the spectacled monarch is a small bird native to australia, indonesia, and papua new guinea. they are distinguished by their blue-gray upperside, light rust underside, and black mask often described as a ‘four-leaf clover’. they prefer tropical forest habitats, and feed by foraging for insects along tree bark and branches. they build small cup-shaped nests with soft fibers including spiderwebs.

it's silly but i was honestly kinda heartbroken when I found out that The Chocolate Guy amaury guichon 's stuff he makes in his videos doesn't get eaten and I haven't been able to watch his videos since then. he's got like a chocolate museum and they just get put there. you made a sculpture and yeah that rules but the appeal is that It's All Chocolate the appeal is that It's Edible but nobody gets to eat it. willy wonka would never willy wonka Get this man

Although People Magazine is aligned with The Meghans, they could not ignore Catherine & Charlotte's mini me moment at the Coronation.

The Princess of Wales and her only daughter, Princess Charlotte, were featured in the number four (4) spot of 2023's Top 10 Style Moments.

What People Magazine should have printed: "Both the Princess of Wales and her daughter wore headpieces that featured three-dimensional leaf embroidery created by milliner Jess Collett for Alexander McQueen. Both made with silver bullion, crystals, and silver thread. A spectacle from every angle, the Coronation chignon, which mimicked the intricacy of her silver leaf headpiece, epitomised regal modernity." Quote from fashion Blogger

Even Omit's former employer, Harper's Bazaar dropped "Kate Middleton": "The princess' hair is styled in an elegant updo and she does not wear a tiara, as was previously expected; instead, she wears a Jess Collett x Alexander McQueen headpiece with silver bullion, crystal, and a silver threaded three-dimensional leaf embroidery. She wears the jewels with an Alexander McQueen dress in ivory silk crepe with silver bullion and embroidery featuring rose, thistle, daffodil, and shamrock motifs. Over it, she wears a blue formal robe, at the monarch's request."

No one in the US will purchase The Meghans covers. In order to sell their stories, The Prince & Princess of Wales are typically pictured alongside any Sussex reports. Unfortunately Omit's voice seems to be the silent (royal) contributor for many US reports.

It’s lore dump time :3 (each day this AU gets even further from looking like it’s inside the ihnmaims universe BUT I SWEAR IT IS!!! IN MY HEAD!!!!)

So euurm these are concept designs for some of the models that I once mentioned in another post, in a few words, funny robots that live in a settlement on the moon and that are divided in a hierarchy. I’m gonna really try my best to explain myself abt this, even with my English, so enjoy!!!1!!

-All the robot units that inhabited this “kingdom” were divided into a hierarchy. The units were named after planets, though the hierarchy didn’t necessarily follow the order of the planets to rank them (from higher to lower ranks of units we have: Sun (HEL-102), 34RTH, M3RCUR1, V3NU2, N3PTUN3, UR4NU2, M4R2, 7UP1T3R, 24TURN, and PLUT0 respectively.)

[Important details to take note of: all robots consisted of a “shell” (empty body parts/model) and inner cables/systems that brought that shell together, thus a robot was able to change models by transferring its cables to another one (similarly to what snails do). We call robots with both a model (shell) and inner cables a unit. We call the shell alone models, and these own the names with both letters and numbers. The ranks are named after the proper name of the planets].

-Units of the hierarchy:

The monarch, HEL-102 (they/he), was considered the “Sun”: supreme leader and the only one to give permissions for any important activities or movements done around. The insides of its body contained the encapsulated remains of his original human body, still alive though unconscious. Although he did have a solid model, they also enjoyed to move around without it as an amalgamation of cables.

The monarch’s closest subordinates that communicated any events to them were the M3RCUR1 (Mercury) units: they constantly supervised the city around and practically were the sun’s secondary eyes. The M3RCUR1 units were the ones to decide if a unit was worthy of keeping its model/rank or not: those who did an inefficient job on their rank could be downgraded to the model of the rank below (with an exception of 34RTH units) forcefully.

The V3NU2 (Venus) units were in charge of entertainment and sometimes tidiness inside the monarch’s palace. They had a lot more liberty to choose the shape of their model. The wax inside them could be colored and dispersed at their will to simulate clothes, and their screens could show a face of a character in order to act in a play. Even so, they also offered many other entertainment spectacles such as circus shows, dances, and even simulations of tv shows.

The E4RTH (Earth) units were considered as high ranks despite them having the N3PTUN3 units as their superiors/caretakers/teachers: they were in charge of supervising the seeds and embryos now stored in a vault inside the moon where the original AI was kept. They were considered valuable as their programs and physical models were being adapted to help humans regenerate Earth’s nature and biodiversity with plenty of strategies and methods (involving plant propagation, care of embryos, etc etc.), + they were built with the materials closest to the core of the original AI. These models were not allowed to access the city itself, and were safely kept inside a dome where they were constantly trained, upgraded and tested for the efficiency of their programs in different situations. For some reason, they weren’t allowed to touch each other either.

The M4R2 (Mars) units were mostly authorities for the army that directed the investigation, recollection and attack missions to Earth. These missions had the objectives to 1: investigate the bowels of AM as much as they could, occasionally the surface too, 2: recollect materials, mostly metals, to replenish most of the models and 3: slowly but gradually attack AM’s systems as their army was exponentially growing. M4R2 models were usually seen in two versions, as one type usually took charge of the investigative missions and the other of the offensive/defensive ones.

… (Missing a few units to draw yet.)

Ok as a last comment now I have a lot more material to doodle with, so expect them being silly very soon (and perhaps serious too). I also wanted to explain their common behaviors and other stuff but I’ll leave that for another post.

Something like this was always coming down the pipeline. Whatever the reason Middleton’s disappearance from public life eventually turned out to be, it was never going to be something fun. And now we know the precise shape of that darker reality. This video was followed by commentary from journalists and online mouthpieces that anybody who speculated about her whereabouts ought to be ashamed of themselves. Helen Lewis wrote a piece for the Atlantic headlined “I Hope You All Feel Terrible Now.” But it’s not guilt the public ought to be feeling. It’s a more wide-ranging kind of disgust about monarchy in general. I don’t blame Middleton for any of this. She knew what she was signing up for in joining the royal family, sure, but I think it’s right and human to feel sorry for a mother of young children who has received a cancer diagnosis. That said, turning the blame on the public at large is disingenuous. Yes, the speculation online has been insane. People undoubtedly took it too far, with the TikTok sleuthing, the prurience with which many engaged in conspiracy theories about where she had gone. The jokes look in very poor taste now. But it didn’t have to be like this. The manner in which the palace went about handling this situation produced that situation. We’re in the odd but useful position of being able to compare what happened with Kate Middleton’s cancer directly with the cancer of another royal at the same moment, King Charles. There, the palace announced enough information to keep nosy hordes at bay, and they did it promptly. What the palace apparently decided to do here was to allow speculation to reach fever pitch over a period of weeks, release an obviously doctored photo of Middleton, blame her for the editing job, approve a grainy piece of bystander footage of her leaving a farm shop, and patch all of this up by trotting out a woman fighting cancer to sit alone on a bench and tell us, in the kindest words they could write for her, to leave her alone. So, a big part of why this feels bad is that massive public relations failure by the palace. But it is also, to a large degree, an inevitable consequence of the fact of whom the royals position themselves to be, and the friction produced by their status in Britain. It’s important to remember that Middleton is not a celebrity in any normal sense. The Kardashians, people of perhaps equivalent fame, do not owe anybody any information about themselves, although they choose to give out a lot of it. But the royals do owe the public, in order to justify their existence. Middleton is a person whom the palace deemed it appropriate to parade out in front of the world media just hours after giving birth to each of her children, hair done, makeup applied. A person whose job, that which she earns taxpayer money for, is to appear in public: to shake hands, to be photographed, to grace schools and businesses with her presence. And she has to do this in strict accordance with the palace’s idea of what a princess ought to be. Polite, modestly dressed, humble, uncomplaining, smoothed of any rough edges that might constitute a personality. The idea that a person like that could just disappear, and people wouldn’t wonder where she was, is ludicrous. The royal family turns its members into figures who exist purely as spectacle, as glossy, likable ciphers for monarchical power. They have taught the public that they exist for us to see. That’s a hard lesson for people to unlearn.

Imogen West-Knights, "The Hideous Circus of the Monarchy," Slate

On February 9th in 1587, news reached London of Mary, Queen of Scots execution the previous day.

The people went wild with joy, church bells were rung out in celebration, guns thundered a salute, bonfires were lit in celebration and there were impromptu feasts held in every street.

Elizabeth however, did not greet the news with the same enthusiasm! It is said she had signed the death warrant in anger when she was told that Mary had plotted against her to be the figurehead of a Catholic uprising in England. It is also claimed that she withdrew the warrant but it was retained by her spymaster Walsingham.

Historians still debate how much Mary knew about the plot to overthrow Elizabeth.

It is a fact that the English Queen became almost hysterical. Her biographer William Camden, wrote that

“her countenance changed, her words faltered, and with excessive sorrow she was in a manner astonished, insomuch as she gave herself over to grief, putting herself into mourning weeds and shedding abundance of tears”.

Her rage was vengeful against those who had acted on her behalf. They had expected her anger, but not quite this extreme! Some fled home, others were banished, and Davison who had carried the warrant to Fotheringay, was imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Elizabeth wrote to James VI, telling him that his mother’s execution had happened without her knowledge, and whilst James at first displayed grief, he did not want to alienate Elizabeth, and told a group of angry nobles that he believed Elizabeth was genuine in her grief and would not do anything to effect the Anglo-Scottish alliance.

It was three weeks before news of Mary’s execution reached France, where there was widespread distress at the death of the King’s sister-in-law. The English Ambassador reported:

“I never saw a thing more hated by little, great, old, young and of all religions than the Queen of Scots’ death, and especially the manner of it. I would to God it had not been in this time”

On 12th March 1587 as a part of French national mourning a requiem mass was held at Notre Dame attended by Henri III, Catherine de Medici, and many of Mary’s Guise relations including her uncle, Elbeuf. A moving eulogy was given by Renauld de Beaune, Archbishop of Bourges, recalling the days of her youth and the spectacle of her magnificent wedding ceremony in Paris. It seemed to him ‘as if God had chosen to render her virtues more glorious than her afflictions’. She had become a cult figure.

It’s a disgrace the Scottish nation were denied a similar mark of respect for Mary, remember many Scots still thought of her as our rightful Monarch, although it has been said that in Scotland there was displays of anger towards Elizabeth for what had happened - despite the fact that they had forced Mary’s abdication twenty years earlier.

In the eyes of Catholic Europe, Mary was a Martyr, wrongfully put to death by the ‘heretic Elizabeth’. Philip of Spain believed it was his duty to avenge Mary’s death.

Nevertheless, Scotland and France did not act in revenge for Mary. Philip did however, with the Armada as we know. But this did not quite have the desired affect, thanks largely to the weather. It is ironic to think that Mary’s death gave both herself and Elizabeth their finest hour, Mary became the Martyr that she wanted to be, while Elizabeth became 'Gloriana’, with the “heart and stomach of a King”.

I will finish this post and go back briefly to Mary’s execution. Those present that day spoke of her great courage and dignity, just under 61 years later her grandson Charles I was also executed with the same bravery shown, whatever the faults or follies of the House of Stuart, its sons and daughters, with rare exceptions, have at least known how to die.

The pics show the death mask of Mary, her tomb in Westminster Abbey and a replica in The Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.

can we talk spoilers? (if at least tag them so those who haven't seen it yet can block the tag)

anyway

DOUG STEALS KONG'S LUNCH LOL. He's even so smug about it when Kong relents and lets him have it.

Mothra is so much fluffier this time around! Love how when she breaks up Godzilla and Kong's fight she's almost SCOLDING Goji lol. "Goji! Stop bullying the poor monkey!" "S..sorry, dear..." Jia seems to be her main priestess now tho? Whatever happened to the twin scientists from KOTM? I hope they aren't entirely forgotten and replaced. Maybe they can return as Jia's guides.

Shimo is adorable. I'm glad she got a happy ending and some neck scratches from Kong. Big huggable lizard-horse-kitty.

Suko saves the day by retrieving Kong's axe? Huh. That lil kid pulled his weight a lot more than I'd expected to. Also love his mean streak at the start, he and Kong bickered a lot at first.

And of course, Skar King's very very karmic and brutal demise. I can only imagine the state of him (and Rio de Janeiro's streets) when those ice chunks finally thaw out. Good luck with the cleanup, Monarch.

Everyone make sure you filter "gxk spoilers" because I've been using that tag for everyone not looking to be spoiled!

I think Mothra suddenly becoming an Iwi protector is because supposedly there was going to be another Original MonsterVerse Monster called Phosphora or some-such, but it wasn't well received by test audiences or something so it got reworked into Mothra. I could be misremembering, but that's what I remember hearing. Which is funny, because if memory serves correctly the KOTM end credits hinted at Mothra having already laid an egg before the Boston battle, so... retcon?

I'm really glad Shimo survived the movie, I felt so bad for her being under Skar King's pain control and how she visibly resists him throughout. Even her roars sounded pained. It was really sweet seeing the look in her eyes when the surface world sky is being cleared up, like if she's the source of the last Ice Age then it's been literally thousands upon thousands of years since she's last seen a sky like ours. Hoping we see her again in another movie!

Holy shit, Suko's introduction scene got SO MUCH FUNNIER when he goes from "i'm baby" to biting Kong's finger to being used as a BLUDGEONING WEAPON BY KONG. Suko really chugged that character development juice.

I feel vindicated for not once underestimating Skar King, because he is the most vile MonsterVerse... uh, monster villain we've gotten so far. Ghidorah was a sadistic son of a bitch and Mechagodzilla was a crazy Titan Terminator On Blue Rock Steroids, but Skar King has the heads of fellow Kongs stuck on pikes (presumably to set an example for anyone looking to challenge him), when he mocks Kong's new tooth most of the apes and especially Suko seem to laugh along out of fear, he straight up KICKS an ape into lava, and has actual sex slaves holding babies in his throne room, and you just KNOW they don't consent to what he does to them. On top of him controlling Shimo with pain and his attempts on Suko's life - and considering the number of red/orange-furred babies in the throne room, we can surmise that Suko is one of his own children - Skar King may not have the spectacle or scale Ghidorah had, but my god did it feel good seeing him go down.

From Princess, to Queen, to Duchess

Mary Tudor (March, c. 1496; London, England - June, 1533; Suffolk, England) was an English princess, the third wife of King Louis XII of France and one of the two sisters of King Henry VIII. Mary was also the grandmother of Lady Jane Grey, who would become titular queen of England for nine days in 1553.

Mary’s father, King Henry VII, betrothed her to Archduke Charles —later Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V — in 1507. In 1514, however, political tribulations caused King Henry VIII to renounce such engagement and arrange a match between his beautiful, charming and yound sister and Louis XII, the sick and french monarch of 52. Since Mary was already in love with Charles Brandon, the first Duke of Suffolk, she made Henry promise that after Louis died she would be allowed to choose her next husband.

The marriage with the french king took place on Octouber of 1514, and Mary performed her role as wife and royal consort with kindness and dedication until he died on January of the following year. Before Henry or the new King of France, Francis I, could use her as a pawn in another political arrangement, Mary secretly wed Suffolk in Paris, probably in late February. Henry VIII was infuriated at the news, but eventually the pair regained the king’s favour, with Suffolk paying him a large sum of money and perhaps with the help and intercession of Cardinal Wolsey.Mary and Charles had four children, two daughters and two sons: ⇒ Henry Brandon (11 March 1516 – 1522); ⇒ Lady Frances Brandon (16 July 1517 – 20 November 1559), married to Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, and mother to Lady Jane Grey; ⇒ Lady Eleanor Brandon (1519 – 27 September 1547), married to Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland; ⇒ Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln (c. 1523 – March 1534).

Mary had enjoyed unprecedented freedom during her teenage years at her brother's court. Just fourteen when her father, Henry VII died, she spent the next five years almost completely unchaperoned, encouraged to participate in every event, celebration and feast, each planned to display the opulence of the english royal family. She shared Henry's exuberance for spectacle and, for some time, was one of the central ladies of the court, admired and sociable. Like him, she loved dancing, masques, and parties; they were also very close, with the princess being the apple of the king's eye. It's rumored that Henry's famous warship, the Mary Rose, was named after both his favorite sister and his only daughter with Catherine of Aragon.

Upon her arrival in France, Mary was proclamed, by the Venetian Ambassador, to be "handsome and well favoured, grey-eyed; slight, rather than defective from corpulence, and conducts herself with so much grace, and has such good manners, that for her age of 18 years—and she does not look more—she is a paradise." She was particularly admired by her contemporaries for her long red hair, which she had inherited from the Plantagenet lineage through her mother, Elizabeth of York, who had also been an celebrated beauty.

After her second marriage, the Duchess of Suffolk lived a quiet life in the country, retired from court, although she had been know to have attended the famous Field of the Cloth of Gold at Guines, near Calais, in 1520. Often referred to as the French Queen, she was known to dislike Anne Boleyn and in defiance of her brother was to prove a firm supporter of her sister-in-law, Catherine of Aragon, in the matter of Henry VIII's annulment of his marriage to his first wife.

Mary visited London for the last time to celebrate the wedding of her eldest daughter, Lady Frances Brandon, to Henry Grey, Marquess of Dorset, in 1533. After suffering failing health for some years, Mary Tudor died on 25 June 1533 at the age of thirty-eight at Westhorpe Hall, Westhorpe, Suffolk, possibly of cancer. Henry VIII had requiem masses sung at Westminster Abbey for the repose of her soul and she was given a magnificent funeral, which her husband did not attend. Her body was interred at the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds. The Duke of Suffolk quickly remarried again, in that same year, to his fourteen-year-old ward, Katherine Willoughby (1519–1580), suo jure Baroness Willoughby de Eresby. Katherine had been betrothed to his eldest surviving son, Henry, Earl of Lincoln, but the boy was too young to marry, and Charles, to eager to add the heiress fourtune to his own.

So Wings of Fire Religion... Part One???

-Skywings-

Skywings are probably the most spiritual tribe. They believe in the reincarnation of dragons of their tribes as long as their bodies are exposed in the proper environment, preferably, bodies are placed on cliff sides with tributes from the family and friends of the dead dragons, wrapped in light silk so their spirits do not grow too cold from the winds.

Sky dragons worship the sun, they see it as the giving and taking force of the world and tend to have masses worshiping the fire god of the sky with a designated priest dousing dragons in warm water heated by the sun god as a blessing. They call it the burning eye of Helios. Legend has it that a skywing flew so close to the sun that he became one with it, blessing the world with flamescales and ashscales as a sense of balance. While Flamesscales are usually executed, the families that keep the ashscale counterpart are treated as highly as royals for having a blessed child.

Skywings also have a marriage tradition where they take place on the highest mountains and are blessed by the sun and a priest. Usually, these weddings are held with close families and friends and are not made a spectacle.

-Seawings-

Seawings are not as spiritual as most tribes but tend to worship dolphins and the beast Leviathan of the deep trenches. Leviathan is their primary god and they often offer sacrifices of whales and other massive fish to appease the sea god. It is said that Seawing dragonets hatched in the deepest and darkest channels of the ocean are hatched with the protection of the sea god.

Seawings believe that in death their spirits travel the currents of the kingdom so their bodies are often left to drift in said currents so that the dead seawings can learn the currents even in death.

Seawing Marriages are a big deal to this group of goofballs that start with a feast and a shark hunt. This shark hunt is no regular thing because the bride and groom (or whatever pairing is getting married because we don't tolerate homophobia on THIS TUMBLR BLOG) are required to eat the hearts of the sharks. It is a tradition based on the fact that sharks are creatures of strength, if a couple eats the hearts of a pair of sharks swimming together, they are bound for life.

-Rainwings-

Rainwings worship the earth as a whole and not just parts of it. They worship the cycles between life and death and the process of the journey of the body.

Rainwings do not worship a god but rather the earth itself, they do not offer tribute to it but they synchronize their breathing with the plants in the environment during their suntimes. Rainwings also tend to zone out when they are in sync with the environment, their bodies have a natural reaction to this zone of being and their vocal cords will react to the sounds around them.

The Rainwings really respect the process of death. When one of their own dies, they move the body to the center of the rainforest or to the dragon's favorite spot and cover their body in a light layer of solid. The rainwings leave the body and often visit to plant flowers or bright fruits for the soli, believing that their body keeps the Rainforest alive

-Silkwings-

Silkwings worship butterflies. It is a cardinal sin to kill or capture a butterfly in the silk kingdom and those who do are usually punished. Silkwings believe that when they die, they reincarnate as the butterflies, different types of butterflies reflect how a dragon lived their life and the brighter the colors the more full the dragon's life had been. The silk dragons will often leave sweet waters and treats out for butterflies as a tribute to them and as worshiping respect.

Butterflies are also considered very good luck, with the story of the first silkwing living a joyous life and continuing to live her life as a small bug, a butterfly. Her name was Monarch, the first butterfly. When a silkwing dies, she is buried with a butterfly bush to attract luck after death. In hopes that the first Monarch will return to lead them to the afterlife

It's good to see Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is using some of that "scale as spectacle" vibe that the 2014 Godzilla film had. Gareth Edwards' movie had significant issues, but it always communicated the scale of the kaiju effectively, making Godzilla really feel like an ancient god from before the time of humans rather than just another CGI monster.

Super pumped to see the new Titans they're bringing out for this one, too.

The Vengeful Man Revealed by Bodh M.

St Martin sat forwards in his chair, removing his spectacles with great ceremony. Gone was the doughy vagueness, gone the dull, watery eyes. For the first time, his gaze was sharp and sparkling with disturbing, crow-like intelligence. “The acorn was a cunning symbol, if I do say so myself.”

Jean-Marc gaped at him, gripping the silver pin with enough force he felt the edges begin to cut into his fingers. “You…?” he whispered.

“The symbol is one of my proudest achievements,” the Vengeful Man said, smiling wryly, “aside from convincing the world I was another empty-headed experiment of our gracious late monarch.” He tilted his head to the side and added, “Although how anyone bought that one of the foremost actors of his generation could be that dim, I’ll never know.”

Jean-Marc’s mouth moved, but he didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. Claude St Martin was the ringleader of the most successful revolutionary movement in a hundred years? Claude St Martin?

Abruptly, St Martin coughed and straightened back up again. “Sorry, I have to put these back on,” he said, gesturing to his spectacles. “It is so much more theatrical with them removed, but I can’t see your expression.”

“It’s… very surprised,” Jean-Marc assured him.

ficletvember 2023 - day 11

twn yennefer & radovid, background yennskier and radskier

While attending Vizimir's funeral, Yennefer finds herself approached my Radovid and is surprised when he asks after Jaskier.

cw for my questionable attempts of book/show canon blending. I've chosen to interpret yen's visit to geralt in brokilon as a dream sequence here.

The grueling slog of constant politics in the weeks after the Thanned disaster left Yennefer feeling like a shade of herself, roaming the battered halls of Aretuza like a ghostly apparition.

Most of the superficial damage had been repaired, but magic could not heal all. Her own life felt in utter shambles. She'd been barred from entering Brokilon to sit at Geralt's bedside except in moonlit half-dreams, and for all her frantic attempts at scanning, could not locate Ciri.

Though poorly-suited to diplomatic problem-solving, Yennefer grit her teeth and flitted from problem to problem.

Nilfgaard marched north. Aedirn called for aid. Rivia and Lyria burned. Temeria had closed its borders to refugees and cut a deal with the invaders. Redania's monarch had been slain. 

Yennefer could solve none of those difficulties. Part of her wished she could simply sit back and allow the whole mess to burn. 

Instead, she attended a funeral. 

By the size of the crowd that swelled to fill Tretogor's largest cathedral, King Vizimir had been much-loved by his people, or perhaps Redanians simply loved a spectacle.

From a back pew, Yennefer clenched her fists in her lap as Philippa Eilhart gave a rousing speech about her dead king's many achievements. Most were likely false, as was the tale of his untimely passing. Sigismind Dijkstra loomed beside her with arms folded, grim face revealing nothing.

Nought could be done to challenge Philippa for her involvement that night on Thanned or the suspicious death of her king. Yennefer could only watch and project her anger, hoping Philippa would feel her grief even in the throng of mourners.

Did you even shed a tear when you learned of her passing? You are as culpable as I am in that loss.

Redania's future monarch looked like no more than a boy and also seemed a breath from weeping as he offered his own curt eulogy. Radovid rubbed at his reddened nose and spoke candidly that though his brother had had his flaws, he would grieve the man for the rest of his days. They were the first honest words that had been spoken at the funeral.

If she concentrated, Yennefer could pretend that a crowd this massive had gathered for her own small losses. No ordinary merchant or nobleman had wept for Tissaia de Vreis. Geralt, when he inevitably succumbed, would be buried by the dryads in some sacred grove that only they would remember. Ciri's body may never be found.

By chance, Radovid looked through the crowd and met Yennefer's eyes. They had never met, but he seemed to recognize her and find her presence there very interesting. His distracted gaze kept leaping back to her through the rest of the ceremony.

She blended poorly with the mourners adorned in Redanian red. He found her easily afterward, though she had made little attempt to hide from him, stealing into an empty corridor where perhaps they would not be interrupted.

When he grabbed her by the arm, she stared pointedly at it until he sheepishly released her.

“Radovid,” he introduced needlessly. 

“Yes I've heard of you,” Yennefer drawled. The boy blushed pink. She could not decide how old he was, his fair curls and expressive features making him appear almost child-like. 

“You're Yennefer of Vengerberg,” Radovid said.

"The very same."

She expected some petition or praise fed to him by Philippa to follow, some acknowledgement of her new position in the ruins of the Brotherhood. This man was only a puppet compelled by the sharp of Philippa's talon. She did not expect the words that followed. 

“You are close with Jaskier. Can you tell me where is? Is he alright? There's no word since that night and I– well, I tried to send letters but as it happens, one needs an address to send them to. I fear I have thrown several from the castle windows and hoped they find him somehow, but that seems to have been rather ineffecfive.”

Ah, thought Yennefer. Redania's rising monarch was an imbecile. 

“What do you want with him?” she asked. 

Though Yennefer had warned the bard that Brokilon was closed to outsiders, that he was more likely to take an arrow to the throat than convince the dryads to allow him entry, she had seen Jaskier off with the help of a portal that would drop him nearer the forest. That had been a week ago now. 

She had not heard word of his untimely death at least. No word of Geralt either.

Radovid looked at her with glassy eyes, his mouth warped down into a mournful pout.

“I simply wanted to tell him… that circumstances have prevented me from going after him as I wished. That if I could be freed of my royal duties, I would have... well, I would follow him anywhere, but I–”

“Ah, fuck,” said Yennefer, dumbfounded. When had the little jester found time to fuck Redanian royalty? She could wring his neck. If he wasn't already dead. “You know I cannot tell you anything.”

“I thought so. He spoke highly of your devotion, Yennefer. That you could be trusted. I'd only hoped… well.”

Yennefer refused to go warm at the thought of Jaskier's praise. Radovid's words were likely empty attempts to suss out the location of anyone loyal to the witcher in the hopes that the girl would be with them.

“You, I cannot trust, and I doubt he had reason to either,” she said with more bite than intended. Radovid's pitiful flinch and blinking, wet eyes almost made her feel a pang of guilt. 

Perhaps he was just an unfortunate victim of circumstance.

“Will you tell him… if you meet him could you tell him. Well. That I love him.” Radovid's voice shook. If he was nothing but Philippa's thrall, he was a wretchedly convincing actor. “I know it was only the one night but I- oh God, you're his lover too aren't you? I…”

The witless confession of the would-be monarch should have made her shake with mirth. If she did not know Jaskier, she would say it was laughablely unrealistic that he could so thoroughly woo a prince in only one night. That it must be some ploy.

But Radovid had guessed right. In the wake of Thanned, she had slept each night in the foolish man's arms, both taking solace in the other. She knew how quickly and how deeply sentiment for the man could grow.

She tried to imagine how it had happened, prince and bard, and thought that they must have looked good together, intertwined in secret.

But it may still be a ploy. And anyway, she truly knew not much more than Radovid. Her little, hopeful glimpse of family had been rent apart, perhaps forever.

She could not weep as freely as Radovid seemed able to. Her last tears had dried that first night in Jaskier's arms, unmoored by grief but drifting together. 

Alone again, she had no time for weeping. She could only pray that Jaskier had found their witcher and could offer the same comfort he had given her.

And pray that their daughter would find her way to them again.

She had that small hope to cling to at least.

Radovid, if he were not lying through his teeth, must feel horribly alone.

She could offer him some comfort, at least.

“Write me here,” she said, summoning a scrap of paper into his hands. “I will respond if I can with what word I am able. At least to let you know he is alive."

She touched his arm a moment and then turned aside. She had business to see to with Philippa, though the thought of that duplicitous conversation to come made her feel a looming sour disdain. 

“He was right about you,” said Radovid after her. “You are far kinder than you appear.”

His voice was earnest. Far too earnest to survive long in the ugly, putrid heart of Redania. Poor boy. For his sake, Yennefer hoped he was more clever than he seemed. Philippa would eat him alive and peck at his entrails for every last morsel.

“Be careful about spreading rumors like that,” she said, smiling her perfect politician's smile back at him. “I have a reputation to uphold, you know.”

3 June 2012 | Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge board the royal barge 'Spirit of Chartwell' during the Diamond Jubilee Thames River Pageant in London, England. For only the second time in its history the UK celebrates the Diamond Jubilee of a monarch. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrates the 60th anniversary of her ascension to the throne. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have flocked to London to witness the spectacle of the weekend’s celebrations. The Queen along with all members of the royal family will participate in a River Pageant with a flotilla of a 1,000 boats accompanying them down The Thames, the star studded free concert at Buckingham Palace, and a carriage procession and a service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral. (c) Matt Dunham - WPA Pool/Getty Images

A Simple Ending

 nAround 2011 I started to work in animation, i entered as a background artist for a few commercials until i was moved to make storyboards and when there was the chance do some animation myself, later on a co-worker showed me this.

At first didn’t thought much of it, the logo was kinda cool like an omage to Misfit or something, and to be fair I really wasn’t into cartoon series at that time because i was watching a lot of anime, and the only american thing i cared was the Boondocks, but my friend ask me to give it a try and... I don’t regret it.

The series follows the adventures of Hank & Dean Venture, along with their neurotic dad Rusty, and their trusty bodyguard Brock Samson. And at first this would look like your regular Adult Swim show, the series is a parody of Johnny Quest and Jacson Publik and Doc Hammer could leave it like that but they went a step further and crafted a really deep world. And not only that, the series doesn’t follow the Venture family only, it expands to a wide variety of characters; from Billy “Quizboy” and Pete White, two scientist that help Rusty time to time and then you have the villain The Monarch with his henchmen and within this group you have the two best henchman 21 and 24.

While the series starts in your typical fashion with the “silly adventure of the week” Publik and Hammer manage wave a plot that moves forward and that’s the “growth” of the characters specially Hank and Dean as they go into those years of puberty and try to “find” who they are, friendships are born and later broken, relationships bloom and there’s betrayal of course these situations don’t happen only between the brothers.

They are the “protagonists” sure, but everyone has their time to shine, and in the case of the villains this is especially true for the Monarch.

Malcolm became my favorite character in the series, he begins like the silly villain of the week who’s the comic relief arching Dr. Venture (Rusty) but as the time goes by he begins to have his own storyline plus and hows his relationship with Dr. Girlfriend who later becomes his wife, along with his friendship with 21 thus stealing the limelight in the later seasons. 

It’s really hard for me to not gush over it and basically write about all the things that happen in the series since right now there’s a chance to get it on blu-ray and digitally all the seven seasons.

But the main reason i’m making this post is because the new movie came out

Honestly it’s still surreal to me that this managed to get the released, after being dropped by Adult Swim and later HBO Max, i kinda lost hope that we couldn’t get a closure after that last season, and how dire things look at the moment for animated projects and we are talking before the current actor/writers strike. I mean you have shows that are good like Inside Job that get canned just because...

But the movie is out! After many years and it’s not what I expected, not saying it’s bad or anything like that, i love the movie and i’m going to avoid talking about it because spoilers but, you are so used to expect like the “big spectacle” and action sequences and there’s some of that in here but  they mostly focus on solve the loose ends, and they do it in a simple way. Now i use the word “simple” and i know that sometimes it might carry a bad connotation, but in here is just simple and honest which is the core of the series, yes, the series it’s goofy and parodies old sci-fi and pulp stories, yes, they sometimes make reference that feel organic and they don’t over do it, but above all that they’re honest on what they want to say and in this movie the line “Blood doesn’t make the family, love does” has weight.

And at the end when the credits rolled and i saw the last scene, i didn’t mind that there weren’t big explosions, or action pieces, or insane animated sequences. Because at the end of the it didn’t matter, because finally the Venture had their closure and so am i.

GO TEAM VENTURE.

So I have a question that I feel as if you're the only one who'll get it well:

So imagine this, a world with the stories is the same but sometimes after the villains have a final curtain call of their motives, but one thing is drastically different... And that's their recruiters are fully evil. Not only that but are so wicked and far not even their once masters can stop them

Either some were abandoned or betrayed by their villains or others simply didn't get their villains help from the beginning, but the end result is the same, they are cruel and ruthless

My question is, if this case scenario was true, what would you think their villain arcs are like?

First off, I'm sorry that it took so long to answer this ask. Life has been quite hectic for me these past few months, so I took a bit of a break. So, to make up for it, let's have some fun here!

Second, it really depends on what established lore you've set for them. Some people have different interpretations of their characters, but if you're going by my personality pages, I have some ideas:

Apple 🍎

Apple seems like the type to claw his way to power no matter what. If he didn't meet the Evil Queen/Grimhilde, he probably would've served under other corrupt monarchs before somehow manipulating them or the people around them to overthrow that monarch and take his "rightful" place as the new ruler.

Very politically oriented than outright murderous.

Jack Heart ❤️

Jack is kinda hard to imagine being strictly "evil" since he's more of the "fun guy who doesn't care about the consequences" type.

But, if you want to lean into him being more insane, I can totally see him becoming more and more unhinged as time goes on.

He craves chaos. He craves destruction. Similar to Kefka Palazzo from Final Fantasy, but less existential and nihilistic.

I doubt that he'd take out the Queen of Hearts, but for this case, let's say he did: He'd make it a spectacle. To show everyone in Wonderland who the true king is.

No longer does he want to be a pawn at her disposal. He'll have it all, one way or another.

Mr. Dalmatia 🐾

Even if this is the 101 Dalmatians universe, where animals are way smarter than we know, I don't see Dalma becoming a supervillain.

Maybe a gang leader of street dogs or something if he was never adopted by Cruella.

Or, more likely, if he was ever betrayed by Cruella, he would plot his revenge, killing everyone, even Pongo, Perdita, the puppies, and the others by burning Hell Hall to the ground and closing any escape routes, then disappear into the woods. Never to be seen again.

Eight Foot Joe 🐙

MURDER.

He finally snaps from exhaustion and has a full-on Death Note-style murder plot to kill Ursula.

Whether he uses an ancient artifact, potions, or goes along with Ursula's plot, only to steal the trident from her after she accidentally kills Flotsam and Jetson, that betrayal is coming full force.

He becomes the new king of the sea. Finally earning the respect he deserves.

Malfi/Malfie 🪞

Malfi, at least in my headcanons, was an actual bird who was later turned human-ish by Maleficent.

Considering how powerful she is in comparison to everyone on this list, I doubt that Malfi would be brave or powerful enough to take her on in a fight.

Malfi is more of an opportunist. He'd lie and wait for Philip to kill Maleficent. Then, once she's out of the way, he'd kill Philip himself.

Unfortunately, while he was trained by the Mistress of All Evil, he knows Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather would cause problems, so he'd capture them somehow and drain them of their magic, so he could use it to curse the kingdom once again.

Malfi would have everything he's ever wanted: Power, a kingdom, a beautiful bride, and servants and subjects that cater to his every whim.

Pretty Scar (Mzuri) ✨️

I've talked in length about what would happen at the end of The Lion King if PS was there to witness or take part in the killing of Scar, and I honestly don't see her in a leadership position of any kind.

But, if we want to change it up a bit, instead of giving up on Scar after he dies, we find out later that she joined Zira and helped raise Kovu.

Like Zira, she believes Kovu will one day become the great king destined to overthrow Simba and avenge Scar

This Mzuri, despite the fact that Scar betrayed her fellow hyenas, still worships Scar because she's used to the abuse she suffers from her family. She blames Simba for placing Scar in a position where he would have to throw the hyenas under the bus to save his own life.

Ms. Hades 🔥

As I've stated before, I see Ms. Hades as a creation of Hades, so her betraying him is kind of pointless, seeing as he could easily destroy her if he wanted to.

If she was to go all-out villain, though, she'd probably wait to reveal herself as the true villain until Hercules was far enough into the River Styx to die of old age. Then, she'd most likely push Hades down there or use some enchanted item of some kind to bind him, then throw him into the river.

Her motive? She despised working for someone who treated her like an object. She was created for the sole purpose of working beneath him, and she could stand it no longer.

I see her as someone who doesn't focus on the petty things, and that's what makes her so deadly.

She's so calm, collected, and controlled that she doesn't let any weakness of hers slip through the cracks. She looks through every possible option, every little detail. She makes good work of using any opportunities Hades never thought to use.

She is a force of nature; an untamable fire. There is no question that she will take over the living world and Mount Olympus. All hail the queen.

Veil 🔔

If Veil had never met Frollo, I don't see the possibility of her becoming a villain simply because she wouldn't have the resources to raise her status as a "lowly commoner." That, and her personality. She was essentially groomed to become Frollo's loyal follower. That wouldn't have happened otherwise

So, if we work with the opposite of what I wrote as an ending for Veil on her page, similarly to Pretty Scar, Veil would be so brainwashed that she'd still defend Frollo and continue his reign of terror in his absence. Only this time, it's even more dangerous than before.

Lady Hock (Hook) 🪝

Again, I really don't see her as a supervillain personality-wise, and even if Hock was betrayed by Captain Hook, I see her going down a more heroic path than anyone else.

Even if she never met the captain, I don't see her becoming a villain either. She's remarkably chill and goes with the flow in most situations.

The best I can see is that if you altered her personality a tad, she'd allow Captain Hook to kill the Lost Boys and Wendy.

Unless she finally got fed up with Hook's cowardice and decided to get rid of him, then the kids. But again, that's less likely.

Faja 🌹

I'll give Jafar this: He never betrayed Iago. They were practically best buds in the first movie, so I don't doubt that he might be the same with Faja.

However, if all three of them became trapped in the lamp, they'd all drive each other crazy. So much so that later on, once they learn about Iago's escape and betrayal, Faja realizes how power-hungry and abusive he's become. Should this happen, she will help defeat Jafar with Aladdin and the gang once and for all, but she'd immediately turn on them all afterwards.

Or, if we go with the option of her never meeting Jafar, unlike Veil's situation, magic exists in this world, so I can definitely see her taking a similar path as Jafar and learning magic on her own to escape her life as a street rat. Except more erratic and unhinged.