#this is using the penguin cover generator

[weather-mood]

weathermood series/multichapters: Part of Your World / Needle and Thread / Dubai Bubblegum / ITTM / Staring at the Ceiling / Made Myself Mythical.

[bandezzle]

sir-

i would murder an old pawnbroker to get money and buy these

may i present you

penguin pingu classics

[delusionsofgrandeur13]

curious? read here:

(18+) (and angsty..read at your own risk!) :

casual :

tim drake corners you at his frat’s house party.. and gives you his number. how could anything good possibly come of this?

on chapter 2.5 and counting. based on events detailed in the song Casual by Chappell Roan.

distraught :

the first installment of the beloved series documenting the after of your break-up with dick grayson. will you let him have you back?

stories left untold :

jason, your boyfriend, has a lot of scars..and a lot of stories. will he ever show you, tell you, all of them??

thought this was such a cute little idea and wanted to join!

want to make your own? this is what i used! :

[penkura]

My friend and I have been talking about the idea of Law ending up with a partner who's scared of Doctors/hospitals. Either as a general fear or they had a past of being used as a lab rat. Think it makes an interesting dynamic

I agree greatly! It would be so very interesting to see Law with an SO who is afraid of doctors or hospitals.

Law would notice something is up when you first join the Heart Pirates and hear that he's a doctor. You suddenly quiet and look worried about it, but he doesn't bring anything up at first. White coat syndrome and fear of doctors in general is common enough, he's not hurt by it or anything. He expects you'll move past it as you spend time with him and the crew, coming to realize they aren't going to hurt you or anything, you'll just have routine check ups when it's time and help you through any illnesses.

But when you start to avoid any check ups, even the most basic ones to just make sure you're doing well, Law knows there's something else and he's almost afraid to ask. His worries for you get worse when you actively fight him and Shachi one day when he's trying to check on a wound you got during a fight against another pirate crew. When he merely mentions possible stitches and sees how your eyes widen, he knows there's something very wrong. The fact you start crying, shoving him and Shachi away, telling them not to touch you. Law's about to tell Shachi you need to be sedated so he can check your wound before the red head takes your wrists gently in his hands and gets eye level with you.

"Shh, it's okay, I promise. Captain won't hurt you, he'd never do anything to cause you pain unless it was absolutely necessary. No one's going to hurt you, I promise."

Shachi keeps talking to you until your eyes start to close and you've slumped forward into his arms, Law wondering for a moment if you've worn yourself out before he sees Penguin’s sedated you like he'd originally wanted. It might make you more upset to know they'd done that without fully asking, but it's better so Law can check your wound and you fight him if you do need stitches.

He doesn't ask anything nor does Shachi tell him what's going on yet, not until he's checked you over and your wound is covered. You made it with no stitches, it wasn't that deep in the end.

"What--"

"She was used for medical experiments by some people who said they were doctors. They weren't, they just lied to her, took her to a fake hospital and all that, but..." Shachi sighs a bit, shaking his head and scratching the back of his neck, "She's trying, Captain, she's just scared--"

"Of doctors," Law nods while Shachi looks down, you're still asleep, and it feels weird to talk about you while you're unconscious, "because people lied to her, she doesn't trust me since I am one."

"But she does, Law, she likes you and she trusts you. She needs more time, and help, to know that everything is okay."

Law stays with you after Shachi leaves to give help Hakugan with something else. His first worry was medical negligence had scared you away from doctors, but knowing you'd been lied to and treated like a science experiment angered him. Not knowing about it until now made him believe you didn't trust him enough to tell him, but he wants to change that.

He'll have to apologize for your sudden sedation after you wake up, but at least you weren't too badly harmed during the fight. He's going to do what he can to help you believe that he won't hurt you just because he's a doctor.

(I might have to come back to this later, who knows. 👀)

[catchingdaydreams]

Modern day Mithrun Headcannons

Just some random ideas and perspective on how a modern au Mithrun would act/live and what not .

He would have his apartment spotless and minimalist as hell. Like everyone is to accommodate for one person. He doesn't really invite friends over but when he does their often confused about how theres just one of everything. A single chair, only one bowel and glass that he just uses ect, ect.

OR his room is just full of piles of trash bags and instant noodle cups because he can't be bothered to clean that shit up. The room is also bathed in darkness, curtains drawn down with the only source of light is through his TV and microwave clock.

He hates summer and winter. He gets sunburnt too often cause he can't be bothered to put sunscreen on. He doesn't like to cover up as an alternative as he justs overheats himself. In the Winter he would rather spend it hibernating if he could. The alternative is just becoming a blanket burrito and wait it out. He wears a lot of warm clothing too, often comedically too much, looking like a penguin on the way he waddles. This man will always get sick in winter.

His favorite season is autumn as it's the only season where it's not going to inconvenience him by either giving him sunburn, colds or hay fever.

He use to job hops quite a lot. Mostly working as chef at a local noodle shop that's near his apartment. Nothing wrong with the way he cooked, he just lacked most social skills which his blank tone and expressions upset both customers and other staff. He was a little stubborn but is a stickler for workplace hygiene and safety and would definitely tell people off for not doing something up to code. Even to the boss (instant way for getting fired).

Now he works at a high-end/fancy restaurant (probs has a michelin star ) wheres his nack for nick picking made him well respected for being precise.

Though he will not tell anyone where he works at. The Canaries will try to pester him (some *coff* *coff* Fleki and Lycion *coff* have tired staking but failed). He likes his privacy.

On days off he likes to be active and go hiking in the woods. He sometimes volunteers with the local nature parks for general upkeep and search and rescue.

But he doesn't do this alone. He WILL get lost. Kabur is a good hiking partner and also does volunteering. The Canaries are generally the go to personnel with supervising him. But he's generally in charge of operations which they bestowed him the nickname 'caption' to him.

He WILL get mistaken as an old man (yes he is technically old but I'm mean on deaths bed old). His white hair causes kids to point and look. He gets annoyed when a teenager asks him if he needs help crossing the street (especially if he's waddling like a penguin in Winter clothing). One time he was so annoyed by a kid calling him a grandma that he took out his prosthetic eye to make the kid cry.

Probs gets mistaken as a woman at times as well. He does have a feminine look about him. I imagine him coming home from a late shift and he gets catcalled by some bums. All he has to do is reply back in his low manly voice and they shut up . The times that they don't, Mithrun doesn't mind getting his hands dirty. He will throw the bums beaten and bruised bodies in the dumpster, it's where they belong of course.

Mithrun isn't a social butterfly. He likes to go to bed early then party and have a few drinks with his friends. Even when he does gets invited he'll hardly drink anything. He use to alot in his youth but his body isn't the same anymore and would just black out after a few drinks.

[lumitoiile]

☆ ; freminet headcanons ...

fluffy boyfriend imagines. gn! reader (no pronouns.)

he's literally the sweetest boy on earth

freminet never in his wildest dreams would have expected he'd end up being so close with you. whenever he meets someone new, they usually just ask for one of his siblings. not him; never him, unless there's a favor needed. 

which is why it's a surprise when you actively seek him out, actually putting in effort to stay in contact and form a bond with him. he's a little confused at first, and quite nervous, but he appreciates it all the same.

he finds himself quite enjoying your company...perhaps even a little too much. 

poor thing was practically reduced to tears when he realized how he felt about you. he had no idea what was going on, what to do. he was in a panic. when did he start feeling this way? he had no clue. what would happen if you found out? surely, you'd hate him. he couldn't let that happen. 

avoiding you seemed like the obvious solution at first. didn't help at all. in fact, this only made matters worse. his heart ached to be apart from you, and it was only so long before he gave up. 

he nearly had a stroke when you told him his feelings were reciprocated. his face flushed a bright pretty pink, and he just couldn't find a way to stop fumbling over his words.

freminet generally just flusters very easily, please be gentle with him lmao

the beginning stages of your relationship with him starts off very slow. you're the first person he's ever been with, let alone have feelings for, so all of this is very very new to him. 

he tries his best though, and gradually grows more comfortable with things over time. 

such a sweetheart, he'd gift you bouquets of romaritime flowers after a long day of exploring fontanian waters. 

will definitely take you diving if you're up for it. 

if you can't swim? that's cool; he'd be happy to teach you! freminet would be a very patient instructor, always sure to make sure you're safe and comfortable. 

as you know, he doesn't often show his true feelings in front of others, rather waiting until he's underwater before he can finally let things out. at first, you're no exception to this rule, but he does eventually start to feel more secure and comfortable coming to you with those types of things. you gotta be there with him through it all. 

his love language is gift-giving giving and i will never ever be convinced otherwise. he's always making small little gizmos and gadgets to give you, or collecting little trinkets and shells from his time in the sea. he doesn't really think you keep them, but he's never come back empty-handed.

acts of service is also a really big thing for him. he wants to be useful to you in any way that he can; he wants to feel wanted, he wants to feel important to you. 

while he does enjoy physical affection, he gets very nervous very fast. you'll have to be extra patient with him, and let him ease into things. 

once he's more used to it, however, all he does is crave your touch. even despite his embarrassment, he'll drop subtle little hints he wants attention from you. cutie patootie, he just adores holding your hand and snuggling up to you. 

his siblings love you. lyney definitely teases poor frem about it for a while, but he's genuinely happy that his little brother has found someone that makes him happy. same goes for lynette. 

i feel like he'd cover pers' eyes whenever you two lean in for a kiss; he can't possibly expose his little penguin pal to such indecency. 

he has one of the prettiest voices in the world you can't tell me he doesn't know how to sing. he's very shy about it, though you can't help but smile whenever you catch him humming a tune to himself while he tinkers. 

will maybe sing you lullabies. maybe.

oh my goodness im forgetting the pièce de résistance; his FRECKLES. you cant tell me it doesnt look like stars littered across his pretty face. kiss and trace patterns all over them, and he'll absolutely fold. 

his ideal idea of a date is...you guessed it. the beach. literally anything having to do with the sea. he'd build sandcastles with you, help you search for seashells, and perhaps even let you bury him in the sand. 

overall, he's a 5/5-star boyfriend. take care of him, and he'll be sure to take care of you. 

© lumitoiile. please do not copy, steal, translate, or edit my work.

[chillentertainer]

Archive Classics: Typesetting Fics

TL; DR: the internet is temporary!!! printed books (for your own private amusement) are forever!!!

What I do:

Basically, I choose fics that I think deserve to be printed and typeset them using a software called Adobe InDesign. InDesign is the professional standard in the industry, but there are definitely easier (and cheaper!) options for formatting.

Once I've chosen a fic, there a few different things I have to decide: the font, glyphs, book size, and the hors-texte (title page, contents, etc).

Then, I go about copy + pasting the text into the software, and formatting them. Usually, that just means deleting the blank space of lines that for some reason appears between paragraphs.

Every element, and I mean every single element, is designed for the reader's comfort. At no point should the reader feel lost or unable to continue because of the way the text is formatted. This means using serif fonts instead of sans-serif fonts for the body text and making sure that there aren't any widows/orphan lines. I have specific justification settings so that the spacing between words and letters are even and smooth to the reader's eye.

I also think about headers and page numbers more than you would expect. Should the page numbers be on top or bottom? Centered or at the corners. Should I have headers at all? And if so, what should they say?

When I began, and I still do this occasionally, I grabbed books off my shelves and examined their formatting. Then I'd question why they made this design choice or that. All publishers have their special little quirks and features, and if I spotted something I liked, I would incorporate that into my own works. For example, Penguin Classics love their classic serif fonts and headers. Barnes and Noble Classics have a feature in their hors-texte that is their "From the Pages Of" section.

My favorite part is creating the cover. If you couldn't tell based off the title "Archive Classics," I *borrowed* Penguin Classic's grid. I love to use paintings or other kinds of artwork (like Étienne-Louis Boullée's architectural drawings for Fractals)

Why I Do This:

While there are many amazing and necessary reasons to read e-books, I enjoy the physicality of a printed book. Nothing can beat the sensation of turning the next page, the smell of paper, or the weight of your next great adventure in your hands. Fanfiction more than deserves to be experienced in that way too.

But also, I've always had a lingering suspicion regarding the temporal nature of digital media and of the internet in general. Fanfiction, in particular, are at risk of disappearing forever, and while you can obvs download it (which I always always do), there's a slight chance that you may not be able to access the technology in order to view it. Books don't require laptops or phones or internet service.

It's a silly movie, but Leave the World Behind (2023) showcases this perfectly, albeit with streaming services and dvds.

Finally, with the ever-changing landscape of the internet and technology, who knows if say archaeologists would be able to access ao3 in a 100 or even 50 years. Look at USB-As, and how quickly they're going out of use. Physical media like printed books will certainly last for decades longer. My ultimate (and idealistic) goal is to have a physical, printed library of fanfiction for both private enjoyment and for the academic study of fanfiction in the anthropological and literary fields. The latter will most likely not happen in my lifetime (if ever at all), but a girl can dream!

Copyright

This is slightly sketchy but from what I can tell from my research is that most sites don't give an af if you print like one copy for yourself and you do not print en-masse or start selling them. So like Manacled. Don't do what those kids did and put up your copies on etsy. I don't. I print this for myself and myself only. And I've never gotten a cease and desist letter or anything like that.

Requests are open: if you have a fic you think deserves the archive classics treatment, lmk! I do not accept payment. This is all free.

Examples!

A Current Cover I'm Working On:

This one is a linen wrap, which means it has flaps!

[dfortrafalgar]

Envious

Law x OC

Law is caught red-handed being jealous over someone who isn't even his... yet.

A/N- i wrote this a few months ago specifically for my own OC! I attached a cringe reference pic of her at the bottom of this fic, and me being my own worst critic, i really need to redraw her better at some point LOL. crazy how much you can change after only a few months, but i digress. I'm sorry it's been taking me so long to work on requests, so in the meantime I'm going to go back to posting some things that have been sitting in my google docs not yet published to here. thank you all for your patience!!!

Law was a calm man.  He was a level-headed man.  He thought before he spoke, meticulously planning every moment of his life down to the most minute details.  He was stone-faced, unmoving, unwavering.

And yet, he sat at the table in the Polar Tang’s galley, a coffee mug gripped so hard in his hands his knuckles were white, as his sharp, golden eyes stared across the room from him.  His jaw was clenched as tight as a vice.

“Captain, what in the world is your problem?”  Across the table with a newspaper in his hands, was Penguin, who had finally taken notice of Law’s threatening aura in front of him.  Law didn’t respond to the question, instead continuing to stare daggers at whatever was in his direct line of sight.  Penguin placed the paper down, turning his head over his shoulder to follow Law’s vision.

In the common area directly across from the galley sat Bepo on the floor, rolled onto his side, mouth wide open as snores exited his nostrils at a rhythmic pace.  Nuzzled up impossibly close to the large polar bear was Ruža, boiler suit zipped down to her waist, sleeves tied around her hips as she instead used Bepo’s ample amount of fur as a space warmer.  Her long hair was tied into a tight bun.  She was sprawled out along Bepo’s belly, head resting under the bear’s chin, a content smile on her face as she dozed off within her crewmate’s comfortable heat.

Penguin turned back around to face Law, a devilish smirk crawling across his eyes.  “Don’t tell me you’re jealous.  And of Bepo out of everyone!”

“Will you keep your voice down?” Law quipped back, voice hushed, yet harsh.  

His mate laughed at his captain’s behavior.  “Never took you for the possessive type.”

“I’m not possessive,” Law grumbled, finally releasing the death grip he had on his mug and instead using his hand to pull the brim of his hat downward, covering his eyes.

A hard thump resounded next to him as the bench of the table rattled.  “You sleep on Bepo all the time, and so does the rest of the crew.  Why is it a problem when Ruža does it?”  The new voice, Shachi, followed his statement by taking a generous bite out of the bread he had retrieved from the kitchen.

Penguin responded for Law.  “He wants to be the one on top of Ru–”

Law’s motions were quicker than lightning, reaching across the table, grabbing the discarded newspaper in his fist, and whacking Penguin over the head with it to shut him up.  The two men burst into a cacophony of laughter.  They both knew better than anyone that Law meant absolutely no harm with his actions, he just had difficulty expressing his emotions.  Extreme difficulty, at that.  The laughter from Shachi and Penguin was enough to wake the mink across the room and the girl sleeping against his fluffy chest.  Bepo yawned, forgetting about Ruža draped underneath him and sat up, causing her to startle awake.

“What’s all the noise for?  I was having a good dream,” Bepo uttered, sleep still heavy on his tongue.  

Beside him, Ruža sat up, stifling her own massive yawn.  She awkwardly got to her feet, unwrapping her sleeves from around her hips and re-buttoning her boiler suit.  She turned to face the three in the galley across the room from them, smiling at the sight of Shachi and Penguin covering their mouths in vain attempts to smother their laughter as Law sat hunched over, both hands now gripping his fluffy hat, pushing it so far down his face that the entire upper half was obscured, leaving just his clenched lips visible.

The woman turned to Bepo, helping the animal off the floor.  “Thank you for the wonderful nap, Bepo!”  She turned on her heel to exit the galley, refreshed and ready to continue her tasks for the day.  

Bepo finally approached the table, plopping himself down next to Penguin who was wiping tears from his obscured eyes.  “Seriously, why are you guys laughing?”

“Captain was jealous of you,” Shachi said, his mouth curled into a wide grin.  “Because Ruža was napping with you.”

“Aw, Captain, you should just tell her you want to nap with her!  I’m sure she’d say yes, she just likes to nap on me because I’m so fluffy and you’re so boney,” Bepo casually spurted, innocent beady eyes matching well with the wide, toothy smile on his muzzle.  Penguin almost spit his coffee out at the backhanded comment.

Law groaned, his head dropping into his arms, hat being shoved off his head.  “Thanks for the encouragement, Bepo.”

Shachi nonchalantly rubbed his captain’s back.  “There, there, big guy, it’s alright.”

“Uhm…”

A new voice alerted the four friends toward the opposite doorway to the galley.  The masked helmsman, Hakugan, awkwardly stood in the entranceway, using his upper body to hold the heavy steel door open.  “Captain, you’re needed in the bridge for a quick maintenance check.  Sorry if I’m… interrupting something.”

Law was on his feet, hat situated back on his head faster than the speed of light.  His hand grabbed his sword that was left leaning against the wall, leaving his half-empty coffee mug completely abandoned as he followed Hakugan out of the galley.

His three friends watched him go, knowing smiles on their faces.

“He’s totally in love with her,” Penguin sighed, dreamily.

“Why won’t he say anything, though?” Bepo’s question was innocuous enough.

“You know how bad he is with feelings.  He’d rather die than be vulnerable with anyone,” Shachi responded, dropping his chin into his hand.

The conversation quickly dissipated, and the three finished their drinks and food before scattering for their own afternoon work.

—

A few days had passed since Law got called possessive.  Jealous.

The raven-haired man was staring at himself in the mirror of the crew washroom, hands clutching the sides of the metal sink as he gazed into his own face.  He wasn’t jealous.  How could he be jealous of his best friend?  Everyone loved cuddling with Bepo, how couldn’t you?  Law wasn’t jealous.  He didn’t own Ruža, no one did, and he’d rather swallow hot coals than ever make her feel like she was stuck in that situation again.  He wasn’t jealous.  He wasn’t–

“Captain?”

Law jolted.  In the mirror’s reflection, the person he wanted to see the least was behind him, leaning against the open door.  Ruža’s eyebrows were furrowed with concern, blue eyes shooting daggers into his back.

“Ruža, sorry, I’ll get out of your way.”  Law quickly grabbed his hat from the countertop beside him, turning around to attempt to get out of the room as quickly as he possibly could, sans using his devil fruit (he didn’t want to look that pathetic).  

“Are you alright, Law?” Ruža gently grabbed at the sleeve of his coat as he passed her.  “You look feverish.”

Law couldn’t bear to bring his eyes to meet her bright ones.  His heart was hammering so wildly behind his ribcage that he was scared it might give out.

“Yes, I’m fine,” he muttered blankly, staring off into nothing.  He bit down the disappointment that he felt as Ruža’s hand fell from its grip on his clothing.

“Okay…” she replied, though clearly unconvinced.  “Let us know if you need any help with anything.”  She finally entered the washroom after him, going straight to the medicine cabinet to grab her toothbrush.

With her back to him, Law silently turned his head toward her.  His eyes landed on the tattoo still imprinted at the base of her neck, exposed by her tied-up hair, his saliva catching in his throat.  The last thing he wanted was for her to feel trapped in this steel submarine she now called home, trapped with him.  She needed to be free.

But the smell of her shampoo lingering in the air after she passed him was making it very difficult for him to come to his senses, as not only himself, but as a captain.  Ducking his head, he finally took long strides away from the washroom.

—

“Ikkaku, have you noticed something wrong with Law lately?”  Ruža was hanging up her boiler suit on a hook on the wall, shedding her clothes from the day for something much more comfortable.  

Behind her, Ikkaku was changing into her own loungewear, tight, curly hair tied into two buns.  The two being the only women on the crew meant that they had the privilege of their own bunkroom, away from the 20-something other men that they lived with.  Ruža joining the crew made Ikkaku elated, excited to have not only a roommate, but a new girlfriend at that.  And the two of them sharing the privacy of their own room meant their more personal discussions stayed far away from the prying eyes of their crass male crewmates.

“Now that you mention it, he’s seemed pretty uptight lately,” Ikkaku murmured, wiping her face down with a damp cloth.

“I feel like I did something to make him upset, earlier I saw him in the washroom and he wouldn’t even look at me.”  Ruža’s voice was laced with discomfort, clearly sullen about the events from earlier in the day.

“What could you even have done?” Ikkaku asked, finally turning to face her friend.  The curly-haired woman already knew about the deep crush Ruža had on their stone-faced captain, being her only confidant in her emotional turmoil.  “You’ve never said or done anything bad to him before.”

“That’s what I’m wondering about!” Ruža responded with an exasperated huff.  “He’s impossible to read, and he never tells anyone what he’s thinking, so if I did do something to upset him he won’t tell me no matter how hard I pry.”

Ikkaku flopped face first into her mattress, rolling onto her side and watching as Ruža pulled a baggy shirt over her head.  “When did he start acting so off?”

“Uhm… a few days ago I think.”  The redhead sat on her own bed, falling onto her back and gazing dimly at the metallic ceiling above her.

“Did anything happen then?”

It took the blue-eyed woman a few minutes to think about the previous day’s events.  “I took a nap with Bepo in the common room a few days ago, and Shachi, Penguin, and Law were having a conversation that woke us up, and that’s when he started acting weird, I think.”

Ikkaku pondered intensely over her friend’s words.  Shachi and Penguin having a laugh at Law’s expense was nothing short of common on the Polar Tang, the two of them being Law’s closest friends but also his greatest annoyance.

Ruža’s voice piped up again.  “Maybe it was because I was napping during the day?”

“No, that can’t be it, Law naps on Bepo all the time so he’d be a hypocrite for getting mad at you over that,” Ikkaku responded.

“Maybe he wanted to nap with Bepo and I was in the way,” offered the red-head.

A light bulb suddenly flicked on within Ikkaku’s skull.  She sat up on her bed with a start, making Ruža jump in surprise.  Wide, brown eyes trained on startled blue ones.

“Maybe he was jealous that you were resting with Bepo and not him.”

It took Ruža a few moments to process her crewmate’s words.  “No, that can’t be it.”

“Why not?”

“Because he doesn’t like me that way!  I’m a crew member, a subordinate.  I’m nowhere close to his rank, and even then that’d be pushing his duty as a captain.”  Ruža was immediately on the defensive with a tight frown.  “As much as I want that to be the case, there’s no way that can be it.”

Ikkaku grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.  “Who says?  Law’s not the kind of guy to keep himself above everyone, we’re all equal in this tin can.  Penguin and Shachi make out in the supply closet all the time and no one bats an eye.”

“Penguin and Shachi have been making out in supply closets since they were teenagers.  Their scenario is different.”  Ruža sat herself up now, leaning back on her hands.  After a few tense moments, she released a pent-up exhale.  “I really want Law to like me the way I like him, but it’s wishful thinking.  He’s not that kind of guy, and he definitely doesn’t seem like the kind of person to get jealous.”

Ikkaku hummed.  “I don’t know, I have an inkling.  But, I don’t know him as well as Bepo, Shachi, or Penguin do, so I feel like if you really want an answer, you’ll have to go through them.  Even if it’s not some cute lovey-dovey romance situation, they might at least be able to help you figure out what you did wrong, if anything.”

Ruža glanced off to the side.  “You’re right, probably.”

“Probably?!” Ikkaku gasped, feigning offense.  “I’m always right!”

This got Ruža to finally crack a tired smile, a breathy laugh leaving her lungs.  “Okay, yeah, you’re always right.”

Their conversations continued until the lights went out.  Instead of sleeping, however, Ruža was laid on her back, staring blankly at the dark ceiling above her head.  Her lips quivered nervously.

—

“Shachi,” a hushed whisper alerted the ginger man’s attention from his porthole washing.  He turned his head left, then right, searching for the source of the noise.  “Behind you, dummy,” the voice came again, from behind him.  He finally turned around, spotting the nervous expression of Ruža peeking from around the corridor.  

“Why are you acting like you’re spying?  Just get over here!”  Shachi beckoned her over, and she complied without a word, slowly ambling her way over to where her older crewmate was working.  “Is everything alright?  Your eye bags look like they’re about to go on a longhaul trip.”

“I wanted to ask you something,” she replied, voice small.  She knew her eye bags were atrocious, she didn’t get a lick of sleep the night previous.

Shachi nodded, waiting for her to continue.

“Did I do something to upset Law?”

“Huh?”

Ruža paused, staring at the tinted shades that constantly covered the man’s eyes.  “What do you mean ‘huh’?  He hasn’t wanted to make eye contact with me in like a week now.  I want to know what I did wrong and figured you might know… you or Penguin.”

Shachi pinched the bridge of his crooked nose in between his fingers.  “Law is such an idiot, I swear.”  He dropped his hand, planting it firmly on his crewmate’s stiff shoulder.  “He’s not mad at you, I promise.”

“Then why is he acting like this?”

“Because he’s stupid and doesn’t know how to talk about his feelings.  He was jealous that you were napping with Bepo last week.”

Shachi’s words made the neurons in Ruža’s brain brown out.  Her jaw was slack, staring blankly at the man in front of her.  Ikkaku was right on the money.  She was always right.

“If you’re gonna get anything out of him, you have to corner him like a cat and force him to talk.  How else do you think he managed that alliance with Straw Hat?  That kid forced Law around against his will and in the end everything worked out.”  Shachi smirked.

“I’m not gonna drag him around like a dog,” Ruža muttered, hiding her flushed face in her hands.  “But… I want to try to talk to him.  I got no sleep last night because of this.  Clearly.”

Shachi patted the woman’s shoulder a few extra times before finally releasing his supporting grip on her.  “Let me know if you need anything else, alright?  You got this.”  He flashed her a toothy grin.

Finally having a few answers, Ruža felt her shoulders relax, a relieved smile on her face.  “Thank you, Shachi, you’re the best.”

—

The day dragged on slower than a ship on the Calm Belt, and no one had seen Law for the entire duration.  Not at breakfast, snack time, or dinner.  Someone claimed they saw the man make a mad dash from his office to the galley for food, but no one could back up that claim.  He was like a cryptid among his own crew.

Regardless, that evening, Ruža stood face-to-face with the hand-painted plastic sign that he kept hung up on the heavy metal door to his office.

DO NOT ENTER.  I AM WORKING.

‘Obviously,’ thought the woman with a frown.

With a trembling hand, she reached up and knocked three times on the door, cringing at the way the heavy sound screeched through the desolate hallway of the submarine.  She waited a few moments in deafening silence.  No answer.  Her hand faltered, but she knocked again, louder this time.

“Read the sign,” yelled a clearly agitated voice from within the closed off room.

“I can read just fine, Captain,” Ruža responded, surprising herself with the sass on her tongue.

More uncomfortable silence followed, before the sound of a screeching chair could be heard.  Slow footsteps approached the steel door, and Ruža backed up apprehensively, heart beating wildly as she anticipated the door opening.  It did, a tiny crack, allowing the glaring light from the hallway to shine off of Law’s weary face.  His eye bags were worse than her’s, and his hair clearly hadn’t been washed in some time.

He stared at the woman outside of his door for a few agonizing moments before simply saying, “Yeah?”

Ruža pursed her lips.  “I wanted to talk to you.  It’s imperative.”  Law didn’t need to know that she had been practicing that last word in the mirror for the better part of 20 minutes.  Instead, she kept her shoulders back, chin held high, attempting to assert herself in front of her brooding captain who she was madly, desperately, incredibly in love with.  She was failing miserably.

Law looked past the way her lips quivered and her arms trembled at her sides, as well as her own sleepless appearance.  He silently opened the door to his office a bit wider, inviting her inside.  Her apprehensive steps followed him, and she closed the door behind her, standing against it as she watched her captain meander back to his desk, plopping himself in his chair before leaning forward to rest his head in his hands.

“I want to hear from you why you’ve been ignoring me.”  Ruža tried to suppress the way her voice trembled on its journey into the air.  “I have my suspicions, but I want to hear it from you.”

Law bowed his head, the shadow from his bangs concealing his eyes from her vision.  “What are your suspicions?”

Ruža was very quickly growing impatient, not helped by her lack of proper sleep.  “That you were jealous that I was napping with Bepo.  Shachi told me, but if that’s the case, I want to hear the truth from you, no one else.”

Law was worried that the sound of his hammering heart beat would be audible from across his office.  His own fingers were trembling with nerves, he never in a million years thought he would ever be in a situation like this one.  He did everything possible in his attempts to close himself out from intimate, personal connections, losing one too many people for his liking.  And yet, a woman stood before him (well, behind him), who held his weary heart in a grip so warm and caring that he almost didn’t want it back.

The red-haired woman waited patiently for her captain to respond.

“Yeah,” was all he was able to breathlessly mutter.

Ruža waited for him to continue.

“I was jealous.  But I shouldn’t have been.”

“And why were you jealous?” she demanded.  “The entire crew loves napping with Bepo.  Tell me why it’s different when I do it.”

Now it was Law’s turn to grow progressively more agitated.  His teeth clenched within his closed mouth.  “Do I really have to say it?”

“If it’s really this hard for you, then you don’t have to bother.  I’m just tired of you acting like I don’t even exist.  We’re in a damn submarine, it’s a bit hard not to feel ignored.”  Ruža’s voice had softened only slightly.  She was aware of her captain’s emotional issues, she knew bits and pieces of why he held everyone at three arms lengths away from him.  She knew that the tattoo she had forcibly inked on the back of her neck was a disturbing sight for him, just as it was a painful scar for her.

With a deep, shuddering breath, Law finally leaned back in his chair.  He closed his eyes, tossing his head back, breathing shallowly through his nose.  “I know it was immature of me to treat you like that, Ruža, I’m sorry.”  He rotated his head only slightly to glance towards the woman at his door, gazing at her with golden eyes that were filled with an unspoken agony.

“It’s okay,” was all she said back.

An idea popped into Law’s anxiety-ridden mind.  He slowly pulled open one of the messy drawers of his desk, procuring a wrinkled blank piece of paper.  Pulling a pen from a cup on his desk, he pulled the cap off and started scribbling frantically onto the paper.  In his head, the vision of Corazon writing on slips of paper to communicate while he was pretending to be mute flashed through his vision.  If Law couldn’t muster up the courage to vocalize the three little words bouncing aimlessly through his skull, then he’d just write them down.

The scratching of pen against paper finally ceased, and Law stood, keeping his head low as he passed the paper underside-up toward Ruža, who carefully took it from his hand.  Flipping it around, she began to scan the words sloppily written on the front.

Ruža clenched the paper within her shaky fingers.  The words she herself had been afraid to say were written at the top.  I love you.

The silence was palpable, so thick you couldn’t even slice a sword through it.  Shockingly, however, a light, airly laugh infiltrated the space.  Ruža’s face was flushed a bright, rosy red, and her mouth was twisted into a nervous, childlike grin as she tried with all her might to keep down the nervous laughs that were forming in her chest.  She couldn’t help it, small giggles escaping her lips as her shoulders shuddered with the effort of keeping them in.  Law picked his head up, staring with a mixture of shock and bewilderment.  He poured his heart out onto a piece of paper, and she was laughing at him.

“I’m not laughing at you, Law,” she finally managed to say.  “I love you.”

The formidable captain of the Heart Pirates, one of the most wanted men in the world, nervously swallowed the glob of spit that had formed in the back of his throat.  “You… you do?”

“Yeah.”  Her response mirrored his curt words from the short minutes prior.  “I was so scared that I did something to upset you.”

“God, no, you could never,” Law replied, breathlessly.  He felt 100 pounds lighter, like he could float away on the slightest breeze.  The three words that had cursed him for almost 20 years of his life now held a new weight to them.  A new, liberated weight.

The woman in front of him, with a nervous, giddy smile dancing across her lips, eyes closed tightly with the force of her infectious smile, held his heart so tightly in her grasp and she didn’t even know it.  Not yet, at least.  That would come with time.

Ruža broke the silence.  “Can I please hug you?”

Law felt the corners of his own mouth twitch upwards.  “Of course.”

The red-head closed the distance within a few short steps, hiding her face within Law’s chest, still giggling like a child over the sudden revelation.  She kept the paper held firmly in her hand as she wrapped her arms around his torso.  Law’s scruffy chin found its perch on the crown of her head, the scent of her shampoo filling his nostrils and clouding his mind with a bliss he had never experienced before.  He couldn’t fight his smile any more, letting it consume him, the same way he accepted the way his heart beat uncontrollably within Ruža’s presence.

“I’m sorry I’m laughing, I can’t help it,” she mumbled, the sound muffled by her face squished in the fabric of his sweatshirt.

His hands found their place around her shoulders, his left hand involuntarily coming up to rest on the back of her neck, covering her tattoo with his own inked hand.  “It’s okay,” he responded, his words quiet and soft.  “This is all new to me.”

“It’s new to me, too.”

The two stood in the same position for what felt like hours before Ruža finally (though regrettably) backed away slightly.  Law’s hands slipped off her shoulders, but his fingers gingerly brushed along her tattoo.

“We don’t have to do anything about this if you don’t want to.  I know with you being the captain and everything makes this kind of weird.”  Ruža’s eyebrows angled in a way that made her appear almost sad at a reality that hadn’t even happened yet.

It took Law a few moments to really form his response.  “No, I… I think I want to try.  I don’t know what to do, though.”

“Me neither.”

Now it was Law’s turn to laugh.  “We’re fucking hopeless.”

“Tell me about it.”

Ruža gazed longingly at the paper she still held in her hands, eyes repeatedly glossing over the three words at the top.  Law could get used to the way her bright eyes softened, as if not believing that what she was reading was the truth.  In the back of her mind, the reason she had even shown up to his office in the first place pushed itself back to the forefront.

“So about you being jealous…”

[tumblingxelian]

Thoughts on Stephanie Brown, Crime & Community

A lot of the posts I’ve been reading lately about Bruce’s brutality towards low level criminals and whether Jason betraying his own community or not, the double standards and meta analysis has all been very interesting. 

And it has also left me musing on Stephanie Brown’s character. 

Specifically how she operates in a really fascinating position that was likely not intended by the writers but one can reach anyway. 

So a quick primer: 

Stephanie Brown came up in a low income (at best) family in Gotham. Her father was consistently in and out of prison only briefly holding down a steady job and when he was home he was violent towards both Stephanie and her mother.

Crystal was neglectful and a substance abusing addict until Stephanie was about 15 and even then their relationship was quite messy with Stephanie still forced into a parental role. 

(She also escaped sexual assault as a child and was clearly traumatized by the event and given her ‘boyfriend’ who got her pregnant looed significantly older than her one could argue she was a victim of grooming.)

Her first team up with Batgirl (long before she receives any training) Shows she has an intimate and immediate understanding of criminal operations that can only come from either self study or experience. One of her earlier team ups with Robin & the then Green Arrow (Investigating gun runners selling to kids) had her note she felt her community was neglected by the heroes. Her first team up with Batgirl also had them basically steal money that would have gone to evidence to donate it to charity and she also reveal hinted at different times a dislike or lack of faith in the police. 

Now, not everything was hunky dory, as there were some writers who basically decided her motive was “Impress Robin”. Fortunately this only cropped up every now and again and she’d often try and seek out team ups and mentors elsewhere. And given it doesn’t line up well with her initial character I am content to view it as an artifact of the writer. 

But I digress, how does this go into her relationship with her community and criminals in general? 

Well, suffice to say her relationship with them is bad. 

Her first time out as Spoiler she tries to murder her father and has to be talked down by Batman. She later reveals to Crystal she was doing this to protect her because she was tired of seeing Arthur come back and ruin their lives over and over again. She also used visitation rights when he was in prison to beat the hell out of him because he orchestrated her kidnapping and near missed murder for money, while the guards just let it happen. 

In one of her first team ups with Robin they fight criminals in a snow covered building and his cutting of support beams leads them all to be buries. Robin insists on finding him and saving him, while Stephanie suggests leaving him to die, dismissing his motives along the lines of, “I was poor, daddy never loved me, ETC.” She only agreed trying to save him was a good idea when they accidently found a homeless woman and her child also buried. 

later on she also didn’t want to save a villain who managed to kidnap both herself and Robin. We also see her shrug off the prospect of accidentally killing a serial killer she was in combat with. She also has a violent exchange with Penguin after he started using children as gun runners which hinted at wanting to wipe people like him off the map. When he was dismissive of even facing charges because “I've got people for that” she legit scared and injured him and Batgirl needed to stop her from going further. 

(She also shrugged off Dick killing Joker while everyone else was freaking out but like, come on. Joker fills literal graveyards in universe and had been terrorizing the world minutes before, he’s not a ‘normal criminals’ by any stretch.)

Overall, her relationship to criminals in general was varying degree of contemptuous and she was quite comfortable with the prospect of doling out lethal punishment to criminals, though she never got the on screen opportunity. I think her general attitude is best summed up as “yes trauma sucks but its no excuse to take it out on your community” while holding those who profit off those circumstances in utter contempt. IE, she disdains petty criminals for victimizing their fellows and she hates the kingpins who run everything. 

(Though I doubt this was intended by the writers.) 

But I digress, I’m not expert enough to say whether this is a realistic or positive response to her circumstances, but I do find it an interesting one. I also think its a lot more nuanced than Batman’s brutality even if one could argue its problematic. Though that also broached the “Are we discussing in universe or out of universe” and so on. Really not sure where I was going with this. I maybe just wanted the chance to discuss Stephanie cos I think she’s really interesting. 

So uh, yeah. 

[boin-de-bindery]

My Immortal by XXXbloodyrists666XXX (Tara Gilesbie)

Being a hobbyist bookbinder gives you a lot of power in curating what populates your bookshelf. Sometimes I use that power wisely, like saving my fiancé €50 by handbinding their PhD thesis (not shared, since it's labelled with their name).

Other times, I give iconic works of fiction the Penguins Classics Clothbound treatment they don't deserve—only true goffs will understand. (AN: f@#% off prepz!)

It's an early Christmas gag gift, which I'm considering pairing with a transcript/mock screenplay of The Room.

A5 case binding on white printer paper

Faux velour bookcloth + endpapers

HTV cover titling and motifs

Handsewn headbands

Gouache painted edges

Inspired by this incredible work of art, which was one of the posts that lured me into bookbinding in the first place. You can see samples of the wonderful typesetting in that post.

I used this resource to generate the HTV cover elements, which made things so much quicker and more precise than doing it from scratch. The temptation to use the generator for EVERYTHING I make from here on out will be hard to resist.

That said, I have about... four?? ongoing binding projects, all with unique covers. There's no danger of Enoby becoming Just Like Other Girls yet 🧛‍♀️

[maxwell-grant]

So now that the series is over and your (really great btw) analysis of the final episode is out, I have to ask: is this where you thought it would be going? Did you expect them to adapt the "Penguin runs for mayor" arc? Personally, I have to admit, I didn't. I expected him to end this as kingpin, ruler of the underworld, at the proverbial tip of the iceberg - but I didn't expect the mayor arc to come in, and so soon.

(This imo also really shows why this series was necessary - because how else could they have justified having Penguin as the comedic relief minor mobster lieutenant in the first movie and as the political puppetteer gunning for the position of bird-king of Gotham in the second, going from an affable minor career criminal that (albeit with a lot of effort) maybe still could have been saved and led to a less harmful route, to a pure unlimited void and personification of the human capabitlity for selfish greed, lust for power and corruption that killed his own heart and soul, if not by thrusting us into a whole tv show about it? In Gotham the festering wound of coldhearted capitalism gets to be its own guy in an appropriately designed outfit.)

(Spoilers for The Penguin)

Yes yes yes, extremely second that second paragraph, "In Gotham the festering wound of coldhearted capitalism gets to be its own guy in an appropriately designed outfit",

Honestly, that this would end with the beginning of his political career was just about the only thing I expected and accurately called from early on, purely because it was always the show's mandate that he rises to power and that was one of the big Penguin Trademark Plots that the movie hadn't covered or gestured to - and with the total absence of Harvey Dent, the other major Batman villain who tends to go into politics/mayoral campaigns, it was easy to deduce that they were saving it for Oz. I think there were some things that I called as it was trucking along but before all of that, up until Episode 1, I think I was pretty wildly wrong about how this would actually be like, what form it would take.

I was pretty wrong about Victor and his fate, I was very wrong about Francis, I was COLOSSALLY OFF THE MARK about Sofia, holy shit, I thought early on that she was just gonna be like, someone trying to preserve the legacy (which is what she's usually done in previous versions) that Oz wants to burn down, or that she was just going to be the generic Prestige TV Crime Show protagonist this needed to sell Oz as a freakish weirdo by contrast, I was so fucking wrong about her and I'm so glad I was. l I think there was even a time I was very hesitant as to whether this would even be good, can you imagine.

They very much telegraphed from the start that this was gonna be about his rise to power, that he was gonna become Da Nu Kingpeen of Gotham and rise above where he stands in the movie. And he technically does do all of that, but also, it was very much not how I expected it to go. Like I said, he got the smallest possible measure of what he wanted, and at the highest conceivable cost.

The whole trajectory in our show showcases that Oz, by the end, really becomes a version of the kingpin. Not Carmine level – he has a penthouse but he’s around Crown Point in the east side of Gotham. He’s not in the wealthiest part. And then within that just making sure that we’re aligning all of Gotham City, the world, the stress of the city properly to launch into the film. - Lauren LeFranc

It's less that he rose to the top of the underworld, and more so that he dragged and broke the entire Gotham underworld down to his level. His war with Sofia destroyed all successors to the Falcone throne, the entire Maroni family, and all the gang leaders who fought over their scraps, along with Crown Point, just as he hitched a ride to Step 1 of an entirely new game of power that automatically puts him above everyone who's left in his old battleground warring with each other. He is still a far cry from having anywhere near the kind of money and power and influence and prestige that Carmine Falcone had, but he's already begun to ruin everything with only a fraction of all of that, and he won't stop clawing for more.

As LeFranc said, his penthouse and rooms are under construction because he himself is under construction, and we see now that it's less that he's rising and moving up in the world, and more so that he's dragging all of Gotham beneath him so he can drown it and be automatically on top of it. I had no idea things were gonna so catastrophically terrible and scary and ominous, and that The Penguin's foretold rise to potential mayor would be depicted as such a horrible prospect. All of this is just the shit he's done as a "bargain basememt hustler".

Unlike what I expected from the description of the show, this was not a competition, this was not a race to the top, or even just a race to see who gets the best seats on the Titanic sinking ship of mob crime in Gotham - this was never something that could be won, it could only ever mutate into something worse. This was a horrorshow with a clear as day statement of how we're all gonna fucking die because of this guy who is incapable of changing or growing, but will only push the city down further and further if nobody stops him. And as much as I expected Oz to change and develop and even grow more vicious and powerful over the course of the show, I don't think anyone was prepared for where this was going, for the extent that this wildly recontextualized everything he was in the movie, and where this would leave us for the next one.

[batwritings]

Kinktober Day 8 - Fancy Dress

Full circle back to dad Price! Enjoy!~

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

How you had been talked into this, you had no innate idea. You were never one for fancy get-ups; you didn’t do well in front of people, and dressing in just about anything that wasn’t issued to you by the military felt…odd. But here you were, surrounded by soft lighting, piano music, and a sea of tuxedos and ball gowns.

There was one upside to this all of course; you weren’t alone. All but Ghost, naturally for privacy reasons, were just as gussied up as you were. Soap had tried so hard to talk Laswell out of making him get fitted for his tux, but she gave him that signature look that nobody could tell her no on.

The best of all though, had to be your dear Captain. John Price was a classy man to begin with, but wow did he know how to clean up. His facial hair was neatly trimmed, not as scraggy from what you were used to seeing on the battlefield. In general, he was just as attractive covered in soot and rubble as he was dressed to the nines. 

He caught you looking several times throughout the night, and you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t been blushing each time you tore your eyes away. There’s no way he knew…right? Granted, a fancy gig like this could be just as dangerous as the battlefield, but…no, there was no way.

“Y/N! Having a good time my friend?” You heard, suddenly. Nikolai was clapping his broad hand down onto your shoulder, cheery as can be. Your whole body jumped as you were ripped from your reverie so abruptly.

“Y-yeah, it’s…” You fought with you frazzled mind for a good answer before sighing in defeat. “I’m so shit with social gatherings like this Nik. I think I might turn in for the night.” You rubbed the back of your neck nervously; fancy parties weren’t something you signed up for when you agreed to join the task force.

“I believe the Captain has been feeling the same,” Nik said, somewhat sadly. “He has never been one for parties or big crowds. You two share that in common.”

“Huh…” you mumbled, more to yourself than to the big Russian man with you.

“You know…he could probably use a hand finding his jacket,” came Nik’s voice again. “He’s getting up in age and all you know.” You laughed softly and thanked the pilot before wandering off. As he watches you go, Nikolai doesn’t miss another figure sauntering up beside him.

“Think they’ll finally get together?” Laswell asks, a confident smirk on her face. Her and Nikolai had been trying to get you and Price together for some time now. Tonight they had tried multiple times, sadly in vain. This was their final opportunity.

“I don’t see why not,” Nik responded. “The coat closet is a rather small space. But plenty of space for them to work out their…unresolved tensions.” Slowly, so as not to make himself known, the Russian man began to follow you, hidden behind the crowds as you finally caught up to the captain and yourself. “Sorry to squeeze in with you Cap,” you chuckled, sliding into the coat room alongside Price. Your body was so close to his is was nearly suffocating. You could smell his cologne plain as day, trying not to get distracted as he told you it was fine. 

The silence was excruciating until the captain spoke up. “Saw your eyes wandering quite a bit tonight,” Price mused, no longer looking for his suit jacket. He was watching you carefully out of the corner of his eye, waiting for your reaction. “Fancy me in a suit do you? Don’t lie to me now.”

Your hand froze as you actually managed to find Price’s jacket. Had he really been paying that much attention. “I…” you swallowed the lump in your throat and cleared it harshly before you answered. “I’d be lying if I didn’t Captain. You clean up well.”

“As do you,” you nearly jumped out of your skin when you heard Price’s voice so close. “But these penguin suits are getting a bit old yeah? I say we do away with them.” You were frozen in shock, but didn’t dare stop him 

You couldn’t help the pleased shiver and you felt your captain’s rough hands slip beneath your dress shirt to touch you. You bit your lip harshly to muffle your moan as you felt one hand rub over your nipple while the other slips beneath the waistband of your slacks and underwear. Your hips bucked forward the moment his calloused fingers make contact with your sex, a harsh exhale ripping from your throat.

“Shh, pup,” Price hushes, kissing along your neck. His facial hair tickles as much as it burns along your skin in the most pleasant way. “Good god you’re eager. I’ll have to get dressed like this more often hmm?” You can’t help but nod as you lean into his touch, your ass grinding against his clothed member.

“That’s it sweetheart,” And there’s that growled praise that made your knees weak. “Being so good for me, so good and quiet while everyone outside this room is none the wiser.” His words turned your bones to jelly, spun through your mind. 

Between that, the warm breath along your neck, and the pleasure revolving around your sex, you literally couldn’t hold the flood gates closed. Your climax had your knees buckling as you moan out against Price’s hand. Strong arms held you close and helped you to the floor, despite the man’s eager member still erect against your ass. 

“Very good Y/N, very good,” your captain praised, sliding his hand out from near your sex. “Take some nice deep breaths, I’ll find my jacket, and we’ll continue this somewhere more…secluded, yeah?” You nod, barely comprehending his words. You raise a shaky hand to point behind the both of you to where you had seen the man’s jacket last. Price chuckles softly. 

“Thank you sweetheart, this fancy dress is more trouble than it’s worth.”

[the-bus-called-graveyard-8]

Madagascar in Nickelodeon Magazine (part 2 of 4)

The second time Madagascar was featured in Nick Mag was in their November 2008 issue, highlighting the film's release that month.

The cover features a conga line of several characters through the reserve, led of course by King Julien.

Madagascar got quite a good treatment in this issue; the rest is under the read more!

Included were nine punch-out trading cards. The pictures on the backs, when put together properly, form the film's poster. The Internet Archive does have a version of the website noted, but nothing loads on it, so we will never know what you call four penguins in the desert.

Next we have a small ad for the film's website, featuring King Julien. This site can be accessed on the Internet Archive here (the games are still playable!).

Next we have an ad for the film's tie-in video game. It has a board game path you could play on with a coin and any small objects as tokens.

These next three are the main articles for the film. To prep viewers for the sequel, we have a quiz about the first film. Full transcript below.

The Beasts Are Back! in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

In Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, the animals get stuck in Africa when their plan to return to New York City falls apart, and they discover an even wilder world than the one they left behind in Madagascar. Paw through the following pages to get ready for the new movie.

Ready for Part 2?

Prepare for Madagascar 2 by taking this quiz to see how much you remember about the first movie. Answers on page 79.

The animals leave New York City because: a. they want to join the circus. b. they escape from their zoo and get shipped off to a wildlife park. c. they can't afford the rent in New York City anymore.

Where is the crew headed? a. Mount Everest b. Kenya c. A zoo in Washington, D.C.

Their ship goes off course when: a. the penguins take it over and head to Antarctica. b. they hit an iceberg. c. a tidal wave pushes them towards Madagascar.

When crates containing Melman, Alex, Gloria, and Marty wash up on Madagascar, the animals find: a. a kingdom of small, furry creatures. b. that the penguins are running the country. c. an animal-friendly spa.

What do the lemurs call Marty, Alex, Gloria, and Melman? a. The wrecking crew b. The Tennessee Titans c. The New York Giants

Julien is so annoyed by Mort the lemur that he suggests: a. sending him to Chicago. b. feeding him to Alex. c. selling him to a tourist as a hamster.

Alex is banished by his friends because: a. he can't help but see them as juicy steaks. b. they got tired of his constant practical jokes. c. he farts way too much.

At the end of the movie, Alex: a. eats every last animal. b. scares away the Foosa, the lemurs' natural enemy. c. swims back to New York City.

Next we have an interview with the main cast. Full transcript below.

Talking Animals

We chatted with the actors who voice the four main characters.

What is your character like? Ben Stiller (Alex): Alex is a performer. He's used to being the center of attention. He's a good friend, and the camaraderie with the other animals is really important to him. Chris Rock (Marty): He gets bored easily, and he pushes the whole crew. Everybody else wants to stay in the zoo and he's like, "Hey, there's a whole world out there." Jada Pinkett Smith (Gloria): Gloria is very loyal. She's pretty strong-willed, but most of all, she's really fun. She's kind of the mama of the group. David Schwimmer (Melman): Nervous, a hypochondriac, loyal, intelligent, and generous.

How are you like your character? Ben: Alex is comfortable in the city. When he gets into the countryside, he's not used to the quiet. I was like that growing up. Chris: It doesn't take much for me to be bored. Jada: I'm a lot of fun, but I definitely tend to take on the mother role in a lot of the circles that I'm in. David: I'm fairly tall with long eyelashes.

What is your least favorite thing about your character? Ben: The amount of hair that he has. It's a lot of hair care. It's like an hour every morning with a blow-dryer. Chris: Uh, just that's he a zebra. Jada: She could probably exercise a little bit. Not too much—just a little bit. David: His fear of heights.

What advice would you give your character? Ben: Even though we get set in our ways, change is important. Let life happen because then great new things can happen that you would never expect. Chris: I'd tell him to try to appreciate the things he has. Don't go too fast because you can miss some great things while trying to get to the next thing. Jada: I know Gloria likes to eat, which is fine. I would just tell her to make sure she's eating all the right things. David: Have a massage once a week to help you relax.

What would you want to have if you were stuck in the wilderness? Ben: Hopefully, food. And probably a couple of good books—big, thick ones. Chris: A BlackBerry, a Kindle e-book reader, an iPod, and a generator. Jada: A good book and some matches. David: The complete works of Shakespeare, food, fresh water, my girlfriends, and a limitless supply of paper.

What was your favorite line or scene from the movie? Ben: When the lead penguin says, "It's gonna take six to nine months [to fix the plane]," and Alex goes, "Sixty-nine months?" That always makes me laugh. Chris: All the [scenes] with Marty and the other zebras are rally good. Jada: My favorite scene is when Gloria falls in love with this other hippo, named Moto Moto. He asks her out and it's a really cute, flirtatious scene. David: My favorite line is "Aaaaaargh!!!!" My favorite scene is when Gloria saves Melman from falling into the volcano.

Which do you like better, the chimps or the penguins? Ben: The chimps. I've always liked monkeys a lot better. Chris: The penguins are funny. Jada: I like both. [Zelda the roving reporter: I like whoever has the best snacks.] David: Penguins!

ZooTube

Next year, Madagascar's penguins will star in their own TV show on Nickelodeon. We asked Jada, Ben, David, and Chris what kind of TV show their characters should have.

GLORIA "Her show would be called How to Be Fabulous, and she would show viewers how she does it," says Jada. ALEX "Alex would have a variety show," says Ben. "He'd do some singing and dancing, and then have a guest on along with one of his friends." MELMAN "In Melman's show, called What Was That?, he would play a superhero who has the power to fly and become invisible," says David. MARTY Chris says, "Marty would host his own talk show and do a monologue every night about what's going on in the world."

Finally, we have a tutorial on how to draw a penguin. The instructions say that this penguin is supposed to be Skipper, but clearly no one told this to the artist.

[sweetlikehoneystingslikeabee]

Can we get Riddler's reaction to SO coming home with an injured animal, maybe with a side of 'no, we are not keeping it' but they end up keeping it anyway?

"We are not keeping the damn thing-" Riddler Party x S/O

Oh this is something I'm very familiar with LMAO. I tried to include a variety of animals here.

Not to be lame or a square or w/e but as a general reminder, if you ever find injured wildlife, please contact your local shelters or animal control. These are fantasy scenarios and in most cases- wildlife is either better left alone, you will need strict temporary guidance or they need to be taken care of by professionals. In many places, you need a license to care and keep undomesticated animals.

TW: animal harm and abuse, mentions of dog fighting, medical procedures

Gotham

It all happens so quickly one day when the pair are driving in Gotham. His S/O notices what looks like a small brown bundle in the middle of the road and panics for Edward to stop. Before he can really get an explanation, they're shouting over their shoulder about a turtle, taking off their jacket. Then he's the one panicking as he watches them stop traffic to scoop up the animal.

The painted turtle has a huge crack in it's shell and a hurt leg. Not knowing what to do, they take it to a vet to see if anything can be done. Surgery, a fiberglass covering... A free sexing to determine the turtle is otherwise a healthy girl. Edward is already devouring the informational packet given to him in the waiting room. A lot he already knew but, well, it pays to learn more!

He's probably one of the few riddlers that doesn't actually say "no we can't keep it." There might be a brief moment where he questions his S/O if they even want a turtle- for the most part it's kind of... fascinating? They keep visiting the turtle in the hospital before she's released and he asks so very many questions about care and what they've been doing for her-

Before it's even been officially decided she's coming home and not being released back out, he's getting a tank ready. Heat lamps, a UVA/UVB light, pond, a dock for basking. A very strange amount of decorations related to questions marks and his special interests that you might not expect decor for.

This turtle won the lottery. She gets a very fancy omnivore diet with vitamin and mineral supplements. He even ends up cultivating species appropriate plants in the tank for her to enjoy and snack on occasionally. She's never bothered much other than the routine tank cleanings. Edward just likes watching her and watching his S/O gush over how pretty she is.

If anyone asks to pick her up, he will give a speech on how actually, human contact stresses them out so if you could never ask again, he'd appreciate it. He intends on her making it many more decades despite not having any clue how old she is now.

Penguin is going to hear so many fun facts about turtles now. Oswald might consider trying to murder him... again.

60s

A baby bird that fell from it's nest. He watched as his S/O tried and failed to reintroduce the bird back to it's mother. He even helped them weave a fake nest and put it up in the tree to see if their parents would take the babe back. To no avail. He was prepared to comfort his love if the little thing passed on.

Yet he watched his S/O roll up their sleeves and start making a nest of their own. A heat lamp that was originally used for one of Edward's plots, now for the chick. He insisted they could probably find someone to take care of it. He's certain he could light a cigarette in a public place and get Batman's attention if they wanted a more heroic figure for the job. With a sidekick named Robin, surely he has a thing for lost little birds.

Birds aren't really his thing, you see. Not part of the gimmick. He has nothing against them, love, but... perhaps Penguin? Still no, huh? The determination of his S/O is rather inspiring, even if it goes against his own wishes. Feedings every few hours, changing papers and blankets. Checking the crop. He noticed the collection of bird care books from Gotham Library.

He starts feeling more affection for the thing once it grows fluff. As his S/O gently holds his hand out to teach the bird to step up. There's something endearing about all of it. How passionate they are. How could he truly say no? It's when the feathers appear and the soft cries begin that they confirm they have a little mourning dove.

In devotion to his partner and their new animal child, he sets up a bird cage and perches himself. Reads the same care books, albeit in half the time. Once the time is right, he even builds an outdoor cage to allow the bird fresh air and stimulation that is safe from predators.

While he doesn't appreciate the mess the bird leaves, he doesn't mind the shoulder buddy. It does, however, make him slightly less intimidating towards Batman, as if he needed anything to help with that.

Zero Year

His S/O had a habit of bringing home animals. They had some... special certification, he wasn't paying terribly much attention to what- What it meant was that after they moved in together, there would occasionally be a small furred or feathered creature in the spare room off his workshop that needed to be bottle fed. He wasn't sure how he felt about the habit. It was something he almost admired. Wanting to care for something small and weak. Yet it was a vulnerability he could see being taken advantage of.

Good thing he's such a pleasant and non-needy personality that doesn't need all his S/O's attention! He lived with it. Perhaps he was better for it. Personal growth... even if at moments he felt jealous and despised it. He supposed they needed a hobby of their own considering how his "hobby" was so all-consuming.

Then they brought home the red fox. A fur-farm rescue. Nowhere else to go, they said. Edward tried to put his foot down. How would they even care for it? A fox... Ridiculous! He also knows it can't be tossed back out into the wild. It would die. His stubbornness holds even as he watches his partner cut their hands open on wire fencing to make an enclosure.

It isn't until they ask him, truly ask him, if he hates that they save animals. Seeing the pain in their eyes and sensing the possibility that they might even leave- he makes a decision. No amount of avoiding annoyances is worth losing the one person he truly trusts in this life. He builds an outdoor enclosure with catch doors and even sits down with the thing.

Winning him over was as simple as the vixen stealing his screwdriver and laughing at him as she played keep away. He was irritated with her, at first, yet as he caught her and all she wanted was pets and affection... He supposed it was also cute the way she would hoard boiled eggs out of his hand. Alright, maybe, just maybe- Maybe she could stay. Only out of his good will.

He gets to a point where she'll sit in his lap while he trims her nails and brushes her fur. His S/O can do the yucky medical stuff she hates, this is his time.

BTAS

It was a kitten that set his life upside down. His partner, his darling beloved, found it abandoned and hypothermic in a box after a storm. No indication of mother or another human coming to find it. His eyes weren't even open. A little tuxedo that mewled for any kind of nourishment and warmth. Edward was ready to call Selina to come pick it up- until he remembered she was currently incarcerated by Batman for a diamond heist.

It wasn't his bathroom being overtaken as a quarantine zone that made him upset. It wasn't even the alarm that went off every two hours for feedings, even in the middle of the night. No, it was how exhausted and emotionally tired his S/O looked after two days of taking care of him. When he said they were not, could not keep the cat, his partner insisted on doing everything themselves.

He was regretting it, to say the least. At 3am, while he was working, he could hear the alarm going... and his S/O snoring through it. With a sigh, he turned it off and began to prepare the formula. He went through the steps in his mind as he had seen his partner do for the past week and a half. Feed, burp, stimulate for the bathroom, make sure he's warm. Then he got in there and found a creature shouting and demanding to be fed and loved now.

Putting the kitten on his chest, watching his ears wiggle and feeling the tiniest muffins being made on his chest... that was the moment he fell in love. In that instant, he understood. This little sootball that looked like lint that exploded in the dryer- he was worth the hardship.

After that, Edward took on the nightshift for his partner. A few more weeks and their schedules could get back to normal. Ish. And their fancy well dressed man could be released into the rest of the house to cause chaos galore. Kitten energy is a bit too much for Edward, but he adjusts.

Telltale

When his S/O had stumbled into his workplace, bloodied and holding a blanket close to their chest, he feared the worst. He was prepared to dismember whoever had done this to his partner- and then they mentioned it wasn't their blood. Irritating, yet relief flooded his system.

He cleared a nearby table and watched as his S/O unraveled a bleeding, wounded dog. Struggling to breathe. Whining. A prong collar embedded into its neck. In the haze of panic, he extrapolates that his partner found it thrown away like trash in an alley. Even in this state he could make out the bite marks of other dogs on her body. Dog fighting.

Yet the mottled colored mutt seemed disinterested in attacking, even in this vulnerable state. Had she already given up? He was prepared to euthanize her himself until his partner looked at him with wet eyes asking if there was anything he could do. A tired sigh.

He knew some people with the proper equipment. Yet even as he contacted them, he insisted the two of them were not keeping the dog. He would help take care of the dog. Then they would figure out where she could go.

This lasted until one night in the lab as he sat at his desk, he felt a heavy head lay on his leg. As he looked down, there she was, staring up at him- tail wagging. Even after everything they'd put her through... she was putting all her trust and affection in a human. He would never admit it, but it reminded him of himself in some small way towards his S/O. Finding that love after pain atop of pain.

He stopped mentioning getting rid of the dog. Insists no one else will want a former fighting dog, so she might as well stay. It has nothing to do with how she cuddles between her "parents" on the couch. That she'll fetch things for her master with a dopey pleased look. And of course not because she gets accustomed to waking Eddie when he's experiencing night terrors associated with his past. Lowkey she's his emotional support dog and he's her emotional support human and his S/O gets to watch that relationship bloom.

Arkham

Despite Edward's lack of care towards the many strays in Gotham, his S/O seemed rather enamored with them. He comments that they should leave feeding the mangy things to Selina. Yet, he doesn't stop them. Then there was one cat in the neighborhood that wouldn't escape either of their notice. A mean feral that wouldn't let anyone near it. He'd wait for everyone else to eat food before picking off scraps.

He thought it was sort of charming how his S/O asked him for a trap to catch the beast. He asked them why they'd bother. It would appear the creature had gotten an eye injury, likely from fighting. He'd never expected them to actually catch the beast, no matter how genius his craftsmanship on the trap. And yet...

One eye enucleation and spay surgery later, his next question was when they were going to release the cat back out. Or call catwoman to deal with it. As his S/O told him neither would be happening, he began to try to put his foot down. No, never. You will not be keeping him. If they'd really wanted a pet, he could make one! Not this... possible mixed breed of a wild cat with a domestic one.

Fortunately they had a small spare room they could clear out for a kennel to allow the cat some comfort while he healed. Edward would listen as his partner going into the room and cooing. Followed by hissing and "no... No, c'mon-" and more bargaining. He shook his head. What were they expecting? You can't just bring a creature like that back with that kind of hate.

It isn't until one night when he's working that he hears... a meowing. It's strained and croaking. He goes to inspect the room and seen the one eyed cat staring up at him. A soft meow. Then a head bonk on the cage bars. Yet as he knelt down, the cat reared back and hissed.

Over the next week, he would visit the cat with his S/O. He noticed this scraggly, scarred cat looking up at them. Hissing less and less. Hesitantly approaching until his S/O was able to touch his head. Then they heard it for the first time: his purr. It was then Edward knew he was not going to be able to get rid of this ugly as sin cat.

The cat absolutely chose his S/O as his person, but that doesn't leave out Edward. The cat likes sleeping on some of his machinery when it's warm. Jumping on his shoulders when he falls asleep at his desk. Edward finds himself petting deep into his now-soft fur when he's stressed.

Selina will give him so much shit about this cat. Forever.

Batman 2022/Nashton

His S/O found the little creature after a dog had gotten hold it. A possum joey without a mother anywhere in sight. A few calls later, a wildlife shelter visit and lots of stress and worrying, they were told the possum was going to live... But not in the wild. There was enough damage to its body that even after healing, he might not be able to defend himself properly.

Edward tried to reason why it should stay with someone else. They'd have better care. They'd become an education ambassador, maybe! He... It's so tiny and fragile, and that makes him so nervous.

Edward is projecting a lot of feelings onto this little thing that mostly wants to hiss and cling to his sweatshirt. He'll just fuck it up, you know. The problem that arises is too many rehabbers in the area are full up. There might not be any space for the little guy- Faced with the possibility of euthanasia, Edward's S/O looks at him with dewy eyes.

How can he say no to that face? And the face of, he supposes, their newest companion. After faking some paperwork and certifications, they are bringing home a small possum.

Over time, he ends up relating a lot to the possum considering their reputation. They're just scavengers! They can't even get rabies! Yet everyone just seems to hate them for being born. He knows what that's like...

He does so much research on dietary needs since possums require such a variety of care. Protein, proper phosphorous levels, fruits and veggies. He really likes feeding him cooked chicken hearts out of his hand. Since they walk so much in the night, he makes an exercise wheel for the little guy to use. Builds climbing walls and poles for him to hang from if he wants. His S/O gets to help hammer nails in!

Sometimes Edward's S/O is looking for the possum and asks Edward... only to see a little black and white head poke out from his hoodie. The two of them know they won't have the possum for long (in the wild, they only live around three years!), but he's kind of used to shorter lifespans with his rats.

He's going to make sure the years they have, though, are going to be enriching and full of happiness.

[sissa-arrows]

Before answering to my last ask I googled the book in English to be sure it was the same one in French and I found out that one of the English editions (Penguin Classics) of the Wretched of the Earth has a the picture of an Algerian woman by Marc Garanger on the cover…

For the record Marc Garanger was a photographer who was drafted by France to go fight in Algeria. Once there he didn’t want to fight so he told them about his job and how he had his camera with himself. So they decided that instead of fighting he would help the propaganda by taking pictures.

He is famous for two sets of pictures. One was in a concentration camp (the French called them regrouping villages because admitting they had concentration camps right after WW2 was a bad look) the soldiers wanted the women to have ID so they wanted Garanger to take the pictures. He took the pictures of these women who did not want their pictures to be taken and then were forced to unveil. Now Garanger was against the war (don’t think that automatically makes him good) and he often talked about these women’s eyes. The dignity and the fight he could see in their eyes even when they were forced to unveil and sit for these pictures. I don’t think these pictures should be erased but I think using one of these pictures as a cover of the Wretched of the Earth without giving any context to the picture especially when it’s an English edition which means very few people will get the reference is fucked up. They had the decency to use one of the pictures where the woman was still veiled but it sits so fucking wrong. They didn’t want their pictures to be taken the French forced them to to be able to control them and it all happened in a fucking concentration camp. (I also think the pictures can be used ethically IF ONE PROVIDE THE CONTEXT because Garanger went back to Algeria years later and found some of these women and asked them this time if he could take a picture of them happy and with their loved ones for some sort of before the liberation/after the liberation and some of them accepted)

For those who are curious about Garanger’s other famous picture go below the cut it’s super interesting but it’s unrelated to the first part.

His second most famous picture is the picture of Bencherif from the ALN. The French had made him a prisoner and tortured him. They called Garanger to take a picture so they would use it for their propaganda newspaper and postcards. They wanted to show a broken leader of the ALN in order to make people lose hope. Garanger took the picture and the general who had called him changed his mind saying that Bencherif’s dignity and the fight in his eyes would have the opposite effect.

[deputy-morgan-malone]

Penguin Classics Meme

I got tagged by @inafieldofdaisies for this meme, and I'm obsessed with classic book covers anyway, so it took over my brain and I got right on it.

Of The Shadow Of is Morgan's canon-verse, but I have a thousand for her, so I may well do more of these just for fun. I love this format.

I used this meme generator and this was the source of the picture

Absolutely no pressure tags to @voidika @socially-awkward-skeleton @direwombat @carlosoliveiraa @josephslittledeputy

@cassietrn @unholymilf @roofgeese @shellibisshe @schoute

@clicheantagonist