#well Victor got a bit of an assist :)

[victorluvsalice]

-->With everyone back home, and a light snow starting to fall (I mean, it IS winter now), it was time to continue with the chores! Alice milked Moory and cleaned out her shed before licking herself clean (hey, if you've got the ability...); Smiler did some recycling, moved the clothes from the washer to the dryer, and chatted with the chickens for a bit (they were more receptive to their jokes, happily); and Victor had a lonely breakfast in the kitchen before heading out to the greenhouse to do the regular rounds of tending and harvesting! As he basically always does.

-->But today, he didn't have to do it alone, because not only were Elmer and Bugs still active (at least for a little bit, before they had to be turned off to avoid explosions), Smiler and Alice came in to help out too! Because it's not fair to leave it on Victor and the bots all the time. Smiler did some fertilizing with some of the Shadow poops they'd picked up in the past and applied some mite treatment to the cranky bees, while Alice used her werewolf super speed to assist with the harvesting of a few key plants that would need canning later. :) It wasn't much, but it was something. I'm sure Victor appreciated it. :)

-->With the fertilizing done and green beans and green peas picked, Smiler and Alice had a quick chat while Victor finished up the weeding and watering and such, then headed off to do their own things while Victor did the big harvest -- Smiler flying up to their room to answer comments on their Simstube videos before coming back downstairs for a dance, while Alice played with the lump of clay and did a bit of scavenging (no goodies, though). Victor finished up the harvest around 3 PM, but by that point was starting to feel the fact that he'd stayed up all night -- fortunately, a quick cash-in at the rewards store got him a cup of Sleep Replacement potion. One quick down of that, and he and his beloveds were ready to head to their store!

[luxthestrange]

LADS Incorrect quotes #1 FATHER!?!-

Dad!Sylus*Working when his six-year-old son comes to him, then notices ...he got a bloody knee and dirt all over him*!?!-

Callum(6)*Who is...personality-wise...the carbon copy of You plus...a little bit more-* FATHER I HAVE FALLEN OFF MY SCOOTER AND REQUIRE ASSISTANCE!

Dad!Sylus*Is quick to go to him and examine his son to check for other injuries* Little dove...look at your knee your bleeding-

Callum(6): THE PAVEMENT WAS THE VICTIM I AM THE VICTOR!?!

Dad!Sylus*Sighs in relief seeing he only scrapped one knee, and with his evol, he brings the med kit...covered in stickers by his daughter*Thats still a pretty bad boo boo...Just wait and let me get everything okay?

Callum(6): BANDAGE ME IN SILK AND I SHALL RIDE AGAIN!?!

Sylus is quick to get everything ready, he puts his son on his chair...

Dad!Sylus*Holding a bottle*Okay we have to clean it first-

Callum(6): What's that?

Dad!Sylus: Its hydrogen peroxide-

Callum(6):Oh!

Dad!Sylus: It'll disinfect it-

Callum(6): Does it hurt?

Dad!Sylus:-...No...no it won't hurt...

Callum(6):Promise?

Dad!Sylus*Freezes...and looks into the innocent eyes of his second born, the weight to answer him...right there*...promise-

Callum(6)*Lets his father, clean his wound, curiously* Oh!

Dad!Sylus:-Well maybe just a little bit...

Callum(6): Feels kinda cold...-AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHRGGGGG!?

Dad!Sylus: I'm sorry my little dove I had to do this...

Callum(6): THE HORNETS OF HADES HATH DESCENDED UPON ME!?!-

Dad!Sylus*Just trying to justify himself but...knows what he helped birth...*I had too kid...

Callum(6)*Is dramatically on the floor now, looking at the ceiling* I HAVE SMELTED IRON WITH THE TITAN'S TOUCH AND FORGED SWORDS WITH CHIMERA'S FLAME!?

Dad!Sylus:...

Callum(6): BUT NEVER FELT THE BASILISK'S STING LIKE THIS!?!-

Dad!Sylus: Okay it's not THAT bad...

Callum(6): LAY TWO TOKENS ON MY EYES FOR THE FERRYMAN!?!IM FADING TO ELYSIUM!?!-I SEE BARTHOLOMEW!?!-

Dad!Sylus: ...Just had to bring the rabbit up...

Callum(6): HE LOOKS BEAUTIFUL!?!

Dad!Sylus: ...Callum you're being a little dramatic

Callum(6)*Sits up, with dagger-like eyes and pouty chubby cheeks*I.AM.THE.DRAMA!?-

Dad!Sylus*Holding Avengers and Spongebob band-aid*You want an Avengers band-aid or Spongebob band-aid?

Callum(6)*Gleams at him pointing at spongebob*Spongebob band-aid, please!

...so I caved in-

[kurishiri]

Prologue ┊ The great detective Harrison’s book of incidents

꒰ ִ ֺ ⊹ @ notice ⊹ ֺ ִ ꒱ this translation may not be 100% accurate or contain creative liberties due to narrative flow and characterization purposes. if you enjoy, please consider reblogging, but please don’t repost these or claim these as your own!

— harrison’s promised event, featuring william, ellis, victor, darius, and ring. congrats to our resident peppermint boy for making it to top 5 in the elections!

[CITY - NIGHT]

With clouds the color of lead thickly blanketing the winter sky, a man was running with bated breath.

???: hah... hah...!

Even with little control over his legs and on the verge of tripping, he couldn’t afford to stop.

——He had to run.

If he didn’t avert his eyes from reality, narrowing in on him, he couldn’t live on.

But...here to put an end to the chase was another individual.

Harrison: ——Stop right there.

The voice of the man with peppermint-colored eyes broke through the silence of the night.

And the running man’s shoulders jumped before he came to a stop.

The two men’s white breaths silently melted amid the cold air.

???: ...How did you know where I was?

Harrison: Easy. You left a great many clues in your room.

H: ...I think it’s about time you faced reality, isn’t it.

H: Running away won’t solve anything. Yeah?

???: But... I...! I left everything behind and ran this far now! How could someone like myself ever have a place to return to...

Harrison: Oh, there is a place to return to.

???: ...

Harrison: I’ll tag along in apologizing for neglecting your deadlines.

H: So, that’s why... let’s head back, mister author.

Author with a bed head: ...uuu— Harrisooon~!

(ｏ・_・)��”(ノ_<、)

[NIGHT SKY]

Indeed, the man running away was a mystery writer, a deadline hot on his heels.

Meanwhile, the one chasing after him was a man who — under normal circumstances — was responsible for editing in a publishing company...

...and was asked to find the runaway author: a man named Harrison Gray.

[CARRIAGE]

Harrison: I’ve got a message from the company. ‘We will extend the deadline, so don’t stress about it and come back.’

Author with a bed head: Well I sure am grateful for that! ...That said, I’ve reached a bit of a dead end.

Author with a bed head: I want to play around some more with the trick that shows up in the story’s endgame...

Harrison: If you end it as is, the readers will think it’s a great success, if you ask me.

Author with a bed head: The compromise of a writer will be conveyed to the reader as well. I can’t relax until the very end.

Author with a bed head: ...Oh, I know! Harrison, could you come up with some idea?

Author with a bed head: You sometimes share some mystery tricks with authors, don’t you?

Harrison: Unfortunately, I don’t have any such material on me right now.

Author with a bed head: I implore you...! Help me out here, please...!

Harrison: Hah... fine, okay. I figure if you run away again, I’ll have to find you yet again, anyhow.

[DINING ROOM]

Harrison: ——And so, with that, I’d like you guys to let me know if there’s any incident that happens around you, or any strange happenings about.

Liam: And then you’ll go and solve those incidents and come up with an idea for a trick through there!

Harrison: Exactly.

William: Alright then. If there’s anything, I will let the Great Detective Harrison know and have you get to the bottom of it.

Harrison: You seem like the last person who’d need a detective... but well, thanks.

Ellis: Me too, I’ll pay attention to anything that’s going on around me. If it will make you happy, that is.

Liam: Oh, with a detective comes an assistant! I’ll help out, Harry.

Victor: Well then, allow me to fulfill the role of the mysterious heroine who accompanies the detective——

Harrison: ——No need for a heroine. But I will take your assistance, Liam.

Liam: By all and every means!

[TYPEWRITER]

That which is about to be written henceforth is not a record of sin, but the records of six of their encounters with little mysteries.

The truth shall become clear in his hands.

[BLACK]

Now come the tales of the great detective through which not a single lie may escape——Harrison’s book of incidents.

masterlist 🔎 ┊ ko-fi ☕️ ┊ comms 🤍

[lets-try-some-writing]

Ooh, have any of the Decepticons done anything with their holoforms, if they have any? Have they lead fake lives? Is that why they disappeared for a few years? :0

Anyways, I'd imagine Megatron would use his to either become a poet writer, or the most badass wrestler you've ever seen. Maybe even both.

Oh boy have the Cons goofted off with their holoforms.

Previous part here.

━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙ ━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙

In light of Optimus teaching in his holoform, some of the Decepticons got the grand idea to use holoforms as well. It started small, usually with the Con in question just going to watch a film or wander around. But with time, they grew more and more bold.

Knockout took to joining up with the racing leagues. At first, he was just an observer. But after mocking the drivers for their poor form a few too many times, he was pushed into joining the race where he promptly dominated all his competitors through his expert understanding of his frame. Sure a sports car in rather unconventional, but none of his fellow racers felt the need to get on his case about it when Knockout was almost always the victor. The best part about the whole thing is that not a soul can figure out who Knockout is. He comes once a week to the race, joins or watches, and then seems to vanish into thin air afterwards.

He has gained the lovely title of "Ghost Racer" due to his habit of appearing everywhere and anywhere without warning. There are rumors that he was perhaps a racer who died in an accident and now haunts the track to get his rightful medal. Others say that he is a retired racer just looking to stir the pot a bit. And there are some who murmur that perhaps Knockout really is just some guy with luck that really shouldn't be plausible. Knockout is aware of all the rumors and goes out of his way to foster each of them. He enjoys the respect they get him.

Breakdown didn't mean to use his holoform at all. But during a quick scouting mission, he decided to use his holoform to get a better look around a small town and see if the energon readings were real or not. As he wandered, he did not at all expect to find an old man working on his car out back. Curious, Breakdown watched from a distance until the elderly man invited him over to have a beer. Then being interested, Breakdown accepted the offer and ended up spending all afternoon with the man he came to know as Mr. Carpenter. From that point on, he was in deep. The cover story he gave was that he was an immigrant without any living relatives involved in some shady under the table business to stay afloat. In light of his story, Breakdown found himself adopted without meaning to.

Now he comes by a few times a month to help around the farm. He assists in fixing cars, usually by holding the light and passing Mr. Carpenter tools. He puts down fence posts when he can and overall does whatever he is able to in order to assist his elderly companion. He is always invited in for dinner and has since become an adopted son of sorts. Mr. Carpenter's children adore him and he has since become the fun uncle to the grandkids. Unbeknownst to Breakdown, Mr. Carpenter and his family are fully aware that he is not human. However they have never been ones to judge a book by its cover, so they treat him as if he were just a young man a little lost in life. He is a full member of their household, and Breakdown adores the feeling of family.

Soundwave uses his holoform very rarely. But when he does use it, he does so to go buy cat food for his favorite felines. He goes to the same Walmart every. single. time. And Primus, the employees fear him. His holoform is unnerving in the oddest of ways. He looks totally normal, too normal. His eyes are too bright, his skin too glossy. Everything about him is perfectly average, but without fault. The employees have dubbed him "The Skinwalker" and have since allowed him to come in, buy what he wants, and leave in absolute silence. Not a soul speaks to him, and for good reason.

Starscream and Shockwave do not use holoforms. Both see it as beneath them. However against all the odds, Dreadwing has used his holoform a handful of times in order to do some private investigation work. He is fond of true crime, and off and on, he will wander around to inspect cold cases. Cybertronian tech is more advanced than human tools. As such, he has had the satisfaction of cleaning up a few old cases through leaving anonymous tips. Police across the world have given him the name "The tipper".

Megatron, once he got back from his little escapade in space, used his holoform for more recreational reasons. Once in a blue moon, he will turn up at underground fighting rings just to beat the snot out of the rookies who try to make it big. He finds joy in reliving his days as Champion of Kaon. He has even gone so far as the made his underground fighting name "Kaon" Just so that when he wins, he can be dubbed the Champion of the place he once called home. He knows its a waste of time, especially since his holoform can't really be beaten. Despite that, he has a grand time putting criminals in their place and giving a few tips to the upstarts who have potential.

[the-gay-prometheus]

Important Update

Thankfully, as of Sunday, her symptoms started to improve, but we still went ahead with the stool sample to make sure that her immune system had finally kicked in and was fighting off the cocci on its own. Results today showed that the sample was now negative, which means we don't have to worry about any medication right now. That said $79.50 (receipt is screenshotted and included) is still a major blow when you've only got $140 to your name and no guarantee of employment and no other assistance.

So. I appreciate everyone who has shared this post and the individual who donated (and thanks to that individual, this is no where near as urgent now)! If anyone the ability to help me cover the rest of the cost I would super appreciate it and it would help a lot, but otherwise I'm not in panic mode at the moment.

Thanks to everyone who was so willing to help!

~~~

Alright I hate to have to do this but I don't really have any other choice right now.

Hi. I'm Jay. Or Victor. Or Viktor. Any of those names work. I'm a disabled neurodivergent transmasc who is currently in unemployment hell because the few jobs I am physically capable of and meet all of the requirements for are also coincidentally all the jobs that either don't want to hire me, or just straight up won't get back to me. I'm sending out applications daily, so far I have gotten three interviews, one of which was for a job that it turns out I would not be physically capable of doing, the second ended up being filled before I could even get to the second interview, and I still haven't heard back from the third. Needless to say, I have absolutely zero income right now.

This is my cat.

Her name is Catra.

Catra recently got extremely ill to the point of needing to be hospitalized, which meant that between me and my family, she has recently cost well over $3000. At this point, my family cannot afford to help me with any more medical costs for her, and I can't afford to continue with extra medical costs for her if I want to still be able to feed her until I do manage to get a job. Thankfully she has made a very strong recovery, for the most part...

However, she is also now battling a nasty coccidia infection that seems to be resistant to the medication the vets had given her. Which means I am once again going to need to send in a $75 stool sample and pay for a different medication. My parents will not help now as they have already gone over budget for her and also believe it is my fault that I haven't been able to find a job, but I literally cannot live without this cat. I will not live without this cat. She is all I have left right now.

So that said. If you have even a little bit to spare, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm asking for $100 $79.50 to cover the stool sample and the medication. Thank you in advance.

Please make sure if you do send anything that you select the 'friends and family' option. If you can't send anything, I would appreciate reblogs and signal boosts. Thank you.

$36.26/79.50

paypal: @binonjay

venmo: @BiNonJay

cashapp: $BiNonJay

[aquagirl1978]

Can i request Ellis Twilight with the prompt butterfly?

Thank you for the request

ellis twilight x reader | prompt: butterfly | word count: 750 | tags: mentions of blood and violence; a bit angsty

It was a perfect evening. The sky above was a painted canvas, shades of pale pink and muted purples blending together, highlighted by the last golden rays of the sun, as day shifted into night; an early autumn breeze kissed the air, a much needed reprieve from hot summer months. 

Except it wasn’t. There was nothing perfect about it.

You were walking hand in hand with Ellis, and the streets were quiet. Too quiet. Instead of providing a sense of calm one doesn’t get while living at Crown castle, the quiet was the perfect breeding ground for intrusive thoughts to invade your head. 

“Are you okay?” Ellis asked, his soft voice pulling you from your melancholy. Finching, you slowed your steps and tilted your face towards his. Ellis continued to speak, his voice still soft in the still air. “You haven’t been yourself since we left…”

His voice trailed off, allowing you to fill in the blanks in your head – the docks. 

“How can anyone…” You paused, then forced yourself to continue, the scene at the docks – and the smell of blood – still fresh in your head. “... be okay after witnessing that?”

The scene was grisly, more grisly than any scene you had ever witnessed before. The mission was supposed to be simple – well, simple was a relative word when compared to other Crown missions. Go in, scare some goons, get the information, and get out. With Jude taking charge and Ellis acting as his assistant, it should have been simple. 

You smelt the salty sea air before you saw the water, the waves crashing loudly against the restraining walls signaling that you were close. Jude was a few steps ahead, ready to warn you of any trouble ahead.

“What in blazes…. What’re ya doin’ here?”

Ellis stopped and bowed his head. “Ah, Jude, not again. Whatever happened to being quiet?” Ellis muttered to himself. He caught your gaze and tilted his head towards Jude’s voice. “Let’s go. Hopefully, I don’t have to save his ass again.”

“Lemme guess, Victor got all the information he needed and yer skippin’ straight to the execution.”

A light, melodic laugh filled the air. “That’s right.” 

You glanced over at Ellis. “William’s here?”

Ellis sighed. “I’m so sorry.” 

You didn’t have a chance to wonder why Ellis was apologizing; instead, you were distracted by a butterfly that slowly glided across your path, its large orange wings still easy to spot in the waning daylight. 

It must still be looking for a place to rest for the evening, you thought to yourself. There was a twinge in your heart as you watched the butterfly flapping its bright wings, fluttering in the sky. 

Knowing what would most likely happen, a part of you hoped it would find a more peaceful place than here at the dockyards.

“Let’s go,” Ellis whispered, tugging on your arm.

And like that, the butterfly was gone, off to find a place to sleep for the night. 

“Take this knife and slit your throat.”

Ellis pulled you into an embrace, his long arms wrapping around your waist, and placed a gentle kiss upon the crown of your head. “If I knew it was gonna happen like that, I would have never brought you tonight.”

Closing your eyes, you saw William’s face. His smile, despite having just murdered those men. The drops of blood splattered on his cheek. Blood that matched his eyes. Blood that wasn’t his.

“This is my life,” Ellis continued. “This is the darkness I live with every day. It’s a part of me. And sometimes I forget you’re not used to that part of my life.”

Nuzzling your face against his chest, the scent of freshly washed linen comforted you.

Ellis tilted your face with his thumb so that you were looking up at him. “Why don’t we get you a hand pie. I think the stand is still open.”

“It's going to take more than a hand pie to make me feel better,” you said with a small smile.

“I'll do anything to make you happy.”

That’s right, Ellis absolutely would. Taking his hand, you walked off together towards the stand. Ellis wouldn't be able to erase the events of tonight, but he was able to soothe you and make things easier. 

Not long ago, you felt like the butterfly, lost while searching for your place to rest. Glancing over to Ellis, his profile handsome against the darkening skies, you knew you finally found your place. 

Tagging: @redheadkittys @themiscarnival   @coral-relevium @cyberk1ee    @kookie-my-little-sunshine    

@ellisgivesmelife013 @ikemen-writer   @nightghoul381 @randonauticrap @xbalayage

@xenokiryu @alydra @drachonia @ranhanabi777 @silver-dahlia

@lunaaka @ikesenwritings @sh0jun @natimiles @valkyyriia

@candiedcoffeedrops @lucyw260   @nightfoxqueen

[judesmoonbeauty]

Roger Barel’s PV: Initial Thoughts

After watching Roger’s PV, I have so many things to say, and no not just about Vogel. This will contain route spoilers to Ellis route, so it’ll be below the cut.

Pared Down Overall PV Synopsis: About a week into her fairytale keeper duties, Vogel visits Crown and starts stirring things up. She is acting as Roger’s assistant, and apparently there’s a warrant for his arrest. First and foremost, look at our guys. They look AMAZING as they square off with Vogel:

Sorry if the image is crappy, but oh well. Anyway, while it’s exciting to start a new chapter in IkeVil, I’m also kind of……what’s the word……not sad, but possessive (?)….. over our guys. Putting my marriage to Jude aside, I’m speaking about the guys as a whole. True, they aren’t going anywhere and it’s nice to progress towards new curses and territory, but wow, I’m feeling a little bit possessive over our guys. It’s like they are PEAK to me. They set the bar, and then these new guys roll in. I’m not quite sure how to put my finger on it. Am I crazy here or….?

A part from that, it’s nice to see Harry being featured. Apparently, Vogel is devious and obviously sus, so his ability will come on handy! I read that Nica likes money and power, potential Jude admirer, rival?

Ring is apparently Darius’ puppet. Why? Why him and not both he and his twin??

Ok, next:

We all know Roger will do anything and everything to find a way to break their curses, that includes betraying Crown. In Ellis’ route, he openly discusses their curses with Ellis’ father Matthew, and Kate is taken aback basically wondering, “Whoa, bro can you do that?!” So, it wouldn’t surprise me if he essentially betrays Crown and England while joining hands with Vogel. Which leads me to Victor. He looks hurt to me in the PV (most likely because of Roger’s betrayal if that’s the case.) Either way, we know just how much he cares about the Crown boys. And honestly, for as cheerful as he is, he is the loneliest imo. I got those vibes from him in a recent CE story where he tells Kate, he’s afraid of it all ending (his relationship with Crown). The point I’m making with that is if Roger betrays Crown and it starts to crumble inside out, Victor is essentially losing his family. And that hurts my little heart.

This scene:

So much could be happening. Did he betray Kate??? Or is this the moment when he betrayed Ellis’ cursed predecessor, thus making him semi-protective of Ellis?? I’d love to know. That question has been burning in my mind since I read Ellis’ route. What were the circumstances and why did you betray that person, causing them to be shot to death??

Just some quick thoughts. Can’t wait to learn more!!

[daav3i]

POKÉMON (OC) SCRIBBLES (and descriptions…)

LALIAH RENARD (AU)

Yes, I added AZ there, because I kiiinda made things a bit different where Team Flare kidnaps him and take his key for his weapon and would later also take Xerneas for Team Flare to use it as a means for the “chosen” ones to be given eternal life. That would be his first plan to recreate the world, as well as the whole Zygarde thing…

Laliah didn’t really remember her parents, since she mostly grew up with her brother as some sort of a parental figure that cared for her. That led her to be very close to him, but also having difficulties with other people, since she was mostly dependent on her brother. Her brother Laurier didn't have problems being with other kids unlike her. She was quite closed off with other children at the Kalos Summer Camp, causing her to get later picked on. Fortunately, she made a friend in the end after some time.

When Laliah was on her journey starting at 10 years old, instead of a starter, she chose a Mawile that was one of Sycamore’s Pokémon in his sanctuary. Because Laurier became Sycamore’s assistant way before Alain, she would often spend time with the Pokémon in the sanctuary, as for her love for them. There, became really good friends with a Mawile, and Sycamore allowed it, seeing there potential for a powerful bond for Mega-Evolution.

Unfortunately, she would never even cross the thought of Mega evolving Mawile after her brother left and had become a professor who also specifies in Mega-Evolution, and Alain, whom she thought she could trust back at the Kalos Summer Camp, eventually turned in to Team Flare for giving him the Key- and Mega stone.

I’d like to think that at some point she met Aria, who started her journey way later with her Fennekin, during some sort of trouble or a circumstance where she helps/saves them. Laliah would teach Aria stuff like battling for self-defence and overall tips, whereas Aria would tell her about Pokévision, style and performances. Though Laliah had talent in Aria’s eyes, and would have liked to perform together, she ulitimatly declined it despite Aria insisting her, saying she has stage fright when in reality she feels more secure with Pokémon than humans. Though they’re now separated, they’re still good friends and Laliah makes time for herself to look at her performances.

“The Astrellegical Witch’’ is more like Laliah’s alter ego than her performance suit, kinda like Blaziken Mask but she watches over Pokémon and brings them joy as she performs herself in front of the wild Pokémon as her audience (out of Aria's influence, though may be little)

Though she is very tough and strong, she also is still a bit insecure about herself, now because of the others’ accomplishments. She doesn’t like it when she is just known as “Laurier’s sister” for example, which slightly pisses her off. However, she gradually begins to feel less pressured about it. She doesn’t really have a dream or a very important goal, but she is not searching for one. She just wants to have happy moments in her life by living it to the fullest with the people she loves.

I know what she experienced might be also traumatic, but compared to the canon timeline, the canon timeline is just more and worse, trust me…

“No stone can verify my bond with my Pokémon!” - that’s one of her quotes

(Yet she also has no idea that she’s with the man himself who made Mega evolution as a concept… yet)

LAURIER RENARD/RENÉ (AU)

Laliah used to have difficulty pronouncing her brother’s name, so instead she just called him “René” until she got older.

Fun fact, “laurier” in French means laurel, which is related to the bay tree. They are native to the Mediterranean region and originated in ancient Greece, where people would make wreaths for the victors and were also believed to be immune to lightning, but they can grow in other places as well, as long as it gets enough sunlight and won’t get effected by pests or diseases. Portuguese laurels grow in western France, and are also known as the “cherry bay”.

Though his and Laliah’s last name isn’t a tree, but means “fox” in French, and “strong decision” from a Germanic name “Raginhard” too, his full name has a tree in it, so it’s a professor in my books…

Being fascinated with Pokémon and Mega-evolution, Laurier started as one of Professor Sycamore’s assistants before becoming a Pokémon professor himself after years. He branched off, has his own lab, and has started projects of his own across the world to find new mega evolutions (except after Kalos), where he sends and shares his updates and results with Sycamore as well, perhaps for a deeper inspection into this himself, since he still likes to help his old mentor and share the same fields of research. Because of his large successes with his projects, he is quite well known in these regions too, especially in Hoenn and Kanto, but also including Kalos of course. He stays in contact with people he knows via sending them letters, making sure they’re okay while he’s out.

He loves his sister a lot, and hopes she doesn’t feel too pressured by his successes and wants her to be happy and find her own path, and will always accept it no matter what.

Yes, he can mega evolve two Pokémon, so what? May in ORAS trailer mega evolved two Pokémon at the same time TWICE, while Calem also was able to mega evolve his entire team in the manga, so why can’t he then?

I’ll admit, the relationship lore between Laurier and Diantha isn’t as deep as Alain’s and Laliah’s, because Laliah is my main Pokémon OC. Laurier was just really charmed at her beauty and personality ever since he first saw her at the Summer Camp. Later, they would just somehow start building a relationship where he would later send her letters, knowing she must be quite busy with her acting career while he is busy working on his research projects.

“Whether you’ll be young or old… you’ll always be a shining star in my eyes, the shiniest that’s ever been recorded in the history of all that the universe had to offer...” - Laurier’s quote to Diantha before proposing her after the crisis

Also I made Laurier’s sketches and Laliah’s dress more than 2 months ago, so pls forgive me if it looks weird and for not posting anything back then too. I’m currently hyper fixated on Pokémon rn, but my school didn’t, doesn’t, and won’t allow it now, so thanking you for baring this with me :)

Also smth else here with no context:

just don’t even ask, I made this more than 2 months ago as well, and I won’t even finish it since it’s now scrapped…

[shinygoku]

Help! (Film) [1965]

The Beatles, now in full colour, for additional flair as they caper about doing silly James Bond stuff. This movie feels like a spoof, a deconstruction and it's aggressively silly. And I loooove this stupid, stupid movie <3

"It's a different religion from ours. I think."

After A Hard Day's Night (Film)'s smash hit, the moviemaking machine's wheels were already turning for the second of their contracted 3-Pictures deal with United Artists. This time they had about twice as much budget, but the Boys were already feeling the strain of their fame, and didn't particularly enjoy the process in the last film. As part of their new fascination with Weed, and perhaps a grasping for some way to rebel, they went into this project while high as four fruity kites.

Naturally, this made it harder to film, as they'd forget lines and get into lengthy giggle fits. However, the end result is enhancing the existing Deeply Unserious nature of the film, so as someone who didn't have to herd them around I find it very enjoyable. But yes, it's still a stupid movie. But, it brings me joy~

BUG ACTING

With all the Bugs being baked, it's a little harder to rate their acting skills, and it ain't always clear if they are indeed acting or are so out of it they're forgetting the cameras are on and they're just reacting as they would if it were real. This is advantageous for Paul, at least, and on the whole I would say they do well considering. I do have to question the group's overly long and weirdly smooth hair in this one, though.

The supporting characters are obviously sober and offer strong performances, like Eleanor Bron as the double agent Ahme, the most competent character in the story by far, and Victor Spinetti in his Evil Scientist role of Foot. The cult leader, Clang, is surprisingly charismatic and sometimes breaks the fourth wall to muse to the audience if it'd be easier to get youth interest through other means, before continuing with the murder plans. Other recuring characters like the Assistant Scientist and the Cult Member who's always getting hurt, and the Superintendent with the Famous bit mean there's always something going on no matter which group the focus is on.

PLOT

In something of a prototype Austin Powers plot, the story revolves again around Ringo, who's been gifted with a special ring that he can't take off which makes him the target of a crazed cult. Taking shots at the imperialism of James Bond and on organised religion both, the story leads The Beatles on a short world tour as they also sing a few songs and get increasingly annoyed by the magnetic danger.

This movie, being made in the mid-60s and following similar international spy thriller cues, is a little bit racist. Possibly the least racist 60's movie (AHDN, MMT and YS are a bit less though lol) but the Cult in this are Indian Flavoured, albeit with the deliberate swerve of the goddess they worship being Kaili (not Kali of Hinduism) and the comparisons with church groups, that they aren't so different. I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses for the film, or just waving it off as the style at the time, but I've seen other films from the same era and they are DREADFUL about Ethnic Villainy so like, pick your battles lol. This one at least feels self aware about it. And it was the foot in the door that got George (and by extension, the others) interested in the culture.

SCRIPT & SUCH

Like AHDN before it, there's a lot of witty bits of dialogue, this film particularly indulges in bait and switch, and double entendres. For an example, in the part when they're about to try shrinking Ringo's finger with a syringe of magic science, Paul asks if it's habit forming. George [who's unwrapping a stick of gum at the time] says "No, as long as you don't swallow it." Stuff like that is all over the movie and it's fun, but again a bit hard to catch it all on the first watch.

There's also plenty of fourth wall breaks and little foreground/background events occuring, e.g. George casually stealing from the Jeweler's shop, and again, instances where the Boys were obviously high on set and seem to be spacing out or overdoing it. It's a shame that Paul and Ringo running off into the distance (to go smoke more) after shooting a scene wasn't filmed, as it sounds hilarious and wouldn't be any stranger than the rest of this movie.

There's also a lot of obvious ADR, and it seem the Bugs were still heavily medicated when doing these, as the apathetic, flat "Hohohohoho" as they Beatle Sandwich on a toboggan and the misc. grunts they make with the hand dryer are the sort of thing you'd think would get junked for a retake, but maybe Their Power was enough to mean the first takes were used as they have busy schedules? I think it enhances the film's Vibe, though.

MUSIC

The crown jewels of Help! for me, other than the capering about and Silver Age Comic flavour, are the music videos. In glorious colour, in new and interesting locations, and even with more dynamic and creative camera angles! With 7 of the stronger songs from the Help! Album (though tragically missing Act Naturally...), the stand outs to me being You're Going To Lose That Girl with the studio bathed in beautiful smoky colours, and Ticket To Ride, set against the late afternoon Austrian ski slopes [with bonus Train sighting! 😎]. These are almost worth the admittance fee on their own!

It's also possible that the Boys were saving all their Acting Power for the video sequences, as half these settings were cold as hell (even The Bahamas, where they wear summer clothes, as it was filmed in Winter) and they manage to power through haha

Other than the full songs being played, there's a lot of reconizable tunes as incidental music, like A Hard Day's Night [both on Sitar and as background music in The Bahamas], what sounds like a snippet of I'm Happy Just To Dance With You, and some classical music not written by The Beatles!

FINAL THOUGHTS

As I said in the preamble, it's plain ass a stupid movie. But yet, it's witty...! On the whole, it enchants me with its whimsical swag and I can't help but to grin at the antics shown here~ Still, I would say A Hard Day's Night objectively has it beat in most aspects, including social commentary, as AHDN's layers are more nestled in and solid.

I'm ranking it 2/3 too, just for different reasons. Pros include the colour, the wonderful videos and the "tehe" factor, as well as a Diesel Loco being very visible in Ticket to Ride. But even at my most biased I give AHDN the Better Movie title. Still I feel this one is underrated and worth watching for all Beatlemaniacs :3

🪲🪲🪲🪲

I'm undecided what next month will be... the options I have in mind are the worst "movie" or what I consider to be hands down the very best! That means MMT vs Yellow Submarine. I'd go with MMT first due to release order, but quite frankly I don't know if I can make its writeup long enough XD;;;;

[otome-obsessions]

Fairytale Keeper Archives - Madam Beryl

Part 1

3. What is the most distinct memory you've made with Beryl?

William: Do you remember when the three of us went to the opera house? There was a brief moment where she closed her eyes and began to silently mouth the lyrics of the mezzo-soprano performance. Her expression was intensely wistful. Like a bird singing inside of a cramped cage… She seems to know a great deal of opera by heart, and yet she doesn’t even hum when I play her favorite melodies. I can’t help but anticipate the day she lets her voice be heard again. Harrison: We were having breakfast one morning when Beryl and Jude started arguing as always. When they finished she slapped him on the back and stuck a little note that said “Beware of Dog” on his jacket. She kept giggling about it behind her fan, and whenever Jude would ask what was funny we’d all pass it off as something else. She's got a surprisingly childish sense of humor. Liam: One night, Beryl invited me to dinner at one of her taverns. After we ate, she admitted that she only asked me out because she wanted to get more publicity for her business. That honestly didn’t bother me, but she said she wanted to make it up to me since she really liked our conversation. So we left and got some snacks around the city, just the two of us. It’s not an exciting story, but… The way she looked at me when she said sorry really stuck with me, you know? Elbert: We were on a mission together, and she personally condemned a man guilty of enslaving children. She flew into a rage and beat him to death herself. I was surprised by her strength. It was like something possessed her… I couldn’t look away. Alfons: There are very specific rules of engagement at Beryl’s common houses. I happened to be enjoying the company of a new friend one night when a different client broke said rules. Beryl happened to be overseeing operations at the time, and she personally – and publicly – corrected the man’s behavior. By the end of her lesson, the rabble rouser was attached to a leash in her hand and kissing the tip of her shoe. Though, I imagine he enjoyed that much more than his protests let on. Roger: Like I said before, we don’t see each other much… Ah, I’ve got it. I saw her out in the city once. It was only in passing, and I wouldn’t have recognized her if it wasn’t for her heartbeat. She’s usually dressed up in those fancy dresses, but she was wearing a shirt and trousers at the time. Seemed like she was out drinking with her assistants and bodyguard. By the sound of things, they were having a good time. Jude: And why the hell do ya need to know that? (Keeper's note: The purpose of this report as well as the previously agreed upon compensation were reiterated toMr. Jazza.) Tch, fine... I've got a good one. There was one case where a group of 'merchants' were moving in on the East End and selling drugs behind my back. The product made its way into the bird's whorehouses, so with Queenie's blessing we buddied up to weed 'em out. Managed to snatch one of their grunts off the street, and we got to work on 'im. Started off playin' good cop, bad cop, but the bell end was dumb enough to admit to offin’ one of Beryl's girls. Little Miss Prim started peelin' the skin off the poor sod and echoin' his screams back at him. Oh? That make you feel queasy, princess? Well, we both know Queenie likes her fairytales graphic, so don't leave out the good bits, yeah? Ellis: Jude and I met Beryl when she first came to London and started her business, and at the time it seemed like we would end up condemning her for her crimes. I really thought she was a bad person back then, but when I was shadowing her one day I saw her buy some food for the homeless children hanging around her tavern. No one else saw her do it, and I don’t think she knew I was there that day. I can’t really call her a good person, but I started to look at her differently after that.

Victor: Oh, our first lunch together was absolutely wonderful! We’d both finished our investigations into each other without bloodshed, so we finally started learning more about each other as people. Did you know she speaks Italian, Spanish, German, and French? Our Beryl is just so talented, isn’t she? Anyway, while we were speaking about language studies she demonstrated her ability for me by mimicking the voices of the Crown members. Have you ever heard Harry reciting a poem in German? Because I have!

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

[alex-strike-is-transgender]

go into deep ramble about why your current favorite character is your favorite character

(OBVIOUSLY NOT FORCED 😋 only if you want)

Fave character is Alex Strike from Magisterium

I don't really know. Aaron was my fave for ages and he's still up their (probably betrayed as fuck that my new fave is his murderer) but I can give a few unorganised bullet points

The concept of the Devoured of Chaos could be really interesting if tgt didn't fuck it up

how he spent so long trying to become like Constantine

Also him compared to Call as a really fucking good opposite

Like Call trying so hard after finding out he has Constantine's soul to be like Constantine while Alex is trying so hard to be like Constantine/be Constantine

Him and Drew

Just random headcanons about him that can make him slightly more human

IF THE SILVER MASK HAD DONE THINGS FUCKING WELL

(tsm remains my fave book because I can fix it. Not because it's done well)

I can project onto him a bunch. transmasc headcanons.

I too would do all that for attention

"Call called on everything he'd ever learned about the soul tap and sent his concentration spinning towards Alex. He could see Alex's soul, the glow and light of it, no longer blackened with chaos. He felt it, almost as though he held it in his hands, pulsing and sparking, wrapped around with cords of hate, ambition, and pain. Call could see the kid who had liked being popular, who liked being Master Rufus's assistant, but who felt like it was never enough. He saw the kid who had crafted elaborate illusions out of movies, weaving in his friends and himself, always himself -- as the winner, the victor, the person who got everything in the end. Call saw the part of Alex that had felt bereft when his father died, abandoned to a woman with her own agenda, her own obsession. He saw his ambition grow and bloom and twist. Saw his hatred of Call, his resentment, his desire to be the winner. Call saw all of that, saw Alex's soul, whole and human and flawed."

THAT PARAGRAPH

HOLY FUCKINF SHIT THAT I HATE TGT BUT THAT FUCKINH BIT

his and josephs relationship like him trying so hard to impress joseph and joseph just wont have it jospeh does not see him as any good

" "If you can't find Drew's soul, then you must not be much of a Makar" he heard Master Joseph say from the other side of the door "Perhaps you should be the vessel for Drew's return. Perhaps Callum Hunt can push Drew's soul in and your soul out" // "I'm a Makar," Alex whined. "You can't do that." " ... " "your powers are stolen and you are inferior" Master Joseph said, his voice thich with rage. "You were never meant to wield chaos magic." // "I can do this," Alex said. "I can!" There was a scraping noise. "Just give me some room to work." "

That bit

actually there are a lot of tsm moments

"I ought to be Constantine" who tf uses the word "ought" bitch

I too would be pissed off if someone exploded a stoat on me tbh

emo boy

he is 100% an MCR fan okay

cannot stand Call for five seconds

That one picture in tsm WHY ARE YOU SITTING LIKE THAT

what is an evil overlord-y look I wanna see it

He did a lot of it for attention and honestly if you're gonna go that far for attention I think you deserve to get some

I could fix chaos devoured him. Not in a "I could fix him I could make him a good person" way in a "I could make this way more in character and work better as a plot point" way

I have way too many of his lines memorised and idk why. Why do I need this shit playing on loop in my head wtf

[alexisnoir]

Our Flag Means Death Fanfiction Recommendations

I haven't read OFMD fanfictions after season 1 but started when season 2 was airing. Now that season 2 is over, I went through few fanfictions I believe many of you may find interesting to read. Most of them are epic long, finished, posted BEFORE season 2 ended or right before it ended. They're modern AU's, different universes, different timelienes. Stories I've found, after reading few chapters I'll be immersed for hours to come. So here's my list, hopefully you'll find something to read yourself if you are fanfiction reader. With few of the stories I'm close to finishing them and others I just started. I have more stories I'd love to share but haven't read them since some are so long and still posting I'm scared to know if they will get finished after season 2. Hopefully they will.

The list with links:

Ed, Actually by BonnetPetit

When newly divorced and newly out Stede Bonnet is dragged to a rock concert by his assistant, he thinks it will be a fun night out and a chance to be more social after isolating himself. Little does he know, he is about to attract the attention of the legendary Blackbeard, frontman of Queen Anne's Revenge.

Their meet-cute hits a bit of a snag when an incident at the concert threatens the nationwide tour Blackbeard and his band are about to go on, putting Stede under a spotlight he never wanted or asked for.

I'm Used to Death by dimplyowl, That_Mothra

The 74th Hunger Games looms over the 12 districts of Panem. In District 12, Stede Bonnet, the son of the district’s only living victor, has been reaped from a pool of hundreds. In District 1, Edward Teach has volunteered for the Games in an effort to help his family. Both know that either death or victory waits for them in the arena. Neither of them expects a third option.

to a good home only by fluffy_miracle

In a world where alphas are second-rate citizens, Ed Teach, a more or less retired omega lives alone in a cozy house that is all his own. He hasn’t dated in years, not since he got out of an abusive relationship with his ex, Jack. He has some health issues that keep cropping up and he knows he will eventually have to deal with them, even if it means getting an alpha.

One day, while checking the classifieds for parts for his boat, Ed finds an ad about an alpha for sale. On a whim, he calls and finds himself with an alpha of his own in the next three hours. Stede is not what he was expecting, but there’s something about the sweet, most likely traumatized alpha that makes Ed want to keep him, even if it’s just to make sure he’s finally taken care of.

The Expectations We Hold For Ourselves by aspenspiratebrainrot

Mary said yes to going to sea, albeit only for two months, and so they go.

Jim, on the run from Spanish Jackie, splits from Oluwande and joins Blackbeard's crew in exchange for his protection.

Lucius, pickpocketing his way through Barbadian towns, somehow finds himself employed as part of a three-person crew.

Three weeks into the two months, The Revenge is attacked by Blackbeard, and Stede's hope of an exciting but ultimately peaceful voyage with his family are crushed. All that's left is for him to bargain for his family's lives, even if that means putting himself on the line.

The Definitive Leda House and the Kraken Verse by Vee (Vera_DragonMuse), Vera_DragonMuse

A modern AU that follows the entire staff of the drag bar named Revenge as well as their partners and the Bonnet children. Features drag shows, late in life coming out stories, romance in many forms, and as much found family as you could ask for.

The Underground by NymsShadow

Recently and amicably divorced Stede Bonnet is slated for a big promotion, when new hire Ed Teach swoops in and steals his job… and then his heart.

Candid Moments by meg_ofmd

Stede Bonnet is married with two kids. He works for his father, but knows this isn't his passion. He loves photography, but it's just a hobby for him. When his favorite photographer, Edward Teach writes a book about his life, he's tasked by his father with publishing it. Edward Teach is married to one of his oldest friends, Jack Rackham, but isn't happy. He's bored with his career and annoyed with his manipulative husband. He meets Stede Bonnet, who is publishing his book, and realizes he may have found his soul mate, but he's married.

Eureka by JaneSane

In the year 1888, Stede Bonnet, twenty seven years of age, holder of a degree in Political Economy (by the skin of his teeth and his father’s refusal to fund any further studies in Classics or History), lived life fairly well on his own terms. He was a little queer in his ideas, and in addition to the arts was an enthusiast in some branches of science. Those with a passing acquaintance, which was the most anyone would claim, called him a decent fellow enough.

Some stories are very explicit, some are less but still hold warning tags, so if you have any triggers you want to avoid, read the tags in the stories!

[kiryll-antiqua]

Bark

Kiryll's ears burned when he heard about Victor for the first time. He knew Varis liked dogs, which made the tempered pugnaxes in Babil Tower make his heart hurt even moreso, but to think, a particular show dog existed and survived the whole Anima incident…and on display locally.

The requirements to get in to see him were very high, and Kiryll lacked the ability to commit time to completing them, but at the very least, he could go in to visit it.

Though no farmer's hand with animals, he was a dog lover himself. Lady Susuno had had borzoi, and it was one of Kiryll's duties to assist in keeping them well-cleaned. They had needed enough attention that Lady Susuno hired a new member of staff to do the entire job, because it had just become too much of an ordeal. His grandmother's dog was a very sweet and dense Collie named Scratcher. 

Victor was warmed to Kiryll almost immediately. He was large, and the pugnax face aesthetic was not to his taste, even with Victor being considered as having the gold standard pugnax face. He was barking and wagging his tail as Kiryll approached, and when he got within range, Victor slobbered on the upper half of his right torso, leaving Kiryll shuddering for a few moments, wiping himself off with a handkerchief.

Kiryll had never enjoyed any kind of dirt on him, ever since he was a child. Born the son of a lord, but raised as a servant, it always had perplexed him how much he hated getting dirty, while his half sister seemed to roll in it daily.

Victor's handler calmed him down and waited politely for Kiryll to approach again. "It's all right, I know he's a good dog. Aren't you?"

Kiryll knew just where a pugnax preferred to be scritched. 

–

"Do you like dogs, Warrior of Light? I have a summer home to the south, and I keep several there. Pugnaxes, that is."

"Pugnax?" Kiryll hadn't heard that word in such a long time, and didn't think he had certainly never seen one before.

"One of several types of attack dogs. Round-ish, snub-nosed, sharp teeth. Though I suppose they haven't made their way to Eorzea…I know your people do use attack dogs, but I'm unfamiliar with exactly which ones. I'll have to look them up later…"

Kiryll cleared his throat, a little nervous. "I did see to it that my lady's three borzoi were taken care of, but I typically haven't too much experience with attack dogs."

"Are borzoi not attack dogs themselves, though?"

"Only if you agitate them."

Varis was very good at diverting the core of the conversation so that there was more to talk with him about. Kiryll wasn't sure if it was a bit of attention deficit or purposeful deceit, meticulously crafted in advance to keep Kiryll ensnared. He worked a bit to find the thread. "Summer home, you say? I think I can handle meeting an attack dog."

Varis smiled at him, his crows feet catching Kiryll's eye. "You're a good person. You can probably handle all six."

–

Kiryll had indeed been able to handle all six. Said summer home was in a warm place that reminded him of Thavnair but he didn't think it was within its borders. The home was a modest cluster of homes, impeccably kept, not standing out as an Imperial edifice due to its retaining of the local architecture style, but heavily patrolled. 

It was nice to share a secluded set of evenings on a beach, alone with someone. He was a little bit angry that that someone ended up being Varis and not some kind of better paragon from Eorzea, but he was still in his feelings about Eorzea, which was part of why he decided to go meet Varis rather than ripping up the letter he got sent.

The dogs looked very fierce, and he didn't remember any of their names, but he was good to them, and they were good to him. Even the ones that seemed skittish or likely to snap seemed to warm to Kiryll as if he were royalty in a fairy story.

Now years later, he wondered what had become of that place, or if it could ever be found. Victor barked, though it came off as more of a "boof," bringing him back down to earth.

Kiryll spent so much time in his own thoughts these days. The trainer had him do a few tricks and it was almost time to let the next group of people in to see him, and he was eventually politely ushered out after loitering for too long.

Kiryll was having trouble keeping his lucidity in public, and he didn't like that at all. He hoped the move to Garlemald to help the Twins would prove useful.

He trodded back to his apartment and grabbed an old bottle of plum wine off the shelf before bed, still thinking about Varis's dogs, and all the other pugnaxes he happened to encounter afterwards. He had such terrible trouble being on the other side of their leash.

He felt like the biggest heel in existence as he had to push past the pugnaxes Zenos seemed to employ in his own defenses. Though with Zenos, Kiryll thought that maybe his defenses were actually designed by his retainers, or been mandated by Varis himself. It was almost comedic, like ordering small bodyguards for an unbelievably powerful Gladiator.

Though Victor here would only be an entertainer. His snarls seemed like the dog version of smiles, and his love language was a frightful bark, it was the only language he knew, and it also reminded him of Varis. 

There was not a single day he wasn't thinking about him, in all this time. He knew it was about time to try to let go a little bit. It had been almost two years, after all. He felt quite stupid, drowning in the dreams, the nightmares, the fanciful daydreams. He was surprised he was not tempered, himself. 

Kiryll remembered seeing tempered pugnaxes in Babil Tower, and the horror of the situation really set in - Babil Tower was not something Varis would have chosen for himself. It was a vicious punishment enacted by Fandaniel's desire to destroy, and Zenos's silent apathy to everything that surrounded him that was given to him by his family.

It was good that the war had ended. It was just gruesome and terrible that it had ended like this.

Kiryll was constantly hearing people on the streets of Ul'dah talking about it, and not just amongst the Lemures, but the merchants and the low ranking politicians, too. It had lost its charm, and with it, most of what tied his attachment to Ul'dah.

Most of his own things were in boxes, and friends had been communicated with, and a long conversation with his mother as well. This was his last week here, and he was hoping the change of venue would be better for his mind.

[cushfuddled]

DUDE DUDE DUDE THANK YOU! All your meta on Viktor makes me so happy.

Viktor can be closed off and callous, but what kills me is that he doesn't mean to come across that way. I think a lot of his comments look snide on paper, but are spoken with genuine care. Like their meeting from S1E2:

JAYCE: Who are you anyway? VIKTOR: I'm assistant to the Dean of the Academy—who it may serve you to remember is also head of the Council. He sent me here to ensure that anything dangerous is removed safely. Which, according to my list, includes you. JAYCE: What? How am I dangerous?! VIKTOR: That's for the council to decide.

In my memory, Viktor delivered these lines with a cavalier tone, like, "I'm the ASSISTANT to the HEAD OF THE COUNCIL who's gonna KICK YOUR ASS, rich boy." But look at Viktor's expressions as he delivers these lines!

"I'm assistant to the Dean of the Academy—who it may serve you to remember is also head of the Council. He sent me here to ensure that anything dangerous is removed safely. Which, according to my list, includes you."

There's maybe a tiny flicker of amusement as he reminds Jayce of his place, but I don't think that's Viktor relishing Jayce's plight. To me, these expressions are more contemplative with a tinge of surprise. Less like "haha, look at this dumb rich boy suffer consequences for the first time!" and more like "haha, this kid's got spunk!" He's not put off by Jayce's naive pigheadedness; he's fascinated by Jayce's work and endeared by his outbursts. He relates to Jayce's frustrations and his fighting spirit.

In other words, Viktor may not mean to reprimand Jayce so much as alert him to the gravity of his circumstances. The translation goes, "Don't underestimate the power of the forces you're up against. I'm here as a representative to the Council, which means 1. you're a threat to the oligarchy, and 2. as a man of my position, you can trust me when I say you need to take this situation very, very seriously."

And then look at Victor's face when he says, "That's for the council to decide."

There's no contempt or schadenfreude here. Viktor looks so SAD. To my eyes, this is the face of a man who's seen Jayce's rebuttal to a plea for caution, and knows Jayce won't be able to disguise his passion at the trial. This bright spark will be extinguished under the heel of the oligarchy, and that inspires a regretful tone, not a haughty one.

But again, the words themselves would lead anyone to believe Viktor spoke with derision. And I think this mismatch applies to a lot of Viktor's interactions with Jayce and Sky. Again, I remembered Viktor being aloof and snarky when he saved Jayce, but the reality was much less black and white. On rewatch, Viktor wasn't the pillar of snark from my memory. He seemed out of his depth.

"Am I interrupting?" no longer feels like snark, but a misfire. I don't think Viktor has a lot of experience with giving or receiving comfort, and I suspect his first instinct—even when faced with a scenario as dire as a man on a ledge—was to reach for something light and quippy to diffuse the tension. The "a bit egotistical" comment falls into this category for me too, especially with the way Viktor's eyes dart around as he delivers the line (and how Jayce's offense seems to catch him off guard).

VIKTOR: ...Every page, I might add. Eh, a little egotistical, don't you think?

JAYCE: Is that why you came? To insult me? VIKTOR: [Fervently] No, no.

VIKTOR: I was intrigued by what you said at the trial. JAYCE: [Shooting Viktor down again] That makes you the only one. VIKTOR: Yes, well, I wanted to talk about your work.

The awkwardness of Viktor's "...Yes, well," reads like course correction. If there's exasperation here, I think it's coming from a desire to reach Jayce, coupled with the terrifying knowledge that his failure could spell Jayce's death. He's tried to diffuse the situation, and now he's had to switch tactics; he'll convince Jayce to stay on the merits of his work. Except Jayce anticipates ill-intent and reacts defensively. From Viktor's POV he must feel like he's only pushing Jayce farther and farther away, and there's a desperation leaking into Viktor's expression as he says, "Yes, well, I wanted to talk about your work. This Hextech theory of yours."

Viktor steps closer and closer towards Jayce. But Jayce takes the peace offer as an insult. He's angry, convinced Viktor came here to antagonize him. "It's not a theory!"

But then Jayce gives Viktor an in: "You have no idea how beautiful it is. And now it's gone. No one believed me."

Here, Viktor gives up all pretense of detachment. He steps out of the shadows and joins Jayce in the revealing light of the ledge. He meets Jayce where he's at, and his vulnerability ("Nobody's ever believed in me. A poor cripple from the undercity. I was an outsider the moment I stepped foot in Piltover") is what allows Jayce to finally shift his perception of Viktor from a bully (here to pour salt in his wounds) to a comrade in arms (here to help him achieve his dream).

In general, Viktor strikes me as an autistic man...

with a passion for his work (cough special interest cough) so intense it can make it seem like he doesn't care about other people/being included/recognition/his own health

who sometimes misses key social cues (like when Sky offers to walk him home) and struggles to follow the "right" social scripts, with his flat affect and cut-to-the-chase approach often causing him to come across as detached or mean when he's really neither of those things

Viktor doesn't feel safe enough to show vulnerability very often, which also contributes to that aura of aloofness. He's absolutely got a sense of humor, and I think he can be snarky. Sometimes Viktor even defaults to snark and banter as a buffer between himself and his emotions. Big emotions have always frightened and frustrated Viktor on so many levels.

*whispers* Viktor never once says anything mean or belittling to Jayce after they become partners. Not one insulting "you" statement, not one disagreement where he doesn't remained focused on the point of contention. He never makes ad hominem attacks, he never insults Jayce's appearance or intelligence.

Literally the single meanest thing he says to Jayce that could be considered a "you" statement is "Your mind has become rigid." Basically, he's saying that Jayce has suffered so much recently that it's closed his mind to broader intellectual possibilities like, that is barely an insult, and clearly Viktor just means it as a statement of fact, if not a challenge for Jayce to joyously consider possibilities again. And by the way? That statement is when Viktor is in his full his villain arc. It's remarkable because it's the only time he's pointed out a perceived flaw in Jayce since the night when he questioned if Jayce signed his notes out of being egotistical.

From the moment Jayce told Viktor about how beautiful magic could be, arguably once Jayce became a person to Viktor rather than a subject of academic discipline or skepticism, Viktor has not once leveled a personal attack against him as a person. Not even during the fight on the bridge. Not even when he called Jayce's Councilor work a waste of our time. Not even when Jayce was considering making Hextech weapons, Viktor still remained focused on the substance of the argument, expressed incredulity, anger, even disgust that Jayce would consider making weapons, but he never said it was because Jayce was stupid or privileged or blind. He pointed out specifically that he knew Jayce felt trapped by the decision, he knew Jayce was being manipulated, and then, in a very pointed manner, Viktor reminded Jayce that there's always a choice, challenging Jayce to stand firm and do what was right.

Even when they parted ways in 2.02, Viktor didn't say there was anything wrong with Jayce. He just said their paths had diverged, again not saying anything was wrong with Jayce, or even his choices, but rather that they're two different people who had stayed together longer than their diverging goals normally would have allowed because of the affection they held for each other.

I don't know, I get why people write Viktor as catty or mean or dismissive of Jayce. There's definitely some quotes from the day they met, before they become partners, that lend to the idea that Viktor can be quite dry and sharp with others. And conflict is the stuff of good fiction so again, totally get putting some conflict between him and Jayce in fic.

But I also think there's a tendency in derivative works like fic to Flanderize the characters, or worse, put them into narrow archetype boxes that are vastly different from their more interesting and nuanced canon selves.

How many times have we seen a wiggly man/straight man or blue vs. red personality partnership duo? How often have we seen those partners not be able to fucking stand each other, who are bickering all the time, who are snide or backtalk, or are perpetually sarcastic?

It's so common that I get why people see it with Jayce and Viktor but that's why it's so damn fascinating to me that they aren't like that.

Jayce and Viktor don't suffer each other unwillingly at any point, even when they're having a goddamn flying superhero fight in the final episode they're talking about how they're happy to see each other and praying that the other will please step away from this destructive path! They don't want to hurt each other, even verbally!

During the years of their partnership, they're constantly delighted by the other's presence, they are instantly comfortable together and never have a bad word to say to or about each other. They actually don't bicker! When they have disagreements, they stay entirely focused on the point of the disagreement and they never dip into personal attacks of any kind.

Even the tone of the time Jayce yells at him on the bridge, arguably their most acrimonious moment in the whole first season, isn't an actual argument, no more than a parent yelling at their child for running into traffic is an argument. Jayce says awful things but it's clear his anger comes from fear for Viktor and for their precarious situation. And it's clear this is a deeply unusual moment for both of them, Viktor is taken aback at how unusual it is, Jayce once called out backs down immediately, arguably because it's so unnatural for them to fight at all that it takes the wind out of the sails of Jayce's anger instantly when he realizes he's crossed a line.

No one can drag a bad word about Viktor out of Jayce, and vice versa! When Singed implies that Viktor might lose loved ones over his choices, Viktor immediately (and correctly!) states that Jayce will understand.

They are rigorously protective of one another too. Arguably all the times Viktor excludes Jayce from his Hexcore experiments in S1 is to protect him from his reckless and likely illegal experiments (as well as not wanting Jayce to stop him and wanting to live, but it can be many things). Jayce constantly cites Viktor as his partner and constantly reiterates that Viktor is his priority in life, that saving Viktor comes first. Jayce overthrows the goddamn founder of the city in order to protect Viktor!

Jayce's love for Viktor is so extreme that literally in S2, the only person who can convince Jayce to hurt Viktor, after seeing the post-apocalyptic Hell of a future that is caused by him, is Viktor himself. Jayce doesn't even get mad at Viktor after he learns Viktor is the cause of what he saw! He is instead desperate to get back, to avert the damage caused by their joint work in Hextech, and saved Viktor from the fate worse than death that is Mage Viktor's total isolation in the aftermath. And every step of the way, even knowing what he knows it's clear he's in agony at the thought of having to raise a hand to Viktor at all.

Now of course I'm getting into just how insane their love for one another gets in S2, but I just feel so baffled sometimes reading fic where Viktor is constantly undercutting, insulting, or belittling Jayce every which way. He never once does that after the partnership begins. And it makes me so insane because we have so many partnerships in media that do devolve into sarcasm, cattiness, and backbiting but Jayce and Viktor aren't one of them and that's really really fucking interesting and worthy of exploration I think.

[kaoarika]

Early this week I was able to watch Undelu's first episode and I still have the same complaints I had due to the first impressions I DID have when it aired WAY back last year :)

I don't think the first ep needed to be SO artistry or too symbolic in some parts. I mean, I know ex-SHAFT staff worked on this... but I still don't feel it needed it (the tilt heads meme that SHAFT is full well known is still rotting in my mind after all these years, it seems) and I feel it goes better with stuff like 3gatsu rather than... Undelu.

OH, the first sequence is NICE and it implies in some way or form that might be the anime adaptation of To You From Me, with all the context/parallels of the Loops, Victor, Juiz and the fact that I ALWAYS forget Undelu happens in some weird alternate world than ours... but it didn't have to go hard like THAT, lol (also some parallels with IRL Undelu's anime adaptation vs the manga... I have read reactions that are ALL over the place for the pacing of the anime's season, so, that might be fun :)) )

I miss the crowd from the first scene of Fuuko and Andy... it feels so strange and lonely... it works better that there was a crowd and not... just THEM???

My brother insisted to watch it with the LatAm dub, so I cannot really be against it. So far, it's good... but it feels a bit... weird because it's ALSO using other Spanish translation than what the manga uses (I always suspected that the manga is using Spain's manga TL and it's being "fixed" for it to be neutral) and there's also the biiiig familiarity of reading the manga in English. SO. WEIRD.

To put it briefly:

English -> Spanish (Manga) -> Spanish (Anime)

Unluck -> Desafortunada -> Infortunio

Soemthing about synonims and words and nouns that are rarely used in Spanish becase there are alternatives that are better well known and used in our dialect and some feel like REAL, REAL deep cuts that I have rarely seen other ppl use in prose context (ie unluck is basically mala suerte)

Andy is named like such in the LatAm anime's localization because "Anti-muerte" and Anti -> Andy sound similar I guess (we all know it's because Andy - Undead and it's pronounciation in Japanese as its a borrowed word from English... so)

I know that Tozuka never anticipated the series would get translated other than English (and I think he even mentions that his assistants may know a bit better English than him, regardless), so there's going to be nouns and such that would be weird in my language translation later on (Unjust and Unfair both mean "injusto" >.>, the manga opted for "Ilegal" for Unfair... and yet it still doesn't sound right when certain someone gives hints of what their real ability is >.>, it TECHNICALLY has the same meaning as "injusto" in certain situations -ie cheating-, i will be real, but other than THAT...)

The dub is okay, so far. I think Edson Matus is the highlight because he fits Andy's gruff voice a lot (yet I want to listen to Youkyan, because... Youkyan) and he is currently one of my bro's fave dub actors at the moment (he voices Charlie in Smili*ng Friends, and I concur, he sounds awesome there). look, I am SOOOO tempted that in any chance they get him here, I will bring either vol 1 or my figure to get it signed (below the figure base, sorry :V*)

STILL A FREAKING DAMN SHAME D*SNEY+ GOT THIS, THOUGH.

(I'm just looking at the next new anime adaptation releases of Blue Box and Sak*amoto Days in Ne*tflix and... FRICK, you know?)

*Reminder that I don't go to anime cons since 2017 because going on my own is not fun and it's basically "rinse and repeat" with merch stands and the expensive tickets for all that and a conventions monopoly and open secrets about the whole organizing event thing????

[crackspinewornpages]

Les Misérables 260/365 -Victor Hugo

251

That night Babet, Brujon, Guelemer and Thenardier had planned an escape and Montparnasse was to help from outside. Brujon had woven a rope in confinement. He was transferred to the new building and found Guelemer and a nail. At this time roofers were relaying the slates and the new building was falling into disrepair (the irony) and the two’s beds were on the lower floor against the chimney that pieced the roof. Thenardier had been in solitary on the top floor and had somehow procured a bottle of wine. “There are, in many prisons, treacherous employees, half-jailors, half-thieves, who assist in escapes, who sell to the police an unfaithful service, and who turn a penny whenever they can.”p.616 (again things never really change)

When Gavroche picked up the two children Babet escaped and waited for them on the other side. Guelemer and Brujon used the nail and a chisel to loosen the boards and cause an avalanche of falling stone work and scaled the chimney and were on the roof. They used the rope to scale the walls and end in the street. That night Thenardier was too worried to sleep, he saw their shadows pass the roof and waited for the sentry to deliver food. He was allowed an iron bolt for his bread, (they just hung it on an iron rod) when it was delivered two hours later another sentry would round and found the previous one unconscious and a hole to the roof and his bayonet missing. Thenardier reached the crest of the ruined house somehow but his strength failed at the edge of the wall and the clock minutes before chiming the next round of sentries, when it did an uproar followed. Fall or arrest he thought, until he saw a man in the street who stopped under him, he heard their slang and recognized them.

Brujon was telling Montparnasse his tavern keeper accomplice must have been caught when they hear the prison alarm and figure Thenardier was found. They patrolled La Force looking for him, he didn’t dare call but threw the rope at them, he’s too cold to climb down. There was a plaster flute but it was too narrow except for a child and Mantparnasse went to fetch Gavroche. They give Gavroche his orders and up there Gavroche recognized his father. When they got back to the ground Babet told Thenardier that Eponine found there was nothing to be done but they’ll look into it. Ignored Gavroche listened for a bit before running off, Babet saw the family resemblance but Thenardier doesn’t acknowledge it.

BOOK SEVENTH SLANG

252

Pigritia engenders the whole world theft, hunger, the son and daughter and idleness the mother, slang, a dialect theft in people and language. Thirty-four years ago, the author was aghast at it from the abominable of society. Balzac and Eugene Sue were objected for writing dialects. “When it is a question of probing a wound, a gulf, a society, since when has it been considered wrong to go too far?”p.623 It was seen as a courageous act, fulfilled merits, why should one not explore everything, why stop. It is neither or attractive to investigate the lower order of society, the vocabulary of monsters, but when has horror excluded study. (page of examples)

All rungs of societal hierarchy and intelligences have slang, an extension not everyone will admit. There is veritable slang and pre-eminent slang, but it is vile and attacks the social order, what use is preserving it. “Assuredly, if the tongue which a nation or a province has spoken is worthy of interest, the language which has been spoken by a misery is still more worthy of attention and study. It is the language which has been spoken, in France, for example, for more than four centuries, not only by a misery, but by every possible human misery.” p.625 So we insist in the study of deformities to find remedy, descend into darkness, a historian isn't good if they do not understand hidden life interior as well as exterior, a true historian mingles in everything. “Is the under side of civilization any less important than the upper side merely because it is deeper and more sombre?”p.625 It is really the human tongue, words misshapen obscurity in voices and acts the real human division and cry education through those in the light can burn from excess.

253

Every syllable is marked from those in darkness but it has rights in literature it has syntax and poetry, it is language. A study in it would be fruitful, a language within language, dig deep enough and find the language of Mediterranean ports. (well yeah linguistic drift and borrowing vocabulary exists that’s why English is such a hodge podge and some west states pronounce iron as urn) An edifice in common by the miserable growing. Slang is metaphorical, sometimes slang passes into metaphor, it lives in the language and ordinary words are deformed and complicated and when understood changes. Man with only rags and vices are ripe for crime and in the galleys and in hell they sang songs of their birth, some were tender. “Do what you will, you cannot annihilate that eternal relic in the heart of man, love.”p.631 In the world of dismal deeds people kept secrets in the aide of metaphor and to research slang is to discover it. Slang is the convict of language to deliver in the abyss and create consternation.

254

Slang four hundred years ago, words now mournful, now menacing, a sadness of the vagrants in the Court of Miracles. In the middle of the last century there was a change in prison songs, the melancholy of the dejected class vanishes into laughter. The eighteenth century is healthy and good humanity advanced to the light with philosophers Diderot, Turgot, Voltaire and Rousseau. One winter was of an unhealthy gallery was Retif de La Bretonne, effected Europe summed up by Schiller, crime rose up and suffering engenders wrath and prosperous classes blind themselves to it, as to set a light to it brings society’s scrutiny to everything, crumbles and the French Revolution cut it short, the Revolution changed societal conditions. (given recent events in France they could use another one)

255

Is all social danger gone, no phthisis is there and called misery, even selfish hearts understand political necessities and first thought is the disinherited, so enlarge the horizon, educate them, (the Midatlantic accent common in old movies used to be taught in schools because it was considered upper class after WWII it declined) offer labor, balances, it is the beginning. “The true question is this: labor cannot be a law without being a right.”p.635 A body starving for bread isn't as sad as a soul starving for light, (Valjean would have a few words about that) as humans move up, layers emerge from distress to elevate a level is to eliminate misery. Why do those who do not desire a future say no, they only condemn themselves, staying in the past is to die. Humanity enters equilibrium, equity aided by science, but in the meantime, there can be no halt.  

More than once society has given way and was crushed from unknown reasons, could they have been saved, was it their fault there’s no answer. “We are not acquainted with the maladies of these ancient civilizations; we do not know the infirmities of our own.”p.636 Our society is worth the trouble of saving, it will be, but there are those that doubt and have weaknesses. “Will the future arrive? It seems as though we might almost put this question, when we behold so much terrible darkness.”p.636 (did he really just write all this to shit on accents and justify his use of them and yeah Gavroche has an accent and uses slang but in English translations he has a cockney accent because Victor says gadin is the Parisian cockney but also translated to English cockney is a recognizable low class form of speech to signify a lack of status and education like America would use an Appalachian or very southern dialect)

BOOK EIGTH ENCHANTMENTS AND DESOLATIONS

256

The reader already knows Eponine recognized Cosette on Rue Plumet and didn’t inform the ruffians and told Marius. Marius easily entered the garden at night, (he’s compared to Romeo) had Cosette fallen for a man less unscrupulous she would have been lost as women yield to generous natures, love ruins or saves, (I think she could do better) the dilemma of human destiny, Cosette encountered a love that saves. All through May they met but kept a distance they didn’t cross. Cosette told him her real name, Euphraise, Marius prefers Cosette, she tells him she loves him and they laugh that he thought her name was Ursule. Then he told her how he was going to beat a veteran for seeing her ankle, (girl run this is a red flag) he imagined life with her.

257

They didn’t notice the cholera outbreak that month and they didn’t tell each other much besides their names, Marius told her of his father but being a baron didn’t affect Cosette. Cosette told him she was raised in a convent and her father was poor but generous, denying himself everything while giving it to her. Marius never thought to tell her of what happened at Gorbeu house. Love takes the place of thinking and they didn’t think of anything but each other and didn’t ask where it would lead them. (you both are young and dumb)

258

Valjean suspected nothing, Cosette being happy made him happy and he didn’t think of Marius and Toussaint was ignorant as well. Marius never went in the house and they hid in the trees when he returned to Courfeyrac around one in the morning he asks what’s her name but Marius wouldn’t talk. They spoke of finery and politics as complications approached, one day on his way to Rue Plumet Eponine met him, he had out her out of his mind, she couldn’t say anything to him and left.

259

June 3 1832 was an epoch on the horizon, Marius ran into Eponine again and she followed him to Rue Plumet to see the rendezvous and hid in a niche. Six other men had followed Marius and Thenardier is shocked to see Eponine who asks why he’s there, how did he escape and how is mamma. She keeps hugging him and greets the other thugs and when asked lies that the woman living at Rue Plumet moved, the lights are from the squatters. Thenardier will turn the place over and Eponine begs Montparnasse not to enter, they won’t listen and she threatens to scream, she’s not afraid of them. Montparnasse has plans to use a knife and Thenardier didn’t say anything but Brujon called off the job and Eponine followed them until they disappeared.

260

After the ruffians departed Rue Plumet was tranquil in the mist, there are things beyond man which the living are ignorant of, a black figure stops the wild beast.  

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