#we should always bully the french

[belle-keys]

halloween is over but i just wanna note that paris is factually the most terrifying city and not just because of the catacombs and populists and bedbugs and princess diana dying but also because the film irréversible is set there

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Dirty Work 10

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as bullying, familial discord/abuse, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You start a new gig and find one of your clients to be hard to please.

Characters: Loki

Note: Lucky me, I'm pretty sure I have a cold.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

“You know,” Frigga chirps as she takes the delicate tea cup from the table, “I think I’d rather my tea out in the sunshine. It’s such a lovely day.”

Mr. Laufeyson does not move and neither do you. You await him to take the lead or give an order. This may be his chance to dismiss you. You clasp your hands tight as you glance between mother and son.

“Very well,” he relents as he points at you then the tray, “I suppose we should enjoy the finer weather.”

You rise and linger as he ushers Frigga from the room. You gather the plate of biscuits onto the tray with the tea pot and the rest. You take it and follow the pair at a distance.

You watch as Mr. Laufeyson opens one of the French doors that looks out onto the patio and the tall golden woman steps through, mindfully balancing her cup. 

As you approach, Laufeyson glances at you and gestures impatiently. You hurry and hesitate as you near, only passing through as he jabs his finger once more in the air. Frigga settles on one of the iron chairs as you carefully place the tray on the table. Her son drags a chair out loudly and drops into it.

“I’ve always loved your garden, Loki,” she praises, “a pity you spend all your time inside these days. Oh, I remember that lovely party you threw when you returned from your honeymoon-”

“Mother,” he flutters his fingers at her, “please.”

“I know things were not happy in the end but for a time,” she says dreamily.

You back up and peer over at the door. Another impossible dilemma; should you leave, would that be rude? Or should you wait for his dismissal?

“Please, darling, sit, enjoy the sunlight,” Frigga undercuts your internal conflict, “have some tea. We’ve barely even spoken.”

“She should be working,” Laufeyson insists, “you shouldn’t bother her so.”

“Bother? Darling,” she arches a brow then turns her sights on you, “Am I bothering you?”

You press your lips tight and shake your head. You swallow as you search for your voice, “no, ma’am.”

“Ma’am? Please,” she exclaims shrilly, “Frigga will do nicely.” She reaches over to put her hand on the chair next to her, “please, come, since my son would rather glower at the sky.”

“I am not glowering,” Laufeyson counters and crosses his arms, wearing an expression contrary to his protest.

Frigga laughs as you bite the inside of your lip. You don’t see a way out. If you say no, it would be rude. You slowly round the table and ease the chair out before sitting. You wince as Frigga touches the collar of your shirt.

“I like this colour,” she intones, rubbing the fabric before letting it go, “it would be nice in a satin, wouldn’t it?”

“Um, yes, I think so,” you agree.

“It would be so lovely on you,” she purrs.

“Thank you,” you plant your elbow and nervously brush your fingers up your throat. Your eyes stray to Laufeyson as he narrows his eyes in your direction.

“Do have some tea,” she says as she reaches for the pot and an empty cup, “I hate to trouble for a full pot and waste half,” she pouts the brown reddish brew, “what do you take? Sugar, milk, honey?”

You stop your fidgeting and sit back, pulling your arm off the table to fold your hands in your lap, “nothing. Thank you.”

“Black, like Loki,” she muses as she sets the cup before you, the porcelain clinking on thick glass tabletop, “you two must have much in common.”

“Tea?” Laufeyson scoffs.

“Oh, surely,” Frigga sits back, “and how long have you been in his employ? Is this new?”

“Some two months,” Laufeyson answers for you, “she is still sorting much out. She hardly has time for tea–”

“If you have pressing matters, son, you’re welcome to make yourself busy,” she says flippantly, “do you know, my tea has been so lonely since you and Sif–”

“Carry on then,” Laufeyson cuts his hand in the air then puts his elbow down, cradling his cheek as he looks off into the lush green yard.

“Yes, we will carry on,” she sniffs, “so, darling,” she turns to you again, “two months. That’s wonderful. I don’t know that I ever saw any last so long.”

“Mother…” Loki whispers tersely.

“Well, you are very particular,” she argues without glancing at him, “she must be rather good at the job. She is very sweet,” she pauses to look you over and her eyes drift to the cup, “please, have your tea.”

“Thank you,” you take the cup in both hands. You raise it slowly, blowing over the top before you sip.

“So, you must be from around here?” She prompts. You nod. “Quiet little thing,” she muses as you wipe a dribble with the back of your hand, “do you have family here too? Parents?”

You hug the cup in your hands, just over your lap, “my father.”

“Ah,” she accepts and you sense she wants to ask more but she senses the reluctance in your answer, “that’s very nice, isn’t it? You see him very often?”

“I live with him,” you explain, trying to keep your answers concise.

“How sweet,” she remarks, “isn’t that so sweet, Loki? Ugh, he and his father could never–”

“Mother,” he echoes once more, “that isn’t her concern.”

“Nor yours, it seems,” she chides as she turns straight in her chair, “you’ve not even asked after him. If you had, I may have had the chance to explain my visit.”

“Mm,” Laufeyson drones as his green eyes roll over dryly, “what is it he wants from me now?”

“Son,” she rebukes, “he is your father, he loves you–”

“He tolerates me,” he sneers, “so what is it? How have I disappointed him this time?”

She exhales and drinks from her cup before gently laying it down. She lifts her chin and you see in her an expression she passed onto her son. Determined and defiant.

“Hm, yes, I will be straight to the point, you know your father has a lot of clutter but he’s finally decided to thin it out,” she explains, “he had some pieces he was curious of. You recall, that Victrola he inherited from your grandfather–”

“You may go,” Laufeyson points at you then behind him.

“She’s not finished her tea,” Frigga argues.

“I do not pay her to drink tea–”

“Quit it,” she girds, “the girl has done nothing–”

“She doesn’t need to hear any of this. It doesn’t concern her,” he huffs.

“Oh, it is ever such confidential and high security information,” Frigga tuts sarcastically, “please, it is an old record player. Your father wants an appraisal from someone he can trust before he puts it to market.”

“Trust? I’m certain that’s not his word. Free of cost, I assume,” Laufeyson swallows thickly, “and market? He means to sell it? Of all things–”

“I won’t complain for it. I’ve been telling him since you were a boy to deal with the hoard–”

“Don’t let him sell it,” Laufeyson interjects.

“I can try but I don’t know if he’d listen,” she shrugs, “maybe he would if you did, eh? You are the professional.”

Laufeyson puffs again, his cheeks tinged red. His gaze meets yours as you’re rapt with intrigue, trying to piece together the little tidbits of his family life. You rescind your attention to your cup with an apologetic bow.

“I suppose you are not proposing I welcome him here?” Laufeyson ventures.

Frigga is quiet. The silence is tense as his long fingers tap on the table and he pushes his shoulders back. He clears his throat and lets out a long breath.

“Very well, I’ll make arrangements to travel,” he relents, “I can spare a day or two.”

“Oh son,” Frigga reaches to still his hand, squeezing it, “it’ll be nice to have you home again.”

He grunts but offers no sentiment. You stare at their hands and flick your lashes at the sudden heat behind your eye. More than a longing for what you’ve never had but a feeling you can’t name. Mr. Laufeyson has everything; a home, wealth, and a whole family and he only seems to be irritated by it all.

You peer down into your cup and choke down the bitterness in your mouth. You try not to let that needling thought win. That what if just as fantastical as the gardens beyond the patio. What if you had a mother like Frigga? How would that feel?

🧹

You tidy up the cups and what’s left of the biscuits onto the tray. Mr. Laufeyson and Frigga disappear inside as you set back to work. This is easier. It’s simple enough to clean up after people. What’s messy is having to interact with them.

You go to the kitchen and rinse the pot and clean the cups. You replace them in the cabinet with the glass window so they are back on display and you wipe the tray of crumbs. You return the uneaten biscuits to the tin and wash the plate in turn. You have everything away quickly.

You retreat to the hallway but hesitate. The sunlight streams in and brightens the space, beckoning you away from the staircase. You give with an excuse in mind. Well, it isn’t an excuse if you truly mean to achieve something.

You go back out to the patio and straighten the chairs at the table. You surpass them and take the few steps down to the stone path woven into the grassy sprawl. You walk between the hedges and vibrant flower beds. A green blur disappears from the tulips as fuzzy bees crawl over the long petals of the tall lilies.

You wind around to the path draped with hanging ivy and stop before the gazebo. It is the only piece within the garden which isn’t immaculately kept. It looks even neglected. You climb the mossy stairs as you hover your hand over the railing, vines wrapped around the wood.

You stop within as the dome blocks out the sun, the foliage swaying all around the structure. You take careful steps as you search out any imperfection. The note in the folder stick in your mind as you take careful steps.

Your eyes fix on one of the columns. That must be it. There’s a deep crack in the wood. It would need to be replaced. As you come closer, you trip and stagger back, barely keeping your foot from dipping through the broken slats. You look down at the large gap in the floor, concealed by the overgrown moss.

You back up and frown. You can tell this place was once as beautiful as the rest. You can’t help wonder why it’s gone forgotten. You tilt your head as you put your hands on your hips. You’ll call a carpenter and see what they say.

Your eyes are drawn up by a rustle. A branch shakes and a small creature lands on the railing. The soft chipmunk sits and looks around furtively. He seems not to even see you as he puts his front paws down and skitters along the trim. You don’t dare move as you watch him, a faint smile curling in your lips.

He jumps down onto the floor sniffing and scratching as he makes slow progress across the space. You just stand there, transfixed by the tiny critter. You’ve never been this close to one. It’s so cute. He gets closer and closer, nearly touching your shoe as you hold your breath.

Your name echoes behind you and the chipmunk rears up in fright. It squeaks and looks up at you, as if only discovering your existence before it turns and scurries away. You retreat in a similar state, shaken and uncertain.

As you get to the top of the steps, you see Mr. Laufeyson at the top of the path. He stops short and shifts direction towards you. As he marches along the untended stonework you gulp. You take a step down as he approaches.

“What are you doing out here?” He sneers.

“Mr. Laufeyson, I meant to have this repaired–”

“Forget it. Have it torn down,” he barks, “I’ve been looking for you.”

“Sorry, Mr. Laufeyson.”

“This thing won’t stop,” he reveals your flip phone. You’d left it in your bag with the other one. 

“Oh, I’m sorry–”

“Enough. Sorry, sorry, sorry,” he shakes his head, “do better. I am tiring of apologies.”

You nod and come down the steps. You reach for the phone as he holds it out. He doesn’t not hand it over right away, as if thinking better of it. Then suddenly he shoves it into your hand, his fingers scratching your palm. He recoils and spins on his heel.

You stay as you are as he paces then turns back again, “my mother is fond of you.”

You don’t know what to say. So you remain silent. This doesn’t seem like a conversation for two.

“You should thank her for if she wasn’t, you might not be employed any longer,” he growls.

You look down, “I’m sorry I was late–”

“I do not appreciate tardiness. It is unprofessional and disrespectful,” he interrupts.

“It won’t happen again, Mr. Laufeyson.”

“It won’t. If there is a next time, you won’t be late, you will be terminated,” he affirms, “do you understand?”

“I do, Mr. Laufeyson.”

He takes a deep breath and holds it in. His fists ball then release and he exhales. He crosses his arms and looks down his long nose. You see him weighing his next words but as he opens his mouth, the phone in your hand erupts. Your eyes round as you stare at it dumbly.

“Sorry, sir, I��”

“Answer it!” He demands as he tosses his hand out dismissively and turns on his heel, “if I hear that racket one more time–”

He stomps back up the path as you flip open the phone, fumbling to answer as the noise tears through the gardens. You press the green button and put it to your ear as you watch after Mr. Laufeyson’s angry gait.

“Hello,” you squeak.

“Hello, this is Harmony Home Nurses, we are returning your call…”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” you bat your lashes and falter. You’d nearly forgotten about everything else amid the tempest of your work. “Thank you, I…my father…”

You try to tuck away the anxiety as you explain your situation. You try not to think of how Mr. Laufeyson won’t be happy with you taking a personal call. Or how he will be just as irked at being interrupted. 

Your missteps are piling up and he is not the type to let them go unchecked.

[kvthgok]

Webs | Miguel O’Hara x Teen Spider Reader (Platonic)

Warnings- none

Summary- Miguel helps you learn how to control your webs!

Side note- not proofread hehe, to lazy 🤭

"Quit the whining before I throw you off the building myself" groaned Miguel. Today he was teaching you how to control your webs. This whole Spiderman thing was new to you.

I rolled my eyes, "Rude much? Still there is absolutely no way I'm jumping off this building! Your crazy!" I rambled on. He sighed.

"How old are you again?" Miguel asked, raising his eyebrows. "Oh right.  Your 15 and you're afraid of heights.  Well, you better figure out how to do what I tell you to do.  Or else."  He said, while crossing his arms.  His tone becoming more threatening.

"yeah yeah bossy pants" I said looking at my nails.

Miguel shook his head.  He was being more than bossy, he was being a bully. "Now, you better do what I say.  Quit your whining unless you want to go for a little trip." Miguel said, motioning towards the edge of the building. 

"Can we make a trip to Mcdonalds ?" I smiled like a idiot trying to piss him off and it was working perfectly.

"Why, so you can stuff your face with Big Mac's or french fries or whatever else that greasy food joint serves?"  Miguel asked, shaking his head. "You don't need anymore junk food.  It's a wonder you're not heavier than you are considering how unhealthy you eat." Miguel groaned, a scowl on his face. 

My jaw dropped.

"Yeah."  Miguel said, leaning back and crossing his arms.  He was still scowling at you.”And you wonder why I'm so tough on you when you stuff your face with that junk food.  If you want something to eat that bad, I'll make you something when we get back at the HQ." Miguel sighed and turned his back to you, his arms crossed and his head resting on one of his arms.

I still stood dumbfounded process what he said before.  All I knew that it was super out of pocket.

Miguel stood there, his back still turned to you.  He was still muttering to himself. "It's like you're always thinking of food," He huffed, turning his head back to face the sky and closing his eyes. "It's not healthy for you to eat all of that junk food.  Don't you care about keeping yourself in shape?"  Miguel asked, looking back at you.

“Nope not really." I said happily, skipping to him like a toddler that just got a toy from a store. 

Miguel glared at you as you skipped towards him.  He was annoyed at your childishness but wasn't going to show it. "Yeah, well you should be more worried about your health than you currently are," Miguel said, while tapping his foot on the pavement.  He wasn't pleased about your carelessness towards your health.

"Wasn't this whole purpose to help me control my webs and not talk about my love for food?" I raised my eyebrow.

Miguel sighed and looked back at you, tapping his foot on the ground again."It was at first," He started to explain. ”But then the whining began."  He said. Miguel's arms remained crossed as he looked at you, his eyes narrowed and his face expressionless.  He was annoyed with you and he wasn't afraid of showing it.

"whaaaaaa what whining " I nervously laughed trying to act innocent knowing damn well I was.

"Oh please."  Miguel groaned and turned his back to you once again. "The whining isn't going to help.  All you need to do is learn how to control those webs of yours."  Miguel said. He glanced back at you through the corner of his eye.  He looked annoyed.

"Well what are we waiting for?" I questioned.

Miguel took a deep breath and looked over the edge of the building once more. "First things first.  You need to face your fear of heights."  Miguel said. He turned and faced you, his arms still crossed. "I'm not going to wait for you to conquer your fear.  It's sink or swim and I'm not afraid to give you a good shove."  Miguel said, his tone becoming more stern and more demanding. Miguel looked back at you and his eyes narrowed some more. "Yeah mhm sure buddy" I said in a smart ass tone.

Miguel's scowl became more prominent.  He stared at you for a moment, before grabbing the  front of your shirt. ”Ready or not, here we go." Miguel then proceeded to drag you towards the edge of the building.

"Shit."

Miguel held you over the edge of the building, with your only lifeline being his grip on the front of your shirt. "Now, are you going to keep whining or are you going to help yourself?"  Miguel asked. He looked down at you, he had a small smirk on his face. I glared at him.

“Oh don't give me that look.  I've been more than patient with you," Miguel said, before glancing back at the edge of the building. Miguel continued to hold me over the edge of the building, with his grip tightening on the front of your shirt.

"You wouldn't dare."

Miguel scoffed and narrowed his eyes at you. "I would dare," Miguel said. He began to shake you side to side, his grip still intact on the front of your suit. "Quit complaining and just learn how to control those webs of yours."  Miguel growled. “I rather die" I started complaining again.

His grip on the front of your suit tightened. He was frustrated by your continued complaining, and he didn't have much more patience. "I'm going to drop you," Miguel said in a stern tone.

"Doubt it but whatever floats your boat.”

He ignored your sarcasm. He tightened his grip on the front of your suit once again. He took one more look over the edge of the building.That's when he made his decision. Miguel threw you over the edge of the building, your only lifeline being the fabric of your suit. That's when Miguel let go.

"I HATE YOU!” you screamed while panicking in the air. HES CRAZY WHY COULDN'T I TRAIN WITH PETER? I thought to myself. Miguel had found it quite entertaining however.

Miguel chuckled as he watched you frantically move your arms and legs around.  Your attempts to use your webbing to slow your fall were not going well. You were in a panic, desperately trying to reach for something to support yourself and slow your fall. You were looking to the side of the building and noticed Miguel had his arms crossed, watching you fall.  He had a smile on his face.

I was trying to hug onto a window from a building. People were looking at me , “Hai..." I nervously chuckled.

Miguel just watched you panic and make a fool of yourself.  He didn't help or say a single word.  He was amused, and he enjoyed watching you struggle. You tried to grab onto the window from another building.  Some people were looking at you, some of them looking down from their balconies across the street.

"That's right, keep making a fool of yourself."  Miguel said under his breath. I sharply turn to look at Miguel with daggers in my eyes. He was trying to hold in his laughter.

Miguel looked at you, still with that sinister smile on his face.  He was entertained by what was happening to you. He continued to watch and see what you would do.  Miguel wasn't trying to hold in his laughter, he was letting it all out.  Miguel laughed the entire time at you and your struggles.

His laughter continued, and he started speaking again. "You know, I didn't think you'd be able to grab onto anything.  This is way more entertaining than I expected."

I yelled in anger and in fear, "Imma kill you once I get to — OH GOD I HATE YOU MIGUEL!" I started slipping. Miguel rolled his eyes and continued to watch you.  He didn't take your threats seriously at all. You were still hanging onto the window from the building you grabbed onto, still struggling. 

"What's that?" Miguel asked. "You hate me?"  he chuckled, clearly not taking you seriously when you yelled that you were going to kill him. "How cute."  Miguel said in a mocking tone. "This could end if you would just learn to control your webs and save yourself."  He said.

"YOUR A PSYCHO YA KNOW THAT RIGHT?!"

"Maybe I am," Miguel smirked. "But, at least I'm not the one hanging on to a window for dear life now, am I?"  Miguel asked with a grin on his face. "Still struggling there, are we?" Miguel said with a smirk , watching you struggle.

He noticed as your nostrils started to flare, and he smirked. "Someone's getting annoyed, huh?"  Miguel asked, then turned his back, crossing his arms and resting his head on one of his arms. "Go ahead, keep yelling."  Miguel said  just continued to watch you.

You finally managed to get back onto the rooftop after some time later.  You sat down on the edge of the building roof, breathing a sigh of relief and glancing at Miguel. He wasn't talking to you, and he wasn't looking at you. He was still with his back turned, his arms crossed and his head rested on one of his arms. Miguel then broke the silence.

"Are you ready to learn how to control your webs now?"  Miguel asked, his tone becoming more serious.

“I thought I just did?” I said out of breathe.

"You grabbed onto a window, that's all," Miguel said. "I've seen kids do better than that.  That's not controlling your webs.  That's just desperation."  His tone was a dismissive and sarcastic tone. Miguel then turned and faced you, a hint of annoyance in his voice. ”Do it again."  Miguel said. I mocked him.

Miguel just stared at you, unimpressed by your mocking tone. "Well?"  Miguel asked. He was expecting you to start practicing and trying to control your webs again.  However, it seemed the fall had taken the wind out of you. "What are you waiting for?"  Miguel asked with a slight scowl on his face.

“Waiting for my breathe to come back” I sighed laying on the concrete floor.

Miguel rolled his eyes, thinking you were just being lazy. "Well get a move on.  I'm not waiting all day for you to get your breath back."  Miguel said. He didn't sound very convinced by what you had to say.  His arms were still crossed and he didn't like that you were taking a break after what just happened.

-Skip 2 hours later-

The sun was starting to set, the sky gradually becoming darker. Miguel had been standing on the edge of the building roof for two hours, and he was clearly getting more annoyed as time went on.

Miguel then turned around to face you, sighing. "Alright?  You ready yet, or are you going to need another break?"  Miguel asked in a sarcastic tone. "At this rate, this entire night is going to go by and you still won't have gained control of your webs."  Miguel said with a groan.

“Okay okay fine I’ll do it.” I said confidently walking over to the edge then I looked down and we were back to square one.

Miguel rolled his eyes. "You're afraid of heights, aren't you?"  he asked. He had a smirk on his face as he asked you that. "You're too afraid to face your fear and learn how to control those webs of yours.  I thought you wanted to become a better Spider-Man.  I had expected more."Miguel shook his head, clearly annoyed by this point.

He kept telling me if I wasn’t going to face my fear then I would never be successful and on and on. At this point he was getting on my nerves.

He then got close to you, his face just inches away from yours. His voice became more demanding and he didn't try and hide his annoyance at this point. Miguel's eyes narrowed and he looked at you with what can be described as disgust."I'm telling you right now," Miguel started, his tone changing.  

"If you don't face your fear and control those webs you'll be nothing but a failure.  You'll just be a joke." Miguel paused for a moment. "You'll never live up to Peter Parker's legacy the way you're acting right now." “Oh yeah?!” I grew pissed.  “Yeah.” He repeated to start getting you mad so you could do it. 

Miguel smirked and looked away from you.  He was playing the psychological cards and he knew exactly what he was doing.  He wanted you to get more pissed off.  That way, you'd maybe prove him wrong and use that anger to control your webs.

He turned his gaze back on you, looking at you with a smirk. "You can prove me wrong, you know," Miguel said with a small laugh. "You can make me eat my words.  Is that what you want to do?  Or, are you just going to be a coward and let me win?" He scoffed and chuckled as he said that last line.  It was a cruel thing to say, and Miguel knew the effects it would have on you. Miguel had pushed your buttons, and he was playing you like a puppet.

I glared at him and then went for it.  You might have a chance at making it as a Spider-Man after all," Miguel said with a smirk.  He still had that mocking tone in his voice, but he had changed his expression from annoyance. "That's the way I like seeing you," He added. He looked away from you, but then glanced back after a few seconds. "Do it again."  Miguel said in a demanding tone.

“I swear if I fall imma…oh wait this is kinda easy” I said surprised. Miguel couldn't help but chuckle at your response.  You were still trying to be sarcastic, but it also felt like you were enjoying yourself. Miguel continued to watch, watching your progress unfold before his very eyes. 

"Keep going," he said. Miguel let out a grin in approval of what you had just said.  He had been pushing you to this point, and he was glad to see you were trying to control those webs of yours.

Few minutes later we were sitting on top of that same roof eating the McDonalds I begged Miguel for.

Miguel had a big smile on his face as he took a bite of his McDonald's burger.  His eyes were focused on you the entire time, just watching you closely. He was impressed that you had learned to control your webs. 

"You did it," he said in a genuine tone as he took another bite of his food. Miguel was no longer annoyed, nor was he mocking you.  Now, Miguel was just proud of what you accomplished.

"How does it feel?"  Miguel asked, a hint of admiration in his voice. 

“Awesome” I smiled 

He spoke again, “You know, if you want to be a good Spider-Man.” "You need to learn more than just web control and using your Spidey senses."Miguel looked at you as he spoke. "You need to learn how to fight.  There's more to being Spider-Man than shooting Webs at people."

“You gotta be kidding me man” I started to whine again.

 Oh boy here we go again…

[kharmii]

Seems you are vindicated about that Algerian boxer. Sorry, don’t know how to make it a link. Someone saw his medical records.

https://archive.ph/Drkws

This is another case of hard leftists using bullying tactics to screech that the sky is green, and grass is blue. It was obvious Imame Khelif was a man. Reasonable people said, "Hey! Show us the genetic testing proving he/she has XX chromosomes!"

Instead, -typical- we had the useful idiot leftwing causehead harpies descending upon us screeching, "How dare you! She's intersex! How dare you question a minority Muslim! You are obviously weirdos with no friends!"

When none of that worked, they had to move on to lawfare against such as JK Rowling and Elon Musk for daring to speak the truth. What nerve that person has to threaten lawsuits against people telling the truth, just to shut them up! Typical left-wing tactic worldwide. Anyway, the take-away from that link is that Imane Khelif's parents may have been blood relatives who produced an offspring with 5-alpha reductase deficiency, a disorder of sexual development that is only found in biological males. This is why The Kharmii doesn't support the incest irl, even if I think identical twins making out is hot. Anyway, here is the entire article under the cut, plus a Twitter link about the problem of inbreeding in Muslim culture:

Cousin marriages are common in Muslim culture because it's a way to keep women down. They get caught in isolated, closely knit families that are able to control every aspect of their lives. That's why it's always good to see new people.

Now the article from the Anon's link:

A shocking new development has emerged in the case of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif after a French journalist reportedly gained access to a damning medical report revealing Khelif has “testicles.” The news comes months after Khelif seized a gold medal in women’s boxing at the Paris Olympics.

The genetic abnormality influences the normal development of a child’s sexual organs. At birth, male babies impacted by 5-alpha are often incorrectly assigned female due to the presence of deformed genitalia that sometimes takes on the appearance of a “blind vaginal pouch.”

This disordered development typically becomes apparent by puberty, when 5-alpha adolescents begin to experience signs of masculinization such as muscle growth, hair growth, and an absence of breast tissue development or menstruation. Without access to a proper clinical examination, males with 5-alpha may incorrectly believe they are female into adulthood.

At the end of October, French journalist Djaffar Ait Aoudia obtained a copy of a thorough physical examination that was conducted on Khelif in order to verify the presence of a disorder of sexual development.

According to Aoudia, the clinical report reveals that an MRI determined that Khelif had no uterus, but instead had internal testicles and a “micropenis” resembling an enlarged clitoris. A chromosomal test further confirmed that Khelif has an XY karyotype, while a hormone test found that Khelif had a testosterone level typical of males. In the file, doctors also suggested that Khelif’s parents may have been blood relatives.

This report coincides with an earlier admission by Khelif’s coach, Georges Cazorla, that the Algerian boxer had been subjected to an assessment at the Kremlin-Bicêtre Hospital after being disqualified from women’s boxing by the International Boxing Association (IBA) in March of 2023.

In an interview from August, Cazorla tepidly conceded that the endocrinologists had determined there was a “problem with [Khelif’s] chromosomes” at the time. Despite this fact, Cazorla insisted that Khelif should still be allowed to compete against females.

Cazorla also stated that Khelif was placed on testosterone suppressants following the 2023 medical assessment. However, the International Olympic Committee has not submitted athletes to chromosomal testing since 1999 and, at the Paris Olympics, the only requirement to participate in women’s boxing was to have a female sex marker on legal documents.

Further confirmation of the boxers’ karyotype was given by Alan Abrahamson, an associate professor at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, who is a specialist in Olympic sports and member of the International Olympic Committee’s press committee. In an August statement, Abrahamson said that he had personally viewed the results of the hotly-contested chromosomal tests ordered by the IBA in 2022 and 2023 which “concluded the boxer’s DNA was that of a male consisting of XY chromosomes.”

The news of Khelif’s leaked medical report comes after he won gold at the Paris Olympics in the women’s 65kg category.

In collaboration with the Independent Council on Women’s Sport (ICONS), Reduxx was the first outlet to break the news of Khelif’s participation in women’s boxing at Paris, raising alarm bells due to his previous disqualification from women’s boxing by the IBA. The news sparked a firestorm of controversy, with the IBA coming out in opposition to the IOC’s decision to allow Khelif to fight women in Paris.

Speaking to Reduxx on this latest revelation, ICONS co-founder Marshi Smith slammed the IOC and the Algerian Olympic Committee for allowing Khelif to continue his journey to Paris gold despite being fully aware he was genetically male.

“The IOC and the Algerian Olympic Committee are complicit in endorsing male violence against women under the guise of public entertainment on the world’s largest sports stage,” Smith said. “They stood by as women were subjected to physical assault for spectacle, stripped of safety, fairness, and their lifetime achievements. All those involved must face swift and serious consequences.”

Smith adds that she believes Khelif should be stripped of his gold medal, but doubts any action will be taken to rectify the injustice.

“We urge leaders in sports and governments worldwide to condemn the IOC and demand a public commitment to ensuring fair and safe sports for women from this day forward. This must never be allowed to happen again.”

[valentinetypewriter]

The Lion And The Snake - Chapter One

Summary: the Black siblings and the Marauders hate each other, and nothing and no one will ever change that, well at least that's what they think

Main Masterlist // marauders era masterlist

Notes: I'm changing the Yule ball to be an annual thing and not a triwizard tournament thing. Also I'm not entirely fluent in French so I'll be using google translate, so I apologise if anything is incorrect. And lastly I'm adding in just a random oc that will become more important later on - let me know your guys thoughts on this fic in the comments

Warnings: bullying, fighting, mean Marauders, slytherin Sirius, badly translated French

Word count: 1,944

The problem with Gryffindors in general was that if you weren't in their house they didn't seem to think you were worth their time, they were all so self assured and confident in a sort of 'I'm better than everyone else' sort of way, and even the Slytherins got along with the other two houses better than Gryffindor. The worst of them though was the infamous Marauders, a trio of rowdy (and incredibly annoying) Gryffindors. James Potter, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin, everyone in school knew of them, even the ones who couldn't care less, though it was for all the worst reasons. The three were always pulling off cruel and idiotic pranks on other students, their preferred targets being pureblood slytherins. They were nothing more than over the top bullies who had no sense of boundaries, even within their own house.

Though the Marauders, and most gryffindors, often thought the problem was with Slytherin. They were after all the evil house, nothing more than obsessive purebloods who would marry a cousin before even thinking of marrying a half-blood, well that's what they thought of them anyway. Their favourite targets were a set of twins in 5th year, a year younger than them and quiet too, not many friends to talk to about being bullied either. Their targets were none other than Regulus Arcturus Black and Y/n Vulpecula Black, who tended to stick to themselves, which meant that the only friends they had were the friends of their older brother. Though Sirius nor his friends had any problem with the two kids hanging around them, especially if it meant they wouldn't be targeted by older Gryffindor students.

Unfortunately today was not a lucky day for the twins, as they were on their way to their Divination classroom a loud and obnoxious voice rang out from the end of the hallway "well if it isn't my favourite little twins" the two sped up before even looking behind them, the only thing they didn't account for was the much taller and intimidating boy who was waiting around the corner at the other end for them to approach. "What's the rush" large hands rested on their shoulders, the two stayed quiet glaring up at the boy. "Oh thanks for catching these two moony!" The short blond haired boy said with too much joy for someone so terrible. Regulus was the first to speak up "what the hell do you three want" his voice was harsh and clearly irritated "well little spitfire is that anyway to talk to upperclassmen, and to think we were going to be nice to you today" James slung his arms around them, squeezing himself uncomfortably close in-between the two kids "yeah sure, we totally believe that" the young boy bit back, shoving James's arm off himself. "You know what lads, I think we should teach these little punks how to respect their elders" Remus said, shoving the twins back around the corner. "You know moony I was thinking the exact same thing" Peter piped in, opening a closet door behind him. Of course James quickly caught on "wormtail, moony you two are genius" the brunette quickly shoved the two into the closet before casting a locking spell they wouldn't be learning until next year. The young girl was quick to bash on the door "let us out you dicks!" The tall scarred boy moved closer to the door "oh sorry little vixen, you two had your chance, we have to teach you some manners that your parents clearly aren't" she could hear the three boys laugh with each other before their voices faded out as they walked off. The young girl let off one last kick to the door before looking towards her brother "how are we supposed to get out?" She sounded defeated. Regulus was quick to move around the room, shoving things away to make space on a shelf. He grabbed a piece of parchment and his quill from his bag, he quickly wrote onto the paper before casting an enchantment on it and slid it under the door "I sent a letter to Sirius and I added a small map that'd lead him to us".

The twins sat down together, talking mindlessly about classes before ending up on the topic of who'd they take to the Yule ball "I don't think I'll actually go this time" the girls brother looked up at her "but Y/n you didn't go last year either" she just shrugged "I just don't have anyone to ask, and no one asked me last year, I doubt it'd be different" the boys shook his head "Evan seems to have taken a shine to you, I think he might ask you" Y/n let out a dry laugh "I highly doubt that Reggie, I'm sure he'd ask Barty before me" the boy was cut off before he could respond by the door slamming open. Outside stood their older brother, slightly out of breath and his curly hair a mess "are you two alright, they didn't hurt you did they, je vais les tuer" the two shook their heads "no we're fine Siri" y/n said, walking past her older brother to exit the closet "right well I'll get you two to class safely". The walk to their classroom was quick and Sirius was even quicker to try and walk off before being stopped by Regulus "oh and Sirius, try to not beat anyone up this time" he had a wolfish grin on his face that screamed trouble "I promise I won't personally lay a hand on them".

Divinations went by quickly, as did most of Y/n's classes, and lunch quickly came around. She was walking from charms class, one she happened to not share with her brother, to the great hall. On her way there she saw a few students running around her, all heading towards the courtyard, yelling about some kind of fight. At first Y/n thought it was just another duel between two students, that was until she got closer and heard the violent sounds of skin hitting skin. She pushed through the crowd hoping her worried thoughts wouldn't be true, unfortunately they were very true. Fighting in the middle of the courtyard stood none other than the Marauders fighting with Sirius and his Friends, Barty, Evan and another pureblood slytherin girl he was close with, Sabrina Sallow. Well it was more Sirius watching his friends beat up the Marauders then anything, he stood there, leant up against a tree with a bright grin on his face "you know I would give nothing more then to bash your heads in for what you three did, unfortunately though I made a promise not to lay a hand on any of you". Y/n could at least give him that, the thing about Sirius is that he always kept his word, he also always found a way around the things he'd promise. The fight was pretty brutal to Y/n, the fights she was used to were sanctioned duels, not something so muggle like. She had seen them all do horrible stuff that'd bruise or scar, they scratched and punched and pulled on hair, Y/n was even sure she had seen Barty bite Peter on the hand. It carried on for a bit longer until the terrifying voice of Professor McGonagall rang throughout the courtyard "what on earth are you all doing!" The six fighting students all pulled themselves up, a bit of shoving here and there "my office now, all seven of you" none of them made even a sound of disagreement as they trudged off to her office. As they walked off, Sirius saw Y/n in the sea of students, giving her a thumbs up before continuing on. "The rest of you clear out, I'm sure you all have much better things to do" once she left the students were quick to disperse, now there was no longer anything entertaining going on, a few lingered to continue their lunch outside. Y/n though went off to find her twin, to tell him about what she just witnessed.

Y/n was quick to find her brother, sitting in their usual spot under a large tree in a normally empty courtyard. The girl quickened her pace slightly at the sight of him, when she reached him she practically threw herself onto the bench "you will not believe what just happened" Regulus looked up from the book he was writing in "oh, did you find James snogging a boy again?" The girl rolled her eyes at her brother "no not this time, it was actually to do with Sirius" he closed his book, placing it back into his bag "was he the one snogging a boy" Y/n hit him on the arm slightly "will you stop talking about boys snogging each other, no I saw Sirius in a fight, a physical one, well sort of, it's was his friends actually, they were fighting those stupid Marauders and he was watching" his eyes grew wide "he did what, did he get hurt!" Y/n shook her head, smiling at her twins worry for their older brother "no he didn't get hurt, they all got into trouble though, with professor McGonagall" Regulus sighed "of course they did, I'm sure they will all be stuck in detention for months" he stood up pulling his book bag over his shoulder "do you want to go find Sirius and the others, we can either congratulate them for their stupid bravery…" he paused for a few seconds mulling over his options "or we could go reprimand them for getting in trouble" Y/n beamed up at the now standing boy "you know what, that sounds wonderful Reggie". She wrapped her hand around his arm, quickly pulling him in the direction of the Slytherin common room, hoping that Sirius would be there.

The twins arrived at the common room, their heads darting around the students inside before landing on the group they were hoping to find. They all sat by the large fireplace, and despite just getting in trouble they all held prideful looks on their faces as they talked about how many hits they got in. The two approached the group, sitting down on one of the open couches. "You know you're all unbelievably stupid right?". The four teens looked over at the younger students "yeah but we won though didn't we lads" barty said slightly shaking Evan who was sitting next to him, Sabrina and Evan were quick to agree. Sirius though just looked over at his siblings smiling "I couldn't just let them get away with what they did" they both smiled at him "We appreciate that Siri but you can't keep getting in trouble for us" it was obvious to both his siblings that Regulus was worried about Sirius, even if he would never admit that. "Well you look like you need to rest, that adrenalin will wear off soon and you three will be in a whole lot of pain". Barty, who was always over dramatic, threw himself over the twins "tell me doctor, will I live to see another day" his Scottish accent thick in his fake tone of sadness. Y/n lent down to make eye contact with the lanky teen "not if you keep biting people, you feral boy" he laughed as the girl shoved him off. "She's right though you lot should head to the medical wing, I'll make sure they get to class alright" Barty stayed laying on the sofa until Sabrina and Evan dragged him off

[auttumnmai]

I redesing Chloe

So Like you know that I did some redesing for mlb, for fun yk.(here's the link if you're curious : +

I have always wanted to do Chloe, but I knew that she need it a lot of work for my part. Like, from all the years of watching the show I found myself really like "liking" Chloe. We all love a mean girl.

I going to do give some thoughts about her desing an d why I landed on this one and comment a little bit of her writting as character.

small note: When I do this redesings I always thought about them like 16-17 ish years old, it just when I think of what I would have done with the story is them being just a lil bit older.

Desing

So for Chloe I had a few key words to go off. It girls( from the 80´s,60´s and the early 2000´s),very femenine, a lil bit of preppy and french girl. it was really dificult to balance all of this because I wanted to gave it a really iconic look but at the same time very effortless becuase of "nepo baby". Also I used "french girl" becuase I thought "she's the daughter of the most famous fashion editor of French, she would be an it girl just for the nepotism" So she should have a really unique style that breaths nepotism .

Also some time it can be similar to Mari's because of something that I'm gonna' explain later.

I'd made a pinterest board as usual for this. + (the link).

also I made some really bad explorations on options,like really fast to cutr down options.

For some reason gogo boots were like the shoe to go, like confier than a heel but it has a hell, also i despise flats shoes. Also I wanted to make her have like a supermodel fisique, becuase when I saw her mom I thought "it's like a fusion of Anna Wintour and Yolanda Hadid" so like yeah.

I also had to some skechtes of her face, not because I did not like her face,just becuase it did not translate as well to my style.

As you can see I even found a face for Zoe(unintencional) that looks like angelina Jolie for some reason. At the end my references are the ones on the bottom.

now for the writting

If it's not clear I do really belive that Chloe was like mistreated, because one thing is that you wanted to make her an antagonist and the other thing is what they did to her. Like keep her as a bad guy but do it with respect to the character and the work that has been done the character.

some notes about her .

-A thing that I do not remember being used in the show, the similarities between Mari and Chloe. Like literally sometime they have the same delusion and do stuff like without thinking of the concequences. Like it's simple Chloe can be a reminder of what happens if you loose the tracks and idk becomes to self absorb. And Mari is for Chloe like what she saws a "weak".

-Also a very important thing, I'd belive that Chloe should have a really meaningfull reason to bully Mari. Like it does not excuse her behavior but give it more flavor. Remeber Style Queen and Audrey acknowledeges Marinette for her talent. This is the moment. So Mari should represent all the things that Chloe was teach by her Mom to be "weak", "unusefull" ,so when she sees her mom be nicer to someone "meah" than her own daughter, she gets mad.

So I do have more notes, but I would enter to the territory of fanfiction (iamalredythere?), also If there' s any mistake in the writting, (which I know that there's) please be patience, english is not my first language and I'm def not used to write this long, at least not anymore.

have a nice day or time!

[rosyjuly]

I. After Esteban has sent the pictures to the groupchat Gina made months ago, they have to wait hours until she finally wakes up. Finally, Gina texts back a string of crying laughing emojis and then, Did you steal Mom’s hat?????, which is just plain rude. It makes Este laugh like a hyena, though, and he bullies Mick into FaceTiming her. Gina, soft faced in the early hours in Texas, laughs until she cries. 

II. “Did you bring anything that doesn’t match?” Lance asks in his usual drawl when he FaceTimes them. He’s half propped up. The scowl is visible even behind his sunglasses. 

“Man, it’s warm here, of course we’re wearing white–”

“Save it, Mick,” Lance says, probably rolling his eyes as he pops a grape into his mouth. “You look like you’re on a bloody honeymoon.” 

Este takes the phone from him, says, “Well, next time come with us, then, instead of bailing last minute–” 

“I wanted to spend time with my sister–”

“Who’s actually on her honeymoon–”

III. Este’s mother calls when they’re having lunch. Mick eats his grilled octopus, only half listening to the rapid French conversation. The table next to them is sharing a huge plate of calamari and fries. As he pushes away a piece of lettuce with his fork, Este is putting the phone down in the middle of the table, stuffing a huge bite of fish into his mouth. 

“Um, hi,” Mick says, swallowing his salad. 

“Mick, sweetie,” Esteban’s mom says, kind as always, “you really should get lunch with us in Austria.” 

Sorry, Este mouthes at him, still chewing his food. Mick only shakes his head with a smile; it’s not like spending time with them is a hardship. 

IV. They’re out on the sea when Pierre texts. Mick’s sitting on the edge of the boat, taking pictures when Esteban folds himself down next to him, phone clutched in his hand. It’s a voice message, because of course it is. 

“A joint Instagram post,” Pierre is saying, grin evident in his voice. “Este, man, I can’t believe you’d do this to me. Yuki is going to kill me, are you kidding me?” 

They call him once they’ve stopped laughing. Pierre picks it up after the first ring; he’s in the gym, doing his warm up. 

“Well, it’s not my fault that you’re too lazy,” Este says in lieu of a greeting. Pierre laughs and tells him to fuck off. “Plan a little trip, Pierre, it’s not that difficult–”

“Sure, sure. Mick, can we use your boat?” 

“What part of don’t be lazy did you not get?” Mick asks mildly, lifting his camera to take a picture of their feet, the blue of the sea glimmering beneath it. 

“I hate both of you,” Pierre says, and then hangs up. A minute later he sends a selfie where he's flipping them off. 

V. He rings Seb from the balcony once he and Este retreat to their own rooms. It feels a little ridiculous, given that Este clapped him on the shoulder and said he will go call his girlfriend, but– it’s fine. It’s just a call. Sebastian might be busy anyway. 

He’s not. Mick makes him tell all about his new sailing team, the lessons he’s started to take. Some of Sebastian’s stories sound like straight out of a show he’d normally scoff at in disbelief, and yet he can’t be surprised that Seb got invited to attend at a brain surgery. There’s just something magnetic about him. 

When Sebastian asks how he’s doing, he tells Seb about the little getaway they’re on, about the vintage drive, the jet skiing. 

“Send me some pics,” Seb says. 

Of course he hasn’t seen the ones Este posted already. Mick puts him on speaker – they don’t really do video, he’s not sure why – and sends a few in their Whatsapp thread. He hasn’t imported the photos from his camera yet, so these will have to do. Seb likes them just fine, anyhow, asking follow up questions that make Mick feel all warm in the stomach, until he gets to the last pic. 

“Oh,” Seb says, clearing his throat. “I–. You two look very, ah, cute.” 

Mick frowns. The photo is– well, it’s cute, probably? It’s just a selfie of Este and him out on the balcony after dinner, the sea stretching out endlessly behind them. But Sebastian sounds– weird. 

“Thanks,” he says with a chuckle. “It’s nice here. We both needed to get away from everything, I guess.”

“Yeah,” Seb says. “I bet.” There’s a small pause. It’s definitely weird now, like Sebastian is fighting hard not to say something. But this isn’t a drivers’ meeting where he needs to stay quiet; it’s just the two of them. Then Seb finally says, very quickly, “Well, I’m happy you’re happy.”

“I, um– Thank you?” Mick blinks at the sudden change of topic. “I guess it’s coming along, you know, with the talks Sabine and I have been having–” 

“No, yeah, that– that too, of course, but–” Sebastian clears his throat again. “I meant, just, you know– with Esteban.” 

“With Este– you mean–?”

“Well, he’s a nice young man, and– well, I guess I knew you were close but– anyway. So. Any plans for the rest of your– trip?” 

“We’re still trying to convince Lance to come down tomorrow,” Mick says, finally catching up with the implications, “since this was supposed to be a boy’s trip, you know, with him and Jack, actually…”

“Oh! Ohh,” Sebastian says. There’s something different in his voice. It sounds lighter, maybe. “So it’s not– you’re not–?” 

“I– no. No, God. It’s like I’m on holiday with Gina, except we don’t have to fight over who sits where in the car,” Mick says, and then Seb’s finally laughing, and something sags in his chest in something akin to hope. He’ll ask Seb to come to Austria, maybe, or go see him after Silverstone, and maybe he could ask, this time, for real.

[mask131]

The evolution of Wednesday Addams (3)

And now we reach the iconic Wednesday Addams, the one that everybody knows and the love, the one that actually supplanted earlier incarnations in people’s minds: the 90s Wednesday, the Christina Ricci Wednesday. 

The main difference between this incarnation and the previous one is that the cheerfulness and the innocence of the “childish” Wednesday is gone. Despite being eleven years old in the first movie, Wednesday is here reimagined as a bitter, cold and cynic little girl who is always serious under all circumstances (and when she gets 13 in the Addams Family Values, it gets worse). In fact, it is quite interesting to see that while everybody remembers Wednesday as a “stoic, ruthless, clinical child who never raises their voice”, there is actually a difference between Wednesday’s behavior in the two movies. In the first movie, while she had a gloom, grim and unusually adult look at everything, she actually still showed childhood and “girlish” behaviours from time to time (she still carried her headless doll around and slept with her - a nod to Marie-Antoinette from the 60s ; she softened a lot as she struck a new friendship with Uncle Fester ; and we even actually hear her LAUGH! Yes laugh, as she stands outside with Pugsley, holding an antenna during a thunderstorm). But by the sequel, The Addams Family Values, the hardness, sarcastic and emotionless nature of Wednesday was exaggerated to the point she actually cannot even smile - it is not a natural thing for her to do. But again, given in the sequel she is a teenager, not a kid anymore, it might explain why she looks even sterner and joyless. 

Due to the more violent and darker nature of the movies, Wednesday also gets augmented with a use dose of sadism and brutality. In particular due to us now seeing the deadly “games” the two Addams children try to “play” with each other, a sort of brutal competition to kill or harm each other - and unlike in the original cartoons, here Wednesday gets the upper hand! She ties Pugsley up with an apple in his mouth to practice her arrow-shooting, she convinces him to be strapped to an electric chair - we have a true inversion of the original dynamic where Pugsley was more of the “big brother bully” to the “little sister victim” Wednesday. But just like in the original cartoons, the two seem to maintain a good relationship nonetheless (in fact Pugsley does get the upper hand on Wednesday at one point in the first movie), and the minute a new child arrives in the family (Pubert), Wednesday focuses all her destructive efforts on him rather than Pugsley, who just becomes her accomplice and sidekick. In fact, Wednesday is the “leading” child of the Addams, truly assuming a position of “big sister” not only by being the more intelligent and pragmatic one, and treating Pugsley like a younger child, but also by clearly being the origin of all the “games” and “ideas” - for example she is the one who convinces Pugsley Pubert needs to die due to an old tradition.

 Even though it should be noted that, even in her attempts at killing Pubert, Wednesday still wishes to make it a “game”. Her throwing the baby out of the tower becomes an experience to see if he will bounce back unlike a canon-ball, and her attempt at beheading him becomes basically a doll-reconstitution of the French Revolution. This ties with another recurring aspect of her character also illustrated here: her fascination for the macabre. She is explained to study the Bermuda Triangle and its mysteries ; her personal hero is her great-aunt Calpurnia who was a witch condemned to die at the stake ; and when she has to put on a play for a talent show at her school it is a true blood-shower...

Wednesday, throughout the course of the two movies, is... a really ambiguous and ambivalent character. For example on one side she is shown to be asocial and antipathic towards “regular” children (well by regular understand the “cute, sugary sweet traditional 90s American kid”), but on the other she has enough understanding of the psychology and nature of the privileged, vain, bratty girls of camp Chippewa to craft a ghost story specifically design to scare them. She personally wishes to destroy her little brother Pubert, much to the dislike of her parents, BUT she doesn’t stand it when Debby calls it a brat and shows yet a protective side of her towards outsiders. And while she sometimes sports the moral high ground (most notable: the Camp Chippewa play, that she hijacked to denounce the historical inaccuracy, blatant racism and historical/social injustice carried on by such works), other times she just seems like a true little sociopath (most notable, from the same movie as the earlier example: she is an animal abuser that buried a cat alive to “play funerals”). 

Hell, this ambivalence and ambiguity between a “heroic” Wednesday and a “monstrous” Wednesday is even furthered by a forced rewrite in the Addams Family Values: it was planned originally for Wednesday, during her attack on Camp Chippewa, to actually REALLY kill people: Amanda was supposed to really be burned at the stake. But due to the producers insisting (if my memory recalls well), a scene showing her still alive in a plane was added later - which by extend seems to “soften” Wednesday character, when originally she was planned to be a full-blown killer child. 

Speaking of ambiguities the second movie introduces another one due to her relationship with Joel Glicker. At Camp Chippewa she meets this introvert, nerdy, awkward boy that doesn’t fit with the rest of the camp, clearly has a crush on her, and seems to share some of the Addams morbid tendencies (from a dislike of Disney movies to a passion for a serial killer trading-card game). As they get “partner in crimes” to survive and escape the camp, a sort of budding romance seems to bloom between the two, ranging from Wednesday inviting Joel to her uncle’s wedding, to them finally sharing a kiss. However at the end of the movie a very bizarre scene plays out... As the two kids stroll in the graveyard, they speak of the future, and Wednesday expresses her disinterest for wedding and children, and how she would pity any man who wishes to be her eternal slave. As they stop by Debby’s grave, she points out how “sloppy” she was and pretends she would have been a better husband-killer than her. And as Joel asks her how, she explains she would kill her husband in the most efficient way... for example by scaring him to death. And quickly a hand grabs out Joel from Debby’s grave, prompting him to scream in panic, and as he howls in terror Wednesday just looks, smiling. 

This scene still leads to a lot of debates... It is clear that Wednesday planned it all - because a constant of the movie is that Wednesday is a cunning long-time planner. She pulled a massive infiltration job on Camp Chippewa by pretending to be one of them ; and earlier in the first Addams Family movie she was here to bury the bodies of the villains - doesn’t matter if they were alive or not, graves were already prepared for them. And the question at the end of the sequel would be: did Wednesday intend (or managed) to actually kill Joel? Already when someone mistook her for being at the age where a girl “only thinks about boys”, she corrected “homicide”. As a result did she really felt love for Joel, or was she actually in love with the idea of finding a perfect homicide victim? We know that one of the reasons she got closer and more interested in Joel is notably because of all the serious sicknesses and allergies he had, some fully lethal (which are apparently a turn-on for Wednesday). 

And even if we look into the original script for the movie we don’t have any clear solution at the Joel problem. Because on one side the script clearly shows that Wednesday is actually sensible and affected by Joel - most notably the script highlights that when he gives her Amanda’s retainer before leaving the camp, she is “very touched” which promptly leads to their kissing. But the reason why the script truly can’t solve the Joel mystery... IS BECAUSE THIS SCENE DOESN’T EXIST IN THE SCRIPT! The scene of Wednesday frightening Joel is not in the script, which just ends with everyone celebrating Pubert’s birthday. The same way Wednesday was supposed to kill Amanda, Joel was apparently supposed to become the official boyfriend of Wednesday - but somehow during the production those two things got reversed.

Another slight change in design for Wednesday, that becomes more apparant as we go further and further into the movies, is how she is a bit more... “girlish” in appearance. Not only due to her black dress actually getting patterns - even a floral pattern! But also due to her being seen wearing nail-polish, preferably red like her mother’s. 

[ratsoh-writes]

Kovu smiled innocently "Oh please, you only have one son~" he bend down to his fathers level to tease him.

Lucy wathed Mutt play with the dogs. "Do you wanna see the goats? or the chickens? We got babies too"

King was yappin up with Helios, telling him that he was looking for a new roomie since his old one moved in with their partner.

Mavi was done grilling some food when Kovu came back with Wine in a star wars shirt. She snorted, grinning at the view.

Kovu called everyone over to take their seats and dig into the foods. Grill of every kind, vegan options too.

Wisp was going around bring people bottles of juices. Dove helped out as well.

Mavi glared at him, Nirjara snorted. "Are you getting married finally or what's all the jazz about?"

"Oh nah, we found a fifth ki-"

Mavi yelled, and their friends joined her

"IM JOKING" Kovu snarled

"FUCK YOU, YOU SLUT" Nirjara and Mavi yelled in unsion

Kovu sipped his drink, grinning

"Oh, and btw, we already married-" This fucker. Aimeé and Dove threw flowers around while Lucy and Wisp were holding little cameras, recording the entire thing while giggling.

kovu placed his glass down "Now if you'll excuse me. I choose life. " He dipped. Good, Mavi was hot on his heels. She was yelling in French. It definitely were profanities.

Jaws leaned to Pluto and his little group. "Ten bucks says She catches him. " King listened in, Nirjara spoke up,"20 on wine catching him first"

@the1920sisntaphasemom @under-art-reblogs @genius-shelly @a-very-tired-raven

Wine: AND I CAN ALWAYS GET A REPLACEMENT ONE~

After some more sassing wine finally leaves to go bully lord and bring mutt back to the group

————

Mutt: heh, sure, but lemme tell m’ brother.. or y’ dad. They should know where you are.

Aka he shouldn’t be alone with strangers kids

But that doesn’t matter cause wine and lord are there to drag them back to the festivities

——————

Helios: OH IM ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR A ROOMATE TOO. WHATS THE RENT LIKE AT YOUR PLACE?

Connections!

————

Hearing the yelling every one turns in kovu mavi and nirjara’s direction.

Kovu: oh and btw were already married~

Artemis who had been listening in flashes every one her hand showing off a shiny gold wedding ring that absolutely wasn’t there a second ago. Aimé and dove throw flowers around her and her previously green dress turns white as the spell on it fades. Kovus more casual outfit doesn’t change though

Helios: *screaming* YOU F*CKING WHAT?????

Helios is right with mavi now chasing kovu like his life depended on it. He’s so mad he forgot to summon his flames.

Wine gives a chilling grin as the glass in his hand crunches and crumbles into dust.

Mal cheers on Mavi and Helios while lord groans and puts his face in his hands.

Mutt and slim just look bored as cash is cackling recording the show with Lucy and wisp.

Coffee meanwhile is suspiciously gone too. F*cker helped organize ruining wines shirt so he also dipped

Pluto: 20 G-G on Helios remembering his flames a-and catching up~

[whyismangososour]

okay so after re-watching across the spiderverse for the third time (yes I have a problem shut up) I basically BOOKED it to the theater that was playing the miraculous movie and although I can barely understand a word of french the animation was expressive enough for me to still have some thoughts though I’m sure they are limited without proper access to the dialogue (so keep that in mind if you care about spoilers lol) anyway I need a place to put all this so here we go (in no particular order):

- I completely forgot this was a musical until the first song played and so did everyone else in the theater based off their groans of indignation

- basically every time they started singing the whole theater groaned very loudly and it almost got annoying but that could be cause I can’t judge the songs properly yet as I literally don’t understand them

- they also groaned and laughed a lot whenever adrien was getting emotional which????? made me annoyed because he’s one of the few boys in popular media who is shown to be soft and emotional as a strength and honestly the movie just turned it around and played it for jokes and it lowkey pissed me off

- they played careless whisper twice during scenes where adrien is simping too hard and a lot of people found it funny but I thought it was weird and uncomfortable but maybe that’s just me

- oh and about the songs whoever the singer is for Marinette does NOT sound like the regular speaking voice actor and it sticks out like a sore thumb

- again this could be because I’m missing out on the dialogue but I fear some people on tumblr were right when predicting this interpretation of Marinette :/ her only personality traits are being clumsy, being anxious, being bullied, being friendless, basically being like Bella Swan which no disrespect to Twilight fans but I MISSED my Marinette :( the thing I love most about her is how absolutely batshit insane she is and how good of a leader she is and how even the things this movie portrays are almost coded like ADHD and an actual anxiety disorder in the show not just an “uwu sad I’m not like other girls” trait

- also while I’m complaining I’m so sad they didn’t delve more into some of the side characters from the show like I would’ve loved for the movie to focus on the OG team of Carapace, Rena Rouge, Queen Bee with the main two or even just if it has a side plot with Luka or something it would’ve been nice but I also kinda get it because a movie has significant less time than a show to go into stuff like that

- also Alya and Nino’s relationship was so botched too because Nino is like a blubbering mess around her which??? the whole point of their relationship is how Nino realizes he likes and then loves Alya because he DOESN’T stutter around her like he did when he had a crush on Marinette and it’s supposed to provide this parallel to Marinette to show how being in a relationship can be steady and calm but whatever I guess we don’t care about any of the side characters now

- anyway Tikki raps at one point and for that alone I think Jeremy Zag should be arrested

- GABRIEL HAD LONG HAIR WHEN HE WAS YOUNG AND HE LOOKS SO STUPIDLGJF

- someone on Letterboxd called Adrien a wattpad bad boy again idk if that’s true cause I didn’t understand the dialogue but pls keep it in mind as you watch it

- a lot of people are praising the animation and on the one hand I think it’s earned because oh my god the action scenes are BEAUTIFUL but on the other hand the characters sometimes have this weird flat, lifeless vibe to them like a character from an illumination movie and idk it was weird

- granted the flat lifeless vibe could’ve been from the weird editing there was such a lack of establishing shots for so many scenes it made me disoriented about where a character was or what they were doing

- also the director refuses in every scene with Marinette and Alya talking to frame them in any interesting environments or angles ever it’s always the same flat and boring shot where they face the front like a sit com character

- anyway the third act was the best because it’s basically all actions scenes and it looks fucking fantastic 😌

- THE AKUMAS WERE SO GREAT I LOVED SEEING THEM EVERUTIME THEY WERE ON SCREEN AHHHHHFH

- even Gabriel looked less ugly in his Hawkmoth mask believe it or not

- I think there’s a chance ladynoir stans might have a good time with this cause there’s a lot of scenes with that dynamic even if it is offset by musical numbers

- sometimes the animation for musical numbers was very very or pretty and sometimes it felt pretty corny which

- made me think that this could’ve been a better 2D animated film since they’re clearly trying to pull a Disney 2.0 Electric Boogaloo with this film (but I might be biased since I had just watched across the spiderverse for the third time like 3 minutes before watching this)

- but they never delved into any of the world building like ever :/ like they never really show anything about how the powers work so nothing is ever established and they don’t even show all the powers!!!! Marinette doesn’t even use her lucky charms once!!!!! wtf dude

- when Marinette meets Adrien for the first two seconds it’s cute but quickly I got annoyed because they didn’t have her start off disliking him because she thinks he’s like Chloe like they did in the show and I feel like that’s such an important part of their relationship that they just completely ignored

- sorry adrienette stans most of their scenes are just lumped together in a montage lmao

- rip stans for other sides of the lovesquare they don’t get any screen time I’m sorry y’all

-although the end scene being presumedly a school dance is dumb and cliche and way too American for a French movie I did love Marinette’s dress I think it’s very beautiful (though buggachat’s ballgown in beau is still my favorite)

- I swear to god I think the animators made a reference to the joker dancing on stairs scene in one of gabriel’s musical numbers but I could’ve imagined it it was so quick

- also the ending felt very weird maybe I’m too used to fandom interpretations where Gabriel and Adrien being revealed to each other is super angsty lmao but it really did feel too happy of an ending like I genuinely don’t know if this is realistic for the characters

- or maybe it is but it’s just realistic for worse versions of the characters !!! because although this could be cause I missed all the dialogue but I swear gabriel doesn’t come off as abusive as he is in the show he just kinda gives off the vibe of a regular bad father which is super lame because that’s another part of the show that I think is super interesting

- also I swear to god I think the themes of emotional maturity and processing your emotions in general are just??? not there???? I’ll have to update y’all after I watch it in English but I swear???????????

- this really does just feel like a miraculous version of the mario movie it’s like all the life of the original is sucked out of it and is replaced by hollow references and an implication that the audience already understands everything because they watched the show so the filmmakers don’t have to explain anything which??? bad film makers bad *sprays with a water bottle*

- and listen I get that it’s an adaptation and it’s not possible for it to include EVERYTHING from the show but I was at least hoping for the same heart and/or a different take on the concept but that’s not what this felt like it felt too cheap and corporate and american (derogatory) to even really try

anyway those are just my thoughts and opinions and I am very open to all of them changing once I watch this in a language I actually fully understand but until then WATCH ACROSS THE SPIDERVERSE (unless you have light sensitivity issues then pls don't cause I don't want you to die ily) ok I’m gonna go shower now bye

[mariana-oconnor]

The Naval Treaty pt 2

Here we are, back again. Last time we learnt about Watson's previous life as a school bully and I took an instant and entirely unsupported-by-the-text dislike to a man named Joseph Harrison because he was described as being nice.

This is also a problem I sometimes have in real life, btw. I am suspicious of people who seem too outwardly open and friendly. My brain assumes that they are hiding something. Maybe my soul is broken.

I'm still convinced he's a secret puppy-murdering villain, though.

"I was a happy and successful man, Mr. Holmes, and on the eve of being married, when a sudden and dreadful misfortune wrecked all my prospects in life."

Look, look, look. If there's one thing these stories have told me it's that in Sherlock Holmes world the time just before you're married is the most dangerous time in your life. Evil parents, lost loves, evil exes and all sorts of foul fiends crawl out of the woodwork of your past and try to drag you down. Engaged people should have constant bodyguards in this world.

"They should not leave my bureau were it not that it is absolutely necessary to have them copied."

I'm feeling like I'm about to have a bit of a rant about opsec and how to protect confidential documents. Percy, if you take this treaty offsite, we're gonna be having words.

“Excuse me an instant,” said Holmes. “Were you alone during this conversation?”

Exactly what I was thinking. Did you take proper precautions before talking about the secret documents that you were going to be moving from their secure location? Was anyone listening at a keyhole?

“My uncle's voice is always remarkably low. I hardly spoke at all.”

His uncle whispers constantly. Is that because he feels like true authority never shouts? Or does he have some sort of a condition? Does he just smoke so much that now he constantly has a rasp?

"One of them in my room, Charles Gorot, had some arrears of work to make up, so I left him there and went out to dine."

You mean he's working on these top secret documents and locking them up in a shared office space. But the other people sharing his office do not have the clearance to work with them? And he just... left the building? With someone else right there?

Nope. Nuhuh. If they're as important and secret as indicated, could he not have a private office for the duration. You said he's working on these after hours, so you could totally lock him in a separate room with a guard on the door (it's a fire hazard, but it's the Victorian Era, so I don't think they cared). Are there no free rooms available in this building at all? Have you never had this situation come up before?

Also, those desk drawer locks are not very secure.

“When I came to examine the treaty I saw at once that it was of such importance that my uncle had been guilty of no exaggeration in what he had said. Without going into details, I may say that it defined the position of Great Britain towards the Triple Alliance, and fore-shadowed the policy which this country would pursue in the event of the French fleet gaining a complete ascendancy over that of Italy in the Mediterranean."

Percy. That's too much detail. No. You don't talk about it. You don't talk about it. Oh my god. You are bad at this. If it's so secret that no one in your office was supposed to know about it's existence in that office, then it's way too secret for you to just go about telling these two guys who just rolled up - one of whom used to beat you with wicket stumps - anything about its contents.

Percy... please...

(image from Wikipedia)

“It was a long document, written in the French language, and containing twenty-six separate articles. I copied as quickly as I could, but at nine o'clock I had only done nine articles, and it seemed hopeless for me to attempt to catch my train."

There is a theme in these stories of people being set tasks to copy out documents that are too long for the copying time allotted. Did ACD have a job as a copyist at some point. This feels like some shade coming from personal experience to me.

A quick glance at his biography doesn't give me any indication of that, but does reference his school being run on 'medieval principles' and I can well imagine that one of the things they were forced to do was copying. But that is only my imagination.

Also, I can empathise so much with Percy here. The 'oh god, I'm going to miss my train and be stuck here if I don't finish this work soon' feeling is real and valid and very upsetting.

"I was feeling drowsy and stupid, partly from my dinner and also from the effects of a long day's work. A cup of coffee would clear my brain."

Accent on the stupid, I fear. Are you about to leave this top secret document on your desk while you go looking for your caffeine fix. Say it ain't so.

"I rang the bell, therefore, to summon him."

I stand corrected. And wow - personal delivery service of hot beverages at the office. How times have changed!

Although, since I now work from home I do get biscuits delivered to my desk every day, so I can't really complain.

“To my surprise, it was a woman who answered the summons, a large, coarse-faced, elderly woman, in an apron. She explained that she was the commissionaire's wife, who did the charing, and I gave her the order for the coffee."

OK, problem number 1 - your own colleagues weren't high enough clearance to be in the room when you're copying this, but the commissionaire is?

Problem number 2 - you don't recognise this lady. She says she's the commissionaire's wife, but do you know that. And even if you do know that, does she have clearance for this document?

ALSO - 'large' and 'coarse-faced' given the time period, this could well be indicative that this is a man disguised as a woman.

“I wrote two more articles and then, feeling more drowsy than ever, I rose and walked up and down the room to stretch my legs. My coffee had not yet come, and I wondered what was the cause of the delay could be."

Oh Percy.

Oh Percy you didn't.

You went and left it sitting on the goddamn desk didn't you?

Clean. Desk. Policy. NEVER LEAVE ANY DOCUMENTS ON YOUR DESK WHEN YOU ARE NOT AT IT. This is basic security protocol if you work with sensitive material, Percy. It's not difficult. This isn't something you do every day so you don't even have the excuse of just forgetting this one time. This is a specific document that you have clearly been told is not to be removed from its locked drawer except in exceptional circumstances. And you're wandering around the halls and leaving it just lying there. After having spoken to a woman you don't know with it right in front of her.

Oooh, we get a map. I love maps.

I thought for a minute the map was going to prove that there was only one corridor between his room and the commissionaire's office, meaning that if anyone went past, he'd see them, making him leaving the document on the desk almost acceptable. But no. There's a second corridor off. The man is a muppet.

Please have this image of an infinitely better Percy to tide you over:

"Then I put out my hand and was about to shake the man, who was still sleeping soundly, when a bell over his head rang loudly, and he woke with a start."

First instinct is that he was drugged.

But the commissionaire seems to know about the coffee... which he wouldnt' if the woman hadn't told him about it. So was she his wife? Was I off track with that? Or is she telling different lies to both parties?

“‘If you was here, sir, then who rang the bell?’ he asked.

GHOSTS!

I mean, no, but once again we have a horror movie sort of line.

“A cold hand seemed to close round my heart. Some one, then, was in that room where my precious treaty lay upon the table. I ran frantically up the stair and along the passage. There was no one in the corridors, Mr. Holmes. There was no one in the room. All was exactly as I left it, save only that the papers which had been committed to my care had been taken from the desk on which they lay. The copy was there, and the original was gone.”

I know I say this a lot but: Oh no! Who could ever have foreseen that this would happen? What a totally unpreventable occurrence! Clearly nothing could have been done to stop this. Fate is so cruel.

So nice of them to leave the unfinished copy, though.

“I recognized in an instant that the thief must have come up the stairs from the side door. Of course I must have met him if he had come the other way.”

Wow, look at that braincell chugging along. If only you had thought of this before.

"It was quarter to ten.” “That is of enormous importance,” said Holmes, making a note upon his shirt-cuff.

Obviously.

I feel like this might be because of train times. We had that comment before about Percy being afraid he'd miss his train, and now the time is important. Train timetables are where my brain automatically went to. Quick! To the Bradshaw's!

“‘Ah, that is only my wife,’ cried the commissionaire; ‘has no one else passed?’"

So either the wife is involved, or his wife is currently being impersonated. Which is a difficult task to pull off to the person's spouse, so I'm inclined to believe that his wife is just tall and coarse-faced and in league with Joseph Harrison (Stop looking at me like that! He'll be involved somehow. 'How could he possibly have known about Percy copying the treaty?' you ask. I don't know, there are two more parts of this story left. That guy's bad news. I feel it.)

“But I was not satisfied, and the attempts which he made to draw me away increased my suspicions. “‘Which way did the woman go?’ I cried. “‘I don't know, sir. I noticed her pass, but I had no special reason for watching her. She seemed to be in a hurry.’"

Like she was smuggling stolen documents???

Also, Percy is engaging his brain here. It might not be the right solution, but at least he isn't just blindly trusting that the commissionaire's wife is fine. She saw the document, he hasn't seen her since, she left after the document was stolen.

“‘You're only wasting your time, sir, and every minute now is of importance,’ cried the commissionaire; ‘take my word for it that my old woman has nothing to do with it, and come down to the other end of the street."

OK, commissionaire's also sus. We do not trust him. Maybe he isn't married at all. Maybe he's just been paid off by Joseph Harrison who is posing as his wife with a paisley scarf.

Still doesn't solve the question of how Harrison would know about the document. Unless the commissionaire was paid to tip him off about anything weird going on so he could capitalise on it. Possible.

It also doesn't explain the bell.

Why the bell? Why summon them back to the room when you're about to make your escape? I can't think of a reason for that to be a good idea. Although we only have the commissionaire's word it was the bell in Percy's office. Could have been any bell. But even then, why did they need him to find the documents gone right then and there?

Always possible someone was standing behind the door when they came in and in his panic Percy just didn't think to look around at that point. Classic locked room mystery trick, although this time there wasn't even a locked room.

“‘16 Ivy Lane, Brixton,’ he answered. ‘But don't let yourself be drawn away upon a false scent, Mr. Phelps. Come to the other end of the street and let us see if we can hear of anything.’"

This is a reasonable line for the commissionaire to take if the lady is his wife, but at the same time, there's something about the way in which it is phrased that still fills me with suspicion. 'don't let yourself be drawn away upon a false scent' is so very odd a way to say it. You'd expect more protesting his wife's innocence. The values of her character that mean she would never. This reads like someone who is very intent that Percy should indeed be drawn away upon a false scent, just the one he's dangling in front of him.

“Nothing was to be lost by following his advice."

Nooooo. Percy. You should have kept going. Believe in yourself. Sure, up to this point you've been pretty rubbish at this whole spy thing, but these were good instincts.

“How is it, then, that the woman who came into the room about nine left no traces with her muddy boots?” “I am glad you raised the point. It occurred to me at the time. The charwomen are in the habit of taking off their boots at the commissionaire's office, and putting on list slippers.”

This did not occur to me, but cool little bit of evidence, and nice to see Percy using his brain again. The man clearly used wisdom as a dump stat, but his intelligence is pretty high.

“We examined the room also. There is no possibility of a secret door, and the windows are quite thirty feet from the ground. Both of them were fastened on the inside. The carpet prevents any possibility of a trap-door, and the ceiling is of the ordinary whitewashed kind. I will pledge my life that whoever stole my papers could only have come through the door.”

Our options are these: it was the wife, or it was a third person who hid behind the door when you came into the room and then escaped while you were busy chasing after the thief you assumed had already left. The ringing of the bell makes no sense in either of these cases because it would be easier to just walk out without attracting attention back to where you are. it's not like they needed you to unlock the door. Why did the bell ring? Was it an accident?

“They use none. There is a stove. The bell-rope hangs from the wire just to the right of my desk. Whoever rang it must have come right up to the desk to do it. But why should any criminal wish to ring the bell? It is a most insoluble mystery.”

Precisely! I'm sure it's not insoluble, but as the case stands currently, I cannot make it make sense unless it was a mistake. But pulling a bell by accident is a strange sort of accident to have.

A young woman opened the door, who proved to be Mrs. Tangey's eldest daughter. Her mother had not come back yet, and we were shown into the front room to wait. “About ten minutes later a knock came at the door, and here we made the one serious mistake for which I blame myself. Instead of opening the door ourselves, we allowed the girl to do so. We heard her say, ‘Mother, there are two men in the house waiting to see you,’"

That's your serious mistake?

I mean, yeah, it's bad, but I think that is just the most recent in a series.

OK, so either the commissionaire has a wife OR the young woman is also caught up in this affair. It's becoming more convoluted to believe the commissionaire is involved, but if he isn't involved then are we to assume that old woman number 1 was indeed his wife and old woman 2 was an imposter. Or are they both his wife and he just doesn't know she's involved. He is sus, but his involvement makes everything more complicated and to occam's razor the thing, one thief is more likely than a conspiracy.

“Then for the first time the horror of my situation came in its full force. Hitherto I had been acting, and action had numbed thought. I had been so confident of regaining the treaty at once that I had not dared to think of what would be the consequence if I failed to do so."

Percy isn't very good at thinking ahead, apparently.

"It was horrible. Watson there would tell you that I was a nervous, sensitive boy at school."

Maybe that was because people beat you with sticks.

"What though I was the victim of an extraordinary accident? No allowance is made for accidents where diplomatic interests are at stake."

Uh, my dude. This wasn't an accident. This was negligence. You should totally be fired for this. Sorry.

"Here I have lain, Mr. Holmes, for over nine weeks, unconscious, and raving with brain-fever.[...]Slowly my reason has cleared, but it is only during the last three days that my memory has quite returned."

90% that the motive was not political because after 9 weeks there's no way a political threat hasn't already taken the papers and used them. No way of resolving that. But these stories often end with 'well, we can't get the bad guy', so maybe not. But I can't see them doing that in a case of national security because they tend to be fairly patriotic. It has to be somewhere close for there to be any chance of recovering the treaty.

"If you fail me, then my honor as well as my position are forever forfeited.”

You should already have lost your position. The only reason for you keeping it right now is nepotism. You were given a top secret document. You, through negligence, allowed it to be stolen. That's not even a vaguely unreasonable dismissal.

“There is one of the very utmost importance, however. Did you tell any one that you had this special task to perform?”

This is the one sticking point for my Joseph Harrison blame party. How would he have known? Unless he didn't know how important the document was, but then what's even the point?

"The authorities are excellent at amassing facts, though they do not always use them to advantage. What a lovely thing a rose is!”

Holy non sequitur, Batman!

“There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in religion,” said he, leaning with his back against the shutters. “It can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers.”

O...kay... Objection: relevance?

“You suspect some one?” “I suspect myself.” “What!” “Of coming to conclusions too rapidly.”

Not helpful, Holmes.

“Then go to London and test your conclusions.” “Your advice is very excellent, Miss Harrison,” said Holmes, rising. “I think, Watson, we cannot do better. Do not allow yourself to indulge in false hopes, Mr. Phelps. The affair is a very tangled one.”

Oof, Miss Harrison is very direct. I like that. I hope she isn't involved, but I can't currently see a motive for her. 'Stop talking about roses and go do your job.' Heh.

“He was cold, but not harsh. I dare say my severe illness prevented him from being that. He repeated that the matter was of the utmost importance, and added that no steps would be taken about my future—by which he means, of course, my dismissal—until my health was restored and I had an opportunity of repairing my misfortune.”

I guess firing someone with brain fever does come across as a bit rude. Maybe I'm just mean.

I hope to conclude the tale in my next email.

But it says 2 of 4, Watson?

I'm still sure that Joseph Harrison has something to do with it. Sure, there's literally 0 evidence of that. He hasn't even been mentioned in this section that I've seen. He has no way of knowing about the document, no evidence that he was there. No evidence of motive (except that his sister is getting married and that makes people commit crimes sometimes apparently). But I don't like him, so I will persist.

We've got a mysterious bell, a fleeing woman who may or may not have been the commissionaire's wife and a document that no one should have known Percy had.

The only people who knew about the document were Percy, his uncle and the woman who came to take his coffee order, as far as we know.

So either one of them told someone, the crime was merely opportunity based and not specific to that document, or one of them committed the crime.

We're going to discount Percy because why would he call in Holmes if he did it himself and he's been pretty clear and explicit in his insistence that he did not tell anyone.

His uncle could have told someone. No doubt other people were aware that a copy needed to be made and could have made extrapolations, but that seems too distanced from the narrative at this point. His uncle could have stolen the treaty himself, but it seems unlikely he'd be involved in treason based on what we've seen of him. We have no motive for his treason.

Would the commissionaire's wife be able to read French legalese? Maybe? Was the woman even the commissionaire's wife. Or perhaps the wife herself is uninvolved. She came, took the coffee... but then how would her imposter know about the document?

Whoever the woman who took the coffee order was, they're the only person who had a chance to see the document. But why would anyone think to impersonate the commissionaire's wife if they didn't already know about the treaty? I keep going round in circles.

And the bell is still weird. Accident or lure? But why lure? How accident? Hmmmm...

[darkwood-sleddog]

Thank you for your answer! It was very informative and got me thinking. I think the issue some people have with Pitbulls being a very active, often intense dog, is that other people try and use it as an excuse to have the Pitbull and other bully breeds all banned or disappear.

I feel the myth of the nanny dog has hurt the breed as a whole, tho so has people who see their dog as just a object with no training. You mentioned that they are dog aggressive, but are there any breeds that a Pitbull can work well with? Or a most effective way of having them not be aggressive towards other dogs?

And regarding the Bully breeds as a whole, how do you feel about each or specific ones? As some are known to naturally be more intense than others, and do you feel there should be more classes for them, rather than calling all a Bully breed?

Something we must remember is that pit bull type dogs are only the most recent dog breed to go through this. They are absolutely not alone (before current day it was German Shepherds and Rottweilers that held this stigma) and most breed ban lists for apartments include huskies, malamutes and other primitives. I think breed bans are ridiculous frankly and I think the fear the pit bull will disappear is unfounded. Yes, they might not be as prominent or popular, but in my opinion that is a good thing, because then they might be owned in majority by people that can properly manage them.

Pit Bulls are by design dog aggressive. They are bred to see other dogs as prey as this is the drive that causes them to fight. Which is what they were bred for. There are many other dog breeds that are also genetically dog aggressive for various reasons be it guardian work or just in general primitive dog things (primitive dog breeds tend to be same sex aggressive). Dog aggression can be on a sliding scale of very to none at all and can also be indiscriminate between other dogs or gender specific. Most adult dogs of a majority of dog breeds are dog selective to a degree (meaning they don't adore all other dogs indiscriminately and only have a few close dog friends they mesh well with). The most affective way to have a pit bull not be aggressive towards other dogs is to manage them so they do not get the opportunity to be aggressive towards other dogs. This means no dog parks, muzzle training, reactivity training, probably not letting them off leash etc. The best type of dog to pair with a pit bull is a human being (the pit bull is supposed to be very soft with people).

I think "bully breed" is simply an overarching term for a bunch of related dog breeds, much how we use "spitz breed" to describe various types of northern dogs with different purposes that have a double coat, pointy ears, and a curling tail. The various breeds that fall under the bully category (and which breeds fall under this category changes depending on who you ask) are classified in breed registries depending on their original purpose. I don't think they need new classifications because this is how many related breeds that aren't the bully type dogs are broken down. (For example, both Greyhounds, English Foxhounds and Norwegian Elkhounds are in the hound group, but look distinctly different. They are however classified all as hounds due to their purpose, which is being used for hunting. A Norwegian Elkhound, Alaskan Malamute, and German Spitz are all spitz type dogs, but also serve very different purposes and are thus classified differently. The American Pit Bull Terrier and the French Bulldog are both commonly classified as "bully dogs" due to their history, but we can all agree they always have and still do serve different purposes).

The American Pit Bull Terrier is a recognized breed (UKC) with a breed club, breed events etc. and is in the Terrier group. I'm linking the standard HERE so everybody can get a good sense for what the breed should be.

[lycanlovingvampyre]

MAG 171 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: cutting the French tamarisk in my garden (how fitting!).

JON: "Don’t. Touch. Anything." MARTIN: "I wasn’t planning to." [HE GIVES A LITTLE HEH AT THE END.] Fair, after Martin constantly wanted to touch the plastic explosives xD

MARTIN: "You sound like you think they’re beautiful." JON: "Don’t you?" He is what he is, a part of the Fears and does seem in tune with it here. Accepting it (5th stage of grief - acceptance. I do like that theory of each season representing one of the 5 stages of grief, even if S2 doesn't quite fit anger). But to be honest, I also think the flowers sound pretty cool. Some people find morbid aesthetics beautiful. I always have.

JARED: "Not to worry friend; no harm done. Just a bit of pruning will set you right." [HE CLIPS SOMETHING. THE PERSON-PLANT YELLS.] [JARED SHUSHES THEM AS THEY CONTINUE TO DO SO. THEY START CRYING, OVER SOME FLESHY SOUNDS. WATER BURBLES.] JARED: "No real fuss. Should sort you right out. Soon you’ll be good as new." [THE PERSON-THING CONTINUES TO WHIMPER IN THE BACKGROUND.] JARED: "Better, even. You just need to – reach down inside and – really feel that fear. Let it guide how you grow." That however I find horrifying again. Obviously hurting the person, so much that they cry out in pain, and still think that what he is doing is the right thing, helping the person...

JARED: (dismissive) "Oh, and who’s this? Your boyfriend?" [THIS IS CLEARLY MEANT TO BE A DISS.] MARTIN: "Um –" JON: (overlapping) "Yes, actually." JARED: (Ah!) "Oh. Hm." Okay, the obvious here is of course Jared trying to diss Jon using homosexuality/homo-romanticism as an insult (is this btw. the only time homophobia comes up in TMA? There was implied transphobia in MAG 110, but otherwise?), which absolutely doesn't work on Jon and he even immediately answers with full confidence, taking the wind out of Jared's sails in an instant. Which can be a very good strategy against bullies, they want an emotional negative reaction, if you just refuse to give that to them, they will move on to their next victim (sadly for that poor soul). But it also tells a bit more about each character here. Jared has been described as "thick as mud" in MAG 17, that is pretty typical for individuals like that to resort to xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, etc. But Jon and Martin also tell us something here. Martin was absolutely not sure how to react. As far as I know he's gay, there was never any indication that he's bi or pan, so I'll go with that. He probably had plenty of experiences being bullied for being gay, especially if you take his age into account. Growing up in the 90s/early 2000s was probably not a good time (absolutely not saying it was easier before!). Homosexuality was listed in the ICD-9 in 1977. That is the International Classification of DISEASES!! It was only removed from the ICD-10 in 1990! (Not going into it's record in the DSM because that's only used in the US and we're in the UK here, but it was similarly bad, it was seen as a mental illness.) And additionally 1997 was the peak of HIV and AIDS epidemic and that really fueled homophobia back then. I remember calling someone/something gay was a really common insult back then among teens. So denying his homosexuality especially among unfamiliar and (duh!) hostile people is probably super hardwired into Martin, and he never was someone with a lot of self-confidence anyway (total opposite: Tim for example, of whom we know he's not private about "that stuff" - MAG 69).  And then we have Jon, biromantic. We don't know if he has ever dated men before, but generally being bi means you're probably a lot more likely to be in hetero-relationships, simply because it's a lot easier to find those. Also, I mean he has been raised by his grandma, there's every likelihood he has subtly been raised in a homophobic way and there's a good chance he has tried to rationalize crushes on other men as "a really close friend whom I'm looking up to", even if deep down he knows it's not that. Okay, what I'm saying is he probably hasn't experienced external homophobia towards him. I do like the popular fanon idea, that Georgie helped him work through that, as she seems a lot more confident than him. Otherwise he has probably experienced acephobia or he hid his asexuality well enough and grew up super insecure on the inside without showing it. Which, considering his behavior in S1, is pretty likely for his character. So it does make sense for Jon to show confidence here, given the possibility of him never to have experienced homophobia, usually presenting super sure of himself and also by now he knows how powerful he is in this world, that probably also works very well as a boost. (Also it's super cute how sure and smug Jon sounds, like he's extremely proud about Martin being his boyfriend.)

JARED: "Anyway. Willing. Unwilling. Don’t work like that anymore, does it? You made sure of that." MARTIN: "That’s – not fair." JARED: "And what?" MARTIN: "I – I – Mm, uh –" Ah yes, trying to speak up for Jon, which takes a lot of energy. Makes sense that he's deflating again when more resistance is coming his way.  Also, all the monsters and Avatars seems to know it was the Archivist's doing. Helen is obvious, she has suspected it and watching them this whole time. Oliver could kind of suspected it because the Web sent him to wake up Jon. But Jared here?

JARED: "[S’right.] Don’t really matter now, does it?" JON: "No. No, it doesn’t." Yeah, blaming someone doesn't change anything about the situation that resulted from it.

JARED: "Alright. Well, I’d like to hear about my garden." It's so funny how that somehow inspires, what? Sympathy? Compassion? Pity? in me. Like he loves that place, it means something to him and he wants to hear its beauty one last time. Aside from the plants being human beings suffering, it does sound peaceful here, birds, wind chimes...

"The soil should be prepared first, a rich and earthy cocktail of insecurity and self-hatred that allows the roots to twist and contort freely. The temperature should be kept the steady, humid warmth of air conditioners struggling to cope with the perspiration of a dozen bodies pushing themselves too hard, while the lights must be kept at a harsh, fluorescent glare." Pushing yourself at fitness studios to fit a certain beauty standard? Sounds like it to me.

"Counterintuitively, growth is most effective when the orchid is suffering from aggressive dehydration, and it is vitally important that the air roots be rarely praised, and only for the flowers’ appearance and growth." Yeaaah, sounds even more like body building. And this one is called Fortisium Reese, fortis meaning strong, fortisium also sounds a bit like fortissimus, the superlative of fortis. Dehydration is commonly used to get rid of that bit of subcutaneous water, so the muscles can be even better visible under the skin. And then the only thing that matters is appearance and ever more and more muscles.

"While the Gristlebloom Orchid may be the most eye-catching of the plants that you will find in the mortal garden, the Bone Rose is perhaps the most delicate. Thin and brittle, it is constantly on the verge of collapsing under its own weight, even as its ossified stems reach and twist and stretch in a desperate attempt for closeness." Beauty-standard super-skinny, Gracillium Patricia, gracilis - thin.

"At the final, glorious culmination that a body may someday achieve, the ever-retreating perfections that sit always on the tip of a knife. But also growing with the flower must be that other dread: Not of perfection to be hunted, but of decay to be fled." Plastic surgery? Decay to be fled - fear of aging? Secarium Leopold, secare - to cut.

"This is Maeve’s nightmare. There is no other word for it. To be trapped, unmoving, within the body that has betrayed her so often, feeling every sensation as it grows and warps and sprouts, never knowing what new mutation it will visit on her next." Ya, same. 

JARED: "Is it really that bad? Seeing what I’ve done here? Or – (heh) Is it maybe that deep down, you think it’s as beautiful as I do?" JON: (*snapping*) "Shut up!" Not willing to let those who he considers a monster know how he feels about it though.

MARTIN: "Are you okay?" JON: "I’m – (*not great*) Great. You?" Martin probably asked because it does seem to take Jon a bit of effort to call upon the Eye to shift its gaze, since he gasped there, when Jared was successfully deleted from existence. But Jon gets all snappy and defensive. Saying he's great when he isn't. He probably expected to feel great, or at least better, but it's doing nothing. Revenge doesn't give him the satisfaction he hopes it would.

MARTIN: (bit of a laugh) "I really thought this one would be messier." JON: "What do you mean?" MARTIN: "Well I mean – he’s a Flesh – thing, right? I thought he’d be all meat and blood and gore and all that." JON: (bit of a laugh) "Apparently not." MARTIN: "He didn’t even put up a fight." JON. "No." Right after Jude who was resisting really hard, trying to convince Jon to let her live, help his revenge arc even, Jared here just accepted what's coming for him. That probably contributed to rethinking the smiting.

MARTIN: "Jon – we are doing good, right? Making things better?" [THE SLIGHTEST OF PAUSES.] JON: "I don’t know if that was ever an option." The smiting is just a selfish act, Jon letting his anger getting the better of him, blinding him.

@a-mag-a-day

[barbiegirldream]

Hi Sally, little info on the French streamers of the qsmp because I am French.

Antoine Daniel is extremely well known in France and one of the og youtuber. He is always careful that his communities are far removed from right-wing movements. He absolutely does not need the qsmp.

The big French streamers are very close with each other and with female streamers because they are used to organizing big charity events together that last for days (for example Zevent).

If Bahera tells them that she was treated badly by Q or his community, I can see them dropping the qsmp more and more because they don't want anything to do with this type of fans. I mainly follow Antoine Daniel and Baghera (on their French content) but they are very respected among other French creators. I have already seen them in front of fans like those of qsmp (always american) and they have always been very vocal about the fact that this is not how we should act but to encourage their French fans to stay very far away from that and respond like adults on the internet. They always end up moving away from these crazy communities so as not to contaminate theirs. It doesn't surprise me that Baghera is gone, I fear the others will to if she tells them something or if their streams start to be touched by q's weird fans.

(sad, I was excited to see them with the American creators that I like)

Anyway, that was the French pov info dump.

Also, I've never found frenchs to be bullied on the internet, at most it would be dumb shit by American and brits but we make fun of the Brits the same way. Hearing Hasan shit on the French is fun and literally no harm is done, why would some Americans qsmp fans be offended on our behalf, it's like making fun of the Spanish, where is the harm? Sure I prefer to be made fun of from the British(we have history), than from white American because their anti-French sentiment started from the French government refusing to follow America in their war in Iraq (which is one of the few things I'm proud of from this country ) and America starting a French-hate campaign because of it (fun thing when you think of it) but that's whatever. It's irritating when 15y old American cry about "the French being made fun of" bouhou, poor them, I'm gonna protect anyone not talking English on the internet because they soooo need it"

... like, girl, learn about history and choose your battles (T＿T)

Anyway sorry for the long ask, I'm just rambling in your inbox as usual, haha

Love ~^3^~

My anti French sentiments are because I’m from Maine and we have a long standing beef with Quebec I think (funniest Wikipedia screenshot I have is like anti French sentiments worldwide) but it’s all jokes I don’t actually have a personal grudge against anyone from anywhere I don’t think you are the country you’re born in or it’s history just hate when people play dumb to their history.

Very good info thank you ! I should probably try watching some French CCs it might help me brush up on my French skills. Another question if you don’t mind me asking is how many people in Paris are likely to speak English at Twitchcon ?

[amoureuxsys]

I manifest love for everyone. I want everyone to feel how I feel. Everyone should experience this feeling.

My boyfriend checks on me everyday, he never forgets to tell me he loves me, he treats me like the manliest man he’s ever met. He supports my choices without making me feel bad about them, he compliments my insecurities. When we call he flusters me until I am stimming and my face is completely hot and red from blushing. He whispers sweet words to me to help me fall asleep. He is patient with me and never forces me to do anything I don’t want to. He is so respectful and so romantic. He’s a dream. He calls me specific pet names just because he knows they make me stim. He is okay with me not wanting to go on T and reminds me that he will always see me as a boy. He’s so gentle with me.. his voice gets so soft and angelic when he compliments me.. He’s so safe and comfortable. He’s my best friend. He jokes with me, he allows me to bully him in a playful way, and he does the same to me, he deals with my shenanigans and allows me to be hyper without judging me. He actually melts when I speak french to him instead of trying to make fun of me for it. He’s so perfect, and I got so fucking lucky that I found my soulmate. I hope everyone gets themself a flower boy. I hope everyone gets to feel the love I feel. I hope everyone gets to experience this feeling. I want to wake up now. I want to be productive at work because I know when I pick up my phone my boyfriend is complimenting me on how good I am at my job. I want to live, because he gives me a reason to.

[sweetlikehoneystingslikeabee]

Killer Croc Backstory

Howdy, I got like three different asks about Killer Croc/Waylon Jones so we are going to delve into his background really quick for this blog for the sake of clarification. I'm taking less from the original "atavism" story since that genuinely isn't how that would work with a mammalian human and making it more about a genetic condition. Again, there's lots of different backstories for comic characters, this is just my personal take. Hope you enjoy!

Tw: child abuse/neglect, ableism, brief mention of cannibalism, murder, alcoholism

- Waylon was born a relatively "normal" child to Jean and Evangelique Jones in a small Louisiana town. They both noticed even as a baby he had this strange amber tint to those big brown eyes. Other than that and some scaly skin on his thighs, no one suspected there was anything particularly abnormal.

- Yet as he grew, more and more scales would appear on his skin. At first they matched the warm brown tone of his skin, but would start to turn green during puberty (when the scaling got out of control). His eyes became more yellow with each passing year of his life. When his teeth grew in, they were all sharp.

- It was determined to be a very rare genetic condition, passed down that skipped several generations. Waylons father left when it became apparent there was no cure. Despite being from a good sized family, none of them wanted anything to do with the child. In their small superstitious town, his mother was called a witch by some. That this was her punishment for not living a Godly life.

- This resulted in his mother being isolated in her community which turned inward and led to a lot of neglect, alcoholism, and dropping him off on his grandparents.

- some of his earliest real memories was listening to his grandmother Babette singing to him in French. He'd speak in whispered Cajun French to his grandfather James when they'd walk early morning markets hand in hand.

- For a long time they'd be the only ones to tell him the truth- that it was inherited. No one's fault and there's nothing "wrong" with him.

- great-great grandfather was actually similar to Waylon but not as tall. His grandmother would tell him she didn't know him well because he died young. Waylon would later find out he was murdered in his bed shortly after his son was born. His great grandfather had scales on his back he could hide and sharp nails he always cut back. Waylon was just unlucky in the genetic roulette.

- it wasn't surprising when Waylon found out about the murder. There were plenty of times other kids would get a hold of him alone and he himself thought he was going to die.

- Puberty was when he got big, his voice got gravelly, and the scales took over. By the time he was 15, 95% of his body was scaled over. He couldn't even grow hair on his head anymore, tight black curls replaced with almost bony ridges.

- Shortly after, he started fighting back with the bullies. One fight, he tore open another teenagers arm with his claws by accident, which resulted in his expulsion from school. He was spending less and less time with his grandparents due to his mother trying to "take control" of her son.

- She kicked him out at 17 to fend for himself and guilted him to not ask his grandparents for help. They didn't need "him around ruining their lives, too."

- It should be noted many years later, he and his mother made up and grew a relationship after a lot of healing, forgiveness and acknowledgement that how she treated him was wrong even if she was in a rough situation. He can call back home and talk to his grandparents (who now live with mom and her husband) in French for hours. But that's unfortunately much later in the timeline.

- He tried to find some hard labor jobs but nothing really stuck. Eventually, he got hired on as a wrestler for a traveling show. This is when he started drinking. For years he got used to the call of: "And in this corner, from the bayous of Louisiana- Killer Croc!"

- Genuinely it pissed him off no one even asked what he wanted to be called- "I told that couyon announcer there aren't even crocodiles in Louisianna!" But it stuck.

- even once he fell into crime. Wasn't hard, when you were barely making enough to survive. He ended up justifying a lot of horrible things he did as revenge for the way people treated him or as "just survival." He grew to like the taste of blood and picking people out of his teeth. The savagery. A more animalistic side of himself.

- Then it all just became a cycle. Drink, commit violence, go to prison or Arkham. Drink, commit violence, go to prison or Arkham. On a brief relapse he managed to get his GED in Arkham (Edward Nygma helped on threat of being eaten). Then it was drink, drink, commit violence and back where he started.

- it would take a while before he'd kick the alcohol and try to live a somewhat normal life. While he's perhaps not completely reformed in all aspects, he's very different than he once was and better for it.