#went. 'guess ill go find faust'

[flovverworks]

the no1 fake kitty of my heart

[atopearth]

Ikemen Vampire Part 12 - Sebastian Route

I'm excited for Sebastian!! He's the only human and he's from the same era and country as the heroine, so I think it would be nice to see how they bond. Kinda cliche to have the accidental kiss when falling to make them notice each other as it being possible for them to have something beyond friends but I guess we'll see what happens~ Lol it's kinda crazy how self-conscious the heroine is now. It was nice of Sebastian to properly acknowledge it to have happened by apologising even though it wasn't his fault. Hahaha it was obvious Sebastian wasn't his real name but it's really cute how dedicated he is to making the guys comfortable whilst observing them haha. Lmao at Sebastian asking the heroine to spy on them as well🤣 Awwww!! I love how happily they shared their observation reports at the end of the day, it was so cutee!! Jean calling macarons mararons and Mozart having a soft spot for Jean was so sweet to see hahaha, if only Sebastian got to see it in real life haha.

The heroine observing Sebastian and writing it down in the journal as well is so cute!! I honestly think it's adorable to watch Sebastian get all giddy over the guys too so I agree with her🥲 It was obvious that Sebastian was gravely sick, but to think that it's a terminal illness... It was also sad to know that he feels that he has no place back in his world because his existence made his cousin unhappy. His uncle wanted him to be the successor of his business because he's a man, but his cousin had been working so hard since she was young to be the successor and there was probably no doubt she would be until Akihiko/Sebastian appeared in their life. It's depressing to know that Akihiko lost his family, found a new one with his uncle but then lost it again because he felt like he had no place in their life and only interfered with it, and then now he's dying? He's never gotten to even properly live truthfully to himself! I don't know what's right or wrong, but I'm sure Sebastian loves them and that's why he left so they could be happy, so knowing that he's going to die here alone pains me, especially since he's not planning on telling anyone and just wants to disappear when it's his time to go. I'm glad the heroine went around hoping to find more medicine for Sebastian, but Faust is right, Sebastian doesn't have a strong desire to live, and that's probably making him feel worse. On another note, I find it so adorable how all the guys are staying at the mansion more so they can visit Sebastian, it's so cute!! Especially when Isaac gave him an apple pie hahaha. It's so nice that even when Sebastian is sick, he can still continue his journal.

I find it really saddening to hear from Sebastian that he finds there is nothing of worth in this world to warrant him living an eternity for it. It's tough for both Sebastian and the heroine.I feel bad for Napoleon that he ended up hurting Sebastian but I'm also glad for it because it helped the heroine express her feelings, and it made Sebastian understand how much she wanted him to not give up on life and look forward to the future and feel like he can live alongside her if not for anything else. What I find the most saddening about this situation is that Sebastian finally wanted to live a normal life facing his illness, but Faust is basically turning him into a vampire to "heal" him. If it was going to be like this, I wish Sebastian took up le Comte's offer instead and became a vampire of his own will. Lmao at Isaac and Dazai watching Sebastian and the heroine clean up together and feed each other food lol. It's really so heartbreaking to see Sebastian want to live but now be so scared of stuff like the medicine not working or that he'll suddenly die when he actually has hopes for the future now. I don't want him to suffer so much when he deserves the best now😭😭 I can't believe even rouge wasn't enough to satiate Sebastian's thirst, this is more terrible than I thought, especially since he ended up biting the heroine and I'm sure he'll blame himself😭 It was so sad seeing both him and the heroine try to protect each other and sacrifice themselves for the other, so I'm glad that Faust actually had a way to heal Sebastian's illness and make him "human" again. I think the romantic ending was pretty sweet. I loved seeing Sebastian teach the residents how to cook in preparation of the day that he and the heroine may leave to go back to their time so Akihiko can face his family again without running away.

Overall, Sebastian's route was pretty nice but the way they solved everything was pretty lacklustre haha. I enjoyed how the heroine became as excited as him in terms of writing observations into the journal and then eventually noticing that she was in love with Sebastian when a lot of her observations were about him. It was also really sweet to see how everyone in the mansion cared so much about Sebastian, it was actually really touching because it really showed how much care and effort Sebastian put into caring for all of them, and they all appreciated it. I also enjoyed seeing the heroine try her best to get Sebastian have the will to live again, and she didn't do anything dramatic, but just the sincerity of her actions and her thoughts made him think that maybe he shouldn't give up so easily, and I love how we got to see Sebastian have to deal with the idea that now he wanted to live, but will his illness let him? The whole thing was solved very simply though so it made me feel like I worried for nothing, and I kinda hoped they would deal with that aspect better but it was okay I guess, I still liked it haha.

[thephantomessoftheopera]

Notes on Gaston Leroux’s “The Phantom of the Opera” - Chapter 9: “The Mysterious Brougham”

<< Previous chapter Now, we come to the events that happened during Christine’s first stay with Erik. She disappears after the cursed „Faust“ performance and the chandelier crash.  After she has not been seen for nearly 2 weeks, Raoul grows rather preoccupied about her whereabouts. Even though he knows that she had decided to break contact with him, he still wonders about her motivation for this. He tries to speak to the managers to find out more about Christine‘s fate, but their minds are entirely occupied with the liabilities caused by the chandelier accident. All they can tell him is that Christine has requested an indefinite leave for health reasons.

Raoul finally decides to seek out Mama Valérius, Christine’s foster mother. After her return from Perros she had sent a letter to Raoul asking him to stay away from her for the sake of both their lives, but Raoul obviously won��t be deterred so easily. He doesn’t believe in any supernatural happenings and therefore concludes that Christine must have fallen victim to an impostor. Raoul’s suspicions are quickly confirmed when Mama Valérius - who is currently ill and lying in bed - tells him that Christine is with the “Angel of Music”, and in his mind he’s already connecting this to the whole opera ghost affair. Raoul’s mind, despite a certain taste for music, poetry and fantastic tales, is very deeply rooted in reality, therefore he does not believe in the supernatural, concluding that someone human must be behind the whole „Angel of Music“ affair.

Mama Valerius tells Raoul that Christine is fond of him, but laughs at him having declared his love for her. He is shocked and angry to learn then from her that Christine is not „free“ and will never marry because if she does, she will lose her Angel of Music and never hear him again - apparently, the thought of him leaving her is terrible enough for her to resolve that she cannot marry at all.

We also learn that Erik has been giving Christine lessons in her dressing room at 8 o’clock in the morning for about 3 months, so for a rather short time really - it’s nothing that has been going on for years as implied in other adaptations, and certainly nothing that dates back to her childhood. Considering that it is now early to mid-February, this means that Christine and Erik first met at the beginning of November of the preceding year. Under Erik‘s tutelage, she obviously progressed rapidly, considering her lessons started about 2 months prior to her first triumph at the gala performance in January. The lessons took place early in the morning when the Opera House was still empty, so Erik and Christine wouldn‘t be disturbed.

Despite Raoul’s initial impression of Christine as a victim, he feels compelled to ask the rather impertinent question of whether she is still an “honourable girl”. Even though Mama Valerius confirms that she is still „pure“, he is angry at her, thinking that she is „cheating“ on him with some insipid tenor at the Opera. When he gets home, lovesick Raoul cries his eyes out in the arms of his brother Philippe. His doubts of Christine’s virtue are still further pushed when he hears from Philippe that she has been seen going on carriage rides with a mysterious man to the Bois de Boulogne, Paris’ biggest city park. At that time, the Bois de Boulogne was very popular with the nobility and also with people seeking privacy, so it’s not hard to guess where Raoul’s thoughts went.

His brother invites him to dinner to get his mind off Christine, but Raoul leaves early and decides to go to the Bois de Boulogne himself, in the hopes of meeting Christine there. When a luxurious brougham carriage slowly advances towards him, he is sure that Christine is inside, and tries to ambush the carriage in order to confront the Angel of Music. But when he calls her name, the horses break into a gallop, and speed past him.

Image of a brougham carriage from https://blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/brougham-brougham/. The brougham was a lightweight, elegant carriage which offered a cosy, intimate space for two passengers sitting next to each other.

Raoul despairs because he thinks that Christine does not love him and prefers to spend time with her mysterious lover instead. In his fit of jealousy, he is no longer thinking of Christine as a victim, but as a woman with the “soul of a courtesan” who has been deceiving him in the most spiteful way (well, at least he is polite enough to use the word “courtesan” instead of straight-up calling her “Erik’s whore”). The Paris courtesans were frequently seen in the Bois de Boulogne. As “society girls” and pretty playthings of the nobility, they lead rather luxurious lives, entertaining affairs with the high and mighty of Parisian society.

A peasant-girl-turned-opera-diva would possibly make a fine courtesan, but she would normally be absolutely no marriage material for a nobleman like Raoul. The only way for Raoul to even consider marrying Christine is if she conforms to his ideal of chastity and purity, but absolutely not if there are any doubts concerning her virtue. Raoul’s perception of her oscillates only between “madonna” and “whore” - but things are in fact not black and white here.

But then, a letter arrives from Christine, asking him to meet her at the masked ball the night after tomorrow...

Image and more information on the Bois de Boulogne in the 19th century: https://victorianparis.wordpress.com/tag/bois-de-boulogne/

Next chapter >>

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

Hello! Sorry if my English is not as good 😅, but I really love your insightful thoughts about the characters and how you describe Comte 😍. If it's not an annoyance, I wanted to ask something about Charles (I know his route is not out yet and there is not much information about him). I've been seeing in some posts that Vlad did something to him in Dazai's route (i'm not sure what really happened) and i'm really curious about it, because even though it's known that Vlad uses his powers against his people, i can't really picture it due to the way Charles acts towards him with so much affection ?🤔 or admiration... (I guess it's because of his personality or trauma, behavior that it's different from Faust, who acts cautiously with Vlad) So it's something i'm truly curious about. Sorry for bothering you and Thank you!

Welcome welcome! Please don’t worry, I had no trouble at all understanding you, your English is great! ❤️❤️❤️ As for what I know about Charles, my information is limited due to the nature of his content so far--I haven’t seen a ton about him quite yet. But in Dazai’s route we get a glimpse into his situation due to his increased screentime there.  

I’m just going to put a spoilers warning here for Dazai’s JPN rt, since that’s where I’ve learned the most about Charles:

Charles is indeed a very affectionate and generally genki boy as far as interpretations go, but there are heavy implications that Vlad is manipulating him on a profound psychological level. I say this only because there is plenty of evidence that Charles’ behavior isn’t quite his own at points, and because Dazai himself proves it to be true.

One piece of information that is necessary before delving too deep is that Charles finds MC’s handkerchief at one point early on and develops a sudden curiosity/desire to see her. While a person could just assume he was curious, I don’t personally believe that curiosity went without surveillance or intervention--since Vlad was there the whole time.

My best guess is that Vlad wanted to find out more about MC and perhaps use her as bait to manipulate Dazai (or threaten Comte), but Dazai already offered him something interesting in wanting to warp the flow of time--so Charles’ relationship with her was only collateral in the end. While Charles did have some level of sincere feeling for MC, it’s later revealed that it was ostensibly an obsession and did not operate on a normal level of personable feeling.

The way Dazai further proves that Charles’ mind has been manipulated is that, when Dazai begins to suggest that Vlad is essentially a con-man that intends to use Charles for murder no matter the cost to his mental health, Charles reacts with unnatural distress. It’s not the kind of refusal a person would normally have at the suggestion of someone’s betrayal of their loyalty, where they reject it and are uneasy but otherwise aren’t physically controlled by the emotion. Charles seems unable to mentally handle the suggestion that Vlad’s intentions aren’t good at all--that he’s lying--to the point where Charles nearly collapses from the intensity of the dissonance between his own mind and the parts Vlad is forcing into obedience. 

There is also a scene following Charles’ intense mental distress where Vlad essentially interrogates Charles as to his loyalty, and gives the overtone that any kind of disobedience will be swiftly destroyed if he sees it. Faust tries to protect Charles as best he can, but his power is limited compared to Vlad’s.

Furthermore, Vlad is Charles’ sire (aka Charles’ creator as a vampire)--if he can command and manipulate Shakespeare as well as people extraneous to him so easily, I really doubt Charles would be beyond his control. The only reason Faust seems to have more agency and stability is that Faust is highly attached to his own internal emotional compass and what he believes in. (The keyword here is “seems”, if I’m honest I’m not 100% sure if Vlad isn’t still there in his mind, subtly manipulating him to the darker sides of his nature.) Charles, as much as I love him, seems even more susceptible to the emotional/motivational overtones of others around him. I mean Faust even uses a similar tactic to help Charles, in that he slowly walks him through to the solution, and Charles never once questions his judgement or thought process because it feels right to him. If you think about it Shakespeare is much the same way; he’s so obsessed with the creation of his plays and public reception to them that he is easily manipulated because he lacks personal grounding. Vincent, despite his gentle nature, is not half so susceptible to this manipulation because he is immovable at his core. There are moral lengths he will not go to no matter the intentionality, and his inspirations come from deep within. Even Dazai is too mentally strong to be controlled due to his immense love for other people. Vlad also cannot control him because he loves MC so deeply he would never betray that trust, the only single time he betrays it is when he seeks suicide (which is more about fighting his mental illness and self-harm than it is about hurting MC).

If I’m honest, I think Charles may want to believe in the best of Vlad. But I don’t think that necessarily means that Vlad is not manipulating him to his own ends, or that he isn’t causing Charles significant psychological distress/dissonance throughout the game. Charles seems like the type to want to believe in people even if he knows that belief might be misplaced. As for Vlad, I have little to no reason to believe he is not hurting Charles. He does not consider Charles his son in any capacity, and openly treats both Charles and Faust like tools to a greater end. With Vlad, only the results matter--the means are irrelevant.

[projectlightfox]

Additional Freedom Fighters

     Even through Volt was technically on the reserve list for the Freedom Fighters. Even though he was supposed to have left his communicator and handheld put on silent, it wasn’t as if the hybrid had ever listened to such things. Although with what he was doing currently, he supposed that Faust would going to give him a good ear full if he found out what he was doing.

     Two weeks after having his new limb attached and with no ill side effects, it really shouldn’t have been a surprised that Volt was currently in the training room of the Freedom Fighter HQ on their obstacle course. Harmony sat to the side as she always did, watching as her father ran the course as best he could and practicing getting used to reaching for things with his cybernetic arm. Emerald eyes watched as Volt scaled a wall most of the way up and grabbed the top with the tips of his metal fingers, the startled sound came from the pup as the fingers slipped and her father was sent falling backwards with a moment of surprise.

     Before finding himself surrounded by a green aura and hovering in place as he had been turning himself upright. His feet touched the floor before the energy redirected itself and formed a familiar green wisp that went right back to the sidelines behind his daughter. Both Harmony and Volt looked up to the wisp being given affection by someone neither of them recognized and the older hybrid was quick to make his way over.

     “Thanks for the save, but this area is usually off limits to....” He paused and tilted his head, the mask was unfamiliar and so was the weapon she was wielding, but something about the wolf was familiar. “The training room is usually only accessed by Freedom Fighters. We have an observation area if you had been planning on watching.”

     “Was waiting my turn.” Her voice was so soft, even Harmony had to pick her ears up to make sure she heard the words, but Volt only nodded his head and shrugged.

     “Well since I flopped in the middle there, it’s all yours... I have a feeling I still have some things to get used to.” The cybernetic hand was raised and the fingers curled slowly. “Mind if my daughter and I sit and watch?”

     When the wolf shook her head, both took a seat on the sidelines with Harmony sitting on her father’s lap. Volt paying close attention to the way she moved in her cloak to the starting line. The fact that after the ‘GO��� had been issued, the woman was fast, clearing obstacles like a pro and when there was a challenge, the eye of her mask would light up along with her weapon to get her over or around. Each time it seemed to be a different color and a different ability, so it didn’t take long after she had finished and was making her way back over to them for him to figure it out.

     “Multiple Wisps huh?” He grinned at the stance she took, not needing to see her face to know that shock covered her hidden features. “Seems like you’ve got a pretty good partnership with them if they’re willing to switch out that quickly with each other. And I’m guessing you helped us during our fight with Eggman not too long ago, huh?”

     “Yes.” That was all he need to hear, extending his hand with a smile.

     “Nice to meet you. I’m Voltage, one of the reserve New Mobotropolis Freedom Fighters. My daughter is Harmony.” The hand was taken and shaking, the wolf’s other hand pushing the mask out of the way to offer them a very small smile in greeting.

     “Whisper.” She shook Volt’s hand and then Harmony’s carefully before standing up straight again. A moment was taken of her then gesturing to her cloak where the wisps were quick to exit and surround her. Save for the ivory wisp which made a beeline for the side of Volt’s face to rub against his cheek.

     “I swear... you’re as bad as a Chao!” Both Whisper and his daughter got to have a good laugh, the newcomer doing so ever so softly, and he used his cybernetic finger to lightly rub under the creature’s chin so it would return to the wolf. He had been just about to issue a greeting to the city when a voice behind him got the amethyst eyes to turn.

     “Oh. I appear to be late in introducing you.” Nicole stood behind them, looking between the three Mobians. “I was compiling her paperwork as well as another new addition to our roster and was planning to call you to see if you could give them a tour. I’m terribly sorry.”

     “It’s fine. No harm done, but I can give them a tour, where’s the other recruit?”

     “She was right behind me when I.... Oh Gaia...” The lynx looked behind her to find that the other was not where she supposed to be. Instead, the sound of cheering could be heard from the observation room, a lemur staring with stars in her eyes at the course from above. 

     More so with a near fangirlish squeal when Volt looked up.

     “Must be the new recruit huh....” Volt chuckled. “Well, lets go collect her and Harmony and I will give them the grand tour of the city. Mind messaging Chuck that we’ll stop in for dinner tonight.”

     “Of course. Thank you Voltage.” The AI has been just about to leave them when she placed a hand on Volt’s arm. “Her name is Tangle and I’ve been told she’d rather energetic.”

     “Thanks for the warning. I’m sure Harmony will give her a run for her rings later. Come on Whisper. Let’s get you familiar with the city.” With that, the trio made their way into the hallway to gather up the awestruck lemur from the other room.

[wandering-arior]

Arior couldn't help but smile as he glanced over at Julian his fingers still intertwined with his. He squeezed his hand a little as he was nervous about how they were going to prove he was innocent. As the both of them got down to the bottom of the stairs Asra called out to them. "I'm in the back. Come join me I've made us all some tea." Arior slowly pulls Julian along and takes a seat at the table. Julian pulls up a stool and takes a seat himself. "Thanks for doing this for me Asra. I do appreciate it." "Not a problem Ilya. What are friends for anyway." He smiles at Julian confidently. Arior grabs Julian's hand under the table and squeezes it tightly. He was very nervous for some reason and wasn't sure why.

"S-so how are we going to convince Nadia that Julian isn't the murderer? She's so set on that our dear doctor here did it." He swallows hard not feeling very convident anymore. He gently picks up the tea cup and takes a sip. Asra tilts his head at Arior concern on his face. "Arior are you okay? You don't seem like yourself all of a sudden." He takes a sip of his own tea before putting it down. So many things were running through Arior's mind at the moment he couldn't keep them all straight. "Here Asra may I take over, I mean I am a doctor." He chuckles a little as he sees Asra nod and chuckle a little himself. He places a hand to his head for a moment then looks back and forth as he thought. He then removes his hand and sits it on the table.

"Well you aren't feverish. That is a plus. Is anything physically bothering you?" He asks Arior taking a hefty swallow of tea. Just before Arior could answer he got up amd ran to the bathroom. "Well guess he has a stomach bug. Better keep a watch on him." Asra nods just as Arior comes back. "I'm just nervous is all. It happens when i get too anxious. Once i calm i should be fine." "If you say so." Julian says taking his hand again. They all sit for awhile talking about different ways they can convince Nadia Julian isn't Lucio's murderer.

"So that's what we will do. Arior and I will talk to Nadia and tell her what we know. And we will tell her how it couldn't of been you and that you are innocent." Asra says finishing off his tea. Arior takes another small sip of tea calming down a bit. "That works for me. Thank you, the both of you." Julian says getting up from his seat. Arior gets up with him and now faces him. "Good bye for now darling." He says before kissing Arior quickly across his lips. Before he can say anything he's out the door. "Why don't you go get Valdemar to check your progression. I'm sure They're curious. I will clean up here." "Okay Asra." Arior turns and heads out the door.

He gets to the palace and meets Portia at the gate. "Hey Arior here to see Valdemar I take it?" He nods slightly. "Alrighty, I know exactly where they are." She opens the gate then begins walking. He follows behind her eager to get this over with. He still felt a bit off and just wanted to sleep. Soon both of them are in the dungeon. "Well here we are. I'll see you soon." She says as she turns and leaves.

"Valdemar?" He calls to get his attention. Quickly he turns around a smile on his face. "There you are. I was wondering when you were coming back. So let's see my handiwork." They slowly take his bandages off and look him over. "You are healing rather well. I'm impressed. Though you do look ill. What could be the problem?" Arior could tell they were being sarcastic on the last part. "Just overly nervous is all, well was." Arior spits in annoyance at them. "Up on the table now. I want to have a closer look."

Reluctantly he gets up on the table and lays down. "This will be quick or long depends on what I find." Before Arior could protest Valdemar waves their hand over him and he was asleep. Before he knew it he was slowly waking up to them sewing him up. "So what is supposedly wrong?" "Congrats you're going to be a daddy as well as two other people or so i assume. Only birth will tell." They wipe off their scalpel and set it down then go to cleaning off their gloves. Aroir sits up quickly and all but screams, "What the hell do you mean!"

Valdemar sighs a bit thinking they wouldn't have to have a sex talk with a twenty-one year old. "Well you see when two people have sex...." "That isn't what I mean. I mean I only had sex a few days ago so how can you tell?" "There are two sacs my dear in your uterus already." Valdemar seemed annoyed since it seemed they were being questioned. Arior almost forgot he still had ovaries and a uterus. "Fuck! Well thanks Valdemar. And two so you mean twins?" They nod smiling before returning back to his work.

Arior quickly wrapped his chest back up then ran to see Asra. Once he got there he quickly yelled, "Asra! Come here!" As he bound through the door. Asra quickly came in Faust wrapped around his shoulders. "What is it Arior. Everything went okay with Valdemar right?" "He looked in my abdomen and apparently he said i'm having twins! And that they will have three dads." Arior sat on the floor and began crying. He felt so stupid. Asra sat next to him and then looked at Faust. "Yes Faust a baby. Could you go find Ilya for me and bring him back here?" Faust smiles and slides off his shoulders then out the door.

"Don't worry Arior. We will all get through this. You know I love you and I know Ilya loves you too." Arior looks up a bit shocked. "He...he does?" Asra nods. "Yes now don't worry he will be here sometime. Go upstairs and lay down, relax. I will call you when he is here." Arior nodded and headed up stairs. He laid down on the bed and soon slowly fell asleep.