#(edward depended on his magic too much from the beginning)

[obsidiancreates]

If I'd Grown Up At Home (Sia RP AU)

"Don't wander off too far, my little shadow." May-Anne puts another iron whistle into Edward's backpack. "Okay? And come right home if anyone you don't know is out there."

"Okay, Mama." Edward tightens his backpack straps. "I'm gonna bring back so many salve herbs."

"I know you are." She smiles and gives him a kiss on the head. "Remember that your father will be back an hour before sunrise, so I want you home by then at minimum. We want him to come home to both of us, alright?"

"Alright, Mama."

And so he sets out into the dead of night, his little eight-year-old legs carrying him deep into the forest surrounding their nocturnal town. He gathers strange plants as he goes. A blooming flower with deep red petals that drip dark nectar and have a metallic smell, a small leaf with razor-like ridges all of the stem they grow from, a large bush with berries the shape of teardrops that have skin too tough to break with your teeth...

Well, normal teeth. Doc bites into one with a bit of effort, his sharper-than-average-but-not-quite-suspiciously-sharp canines slicing through the skin. The berry is bitter but rich, like the chocolate his dad brings home from the city sometimes.

He keeps walking, searching for more, when he hears it.

Snoring.

Not loud snoring like Mr. Newal nextdoor, which sometimes keeps Doc up until nearly noon. Soft, small snoring, like when little Maddie from a few houses over falls asleep at midnight picnics and Doc ignores it so she can get some extra sleep (he knows her dad snores even worse than Mr. Newal some nights, she said so).

But when he follows it, he's pretty sure the Snorer is older than Maddie.

In fact, he thinks the boy is older than him, but it's hard to tell because the boy is dirty and he's wrapped up in a girl's arms, who's also dirty. And skinny. Both very dirty, and very skinny, sleeping in the hollow of a large, very old tree.

Edward sees some scrapes, too. And bruises. Which is no good, because those will get infected for sure. The scrapes, of course. He doesn't know if bruises can get infected. He'll have to ask his dad to get another medical book on the next trip into the city (likely a month or two from now depending on if the wheat keeps doing badly).

He looks in his bag. He's got a lot of snacks... but they're all his snacks. Very high in Iron and Darkness-grown. And they help him be healthy, even if he'll never really be strong or be able to walk for very long or any of that. Even just coming this far, he had to use the shadows a lot. Half-walking, half shadow-moving (he still needs to figure out a good name for it).

But, he knows it can give people who aren't Of Darkness a tummy ache. And he knows they aren't Of Darkness. They have a bit of magic about them, but not very much as far as he can sense. Or maybe they have a lot and don't know about it, Mama told him not everyone outside of town knows about Darkness and Light. Which he can't imagine because it's so obvious, but maybe in the daytime it's less so. Like his Dad says, "There's a reason Light's called Blinding."

He moves through the shadows to get back home. He gestures to one of the many blobs of shadows with eyes that live in the house, and the blob slinks away. It comes back and nuzzle's his leg, and he knows thanks to it that his Mama went out for a minute.

Good, because he's going to take a lot more snacks than he's supposed to.

He gets into the bread his Dad bought from the city last time, some neutral sigils around the paper it's wrapped in keeping it from getting stale (Darkness Magic works better, but it also makes the bread begin to change properties, and sometimes it's just too unpredictable to use with things like Whole Wheat). He finds some turkey in the fridge that's also from the city. His parents used it to show him the difference between those meats and Darkness-Raised meats, and they didn't want to waste the leftovers (but hadn't wrked up the will to actually eat it yet).

He does his best to avoid anything too Darkness-infused, because he has no idea what kids outside of town eat. But he thinks this'll work. Turkey and Bread and some strange juice pouches that his Mama had confiscated from one of the older kids a few weeks ago after they'd snuck out into the city on their own. He's not sure why this "orange juice" is so bright orange instead of the usual deep, almost rust-like color, but maybe Light Oranges are just Like That.

He grabs some bandages too, and water, and a little bit of antiseptic. It's not magic in any way, nor is it from the city. Sometimes non-magic herbs work just fine as backup salve ingredients.

He uses the shadows to get back, and he takes a long stick and pokes the girl. "Hey," he whispers. It echoes. It does that soemtimes.

The girl jolts awake, and the boy wakes up just as suddenly! The girl keeps her arms around the boy and presses further into the tree, scowling at Edward. It softens, and he thinks it's because she realizes he's a kid like her. He'd even brought a little lantern, just for them and their Light-poisoned eyesight.

"Who're you?" the girl whispers harshly.

"It's not safe to give names to strangers, they're really powerful." Doc holds out the plate with the food and juices. "But I brought you this."

"Why?"

"You look hungry."

The two eye him warily. The girl looks at the food, and then at the boy. "... Did you do something to it?"

Doc wonders if maybe he should blink. The other kids say he doesn't blink enough. He tries it. "No."

Either she believes him, or the blink helped, because she reaches out and takes it. She tries it first, and then gives it to the boy.

"I didn't have a lot of city food in my house. I hope it's good."

"Better than we've had in a while," the boy says around a mouthful. "... People live nearby?"

Edward nods. "We have a town."

"Why're you out here at night?"

"Mama let me come looking for herbs for our salves. We sleep in the day instead of at night."

The boy's eyes almost cross in confusion. "Why?"

"Because Darkness."

"... Huh?"

"It's a religion." That's what they say to city people and outsider visitors, anyway.

"Oh."

"I brought medicine too. And bandages, and water. Can I clean your cuts?"

"I can do it."

"It'll hurt your bruises."

"What are you, a doctor?"

"No, but I wanna be. Darkness values Doctors as much as Artists. I'll be really careful, and you guys can keep eating that way."

There's a sheen to the girl's eyes. Yeah, he knew he sensed magic. Whatever instinct or spell she has seems to almost relax her. "... Fine."

He gets to work, using a little cloth and carefully cleaning their cuts. His pale, boney hands work delicately, if a little shaky. He takes great care with what he considers to be His First Real Patients.

"... I'm Sia," she says softly.

"Names have power," he reminds her.

"Okay. But I think... I trust you with it. Sort of."

"People don't usually trust me except Mama and Dad. Everyone else says they do, but I know they don't."

"Why?"

"I freak them out a little. They all admire me, but they're scared too."

"Scared?" the boy shakes his head. "You're so small though. You must be like, six."

"Eight!"

"Eight! You're so small!"

"Evan, stop it!"

"I am, it's okay." Edward shrugs. "I'm sick a lot. It's c... chron... is."

"Chronic?" Sia supplies.

"Yeah, that one."

"... I'm sorry."

"I'm okay." He pats her newly-bandaged cut. "There, now I can do- Evan?"

Evan nods, and Edward gets to work. Evan watches. "... Can we call you Doc?"

Edward doesn't pause, but he thinks it over. "Okay, I like that."

He finishes, and they sit in silence for a bit as he waits to get to have the plate back.

"Are you going to live in this tree now?" he asks as they hand it back to him.

"No." Sia shakes her head. "We need to keep moving. We're... being followed."

"You can come stay at my house. You might be allergic to some of our food, Darkness can hurt people's tummy's if they aren't used to it. But you could stay with us."

"We can't. We're on the run."

"Oh. ... Well, have this." Doc (yes, he likes thta very much) digs into his pocket and pulls out a little stone. "If you rub it I'll know you wanna see me, and I can come visit you or help you. I can move through shadows, don't tell anyone though. Outsiders aren't supposed to know."

"... Um... thank you." Sia accepts it. "... For the food, too."

Doc nods. "Thank you for the nickname."

And just like that, they part.

He gets home an hour before his dad and a few minutes before his mom, and gets the plate washed and dried and the shadow blobs help put it away just before she comes back in.

"How was herb hunting?" she asks with a smile as she cleans some berry juice off his chin.

"Really good. And I have a new nickname now."

"Oh?"

"Doc!"

"I love it, little shadow. And what made you think of it?"

"I'm a good doctor."

"Yes, of course you are. Only the best doctor could collect this many herbs in one night. Now, go change into your pajamas, and I'll make some dinner for us."

"Okay, Mama!"

@jzwicia @sororia04s

#sia character rp #Doc Fibula #But this is an AU where the Fibulas didn't adopt him so Doc Tenebris I guess #my attempts at fanfic #fanfic #writing #my writing #Sia Bennu #Evan Bennu

[historyhermann]

Information gathering, the power of knowledge, and libraries in animation

In the 1973 film, Soylent Green, Sol Roth (played by Edward G. Robinson), a "book," talks to the protagonist, Detective Frank Thorn (played by Charlton Heston) about the fact that he can't locate the necessary files. This is a similar theme that plays out in animated shows like Tangled and Amphibia. Information gathering is an important part of being a librarian and it is integrated into many animated shows! [1] Spoilers if you haven't watched either one of your shows. Without further ado, let me begin!

Cass, Raps, Eugene, Lance, and Calliope's messy library

Let's start with the Tangled episode, "Keeper of the Spire." In this episode, the show's protagonists (Raps, Eugene, and Cass), and their friend Lance, travel to the spire to get information on the last part of the scroll, so Raps can complete her quest. In the process, they meet the pretentious "keeper" of The Spire, who calls herself Calliope, and she holds various artifacts in the spire, a closed-off museum of sorts. As a scholar of sorts who can do magic tricks, she also has a messy library. There are a lot of archivy vibes to this episode too, as they have to climb to the top of a mountain to get to a secret "vault," which is just a tower with artifacts, but an archives is not explicitly shown. It is then we learn the truth: she isn't the real keeper but only formerly the keeper's assistant. The real keeper, at the end of the episode, makes Calliope the keeper of the spire while Raps also gets the scroll she is looking for. That's a positive ending for everyone!

Nigel in the library, reading about dragons

So, perhaps that first example wasn't as much about information gathering as I had originally thought. No matter! In the Tangled episode "Pascal's Dragon," Nigel reads books in the library inside the Corona castle to learn more about the dragon. He learns about the dangers of dragons and why they need to be stopped. Libraries, you could say, save the day, in a way!

Eugene and the Lorbrary

Finally, there is the Tangled episode titled "Islands Apart." Eugene reads tiny books on an island in their tiny library, called the "lorbrary" after the beings who live on the island (named the Lorbs) to try and learn more about the evil magic there, to help figure out what's going on, to find where the tiny Cass came from. This is also the episode that has the famed Cass lesbian squad, as I like to call it, which is probably the best part of the episode, even better than the tiny library, even though that's cool.

Marcy Wu and King Andrias in the library

Another series, Amphibia, harps on the same themes. At the end of the episode, "Lost in Newtopia," Marcy and King Andrias are in the library (apparently the biggest and most comprehensive one in the kingdom), going through books, trying to find out more about the music box which bright Marcy, Sasha, and Anne to Amphibia. Marcy is frustrated at not finding anything, finds a lever which opens a secret passageway and a secret wing of the library...almost like an archives. A library is also featured in the next episode, "Sprig Gets Schooled." It would hard to say either Marcy or the King is a librarian, rather they are library users.

Let me end this post with another screenshot from Soylent Green. In this scene, Thorn sees Sol as his friend, and he later says he is having issues with old materials, making it hard to find what is needed.

While this actually gives a pretty good summary of the man's life, it also says a lot about librarians, and how they depend on what they know and you should never expect them to be everything. That's something we should all remember. With that, I close this post.

© 2020 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] This includes the "Volunteer Bot," an episode of Doug Unplugs, where two people, Doug and Emma, go to a library, a miniature library to be exact. Executive Producer Jim Nolan said that a library has beauty in the fact that it allows you to "learn in so many ways" and says that a library is a place to see "how humans learn and discover," adding that he has nothing "but affection for libraries and the libraries I grew up with," and notes that the heart of the episode is about  "a community coming together and everybody working for their own good," and they end up fixing up the library, saying it a perfect place to do that.  The show's other executive producer Aliki Theofilopoulos adds that the library is a great setting, as they get to show "another way we get information, basically." Yes, yes, yes! Finally, some producers get it. Similarly, co-executive producer Dana Starfield of the animated series, Madagascar: A Little Wild, states that libraries are "the best place to escape, because you get to escape to your imagination," saying it was fitting to add, with the library inspired by NYPL. The show's executive producer Johanna Stein says that when they grew up in Canada they spent a lot of time in a library and developed a love of reading, saying that reading is "one of the most direct, immediate ways" to foster the skill of empathy. Finally, Billy Lopez, creator of Welcome to the Wayne, says that they came up with the idea of a special library in the show called The Stanza, with the show's executive producer, Michael Pecoriello, says that the show makes the extraordinary come from places like a "library, a laundry room, a post office," making them having secret backstories, part of the "crazy, quirky, extraordinary world." Cool.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Library Review and Wayback Machine

#soylent green #tangled #amphibia #libraries #librarians #royal libraries #reviews #welcome to the wayne #doug unplugs #nypl #madagascar: a little wild

[theaterism]

i mentioned parasitic magic about a week ago in relation to an architect. there are several reasons nathaniel’s magic eventually became parasitic and turned on him as well. these are the major ones.

1) like edward’s magic, nathaniel’s magic persisted when he put it into the world. it existed in jars and vials. it only faded when he dispelled it or when it was allowed to escape from its confinement. magic that persists is more likely to drain its user’s energy. it is also more likely to gain a will of its own (in a manner of speaking) under the right circumstances.

2) nathaniel spent his whole life mastering his magic. he sharpened it, twisted it, pushed it to its limits and well beyond. his ambitions and merciless curiosity drove him to improve his skill in sound manipulation and to seek more and more knowledge on what his magic could achieve. he wanted wealth and power. he also simply wanted to know what would happen if he contorted his magic in various ways, regardless of any discomfort he endured in the process.

(something else drove him as well, though he disliked admitting its presence and control over him.)

3) he began using his magic almost constantly to meet the demands of those he did business with (and to satisfy his own curiosity, to collect samples to experiment on). collecting voices became a habit, and he always carried vials to gather them. he could spend hours sorting sounds, splitting them, slicing them, and stitching them together. he suppressed inconvenient feelings on instinct, but it became rather difficult to ignore how the strain of overusing his magic weighed upon him. still, he didn’t stop.

(also, the more nathaniel overworked his magic and twisted it to satisfy his curiosity, the more distorted it naturally became. something about his magic felt wrong. something about it felt sharp and stretched much too thin, threads of it splintering beyond his control and fraying like electrical wires.)

4) he was restless, facing both debts and his own desire for more. he felt caught in an inescapable cycle. this was the game, and though it had lost its charm over time, he couldn’t stop playing. he grew bitter. he grew exhausted. he grew desperate. more and more desperate. eventually, he reached a breaking point. something in him snapped.

he made an internal deal. he told his magic, ‘take as much as you want from me, as long as you give me enough in return.’ and his magic — which he had mistreated for years and which was already warped from his experiments — was all too eager to oblige.

#|☆| headcanons #|☽| nathaniel ( businessman ) #(hello i mentioned parasitic magic with edward so i needed to talk abt nathaniel’s magic as well agsgd) #(both edward and nathaniel developed unhealthy relationships with their magic which were similar in some ways but very different in others) #(and i’m yelling abt it!!) #(edward depended on his magic too much from the beginning) #(whereas nathaniel began rlly twisting things about seven years after buying the mansion) #(though he had always tended to push his magic a bit too much) #(nathaniel; after using his magic to gather voices nonstop for the entirety of a party: hm. i’m rather tired.) #(god agsgd) #(it consumed so much of his time and energy……..) #(he was facing external pressure from those he did business with and internal pressure from his own ambitions and it Did Not work out well) #(many of his ancestors followed the same path….) #(this got Long and Descriptive so-) #|☆| stories #(also edward’s architecture eventually collapses if he lingers in it too long bc it is quite literally trying to consume him entirely) #(not good!!!)

[cto10121]

Bella Swan and Harry Potter are essentially the same character

Very hot take coming up.

So I’ve been re-reading Twilight and of course rifling through my own (still surprisingly sharp) memories of the Harry Potter books, and got struck with the notion of Twilight being very like Harry Potter in the sense that it too was essentially a mystery wrapped in a fantasy: There is central mystery of who Edward is in Twilight and the seven different mysteries of HP that their protagonists have to solve. Harry of course roams the castle for clues and Bella herself plays detective by interrogating other people about the mysterious Cullens, fake-flirting with Jacob, and doing internet research on vampires.

But that’s not all they have in common. They also have the same kind of protagonist.

Both books are about a young, pure-hearted protagonist discovering a world of magic, introduced by an inhabitant of that world, one that co-exists with their own regular human world and one the protagonists must navigate and learn. Both protagonists consistently attract trouble: Harry’s “I’m not looking for trouble, trouble usually finds me” and Edward’s wry description of Bella as a “danger magnet.” Bella is often criticized as being passive, but Harry, especially in his younger years, is almost completely so. Even his heroism is essentially reactive: It is based purely on his trying to survive several threats to his life. When he does act, it is to save himself, other people, or to sacrifice himself for other people—something that Bella succeeds at when she gives herself up to James and contemplates when she thinks about becoming a distraction à la third wife to save Edward. In their “saving people thing,” they act rashly and are easily deceived by a canny villain who uses a beloved (Sirius and Renée) to lure them to their deaths.

Both Harry and Bella are humble, have modest tastes in tandem with a mild appreciation of finery, do not covet worldly goods and fame, are deeply uncomfortable with attention, have quietly fierce independent streaks, and have moments of selfishness, great anger, myopia, and temper. They are devastated when even considering leaving the world they discovered behind—Hogwarts and Edward, essentially. They even have a similar power, a love shield: Harry passively via his mother’s sacrifice and Bella eventually actively via her own love for her beloveds. Both are essentially private people, with similar dark sense of humor tinged with irony and snark, making jokes about their death. Both share many traits with their creators and are framed as the moral centers of their series.

In each, they have an eventual character arc from complete ignorance and innocence to a complete mastery of and integration into the discovered world, either by defeating a personal evil or by becoming one of the inhabitants physically. In doing so, however, neither of them compromise who they are nor taint their inner goodness irredeemably.

But how come these parallels aren’t really all that evident for most readers? What makes these two protagonist register with readers in different ways even though they are similar in personality? Harry could be just as a passive, if not more so, as Bella, and Bella’s self-sacrificing tendencies are as marked as Harry’s. Both have been criticized as being bland and passive protagonists surrounded by much more interesting side cast of fan favorites, and have been at the center of contentious shipping wars (Hinny, Harmony, the infamous Team Edward and Team Jacob wars). Harry has had his sharp criticism, but no great hatred as Bella gets. So what gives?

The reason, I think, has to do with genre, and what readers expect from a hero versus a heroine. A male protagonist’s actions are (not always, but mostly) viewed contextually or situationally—what would be the most reasonable reaction or action to a given situation. The passiveness of a male protagonist, then, is caution or deliberation, or simply circumstantial inability (poverty, age, danger, etc). But a heroine’s passivity both uses ancient tropes of female helplessness and challenges the more popular trope of the female machista that accepts and adopts patriarchal values. There is also the psychology of their ages and audience: Harry begins his series at 11, ends at 17, and Bella begins hers at 17. Harry’s entrance into the wizarding world is entirely independent from romance and so is his coming-of-age; Bella’s entrance into the vampiric world is completely dependent on it. Harry’s abilities also allow him to participate more in this new world than Bella can as a mere human, except for when she becomes a vampire and is finally made equal in status to Edward—social elevation are, very unsurprisingly, key themes in both.

(This also explains why both their film adaptations’ issues with writing their protagonists, with Film!Twilight deleting the mystery element entirely and thus removing Bella’s agency in pursuing Edward and the erotic tension, and Film!HP smoothing out Harry’s thornier, authority-phobic side, and even his reactive heroism in favor of uncomplicated male heroism).

So in sum: Bella Swan and Harry Potter are essentially the same character type in terms of character traits and roles in their respective works, but are received differently by their audience due to genre and sexist double standards.

#do i dare #harry potter #twilight #bella swan #hp #i dared #meta #cristina metas #hp meta #twilight meta #i mean it’s not really that hot a take #it’s just i’ve seen zero people make that connection #and i just feel it’s kind of obvious

[clean-bands-dirty-stories]

Disaster Bisexuals ~ R.C. (part 1)

A/n: Haha short little series because I’m simping for this bitch HARD. Male reader as usual yaaaaaaay

Word Count: 5200+

Masterlist

Being Jack Morton's best friend was starting to be the worst decision Y/n had ever made. Jack respected Y/n's refusal to be part of the Order but when Jack got attacked by a werewolf and went to investigate, of course Y/n was brought along.

They had always been a team. Jack had a very strong sense of right and wrong, tending to protect the people he cared about with a passion that Y/n found refreshing. On the other side, Y/n had a reputation for being a very cold, reserved person. People used to mock him for being a sociopath, using his intense curiosity and how he was so slow to trust or care as reasoning, even if all it had ever been was an effort to protect himself. In fact, once he does care about someone there was absolutely nothing he wouldn't put himself in front of to protect them. As it turns out, he cared so much that it often caused him, forcing him to be cautious who he handed out his heart to.

Y/n was incredibly smart, Jack just as resourceful. With their combined minds, Jack's good instinct, and Y/n's terrible luck on always finding himself in just the place to put him as direct danger as possible, they ended up getting things pretty well figured out in the end.

So when Jack went into the woods chasing down a werewolf of all things, of course Y/n came along. It was only once they got to the house that Jack's instincts kicked in. "We cannot go in there."

Y/n looked at him like he was an idiot. "Are you kidding? We came all this way and you're just going to leave?" It was Y/n's one weakness. The reason he always found himself inches from death. He was, above everything else, curious. Once he'd caught the scent of something he thought was really interesting or cool, he couldn't be turned off from it until he figured out every question he had. When he rarely ever ran out of questions, you can imagine how far he ended up going before he’d even consider stopping.

Well, if Y/n was going in so was Jack. "Fine. Lead the way."

In the very front, bouncing on his toes with eagerness, Y/n blazed a trail that was far too fast for Jack's liking. They actually made it into the house and to the weird door with the creepy staircase leading down to a basement that looked like one of those places that was built specifically for things to go wrong at. Jack could feel the horror movie energy so strong he could almost hear the soundtrack.. Jack caught Y/n's arm. "We are NOT going down there. We're leaving. NOW."

It was then that Y/n looked behind them as he was pulled short. There, was a full fledged werewolf hulking in the doorframe. Y/n locked gazes with the thing and his eyes widened. "Jack, look out!" He pulled Jack forward, launching himself toward the wolf as it attack. Thankfully Jack tripped and tugged Y/n back, causing the claws of the beast to rip up his back instead of his chest. The wolf seemed so shocked that it actually took a step back- just in time for Jack and Y/n to nearly topple down the stairs and get into the room in the basement. Jack pulled them into a second back room that had an alter and a bunch of chests. Even sketchier than the book room that they'd had to go through. Even sketchier than the basement staircase that was made for things to go wrong at. This is where people came to die.

Y/n, ever loyal to his role in the story, was indeed dying.

Unlike the countless other times they’d both found themselves a little too close to danger for it to be comfortable, this time Y/n was badly hurt and bleeding. Heavily. Not even shock could keep him going much longer as his heart raced and he lost blood even faster. "What are we going to do?" Y/n whispered, hearing the wolf from before banging against the door again and again. They had no way to get out - no windows or other exists - and Y/n was already paling. He would die here and then the wolf would kill Jack when the door was finally busted through.

Before Jack could get them out of this predicament like he always did, both boys' attention was dragged away from the door. Two chests had moved, turning on their side without prompting from the boys or anyone else. The lids opened. Hopped up on adrenaline and with too much going on to think straight, they stepped forward to investigate.

They weren’t kidding when they say that curiosity killed the cat.

They weren’t dead at least... but they were immediately swallowed in fur so that had to count for something.

Long story short: Greybeard chose Jack and Midnight - popularly referred to as "canon fodder" - chose Y/n.

Things only got more complicated from there, but Y/n seemed to be adapting to it a lot better. He had chosen his side. He had played a lot of d&d in his time and this felt like one of those campaigns; he was part of something really important. More importantly, he was learning about something really cool. For every answer he got he had three more questions and with a bit of reading he could answer every single one. He took it upon himself to read each and every book the wolves had that he could, learning more and more every day. He never ran out of things to learn, even being able to get new information if he’d already read the book. In fact, the more times he read something the more he realized he was missing. It was curiosity’s playground!

While Jack flew off the wall and was constantly almost dying, and everyone else debated whether both boys were worth trusting, all Y/n Did was learn. At first they were hesitant around Y/n as he was close to Jack (who was constantly going back and forth on loyalties, even if he came through in the end) but... well, all Y/n did was read endlessly, ask unending questions, and answer the call for help when needed. His curiosity was a little annoying at times but mostly harmless. He was dependable. More importantly, he was loyal. He’d meant that oath, and it showed with just how compatible he was with Midnight. It didn’t take the others long to trust him.

His trustworthiness really came through when he used his knowledge to find a book Jack vaguely alluded to being in the library. Hamish had gotten hurt and whatever weapon had been used, the wound wasn’t healing. It was in fact rapidly getting very very bad. Y/n was able to navigate the shelves in just a few minutes, whipping up the salve and taking care of Hamish when Lilith and Randall were clueless and Jack was distracted by something to do with the Order.

Y/n saved Hamish’s life, even when Jack was struggling and had been suffering without Y/n’s usual participation. That was all they needed from Midnight’s new host.

Ironically, Y/n had been trying very hard not to get attached. He was trying to stay here for Jack, and for all he was learning, not the people who had started to look to him for information and smiled at him when he delivered. Not the people that gave him nicknames and memorized his favorite alcohol combinations and walked to class with him and studied with him and talked endless shit like normal friends do, and listened to him rant in turn.

That had always been Y/n's biggest weakness, though. Werewolves and magic? Easy. Becoming a champion for said werewolves and being thrown into a world he had not signed up for? Fine. Almost dying to get chosen as a champion? Whatever! Not getting attached to the people who were quickly becoming his family... and, more importantly the pretty boy who seemed to be the biggest dork ever?

God help Y/n's heart.

Above everything else, it was Randall Carpio that was making Y/n's life a living hell.

While Jack went off about Alyssa whatever-her-face and Edward (he listened more to the parts about Jack's dad because he knew Jack needed someone to hear that) Y/n couldn't help but relate in a way that he'd never related to Jack before. See, the problem with joking that someone is a sociopath is that they start to think about it. Consider it. Believe it even. Y/n had never had feelings like this for anyone before.

He knew he found people attractive. He could appreciate that Jack had really pretty eyes and a nice jaw line. He could appreciate that Alyssa's smile was bright and her voice had a soothing tone to it. He could appreciate that Hamish was really sexy in that "I'm in charge and know what I'm doing, I dare you to defy me" top kind of way. In the same way, he knew that Lilith was gorgeous and powerful and could see why someone might be attracted to her. Aside from appreciation or aesthetic admiration though, Y/n didn't catch feelings. If he found someone attractive, he had sex with them. Then it wouldn't pan out and he would move on.

It never panned out.

Obviously.

Randall was... different.

Randall made Y/n feel stupid.

Like that one time Jack tripped and fell into a creek and almost drowned and Y/n and jumped in after him. It had been rainy season so the water was high and rushing. It would have been better to get a tree branch or look for somewhere to catch Jack. Whatever it was, anything would have been smarter than jumping in so they were both disoriented by the chaos in the current. Jack almost pulled Y/n under in an effort to get air. Only by a miracle had Y/n been able to think clearly just enough to catch something so Jack could pull them both to shore. THAT level of stupid, that had him between Jack and a fucking werewolf and inches from death because of a claw wound on his back. The kind of stupid that had lead them into that house to begin with.

Randall made Y/n feel giddy. Every time the brunette was around Y/n's energy levels skyrocketed. He could never sit still and his old stutter he’d sword was dealt with ago resurfaced far too much, making him cringe and go silent a lot because he didn't want to hear it. Randall made a joke and Y/n laughed every time. Every time they got close or brushed, Y/n was hyper aware of it. In fact, Y/n was consistently hyper aware of Randall no matter where he was. Y/n had never had a problem with nudity before he got naked in front of Randall and suddenly he couldn't breathe.

As time passed, Y/n got used to dealing with his emotions. He had never had to hide anything like this from anyone before but no one had said anything so he was pretty sure he had kept it under control. If Jack knew he wouldn't have stopped teasing Y/n about it, and surely Randall at the very least would have said something if he knew? Or at least flirted with less people, one could hope.

Speaking of, Randall flirted with SO MANY PEOPLE. He was constantly talking about how attractive everyone was and if he saw a chance to make a move, he did. It was driving Y/n insane. He found himself avoiding Randall, doing his homework in his room and trying to ignore his roommate. Or in the basement again, reading books and memorizing things that he thought might be useful- like the concoction that had cured Hamish. He read and reread and learned. Between school and this whole new world of magic and trying to help Jack get his shit together, Y/n stayed busy and kept his grades up. With all the shit being thrown at him, he was feeling proud of himself and better than he had in a long time. He was thriving.

Then Randall began hovering. No matter how much Y/n tried to avoid him, Randall was there anyway. Whether Y/n was studying and Randall came over, claiming the others were being annoying and he hated studying alone, or he was in the basement reading when Y/n was, or he was asking Y/n for some thing or another, or even dragging Y/n out for drinks and hang outs that Y/n really tried to not enjoy...

Randall was insatiable.

One day Y/n grabbed a book from the basement library and Randall claimed he wanted to read it. When Y/n handed it over, Randall continued to ask if Y/n could read it out loud instead because Randall couldn't actually understand the text. Latin, which Y/n had for sure seen him read before. And it didn’t stop there! If Y/n ever sat anywhere that could fit two people, Randall sat with him. If Y/n found himself playing with his food, Randall stole some with that stupid grin on his face. If Y/n wanted to do something in his spare time, Randall found a way to be a part of it. If Y/n was engaged in a conversation but not saying anything, Randall would ask his opinion like they were in a class discussion and got extra points for including quiet kids. Y/n began to wonder if Randall was as touchy with the others as he was with Y/n. Randall was ALWAYS touching him.

The sudden change was freaking Y/n out. He felt flustered and unsure and embarrassed and confused constantly. He wasn't sure what was going on or how to handle it. How do you solve a problem when you don't now what the problem even is? Or if it was a problem at all...

Jack made it even worse.

"Will you stop flirting?" Y/n's heart stopped when Jack said it, unsure where it had come from or why.

Randall looked at Jack with an eyebrow raised. "And why would I do that?" He hadn’t lost his cool in the slightest, and if his smirk said anything it seemed he had even enjoyed Jack’s outburst.

Jack rolled his eyes. "You're making Y/n uncomfortable. He won't say it because he doesn't want to offend you, but I've known Y/n basically our whole lives and he's never liked anyone before. Just leave him alone."

Jack meant well. He did, Y/n knew that. But Y/n felt the stares of his childhood. The people that would laugh and poke fun and tease. Call him heartless. Ask him what it was like to be broken- to not like anyone. Girls who hated him because he didn't return the feelings they had. Boys who tormented him because everyone accused him of being gay and closeted. Teachers who did that generalized "leave him alone, he's just different than you guys" like being different wasn't the single worst thing you could be when you were a kid in a small town.

The realization that Jack thought Y/n was incapable of liking anyone crossed his mind and it was too much. Maybe Y/n hadn't really been coping well. He'd taken everything one step at a time, carefully and on purpose like he always did. But he was hurting and struggling, especially with this new emotion that effected him so deeply. An emotion he hadn't experienced until now. And, magic? Fucking MAGIC?

Y/n felt his eyes water and locked gazes with Randall for a second before he turned and left the room.

He didn't cry. Y/n didn't cry. It wasn't a thing he could control, he just didn't ever really cry. He might shed a few tears, but even that was rare. He just wasn't capable of really crying. It had always made him feel too vulnerable and awkward, but topped with the accusations of being emotionless, on top of the pressure to hold it together as a man, AND all the teasing he’d gone through in his childhood? Yeah, no. The thought that emotion could be so much and so strong that your body couldn't physically hold it in anymore made Y/n feel icky all on it’s own. So he didn't.

He did that day.

The next day was the next time he heard from anyone. Y/n got a text from Jack saying the pack was going out for drinks. Randall seemed to have gotten rejected by someone, and with Jack's rockiness with Alyssa right now they were day drinking to get rid of heartbreak or whatever. Y/n didn't go. He wasn't heartbroken after all. It's not like he had lost anything. He had nothing to lose. He still had all the friendships he'd started out with. Besides, even if Randall had been flirting it obviously hadn't meant much to him because a few hours later Y/n was picking them all up after a bar fight had broken out. Well, all of them but Randall - who had disappeared in the middle of it with a random girl.

Randall wasn't back that night when Y/n stayed up late waiting for him. He sat and did an essay that wasn't due for a month just to have an excuse, but it got super late and he got tired and he couldn't rationalize it any more so he went to bed. Randall wasn't back the next day either when Y/n woke up for class. How long did Randall usually stay out with someone he slept with? Did he stay in the morning and cuddle? Give a little kiss after he made breakfast? Did he walk around shirtless, hair a little messy? Did he smile as he flirted? Winked? Hold them from behind, chin on their shoulder and a soft look in his eyes? That was a little fishy, and definitely never anything Y/n had done with his one night stands... maybe Randall was different. Maybe all people who weren’t like Y/n were.

"Y/n?" Hamish was standing there, waving his hand in front of Y/n's face. When they met gazes, Hamish continued, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Y/n laughed sheepishly. It seemed that Hamish had called Y/n quite a few times. "What's up?"

Hamish's expression stayed rather dark, causing Y/n's smile to drop. "Have you seen Randall?"

Y/n's heart stopped in his chest. So Randall still wasn't home, and it wasn't normal. "I haven't, no. Do you think he's in trouble?"

Hamish frowned deeper. "I don't know. Find Jack, will you? He isn't answering my texts or calls. I'll find Lilith."

Y/n stood, nodding, and they parted. Y/n found Jack, of course, coming from a talk with Alyssa. "Why is everyone blowing up my phone?" Jack demanded.

"Randall is missing," Y/n told him. Jack sobered up at hearing that. "Come on." They headed back to the house where Lilith and Hamish were waiting. They discussed before all going separate ways to look for him. Nothing seemed to be giving any hints until Jack brought everyone back. He - to no one's shock and everyone's annoyance - had Alyssa in tow. Thankfully Hamish kept Lilith at bay long enough for Jack to explain how Alyssa could help, because without Alyssa's tracking spell the pack never would have found the weird science facility. They never would have gotten Randall out... even though all the added drama not being involved would have been appreciated.

Y/n didn't hear any of it though. The more danger it was revealed that Randall was in, the more anxious Y/n got. He was so relieved when he saw Randall that he would have done something stupid if not for Lilith rushing forward and hugging him... and then slapping him, adding a, "Never do that again."

Randall scoffed softly. "Missed you too Lil."

Y/n felt eyes on him and looked over to Alyssa. Her eyes moved between Randall and Y/n, her lips curving in a knowing smile. Y/n looked away from her. It didn't matter what she knew- no one would believe her anyway. Randall nodded to Hamish and then passed Y/n with an awkward smile. Y/n opened his mouth to say something but then- he didn't. Randall moved on without noticing and whatever Y/n was going to say was completely lost.

"Everyone back to the Den," Hamish ordered.

"Even her?" Lilith demanded, motioning to Alyssa.

"Especially her," Hamish replied.

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "I could destroy you with a snap of my fingers."

"But you won't." The words tumbled from Y/n threateningly. She met his eyes evenly, accepting his challenge.

"But she can't," Jack corrected lightheartedly, trying to keep the peace. He already had enough of his friends hating Alyssa. If Y/n did, he didn't know what he'd do. "Not yet anyway." They exchanged a smile and Y/n glared. He averted his eyes from the couple that was becoming a pair that was really beginning to bother him. When he locked eyes with Lilith, they smiled with each other. Amidst all the other bullshit it was a nice exchange, especially because Y/n had been struggling to get on Lilith's good side.

"You know as well as I do that we need to talk about this." Hamish's voice was slow and reasonable. No one argued.

They all began to head back to the Den, Y/n catching up with Lilith as they walked. Before Y/n could think of something to say to Lilith, she said something first. "Why won't you talk to him about how you feel?"

Y/n almost tripped. "Talk to who?" He tried to play it off but she shot a look at him and he felt that he had already lost this battle. He sighed but didn't budge.

Lilith rolled her eyes. "You know he feels the same way about you too, right?" Y/n still didn't say anything, and after a while Lilith added, "Usually I'm the quiet one." Y/n did smile at that. Neither spoke until they were almost at the house and Lilith stopped Y/n short, gripping his wrist softly. "I saw how worried you were today. How reckless. And don't think we all don't know why you don't study with us or come drinking or spend time with us ever. I see the way you look at him when he's around. I thought you had a thing for Jack at first which is why it took me so long to say something, but... you're really good. Better than Jack. You're loyal and curious and actually kind fo fun. Coming from someone who hates people, I like you or whatever." She seemed really awkward in this moment of vulnerability and Y/n softened at the effort she was making. "I hate seeing him suffer. I hate to see you suffer too. After what Jack said about you not liking anyone or whatever, Randall won't listen to me. Please-"

"Are you guys coming?" It was Jack. "We all need to be here for this."

The two nodded, letting Jack go inside. "I will," Y/n told Lilith. "Try, at the very least. I've never... before him, I've never liked anyone at all. I don't know how to do this."

Lilith actually laughed. It was a sort of huff, her smile small and slightly sarcastic, but it was still there. "Welcome to the club, Y/n. None of us know how to do this. Least of all people who do it all the time."

They headed inside. Y/n's eyes found Randall immediately. He was surprised to see Randall looking back. They didn't look at each other long- the second they were caught looking they both looked away.

Hamish made drinks. He offered one to each of the people in the room. Randall turned his down. "You never pass up an aprés-kill drink."

"I'm not in the mood," Randall dismissed. Y/n frowned, taking his. He wasn't usually here for this tradition but he wouldn't mind a little alcohol in his system right about now.

"Aprés-kill?" Alyssa asked.

"We all have our traditions," Lilith told her.

"Yeah, we have aprés-kill, and you kill innocent people." The words were accusing. Randall looked at Alyssa directly when he said them. Even Y/n's eyebrows came together in surprise.

Randall was pretty laid back. He was the one who'd talked everyone into letting Jack join. Y/n was there when Randall had stood up for Jack despite everything that was putting the Pack in danger. Because Y/n had vouched for him and because Randall had a good intuition. Because he gave people the benefit of the doubt. Now he seemed like he was about to tear Alyssa’s throat out right then and there. And sure, Randall had never hesitated to kill before but he was almost murder hungry. Actively into it, driven. Craving. It was so unlike him it was startling.

What had happened to him in that lab?

"That was an Order-backed operation?" Alyssa seemed genuinely surprised.

"Doing a bang up job with your undercover work there buddy." This he directed to Jack and Y/n began to get agitated. He had never dealt well with people coming for Jack.

"I have never even seen that guy before." Jack's response was dismissive. He wasn't dealing with the blame game this time.

"No one's blaming you Jack," Hamish assured. Y/n didn't agree with his assessment.

"Hemmings went rogue," Alyssa cut in. "It's the only explanation."

Randall scoffed, "Of course!" He faced Alyssa again. "Because the Order isn't inherently evil."

Alyssa, who had sat down at this point, looked about ready to shoot to her feet and fight Randall right there. "My Order would never sanction that."

"Right," Lilith remarked sarcastically. "They only torture people in a fun way."

Alyssa scoffed and Y/n stepped forward. "Wait what? What do you mean fun way?"

"Oh you didn't hear?" Lilith responded immediately. Eagerly. "The Order tortured Alyssa for information when they thought she knew about us. She didn't give them anything for whatever reason-"

"Her crush on Jack," Y/n said under his breath.

Lilith nodded. Alyssa scooted forward. "Hold on, now torture bothers you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lilith demanded. She had eased at Y/n’s interjection, but now she squared up again and the tension and emotions in the room became that much more tense.

"You're not the least bit curious as to why you were kicked out?" There was an energy suddenly between the two girls and a pause that seemed too long.

Hamish looked between the girls. "Wait, you two know each other?"

Alyssa looked to Jack who spoke next. Whatever he was about to say, the fact that she was too scared to say it herself already had Y/n anxious. "Lilith was in the Order."

"Is that true?" Randall stepped forward and Y/n instinctually moved between them, just in time to catch Randall when he almost launched at Lilith. "HEY!" He sneered the word at Lilith, but when Y/n stopped him he turned his aggression immediately to Y/n without hesitation. "Get off of me!"

"Randall, chill out a little bit." Jack stood, as protective of Y/n as Y/n was of Jack.

Randall stayed away from Lilith only because Y/n wasn't budging. Because of that, he turned on Jack. "If it wasn't for us  you'd be another one of their fucking drones."

Jack was quick to defend. "I thought they were trying to make a difference, do something good."

"It was you who taught us what we know," Y/n reminded. He was trying to remind Randall of what he'd thought before, but it seemed to do more damage than good.

"I never should have made Jack a knight," Randall snarled.

"No you probably shouldn't have," Jack remarked rather bitterly.

Y/n spoke up again. "If he hadn't been a knight, I probably wouldn't have been either. Think of all we've learned since then, and how far we've come despite how rocky things used to be. Aren't you glad you made him a knight? Aren't you glad I'm one?" Randall gave Y/n a look that made his blood freeze in his veins.

Alyssa intervened. "Can we focus?" Y/n was relieved when Randall looked away. His eyes fell to his feet and from behind him he felt Lilith’s hand almost touch him in comfort. He could imagine her face twisted with shock and concern, then shift to uncertainty if her comfort of all of them would be enough as her hand dropped away from where it had been reaching. Alyssa’s voice cut through the racing thoughts bouncing around in Y/n’s skull. "You murdered a high-ranking member tonight. They're going to be coming for you."

"Can we just kill her and get it over with already?" Lilith demanded. Her frustration at seeing all her friends to wound up was getting to her.

"Is that your answer for everything?" Alyssa demanded.

"Yes," Lilith remarked, snarky.

"No one is killing anyone else tonight," Jack ordered.

"You're not the boss, Jack." The room went quiet. Never before had Y/n shut Jack down. For a solid five seconds it was silent and with every single one, the tension and aggravation grew immensely.

Hamish cleared his throat. "He's right Jack. How about you let me call the shots?"

"Can you even make a decision without resorting to Beer Pong?" Lilith snapped.

Y/n's head began swimming. He'd never been good with big groups or emotions or arguing. The voices became distorted a little as he felt his chest squeeze. He wasn't exactly listening. It seemed he'd been out of it far too long but it could have only been a few second when he came back to Alyssa and Lilith, who were chest-to-chest. They had moved around Y/n to get to each other and Lilith's eyes were that statement silver glow. Alyssa had her knife out. Y/n was moving again, this time to get back in between the girls. "Guys calm down."

"It's not your job to protect everyone," Lilith sneered. Whatever Y/n had missed it had made Lilith aggressive enough that even her growing soft spot for him didn’t help ease her aggressiveness in this moment.

"It kind of is," Y/n argued, finding it harder and harder to keep his own cool.

Lilith's lip curled back. "So you're protecting HER?"

"I'm protecting YOU," Y/n responded, getting heated himself. He was tired of this bullshit.

"You don't think I can take her?"

Y/n made a sound in the back of his throat. Had he just growled? "What do you think happens when you kill her Lil? We struggle to be united enough- we'll never get along if she's dead because of you."

"And why should we care about how you or Jack feel?" Randall demanded.

Without hesitation Y/n rounded on Randall. "Because whether you like it or not, we're knights too! And whatever you have against Jack, you have no right to loop me in with him. I've done nothing but protect you guys and teach you guys what you should have already fucking known since day one."

Randall scoffed. "You're only here because Jack is- you said it yourself. You're never around. The only reason you even agreed to stay is because you want to know more about how we work. You don't care about us." Y/n growled again, his hands curling, claws extending.

Jack shot to his feet. "Edward Coventry is my father."

Silence. Dead silence. Even worse than when Y/n had spoken against Jack. Y/n stared at Jack in shock- not because he didn't know, but because he knew how much Jack absolutely did not want to tell anyone. Finally Randall spoke. "You didn't think to tell us that your father-" he spat the word, making Y/n flinch. "-is the leader of the FUCKING ORDER?" He was hysterical and Y/n was alarmed by it. Randall had never been like this before.

"It's none of your business," Jack dismissed.

Y/n stepped up again. He had to stay calm. He had to keep the peace. He didn't want to see anyone in this room dead tonight. Not even Alyssa. "Just calm down okay?"

"Don't fucking touch me." Randall stepped away. "You knew didn't you?"

Y/n frowned. "It wasn't my secret to tell you Randall. That would have been a betrayal of Jack's trust."

"Oh, Jack's trust?" Randall looked like he was ready to murder someone. Even with Y/n’s fluctuating control, Randall was only growing in agitation. "It always is about Jack, isnt it? Is Jack safe? Is Alyssa safe so that Jack can be happy? Are we all getting along so Jack can feel comfy here? Please don't kill Jack, even though he is putting your friends - practically family - at risk. Give Jack time. Jack this. Jack that. God, are you in love with him or something?"

"No!" Jack and Y/n said at the same time, faces twisted with disgust.

Randall scoffed. "I trusted you, man. I trusted both of you. You betrayed me."

"I betrayed you?" Jack finally sounded irritated, rather than tired and bored like before. The tension was getting to him as well. "You turned me into a fucking werewolf!"

"That's a mistake I can fix right now," Randal threatened.

Alyssa stepped up. "Randall, I think whatever Hemmings did to you is still affecting you." Her anger had completely disappeared, exchanged for shock that shone out of wide, analyzing eyes.

"You want to know what they did to me?" Randall demanded, seeming to be losing it a little. He was breathless and fidgety, shifting from foot to foot and looking at everyone sharply. EVERYONE, like he was waiting for even the long time members of his pack to attack him. "They opened my eyes to your bullshit."

"Randall," Hamish warned.

Randall whipped around, breathing sharply and fast. He screamed and ran- Y/n tackled him before he could even get close. Y/n was suddenly underneath Randall as they twisted and fought. Randall punched him once. Twice. Y/n screamed. Everyone was wrestling him and they were saying something but Y/n couldn't hear it with Randall's body squishing his face. He felt a hit- to Randall, though Y/n felt the impact through him, and then when Randall's body went limp. It was Lilith who pulled him out from underneath the now unconscious boy.

The second he was free, Y/n scrambled to his feet. "God I hate it here!" He screamed, tears rolling down his face. "I'm never like this. This stupid wolf!" He punched the wall and everyone jumped back. Jack was the first one to recover. He had seen Y/n like this once before. "I'm always... Putting myself in danger for you idiots and none of you even care!" His eyes fell to Randall and he took in a sharp breath. "You still don't care about me." That stopped Jack dead. Y/n looked at all of their faces. Those who knew, and those who were realizing, and those who had suspected and were now being confirmed. Y/n looked at those faces and he felt his heart twist in his chest.

He turned and ran and he didn't look back once, even when Jack called after him.

#Randall Carpio #Randall Carpio imagine #Randall Caroio x reader #The Order #The Order imagine #The Order x reader #knights of saint christopher #knights of saint christopher imagine #knights of saint christopher x reader #male reader #adam dimarco #adam dimarco imagine #adam dimarco x reader

[antihero-writings]

His Butler, and the Problem with Magic (Ch2)

Fandom: Black Butler | Kuroshitsuji x Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Crossover

Fic Synopsis: Life at Hogwarts isn’t all bad…usually. But when Valentine’s Day rolls around, and Lockhart throws an extravagant ball, the number of couples at school the next day skyrockets, and Sebastian finds himself a new object of devotion…Can Ciel save his butler from the spell on his own?

Character Focus:  Ciel (Edward Midford, Grell, Lizzie, Snape)

Notes: I bet you all thought I forgot about this fic didnt you? SIKE! I forget nothing.

(By the way, I'll definitely repost chapter 1 of this as well, in case you guys forgot about it XD)

I was informed that Valentines day with this coming Sunday and I couldn't believe it. I had been wanting to work on multiple valentines fics and I thought I had weeks left to write them XD So in light of that, I knew I had been slowly chipping away at a chapter 2 of this over time, so I decided to check it out and see how much work I had to do to make it postable in time for valentines day. To my surprise, the chapter was pretty much ready to go! So at long last, here it is!!

I really hope you enjoy it!! If you do, I implore you to consider commenting and/or reblogging!! I assure you its much much more likely this fic will get a chapter 3 if I know that people are interested in reading more <3

@elegantkittycat Tagging you in case you’re still interested in reading more!!

Chapter 2:

Ciel jerked his hand away as the cauldron sizzled, muttering curses under his breath—(the normal kind, not the magic kind). Usually Sebastian managed their clandestine dealings and he didn’t have to worry about burning his fingers off.

His conversation with Tom Riddle had left him with a list of ingredients, and a method of combining them into a potion that would allegedly cure Sebastian and others of this ailment.

He was fully aware trusting strange voices in diaries wasn’t the best decision he could make on the career path of life, but considering he had found no other options, and a whole lot of annoyance, he didn’t have much to lose. Besides, Sebastian was a demon, so even if it was supposed to make your eyes pop out or something, he’d probably be okay.

Ciel looked down the instructions and grimaced, reaching over for the next ingredient, trying not to look directly at it.

Despite the potions classroom being the main place to get potions, and potion making materials, he was not in the potions classroom. This late in the evening, Snape probably would have killed him. He was in a room on the seventh floor which Sebastian had found last May. It seemed to hold within it whatever the person walking by it required.

He dropped the last ingredient in, raised his wand, muttered a very complicated spell and sighed.

The only thing left to do was wait. It had to brew for twenty-four hours, which meant it wouldn’t be ready until six o’clock the next evening. Twenty-four hours was too much time with a love infested school to deal with.

Ciel packed up his stuff and headed out into the hall—making sure to check for Filch first. He was almost back to his common room when—

“CIEL PHANTOMHIVE!”

He nearly tripped and toppled to the ground taking all his supplies and homework with him.

As he righted himself, he jerked his head up to observe the source of the disturbance: a tall, blonde boy, a few years older than Ciel, sporting his Gryffindor robes as if he was the reincarnation of Godric goddamn Gryffindor himself.

Ciel had the displeasure of knowing this boy.

“Edward?!” he growled, recovering his dignity and dusting himself off. “Are you trying to kill me?!”

“That depends,” he said in a low murmur that seemed to hide waves of anger.

He marched up to his future-brother-in-law, stopped far too close, and stared into Ciel’s eyes like he could bore into his brain with his gaze.

“What. Did you do. To my sister?”

“What did I— ?” Ciel blinked, rivalling anger disappearing in the face of concern. “What?”

Edward was the son of the proud, and not to mention handy-with-swords Marquess Midford, and all this noble, virtue-loving, God-fearing, paladin energy was often channeled into being protective of his younger sister Lizzie…who also happened to be Ciel’s fiancé.

“Lizzie. What did you do to her?!”

“Yes, I’m familiar with to whom you’re referring!” He pushed him back, “What’s wrong with her?!”

It was Edward’s turn to blink. “You don’t know?”

“You may or may not have noticed I am otherwise occupied! I’ve been running around trying to save my butler from this hell, thank you very much!”

“Oh,” his eyes flickered.

Ciel looked up at him, then blinked. “You think I caused this?!”

“Well you don’t exactly foster an atmosphere of peace and calm, now do you?”

“I’d thank you to have more confidence in me in the future! For your information, Undertaker caused this!”

“Undertaker?! Oh that slimy bloke hasn’t seen the last of me!” He turned, putting his fist into his palm, beginning to march out of the room.

Ciel lazily grabbed the sleeve of his robe, pulling him back. “Hunting him down isn’t going to get you any answers—and will likely make you more frustrated. Believe me, I’ve already tried. Now, if you’d be so kind, I’d like to know what’s wrong with my fiancé.”

Edward rubbed the back of his head. “Well…”

“Tell me, Edward.” It was Ciel’s turn to stare him down. Apparently it was effective, because Edward couldn’t meet his gaze.

“Well…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I went to go say hi, and I found her sitting in the common room, staring out the window. She barely took any notice of me. And when she did she started spitting prattling nonsense about this man she met,” he said the last words like men were the most revolting things in the planet. “Naturally I assumed this was a newfound appreciation for you, or she simply was admiring Lockhart like she usually does.”—Ciel made a face at this—“But apparently…not.”

Ciel blanched. He was about to speak, but Edward continued:

“When I learned it wasn’t you, I told her to have some decency, but it was as if she couldn’t even hear me!” His air of forced calm broke. “Apparently she’s madly in love with some—some—some idiot!”

“She’s… what?” The words were soft.

“I said—”

“I heard what you said!” He grabbed his robes.

Some third years walked by at that exact moment and stared at them. Ciel released him, and he and Edward paused and waved awkwardly. After they passed, Ciel continued in a shout-whisper.

“How the hell did this happen?! I specifically made sure she stayed away from the punch at that party!”

“The punch? What punch?”

“The punch Undertaker spiked!”

“Undertaker spiked—?! Oh…Maybe she drank some when you weren’t looking? You can’t have been keeping her under constant surveillance, can you?”

“I was watching her very closely, she couldn’t have!” He said, realizing his usually-more-than-adept butler was quite possibly compromised at the time. “When did these symptoms start? The morning after Valentines Day?”

“Um,” Edward put a hand to his chin, thinking, “I…I’m not sure.”

“Oh you’re just useless aren’t you?”

“More useful than you! If you knew it was spiked at the party, why didn’t you tell everyone?! Or try to stop him?!”

“It seemed like a harmless prank!”

“What are we up to?” Snape’s greasy form appeared, cutting the scene.

“Nothing, Professor Snape,” Edward said quickly. “We were just—”

“I wasn’t talking to you.” He folded his arms and stared down his hooked nose at Ciel. “Your detention is to take place tomorrow evening at six o’clock. Meet me in my office. Try not to earn yourself another one before then.”

“Yes, Sir.” Ciel said softly.

Snape’s black robes swished passed them.

“So Lizzie—? Wait, did he just say six o’clock?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Damn it!” Ciel groaned, leaning against the bannister.

“What’s wrong?”

He waved him off. “It’s none of your concern.”

Edward folded his arms and glared at him.

“I’m working on a potion to try to neutralize this whole…love mess.”

“I’d say that’s very much of my concern! You have the antidote?!”

“I said I’m working on it. It’ll be ready at six o’clock tomorrow evening—six o’clockexactly.”

“I guess you’ll have to get it after you get back.” Edward shrugged.

“It’s a very delicate potion I have to—Ugh Nevermind.”

After a pause Edward asked, “…And you’re sure this antidote will work?”

“I’m not sure of much of anything. The only thing I am sure about is if the potion doesn’t kill me, if I’m late to his detention, Snape just might.”

*****

As Ciel sat down to breakfast he made the silent resolve to quickly finish the potion at six o’clock, then speed to the dungeon as fast as possible, taking the bottle with him to his detention, and hurry to Sebastian right afterwards. Snape wouldn’t be happy, but, despite what he said to Edward earlier, the worst he’d do was give him another detention, or take a large sum of house points. And he wasn’t so strict he’d make students empty their pockets, so he shouldn’t notice while he sat sitting for a few hours cleaning viper guts off potion bottles. There was no telling what this potion would do if he left it for however long detention was, so it took priority. And even if his detention went into the night, that would be the perfect time to test it—the demon wouldn’t be asleep anyways.

Ciel was currently trying to make his seat in the great hall a little corner of peace and calm, and block out the chaos in the rest of the hall, setting down his knife properly, trying to ignore the food flying across the hall, when—

“Oh, Brat~!”

Ciel sighed resignedly as his least favorite redhead came swinging into his vision.

“What are you doing back here so soon?” Ciel grumbled, holding his scowling face in one hand, sticking his fork aimlessly into his eggs with the other.

“And when I came all this way to see you, too?!” He turned up his nose in disgust. “I couldn’t possibly get my beauty sleep after I saw my Sebas-chan in such dire straits.” He pulled a scroll out of his jacket pocket, “So I was up all night thinking of ways to get him back to his sexy self!” He unrolled its impressive length, the end landing in Ciel’s eggs.

Ciel couldn’t help but skim through some his ideas, if nothing else for a good laugh.

They ranged from the more simple and reasonable Find the spell, and make a counter curse, and Bash his head in, to the not-so-reasonable Maybe true loves kiss will work~?

“What’s this?” Ciel squinted at a particular line. “‘Put that brat he calls “master” in mortal danger’?”

It was starred and underlined several times.

“Oh you noticed that one did you?” He said in fake innocence. “That’s one of my personal favorites!”

Ciel’s eyes lidded.

“And how exactly would putting me in mortal danger solve the problem of my butler being in love with you?”

“For some reason—can’t see why—Sebas-chan is very attached to you—”

“Sure, it has nothing to do with the contract we made.”

“Yes, yes.” He waved him off. “Well he’s very against you being in any sort of danger. See the idea,”—He put a nail on the table— “is that if we put you in mortal danger his primal demonic—”—he said the word in a way Ciel was not fond of—“inclinations will override the spell and snap him out of it.”

Ciel blinked, staring down at the line of text.

The worst thing was…that actually made some smidgen of sense. You know, in a sadistic kind of way.

“And how would you propose we do that? You know, without actually killing me?”

“Oh all part of the fun. I have a number of ideas as to how we could push you riiight up to the edge! It’ll be delightfully diabolical. Of course, if it doeskill you, well…” he turned away and muttered, “All’s well that ends well, as they say.”

“Not that that doesn’t sound fun…” Ciel stood, pushing the list away. “I’ve found my own way of breaking the spell thank you very much.”

“Oh?” Grell blinked, intrigued. “Have you now?”

“Not that its any of your business, yes.” He brushed himself off, gathering his stuff, “If you’ll excuse me, I have my own business to attend to.”

“Well when that fails don’t hesitate to come crawling back to your favorite reaper Grellypoo ~!” He rolled up the scroll.

“You’re not even my fifth favorite reaper!” He threw over his shoulder.

“But at least I’m on the list!”

*****

Due to the fact that little real learning was happening on either side—unless you count learning too much about various students and teacher’s romantic habits—they had decided to cancel classes for the time being. This gave the teachers more time to devote to finding the cure as well.

Ciel decided to take this time to ascertain the validity of Edward’s statement the night previous and visit Lizzie.

She was a Gryffindor like her brother. Visiting the Gryffindor common room wouldn’t be first, or even last, in a list of things he wanted to do…but he’d half to bear it.

As he walked up the stairs he bumped into someone. At first they apologized and continued walking but soon the other person called back:

“Hey, I ran into yesterday didn’t I?”

Ciel turned to see none other than Harry Potter.

“Yes?”

“Did you happen to see a diary? Like when you were helping me pick up my stuff?”

“The great Harry Potter keeps a diary?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “It’s not my diary. Just a diary.”

“A diary that just so happened to find its way into your bag?”

“Well…yeah.”

“Sorry to say, I haven’t seen it.”

“Hmm…Alright. Thanks anyways.” He waved as he continued down the stairs.

As another Gryffindor left, he slipped into the common room.

Lizzie was sitting in a chair against the window, just like Edward said she would be. She rested her hand on her chin, her elbow on the table, and watched the rain fall.

“Lizzie!” he ran up to her.

“Oh…Ciel…it’s you,” she said in a dreamy, nonplussed tone.

“Yes it’s me. What happened? Have you completely lost your senses?!”

“No I’d say my senses are in tact thank you. And I’d thank you not to ask a lady such an impolite question.”

“Sorry but…what happened? Why are you—?”

“I don’t know. I just, of a sudden, found him to very attractive one morning, and I’m having trouble thinking of much else.”

“Who?” He sat in the chair across from her.

“That’s not really of your concern, is it?”

“It is when I’m your fiancé!” He said a little too loudly, making Gryffindors turn towards him.

“Mm…” She muttered like it wasn’t an issue.

“Lizzie, I tried to make sure you didn’t drink that punch at the party! How did this happen?!”

“Party?” She paused, and for a moment he wasn’t sure she was even going to continue the conversation. “…Oh I don’t know. I seem to faintly recall the most beautiful man I’d ever met saying I simply must try it.”

His eyes widened. “Someone gave it to you directly?! Who?! Why?!”

“I’ve already tried that, I don’t think you’ll get much luck. She won’t tell me either.” Edward arrived at his side, then leaned over and whispered, “I think she knows we’ll come after him.”

“I was going to opt for slow psychological torture,” he muttered back, “but I’d like to hear more about your method.”

Edward tried to suppress a smile.

“And you really love this man?” Ciel asked Lizzie.

“Oh, with all my heart!” She seemed to gain a rush of energy.

He sighed, realizing more questions would be futile, and getting up.

“Alright well…” He ran his hand gently over Lizzie’s fingers. “I-I’ll see you soon.”

“You’ll give me the potion as soon as you can, right?” Edward demanded.

“I’m going to use Sebastian as a test subject, but, if it works, then this will be my next stop.”

“The password is ‘chocolate frog.’ Feel free to wake me up. I can’t stand another minute knowing Lizzie is in love with some-some lunatic!”

“We’ll figure it out, don’t worry.”

*****

Ciel carefully held the porcupine quills, and gingko leaves over the cauldron, dripping them in one at a time, stirring counterclockwise with his other hand, glancing continually back to the instructions.

Finishing off the potion was proving no easier than making the rest of it, but at last, it gave a final sigh, and turned a foggy white.

Ciel gave his own sigh of relief, before using tongs to dip and fill the bottle beside him, making sure to clean off the sides of it—(it was a good thing he used a towel to do so, because the stray drops burned through the fabric).

He held up the bottle, staring at the potion. At long last. Finally, after three days of slow torture, he’d finally be rid of this curse, and the world could return to its normal state—demon butlers included.

He slipped one into his robe pocket and the moment he stepped out of the room, he sped off towards Snape’s dungeon for his detention without a moment to clean up the rest.

He hadn’t intended to burst through the door, but he found himself doing that a lot over these past few days.

Snape’s black eyes narrowed upon his panting form as if he were a worm to bottle. Then they flicked to the clock.

“You’re late.”

“I’m sorry, Professor, I—”

Snape held up a hand to stop him. “The last three days have been longer than the past few months, and am not interested in feeble excuses, Mr. Phantomhive.” He glided around his desk, but instead of setting him up at a desk, he marched past him, swung open, and exited the classroom.

Ciel paused a moment, leaning over to the side, watching him exit, a quizzical look on his face, before deciding he wanted him to follow him.

“Where are we going, Professor?” He asked as he caught up—(not altogether happy that he’d have to do more walking after the run he just made).

“Your detention is to take place in the Forbidden Forest tonight.”

Ciel’s eyes widened.

Snape raised an eyebrow. “Is our dear Mister Phantomhive afraid of the dark?”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m just a little surprised, that’s all…due to it being forbidden and all.”

Snape smirked. “Most of the time, yes. But on some extra special detentions we may take students inside.”

He was right: The Forbidden Forest wasn’t exactly a common detention spot, though it wasn’t unheard of either. What was more surprising was that Snape taking him there. Usually Snape’s detentions consisted of pickling rat brains, or cleaning octopi suckers off desks. Not that he’d been to very many of his detentions—he’d always been pretty good at potions. It was this godforsaken spell that had reduced him to a less-than-model student.

“Professor, may I ask what exactly will we be doing?” He asked as they traversed the grounds, the trees growing ever closer.

“You will be coming with me to gather a rare flower that lives in these woods.”

Ciel gave a curt nod. It was a moment or two before he asked, “May I ask what it’s for?”

“I am a potions master, Mister Phantomhive. I encourage you to use your brain.”

“I understand that. But what potion is it for, Sir?”

“I am attempting to remedy the spell that has plagued the school.”

Ciel fell silent at that, resisting the urge to tell him he already had the solution in his pocket.

They arrived at the edge of the forest, the trees reaching towards them with gnarled claws, the darkness like curtains for a stage set.

“Lumos.” Snape spoke, and Ciel drew his wand and did the same as they ventured into the shadows.

The trees seemed to taunt them, to whisper about them, to dare them to come any closer, any phantom sound at home here.

After more than a few minutes walk in silence—quite possibly half an hour—Snape stopped and spoke: “They should be around here, nor should they be difficult to spot. Look for a glowing blue flower.”

Ciel made a move to venture off in search of them, but Snape grabbed his arm, warning:

“Don’t wander off where you can’t see me.”

Ciel nodded before venturing into the trees, scanning the ground for anything glowing, or blue, continually glancing back to make sure he could still make out the figure of his teacher.

It wasn’t long before he saw something glowing, and ran up to it. …It turned out just to be a mushroom.

As he sighed disappointedly, and stood back up, he saw two beady eyes staring at him from the darkness.

His heart began to pound as he stared, unsure if he should back up, stand his ground, play dead, or attack, the ghost of a certain name forming on his tongue.

He never had to fear beady eyes, bandits, or bullets with Sebastian around. This was the first time he felt real fear in a long while.

A black spectral horse reared out of the bushes, its eyes aglow with more than just a reflection of the dark.

It stepped towards him in slow, calculated hoofbeats, flaring its nostrils a little too frequently for his liking.

He’d read about these before.

He continued backing up, as the thestral didn’t seem like it planned on stopping its pursuit anytime soon.

“Mister Phantomhive,”—Snape’s voice was low, warning—“I am aware you likely don’t see anything but—”

“I can see it.” He continued his reverse walk.

Snape gave him a short glance like he had a newfound respect for him.

These creatures only appeared to people who had seen death, and he was sure the look in his parents’ eyes that night sufficed. But they didn’t commonly act like this.

Snape lifted his wand, casting a nonverbal spell, and the thestral fell to the ground with a bloodcurdling whinny too much like a scream, ropes binding its legs.

Ciel let out a relieved exhale as Snape joined him.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine…Thestrals…they aren’t commonly…aggressive, are they?”

“No.” Snape muttered softly, gazing for a moment at the now-helpless creature, then turned sharply to Ciel, pointing his wand at him. “Empty your pockets.”

Ciel jerked his head to the professor, saying a little too loudly, “What?!”

The thestral fought against the binds, and Ciel took a step back.

“I said, ‘empty your pockets.’”

“Why?!”

Snape flicked his wand, and his pockets’ contents excavated themselves of their own volition.

Snape grabbed the potion from the air, and let the rest of spare quills and things fall helplessly to the forest floor. He held it up and stared at it, observing the contents, his emotion as imperceptible as always. Then he lifted the cork, sniffing it. His eyes widened and he jerked to look at Ciel, his eyes almost more terrifying than those of the thestral, and definitely not holding a look his eyes had ever contained for him before.

“Where did you get this?” He whispered.

“Excuse me?”

He lifted the potion up, and violently smashed it on the ground, the contents breaking out with a puff of smoke, spilling helplessly onto the forest floor.

“NO!”

Snape grabbed his arm as Ciel made to reach for it, as if to save the unsalvageable.

“I said—” he grabbed both his arms, forcing him to look at him. “Where. Did you get that?”

“Sir…. I don’t understand…”

Snape’s face was far too close to him for comfort.

“Listen to me and listen to me very carefully. That potion is more than dangerous—it’s banned in every major country. It’s not something I could easily mistake. If you were to use it, you wouldn’t just die an excruciating death, it would rot you from the inside, and leave you open to the possession of any vile spirit in the vicinity. A fourteen-year-old boy such as yourself shouldn’t be carrying it around in his pocket,” he spat. “And I’d like to think that you didn’t know what it was when you gained possession of it. Now.” His grip tightened on one of his arms, his nails digging in, as he put his wand to his throat with the other enunciating each word, “WHERE. DID. YOU. GET. IT?!”

#black butler #kuroshitsuji #harry potter #harry potter crossover #black butler crossover #ciel phantomhive #kuroshitsuji crossover #sebastian michaelis #grell sutcliff #severus snape #edward midford #lizzie midford #crossover #harry potter and the chamber of secrets #hpatcos #harry potter fandom #black butler fandom #kuroshitsuji fandom #ciel black butler #black butler fanfiction #kuroshitsuji fanfiction #harry potter fanfiction #black butler fic #black butler fanfic #kuroshitsuji fanfic #kuroshitsuji fic #harry potter fanfic #harry potter fic #potterheads

[michelles-garden-of-evil]

SP Influences: The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Haunted Palace

CONTENT WARNING FOR DISCUSSION OF RAPE (NOT JUST THE FANTASY METAPHOR KIND) AND SLAVERY. ALSO SPOILER WARNING FOR THE HAUNTED PALACE (1963), THE CASE OF CHARLES DEXTER WARD, AND BOTH THE FIRST AND FINAL ARC (INCLUDING THE ENDING) OF STRANGE PARADISE.

Although it never directly copied from other works, the 1969-70 soap opera Strange Paradise appears to have drawn inspiration from several classic works of Gothic fiction. Unlike its more famous cousin Dark Shadows (1966-71), which lifted most of its major plotlines from public-domain horror classics like Dracula and The Turn of the Screw with relatively few changes, the influence of other works on the plot and characters of Strange Paradise generally took a subtler form. Many of the early advertisements and articles promoting the serial compared its protagonist Jean Paul Desmond and villain Jacques Eloi des Mondes (both played by Colin Fox) to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from the Robert Louis Stevenson novel, but--as Curt Ladnier has pointed out--there are only superficial similarities between the plot of the serial’s Maljardin arc and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, making the two works less similar than readers likely expected. Instead, the plot more closely resembles that of another, lesser-known story about a protagonist controlled by his evil counterpart: the 1963 Roger Corman/Vincent Price film The Haunted Palace, a loose adaptation of the H. P. Lovecraft novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

The plot and characters of Strange Paradise have too much in common with those of The Haunted Palace to be mere coincidence. In particular, the character of Joseph Curwen and his characterization in the film strongly resemble the portrayal of Jacques Eloi des Mondes, enough to conclude that Curwen must have inspired his backstory and his interactions with the other characters. While it is likely that Lovecraft’s original 1927 novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward also directly influenced the serial, there is stronger evidence for indirect influence by way of the film adaptation.

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

The plot of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward shares a common theme with the Maljardin arc: the evil ancestor from the seventeenth century who returns from beyond the grave and assumes the identity of his lookalike descendant. In both cases, the ancestor was involved in the occult during his lifetime and reviled for his rumored diabolical activities. During his lifetime--which he used magic to prolong--Curwen practiced necromancy, tortured knowledge out of the people he resurrected before murdering them again, experimented on living people, and summoned the god Yog-Sothoth for assistance in his occult activities using spells from the Necronomicon. Two fellow warlocks named Simon Orne and Edward Hutchinson assisted him with his occult studies, and were both still alive when his descendant Charles Dexter Ward brought him back to life. In the early episodes of Strange Paradise’s Maljardin arc written by Ian Martin, Jacques is portrayed as the literal Devil: an accusation about which he often jokes. He has many supernatural abilities, including possession, manipulation of electricity, telekinesis, the ability to magically alter messages written in sand, and--most importantly--the ability to resurrect Jean Paul’s dead wife Erica (Tudi Wiggins), which is why he frees his spirit in the pilot. He has an interest in voodoo, although he himself does not appear to practice it and instead fears its power. Unlike Curwen, no accomplices of Jacques’ return from the dead in the Maljardin arc, although it is possible that Martin intended for the seventeenth-century witch Tarasca, an earlier incarnation of wealthy widow Elizabeth Marshall (Paisley Maxwell), to fulfill this role after possessing Elizabeth.[1]

But these occult matters are not the only common interest that Joseph Curwen and Jacques Eloi des Mondes share. Both character were involved in the more earthly evils of the slave trade. A merchant by trade, Curwen also bought and sold slaves, importing enormous numbers of enslaved people from Guinea into his hometown of Providence, Rhode Island in 1766. He sold few of them, however, and Lovecraft heavily implies that he used most of them in his experiments. The televised version of Strange Paradise never explicitly references slavery (although Jean Paul’s immortal servants Raxl (Cosette Lee) and Quito (Kurt Schiegl) are implied to be Jacques’ former slaves), but the non-canonical book series by Dorothy Daniels does on occasion. In the second book Island of Evil, Jean Paul lists “black gold, another name for the importation of slaves” along with piracy and brigandage as one of the sources of the des Mondes’ family fortune.[2] A flashback sequence in Island of Evil confirms the past enslavement of Raxl and Quito, as well as an African voodoo priest whom Jacques forces to turn Quito into a zombie: the closest event in the Strange Paradise expanded universe to Curwen’s experiments.

Both Jacques and Curwen also met their ends at the hands of locals. In The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, Ezra Weeden begins spying on Curwen because he suspects him of illegal activities including witchcraft. Eventually, he turns most of the prominent figures in Providence society against him and they band together to raid and destroy Curwen’s Pawtuxet farm. During the raid, Curwen dies for the first time, but only after devising a spell for his future resurrection. Likewise, in Strange Paradise, Jacques dies after the natives of Maljardin turn against him, although the trigger and cause of his death are different. When Jacques murders his wife, the princess Huaco, by pushing her off the island’s cliff, a group of natives including Raxl and the Conjure Man band together to kill Jacques using a conjure (voodoo) doll and silver pin. These weapons curse Jacques to throw himself from the cliff and keep his spirit "shackled to the Temple [of the Serpent, Raxl’s god]” until the day he tricks his descendant Jean Paul Desmond into removing the pin from the doll, thereby setting him free.

Jacques’ disappearing portrait from Strange Paradise Episode 12.

Also significantly, both The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and Strange Paradise give the evil ancestor’s portrait a prominent role in the plot. In both cases, this portrait hangs at the ancestor’s former residence and disappears either temporarily or permanently when he takes control of the man who resembles him. When Charles Dexter Ward is researching the history of Joseph Curwen, his sources lead him to an eighteenth-century townhouse at Orney Court in Ward’s hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, where Curwen settled after fleeing Salem, Massachusetts. He hires a restorator to restore the painting, has it moved to his study, and discovers some documents of Curwen’s hidden in the wall behind it. When he finally succeeds in resurrecting Curwen, the painting disintegrates into dust: an end which Curwen himself later meets. On Strange Paradise, Jacques’ oil painting sometimes disappears when he possesses Jean Paul, but the show is inconsistent about this cue from episode to episode.[3] In contrast to Curwen’s painting, Jacques’ portrait always returns after he leaves Jean Paul’s body and appears to be indestructible: when Jean Paul sets fire to Maljardin in Episode 65, the portrait survives and later re-appears in the attic at Jean Paul’s childhood home Desmond Hall in Episode 131.

In spite of these similarities, I should note that the method of resurrection differs from one work to the other. In Strange Paradise, Jacques achieves this by possessing Jean Paul: after Jean Paul frees him by removing the silver pin from the head of his effigy, Jacques’ spirit can enter and exit Jean Paul’s body at will. In The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, the title character literally resurrects Curwen, his great-great-great-grandfather, using his essential salts, after which Curwen murders him. Ward behaves as though Curwen has possessed him--he has the speech and manners of a man of the colonial period and knows extremely specific details about the history of Providence--but the pit above his right eye which Ward did not previously possess and the lack of the olive birthmark on Ward’s hip indicate a different body. When Jean Paul opens his casket in the pilot, he finds only the conjure doll and silver pin; the absence of Jacques’ body is never explained and could be for any number of reasons, which we shall not discuss here.

The Haunted Palace

A lobby card for The Haunted Palace asking the question, “What was the terrifying thing in the PIT that wanted women?” (Source)

In 1963, American International Pictures released The Haunted Palace, a loose adaptation of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward written by Charles Beaumont and directed by Roger Corman. Due to alleged executive meddling (a theme which should already be familiar to regular readers of this blog), the film was marketed as an adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe poem of the same name, which Vincent Price quotes throughout the film. In the adaptation process, Beaumont made many changes to the source material, the most notable of which was the decision to have Curwen breed human women with the elder god Yog-Sothoth, as alluded to on the lobby card above.[4]

Though an entertaining and visually enthralling film, most of the changes made to The Haunted Palace weaken the plot. In my opinion, Beaumont added too many Hollywood horror conventions during the adaptation process, which did not always work effectively considering the unconventional source material, not to mention left many plot holes unfilled. The dated and sleazy sexual angle which he added to the film makes the cosmic horror of Yog-Sothoth less cosmic and more carnal; whether this makes him more or less frightening depends on one’s personal opinion, but I feel it contradicts his otherworldly characterization in Lovecraft’s works. For the most part, the talents of the director and the actors (especially Price, who is fabulous as always) make up for these problems, but I prefer--and highly recommend--the far more faithful radio drama adaptation by the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society.

The most notable influence of The Haunted Palace on Strange Paradise comes from its characterizations of Charles Dexter Ward and Joseph Curwen. Despite many similarities with The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, the characterizations of both Jean Paul Desmond and Jacques Eloi des Mondes owe far more to the portrayals of the protagonist and villain in the The Haunted Palace than in its source material. In The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, neither Ward nor Curwen shows any romantic or sexual interest in women whatsoever.  Lovecraft’s Ward only cares about antiquities, the local history of Providence, and the story of his ancestor; at twenty-six, he is unmarried and either asexual or simply too absorbed in his studies to pursue any romantic or sexual partner. The sexual orientation of Lovecraft’s Curwen is just as much of a mystery: although he took Eliza Tillinghast as a wife during his lifetime and their union produced a daughter, theirs was an arranged marriage for the sake of elevating Curwen’s social status within Providence society.

Both Price’s Ward and his Curwen, in contrast, show a marked interest in women. While their marriage is never outright stated to be a love match, Ward and his wife Ann (Debra Paget) appear to feel mutual love and devotion and have enough chemistry to imply a mutual sexual attraction. Like a dark mirror of Ward, Curwen shows a marked interest in the sexual and sexualized domination of women. In The Haunted Palace, the people of Arkham consider him a threat primarily because he lures local women to his palace to use in his rituals. While possessing Ward, Price’s Curwen rapes Ann--whom he later offers to Yog-Sothoth as well--and resurrects his former mistress, Hester Tillinghast (Cathie Merchant), who assists him in his sorcery in the film’s climax. If Lovecraft’s Curwen never did any similar actions, he does not mention them in his novella.

In Strange Paradise, romantic and sexual desire for women motivates both Jean Paul and Jacques. Jean Paul resurrects his ancestor neither out of an obsession with his history (as in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward) nor by accident (as in The Haunted Palace), but because Jacques’ spirit promises that, if the recently widowed Jean Paul frees him, he will restore life to his beloved wife Erica (Tudi Wiggins). Many episodes show Jean Paul mourning her death and narrating a tape-recorded journal to her, and he obsesses over protecting her cryogenically-preserved corpse from danger. Jacques romantically pursues several female characters over the course of the Maljardin arc--including Erica, her sister Dr. Alison Carr (Dawn Greenhalgh), and the wealthy widow Elizabeth Marshall (Paisley Maxwell) and her 20-year-old daughter Holly (Sylvia Feigel)--and makes many sexual innuendos about them. After resurrecting Erica, she obeys Jacques as though he were her husband and assists him by murdering most of the guests on Maljardin. This makes her character’s role comparable to that of Hester in The Haunted Palace.[5]

On a more superficial note, neither Jacques nor Curwen wears a costume appropriate to his era of origin. In his portrait and in flashbacks, Jacques wears a side-parted 1960s hairstyle and clothing, including a doublet and lace collar and cuffs, more appropriate for the 1630s than the late 17th century when he lived (1660-1689, according to the plaque beneath his portrait). Similarly out of place, Curwen has short hair and a beard and wears a historically inaccurate lace bib in his portrait and in the prologue at the beginning of the film. Unlike the others, this similarity is almost certainly coincidental.

An even greater similarity, however, can be found in the scene forty-five minutes into the film where Curwen speaks to Charles through his portrait.The scene occurs after the second instance of Curwen possessing him, during which he unearths Hester’s coffin and has his fellow warlocks Simon Orne (Lon Chaney, Jr.) and Jabez Hutchinson (Milton Parsons) deliver it to his cellar laboratory. Ann catches him down there and he sends her away, still possessed by Curwen. When Curwen leaves his body, they have this conversation:

JC: (from painting) "Charles Dexter Ward…" CDW: "Leave me alone! LEAVE ME ALONE!" JC: "I will never leave you alone. Your blood is my blood, your mind is my mind, your body is my body. It will do you no good to resist me. Your efforts grow weaker every day." CDW: "No! NO!" JC: "You cannot keep me out, Ward. My will is too strong." (he possesses Ward again) "Too strong for you, Ward. Too strong for you."

Similarly, most episodes from the Maljardin arc of Strange Paradise feature at least one scene where Jean Paul communicates with Jacques’ disembodied spirit, represented by his portrait. In some scenes, they use a shot of the portrait hanging in the Great Hall; other times, they superimpose Jacques’ painted face over that of his identical descendant. One of the earliest examples of Jacques referring to them as one comes in Episode 5, when he taunts Jean Paul about his attraction to Alison. “She’s so delectable a woman. How could I--you--we--ever resist or let her go?” he says, snickering throughout. During another such conversation in Episode 27, Jacques refers to Jean Paul’s body as “our body” and commands him to rest because he is tired. In still another scene ten episodes later, he complains to Jean Paul that he is “waiting for the use of our body” as Jean Paul begs him not to “enter”; the dialogue in the scene has undertones suggestive of fantasy-metaphor rape, which Jacques’ sickeningly sweet tone of voice underscores. These are only a handful of examples of the recurring theme of Jacques viewing Jean Paul’s body as his own and seeking to dominate it completely.

Comparison of a shot of Joseph Curwen glowering in front of his portrait with a similar one of Jean Paul glowering in front of the portrait of Jacques from Strange Paradise Episode 41.

Surprisingly, unlike in the novella, Curwen's portrait does not disintegrate when he possesses Ward. As Strange Paradise eventually started doing with Jacques’ portrait, Curwen’s portrait remains hanging until the end of the film, when it burns along with the rest of the palace (which begs the question of how it is even physically possible for stone to burn). Jacques’ portrait meets the same apparent end when Jean Paul sets fire to the château and flees Maljardin, but later returns to him at Desmond Hall, seemingly undamaged by the flames. It does not vanish for good until the final week of the show (Episodes 191-195), when a group of characters force him out of it by rubbing his brother’s ashes on his eyes and lips; this drives him out of the painting and into Jean Paul’s body, which he leaves at the end of the penultimate episode.[6]

Still another similarity comes from what is, in my opinion, Beaumont’s most ingenious change to the plot: the implication that all the human townspeople in 19th-century Arkham are reincarnations of identical people from the previous century, not just the necromancers. The same actors even portray their descendants: for example, Leo Gordon plays both Ezra and Edgar Weeden, and Frank Maxwell portrays both Dr. Marinus Willett and his ancestor Priam. Implied reincarnation figures heavily in the original outline for Strange Paradise, with Jean Paul, his sister-in-law Alison Carr, and the young heiress Holly Marshall all having dreams about previous lives on 17th-century Maljardin. Much like Jacques who possesses his descendant, Holly’s mother Elizabeth Marshall may have also been possessed by her previous incarnation, the native priestess Tarasca, under this outline, as foreshadowed in the clips in this video. The second Desmond Hall arc (Episodes 131-195), likewise, involves reincarnation from past ancestors (including the return of Jacques), but this final arc otherwise shares little in common with either The Case of Charles Dexter Ward or its adaptation.

Conclusion

There is strong evidence that Strange Paradise drew inspiration from both The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Haunted Palace for the story about Jean Paul Desmond’s possession by Jacques Eloi des Mondes. We see elements from both the book and its first film adaptation in the serial: Ian Martin’s characterization of Jacques, the possession, and the talking portrait owe more to the film, while the disappearing portrait and certain elements of Jacques’ backstory are more reminiscent of Lovecraft’s original novella. Despite this inspiration, Ian Martin added many other elements to the story of Maljardin that were not present in either work, including the conjure doll and silver pin, the strange circumstances surrounding Erica’s death, and secondary protagonist Holly’s pursuit by several male characters and victimization by a mysterious spirit. The result is a serial combining the plots of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and its adaptation with original ideas to create a unique and--yes--strange new story.

Notes

[1] For more information on the aborted Tarasca storyline, see “The Secret of Tarasca“ and the section of my review of Episode 40 titled “The Lost Episode 40.”

[2] Dorothy Daniels, Island of Evil (New York: Paperback Library, 1970), p. 45.

[3] The Paperback Library novels do not just portray this consistently, but portray the other characters as seeing an empty frame while Jacques is controlling Jean Paul’s body. See also my review of Episode 15.

[4] For an in-depth plot comparison, see the blog post “The Films of Charles Dexter Ward” by Fake Geek Boy.

[5] According to an early newspaper summary for Episode 35, Tarasca would have endangered the life of Jean Paul’s love interest Alison, also shows some signs of possible influence by this subplot. See also this video.

[6] Many of the events of the final month of Strange Paradise are unclear and/or unexplained, so this interpretation should be taken with a grain of salt.

#strange paradise #the case of charles dexter ward #h. p. lovecraft #the haunted palace #charles beaumont #essay #sp influences #maljardin arc #desmond hall arc ii #aka #the great desmond hall mind screw #related media #analysis #dorothy daniels #fantasy metaphor murder #fantasy metaphor rape #ian martin #paperback library #tarasca #vincent price

[roaringgirl]

Book club - February

 As previously, books read in February, as I continue to devour novels like when I was 10 and had no friends and nothing to do.

Did not manage to finish any of the books I was stalled on in January. Maybe next month. But I did keep the ratio of men and women authors at roughly 50/50, although with a smaller proportion of women authors than in January. Next month I have to read something published before the 20th century.

1. Dan Simmons - Hyperion (1989): Really enjoyed this! It’s basically a book of science fiction short stories with a fairly tangential linking narrative. I don’t feel much urge to read the rest of the series because the main plot seems incomprehensible, but this was a fun set of science fiction stories.

2. Jeannette Ng - Under the Pendulum Sun (2017): Absolutely love how much the plot of this can be predicted depending on what you know about Newmanism and Anglican eucharistic disputes.

3. John Haywood - Northmen: The Viking Saga, 793-1241 (2015): Honestly this was a little dry - I think it’s way too extensive of an overview. Fascinated by the bits about the Vikings in Russia and the Byzantine Empire, though, which is really what I wanted to read about.

4. Walter M. Miller - A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959, sort of a reread although I read it when I was 12 and don’t remember it at all): Set in a monastery in the Southwestern US after nuclear war plunges the world back into the dark ages. I liked it a lot, and would recommend if you enjoy vintage sci-fi. If not, not.

5. Larry McMurtry - Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen (1999): Loved this. A set of essays and recollections half about reading and half about his hometown in Texas. I was really struggling to read at the beginning of this month and this absolutely reminded me of how much I love reading.

6. Nora Ephron - I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman (2006): I read this one evening while cooking then in the bath and do not recall it strongly, but I do think it was a fun bath and I made a very nice meal (squid with spinach and broad beans in an anchovy sauce).

7. Irmgard Keun - Gilgi, One of Us (1931): A massive sensation when it was first published because it involves unemployment, sex out of wedlock, abortion and single motherhood. I’m not sure the translation was great - big chunks of it were rendered in irritatingly phonetic dialect as an attempt to capture the Cologne dialect.

8. China Miéville - The Scar (2003): I read Perdido Street Station last month and again, while it’s definitely baggy I absolutely love how closely British politics and society of the early 19th century is rendered in this sci-fi world.

9. Nora Ephron - Crazy Salad (1975): This is a much more substantial collection. Enjoyed it a lot, both as a cultural artefact and because it’s funny.

10. James Meek - To Calais, in Ordinary Time (2019): Struggled to get into this at first but ended up loving it. It reminded me of the actual medieval literature I’ve read sort of like Nobber (Oisin Fagan) did - they’re utterly different books, apart from being about the Black Death, but they both have a slippery alienness and strangeness to them.

11. Dee Brown - The Fetterman Massacre (1962): Excellent study of one incident in the Indian Wars (Brown later wrote Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee - this is probably of less general interest, but is very very good).

12. W.S. Graham - The Nightfishing (1955): I love Graham’s poetry but have always struggled to say anything vaguely interesting or intelligent about it.

13. Francis Spufford - Golden Hill (2016): Really fun novel - a (drastically trimmed and more concise) take off of 18th century picaresque novels, set in Manhattan in 1746.

14. Deborah Levy - Hot Milk (2016): Don’t have a lot to say about this - it felt very... insubstantial? Plus a tendency for characters to unconvincingly (cod-)psychoanalyse themselves.

15. Sylvia Townsend Warner - Summer Will Show (1936): What a strange, wonderful book! From the summaries I’d seen I thought it was going to be a fairly insubstantial comedy, which it emphatically isn’t. Probably, with the Golding below and Graham above, a candidate for my favourite book of the month.

16. William Golding - The Spire (1964): The Dean of a medieval English cathedral becomes obsessed with the building of a 400-foot spire - which the cathedral doesn’t have strong enough foundations to support. Nightmarish, claustrophobic.

17. Lucie Britsch - Sad Janet (2020): Whatever. Insubstantial sad-girl MFA lit. Made me appreciate Ottessa Moshfegh more.

18. Jim Crace - Harvest (2013): One to add to my growing sub-genre of ‘nightmarishly claustrophobic historical novels recounting a spiral into disaster’.

19. Mona Awad - Bunny (2019): I hated this. This is pretty unfair because I knew early on that I wouldn’t like it, but it just got worse and worse and worse. If you’re going to attempt to skewer poorly executed post-feminist sub-Angela Carter magical realism MFA writing, I would suggest that you should not yourself turn out a piece of poorly executed post-feminist sub-Angela Carter magical realism MFA writing. I realise I keep using ‘MFA’ pejoratively in these, but it’s just such a good shorthand for this kind of writing. 

20. Torrey Peters - Detransition, Baby (2021): I was kind of torn on this - there are a lot of things I liked about it formally, but Peters keeps positing fantasies of eroticised violence and subjugation to men as key to womanhood - she clearly wasn’t being entirely serious but I found those parts upsetting, enough to detract from how much I enjoyed the rest of the book, which I did a lot. I don’t know!

21. Sarah Waters - The Paying Guests (2014): Exactly what I expect from a Sarah Waters novel and, therefore, fun. I think this middlebrow 20th-century mode suits her.

22. Marc Morris - A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain (2008): Very readable popular history, which is exactly what I wanted. I preferred his book on the Norman Conquest but I think that’s just a period I’m more interested in.

#book club

[ask-codeearasure]

Questions and Answers

Question: Why did you combine Dreamtale and Mafiatale together for Dream and Nightmare?

Answer:

I did so because I thought it would be fun. I like to go with the most wacky and zany ideas because to me it’s fun. Think of Treasure Planet.

How can they breathe in space? Why are the spaceships like boats? I DON’T KNOW BUT IT’S FUN AND COOL AND FUCKING AMAZING!

I love that fun shit. Fuck serious shit, let me have my fun. But, also I like to add serious tones to it but the thing is, is that too much seriousness is not fun. Think of Teen Titans, it was a funny as shit show but also had serious undertones that would seemingly come up out of nowhere but it did so in a way that let the viewer take them seriously because of how they complimented the comedy. Angst and drama works in small bursts, but you can never have enough comedy. If you don’t let yourself have fun, you are going to lose interest in your own creation and no one wants that.

Also there was a deeper reason for this. A good while ago (fuck my memory) several people were having very serious issues with a guy called ManiaKnight, and his treatment towards people during these event things where he’d roleplay as several characters, such as Ink, Error and push narratives, however he’d use the characters to gaslight and manipulate those who had joined the events.

He made it all super dark, serious and edgy in the worst way possible and people wanted him to lighten it up via Dream. However for some reason Mania hated Dream and so out of spite he made Dream an Amalgamation, and thus normal Dream became a symbol of “Fuck you Mania” for the people who were tired if Mania’s bullshit.

A former friend of mine had vented to me about this so I designed Mafia!Dream to help encourage their “rebellion”. One thing led to another and here I am! We’ve been having fun with the characters since then.

Question: Is Error obsessed with Hazbin Hotel?

Answer:

No, I made a few Hazbin Hotel jokes in OOC because I fucking loved the pilot and couldn’t help myself because I’m a massive goober. Also FYI. Error is actually obsessed with Gambling, and doesn’t know Novella exists nor would he care that it exists.

My version of Error is not much like normal Error.

Question: Why’d you make Dream and Nightmare hoomans?? Nightmare looks like a onceler >:(

Answer:

The AU that my Nightmare and Dream are from requires them to go to the human world, so they need a human disguise. Thus they use illusions to make them look human. They’re not actually humans. They’re monsters with illusion magic. The humans in their AU don’t know that Monsters exist.

Let me elaborate, sorry for Spoilers.

Nightmare and Dream’s AU is extremely different from Dreamtale.

Mafia!Dreamtale is an AU where Dream and Nightmare are from two different realms of reality that they’re named after. The Nightmare Realm and the Dream Realm. Monsters are from these realms and consume desires and only feel certain emotions.

Dream Realm: They only feel Positive Emotions and eat Positive Desires

Nightmare Realm: They only feel Negative Emotions and eat Negative Desires.

They need to go to the human realm in order to collect these desires because the human realm is in the beginning of an Industrial Revolution and sleep has been practically outlawed because people are more concerned with progressing technology. In this AU Sleep Medicine and Alcohol are outlawed and give you time in prison if you’re caught with them.

Nightmare and Dream both make and sell these products. Nightmare sells alcohol, Dream sells Sleep Medication. Which is why they need to go to the human world and why they have the illusions.

Question: Are you tryna butcher every AU sans you come across gurl

Answer:

If by “butcher” you mean switch shit up and have fun. Then yes. Yes I am. I’m not trying to be accurate to the source material. You assuming that I’m trying to stay accurate to the source material is just that. An assumption. Not the truth.

Aren’t you tired of the same ideas over and over and over and over again? Let’s get extreme! Let’s go ham! LETS FUCKING GO! FUCK, KINGDOME HEARTS!TALE LETS GO -- okay but in all seriousness. Let’s look at all the AUs that we have. Where are the more zany ones? Where are some that just go weird and shit comes from seemingly left field before doing a nose dive into weirder territory? Why not have fun?

Fuck, I’ve seen Harry Potter meets My Little Pony fanfictions that are twice as fun than some of the AUs that I’ve seen.

Outertale is just Undertale but in Space! Can we go a little bit harder on the concept? Let’s push it just a little bit further. What else can we do with this concept? Are there space theme magic? What about when the monster’s die? Do they become dust? Stardust? Why not push the concept a bit further? What if they went supernova? What about that? Can we go further or are you just content with Undertale but in space? What if we made the story take place in the year 3000?

(Note: I don’t know much about Outertale. I only used it as an example.)

Question: Why is your Horror based on Japanese mythology?

Answer:

I wanted him to be different and I like going all out with my characters. I like basing them off of different things. I wanted my versions of the characters to be different. I didn’t want to be blatantly ripping off others. I know the originals are great! But I didn’t want to feel like I was ripping them off and claiming them as my own. But I also wanted to show off some individuality. I wanted to deviate for the sake of fun. I wanted to go all out. There is nothing wrong with changing things up.

Horror is actually mainly based off of the Blood Moon skins from League of Legends. But it got my interest in Japanese mythology going again so I decided to mix that in there BUT that is also because The Blood Moon Skins are based in Ionia a region on Runeterra (the world of League of Legends) that is based off of Japan and… well.. Asia in general. So I got those two things and mixed them together and started to switch shit up. Change the Blood Moon idea into something new! I want to make things different.

Question: Is Dust based off of Assassin’s Creed???

Answer:

I have never played Assassin’s Creed. The closest thing to it I’ve played is League of Legends’ Pyke, and Ekko; and with Watch_Dogs (the second one) but I haven’t gotten past the first level because I had to focus on my college education and I haven’t had the time to play through it.

Dust is based off of Alice in Wonderland, Alice: Through the Looking Glass, American McGee’s Alice, Alice: the Madness Returns, Dr. Spencer Ried from Criminal Minds, Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bamg Theory, Ekko the Boy Who Shattered Time from League of Legends, Visual Kei, and the image in this Youtube video: https://youtu.be/jJ0qDlyrGow

It’s weird that you came to such a conclusion because everyone else keeps telling me he looks like he’s from Kingdom Hearts, which is hilarious! Dear god, I don’t see either! Someone needs to break this down to me because I must be fucking blind.

(Ps. Please send the music artists in that video love, adoration, support, and money. They’re amazing and need more of everything positive.)

Question: Killer looks like a walking JoJo reference!!! Is he??

Answer:

Nope. I didn’t even watch Jojo when I designed him -- which reminds me I still need to binge the show. Killer is actually based off of Tanya Degurechaff from Saga of Tanya the Evil, and Edward Elric from FullMetal Alchemist and FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

His story will barely even reflect this. And I know what you’re thinking “So original/sarcasm” well there is no such thing as originality. As an artist (which writing even falls under). Everything is inspired and based on something.

To quote Picasso “Good artists copy, Great artists steal”. Now this can be taken in a horrible way but it’s talking about technique. You can steal a technique and those techniques are something you are even taught in art school. You can take inspirations and those inspirations are dependent on how they are used. In this context, the technique is a trope. Tropes are dependent on how they are used and executed. And yes I might switch up Killer’s design a bit, but at the same time I like his design but I don’t think I will change it right now, I need to think about it, because now that I think about it, it’s not much of a military uniform but that’s because of his jacket. I will have to add a bit more detail to his uniform. Also the shadow behind him is a visual signifier of the Chara part of his soul (he absorbed Chara’s Soul but her soul is still active) which is awake and can still talk, but it's more like she is talking through him a voice emanating from his soul -- perhaps that’s why he looks so… Jojo-y?... I’m going to have to go through his design with a fine tooth comb to switch it up a little more.

“Question:” WHY IS BERRY TOO CUTE AND TOO MUCH OF A BABIE!! I HATE THOSE KIND OF BERRIES AND I WANNA MURDER THAT THING FGHJKL!!!!!!111!!

Answer:

That isn’t my problem bud. I don’t cater to anyone. If you think he’s too cute, that’s not my problem. Hell I made him that way because my version of Berry -- Cyber!Berry -- is literally a 3 year old who is super intelligent but still a child. I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen a 3 year old, but they look so fucking cute. But if you don’t vibe with cute things… that’s a you thing, not a me thing.

It’s your problem. Not mine. You don’t have to like my designs.

“Question:” i hate ur characters, they made me cry because of how badly designed they are hurrrr durrrrr

Answer:

Not my problem, I’m not catering to anyone. You hating my characters doesn’t mean shit. After all, let's point out the obvious… it’s just your opinion. You don’t have to like my designs. They weren’t made specifically for you. They were made for fun not for you. I’m not going to cater to you. Do yourself a favor and go away and find something you do like,or find the best discount at Macy’s, or send your favorite creator love, because those things are better than wasting your time and more importantly mine and my friends’. If you wish to stay strictly to bitch, bemoan and troll, please cry directly into my coffee mug, your salty tears give me life.

#faq post #qna #Code: Erasure

[heartfeltheart]

Alchemy: Magic Vs. Science

Chapters: 13/25 Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist/Harry Potter Rating: T Relationships: Edward/Winry, Lan Fan/Ling, and May/Alphonse. Primary Characters: Edward Elric, Severus Snape Additional Tags: Crossover, Teacher!Edward, BrOtp Edward/Severus. Sassy beyond measure. Series: Part 1 of 9. Summary: Magic and Science, are they the same or are they completely different? It just takes one person to point out all up and downs. Along with breaking the stereotypes that come up with being a wizard, alchemist and most of all being human. Thank you, @amynchan! D/C: I do not own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist. Discord: La Red(Mesh Mash of… stuff.): https://discord.gg/KYjmVAb Alchemy Series: https://discord.gg/DejEYNJ

“English and Edward’s accented voice.” “Amestrian or another foreign language.” “Written notes.” ‘Thoughts.’ First Name: Informal Last Name: Formal (Or used to annoy others)

Ling looked over his balcony, Lan Fan dutifully by his side. He sighed hopefully, looking down to all of the nobles and courtiers of his country. It was a tight fit, despite being the largest courtyard that his largest palace had to offer, but he wanted to make damned sure that everyone heard his announcement. There could be no excuses. This was a delicate matter, thanks to his great-great-great-great-great.... Well, an emperor long past, anyway. This had to be perfect. He nervously grabbed Lan Fan's hand.

"People of Xing."

Every head popped up, even the servants, noticing that the Emperor had addressed everyone, not just the nobles. 'Good. A good start,' Ling thought hopefully. He caught his breath and started again.

"People of Xing. All of my children. I step forward today with an announcement, with a new decree, and with a confession, all in one." Ling ignored the mumbling of his audience and demanded silence as his fear ebbed away, hand still tightly grasping Lan Fan's. He continued, knowing that he was finally righting a wrong.

"Many centuries ago, my ancestors discovered magic in this empire. At first, they extorted it, but once the villagers learned of it, they grew afraid, and outlawed it, made it taboo, with a sentence of death. This you know well, for every law and history book will tell you. What it WON'T tell you is the rest of that story. It WON'T tell you how, through all of these years, though it is death to all, it is secretly taught to the Emperor and his next of kin. How there is an entire vault full of magical artifacts that I, as your leader, am EXPECTED to use daily for my own protection. But I am not that type of emperor. I am not a liar. I am not a hypocrite. I respect and love my people. I try every day to be fair and firm. So, let it be written, as of today, magic is not taboo! You shall NOT punish those that have it, or I shall have YOU punished! For there is no excuse! You have heard it here, from the mouth of your Emperor!"

"It is my wish to teach the ones with magic in a controlled environment, so that they may learn to harness their powers, to use them for the good of their family and country. I myself will be there when my duties allow, as it is customary that the Emperor learn to control the artifacts in his possession. These people are not to be harmed. They will be frightened, believe this to be some sort of trap. I want you to soothe them. Bring them peace. This is my will. Send out the criers."

-.-

"Magic?"

"What is the Emperor thinking?"

"Mama, what's magic?"

"Please let this be true..."

"The Emperor is looking for every individual that has any magical ability..." A crier announced. Several people from the town began to crowd around him to listen to what was being said. It is rather rare when a crier would come around and for them to announce such a thing, what a wonder. What was being said caused worry to stir up within them? For centuries, there had been a stigma about magic in Xing. More especially so in the rural parts of the country compared to the more populated areas, where time seemed to stay still and nothing seems to progress any forward until something or someone were to come and destroy that sense of normality. Perhaps this time around, this could be a good thing. A good time for the change for once, for it has been too long for this to remain in the dark, in complete fear.

The town matriarch was seen conversing heavily with the next town over's noble, pointing at the crier worriedly, gathering her children to her. When he responded to her, she visibly relaxed, though still seemed a bit disbelieving. As they spoke, she cried, hugging him in relief, then bent down to her children to hold them. Together, they listened intently to the crier.

"If you possess such capability then you are to..."

A good change, indeed.

-.-

Edward leaned against his desk, scanning through the exams of the students of his upcoming class. Out of all the students that took the class, they are the only ones that showed a good balance of knowledge and common sense.

Knowledge and common sense, two factors he looks for in a student. There are several other factors that are needed, but those two are the main ones when considering kids that grew up with a magical sense. What really makes these kids have Edward's nod of approval is their way of answering the important question, 'All is one, one is all'. Knowledge and Common sense is one thing, but to have an understanding of the world around them is whole other issue.

"Is that him?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"We met him during the summer, that's him."

"...I saw Professor Snape once pull him by his braid to avoid falling over the moving staircases..."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Edward's head snapped up toward the main entrance of his classroom. The door was partially left open, just enough to allow him to hear them and to have someone peak in to see him. Pushing away from the desk and placing the exams on it, he headed over towards the main entrance. The students kept on rambling on about him and about the class.

Edward peaked his head through the partially open and stared down at his chattering students. They seemed to be so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice his presence. The Alchemy teacher reached over and tapped on a shoulder on one of the students, a Hufflepuff by the looks of it. The Hufflepuff turned around to stare up at Edward with wide eyes and mouth slightly agape. The other students realized the Hufflepuff's sudden change of behavior and turned around to see the reason for it. The two Gryffindors, one Ravenclaw, and one Slytherin saw the golden-haired Alchemy Teacher who was staring at them with a blank expression.

"All of you are zirdeen minutes late for class." Edward stated before he disappears back into his classroom. The five students glanced around at each other and quickly filed into the classroom with panicked expressions. Second first impressions, not so good.

When the students entered the classroom, they could see that Edward pointing at the desks in the front of the classroom. Said desks had their exams they had taken to even be in that class to begin with. Each student sat in their respective desk which had their exam on them.

"My name is Edward Elric; you are to refer to me as Mr. Elric. Is zat understood?" Edward stated he scratched his chin as he heard that familiar echo of 'yes sir'. "Before ve actually start I have to say this... At any moment, I vill kick you out if you cross a cerdain line. Varnings are giffen, depends on hov much you bized me off zat moment."

Edward voice started to grow harsher and became heavily accent as if to prove his point. The point he wanted to make, it was said loud and clear to the give students. "Is zat undersdood?"

"Yes, sir."

Good." Edward said with a chuckle. His voice went from dark, ominous, and heavily accented to a light-hearted, humorous, and much easier to understand. "Let us talk about the reason all of you took this exam. Vat is your reason to learn Alchemy, lie and you are kicked out."

One by one, like the first class the day previously, each student gave their response to why they took the exam. Edward chuckled when he hears the two fiery-haired Gryffindor's reasons for wanting to learn Alchemy. Perfecting their pranks, good one. As long as they are not played against him or done in his class, then it is fair game on their part. The class of five wanted to comprehend alchemy, to understand it to the smallest tiniest detail. Once that was over with, Edward motioned for them to look through their exams. "I want to go over all of your responses for the second to the last question. All is one, one is all."

-.-

'Another day of introductions.' Edward inwardly thought as he repeated his introduction speech to his new class. He inwardly groaned at the fact that it was only Wednesday and he needed to repeat this for two more times. This class doesn't necessarily have the smarts but they do have common sense. At least it isn't so dull...for now.

-.-

Edward leaned against his desk, arms crossed over his chest as he listened to a Ravenclaw give out his own explanation what Alchemy is. It was already Thursday and the weekend needed to arrive faster. Thursday class...filled with smart-asses. They reminded him far too much of himself in so many ways that it is annoying him to no end. Especially how the kid kept going on and on how Alchemy is all about magic, not about 'muggle science'.

If only Edward could toss the kid out his window or abandon him in a deserted island for a month. Perhaps that will teach him a thing or two. Or three...four.... five.... infinity.

-.-

"When I vrote this test, I allowed zome leevay for more people to pass... Typically this is something I would not normally do..." Edward drawled out to his last class of the week. He ignored the looks of disbelief the students were giving him. "Considering vith your magical background and different mindzet towards..."

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "If Teacher could see me now...she would be kicking my ass..."

-.-

"The first class vas okay, they kept an open mind about Alchemy. Zecond class we mostly talked apout the riddle. The zird class...ugh...vere��do I start vith them. The fourth class...smart azess. Today's class, itiots. Zis is vat happens when I play nice..."

Severus was sitting on an armchair while he listened to Edward rant on about his first-week teaching. It was clear that the Golden Blonde had multiple up and downs about teaching, and this is only the beginning for him. A very long beginning.

"There are a few that show promise but I also see some zat have no business in learning Alchemy. Den..."

Severus took out a bottle of firewhiskey from his person and two glasses. "Firewhiskey?"

"Firewhi...vat is that?" Edward stopped mid-rant and gave Severus a questioning look. He saw the Potions Professor hand extended out with a glass filled with what he presumed to be Firewhiskey. "Is that alcohol?"

"Yes."

"Is it strong?"

"Yes."

"...Vill you stop me from doing anything stupid?"

"Maybe."

"Fine. Pass it over here."

-.-

It was a known fact that Roy Mustang was useless in the water.

It was also a known fact that Alexander Armstrong sparkled and bragged about any and everything that he possibly could. Really. Roy considered it a sickness, but with his mouth currently covered by both hands, gloves, firmly placed in his pockets, he really couldn't complain.

"What a wondrous day to be sailing!"

"The wondrous day my..." Roy's eyes went wide when he felt the ship he was currently on shake excessively. 'I hate water...'

Roy glanced over to see Alexander parading around the ship without his coat and shirt. The man was sparkling again. Sparkling! Roy groaned, but naturally, Alex failed to notice. He, instead, was showing off his muscles to the rest of the passengers of the ship.

'If only I had my uniform to make the man stop reacting in such a manner,' Roy silently wished. As it were, the Amestrian Scooby Gang were incognito while heading over to Great Britain. To be more precise, Magical Great Britain. The only issue was that they had to take a ship for the primary part of the trip, while in the guise of a group of college or university friends on a trip. All of this to get in contact with the British Ministry of Magic, all because of the former Fullmetal Alchemist. Führer Grumman had ordered for them to get in contact with the British Ministry of Magic.

"There has to be a form of communication between both parties," he'd ordered. "Or at least, clean up after your charge!"

Typical. It always has to be an Elric causing such ruckus. This should be easy, but no... They have to deal with people that wave around sticks and play truth in a level that should not exist in any way in their eyes.

Roy's eyes went wide and covered his mouth with both hands once more when a particularly large wave hit the boat, rocking it excessively, all while Alex sparkled right in front of him. 'All my suffering to clean up after an Elric. AGAIN. I am going to make him pay...'

-.-

"Finally...I found the library." Edward moaned at the sunlight as he walked into the library with memorized eyes. It was one heck of a view, that was for sure, but as much he wanted to read every single book in here; there was something much more important he needed to do.

"Mr. Elric?"

Edward turned his head towards the direction where he heard his name. He saw an older woman that looked like an underfed vulture. By what Severus had told him that this is Madam Irma Pince, the school's librarian. Someone that is highly possessive and protective of the school's books. "Madam Pince?"

"Professor Snape had informed me that you would be coming here..." Irma stated with clear annoyance in her voice.

Edward mentally will have to ask Severus when he did such a thing, it has been a couple of weeks since he arrived at Hogwarts. "Is dat so... I just found dis place, been very busy."

"Of course..." Irma stated, she pulled out a rolled up parchment from her robes and passed it over to Edward. "This is a list of all the books that are related to Alchemy."

Edward took the parchment, unrolled it, and scanned through them. He recognized the vast majority of the titles on the list from his visit in Diagon Alley. Right next to each title is a note of whether or not the book was checked out or still in the library. To his annoyance, the vast majority of the books that were checked out are the books that he does not approve of. "Great... More work."

Tag List Below:

Permanent Tag List: @runestarchild​ @princesskitomi​ @fanfictionpromptsblog​ @souleateralicestein​ @vixen-uchiha​ @okami-knight​ @legendaryneckjudgestudent​ @weird-homosapien​ @justafanwarrior​ @vivilakitty​ @ravennightingaleandavatempus​ @if-you-give-a-chat-a-cookie​ @moonwatcher04​ @darkshadowguardian​ @two-faced-biatch​ @kris-pines04​ @mewwitch​ @edwardhatori​​ @kuroko26​​ @tall-and-angry​​   @bloody-no-kissu​​ @crazylittlemunchkin​​ @tbehartoo​​ @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry​​ @melicmusicmagic​​

#Alchemy Series #Magic vs Science #Au #FMA #HP #HP/FMA #Chapter 13 #crossover #fanfic

[antoine-roquentin]

In the heart of the US Capitol there’s a small men’s room with an uplifting Franklin Delano Roo­sevelt quotation above the door. Making use of the facilities there after lunch in the nearby House dining room about a year ago, I found myself standing next to Trent Lott. Once a mighty power in the building as Senate Republican leader, he had been forced to resign his post following some imprudently affectionate references to his fellow Republican senator, arch-segregationist Strom Thurmond. Now he was visiting the Capitol as a lucratively employed lobbyist.

The bathroom in which we stood, Lott remarked affably, once served a higher purpose. History had been made there. “When I first came to Washington as a junior staffer in 1968,” he explained, “this was the private hideaway office of Bill Colmer, chairman of the House Rules Committee.” Colmer, a long-serving Mississippi Democrat and Lott’s boss, was an influential figure. The committee he ruled controlled whether bills lived or died, the latter being the customary fate of proposed civil-rights legislation that reached his desk. “On Thursday nights,” Lott continued, “he and members of the leadership from both sides of the House would meet here to smoke cigars, drink cheap bourbon, play gin rummy, and discuss business. There was a chemistry, they understood each other. It was a magical thing.” He sighed wistfully at the memory of a more harmonious age, in which our elders and betters could arrange the nation’s affairs behind closed doors.

I don’t know that Joe Biden, currently leading the polls for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, ever frequented that particular restroom, in either its bygone or contemporary manifestation, but it could serve as a fitting shrine to all that he stands for. Biden has long served as high priest of the doctrine that our legislative problems derive merely from superficial disagreements, rather than fundamental differences over matters of principle. “I believe that we have to end the divisive partisan politics that is ripping this country apart,” he declared in the Rose Garden in 2015, renouncing a much-anticipated White House run. “It’s mean-spirited. It’s petty. And it’s gone on for much too long. I don’t believe, like some do, that it’s naïve to talk to Republicans. I don’t think we should look on Republicans as our enemies.”

Given his success in early polling, it would seem that this message resonates with many voters, at least when they are talking to pollsters. After all, according to orthodox wisdom, there is no more commendable virtue in American political custom and practice than bipartisanship. Politicians on the stump fervently assure voters that they will strive with every sinew to “work across the aisle” to deliver “commonsense solutions,” and those who express the sentiment eloquently can expect widespread approval. Barack Obama famously launched himself toward the White House with his 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention proclaiming that there is “not a liberal America and a conservative America,” only a “United States of America.”

By tapping into these popular tropes—“The system is broken,” “Why can’t Congress just get along?”—the practitioners of bipartisanship conveniently gloss over the more evident reality: that the system is under sustained assault by an ideology bent on destroying the remnants of the New Deal to the benefit of a greed-driven oligarchy. It was bipartisan accord, after all, that brought us the permanent war economy, the war on drugs, the mass incarceration of black people, 1990s welfare “reform,” Wall Street deregulation and the consequent $16 trillion in bank bailouts, the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, and other atrocities too numerous to mention. If the system is indeed broken, it is because interested parties are doing their best to break it.

Rather than admit this, Biden has long found it more profitable to assert that political divisions can be settled by men endowed with statesmanlike vision and goodwill—in other words, men such as himself. His frequent eulogies for public figures have tended to play heavily on this theme. Thus his memorial speech for Republican standard-bearer John McCain dwelled predictably on the cross-party nature of their relationship, beginning with his opening: “My name is Joe Biden. I’m a Democrat, and I loved John McCain.” Continuing in that vein, he related how he and McCain had once been chided by their respective party leaderships for spending so much time in each other’s company on the Senate floor, and referred fondly to the days when senators Teddy Kennedy and James Eastland, the latter a die-hard racist and ruthless suppressor of civil-rights bills, would “fight like hell on civil rights and then go have lunch together, down in the Senate dining room.”

Clearly, there is merit in the ability to craft compromise between opposing viewpoints in order to produce an effective result. John Ritch, formerly a US ambassador and top aide on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, worked closely with Biden for two decades, and has nothing but praise for his negotiating skills. “I’ve never seen anyone better at presiding over a group of politicians who represent conflicting egos and interests and using a combination of conciliation, humor, and muscle to cajole them into an agreed way forward,” Ritch told me recently. “Joe Biden has learned the skills to get things done in Washington. And I’ve seen him apply it equally with foreign leaders.”

The value of compromise, however, depends on what result is produced, and who benefits thereby. ­McCain’s record had at least a few commendable features, such as his opposition to torture (though never, of course, war). But it is hard to find much admirable in the character of a tireless defender of institutional racism like Strom Thurmond. Hence, Trent Lott’s words of praise—regretting that the old racist had lost when he ran as a Dixiecrat in the 1948 presidential election—had been deemed terminally unacceptable.

It fell to Biden to highlight some redeeming qualities when called on, inevitably, to deliver Thurmond’s eulogy following the latter’s death in 2003 at the age of one hundred. Biden reminisced with affection about the unlikely friendship between the deceased and himself. Despite having arrived at the Senate at age twenty-nine “emboldened, angered, and outraged about the treatment of African Americans in this country,” he said, he nevertheless found common cause on important issues with the late senator from South Carolina, who had been wont to describe civil-rights activists as “red pawns and publicity seekers.”

One such issue, as Branko Marcetic has pitilessly chronicled in Jacobin, was a shared opposition to federally mandated busing in the effort to integrate schools, an opposition Biden predicted would be ultimately adopted by liberal holdouts. “The black community justifiably is jittery,” Biden admitted to the Washington Post in 1975 with regard to his position. “I’ve made it—if not respectable—I’ve made it reasonable for longstanding liberals to begin to raise the questions I’ve been the first to raise in the liberal community here on the [Senate] floor.”

Biden was responding to criticism of legislation he had introduced that effectively barred the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare from compelling communities to bus pupils using federal funds. This amendment was meant to be an alternative to a more extreme proposal put forward by a friend of Biden’s, hall-of-fame racist Jesse Helms (Biden had initially supported Helms’s version). Nevertheless, the Washington Post described Biden’s amendment as “denying the possibility for equal educational opportunities to minority youngsters trapped in ill-equipped inner-city schools.” Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, then the sole African-American senator, called Biden’s measure “the greatest symbolic defeat for civil rights since 1964.”

By the 1980s, Biden had begun to see political gold in the harsh antidrug legislation that had been pioneered by drug warriors such as Nelson Rockefeller and Richard Nixon, and would ultimately lead to the age of mass incarceration for black Americans. One of his Senate staffers at the time recalls him remarking, “Whenever people hear the words ‘drugs’ and ‘crime,’ I want them to think ‘Joe Biden.’” Insisting on anonymity, this former staffer recollected how Biden’s team “had to think up excuses for new hearings on drugs and crime every week—any connection, no matter how remote. He wanted cops at every public meeting—you’d have thought he was running for chief of police.”

The ensuing legislation might also have brought to voters’ minds the name of the venerable Thurmond, Biden’s partner in this effort. Together, the pair sponsored the 1984 Comprehensive Crime Control Act, which, among other repressive measures, abolished parole for federal prisoners and cut the amount of time by which sentences could be reduced for good behavior. The bipartisan duo also joined hands to cheerlead the passage of the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act and its 1988 follow-on, which cumulatively introduced mandatory sentences for drug possession. Biden later took pride in reminding audiences that “through the leadership of Senator Thurmond, and myself, and others,” Congress had passed a law mandating a five-year sentence, with no parole, for anyone caught with a piece of crack cocaine “no bigger than [a] quarter.” That is, they created the infamous disparity in penalties between those caught with powder cocaine (white people) and those carrying crack (black people). Biden also unblushingly cited his and Thurmond’s leading role in enacting laws allowing for the execution of drug dealers convicted of homicide, and expanding the practice of civil asset forfeiture, law enforcement’s plunder of property belonging to people suspected of crimes, even if they are neither charged nor convicted.

Despite pleas from the ­NAACP and the ­ACLU, the 1990s brought no relief from Biden’s crime crusade. He vied with the first Bush Administration to introduce ever more draconian laws, including one proposing to expand the number of offenses for which the death penalty would be permitted to fifty-one. Bill Clinton quickly became a reliable ally upon his 1992 election, and Biden encouraged him to “maintain crime as a Democratic initiative” with suitably tough legislation. The ensuing 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, passed with enthusiastic administration pressure, would consign millions of black Americans to a life behind bars.

In subsequent years, as his crime legislation, particularly on mandatory sentences, attracted efforts at reform, Biden began expressing a certain remorse. “I am part of the problem that I have been trying to solve since then, because I think the disparity [between crack and powder cocaine sentences] is way out of line,” he declared at a Senate hearing in 2008. However, there is little indication that his words were matched by actions, especially after he moved to the vice presidency the following year. The executive director of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, Eric Sterling, who worked on the original legislation in the House as a congressional counsel, told me, “During the eight years he was vice president, I never saw him take a leadership role in the area of drug policy, never saw him get out in front on the issue like he did on same-sex marriage, for example. Biden could have taken a stronger line [with Obama] privately or publicly, and he did not.”

While many black Americans will neither forgive nor forget how they, along with relatives and friends, were accorded the lifetime stigma of a felony conviction, many other Americans are only now beginning to count the costs of these viciously repressive initiatives. As a result, criminal justice reform has emerged as a popular issue across the political spectrum, including among conservatives eager to burnish otherwise illiberal credentials. Ironically, this has led, in theory, to a modest unraveling of a portion of Biden’s bipartisan crime-fighting legacy.

Last December, as Donald Trump’s erratic regime was falling into increasing disarray, the political-media class briefly united in celebration of an exercise in bipartisanship: the First Step Act. Billed as a long overdue overhaul of the criminal justice system, the legislation received rapturous reviews for its display of cross-party cooperation, headlined by Jared Kushner’s partnership with liberal talk-show host Van Jones. In truth, this was a very modest first step. It offered the possibility of release to some 2,600 federal inmates, whose relief from excessive sentences would require the goodwill of both prosecutors and police, as well as forbidding some especially barbaric practices in federal prisons, such as the shackling of pregnant inmates. Overall, it amounted to little more than a textbook exercise in aisle bridging, a triumph of form over substance.

In the near term, it’s unlikely that there will be further bipartisan attempts to chip away at Biden’s legislative legacy, a legacy that includes an inconsistent (to put it mildly) record on abortion rights. Roe v. Wade “went too far,” he told an interviewer in 1974. “I don’t think that a woman has the sole right to say what should happen to her body.” For some years his votes were consistent with that view. He supported the notorious Hyde Amendment prohibiting any and all federal funding for abortions, and fathered the “Biden Amendment” that banned the use of US foreign aid for abortion research.

As the 1980s wore on, however, and Biden’s presidential ambitions started to swell, he began to cast fewer antiabortion votes (with some exceptions), and led the potent opposition to Judge Robert Bork’s Supreme Court nomination as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Then came Clarence Thomas. Even before Anita Hill reluctantly surfaced with her convincing recollections of unpleasant encounters with the porn-obsessed judge, Biden was fumbling his momentous responsibility of directing the hearings. As Jane Mayer and Jill Abramson report in Strange Justice, their book about the Thomas nomination battle, Biden’s questions were “sometimes so long and convoluted that Thomas would forget what the question was.” Biden prided himself on his legal scholarship, Mayer and Abramson suggest, and thus his questions were often designed “to show off [his] legal acumen rather than to elicit answers.”

More damningly, Biden not only allowed fellow committee members to mount a sustained barrage of vicious attacks on Hill: he wrapped up the hearings without calling at least two potential witnesses who could have convincingly corroborated Hill’s testimony and, by extension, indicated that the nominee had perjured himself on a sustained basis throughout the hearings. As Mayer and Abramson write, “Hill’s reputation was not foremost among the committee’s worries. The Democrats in general, and Biden in particular, appear to have been far more concerned with their own reputations,” and feared a Republican-stoked public backlash if they aired more details of Thomas’s sexual proclivities. Hill was therefore thrown to the wolves, and America was saddled with a Supreme Court justice of limited legal qualifications and extreme right-wing views (which he had taken pains to deny while under oath).

Fifteen years later, Biden would repeat this exercise in hearings on the Supreme Court nomination of Samuel Alito, yet another grim product of the Republican judicial-selection machinery. True to form, in his opening round of questions, Biden droned on for the better part of half an hour, allowing Alito barely five minutes to explain his views. As the torrent of verbiage washed over the hearing room, fellow Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy could only glower at Biden in impotent frustration.

Biden’s record on race and women did him little damage with the voters of Delaware, who regularly returned him to the Senate with comfortable margins. On race, at least, Biden affected to believe that Delawareans’ views might be closer to those of his old buddy Thurmond than those of the “Northeast liberal” he sometimes claimed to be. “You don’t know my state,” he told Fox as he geared up for his first attempt on the White House in 2006. “My state was a slave state. My state is a border state. My state has the eighth-largest black population in the country. My state is anything [but] a Northeast liberal state.” Months later, in front of a largely Republican audience in South Carolina, he joked that the only reason Delaware had fought with the North in the Civil War was “because we couldn’t figure out how to get to the South. There were a couple of states in the way.”

Whether or not most Delawareans are proud of their slaveholding history, there are some causes that they, or at least the dominant power brokers in the state, hold especially dear. Foremost among them is Delaware’s status as a freewheeling tax haven. State laws have made Delaware the domicile of choice for corporations, especially banks, and it competes for business with more notorious entrepôts such as the Cayman Islands. Over half of all US public companies are legally headquartered there.

“It’s a corporate whore state, of course,” the anonymous former Biden staffer remarked to me offhandedly in a recent conversation. He stressed that in “a small state with thirty-five thousand bank employees, apart from all the lawyers and others from the financial industry,” Biden was never going to stray too far from the industry’s priorities. We were discussing bankruptcy, an issue that has highlighted Biden’s fealty to the banks. Unsurprisingly, Biden was long a willing foot soldier in the campaign to emasculate laws allowing debtors relief from loans they cannot repay. As far back as 1978, he helped negotiate a deal rolling back bankruptcy protections for graduates with federal student loans, and in 1984 worked to do the same for borrowers with loans for vocational schools. Even when the ostensible objective lay elsewhere, such as drug-related crime, Biden did not forget his banker friends. Thus the 1990 Crime Control Act, with Biden as chief sponsor, further limited debtors’ ability to take advantage of bankruptcy protections.

These initiatives, however, were only precursors to the finance lobby’s magnum opus: the 2005 Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act. This carefully crafted flail of the poor made it almost impossible for borrowers to get traditional “clean slate” Chapter 7 bankruptcy, under which debt forgiveness enables people to rebuild their lives and businesses. Instead, the law subjected them to the far harsher provisions of Chapter 13, effectively turning borrowers into indentured servants of institutions like the credit card companies headquartered in Delaware. It made its way onto the statute books after a lopsided 74–25 vote (bipartisanship!), with Biden, naturally, voting in favor.

It was, in fact, the second version of the bill. An earlier iteration had passed Congress in 2000 with Biden’s support, but President Clinton refused to sign it at the urging of the first lady, who had been briefed on its iniquities by Elizabeth Warren. A Harvard Law School professor at the time, Warren witheringly summarized Biden’s advocacy of the earlier bill in a 2002 paper:

His energetic work on behalf of the credit card companies has earned him the affection of the banking industry and protected him from any well-funded challengers for his Senate seat.

Furthermore, she added tartly, “This important part of Senator Biden’s legislative work also appears to be missing from his Web site and publicity releases.” No doubt coincidentally, the credit card giant MBNA was Biden’s largest contributor for much of his Senate career, while also employing his son Hunter as an executive and, later, as a well-remunerated consultant.

It should go without saying, then, that Biden was among the ninety senators on one of the fatal (to the rest of us) legislative gifts presented to Wall Street back in the Clinton era: the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act of 1999. The act repealed the hallowed Depression-era Glass–Steagall legislation that severed investment banking from commercial banking, thereby permitting the combined operations to gamble with depositors’ money, and ultimately ushering in the 2008 crash. “The worst vote I ever cast in my entire time in the United States Senate,” admitted Biden in December 2016, as he prepared to leave office. Seventeen years too late, he explained that the act had “allowed banks with deposits to take on risky investments, putting the whole system at risk.”

In the meantime, of course, he had been vice president of the United States for eight years, and thus in a position to address the consequences of his (and his fellow senators’) actions by using his power to press for criminal investigations. His longtime faithful aide, Ted Kaufman, in fact, had taken over his Senate seat and was urging such probes. Yet there is not the slightest sign that Biden used his influence to encourage pursuit of the financial fraudsters. As he opined in a 2018 talk at the Brookings Institution, “I don’t think five hundred billionaires are the reason we’re in trouble. The folks at the top aren’t bad guys.” Characteristically, he described gross inequalities in wealth mainly as a threat to bipartisanship: “This gap is yawning, and it’s having the effect of pulling us apart. You see the politics of it.”

Biden’s rightward bipartisan inclinations are not the only source of his alleged appeal. In an imitation of Hillary Clinton’s tactics in the lead-up to the 2016 election, Biden has advertised himself as the candidate of “experience.” Indeed, in his self-estimation he is the “most qualified person in the country to be president.” It’s a claim mainly rooted in foreign policy, a field where, theoretically, partisan politics are deposited at the water’s edge and Biden’s negotiating talents and expertise are seen to their best advantage.

He boasts the same potent acquaintances with world leaders that helped earn Clinton a similar “most qualified” label on her failed presidential job application and, like her, has been a reliable hawk, not least when occupying the high-profile chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. An ardent proponent of NATO expansion into Eastern Europe, an ill-conceived initiative that has served as an enduring provocation of Russian hostility toward the West, Biden voted enthusiastically to authorize Bush’s 2003 invasion of Iraq, was a major proponent of Clinton’s war in Kosovo, and pushed for military intervention in Sudan.

Presumably in deference to this record, Obama entrusted his vice president with a number of foreign policy tasks over the years, beginning with “quarterbacking,” as Biden put it, US relations with Iraq. “Joe will do Iraq,” the president told his foreign policy team a few weeks after being sworn in. “He knows it, he knows the players.” It proved to be an unfortunate choice, at least for Iraqis. In 2006, the US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, had selected Nouri al-Maliki, a relatively obscure Shiite politician, to be the country’s prime minister. “Are you serious?” exclaimed a startled Maliki when Khalilzad informed him of the decision. But Maliki proved to be a determinedly sectarian ruler, persecuting the Sunni tribes that had switched sides to aid US forces during the so-called surge of 2007–08. In addition, he sparked widespread allegations of corruption. According to the Iraqi Commission of Integrity set up after his departure, as much as $500 billion was siphoned off from government coffers during Maliki’s eight years in power.

In the 2010 parliamentary elections, one of Maliki’s rivals, boasting a nonsectarian base of support, won the most seats, though not a majority. According to present and former Iraqi officials, Biden’s emissaries pressed hard to assemble a coalition that would reinstall Maliki as prime minister. “It was clear they were not interested in anyone else,” one Iraqi diplomat told me. “Biden himself was very scrappy—he wouldn’t listen to argument.” The consequences were, in the official’s words, “disastrous.” In keeping with the general corruption of his regime, Maliki allowed the country’s security forces to deteriorate. Command of an army division could be purchased for $2 million, whereupon the buyer might recoup his investment with exactions from the civilian population. Therefore, when the Islamic State erupted out of Syria and moved against major Iraqi cities, there were no effective defenses. With Islamic State fighters an hour’s drive from Baghdad, the United States belatedly rushed to push Maliki aside and install a more competent leader, the Shiite politician and former government minister Haider al-Abadi. (Biden’s camp disputed the Iraqi official’s assertion that the United States pressed for Maliki in 2010. “We had no brief for any individual,” said Tony Blinken, who served as Biden’s national security adviser at the time.)

Biden devotes considerable space to this episode in Promise Me, Dad, his political and personal memoir documenting the year in which his son Beau slowly succumbed to cancer. But although we learn much about Biden’s relationship with Abadi, and the key role he played in getting vital help to the beleaguered Iraqi regime, there is little indication of his past with Maliki aside from a glancing reference to “stubbornly sectarian policies.”

Promise Me, Dad also covers Biden’s involvement in the other countries allotted to him by President Obama: Ukraine, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Anyone seeking insight from the book into the recent history of these regions, or of actual US policy and actions there, should look elsewhere. He has little to say, for example, about the well-chronicled involvement of US officials in the overthrow of Ukraine’s elected government in 2014, still less on whether he himself was involved. He records his strenuous efforts to funnel ­IMF loans to the country following anti-­corruption measures introduced by the government without noting that much of the IMF money was almost immediately stolen and spirited out of Ukraine by an oligarch close to the government. Nor, for that matter, do we learn anything about his son Hunter’s involvement in that nation’s business affairs via his position on the board of Burisma, a natural gas company owned by a former Ukrainian ecology minister accused by the UK government of stealing at least $23 million of Ukrainian taxpayers’ money.

Biden’s recollections of his involvement in Central American affairs are no more forthright, and no more insightful. There is no mention of the 2009 coup in Honduras, endorsed and supported by the United States, that displaced the elected president, Manuel Zelaya, nor of that country’s subsequent descent into the rule of a corrupt oligarchy accused of ties to drug traffickers. He has nothing but warm words for Juan Orlando Hernández, the current president, who financed his 2013 election campaign with $90 million stolen from the Honduran health service and more recently defied his country’s constitution by running for a second term. Instead, we read much about Biden’s shepherding of the Hernández regime, along with its Central American neighbors El Salvador and Guatemala, into the Alliance for Prosperity, an agreement in which the signatories pledged to improve education, health care, women’s rights, justice systems, etc., in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars in US aid. In the words of Professor Dana Frank of UC Santa Cruz, the alliance “supports the very economic sectors that are actively destroying the Honduran economy and environment, like mega-dams, mining, tourism, and African palms,” reducing most of the population to poverty and spurring them to seek something better north of the border. The net result has been a tide of refugees fleeing north, most famously exemplified by the “caravan” used by Donald Trump to galvanize support prior to November’s congressional elections.

Biden’s claims of experience on the world stage, therefore, cannot be denied. True, the experience has been routinely disastrous for those on the receiving end, but on the other hand, that is a common fate for those subjected, under any administration, to the operations of our foreign policy apparatus.

Given Biden’s all too evident shortcomings in the fields of domestic and foreign policy, defenders inevitably retreat to the “electability” argument, which contends that he is the only Democrat on the horizon capable of beating Trump—a view that Biden, naturally, endorses. Specifically, this notion rests on the belief that Biden has unequaled appeal among the white working-class voters that many Democrats are eager to court.

To be fair, Biden has earned high ratings from the AFL-CIO thanks to his support for matters such as union organizing rights and a higher minimum wage. On the other hand, he also supported NAFTA in 1994 and permanent normal trade relations with China in 2000, two votes that sounded the death knell for America’s manufacturing economy. Regardless of how justified his pro-labor reputation may be, however, it’s far from clear that the working class holds Biden in any special regard—his two presidential races imploded before any blue-collar workers had a chance to vote for him.

It is this fact that makes the electability argument so puzzling. Biden’s initial bid for the prize in 1988 famously blew up when rivals unkindly publicized his plagiarism of a stump speech given by Neil Kinnock, a British Labour Party politician. (In Britain, Kinnock was known as “the Welsh Windbag,” which may have encouraged the logorrheic Biden to feel a kinship.) Biden partisans pointed out that he had cited Kinnock on previous occasions, though he didn’t always remember to do so. Either way, it was a bizarre snafu. It also emerged that Biden had been incorporating chunks of speeches from both Bobby and Jack Kennedy along with Hubert Humphrey in his remarks without attribution (although reportedly some of this was the work of speechwriter Pat Caddell).

Another gaffe helped upend Biden’s second White House bid, in 2007, when he referred to Barack Obama in patronizing terms as “the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.” The campaign cratered at the very first hurdle, the Iowa caucuses, where Biden came in fifth, with less than 1 percent of the votes. “It was humiliating,” recalled the ex-staffer. (The “gaffes” seem to take physical form on occasion. “He has a bit of a Me Too problem,” a leading female Democratic activist and fund-raiser told me, referring to his overly tactile approach to interacting with women. “We never had a talk when he wasn’t stroking my back.” He has already faced heckling on the topic, and videos of this behavior during the course of public events and photo ops have been widely circulated.)

Further to the issue of Biden’s assurances that he is the man to beat Trump is the awkward fact that, as the former staffer told me, “he lacks the discipline to build the nuts and bolts of a modern presidential campaign.” Biden “hated having to take orders from [David] Axelrod and the other Obama people as a vice-presidential candidate in 2008. Campaign aides used to say to him, ‘I’ve got three words for you: Air Force Two.’” My informant stressed that Biden “sucks at fund-raising. He never had to try very hard in Delaware. Staff would do it for him.” Certainly, Biden’s current campaign funds would appear to confirm this contention. His PAC, American Possibilities, had raised only two and a half million dollars by the end of 2018, a surprisingly insignificant amount for a veteran senator and two-term vice president. Furthermore, although the PAC’s stated purpose is to “support candidates who believe in American possibilities,” less than a quarter of the money had found its way to Democratic candidates in time for the November midterms, encouraging speculation that Biden is not really that serious about the essential brass tacks of a presidential campaign—which would include building a strong base of support among Democratic officeholders.

Other organizations in the Biden universe behave similarly, expending much of their income on staff salaries and little on their ostensible function. According to an exhaustive New York Times investigation, salaries accounted for 45 percent of spending by the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children in 2016 and 2017. Similarly, three quarters of the money the Biden Cancer Initiative spent in 2017 went toward salaries and other compensation, including over half a million dollars for its president, Greg Simon, formerly the executive director of Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Task Force during the Obama Administration. Outside the inner circle of senior aides, there does not appear to be an extended Biden network among political professionals standing ready to raise money and perform other tasks necessary to a White House bid, in the way that Hillary Clinton had a network across the political world composed of people who had worked for her and her husband. “Biden doesn’t have that,” his former staffer told me, “because he’s indifferent to staff.” It’s a sentiment that’s been expressed to me by many in the election industry, including a veteran Democratic campaign strategist. “Everyone else is getting everything set up to go once the trigger is pulled,” this individual told me recently. “I myself have firm offers from the [Kamala] Harris and [Cory] Booker campaigns. The Biden people talked to me too, but they could only say, ‘If we run, we’d love to bring you into the fold.’”

At the start of the new year, Biden must have been living in the best of all possible worlds. As he engaged in well-publicized ruminations on whether or not to run, he was enjoying a high profile, with commensurate benefits of sizable book sales and hundred-thousand-dollar speaking engagements. Even more importantly, Biden found himself relevant again. “You’re either on the way up,” he likes to say, “or you’re on the way down,” which is why the temptation to reject the lessons of his two hopelessly bungled White House campaigns has been so overwhelming. Regardless of the current election cycle’s endgame, though, it’s safe to assume that his undimmed ego will never permit any reflection on whether voters who have been eagerly voting for change will ever really settle for Uncle Joe, champion of yesterday’s sordid compromises.

#paywall so it all goes in

[fullmetalirin]

Fullmetal Alchemist: Battle with Sloth (OG 46-47)

Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 46: "Human Transmutation"

Tucker makes a deal with Alphonse, offering to show Alphonse how to use the philosopher’s stone in exchange for using the stone to resurrect his daughter Nina, while Lust offers to help Edward in exchange for making her human.

Tucker invokes equivalent exchange during his bargain.

We cut to Izumi and Ed discussing Dante. There is a flashback where Izumi argues with Dante about using alchemy for the good of others. Dante tells her to become a State Alchemist if she wants to help people so much… interesting. Izumi asks if she likes people at all, and Dante says she doesn't. She gives a speech that's actually pretty similar to some of the things Envy says in Brotherhood, that humans are violent and savage and will just abuse any power they're given. Izumi shoots back that she herself is human, and Dante doesn't answer. Hmm. I wonder how much is truth and how much is deception? Certainly it would make sense for Dante to want to hoard her power, but I wonder if she really believes what she says – is this how she justifies Amestris to herself, thinking that people would find a reason for war anyway, so they might as well do it for her? Is she projecting her own emptiness onto others? A lot to reflect on here.

Izumi discovered a love letter from Hohenheim to Dante. Good sleuthing! She notices that the date is written in the Christian calendar, and confirms that Christianity is out of practice now. She gives the date as 400 years ago.

Ed seems to come to the conclusion that Hohenheim is the leader of the homunculi. Ah, that's actually a reasonable deduction – he believes Dante was killed by a homunculus, and Izumi just told him there's bad blood between them. But ohoho, how ironic, especially considering Brotherhood.

Ed apologizes to Izumi. Because he's going to kill Wrath?

Mustang pulls strings to keep Fuery out of danger, which is good of him.

He then takes Fuery's glasses and puts them on Riza to assess how she looks, which is kinda creepy. I guess it's reasonable if they are in a relationship, but otherwise, enh.

Bradley promotes both Mustang and Armstrong, and says he hopes the rumors about Mustang are unfounded – that he's planning a coup? So I guess this is some "I know you know" posturing. He goes on to say Archer is still alive – ah, that was the guy missing half his head. I guess he got hit by the edge of the blast.

Bradley has a secret elevator to Dante's mansion underneath Central, which… appears to be part of a city? I think we learn more about that later. Dante confirms that she plans to frag everyone connected to Hughes in the battle.

Envy uses boku? I'm surprised this is the first time I've picked up on that. I guess he does like appearing cute. I suppose it adds a layer of creepy/cute dissonance we English-speakers tragically missed out on.

Envy was supposed to stay in the north, but came to Central because he heard Hohenheim was there. He calls Bradley a "human poseur", and Dante confirms Bradley is a homunculus who can age, "one of [her] masterpieces". I love that that's why he's Pride, by the way – that's utterly brilliant. Dante works very hard on her horrific monstrosities, thank you very much!

Here we get confirmation that Hohenheim was Envy's birth father, and the one who made him. That's a little surprising, I thought that was saved for the very end. I actually do think accompanying that reveal with… everything else that happens in that episode would have greater impact, but I guess some buildup works too.

Bradley asks if Envy misses him, and Envy sends him flying. He then tries to pummel him, but Bradley easily dodges – another nice touch.

Ah, Envy uses ore now. So I guess he switches depending on his mood.

Envy throws a tantrum because he wanted to kill Hohenheim, smashing the floor with his punches. Hm, so he does still have super strength in OG, even though there's less justification for it. I guess we can chalk this up to the homunculi being magic in general.

Dante goads him, and Envy decides he's going to take the Philosopher's Stone from the Elrics before they can use it to restore themselves.

Sloth/Lust/Wrath have broken into the Elrics' room and found a note saying Al is going to meet with Tucker. Wrath is bouncing on the bed, which is cute.

Lust realizes that if Tucker is teaching them to use the Stone, they could use it to humanize the homunculi, too.

Ed returns and gets a faceful of homunculi. He immediately goes for the locket, and makes Lust grab it by accident. Clever!

But then Wrath appears. He absorbs Ed's automail arm. Ed taunts him, saying he'll never be human even if he takes his whole body – even Al, with nothing but a soul, is still more human than him.

Lust turns on Wrath. The automail he absorbed can deflect her spear, which doesn't seem right. Wrath tricks her into impaling the locket, which paralyzes her. Clever!

Wrath breaks off one of her fingers and absorbs it. Yikes!

Ed frees Lust, and now she can impale Wrath through the armor for some reason.

Ed asks why the homunculi want to become human when they're already immortal. Lust says she could say the same thing about Al.

Ed demands to know who the homunculi's master is. Lust says she'll tell him when she becomes human. LOL.

Tucker appears to have succeeded in his human transmutation, but he didn't attach a soul, so that's reasonable. So the Philosopher’s Stone is just to create a proper body. Sloth appears and he freaks out.

Al discovers that a part of his armor has disappeared. Seems like an awful lot just to stitch a body together, considering how much power he's supposed to have.

Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 47: "Sealing the Homunculus"

As Edward, Lust, Wrath, and Sloth all arrive at the factory where Alphonse went to meet Tucker, a climactic battle ensues, as Edward and Alphonse must finally confront their creation.

Time to see how OG handles a boss fight!

Sloth starts acting motherly towards Al. Al appears to buy it, but he's had a hard day, I'll cut him some slack.

As Wrath revives, he appears to dream of outrunning the Gate. I wonder if the Gate tries to pull them in when they die, or maybe just Wrath? It’s a cool depiction, regardless. Rather than just burning power to regenerate, it looks like they’re using the souls in the red stones to actually escape the Gate -- they’re lives, not HP.

Izumi and Sloth blend together in his memories.

Tucker tries to use Al again and Sloth drowns him. The soulless Nina watches impassively.

Ed makes a new arm out of spare metal. He still appears able to move it like normal, so he must have extended the nerve wires somehow. I find that pretty dubious when in the movie he says he doesn’t know how automail works. I guess the writers wanted the drama of him losing his arm but didn’t want the hassle of returning to Winry every time. It keep the plot moving, so it’s allowable, but it still seems a little contrived.

Oh, looks like she didn't kill Tucker. He shows up to creep on Al some more. Ed sees the hole in the armor. Al says it's equivalent exchange.

Ed turns his arm into a gun… I guess he could be extending the metal very thin. He shoots at Sloth, which obviously does nothing. Tucker is somehow able to dodge despite standing right behind her.

Ed jams the box of remains into Sloth, and she melts.

Al yells at Ed for digging up Trisha's grave without telling him. Ed says he's the only one who needed to go through that. What was he expecting, though? He'd have to tell Al eventually.

Lust reflects on her memories. She points out there's no logical reason homunculi should have them. She thinks it might be the memories of the alchemist that are imbued.

Al throws away Trisha's remains because he's stupid. He thinks that since they made her, it's wrong for them to kill her; Ed insists the reverse.

Wrath absorbs the remains into himself.

Wrath sees Lust attacking Sloth. There's a bit too long of a pause as Ed explains what's going on to Al before Wrath attacks. Wrath absorbs the guns in the warehouse to create a massive gun-arm.

Sloth enters Al's armor and starts pupetting him.

I was about to complain that Wrath couldn't hit anything, but Lust actually does eject a ton of bullets. I feel like we still didn't see any of them connect, though.

Wrath brags that he can't die, but Lust says he actually only has as many lives as he has red stones, so she can still brute-force him. Ah, so that does hold true for this continuity too. I guess the idea is that most of them just have an effectively inexhaustible number of lives.

Lust starts using the same wide swipes I complained about in BH 19, but she actually does seem to be extending them. Wrath is only dodging because he's very agile, as previously established.

Wrath comes across the locket, previously discarded, and tricks Lust onto her own transmutation circle. Is it reasonable she'd forget about that? We don't see the circle because of camera angles, but surely she would have? I would think a homunculi would want to steer clear of a sealing circle even if they're sure they're safe.

In an adjacent warehouse, Sloth uses Al to attack Ed. Since contact causes an unstable reaction, Ed has to stay clear. He draws a transmutation circle using tables in the warehouse and uses it to freeze Sloth.

Meanwhile, Lust vomits up her stones. Wrath sneers that she must have wanted to die if she wanted to become human, and Lust wonders if that's true. Wrath kills her, but wonders if that's true for him too.

We get a flashback to the transmutation from Sloth's perspective. Dante arrived apparently the same night to feed her stones. (The question of how she knew to be there is sort of answered by her saying they're Hohenheim's sons so she knew they'd try it.) Dante confirms that all the homunculi were messes to begin with, and only gain complete forms after eating the red stones. Sloth is confused by Trisha's memories, and Dante says she will understand once she becomes human.

Back in the present, Sloth manages to melt herself by… shivering?

Sloth says that she wants to kill Ed so she can be free of her memories. By killing him, she'll prove she's not the person she remembers.

Ed stabs Sloth, and she suddenly explodes. Ed says he transmuted his automail into sodium. Clever!

Wrath fuses himself with Sloth, which paralyzes her because of the remains. Not so clever, Wrath!

Apparently you can't normally transmute a whole body; even Kimblee only transmutes part of the body. The reason Ed was able to break Greed's shield is because homunculi aren't human, and can be wholly transmuted. Ah, that also explains why people can't do what Wrath does. Ed uses this principle to transmute all of Sloth into ethanol, causing her to evaporate. Oh, and it looks like he actually grabs some elements from the ground first, which explains where he's getting the carbon from. Since the inability to turn water into wine was a plot point earlier, it's good that they actually accounted for that.

And… Winry is watching them? We end quite suddenly.

Conclusion

What a fantastic set of episodes! This had wonderful buildup, and the tactics used in the battle were so clever! You can see that the directors went through a lot of trouble to establish where everything was to make the alchemy plausible. Probably why they chose to set it in a warehouse, haha. And the battle is matched in violence by emotion – the brothers finally face head-on their sin and how they feel about it, and we get even more philosophizing from the homunculi's side. As I said last time, the nature of humanity and personhood are crucial themes to OG, and we see that in full display here. I love how we see Lust's humanity contrasted with her still vicious behavior towards Sloth and Wrath, Wrath's mommy issues, Sloth's anti-mommy issues… It's such a rich picture.

My only real criticism, I think, is that I wish there was more of it! Oddly for OG, I think this felt a little rushed, mainly because Ed and Al have avoided the subject for so long. There wasn't really enough time to have both a satisfying battle and to fully address all these issues. I'd have liked to see Ed and Al discuss this a little more beforehand, maybe get a bit more of Sloth too. That might have alleviated some of Al's idiot ball, too – the only excuse I can come up with is that he must still be mentally 11, but you can only lean on that so far.

That, and, I don't know why they're so cordial to Tucker when Ed was totally willing to punch his face in the first time. I'd have liked to see them still angry about Nina, given how that was such a crucial part of their lives; right now, it feels like they've forgotten about her.

Let's update our homunculi list:

Greed is wasted.

Lust defects, and is killed out of vengeance for a loved one.

Sloth is paralyzed.

These two are more poetic than ironic, but I still think they're a lot better executed than Brotherhood's poetic fates. I love that Lust is actually lust – she desires humanity, life, connection, everything that the too-human Dante spurns. So of course she defects. Greed talked a big game about rebelling because he wanted more, but I think Lust has the better, and more meaningful, claim there.

I will admit that Brotherhood!Sloth's fate is probably the most clever of those fates; killing Sloth by outlasting him sort of represents overcoming your own sloth. But agonizingly long battles are not OG's style and, in my opinion, not terribly good storytelling in general, so I find this a much more efficient way of fitting the theme. I do think it's ironic in a more general sense, in that her power is evasiveness: of course she's killed when she's pinned down. Perhaps we could also say that she's sort of killed by anti-sloth, in that she would have survived if Wrath hadn't tried to help, but that's a bit of a reach.

I have to say I'm also finding it interesting how there are strange echoes of Brotherhood in how this plays out. Greed is destroyed by the main villain, the fight moves to Briggs, Ed mistakes Hohenheim for the villain, Sloth is sent to assassinate the heroes and is assassinated herself, Lust brings up the possibility of brute-forcing a homunculi to death… It makes me wonder if these are coincidences, or if they did get a more comprehensive outline than I thought. Or cause and effect could be reversed -- Arakawa may have included those elements later as an homage to the anime.

#fullmetal alchemist #fma #fullmetal alchemist brotherhood #fma 2003 #liveblog

[euladee013]

Know about 007카지노 tournament strategy

Compare the Minchiate cards above to the previous prints. Similarities abound. (Minchiate, 17th century). (Smithsonian) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?search=온라인현금바둑이 If a player's first two cards are an ace and a "ten-card" (a picture card or 10), giving a count of 21 in two cards, this is a natural or "blackjack." In addition to Roger Tilly (1973) who argues that the French suits signify the aristocracy, the military, the clergy, and the servant class, another playing card historian, Samuel Singer, reports this about the French suits: Otherwise, fold.If you play with this strategy, and if you avoid the progressive side bet, you’ll be giving the house an edge of 5.22%.If that strategy seems too complicated, you can follow a much simpler strategy and only give up 0.1% on the game.

ACE, KING — BUY 6th CARD with Outside Straight, Flush or Inside 6-Card Straight Draw. DRAW THREE CARDS without any of the above.NOTHING — Play as follows: Also, if a ten-card is dealt to one of these aces, the payoff is equal to the bet (not one and one-half to one, as with a blackjack at any other time). Unlike place and buy bets, lay bets are always working even when no point has been established. While the pay table is visible to the player, the probability of producing each winning symbol combination remains hidden.

After the cards have been dealt, there may be some bidding. This varies very widely from game to game, and is not treated here. Modern Tarot cards evolved in 56-card decks with 14 cards comprising of four suits. Tarot was originally a card game that branched off into mysticism and magic. Depending on the usage, Tarot decks were divided into occult-decks and non-occult decks. Occult fanatics used Tarot cards to tell the future. The pack was then shortened even further. German single-figure packs habitually carried delightful vignettes of genre scenes at the base of the numeral cards-usually lost when packs became double-ended. Straight flush pays either 10% of the displayed progressive jackpot or pays $5,000 (licensee chooses payout option at the time the game is put into play); Four of a kind pays $500,Full house pays $100,Flush pays $50.

Edward O. Thorp (the developer of card counting and an early hedge-fund pioneer) and Claude Shannon (a mathematician and electronic engineer best known for his contributions to information theory) built the first wearable computer to predict the landing of the ball in 1961. The games are called by drag and non-drag hosts alike and often include ancillary activities such as cabaret shows, contests and other themed activities that add interest and encourage audience participation. On the left and right side of the screen you will see the paytable for the jackpot and the ante bets and once you choose your wager, you may hit deal for the match to begin. The house may have a chance at winning only if it qualifies, meaning the dealer must have A/K or higher.The hand with the lower value is called the front hand, and the hand with the higher value is called the rear hand.

The random number generators used by casinos are 35-year-old technology, so they’re reliable and trustworthy, but table games were designed to be played with real dealers. Live dealer Caribbean Stud Poker restores the game to the way it first gained its popularity. Cutting edge streaming video keeps the camera on the cards the entire time they are dealt. It is a common saying that when playing a game and the first player makes a mistake, the strategy or odds changes. In the 2015 Tamil film Vai Raja Vai directed by Aishwarya R. Dhanush, Gautham Karthik is being coerced to use his special power - 'premonition' - to beat the roulette table. He walks away winning against the casino by predicting the outcome in the roulette table.먹튀검증사이트목록 An important alternative metric is house advantage per roll (rather than per bet), which may be expressed in loss per hour.

Another option open to the player is doubling their bet when the original two cards dealt total 9, 10, or 11. he Société des Constructions Métalliques de Baccarat (Metalwork Factory) at 30 Rue du 20e Bataillon (1913) No. The opportunity to split is only offered to the players.In addition to being able to offer higher kakuhen percentages, koatari made it possible for manufacturers to design battle-type machines.

Don't tip with the expectation that the dealer will bend house rules on when to shuffle; tip for service with a smile. That is the only way it was popularized, and up to now, there is no longer a television station airing the game of blackjack. You really don’t want to lose money or miss out on a big win just because you don’t know all the rules of a game.Insurance is invariably not a good proposition for the player, unless they are quite sure that there are an unusually high number of ten-cards still left undealt.

This variation is different from the original craps game in several ways, but the primary difference is that New York craps doesn't allow Come or Don't Come bets. New York Craps Players bet on box numbers like 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. The overall house edge in New York craps is 5%. The Las Vegas Valley has the largest concentration of casinos in the United States. Based on revenue, Atlantic City, New Jersey ranks second, and the Chicago region third. Taking vig only on wins lowers house edge. Players may removed or reduce this bet (bet must be at least table minimum) anytime before it loses. Some casinos in Las Vegas allow players to lay table minimum plus vig if desired and win less than table minimum. Lay bet maximums are equal to the table maximum win, so if a player wishes to lay the 4 or 10, he or she may bet twice at amount of the table maximum for the win to be table maximum.The double-one tiles and double-six tiles are known as the Day and Teen tiles, respectively.

[purple-seekers]

Lisianthus || Chapter 1: Strange, but Fascinating.

Chapter List

1 - 2 - 3 (coming soon)

     Tap, tap, tap, a familiar noise echoes through a large, yet solitary room. Holograms were opened left and right, papers scattered beneath tables, with a higher amount of crumpled ones below, some not even near the filled trash can that was seemingly kicked over.

     ERROR

     A five lettered message reflected on the pupils of a young man. His magenta eyes were beginning to feel sore, but his expression remained blank. He grew - as much as he hated it -accustomed to these situations. The irritation of failure was the one thing he resented the most, but there was nothing left in there. It dawned on him long ago, and yet it lingers. The feeling of anger, regret and grief only loomed over him. Haunting him. Eating him alive.

     He couldn’t find an answer and this was a verdict he simply couldn’t accept.

     He sat down and placed his tired palms over his eyes. His thoughts were beginning to spiral, he was restless, but there was no solution he could hope come to. All that’s left was the ticking of small clock and the sounds of his holograms doing all the calculations and research he might find useful. The very few sounds that surrounded him began to blur out. It was… quiet.

     Even for just a moment.

     Even for just a second.

     Even for...

     ERROR

     An alarm went off.

     ERROR

     A second went off.

     ERROR

     A third, a fourth and a fifth. It was an endless array of messages, mocking him, pushing him, breaking him, until it was all… Red. He slowly opened his eyes and quietly stood up. His eyes only stared at one of his many holograms, his mind halting, processing what was going on, but then it hit him.

     He grinned. “Aha… ha..” He placed both of his hands over his eyes. A pang of emotions ran through his veins. “Ahaha… hahah..” His back curled up almost immediately and before he knew it—CRASH. Throwing everything on his table to the floor, swiping them away left and right, slamming the desk, making some of the books topple over. A maniacal laugh seeped through his throat, dominating over the sounds of alarms ringing through his ears. Nothing matters, He thought, throwing out everything in front of him, unable to bear the thought of failure.

     He was growing weak, he was tired, restless, exhausted, but most of all... He was sick of every single one of his attempts being nothing but failure. Just as soon as he was about to give in, the door slammed opened. Light seeped into his room and there stood a clear silhouette.

     “Add, what the hell is wrong with you!?” A voice echoed through him. He turned his head slowly and there she was—long purple hair, lively indigo eyes, and an irritated expression. It all blurred out right before him, his eyes began closing until his sight was no longer there.

     Regret was a feeling Add had become accustomed to. Resentment, anger, frustration, bitterness, agony - he never showed them; not ever had he showed them. His maniacal laugh only hinted at a man whose thoughts had been distorted, but as soon as silence caught up with him, a revelation would draw out of his tired mind and it all became audible in his silence. He found himself staring at a dead end, the path had already been faded, the floor and everything around him shattered into glass pieces. He felt weightless. Drowning into a never ending abyss suddenly felt more like a gift than a punishment.

     And then, there was nothing, empty, white. It blinded him, but a part of him felt… Safe. Peaceful. At ease.

     He slowly opened his eyes. Around him was an endless field of small blue flowers  scattered everywhere. He noticed he was under the shade of a tree, he could hear its soft rustles as the graceful wind passed by him. Small blue petals danced around the endless field as the soft blue sky greeted him with a friendly gleam of light.

     He felt light and refreshed, his head against a comfortable surface, and a soft and calm melody accompanied by a sweet and familiar voice.

     “Oh.” The humming pauses momentarily, a chuckle followed right after. “You’re up sooner than I expected.” The voice spoke, caressing his head gently.

     It seemed like a dream, or perhaps a memory of more simpler times. A record of sorts, replaying events of his younger years.

     Her gentle hand continued to stroke his hair, resuming the soothing melody that he had just heard, mixed with the rustling of flowers, swishing louder than the wind allowed them to, then followed by weak footsteps, cushioned by the thick layer of petals and dirt.

     “Edward!” A distant voice called out to him. The voice was childlike and high pitched, it had a tone of excitement and curiosity in it, and a small part of Add couldn’t help but feel relieved. The name had become unfamiliar to him, but hearing it once more gave him a sense of nostalgia.

     “Edwaaard!”

     ...

     “Edwa…”

     …?

     “Edw...dd!”

     …

     “Add!”

     The voice suddenly became louder and closer, but it didn’t sound like the one in the whatever kind of sleep-deprived dream he just had. Unfortunately, even though he had come back to his senses, he was being shaken by someone, making his head spin even more than it already was.

     His eyes tried to open as fast as they could, but everything still seems to be blurred. He could only make out a tinge of purple and nothing more. Right then and there he figured out who it was, but a part of him remained unsure.

     “Get…” He grunted, placing his palms on his forehead. “Out...” His whole body felt numb, and he couldn’t think straight. He was stressed and lacked the sufficient amount of sleep to even function.

     The girl’s facial expression went from worried to irritated.

     “What--!? After I--” She paused, trying to calm herself down. “I give up, you nocturnal rodent…” She sighed, letting this one pass by her.

     Add’s vision had finally begun to clear up, slowly regaining his composure. He sat up and curled back as the usual heavy headache kicked in. His… other kind of headache, the one that seemed like one big purple blur, took shape. That familiar high-pitched voice, those ridiculously strong arms, that bratty, determined tone and…

     “That despicable, bright purple hair…”

     “...That. Is not the worst thing you’ve called me.” She said in a slightly irritated tone, keeping an eye on him. “I guess I could tolerate that.” Aisha gently placed her hand over Add’s forehead, using her frost magic to simulate an ice pack.

     “Stop... That…” Add protested, too weakened to move a muscle. “Don’t rub your useless magic on me, I can do this myself.” He managed to wobble a little, regaining balance right before slipping back onto the floor.

     “Without my magic you wouldn’t have been able to fix up this huge mess you made.” She said, trying to suppress her anger. “Don’t go around calling it useless when you can’t even fix your personal space with your cheap machinery.” She abruptly answered, pressing her hand harder against Add’s forehead.

     Add quickly grabbed Aisha’s hand, brushing it away as he stood up.

     “You did what?!” He stomped and raised his voice. One thing he couldn’t stand - besides Aisha’s bratty attitude - was the invasion of his privacy. “You touched MY workspace, with your FILTHY magic?!”

     “Hey!” She stood up as quickly as he did, startled. “You should be grateful I actually cleaned up this cave of yours!” She puffed her cheeks. “Jeez, all you do is complain about how busy you are, but you’re just a shut-in!”

     “I’d be able to advance with my research if she stopped messing with my head… If she stopped showing up every time I close my eyes…! If she...” He slammed the desk, dropping the half-broken mug Aisha had picked up, shattering it into tiny pieces, making the now concerned mage take a short and quiet step away from the angered young man. The loud sound made Add’s ears ring, worsening the headache Aisha had just started to relieve.

     He held his head in pain with increasingly louder grunting, forcing him to sit back down until his ears stopped ringing. “I-If she…” His arms felt weak, and he felt lightheaded. The pain was gone, but he could barely stay still. Aisha held his forehead once again, this time emitting a bright pink light.

     “Would you stop wasting the little energy you have left on being a big baby?” She pouted, easily overpowering what little strength Add had remaining.

     “Big... Baby?” He looked at the magician confused, nobody tested his patience as much as the girl that stood before him. He was beyond irritated, but he was too tired to retaliate.

     “Say, Add…” She lifted her hand away from his forehead, allowing him to lean against the wall as he let out weak and quiet grunts. “I practically just babysitted you, the least you can do is tell me what is wrong with you. This isn’t the first time I hear you having a madman party so early in the morning.”

     He slowly brought his hands to his face, leaving a small gap so he could stare at the ceiling. “Will you… Leave me alone to work if I actually tell you?”

     “That would depend on your answer, obviously.” She sat in front of him, crossing her arms as she looked right at him. With her increasingly overwhelming, intense stare, Add was forced to return it.

     Add sighed, unable to bear the feeling of defeat. “... T-Tsk… Fine, then.” He sat down, his back hunched over, and his arms resting on his knees, reluctantly making eye contact with the curious magician. “It is… About my m-” He pauses, contemplating whether or not he should give the girl an honest answer.

     “About..?” Aisha prolonged the question, trying to keep Add’s attention on her.

     Add closed his eyes momentarily, looking for an excuse. He couldn’t simply tell her everything, but he knew Aisha well. He knew she wouldn’t leave him alone even if situations asked for it. “It was a childhood friend of mine. Yes.” He said, covering up the legitimate reason for his worries.

     There was a long pause, both parties shared a blank stare with each other.

     “I see…” Aisha replied, she tried to hold her laughter back, but a small snicker went past her mouth. “So even someone like you could be so normal.” She was shaking slightly, trying to respect Add’s situation and not break the mood.

     “Excuse me, what was that?” Add’s eyebrows furrowed, noticing the girl’s sudden change of mood.

     “N-Nothing, nothing!” She answered quickly, trying to avert Add’s menacing gaze, she then clears her throat. “Ah-hem!” Her expression reverting back to that of a serious one. “As for your for your problem…” She closed her eyes, placing a finger on her chin, thinking of an answer.

     “Oh!” Aisha exclaimed, hopping up and immediately sitting beside Add. “I have an idea!” She looked at Add with starry eyes and confidence, seemingly excited for another mundane thought.

     Add cringed at the sight of the magician scooting closer and closer towards the little bubble he wouldn’t tolerate anyone getting too close to.

     “Hey, grapehead, you’re getting uncomfortably close--” He retaliated, attempting to slither away from the excited girl.

     “Okay, okay, whatever! Just hear me out, will you?” She firmly grasped Add’s shoulders, staring right into his eyes, widened by the magician’s sudden actions. “Let’s make a deal.”

     “A deal?” Add questioned her intentions, he knew Aisha was a headstrong person, but to even suggest something as ridiculous as a deal with him made him wonder how far the magician would go.

     “A deal.” She nodded. “What would you say if we… Jog your memories?”

     “What…?” He questioned her even more, his eyes locked on hers, hoping he could get a clear answer.

     “Jog your memories! Trust me, Add, it works!” She answered instantly. “That way, you’ll stop causing such a scandal every now and then; I’ll be able to sleep peacefully, and you can continue with your research safely! It’s a win-win situation!” She proclaimed, standing up and placing both her hands on her waist.

     The immediate answer was “no”, but Add had an epiphany. “I might consider it.” He grinned lightly. “But under one condition.” He added, just before the magician could celebrate.

     The girl tilted her head. “And that condition would be?” She hurriedly sat back down, crossing her legs and arms, ready to listen to his request.

     “You will NOT use your magic to manipulate me in any way possible, understood?” He looked at her, waiting for a proper answer.

     “Hah! Do you think I depend only on magic?” Aisha gave a confident smile. “Obviously, It’s a very simple task, y’know!~” She said flipping her hair. “We’ve just got to re-enact everything you remember from that childhood friend of yours. No magic whatsoever!” She stood proudly. “Ooohohohoho~!”

     “You’re getting ahead of yourself.” He grunted, yet he kept his mischievous smile hidden, thinking menacingly. If it’s easier to mess around with you that way. I’m betting that, at one point, you will be forced to use your little cheat sheet.

     “Alright, grapehead… A deal it is, then.” He reluctantly stretched his hand towards her, leading to a handshake as they both kept their eyes on each other.

     “Roger, nerd!” She squeezed his hand tightly, nearly making him flinch, both wearing intimidating stares, letting go of each other soon after. Add stared at her walking out his door, her purple hair swaying left and right. She turned and took one last look at him once more and closed his door shut.

     “She’s strange.” Add whispered under his breath as a grin began forming across his face. “But fascinating.” He couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

#elsword #eltag #add x aisha #aisha x add #addsha #addxaisha #aishaxadd #DW x DiE #Lisianthus #DiE x DW #dimension witch #diabolic esper #add #aisha #~osu #~val #~rozen

[driftingglass]

Top Ten Characters Meme Thingy-Ma-Jig.

I was tagged by @godspeedcomplex! Thanks bro! :)

Rules: Name ten of your favorite characters from ten different fandoms then tag other victims to do the same!

And I actually will only pick ten this time... unless they’re tied equally. That tends to happen a lot. 

I’m so excited for this one. :D

And because this is about characters... I have to talk about each one, with at least one bullet point response for each (or paragraphs... who knows). Sorry that this may turn into one long-ass post, but... characterization is my jam. 

Woo.

‘Kay. Here we go!

1. Killua Zoldyck (very closely followed by Gon Freecss...) from Hunter X Hunter.

Ah, goodness. 

Killua Zoldyck belongs at the top of this list for numerous reasons, even though I struggle to place a number in order for these characters. Truthfully, the top... three or four or so on this list will be pretty much in order. As much as I adore Gon Freecss and his role in the anime, Killua is, by far, the most unexpected turnout of a character I have seen in this medium. 

Killua’s storyline stems from a tragic yet morally ambiguous background, taking into account the many times we’re meant to feel sympathetic for a murderous little assassin child. 

Aside from his marvelous design and relatively innocent appearance, this character is ultimately self-sacrificing in nature for the few (or two, really) people he truly cares for, most obviously Gon and Alluka. 

Without going into a long tangent about the many reasons why this character has subverted many tropes and has created a well-deserved staple in the world of anime and manga, Killua stands out as a passionate, relatable and emotionally vulnerable character who never strikes me as unrealistic in his ambitions. 

There’s an undeniable rawness to him, this sensational connection that few characters have created for me, coupled alongside my constant desire to learn more and more about his mind works and what his relationship to Gon parallels in the world we live in.

He’s also the character I’ve related to the most -- in personality, fears, flaws, and even family dynamics -- even more so than number two on this list...

2. Izuku Midoriya (very closely followed by Katsuki Bakugou...) from Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia.

Similar to my reaction to Killua Zoldyck as a character, Izuku Midoriya is someone who I never believed I could actually enjoy as far as shōnen protagonists are concerned. This character’s flaws are very rare when considering the genre as a whole, but again, his self-sacrificing nature and total lack of self-preservation serve as fantastic parallels to not only his own story, but the lives of the people around him, especially that of All Might and Katsuki Bakugou. 

Izuku is also an incredibly fine example of a young shōnen character with inspiring dreams and ambitions that never seems out of place on someone his age. 

He feels realistic, and I relate to this character so much that it’s almost concerning. I love his design, his motivations, his personality, and his flaws. He is a very well-drawn character with a wonderful drive and incredible development, and most of all... he demonstrates fine ability to be what he wants to be outside of the realm of superpowers, which are so prevalent in the canon universe of the manga in which he stars.

I have not only an intense fondness and analytical love for this character, but admiration as well. Izuku’s dreams feel palpable, and I feel inspired whenever I watch him pursue his ambitions through hard work, determination, work ethic, and a rare dash of humility that is so rare to find in shōnen main protagonists.

A perfect example of a character who is masculine and strong while not fitting into the clean stereotypes that make others in the genre the way they are.

3. Zuko (very closely followed by Sokka and Iroh...) from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

There’s plenty of nostalgia connected to this one, aside from my immense amount of respect for the cartoon in general. Zuko is a character that changed the dynamic of cartoon antagonists/protagonists for many reasons, and his storyline is fantastically paralleled to Aang’s. 

His storyline is one of my favorites I’ve seen in a cartoon/anime, and most likely because it was one of the first I had seen at the time. Becoming familiar with this character and exploring the complicated corners of his personality is an absolute treat, and over the course of the entire show we are able to become familiar with his story, his character, and the immense flaws and strengths that compose him as a whole. 

And I guarantee that the term “redemption arc” mostly stems from this guy. As it should. (Unfortunately it’s led to far too many renditions and rehashings of this idea... *sigh.*)

It was honestly extremely difficult choosing between Zuko and Sokka, as my reasons for adoring both characters are completely different, but there’s something to be said about how difficult this was from the show itself. 

Avatar’s characters explore incredible depth in most of their cast, with both antagonists and protagonists, and Zuko’s storyline is not one to be missed.

4. Severus Snape from the Harry Potter book series.

Ah, this character. 

My reasons for this one are relatively simple, and are more related to the ingenious strategies J.K. Rowling incorporated into making this character believable, sympathetic (depending on the reader -- this opinion fluctuates quite often) and one of the most intriguing characters in the Harry Potter universe. 

From the very beginning there’s an intensity to Snape that is unrivaled with others, littered with constant questions and wondering what his place in the overall story could be. 

With each revelation I found myself continuously fascinated, and as far as I’m concerned, no one could have brought this character to life better than Alan Rickman in the film adaptations. His gravely voice, greasy black hair, intense emotional resonance matched with the subdued reactions expected of the character... I consider it to be legendary, and the best casting choice in the entire film series. 

My admiration for Snape’s storyline is more based on the fact that these continued revelations are woven like a fucking quilt throughout the books, dancing with questions and nagging points that prompt the readers to furrow their brow and wonder where Rowling was going with this guy.

I will never forget the genuine shock and adoration I felt for this character’s depth and incredible complexity, even far past the sniveling, frigid exterior and morally ambiguous background.

5. Daenerys Targaryen (closely followed by Jamie and Tyrion Lannister, and Sansa Stark) from A Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones.

Oh my god it was so fucking difficult picking my favorite Game of Thrones character. Jesus. 

I actually didn’t think good old Mother of Dragons would make it to the top of my choices, considering my immense fondness for the characters closely following behind her. (And there are so many characters I admire and love from this universe, so those don’t even scratch the surface). 

But, when it came down to deciding which one outranked the others, I had to take into consideration what made me fall in love with them to begin with. 

Daenerys Targaryen has some of the greatest character development and growth that I’ve seen in any medium. 

This is a rather bold statement. But, as far as growth and development, I found myself consistently fascinated with Daenerys’ storylines, especially in the first two to three seasons. She evolves from this meek, timid, spineless woman sold as a slave to a barbarian warlord, to an incredibly influential and flawed self-proclaimed queen, with a fascinating historical context that elevates her above others. 

Daenerys has grown rather stagnant as far as development in the last season or so, which is what made me hesitate. However, my admiration for her, as the Breaker of Chains, or even the Khaleesi, stemmed from her bold, brave choices and ultimately well-meaning (yet naive) heart. 

So while my feelings for her in general are mixed, my admiration and fascination with her development from the beginning of the series to now is just... unbelievable. To see it progress this far has been a treat, indeed.

6. Mrs. Brisby from The Secret of NIMH.

A bit more of a nostalgic trip here as well, but The Secret of NIMH is one of my all-time favorite films, and a beautiful encapsulation of dark fantasy, magical wonder, family dynamics, motherhood, and the strength in the small against something larger than life. 

And Mrs. Brisby is a character that deserves a place amongst the best for many reasons, and many of her best qualities have to do with her bravery and determination to save her family from a cause that seems far too great. 

She is admirable in her courage, relatable in her vulnerability and fear, and inspiring in the lengths she will go to save her little family. 

I admired this character as a little girl, and still do this day as a young adult. With the hundreds of films and television shows I’ve seen (and on top of countless books), there are few characters who resemble the importance of motherhood as well as this one.

7. Roy Mustang (closely followed by Edward Elric and Wrath) from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Fuck. I broke my own rule. 

Now, Roy and Riza have one of my favorite dynamics in anything I’ve ever had the pleasure to watch (I have never read the manga). Also, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is my second favorite anime of all time, so that made it even more difficult to pick a favorite. Many of the characters are complex and likable, but after some serious inner debate, I had to go for this.

Roy Mustang is a character who could easily display himself as a bit of a pretentious character, especially with his grounding by the hand of Riza Hawkeye. 

His encounter with Lust is one of my favorites I’ve ever seen, and his backstory with that of Maes Hughes and Riza Hawkeye add so much to all three of their developments that it almost makes it impossible not to sympathize. 

Roy’s anger is palpable in this series. Even more so, dare I say it, than Edward’s. As much as I adore Edward (and as fascinating as I find Wrath), and relate to him and just... love his story, there’s something about Roy that calls me back to those fateful moments where he struggles to grasp his need for revenge and the greater good of the situation surrounding him.

His consistent arc as a character, and his connection Maes Hughes, only adds to his development and his wonderful relationship with Riza Hawkeye. I also heavily appreciate his mentor role to Edward, and how easy it is to relate to him within everything else.

8. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III from How to Train Your Dragon.

So, this film series in general is definitely DreamWorks’ magnum opus, and no one can convince me otherwise. The character development with Hiccup is not only relatable and endearing, but admirable as well. He stands out with his consistent decisions and changes, and his incredible attachment and relationship with Toothless is wonderful to observe.

On top of this, I find myself often comparing the character of Hiccup and Izuku Midoriya (which makes me think of an HTTYD AU and as much as I love that idea... gosh, I don’t have the time haha), due to their lacking roles in the society they’ve been born in and their incredible intelligence and awkward mannerisms. Also, they’re both freckled (hooray for my freckled faves)! 

Anyway. 

Hiccup’s tenacious attitude and courage is easily combined with his incredibly kind heart and trust in his companions. The development between him and Toothless is rooted in a friendship that we understand through vivid actions and understanding (and relating to) Hiccup’s personality and roles as the outcast/black sheep in his village of Berk.

I adore this character, and the series that has inspired him. Also, there’s something to be said about his ever-changing role in the movies, and I’m so incredibly excited to see where his character is taken with the third impending installment. 

9. Raven from Teen Titans.

Yeah, okay, more nostalgia in this one. Raven is a character that I admired from the very first time I watched Teen Titans, and above all else, I found her backstory, personality, character development and superpowers to easily be the most interesting of the gang. The cartoon is charming and dark and mature when it needs to be (in most cases), and much of the relatable and occasional complex nature to the cartoon involves this character.

Raven’s powers and her empathetic connection to the world around her is an idea that fascinates me each and every day. 

Even with original novels I’ve planned out and magic systems I’ve created, a great deal of my protagonists (usually cycled through on multiple drafts) have been subconsciously inspired by this ability and this general connection to the surrounding world. 

I had no idea how much Raven herself inspired me as a writer and creator until I considered my inspiration for the female characters I normally admire in these mediums. Her flaws are understandable while, at times, both irritating and relatable. Her design is far less stereotypically “pretty” when compared to, say, Starfire. There’s an element to her that screams authenticity when compared to the other Titans that I always found myself drawn to the most.

She deserves the popular following she has, both in the comics (from what I understand) and in this beloved cartoon.

10. Chihiro from Spirited Away.

Ah, this film. Goodness. 

There’s something brilliant about Chihiro and her character in general, but my reasons for liking her so much are mostly derived from the experience that I get to have as the viewer into the world of Spirited Away. This film is... a masterpiece, in every sense of the word, crafted by the ingenious hand of Hayao Miyazaki. And this man truly knows his characters, and is one of the greatest crafters of strong female protagonists I have ever seen.

Chihiro is young, and acts young. She is scared, and acts scared. She sobs, and wails, and trembles, and reacts as any little girl in her dire situation would. 

But, she is believable in her bouts of courage, in her desire to achieve her goal and her willingness to break out of the shell she’s been granted to mature past her years. Her journey in the film rides on her shoulders, exposing her kind, giving heart as well as her unabashed bravery, which makes her easy to relate to and cheer for until long after the film’s credits stop rolling.

She is a character who is so human, so enticing, and so accurate of female representation that I find myself wondering time and time again why I haven’t reviewed the film she’s in yet. 

Chihiro is one of the more complex female protagonists I watched as a little girl, and I admire her journey and personality to this day as a staple in anime. 

Woo. Well, that was a wild ride. Thanks for reading!

I’m going to tag... @decembercamiecherries, @tonerukun, @killushawn, @soulestring, @diggitydamnsebastianstan, and... whoever else wants to! Go for it! And I tagged these people because they were the first ones to pop in mind, so... yeah. You guys don’t have to do it. XD 

Until next time!

#Top Ten Characters #Meme #DriftingGlass #Spirited Away #How to Train Your Dragon #Teen Titans #Boku no Hero Academia #BNHA #My Hero Academia #Hunter x Hunter #HxH #Harry Potter #Secret of NIMH #Game of Thrones #GoT #A Song of Ice and Fire #FMA: Brotherhood #Fullmetal Alchemist #Avatar: The Last Airbender #ATLA #Avatar #Chihiro #Izuku Midoriya #Killua Zoldyck #Roy Mustang #Raven #Hiccup #Mrs. Brisby #Severus Snape #Zuko

[mycosmicvoid]

The Paranormal and Skepticism - as Discussed in Steve Volk’s “Fringeology”

I have sat and thought, since uploading my introduction post, about where I would even start. There's so much to touch on that I almost didn't want to approach it at all, but it only makes sense to start with a more general post. I want to start with the topic of “the paranormal” and the acceptance of such phenomena (in the sphere of this book, at least, considering the vastness of the topic). “Fringeology” was written and published in 2011 by Steve Volk, a writer with enough humility to subtitle his book, “How I tried to explain away the unexplainable and couldn’t.” He makes a good argument for the reasons why people can’t accept an opposing view to their own, and to put it plainly: why it’s really not so crazy to accept that paranormal phenomena exists, scientifically or otherwise (along with tons of other concepts to expand on separately). To begin, he offers a few quick examples of the connections between the paranormal, science and history- alchemy has led to modern chemistry, as Francis Aston used predictions from occultists to discover the isotope. Hans Berger invented the EEG originally wanting a mechanism for measuring psychic events. Plato told the story of Er, a soldier who died in battle, experienced the afterlife, and was revived days later, and President Lincoln dreamt/predicted his own death. Although these are just a few examples, they serve the argument that paranormal phenomena is present in situations, lives and even myths seemingly important enough for us to want to expand on. “…Taking the paranormal seriously means we gain a greater understanding of the world regardless of the outcome.”[1] An example of this would be the NDE: the Near Death Experience. It is a phenomenon that has been heavily associated with the paranormal, but is now a topic studied in our modern medical and psychological science. On the other end of the spectrum are committees and individuals dedicated solely to disproving paranormal and psychic phenomena. Volk mentions this one above all: CSICOP (The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal), founded by humanist philosopher Paul Kurtz in 1976, a committee Volk pegs as the foundation for the modern skeptical movement. However, they voted to discontinue further scientific investigations after the Mars Effect study (conducted by Michel and Francoise Gauquelin, proving that extremely talented athletes and sports champions were found to have Mars “around the Ascendant and Midheaven in their birth chart more frequently than chance would allow.”[2]). In fact, according to Volk, CSICOP changed their name in 2006 to CSI (Committee for Skeptical Inquiry), so they no longer had to have the scientific method in question, which I find interesting and ironic for a committee with the mantra, “We can’t let the mystics rejoice.” Also mentioned is a good point made by Dr. David Jones, a man who believes that hard, rational thought traces the contours of the problem, not its answer. When you think about it, the main argument by skeptics (of anything, really) is the use of “logic.” As explained by Jones, “Logic is based on society’s current storehouse of accepted knowledge,”[1] which changes constantly. even though it’s an argument used all the time, the most obvious example of this is that “logically,” at one point, the whole world also agreed that the earth was flat. Specifics aside, I like the simple summary it ultimately comes to with Volk, which is basically that if “paranormal” refers to what is unexplained, then reality itself is paranormal. “The mystery of the world exists apart from our judgment of it.”[1] If you want to hang on to the concept of “logic,” even Volk elaborates on the fact that our version of logic does not equate to what is true, by explaining that our brain isn’t built to give us a true and accurate perception of reality. There is too much stimuli to assess, so the brain creates a model of the world that allows us to survive, comfortably so. It brings the “important” things to the forefront and suppresses anything else (like the paranormal, perhaps?), even though the image that this creates is wrong.

In fact, skeptics are so dedicated to disproving, that a popular tool used are psychological evaluations (the go-to explanation: if you believe, something is “wrong with you”). From what I’ve seen, they popularly come in the format of a questionnaire, one of the most famous being the Fantasy Prone Personality (FPP) test, proposed by Sheryl Wilson and Theodore Barber in 1981, “the debunker’s dream.” Fantasy Prone people are more likely to believe in something mainstream science rejects, and answering yes to 6 or more questions automatically makes you Fantasy Prone. With this logic, having one paranormal experience in your whole life can result in a 6+ “yes” response. Despite that being a main problem, Volk also mentions that your belief in your experiences aren’t always concrete- sometimes we have more vivid belief in certain things depending on what is happening in our lives at the very moment. Another famous psych-based test would be the Magical Ideation Scale, meant for “irrational thinking.” Apparently, people with confirming answers to a certain amount of the provided statements are more likely to develop a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, and people that are considered to have an “FPP” are more likely to have experienced childhood trauma. Although this is not unlikely, skeptics use these tools to prove that anyone with a sort of paranormal belief have them simply due to mental illness and trauma. From what I remember, Volk does not mention the condescending nature of these tests, but it’s something I noticed almost immediately. Imagine having to take one of these questionnaires given to you by your psychologist because you’ve discussed experiencing something paranormal, and the first thing you hear is that the test is to measure irrationality. This is just one of the many, many examples of reasons why experiencers have not and will not come forward. There is a sort of obsession with needing to be what we consider “logical” and “rational,” however, “Prosaic explanations aren’t always available - that is, unless we allow our commitment to the rational to make us downright irrational.”[1]

In an interview with Steve Volk given by Greg Newkirk (paranormal investigator and co-creator of the docu-series “Hellier”) on a temporarily posted live stream, Greg proposes that there should be a sort of Magical Ideation Scale for nonbelievers. Volk replies with nothing other than, “Absolutely.”[3] As i look back in my notes regarding his book, I realized that this idea was actually mentioned- Volk asks the question of why there aren’t comparative studies on “sane belief” and why people hold those opinions, and includes the viewpoint of skeptic Chris French, who believes there probably is a scale for nonbelievers, but being at the hard end of the skeptic spectrum is due to just being born not open to believing. According to Volk, French is a committed skeptic but believes we should continue to learn and revise our beliefs as we do so. Another interesting comment Newkirk has made in the past regarding the book was about the aforementioned perception of logic. Volk credits Edward de Bono as an “expert of creative thought” who argues that the West’s tradition of settling disagreements by argument is “over-reliance on logic”[1], while logic is more of a partner to free, associative thinking. Simplified by Newkirk, “The ‘wacky stuff’ is just a way of looking at the world differently,”[4] and in Volk’s eyes, “…What is today seen as wacky often leads to tomorrow’s progress.”[1] Volk isn’t afraid of being ignored or discredited due to the “wacky stuff”- in the Newkirk/Volk interview, Greg asks how skeptics have responded to “Fringeology.” Steve replies quick-wittedly, “They didn’t read it and hate it.”[3]

I wanted to explore the viewpoint of Volk and some of his examples regarding the paranormal generally, as I find it may be easier to begin with a sort of overview when discussing certain works and writers in this community- Nearly all of them have specific differentiating details regarding their own theories. I think it’s important that writers such as Volk explore the world of skepticism, as it is an obscure way of thinking in itself.

“The truth is, we don’t have to treat the paranormal the way we do. We don’t need to bathe in it with the believers, or strenuously deny its existence, like the skeptics. And we don’t need to turn the whole thing into a fight.”[1]

[1] Steve Volk, “Fringeology”

[2] The Astrology Podcast Episode 173 Outline

[3] Greg Newkirk live stream interview with Steve Volk for Patreon members (no longer available), 7/19/20

[4] Greg Newkirk live stream book club discussion of “Fringeology” chapters 1-4 

#posts #fringeology #stevevolk #paranormalphenomena #theparanormal #history #alchemy #nde #psychicphenomena #csicop #paulkurtz #modernskepticalmovement #marseffect #drdavidjones #logic #fpp #magicalideationscale #schizophrenia #irrationality #modernscience