#this fandom continues to impress me with just how illiterate it is

[astronnova]

not over that one weirdo one twitter that said “omg guys spicynoodles had so many shadowpeach parrelels this season” and its like wtf? what? huh? did we watch the same show? red boy wasnt even in s4

[inkstainedpetulance]

I am always impressed when I read Andrew Loomis's directions/explanations of drawing the human head. These images are from his 1956 book "Drawing the Head and Hands."

First, the husband and I have been doing drawing nights as a date thing while we are in quarantine. It's been really fun and informative but Loomis's sparks the Rhetorician in me as well as the budding (and quite appalling) artist.

Loomis's work should be taught in a "How to teach" course. This book is over a *half-century* old using only a pencil and paper as tech, and it still holds up. It's instruction is timeless. It is clear cut and direct. It teaches how to learn, not just how to draw. Loomis starts with a heartfelt letter to the reader, which impressively captures such the wide audience of people "interested in drawing as a hobby" (p. 19). It is a fantastic beginning to an instructional book. It is frank without being condescending. It comes across as kind but not patronizing. It is friendly and inviting without being insincere.

From there he starts from the absolute basics with no apology or expectation of knowledge level, developing skills in an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide that even the art illiterate can follow. As a more word-oriented person rather than visual, it is supremely comforting. It's not overwhelming or too slow.

From basics, he continues to build onto the form he taught. If you started at the beginning and followed along, you can draw anything Loomis does in the book. As instruction, it's well throughout and visualized and I think a teacher of anything, from Mathematics, to English, to Art, could learn from Loomis's thoughtfulness toward a beginner audience.

This has been my dissertation on my fascination and inspiration of Andrew Loomis.

As far as artists that inspire me, and there are a lot, one that stands out from the Fandom world is @anotherwellkeptsecret 's work. She (I think that's the right pronoun, correct me if I'm wrong) primarily draws in the Sherlock and Good Omens Fandom. What I want to point out, however, is her line work. Particularly, in her "Oh What a Night " series, a Johnlock comic, you can see her clear composition and organization from the very first panel. I'm not an artist. I don't know the terminology, please forgive me, but I really like that her composition is so clear. I can look at her work and see the foundation and form underneath. It makes the finished product even more amazing and, more startlingly, her characters show *so* much emotion. How in the heck do you convey so much in so little??

And this ends my dissertation on why I am inspired by @anotherwellkeptsecret 's line work. I'm a nerd and like learning. Don't mind me.

[ashcrimson-is-writing]

Parce Mihi ~ Chapter 4

Fandom: Marvel (Pre-Marvelfilms)

Pairing: Loki x Sigyn

(Credits go to the gif-creator)

Summary:   It´s a tradition as old as Asgard itself: Once in a hundred years a   young woman gets chosen to be a lady-in-waiting to the queen and live   within her in the palace. This year Friggas choice falls on Sigyn, who   volunteers to save her family. Soon enough she meets Loki, Prince of   Asgard and even though he is a good actor, she slowly starts to see   something different in him, than the cold and arrogant man he is to   everyone else. But meanwhile, not seen by anyone, dark clouds are  gathering over the  mountains of Asgard and it is only a matter of time  till the storm  begins.  (Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort)

—————————————————————————————————- —————————————————————————————————-

Sigyn let her fingertips dance softly on the water surface. Small waves radiated from her fingers and formed patterns on the crystal clear water reflecting the sun, which shone warmly from the asgardian sky.

After the rain of yesterday, the clouds had cleared overnight and made way for warm, sunny weather, which Frigga and her ladies-in-waiting used to enjoy the gardens of the palace.

Despite the beautiful weather, Sigyn hardly felt better than before though. She still missed her family, and after meeting the other court ladies in the morning, she felt even lonelier. They all knew each other well and for a long time and were like friends, talking to the palace guards when they passed by and smiling and laughing non-stop. They were cheerful and above all they belonged here.

Sigyn, on the other hand, felt like a silent observer of what was going on all the time, as if Frigga and her ladies-in-waiting were something completely different from herself. As if she was next to them, but not actually with them. And even though she had tried hard not to appear repellent, any attempts by the ladies-in-waiting to start a conversation with her had bounced off Sigyn. Her feelings were too uncertain and thoughtful for her to want to talk to anyone.

Without a break, her thoughts circled around her siblings. She wondered what they were doing right now. Whether they were all doing well? Had they already received the money? Did they miss Sigyn as much as she missed them?

Trembling, Sigyn sighed and propped her head on one hand while she laid the other one beside her in the grass and ran her thumb over the stalks. Even now, here in the gardens, Sigyn was more alone than being one of the court ladies. While they were all together in groups, talking or reading, Sigyn sat alone next to the small fountain in the middle of the gardens, her upper body leaning on the stone edge of the well, and she was strangely melancholic.

It seemed so strange to her to be here, so different and she was sure that this feeling would never fade away.

Sigyn let her hand slide back into the cool water and laid her head on the edge of the fountain, watched her fingers touch the surface of the water and saw the occasional sunrays that were gently broken by it. Were her brothers and sisters also outside at this very moment?

"It is alright to miss them".

Startled, Sigyn sat up and quickly pulled her hand out of the water, whereupon small droplets were flying in all directions, directing her gaze to the origin of the voice she had just heard.

Frigga sat a little away from her on the edge of the well, looked at her with awake, tender eyes and smiled amusedly: " Forgive me Sigyn, I didn't mean to scare you" she said, and a light wind blew through her golden-blond hair: "I thought you had already seen me".

A little ashamed Sigyn could feel her cheeks blushing and hesitantly she replied: "Your Highness, I'm sorry that I didn't notice you. I was too engrossed in my thoughts", before she lifted herself up and sat down on the fountain as well, put her hands in her lap and began to pull on the sleeves of her light blue dress. What a terrible impression she must have made.

The queen laughed softly. A warm, hearty laugh that calmed Sigyn a bit and at the same time made her look questioningly at the woman sitting next to her, whose eyes were shining and who looked younger as she laughed.

"You don't need to apologize, it was my mistake to sneak up on you like that, a bad habit of mine. And there' s no need to call me Highness. All my ladies-in-waiting address me as Frigga, just as I call you by your first names," Frigga quickly explained her laughter, so as not to make her new lady of the court too insecure, which worked less well than she had hoped, because Sigyn only nodded reluctantly. She would get better, Frigga was convinced of that, it would only take time.

"I just wanted to let you know that it is understandable that you miss your family. No one expects you to love the palace and the life here from the very beginning. But your grief will pass," the queen promised softly and in a gentle tone, knowing that these words brought little comfort, but also that they were true.

Swallowing, her eyebrows slightly pulled together and her fingertips clasped together in her lap, Sigyn murmured questioningly, "How do you know I miss my brothers and sisters so much?", her voice becoming quieter with each word and she felt increasingly stupid.

It was probably impossible to miss the fact that she did not feel comfortable, probably her sorrow could be seen from far away. In the end Sigyn also didn't do much to hide her misery and she suddenly felt bad. She should really try harder to appear at least a little satisfied, a little grateful for this chance.

But right now everything was still too new for her to accept it and try to fit in. And one could certainly tell by looking at her. By Frigga's kind, but still amused smile, Sigyn was able to sense that it indeed must have been easy for her to guess the thoughts of her new lady-in-waiting, and with a sigh she returned the queens smile, unsure what else to do.

For a few moments the women looked at each other, then Frigga rose with a deep exhalation and turned to Sigyn with a gallant movement. Invitingly, she held out a hand to Sigyn and, at her confused expression, said, "I want to show you something. You'll like it". Quietly the queen waited until her hand was taken timidly. She helped the younger woman up, then gently released her hand and made her way back to the palace.

With interlaced fingers Sigyn followed the queen, walked silently beside her and looked up at the golden monster in front of them, which now housed her home. "You'll get used to the palace, too" Frigga assured and Sigyn wondered how she knew what was going on in her mind again. Was she that transparent? Or did the queen just have a good sense for her surroundings?

Sigyn wasn't sure, but she didn't ask the question either. Instead, she quietly entered the palace and wanted to know, "Where are we going?" because she was uncomfortable with surprises. "To the library."

Sigyns heart stopped for a moment and she could only manage a tiny nod.

Why only a library? She couldn't even read properly. She knew only a few letters, but far too few to make sense of words. What was she supposed to do in a library? She had never been taught to read, and she could hardly write either. Her heart started beating fast and it tightened her throat.

What would the queen think if she learned that the lady-in-waiting she had chosen could not read? That her choice was a stupid, illiterate woman who did not understand even the simplest words once they were written on paper?

Deep shame crept over Sigyn and her chest hurt. The queen had surely learned how to read as a little girl, probably everyone at court could read, every single one of them. Only she could not.

"Books are a good distraction. They often help me when I get too lost in my own thoughts. And stories help to not feel alone for the moment. You'll see," Frigga continued, making Sigyns breath quiver with every word and her fingers tremble: "We have thousands and thousands of books, you'll find one you like for sure".

Sigyn probably should have told her. Should have explained at that moment that there never had been money or enough time for someone to teach her and that she couldn't read a single word. But Sigyn remained silent. Her shame kept her from talking. The thought of having to admit that she could not read scared her. What would they think of her? That stupid, ignorant woman from the city? Slowly, her hands became clammy.

"I guess I will" Sigyn clearly agreed with the queen, and perhaps it was also a little bit her pride, that forbid her to admit that she could not understand a book. Even if she should have.

As inconspicuously as possible, Sigyn glanced to the side, at Friggas face, to see if she had noticed what was going on inside her, but she just looked straight ahead and kept a fine smile on her lips. Frigga probably hadn't noticed her slight panic, and so they kept walking without Sigyn raising her voice. She thought the whole time about how stupid it was that she didn't tell the queen about her problem, but on the other hand she was sure that nothing would happen. After all, Sigyn wouldn't have to read out loud to anyone and as long as she was only supposed to read for herself, she could just pretend to read... Right? No one would notice, and Frigga wouldn´t have to know about her illiterate court lady.

Despite her slight doubts, as to whether it was wise to hide something like that, Sigyn kept her secret and also didn't talk about her inability to read when they reached the big doors of the library. Only her trembling got worse along with her feeling of shame.

~ ~

When the doors of the library suddenly opened, Loki was torn from his thoughts.

Surprised, because at this time no one else but him usually entered the library, he looked up from the book, which was open in his hands, but he didn't actually read anyway, to turn his eyes to the entrance. He was almost expecting a guard to come in to bring him to his father or remind him of his obligations, or perhaps even, somewhere deep in his heart, he expected his brother to come looking for him, but instead his mother entered the hall striding. Her footsteps weren't the only ones he heard though.

Shortly afterwards, his mother was followed by a second, tall woman with long, reddish-brown hair and a light-blue dress, which stood out softly against the dark, rather brown background of the library. They both walked towards one of the bookshelves and although they whispered, Loki heard his mother say, "Take whatever book you like. Reading will take your mind to other things Sigyn, you'll see and besides, you'll have your peace here".

Just a moment ago he had watched the two of them with almost some interest, but now Loki turned his eyes back to his book in disgust. Sigyn. So the other female was the new lady-in-waiting. From the city. Riffraff that would now settle down in the palace without working for it. Although he didn't want to, he couldn't prevent his eyes from turning to her a second time. Well, he thought, at least she wasn't dirty.

In fact, she made a rather decent appearance. Her hair held together by a ribbon, a fine dress that lay against her body and clean skin. But what did he expect? Of course, the court ladies were dressed up, who knew what she looked like before, when she had lived in the city? And anyway, that didn't change the fact that she was living in the palace without any work or title at all, almost as well as the royal family itself. He snorted pejoratively, but also tiredly, whereupon Sigyn and his mother both turned to him.

Immediately, Loki turned his attention back to the book, of which he began to skim a few random lines, briefly blanking out his surroundings.

Only when footsteps could be heard directly in front of him did he raise his head again and saw his mother standing before him. In the background the new court lady was still standing at the shelves and looking at books. Lokis gaze glided to Friggas, who smiled lovingly at him as usual, giving him a stab in the heart that he didn't show.

"I hope you don't mind us passing by. I know how much you like to have the library to yourself, but I wanted to show it to Lady Sigyn," his mother explained and Loki shook his head: "That's all right, Mother. After all, the library is not mine alone," before he sat up more in the chair and raised his chin. He forced a cramped smile on his lips to cover up how much he disliked being disturbed in the first place, but also especially being disturbed by the new lady-in-waiting.

Frigga nodded and whispered softly to her son so Sigyn wouldn't hear it: "I have to go now. The other ladies-in-waiting are certainly waiting for me, but I would like to leave Sigyn more time in the library, that's something she needs. That is why she will stay".  

Unwillingly Loki closed his book, felt the smooth paper and kept silent for a moment, only to speak again after a short silence: "Then she will stay" as if it was his decision. He couldn't tell his mother that he didn't want her around, because it still wasn't his library and besides, his mother seemed to like this Sigyn. He could tell by her smile and the satisfied expression on her face.

Frigga put her hands together with a silent clap, nodded at Loki and then fell into a stern tone: "She already knows who you are, but I still want you to introduce yourself to her as you should".

Her son gave a nod, but she studied his features a little longer to make sure he was serious, then walked past him to the second exit of the library and stopped halfway there: "Oh and Loki? Could you give me back the book I gave you yesterday? I need it one more time for my studies and knowing you, I'm sure you've almost finished reading it," she asked and if he had looked up at her, he would have noticed her knowing gaze, but as he kept staring at the book in front of him, he didn't notice when he lied: "I'm almost finished with the book. Tonight I will bring it to you mother".

The queen stood still for a little longer, watched her youngest son worriedly and then looked at Sigyn, who was still walking along the front bookshelf, and finally turned around and left the library. On her way out, a narrow, barely visible smile stretched across Frigga's lips.

~ ~

How long could she possibly walk along the bookshelf and pretend to read book titles before it became suspicious because she chose no book?

Shakily breathing, Sigyn followed the line of the bookshelf.

The queen had left her alone here and Sigyn didn't know if that was good or bad. On the one hand, it was good, because the chance Frigga would notice that she couldn't read was much lower this way, but on the other hand it was bad, because she felt especially insecure all by herself. Particularly considering the fact that a stranger, a man was sitting on the edge of the hall in a chair and that this man was also a prince.

Would he notice that she could not read? Her heart went faster again immediately, but fortunately he seemed to have very little interest in her at the moment, as absorbed as he seemed in his reading. The prince did not pay any attention to her at all, which gave her the opportunity to look at him undisturbed.

His clothes were all black and green, and unlike Frigga and Prince Thor, his hair was coal-black, but his skin was much lighter and milkier. When he suddenly looked up, Sigyn turned back to the bookcase and pulled out a book to look busy and not as if she had just stared at him, even though she had done just that.

Had he noticed?

Sigyn concentrated on the book she had taken. The cover was dark red and on the leathery corners it had golden ornaments that almost looked like roses and shone brightly in the light. Of course, she couldn't read the title, although it was there in beautiful, curved letters. Only the first and fourth signs looked familiar to her and because it was the first book she had found that had at least something familiar about it, and because it was the most beautiful one she had seen so far, she decided to take a closer look at it.

To continue searching for books didn't make sense in the end anyway, since she didn't know what the titles were saying or what the books were all about. And Prince Loki seemed to be so absorbed in his book that he certainly wouldn't notice that she wasn't actually reading anyway, but only pretending to.

Besides, Frigga had brought her here, and she couldn't just leave again. Although it would probably still have been the smartest thing to go to the queen and confess her illiteratance, but the very idea made Sigyns cheeks blush in shame.

Doing this was absolutely out of the question.

Instead, Sigyn took the red book in a tighter grip and then looked around for a seat. The closest one to her were the chairs next to the one Prince Loki was sitting in, which made her hesitate. However, she did not see any other chairs or benches and she did not want to wander around the library hall, which seemed huge.

So, swallowing, she walked towards him, her steps a little shaky, holding her breath and then sat down gently on a chair a little further away from him, its cushion yielding gently under her. Carefully she looked over at him. Fortunately, her gaze was not returned. So at least he did not look at her anymore. That made it more comfortable for her. A little. Should she speak to him?

It seemed rude not to say anything, but her throat was tight and she couldn't think of anything to say. Her fingers trembled a little as she opened the book and went to page one. Suddenly she wished Frigga would come back.

Maybe she felt alone and small and unimpressive in the presence of the queen, but at least she felt welcome. Here, at this moment, sitting next to the silent prince and holding a book in her hands of which she understood nothing, she also felt stupid and a bit unwanted. Almost helpless.

Sigyn tried to ignore Loki and looked at the runes on the paper which were forming words through confusing lines. Here and there a sign seemed familiar to her, sometimes she even knew how it was pronounced, but it was not enough to understand anything.

She turned to page two and found another riddle in front of her, which actually wasn't one. Her heart was beating loudly and she could only hope that she was the only one who heard it. What if Frigga found out one day that she couldn't read after all? That would be embarrassing. But admitting it right now was embarrassing, too. She would have loved to give a frustrated sigh, but remained silent and tried to look interested in the book, not paying attention to what Loki was doing.

It was probably also better for her nerves that she didn't look at the black-haired man, because then she would have noticed that he observed her again.

Over the two empty chairs that separated them, he watched Sigyn with a slight sideways glance. His fingers stroked softly across the open book in his hands and his elbows rested on the armrests.

Suspiciously, he looked at her face, her straight nose, her high but soft cheekbones and especially her eyes, which flitted strangely across the pages of the book. Loki's gaze fell briefly on the book she had chosen and then went back to her eyes.

She did not read.

It did not take him a second to realize this. Her eyes flew over the written letters and she kept turning the pages, but he could clearly see that she was not really reading. Her eyes did not follow the rows of the signs, sometimes she looked at runes at the bottom of the page and then again at runes at the top. Sometimes she stared for ages at one heel and the next, which was almost as long, she only paid attention for a few blinkers.

The longer he watched her, the more he noticed. She also turned the pages at completely different intervals, although he could see that there was almost the same amount of text on all of them. For some pages she needed several minutes and for others hardly a moment.

Loki almost laughed out loud because it was so ridiculous. Why was she doing that? What did she want to achieve with it?

"What are you reading?" he asked, enjoying Sigyns flinching and the slight panic that suddenly came over her. He already knew what was going on, but he wanted to be sure.

Sigyn, who was a little overwhelmed, since she didn't know what she was reading, hesitated for a moment and then closed the book and turned the cover to the prince so he could see the title, hoping that that would be enough for him.

A mocking smile ran across Lokis features during her action. Foolish woman.

He read the title, 'The Flora Vanaheims', and then leaned back in his chair before he looked at her questioningly and said, "Good choice. Are you interested in different types of swords?". Although he was already aware that his ruse would work, he had to hold back a loud laugh when Sigyn nodded after a short hesitation: "A little".

Foolish woman. Who did she think she could fool with her cheap game?

She had no idea what the book was about. So it wasn't that she just didn't want to read, no, she couldn't read at all to begin with. The new lady-in-waiting couldn't read. No wonder. She still was a random woman from the city. She might not have been dirty, but she still couldn't read. Pitiful.

With a scornful grin Loki stood up and said a short goodbye to Sigyn: "It was nice to meet you Lady Sigyn" and even she heard the sarcasm in his voice that sent a cold shiver down her spine and left her breathing trembling.

Without waiting for an answer Loki left the library with fast, smooth movements, while his mind was full of what he just had discovered.

She could not even read. By the Norns, what had been let into the palace? Even the lowest servants understood the runes, and now there was a lady-in-waiting in the palace who could not. How miserable.

And above all, she had lied. He was sure that she had not mentioned anything to his mother. Unable to read, and a liar to boot. Loki gave a pejorative snort as he walked down the hall to his chambers. His heart ached strangely at his hateful thoughts, but he ignored that and kept walking.

His mother would find out what kind of person she had brought into her home soon. He would make sure of it.

~ ~

Tired, Frigga shook her hands and put the feather aside.

It was already quite late in the evening, and she had spent a while putting her signature on important letters that needed her own signature as well as the signature of the Allfather. Letters of orders to her servants, instructions to the town administrators and political letters to Vanaheims ruling house.

Just as she was about to get up and leave her desk, there was a knock at the door to her chambers. Odin, who was sitting diagonally behind her at the window and was studying a map, looked up and finally responded to the knocking with a "Come in".

Immediately the door opened and Loki entered, a book under his arm and with a sour expression on his face. He gave his father a nod, who then turned back to the map and then approached his mother, held the book out to her and stopped next to the desk: "The book you wanted back".

The queen glanced briefly at the title and then nodded: "Ah yes, the book. I thank you for bringing it to me", before she took the book from her son and put it on the table. Smiling, she looked back at Loki, who continued to stand with her, and by the way one of his little fingers twitched, she knew there was another reason why he had come to her chambers. Lovingly, Frigga reached for his hand, whereupon Lokis reflexively flinched, and without a comment about that, she asked, "What else do you want to tell me, Loki?".

The young mans gaze clung to that of his mother, and he remained silent a little longer, keeping the expression of indifference on his face, and then said in a bitter voice, "She's lying to you. Sigyn. Your new lady-in-waiting is lying to you". Friggas eyebrows and the corners of her mouth slightly raised: "Oh really? What is she lying to me about?"

"She can't read. She didn't tell you, did she?"

A soft sigh came over Friggas lips, and she turned back to her desk to take the letters that were lying there to arrange them in her hands: "No, she didn't tell me, you're right, but I already know it though" she explained easily.

Loki put his hands together behind his back: "No one lies to a queen! Especially not one of her ladies-in-waiting," he tried to make his problem clear, but Frigga just nodded.

"She is not lying to hurt me. She just feels uncomfortable because she can't read, and she doesn't want to let me know because she thinks I might think she's stupid and find her to be ridiculous. And as long as she is new in the palace and feels uncomfortable here, I will do nothing to increase her discomfort. I won't address her on her illiteracy".

Slowly Lokis lips became a thin line and he pressed his hands tightly together, so that his knuckles turned white. How could his mother be so unconcerned about being lied to by a court lady? "Well, so you don't care that she lied to you... but she still can't read," he continued, unwilling to give up his position. This Sigyn did not belong in the palace.

Inside, Frigga groaned as she put aside a few letters: "No, no, she can't."

"But-" Loki began, who was gradually losing his patience. How could his mother not see what he saw? Why didn't she care? "She is a lady-in-waiting... What kind of court lady can't read?"

Quietly, Frigga put all the letters aside and turned to her stubborn son with a tilted head: "If it is such a problem for you that she cannot read, why don't you teach her? You could teach her secretly without her knowing that I know about it. Then she would not have to be ashamed and would not lie to me anymore once she is able to read."

For a moment there was complete silence. Lokis mouth opened in shock and his face became an expression of outrage. Some seconds long he wasn't even sure if he had heard correctly, because what his mother was suggesting couldn't be meant seriously.

"I should teach her to read? No way!" it then came loudly from his throat and he could hardly keep his anger under control. He wasn't a teacher for runaway subjects, was he? He was a prince, a member of the royal family! "But I would be glad if you would do it. You are a good teacher."

"I will not do it. Never!"

"Then I will make it to one of your obligations. Teach her to read" Frigga ended the conversation strictly and saw the anger on Lokis face, which for the first time in weeks showed something else than cold indifference and paleness.

For a moment, the queen thought Loki was going to respond, but then suddenly, he just turned around on his heels and marched to the door, which he ripped open as briskly as he closed it.

Frigga, and Odin as well, both looked at the door and she breathed out with a sigh when the Allfather said: "Don't you think this might be a bit too harsh? After all, he is a prince. Princes do not teach their servants to read. There are plenty teachers we could hire for your court lady".

Rolling her eyes slightly, she stood up: "No, that is just right. Trust me" and walked over to him, stroking his hair back behind his ear. "If you say so" Odin replied and while she sat down next to him on the bench and untied the tight knot in her hair, she looked at the door. She knew that Loki hated her right now. Probably he was running along the corridor and cursing her in defiance.

And yet a smile came over her lips.

Everything would come together as it needed to.

[words-writ-in-starlight]

...will you please talk to us about Command Track Trevor? Because I absolutely Love That but also I have Questions.

(regarding this post)

COMMAND! TRACK! TREVOR!  AKA, TREVOR BELMONT IS ACTUALLY VERY GOOD AT STUFF AND EQUALLY GOOD AT HIDING THAT FACT.

Okay, so, let’s talk about this for a second.  Trevor Belmont does an extremely good impression of a useless wastrel, the dredges of a once-great family, who’s been determined to utterly destroy himself.  He’s a drunk, he’s a liar, he even does a better-than-passable impression of a coward for all of ten minutes.

This is a con, and the whole world fell for it.

Even at the very start of the show, the first time we see him, Trevor demonstrates several things in rapid succession, despite being extremely drunk and at a severe disadvantage.  These several things are:

He has the presence of mind to lie fairly competently about the crest on his shirt, even when he’s so drunk he wobbles.

He is authentically cynical and quite dismal in his worldview, but he’s still prepared to defend his family’s name, to the extent of breaking cover.

He makes the statement that he has a whip and a short sword, when he’s trying to negotiate walking away, but he fights bare-handed against the three guys in the bar, despite the fact that he’s armed and could therefore have a significant advantage if he took it.  We know that he doesn’t mind killing humans, as he’s more than ready to do in the priests, which means that specifically he doesn’t want to kill these humans, a bunch of ignorant fucks in a bar who haven’t really done anything to him.

Again, he’s so drunk he’s wavering on his feet, but he still does a pretty good job in that fight despite the fact that, A, he’s fighting three-against-one, and, B, he’s trying not to permanently hurt them.  They’re pretty evidently willing to beat him to death, but he never pulls his sword.  Holding his own in that fight, even just enough to walk out under his own power, indicates that he might be rusty, but he’s kept his skills up.

SO, my point here is, Trevor does a good impression of worthless disgrace to the family name, but at BEST it’s a half-hearted lie that not even he really believes, and it lasts under a day when he’s presented with a concrete way to prove himself a Belmont through and through.

This brings me to point two of my argument, which is that Trevor ALSO does a very good job of playing dumb.  And don’t get me wrong, he’s definitely the street smarts in comparison to Sypha’s book smarts, but honestly half the fandom thinks he’s illiterate and I just can’t help you people.  He identifies the Cyclops as being “right out of the family bestiary,” and knows how to kill it, even if it takes a minute to remember.  He knows what Dracula’s castle looks off the top of his head, and after a glance at Alucard’s hiding place he’s able to deduce absolutely accurately what’s going on.  He’s even pretty close when he guesses that Alucard is Dracula--clearly the fact that Dracula has a son isn’t common knowledge, probably because it looks like Alucard might be the only dhampir in existence and therefore it’s probable that no one even believed it was possible.  Trevor knows an enormous amount about different types of creatures, as well as obviously maintaining a better-than-average map of Wallachia in his head, as he’s able to navigate to Gresit while drunk, wounded, and starving without evident difficulty.  The man’s not stupid, and he knows more than how to fight.  However, as he proves in the fight with Alucard, playing dumb and apathetic gets him a lot farther than showing off his skills--he could have taken Alucard’s life, if Alucard pushed him, largely because Alucard didn’t think Trevor was crafty enough to pull that stunt.  

Okay, so, those two are basically just “here’s why I think Trevor is smart enough to get into Star Fleet in the first place, if that was his timeline,” but this THIRD AND MOST VITAL point is “here’s why Trevor is absolutely command track, no debate.”

Trevor Belmont turned Gresit from a scared collection of civilians, much abused and manipulated by their trusted authority figure, into a mob, and then turned that mob into a functional army, all within ten minutes.

Sypha and Alucard are absolutely the scholarly brains of that outfit, although they both lack in other areas.  However, neither of them are leaders.  Sypha is utterly confident in her own areas of expertise, but much more inclined to run off alone and half-cocked than use the people at her disposal.  Alucard’s doubts about the people around him being worth much are well-earned, given the givens, but it means he’s prone to “if you want it done right, do it yourself” thinking, which also makes him less-than-inclined toward cooperative efforts.  On top of that, because they’re not given to thinking about how to manage a group, they’re not good with group tactics.

Trevor, on the other hand--he starts rattling off orders to the Gresit mob like it’s second nature, telling them where to stand and how to prepare, explaining the critical details they need in order to be able to fight.  Being a leader isn’t just “go there, do this, good job,” it’s also making sure that the people you’re giving orders to can start to understand why those orders are necessary.  Even something as simple as “salt kills demons--remember that” is crucial in terms of distinguishing someone who’s okay at giving orders from leadership material.  Trevor doesn’t just tell Gresit what to do, he tells them why it works and how to continue doing it.

All while also proving to them that the Speakers are life-saving help, not a threat.

OBVIOUSLY Trevor wears command gold.  He might be a rather nontraditional captain, once he has his own ship, but he comes through fucking clutch when his people need him, he’d die for what he believes without hesitation, and he’s as good at making spur-of-the-moment alliances as he is at rallying people to follow him.

Captain Trevor Belmont, if you please, with his CMO Adrian Tepes and his science officer Sypha Belnades.