#i projected onto alice as a character so hard as a child and that in itself is so autism | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hanahaki-cure · 1 year

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YOUR NYO PRUK!!!! God, so incredible!! Really Amazing!! I'd love to hear hcs and how they are with each others kids!! Like I feel julchen would love Leon , mathew and NZ(no idea his canon name) as they would be so reserved like lil Ludwig while struggling with Jack and Alfred cause of all the energy (plus the idea that Alice has all these kids she would never think someone would wanna be with her but Julchen likes her and god

Oh my, thank you for the enthusiastic and sweet reply! Actually, the ship is a bit niche, F/F ships (even Nyo!versions) are even more niche in this fandom, so receiving a reply in the first place makes it a highly unexpected therefore even more pleasant surprise. (❁´◡`❁)

Alright, there're so many HCs going into their Nyo! + parenting dynamics, I need some preface: A lot of Alice's ineraction with her kids is based on @historia-vitae-magistras work about Arthur and his ilk, many HCs about Maria and Ludwig are based on @kisamesopelagic and me gushing over Gilbert's and Ludwig's dynamic. An entire HC vomit going on under the cut.

For Alice, I imagine her to be quiet similar in character to Arthur although more temperamental and prickly since in some periods her being the incarnation of a large empire was strongly questioned which let's her temper flare up. She has to though. Master of hidden quips, insults, and observation of social circles. Now to Maria Julia Beilschmidt, nicknamed "Julchen" only by close friends. (I'm aware that Julchen is Nyo!Prussia's popular fanon name although in German it's a diminutive nickname form for the male name "Julian", rarely for it's female versions. Therefore I accept it mostly as nickname for her middle name, maybe from the times when Elizaveta or Roderich talked to her dismissively to undermine her authority.) Thanks to Nicky's HC, Gilbert's copious mode to work in spite of 23 layers of religious repression is artificially inflating his ego and developing a bit of megalomania, Maria has more self-confidence is actual self confidence. She was handed nothing because of her gender. If she wasn't fighting anyone else, she had to fight within her own ranks for respect to keep her head above water, having learnt that brashness and unapologetically standing your ground keeps her afloat.

In my HC Maria is surprisingly good with kids, to everyone's surprise, even to her own surprise. Ludwig wasn't an accident, he very much was a Prussian project yet Maria couldn't help but to slowly adore that frail, desoriented kid (which increasingly talks for hours about trains). That doesn't mean that Maria is the best parent, she seriously lacks in sensitivity, opens, and emotions. Or to put it differently: "The way to hell is paved with good intentions." A lot of her own expectations on how and who Ludwig should be is packed in her education, all the tools she got for her developement are pushed into Ludwig's hands as a "one size fits all" and "This is how I got big and strong so that must work for you!", no questioning of her methods possible. Fact is, Ludwig is an earnest, hard-working kid yet only in his adult years he realizes that he would've needed the emotional tools of reflection. At the same time, Maria can be really fun. During training she's encouraging, believing that her sibling or kid is the best thing that happened in her life. Oh, and Maria can be child-like. Since she didn't have a childhood (being a military order), playing pranks, fooling around, encouragement for arts and crafts (excuses it with: "This creativity and fine mechanical skills are good for your future career as engineer!") is something she will part-take in. Defends her loved ones like lioness who got previously stepped onto her tail. And does like to listen to children talk, partly because children's tales are so imaginative and fun, partly because she takes kids seriously although not the best at handling any situation which can't be solved with replies like "there, there" or "well, here's the five step way to succeed out of this mess". Alright, now finally, Alice and Maria with their kids: Alice did this to herself, she chose to take on so many projects, she favours, she expects her children to make it on their own. The most sore kid-parent-relationships are probably with Leon and Harry (Singapore). Both, Yao and Shadiq (Malaysia) are furious about Alice deliberately taking in Harry and Leon, leading to weird co-parenting scenarios which make especially Harry, as he's the youngest, quiet nervous. When Maria got involved with Alice was kinda trying to clean up Alice's messes. Not like Alice actually had any non-political messes in her lives, Maria just assumed so because Alice's living style wasn't up to Prussian householding guidelines. (The fights they got into because Maria tried to Kondo Alice's main residence without asking for permission first whereas Alice secretly stashes a lot of memories of her kids.) One of the few welcome additions was Maria setting up entire folders of spreadsheets of appointments, meal plans, and activities for the kids though. At some point Alice and Maria both agree that they can privately interact with each other's kids but any political involvement is taboo. Private interaction include arts and crafts, excursions (Alice always organizes these, the last one Maria lead was a eight hour "Spaziergang" including tents, hiking boots, and some mountain climbing), reading stories, eating together. Whereas Ludwig remains fiercely within Maria's care, things got a bit more relaxed for Alice since Maria has a lot of energy (also the unshakable will) to organize the household as well structuring their daily life properly so the two women have some time left for themselves in spite of all the work. (I could go on for longer what their relationship looks like but this post is already long enough. @____@)

Since the actual parenting situation for Harry and Leon is Alice's personal problem, Maria has a lot of opinions but Alice drew a strict line to not involve a foul-mouthed, "isn't diplomacy another military verbal tactic?!" girlfriend in it too. So, they don't interact much with Maria yet Ludwig can join them on playdates whenever they're in Alice's house at the same time. (@hetahonda and I like to joke how across sea and land Singaporeans and Swiss people are so strinkingly similiar. Is Switzerland the Singapore of Europe, is Singapore the Switzerland of SEA? In any case, hence the reason reason Ludwig gets along well with Harry, he reminds him a lot of cousin Zwingli.) Ludwig and Harry, on the few occasions they meet, are getting along without talking much. They go on exploration walks for bug hunts or play train, all very chill.

Zee, Eleanor, isn't only Alice's favourite, Maria took a strong liking to her too. It might be a bit of a gendered thing since both see themselves in a a resiliant, resourceful, defiant girl (although irony that Alice is the one occupying her). Eleanor, as she only meets Maria on private occassions, considers Maria to be a person lacking in tact or seriousness so she's reluctant to interact with her. This frustrates Maria who tries to explicitly have girl-activities (horse riding, archery, shooting range, what a great girls day!) together. Eleanor developed a strategy to surround herself with her fellow siblings whenever Maria's announced to visit. Funny enough, Eleanor learns from Alfred that Maria is a fearsome foe on the battlefield, leading her troops under an iron-hard regiment. Fun fact, for a while Prussia supported the US-independence movement. So, I would argue that Maria can handle Alfred who stills sees her as former teacher. In return Alfred will for very long time remain a greenhorn thinking too early of himself as a hotshot. Together they love to tease Alice although Maria sometimes reminds Alfred that she considers herself in a higher social rank than him. Considering how Alfred has a Golden Retriever personality, he's a bit hurt that his military idol doesn't think as highly of him as he thinks of her. In any case, after having learnt about Maria's other nature, Eleanor reluctantly respects Maria, even asks her about battle strategy. In a moment of enthusiasm Eleanor babbles about the proud warriors among her people. Ludwig and Alfred get along well. Both get involved in model building, planning to craft crazy machines. It's a cute sight both being busy building intricate machinations, Alfred talking, Ludwig giving barely any response. Anyhow, Ludwig describes Alfred: "Really good bud."

Ok, Jack and Matt. Jack is actually someone with whom Maria struggles. He has a head of his own, attracts accidents and wildlife like a reverse lotus flower. Whereas Alfred seems to be born cafeeinated, he sometimes sees a point in structure. Jack on the other hand could be left entirely on his own, he would end up best friends with any animal meeting him, not getting why everybody's raving so much about social constructs like punctuality, organigrams, or q-tips. While Alice forbade Maria to interact with her education except for helping out with householding chores as well as setting up admittedly helpful daily plans, Maria's impulse is heavily tested whenever she sits next to Jack who tells her all about his wild ravings. Sometimes Jack comes along with Harry and Ludwig for bughunts. Very handy, since within five minutes even the rarest critters run over Jack's hands. Towards Matt Maria is similarly gentle for the same reason she's gentle to Ludwig. Matt is well-raised (something Maria considers very important) while capable surviving the coldest winters, sometimes on his own. Matthew likes to stick to Alfred or Eleanor whenever Maria's in the house yet enjoys her company when she reads fairy tales to the kids, or, unlike Alice, asks about his latest life events.

#Hetalia #Hetalia HC #pruk #HWS England #HWS Prussia #Nyotalia #away from from the canvas #so many HCs *Elmo in front of fire gif*

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dkniade · 2 years

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Damnatio Memoriae

Characters: Albedo (ft. Rhinedottir)

Genre: angst/no comfort, internal monologue

Warning: destruction of another’s hard work, emotional abuse, heavy instances of self-deprecation, first person POV

Author's Note:

“Permanence… is not an absolute concept.”

It’s one of my worst fears as an artist and a writer. Like the Kaeya angst monologue “Forlorn Child of Archaic Schemes”, this started off as an outlet of my own feelings, but was quickly turned into an internal monologue within the context of Albedo’s upbringing.

The time frame takes place during Albedo’s early days in the Knights of Favonius, as he recalls his past.

All characters and setting belong to HoYoverse. Please see the end for notes.

Destruction by one’s own hands is an upsetting phenomenon. I prefer to be alone… so I don’t end up destroying the relationships I’ve fostered. The same hand that brings life into the world also has the power to erase it.

Permanence… is not an absolute concept. And worse still is the trust that is necessary when it comes to working with others…

Master… Why is it that the standard by which you measure everything in the world is the binary concept of perfection and worthlessness, efficiency and incompetence?

We traversed domains together, explored ruins together. She passed onto me her knowledge and techniques, yet I wasn’t even something worth protecting. And my experiments, my creations… were beneath consideration.

It was a vial of pure and concentrated substance which took a month to collect as it went through condensation. I had processed the specimen under the right conditions in my lab, but the raw sample itself was collected from a plant in a domain we came across. For the first time, I wanted to execute an experiment from hypothesis to conclusion. The substance in that vial was the key component, the catalyst to my experiment. But the preparation was complicated, so I had asked her to pour a small sample into another vial while I set up the gas burner and the clamp stand…

Master… I’ve always followed your instructions, your every request, so why…?

“This is but a side project that could only be thought up by an absolute amateur.”

I am not brilliant. I will never be the genius you wanted me to be. But even so…

“I’ve disposed of the contents in the vial. Terminate this useless experiment and clean up.”

I… just wanted to show you the extent of my ability… My hypotheses…

The substance was forever lost, yet another seeped out from my eyes along with a burning sensation in my chest. At the time, I had thought it was my body’s reaction to the heat of the burner. It was only when I asked Alice decades later that I learned of the sentiment’s name: injustice.

I’ve only ever found the specimen from that particular domain, but due to its Ley Line Disorder, I was never given the time nor space to collect more samples and attempt that experiment again.

Albedo. The whitening, the purification of the second stage.

I am Albedo, and by Master’s will, I was supposed to be free of imperfections. But no amount of golden ratio and mathematical formulas could cover up the fact that I was an incompetent experiment. At times, I wish to reduce everything to ashes.

I fear that I will one day succumb to my destructive tendencies. Thus it would be best if I isolate myself in Dragonspine, so the Knights of Favonius will not need to deal with a dormant threat such as I. And Miss Alice… It’s evident that she only cares for Klee, seeing that she repeatedly told me how well I took care of her.

I do not deserve the name Albedo as I’ve yet to be fully separated from prima materia. Perhaps a better label for me would be the decomposition of the first stage, the blackness, Nigredo.

Notes

According to Wikipedia,

damnatio memoriae is “a modern Latin phrase meaning ‘condemnation of memory’, indicating that a person is to be excluded from official accounts”, and

prima materia is “the ubiquitous starting material required for the alchemical magnum opus and the creation of the philosopher's stone”.

The first word of this internal monologue is “destruction” and the last is “Nigredo”. I noticed it from the first draft so I kept this full circle ending.

#genshin impact #albedo #albedo kreideprinz #dusk fan writing #monologue #internal monologue #genshin impact fanfic #genshin fic #genshin fan fiction #fan fiction #character study

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isabellehemlock · 2 years

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ID. A digital collage of characters from left to right, top to bottom: Finnick Odair from The Hunger Games, Nicolò di Genova from The Old Guard, Olivia Benson from Law & Order: SVU, Phoebe Halliwell from Charmed, Eddie Munson from Stranger Things, Alice Cullen from The Twilight Saga, Aziraphale from Good Omens, Stede Bonnet from Our Flag Means Death, Ciri from The Witcher, and Will Byers from Stranger Things. The lettering imposed in the middle reads: "10 characters. 10 fandoms. 10 tags." END ID

Special thanks to @nade2308 for tagging me for this fantastic game! 🤩 I saw a mutual do this one not to long ago and was sort of itching to do it as well - was even planning on typing something up over the weekend lol - so did I go a little extra by also including my why for each, and some quotes? Yup.

tw for mild/vague references of abuse related to their respective roles/backstories/character arcs

ETA I forgot to tag 10 people OOF lol

@mostlyimmortal @lucasmileynelli @heda-of-endlesswonder @almostcanon @alllthequeenshorses @scarlet-welly-boots @spacewitchqueen @brightestmuhii @bewires @good-nightsocialite

Finnick Odair - The Hunger Games

Finnick gives me fellow ESFP/Scorpio vibes, and though he puts up a fairly convincing front of someone who does not care (I mean, fair when you got him saying things like, “Every time that cannon goes off it’s like music to my ears”), he actually he cares very, very much (but I don’t want to spoil his character arc for anyone not familiar). In my opinion, he uses his persona, and humor to project outwards (same Finnick, same), and sharing a few things with his character, made it fairly easy for me to latch onto him once I dived into the series :]

“I haven’t dealt in anything as common as money in years.” - “Well, then, how do people pay for the pleasure of your company?” - “With secrets. What about you Girl on Fire? Any secrets worth my time?”

Nicolò di Genova - The Old Guard

Fairly certain it’s obvious with my whole tumblr motif and name lol - and though of course all takes are valid - but I’ve definitely enjoyed exploring a HC of Nicky remaining Catholic and writing a lot about it. I’ve definitely projected - but actually Nicky is more like who I’d like to be, with that quiet, stoic persona - which I’m definitely not lol. But I do identify with his kindness, “heart of the family” vibes, and doing what he can to keep their family together :]

“I believe we’re meant to find each other. It’s like destiny.”

Olivia Benson - Law & Order: SVU

I’ve been watching the show since I was in my young 20s (after binging the first several seasons), and it’s been part of my comfort and healing for a long time now. It’s definitely got hard subjects, but it inspires and encourages me to know there are people out there who will fight for justice, who care, and Olivia is such a force all on her own, but she truly shines with her found family. Extra bonus points for having adopted her child - as someone who’s family has been blessed by adoption three times over, I love seeing that representation on screen.

“You know what I’ve seen is that people who have gone through unfair, horrific experiences, is that they have this will. And when they get support - a chance, they can not only survive, but they can thrive.”

Phoebe Halliwell - Charmed

I spent my teen years watching Charmed, and it was so phenomenal to get to see a trio of kick butt ladies who grew, evolved, and wore amazing outfits all while nurturing family. Phoebe was the youngest, then the middle sibling, and I think she definitely had such a fantastic character arc. I resonated with several plot lines for her, but especially when it came to Cole, as well as her hope for a family of her own. She was so wonderfully warm, and expressive, and I really vibed with that as well.

“I know this may not sound very PC, but I want romance. Long, slow kisses, late night talks, candle lights. I love love.”

Eddie Munson - Stranger Things

My most recent character obsession but it’s holding strong!! I ship him as a fellow ADHDer personally, and even my husband felt like his character and I are very similarly expressive lol. I also vibe with his ability to feel like an outcast, but somehow finding a way to gather people together, and in many ways just doing his thing - even if others might laugh at him - who cares, he’ll just stick out his tongue and throw faux devil horns at you. It’s not like he’s dumb and doesn’t realize exactly what some people think of him, he simply has no problem ignoring it and having fun anyways. It’s only an issue when people falsely accuse him of murder, which like, well duh lol. But even then, just like Dustin says, “He was never mean.” I believe the truth comes out eventually, and will so in Eddie’s case, too (and if season five doesn’t cover it, I’ll effin write it because that’s the peak of fanfiction lol). But anyways, yeah, I relate to him on multiple levels :D

“It’s forced conforming. That’s what’s killing the kids. That’s the real monster.”

Alice Cullen - The Twilight Saga

Okay so once again, there’s something about the quirky, though fully aware, but simply having too much of a good time to get pulled into it - persona that drags me in and helps me feel seen lol. Alice is the epitome of found family because not only does she find Jasper (Team Jasper btw), but also helps them to find their family and is like the biggest cheerleader for #Belward before even Edward is haha. Add in sprinkles of vampire awesomeness, and a psychic ability to boot, and a penchant for hosting the best parties (not to brag, but I’m the one who insists on a theme and does the work to bring it to life in our family gatherings lol), and she's too awesome imo not to love :)

“Weddings: they bring everyone together.”

Aziraphale - Good Omens

This was hands down THE fictional character where I was like, “Okay this is 99% me on screen” lol. I think anyone who knows me for more than like five interactions tends to give me this one as the character they envision me being the most like (well, that or Penelope Garcia lol). I’m actually going to leave this one to your imagination as to exactly why, but can probably say most guesses would be accurate haha. I love Aziraphale, and adore his vibe, and I’m very excited to see more of him (and of course Crowley, and everyone else) in season two!

“It all worked out for the best, though. Just imagine how awful it might have been if we’d been at all competent.”

Stede Bonnet - Our Flag Means Death

It’s now a long running joke, but worth repeating here - I never meant for me to relate the most to two middle aged white men with cool accents who are literal bottles of sunshines, but here we are. Stede sold me on him the moment he muttered, “We talk it through - as a crew” and though boy, he definitely had some growing to do, I do think his heart is in the right place in wanting to band a crew together. And hello, he has storytime for them all. Like, he cares, a lot. And I can't wait to see him win back Ed in season two ;)

“Polite menace. That’ll be my brand.”

Princess Cirilla - The Witcher

Ciri speaks to my inner child/princess. Considered not to be all that much past what her birth status suggests, she actually is able to do a lot more than given credit for, and though unassuming - she kicks butt as she gets dragged/hunted all over mutliple kingsdoms. Which I relate to lol. Add in sprinkles of found family, and stepping into your own, and harnessing your inner strength to balance the scales around you and yes, yes, yes - I’m stoked to see what happens in season three for her!

“I want to be indifferent to the past. To the lies. To the things I’ve done.”

Will Byers - Stranger Things

Oh Will, sweet, powerful, (and imo) underutilized in Season Four Will - he’s actually tied with Eddie in my my fave ST character, because of feeling different, and the trauma - but especially in Season Three, when he’s watching others date and just knows it’s not the same for him. As someone who didn’t know the label asexual until my 20s, I just wanted to reach through the screen watching him trying to navigate those moments of seeing relationships from what feels like the sidelines, both wanting to feel the same thing (so you don't feel different), but very much not in the way you’re witnessing (and not able to express the why for a myriad of valid reasons). It’s hard to navigate that sexuality spectrum even under the best of circumstances but yeah, I definitely felt for Will, and hope many good things for him in Season Five!

“She’s so different from other people and when you’re different sometimes you feel like a mistake. But you make her feel like she’s not a mistake at all.”

#10 characters tag #thanks again Nade #this was super fun!

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goldeneyedgirl · 3 years

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Who’s ur favorite and least favorite twilight character and why?

LOL, oh man. Prepare for Discourse, Anon.

My favourite character is Alice (that might be very obvious). I think she was wasted in Twilight, and that she has so much potential.

She has no recollection of being human. She is a totally blank slate with a gift that is essentially an extra sense or limb. Like, this girl cannot be ‘okay’. I believe in my heart of hearts that Alice functions differently to other people. I mean, I infer from canon that her visions taught her everything that she needed to know - from how to feed, to how to convince Jasper, to how to join the Cullens. She’s going to get the wrong answer? She’ll change what she says!

And that is utterly fucking terrifying - especially if she was aware and doing it intentionally. But I do not think she is, in that sense. I just don’t think she would have any idea of how to live without her visions showing her what to do next. Alice is a hostage to her own gift, and always has been.

Even her interactions with Bella and Edward in canon are really uncanny, like she’s playing a role - which is more reflective of SMeyer’s piss-poor writing ability than any sort of intention - but indicative that Alice is Not Okay, and kind of explains a lot about how the Cullen family is portrayed.

A lot of what I love about Alice, and her relationship with Jasper, are things I’ve absorbed from fan-content - what we can infer from the information we’ve been given. Her conviction about her and Jasper, to me, is beautiful and both terribly childlike, and something someone who has suffered deeply would absolutely cling to as a lifeline. The idea that Jasper isn’t just her husband, but her very best friend and confidant as well, paints such a lovely picture of the symbiosis they have. I think that, whilst it’s normally Poised, Confident Alice to Rescue Struggling Depressed Jasper portrayed in fandom, that there is a distinctive possibility that two individuals who were both fucked over in the gift department and were holding onto reality by a strand found each other and rescued each other might be closer to the truth.

I also LOVE fashion, so I kind of get Alice on that level; and I treat Alice - when I write her - as someone with mental illness (like myself) because I find that very satisfying to write, and to explore. I can PROJECT, which is super fun.

Jasper’s a close second because holy moly, he has so much potential from a fic-writing perspective? This is a man who was not a good person as a human - like, there are Varying Reasons he would join the Confederate Army and be proud of being a Major, but that’s a TOTALLY different piece of discourse so we’ll put a pin in that because statistically, it meant he was a racist fighting for racist ideals. And THEN he is changed into a vampire and joins the Southern Wars, falling further into evil as far as violence, hate, and senseless death goes.

Like this man was a full monster.

And it was eating him alive.

So he just walked away. Alice did not save him. Peter did not save him. Jasper walked away. Peter gave him the opportunity to do so. Alice offered him goals and a way to improve who he is. There’s nothing he can do about the evil he sowed, the legacy he has created. And he has to live with that every single day for eternity. Has to deal with the burn of his thirst, exacberated by years of gorging on human blood, every single day. There is no solution to/for Jasper. It’s one hell or another. And that is so much fun from a fic-writing perspective.

Plus his dynamic with Maria is so crazy fun - Mother? Lover? General? What does ‘good terms’ even mean? I assume it’s code for ‘cold war’ or ‘not actively seeking the other’s destruction’, but who knows. I love that.

Jessamine is also super fun and beloved by me, but that’s because she’s either Jasper-derivitive or my particular portrayal of a separate character, so she doesn’t count.

As for my least favourite, that honour goes to Edward. Full disclosure, I have not read Midnight Sun, only skimmed parts, because the only thing worse than that would be reading EdBella fic.

I think he’s an arrogant, misogynistic, controlling little brat, honestly. He’s above the rules and the laws when it suits him - at the cost to everyone - and he condemns Rosalie and Jasper so quickly and thoroughly with very little in-text justification.

He says that Rosalie is vain - well, Captain Dipshit, maybe after being violently and fatally gang-raped by a group including her fiance Rosalie might deal with a lot of body issues - and copes with them the best way she can. Maybe after being raised with a priority of being beautiful above all else, and then harmed in such a grotesque way because of her beauty, and then becoming more beautiful might fuck with your mental health a little, Eddie.

Edward has a bad habit of classifying women in absolutes like Madonna/Whore, depending on his personal beliefs - which, as a frozen 17 year old from the 1900s, is fairly goddamn dubious. Rosalie and Tanya are both ‘bad’, Esme, Alice, and Bella are all ‘good’. But there are no women that Edward fully ‘trusts’ or allows to ‘win’/direct him. He prizes Bella because of her unreadable mind - she is a puzzle and something to possess. They are never partners. Edward uses Alice, Who Tries Her Very Best, as a weapon against Bella multiple times. I often wonder if it isn’t Edward who encourages Alice, off-page/off-screen, to play dress-ups, to make Bella into what Edward expects in a wife.

Edward is over-indulged by both Esme and Carlisle; honestly, with his gift, I wouldn’t be surprised if he manipulates the family into their slightly toxic dynamic (it’s hard to tell because of SMeyer’s obvious bias, and the perspective of the novels) because it benefits him so much. It puts him second only to Carlisle - Jasper cannot be trusted despite his comprehensive understanding of vampires, especially when it comes to turf battles, and Emmett’s just a frat boy. Or is this the portrait Edward has painted so he gets to be #1 Son?

Edward is the goddamn architect of every disaster the Cullens face because what he wants is dangerous and illegal. Without Edward’s Volterra Tantrum, Aro never would have challenged the Cullens in Breaking Dawn. Victoria’s attack would have been neutralised before the Cullens even got wind of it. Bella never would have gone cliff-diving or solo-hiking if Edward hadn’t dumped her in the cruelest way possible.

I honestly, truly believe that Edward shouldn’t have had a mate, let alone a wife and child.

Also, movie!Edward looked like he needed a fucking shower and a flea dip in nearly every scene.

Bella’s a close second because I have known girls like Bella and fuck me, they are deeply unpleasant to be friends with. She fucks over EVERYONE in pursuit of Edward. I understand that she doesn’t have the same interests as Alice, but not once just she make a suggestion for an alternative activity or a compromise (and that could be Bad Writing again, because Bella appears to have very few hobbies beyond ‘reading’ but it��s what we’re working with).

In fact, I would argue that Alice tries her very best to be Bella’s friend, but it’s a futile attempt - Bella tolerates Alice because of Alice’s proximity to Edward. If Alice had been a human student at Forks High, you can bet that Bella would have dumped her as fast as possible. Bella has very few moments where she’s positive about the people around her outside of the Cullens (by association with Edward) or Jacob. Charlie gets mostly pity. Everyone else is looked upon with disapproval and judgement (which, again, reflects toxic writing tropes.)

And Bella martyrs herself at every opportunity. There’s a lot of discourse where Bella’s neglectful childhood is examined, but Bella fucking lunges into the ‘victim’ role at every possibility. And ultimately, I really don’t see Bella maturing or learning anything at all through the series. It’s always about what she wants, above everything else. She succeeds because she and Edward are incredibly selfish individuals who are enabled by the parental figures around them.

Second runner-up is Carlisle.

#alice cullen #jasper hale #twilight discourse #twilight renaissance #bella swan #edward cullen #my thoughts #Anonymous

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sonofanumbranwitch · 3 years

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P5S Seven Heavenly Virtues PT.4. Shuzo Ubukata and The Jail of Diligence.

Now Ubukata is a interesting case, because he is a non-character. Like he only exists literally to provide exposition and nothing else. Dude doesn’t even get a character sprite. So a lot of this is being built from the ground up. So for the purposes of this project I’ll be using this image of Doctor Hojo from Final Fantasy VII to represent Shuzo “Zadkiel” Ubukata.

But this also give me the opportunity to address one of my bigger complaints about Strikers. The first few Jails tie directly to of the Phantom Thieves. Alice to Ann, Ango to Yusuke, and Mariko to Haru. But after that the theme just stops. And it didn’t have to so I’ll be tying the next Jails more thematically to the remaining thieves.

The next major change is this is now a full scale Jail, with Prison Keeps and everything. The next two Jails are noticeably scaled down, and while I imagine this was for budget reasons, we’ll now be expanding theme to have all the bell and whistle their predecessors had. Shuzo Ubukata’s Jail is still the lab he conducted his experiments on but now it covers the whole island. Think original Arkham Asylum vibes.

The cores of the Prison Keeps are the tape recorders we found in the original game, and they give us a lot of the same exposition they did before. Only now we’re told that a lot of the cognitive pscience research being done is built off the work of Wakaba Ishiki, Futaba’s mother.

Futaba is, of course, distraught that her mother’s work is being used again for nefarious purposes and is more determined to get to the bottom of this Jail. The tapes talk more about Ubukata and his relationship to Wakaba. How they had been research partners a long time ago and had worked on delving into cognitive pscience together. But that changed when Ubukata began to think her work was starting to slack because of “the time she wasted on her brat” as he puts it.

Ubukata was obsessed with his work. He’d work from sunrise to long hours of the night researching and running experiments. He was later recruited by Maddice to run the experiments on their EMMA program. As his jail developed he began to experiment on his own staff. He used the Jail to force them and the islanders to work relentlessly for him, to the point they would pass out from over exhaustion.

When the thieves finally reach his Trauma Cell, they see memories of the official from Maddice, particularly konoe, pushing Ubukata for fast results for EMMA. He threw himself so deep into his work, never once resting, until finally his body gave out resulting in a heart attack. The thieves are confused because doesn’t this mean that Ubukata is dead, and so how can he have a Jail?

They reach the Birdcage and there is a man they can only assume is Ubukata. He commends them on the effort it must have taken for them to reach his cage. And they have a lot of questions such as what’s going on with EMMA and how he’s still alive after they saw him die in his Trauma Cell.

“But I’m not alive you see.”

“What?”

“I did die from that heart attack. However thanks to my research I was able to save my consciousness within my Jail. I suppose you could say, I’m the closet thing to a ghost there can be in this world.”

Naturally Makoto hates this and freaks out a little. But the doctor continues.

“I threw my heart and soul into my research. And see the fruits I’ve reaped. Functional Immortality, control over the simple minds on this island. I am practically a God here. My work has paid off in droves. Oh if only Wakaba Isshiki could see me now.”

“Keep my mom’s name out of your mouth!”

“You’re mom? Could it be, you’re that brat Wakaba wasted her time with?”

“What are you even talking about?”

“Wakaba was one of the leading experts in cognitive pscience. But all that change when she had you. Suddenly it was all “my daughter” this and “my child” that. Bah! All she did was waste time that could have gone into her research.”

Sophie than gets involved, calling out Ubukata’s cruelness. Ubukata takes an interest in Sophie and begins to probe her about her existence, similar to the voice in the original version.

“What a fascinating piece of tech. Tell me what is your primary function?”

“ I am humanity’s companion.”

“Humanity’s companion? Is that some kind of joke? What point could there be in such a meaningless function. Clearly you are just a subpar version of my precious EMMA. A outdated model like yourself is utterly worthless.”

“I am… worthless?”

Then we get the iconic scene of Ryuji losing it on the prick and finally dropping the f-bomb. Since we’re bringing more focus onto Futaba for this Jail we’re bringing her in as well.

“You insult me, you insult my mom, and you insult my friend! We’ve all worked hard to here. You have no right to say any of this you son of bitch!”

Lastly we get the boss form taking on the form of Sapienta from Bayonetta

Ubakata defeated fades away and Futaba ruminates again on her mother and the work she did.

“Mom really could have done a lot of amazing things with her research. I used to blame myself for all the things she never got to do. I’ll always wonder what she could have done if she had only had the chance to finish that research. Maybe if I hadn’t been around, she might have found out. But I know she would tell me I was being stupid for thinking like that. She loved her research and her work. But she did her best to make time to rest and spend time with the thing she loved most in the world. Me.”

#persona 5 #persona 5 strikers #p5s #akira kurusu #ren amamiya #p5 protagonist #p5 joker #ryuji sakamoto #ann takamaki #yusuke kitagawa #makoto niijima #futaba sakura #haru okumura #shuzo ubukata #seven heavenly virtues

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heyo-silver · 4 years

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Happy Birthday Indeed- Oscar Issac

Oscar Issac X Actress! Reader

Summary: When two stars get together sometimes it’s hard, you miss dates and birthdays, and you’ve done it before but this time it hurt Oscar just a little more. But you have to keep a smile on your face when you’re being interviewed and viewed by millions.

A/N: This is for the amazing @my-name-is-alice-ayers who requested this amazing imagine.

Oscar looked at himself in the mirror. Wow, was he getting old? I mean, 41 that’s when people start pointing out your age everywhere.

She always said to never worry about it. That’s what she told him earlier when they were on the phone.

She was in Atlanta, she has been for the past few months. Filming for her new movies with Benedict Cumberbatch. A project that she had started jumping at when she found out she was accepted for the role. He remembered the huge smile on her face as she was jumping around like a child who found out they were going to Disneyland. He hugged her tight and swung her around in excitement, this was her dream, and there she was living it. In Atlanta, and on the other side of the country.

It made him sad, but only for a minute. She was always there for his birthday, in the four years that they had been dating she never missed it once. He remembered last year when he was filming out in the middle of nowhere, for the new Star Wars movie of course, and she had packed a bag and hauled herself hundreds of miles just to throw him a party surrounded by his friends. She was always extra like that. But Oscar liked that about her. But this year it just wasn’t the same.

Being the main character in a movie was hard, he knew that, but that also made it so she couldn’t get away from set, even for his birthday. Which he understood, he had done it to her one year, even though it snapped his little love-struck heart in two. She always said that it was fine, and that he had to do what he had to do, so he had tried to give her the same treatment.

“It’s fine love, I know what it’s like!” He put a little chuckle at the end to try and ease her emotional burden.

“That doesn’t make it any easier Oscar! I just feel really horrible....” You whispered on the other end of the line. He could hear your small sigh, he felt his heart drop in your chest.

“Don’t feel that way.” He took a small pause, a smile slowly seeping on his lips, “You’ll just have to make it up to me when I see you next.” He heard you chuckle.

“Sounds like a deal, Mr. Issac.”

“It better.”

He straightened his bowtie again and ran his hand through his hair once more to try and smooth it back. He took a deep breath in and then out to try and calm himself down.

A knock on the dressing room door drew him out of his state.

“You can come on in!” He spoke. A small young woman poked her head through the door. She had her hair pulled back a headset resting on top of her head.

“We’re ready for you to head to stage right whenever you are.” She spoke in a tone that made her feel soft yet authoritative.

Oscar smiled and spoke: “Thanks, I’ll head over right now.” He put a smile on his face, something that he had gotten use to. She nodded and closed the door behind her. Oscar glanced at himself in the mirror one more time just to make sure he looked well. She had told him earlier on the phone that she would be watching from her trailer, so he made sure that he wore her favorite bowtie because he was thinking that maybe, making her smile would ease her burden a little more. A ping on the dresser alerted him.

‘Good luck Mr. Birthday boy! I love you to the moon and back mon amour!’ He smiled down at the screen. He started typing.

‘I love you too mi amor! Just a text from you has lightened my night! Promise you’re going to watch me brag about you?’ He sent the message and only had to wait a few seconds for a response.

‘Promise. xx’ He smiled and set his phone back down on the dresser.

He took a deep breath in and turned and lifted himself off the chair. Smoothing his hair one more time he opened the dressing room door. There was a stage assistant standing right outside the door and gave him a big smile when he made eye contact.

"Are you ready Mr. Issac?" She asked, pulling her clipboard a little closer to her chest.

"Absolutely! Please, lead the way!" He smiled when talking to her, hoping to put a little more happiness in his heart before he went on stage.

"Oscar Issac!" Oscar pushed himself on stage with a smile and a wave. The crowd cheering seemed to lighten his mood, just a little. He walked up to Jimmy and shook his hand before taking a seat in the comfortable chairs next to him. As the crowd died down they began a conversation.

Jimmy asked s few questions about Star Wars, trying to get spoilers out of him like always. They both cracked jokes in between and in those moments Oscar seemed good, he felt happy. Every time he looked into the crowd he didn't see you. He tried to not let it get him down too much. He didn't even know why it was bothering him so much, it didn't in the past. He kept smiling though, know that she was watching.

"So, at D23 we got a sneak peek at Marvel's plans for the future and your girlfriend is actually playing in one, right?" Oscar perked up just slightly at the mention of her.

"Yeah! It was so amazing to find out that she got the role." He went down the reminiscing lane for a sec, trying to tell the story. "I remember when she finished the phone call she just broke out in the biggest smile I have ever seen on her; she just started jumping around like a small child. I have never, in my life been happier for her than I had in that moment." He had waved his hand around for a moment when telling the story and Jimmy laughed a little at the end of the story.

"When you two are away filming, do you call each other a lot?"

"Oh, all the time." Oscar put emphasis on all in the sentence just trying to tell everyone just how much they talked. "If we're not talking its texting, just trying to spend time with one another even though we may be hundreds if miles apart." The crowd seemed to awe at his comment which made his face break out in a small smile.

"So shes away currently?" Jimmy asked him, leaning slightly on the tabletop desk.

"Yeah, I can't say where but shes away filming." Oscar's smile seemed to falter but only for a second, she was watching.

"Okay. And it is your birthday is it not?" Jimmy seemed to tread lightly at this question. The crowd erupted into cheers for him which made that smile start tugging at the corners of his mouth again.

"Yeah. 41, today, which I know is crazy." The crowd erupted into a clapping session once more. He looked out into the crowd and looked at their faces.

"Well, since it's your birthday, I've decided to get you a little gift."

"Oh no." The crowd laughed at the comment Oscar made.

"Oooo, that one hurt." Jimmy and Oscar laughed at one another. "You're going to have to close your eyes." Oscar gave Jimmy a look before as the crowd went into yet another cheering session. It didn't take a lot for Oscar to give in and cover his eyes with the hands. The surroundings were quiet for a moment while Jimmy made some movements behind his desk. Oscar couldn’t tell what was going on but he had a feeling that when he opened his eyes he was going to get a cake to the face. It just felt like it was something that Jimmy would do to him. Another moment passed before a few in the crowd started to cheer and clap, which threw him off for a moment. Oh no, the cake idea was becoming a reality.

“Okay, Oscar, I’m going to count down to 0 and when I do you can go ahead and open your eyes.” Jimmy gave him simple instructions. Oscar nodded and gave his acknowledgment to Jimmy. Someone took him by the shoulders and stood him up. He seemed a little taken aback by the person but tried to let it roll off his back, they were just trying to set him up for a good shot of the pie he was getting in his face.

“Okay, 5″ the start of the countdown didn’t make him as nervous and maybe it should have been, “4, 3-” this was the point was he started shuffling his feet a little bit, not that he was nervous at all. “2,” Jimmy took a short breath and Oscar could feel the crowds' breath be put on hold. “1,” Oscar was giddy, like a little child, he almost started to hold his breath, waiting slowly.

“0!” Jimmy yelled Oscar's hands flew off his face and his eyes snapped open and his mouth fell open in a gasp.

The woman in front of him was dressed in a nice silver dress that gave a few sparkles when hit by the studio lights. The dress flowed down to the floor and hugged her curves in just the right way. You couldn’t see her feet but she was most likely wearing short heals like she always did when she wore a dress like that. She wore a small pendant around her neck that seemed to catch the light just enough to make it sparkle loudly in the room. And wow, did she take his breath away. Her hair was done just the way she liked it, and whenever she liked it, he liked it ten times more. She didn’t have a lot of makeup on but she didn’t need it, she was gorgeous without it. She broke out into a smile. That’s when Oscar rushed forward and took her into his arms.

She was here. A large smile broke out on Oscar’s face as he spun her around. She let out a few giggles that made him chuckle lowly. For just the two of them, this was such an intimate moment, despite the hundreds and maybe thousands of people watching both of them right now. But they didn’t matter to Oscar, what mattered was her. Her hand reached up to hold onto the sides of his face while she craned her head just enough to meet his lips. He smiled into it before she pulled away and looked at him.

“Actress (Y/N)(L/N) everyone!” The crowd erupted into a storm of claps as she was announced. Oscar twirled her around a few more times before setting her back down on the carpet. She covered her face for a second as she laughed and then started waving into the crowd. Oscar slipped a hand behind her back and brought her a little closer which caused her to look at him and then brake out into an even bigger smile. God how he loved her smile, never failed to warm up his day. The crowd wasn’t stopping either, Jimmy next to him was clapping. She just kept smiling at looking out at the people. God, she looked gorgeous. She soon turned and looked at Oscar with that giant smile still gracing her lips.

“Happy Birthday Oscar.” She spoke in a small voice.

“Yeah, it is a happy birthday indeed.”

#oscar issac x reader #Oscar Isaac #oscar imagine #oscar isaac imagine #star wars #star wars imagine #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron imagine #poe dameron

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moviemunchies · 4 years

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Hellboy (2019) Review

So I finally watched the new Hellboy movie.

I’m a longtime fan of both the comics and the Guillermo del Toro movies. I was bummed when del Toro announced that any hopes of a third movie in his series were dead, and a little skeptical and stressed when immediately afterward Lionsgate declared that they were making a reboot. But they insisted that it would be a more faithful adaptation of the comics; because while the del Toro films are brilliant and wonderful, they are not very good adaptations of the comics.

And then the first trailer dropped onto the Internet. And it was… not a good trailer. It focused on humor and violence, the former of which was not very good and the latter of which was gratuitous. Neither of those are features of the comics. Furthermore, the trailer worried me because while character names and backstories were from the comics, the details weren’t: they didn’t act like the characters in the comic. Which isn’t necessarily bad, mind you; a movie adaptation doesn’t need to be precisely like the source material, but the team behind the film claimed it would be accurate to the comics, the trailer with its peppy out-of-place music and terrible comedy and characters that were in-name only versions of the comics characters… the trailer made it look like a bad movie, and I had concerns.

Then the film came out, and reviews came out. They weren’t great. Listen, I don’t think you should put too much stock in review or Rotten Tomatoes; if you’re interested in a movie, you should go see it and form your own opinions. But I don’t think it’s always worthwhile ignoring them. Because the problems described by critics were exactly the things I had anticipated from the trailers. I still resolved to see the movie, but I had less urgency than I really should have. Because by the time I decided I’d go and see it, it was no longer in theaters.

Whoops!

And because the library system here often makes it hard to put new releases on hold, it took forever before I was able to get my hands on the DVD. But I finally did, and I finally saw the movie, and, uh

It’s a bad movie.

Alright I’ll try to put a positive spin on this first: it has some okay action scenes. It’s got some good design and visuals. And if you’re a fan of the Hellboy comics, maybe you’ll get some joy from seeing some of that stuff on screen.

And that’s kind of it.

I’ve heard some people say, “At least the acting from the lead is good!” I’m going to have to chalk that up to a Your Mileage May Vary thing, because I didn’t find any of the acting in this movie to be particularly outstanding. It’s not terrible, mind you, but there was nothing in it that made me say, “Wow, David Harbour did a fantastic job!” At most, there were some performers who looked like they had fun on set. Maybe it’s because the acting is betrayed by terrible scripting.

I don’t want to compare this movie to the comics it’s adapted from, because you shouldn’t constantly compare an adaptation to its source material; they’re separate texts. But the makers of the movie kept inviting that comparison. And yeah, you can see from which characters are present and where the plot takes cues from comics, but it rings hollow. “We have Ben Daimio!” Yeah, but you made him British, gave him a different personality, and made his werejaguar form a powerup rather than a curse that’s the worst thing to happen to the BPRD. “We have Alice Monaghan!” Yeah, but instead of an Irish woman who doesn’t age and has a strange connection with the faeries, she’s a British woman that talks to dead people. It’s the shape of the story and the characters, but with different substance. Which wouldn’t be bad if the substance was actually, y’know, good.

Another problem was this film claimed it was going back to the horror genre, instead of the dark fantasy of Guillermo del Toro’s films (again, claiming this was a callback to the comics). But if that’s the case, then it’s the worst kind of horror. There’s barely anything atmospheric about the scenes. This is not the subtle, gothic horror the comics have, or the chilling Lovecraftian horror it delves into. It’s just monsters tearing people limb from limb whenever they’re on screen, spraying blood everywhere. It’s not scary, and it’s disturbing that it happens so often. The film seems to think it’s cool, waving its violence in your face like a child showing you a new toy. But this wasn’t made by children, so it’s just annoying.

The plot isn’t strong either. It’s adapted from my favorite arc in the comics, but it’s one of the penultimate stories, so using it as a starting point for a film makes very little sense and has the movie doing the film equivalent of cramming before the exam. So often Hellboy will arrive somewhere, and someone will explain who they are and some part of critical backstory, usually with a flashback sequence. So much of this movie is made up of flashbacks, and I’m not sure why. Why did they choose to tell a story that relies so much on previous information, instead of just doing movies about one of those flashbacks?

All of this I might be able to handwave if I liked the characters enough, but I don’t. Hellboy is a whiny, annoying dick who keeps making “witty” comments that make you want to hit him. You know the kind of guy (and it’s usually a guy in my experience) who just won’t stop cracking jokes, almost all of which are not funny, and refuses to shut up no matter what’s going on? That’s how Hellboy is in this movie. The few moments he does get serious feel heavy-handed and tacked on.

He’s also really dumb. He gets easily distracted, and when the Blood Queen talks to him for the first time about how life’s not fair for people like them, he immediately starts whining about how people think he’s a monster and how the bloodthirsty vampires and zombies and demons he’s killed are his “brothers and sisters.” Early on the Osiris Club pretty much admits point blank that they’re sworn to kill him, and then he gets surprised when they stab him in the back.

The side characters aren’t much better. Alice is the annoying spunky girl who Hellboy keeps around by virtue of being the one character other than Bruttenholm who doesn’t want him dead on sight. Daimio is alright, but he’s just a grumpy surly douchebag who’s there to learn that Hellboy’s not so bad after all and doesn’t actually contribute anything plot-wise. Bruttenholm is--

[rubs head]

Look, okay: Ian McShane as Trevor Bruttenholm is such a weird choice that it boggles my mind. They’re going a different direction with the character. Okay, fine. But the way Ian McShane plays him looks like it’s going for the ‘stern and distant father who ultimately cares about his sone more than anything in the world even if he’s a bit of a dick about it.’ Except what they end up getting with his performance is just ‘he’s a dick.’ And his relationship with Hellboy is supposed to be the emotional center of the movie.

I think, at its core, the movie is trying to distance itself from the Guillermo del Toro films. Which again, wouldn’t be bad if it weren’t for the fact that they do it in the worst ways possible. This film wants to not to repeat the kindly old man Bruttenholm of del Toro’s Hellboy? Let’s make him a bristly douchebag! Getting away from the Hellboy and Liz love story that’s not in the comics anyway? Let’s not have a romance subplot (which is fine!) and instead add a female companion that’s annoying! And instead of an origin story, like with del Toro’s first film, it gives a quick summation of Hellboy’s backstory twenty minutes into the story and doesn’t bother explaining much other than he’s destined to end the world. For Reasons.

They could have made a Hellboy movie that was all of the things they wanted AND a good film. I think it’s definitely possible to make a movie that’s closer to the original comics, and completely different from the del Toro films, was rife full of horror elements, and was a great movie all rolled into one. But that isn’t this movie. This movie’s a mess of a project that makes me shake my head.

I can only recommend if you’re a fan of the original comics and are curious to see how it all went wrong, or to see some of the monsters from the comic art brought to life on screen. But for everyone else? Steer clear. It’s not worth your time or attention.

#Hellboy #David Harbour #Mike Mignola #BPRD #Movie Munchies

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gvbejvmes · 4 years

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Drabble: K-I-S-S-I-N-G (Pt 3)

Title: K-I-S-S-I-N-G -- The sad ending Rating: R (For language mostly) Relationship: Gabriel James/Jonathan Michaels (Trigger) Warnings: Mpreg, referenced spousal abuse, alcohol abuse, major character death, parents have sex lives, too. Brief Summary: First comes marriage. Then comes love. Then comes a baby in a male uterus. Wait. What? Notes: This was the depressing ending that I wanted to write, but also that I didn’t want to be the real ending.

"Has he come out at all?" Kale murmured out to Cesar. He was sitting in the living room of the James-Michaels home, baby Gigi asleep against his chest. As terrified as he'd been about suddenly having a friend with kids, Gigi had immediately warmed up to him. Now the other child, the toddler, that was a whole other story. He couldn't handle the brat that was Gabe's godson, but the baby he could handle, surprisingly.

Cesar shook his head. "Not really. Rocio leaves food outside and it keeps disappearing so he's eating, but the only time we really see him is when he runs out of whiskey. He hasn't touched the baby at all. He didn't react when he told him we named her Gigi because they wouldn’t let her leave the hospital until she had a name. So Gigi Maria - after his mother, not my wife, don’t let her tell you otherwise - Palmer James Michaels. Had to get his family names in there, and only white people hyphenate." He sighed, and rubbed his hands over his face as though that would help him get back on track. "He's in mourning. He let Mama plan a Catholic service. If that's not a sign, he's not okay, I don't know what is."

Kale nodded. "It's only been a week. No one prepares for losing the love of their life after only two years of marriage." He stood and gently moved the baby into the carrier next to the couch. "What are we going to do about it?"

"What do you mean what are we going to do about it?" Cesar asked him warily.

Kale waved his arms around the room. "The funeral is tomorrow, and at this rate, he's not going to go. He's going to drink himself into a stupor, and if he does show up, he’s gonna make a drunken idiot of himself and cause a scene in front of hundreds of artists. Do you know what artists do? Record everything." He rubbed his hands together. "We need to think like Gabriel. WWGD?"

"What would God do?"

"No." Kale smacked his arm. "What would Gabriel do?"

There was an awkward cough from the other end of the living room. Lupe and Alejandra popped up from where they had been hiding behind the couch eavesdropping. "If Uncle Gabe gave us instructions on what to do if this happened, would this be the time to initiate plan Kick Jay's Ass?" Alejandra asked, raising an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips.

Kale rolled his eyes. "Yesterday would have been a good time for plan Kick Jay's Ass, ladies." He gestured towards them. "Well, do your thing. Whatever Gabe told you to do."

Lupe nodded. "Tio Cesar, you might wanna take Gigi outside for a couple of minutes. It's about to get loud up in here." And the way she said it almost made her look like an evil mastermind.

Cesar looked at his nieces and looked at Kale before making the sign of the cross. "I hope you know what you're doing." He asked, head tilted up, towards the ceiling, talking to Gabe, before picking up the carrier and smacking his hand on his thigh.

"C'mon, George." He called out to the dog, who was at his new permanent place, laying at the door, waiting for his master to come home. At night he always slept next to the baby, but during the day he was always waiting for Gabe. "Time to go outside."

Once Cesar, Gigi, and George were outside, the girls ran into the kitchen. They came back five minutes later with their grandmother. Alejandra held a bucket of water, Lupe held what look like a gong, and Mama Rodriguez held a burning bundle of sage. "Go to the nursery in five minutes." Alejandra instructed, and with that the girls were gone.

The nursery had been a point of contention since Gigi had come home. The door was locked, and the last person who had been in it was Gabe, which was probably why no one had gone in there since. Johnny refused to go anywhere near the nursery. Just like he refused to hold the baby. For all of Kale's teasing, the entire situation broke his heart. He'd already lost his best friend; now he was watching his best friend's husband have a breakdown. It was hard.

Suddenly the oppressive quiet that had become the James-Michaels house was replaced by the sound of the gong, followed by loud cursing, followed by what sounded like a person being rolled off a bed. At that moment, Kale was glad he was on the good side of the Rodriguez women.

Remembering his instructions, he went up to the nursery in time to see Johnny standing in front of the door, very much looking like he'd been drinking for a week straight. He also looked like the bucket of water had been poured over his head. And he smelled strongly of sage.

"You ready to do this, handsome?" Kale asked, nodding to the door.

Johnny made a face. "No."

Alejandra gave Johnny a light shove. "Well, tough titty. You promised Uncle Gabe. Now get in there." She pushed him again when he didn't immediately jump to.

Slowly Johnny unlocked the door, and walked inside, only to freeze in the center of the room. Kale followed him into the room, and immediately understood why Johnny had stopped. Stepping into the nursery was like stepping into one of Gabe's installations. The entire room looked like Wonderland. Each wall depicted a different scene from the animated cartoon, or at least inspired by a scene from the movie. It made Kale sick, seeing the type of creation the art world was going to miss out on now, the legacy Gabriel James would have had.

One wall had a table painted onto it that looked like it stretched into infinity, hundreds of cups, saucers, and teapots stacked precariously on the table, and on the plush green grass next to it. Kale's hand traced the wall, finding that the textures even looked different. The tea cups had been covered with epoxy resin, and looked real.

The wall with the windows that looked out into the backyard had been painted to look like the forest Alice got lost in. The flowers climbed the walls, and surrounded the windows. They didn't look like the bad acid trip Kale remembered them being. They looked... happy, kind, approachable.

On the wall in front of the crib (which was looked like it was made out of gold, but was actually wood), he'd painted the Queen of Heart's garden, croquet court and all. Half the roses were white, and half the roses were red. And the thing that got Kale the most was that there were no characters drawn, but he knew exactly where he was. It was all the good parts of Wonderland with none of the bad.

The room also had a book case painted with playing cards all over it. There was a changing table that looked like a house. Kale hadn't seen the move in awhile, but he figured it was the house Alice must had overgrown when she grew too big. There was a toy chest with hundreds of pocket watches embedded inside and epoxied over, and a changing table painted in the scheme of Alice's dress, little frills on the edges to add to the theme.

Gabe must have been working on the room since the moment he found out he was pregnant. There had to be at least 200 hours of work put into this room. This was not a quick project. He had to have planned, and plotted, and designed exactly how he wanted everything laid out. He’d built his daughter a living piece of art to grow up in -- a guaranteed way that her Daddy would always be in her life. Even if he wasn’t there physically.

Johnny made a pained sound, and Kale turned to find him collapsing into a rocking chair. It looked like a standard rocking chair. Nothing that made Kale understand why he reacted the way he did. Sure, it was beautiful. Gabe’s piece tended to be beautiful. Then, he saw what Johnny must have seen. The rocking chair was nestled under the large tree Alice fell asleep under. The whole wall the door was on actually looked like the opening scene of the cartoon, a gorgeous tree next to a babbling brook. From the chair, was the perfect view of a Cheshire moon. Below the moon and in Gabe's loopy cursive were the words: I love you always.

"That's how he always signed his letters to you, isn't it?" Kale asked, sitting on the ground next to Johnny. When the other man nodded, Kale nodded, too. "Jonathan," He pressed his hands together as he tried to figure out how to phrase this. "The last time I talked to Gabriel he told me I needed to remind you of your promise."

It was quiet for a long moment before Johnny pulled himself to his feet. "Where's the baby?" And with that he was out of the room.

Kale slowly got up and followed him downstairs to the patio. By the time he made it to Cesar, Johnny was holding Gigi. It was the first time he'd held the baby of his own free will. "I need to show you what your Daddy made for you." Johnny murmured out softly.

Before Johnny could go into the house, Kale grabbed his arm. "Are you okay?" He asked, feeling Cesar's eyes on him, too.

"No, but I made a promise to my husband."

Kale smiled softly. "I think we all did."

#drabble #kissing universe #pairing: Gabe/Johnny

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youllallriseintheink · 4 years

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Breaking the Time Loop chapter 4: Sacrifice

Alice put the journal down. She looked the way Henry probably had after reading the first three pages. "Wow," she breathed. After taking a while to collect her thoughts, she finally came up with a response. "So, you want to save the souled creatures. And you came here because Tom and I are good companions? Is that it?"

"Well, no. You see, to save them, I've enlisted in some...unconventional help."

"Oh?"

"I need to reconnect the souls to the bodies to bring them back to life. In other words, I need to perform necromancy. And the only creature that can do that is a demon."

"You're going to try and tame him!?"

"Actually, I already did." Alice stared at Tom in disbelief, but Henry carried on. "And he told me that only an angel could purify a soul. So, unless I want to lead out a group of crazies and check them right in to a madhouse... well, I thought it would be best to come to you. Can you help?"

"Well, I can try. Have you captured any souls yet?"

"We've captured one, and I could take Susie's whenever I want. Do you promise not to be alarmed if I call Bendy in here?"

"Go ahead."

Henry looked around the base. There were no posters. He excused himself into the hallway to call the demon, and came back with him. Tom's mouth fell open, as though he were thinking, I thought you were pulling our legs. Alice, on the other hand, seemed calm. Bendy brought his hand to his mouth, apparently pulled the soul out, and offered it to Alice. Alice observed the invisible object as though she were a mechanic staring at a broken engine, squinting at it and seeming to grow more and more dispirited. Finally, she put it on the table and looked down.

"Is this even a human soul?" Alice asked, almost in disbelief.

"It once belonged to a man named Norman Polk. He became creature you call the projectionist."

"Oh, that explains it. I can't fix this. I'm sorry."

"Why not?"

"It's just too damaged. It's not even sapient anymore."

"Well, can't you at least try?" Henry asked. From behind him, inky tendrils were spreading around Bendy.

"No. Imagine imagine a soul like a page in a book. Undoing damage is like taking a few scrambled words and putting them back to normal. You can mostly tell by context what the word is meant to be. But this-" Alice paused to look up at the alarming spreading tendrils.

"Bendy, can you stop?" Henry asked, keeping the annoyance out of his voice. Bendy shook his head. He was rapt, leaning forwards. Not knowing what else to do, Henry turned back to Alice. "Go on, Alice."

"This is like a page with almost every word scrambled. I wouldn't be bringing this person back. I'd be making a new one from whole cloth. And even then, it would take me days. This is a dead man, Henry." Alice's voice grew tenser as she continued, and it was not hard to see why.

The room was an inky abyss by now, its features barely visible. words were appearing on the walls, but Henry couldn't read them for how dark the walls had become. The ink demon was peering over Henry's shoulder like a predator looking through the brush. In a quick movement, he snatched the journal out of Tom's hands. Henry's breath grew ragged. His progress- his everything! It was in the hands of that monster.

"Bendy...I can't save you without that! Please-"

Bendy opened the book to its last page- a blank one, Henry knew, and pointed to it to put words on it. Henry could see that the beast was breathing heavily as well. He turned the book. It read, in letters big enough to fill the page and drip off the sides of it, GIVE ME THE SOUL.

"That is a good idea," Alice said. There was tension in her voice, but she seemed genuine.

Henry did not agree. But one loop for the safety of his journal was a small price to pay. "Yes. You can have the soul," he said. Immediately the inky tendrils contracted somewhat, leaving visible words spanning the walls in messages such as I MUST HAVE IT, THE SOUL IS MINE, THE JOURNAL IS LEVERAGE, and most frightening of all, IT WILL CHANGE ME. Bendy drew back the ink from the journal and the walls and handed the book back to Henry, who drew it into him like a child might a cling to a blanket.

"I should void the soul first," Alice suggested, "Erase the words, make it a blank slate. I can do it while we head down to the machine."

"Go down to the machine?"

"It's needed to transfer souls," she explained.

"Alright."

Henry knew then that it was the end of this loop. He'd speculated that Bendy was using souls to turn into his monstrous final form, but now, with that message on the wall, it was sure.

The five made their way down. Tom took up the rear, staying on the lookout for any dangers that might be following. Alice was next, too preoccupied with the soul to be alert to danger. Then Boris. Henry followed the ink demon, who was taking them along at a quick pace that forced Henry to run to keep up. Bendy's excitement was obvious. Words sprayed on the walls only to immediately drip off. Most of the words went by too quickly for Henry to read, but he could see what an elated, messy scrawl they were, and he could catch a few words: "transform," "anew," "finally," and for some Godforsaken reason, "love." In his rampage, butcher gang members and lost ones dissolved the moment they grew near his inky aura. Thankfully, Alice, Boris, and Tom stayed far enough away to be unaffected.

Finally making it to the pit before the administration office, Bendy immediately jumped down, leaving the others in the dust. Henry, exhausted from all the running, stopped to catch his breath. "Alice..." he said as soon as he had the air to, "you have rope, right? We need to keep up with him."

"Indeed I do," she answered. Henry used the rope to climb down the pit, and tied it on hook well into dry land so that none of the ink creatures would have to risk touching the corruptive substance. By the time all four were down, however, the ink demon was nowhere to be seen. Henry noticed a poster on the wall, with a few excited but already fading phrases written around it. "Oh, no. We're too late." With his luck, that creature had already swallowed the end tape by now.

"It's alright," Alice said, "It's not like he can actually do anything without the soul, anyhow."

"Yeah, the transforming part isn't what I'm afraid of," Henry replied.

"Well, we'll only be later if we waste time feeling sorry for ourselves. Let's go."

The group was able to make quick work of the audio vault, killing the butcher gang with their axes and machete and only needing one trip to collect the thick ink required to repair the drainage system. Henry took a deep breath as the group finally approached that impassable river of ink.

"I suppose that this is where you have to leave me?" Henry asked, though it wasn't really a question.

"Sorry, but yes. We'd dissolve in that ink in a second. Here, take this," Alice handed Henry the soul. Though he couldn't see it, he cupped his hands around it as though it was everything to him. "Give it to the demon. I have a feeling that this won't end as badly as you think it will."

"Very well," Henry said, "And thanks for everything." He knew then that he'd be facing the end of this time loop as he did all the others: alone. He stepped into the inky river, stopping to look back at the trio. Instead, he saw Boris dashing in behind him, wielding Tom's ax. He scampered to the other side as quickly as the viscous ink would allow, pulled himself onto the other side, and shook off. Black drips hung down into the white parts of his character design as a result of ink damage, and his form seemed a good bit less solid than usual,but he was otherwise unharmed. Henry smiled, touched at his friend's loyalty. He got up onto the other side of the river and helped his companion to his feet. "Thanks, buddy," Henry cooed. He didn't remember, but it seemed from the journal that he always loved loops where Boris stayed alive and with him.

Together, they entered the demon's throne room. Everything, from the projections on the walls to the chains on the throne, was intact. There weren't even any extra messages on the walls. For a moment, Henry got his hopes up. Holding onto that dash of optimism, he opened the film case.

It was empty. Henry's pace quickened. He fell to his knees.

"Boris, I'm trapped," Henry said in a hopeless monotone. "I can't get out of here without that. I'm going to rot. I'm going to be a lost one. I'm never going to see Linda again. Oh my-" At the beginning of Henry's breakdown, Boris had been attempting to comfort Henry. Then, something else caught his eye, and he'd drifted towards it. Now, he was trying to get Henry's attention. "Hmm?"

Boris pointed to a room adjacent the throne room. Within it, Bendy was sitting down cross-legged inside one of four glass tubes. The duo entered. Small, polite letters appeared on the glass tube: Please give me the soul. Not knowing what else to do, Henry pressed his palm against the glass, opening the hand that held the soul. Bendy reached out to grab it, as though he were grabbing a fly. Then, the tube flooded with high-pressure black ink. The transformation had begun.

---

Yeah, I wrote this story months ago, back when the audio log characters were afterthoughts at best for me. I’m sorry, Norman... sorry I threw you under a bus for plot convenience.

#breaking the time loop #Bendy and the Ink Machine #my fanfiction #Allison Angel #Henry Stein #Ink bendy

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emospritelet · 5 years

Text

Honourable Members

This is partly the fault of @thestraggletag for this post and the subsequent dream I had. It’s also the fault of Bobby for posting pics of his new project. I know I said I wouldn’t post it until it was done but I am weak. Should be a three-parter. Part two is almost done. See AO3 re the fictional political parties and Government departments. Sorry about the title: I am a child :)

AO3 link

If there was one thing Robert Sutherland hated more than any other, it was giving interviews to right-wing lifestyle journalists. He’d had to suffer through many an indignity in his working life, but relatively little of that life had been under public scrutiny. He had had what was diplomatically described as an inauspicious start in life, but had developed an interest in politics after becoming a union representative at the factory where he had started work at sixteen. Coming to Westminster as a backbench MP had opened his eyes to the reality of trying to represent the people he served in a place rife with deep divisions and party infighting.

One of the hardest lessons he had learned was that honesty and integrity did not automatically lead to political success. A less surprising, if more irritating realisation, was that once you made it to the House of Commons, and especially to the front benches, it was open season on your private life as far as certain sections of the press were concerned. He thought that it was probably fortunate that he had gotten divorced five years earlier, before becoming leader of his party, but it didn’t stop the speculation about potential love interests. Since leading his party through a successful election campaign, ousting the British Unionists from power in a crushing victory and entering 10 Downing Street, the interest from the press had only grown, and with it the amount of salacious gossip that he tried hard to ignore.

He supposed it was hardly surprising; he had been single since the divorce and happily so, but a vacuum always tempted people to fill it with their own rumours. His Principal Private Secretary, Carrie de Ville, had assured him that giving interviews to publications such as Green Space would improve his polling amongst right-wing middle class women, but he was beginning to wonder if the current discomfort he felt was worth it.

The current subject of his disdain, Ms Tamara Finlay-Warburton, was perched on a chair in the White State Drawing Room, a porcelain cup of tea steaming in its saucer on the table beside her. The red-haired woman had been servile to the point of revulsion, but there was a predatory gleam in her blue eyes that told him she was in no way to be trusted. 10 Downing Street’s resident cat, Arthur, had taken one look at her and scurried off, and he considered that a black mark against her character before she had even opened her mouth.

“So,” purred Ms Finlay-Warburton, tapping her pencil on her notebook. “Still unmarried, after all these years. It must get lonely, having no one to share your success with.”

“Can’t say I’ve thought about it,” he said. “A little too busy with matters of state.”

“So there’s no special someone?” she pressed. “No dirty little secrets? We’re all aware of how indispensable your secretary is.”

“Yes, Carrie is my right hand woman,” he said honestly.

“So there’s no sexual tension there?”

He blinked at that.

“Uh - no,” he said. “Our relationship is very professional.”

“But so many relationships start in the workplace, don’t they?”

“That may be true,” he said, feeling his irritation grow. “But she’s already married.”

“Well, it’s not as though that’s a barrier to anyone these days,” she said airily. “You can imagine the opportunities for gossip, I’m sure.”

“Did you do any research before this interview?” he asked waspishly. “She’s married to a woman!”

“Oh.”

She looked momentarily stumped, and shuddered delicately, as though Carrie’s private life was somehow distasteful. It made him dislike her all the more.

“Well, I did a piece on her last year,” she said. “I must have forgotten that, but then I was concentrating on her time at university. Quite the wild thing in her youth.”

“I couldn’t care less what she got up to,” he said, reaching for his tea, and counting down the seconds until the allotted fifteen minutes was up. “She’s extremely competent.”

“So, no sparks flying from that direction,” she said vaguely, scribbling in her notebook. “Of course, the other rumour is that you’re having an affair with the intern. Comments?”

Sutherland almost spat out his tea.

“Alice?”

She sat forward, pale eyes gleaming.

“Why so surprised?” she purred. “Pretty young girl, blonde curls, all that energy and innocence of youth. A little odd, by all accounts, so she probably needs taking under your wing and protecting. Plus, I hear she’s always pulling your tie straight and dusting your shoulders. Rather familiar for a mere minion, wouldn’t you say?”

“I can assure you she’d think the idea of the two of us sleeping together both hilarious and revolting,” he said tersely. “And don’t ever call her a minion in my presence again.”

“Ooh, looks like I touched a nerve,” she said, with a smirk. “No need to hide your office romance from me, Prime Minister.”

“I’m not,” he snapped.

“And why should my readers believe that?”

“Because I’m a massive lesbian!” announced Alice cheerfully, breezing into the room with a leather folder in her hands and her blonde hair bouncing around her shoulders. “Going from what you write in that magazine of yours, I’m probably at least partly responsible for the decline of society, but I have to say I’m having a lot of fun with it.”

Ms Finlay-Warburton looked as though she’d bitten something sour, and sat back as Alice leaned over to place the folder in Sutherland’s hand. Alice grinned and leaned closer, making her shrink almost into the cushions of the chair.

“Oh, don’t worry,” said Alice pleasantly. “You’re so not my type. I did put my nasty gay hands all over the biscuits though, so I hope you didn’t eat any.”

Sutherland bit the inside of his cheeks to hide a smile, and she winked at him.

“Carrie said to tell you that the car will be here in a moment, sir,” she said.

“Thank you, Alice.” He stood, tugging his cuffs straight. “Ms Finlay-Warburton, you must excuse me. Prime Minister’s Questions, you know. Ms de Ville will show you out.”

He strode out of the room, wanting to sigh with relief, and made it to the waiting car without incident. It idled outside Number 10, the engine purring as they waited for Carrie to emerge with his briefcase. She appeared in less than a minute, sharply-tailored charcoal grey trouser suit and white silk shirt beneath a gleaming bob of blonde hair. She slid onto the back seat beside him, setting the briefcase between them, and the door thumped shut before the car pulled away. Sutherland slipped the leather folder into the case, and Carrie looked at him with some amusement.

“I hear the interview went well,” she said wryly. “She seemed not to want to shake my hand, so I can only assume she’s remembered I’m a raging homosexual.”

“I don’t understand why you delight in inviting bigots to interview me.”

“Oh, it’s fun,” she said airily. “They’re always the easiest to offend. Besides, it’s a section of society in which you need to improve your polling. You’re falling down with the ‘traditional family values’ mob.”

“I don’t need the support of intolerant arseholes,” he said sourly.

“Now now,” she chided. “That’s not the attitude to take. Their votes are as good as anyone’s. And not all of them are like Ms Fanny-Wobblebum, I assure you.”

“Bloody gossip-monger!” he grumbled, running a hand through short, greying hair. “She could have asked about the new policy on free childcare or the money for women’s support services, but instead it’s a bunch of bloody shite about work-based romance! Are they expecting me to be shagging half my staff?”

“Probably.”

“Well, they’re in for a disappointment.”

“Oh, they’ll just make something up, you know how it goes.”

“They’re welcome to.” He sat back with a sigh. “Any idea what’s coming up in PMQs?”

“Other than the usual?” she asked. “Nothing I’ve heard. We’re as prepared as we can be.”

“Good.”

The Commons was in excellent voice, the benches filled with MPs, almost all of whom were awake and contributing to the noise. Sutherland tuned it out, tapping his fingers on the papers in front of him, the crisp white cuffs of his shirt just visible above the sleeves of his black suit. He knew the contents of his papers by heart, but having them there was useful nonetheless, allowing him to collect his thoughts when necessary. Prime Minister’s Questions was in full swing, and having delivered a ringing endorsement of the government’s economic record in response to a question from his own side, he was waiting for the resulting shouts of derision and braying cheers to die down before the first of the questions from the Opposition back benches.

“Miss Belle French!” bellowed the Speaker.

Sutherland’s brow crinkled for a moment. French, French. Ah, of course. New Liberals. Just won the by-election in Avonleigh. Carrie says she’s one to watch.

“Thank you, Mr Speaker.”

He glanced around, trying to see where the voice was coming from. There. God, she’s tiny! A young woman was standing in the top right of the rows of benches. Small and pale, with deep red lips and chestnut hair tied neatly back, she was dressed in a very respectable dark blue dress and jacket. She was perhaps five feet four, although his guess could be off by an inch or two, depending on how high her heels were. She was also incredibly pretty, but he did his best to ignore that fact.

“Mr Speaker,” she began, “last week in my constituency of Avonleigh, I received some truly shocking news regarding Government contractor Wolsingham plc and its negligent attitude to its waste treatment facility. It appears that waste material from the production plant bordering my constituency has been leaking out and is in danger of polluting the water supplies used by local farmers.”

A familiar noise rose in the House, a booming chorus of denials from the Government benches, and roars of support from the Opposition. Sutherland wanted to sigh. Questions about Wolsingham plc were inevitable, he supposed; nothing stayed secret for long in politics, but he had hoped to avoid the issue for a little longer.

“Rumours have also spread,” she went on, “that the company itself is failing and that its assets are being sold off piecemeal while it destroys the land around it!”

The noise had increased to a roar, the odd bleating noise from some of the older politicians, order papers being waved.

“Having - having made some enquiries—” Miss French was having to shout to be heard over the din. “—I was shocked to discover that not only was Wolsingham plc fully aware of the pollution, but had done - had - had done—”

The clamour from the House had reached a level loud enough to drown her out, and she bit her lip, clearly frustrated.

“Order!” shouted the Speaker, calming the noise somewhat. “The Honourable lady must be allowed to put her question! Which I have every hope she will do very shortly, rather than treat us to a lengthy speech! Miss French!”

“Thank you, Mr Speaker.”

She was still looking frustrated, and Sutherland sensed that she would abandon the speech, ask her question and be done. Good.

“My constituents are concerned that special interest groups may be influencing Government policy regarding Wolsingham plc,” she said. “Particularly in respect of their continued breach of environmental legislation, and the company’s future financial viability. What assurances can the Prime Minister give me to take back to my constituents that their concerns are being addressed?”

Sutherland nodded as he stood up at the despatch box, catching her eye. She was staring at him with a strange mixture of caution and hope.

“Let me be amongst the first to welcome the Honourable lady to the House,” he said. “I trust that she will serve her constituents well, and the country as a whole. This Government is - aware - of the reports of which she speaks, and I can assure her that they are being looked into. A statement will be made in due course.”

He sat down to indicate that he was finished, shuffling the papers in his hands. Miss French was bouncing on her toes, mouth opening and closing and looking outraged, but the Speaker called another name, and she was forced to sit down, her face like thunder. Sutherland tried to put her out of his mind as he listened to a question from his own side. A pity she had chosen to raise the bloody subject today, but there it was. No doubt the press would now start digging around, and the whole shit show would be wide open for all to see before they could get everything sewn up. New MPs. Always so bloody idealistic.

Once PMQs was over, he gathered his papers, slipping them into his briefcase before stepping away from the despatch box. There was to be a debate on renewable energy, but he left the Environment Secretary to make the Government’s arguments. Carrie was waiting for him in the lobby, foot tapping impatiently on the stone tiles. She flicked her hair out of her eyes and arched a brow at him as he left the chamber.

“Well, that was reasonably successful,” she said, taking the briefcase from him and shoving it at one of her assistants as they began walking. “I thought we might go through the preparations for the President’s visit after your four o’clock.”

“Yes, fine,” he said. “I believe her wife is coming too?”

“So my counterpart across the pond tells me.”

“Good. We’ll host them at Chequers, but I’ll leave any decisions on menus and entertainment in your hands.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Prime Minister!”

He wanted to sigh as a clear voice cut across the lobby. Miss French. Of course. He kept walking, shoes ringing on the gleaming tiles.

“Prime Minister, if I might have a word?”

She trotted up beside him, but he didn’t slow his stride. Carrie looked at her somewhat askance, but said nothing.

“What is it, Miss French?” he asked dismissively.

“My question about Wolsingham plc,” she said, her voice impatient. “You completely shut me down!”

“No, I gave you an answer,” he said. “Just not the one you wanted.”

“I told my constituents I would raise the matter with you personally!”

“And so you have,” he said, and turned away from her to Carrie, who was watching him with an amused glint in her eyes. “Carrie, can we fit Mr Llewellyn in before six, do you think?”

“I could find ten minutes in your diary, sir, no more. And even that would be a squeeze.”

“Do that, then,” he said. “If you can get one of your staff to prepare a one-page briefing paper beforehand? I’d rather not go in cold.”

“Consider it done.”

“Thank you.”

They walked on, and Miss French trotted to keep up.

“Prime Minister, might I schedule some time with you to discuss my concerns?” she asked, and he glanced across at her.

“Put your question in writing to Ms de Ville, Miss French, if you’re unhappy with the answer I gave,” he said impatiently.

“It wasn’t an answer!” she retorted. “It - it was a fudge! You didn’t tell me anything!”

“As I said, put any further requests to my secretary in writing,” he said.

“A letter?” she scoffed. “Should I sign it with a quill pen? This isn’t the nineteenth century!”

“There are still protocols to follow, as you’re well aware,” he said. “I’ve already said we will be making a statement in due course, and I have nothing further to add at this time.”

He walked on, the entrance looming in front of him, spring sunshine spreading across the tiles. He could hear the rapid click of Miss French’s shoes as she sought to keep up with his stride, and rolled his eyes as they stepped out into the warm spring sunlight. The press pack waited some way beyond, cameras clicking and flashing, reporters waiting with mikes outstretched, and Miss French was still at his heels like an insistent terrier.

“Prime Minister, I really don’t think you understand how worrying this is for my constituents,” she said, a little breathlessly. “If we could just sit down to discuss the matter, I’m sure we could—”

Sutherland stopped abruptly, spinning on his toes to face her as he finally lost patience.

“Miss French, are you deaf or merely stupid?” he snapped. “For the last time, I have nothing to say to you regarding Wolsingham plc and this will remain the case until the Government delivers its official statement on the matter!”

She stared at him, strands of chestnut hair buffeted by the wind. Her eyes were wide and very blue, her cheeks smooth and pale. She had full lips, painted with a deep red lipstick that outlined them perfectly. They were slightly parted in shock at his outburst, but there was also fire in her eyes, something he recognised well from his own youth, when he had been filled with ideals, with the desire to do good. It made him feel old and irrelevant. An ancient political dragon, facing a young would-be slayer, Chosen One of the people. Oddly, it also made him want to stand his ground, to roar and belch out flames one last time to protect what he hoarded. Instead, he tried for a more measured, dismissive approach. The young firebrand was gone, after all, mellowed by the years into the elder statesman.

“Put your concerns in writing,” he said, more calmly. “Ms de Ville will bring them to my attention as she sees fit.”

Miss French worked her jaw a little.

“I thought at least you might hear me out,” she said. “I’m aware you were born and raised in a deprived community, you must know how dependent my people are on the land around them, and—”

“I got where I am by knowing how to pick my battles,” he interrupted. “Something you appear to have no concept of, but which you’ll learn in time, I have no doubt. If you want to be anything other than a voice in the wilderness, you need to learn how to bend in the wind, follow protocol, and understand that sometimes progress happens in ways you may not always like.”

“I came here to serve my constituents!” she protested, raising her hands and letting them fall. “To give a voice to those who can’t speak out for themselves, to - to help people! Not to become part of the problem!”

“Enjoy your time on the back benches, then,” he said, his tone dismissive. “Spend time in your constituency, and leave the politics to those of us who are in touch with reality. While you’re listening to tales of woe and patting shoulders and kissing babies, you’ll become increasingly irrelevant.”

She opened her mouth angrily, but he cut her off.

“You’re not part of some Borough Council anymore,” he said scathingly. “Time to grow up. See the big picture.”

“Don’t patronise me!”

“Don’t act like a child, then.”

She took a step towards him, eyes flashing with the light of challenge. It was giving him a tiny thrill, a tight ball of fire in his chest that was sending a pulsing trail of heat down to his groin. No one had dared to get in his face to this extent for years, instead shouting their insults from across the benches or making sly comments about his alleged incompetence to the press. To have someone go toe-to-toe with him outside the Houses of Parliament was almost exhilarating.

“So, one little push back from a woman, and the misogyny surfaces,” she said, in a flat tone. “Why am I not surprised?”

“My assessment of your behaviour is based on your inexperience and current attitude, not your gender.”

“And you want to teach me a lesson, is that it, sir?”

Oh, his mind did not need to go there! He yanked it back before his imagination could cause too much mischief.

“I have every confidence that your peers will do that, Miss French,” he said coldly. “Do us all an enormous favour and try not to get above yourself in the meantime.”

“If you think you can pat me on the head and shut me up, you’re mistaken!”

He smiled at that, knowing how it would irritate her, and was proven right as her glare intensified.

“Well, I must say this passion is admirable,” he drawled. “But ultimately pointless. Political naivety may play well in whatever backwater constituency you managed to claw your way into, but in Westminster it’ll get you eaten alive.”

“I have no intention of - of letting you eat me!” she snapped.

A faint blush had risen on her cheeks, and he felt an odd lurch in his belly as his active mind helpfully provided an alternative meaning for that phrase. She was glaring at him, eyes shooting blue sparks, chin raised as though she would bite him.

“Then take my advice,” he said. “Pick your battles. Fall in line. And wait your bloody turn.”

“So, they got to you, too?” she said bitterly. “I might have known. I knew there had to be some reason everyone’s lips are sealed. Wolsingham has his dirty little fingers in every political pie going, it seems to me.”

As fascinating as she was, Sutherland had had enough. He raised an admonitory finger, leaning in as his eyes bored into hers and she met him stare for stare.

“You’re new here, Miss French,” he growled, his accent thickening. “So I’m gonna let that one slide. You ever question my integrity again, and you and I are gonna have a problem, understood?”

She swallowed, sudden fear in her eyes. It was gone almost as quickly as it had come, her jaw tightening as she faced him down. Really, she was magnificent. There were flashes in the air around them, the click of cameras, and he wanted to groan as he remembered they were in the sights of the entirety of the Westminster press. At least they were out of reach of any microphones, he supposed. He leaned back, swallowing his anger, and nodded curtly.

“Good day, Miss French.”

He turned on his heel, Carrie side-eyeing him before following him to the car. Reporters clamoured, questions being fired at him, but he ignored them all, slipping onto the back seat and staring straight ahead as Carrie got in on the other side. The door closed with a heavy thump, and the sounds of the waiting press were cut off immediately. Thank God for armour plating.

“Well,” said Carrie, as the car pulled slowly away. “That was - bracing.”

She sounded highly amused, and he decided to change the subject before she could start teasing him.

“Who’s next?” he asked.

“Lunch first,” she said promptly. “Then I thought we might go through the Select Committee papers before tomorrow. And you have a four-thirty with the Chancellor.”

“Fine.”

Sutherland sat back as the car headed for Downing Street, trying to ignore his thumping heart. Miss French was a mouthy nuisance, to be sure, and he wanted to put her from his mind, but the encounter had made him feel more alive than he had in years.

The heavy tick of the clock on the wall showed that it was after ten, and Sutherland pinched the bridge of his nose to clear his eyes. A large tabby cat with white socks was settled comfortably on a pile of discarded papers to his left, purring contentedly. Arthur’s job was supposedly to catch mice, but he seemed to spend most of his time sleeping as far as Sutherland could tell. He didn’t mind that too much; he liked cats, and it was nice to have a little company in the evenings when he finally stopped working. He scratched Arthur’s ears, receiving a nuzzle in response, and set the final document aside just as Carrie entered. She had a glass of whisky in one hand, a pile of newspapers in the crook of her arm and a wide grin on her face.

“Well, at least you made the front page.”

She dropped the first editions of the next day’s papers on his desk, startling the cat into a standing position. He lashed his striped tail before settling down again, tucking his feet under as the top newspaper—a copy of The Sun—slithered off the pile into Sutherland’s hands. A picture took up almost the entire page, a close-up of he and Miss French practically nose to nose, glaring at one another with every ounce of the mutual disdain they could muster. The headline above, in thick red letters, shouted GET A ROOM!

Sutherland groaned under his breath as Carrie chortled, and despite himself he read the opening paragraphs of the drivel masquerading as an article. Sparks flew this afternoon outside the Houses of Parliament as Avonleigh’s stunning New Liberal MP Belle French went toe-to-toe with the PM! Petite brunette Belle (29) let Sutherland have it with both barrels! You could cut the sexual tension with a knife, and your Sun reporter wonders how they might break their deadlock outside of a bedroom! Policy difference or lovers’ tiff? See more on page 2! Pages 4 and 5: Belle French - bombshell or bitch?

He tossed the paper aside in disgust, and Carrie caught it, grinning at him.

“Now now,” she chided. “Don’t blame the press for the stories they cover.”

“It’s The Sun,” he growled. “One flash of a pretty woman’s legs and they collectively lose their tiny minds.”

“So, you think she’s pretty?”

“Please tell me she didn’t give an interview,” he sighed, ignoring her question.

“Not that I can see,” she said. “But the two of you made the front of every tabloid there is. Even pushed the latest horror story about a new Ice Age off page 1 of The Express.”

“Wonders will never cease,” he remarked.

“I expect she might use the sudden interest to publicise her concerns over Wolsingham, though.”

“Well, that can’t be helped,” he sighed. “It’s all gonna come out soon, anyway. However things go. Did we hear anything from DII?”

“Talks still ongoing with potential administrators.”

He grunted. Lengthy talks about financial viability never boded well, in his experience.

“You know,” she said thoughtfully, looking the paper over. “They’re not wrong. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife.”

“Fuck’s sake, Carrie…”

“I’m teasing.” She rolled up the paper and swatted him with it. “I’m sure your intentions are completely honourable.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, hers might not be…”

“Can we leave Miss French out of this?” he snapped. “Is there any actual news I need to hear?”

“Apparently William Hill’s have slashed the odds on you getting married during this Parliament to seven to one.”

“Carrie!”

“Alright, fine!” she sighed. “The Guardian didn’t mention the spat; however, they have picked up on the precarious position of Wolsingham plc and are starting to put feelers out. You have a nine o’clock tomorrow with the Minister. There’s a briefing in the folder at the bottom of that pile.”

“Thank you.”

“The Telegraph, Independent and Financial Times are focusing on the prospective deal with the US, unsurprisingly,” she said. “I thought we might release the President’s proposed itinerary tomorrow.”

“Yes, fine,” he said absently. “Are we expecting any protests?”

Carrie snorted, setting down the glass of whisky.

“Since that bigoted, racist disaster was ousted and thrown in jail, public perception of the White House has improved greatly.”

“Not wholly surprising,” he remarked, and she nodded.

“A few small groups have requested permission to march,” she said. “Mainly pacifists, anti-capitalists and anti-pharma, nothing to cause any real disruption.”

“Fine,” he said, pushing the pile of newspapers away and sitting back in his chair. “Go on, get home. I’m sure Ursula would like to see some of you this week.”

“I’m sure she’d like to see all of me,” she said, with a wink. “Are you sure? I can stay if you need my input on anything.”

“Go home,” he said firmly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir,” she said. “Don’t stay up all night. And try not to let the gutter press give you nightmares, hmm?”

“Would you bugger off before I change my mind?”

She swept out, chuckling, and he sighed, reaching for the glass of whisky she had brought him and sitting back in his chair. It wouldn’t hurt to take a break. There were some papers he wanted to look through, but nothing that needed his immediate attention. He sipped at the whisky, enjoying the smooth burn on his tongue, the warmth of good alcohol and the taste of honey, peat and smoke.

The image of Belle French kept swimming to the front of his mind, blue eyes sparking with anger and passion, and he scowled to himself, shoving the memory away. So what if she had intrigued him? She had all but accused him of impropriety in respect of a Government contractor. The fact that her claim was bollocks was beside the point; she had no business throwing around accusations with the press pack just out of reach. He recalled that Carrie had caught some of her campaign on a visit to Avonleigh, and had been impressed with the dedication and passion she had seen, but if Miss French was to succeed, she would need to learn to bend a little. She wouldn’t last long in Westminster if she couldn’t rein in her clearly impulsive nature. Her fellow MPs would soon steer her right.

He shook his head, wondering why he was wasting time thinking about her future. It wasn’t as though they would be working together, and she was on the Opposition benches, if not in the official party of Opposition, so hardly likely to be looking to him as a potential mentor. Even if she was, the woman was clearly wet behind the ears and he didn’t have the patience to deal with that level of inexperience. Besides, it was unlikely they would cross paths unless he wished it; as a new back-bencher she had been lucky to get to ask a question at PMQs. There would be no reason for him to have to endure her impertinence again.

He drank the last of the whisky, putting down the glass with a clunk and making the rare decision to go to bed at a reasonable hour. Arthur seemed to sense that he was making a move, and stood up, stretching paws in front of him and curling his tail over. Sutherland petted him, pushing back his chair and heading for the door, the cat sauntering in his wake as he prayed for a decent night’s sleep, free of dreams of fiery young blue-eyed goddesses with perfect lips.

#fic: honourable members #sutherelle fic #my fic #rumbelle fic #anyelle #sutherelle

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truthbeetoldmedia · 6 years

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Wynonna Earp 3x02 "When You Call My Name" Review

Hello, a crestfallen Earper here *waves sadly*. Not really sure how to start — I’ve rewritten this review three times — so here goes my Wynonna Earp episode 3x02 “When You Call My Name” review, accompanied by the five stages of grief.

“Geez, We’re having a day” - Wynonna Earp

We pick up right where we left off at the end of the Season 3 premiere last week, with Wynonna and Waverly in a bad car accident that was apparently a hunting tactic of a gnarly people eating, voice stealing demon that lives in a cabin in the woods (cliche much, demon?). Wynonna awakes literally halfway down the side of a cliff...how she got there still puzzles me, but that is the least concern I had watching this episode.

She is still in her fancy “frock” (thanks for the colorful word, Mama Earp) from her run in with the vampires last episode. She is banged up and literally freezing, realizing her body is going into shock only after she recognizes she’s having a full on conversation with her mom on the side of a cliff, when she knows her mom is actually a patient in a nearby mental institution.

It was actually such a great way to get to know “Mama” Earp, through Wynonna’s mind's eye, making quite the juxtaposition from the slightly raving Mama we met in the season premiere.

Illusion!Mama Earp gives Wynonna a pep talk to climb to safety, but in doing so she has to leave Peacemaker down on the side of the cliff...which poses problems later. And after she's back on solid ground she grabs her coat and a swig of whiskey from the crashed truck and is off to save her sister, demons be danged!

“Secrets suck, I hate them!” - Jeremy Chetri

Over at Black Badge, the day just keeps getting worse. Nicole, of course, wasn’t convinced by the demon impersonating a chill Waverly. Jeremy confirms what killed all the people at the bar from the previous episode — it was a demon that can apparently apparate from one victim to another so quickly it made the mass murder seem like it happened at once. And they think he’s been doing it as a blood sacrifice to Bulshar for years and years, how reassuring! *insert nervous laughter*

The team knows they need to stop this demon fast, but first they gotta get the team together. Jeremy and Dolls obviously have a few secrets going on between them but Dolls keeps giving Jeremy the “don’t you dare” look. Upon my rewatch of this episode, I realized I should’ve felt more primed for the inevitable setup of what happens to Dolls in the last five minutes, I was but a sweet summer child when I was watching live and did not look for the blatant clues laid out before me.

“Craft night is Thursdays.” - Doc Holliday

Dolls goes to collect Doc so the team can assemble. Doc is downright FROSTY to Dolls and is missing that trademark sarcasm and humor that makes him so delightful. He is sad about Baby Alice, but more so his problem is that he died back in that alternate timeline in Season 2 when Dolls shot him. And he went to hell.

For a man that’s lived 150 years, most of those with his “curse” of immortality, that’s gotta be a very new and scary feeling, knowing you can die and that you went to hell. He seems to think he can’t be redeemed from that fate, and I hope he realizes that’s not true. “You and I are destined for the dark,” he tells Dolls, anger and anguish flashing in his wild eyes.

Dolls does not accept this gloomy fate, stating, “We’re not the same, I don’t need a threat of damnation to fight for the right side.” Ouch, what a burn. I hope Doc remembers Dolls’ words for the rest of his life. Doc has a chance to really step up his role in the team after this episode, I hope he rises out of his depression spiral and to the occasion of being a better team player.

Doc catches Jeremy looking for something in the basement of the bar and Jeremy alludes to Doc that there is definitely a problem with Dolls’ drugs...But before Doc can get too heated Nicole texts hims stating she’s found the Earp truck, prompting Doc to tell Jeremy, “Get Dolls, we’re gonna need him. Don’t tell him I said that.”

I am SOOO sad that we won’t have the mutual grumpy bro frenemies relationship of Doc and Dolls after this episode. It adds so much life and one liners to this wild show.

“I swear on my favorite boy band” - Wynonna Earp

Poor Waverly is still strung up like a slain rabbit in the demons cabin, with no voice to cry for help, silently hoping Wynonna and the team come for her. The demon booby trapped his cabin, as a poor lost hunter finds out the hard way; the demon lures the hunter to his death by doorway garrote, crying for help with Waverly's stolen voice. As only Wynonna could state, “This is some kinda crazy Little Mermaid sh*t” when she arrives at the cabin to save her kid sis. Of course, being sisters makes the whole talking without talking thing pretty easy and Wynonna and Waverly even have a heart to heart about Mama without Waverly using words.

I’d also like to point out the cabin demon saying “The trees are changing, I’m getting lost in my own woods, the animals are leaving,” given that the animals didn’t leave with his demonic presence but are now that Bulshar’s presence is there….CONCERNS me. I have a feeling this seemingly random line is gonna come back to haunt the team and the town pretty soon as was proof of the rock n roll tour bus vampires last episode, Purgatory is about to get a whole lot weirder.

Of course Wynonna is wily and cunning, and bests the demon at his own game by running away and using a tape recorder to make him think she fell in his pit trap, only to kick him in herself (but when she left him he was “mostly” dead since she didn’t use peacemaker to dispatch him, I hope she went back and finished the job) . She is caught in one of his tree snares and strung up to be cut down by a still grumpy Doc and the ever reliable officer Haught.

Wynonna still checking out Doc’s butt while hanging upside down is just another iconic Wynonna moment from this episode. If only they all went back to Black Badge and had drinks with Dolls and Jeremy and it was the end of another crazy demons in town episode….but alas, this is where the episode takes a sudden “wtf” turn and I — and most of us live watchers — were left reeling for hours afterwards.

As Doc and Nicole help Wynonna down we cut to someone watching in the woods. It’s the dreaded demon Bulshar himself and his “bodyguard” demon, looking on as the team runs to free Waverly. Insert Han Solo saying, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Wynonna is gonna need you more than ever” - Deputy Marshall Xavier Dolls

So here we are, friends, the reason I have dragged my feet on this review the last few days. The one thing about these last few scenes is we get to see the beautiful snowy Alberta terrain in all its natural rugged beauty.

Wynonna needs to retrieve Peacemaker, so they are back at the cliff, and Nicole is rapelling down via rope to get grab the weapon (her being the only skilled rope climber out of the current group). Of course Dolls shows up to assist and assess; Nicole is literally tethered to the rope at the mercy of Wynonna and Doc, while Dolls helps Waverly to his car when lo and behold the “apparating” demon appears!

It’s Bulshar’s bodyguard demon from earlier! And he is Nightcrawler-from-X-Men fast. He severs Nicole’s rope; Wynonna saves her by grabbing the rope and holding on for dear life; Doc goes into gunslinger mode; but the demon is too fast for him and he renders Doc unconscious in less than 20 seconds. Dolls sees the mayhem, shoves Waverly in the truck, drinks his “dragon drugs” and goes up against the demon.

As the demon is trying to take out Wynonna he gleefully states “You cannot kill me with mortal weapons” as Dolls shoots at him. Waverly answers Jeremy’s emergency comcall informing her that the drugs he’s been making for Dolls have made him “unstable.” Meanwhile, Nicole begs Wynonna to let go and save herself but she refuses, and Waverly adds just enough strength to pull Nicole to safety.

The demon tells them, “Someone must die here today, the earth lusts for blood.” (YIKE!) Doc comes to and is up on his feet they all have that look like “there’s a good chance we’re all gonna die” but Dolls grabs onto the bodyguard demon and doesn’t let go, his eyes turning yellow and his strength increasing. All of a sudden, flames are shooting out of his mouth, engulfing himself and the demon. The demon is incinerated by Dolls’ dragon flame, and Dolls is left lifeless on the ground.

“No more pain. No more drugs. No more demons.” - Wynonna Earp

Wynonna and the team rush to Dolls’ side, checking his pulse, his breath, for any sign that he’s alive. Even Doc is shaken to his very core when Dolls doesn’t “wake up.” Wynonna and Waverly begin to cry and Wynonna, like many of us, is in disbelief.

“He saved us. He saved me. How is this okay? How is he lying here?” Wynonna, bb, I was asking my TV the same questions. She keeps saying, “Open your eyes,” it’s heart wrenching and honestly confusing because it doesn’t feel like a final death in the moment? I was thinking it was gonna be like Supernatural or The Vampire Diaries where it’s a temporary death that they have to “fix.”

It wasn’t until afterwards when I got online and saw the article from Emily Andras (the showrunner) and once I learned Shamier Anderson was moving onto Hollywood projects that I realized it was final. I was left feeling kinda numb. Like, that’s all we get?

Yes, he did go out a hero saving his friends; yes, he did kill the demon, but in the grand scheme of “leading man exiting series” it didn’t feel grand enough? It was too short. What about tying up loose ends? How did he become a hybrid lizard man? What about his and Wynonna’s will they won’t they relationship? How did he join Black Badge?

I have so many unanswered questions about his character! It just doesn’t feel complete.

I love this show a lot. It’s fun! Daring! It thinks outside the box! BUT I have noticed sometimes plot threads are dropped or aren’t coherent. (Like the Season 2 finale scene between Nicole and Dolls, what even was that for? Will we ever know?!?!) And I for one HATE plot holes or misdirection in TV shows, I feel like they do it for shock or to keep you guessing…but if there isn’t any payoff or it’s done haphazardly it’s not worth my time.

The more I cover TV shows for critical analysis or review platforms like Truth Bee Told, the more annoyed I get with the way some things are written/executed. This wasn’t a terrible job by far. But why couldn’t the whole episode be dedicated to Dolls' story? Having a good moment with each character, a little backstory fleshing out etc. Instead, they give him the last five minutes of the episode to go out in a “blaze of glory” and leave Wynonna wailing in the snow.

I will hold out judging more until I see next week’s episode! Maybe they do some post mortem work on Dolls story that will satisfy me...but I’m actually kinda afraid that’s not going to happen. But until next week I will stop my rambling about it.

Final thoughts

Besides the ending we got some fabulous witty one liners, great physical acting (Melanie gave that charades scene her all and it was amazing!)

I loved learning more about Mama Earp (her name is Michelle, by the way).

We have some things that will probably come back up, like the forest literally changing.

Bulshar is shaping up to be the worst villain Wynonna has had, but he needs to talk soon, I grow tired of these “looks on menacingly” once an episode scenes. I need him to be fleshed out like Bobo (who is still by far my fave baddie to date).

I give this episode 3 ½ out of 5 bees because I’m feeling a little petty but also because I feel this episode wasted too much time setting up what should’ve been the focal point of the episode the sacrifice and death of Dolls. Until next time, Earpers!

Wynonna Earp airs Fridays at 9/8c on Syfy.

Gina’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝.5

#Wynonna Earp #When You Call My Name #Xavier Dolls

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animesavior · 6 years

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“But it's not our place to judge [their actions]. We don't think it's right to let them die just because we hate them. Both sides risked their lives in battle, and both are prepared to kill if necessary. But when the fight's over, we'll those rules cease to apply.“

- Biscuit Krueger, Hunter x Hunter (Ep. 74)

This week’s Toonami Trending Rundown is a double-feature for the nights of November 18-19 and 25-26, 2017. A big two weeks for the better cartoon show as the second half of Countdown would be showcased while Beerus collects the Super Dragon Balls and summons Super Shenron, Gon fighting off Genthru from killing him for his cards, and Gene has a score to settle with the McDougal Brothers, among other great moments.

For November 18th’s Toonami on Twitter, every show save for Shippuden, Bebop, and GITS would successfully trend in some capacity in the US during the East Coast airing. Meanwhile both Toonami and Dragon Ball Super would also trend on tumblr.

And finally, Dragon Ball Super continues strong as the buzz would help the show once again make it on Nielsen Social’s top 5 most talked about shows on the day, reaching the #4 spot with a combined 34,000 total interactions between users on Twitter and Facebook. This is the 27th time for Super and 41th time a Toonami show overall has made onto Nielsen’s daily list since we started recording this feat.

The following week’s Toonami took place during Thanksgiving weekend, so this year Toonami has opted to take the week off regular scheduling to show episodes 131-140 of DBZ Kai, but not before showcasing the finale of Countdown. In terms of trending, both Toonami and #DBZKai trended in the US and Toonami trending on tumblr, ending a drought of the last two marathon nights of a show not trending.

Of course, for the past two weeks, Toonami showcased both parts 3 and 4 of Countdown, which you can see below. As previously mentioned, this will be the last Total Immersion Event until at least mid-2019 as the Toonami crew wants to have more time to create the next one.

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Unlike previous Total Immersion Events in the modern era, the post-Countdown look wont entail any major new changes to the block’s look aside from a battle-scarred TOM and a few new additions to the Vindication. This is because according to Jason DeMarco, the TOM 5 look still remains popular among viewers and the Toonami crew to keep it awhile, though there are plans to have a revamp sometime next year.

We will however see some new changes programming wise going into next week, but before we get to the big news, here are some notable Toonami-related news of note going around within the anime community:

Very unfortunate news within the Dragon Ball community as since February, Christopher Ayres, the voice of Frieza has been battling End Stage C.O.P.D., a progressive and incurable condition that affects your ability to breathe well. As the illness has unfortunately kept him away from working in the booth, Daman Mills, the voice of Monaka, has assisted as an understudy for Frieza in the meantime. With the need for a lung transplant and various other medical related procedures, if you wish to assist Chris in his medical bills, his family has set up a YouCaring page which you can help donate to this cause. This afternoon, he posted that is being discharged today, which hopefully is a good sign. On behalf of the Toonami Faithful, we wish Chris and his family our thoughts and prayers as he gets through this.

Additional sad news for the Dragon Ball community as Hiromi Tsuru, the Japanese voice actor for Dragon Ball’s Bulma and Trigun’s Meryl Stryfe has passed away last Thursday from Aortic dissection at the age of 57. On behalf of all DBZ fans, thanks for the memories and rest in peace.

And in some very disappointing news to say the least in regards to a Toonami classic, Nobuhiro Watsuki, the creator of Rurouni Kenshin, has been arrested for possession of child pornography. Because of this, Kenshin, which was previously seeing a revival of the manga, now is on an indefinite hiatus.

For those interested in seeing what could be to come, Yen Press has announced during AnimeNYC that they have licensed the Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online light novels for translation and publication in US shores. Yen Press has also been in charge with US distribution of the light novels and manga for the mainline SAO series as well as the Progressive series. As previously mentioned, both Alternative GGO and Project Alicization are presently in the works for anime adaptations, with premiere dates to be determined.

And for those who have caught up to the recent editions of the Hunter x Hunter manga may know, ailing health has forced series creator Yoshihiro Togashi to bring Hunter x Hunter in and out of hiatus in recent years, with the most recent hiatus going since last August. However, Weekly Shonen Jump has indicated that the series will be continuing on the January 29th, 2018 issue.

If you haven’t heard, some big news for the block last Friday as announced on Toonami’s Facebook. Next week, Toonami will be receiving another expansion beginning next week on December 2 to begin at 10:30pm EST, with both Dragon Ball Super and DBZ Kai moving up the schedule by 30 minutes. In addition, the prime-time presentation of Super at 8:30 will be ending, as the premiere will now be airing 2 hours later. This is in due part to Toonami bringing in its newest acquisition: the broadcast dub of Black Clover, which will premiere on 11:30pm.

Based on the increasingly popular Shonen Jump manga series by Yūki Tabata, which as of this writing has 13 volumes published, the series has been adapted into an anime by Studio Pierrot and began premiering in Japan on October 3, 2017. The series is expected to be 51 episodes in length, barring any future sequels.

The story’s synopsis is as follows: (source: FUNmation):

“Asta and Yuno are two orphans who want the same thing: to become the Wizard King. Locked in a friendly rivalry, they work hard towards their goal. While Yuno excels at magic, Asta has a problem uncommon in this world: he has no powers! But, on the day they receive their grimoires, they surprise everyone. To reach their goal, they’ll each find their own path to greatness—with or without magic.”

Black Clover is one of the FUNimation licensed animes released this season that is receiving a “Broadcast/Simul-Dub”, dubs that are released immediately or not long after the Japanese broadcast, joining Space Dandy, Dimension W, and Attack on Titan season 2 as one of the few Toonami shows in the modern era that are receiving this special fast-track dub to American shores.

Among our main characters, Dallas Reid will take on the role of Asta, while Yuno will be voiced by Micah Solusod, best known among Toonami fans for previously voicing Soul Eater Evans. The full list for the first few episodes has been published by FUNimation, which you can see here.

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Time will tell whether Black Clover will be the next big shonen anime series or not, and what it brings to the better cartoon show, but according to Jason DeMarco on his ask.fm page, future plans for Toonami are in place extending to at least 2021. With many new works and sequels potentially on the horizon, these are exciting times to be a Toonami fan, and as long as it has the ratings support from both anime fans and general viewers, the support of Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, and Turner Broadcasting, and the maintaining of partnerships with Funimation, Viz, Aniplex, Sentai, Production IG, Toei, Sunrise, Discotek, and the anime industry in general, I think this train will keep on going for many more years to come.

Besides Black Clover’s debut and the expansion to 10:30pm EST, tune in next week as TOM and SARA are back on the helm as Hunter x Hunter showcases the finale of the Greed Island arc. So until then, stay golden as always.

Legend: The shows listed are ordered based on their appearance on the schedule. Show trends are listed in bold. The number next to the listed trend represents the highest it trended on the list (not counting the promoted trend), judging only by the images placed in the rundown. For the Twitter tweet counts, the listed number of tweets are also sorely based on the highest number shown based on the images on the rundown.

November 18-19, 2017 Trends

United States Trends:

Toonami/#Toonami [#6]

#Countdown [#7]

#DragonBallSuper [#5]

#DBZKai [#7]

#JoJosBizarreAdventure [#6]

#GundamIBO [#21]

#HunterXHunter [#12]

#LupinThe3rd [#13]

#OutlawStar [#10]

Tweet Counts:

#DBZKai [1,305 tweets]

#JoJosBizarreAdventure [2,645 tweets]

#GundamIBO [1,074 tweets]

#HunterXHunter [1,884 tweets]

#LupinThe3rd [1,138 tweets]

Tumblr Trends:

#Toonami

#dragon ball super

Notes and Other Statistics:

#HunterXHunter: @WhoTrendedIT reported that @tsunderica started the trend in the US.

November 25-26, 2017 Trends

United States Trends:

#Toonami [#4]

#DBZKai [#5]

Tumblr Trends:

#toonami

Notes and Other Statistics:

#Toonami: @WhoTrendedIT reported that @blumspew and @clarknova1 started the trend in the US.

Special thanks to @coreymbarnes, @jmb70056, @mmorse1017, and others I forgot to mention for spotting some of the trends on this list.

Only Toonami on [adult swim] on Cartoon Network.

#Toonami #Adult Swim #Cartoon Network #Toonami Trending Rundown #Hunter x Hunter #Dragon Ball Super #Dragon Ball Z #DBZ #DBZ Kai #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure #Gundam #Gundam IBO #Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans #Lupin the Third #Lupin the 3rd #Outlaw Star

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shacklesburst · 7 years

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World Fool News (Part II): Episode 1 Gag short with stock characters and stock jokes. 5/10, probably.

Alice to Zouroku: Episode 1 A tried and true plotline, reimagined yet again: Grumpy old guy plus adorable child against powerful evil conspiracy (bonus points if the conspiracy did human experiments on the child ... check). Animation is okay-ish, as long as there are no CGI-interruptions. The CGI is hell. Zouroku is awesome. Sana is ... there and ... a child. I guess that's enough for episode one. Preliminary score: 7/10.

Hinako Note: Episode 1 Very moe. Wut. Why is she eating a book. Liking teh book shop vibe tho. Nah, this is not for me. Dropped after one at 4/10.

Tsuki ga Kirei: Episode 1 Nice style in general. Lol, the walking animation could use a little more work. Mhh, could become a love story, or simply a story of friendship and growing up. Rooting for the latter, obviously. 「LINEばっかり。」 Damn ... looks like I'm the sister side character in this one :D. Hahaha. Yeah. I'm definitely the sister. Cringe, parents. He's a teen now, so he's gonna try coffee! (Don't worry, it's not for everybody, and you can live veeery well without.) There's the weird CGI robo-walk again. That squishy thing is really cute and seems useful, actually. Oh man ... those book shops. I lived right next to one for a while in Tokyo, and it looked exactly like that. They're the greatest. Oh, it's definitely a coming-of-age story, at least among others. Okay, I gotta check out Dazai. That's not a book, guy, that's a magazine. No harm in taking it home, but ... it's not a book. LINE probably sponsored this anime, right? Putting the moves on, but you're wide open on both sides, literally all the time, Kotarou-kun. Like it. They could be onto something there. Preliminary score: 7/10.

Sakurada Reset: Episode 1 Okay ... this one's like it tries (way waaaaaay) too hard to be extremely convoluted and philosophical. I'll try to stay with it, but ... who knows. Preliminary score: 5/10.

Nobunaga no Shinobi: Ise Kanegasaki-hen: Episode 1 Started right where it left off. Gags still center around puns and Chidori's naiveté. Nothing much changed, so the score stays at 6/10 as well.

Kabukibu!: Episode 1 Ohh, it's one of thooose! Somebody's really into Kabuki and they will go to nationals! Sports anime for the non-sport crowd. (When will I finally get an ice hockey anime *cries*) Hahaha, yeah, that moment when you got some light background knowledge about stuff and are confronted by somebody whose special interest it is :D. Hahaha, his friend is clearly tooootallyy into it. But they're friends, so he's going along. 超ラッキー！ Wow ... his band is toootally into it. He actually got fans with that? Amazing. Aww, c'mon, it's a school kabuki group. Of course you can also join as a girl. Ahahaha, he said the same. I feel a mawashi geri coming. There it is. Whoa, good reflexes. Ouch. But at least he lost a tooth! That's about as close as I've come to an ice hockey anime in ... yeaaars! 「ありがとうごふぁいまひた」 *hrhrhr*. The guy's nickname is Hana-chan. And he looks like a delinquent. Wait, wasn't it a plot point just 2 minutes ago that they couldn't get into the old school building? Yeah, well ... preliminary score: pretty average, so 5/10. I haven't watched much Shouwa Genroku, but it's very clearly not on the same level. But maybe it might be this season's 'no need to think' anime.

Sakura Quest: Episode 1 Weeelll, that opening cleared up literally nothing. I have no idea, what this show is about. Ohh. Okay, good start, actually. And it's not a school anime. I'm highly intrigued. They could be onto something here. Especially if she really takes up a secreterial position in countryside Japan. No, mayo most certainly will not go well with this. Very #TheStruggleIsReal first five minutes. Hahaha. That's the final train stop. This backstory is too real. Like, the actual one, with the funds from the Hometown Revival project, not the one about how the guy freed the sword. Yeah, girl, read ya contracts, pacta sunt servanda! Hahaha. The things you do to keep the big city people from going back to the big city. Oooooh, now the dream at the beginning kind of makes sense. Nice tie-in! Enjoyable. Preliminary score: 7/10.

#spring 2017 season thoughts #weeaburst's seasonal anime reviews

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ao3feed-themagnusarchives · 4 years

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Whispering to the void

by Moonlight_Hyperfixations

(Inspired by Ketakoshka's Monster Jon series) Jon loves Knowing things, but he wants to Understand. Understand his friends, the world and most of all himself. Its a bit hard, being just as much a child of the Beholding as of his human parents.

(Aka Jon is a monster boi who literally just wants to help his friends happy and also mess with Elias, oh and also maybe become romantically involved with his cute archival assistant who he Knows isn't as human as he thinks.)

Words: 1244, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: The Magnus Archives (Podcast), The Mechanisms (Band)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Characters: Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Martin Blackwood, Sasha James, Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives), Basira Hussain, Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Melanie King, Nikola Orsinov, Annabelle Cane, Elias Bouchard | Jonah Magnus, Rosie (The Magnus Archives), Michael | The Distortion (The Magnus Archives), Helen | The Distortion (The Magnus Archives), The Toy Soldier (The Mechanisms), The Mechanisms Ensemble, Ashes O'Reilly, Georgie Barker, Gerard Keay, Jane Prentiss, Magnus Institute Staff, Fear Entity Avatar Ensemble (The Magnus Archives)

Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonah Magnus/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist

Additional Tags: soft monsters are soft, Canon-Typical Violence, But also, everyone is much softer and also less motivated to end the world, except elias, Elias Bouchard Being a Bastard, he has no rights, Elias Bouchard Being Elias Bouchard, however, Asexual Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Canon Asexual Character, im so happy about that still, Queerplatonic Relationships, bc jon is totally not being projected onto by me no not at all, Monster Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Eldritch Jon, jon is the beholding's kid, Autistic Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, its not really brought up but its important to me, The Mechanisms Were The Archivist's College Band, the mechanisms are all queerplatonic together because thats what they & we deserve, Nikola Orsinov is the Toy Soldier, Basira Hussain is Ashes O'Reilly, the mechanisms bother/mess with jon a lot cause that how they be, the beholding is a weirdly good parent, bc soft eldritch horrors, im v soft for soft monsters okay?, martin is connected to the web, martin is also still connected to the lonely, Web Avatar Martin Blackwood, bc monster bois falling in love, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, they still get hurt though, Hurt/Comfort, honestly the mood is gonna be all over the place, Fluff, Humor, Morbid Humor, morbid in general, Philosophical ramblings, Morally Ambiguous Character, its most of them, bc trying to have eldritch beings fit into human moral standers makes no sense, i still have so many tags to do wtf, jon making friends with the avatars, Anabelle Cane is Jon's Aunt, She likes to play matchmaker, specifically for Jon and Martin, Canon-Typical Worms (The Magnus Archives), Canon Typical Weirdness, This is Chaotic, chaotic jon, hes just trying to befriend and understand everyone, tim stoker is a good friend, sasha james has most of the brain cells, Michael is a Little Shit, Everyone Has Issues, they joke about it, Tags Are Fun, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/26023645

#the magnus archives #ao3feed #fanfiction

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limejuicer1862 · 5 years

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Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger. The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

Deborah Harvey

Deborah Harvey’s poems have been widely published in journals and anthologies and broadcast on Radio 4’s Poetry Please, while her poem Oystercatchers recently won the 2018 Plough Prize Short Poem Competition. Her fourth collection, The Shadow Factory, will be published by Indigo Dreams during 2019. She has three previous poetry collections, Breadcrumbs (2016), Map Reading for Beginners (2014) and Communion (2011), also published by Indigo Dreams, while her historical novel, Dart, appeared under their Tamar Books imprint in 2013.

Deborah is co-director of The Leaping Word poetry consultancy.

https://theleapingword.com/

http://deborahharvey.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-shadow-factory.html

The Interview

1. What were the circumstances under which you began to write poetry?

I started writing poems and stories when I was a young child and continued throughout primary school, but as is so often the case, at secondary school the emphasis shifted onto learning for the purpose of passing exams, rather than exploring any creativity we might have; in fact, the teachers seemed to go out of their way to discourage such unruly impulses, and eventually I stopped writing altogether. Then, decades later, when I was struggling to raise four children and my marriage was falling apart, I had a very vivid, urgent dream, which seemed to me to be saying that unless I found a way of expressing myself, I’d die. So there I was, knowing I had to write poetry but not even sure what a poem was. I started to write what came, though, and to read poetry too, to make sure I was doing it right, and gradually the process became less agonising.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

Being brought up in the Methodist tradition meant I was exposed to poetic images, language and cadences for several hours every Sunday from a very young age. I used to love the call and response of psalm reading, and hymns were great because I got to stand on the pew and sing words I didn’t understand but which were mysterious and conjured pictures in my head – fiery cloudy pillars, chariots rising into the sky, all that sort of stuff. So the poets of the Old Testament and Charles Wesley have a lot to answer for.

Then there was my grandmother, who taught me and my many cousins all our nursery rhymes and told us traditional stories with lots of repetition in them; tales like Chicken Licken and In A Dark Dark House. She wrote poems too, and always kept a scrap of paper and a pencil in her apron pocket to jot down lines and images as they occurred to her.

3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

When I started writing 20 years ago, I was not only aware but completely over-awed. I’d enjoyed English literature at school and planned to study it at A-level, but was told by my teacher that I wasn’t good enough (even though I got As in language and literature at O-level). I was completely thrown by this experience and believed what she’d said for years, so when I realised I had to write, the thought of reading poetry as well was very daunting. A few months earlier I’d seen a programme on telly about Ted Hughes’ ‘Birthday Letters’, so I took the plunge and found it completely absorbing. The second poetry book I bought was Sylvia Plath’s Collected Poems, and I went on from there.

4. What is your daily writing routine?

I have three day-jobs, two of which involve caring for dependents, so I rarely get a whole day to myself, and I’m pretty much on call all the time. What makes writing poetry a practical means of self-expression is that I can do it out of the corner of my eye, as I go about my day.

5. What motivates you to write?

The greatest motivator of all: the fear of dying before I’m finished. I think this is partly because I spent three decades in a relationship that was obliterating me, and I neglected my responsibility towards myself and my development as a creative human being. Now everything I do is an attempt to make up for the years I lost, and expressing myself by writing poems is a kind of redemption.

6. What is your work ethic?

It’s very basic, really. I try to spend at least a small part of each day writing, and if that’s not possible, doing something that will feed into my writing, whether it’s reading poetry or prose, walking somewhere new or in a place that has resonance for me, doing a bit of research, going to hear another, better poet read, watching starlings in the garden. Then, even if I’m stuck in a trough of discouragement, at least I can tell myself I’m cobbling together a ladder to climb out.

7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

Calling someone a coming-of-age author carries quite pejorative connotations, but the three writers who had the biggest impression on me as a child and teenager – Bulgakov, Camus and Steinbeck – shaped me to such an extent that I carry them with me every day. ‘Master and Margarita’ is still a very important novel for me, and I don’t know where I’d be without my inner witch. As for ‘The Red Pony’, which I started to read by accident when I was seven and abandoned in disgust when it turned out to be about death rather than gymkhanas and rosettes, that early encounter coloured my whole life. That experience convinced that early exposure to seminal stories and poems has a profound effect on the developing imagination – as long as you remember to read them again later too, when you can fully understand them.

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

Alan Garner is just about the last of my childhood heroes who’s still alive. Reading ‘Boneland’ a few years ago, having grown old alongside the character Colin of ‘The Weirdstone of Brisingamen’ and ‘The Moon of Gomrath’, was profoundly moving, and I was bereft when the story ended. I am completely in awe of Garner’s connection with his landscape, and the way his stories inhabit mythic time.

In contrast, a writer I very much admire whom I read for the first time recently, is Rebecca Solnit. I got such a lot out of her memoir/travelogue ‘The Faraway Nearby’ that I’m lining up more of her books by my bed to read.

As for poets, there’s Alice Oswald, Kathleen Jamie and Stanley Kunitz for the way they capture nature; Charles Simic for his startling imagery; Neruda for always taking the reader with him on his huge associative leaps; Raymond Carver for his story-telling; Heaney and U A Fanthorpe for their unrelenting humanity; Carol Ann Duffy for her surety of touch; Kei Miller and Liz Berry for their true voices; Leonard Cohen for sounding like God; I could go on

9. Why do you write?

Because not writing is not an option.

10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

Becoming a writer – a good one – means embarking on an apprenticeship that will last the rest of your life. You have to be prepared always to improve, to welcome criticism, and above all, to read the work of others. In fact, read whatever you can lay your hands on: poetry, novels, folk stories, plays, non-fiction, atlases, art books, biographies, soak it all up. Don’t ever think there’s no room for improvement.

The other thing is to be prepared to stick your neck out in order to get an audience for your writing. This can be particularly hard for poets. The impulse that makes us write poems often co-exists with a profound reticence when it comes to publicising our work. But poetry is an inherently collaborative art form, and a poem only fully exists when it is being inhabited by the reader, so all that uncomfortable stuff has to be done. Good luck with it.

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

My fourth collection – The Shadow Factory – is due to be published by Indigo Dreams in 2019, so I’m now in that lovely space where I can turn my attention towards something new. Well, not really new; I’ve lived in Bristol all my life and have amassed stories, family anecdotes and memories, old photos, historical snippets, the voices you hear in the queue at the bus stop, the way places change and people come and go, but the city remembers how it always was and keeps re-creating itself in that image. The past in the present. I want to write all that.

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Deborah Harvey Wombwell Rainbow Interviews I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me.

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