#then people were pissed she was regent. DESPITE THE FACT NO ONE ELSE WANTED THE POSITION

[helpimstuckinafandom]

Davina Claire is allowed to commit mass murder if she ever so desires. As a treat.

[astrologista]

AA4 Medieval AU

getcher apollo justice fantasy/medieval au right here. (spoilers for aa4 kinda tho)

this idea will not leave my mind so... take it... i think i messed up some details lol but this is just for fun so please, don’t rake me over the coals for it.

(time is screwed up here so before the timeskip apollo is 7 and trucy is a baby. after the timeskip apollo is 14 and trucy is 7. for the sake of it i’m gonna have klavier also be about 14 post-timeskip. other ages may be scaled down for consistency... idk i had to make it work somehow.)

Once upon a time, King Magnifi of the House Gramarye ruled the land in peace. In his old age, his daughter Princess Thalassa readied herself to become queen. It came time for Thalassa to choose a royal consort, the person who would also be the next king of Attornia.

There were two choices, Zak and Valant. In the end, Princess Thalassa chose Zak. Disgraced, Valant left for parts unknown. Thalassa and Zak married and received Magnifi’s blessing before his death. Thus began the reign of Queen Thalassa of House Gramarye, and King Zak Enigmar.

It wasn’t to last, however. Seeing his chance to seize power, Count Kristoph of the House Gavin, King Zak’s closest advisor, betrayed King Zak and murdered him in cold blood. All the evidence vanished without a trace, and the case was never solved. In the process, he was able to cause Queen Thalassa significant injury, as well. The people assumed she, too, had been murdered in this incident...

Though hotly debated throughout Attornia, no one could deny that the line of succession had been broken, since Queen Thalassa and King Zak had not had any children, and therefore no heirs or heiresses to the throne. According to the law, Count Kristoph, at the age of 25, was now able to seize power and become King Kristoph of Attornia.

His rule, while considered by many to be stable, measured, and fair, was completely tyrannical. He arranged for the citizens to worship him like a god, encouraged a cult of personality, tripled work hours on the poor and taxed basically all the citizens into poverty, then used all the tax money to build extravagant monuments to himself, and expand the palace into his personal utopia complete with gold, jewels and hundreds of servants. One of his servants is a young foundling named Apollo Justice, who’s about 7 years old when he was left at the palace gates. King Kristoph decided to make Apollo his successor... someday. But for now he’s being trained as a servant, because he’s just useful like that, and he’s eager to please.

But, there is still hope for Attornia, as Queen Thalassa has one trump card hidden up her sleeve. She was spirited away from the palace by her attendants, and forced into a life of hiding as the mysterious wise woman, Lady Lamiroir. Her memory had been taken from her by the injuries sustained during Gavin’s assault. What no one knows, though, is that she was pregnant at the time. Luckily, the baby was unharmed. She is Trucy Gramarye, the one true princess. To keep her safe, Lamiroir entrusts the girl to a trusted man, Phoenix Wright.

Some seven years have now passed since then, and Attornia is still suffering under the reign of the House Gavin. Trucy Gramarye is 7. Apollo Justice is about 14. The day comes at last when Apollo meets a strange man in town, a mysterious stranger in peasant clothing named Phoenix Wright, who tells him a tale of the true and rightful heir to the throne. By rights, Trucy should be crown princess, as she has royal blood. (Phoenix will serve as regent king in her place until she’s old enough to rule.) At first Apollo doesn’t and can’t believe it, because King Kristoph would never lie to him, right? And Apollo then learns that he, too, has royal blood... except for the little issue that he’s a product of an illegitimate relationship between Princess Thalassa and a bard named Jove Justice and therefore has no claim to the throne. This crushes Apollo as all his hopes of becoming what Kristoph has been training him to be all his life are dashed. (I kind of waffle on whether Jove should be alive as a bard or dead in this AU. Alive would be good. Let’s go with alive. Or else this AU is going to be too traumatic for Apollo. How he got separated from Apollo is... something I’ll think about later but it’ll probably be sad)

But, once Phoenix shows Apollo once and for all how the poor are suffering under the reign of Gavin, Apollo eventually changes his mind and decides to join the effort to investigate and restore peace to the realm, with the help of Phoenix, Trucy, Lamiroir, and... others!

One thing Kristoph doesn’t want to draw attention to is his brother, Klavier, who is a knight in training (and a bard with a lute on the weekends). Instead of granting him a lofty government position, he hides him somewhere in the ranks of the knighthood and otherwise avoids interacting with him. Daryan is one of the other knights in training (and is also a bard). The captain of knights in training is Romein LeTouse. The foremost of all knights is Sir Edgeworth. (Simon Blackquill is one of the other knights because yes. And who doesn’t want Knight!Blackquill with Taka?)

Supporting cast includes weird jester Spark Brushel, a medieval pub run by Eldoon and Olga Orly, a scholarly monk named Wesley Stickler, a small village/hamlet run by the Kitakis where Wocky is considered royalty, royal healers Pal Meraktis and Alita Tiala, and a certain Marie-Curie-like young woman named Ema Skye who is a relatively well-off lady to most, but secretly has a whole science lab running experiments with beakers and a lot of steampunk stuff. Phoenix keeps an eye on Lady Lamiroir who has to stay in hiding. She takes in a young boy named Machi Tobaye, who reminds her of the son she lost many years ago (she doesn’t know that Apollo is that son, or doesn’t find out until later). There’s also the royal portrait painter Drew Misham and his daughter Vera.

The gang ends up diffusing some diplomatic troubles between Wocky’s family and Alita Tiala when it comes out that Alita is just looking to marry into royalty. In the next plot, Daryan is revealed to be a traitor to the knighthood and is doing some shady stuff on the order of King Kristoph, such as tailing the gang to find out how much they know. (If Kristoph finds out about Trucy and gets to her first, it’s all over...) Klavier eventually becomes part of the gang, turns out his knowledge is extremely helpful, but Apollo does question whether he can even be trusted considering his relationship to Kristoph. Most of the rest of the plot is attempts to destabilize Kristoph’s regime and reveal his evil and selfish acts. For some reason I’m seeing a situation with a play, where somebody gets to say (probably Apollo) “So the play’s the thing wherein we’ll catch the conscience of the king?” because, yes. In the final plot, royal portrait painter Drew Misham and his daughter, Vera, are in trouble and are at risk of being executed by King Kristoph (botched portrait of the king maybe??). The gang has to stop that at any cost. And, they have to reveal to the entire kingdom the true nature of King Kristoph... and the fact that he’d be willing to execute an innocent painter and a young girl is definitely going to make clear that true nature to everyone.

And finally, of course our heroes triumph in the end, and Phoenix becomes King of Attornia, as regent for Trucy who will one day be Queen! Lady Lamiroir also gets to return, and she is still considered a beloved ruler despite her injuries preventing her from fully embracing the role, she still supports Trucy and Phoenix from the background. And some of her memories return! Apollo of course will always have a place as part of the family, too, and decides royal life isn’t for him. He instead becomes something of a local mediator of disputes! And they all lived happily ever after!

As for King Kristoph, he is pissed and promises he’ll return with a vengeful scheme. For now they just exile him to some remote island like Napoleon where he’ll hopefully just rot and die. But we still have to set up the sequel somehow right??

Now someday I need to find the time to... actually write this and make it like a 50k or something longer... oh boy

[justanotherdaylikeanyother-blog1]

Regarding a previous ask on lack of women in cp, I gotta say rereading the trilogy none of the characters have a very high opinion of women either. We have Jord who prefers men because "you know what was what with men", the Regent who just doesn't like them on principle, Damen who disparages Jokaste for apparently wanting power, and Laurent who calls Jokaste a "whore queen". Internalized misogyny on the author's part or "historical" accuracy? Your fics are like crack to me btw love them

Thank you! 😘 I’m not being a very good dealer, if that’s the case, but hopefully I won’t be withholding more fic for too much longer.

But I’m not really feeling you on this one, sorry anon. If Pacat has internalised misogynistic leanings, I neither know nor really care, tbh. So let’s ignore the author’s intention and just look at what’s on the page. Most of the time when anyone makes a less than flattering comment about or are dismissive of women, there’s either an obvious reason for it that isn’t just ‘women yuck’, or the misogyny is specifically designed to work with that person’s characterisation. I’ll look specifically at your examples:

Jord: Honestly, this one’s such a stretch. Men are not being misogynistic by not being interested in women. Just like I’m not anti-man just because I prefer romantic relationships with women personally (for reasons that aren’t too dissimilar to Jord’s, actually). There is literally nothing about Jord saying he prefers men because he’s more familiar and comfortable with them that should be read as any kind of an insult against women. It doesn’t mean he thinks women are bad or worthless. It just means he feels he knows exactly what to do with a dick because he has one, and that he thinks he gets how men think and act because he both is one himself and spends all day every day around other men. To be fair to Jord, he’s probably never had unsupervised contact with a woman other than his own family members because of the taboo, and there were apparently like three women present in the whole of Vere anyway. For some of the men, that lack of exposure has probably given women a sort of forbidden air that they find attractive, and that’s understandable, but I can also see why Jord might not have developed enough of an understanding of women to be intrigued by them sexually or romantically. And that’s absolutely fine.

The Regent: This fucker does not reflect the opinions you should be taking from the series when it comes to anything, including women. The Regent is the villain. And he’s an outright villain, with no ‘good’ or ‘redeeming’ qualities about him save intelligence and perceptiveness, both of which he uses for fucked up purposes anyway. Pretty much whatever this guy is into, assume it’s supposed to come off as wrong, even for his time period. The fact that he doesn’t like women is a black mark against his (lack of a) name, not something that you should take as an indictment against women.

Damen: Damen might have overlooked the perspective of women and not noticed that they too would like some power and self-determination, I’ll give you that one. But then, that’s not about women specifically. That’s about Damen’s views on everyone who has a considerably different background than him. Look at his lack of ability to see the plight of slaves, male and female alike. I said just yesterday that I think Damen’s high in sympathy but considerably lower in empathy, because he’s the kind of guy who’ll go out of his way to act kind and is averse to undeserved cruelty and wants the best for people, but that’s all coming from his skewed idea of what kind of kindness and protection people need, not theirs. He’s not someone who can easily grasp a situation or a mindset very different from his own and see things from the perspective of someone else without actually walking in that person’s shoes. So I think Damen was exactly as misogynistic as the historical setting and his own position made him and no more. Accidental/unknowing misogyny, if you like. And I’m not sure you can take any comments he makes about Jokaste in particular post-capture to be reflective of his thoughts on women as a whole. Jokaste was almost single-handedly responsible for Damen being enslaved and humiliated and deprived of the life he’d known. He has a right to hate her, and it’s understandable for him to be ticked that she made a power grab when it was at his expense. He’d have had the same reaction to Kastor if Kastor didn’t have the apparent get-out-of-jail-free-card of being family.

Laurent: Calling Jokaste a Whore Queen is literally the only time I can think of where Laurent says anything bad about women/a woman. He does it to rile up Damen, first and foremost. And he also does it to disparage Akielos and their practice of allowing mistresses when Vere supposedly thinks themselves above that. What you’ve left out is him at the same time calling Kastor the Bastard King, which is probably an even more egregious insult as far as the Veretians are concerned. I honestly think people have forgotten that gender equality isn’t about treating women as above reproach while you insult men. It’s about insulting neither or both equally.

Anyway, I don’t think the issue is that the characters (the ones who aren’t evil) don’t have a high opinion of women. It’s that we very rarely get to interact much with women of whom they should have a high opinion. Damen doesn’t get a lot of contact with Vannes, for example, so her obvious Veretian qualities (which Damen certainly does think very little of, at that point) stop there from being too much ready acknowledgement of her good points. I certainly get the impression that Damen is appreciative of Talik’s strength despite spending little time with her. There’s nothing but respect shown for Halvik as a woman. And if Halvik’s girls are reduced to acting as little more than sexual beings, that’s more down to the language barrier making it impossible for Damen to strike up an actual conversation with any of them. He shows them respect as sexual partners, at least. Damen shows reverence towards the Queens of old, and wishes he could have known his own mother. There’s no indication that he had any problems with Hypermenestra. And really, which other women do they ever encounter or even mention who aren’t either briefly-mentioned slaves (who Damen treats like he would any slave), or Jokaste and Jokaste’s ladies (who Damen’s actively pissed at)? There’s just not enough opportunity to show a stong positive female presence and the characters’ reaction to it. That’s what it comes down to, as for me.

[journeysintowebcomics]

Worm Liveblog #94

UPDATE 94: Skitter Doesn’t Approve

Last time the Undersiders fought several of the white supremacists and managed to defeat them! Now it’s time to obtain their victory spoils: one of their foes shall join them, willingly or unwillingly. Skitter isn’t pleased. Let’s see how this goes.

“To use a cliché, you can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Tattletale said, a light smile on her face.

Victor had been the one to be chosen, he’s not really looking forward to any sort of cooperation. Guess this means Regent will have to force him. In a long-term plan, that may be good, but it also is very morally wrong.

As expected, Skitter is not okay with this. She disagrees entirely and is seething because nobody took the time to tell her they were going to force someone to be in their team. It undoubtedly is to have a chance against Coil, but Skitter has standards.

But I couldn’t shake the other possibility.  They could have left me in the dark because they knew I’d object. And now that I was filled in on this plan, I couldn’t object without making the group look weak.  Tattletale would know that.  She would know I wouldn’t screw us over, even with my objections, and this next part of the plan would go ahead whether or not I agreed or not.

That’s definitely what happened. Not only that, I’m sure they also are expecting Skitter to realize raising objections here in front of everyone is a bad idea. They knew she’d be unhappy and they count on her deciding their position of strength is more important than her anger.

It’s clever, but it also has the potential to turn ugly if done wrong. I just hope this won’t lead to a rift.

Appealing to his possibly inexistent good nature isn’t a good strategy, so instead they appeal to what he’d want: talents and powers. He’ll be in proximity to some skilled individuals, the cream of the crop chosen by Coil. It’s a good chance to gather skills! Will that entice Victor to agreeing to join them?

It won’t. In fact, he’s getting kind of cocky.

“The PRT trains its squads in resisting and reacting to master-category attacks.  I’ve picked up some things,” Victor’s chin raised a fraction.

I wouldn’t be surprised if what he has picked up from them is enough to resist Regent’s power. If that happens...well, I don’t know what other options there are. He seems difficult to coerce. Perhaps someone else in the white supremacist group can convince him?

Regent is actually looking forward to some resisting, because it could mean practicing against someone who is actually able to fight back. It’s starting to look like a stalemate in here, and nobody on any side is willing to relent. Actually...Skitter is willing, but she won’t, for the sake of not undermining the Undersiders.

If nobody is going to yield, then they’re going to force the issue by hurting the person Victor seems to care about, fellow teammate Othala. They even have matching outfits. Othala’s power is to give abilities to other people, but she can’t give them to herself. She can help others heal, she can’t heal herself. That’s what makes her a prime target, they don’t hesitate to start battering her up.

Well, if one shove of her head onto the ground counts as battering. It hurts, yeah, but it may not be the worst injury they have ever got. Victor is horrified nonetheless. He’s involved romantically with her, that’s why.

The story behind their relationship is that Victor was going to marry a general in Kaiser’s organization, but she died so instead he settled with her cousin. My guess is that they had to do that because you can’t just back off an advantageous marriage – for the family/organization, I guess – even if a person dies. This could have gone awry, but instead Othala and Victor genuinely like each other, so all is well what ends well.

“This is your plan?” Victor sneered.  “Hate to break it to you, but we’ve talked this shit out.  It’s called communication.  You won’t be revealing any big secrets to break us up.”

The only time someone resisted well enough Tattletale’s sly tongue is when Jack cut her face open. This bravado has already antagonized Regent and Tattletale. At this point I just wonder which one of them will get their vindication first, because I have no doubt Victor will be convinced somehow.

To his credit, he’s fighting back by arguing they love each other, and he sounds like he really does. Doesn’t seem like he’s saying all this stuff just to keep appearances or to defy Tattletale. I completely loathe what group he’s from, but he’s not misleading his girlfriend around, he’s got that on his favor. Othala agrees with everything he’s saying. It’s not a fairy-tale romance at all, but it’s their romance and that’s enough for them.

Tattletale stepped forward, “Or because your names and faces are known to the public, and instead of being part of your group by choice, you’re part of the group because nobody else will have you?”

I don’t think she’s wrong. A reputation is something difficult to leave behind. Skitter herself’s problems trying to assert herself as a heroine during the early arcs prove that. Victor and Othala are very unlikely to ever be redeemed. All they have is the group they’re in right now, and also each other.

Theeere it is, the moment where Tattletale’s insinuations and talking leads somewhere, just like I expected. Victor realizes everything Tattletale has been saying about Victor’s feelings isn’t to needle him. It’s to make Othala doubt him. That wipes his smirk off his face, which I’m taking as a sign there’s some progress here. Nice! I don’t think Othala really believed anything or is paying much attention to all that, but can Victor afford to have doubt sowed into his relationship? If not, then this could be the stick they needed.

“What other options do we have, if we want to pressure you?  You’re invincible for at least a little while longer, but even without that, if we beat and tortured you, I think we’d come out behind, just by virtue of how far we’d have to go before we got past whatever interrogation resistance techniques you’ve stolen.  Wouldn’t be much different if we beat and tortured Othala.  We’d piss you off, but I don’t think we’d break you. So at the very least, this is a more civilized route of attack.”

It’s pretty much the same logic they had when they were kicking Othala’s face into the pavement. She can heal others, but she can’t heal herself. Othala can help others, but can’t help herself.

Now that the jig’s up, they press on, intending to reel him in before he gets time to think or react. Tattletale tells him he’d fight them just to spite them, and that it’s not worth it. They also decide to give him some time to think about it while they go and loot the places these few people were at. I doubt the Undersiders are genuinely interested in anything left behind, this is just a tactic to give him some time to consider his position...and for Othala to sweat, too. She seems a bit desperate.

Silence lingered for a good minute.

“You can cheat,” Othala said.

“Not now, O.”

“We open up the relationship.  You do what you need to, just promise that if you don’t find what you’re looking for, you come back.”

Despite who she is, I feel kind of bad for her. Tattletale did manage to worm into her head enough, and Victor can see it. Skitter also tries to appeal to her, just to get shut down immediately. Suddenly I don’t feel kind of bad for Othala.

Victor tried to coach Othala so she wouldn’t give any signs Tattletale was getting under her skin, so Skitter intervenes by planting black widow spiders on his face. That’s dangerous! And she even says she’s not controlling their instincts! That part...I think she’s lying. Skitter wouldn’t be so cavalier about poisoning someone with black widow venom. I’m sure she’s lying, and Victor will believe it and not say or move at all.

These spiders also give her the chance to be passive-aggressive once Tattletale returns:

Tattletale turned to look my way, and I met her eyes.  I left the bugs in place.

“Could you please move the spiders?”  She asked.

“Of course.” I dismissed them, but I didn’t break eye contact.

She’s going to have plenty of words after this scene is over. Be afraid, Tattletale, ye have stumbled upon Skitter’s wrath.

Victor is undecided. That’s better because it’s not a ‘no’, that’s progress. Still not enough, though.

“Maybe you could provide me some incentive?”

He needs to win on some level if he’s going to make a concession, I thought.

Regent shrugged.  “I could keep you for seventy-two hours, if you don’t cooperate, or thirty-six if you do.”

Victor turned to look at Regent.  “That’ll do.”

Does that count as a victory? I’m not really sure it does, it’s not like Regent has conceded anything. It was simply a statement that’s, well, kind of fair?

That aside, it’ll be only for thirty-six hours? Hm...that’s awfully little time. I doubt Coil will be defeated during the next 36 hours. There are two possibilities, then. Either Regent will lie and keep him for longer than the promised 36 hours, or whatever Victor will do during this time will set the foundations for the Undersiders’ attack. Both scenarios are equally likely, although I’m pretty sure Skitter would object strongly to keeping Victor with them for longer than necessary. It should all be okay as long as she doesn’t take actions to let him go once the time is over. By now she wouldn’t dare to betray the team, but...her moral code is strong. She won’t turn a blind eye to this.

Leaving the area is a bit of a hassle. Everyone except Skitter and Imp leaves. The reason these two stayed behind is so Night can’t transform. Once the rest of the Undersiders are away, Skitter and Imp move, notifying their foes it’s okay to move once Skitter is so far away their enemies are at the edge of her range. Now that things are going more or less smoothly for the team, it’s confrontation time!

“I’m not going to ‘relax’.  You two deliberately left me in the dark, there.  Or it was an exceedingly stupid oversight to forget to mention it, and I know Tattletale isn’t stupid.”

“It was only sort of deliberate.  Regent didn’t have any part in that.”

I find it hard to believe it wasn’t completely deliberate. No way Tattletale didn’t know this would be Skitter’s reaction.

Skitter is okay with the controlling – sorta – because of the targets. Shadow Stalker...well, Skitter has bias there, of course. Shatterbird is a mass murderer and therefore there’s nobody in the world particularly concerned about her rights. Victor is different in that he’s not as bad as those two. Supposedly. Honestly, it’s hard to be as bad as Shatterbird unless you’re a mass murderer too, so he’s as bad as Shadow Stalker at most, and it’s not like Shadow Stalker is the worst person ever. She’s plenty bad but not worse than Shatterbird.

“See, that’s what throws me,” Tattletale said.  “I don’t see that big a difference between Victor and Shadow Stalker.”

It’s not like she’s wrong. Shadow Stalker and Victor are on the same level of awfulness, I just said that, just that instead of being relentless and unwilling to be anything near heroic, Victor is racist. Pretty bad, yup.

Skitter wants to give Victor the benefit of doubt, all because she doesn’t know him at all. Tattletale’s knowledge would have sufficed, yet she didn’t tell her anything. That’s her complaint here, that nobody took the time to tell her the plan. She’d have gotten all her objections out, she’d have been informed of Victor’s character...etc, etc. Communication! That’s what she wants!

“And, of course, now we’re locked into this thing, and I can’t help but wonder if I can trust you in the future.”

“That’s rich,” Regent said, “Coming from you.”

Pretty daring affirmation from Skitter. I doubt anyone is amused.

Indeed, her earlier betrayal leaves her with no room to argue anything about betraying or not trusting. For a moment I thought Regent was a tad rancorous about that, but he clarifies he doesn’t care. He’s just stating Skitter doesn’t have a moral high ground at all, and it’s not like he’s wrong. It’s somewhat hypocritical of her to be saying that stuff.

It’s established Skitter’s beef here is that she wasn’t informed of anything, and that now it’s her turn to show a bit of graciousness and forgive them. I have to side with Tattletale on this one, really.

“And how often can this happen before I can say we’re taking it too far?  Regent’s power is going to get us in trouble, one way or another.  If our enemies decide that the threat of being mind-controlled is too big, and band together against us, it might be creating more of a disadvantage than an advantage.”

I’m pretty sure all enemies worth their salt knew about that already. If they didn’t take any actions so far, then they’re not likely to do anything new. True, the frequency of this has increased to a grand total of...two. Two times. Nobody knows Shadow Stalker’s incident. Shatterbird’s incident is known by the heroes and the villains by now. I really doubt Victor or anyone else in his faction will let anybody hear he was controlled and coerced. Overall, that’ll be one incident everybody will know.

In terms of frequency, it’s still once in a blue moon, yeah?

“I’m saying we discuss it as a group before enslaving someone.”

I can almost guarantee the chance won’t present itself, and if it does, it’ll be agreed by the team beforehand, or at the very least there’ll be a good reason. Those discussions will be pointless. Skitter will most likely object, everyone else will want to do the mind control because it’s advantageous for them. I don’t think that’ll be different, ever. Then again, how often is Regent going to get the chance? Not very often, I’d say.

They’re aaaaaall about wanting others to be scared and paranoid of them, Skitter doesn’t want that because that can be bad. It could lead to all sort of reactions of the ‘a cornered animal will fight back’, because foes may feel cornered because of Regent’s powers. Skitter kind of has a point there, I think! That’d be troublesome! On the other hand, Tattletale is right, everyone is gearing up to attack them. Oh well.

Ah, here comes the crux of this plan! The reason why Victor has been coerced to be with them! I was wondering about that! Before I theorized it was because they needed his help to attack Coil, then decided that may not be correct because he’ll be with them for a short time. Perhaps I wasn’t wrong? Say it, Tattletale!

“Remember our attack on the PRT headquarters?  We walked away with data.  Data Coil and his best people couldn’t crack.”

I get it. So, she plans to make Victor absorb coding knowledge and then crack that code. Dragon’s code, may I add. Okay! That’s going to be really tough, because Dragon’s ciphers can’t be simple at all, can they? There’s a possibility Victor won’t be capable of this either, I think.

Skitter isn’t a fan of that idea. Of course she isn’t, hah! But yeah, in all seriousness, the worthiness of this depends on the content of that data.

“Hear me out. I told Coil that, and that got his attention.  I had something of an idea that Victor, Rune and Othala were looking to leave the Chosen, so I floated the idea to Coil that he could make them an offer.”

I doubt those three will join Coil. It’s inconvenient they join, too. Good thing Coil is likely to be defeated, eh?

There it is, something to make it worthwhile. Other than possibly cracking a very difficult code, Victor also could provide some insight into Coil.

“Like getting a read on Coil’s talents and skills, perhaps.  I can’t say for sure, but I’m thinking Victor could tell us what Coil’s day job used to be.  Enough of a starting point that I can dig up more details.  Know your enemy.  And with a guy that versatile, I can think of several ways he could be useful.”

Sure! Could be a good idea...if Victor can get close enough to Coil to get a read of that. That’s how I understood Victor’s power worked, he needs some proximity to his target. That aside, Coil surely is aware what Victor can do. He’ll take measures to avoid the leak of any information he doesn’t want others to know. Worth a try, though.

The last possible advantage is that Grue may pick a few powers and skills from Victor. Ah...possibly? You’d have to force Victor to cooperate, though. I doubt he’d willingly make Grue stronger.

That’s all. Skitter will trust Tattletale’s judgment. Guess that means everything is forgiven! Thank goodness. Also, she doesn’t trust Regent’s judgment. Yup, sounds about right.  Now that this is settled, they get going, Skitter getting startled when Imp approaches from behind. Imp’s power is a bundle of joy, eh?

“I stayed behind to keep an eye on Night.  Winking instead of blinking so I didn’t lose sight of her.  And you don’t even remember that I was doing it.  Fuck.  Ungrateful bastards.  I had to run the last block so I could be sure you didn’t fly off before I could ask.”

Huh. That’s such a simple way of making sure Night wouldn’t transform, yet I didn’t think of it at all. I wonder how many would have.

Anyway, Imp wants to ask for a favor, that’s why she stopped Skitter. I suppose this also means she doesn’t want the rest of the team to hear it. Also, since they suspect Coil may be listening to their phone conversations, she’s asking Skitter in person, although Skitter isn’t really very enthusiastic about having to do a favor. Not when she already has so much in her to-do pile. But hey, what’s one problem more?

The chapter ends here, but...hm. Although it’s taking a while to make an update, maybe I should read another chapter before posting this one? I think I will. Just to make this a juicier update!

Oh, it’s a bonus interlude. Kind of a bummer. Nooooot the best time for an interlude.

Whoever the character here is, is very stressed and frustrated. He’s hitting a punching bag rather hard, trying to release some of that frustration, and seemingly not being very successful at that. He’s even doing it in ways that’ll lead to injuries. That must be a lot of frustration!

“Jesus, bro. You look like you’re going to have a heart attack.”

He snapped his head around to see Aisha in the doorway.

Ooooooh well then! That sure tells pretty well who this person is. Hello, Grue! I see you’re not having a fun time right now! Shouldn’t this guy be resting instead of exerting himself?

It doesn’t take long for one of the many sources of his frustration to show up:

For a half second, he could see Bonesaw standing there instead, about the same height, dress, bloodstained apron glittering with tools and wide eyes darting about, taking in everything in her surroundings as if there was inspiration or tools to be found anywhere.

Looks like the incident with Bonesaw got him traumatized. No surprise there! It had been incredibly messed up! I thiiiink the term is PTSD? He may have a case of that. I hope it’s not going to cause him a lot of trouble...he already seems to be under a lot of stress.

Seems to me like Brian still worries a lot about Aisha joining the others. Brotherly worry, you see. Aisha should be safe as long as she doesn’t do anything on the caliber of trying to kill Slaughterhouse Nine members all by herself. Besides, Skitter’s costume is very resistant, so that’s a bit of protection. Not that Brian thinks it makes much difference.

Of course Aisha is worried when she sees Brian is pulverizing his own hands, and that anger turns into anger when Brian doesn’t care about the state of her hands. Also, he’s not resting. Even Aisha wants him to rest. Maybe he’d rest easier if he hadn’t been traumatized because...goodness, he definitely is remembering that awful moment.

I considered pasting the paragraph here but geez that’s some morbid stuff. Bonesaw is rather messed up.

Since talking with Brian and trying to convince him to not turn his hands into mincemeat isn’t working, Aisha decides to go make some remaining Merchants afraid. They’re no big deal, she thinks. Brian wants her to be careful, and of course she should be careful! Guns are pretty dangerous and I bet some of them will have guns. Good thing her power will be a big help.

Also Taylor is here. Forgot to note that, my bad.

Apparently this interlude is happening not too long after the last chapter? In that case, perhaps Taylor is here to do the favor Aisha was asking for? It must be something about calming Brian down and stopping him from self-destructing with his own actions and despair. She’s also here to ask him if he’ll take some of the skills Victor has acquired and turn himself into a more powerful person. I’m not sure if that’ll work...if I recall correctly, Victor would have to be in Grue’s darkness for Grue to be able to use powers. Worth a try, though!

There goes Aisha! To be with Regent and mess around. Brian doesn’t feel much better Regent’s going to be Aisha’s company, haha!

She said, “It’s fine.  He’s your buddy, and our powers actually work well together.  You and me, we can’t… what’s the word?”

“Synergize.”

“We can’t synergize.  I do my thing, you do yours, but we get in each other’s way.  You blind me, I wipe myself from your memory.  With Regent and me, I can set people up for him to mess with, give him a chance to use his power.  Or we mix it up a little, so I spook people, then he uses his power to make them feel like they’re being pushed around while I deal with others, to freak them out.  Or I go in first and then give him word on what’s going on.”

Ah, she’s right! Regent and Imp’s powers do mesh well together. I hadn’t realized it until now. Heh, it’s nice two parahumans’ powers can be used together effectively. Teamwork is always something I like when it’s about powers.

She’s trying so hard to be conciliatory, all to get Brian to calm down. She leaves, leaving Taylor and Brian alone.

Heh, they have a strategy room here, with maps of the city, pins, everything you’d think they’d have. It’s fun to think about. Looks like many enemy factions tried to get into Grue’s territory and stay there since he has a nice residential zone. Most of them had been dealt with, thanks to Aisha and Lisa.

He knew he should feel relieved.  Knew that he should appreciate that Aisha had tried to do something to help him even if she wasn’t the best at expressing concern or affection.

He only felt guilty.

Because they’re dealing with what should be his responsibility, perhaps?

He’d been wallowing, stumbling around their headquarters in a fugue, and Aisha had apparently been going all out, taking out their enemies and clearing their territory of threats.  It had been a big task for the two of them, and she was doing it on her own.

Why am I here? He wondered.  He wasn’t a leader anymore, he wasn’t doing his job with his territory, wasn’t protecting the people he was important to, wasn’t working towards anything…

I was right! Great! It has been just four or five days since the Slaughterhouse Nine left Brockton Bay, and since then Brian hasn’t really been able to do anything other than dwell in his despair. Honestly, it’d be surprising if he hadn’t. Bonesaw’s actions were absolutely horrible and it’s a miracle Brian is alive in the first place. I feel bad for him, feeling guilty about this...

Also, turns out he does want to deal with Coil. Partly because Taylor wouldn’t forgive any of them if they didn’t help, and partly because he does know Dinah deserves help. Nice! And he does want to help but...he’s not able to. Because of his current mental state. Brian really needs some time to rest, and a good handful of therapy sessions, poor guy.

He’s going to try to help Aisha so he doesn’t get stuck in a perpetual cycle of despair. Good for him for trying! But I doubt Aisha’s going to accept that. Everyone wants Brian to rest, not for him to help anyone. I suppose he hasn’t told anybody how he feels...

Oh, geez, the flashbacks continue. It’s still as heart wrenching as before.

“…I could give you a skull face like that helmet of yours, only real… and crank your power up to the max, always on, give you some biological imperative to encourage cannibalism, see how long it takes for them to eliminate you if they can’t see or hear you…”

I hope he’s not going to associate his villain identity with those words...the last thing he needs right now is to be unable to identify himself with something that’s so familiar to him.

Apparently I misinterpreted some stuff earlier and thought Taylor was here. No, she just arrived. Way to go, me. Anyway, she’s here to check on Brian as per Aisha’s request. She’s bringing groceries. Perhaps she intends to cook something for him? That’d be nice.

It’ll be a dinner! Come on, Brian, say something to her about how you feel. It’ll do you some good.

Taylor is trying to make some friendly talk, trying to make it look like everything is okay and normal. She even admits Aisha asked her to check on Brian. I’m pretty sure Brian already suspected that, but I think he’d be glad to have confirmation anyway.

He’s surprised to hear Aisha was the one who defeated Night. Sure must be shocking! After all, Night’s the one who almost killed them all, if I recall correctly. He’s worried she put herself in danger, Taylor says she didn’t, aaaaand I call bull. There’s nothing that isn’t dangerous when it’s about fighting other parahumans.

“We got Victor. Not sure if I like how Lisa sprung that on me, but we got him.  We were thinking you could try borrowing his power, see if you don’t get any permanent boosts.”

“Sure. Aisha mentioned that.  I don’t know if it’ll work.”

“No?”

Brian tried to organize his answer about why in his head.  What had Bonesaw said?  Something about passengers.

Oh, right. Not really sure yet what that’s like, but if there are parasites that give powers, then that supports my theory that Grue won’t be able to keep the powers and skills he gets from Victor for long. It’s not like Brian is acquiring more parasites that’ll build brain areas on him, it’s just a temporary enhancement.

Noticing Brian is distracted and thinking, Taylor asks what’s going on. He tells about his thoughts regarding these passengers, and he even says he doesn’t gain any powers because the parasites give the brain structures you need to truly use the powers. He should tell Lisa, so she doesn’t get her hopes up.

To practice, he’s trying to borrow Skitter’s power. It lacks a lot of finesse and Skitter easily takes control of the bugs, like it’s no big deal for her. Which it surely isn’t. She has a lot more practice. This prompts a short monologue about the role of tiny stuff in life. Getting philosophical in here, she is. She should have left aside the mention of skin mites all over us, that’s giving me the heebie-jeebies.

“I don’t know if that makes sense, but I usually try reaching out to these guys when things get bad.  In retrospect, it kind of centers me.”

By now it’s a coping mechanic of some sort, it seems.

It’s Brian’s turn to monologue, and he keeps his in his head because it’s all about Taylor’s physical appearance. Ah, getting detailed! This will make it easier to picture her, although I admit I have always pictured Taylor Hebert like the fanart I was sent eons ago. This seems to fit what I remember. Neat!

Okay, he definitely is attracted to her despite everything.

There’s what I hoped: Taylor reaffirms to Brian she’s going to support him and help him whenever he needs. Unlike the rest of the interlude, Brian actually feels better, it seems! Or at least he’s not reacting badly. That’s as good as it gets. I think it’s partly because, although Taylor right now is enveloped by Grue’s darkness and is blind and deaf, she’s calm.

Oh, come on, Brian, don’t ruin the moment by calling that ‘deceptive confidence’!

This all led to the pivotal point of this interlude: a hug. Really, Brian extends his arms, Taylor finds that out thanks to her insects, and she gives her approval. They hug, or at least Brian holds her against him. It’s actually kind of peaceful! I think I like it. Besides, if it helps Brian feel better, then great!

Alright, they’re staying close to each other, and not just physically. In his own words:

He’d been trying to do it alone.  He’d needed a rock, an anchor.  If he’d been asked months ago, weeks ago, even days ago, he wasn’t sure he would have believed that was true, or that it would be Taylor, of all people.

I don’t know, I’d have believed it easily. Taylor’s role as the protagonist and as the newest member of this team includes helping the existing members with their problems. It’s her duty as the main character, hah! But yeah, for real, Taylor and Brian almost always got along. I’d have believed Taylor would be the rock he needed so much.

The interlude ends with Taylor and Brian enjoying a rather intimate moment together. Brian even dares to kiss the top of Taylor’s head. It’s mellow, but a big step, as far as I’m concerned! It means Brian and Taylor’s relationship really wasn’t over with the whole betrayal thing. Still, this is just starting, there could be more stuff in the future.

That’s the end of the interlude. It was...different. Usually these interludes are sort of action-y and end with the character suffering in some manner, yeah? This one Brian seems to have ended better than when it started. It’s refreshing, honestly. But I’m not sure why I’m not really into it. It’s not like I dislike character development or fluffier moments! So then why didn’t it get my attention as much as I thought it would...?

To be honest, I don’t know.

Now that this interlude is over, I’ll stop for now. Thank you for reading and I’m sorry for the wait!

Next time: in two updates

[justanotherdumpingground]

Chapter Reviews: January 1-5, 2019

Desire & Decorum Chapter 3:

This is an awesome chapter. I couodn't afford the disguise, but I still made it in one piece. Not to mention that fighting against the highwaymen was fun. This proves that MC should start learning what it truly means to be Countess: taking responsibility for the wellbeing of others. At the same time, I wondered how she managed to fight well without training, and the response was funny. Apparently imagining that the enemy is Duke Richards is a fun way to get back on the highwaymen. Sad that it's a premium option, but it's worth it.

Regarding the pamphlet calling for the Prince Regent's overthrow, I think this Cabinet of Secrets focuses on digging up dirt on Duke Richards. I hope collecting more evidence of his misdeeds provides extra dialogue options like in Veil of Secrets. After reading it, I think Duke Richards is manipulating the people of England into rebellion so he could become King of England. If so, are there any other reasons besides claiming descent from the royal family? And will this put him in great contrast to the MC in terms of behavior towards the people, other people of high rank, and the government itslef?

The Heist: Monaco Chapter 5:

The escape was quite the curveball, and a pleasant one, no less. It was great to see Sonia's sense of honor as she rescued my MC from drowning. Even better, opening her up and bonding with her shows that she is no opportunist like Ansel. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised that she's a love interest, especially since she's on the cover. If so, she better watch out or else her heart will get stolen by MC. XD

Ansel has proven to be one persistent fellow, eh? Well, I welcome the challenge, and I can't wait to get the grifter into my crew.

High School Story: Class Act Chapter 13:

I think it's about time Rory receives the depth and emotion he/she deserves. For a forced love interest, it's ironic that I still don't know much about him/her compared to Ajay and Skye.

Typical of Ajay to not apologize afterwards. Perhaps his pride has taken over him. Look, I get that he wants enough funds to pay for Rory's mom's chemotherapy, but it's still no excuse for his refusal to apologize. When peeople say they were reminded of that infamous scene in RCD Book 1 Chapter 12, I gotta stress that there are differences, such as Victoria apologizing as soon as she could and not motivated by pride. In Danielle's case, she was upset because it concerned Rory and was motivated by her desire to get him/her on her good side.

As for Danielle, I couldn't get myself to forgive her immediately after what she had done. I get that some people will be like, "Wait, this is so unlike you." Let me explain this. It's true that I like some of the "mean girls" in Choices, particularly Becca, Violet, Olivia, and Victoria, they are not all the same. Each of them have differences in their story arcs that I've come to appreciate. In fact, one main reason why I like them is not because they belong to a certain "type" (I find it extremely narrow-minded and dumb to judge characters by "type"), but because they have a lot of depth that explains their motives well, have likeable traits like resilience and intelligence, and choose to be better than they are despite their past actions that could've brought them down. It certainly doesn't erase their initial behavior, but it gives them challenges they overcame. As for Danielle, I watched her premium scene on YouTube and still find myself missing that spark that explains her decisions and how she could change, either for better or worse. Not to mention that as I've mentioned earlier, she was only upset when her relationship with Rory could be jeopardized.

By the way, Skye rocks that witch costume! I can't wait to co-star with her on the play.

It Lives Beneath Chapter 13:

Once again, another great chapter. The revelation that Josephine wrote the journal entries wasn't surprising, especially since she wrote about meeting Cora. What surprised and excited me was when he talked about the gruesome way the Society exploited her. Using marlinspikes to torture her beyond the grave is just so gruesome no wonder Josephine is pissed.

I admit that I imagine a woman's voice narrating whenever I read the journal entries. I don't know why. Just a hunch.

Great, Dick the Warlock's back to stir trouble again. And he was never in jail, no less. I thought he was a loose end to the Society that could be easily discarded, similar to Beau Han. Not to mention the standoff against Vincent and Astrid is just the beginning of worse things to come. It was awesome to see Elliot alive and resisting Vincent's power.

Regarding Parker's thoughts on Chief Kelley, it reminds me of the scenario with Imogen trying to stomach the idea of her parents being up to no good. I feel bad for both of them, and in Parker's case, I can't imagine how it feels like for your surrogate father who pulled you out from abusive parents to be a no-good cultist. I sometimes wonder whether Chief Kelley was using him all along.

A Courtesan of Rome Chapter 9:

Another interesting chapter. With Syphax out of the picture for now, I can see more of Cassius and Antony. It was rather fun to watch the play mocking Caesar, though I didn't choose to go with him to the basilica. I don't feel comfortable pursuing a real person, even if he's a fictional version. Same goes for Cassius. I turned down a bath with him.

It sometimes irks me that Pixelberry uses the modern version of places, which are in ruins. The ampitheater, for instance, is ruins. Back whenit was in use it would've looked furnished and colorful. Why are we treated with the ruined version, PB?

Victus in Rome? Looks like he'll reunite with his daughter someday. I wonder whether he'll face against Syphax. As for the soldier, I chose to kill him because I think Victus has become vengeful enough to want to kill any horrible Roman along the way.

Sabina in Aquila's house? I really think she is his wife because she mentioned his return in an earlier chapter and described him as a cruel man, which suits Aquila's profile.

The Elementalists Chapter 12:

Another premium choice to go with Beckett, again. As much as I hate to admit it, Beckett's continued presence without any reason at all is making me like him less. It's ironic because he's my MC's primary love interest since Chapter 4, and it gets slowly cemented in Chapter 7. Not to mention I admire his intelligence despite his rather snobby attitude. And why is Aster paywalled again?

Honestly, I'm replaying this book once I have a lot of diamonds with me. That stealth outfit looks cool, and I need all I have to investigate who's after my MC. Impersonating Dean Goeffe was a piece of cake. Now all I have to do is find out who's in cahoots with Raife Highmore. My top suspects are Zeph, Beckett, and Everett Merkseyer.

Aside from another scene with Beckett, which I've grown bored of, it's a great chapter.

[janettesmyname]

why the originals is pissing me off rn

Warning: I rant with feeling so this probably reads as butthurtness or something I’m not really sure, but I promise this is more of a “questioning writing/theories” type post not a hate (insert character here) post. Nonetheless here’s your warning in case you don’t wanna see ^o^ 

Here’s to Season 5 being approved btw yaaas!

OKAY so I have a m a j o r issue with Davina’s death number one like, out of eVERY POSSiBLE pERsoN TO kiLL hEr I didn’t expect ELIJAH to have ANY PART OF IT and tbh neither did I expect Freya to and here’s why:

Kol is their brother.

Kol is ONLY ALIVE BECAUSE THIS WITCH LOVED HIM DESPITE YOUR BULLSHIT and BROUGHT HIM BACK TO LIFE

so wHy WOuLD MURdErING hEr evEN bE A pOSsiBiLiTY????????

I get it, okay. You needed power to defeat Lucien, I’m not denying that. But even KLAUS said to find another way. KLAUS. AND HE WAS WELL AWARE OF THE DANGER EVERYONE WAS IN BUT HE WAS LIKE “NO DON’T” BECAUSE HE DAMN WELL SAID AND KNEW THAT IF DAVINA WAS HURT KOL WOULD BE LOST TO THEM, AND MARCEL AND WHOOPS!!! GUESS WHAT HAPPENED??? KLAUS WAS RIGHT.

God it just reminds me of that powerpoint slide thingy about Klaus’ plans always being the best plans but no one listens and then people die and they blame Klaus

Found it.

(and this is rlly old by the way too so YEAH IT’S STILL RELEVANT THAT’S SAD)

Not only that but Klaus had just lost Cami too and I can only imagine how much her death destroyed him and opened his eyes too like has anyone else noticed how much more...light is always in him, like in everything he does? He values people more and relationships&stuff and I was watching the first few eps on DVD of S1 the other day and in one of their convos Cami said; “I don’t believe in evil as a diagnosis [...] you have unstable personal relationships, anger issues, stress related paranoia, fear of abandonment...” and just- it makes me think Klaus was trying to spare Marcel from losing his daughter to the Mikaelson feud (again) and his little brother who he just got back and had to watch die TWICE the pain of losing someone so purely precious to him the same way he lost Cami.

And then yanno Klaus is sitting by Hope’s crib and he just looks at Freya and basically says “bitch you didn’t listen df are you talking about there’s not shit to celebrate this is a failure with a capital Fuckyoujustdividedourfamilymorethanit’severbeen.”

AND JUST SO YOU KNOW FREYA IS (WAS?) LIKE MY MOST FAV MIKAELSON BESIDES KOL AT THAT POINT I JUST CAN’T BELIEVE SHE’D STRAIGHT UP MURDER DAVINA IN SUCH A HORRIBLE WAY LIKE YOU WERE STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER AND SHE WAS SCREAMING AND CRYING AND SHE WAS JUST A CHILD OKAY WHEN SHE SCREAMED FOR MARCEL AND THEN ELIJAH HELPED FREYA BY SNAPPING HIS NECK I WANTED TO SET MY TV ON FIRE

SO the fact that she’s dead at all is a major problem for me but then like ????? Marcel ???? WHY did you get SO ANGRY at Klaus like it was his fault she died???? KLAUS WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL MARCEL YOU TOLD FREYA+ELIJAH NOT TO KILL HER?????????????? It WASN’T KLAUS’ FAULT DAVINA DIED and EVERYTHING MARCEL DID IN THE FACE OF HER DEATH TOWARD KLAUS WAS EXTREMELY UNCALLED FOR ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU TIE IT BACK INTO THE EVENTS OF 4x01

Honestly Marcel’s always been a back-and-forth character for me; he can get SO DOUCHEY sometimes and it just always seems like he’s always fighting the war just for power, as opposed to the Mikaelsons who fight for their family’s safety and protection (since I noticed they really don’t start shit until someone threatens them tbqh) and even with Davina it’s like...I don’t know, s1 Marcel was ok (I guess? but even Klaus saw the bs with how Marcel was treating her kinda) but even after she came back he’s just always trying to keep her contained or out of the loop like when he helped shunned her from being regent.....I can see he did it for her by trying to protect her but on the other hand it’s like...do you not even see how much you just destroyed her spirit? It’s like Jeremy Gilbert all over again like, whiny teenage character only sucks when treated like a child but the second you clue them in they turn into super warrior badasses. And do not even get me started on the Strix and how Davina handled that. YES BREAKING KLAUS’ SIRELINE WAS BAD VERY BAD I UNDERSTAND BUT Marcel didn’t even try to discuss anything with her, or explain, or LEVEL WITH HER in a way she’d understand he just directly undermined her after promising to back her up and just I don’t understand the writers sometimes I really don’t.

Also based on 4x08 while the ending implied more Davina I don’t get why she was demonized, so obsessed with killing Klaus (again, why, writers?) especially because I don’t believe she’d just fucking kILL HIM when she has to know how much he means to Hope, and then have Hope shove her back into the Ancestral Plane and basically shoot down any HopexDavina friendship that could ever happen should Davina ever be resurrected.

ALSO ALSO WHERE THE FUCK IS KOL WE WERE PROMISED KOL AS A MAIN CAST MEMBER FOR SEASON 4 WHAT HAPPENED I MISS NATHANIEL BUZOLIC GDI I WANT HIM AND BEKAH SCENES THEY’RE CUTE AND I WANT BEKAH X HOPE + KOL X HOPE SCENES SIGH

P.S: I do not hate any of these characters or their relationships I just don’t understand the fluency in events at moments and I love the show it’s my most favorite show and it’s such an epicly divine story of grey-and-gray morality I love all the Mikaelsons (esp Hope AWW) and all the others this isn’t a hate post kthnx.