t like your father, not sure what to expect with you. I will wait until Ace gets here”.

Before Colt could respond a man, a few years older than him, sauntered into the room. Colt looked up from his seat and instantly recognized him, Bartholomew “Ace” de la Cruz from the Crimson Santos.

“Sorry got held up, Vicente your guys told me there was a fight out there”.

“I’ll check it out once we’re done here”.

Bartholomew turned his attention to Colt and gave him a quick once-over. “Teppei Kaneko’s son, in the flesh. So what do you have for us?”

“I have notes on Toby and Ximena and Vicente was just telling me Logan is in Boston”.

Vicente passed the notes to Bartholomew who began skimming the pages and eyeing the photographs.

“Nothing on Mona?” Batholomew asked as he looked up at Colt.

“No,” Colt said. “Besides, she was working with the Brotherhood, do you want to deal with someone like that?”

Bartholomew exchanged a look with Vicente before turning his attention back to Colt. “Are you familiar with ‘Walang Wa’?”

“So you’re schooling me now?”

“I don’t think you’re in the position to be a smart-ass,” Vicente said.

“No I want to hear this, have you heard the phrase or no?”

“No” Colt answered sharply.

“It means no mercy,” Bartholomew said. “It is also the motto of the Crimson Santos”.

With a stoic expression, Colt simply nodded his head. “Alright”.

“And what we will show you if you are playing a game here”.

Colt shrugged and shook his head. “I just want us to work together”.

“I think we need to recap since your memory is shit, Kaneko. Teppei stole two cars from my father years ago, which caused a lot of problems— “.

“Couldn’t have done too much damage, I hear, Cesar and Althea are doing fine with the B&B”.

Bartholomew took a deep breath and silently counted back from ten. “As I said, your father stole the 67 Komoda and the 54 Aeon SX from us, but he didn’t stop there, he tipped off a P.I. and we ended up having a mole problem”.

Colt stared back and squared his shoulders.

“My father was only able to do so much with that…hence why he is in Massachusetts and now I oversee things here. Now, the Mente Kings...Vicente, do you care to elaborate?”

“Sure, I guess Teppei never told you about a drifting competition in Tokyo?”

“Pop mentioned it was against some guy from Las Mente” Colt answered coolly.

“Hm, well that guy was Felix Curbelo, my brother” Vicente said. “Your father cheated and stole fifteen thousand from us. Once Felix got back to the states, interestingly enough, we also began to have a mole problem”.

Colt’s jaw worked as he eyed both men sitting across from him.

“Javier and Ace played soccer at Terman U. Imagine my surprise when he came home to visit and told me the Mente Kings and Crimson Santos had something in common—Teppei Kaneko and the Mercy Park Crew”.

“I get it, you’re pissed which is why I want to resolve this. I can find Ellie and easily bring her to you and believe or not, what’s in that folder should be enough for each of your guys to find Ximena and Toby”.

An eerie silence swept through the room as Vicente, Bartholomew, and Colt engaged in an intense stare-down.

“And you want cars and some money to get started?”

“Yeah, do what you want with them and all three of us can work together. Run this city, who knows? Maybe takeover”.

“Hm, as nice as it would be to inflict pain on the LAPD, I’m no longer interested,” Vicente said.

Colt bit his lip, usually, he was more confident, but now he felt backed into a corner.

Bzzzz bzzzzzzz

“That would be me” Bartholomew pulled out his phone and immediately a smiled appeared on his face.

“Good news?” Vicente asked.

“My old man just confirmed Logan is at their B&B. David and Javier are heading over there now”.

“Alright, so you have Logan”.

Bartholomew bit his lip and shook his head. “Alright, Kaneko here’s what we’re going to do. I’ll have my guys follow up on Ximena and Toby”.

“And I’ll tell David, Javier, and the new girl to bring Logan in,” Vicente said.

“But we still don’t have Mona and Ellie,” Bartholomew said as he tapped his fingers on the table.

“As I said, I will bring Ellie to you and trust me, you do not need Mona” Colt replied.

“I’m holding you to it” Bartholomew answered sternly.

Colt shook his hands with both men and exited the room. As soon as he was in the main area of the club, he pulled out his phone and texted Mona.

I just spoke with Ace and Vicente. David and Javier are taking you to a B&B owned by Ace’s parents. That’s where Logan is. You know what to do.

Within minutes Mona replied to his text.

Got it. I hope you’re right about this. Not comfortable infiltrating the Mente Kings and screwing with that Filipino gang in the process. One of my ex-girlfriends did some work for them, they are not to be played with.

As Colt passed by the crates and boxes, he typed out a reply.

Look it's easy, you bring Logan in. Once all of us are together we overthrow and take what is rightfully ours. I know what I am doing.

Back in the room, an eerie silence swept through the air as Bartholomew and Vicente sat drinking their beers, both deep in thought.

“Were you buying any of his crap?” Vicente turned to Bartholomew. “I mean this is Teppei Kaneko’s kid we’re talking about”.

Bartholomew set his bottle down and shook his head. “My thoughts exactly, I trust him about as far as I can throw him”.

Vicente took another sip and set his bottle down. “You know a few weeks ago, this chick joined the Mente Kings, goes by the name ‘Gwen’, good driver, fast and reliable…but something about her doesn’t sit right with me”.

“What does she look like?”

Vicente pulled out his phone and passed it to Bartholomew who started laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“That’s the chick from the Mercy Park Crew. Shaw told me about her while we were playing cards one night. I bet she and Kaneko are up to something”.

Vicente tossed his phone on the table. “Maldita sea”.

“Let me guess, you sent her to Massachusetts with Javier and David”.

Vicente silently tapped his fingers on the side of his bottle and shook his head. “Kaneko is up to something…what should we do?”

Bartholomew set his bottle and turned towards Vicente. “We kill them”.

As soon as Ellie heard the words, she crawled out of her hiding place and scurried towards the exit, she had to find Ximena and Toby and fast.

#rodaw #choices fanfic #ride or die: a bad boy romance #ride or die #choices fanfiction #choices rod #choices stories you play

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jwilsonmajorone2020 · 4 years

Text

Why I chose Poem 64 - Catullus

Catullus's Poem 64 is considered to be the poet's magnum opus. The epyllion (little epic), short in comparison to epics like the Odyssey but long in contrast to other works by Catullus, concerns itself with the marriage of Peleus (a hero from the myth of Jason and the Argonauts) and the sea nymph Thetis, with whom he falls in love with upon the shores of his home. The poem begins with the story of how the two met; "And then on that propitious day, mortal eyes gazed on sea-nymphs with naked bodies bare to the breasts outstanding from the foamy swirl. Then it is said Peleus burned with desire for Thetis, then Thetis despised not mortal marriage, then Thetis' sire himself sanctioned her joining to Peleus." Before going onto describe the "bridal bed of the Goddess," which has upon it a tapestry. The tapestry depicts Princess Ariadne (Daughter of King Minos of Crete) left upon the shores of Naxos by Theseus (Slayer of the Minotaur and Son of Aegeus, king of Athens) who Catullus refers to as a "Hero of valour," sarcastically. Catullus then goes on to write their shared myth in which Theseus travels to Crete, falls in love with Ariadne, and with her gift of a spool of wool slays the Minotaur, and frees the people of Athens from their malicious contract with the King Minos. However, it is not all glory and victory as Theseus abandons Ariadne on Dia's beach with no explanation. Such betrayal tears sweet Ariadne apart, and so she calls upon the three Goddesses of vengeance to strike down Theseus "and bring evil upon himself and his kin." The Goddesses hear Ariadne's cries and thus wipe Theseus's memory of the promise he made to his father to "bear aloft snowy sails" upon his arrival home. When Theseus returns with sails black his father, presuming Theseus is not aboard the ship with his company, having been slain by the Minotaur, flings himself off the cliff edge to his death. Catullus then returns to Ariadne, now that he has finished Theseus's side of the story, to describe how within the same tapestry upon the wedding bed there can be seen Bacchus with his cult of followers come to save Ariadne. After orgies and other Dionysian events, Catullus returns to the wedding bed where the same Gods now bless the marriage of Peleus and Thetis before Thessalian youth. Chiron with "sylvan spoil," Prometheus, Apollo, and Zeus himself all come whilst the Parcea/Moirai begin their truth naming chant all while pulling at the threads of life: "Run, drawing the thread, run, spindles!" Inside their song are the tales of the future. They sing of Achillies, son of both Peleus and Thetis, who is destined to die "besieging the walls of troy." But the song is not of sadness but glory, as the families legacy will live on and will be regarded as truly remarkable. Ending the poem, Catullus writes of how the Gods once were so involved in the lives of man. But now that the Earth has been "infected with heinous crime... they have turned away from us." This final part of the poem takes the reader outside of the words and into the world. The same way the tapestry took the audience into, and out of, Ariadne's story. Catullus employs this beautiful technique to make his political point that the world has become so terrible that the Gods no longer love us, and thus the people of Rome who allow such heinous crimes against brothers and sisters should be ashamed.

The reason why I chose Catullus's poem 64 to reference and analyse is that I feel the poem most resembles the form that I wish to imitate for my piece. In the poem, Catullus explores myth, something I intend to do in reference to my research on Dionysus. He refers to the geography of ancient Greece, again something I plan to do concerning Bithinya (Turkey) where my story takes place. And he discusses human relationships to power to make a political statement. Something that as my research and work has progressed, I realise, is a significant element of Catullus's work and my own, and so It is something I cannot ignore.

To start my Imitation, I will begin by plotting out the stories arc before going onto to write the piece. I feel as though at this point I have enough of an understanding of Catullus's poetic voice and a decent knowledge of all the elements I desire to reference in my work; Dionysus, the birth of Theatre, Roman Conquest under Cesar, and the life of Catullus.

I believe what will make my extensive research worthwhile will be my ability to paint a picture of Catullus, in Bithinya overseeing Roman global conquest, in a way that is informed but also entertaining. I also believe that the significance of a piece like this in our modern ideological landscape is not a miss. We are living in a time where we can see the extent of globalisation. Still, We feel as though we are too ill-informed for there to be anything that can be done to prevent it and make amends for its inherent ability to destroy culture and disrupt lives. By taking a prospective upon the issue that is historical by its nature, but is yet familiar to audiences who have seen countless filmic renditions of Roman and Greek stories, I believe I set myself up to create a digestible and yet still intriguing narrative that has the possibility of enlightening others to the idea that little has changed and that we have always been up against those who seek personal gain over the public good. In summary, I like to think that I am trying to create a film similar to Picasso's Guernica, where In I take a hyper abstract approach to a concept that is seemingly hyper abstract to comprehend.

#Moving Image #catullus

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ren-val · 5 years

Note

Paint me from the drabble prompts for whoever it fits best?

OK so, you have given me the chance to choose, and I want to give my dear noble Necromancer, Maesta Renata, the chance to shine. She is of orrian descent and this is a bit of the story of how she turned from sheltered lonely noble to adventurer thanks to her 5 silly friends who decided to be the Heroes of Shaemoor.

Those 5 boys are a mashup of characters @disaster-bi-canach and I took from another IP and OCs we developed from that. We decided to move them to GW2 and have fun. HERE is a pic of them all.

The night air was dense with smoke and unanswered questions. Most of the Seraph were quiet, focusing on their duty, and on the noble lady who had entered unanounced along with their Captain. They were observant enough to know that Logan Thackeray was more tense than usual, and that in spite of her gorgeous clothes, the lady had the sweet and metallic aroma of spilled blood all around her.

“A kidnapped noble and a bandit conspiracy in Salma’s district was not what I expected to come from your party, Lady Seserakh“ Logan stated, looking at his desk as if to distract himself of the matter at hand. “It was not my party, Captain” emphazised Maesta, clearly annoyed at the mere idea “It was Lord Faren’s party, in honor of the heroes of Shaemoor“

Logan sighed deeply “So, a party when the guests of honor do not appear, and the host ends up in a bandit lair rescued by a necromancer. I must admit, it is way more interesting than the noble galas I am used to“ A small smile graced the lips of the noble, and she relaxed a bit, though her gaze didn’t lost its edge. The Captain finally took a file from his desk, and opened it so she could see it; on it were the documents of a dead Seraph called Mario Zeppeli, killed by the Risen years ago. “I assume you knew this man, and if not, I guess you know his eldest son. My men told me you were trying to court him months ag-“

“I was not!“ she exclaimed, the harsh tone of her voice contrasting to her exqusiite mannerisms “I-I mean… forgive me Captain. I… yes, Cesare. I used to be close to him. And as many nobles, I thought myself clever enough to make him settle down. I was foolish however, and I failed“

Her curt answer way too short to disallow suspiscion from the Captain. His eyes closed slightly, too tired for nimble wordplay, Logan decided to be blunt. “He was with me and other adventurers the day of the attack on Shaemoor, and now he is reported to be on Queensdale. But is was not alone: the intelligence you gathered says he and his relatives were the real targets of today’s attack. I need to know who they are, my Lady. I need to know if they are potential assets or potential traitors to Kryta“

Maesta glared at the Captain, but calmed down as soon as she felt the rustle of steel coming from the surrounding Seraph. She sighed deeply, and looked down, sadness making her limbs limp around her. “It is impossible, they can’t be traitors. If anything, they are some of the most noble men I have ever knew. Faren and I expected their return after their mother wrote them a letter, but it seemed they didn’t recieved it, or they just didn’t care…“

Logan felt the creeping sadness taking over her, little by little. The feeling of being forgotten was not something he knew well, but it was hard for him not to be kind, or at least trying. “That we cannot know yet, but there is something more important, my Lady: you said they were good men, but I saw two boys younger than any Seraph in the battle, and I want to know who they are“

He took his own chair and offered it to Maesta, kindly letting her sit and look over his desk. He also took some sheets of paper, along with pencils and a piece of charcoal. “As far as I know, most ladies of your upbringing know how to draw, am I right?“ Confused, Maesta nodded “Well, then I would like you to make a protrait of your friends, and tell me who they are, so I can track them down and ensure they come back home“

Maybe it was the exhaustion, or the melancholy that was shattering her heart, but Maesta accepted, and took the papel and the pencils, making five base models for portraits. While she was doing that, Logan took the liberty to ask for food and drink, and to assure that everything was in proper order around the headquarters.

When he looked back, he could see the portrait of two men on the paper: one was Cesare, the brave guardian that had fought by his side in Shaemoor, the other was a man with longer hair and a whimsical beard, his smile wide, even if his eyes did not reflect joy.

“You already know who Cesare is, the other is Julius. He is an engieneer, and its probably the leader among them all. He and the others are Cesare’s cousins, although they are all around the same age“ Lady Seserakh wrote their names besides their portraits, and added some shadows with charcoal “Julius wanted to be a Seraph once, but he did not enter, although he was in the Academy, and passed all his exams… he is too aware of his duties, and sometimes he can be bossy, but never tyrannical. He and his brothers have the weirdest laughs I have ever heard“ She stated, smiling softly one more time.

Silence engulfed them once more, and this time, Logan looked at Maesta working. A servant brought wine, bread and cheese, and he took the chance to drink and eat a bit before looking at two extremely dissimilar faces: the two boys he had seen fight. One was a lean lad, smaller than any of the other adventurers, his gaze cold as his gestures, strands of his hair falling across his forehead. The other was a larger lad, wide and strong, his long dark hair in a high ponytail. His features were round and soft, with thick lips and shining eyes that showed both serenity and a streak of melancholy.

“The twins. They are the younger of them all, if anything they must be fifteen by now“ She shook her head, stretching her fingers and looking up to the skylight above them “The little one is Alessandro, he is way too quiet and smart for his own good. Taking interest in all the secrets he can find; he loves to hear the stories of how my father and his espionage escapades. Even now, I am scared he is having some stupid ideas about being an information broker…“

The Captain frowned at that: although fifteen was way too young for anything, he remembered the traps well, along with the poisons that the scrawny kid had used against the centaurs. He sounded like a real handful, or a huge asset if he acted the right way.

But the voice of Maesta pulled him from his reveries, back into reality “The big boy is Salvatore. He is a real softie, somehow he adopted a Drake broodmother and befriended her. Ludmila lives in my house, a huge noble lady trapped in the body of a huge fire-spitting creature” The mental image elicited a soft laughter from her, but it died soon “He is too insecure to be out there killing centaurs and getting into trouble, if he is doing so it must be because of his siblings“

The murmur of pencils over paper suddenly filled the space between them; Logan had no idea why, but Maesta had started to draw with an extremely detailed pace. All protraits had a good amount of detail, but there was a depth of detail in the last one that almost shocked him. Long, silky strands of lighter hair, the steady gaze of someone whose thoughts were varied and deep, tight lips and the freckles of youth that somehow did not seem out of place on such a serious and somehow feminine face.

“The red haired mesmer…“ He whispered, marveled at the details of his face. “His name is Lorenzo“ the Lady said, not yet finished with her work “And yes, his hair is longer than any of them. He could be confused with a girl if it wasnt for his voice and the strak line of his jaw. Somehow I thought he was going to apply fro the Durmand Priory; he is very knowledgeable about magical theory… he wouldn’t be an adventure unless there was something new to know…“

A sudden dreamy look on her face appeared, lasting just a second before a nervous smile appeared “Alright, these are the men who fought by your side, Captain. I am sure you want these with the same amount of detail, so give me a moment and I will… you know…“ Her hands moved once more, drawing details that were not there before. Freckles and beauty marks, small wrinkles of laughter or frowns that were not there, details that only someone who loved those lads would be able to remember.

“How did you met them?“ He wondered aloud, noticing the change of guards and the bright moonlight in the center of the room. “We have lived in Salma for years; not only are we nieghbors, but their father is a doctor; he takes care of my father’s health as well as mine. His name is Gregorio, and he knew my dad when both were under service of the Sera-“

She stopped all of sudden, unable to look elsewhere but the paper. When she finally did, her gaze was full of anger, an accusation present in her deep frown. “Their father was a Seraph, he served in the Highlands along with Mario, and recieved and honorary discharge after his death. And I know that their mother had something to do with the Crown, Captain. There is no way you couldn’t know this” Her fists curled, but she did not reach out for her dagger. “You knew all of this, Captain. Am I right? Then why did you bring me here? Grenth’s breath I swear that if you don’t give me an answer I-“

“There is no need to get to angry, child“ A clear feminine voice broke the tension between them. A beautiful woman with exqusiite clothes had entered silently, and now walked to them. Her presence was powerful, even if she did not look as strong as any of the Seraph around her. “Logan knew the names and the faces of your friends, but there are many details that cannot be found in the files of a retired man. He needed information so he could decide if they are hero material, or just some silly boys playing adventurer“

An anwkward silence fell upon them, and it was the woman’s soft cough that made Logan break it. “Allow me to introduce Countess Anise, Master Exemplar of the Shining Blade, and personal counselor to Queen Jennah“ The womam gave a short bow, and Maesta stood up so she could return the gesture. She seemed confused, instead of angry, but her questions lingered in the night air.

“And may I know why someone of your rank is interested in this intel, my Lady?“ She asked with a hint of hesitance in her voice. “Because these lads of yours can be heroes for our Queendom. But to be honest, this is why our dear Logan is interested in them, as for me…“ she stated, looking at the portraits on the table “I am interested in arts. Especially the art of observation. I am marveled at your capacity for detail, Lady Seserakh, especially the depth of your knowledge about people. Also, the fact that you are one of the few non-sylvari Firstborn who has knows something about Orr doesn’t make me any less interested…“

Maesta blushed furiously, but her gestures didn’t betray her intentions. “I think you are talking to the wrong noble regarding social skills. Half of the court thinks I am cursed, and the other half can’t seem to forget that Grenth blessed me with something that terrifies them, and therefore ignores me as much as possible“

The dignity of her statements was broken by a chuckle of the Countess “I am aware of that, child. You are invisible and unwelcomed, far from intrigue, except for the times your dear friend Faren has been your gallant lad in distress. You are also a good book keeper, and your archive is impecable, as far as your dear father has told me. A silent shadow with amazing manners and a diplomatic streak…“ Anise breahted deeply, a proud and charming smile in her face “What I am implying here my dear, is that I am not just looking for intel on your dear friends… I am here to recruit you for the Shining Blade“

A moment passed. And the deep silence was not broken this time. Lady Seserakh lowered her gaze, deep in thought, she closed her eyes for a couple of seconds…

And then, she nodded.

#THIS BEHEMOTH OF A FIC #BEEN WORKING ON IT THE WHOLE DAY #I feel proud of it tbh c:#gw2 #Ren does a fic #my ocs #Maesta Renata #yee she is head over heels for One (1) Guy #also she is kinda like a selfinsert without so much trauma so she is 122% better than me at everything #she inspires me #THANKS FOR THE REQUEST I HAD FUN :D

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pbby-org · 5 years

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36th NCBD: Br. Armin A. Luistro FSC Keynote Address

36th National Children’s Book Day Mundong Payapa para sa Kabataang Malaya Keynote—Br. Armin A. Luistro FSC

Greetings to our National Artist for Literature, Virgilio Almario; the Chair of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Icon of the Universe, Margie Moran; the CCP Vice Chair and Artistic Director, Chris Millado; the Chair of the National Book Development Board, Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz; the Chair of Museo Pambata, Nina Lim-Yuson; the Philippine Board on Books for Young People Chair, Tarie Sabido, and its Secretary General, Ani Rosa Almario; and the Director of the National Library, Cesar Gilbert Adriano. Distinguished guests, esteemed colleagues in the academe, ladies and gentlemen: Magandang Umaga po sa inyong lahat!

While exiled in Dapitan, Jose Rizal in 1895 described his experience in a sober disposition with resigned serenity and undiminished hope. When I consider our political landscape today, I must admit I am tempted to greedily appropriate these lines for myself (and here I quote a few lines in its Filipino translation):

Gabi’y bumubulong sa gitna ng sindak at pagkaligalig, At sa dagat nama’y bughaw’t lunting apoy ang pasilip-silip; Pagngiti ng araw’y payapa na naman ang buong paligid, At mula sa laot, yaong mangingisda ay napagigilid, Sugod na ang lunday at ang mga alon ay nananahimik.

* * *

Yaong pananalig na ibig ko sanang makitang kumislap Sa dakilang araw ng pangingibabaw ng Isip sa lakas; Kung makalipas na itong kamataya’t labanang marahas, Ay may ibang tinig, na lalong masigla at puspos ng galak, Na siyang aawit ng pananagumpay ng matwid sa lahat. Aking natatanaw na kulay-rosas na ang magandang langit [!]

One might ask why Pepe even bothered to write? Was it his mother egging him or Josephine? Was the motivation from within or was there pressure from without? Was he driven by altruism or was it pure ego? In his essay ‘Why I Write’, George Orwell names four motives for writing: (a) sheer egoism or the desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death; (b) aesthetic enthusiasm or the perception of beauty in the external world or in words and their right arrangement; (c) historical impulse or the desire to see things as they are; and finally (d) political purpose and here I quote Orwell’s own description of his motivation:

What I have most wanted to do… is to make political writing into an art. My starting point is always a feeling of partisanship, a sense of injustice. When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, ‘I am going to produce a work of art’. I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing. But I could not do the work of writing… if it were not also an aesthetic experience. Anyone who cares to examine my work will see that even when it is downright propaganda it contains much that a full-time politician would consider irrelevant…. The job is to reconcile my ingrained likes and dislikes with the essentially public, non-individual activities that this age forces on all of us.

And so today we gather to celebrate National Children’s Book Day. Compulsive bibliophiles and impassioned pedagogues are welcome. Anyone who sincerely love and respect children must share in our jubilation. During the early years of the K to 12 reform, when we were rolling out the MTB-MLE program ‘like a woman in labor, gasping and panting’, we were confronted with the huge problem of the lack of original stories in the mother tongue that could be used for the primary grades. What we had were translations of the usual publications in English and Filipino. But while these old-time favorites were great stories and classics in their own right, they did not speak the language, culture and traditions that were familiar with the first-time readers. We found the solution by appealing to our public school teachers to gather oral traditions and to document original stories from the local communities. When I went around our primary schools a year or two later, I found much joy and pride in the teachers’ presentation of original stories from the localities in a big book version authored and illustrated by our own teachers. By now, there must be hundreds of original stories out there in the field and used in the classrooms obviously requiring some editorial intervention but definitely ready to be harvested into an anthology of original Filipino stories in the mother tongue.

We encountered the same problem when DepED shifted to local history as the starting point for Araling Panlipunan. Since most barangays or municipalities do not have adequate publications on their local histories, it was close to impossible to get any essays or resources on local heroes and community chronicles. Our DepED teachers again came to the rescue and did their own share in compiling articles and pictures and sources so students could begin to know the Philippines and the world with their hometown as anchor for their historical journey. Would anyone have the discipline and the patriotism to gather those materials and work with our teachers and the local communities to further develop the collection into a serious publication?

In our celebration today, we especially welcome our esteemed writers and chroniclers, essayists and poets, novelists and biographers, illustrators and artists, publishers and editors. We are rolling out the red carpet to those who are gifted—nay, compelled—to write because they have a story to tell, or a lie to expose, or history to be recorded, or beauty to be captured. Do not worry if egoism gets in the way, for that will eventually sort itself out. But write as though it were your life-blood. Write as though this nation’s very existence lies on the tip of your quill. This nation is in search of its soul and you cannot allow money or politics or armaments to continue to dangle their empty promises or to resurrect the ghosts of yesteryears. In the words of Carlos P. Romulo, the might of your pen may yet bring every Filipino to discover that: “The seed I bear within me is an immortal seed… It is the insignia of my race, and my generation is but a stage in the unending search of my people for freedom and happiness.”

I must warn you though: if you wish to take your mission seriously, then have courage! Pepe and many others during his time were martyred because they dared write. In another era and cultural milieu, the same fate befell an eminent scholar and a genius of translation, William Tyndale, who translated the Bible directly from Hebrew and Greek into English. Referring to the English language while comparing him to William Shakespeare, Hannah Bowers writes:

Tyndale was burned alive in a small town in Belgium in 1536. His crime was to have translated the Bible into English. He was effectively martyred after fighting against cruel and eventually overwhelming forces, which tried for more than a dozen years to prevent him from putting the Word of God into his native language. More than any other man he laid the foundation of our modern language which became by degrees a world language. His legacy matches that other pillar of our language – Shakespeare, whose genius was in imagination.

From an era when books were unavailable, the first printing press has revolutionized the landscape and made books available to ordinary people. That may yet be the most critical challenge for us in the Philippines. Fast-forward to the 21st century, we find that access to digitized resources has become a real game-changer in our world. In fact, by the end of 2017, there were already 4.2 billion internet users representing 54.4% of the world’s population. It was the same year when Thomas Friedman, writing in the New York Times, took note of a critical moment of history that is now irreversible:

And so it came to pass that in the winter of 2016 the world hit a tipping point…when we realized that a critical mass of our lives and work had shifted away from the terrestrial world to a realm known as “cyberspace.” That is to say, a critical mass of our interactions had moved to a realm where we’re all connected but no one’s in charge.

After all, there are no stoplights in cyberspace, no police officers walking the beat, no courts, no judges, no God who smites evil and rewards good…

That seems to me like a mirror image of what is happening in the country today where news—or rather, fake news—is written by trolls and boosts and bots who rule in this era where populism is deified and where surveys and polls and votes of the majority stir the pot of violence and division. As the movers and shakers add chaos to the confusion, the thinkers and visionaries are nowhere to be found. I long to hear the voice of our poets and writers and artists where the nation’s soul resides.

Well, the truth is that the gains of the 3rd industrial revolution has become a real affliction for me as there are moments when I truly long to go on self-imposed exile into an island with no wifi connection and where I can get my downtime from viber and instagram and whatsapp… watch sunsets, smell flowers, sip Barako coffee and simply turn the pages of a good read under the shades of a century-old Narra. Iyan na siguro ang bunga ng aking pangangarap ng gising para sa isang Mundong Payapa para sa Kabataang Malaya! If we were to give every Filipino child that “downtime” to seek that which “only the heart can see rightly” by offering them the stories that can only come from our forebears and can only be told and written by Filipinos, then we would certainly have the joy of creating a nation for our children which the other Pepe, surnamed Diokno, dreamed of:

A NOBLE nation, where homage is paid not to who a person is or what the person owns, but to what the person is and what the person does. A PROUD nation, where poverty chains no man to the plow, forces no woman to prostitute herself and condemns no child to scrounge among garbage. A FREE nation, where men and women and children from all regions and with all kinds of talents may find truth and play and sing and laugh and dance and love without fear. A JUST nation… where poverty, ignorance, and hunger are attacked… every breadwinner, a job… every farmer, a land… every family, a home… and everyone, a steadily improving quality of life. An INDEPENDENT nation, which rejects foreign dictation, depends on itself, thinks for itself, and decides for itself… An HONORABLE nation where public powers are used for the public good… where leaders speak not only well but truthfully and act honestly; a nation that is itself and seeks to live in peace and brotherhood with all other nations of the world.

On this 36th National Children’s Book Day celebration, with the might of our pens and courage in our hearts, let us proclaim this truth and claim it as our very own. Magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat.

#NCBD2019 #National Children's Book Day

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witch-of-letters · 6 years

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Alliances don’t come cheap - Chapter 2

I won’t lie to you, my friends - writing IS hard. I know it’s been quite some time (3 weeks, I think) since I’ve updated this fic, but as promised, the next part of the series is posted tonight. This time, the hardest part to write was the dialogue between Ezio and Machiavelli (like mentioned in a previous chapter, all the dialogues are taken from the actual game scenes, with added descriptions of the actions taken by the two) since it literally took me three hours to write it down (scenes themselves didn’t last longer than 8 minutes altogether). But please, without any further ado, enjoy reading, my lovely assassins!

P.S. The feedback is always appreciated. Don’t only tell how much you’ve liked it, say how well the characters were written, what do you think of the main character (i.e. the Reader) and what do you think will happen next?

Prevously on ADCC:

For days now, Cesare has been gathering his forces near Castello Sant’Angelo. While his motives were somewhat unclear to you, you knew that nothing good would come out of this. If you were correct - and with those things you usually were - he would set his sight on Monteriggioni, since just earlier today, you heard of Ezio defeating Rodrigo in the Vault. And now his son would try to get the Apple back…If Mario doesn’t receive the letter you’re about to send him, you fear Ezio will experience a great tragedy once more. As if the man hasn’t gone through enough.

Rome, two days later

He has done it. Cesare has destroyed the home of the Auditore just to ‘teach’ Ezio a lesson. But as the fate decreed that you couldn’t go and defend them from the attack, you still had to be the bearer of the bad news not only to your closest allies, but to the numerous contacts of yours, since Mario frequently exchanged information with them. And now...the leader of the Italian Assassins is dead.

As painful as it was to learn of his untimely death, the duties had to be carried out as usual, with careful thinking and precision. The Templars have pulled out the rug from beneath the Assassins’ feet, but only temporarily...And they’ll soon see how difficult it is to manage the control over the city while ‘little mice’ are running about.

You arrived to the door of Margherita dei Campi, a woman who was currently taking care of Ezio. You were a bit reluctant to enter the house, as you did not want him to see your face prematurely. Less questions that way.

*Knock* *Knock*

“Oh, it is you, signorina Vergara! Just let me open the door for you.” The moment it opened, you entered the house, quickly finding your way to the unconscious and injured man. From your angle, he looked peaceful, without the mountain of worry upon his shoulders. But you knew that soon he’ll have to jump into the ocean of problems again (you had heard from Claudia that he wanted to finally retire from the life of an assassin after defeating Rodrigo in the Vatican).

“He hasn’t woken up yet, has he?” you quietly asked the hostess while brushing away some stray locks of hair from Ezio’s face. You couldn’t lie to yourself, he was handsome (even for a man of his age).

“No, he’s still without light in his eyes. But another man had come to visit him earlier today. He brought a pair of new robes to him,” she motioned to a pile of white clothing on the nightstand,” and told me to convey Ezio a message.” Now you were curious, but you had a feeling that you knew who that man was.

“What did it say?”

“To meet Machiavelli at Mausoleo di Augusto. As soon as he wakes up.”

“I see.” Indeed, your friend has become a very busy man lately. He arrived from Monteriggioni only a couple of days ago, and already was he making plans to liberate Rome from the Templars. But, of course, you knew that it wouldn’t be so easy. Their grip on the city was a very tight one.

Suddenly, you spotted Ezio’s eyebrows’ slight furrowing, and the twitching of his fingers. He was waking up. You had to take your leave.

“Don’t say a word about my visit here.” you took her hand in yours, “It’s best that he doesn’t know anything about me...for now.” The former noblewoman nodded firmly and squeezed your hand in reassurance.

“I will keep it to myself, I promise.” Before you left her residence, you took one last look at Ezio’s sleeping form. ‘If you don’t help me liberate Roma as quickly as possible, I fear all of us will deeply regret the consequences. Best of luck to you, Ezio. Best of luck to us all.’ When Margherita turned around, it seemed like you vanished into thin air, like a ghost. Perhaps you were, perhaps not.

Ezio’s P.O.V.

His head felt heavy, as though it was filled with lead. The thoughts of Mario’s death, Monteriggioni’s besieging, and Cesare holding the Apple in his hands, were uncontrollably racing inside his head, making it hard for him to actually make sense of anything. Ezio abruptly woke up, startling the woman in a grey dress before him. He took a look at his surroundings. None of it was familiar to him, but where was he? Hopefully in a safe place, if the presence of that woman didn’t give him any other indications.

“Calmatevi (Calm down.). The pain will end soon.” Ezio didn’t mean to sound gruff, but the pain in his shoulder didn’t make it any easier.

“Where have you brought me?”

“Nowhere, Messere (Mister.). A man left you here.” He slowly put his legs over the edge of the bed.

“Did he say anything?”

“Only this. You are to meet Messer (Mister) Machiavelli in front of the Mausoleo di Augusto. Let me help you get dressed.” She handed him a pile of new white robes.

“The same man who brought me here gave me these clothes?”

“Si, Messere. (Yes, Mister.)” When he got finally dressed, Margherita handed him his gauntlet with Auditore crest. The only thing that was left of Altair’s armor…

While she gave him a genuinely happy smile, he brought his feet over to the front door, opening it and inhaling the fresh air.

“Ah, Roma.”

“Yes, or what is left of it since the Borgia came to power.”

“And the Mausoleo?”

“Unfortunately, you cannot see it from here.” Ezio pointed at the church in the distance. From there he’d be able to see his current destination.

“How about from the top of that church?”

“Yes, but the stairs up are closed.”

“That should not be a problem. Vi ringrazio di tutto quello che ayete fatto per me, buona donna. Addio.” (Thank you very much for everything you have done for me. Farewell, good woman.) She went back inside her house. Now, all that remained was to find Machiavelli, and learn what has happened while he remained unconscious.

Not long after he arrived at his destination, he spotted Niccoló standing near one of the old underground tunnel entrances, calmly looking around himself. He had to admit - the new outfit suited him more than that hideous tunic he last wore. Machiavelli’s ‘fashion sense’ had apparently reawakened not long after he left, but he didn’t have time to question him about it. Duty called.

“Ezio! What a surprise to see you here!” exclaimed Nic in a rather calm manner. Ezio was confused. Wasn’t he the one who left him the message?

“I thought you had sent for me.”

“Never! News of the Villa attack has spread across the city. We were certain that you were dead.” Dead? Did they really think he was unskilled enough to survive a besieging? Ezio swallowed down the urge to physically facepalm, and instead, did so only inside his head.

“Not yet. I am still very much alive!” Machiavelli pointed a finger at him.

“The Borgia must not discover that you escaped them! Follow me! Take care...not to draw any undue attention.”

“When do I ever?” Ezio spoke amusedly. Indeed, he was never the one to draw any attention on himself intentionally, but alas, trouble found him eventually, no matter what he did.

The streets were full of people who looked like they had to do a thousand tasks that day. Most of them walked calmly and unrushed around the pair, but a couple of young men, who stood just around the corner, seemed to be excited about starting a race around the narrow streets of the ancient city. Hopefully, they would be left unbothered.

“You would be wise to purchase missing equipment. You will not live long in Roma without supplies.”

“I have my blade-” Ezio was cut off.

“And the guards have their guns - courtesy of the Borgia. Fortunately, I can help you,” Niccolo handed him his money-bag.

“Grazie.”

“While you’re in my debt, perhaps you will listen to reason.”

“As soon as I hear some, I will let you know.” It didn’t take long to purchase some shoulder guards. Only leather ones were available - for what little money he had. They would have to do for the time being.

“Bene. Now you can survive the journey back to Firenze.”

“Perhaps, but I’m not going to Firenze.” The Borgia were in Rome, after all.

“Oh?” inquired Machiavelli.

“There will be no peace until we rise up against the entire Borgia family and the Templars who served them!”

“I do not recall such brave talk at Monteriggioni!” Ezio has become a more patient man during they years of serving the Creed but the way his current companion asked they questions...his patience was starting to wear thin.

“How could I have known they would find me so quickly, that they would kill Mario?!” The pain of loss stung in his heart, since only a handful of days had passed.

“Rodrigo surrounds himself with snakes and murderers! Even his daughter, Lucrezia, has been sharpened into one of his most artful weapons...but she pales in comparison to the man behind the Villa attack...He is ambitious, ruthless, and cruel beyond imagining. The laws of men mean nothing to him! He murdered his own brother to take power! He knows neither danger nor fatigue. Those, who do not fall by his sword, clamor to join his ranks,” he paused,”The powerful Orsini and Kolowna families have been brought to kneel at his feet, and the King of France stands at his side.”

“Give me his name,” asked Ezio.

“Cesare, head of the Papal Armies. What does he intend to do with his power? What drives the man? - That, I still do not know, but Ezio, Cesare has set his sights on all of Italia, and at this rate, he will have it!” The way Niccolo said it...there was barely any note of anger or disappointment. Ezio did not like it.

“Is that admiration I hear in your voice?”

“He knows how to exercise his will, a rare virtue in the world today.”

They finally arrived to the stables, but Ezio could see that they were boarded up with wooden planks, as if completely abandoned by its previous owners.

“Should we not travel by horse? Roma is quite large,” remarked Ezio.

“As Cesare’s conquests in Romagna continue to succeed, and the Borgia are growing power, they have taken desirable areas of the city for themselves. We cannot use the stables here.”

“Oh, the will of the Borgia is law now?!” spoke Ezio resentfully. Could things get any worse? Niccolo was quick to defend himself.

“What are you implying, Ezio?!”

“Do not play dumb with me, Machiavelli.”

“Do you have some kind of plan?”

“I am impovising.” Ezio took a look at his surroundings. Nothing there was telling him how to get out of their current predicament, but when he looked up, he saw a watchtower, bearing the Borgia banners. The only thing he’d have to do, would be killing one of the Guard Captains stationed at the said tower. It doesn’t take more than three minutes to put a hidden blade through his neck, silencing the man permanently. Now, he only hoped that his shoulder wouldn’t start hurting again.

When he returned back to his companion, the latter was quick to say how unoriginal and useless his idea was.

“Just because you kill a few guards does not mean the people who grant access to the stables.

“You are right, we need to send a signal. Wait here.”

Once he was up in the tower, he took a nearby torch and threw it on the scattered hay, which also surrounded the barrels with gunpowder. Before they could blow up, he took a leap of faith, swiftly diving into a haystack below. ‘At least that’s been dealt with…’

“It seems this stable is now available for purchase,” said Machiavelli sarcastically.

“After you.”

Together, they bought a pair of horses and wasted no time in riding on them further inside the city. Thankfully, people with equine companions were frequent visitors there, so everyone knew (as if by their gut feeling) when to step aside and let the riders through. The first ancient structure they passed was the Roman Pantheon, now covered with red tapestries, signalling, that they were under the Papal rule. How...wrong it felt.

“You excel at opening wounds, Ezio, but can you also close them?”

“I intend to heal the sickness or treat the symptoms,” Ezio wanted to close the matter as quickly as possible. He didn’t need anyone’s judgement right now - much less Machiavelli’s.

“Stop sparring with me!” was Nic’s aggravated response.

“Fine, let us talk openly then,” Ezio paused,” Rodrigo Borgia’s death would not have solved anything.”

“I am inclined to disagree.”

“Look at this city, the center of Borgia and Templar rule! Killing one man will not change things! You need to take away the source of their power!” For a moment there, Nic grimaced, shocked by how Ezio wanted to destroy the power of their enemies.

“Are you saying we appeal to the people?!”

“Maybe.”

“Relying on people is like building on the sand.” Ezio had to defend himself once more, since his friend was so quick to object to his suggestion.

“You are wrong. Our belief in humanity rests at the heart of the Assassin Broterhood-” the moment he said those words, a thief ran by, cutting off his coin purse. That amused Niccolo greatly judging by his next words:

“Ha! He must be from your inner circle! Go! Get back what he’s stolen.” It wouldn’t be hard to catch the thief, for he looked like he’s done it a handful of times only. Ezio had no time for this. He had to ‘draft’ the plans on how to liberate Roma, not chase after a foolish cutpurse.

“Give me back my money!” he shouted, but the thief didn’t slow down, only continued to run through the crowd. When an opening was presented to him, he tackled the thief to the ground, effectively putting an end to the chase. Ezio wasted no time in demanding his money-pouch back, looking at the young man with steely eyes. He rather nervously gave the pouch back to its owner, not wanting to face his wrath - after all, he was weaponless. ‘Now I don’t have to work hard to give Machiavelli his money back…’ Ezio thought.

Walking back to where the horses were, he once again thought in how bad shape the city was. If thieves were running rampant and stealing money from not only the commoners but assassins, he would have a stern talk with La Volpe ahead of him. If Rome was to be liberated from the Borgia and the corruption that House has spread, all of the Assassins’ allies had to be brought together under a single banner - courtesans, mercenaries, and thieves.

Machiavelli stood near the two stallions, patiently waiting for his friend to return. Even though it was already twilight, more things had to be accomplished by midnight, and they involved not only a deeper discussion about the state of the city, but showing the Master Assassin the new Headquarters in which future plans could be made without the Templars getting a whiff of those.

Soon enough, he spotted the white-robed assassin making his way towards him, gaze lowered to the ground but shoulders still squared.

“Did you liberate your money from our friend?” Niccolo calmly asked him, as if not knowing that the thief wasn’t their ‘friend’ at all (which he actually didn’t).

“I did.” Ezio wasn’t in the mood to discuss that. Not right now.

“A small victory.”

“They are up, and in time with work, we’ll have a few dozen more,” said Ezio, gesturing with his hand to give Machiavelli an idea about the amount they’d make if they put their minds to it.

“And in time Cesare’s gaze will return to us. He will be broken again.” Nic looked around,”Now, where is my contact, Vinicio?! He should have already intercepted the letter...Follow me!”

In the meanwhile, on a nearby rooftop

“They’re in sight. Proceeding to ride towards the Colosseum. Should we follow them?” A hand was waved through the air in a stopping motion.

“No need. I know where they’re going. Just continue monitoring the streets, I want no informant of Borgia to be on that road!” The man nodded.

“It will be done.”

Ezio’s P.O.V.

As they continued riding towards wherever Machiavelli was currently leading them to, Ezio felt as though there was a presence behind them, watching as they rode further and further away from the city and in the direction of the outskirts, where ancient structures were still scattered like tiny pieces of sand on the ground.

“Look at these facades masquerading as government. The Pope is very clever to keep this place in business. It fools your ‘friends’ - the people - quite easily,” said Machiavelli smugly, trying to prove his point about using the citizens being a foolish plan.

“When did you become so cynical?”

“I merely describe the reality of Roma today,” responded Niccolo innocently,”but all may not be lost,” he added in a lowered tone.”The good news is that we have allies, you see. How much longer this will last, however, I cannot say.” Before Ezio could respond, they saw a group of guards, talking to one of Volpe’s thieves, judging by the rags he was wearing. They didn’t look kind, but they haven’t lifted a finger upon him either.

“He was attempting to steal a fish of Vatican mayor.” the guard on the right pointed his finger at the visibly frightened thief.

“Perdonate, signore (Sorry, sir.) You must be mistaken!” the thief tried wiggle himself out of the mess he had caused, but it only resulted in a dagger being pressed to his throat.

“Who are you working for, ladro (thief)?”

“I am working for no one-” he was cut off.

“Then no one will care what we do to you…” The guards attacked the thief, quickly surrounding him in a tight circle. Ezio, being the good man he is, hopped off his horse, drawing his sword. The closest man to him was quickly impaled through his gut, falling down like a heavy stone to the ground. The thief could hold his own, but he was much slower than the assassin fighting at his side. Before he could even blink, all of the men were lying on the ground, their crimson blood pooling around them.

“Grazie!” thanked the thief, but Machiavelli was quick to get his mind back on track.

“Where is it?!”

“The courier still has the letter!”

“Ezio, stop him!” The Master Assassin ran inside the Colosseum, immediately spotting the Borgia courier in his telltale red garments. He jumped up the wall, proceeding to track the man down by being a few meters above him. When the courier made a mistake by climbing up the adjacent stonewall, Ezio tackled him to the ground, practically ripping out the letter from the man’s hands. ‘It’s time to see what Machiavelli has in mind…’

Spanish Ambassadorial Palace

“It seems that they have caught the messenger, my lady,” spoke Zubair, your close assistant, to you quietly. You didn’t know whether to cringe or let out an amused chuckle.

“How many times have I told you to stop calling me ‘my lady’? My name would suit just fine.” The Arabian let out a quiet chuckle.

“A force of habit, I’m afraid.”

You thought back to what had transpired just half an hour earlier. Indeed, Ezio had managed to pluck the letter from one of your enemy’s long list of informants and messengers, safely handing it over to your at-times-very-cynical friend. You didn’t know, however, what the two had been talking about all the way to the Colosseum. In all honesty, you had no desire to pry into their private conversation, but if you had to take a guess, it all would come down to the current state of the once prospering city. Even a small child could notice how ‘foul’ the air around here was, what with all the corruption pulsing through the city’s ‘veins’.

“First, he’ll take him to one of the Followers of Romulus’ lairs. From there, he’ll proceed with introducing the new hideout on Isola Tiberina.”

“You’re afraid something will happen to the Assassin?” said Zubair teasingly, knowing how fascinated you were by the famous (or rather infamous) Italian Master Assassin, but you were in no mood for joking, so he immediately sobered up when he saw your hard look.

“I plan on meeting him today.”

“What?! Niccolo said nothing about arranging your mutual introduction!” You allowed yourself to smirk.

“Well, we do have to speed up the things a little. After all, we won’t have much time until Cesare decides to proceed forward with his plans.” Until he decides to turn whole Italy into a bloodbath...

Taglist (Sincere ‘Thank you’ to all the people who like my posts and/or follow me): @sassenach-on-the-rocks, @thebgassassin, @kisstheassassins, @iceboundstar, @sazula, @assassins--and--hidden--blades, @undertastic-dork, @ermergerd517, @tarjanisfrye, @kittitt, @mavrisfanfics, @imagines-of-the-creed, @creednight, @emzysimagines, @deejayers, @theswordofeden, @unreadpoppy, @forsubject4, @clara-oswhy, @thefryes, @lazy-kari202

#ezio auditore #ezio auditore imagine #ezio auditore x reader #ezio x reader #ezio imagine #assassin's creed brotherhood #assassin's creed imagine #userwayward

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cl0wnmama · 2 years

Text

Little brother

(continuing Take me away)

Maximilian POV-

Me and Cesar were in my room, drinking wine as I promised him, Cesar was laughing at an story he remembered when he was alive

"It was so hilarious, the look on their faces as the water soaked their uniforms" he said looking at me, his green eyes were like glowing gems only imagine in fairy tales

I smile at him, chuckling at his story, mid sip, Cesar looked at the eyes widen "oh dear, it seems I'll have to leave soon.."

I was confused and upset "but what about Ivan" I ask

"If I stay here, he'll try to find me, and once he does.. I don't know what'll happen to me then.."

Disgusting, that disgusting man, I've never felt so much rage in my life, why would Ivan do this to him!? His own blood

Let me out Maxi~ I can teach him a lesson

No! What if you hurt Cesar! I will not allow it!

I wouldn't dare Maxi, you have my promise, I won't hurt an hair on that poor puppet's head

I considered it, if Maxwell just scares Ivan enough then.. he'll leave Cesar alone and Cesar can finally be safe!

Alright sounds like an deal then~

I gotten up, happy at my our idea "Cesar it's getting late and we need to change out of these costumes, we don't want them ruin until our play even begins"

"Oh ok! I'll get changed right now!" Cesar ran to my stage room to fetch his clothes, meanwhile I we start planning our arrival

Ivan is usually around here by 6 seconds from now because he and William stay up discussing

"I can't believe Cesar didn't come home, Alice is now worried sick and it's all on me now"

Speak of the devil, here he is, it's time Maximilian~

I sigh, letting Maxwell take control of my mind

"I wonder if William is bed by now.. whatever Cesar probably here anyways I need to fetch him"

"I don't think so~"

"Who the hell?!" Ivan said as he looked around, trying to find us

"Cesar will stay with us, away from you, you haven't been treating him very nice~" I teased him, it was funny seeing Ivan look at me, angry and in FEaR

"Maximilian? Where is Cesar!?"

"Wrong name, Maxwell, it's nice to meet you"

"Stop with this act Maximilian! Where is Cesar!? What have you done with my brother!"

Mmmm you know what be fun, if I lie to him

"He's locked away, so your disgusting hands can't reach him" I say menacingly

Ivan expression changed from angry to shocked, he sensing from Maxwell's tone

"Why would you, you are his friend! He's my brother! Unhand my brother" demanded Ivan

I chuckled "why should I~ I mean you'll love to see him tortured, his limbs shattered across the stage, hanging from the ceiling like beautiful decor"

Ivan look petrified then draws out a long needle like sword, and point it at Maxwell

"WHO DO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!? WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY LITTLE BROTHER!?" Ivan's voice cracks at little brother, he sounds heartbroken

"Ivan?" Cesar!? No wait

"Hehe finally I get to see him.." I chuckled, Maxi never let's me see him

Cesar looks at me then at Ivan he gasps as he sees the sword

"Ivan what are you doing!? Why are you raising a sword at him!" Cesar says as he rushed over to me and grabs our face, he stares into our eyes "you're not Maximilian..are you Maxwell?.."

"Ding ding, you got it" I say smirking

"Can I see Maximilian? For a moment please" he asks ever so politely

Maxwell

But...UGH fine!

I then start to take control of my own mind once more, staring into my beloved friend green sockets

"Oh Maxi! I'm so sorry, Ivan tried hurting you and Maxwell! I promise things like this will not happen in the future!" Cesar says as he turns to his brother

"Ivan..Listen I-" before he can even speak, Ivan pulled his brother into a tight hug

"Let's just go home.." he mumbled

Cesar sighs and nobs as he wishes me his farewell

I feel something in my chest that I cannot describe, it's probably nothing

(woah two new stories!? I hope you guys like it, I tried :')

#dark deception

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mastcomm · 4 years

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Lampard: Chelsea can cope with possible Abraham absence

Frank Lampard insists Chelsea have the firepower to cope if England hitman Tammy Abraham’s ankle problem keeps him sidelined for several weeks.

Abraham was carried from the field with an ankle injury scare at full-time as Chelsea were held to a 2-2 Premier League draw by 10-man Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.

Hector Bellerin drilled Arsenal to a share of the spoils after Cesar Azpilicueta had thought his late strike had earned the Blues victory.

Always happy to score against these lot… But what truely made me happy, was everyone fighting for their lives on that pitch. Big well done to the team tonight #COYG pic.twitter.com/cYEt19HwUP

— Héctor Bellerín (@HectorBellerin) January 21, 2020

David Luiz was sent off against his former club with Jorginho slotting a penalty for Chelsea, but Gabriel Martinelli hit back for the Gunners in a turbulent west London clash.

Asked for the severity of Abraham’s injury, Lampard replied: “He has had ice on his ankle, but I haven’t spoken to him yet so I don’t know.”

When asked if Chelsea could cope without Abraham, who has 13 Premier League goals this term, Lampard said: “Yes, yes; and we have the players there to do that.

“I hope he’s not (out for several weeks), but then if he is then yes, we do have the players.”

Chelsea boss Lampard refused to dampen down links to want-away Paris St Germain striker Edinson Cavani on Monday, and injury to Abraham could increase the Blues’ need to recruit a striker in the January window.

Edinson Cavani is a reported target for the Blues (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Olivier Giroud wants to join Inter Milan to link back up with ex-Blues boss Antonio Conte, while Chelsea also have Michy Batshuayi as their other frontline striker.

Lampard reiterated Chelsea are more likely to look at loan deals than permanent transfers this month, as he plots his long-term strategy at the club.

“I know and I feel where we need strengthening,” said Lampard.

“It’s not going to be just January, this is more of a short-term window for us.

“This season has given us some answers on the pitch in where we need to improve. But that’s not so much for this window.”

Lamenting his side’s inability to seal victory against Arsenal’s 10 men, Lampard added: “At that point when you go 2-1 up, you’ve got to get the basics right.

Frank Lampard was frustrated to see his team pegged back (Owen Humphreys/PA)

“The second goal was soft, it’s soft for a right-back to cut inside and roll it into the far corner. We have to be honest about that.”

Arsenal boss Arteta revealed he almost substituted goalscorer Gabriel Martinelli when pondering a defensive rejig in the wake of Luiz’s red card.

The former Gunners midfielder admitted his relief at holding his nerve and allowing the 18-year-old Brazilian to stay on the field.

“I was thinking about taking Martinelli off, I was thinking about that – but I changed my mind,” said Arteta.

“I was thinking about that, and then I thought ‘I don’t want to send that message to the team’. I wanted to keep us as we were and give us a chance.

“I asked the players to be accountable for what they do. So it was a great response from them.

Gabriel Martinelli strokes home Arsenal’s first equaliser (Bradley Collyer/PA)

“To play in this stadium the way he has, and with 10 men for us, it’s fantastic, especially against Azpilicueta who I think is one of the best full-backs in the league.

“This shows the character, the fight and the leadership of the players. You have to really stand up in this kind of situation.

“I told them when someone makes a mistake, that can happen, but what cannot happen is that we do not stand up.

“But everyone did. Everyone believed at half-time we could stand up, and we did.

“I wasn’t expecting Hector to score with his left foot obviously! But I’m very happy.”

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from WordPress https://mastcomm.com/sport/lampard-chelsea-can-cope-with-possible-abraham-absence/

#Sport

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ofemeline · 7 years

Text

the blood of a traitor

WHO: levi laroux, cesar fitzborough mireen, emeline mireen. ( @levilaroux & @cesarscommand )

WHERE: the forbidden forest, right outside bearoria’s boundaries.

WHAT: emeline holds a trial for a traitor but eventually decides to execute him. tw blood, tw death, tw killing.

emeline: not wanting to put a damper on the holiday, emeline postponed the execution for the next day. ( though, it helped that levi hadn't found the traitor until that very day. ) she hadn't wanted an audience for the entire execution, instead, she limited it to just the dracborough citizens-- wanting to make an example of the man who tried to defy the crown. she chose a secluded area: the forbidden forest. not many people visited there, unless traveling, and she figured it was far too spooky for anyone to go near, especially during this late night. the queen arrived a little later than the rest of her people but she was proud to see that the execution was set up. she watches with a hard gaze as she walks in front of the crook, ignoring the way he spits her name with disgust. but emeline keeps a straight face, showing little to no emotion. "shall we begin ?" she asks to no one in particular or rather, the group in general.

Levi: levi wasn't a murderer, this, this wasn't a murder however; this was justice. he'd always considered his work to be such, he was given a name to a face and sent off after those who sought to do wrong or had done so. in truth he'd almost always felt like an extension of the laws reach, it sent a message he thinks, no matter how far you'd be found, he wonders if it ever made people think twice before they committed such acts, he doesn't think it did though given how busy he usually was. there he was now though, everything had been set up and they were all now gathered into the forest, looking around at it now it was no wonder it was forbidden he thinks. as soon as his queen arrives he tries to briefly straighten himself up, narrowing his eyes at the traitor when he spits out her name, he doesn't deserve to even utter it and he wants to kick the mans teeth in. he opts to instead seethe out his words ever so slightly. "shut it traitor." levi clears his throat, expression softening but still serious when he looks back to emeline. "m' ready whenever your highness."

Cesar: the clearing isn't cold, but there is a chill in the air. traitor. it could be his fate, before too long, if emeline sought evidence of such. she certainly believed such. but the sight of the accused still made his stomach turn in anger and disgust. none in the clearing wanted to see him, he had few friends there. he suddenly seemed to have few friends in dracborough, altogether. perhaps it was his own fault - in fact, it probably was. even so, as he swept past levi, he sent the man a nod, but no smile. emeline would not like that. he stayed hidden in the shadows, waiting for the action, hoping his half-sister had not spotted him.

emeline: "you are brought here because you have been accused of conspiring against the crown." she speaks loudly but only to the traitor, her hands folded in front of her as her posture is straight and confident. there wasn't much evidence other than the few who saw the man leave dracborough, a high knight who had sworn faith to the dracborough crown. she had no doubts on his execution, she just wanted to make it seem as if he had a chance. "do you deny it ?" her eyes take to the skies as ysellian flies over them but she makes no motion for him to come down beside her. there were some things dragons couldn't solve. justice was one of them. "you abandoned your kingdom in their time of need, do you admit that ?" she receives no answer so she leans closer, dangerously closer to the traitor. "you are going to die tonight, whether you lie or not. i suggest you come out with the truth."

Levi: levi had caught cesar’s gaze, unknown of the previous interaction with the man and the queen he offers him nod back either way, he might of given a wide grin had the situation been better and very much minus the traitor before them. the man doesn't say a word at first, beyond to an admittance of guilt, "the truth? you want the truth?! the truth is the only thing you have going for you as a queen is the dragon above us, octavius would have had all the kingdoms without that. our kingdom would have been slaughtered, your dragon and you nothing but bones. so i did what any man would have done, i took action for myself and not some women playing pretend that she is as good of a ruler as her father before her. i admit it, i admit i had every intention in siding with ironhaven." his words harsh and cold, if there already hadn't been a chill in the air; there would be now. he doesn't seem sorry about it though, it makes levi's blood boil. he has to steady his hand on the hilt of his blade, gods the nerve of this trash.

Cesar: cesar watches, glad that both his queen and the bounty hunter were treating a man of suck disrepute and disrespect so harshly. he smirks at no one, watching as the man's fate begins to boil in the air around them. and still, something feels off. he casts his gaze around them, but in the darkness, nothing is visible. the way things are going, at least, it seems it will be a short trial. the air feels hostile, as though the trees have eyes, or their leaves, or something more sinister lurking behind them, or in the soil under their feet. his heart aches to take part in the proceedings, to bring down a traitor, to protect his sister, his queen, his kingdom. but he cannot, so he only slinks a foot closer around the circle of onlookers, closer to where the queen levi stand.

emeline: as the crazed man speaks, emeline does her best to keep her face as blank as possible. she does her best to keep her calm but the mention of her father breaks her resolve and she is but inches from the traitorous man. her hand is out and connects with the man's cheek before she can even realize her actions. "you will never speak of my father. such scum like you do not deserve to say his very name." she takes a step back before she does anything else that she may regret. her eyes look to levi, giving him a nod to continue with the execution. "brandon fawne, i hereby sentence you to death on account of treason." her hand gestures to the traitor for levi to take care of him and as much as she'd like to look away, she doesn't. she wants to see the life leave his eyes as the bounty hunter takes his life.

Levi: the man doesn't quince when the queen hits his face but he does seem more than surprised jerking back breifly. perhaps he hadn't thought emeline had it in her, levi wants to laugh whole hardheartedly that she proved him wrong, she was a women who could defend her own honor. it is a harsh smack though that can be heard loud and clear to levi's ears, what is louder to him though is the sentence of death, eyes flickering to her hand gesture at the traitor. levi didn't take satisfaction in killing, he thinks that just this once he might now, surely he would hate himself later for having a brief moment of pleasure in it, that time wasn't now though. in one fluid motion he takes two quick steps towards fawne, he's tied up and on his knees; there's no getting out of this. his blade already to go as steel meets the flesh of his neck. he could have severed the whole thing he thinks but he doesn't, that's too gruesome for him. honor's call's first call to arms, of course he'd use the new weapon emeline had given him yesterday. the man tries to sputter out words, perhaps he might have gasped for air, nails scrambling to the wound, if his hands hadn't been behind his back. blood sputters out and levi takes a step back as the man can only make gurgling sounds his body eventually slumping to the ground. it places the bounty hunter back into the reality of what he'd just done. he looks to emeline, then looks back to cesar a rather blank expression on his face.

Cesar: cesar wouldn't ordinarily think of himself as a violent man. quick to anger, perhaps, impulsive, yes. but he didn't often call for violence in such a calculated way as this. justice wasn't often just, that much he knew, from what he'd seen in the streets. but this... this man had held privilege, class, safety, honor in his hand, and he'd crushed it in his fist in hunger for more. it's terrifying, truly, that a man can give up so much for so little more. cesar wonders if he'll ever reach such a state: he certainly hopes not. death. it had never made him smile, but he lifts his chin and looks into the man's eyes as the sentence is laid before him. cesar smirks, and he'd be appalled if it were any charge but treason. he'd have taken the whole head, he thinks as the knife slices through throat. most of the crowd have turned away, but every sense in cesar's body is heightened on impulse at the sight of blood. he can feel the bounty hunter's eyes on him, but those aren't the only eyes he can feel. he doesn't respond to levi. he whirls to the side, and sees it. a monstrous thing, a bug the size of a smaller siege machine, or perhaps a carriage, creeping just into the clearing. it's scuttling as straight as a raven towards emeline, and cesar has never been gladder for the feel of his sword hilt in his hand as he launches towards the thing, perhaps the only one seeing the monster. "run!" it's a guttural cry, a visceral reaction, the fear he can't quite feel in his battle-lust tearing through out of his lungs into the single word. his sword, black as ink in the darkness, falls down on a leg as his body halts in front of the queen, and he suddenly remembers he is wearing no armor. "levi, protect her." he commands, as natural as anything, as he sidesteps and slashes the steel along the underside of what he hopes is the creature's belly, trying to draw it away from them. there's a squelch as he does so, and he realises he's standing in traitor's blood. he stabs forward again: the knight may have been his enemy, but he'll die before he lets this thing desecrate a man's body. it is only tradition.

emeline: she watches with triumph as levi ends the man's life. it's a sickly thing, one that which many people hadn't wanted to watch. but she did this with purpose, to ensure that any other potential traitors could see how the crown handles traitors. emeline is unaware of the creatures that lurk in the dark, instead, only focusing on the lifeless man before her. she wishes to study his body, to make sure of his death so that she may leave the clearing with a peaceful mind. it isn't until she hears a rustling that she pulls her attention away from the corpse. cesar's voice is the only warning she receives as she turns around, coming face to face with one of the forbidden forest's legends: a giant spider. suddenly, the jest that levi made earlier doesn't seem as funny when she is staring at the many eyes before her. her hand goes to her chest in shock and for once, there is fear on the queen's face. not knowing where to run-- if she could even run. she takes a step back just as cesar's sword comes shredding through the creature, in which the spider gives a loud screech that echoes the ruins. emeline is not dressed to run but for the sake of her life, she does, hoping that all her people make it safely back to the boundaries of bearoria before the spider's family arrive.

Levi: his mind is blank for a moment, as blank as his expression had been mere seconds ago. he doesn't know what he'd expected but every time he builds up the kill and every time it is never as satisfying— perhaps he'd only built it up just to be able to do it. he knows who he is though, knows and understands what he'd just done, if he could believe all those things he'd thought and said, he should be able to lay down his blade to the cause. he does and he did but it is never without taking a part of himself away he thinks. he hears something rustling though and before he knows it cesar is shouting out his name; dear god what the hell is that thing...a giant spider?! how could he forget this was their home too! he'd cracked jokes about it mere days ago! his mind had been so preoccupied with everything going on that he hadn't thought to be more observant, he feels foolish. nevertheless he springs into action never the less, feeling more like it was damage control than anything else, he doesn't think about the corpse, he doesn't think about anything else but his friends words; 'levi, protect her'. he reaches for emeline's hand out of instinct, eyes briefly looking to cesar, he wants to help him (as much as he hates the idea of fighting a giant fucking spider) but he knows he'll only get in the way, he knows that just leaves their queen exposed for anything. "aye mate!" his voice practically cracks out, there is worry evident but he believes in the general more than he thinks he believes in any other fighter. one of the beasts legs goes to side sweep at them, levi just barely slices though it with his sword, continues back to leading her away in a haste.

Cesar: the creature's screech is second only to the sound of levi following his order without a second thought - that man might be a better soldier than any who were actually in the army, he thinks - and he draws back his blade and leans forwards to the balls of his feet, both hands wrapping around his blade. his people were still fleeing, scattering back towards bearoria. he had to do his duty, even if he was the only one there capable of it. another pair of beady black eyes appears in his vision, behind the corpse of the first spider, and nervousness begins to creep into his bones. he'll stay until he can no longer hear the footsteps. it should only be two more of the beasts, three at most. a horde will not form that quickly. but it won't be easy to evade them in his flight back to safety. still, he's lived before on worse odds, he figures as he leaps forwards onto the corpse and attacks the next spider at pace, his sword cracking heavily at its pincers in a two-handed blow.

emeline: her feet are moving quick, quicker than she thought they could ever move. the wind is brushing through her hair and she almost doesn't feel levi's hand in her's. she hadn't even remembered when he grabbed it in the first place. but she holds onto it for support, squeezing it as she sees the entry of bearoria. the spiders never came this far, only staying near the dark. and as she watched as the last of her people make their way into the safe land of bearoria, she thinks of cesar. "cesar !! he's still out there, go !" it's an order, despite the angry words she hurled at him during their last meeting, he was her brother after all. he wasn't after the crown, no, because if he was, perhaps he would've let the spider kill her. but now, she sees him in a different light-- one that proves his loyalty to her and to their family. he was her brother, she's accepted that. "i will be safe, i shall take care of everyone, go !!"

Levi: he hadn't thought of the repercussions of grabbing for her hand, he'd only thought about pulling her away from it all, getting her to safety in case the creature had lunged for her. the queen was far more important than him he thinks, than any of them; without her the country might fall into chaos he thinks, if he could just save her, he thinks his life would have been something. if he could go back and help cesar though, that would be even better. faster and faster he runs, his heart feels as though it might burst out of his chest and between all the adrenaline and fear he can't help have his thoughts go back to cesar, surely there would have been worry more etched onto his features if he wasn't trying to keep a level expression, to focus on the goal at hand. 'keep her safe' it's a new mantra, he does it without question as if he was a soldier and not who he truly was. it doesn't take him long to register that they are at the border of the forest and bearoia, it takes him even less time to think about emeline's words, he gives the quickest nods possible, he wants to make sure she will truly be okay, but just as he'd believed in cesar before he will believe in her. believing in his friends is perhaps the one thing he can do in this moment.

#♔ » ❝ ᵗʰᵉ ᵉᶰᵉᵐʸ ᵒᶠ ᵐʸ ᵉᶰᵉᵐʸ ᶤˢ ᵐʸ ᶠʳᶤᵉᶰᵈˑ ❞ | ᶤᶰᵗᵉʳᵃᶜᵗᶤᵒᶰˢˑ #levilaroux.#cesarscommand.#blood tw #killing tw #murder tw

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chibioniyuri · 7 years

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Touch the Dark Reread: Chapters 6-10

I really liked @emberfaye and @windsurfingthroughhell‘s response about TtD being similar to a pilot. It really helped handwave away some slight inconsistencies I noted.

I just made some notes about things I thought interesting or wanted to note in case it’s important in later books, so aside from a brief one-line summary of the chapter in the beginning, my points don’t really have any context to them. I didn’t want to take the time to fill it in because 1) I’m tired of and furious with this book 2) I’m running out of time here lol.

I’m finishing this damn book today. Chapters 11-14 just need to be proofread before they go up. I hadn’t expected quite the audience chapters 1-5 got and reread the first post; the level of typoes and grammar mistakes is cringeworthy.

This one, again, got long. So, again with a cut. Unless there’s someone scrolling through on mobile? Is it better to leave it out?

Chapter 6

In which we get our first time in Dante's, see Cassie and Billy Joe's teamwork, meet Jimmy the Rat and a bossy Fey, and stage a jailbreak.

This is the first mention that Cassie isn't average. Billy Joe remarks on how easy she is to possess compared to others. Maybe something based on her heritage?

And the timeline thing with the Fey always gets me mixed up. I'm really going to pay attention this time around. So, someone who knows Cassie but whom Cassie does not know. Internal timeline good so far. I think. I hate factoring in Fey world time.

Chapter 7

In which Cassie confronts Jimmy the Rat and his friends, and performs some accidental body-swapping, followed by some accidental time-traveling and purposeful rescuing.

So, Cassie was tracked down pretty fast. Tracking spells on her feet are a go. It's really, really neat what you can pick up on during a refresher read. And OK, yeah, that's a really convoluted explanation, Cassie. She's so hampered by her ignorance of the magical world. Rather than think, “they've got a tracker spell on me,” she dives into this “the wards pointed them my direction and they know who and what I'm after and found me that way” thing.

I've been reading so much werewolf fanfiction that I have difficulty applying this description of expanded senses to vampires. And if vampires have extended senses, advanced healing, and these crazy powers and auras, how in the world do other creatures stand a chance against them?

I'm so used to Cassie traveling to the past with her own body that I get confused when her non-corporeal form travels back in these early trips instead. She's falling through walls! She can't do this, that, or the other thing! Oh wait…..

Tomas is way too excited about rescuing Francoise. I can't remember, did he think rescuing her would affect Louis-Cesar in the present?

A lot of time gets devoted to rescuing Francoise, and I don't feel it's been balanced by her importance in later books. This was a lot of effort to get Cassie a female friend. There's gotta be something else to her story. Maybe when we get to more Fey storylines? Or more Pythian court things? I did a brief google search on her fiance Etienne, in case their relationship yields clues and got Nada. His name is the French equivalent of Steve, and notable people with that name living in the late 17th century, when the man in the iron mask was incarcerated, were mathematicians.

Chapter 8

In which Cassie fights the Black Circle and tries to convince involved parties that she is, in fact, human.

Tomas's reaction to Louis-Cesar makes me think something did change, but what? His power level, or the strength of his hold over Tomas? They wind up arguing this chapter instead of Tomas blindly doing what he says, so there's something detrimental that happened.

The whole shields/word of power scene had interested me from the beginning. That Cassie knows only one spell and that the one spell increases stamina - I understand she doesn't use it in the future because of the energy draw, but maybe we'll see it now that she has her acolytes. And that thing about a magical field generated by the earth? That sounds like an excellent thing around which to build a spell keeping things out *wink wink*

With how frequently she gets accused of not being human, we probably should have guessed that she was only partially human. I got misled with the theory that the Silver Circle planted that in Pritkin’s head to manipulate him and didn't look any farther.

The fight itself is interesting, but I didn't note anything new, really. I wonder if/when Cassie will learn shields too.

Chapter 9

In which Cassie gets some answers, eats breakfast, and defends vampires.

I find it ironic that Mircea says they won't get involved in Fey politics, but who was leading an invasion to the Fey world in the latest book?

“I'm as human as you are,” Cassie says to Pritkin. I wonder if Ms Chance was cackling to herself when she put that line in.

Pritkin’s revealing some pretty crippling ignorance here. Due to his lineage, he has a vested interest in knowing both Fey and demons, though the latter is also helped with a vested interest in being as different from his kind as possible. But what does he know about the other magical creatures? Obviously nothing about vampires beyond rumors and hearsay, but what about weres?

Why is Mircea so flustered after feeding on Cassie? Has he never had her blood before? Or is the geis starting to affect them both starting now?

Here's over-the-top Pritkin again. Is he more scared of becoming a vampire, of potential discovery, or of potentially breaking his parole?

Adding on to that, feedings from different species seem really, really similar. I'm more surprised that longer-living creatures (like Pritkin *cough*) don't notice it the way Cassie has.

Oh, Louis-Cesar gave Francoise a necklace. Is it possible that it's Cassie's, through a long and convoluted chain of events?

Chapter 10

In which Cassie insists most emphatically that yes, she is human.

All I can really think is that, man, everyone here is a bamf.

There's a lot more tension between Tomas and Louis-Cesar. Did they not interact much before the time jump and I just didn't notice, or did something really change that affected their relationship?

And what does Mircea mean when he says “[The universe] delights in giving us that which we declare most emphatically cannot be”? And why's he looking at Cassie when he says it? Guess I need to keep an eye on their time traveling adventures in the next few books.

#cvgr #chanceverse group read #cassie palmer series #touch the dark #still really long

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