#max diamant

[amtskind]

@sepulkralkreatur and i binge-watched the new kafka biopic-series, produced by german television. and i got to say - i loved it so much.

it combined the littlest details from kafka's life and also his aftermath, with his literary work - which often was linked to certain events. for those who read his work and diaries/biographies, spotting all the little references was very fun. and one of my most favourite things was probably the narrator with the reoccurring break of the fourth wall - as well as the music and collage-esque animations.

every episode was told through the perspective of significant people from kafka's life and dealt with a certain theme:

- as well as a 7th bonus-episode "kafka and me", which was more of a documental biography take with interviews, with a dog narrating the scenario and kafka's impact on our society.

joel basman did a great job at portraying franz kafka. the voice, the laugh and facial expressions being awkward all were very fitting and closing the hole, that we as readers experience towards kafka as a person.

the non-linear series served the exact atmosphere, that i associate with kafka: tragedy, humour, and the absurd. daniel kehlmann and david schalko did a great job on writing it. chapeau!

more posts about this series:

comparison of the actors and their roles

intro animations

scene: kafka at the yiddish theater

scene: kafka laughing

franz, dora and their shadow-play

kafka's literary works in the series

kafka's "maneuver life"

[leichenmaler]

portraits of dora dymant, franz kafka and max brod. graphites in sketchbook / august 2022

with time my artstyle left the realistic threshold... from time to time, studies of people, that once walked our earth, are a nice exercise.

may they live on

[widevibratobitch]

Edouard de Max as Cardinal Richelieu playing with a kitten <333 Les Trois Mousquetaires (1921) dir. Henri Diamant Berger

[nammyfanficsblog]

I have little headcanon for FE: Engage,

Do you ever wonder if unit equip emblem ring so long that they start to transform into those emblem a little bit even without engaging? Not in the bad way but because their bonds are really high that they are like becoming one.

I think it would be cool if the Max Lv. Of engage let us see that.

But the change isn't permenent just when they equip the ring / bracelets long enough. ( and if they unequip it, the effect will be gone)

EX.

I give Diamant the Tiki's emblem and imagine that he starts to have dragon's feature like having a tail even he wasn't engaging and he is fine with it ( Amber is amused by this and Jade said he looks cute with tail and want to write about it) , also he has the dragon eyes , fangs and claws when angry.

Alfred's hair having blue strip when equip with Sigurd's ring. Celine's hair is having red / orange strip when equip with Celica's ring.

Since Alcryst has Roy's ring, He also has red strip on his hair and think it's cool cause he is match with Alear's.

[sirenthestone]

Bet you thought I didn't have any fanfic today!

Well, I may be cutting it close for it to count as "today," but here's a long WIP that I finally finished! I say long, but it's actually under 10,000 words. But it's longer than the other stuff I've been doing while stuck at home, so...

Anyway, here's a Fire Emblem Engage story about Alcryst knowing how he's going to die. I promise it's more fun than that makes it sound.

[ihkostwrttemberg]

First Baseman Paul Goldschmidt stimmt einem Einjahresvertrag über 12,5 Millionen US-Dollar mit den Yankees zu

Mehreren Berichten zufolge holen die New York Yankees in dieser Nebensaison einen weiteren erfahrenen Schlagmann und verpflichten First Baseman Paul Goldschmidt mit einem Einjahresvertrag über 12,5 Millionen US-Dollar. Goldschmidt, der MVP der National League 2022, hat die letzten sechs Spielzeiten bei den St. Louis Cardinals verbracht. Zuvor verbrachte er acht Saisons bei den Arizona…

[darktimemachinechaos]

[Ruggisci e rialzati ! Adesso e non domani !]

Roar (prodotta da Dr. Luke, Max Martin e Cirkut) è un pezzo di power pop che incorpora elementi di folk rock, arena rock e glam rock di Katy Perry, pubblicato il 12 agosto 2013 come primo estratto dall'album Prism; raggiunse la prima posizione in numerose classifiche mondiali, il disco di diamante negli Stati Uniti nel 2017.

Il testo è un inno all'empowerment personale: invita a rialzarsi e a trovare la propria voce dopo essere stati sottomessi.

Nella produzione di Roar, sono stati impiegati diversi strumenti e tecnologie per creare il suono distintivo del brano, come il Korg KingKorg e il Nord Lead 2X, utilizzati per generare suoni sintetici che arricchiscono la traccia.

[intellectures]

Kafka Originals

Ob in der Schule oder später auf dem Sofa – um Franz Kafka kommen Menschen nicht herum, deren Herz für die Literatur schlägt. Wer verstehen will, wie der in Prag lebende Versicherungsbeamte mit seinen Schriften die Kultur bis heute prägt, muss sich in seine Textwelten begeben. Dazu laden verschiedene Neuerscheinungen ein, die kurz vor dem Kafka-Jahr erschienen sind oder in den kommenden Wochen…

[dilemmaontwolegs]

The Best Kept Secret on the Grid || Part Four

MV, CL, CS, LH, LN, PG, GR, FA, DR, OP x fem!reader Warnings: fluff and flirting (sorry there will be smut next time) Reader gets to go on a hunt of her own! WC: 3.1k F1 Masterlist || Part One || Part Two || Part Three || Part Four || Part Five Thank you to @kimi240302 for being inspired to make this collage, it’s perfect! 💕 and it inspired this fic!

It was strange that the elevator had arrived on your floor, and even stranger that it was empty. Your penthouse apartment took up the entire top floor of the building and required a keycard just to use the private elevator. Only Max had the spare keycard.

Sticking your head inside you found it wasn’t entirely empty. Tucked into the corner was a gift box tied off with a delicate silver bow, your name written on the tag hanging from it. You thought about calling Max first but it wasn’t unusual to receive gifts from him so you carried it inside and opened it.

Your jaw dropped at the beautiful ball gown neatly placed inside. Each crystal of the glittering bodice was individually sewn on with meticulous care and it must have cost a small fortune to make. There wasn’t even a label to give a clue as to who the designer was, but it was clearly custom made and you knew without even stepping into it that it would fit perfectly.

Lifting the train out, you found an equally stunning half mask along with a small blank card that you turned over. Hand written in an elegant script is said: Le Bal Masqué 2200. You looked at the time and saw there was just over an hour to get ready.

You had just settled the mask over your styled hair when there was a knock on your door and you slipped your heels on before answering. Expecting to see Max waiting, you were surprised to find a stranger holding a card with your name on it, silently handing it over before you could ask what was going on.

It’s your turn to find us tonight, M.

“Your car is downstairs, madame,” the messenger said as he held the elevator door open for you.

The excitement brought a smile to your face as you stepped inside, wondering just what he had planned for you. You obviously weren’t hunting them the same way they chased you on the island, the dress was far too nice to ruin.

You were occupied by your thoughts the entire drive through the streets of Monte Carlo until you arrived at a cliff side residence. The gates opened at the car’s approach and you could see the mansion was full of men wearing their finest suits. 

“Have a lovely evening, madame,” the chauffeur said as he opened the door for you. 

You thanked him as you stepped out, your entrance garnering plenty of envious stares from the women and looks of longing from men loitering on the steps. You had scanned what you could see of the men’s faces beneath the masks and determined why this was a hunt - three had the same blue eyes and dirty blonde hair as Max while two could have easily been Charles at first glance. 

Smiling to yourself, you climbed the stairs and entered the large foyer full of men who could all pass for yours. 

“Champagne?” You took the flute from the waiter’s tray and saw two rolls of stickers beside it. Noticing the curious lift of your brow above the diamante mask, the waiter tapped the first roll. “The green sticker is for when you believe you have found one of the drivers here this evening, there are only ten so choose wisely. If you believe you have found an imposter, place a red dot on their lapel and they will be escorted off the premises. You have until midnight. Happy hunting.”

You smirked over the rim of your champagne flute and grabbed the roll of red stickers first. Turning to survey the crowd, you chuckled as you whispered to yourself, “Oh Max, you’ve outdone yourself.”

“Enjoying your evening?”

You turned to the man with a thick Spanish accent and immediately knew he wasn’t your Nando, though the jawline beneath the mask followed the same curve and his short beard was shaped similarly. The voice was too deep and the eyes were more green than hazel to match Nando’s so you plucked a red dot from the reel and slapped it on his suit as you answered, “Extremely. Thank you for coming.”

His lips turned down and a large unmasked man stepped out of the shadows, already guiding him out of the residence. You were already making your way to the ballroom where the crowd swelled, dozens and dozens congregating on the dance floor where a band were playing new hit singles but in a classical way. Perhaps band wasn’t the right term, there were so many instruments it was practically an orchestra.

An arm curled around your waist as you swayed to the music and you tipped your head back to meet a pair of brown eyes so dark they were almost black. He didn’t speak as he pulled you closer and for the first time you weren’t certain if the man was an imposter or your Esteban.

“You’re not going to ask how my night is going?” you baited him, a quick smiling parting his lips as he shook his head. Pursing your lips, you weren’t ready to rule him out with a red sticker but you needed to hear his voice to decide if he was worth one of the precious ten green dots in your hand. “Then how about a drink instead?”

His smile grew as he took your hand in his and led you to one of the small bars dotted around the ballroom. Looking at the long fingers laced with yours, you saw a thin tan line on his index finger where a ring had spent a lot of time and you tried to remember if Esteban had one too. Charles, Pierre and Lando definitely did but the memory of Estie’s hand drew a blank - you knew his fingers from how they felt between your legs not by sight apparently.

“Two piña coladas, please,” you ordered as you watched what features you could around the mask but there was no sign of disgust. “One for the road,” you added as you placed a red sticker on his collar.

“How did you know?” the lookalike asked with an English accent.

“Pineapples.” You shrugged and took the cocktail that was placed in front of you. “He hates them.”

Half an hour later the crowd had thinned dramatically. The security team had been kept busy as you felt like the Oprah meme, slapping red dots on the imposters - you get one, and you get one. With a large portion of men gone you were able to focus better and there were two men in particular you had your eye on.

All it took was one laugh and you were peeling back the first green sticker, heading for the pair of dark haired men chatting in the library. Their backs were to you as they laughed at silly book titles and you announced your arrival with a kiss to the shadow of a beard before sticking the green dot to his forehead.

“You two together was always going to be a dead giveaway,” you teased as you stuck another sticker on Lando’s nose. “Only Carlos can make you laugh like that.”

“Don’t tell me we were first?” he whined as he saw the otherwise full strip of green dots. “How have you not found George?”

You trailed a finger over the perfect lines of his suit before tugging the bow tie around his neck. He swallowed at the smouldering look in your eyes and let you drag him closer by the throat until your lips brushed his ear. “Why don’t you help me?”

His lips parted to answer but Carlos pulled him away before he could impart the information he knew. Blocking you with his body, Carlos shook his head at your attempt to break the younger driver. “Rules are rules, hermosa, and you are running out of time.”

He jutted his chin at the grandfather clock and smirked as he ducked from your reach with a laugh when you tried to take back the green sticker. “Uh uh uh, I’m well and truly yours.”

“You’re lucky you’re handsome,” you warned as you left them to their game and continued your hunt. “Alright, George, Gerorge, George, where would you be…oh.”

You had wandered through the throngs of people inside the impressive mansion but you hadn’t explored the rest of the property. It was very easy to understand Lando’s complaint when you walked out the wide open doors to the infinity pool set on the cliff face.

“I’m not sure how I’m going to get this to stick to you,” you said as you held a green dot on your finger tip. George grinned beneath his mask as he looked up from the waters edge enjoying a warm dip in the pool. Water dripped from his hair and ran down his chest as he stood up, tracing a wet palm up your calf through the slit in the dress. He was the only one at the soirée who had taken his suit off and he had also decided to put his bow tie back on before hopping in the heated pool. “You look like a stripper.”

“A very expensive one I hope,” he teased. “You look hot, love, you should join me and cool off.”

“Wish I could,” you sighed, feeling a little like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, “but I’m running late and still have seven of you guys to chase down.”

George pulled himself out of the pool and grabbed a towel, a few drops of water catching on the crystal bodice as he shook his hair out. He dragged the towel down his body and you used the dry spot on the centre of his chest to plant a green dot on him. “Tagging my heart, love,” he chuckled, leaning in to kiss your cheek. “You don’t need to chase us, we are waiting for you.”

He sent you a wink as he swiped up his suit and left you poolside, confused by what he meant. “You’ll figure it out, I know you will.”

Dawdling along the balcony, you chewed over his words before realisation struck. You found Lando and Carlos together and George in the water - places where they loved to be. It seemed so obvious once you thought it and you rushed inside to the ballroom. You hadn’t questioned why the orchestra was masked but when you spotted the dark head of hair at the grand piano it made sense.

“It’s my favourite Frenchman,” you whispered in his ear and the melody bounced over a miskey.

“Monegasque,” he corrected automatically, turning to see the amusement shimmering in your eyes. “Bonsoir, mi bella.”

“You might want to rest those fingers, Charles, wouldn’t want you to get a cramp later.”

He grinned at the remark and dragged them across the keys. “Don’t worry, I’m just warming up.”

“So am I.” You reached out and stuck the green dot to the index and middle finger on his right hand before kissing the dimple on his cheek. “Those are mine.”

You followed a waiter as he slipped from the room with an empty tray and found a set of stairs leading down a floor, into a busy kitchen. Your next target stood out among the white shirt chefs and you were once again amazed at how they had managed to find strangers with such a resemblance to your drivers.

“What’s cooking, good looking?”

Fernando turned with a spoonful of something that smelled delicious and your lips parted for him. A heavenly moan hummed from your chest as you tasted what he had been stirring on the stove. Nando smirked as his eyes followed the line of your lips before he leaned in and caught them with his, rolling his tongue across your bottom lip.

“You missed a bit,” he said as he wiped the spot of sauce with his thumb before licking it clean. You momentarily forgot what you were doing but he had his wits about him as he took a green sticker and placed it on his collar. “Now this is my colour.”

“Not red?” He shook his head as you flattened the dot to make sure it wouldn’t be lost in the 25 minutes you had left. “So the Ferrari rumours…?”

“Just rumours, querida, but I don’t think you have time to gossip.” He pointed the spoon to the clock above the head chef’s station. “There’s still a few spots left.”

“Vegan special,” the chef shouted as he hit the bell for service and a waiter arrived in an instant. “Deliver this to the home theatre.”

“One less now.” You grinned and pulled another sticker out. “See you at midnight.”

You followed the waiter into the quiet depths of the mansion until he reached a door and you took the plate from the tray. “I can take it from here, thanks.”

Lewis was so engrossed in the film he didn’t notice it was you in the room with him. It was only when he looked closer he saw the green dot stuck to the white china plate in your hands and looked up with a wide smile.

“I take gratuities in orgasms, just so you know,” you said with a laugh as he moved the plate and pulled you onto his lap instead.

“It’s your lucky night, baby,” he purred in your ear as his hand slipped up the slit in your dress. “I’ve been told I’m a heavy tipper.”

His fingers teased along the lace edge of your panties and you only just managed to clear your head before he could erase all your thoughts with his touch. “Rain check,” you groaned, not wanting to leave just yet but Fernando had given you an idea before the chef had set you onto Lewis’ path. “Where would you go if you wanted to hear the juiciest gossip?”

Lewis chewed his lip as he thought it over before deciding, “The bar, a few drinks definitely loosens lips.”

“Then that’s where I need to go.” You thanked him with a kiss before leaving the theatre and made your way back to the busiest room in the place. But, before you could leave the lower levels you heard a distinctive accent and skidded to a stop.

“When they said you guys came from a land down under, I didn’t think they meant the basement.” Daniel’s smile split his face as you stepped into the games room where he and Oscar were chalking their cue sticks.

“Thank god you’re here,” Oscar sighed gratefully and placed the cue down on the table, turning to face you with a smile. “I suck at playing pool.”

“Maybe that’s because it's billiards, not pool,” you pointed out as you stepped into the space between his legs.

“I don’t even know what that is,” he admitted, his hands running over the dresses bodice and down to rest on your ass. “You look gorgeous.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a suit.” You straightened the bow that had tilted at some point and draped your arms around his neck. “It suits you, handsome.”

His nose wrinkled and you giggled as he tugged at the tie, sending it off kilter again. “It feels like I’m being choked.”

“There’s some pleasure to be found in a bit of choking. Isn’t that right?” Daniel asked in your ear as he stepped up behind you, his fingers delicately circling your throat. He guided your head back to his shoulder and traced his nose over your racing pulse, inhaling the sweet scent of your perfume. “Hmm, maybe we can show him how good it can be.”

You could feel both of them coming to life as they sandwiched you between them, digging their erections into you. Your eyes fluttered shut at the temptation to drop to your knees and taste the Australian drivers, but you forced your eyes open and squirmed free of their intoxicating embrace.

“Soon, promise,” you panted as you slapped a sticker on Daniel’s ass and made Oscar whine needily when you placed one over his tented trousers, rubbing your palm over it to make sure the green dot was secured. “Very soon.”

The largest bar was set up in what you guessed was usually a dining hall and it spanned the length of the room. Leaning against the bartop was Pierre, his chin on his fist as he listened to the revellers unravelling their innermost thoughts aloud. He was engrossed in the tale, nodding encouragement when the woman’s cheeks turned scarlet red beneath her mask.

“And what did he do?” Pierre asked eagerly.

The woman covered her lips as she giggled before leaning in and whispering her confession. Pierre’s lips parted with a gasp, his eyebrows rising over the top of his mask as he stood upright. “Non!”

“Oui!”

Pierre spun around at the sound of your voice in his ear and he tore his mask from his face. “Ma chatte, look at you,” he said with a playful bit of his lip as you gave him a slow spin to show all of your curves glittering beneath the chandelier light. “Beautiful. And just in time too.”

You followed his gaze and saw there was only three minutes to midnight. “Shit,” you whispered as you grabbed the second to last sticker and pressed it to his chest. “Gotta run.”

Your calves burned as you climbed the stairs, spiralling higher and higher, racing the hands of the clock until you reached the top floor. The entire wall was made of glass and overlooked the dark water beyond the cliffs, but it wasn’t the panoramic vista that caught your eye.

His back was to you, the black silk tie of his mask flattening the back of his hair that would usually stick up in all directions, especially after combing your fingers through the strands. But it didn’t matter if you couldn’t see his face, you would recognise him anywhere.

His hands were crossed at the base of his spine, right one holding the left. It was how he stood whenever he was on the podium, how he stood when his anthem played. It was how he stood when he desperately wanted to be elsewhere but was forced to be patient.

You wrapped your arms around his narrow waist and found his eyes reflected in the glass. “Hi.”

The grandfather clocks throughout the mansion struck 12, the loud dongs echoing through the halls. “I wasn’t sure you were going to make it.”

You smiled into his shoulder at the teasing in his voice. “I always knew where you would be.” Stepping around his body, he pulled you into the circle of his arms so you were both watching the horizon as fireworks began to light up the sky above the sea. “There was only one place my Max could possibly be…at the top.”

Click here for the next part.

[ireadyabooks]

The Light in Hidden Places: Read an Excerpt!

The extraordinary story of Stefania Podgorska, a Polish teenager who chose bravery and humanity by hiding thirteen Jews in her attic during WWII, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sharon Cameron.

One knock at the door, and Stefania has a choice to make...

It is 1943, and for four years, sixteen-year-old Stefania has been working for the Diamant family in their grocery store in Przemysl, Poland, singing her way into their lives and hearts. She has even made a promise to one of their sons, Izio -- a betrothal they must keep secret since she is Catholic and the Diamants are Jewish.

But everything changes when the German army invades Przemysl. The Diamants are forced into the ghetto, and Stefania is alone in an occupied city, the only one left to care for Helena, her six-year-old sister. And then comes the knock at the door. Izio's brother Max has jumped from the train headed to a death camp. Stefania and Helena make the extraordinary decision to hide Max, and eventually twelve more Jews. Then they must wait, every day, for the next knock at the door, the one that will mean death. When the knock finally comes, it is two Nazi officers, requisitioning Stefania's house for the German army.

With two Nazis below, thirteen hidden Jews above, and a little sister by her side, Stefania has one more excruciating choice to make.

This remarkable tale of courage and humanity, based on a true story, is now a Reese's Book Club YA Pick!

READ AN EXCERPT

The Light in Hidden Places ... by I Read YA

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[leithanienwnt]

This is a big one. My very first time niching a CC, and I pushed it to the absolute limit. I'll break it down below:

So this is only 510, but it's way harder than the 620 I did with my full roster (and the 500 I did with the niche before this, but I'll go over that later). That's a common thing with niching because it just doesn't give you as many options (and honestly, that's kind of the point), but it's actually not just my operators that are different. The thing about niching this cc is that your niche can easily just lock you out of a huge number of tags. Without a vanguard, I can't take any dp related risks; without enough guards or casters to be able to just rely on one or the other, I can't take the class bans; without more than one unit that has offensive recovery, and relying on ranged units who have their non reed tiles banned, I can't take the sp down tags; etc. Add the fact that those things break set bonuses and lock me out of a number of other tags that my niche might be able to do, and I'm very limited in what I can take. Because of this, the only way I can maximise my score is by pumping as many points as possible into making the enemies as strong as possible. I took all the drone tags and all the car tags (though I took the non-invis option for them, since blocking them was a non-option, locking me out of another set bonus). I took the enemy caster buff tag, I added the extra evocators, and on top of all of that, I maxed out all enemies' attack, minimised my units' HP, and reduced my units' attack substantially. With all of this, there's little to no room for error throughout. But let's get to what I'm doing here.

So the opener is Bassline and Eyjaberry. Bassline cannot survive there on his own, with either skill, as the burn burst, the melee mobs, and the caster together all provide just too much pressure for him to heal through, requiring Eyjaberry. Then Lessing sets the tone for how tight the rest of the clear will be, by taking out the first enemy in the blue box. He goes really hard on this map, particularly on S2. Reducing the damage from the seeds, casters, and evocators lets him live things that no one else would manage. After that I activate Eyjaberry S3 to make sure Bassline is at max HP before I retreat her (and to leave him with some lingering heals from her talent), and I swap in regular Eyja to clear out the enemies that Bassline is blocking before I retreat him and place Vivi. (I can't open with Eyja, as she'll use all her S2 charges on the caster that's there, meaning she'll leak the melee mobs that open the map. Managing her charges is very important throughout the map, but I'll touch on that more as we go).

When I M9ed Viviana, I had no intention of using her S1 seriously. I just wanted to finish her M9 before I got to any of the more practical ones because she's my favourite character, and if I was going to invest those kinds of mats into any character, it was going to be her. I did not expect to then use it to AFK more or less an entire lane in a CC, especially not with the -30% attack that I took. It just happens that it works perfectly for taking each enemy out before they enter the reeds and turn invisible. The only exceptions are the first enemy that spawns before I can place her and the two that enter the map together. Her being able to do all of that is huge, as it lets me focus my five unit deployment limit to taking out the map's big threats, and means that I don't have to block/heal on that side beyond those two enemies that come together.

Next come Eben and Diamante. Diamante is my main option for dealing with the seeds in this map, and that first deployment is half to clear them out so that they don't expend Eyja's S2 charges, and half to deal extra damage to the rush. Meanwhile Eben uses his delta mod for extra damage to take out the rover, and Lessing takes out one evocator and more than enough of the next one for Eyja to deal with it later (again, I cannot stress enough how massive his damage reduction is on his S2. The fact that he survives for his full skill duration there is nuts). His placement is also really, really tight, as I want him to get hit by the second evocator right before he takes out the first. This means that he'll take that damage while blocking, reducing it massively, and giving him as much time as possible before its next attack so that he can maximise his damage. Though while I'm managing that timing, I miss something and make the one mistake in this run.

I was supposed to retreat Diamante the second that caster fell, so that I'd have DP to deploy Carnelian ASAP. I missed that by a few seconds, meaning Carnelian was just slightly too late. This almost cost me the run. A second or two later, and it actually prevents her from taking out the evocators and doing extra damage to the rover, meaning that it would move far enough to reveal Eyja, letting the caster that's walking down the middle take her out. In my desperation to let her get as much damage in as possible, I end up missing retreating her, costing me some valuable dp as the caster and seeds take her out. This ultimately works out still, but it makes everything else even tighter. One more missed retreat and I won't have enough for later.

After that is just setting up for the leak. Lessing and Eyja thin out the enemies on the left, leaving just the one that Bassline needs to block for the eventual invis drone leak. But I can't talk about the drone leak without talking about the 500 point clear I got before this. The difference was that I swapped the -20% ally attack for the -30%. That doesn't sound like much! But wow did it mess things up.

So most of my units do just fine with the reduction. I was a bit worried about Lessing and Eben, since they both scale so hard off of attack, meaning any decrease to that base attack gets magnified, but they were actually totally fine. The problem unit, however, is also the one that I lean on heavily to deal with all the seeds: Diamante. Without him dealing with the seeds, this is not possible. His +90 ASPD and hit-two from his S2 is desperately needed. With -20% attack, he two shots them, letting him deal with them efficiently and making the painful process of baiting out the last few seeds (including the ones that spawn INSIDE the blue box) doable. But with -30%, he needs three hits. This extra hit is the difference between him clearing them out and him getting overwhelmed. But I can't let that happen. Having only four ground units, baiting the seeds is really hard, and with all the attack up and HP down that I stacked, no one can live getting hit with three or more. Enter Earthspirit and Czerny.

Earthspirit was the only unit that didn't actually get used in my 500, and she isn't out for long here, but she is VITAL. She slows down the seeds, keeping them away from my ground units, and crucially gives Diamante the third hit that he needs to take them out, easing the pressure while he's off skill. But still, that can only last until they start spawning outside of her range.

Czerny, on the other hand, was used in my 500, but mostly just as a body. He still needed to do that first deployment to block the enemies in the reeds, and then I'd use him again at the end to bait some seeds. But here the margins are so much tighter that I actually need him to bait two rounds of seeds. The timing on this is incredibly tight, but with placing him at the right point, and activating Bassline's S2 at the right moment to get him up again in the moment between two seeds hitting him, he can live long enough to activate his S2, giving him +100% HP, and making him the only unit in my niche that, with Eyjaberry's S3 also giving him +30% HP, can tank more than one round of the seeds. However, the other thing complicating that is that his S2 blast going off would destroy the stall that I need for the seeds that spawn in the blue box, so the timing on it all is unbelievably tight. Actually, yeah, speaking of the stall, let's talk about that.

So leaking the drones is possible, but it's a major pain. I fully believe that HG did not intend for us to be able to leak them, as it's difficult enough to let them get to the blue box in the first place, but then they both spawn seeds INSIDE the blue box. Now, there are some units that, with some work, can attack/destroy them before they leak, but that wasn't really an option for me. Instead, I have to bait them, but the ones that spawn deepest in the box only have one tile in their range. And that tile is the bottom left, in the reeds. You know, where your unit is invisible. This means that to make the leak work, you need to stall an enemy on a blocker there to the end. But you also need to keep that blocker alive, so they can't actually bait a wave of seeds themselves until the ones that come from the blue box. This requires a lot of bodies. My niche, however, does not have a lot of bodies. That meant that there was no margin for error here, and that each and every seed had to be individually accounted for, especially to manage leaking both of the invis drones.

The second drone was much easier to leak in my 500. There, because Diamante handled the seeds just fine, I was able to save Eyja to deploy her where I have Carnelian here, and the splash damage from her S2 would take out the seeds that spawn in the blue box that time (though they would have been out of her range for the first one, and even if they were in her range, they spawn too close to the leak point itself for her projectile travel time to let her take them out before they leak, so I did still need to have Bassline stall up until the first drone leaked). (Also, no, Carnelian isn't doing anything here. She's just kind of an emergency button in case the seeds end up taking out Bassline and I suddenly need to get rid of the enemy he was blocking). But here I need her to replace Diamante, as even with skill, he won't be able to stop enough of the seeds from hitting my ground units. Because of this, I need to keep the stall going for EVEN LONGER, so that Bassline can bait the seeds from that one too. It's all so tight, and you can see that based on how much I keep the operator select bullet time going, as well as in me going back and forth on whether to place a unit or not at various points. Fun fact, this clear's recording is about two minutes longer than the 500 point clear, because of just how long I kept the bullet time going. Even after it works, I still place Eben and activate Carnelian out of paranoia for a potential extra seed spawn. But ultimately, it works out. All the things that I'd planned and theorised would work finally did. And Vivi even gets the final kill.

[amtskind]

"kafka" (2024) - the series compared

more about this kafka-biopic in linked post.

joel basman as franz kafka

david kross as max brod

tobias bamborschke as oskar baum

robert stadtlober as felix weltsch

nicholas ofczarek as hermann kafka, franz kafka's father

marie-lou sellem as julie kafka, franz kafka's mother

maresi riegner as ottilie "ottla" kafka

mariam avaliani as gabriele "elli" kafka

naemi latzer as valerie "valli" kafka

[armoredisopod]

Arknights CN Thank You Celebration 2023 PVs

New Operators

Bassline, 5* Guardian Defender

In the meantime, i'll follow your baton.

Lessing, 6* Welfare Dreadnought Guard

The only thing that can restrain a sword is the cowardice of its wielder.

Viviana, 6* Arts Fighter Guard

Viviana Droste, with my candle and my sword, i will grasp victory for you.

Virtuosa, 6* Limited Ritualist Supporter

Whenever i touch the strings, emotions in the air flow to me, through my fingertips, to the sky and earth.

To your heart's content, feel yourselves.

Also added new operators to the voucher shop

Diamante, 5* (unknown new branch) Caster

Caper, 4* (unknown new branch) Sniper

Operator Skins Update

Total of 6 new skins, 5 new additions for the Epoque brand and 1 new addition for the new Iteration Provident brand

Epoque

Meteor's Gwiazdcytron - Login Event skin

Absinthe's Noon Twilight

Ashlock's 卡利斯卡群枪 (Lances of ???)

Bagpipe's Royal Guardswoman

Młynar's W Dali - L2D + Special Voicelines skin

"Fear neither hardship nor darkness"... Hmph. A bygone era not worth remembering. Too much daydreaming.

Iteration Provident

Texas the Omertosa's Wingbreaker - L2D skin

Announced skins reruns

Bloodline of Combat skins of Skadi the Corrupting Heart, Specter the Unchained and Gladiia

Epoque skins of W, Rosa, Pallas, Andreana, Sora, Honeyberry, Rosmontis, Nearl the Radiant Knight and Passenger

~98 other skins as part of Thank You Celebration edition of Rhodes Fashion Review

Operator Modules Update

Lessing and Bassline being part of branches with modules immediately get their modules

DRE-X module base effect increases Lessing's ATK to 115% when attacking blocked enemies

GUA-Y module base effect reduces all damage Bassline takes by 15%

Juggernaut Defender branch gets 1 module type

Nearl the Radiant Knight and Bagpipe gets their second modules

DRE-Y module base effect allows Nearl the Radiant Knight to survive a single fatal blow, healing back to full and gaining +30 ASPD at the cost of -60% Max HP, this effect only activates once per deployment

CHG-Y module base effect increases Bagpipe's ATK to 115% when attacking enemies below 40% HP

Events and Stories

Zwillingstürme im Herbst, a Leithania side story event

Experimental Operation (more widely known as Pinch-Out) will be returning in the form of Contingency Contract Battle Plan #1 Operation Pyrolysis

Operator Archives update for Rosa, Virtuosa, Diamante, Czerny, Santalla, Shalem

Misc Stuff

Eunectes, Flint and Aciddrop added to recruitment

Added the ability to queue auto-deploys (up to 6 times per queue)

Livestream Stuff

Showcased Virtuosa as a 6* Ritualist Supporter with a powerful and versatile kit

First talent inflicts Slow and some amount of Necrosis damage every second to enemies in her range

Second talent increases the amount of Necrosis damage dealt to enemies in her range

Skill 1 stops her from attacking unless she has skill charges but each attack will deal Necrosis damage and she prioritizes enemies not under elemental burst status

Skill 2 increases her ASPD and allows her to attack an additional target and one ally in her range with the highest ATK gains the ability to inflict Necrosis damage

Skill 3 makes her stop attacking, expands her range, increases her ATK and strengthens her second talent, additionally allies with the highest Max HP/ATK/DEF in her range gains increased Max HP/ATK/DEF respectively

Showcased Viviana as a 6* Arts Fighter Guard that specializes in dealing with elite/leader enemies

First talent increases the amount of Arts damage she deals and decreases the amount of Physical and Arts damage she takes, this talent is strengthened when there is an elite/leader enemy within her attack range

Second talent grants her a chance to gain a damage block shield (tanks one melee hit and cannot be stacked) when attacking an elite/leader enemy

Skill 1 makes her next attack deal more damage and hit twice, if the skill is allowed to charge, her next attack has a longer attack range and hits thrice

Skill 2 increases her ATK, DEF and Block Count and allows her to hit enemies equal to her block count, additionally each of her attacks has a chance to hit twice and each attack steals a certain amount of ASPD from the hit enemies (stacks up to a limit and lasts until the skill ends or she is retreated)

Skill 3 increases her ATK, DEF, RES, Attack Interval and second talent activation chance, additionally her attacks become double hits and prioritizes elite/leader enemies; upon the second activation of this skill and afterwards, her attack range increases, attacks become triple hits and this skill has an increased duration

Showcased Lessing as a 6* Dreadnought Guard

First talent reduces all incoming Physical and Arts damage from enemies he isn't blocking if he is blocking an enemy

Second talent increases his ATK for a certain amount of time after taking damage (this buff cannot stack)

Skill 1 makes his next attack deal more damage

Skill 2 is an on-deploy skill that strengthens his first talent, increases his ATK and makes his attacks hit twice

Skill 3 makes him immune to status effects (like Stun or Freeze), increases his Max HP and makes him deal more damage to blocked enemies, this skill has a unique property that allows it to be activated even if he is under a debilitating status effect and purge him of the effect at the cost of taking a certain amount of Arts damage upon activation

Showcased the event mechanic, a symphony that plays throughout the stage and grants global buffs to enemies depending on the type (the color of the bar at the top of the screen and the aura at the edges of the stage denotes which type of symphony is active) and some enemies gain specific buffs during their prefered symphonies (indicated by an icon above their heads), there are stations that can be charged to switch the symphony and grant temporary buffs to your operators when activated

Another mechanic where arts turrets will appear on the field and players can deploy a charge point for operators to attack so the turret can fire

Revealed the rebranding of Experimental Operation under the Contingency Contract name, showed some contracts involving stage elements from What the Firelight Casts event and an enemy from Ep12 and showed the reward for the season being a new Flamebringer skin

Teased the next Kjerag event with an animated promotional video of Kjerag's modern tourism industry

German voice dubs for Viviana, Lessing, Ebenholz and Czerny

Russian voice dubs for the USSG girls, Absinthe and Hellagur

Showed a teaser image for a Rim Billiton event involving Amiya and the Doctor

Teased Reclamation Algorithm 2 with a lore video telling the story of the Aslanian Conquest and the King of Kings, followed with a showcase of the QoL improvements done to the gamemode (such as the ability to save and reload a run) and various new additions

Showed a background CG of a location in Yan, a teaser for the next Spring Festival event

Announced Originium Dust rerun and a new Rainbow Six collab event with Fuze as the welfare unit

Showed another teaser trailer for the Ceobe animated mini-series

Announced new art books will be available, Vol. 3 of the Arknights art book and Vol. 1 of the Arknights anime art book

Showed various merch including Terra: A Journey (Arknights world encyclopedia), Nomad City: The Founders (Arknights board game), 4koma physical copy, manhua, figurines and more

Ended the stream with an MV of Ashen by My First Story ft. Amiya, Kal'tsit and W

Retraced Terra lore video covering the history of the world of Terra starting from The First Catastrophe narrated by Kal'tsit

[chicinsilk]

US Vogue April 1, 1954

Dovima in a new pink top hat and spruce green princess dress; small gloves; pearls and diamonds in silver settings in the moonlight. Hat, by Dior-New York; cotton and silk dress by Adele Simpson; Dawnelle gloves. David Webb jewelry, Max Factor “Creme Puff” makeup, “Riding Hood Red” lipstick.

Dovima en chapeau haut de forme d'un nouveau rose et robe de princesse vert épicéa ; petits gants; perles et diamants dans des montures argentées au clair de lune. Chapeau, par Dior-New York ; robe en coton et soie d'Adele Simpson ; Gants Dawnelle. Bijoux David Webb, maquillage Max Factor "Creme Puff", rouge à lèvres "Riding Hood Red".

Photo John Rawlings vogue archive

[belencha77]

CAPITULO 14 - UN BAILE PARA RECORDAR

Hana y yo nos preparamos con entusiasmo para el esperado baile. Dado que Anita no pudo asistir, ambas nos ocupamos de retocar nuestro cabello y maquillaje, aunque la tarea no resultó difícil. Hana eligió un hermoso vestido plateado y brillante, mientras que yo opté por un vestido largo de tul en tono celeste, adornado con cristales tanto en la falda como en las mangas. Satisfechas con nuestro arreglo, descendimos hacia el majestuoso salón de baile.

En medio de la multitud, divisamos a Maxwell y, ansiosas, le hacemos señas. Lleno de emoción, se acerca y nos dedica una reverencia cortés.

|| Señoritas, es un deleite encontrarme con ambas esta encantadora noche. Lady Hana, deslumbra como una auténtica estrella celestial, y Lady Riley, debo expresar que su resplandor rivaliza con la luminosidad de un diamante. || Exclamó Maxwell con una elegancia sorprendente, un tono que contrasta con su habitual informalidad. Ambas nos quedamos boquiabiertas, sin esperar tal formalidad por parte de él || ¿Qué, algo anda mal? ||

|| ¿Acaso un caprichoso insecto decidió picarte hoy? || Pregunto, ligeramente incrédula, mientras empujo suavemente el brazo de Maxwell, tratando de descifrar la razón detrás de este cambio de actitud inusual.

|| Esta noche, asumo el papel representativo de la Casa Beaumont y el Ducado de Ramsford. Bertrand ha insistido incesantemente, llamándome en repetidas ocasiones, para garantizar que mantenga una formalidad impecable con todos. Así que aquí estoy, esforzándome al máximo para cumplir con sus expectativas ||, explicó Maxwell con un toque de resignación, esbozando una sonrisa. Hana, observando la dedicación de Maxwell, le dedicó una sonrisa tímida y expresó su apoyo.

|| Por mi parte, creo que estás desempeñando un papel excepcional, Maxwell. || Él agradecido por las palabras de Hana, respondió con nerviosismo.

|| Gracias, Hana. ||

|| Entonces, Bertrand insinuó que deberías mantener un comportamiento impecable, ¿o él mismo se encargaría de corregirte? ||, murmuro con un toque de picardía.

|| ¡Exacto! Pero como no está aquí, sería prudente que busquemos nuestros asientos. La música disminuye su ritmo, indicando que es el momento para que todos encuentren sus lugares ||, comenta con entusiasmo, instándonos a movernos. Observo la sala, donde las tarjetas de presentación elegantemente dispuestas adornan cada lugar.

|| Max, ¿dónde nos corresponde sentarnos? ||, pregunto con curiosidad, escudriñando entre las demás damas en busca de nuestros nombres, sin encontrar rastro alguno de los nombres de Hana ni del mío.

|| Mmmm, respecto a eso... || Maxwell se vuelve hacia nosotras con una expresión de disculpa y pesar. || Lamentablemente, me han llamado para ocupar un lugar junto al príncipe y las demás pretendientes... Pero ustedes dos estarán en la mesa más distante, en la parte trasera. Supongo que Olivia fue la mente maestra detrás del plan de asignación de asientos ||.

|| Era de esperarse que nos colocara lejos de todas las damas y de Liam. Al menos permitió que viniera y no me confinó en mi habitación || mencioné en tono burlón. Maxwell tocó suavemente mi brazo y sonrió con cierta pesadumbre.

|| Eso es algo improbable, pero yo no le sugeriría a Olivia ninguna de esas ideas ||, agregó con humor. Los tres compartimos una sonrisa, pero luego nos miró con consternación || Bueno, mis queridas, lamento sinceramente tener que dejarlas... ||

|| Qué pena que no puedas acompañarnos Max || Dijo Hana con tristeza, y Maxwell dejó escapar un suspiro notable.

|| Sí, lo sé. Me encantaría quedarme con ustedes, pero debo representar a Bertrand y... || expresó Max con ansias y desesperación.

|| Tranquilo, Max. No te preocupes por nosotras. Estaremos bien || le aseguré, percibiendo su notoria inquietud. Max se marchó, no muy satisfecho, y nos despedimos rápidamente, ya que se dirigía a la mesa principal. Mientras tanto, Hana y yo nos encaminamos hacia la mesa asignada al final del salón.

Al llegar, notamos que Drake ya estaba en la mesa. Se levantó al vernos y nos miró fijamente.

|| Bienvenidas a la mesa de los exiliados || nos dijo con su característico tono sarcástico.

|| Puede que sea la mesa de los exiliados, pero pareces bastante cómodo || le respondí sinceramente. Prefería estar aquí mil veces antes que lidiar con la fastidiosa de Olivia o cualquiera de las demás damas.

|| ¿Estar aquí, apartados del foco de atención? Me siento como en el cielo. Por fin podemos relajarnos. Además, ser tratado como basura no envejece, no aquí en la nobleza. Pero, ¿qué más puedo pedir? || dijo Drake con una amplia sonrisa en su rostro.

|| Estoy segura de que podrías hablar con Liam, y él se aseguraría de que todo fuera diferente. Quiero decir, sabes que no mereces ser tratado así, de hecho ninguna persona || suspiré, sintiendo una ligera preocupación y frustración.

|| No te preocupes. Liam ya se ofreció a encargarse de eso, pero le dije que no. Él está presente cuando es necesario. De todos modos, estoy aquí porque nunca me visto elegantemente y la mayoría de estos nobles parecen preferir que me mantenga en segundo plano || explicó Drake.

|| Pues, tienes suerte || comentó Hana sonriendo, y él estuvo de acuerdo.

|| Dejando a un lado las maquinaciones de Olivia, honestamente me alegra verte aquí. Pensé que no te vería hoy. Además, estaba preocupada de que nos asignaran a una mesa con nobles insoportables || compartí con sinceridad mientras Drake me miraba con sorpresa, la misma que se reflejaba en sus ojos. Aunque, no entiendo del todo por qué expresé mi alegría al verlo.

|| Gracias, Brown. Que venga de ti realmente significa mucho || me dijo mirándome fijamente || Por cierto, te ves bien esta noche || añadió, y pude notar cómo sus mejillas se ruborizaban. Inmediatamente, aclaró su garganta || Perdón, lo que quise decir fue que 'USTEDES' se ven muy bien esta noche ||

|| Gracias || le dijimos tanto Hana como yo, y logramos arrancarle una sonrisa. Yo también sonreí; no es común que Drake elogié, así que esto es algo nuevo.

**

Pasamos la noche compartiendo nuestras experiencias, debatiendo nuestras ventajas y desventajas. Sentimos lástima por Maxwell, quien tuvo que soportar a los nobles fastidiosos. Nuestra risa resonó tanto que incluso Olivia lanzó miradas curiosas hacia nuestra mesa para entender la conmoción. Liam y yo nos lanzamos algunas miradas y sonrisas. Intenté no pensar mucho en él, pero me resulta difícil. No sé por qué, pero empiezo a sentir un nervio en el estómago por la ansiedad de no verlo.

Tras algunas bromas, charlas amenas y una comida lamentablemente mala, llegó el momento del gran baile. No era sorprendente, pero Olivia nos reservó la peor comida, o mejor dicho, no nos dejó nada. Liam afirmó que no acostumbra tratar mal a sus invitados, pero esto parecía ir en contra de nosotros, o más específicamente, en mi contra.

|| ¿Les gustaría escuchar una verdadera historia de terror? Comencemos por establecer el escenario. Una reunión casual con un montón de personas desconocidas. En ese ambiente, se encuentra un bar, que lógicamente es el mejor amigo del hombre, así que decido pedir un trago. Sin embargo, cuando me acerco al bar, ¡no tienen whisky! Estamos hablando de whisky, la mejor de todas las bebidas que existen ||

|| Por favor, Drake, ¿no hay otras opciones de bebidas? ¿O acaso no has probado algo diferente? No sé, ¿vino, cócteles? || Sonrío al plantear la pregunta.

|| ¿Y por qué no tomar whisky, cuando hay tantas posibilidades, Brown? || me responde, frunciendo el ceño.

|| ¿Por variedad? || respondo cuestionándolo.

|| Estoy empezando a cuestionar tu gusto, Brown. Pero volviendo al tema de la bebida, es una pena que no veamos algo de verdad esta noche. Sé que Olivia tiene un gusto muy escondido, ya que mientras exploraba un poco, me topé con su bodega de vinos. Es un lugar bastante impresionante y no es malo para escaparse de todo por un tiempo || comenta Drake volviendo su atención hacia mí. Luego continúa || ¿No quieren unirse a mí para tomar una copa a la medianoche ahí abajo? Claro, si no tienes miedo de escaparte por unas horas ||

|| Gracias, Drake, pero tengo planes de dormir temprano esta noche || dice Hana, y Drake ahora dirige su mirada hacia mí.

|| ¿Y tú, Brown? ¿Qué opinas? || No estaría mal digo para mí, pero cuando iba a contestarle, los músicos comenzaron a tocar y Olivia llamó la atención de todos para que la escucháramos.

|| Buenas noches, queridos invitados. Les doy la bienvenida al Castillo de la familia Nevraskis. Significa mucho para mí que compartan este lugar tan especial en mi corazón. Espero que disfruten las festividades de esta noche tanto como yo. Ahora, por favor, únanse a mí para iniciar el Vals Cordoniano || Hana y yo nos levantamos, mientras que Drake permanecía sentado, observando sus aperitivos sin probarlos.

|| ¿Drake... estás bien? || Hana le preguntó con preocupación.

|| Está todo bien, vayan. Yo me quedaré aquí, ustedes dos disfruten... Diviértanse || dijo con palabras llenas de tristeza. Aunque sentía la necesidad de quedarme para animarlo, sabía que no se sentía cómodo en ese lugar. De repente, Maxwell comenzó a llamarnos efusivamente. Lo miré, y él fijó su mirada en mí. Toqué su mano suavemente, y me miró agradecido || Deberías irte, Brown. Es tu oportunidad de impresionar al Príncipe || añadió.

|| Riley, vamos || me dice Hana, y le sonrío levemente a Drake. Él me da un asentimiento con la cabeza, y empezamos a avanzar hacia donde estaba Maxwell.

|| ¿Disfrutaron de la comida, mis hermosas damas? || preguntó Maxwell con curiosidad.

|| Más o menos, si es que comer algo frío, escaso y poco apetitoso se llama disfrutar || respondí con sarcasmo.

|| ¿A qué te refieres? || preguntó Maxwell. Antes de que pudiera responderle, desvié la mirada al centro de la sala y observé cómo Liam invitaba a Olivia a bailar. Con elegancia, ella le hizo una reverencia, y él la tomó suavemente entre sus brazos.

|| Olvídalo, Max || exclamé, pero en mi interior, sentí que mi estómago comenzaba a dar vueltas y mis celos se intensificaban. Hana percibió claramente mis emociones y trató de calmar mis ánimos con estas palabras:

|| Sería indescriptiblemente grosero que el príncipe no bailara este vals con la anfitriona || Reflexioné sobre ello antes de responderle, manteniendo mi mirada fija en Liam.

|| Sí, lo sé. Supongo que eso es lo que sucede cuando tienes la ventaja de jugar en tu casa || le dije a Hana. Aunque mis palabras eran calmadas, mi atención seguía centrada en la escena del vals entre Liam y Olivia.

|| No obstante, eso no significa que te quedes sin disfrutar del baile... Hana, ¿te importa si dejo que disfrutes de un momento a solas mientras bailo con Riley? || exclama Maxwell. Hana responde con una sonrisa afirmativa.

|| Por supuesto que no, Max. Adelante, vayan || dice Hana, permitiendo que Maxwell y yo nos retiremos. Con su característica sonrisa, Maxwell se acerca a mí y coloca su mano sobre mi hombro.

|| Muy bien, Lady Riley, ¿puedo tener el honor de compartir este vals contigo? || me pregunta con amabilidad, y lo miro fijamente con una cálida sonrisa.

|| Me encantaría, si supiera cómo bailar el vals Cordoniano || añado con una pizca de humor, y observo cómo su sonrisa se desvanece ligeramente.

|| ¿QUÉ? ¡No puedo creerlo! ¡Me olvidé de enseñarte! Oh, Dios mío, Bertrand cortará mi cabeza por esto... Riley, lo siento mucho. Yo debí... || Su rostro parecía lleno de pánico, pero antes de que se infartara, lo interrumpí.

|| Tranquilo, Max. Practiqué con Hana ayer, pero una pequeña precaución tuya no hubiera estado de más || dije como advertencia, intentando aliviar la preocupación que reflejaba en su rostro.

|| Lo siento... sabía que estaba olvidando algo || responde apenado.

|| Está bien, como mencioné, practiqué con Hana, quien, por cierto, es una excelente maestra. ¡Ahora es el momento de ver si toda esa práctica dio resultado! ||

|| Gracias, Hana, por enseñarle a Riley. ¿Qué haríamos sin tu ayuda? || le dice Maxwell. Sus mejillas se tornan rojas y, lleno de nervios, deja de ver a Hana. Fija su mirada en mí y, lleno de pena, dice: || Lo siento, mi pequeña Flor, soy un gran fracaso ||

|| Detente, Max, no eres un fracaso en absoluto. Mereces estar aquí, y estoy encantada de tenerte conmigo en lugar de Bertrand. No solo eres mucho más divertido, sino que también eres mi amigo. Es un privilegio tener la oportunidad de bailar contigo primero || le sonreí, y él respondió con una sonrisa.

|| Ok, después de toda esta locura, ¿puedo tener el honor de bailar este vals, señorita? || Me ofreció su mano, y la tomé || Mi Lady… || Hizo una reverencia, pero antes de que Maxwell pudiera llevarme, Hana susurra.

|| ¡Estoy segura de que brillarás, amiga! || Giro y le doy un guiño, sintiéndome completamente segura.

|| ¿Lista? || me pregunta Maxwell, tomando delicadamente mi mano mientras nos unimos al círculo que se formaba en la pista de baile. Con elegancia, coloca una mano en mi cintura y levanta la otra en una pose clásica de salón de baile. La música envuelve la pista y, al compás, comenzamos a bailar el Vals tradicional, siguiendo la cadencia junto con los demás bailarines. Nuestros movimientos se entrelazan armoniosamente, girando y deslizándonos en perfecta sincronía con la melodía. La elegancia del baile se refleja en cada paso que damos. Después de algunas vueltas y giros, Maxwell me mira con orgullo || Muy, pero muy bien, mi bella flor ||

|| ¡Gracias, Max! Solo intento seguir el ritmo || sonrío, ganando confianza con cada paso. De repente, vemos a Olivia tomar las manos de Liam y deslizarse en un giro elegante. De pronto, la voz de Maxwell interrumpe el momento:

|| Muy bien… ¡Cambio de parejas! Sigue los mismos pasos y haz lo que hiciste conmigo, y estarás genial || Con una sonrisa, Maxwell suelta suavemente mis manos y me hace girar en los brazos de otro chico. Todo sucede tan rápido que ni siquiera puedo reaccionar. Me deslizo hacia adelante, sintiendo un aroma muy familiar mientras caigo directo en su pecho.

|| Qué placer tienen mis ojos en estos momentos. Hola, Lady Riley || me dice Liam con su voz ronca y varonil. Él me dedica una maravillosa sonrisa mientras me envuelve entre sus brazos. Por fin, tengo al Príncipe de Cordonia en mis brazos.

|| ¡Liam! || exclamé con una sonrisa tímida mientras bailábamos al compás de la melodía, y mi corazón se hinchaba. || No pensé caer en tus brazos || La sorpresa y el encanto de este inesperado encuentro se reflejaban claramente en mi expresión.

|| No puedo creer que finalmente se me haya presentado la oportunidad de bailar contigo. Riley, realmente luces deslumbrante esta noche. No he podido apartar la mirada de ti durante todo este tiempo || Me dijo y una sonrisa se dibujó en tu rostro mientras yo solo asentí. También me sentía feliz de estar aquí, envuelta en sus brazos.

|| Lo noté || le dije entre risas || Aunque es inesperado encontrarme contigo. Siendo honestos, pensé que no tendría la oportunidad, ya que no te he visto mucho últimamente||

|| Tienes razón, y lo lamento. He estado ocupadísimo con Olivia como anfitriona, me tiene de un lado a otro. Además, mis padres me recalcaron que sería negligente en mis deberes si no dedico tiempo a conocer a las demás damas ||  expresó apenado. En el fondo de mi corazón, comprendo su situación. Desde el principio, estaba claro que esto no sería nada sencillo.

|| Liam... entiendo, o al menos trato de hacerlo, ya que sé que no te casas solo por ti, sino por la Corona ||.

|| Así es, para mis padres, mis sentimientos no son una prioridad, pero... Tendremos que ver qué sucede en las próximas semanas, ¿verdad? || Liam me mira con una intensidad notable mientras bailamos. De repente, hay un giro, y él aprovecha la oportunidad para abrazarme, manteniéndome muy cerca. Acerca su boca a mi oído y susurra || Pero, Riley, ten presente que... Eres muy especial para mí ||. Luego, me aparta un poco, y mantenemos nuestras miradas fijas mientras nuestras caderas se balancean juntas, casi rozándose. Con sus brazos alrededor de mí y nuestras caderas en armonía, siento que me sonrojo. La excitación flota en el aire, y al mirarlo a los ojos, puedo percibir su propia excitación. Me siento cálida, a gusto, y realmente no quiero que este baile termine. Hasta que Olivia se desliza en mi campo de visión y se interpone entre los dos. Rápidamente aclara su garganta, rompiendo la concentración.

|| Permiso, Lady Riley. Creo que él es mi compañero ahora. Así que vamos a cambiar de nuevo, ¿de acuerdo? || Sus palabras son ásperas pero decididas. Ella toma a Liam del brazo y lo aleja. Liam solo me mira, disculpas reflejadas en sus ojos, mientras yo asiento con la cabeza. ¿Por qué esta situación resulta tan complicada? Detesto tener que robar momentos con alguien con quien deseo estar y compartirlos con otros. ¿Hice lo correcto al venir? Mientras regresaba a mi mesa, noté que Maxwell y Hana compartían el vals. Al verme, se separan rápidamente y se acercan hacia mí.

|| Mi flor, al verlos juntos, puedo decir que Liam se preocupa mucho por ti || comenta Maxwell.

|| Puede que parezca así, Max... pero... esta relación es extraña. Desearía poder estar con Liam, disfrutar de tiempo a su lado y, si queremos, escapar de aquí sin restricciones. ¿Me entiendes? Pero no es posible... Todo es diferente || respondo con pesar.

|| Cuando formas parte de una monarquía, las reglas son diferentes. Lo siento mucho, amiga || me dice Hana, brindando consuelo con sus palabras.

|| Hana tiene razón, mi flor. Aquí las cosas no son como en otros lugares || añade Maxwell.

|| Comprendo perfectamente, pero... || De repente, su expresión experimentó un notorio cambio; sus ojos se abrieron de par en par. Volteó en la dirección hacia la cual estaba mirando y fui testigo del preciso momento en que Olivia besaba a Liam. Instintivamente, mi mano se posó sobre mi boca, conteniendo la respiración, mientras un desagradable vacío se apoderaba de mi estómago. Liam dirigió la mirada hacia mí, sus ojos parecían querer comunicarme mucho, al menos denotaban cierta incomodidad. Sin embargo, Olivia rápidamente envolvió sus brazos alrededor de él. Liam apartó la mirada de mí y se acercó con delicadeza a Olivia para susurrarle algo al oído. Inmediatamente después, ella lucía aturdida, al igual que el resto de las personas presentes. En ese momento, la intensa mirada de Drake se posó fijamente en mí, supongo que buscando mi reacción.

Como mencioné anteriormente, las dinámicas aquí son completamente distintas y no guardan similitud con ninguna relación que haya experimentado previamente. Me vi obligada a mantener una expresión neutral, a actuar como si nada ocurriera, mientras en mi interior se desataba un torbellino de sensaciones y emociones indescifrables. Aunque Olivia haya sido la instigadora y Liam quizás no haya tenido elección, en mi interior experimenté celos, un deseo de llorar, de gritar y de enfadarme, todo al mismo tiempo. ¿Qué significaba exactamente esto? ¿Así es como se sienten el resto de las damas cuando alguien comparte un beso con Liam? ¿O es solo mi reacción? ¿Se entregará él a los encantos de todas las mujeres en cuanto tenga la oportunidad? De repente, las voces de todas las damas de la corte que murmuraban sobre la inesperada jugada de Olivia irrumpen mis pensamientos.

|| ¡Esa jugada de Olivia fue audaz, ¿no lo creen?! || exclama Kiara, visiblemente molesta.

|| Son cercanos y se llevan bien desde niños, así que no debería sorprendernos tanto || comenta Penélope, con su mirada aun reflejando sorpresa y tristeza al mismo tiempo.

|| Pero ¡qué tierna! No puedo creer que la pequeña Olivia esté creciendo. Es tan dulce de su parte besar a su amor platónico || ríe Madeleine, mostrando una confianza evidente. Todas parecen sorprendidas, pero al mismo tiempo conformes con lo que acaba de suceder. ¿Será esto normal para ellas?

|| ¿A ninguna de ustedes les afecta lo que acaba de suceder? || pregunto, aún aturdida.

|| Riley, las demostraciones ostentosas son para aquellos sin refinamiento o que son inseguros. Yo no soy nada de eso, así que no puedo hablar al respecto || me dice Madeleine, con tranquilidad y serenidad.

|| Lo que realmente me perturba es que eso fue un movimiento de poder... ¡C'est incroyable! || Kiara se acerca con ira en sus ojos hacia nosotras. Sin embargo, siento que Maxwell toma mi brazo y se disculpa con las damas, alejándome de la situación.

|| ¿Mi Flor, estás bien? Honestamente, lo que hizo Olivia fue inapropiado, pero sé que no significó nada para Liam, créeme... || dice mientras lo miro con frustración || Mira, en estos momentos veo una oportunidad para jugar un poco de política aquí || explica detenidamente Maxwell || Observa a Kiara. Está claro que está molesta por la acción de Olivia más que las demás. Esto es una oportunidad; debes ver el lado positivo de la situación. Si puedes crear una brecha entre ella y Olivia, podrías debilitar la posición de esta última. Si Kiara tiene elogios para ti, eso mejorará tu reputación en la corte || termina diciendo con seguridad. Ahora que lo pienso, creo que tiene razón. Es una oportunidad perfecta. No debo permitir que mis sentimientos intervengan en estos momentos.

|| Está bien, es un buen punto. Voy a ver qué puedo hacer || digo a Maxwell mientras cruzo el salón para dirigirme hacia Kiara. Al acercarme, toco ligeramente su brazo para llamar su atención. || Lady Kiara, ¿puedo hablar contigo? ||

|| Oh, Lady Riley. ¿Comment ça va? || me dice, un poco más calmada.

|| Ça va bien || respondo en francés, y ella muestra sorpresa. Aunque mi francés está un poco desgastado, agradezco haberlo aprendido hace algún tiempo.

|| Magnifique... Dime, ¿en qué puedo ayudarte? || pregunta con cierta duda.

|| Quisiera conocer sinceramente tu opinión sobre el pequeño acto de Olivia || le planteo.

|| Honestamente, no puedo creer lo que hizo || responde con un tono molesto || Olivia no tendría la audacia de hacer esto en ningún otro lugar, pero al encontrarse en su territorio, se ha vuelto loca con el poder que tiene sobre las cosas y, sobre todo, en el Príncipe ||

|| Como mencionas, Olivia tiene claramente una ventaja y se convierte en nuestra mayor amenaza. Sinceramente, creo que se necesitaría más de una de nosotras para vencerla. Por lo tanto, considero crucial que nosotras, como damas, permanezcamos unidas. De esta manera, tendremos una oportunidad significativa en contra de ella, ¿no te parece? || Digo con confianza, esperando que este plan funcione.

|| ¿Estás proponiéndome una alianza, Lady Riley? || Pregunta, mientras simplemente asiento con la cabeza para responder. Ella analiza la situación por un momento y continúa || Normalmente no consideraría la idea, pero he notado que estás encajando bastante bien en la corte y ciertamente podrías ser una aliada importante ||

|| La verdad es que, si somos aliadas, también podría apoyarte. La amistad de Olivia parece unidireccional, donde a ella le gusta solo recibir y no dar, como una calle de un solo sentido. ¿Por qué deberíamos permitir que solo ella se salga con la suya? Yo pienso que todos necesitamos que alguien hable bien de nosotros. De esta manera, podremos ayudarnos mutuamente… Y le enseñaremos a Olivia a no ser egoísta ||

|| Sabes, no es una mala idea. Ambas podríamos beneficiarnos de un pequeño apoyo bien establecido por aquí y otro por allá || me responde mucho más tranquila.

|| Kiara, necesitamos apoyarnos en conjunto para poder avanzar en este proceso. Sea quien sea la Reina, es magnífico poder armar alianzas. Me alegra que lo veas de la misma manera que yo ||

|| Me parece bien, Lady Riley, al menos por ahora || Penélope le hace señales, e inmediatamente Kiara me mira con atención || Bueno, sí me disculpas, debería ir a mezclarme con las demás. Lamentablemente, queda muy poco para disfrutar. À bientôt... Estaremos conversando ||

|| Adiós, Kiara... Estaremos hablando || le respondo. ¿Siento una pequeña victoria? Así es, creo que lo logré. Quiero saltar por mi pequeño logro. Me siento tranquila de haber conseguido, al menos en esta situación, una pequeña alianza. Es mejor que Olivia pierda el poder que tiene sobre las demás.

@tessa-liam, @kingliam2019, @dutifullynuttywitch, @choicesficwriterscreations, @garrusknight  

[drugstoreglitter]

location :   mimi's apartment, east village, manhattan.

featuring :    max @orumad

        it's nine o'clock, which means it's love island time — they’ve settled into a routine, almost boring in how clockwork it’s become, max settled into the sofa at her side like a lap dog, while she applies a final coat of shellac to her nails — but rather than crank up the volume and whip up the twitter app, mimi's decided that now is the perfect time to pick at scabs. “ babe… ” she begins, voice measured, fixing a diamante gem to the centre of her ring finger as ian stirling’s voice cuts across the sitting room. her sitting room, which recently he’s been treating less like a place of worship and more like a five guys drive thru. “ you know when you have a bath ? ”  in my bath, she wants to add. my lovingly selected claw - footed victorian bath.  “ it’s fiiiiine if you want to like, smoke a doob, check out of the stratosphere, whatever, but can you maybe like, not leave your gross ass cigarette butts all over the veneer ? because it’s bugging me out. ” examining her nails, she presses the final diamante into place, pants a series of warm little breaths against their tips, and once she’s satisfied they’re dry, links her fingers through max's, knocking his phone from his hand. “ and i think we should do a social media detox, too. it’ll be good to get back to basics. remind of us what’s important. ”  remind him that she's important. in other words ; stop fucking messaging michelle. mimi forces a grin, turning her gaze on him, eyes scanning over his features. he could do with a shave, too. looks kinda like she found him shelling peanuts at a yard sale, and took pity enough to bring him home. she gets that he's got his whole 'loose, lusty, and unbothered rocker' thing, but she's got standards ( a laminated list of them, in fact ). her lips connect with his jaw, pressing a kiss there, and she startles back with a performative little yelp. “ ooh. scratchy. ” hand ruffling through his hair, she reaches for the remote.