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mylyricpages · 2 years

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INTERVIEW WITH JEFF SCOTT # 7 ( 2022 )

“I knew what I wanted to write about and I kind of kicked against it being too regimented, I knew I wanted to keep it as pure as possible.”

It‘s been a while, but after three years James Ellis is back with a new lyric collection. It‘s called ‘On The Outside Looking In’ and is possibly his longest and most lyrically dense to date. “I guess I had a lot to write about,” he tells Jeff Scott, “it poured out.”

IT’S A DULL afternoon in late September. Clouds hang over Mumbles Bay though the air is reasonably warm and it’s comfortable enough to sit outside the Beach Hut Café that overlooks the pier and has a panoramic view of Swansea Bay. Nearby is the rubble strewn remains of the Copperfish restaurant, destroyed during a devastating fire in late august, but all around it life continues on, as it always does.

I’m here with James Ellis, once again to talk about his latest lyric collection ‘On The Outside Looking In.’ Usually we don’t do a follow up interview but at the end of our last one I felt we hadn’t really got into the ‘songs’ enough, the process of their writing and the ideas behind them and I was still keen to do just that. We did something similar for ‘Electric Hymns,’ it went pretty well, so I thought we’d try again.

1. Welcome To The Big Sky

I wanted to use this as an introduction of sorts, a little prologue before we get into things proper. What I thought was going to be the chorus ended up being the first verse and what is essentially the chorus came a bit later. I didn’t let myself feel too locked into any usual structure, a lot of the time I knew what I wanted to write about and my thoughts came out very subconsciously. I kind of kicked against it being too regimented, I knew I wanted to keep it as pure as possible.

It’s about looking toward the horizon. I wanted to capture the feeling we’re all in some ways, young or old, rich or poor, chasing some kind of dream, about the journey that takes you on. The other part of it is more personal, when I look at the actual horizon, thinking of the places beneath those distant clouds, there’s a mystery to it which inspires me. It makes me think about who I am as a person, about making plans in life. I guess it’s that somewhere over the rainbow feeling.

2. Weathering The Storm

This was originally written about coming out of the end of Covid, that whole feeling of coming out of the dark and blinking into the light and taking stock of what you’ve just been through. I guess it can still be read like that but as I was writing it I began heading in a different direction, not even intentionally so, and it became more about relationships, whether romantic, family or friends, about how we often reflect on how the hell we’ve got through the things we have. It was bits and pieces at first, a bit muddled to be honest, until I found the title refrain, which helped me find the rhythm of how it went.

3. All Alone In A Crowd

It was written around the same time as ‘Weathering The Storm,’ actually if I remember correctly most of it was finished before that song. Many times in my life, still a lot now, I’ve felt on the outside of things. Even in my favourite and the best of company I’m often not entirely comfortable, I’ve always felt slightly removed and I struggle to be in the moment, it’s something I’ve been working on the last few years. It’s another song built around a repeated refrain, which is something I enjoy doing if I can find a good enough rhythm to spark off.

4. Hold Onto The Light

This ended up being a curious mash up of both old and new lyrics. Most of it is new but the bridge was written back in 2019 for another song. It was one of the things I had left over from the ‘Electric Hymns.’

It’s about how most days we feel like we’re fighting a battle, trying not to be worn down by the daily grind of things or simply gathering together the will to just get up every day, put on a brave face and focus on some kind of life for ourselves. To be honest, I thought I was writing it for people who feel like I do, maybe I was just writing it for myself.

5. A Place With Your Name

In august of 2020 my former music teacher, Phil Jones, passed away. I’ve wanted to write about how that affected me for a while. Phil was someone I greatly respected and admired in many ways, he was someone who was always around and who I thought would always be around, and when he suddenly wasn‘t it threw me. When I was going through one of the lowest parts of my life Phil graciously invited me into his world and for that gesture alone I will always be eternally grateful. It was the beginning of me finally turning things around again.

For a long time after I just couldn’t find the words. In the months after he passed, as I walked through various places where I used to see him I almost felt like I could still see him, like a fleeting image in the corner of my eye, a flicker of memory, and that’s where the pre-chorus came from, that was the start of it and the rest just grew from there.

6. Going Under/ Rising Up

It was called ‘Trying Too Hard’ for a while. I remember what is now the two pre-chorus were originally the verses but the further I went with that version the more I felt I was trying to put a square peg into a round hole. So basically I left it alone for a while. Later, I was working on another song when I came up with the verses and I pretty much realised immediately where they belonged. The lyrics in the second half of the bridge are actually about 5 years old. I’ve tried to put them into half a dozen songs but they finally found a place here.

It’s a song about the last few years. In 2020 I had a major shift in my life where I had to leave a place I knew well and people who’d become good friends. It was a necessary shift in a lot of ways but it was a hell of a big change. At first I was so busy I didn’t have time to process it all, and when I finally did I suddenly felt utterly adrift. It took me a good while to find my place and get myself on a more even keel.

7. You Way You Did Anything ( Was The Way You Did Everything )

I suppose this is the nearest thing to a romantic song on this collection but it’s still not quite that. I’ve had the title for a while and there was an earlier version called’ The Way You Do Anything ( Is The Way You Do Everything). The change to past tense came as I was writing this version and it felt like it fitted better thematically with the rest.

It’s about someone I knew, someone who had a way of getting through life with such composure, dealing with the bad things that come along with such grace, and like the song says I was in awe of them.

8. Insomnia Blues # 1

I’ve touched upon my sleeping problems in songs before but I’ve never directly addressed it, never addressed the feelings that come with it, about just how it feels to be wide awake when the world is asleep. It can bleed into everything. It not only affects the night but if affects the day too, how you interact with the world. It can affect every aspect of your life and I wanted to shine a bit more of a light on that.

There’s not really much to say about the actual writing of it. The chorus came first and when I set to work the rest pretty much flowed. There was supposed to be an ‘Insomnia Blues # 2’ but I didn’t get around to it, maybe it’ll turn up on another collection at some point.

9. Night Walkin’/ Waiting for The Sun

It’s another song where I’ve used the conceit of talking to someone else but I’m actually talking to myself. When I lived in the valleys during the 1990’s I’d often go out night walking. If I couldn’t sleep, if I was restless I would just go out walking and it was usually between midnight and when the sun came up, especially on spring or summer nights. There was something so calming about walking those empty streets. Again it has a repeated refrain, which became something of a thing in these sessions. When it was finished I realised it fit perfectly with ‘Insomnia Blues # 1.’ It wasn’t intentional at all but with ‘When The Sun Comes Up’ following it worked well as a mini lyrical suite of sorts.

10. When The Sun Comes Up

When I was originally coming up with ideas for this collection I had the thought of having what were kind of lyrical intermissions, titled Intermission # 1 and Intermission # 2, but as I began writing them they became more than that, so that idea changed and I’m glad it did.

I really like the fact that this one is about the city life waking up and it’s companion piece is about when that city’s night life is waking up. I also like the fact each of them pre-figures the multi-part songs that close out Act I and Act II. I thought there was a nice symmetry to that.

11. On The Outside Looking In

This was the first song finished for this collection at the tail end of May. I’d wanted to return to multi-part songs for a while and as it happened this was first out of the gate. It came in a weird order though. ‘Back Where It All Began’ was written first, then ‘The Summer Of Song,’ then ‘A Bitter Sweet Reminisce.’ It was only when the three parts were done that the flow felt wrong, it just didn’t scan right.

So I tried a few variations until I felt it worked. So, as it turned out, the first song ended up third, the second ended up first, and the third ended up second. Sometimes that’s just they way it comes about.

It’s the title song because I felt it encapsulated everything I wanted this collection to be, which is about not having lived a normal life in a conventional way, of always feeling on the outside looking in, and how that can make you wonder how things might have gone differently.

12. On Many Roads/ The Importance Of Being Kind

This is about living a life of just being kind, those simple little moments when someone just changes your day. Even something as simple as a friendly hello or a smile. The older I’ve got the more I’ve learned to value that a lot more. I was trying to go for a folk style lyrically, almost a narrative ballad of sorts, but it ended up as not quite that.

It’s a distillation of advice I’ve been given by different people over the years, the ones who really made an impression, and whose words I took on board. How I narrowed it all down was to use the conceit of someone being given advice by their father. I was listening to a lot of ‘Grateful Dead’ at the time and I think I was aiming for that kind of vibe.

13. Were We Ever Glorious?

I finally nailed this song on the third time of trying. I began, I stopped, I began, I stopped, then finally I started again and took it all the way. It was a struggle to get it to flow seamlessly but I just kept plugging away at it until I felt I’d got just what I was after the whole time.

It’s about missed opportunities, about how we see people years later, people we were close to, and it sets us wondering about how things might have turned out had we pursued things, made the unrequited requited, I wanted the words to have a wistful, melancholy kind of feeling. It’s also about wondering if certain relationships were even what we thought they were. Are we being tricked by our feelings and memory?

14. A Time To Share

I think this is certainly one of the most honest songs I’ve done, which isn’t always a comfortable feeling, but I was trying hard to get to the truth of something, questions I’ve asked myself a lot lately, about how I often struggle with maintaining relationships, especially the romantic kind, why when someone gets too close I step away. I’ve tried to change that over the years but we all fall into familiar patterns.

I’ve hurt people, never explained, never been able to explain, never really cared to look back too much over the years, that is, until now. Something has changed in the last year or so, something that used to be closed off now feels more open and for the first time I feel like I can share that part of myself, a part I thought I’d always keep locked away.

It came quick. I wanted it to be a very short, direct kind of song as the other songs were quite long, but as often happens it grew in the telling.

15. When You Feel Time Speeding Up

It’s a curious thing as you get older, the way you feel time speeding up, even though it really isn’t, it’s not going any faster than it ever did. The days feel shorter, life feels busier, and you struggle to find moments just to be yourself, to figure out what you want and where you’re going. You look around and you wonder have I done enough, did I miss the opportunities that came my way? I’ve wondered about how those two things relate to each other in regards myself. Actually, I’ve probably spent far too much time thinking about it to be honest with you.

It came together pretty quickly around the same time as ‘A Time To Share.’

16. I Miss You All

‘I Miss You All’ is kind of a sequel to ‘Live Your Life ( Like A Revolution )’ in that it touches on how certain people came into my life over the second half of the 2010’s, people who changed how I saw things and how I saw myself. Around two years ago I had to leave those people, not totally, not forever I hope, but I was in a place where I needed to change things, to move forward. I had to go but at the same time I didn’t want to and for a while after I was totally adrift.

So, I wanted to write this for them as a thank you of sorts, I guess. It came pretty easily, the chorus was first, and then the rest of it just flowed.

17. Far & Away ( The Best Of Days )

Along with ‘Ode To You ( Jayden’s Song )’ and ‘A Legend In The Making’ I guess this song forms a trilogy of sorts. It’s about watching my nephew growing up. He’s very much becoming his own person these days. It was an interesting realisation when it dawned on me that my life was changing along with his and I had to figure out how to adapt to the way things are now, which of course is always the kind of thing that sets you thinking about the times you’ve shared up to this point.

The whole song started with the line “And hopefully you’ll remember me fondly when I’m gone and you’ll smile when you think of me.” Once that was in place I figured out the repeated refrain and it went from there.

18. I Salute You

This kind of ties in with ‘I Miss You All.’ When I left that part of my life behind I was well and truly striking out on my own, stepping out into the world, with no back up or back up plan. Career wise I was out on my own for the first time in my life and as I result, probably a fear response, I looked for inspiration in those who’ve taken risks in their lives, put themselves in front of the headlights and really gone for it. I was going for a gospel kind of vibe, almost as a hymn to those people.

19. The Boy Who Never Was

I think what I was trying to get at here was how well do we remember who we used to be. Is what we remember about ourselves the literal truth of who we were or it is what we tell ourselves we were? Is our memory of our youth a true history or is it a kind of composite of what really was and how we might be seeing it through the passage of time. I’m not sure how successful I was but it’s something I’ve given a lot of thought the last few years and I wanted to put it into words.

It got written in a bit of daze actually but it came together in one sitting.

20. When The Sun Goes Down

The flip side to ‘When The Sun Comes Up.’ Having them as the penultimate song of each act worked well and gave things a more cohesive feel, which certainly wasn’t something I’d planned from the start.

21. The Sound Of Waves

Right from the very beginning of this collection I knew that I wanted multi-part songs and that I wanted them to be at the end of each act, which along with the amount of songs was a big part of splitting it in two.

It was originally going to be more about how the world is now, how it feels like its continuously speeding up, the environment, politics, that underlying feeling of communal anxiety that’s seeped into our lives.

I had a few goes at that version but it just wasn’t working. There was some good stuff in it but I wasn’t feeling a connection to it. It didn’t work on a personal level and I struggled to find what I was aiming for. I gave it one final go before leaving it off the collection all together, and this time I didn’t over think it, I just let a kind of subconscious flow happen and it began working. It was vague at first but it had the feeling I was after, which was a melancholy that was in some of the other songs.

‘The Art Of Self Deception’ was originally longer and could have been it’s own separate thing but I cut it down and it just worked better.

The chorus of ‘We Need To Fix This’ had been around since earlier in the year, I tried it in a few other things but this was where I felt it fit best.

With ‘The Last Hurrah’ I wanted to end on a positive note by saying we’re all in this together, that no matter what we’ve been through in life we should be proud that we’ve made it this far, because there’s a lot of good people who fell along the way. It felt a good way to sign off.

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oflightningandstars · 2 years

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I’m having thoughts about the design of the various Professor Layton games as I replay The Last Specter and think about the other games (I also recently replayed a bit of Curious Village, but I’ll get into that).

The order I initially played the games was Unwound Future, then Curious Village, then Diabolical Box, then Last Specter (I’m playing the US versions, I know the titles differ in other versions). I haven’t played any of the other games, though if(/when?) I eventually do it will be interesting to see how they relate

Going from Unwound Future to Curious Village was difficult because there were several UI(/UX?) changes made after Curious Village that, in my opinion, are improvements. One of these is changing the symbol that appears when you tap on a character to interact with them. In Curious Village, it is always a red exclamation point, whether or not they have a puzzle. In subsequent games, this is changed so the exclamation point only shows up if they have a puzzle. If Curious Village is the first game you play, this might not be as bad because you haven’t gotten used to a different setup yet.

There are also some things with the puzzle screens that were improved after Curious Village, like the inclusion of a separate notes overlay, and if I remember correctly the hints system saw some tweaks as well. Might go more in-depth on this later.

In Curious Village, there is no button to back to the title screen/main menu from within the game, so if you want to exit the game you have to turn your whole DS off. This is another thing that was fixed/improved in the later games.

I think part of the reason I wanted to put all of this somewhere is because I played the games slightly out of order, so they impacted my experience with Curious Village more negatively than if I had played them in the correct order. It also makes going back and re-playing Curious Village less appealing.

I’m also having thoughts about the incorporation of a new mechanic in Last Specter to add a detective game-quality to the game. (My thoughts on this are definitely influenced by GMTK’s video on Detective Games). There are some times when Layton asks Emmy and Luke (the player) to answer questions about what is going on to lead to deductions. On one hand, I appreciate this, because it’s nice to feel included in solving the story’s mysteries, rather than just being told. However, the specific way its done (question with three answers) is also interesting because it’s very leading/there’s not too much thought that has to go into actually understanding it, because at worst, after a two wrong guesses you have the answer and then Layton explains things. And he’s asking the questions to make sure everyone’s on the same page, but he’s already figured it out. As a new mechanic in the series (compared to the previous games, I am aware that this game is about 10 years old at least) it is interesting to think about why that specific mechanic might have been chosen. I might make another post about other ways they could have done this and how it could have led to different games/more or less variation from the original games.

#Professor Layton series #game design #ramble

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bookishchef · 2 years

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Going through The Jestivan by David F. Farris for the third time...

And I just want to know: is there a Tumblr fandom out there? Am I the only person on here who has read (some of) the Erafeen series? I know it's selfpub, and therefore a little less well-known and accessible, but it's so entertaining (if a little problematic)!

This is absolutely my guilty pleasure series!

For those of you who aren't in the know:

The Erafeen series consists of 6 books, all of which are easy to get as e-books, and a little harder to get as paperbacks. (I had to import book 2 from Germany, because Dutch Amazon did not sell it).

The books follow Bryson LeAnce, a teenage boy who is trying to live up to the legacy of his deceased father. Him, his best friend Olivia, and some of his classmates get chosen to become part of the Jestivan: a group that is put together in times of trouble to fight against evil.

The story has several mysteries, a lot of twist and turns, some (gay) romance, messages about the damaging nature of toxic masculinity, found family, and a lot of cool fight scenes.

Over all, the books have a very anime feel. While reading, you can imagine the plot playing out in an anime instead. The characters are also very anime-esque. The way they talk, the way they are described, the way the plot plays out; it all feels very cartoony. The characters start off as clichés, but all develop personalities as the story keeps going.

The world building, while clunky at times, is actually quite original and creative if you ignore its infodumpy nature. The Erafeen world is made up of islands that float directly above each other, meaning that the MC, who lives on the middle island, always gets to see another island hovering above him.

The magic system is also quite creative, and while there are clichés such as magic schools, and society being divided by magic classes, the books do dive into what a social hierarchy based on magic would actually entail (and why it would be kind of shit).

As for representation:

There's characters of many different backgrounds. They're all from different social classes.

There's physically strong women, mentally strong women, and innocent women who don't want to fight at all.

There's muscular and callous men, smart and studious men, and sensitive men who don't want to fight at all.

There's a lesbian romance (starting from book 2), and although I haven't finished the series yet, I suspect there might be more queerness ahead.

There's a love triangle (including the lesbian romance).

Besides that, Olivia is selectively mute, has a flat affect, and struggles with showing emotions in any way. Make of that what you will.

Critiques and Covers

Book one is called The Jestivan. It is, in my opinion, quite rough around the edges. The writing takes some getting used to, and the world building can be very infodumpy at times. However, if you manage to look past that, you are in for a wild and fun ride!

Book two is called The Untenable, and absolutely blew me away when I first read it. It was incredibly entertaining and contains a plottwist I didn't see coming. It does have some poor mental health rep unfortunately (and mentions of SA if I remember correctly??).

Book three is called The Uprising, and I'm currently rereading book one as preparation for this one. Shit really hits the fan in the second book, so I can only guess at what this book has in store for me.

These three books can also be bought as a paperback bundle. Depending on where you are located, this can be cheaper!

Book four is called The Chronicle. Because I haven't read it yet, I can't say anything about its contents as of yet.

Book five is called The Sacrifice, and oooohh boy does that title scare me. Knowing this series, the titular sacrifice will be super impactful on the story. It will probably also make me cry.

Finally, there's book six: The Empires. Am I ready? No. Will I be when I've read book five? Also probably no.

As you can probably tell, these covers are absolutely GORGEOUS (The Untenable and The Sacrifice are my favourites). I highly recommend getting the paperback editions if you can. I personally couldn't for the longest time though, so I can confirm that the e-books are magnificent as well.

This series is very quickly becoming my guilty pleasure series, and I think it could be the same for many others.

The Jestivan was available as a free/extremely cheap Kindle e-book once upon a time, which is how I got into the series. As of right now (the 15th of August 2022), the ebook is €2,99 on the Dutch version of Amazon, and $2.99 on the US version of Amazon.

So, if you feel like reading a fun, wild, anime-esque story with creative world building, written by a black author: go for it!

P.S. These beautiful covers were all done by Alessandro Brunelli!

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dialovers-translations · 2 years

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DIABOLIK LOVERS MORE CHARACTER SONG Animate Tokuten Drama CD ”Mr. Vampire’s Gloomy Working Lifestyle”

Original title: ミスターヴァンパイアの憂鬱なるバイト生活

Source: DIABOLIK LOVERS MORE CHARACTER SONG Animate Tokuten Drama CD ”Mr. Vampire’s Gloomy Working Lifestyle” [CD not owned by me]

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Toriumi Kousuke, Kaji Yuki, Takahiro Sakurai, Kimura Ryouhei, Kishio Daisuke

Translator’s note: This CD has been mentioned so many times to me as the elusive ‘Shuu works as a cashier’ CD and finally I got the chance to translate it! Up till now, only a short sample clip was circling the internet, but one of my wonderful followers purchased the CD and shared the audio with me. uwu Even though this CD doesn’t have a lot of my favorite (aside from Shuu), I still enjoyed it a lot! It was so much fun to imagine the absolute chaos breaking loose as these 5 Vampires try to run a convenience store.

ーー NOW FOR THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM. Am I tripping or does Azusa sound totally different in this track??? His voice sounds a lot softer? Or like more high-pitched??? Azusa stans back me up here.

→ LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

*Ding・dongー Ding・dongー*

Ruki: Please excuse us.

Ruki closes the door.

*Rattle*

Ruki: Haah...

Shuu: Pwaah...What a drag...

Ruki: Oi. Sakamaki’s eldest.

Shuu: What? I’d like to go home as soon as I can.

Ruki: My younger brother caused trouble this time. Allow me to apologize as his older sibling.

Shuu: Haah...? I honestly don’t give a damn...Or are you trying to say that I should apologize as well? ‘I’m sorry that my stupid, foolish little brother caused trouble’ or something like that?

Ruki: Not at all. I don’t expect you to have such common sense. It’s just...

Shuu: ‘Just’...?

Ruki: How are you going to deal with the bill for the broken window...?

Shuu: That idiot Ayato is the one who broke the window. It’s none of my business.

Ruki: You still dare call yourself his older brother? Besides, it doesn’t work like that, you know? You’ve seen this document as well, haven’t you?

*Flip*

Kou: Hmm~~? What’s this?

Ruki: Kou! How long have you been standing there?

Kou: Geez, how rude! I was so kind to wait for you out here after I heard that you had been called to the student counseling room! Right, Azusa-kun?

Azusa: Mm...Kou said the three of us could go home together. Besides, we were worried as well...

Shuu: Seems like you guys are as close-knit as always. It’s almost making me gag.

Azusa: Ruki. Were you scolded?

Ruki: It wasn’t directed towards me. You remember that Yuma and Sakamaki Ayato got into a fight yesterday, right? It was about that case.

Kou: If I recall correctly, it was some really silly argument about who had to step aside and make place for the other in the hallway, right? ...So that’s why the big brother duo was summoned.

Azusa: It must be rough to be the oldest...So, Ruki? What’s on that piece of paper?

Ruki: We were given it by the student counselor earlier.

Kou: Okay, read it out loud, Shuu-kun.

Shuu: Haah? Why me?

Kou: Because I’m pretty confident you’ll fall asleep if you’re not the one talking.

Shuu: ...

*Flip*

Shuu: ...’We demand a reimbursement for the broken window and other damage dealt by Sakamaki Ayato and Mukami Yuma’...It says.

Azusa: In other words...They want the two of you to compensate for the broken goods...?

Ruki: Exactly. Since both parties were deemed equally responsible, the costs were split at the very least.

Kou: It’s still bad either way, right? What are you gonna do?

Shuu: Well...I’m sure it’ll fix itself eventually. I’m heading home.

Shuu walks away.

Kou: As to be expected, Mr. Rich Boy has nothing to worry about. ...Judging from the destruction those two caused yesterday, I’d imagine it’s a lot of money to pay, right?

Ruki: I can only assume they will end up relying on that man to get them out of this mess. Good grief...This is exactly why I cannot stand aristocrats.

Azusa: What will we do, Ruki? Do we have that much money to spare...?

Ruki: This is Yuma’s responsibility, and in other words, my responsiblity as his older brother as well. I cannot rely on that man. Especially not in our situation.

Kou: Do you have another plan in mind?

Ruki: If not, we can simply come up with something. Kou, Azusa. The two of you will lend me a hand as well.

Kou: Eeeh~?

Ruki: I won’t force you, but know that means there will be no Vongole Bianco on the menu for the next three months.

Kou: Eeeehーー!? What!? That’s too much! My Vongole-chan has nothing to do with this!

Ruki: At present, the purchase of clams required to make the dish put quite a bit of strain on our overall family budget. If you are willing to give that up so we can use that extra money to pay the bill, you don’t have to help out at all.

Kou: How could you! This is unreasonable!

Azusa: How about Vongole Bianco without clams?

Kou: Do you even know what ‘Vongole’ means, Azusa-kun? It means ‘clams’! A Vongole without clams wouldn’t be a Vongole anymore!

Ruki: Azusa. You will help out as well. Okay?

Azusa: ...Mm. Of course. Brothers should have each other’s back...right?

Kou: Aaah, fine, fine! I get it. There’s no way I’m holding off on Volgole, so I’ll help out as well.

Azusa: But, Ruki...How are you going to earn money?

Ruki: There is only way...We are getting a job.

*TIMESKIP*

A customer leaves the store.

Ruki: Thank you for your visit.

Kou: Thank you for your visit~!

Azusa: Thank you...for your visit...

Shuu: ...For your visit.

Kanato: (mumbles) Thank you for your visit...

Ruki: You need to speak up a little, Sakamaki Kanato! Also, do something about your expression. An employee is expected to show a friendly smile!

Kanato: Thank you very much for the useless information. ...Anyway, could you give me an explanation first? What is this about?

Kou: What do you mean? We’re just five Vampires working a part-time job at a convenience store?

Kanato: I can tell that much. What I want to know is why I’m included in this farce as well.

Azusa: It’s not just you, Kanato-san...Shuu-san is here too.

Kanato: That hardly makes any sense either, does it? What is the individual who is the least likely to be associated with labor doing here?

Ruki: I have to admit, that struck me as odd as well. ...Why are you here as well, Sakamaki Shuu?

Kou: You guys can simply ask your papa for help and he’ll hand you the money just like that, no? So I don’t understand why you’d bother getting a job...

Shuu: It’s the exact opposite...Rather than giving us the money we need, he decided that we wouldn’t get any money at all this month. He told us that we shouldn’t rely on our parents to solve our problems, but take responsiblity and fix the mess ourselves.

Kanato: Hold up...Is that why the selection of food at dinner has been so sparce as of late?

Shuu: I guess so. I mean, we’re Vampires so we don’t exactly need food to survive, but you guys like to eat anyway, right? Stuff like sweets or takoyaki...

Kanato: No wonder I couldn’t find a single snack in the house...In other words, this is all Ayato’s fault, correct? I understand the situation. ...I understand, but I don’t agree with it. Why do I have to cover for something Ayato did?

Shuu: Beats me...I guess you were the one with the most free time on hands?

Kanato: ...!! Do not be ridiculous. In that case, Ayato or Subaru seem like much better candidates, no? For one, shouldn’t Ayato be the one taking responsiblity since he is the one who did it?

Shuu: Agreed...I would have made him do the work as well, if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s currently imprisoned in the dungeon as his punishment.

Azusa: Ayato-san...is locked up?

Shuu: By the Old Man. He’s also not allowed to have any takoyaki for a whole six months.

Kou: Uwah~ In my case that would be half of year with no Vongole Bianco. No way, I wouldn’t survive! I actually pity Ayato-kun for once...

Azusa: That man...must be quite mad.

Kanato: Then what about Subaru?

Shuu: Subaru and Laito were dragged off by Reiji. You’ve heard him talk about this special bargain sale as well, right? Apparently there’s a limit per person, so he needed some extra reinformencements. Since you refused to go with them, it also meant you were the only one left at home.

Kanato: ...I basically had to choose between a rock and a hard place though.

Ruki: Meanwhile Yuma is currently under house arrest. I assume he is working on his letter of apology as we speak. Therefore, the three of us have decided to step up instead. ...That being said, I did not expect to find the eldest of the Sakamaki’s here after he already neglected his responsiblity once. What has caused this sudden change of mind?

Shuu: ...Shut up. I have my reasoning.

Ruki: Reasoning, huh? Well, in that case, I will make sure that you help us out here. We will only make it harder on ourselves by constantly bickering.

Azusa: If we cause an issue here as well...Not only will we not get paid for the job...but compensation fee will only increase...

Kou: Oh don’t worry~! If we just give it our everything today, we’ll have the money we need in no time!

Kanato: Why are you guys so motivated anyway? I don’t understand at all.

Ruki: We personally know what it’s like to have to survive with little money after all.

Kou: As well as how hard it is to go without food for multiple days.

Azusa: If we can earn money by doing something as easy as this, we’d honestly work around the clock...

Shuu: It sounds serious coming from you guys, so cut it out.

Kanato: That might be the case, but this just isn’t for me. I’m going home. If we don’t have any money at the moment, then Shuu will simply have to provide it. He may be a lazy sloth, but he’s still the eldest of the family. Therefore, it’s his duty to take responsibility, isn’t it?

Shuu: Be my guest. However, just know that there won’t be any afternoon snack for you from tomorrow onwards.

Kanato: ...!! You’re playing it dirty, Shuu! Are you taking my sweets hostage!?

Shuu: I heard that the amount of money we have to spend on your snacks is no joke. Reiji was crying over it.

Ruki: You should provide for your own food. You should take a lesson from Yuma who grows his own crops.

Kou: That being said, the money we have to spend on his sugar cubes isn’t just a little bit either.

Azusa: The same goes for your clams, right...?

Shuu: What will you do, Kanato?

Kanato: ...Fine! I understand! However, only for one day. Furthermore, don’t give me any of the troublesome work.

Azusa: Kanato-san...You must want to eat sweets that badly.

Somebody enters the store.

Azusa: ...Ah. We’ve got a customer. ーー Wait. Huh?

Kou: Who do we have here...~? If it isn’t M-neko-chan! What brings you here? Dong groceries?

Shuu: Why are you here...? Don’t tell me, did Reiji send her here...?

Kanato: Hah! ...I bet she came here after he asked her to keep an eye on us to see whether or not we’re doing a proper job? She’s so gullible, she’ll do anything people ask of her without questioning it.

Kou: Wow~ Those are some pretty harsh things to say to a customer, don’t you think, Kanato-kun?

Kanato: She does not count as a customer as long as she hasn’t taken anything from the shelf, let alone bought something.

Ruki: Haah...Sakamaki Kanato. As I expected, we’ll have you work in the back. I can’t allow someone who doesn’t know how to be friendly stand at the register. It’ll affect the store’s reputation. Azusa, you help him out.

Azusa: Mmh. But...What should we do?

Ruki: You can start by refilling the drink section in the back. Don’t shake the carbonated ones under any circumstances. Understood?

Azusa: Roger. ...You really know everything, don’t you, Ruki?

Ruki: I made sure to have the shop owner fill me in on everything we would need to know beforehand. Right now, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to call me a true ‘convenience store connoisseur’.

Shuu: ...You know, sometimes I wonder if you guys’ older brother is actually just a big idiot?

Kou: Ruki-kun is just very serious about the duties given to him.

Azusa: Well then, let’s go...Kanato-san.

Kanato: Haah...Why do I have to do this?

Kanato and Azusa walk away.

Shuu: ...So, what are you actually here for?

You explain.

Shuu: It’s a coincidence? I mean, this convenience store is close to our campus but still...

You ask what they are doing here.

Kou: The five of us? ...As you can see, we’re currently at work~

Ruki: We have our reason to be here, just don’t think about it too hard.

Shuu: You’re here to buy something, right? Then get it over already and be on your merry way. I’m working right now, so I don’t have time to give you attention now.

You walk towards the shelves to grab your groceries.

Ruki: I did not expect Livestock would drop by...

Kou: However, this is perfect, no? Shuu-kun~ Why don’t you practice using the cash register with M-neko-chan?

Shuu: Hah...? Why me?

Ruki: Right. You might come off as rude towards someone who doesn’t know the situation. She’s the perfect practice buddy.

Shuu: ...What a pain.

You return to the register.

Kou: Ah, look! Here she comes!

*Thud*

Shuu: ...And of course she picked out half of the store.

*Rustle rustle*

Shuu: Magazines and sweet pastries..Hah. A bottle of vegetable juice which is ‘packed with iron’, huh? ...Are you picking a fight with us, perhaps? If you want this stuff so badly, go ahead and scan it yourself. Why do I have to use energy on the things you want to buーー

*THUD*

Shuu: ...Ow!

Ruki: My sincere apologies, miss.

Shuu: ...What are you doing?

Kou: I mean, it’s the only way to get you to actually work, right? It’s the same thing as when they smack a slow horse with a whip to get it to go faster.

Ruki: By the way, Reiji has asked me to make sure you actually do something. He even gave me permission to smack you with a whip if you showed no signs of motivation.

Shuu: Reiji, that bastard...I can’t believe he’s been sneakily planning all of this behind my back...

Kou: Come on, you’re making our customer wait!

Shuu: Che...What a pain. I just have to do it, right?

*Beep*

Shuu: That’ll be 180 yen for this...

*Beep*

Shuu: and an additional 218 yen for this one...

*Beep*

Shuu: 580 yen for this...

Ruki: Oi, there’s a packed lunch amongst her items. You haven’t forgotten what to do in this case, right?

Shuu: I don’t need to heat this up for you, right? Someone like you doesn’t deserve any better than cold fooーー

*THUD*

Shuu: ...Ugh!

Ruki: Nevermind. Kou. Show him how it’s done.

Kou: Okay~! Guess it’s my turn now~!

*Rustle*

Kou: Sorry for the wait, miss. Would you like me to heat up this lunch box for you?

You nod.

Kou: As you wish! A few minutes, please.

Kou puts the bento box in the microwave oven.

*Beep beep*

*BZZZT*

Kou: Would you like me to put the packed lunch in a different bag?

You nod again.

Kou: Okay! Oh, could I perhaps recommend to you this limited edition ‘Bloody Chicken’?

*Rustle*

Kou: (whispers) You see, I had a little nibble earlier and it was delicious! So good, I really want you to give it a try as well! What do you think? Would you like some?

Ruki: How’s that, Sakamaki Shuu? This is how you’re supposed to serve customers. You have to capture the customer’s heart and prompt them to purchase your goods. Kou truly makes for the perfect employee. As to be expected of an idol.

Shuu: Rather than the perfect employee, I think you meant to say that he’d make for a perfect scam artist? ...Besides, he just admitted to eating some of the store’s food earlier. You’re allowing that?

Ruki: ...!! Kou...!?

Kou: Don’t worry, Ruki-kun~! I only had the piece which I accidentally dropped when putting everything into the frier, so I didn’t take any of the store’s goods.

Ruki: Fool! Every loss counts! That is the spirit of any salesman! Remember that well!

Kou: Geez, I’m sorry! Besides, we’re only part-time workers so how much the store sells doesn’t actually matter to us, right? No need to get so upset.

Ruki: Do not spout such nonsense! While we may only be temporary workers, now that we’ve been entrusted with this task, we cannot afford the store to suffer any loss!

Shuu: Was that guy really born rich?

Kou: Ruki-kun’s a wordly-wise man after all.

*Thud thud*

Kanato: (muffled) Aah! God!! How many times do I have to tell you...!?

Kou: Seems like they’re having an argument back there...

Kanato: (muffled) Whatever! You’ve done enough! I’ll take it over from here!

Ruki: I’d love to go check up on them, but seems like we don’t have the time for that.

More customers enter the store.

Ruki: We can’t step away from the register.

...Hm. Oi, Livestock! Go take a look in the back!

You nod.

Shuu: Are you sure you can give an outsider permission into the store?

Ruki: It’s no problem. I have already taken measures.

Kou: We’re counting on you then. Good luck~!

You leave for the back of the store.

*TIMESKIP*

Kanato: Haah...Once again, not that one! How many times do I have to tell you

Azusa: But...

Kanato: No buts! ...Azusa, do you even have the will to work?

Azusa: I do. ...If anything, you’re the one who was lacking motivation, no?

Kanato: Hah! I still don’t have any at present.

Azusa: Mmh. But, I’m happy...That you’re helping me like this...

Kanato: I’m not doing it because I want to. I just have no other choice when working with someone as incompenent as you. Come on! Why don’t you try moving your hands instead of your mouth?

Azusa: Ah...Yeah. Then I’ll open this box next, okay?

Azusa cuts open the box.

Azusa: There we...go...

*Rustle rustle*

Azusa: Ah...Ow...Fufu...I cut myself...

You rush towards Azusa.

Azusa: Huh? ...You came here...Aah...This injury? Don’t worry...It’s nothing serious.

Kanato: Did you cut yourself again? How many times have you done it now, Azusa?

Azusa: Fufu...I’m sorry, Kanato-san. My hand slipped...

Kanato: The items are safe, right? Don’t tell me you got blood on them?

Azusa: No need to worry about that. I made sure to cut myself on the other side.

Kanato: ...Good. Now hurry up and wrap a bandage around it so you can get back to work.

Azusa: Roger~... Fufu...Fufufu...I wonder what name I should give this cut? ...I know. I’ll call you ‘Lily’. I doubt it’ll leave a permanent scar but...I look forward to spending time with you until you heal, Lily...~

Azusa walks away to tend to his injury.

Kanato: You’ll help me out until Azusa returns. It isn’t anything difficult, really. All you have to do is get the cans of juice from these boxes and place them on this shelf over here. I’m sure even someone like you can handle that, right?

We’ve barely made any progress because Azusa kept on having to take a break every time he hurt himself. Come on, get to it already.

You start helping out.

*RIIIIP*

*Thud thud thud*

Kanato: One second. Which cans did you put in that row just now?

You answer.

Kanato: No! That row is for the canned coffee in the box next to that one. For one, when putting down juice marketed towards children, it’s common sense to put them on the lower shelves, is it not? I can’t believe you would place them all the way on top. You really never think when you act, do you?

*Rustle*

Azusa: It’s quite admirable...how much thought Kanato-san has put into this, don’t you think? Don’t you think he should become the shop owner?

Kanato: Please do not start spouting nonsense from the second you’ve returned, it grinds my gears.

Azusa: I’m sorry for having you take over my job...I’ll do the rest, okay? Thank you.

You hear commotion in the back.

Azusa: Hm...? What could be happening...?

Kanato: It is awfully noisy. Let’s go take a look. Come on, you’re joining us as well.

The three of you return to the main part of the store.

*TIMESKIP*

Azusa: Oh...Look at all those customers...

*Rustle rustle*

Azusa: Ugh...Excuse me...Could you...let us...through...?

*Rustle rustle*

Kanato: ...Ugh...

*Rustle*

Kanato: What is this ruckus about, Shuu?

Shuu: Don’t ask me. It happened before I knew it.

Kanato: Haah...Were you sleeping while standing again?

Ruki: It seems like people found out that Kou is working here. Female customers have been coming in one after the other ever since.

Azusa: As to be expected of Kou...He’s super popular.

*Rustle rustle*

Kou: Wait, wait! It’s dangerous, so don’t push! No need to rush, Kou-kun won’t run away~ ...I’m sorry for giving you all a shock. I’m working here with my brothers today due to certain circumstances. I’d rather not have this become a big deal so will you please cooperate? It’s a personal request from your beloved Kou-kun~? Of course, if you’re all good girls...you’ll get a reward afterwardsーー Okay~?

He winks as the girls go crazy.

Kanato: Excuse me...? Why is he only making it even more noisy?

Shuu: I don’t care how, just do something about this. I’m going to become deaf at this point.

Ruki: Hm? Now that you mention it...Where are your earphones?

Shuu: ...They were sold to a pawnshop.

Ruki: Hah?

Shuu: They’re waiting for me at a pawnshop right now.

Azusa: So that’s why you want money, Shuu-san...

Kou: Okay, okay, no pushing! Now form a queue! One person at a time! ー Ah! Don’t drop any of the goods!

Ruki: I cannot watch this any longer.

Kanato: Agreed.

Azusa: Ruki? Kanato-san?

*THUD*

Kanato: Shut up, you inferior human vermin...!!

Kou: Kanato-kun! They’re customers, rememーー

Ruki: It is fine, Kou. Anyone who can not even properly stand in line doesn’t have the right to be treated as a customer.

Listen up, livestockーー!! Right now, you lot cannot even be called human. You are nothing but pathetic livestock gathering around a delicious treat!

Azusa: Ah...Seems like Ruki has finally neglected his responsiblity as an employee as well...

The crowd grows even more restless.

Kanato: Aah...Will they please just shut up already? It’s too loud...!! In this case, I guess I have no other choice but to crush them one by one...

*Rustle*

Kanato: ーー You, over there! Why are you over at the register when you haven’t even picked anything from the shelf yet!? If you want to pay with Kou that badly, then at least start by putting something in your shopping cart!

*Rustle*

Kanato: Meanwhile you messed up the order of the products, didn’t you? I’m the one who put in effort to organize them earlier, you know? Unforgivable...

Ruki: Anyone who commits a misconduct in this store from here on out will receive a fitting punishment. We take no complaints. After all, you are not customers, but livestock! Those who have understood this message and wish to pay for their purchases, please form a proper line and wait for your turn.

Kanato: Shuu...Don’t be spacing out and go stand at the cash register over there. You don’t think you can rest while all of us are working, do you?

Shuu: What a drag...

Ruki: Azusa. You go and keep an eye on the livestock waiting outside of the store. So they don’t cause any issues for the people passing by.

Azusa: Okay, I understand...

Azusa walks away.

Ruki: You will remain at the register, Kou. However, I want to see no fan service. I don’t want to incur any more chaos.

Kou: Okaaayー

Ruki: Oi, Livestock. ーー I’m not talking to the customers, but to you.

You tilt your head to the side.

Ruki: We’re running low on people, so you’ll help out as well. ...Heh, good thing I predicted this sort of situation and registered you as one of the part-time workers beforehand.

...Listen up, Livestock. If you manage to deal with this rampant group of your peers, I will give you a reward later as well.

*Rustle*

Ruki: Now, get to work, Livestock! For the store! For the money! And for us!

*TIMESKIP*

*Rustle*

Kou: Phew~ Good work, everyone! Geez, a part-time job shouldn’t be underestimated~

Shuu: All of the shelves are completely empty...Did we do the right thing?

Ruki: Apparently we set a new record for sales. There is nothing bad about that.

Azusa: But...It was fun. Right, Kanato-san?

Kanato: ...Hmph. I will never do this again if my sweets aren’t on the line.

Ruki: Well, we received a generous salary because the sales were so good. It should be more than plenty to pay for all of the damages.

*Rustle*

Kou: Huh? M-neko-chan, you didn’t know anything?

Shuu: In short, you’ve been working yourself to the bone for the ‘double idiot squad Ayato and Yuma’. You even risked yourself getting jostled by the crowd of fangirls for them. My consolences.

Ruki: Well, you worked well today as well. We will make sure to compensate.

Kou: All of the money went to the bill though so we’ll have to do it some other way, right?

Azusa: What would you like?

Kanato: Why bother asking? There is only one thing this girl would want.

Shuu: Exactly. Now, come here. Show me your hand.

*Rustle*

Shuu: ...Iron-rich vegetable juice. You wanted this one, right?

Azusa: You missed out on buying it earlier after all...So we decided to purchase it for you.

Kou: Come on, you’ve just finished work, so you must be parched, right?

You take a sip from the vegetable juice.

Kanato: You drank it, right?

Ruki: She sure did.

Shuu: Haha...You really never learn, do you?

They gather around you.

*Rustle rustle*

Shuu: Now your iron levels have been restored...So we can suck your blood without having to worry about it, right?

Kanato: Due to not getting much to eat at dinner as of late...I’m starving...

Kou: So we’d love to quench our thirst with your blood~

Azusa: Sorry...

Ruki: Heh. ...Did I not tell you that I would reward you thoroughly afterwards?

Shuu: You’re tired, aren’t you? We’ll help lull you to sleep...

*THUD*

*SHATTER*

Shuu: Ah...Oi...You’ve got to be kidding me, right...?

Kanato: I’m not the one who bumped into it, so I wash my hands off the matter!

Ruki: Do not try to avert your gaze from reality, Sakamaki Kanato! The five of us share this responsibility.

Kou: Don’t tell me...There will be a sequel to our working life...?

Azusa: Seems like it...

A customer enters the store.

Everyone: Haah...Welcome.

ーー THE END ーー

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #shuu sakamaki #kanato sakamaki #ruki mukami #kou mukami #azusa mukami #diabolik lovers drama cd #diabolik lovers translation

333 notes · View notes

eyrieofsynapses · 3 years

Text

Redemption Panel Highlights and Reactions

GATORS

i.e., Beth Riesgraf and Christian Kane (mostly Beth) talking about filming the scenes in (what I presume is) The Rollin’ on the River Job, where they’re pulling some stuff out of the water, and finding out the next day that there was an absolutely massive alligator pulled out of the same place just a little while after they filmed it

Beth’s impression of the wildlife folks warning them about the alligators

Beth scaring the hell out of Noah Wyle by yelling “GATOR” at him just after he finished his scene

seriously that was an absolutely WILD part of the panel

Everyone showering Aleyse Shannon with literally all the love!

Aldis Hodge in particular big-brothering her, and also the older actors calling her out for not giving herself enough credit, and Dean Devlin talking about how she blew him away at the auditions with her ability to turn on a dime

Seeing Kane with his glasses off wiping at his eyes, momentarily thinking “you okay dude?” and then realizing that he was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes

(same)

The The Bucket Job clip! I’ve been a bit meh on a lot of Redemption, just in how it didn’t feel quite right, but that is possibly the absolute closest I’ve seen it get to the original in the best way. Brilliant

Which comes as no surprise since BETH RIESGRAF directed the episode!!! And apparently put an insane amount of effort in!

Beth’s utter delight and joy at both directing the episode and having the crew behind her

THE CHAIR

So apparently she and Christian went to town on the fight scene and he winds up tied up in a chair somewhere along the line and there’s a whole wild scene, which I am really looking forward to

Beth knowing how insanely particular he’d be about things like zip ties vs rope and what kind of rope e.t.c. e.t.c.

Apparently this is also tied into a VERY DEEP scene with Eliot? It sounds like they’re going to go super hard on his backstory, which is terrifyingly exciting

Just. Beth and Christian going very hard on that episode together

Speaking of: the panel’s going amazingly, I’m laughing so hard my stomach hurts, things are relatively light, and then, of fucking course—

Kane hitting us over the head about Eliot being a mass murderer who can’t be redeemed, is trying to stay static so that he can maintain the place he’s in, and is thus LIVING VICARIOUSLY THROUGH HARRY

What the FUCK. This is of course incredibly insightful and perfectly on point (because it’s Kane) but also, EXCUSE ME, OUCH, why would you DO THAT to us?

Everyone talking about having their families on set and their kids!

Beth’s son growing up on the original Leverage set and now going into being a director himself!

Gina’s daughter also growing up on set!

Noah Wyle’s daughter is playing Harry’s daughter I REPEAT NOAH WYLE’S ACTUAL DAUGHTER IS PLAYING AS HARRY’S DAUGHTER

Gina Bellman remaining relatively stoic throughout much of the panel (seriously, this woman, how the heck does she do it) and then losing it when they’re asked about running/inside jokes

A lot of them are, of course, apparently not appropriate to be spoken on-panel

(A lot of the others are the little inside ones that are special enough not to be ones they want to share, which is sweet!)

Everyone collectively losing it over having LeVar Burton on for The Bucket Job

Devlin and everyone laughing about collecting the various Star Trek people on Leverage

Beth talking about Burton coming over while she’s getting ready and asking her if she’s living on coffee and water, her laughing because he was absolutely right, and then him gently reminding her to remember to eat, which is the sweetest thing in the world oh my gods

Kane apparently choreographing an intense scene with Burton and being scared out of his mind, because Burton really wanted to go for it, but to Kane it was like he’s a figurine that’s not to be messed with because he was so worried about hurting him

Kane choreographing a massive amount of the show, which I knew already, but seriously, this guy blows me away

Gina and the crew talking about how he’d be away for a day of shooting a fight and all of them would be missing him and thinking about him

Family Vibes

Everyone talking about how they’re very noisy and loud together on set and it’s a bit like walking into a group of people having Christmas dinner (or something to that effect) because they’re just Like That together

Aleyse being the most surprised by Beth when she met her because she was like a little angel of light during the auditions but turned out to be an absolute ball of wild energy on set

Gina going “wait you were a MODEL” at Beth

Aldis talking about how much he loved how Parker and Hardison’s relationship had developed and grown!

Also, Aldis apologizing when the New York (iirc) background noise got loud and everyone going “no no we get you”

His outfit is ON POINT today

Gina saying that Christian is the goofiest and wildest out of them in terms of humor

(she goes “some of you may not know this,” which, fair, but also, if you’ve seen more than ten minutes of this guy outside of character you know he’s an absolute ball of sunshine)

Gina, Beth, and Christian talking about how they’d challenge each other to stay off sweets back on the original set, because they knew they needed to stay in shape and also just because they’re competitive (apparently all of them are major sweet tooths) and hide brownies and things from each other, while Aldis is just. doing pushups. eating all the healthy stuff. and then wanders into the room with a literal cupful of chocolates

(and Aldis going “well yeah I have to work off the sweets SOMEHOW”)

Beth explaining that sometimes they’d order a “Kane burrito” from Christian and he’d alter it slightly

Like, you know, chopping up hot jalapenos super fine and mixing them in, and Beth practically not being able to talk after the first bite

Apparently Aldis still went back a lot even after that

(Christian just seems very pleased with himself over it)

(THESE PEOPLE)

Gina goes “hey we should have an episode where we all swap roles,” Devlin going “WAIT FOR SEASON ONE TO BE DONE,” and then somebody (maybe the moderator?? I don’t remember exactly) going “uh actually. We did that”

Cue immediate scramble of “WAIT WHICH JOB WAS THAT”

(paraphrasing) “Yeah you remember the bit where you put on Parker’s harness and went off a building?”

Turns out half the cast had actually forgotten that that existed and only remember when reminded

The original cast all think of the episodes as “jobs”!!!!

Everyone talking over each other, Devlin going “it was with Sterling when we blew up the offices,” deciding that it was the season one finale, and then trying to figure out what episode title it was (eventually they figure out it’s the David jobs)

Moderator and Devlin accurately commenting that the fans know the show much better than they do

Noah Wyle very correctly explaining how Electric Entertainment is like a family and Devlin just. Keeps people

Aleyse and Aldis talking about typing when they’re hacking and going “WHAT THE HECK DO WE TYPE”

Aldis goes “yeah I just type all the bad words that we’re not allowed to say”

Aleyse saying that she’s always a little worried they’re hiding a Word document behind the blue screen and they’re going to pull up what she’s typing at the end of the day and print it out and put it in her trailer going “what the HECK is this”

Noah talking about filming The Golf Job and just getting to direct Jason Marsters and Christian together

Apparently their dynamic in that episode accurately mirrors the one with their characters in Angel!

Which promptly goes straight to the comment that it was very hard to make Marsters look like a golfer (pfft)

(Also apparently Christian plays golf for fun with his friends? Not necessarily something I would’ve thought of!)

Aleyse happily talking about how she loved the dynamic on set and it was very different from what she was used to

Also Aleyse talking about doing stunts and everyone else praising her for going whole hog

Beth especially praising her for the bit where she’s hit with the paralysis injection (I don’t remember which ep it’s from) and her acting for it, because it was incredibly hard to drop off screen in the particular way she did

Aleyse promptly answers that she was terrified with some of those, especially one where she had to keep a clock from falling and breaking

Everyone discussing how they see a new aspect of Breanna’s character in The Train Job

Also, to get serious for a moment, Kate Rorick in particular talks about how Breanna’s part of Gen Z and how we didn’t get the “days of yore” where everything was chill. We’ve basically been living in a world of hostility the whole time. It’s something I deeply appreciate, as someone who’s part of that group, and I love how they emphasize that for us.

This panel was pure chaos and I loved every moment of it! My stomach was actually hurting from laughing so hard, I swear. They had me cackling well over half the time. I would happily take panels double or triple the length of this, this was amazing. I also adore how the second you drop these six people in a room together, they immediately take off and literally just run and give you everything you wanted and more. (It is also evidently very hard to get them to STOP talking.)

I’m also just going to stop and take a second to fawn over the effects for the 3D room. It’s gorgeous—I love how they replicated the headquarters, especially with the stained glass ceilings! Super impressive, especially with all the photos, and I just love the whole thing. Kudos to whoever put that together.

Anyway, I’m definitely missing some stuff too; seriously, there wasn’t a second wasted in this thing, they were cracking some kind of joke or dropping some really interesting piece of information practically every thirty seconds. (And I haven’t even gotten into the clips OR the bloopers. I miiiight do a separate reaction purely for those.) It’s still up right now if you missed it and you want to watch it! I’ll probably watch it again, honestly.

#leverage #leverage redemption #leverage redemption panel #synapse reacts

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the-insomniac-emporium · 3 years

Text

Slumbering Hearts (Alcina Dimitrescu/Reader, Soulmate AU) Pt. 1

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T for language/brief nudity Warnings: None Summary: In a wicked twist of fate, you find out your soulmate is none other than your employer, Lady Dimitrescu. To your misery, she (at first) seems equally displeased, her heart already belonging to another. But in time, the two of you find yourselves wondering... could the universe be right, after all? Soulmate AU in which every person has a unique "soul mark", which they share with their soulmate. Notes: Reader is gender neutral, but at some points will be described as leaning towards being feminine (due to personal interpretation of Alcina's character). Additionally, Lady D will eventually be referred to by her first name, so don't worry if you feel weird about her being called by her full title all the time, it's just for this chap, when the reader isn't familiar with her. Lastly, this contains a bit of one sided Alcina/Miranda, which serves as a plot point, but is (clearly) not the primary ship.

1: In The Shadow Of Giants

Three months, two weeks, and one day. That’s how long you’ve been at this accursed castle, serving cruel mistresses, having been plucked from your peaceful life in the village. Anger stains your every thought, slowly festering inside your chest. There is no cure, at least not without a fatal price, but there are mild remedies. ‘Tis not long before the other servants learn to give you the more physically demanding chores. Nothing numbs your mind quite the same way that chopping firewood does, though you often settle for hard scrubbing age-old tile. Every day ends with your muscles crying from the effort of it all. Every day… except today. Another servant, from the night shift, has been wounded severely, and her job was deemed too important to be foregone.

And, as such, she has been replaced. By you. For once, you turn in early, long before your clothes can become stained with sweat. Yet you aren’t happy, not when you know that this change will ruin your sleep for weeks to come. Even worse, it’ll be impossible to avoid your ‘employers’, whereas working the day shift meant almost never seeing them. So far, you have only seen them on four or five occasions. Hell, you’ve only met two of them, being Cassandra and Bela. Based on what others told you, the other two weren’t much (if at all) better. As you try your best to get some rest, only a single ‘positive’ thought runs through your head: Well, worst comes to worst, I’ll get killed, then I won’t have to worry about anything anymore.

---------------------------

“Remember: No talking unless you’re asked a question. The Mistress has had a rough morning, and this is her best chance at relaxing,” Juniper explains, for what seems like the eighth time since the two of you met. There’s a nervous energy around her, which does little to ease your own anxieties. If you heard correctly, she’s only been at the castle for a couple weeks, having previously worked for Mother Miranda. You’re not sure what would have caused the transfer, considering most who were ‘fired’ ended up dead. Something told you that it had to do with antsy nature. “Oh, and don’t leave unless dismissed, even once your part is done. We all need to be ready, in case Mistress- I mean, Lady Dimitrescu needs something. Sorry, I’m still getting used to how things work here.”

“As long as you don’t slip up in front of her and get us both killed, I don’t really care,” you replied, giving Juniper a level stare. Clearly unsure how to respond, she pauses for a moment, mouth opening then closing without a sound. Once she’s seemingly composed herself, you give a short nod and push open the door to the bathroom. Two other servants are already inside, and they flinch at your arrival, briefly mistaking you for their boss. “I can hardly believe they made me change shifts for this,” you add, under your breath, rolling your eyes. What was so important about making sure a few candles stayed lit? During bathtime? Maybe it was something you had to be a giant, vampiric noblewoman to understand. Regardless of your annoyance, you quickly get to work, striking the first of a couple matches. It’s a rather dull task. To think you would have preferred heavy labor to this.

Before long, the last flame springs to life, and Juniper dims the lights, allowing the candles to become the focus. At least one is scented, though you cannot place the specific kind. Less than a minute after the last one is lit, the door once again swings open, revealing your most elusive employer. She’s… more than you anticipated. In every conceivable way, truthfully. Taller, more graceful (even as she has to duck through the entrance), and, as much as you hate to think so, far, far more beautiful. If not for the warm lighting of the room, you would have worried about someone seeing your blush. Certainly I am not the first to react this way, you think, as you bow alongside the others.

“Yes, yes, get on with it,” Lady Dimitrescu says, with a sharp frown. Then she moves closer to the tub, which you imagine could fit half a dozen ‘normal’ people, and holds out her arms to her side. For a moment you’re confused, but you instinctively mimic the motions of the other maidens. Together the four of you reach for her robe, gently taking hold of it while she steps into the bath, before hanging it onto a nearby hook. A second later your entire world is turned upside down. You’re freezing in place, eyes wide, as the bare back of Lady Dimitrescu reveals itself to you. Yet this is not an instance of poorly veiled lust. No, it is equal parts horror and repulsion, for you find yourself staring at a distinctive soul marking.

One that matches your own.

Beside you, Juniper watches you with concern, silently urging you to stay silent. Neither of the other two servants seem to react, other than by taking a small step backwards. Unable to speak, let alone form coherent thoughts, all you can do is point a trembling finger towards the soul mark. It’s right in between Lady Dimitrescu’s shoulder blades. Once upon a time, you had marveled at the design, smiling every time you saw it in the mirror. Now, it might as well be the ugliest thing you’ve ever seen. Based on her expression, Juniper seems to agree, although for different reasons. As your hand drops back to your side, you try to compose yourself enough to focus on the task before you. Instead, someone breaks the quiet, boldly, daring to think that they would be rewarded for it.

“My Lady,” a servant says, stepping forward, shooting you a waywards glance. Instantly she has your employer’s attention, though that comes with the metallic sssssslk of her claws extending. There’s an unspoken threat that demands respect. None comes, however, just the frenzied words of a panicked maiden. “I know who your soulmate is, my Lady. I thought that perhaps you’d-”

“A name. Give me… a name,” Lady Dimitrescu interjects, claws still out and impatiently tapping on the tile floor. Tense, you start to step forward, wanting desperately to silence the treacherous maiden. But her tongue is faster than your fist, and soon enough your name is echoing through the room. “Oh? The one right behind me, hmm? Dreadfully convenient, really. Step forward, dear, and let me see the proof. Assuming it exists.” All eyes other than hers are on you, now. With a deep breath, you begrudgingly step in front of Lady Dimitrescu, trying not to even briefly glance at her chest (or worse, lower). One of her hands shifts, a long claw tilting your chin up. “Well?”

“Forgive the placement,” you mutter, awkwardly grabbing your shirt collar, tugging it down to reveal your soul mark, planted neatly on the center of your chest. If Lady Dimitrescu’s gaze wanders, it does so too quickly to be noticed, though she does make a low humming noise at the sight. Feeling much like a piece of meat on display at the butcher’s, you scowl deeply. Soon enough, but not as soon as you’d like, the claw under your chin retracts, and you once more cover up your soul mark. You can’t bring yourself to look your soulmate in the eyes.

“Hmm. Not what I expected. Not at all,” she muses, more to herself than to you, softly. Behind her, Juniper is sending you a sympathetic expression. All you can do, as Lady Dimitrescu judges you, is glare at the origin of this revelation. What did she think to gain by speaking up? Hadn’t she heard the same rumors that you had? Didn’t she know that your employer already loved another, even if that affection was unrequited? There was, simply put, no chance that you were the preferable option. Not when there was no race against neither time nor death. At best, you could be a distraction. Something to keep her mind off of the person she’d rather be with. “Go clean up, get some sustenance if you must, then go to my quarters. We will discuss this further there- after I am done here.”

With that said, she waves you off, letting you relax for the first time in several minutes. After giving a short bow, you immediately move to leave. On your way, you intentionally bump shoulders with the maiden who spoke up, sending her a glare, then give Juniper a nod of acknowledgement. Nervous wreck or not, she was the only person you ‘knew’ on the night shift. Not that such a thing would even matter soon. To think that we’ve been soulmates this whole time, you think, living in the same castle for months, never seeing each other. I wish things could have stayed that way. At least you’d have some time to process your developing situation. Though you doubted you’d have enough time.

---------------------------

In an unusual change of pace, Alcina dismisses the rest of her servants, long before her bath is done. They exchange glances before scattering to the winds. A heavy sigh leaves her lips, and she sinks lower into the tub. Of course I have a soulmate, she thinks, bitterly. I knew this. Knew that it wasn’t her, and yet still, I find myself surprised. Disappointed, even. How had an already rough evening gotten even worse? More than that, what was she supposed to do about it? There was a part of her that wanted to kill her soulmate. She figured that, with them out of the way, the universe might finally understand who she was meant to be with. After all, it wasn’t uncommon for ‘widows’ to be given a new match, and those were generally other ‘widows’. Considering that Alcina knew for a fact that Mother Miranda’s soulmate had long since died, she did not think that her hopes were beyond possibility.

But there was another part of her, quieter, that dared to be more realistic. If the universe said that this human, this tiny thing, was her soulmate… would it not make sense to at least try? What harm could it do, when her current love had been unrequited for so long? Was this not the end to several decades of loneliness? Damn it, she thinks, gripping the edge of the bathtub until her knuckles turned white. There was no denying it, now that a single drop of rational thought had corrupted her mind. Fuck it all, I hardly have a choice. Or anything to lose, for that matter. With her decision made, she rises to her feet, emotionally ready to face the unknown.

---------------------------

“Ah, so you do follow directions, after all. I half expected to learn that you had attempted to flee, or perhaps had a gruesome run in with one of my daughters,” Lady Dimitrescu chimes, as she ducks into her room. Inside, standing at attention, you await. All of your earlier nervousness returns, though this time it is tinged with your natural rage. Of all the monsters in the world, this was the one you were expected to love. It mattered not how tall she was, or how sharp her nails could be, or how fierce her loyalty to Mother Miranda. To you, it mattered that you had no choice in being here, that only a handful of servants had come to the castle willingly. It mattered that a single mistake could mean a cruel death. So you did not greet your soulmate with a smile, or excitement, rather with a forced bow and blank expression. Better to be dead than to fake true love. “Come now, do at least pretend that you are excited, for my sake. I have been waiting a century for this, after all.”

“Perhaps the universe found it difficult to find someone who could love you,” you say, the words tumbling out of your mouth, instant regret boiling up inside of you. What you expect is a swift death. What you get? A deep sigh, a scowl, a look of frustration. Still fearing your possible demise, you are quick to keep speaking. “Or maybe the universe heard me talk once, and struggled to find someone to tolerate me. Countless possibilities, a galaxy full of mysteries… and here we are. Forgive me for being crass, my Lady. I would blame it on my schedule change, but something tells me you would see right through that lie, yes?” Not like that was much better, you think, wondering how the hell you were going to survive this.

“You’re quite the character, aren’t you?... Do try not to make me regret this, I’d rather not kill my soulmate. Now, sit down, it’s about time for a proper introduction,” Lady Dimitrescu commands. Then she’s sitting on the edge of her bed, gently patting the spot next to her. Joining her is just about the last thing you want to do right now… but you obey nonetheless. Still, you angle yourself away from her ever so slightly, hoping the subtle body language would help you distance yourself from her. There’s something in her expression that tells you she knows exactly what you’re trying to do. “I am Lady Dimitrescu, though you already know that. You may call me Alcina… for now. Behave, or that is one of many privileges I will not hesitate to take from you. Understood?”

It takes all of your willpower to avoid rolling your eyes, but you manage, instead giving a short nod. This’ll be interesting, for sure.

#lady dimitrescu x reader #alcina dimitrescu x reader #alcina dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #resident evil: village #re8 village #love this lady<3

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aerequets · 3 years

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can you give me some webtoon recommendations? name some of your favorites! :)

i am here to answer folks 😎

all of these webtoons can be found on webtoons.com! I'm not sure about the whole daily pass thing they've got going on (which sucks tbh) but like,,, you could probably find it online illegally. NOT THAT I CONDONE ILLEGAL ACTIVITY HAHAHAHA ᵖˢˢᵗ ⁱᶠ ʸᵒᵘ ˡᵒᵒᵏ ⁱᵗ'ˢ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ

I'll split these up between completed and in progress :) most are still in progress though

COMPLETED

1) Gourmet Hound (166 chapters)

this is like, my all time favorite webtoon. it follows Lucy and her quest to find all the chefs that left her favorite restaurant, Dimanche! it’s a really heartfelt story and the food illustrations make you really hungry, so make sure you have a snack before you sit down to read it. each character’s name is also food-related, so that’s pretty cool too! and the diversity in this webtoon is AMAZING. it’s the only webtoon i’ve ever read that has a hijabi character in the main cast. the development is done really well and it explores themes of loving and letting go. all in all, it has a bit of everything. i personally love food-related things, and this centers around it, so i was set LOL

(also a bonus is that this webtoon has NOT succumbed to daily pass hell, so you can binge read the whole thing. legally.)

2) Hooky (200 chapters)

if you like stories of witches, this is the one! the summary and beginning chapters are deceptively lighthearted. DO NOT BE FOOLED! the story really develops further on and explores numerous conflicts, a big one being (if i remember correctly) witch vs. nonwitch. if you like to see struggles between two sides, not a good-and-evil but just people-who-want-the-best-for-themselves-and-their-loved-ones type of thing, this is good for that. also, sibling love! the two main characters are Dani and Dorian, and while there is someee romance, i like how this story centers around the siblings first and foremost. ALSO THE ART??? I LOVE HOW THE AUTHOR DRAWS SETTINGS SO MUCH and am unabashedly jealous because i am completely incapable of doing so just like,,,, even if the story doesn’t pull you in, you can at least stare at each panel for long stretches of time.

(unfortunately succumbed to daily pass, but you can read it on mangaowl or manganelo!)

3) Spirit Fingers (167 chapters)

aww, this one is cute. Amy is 18 and lacking in self confidence (her family definitely doesn’t help). but HEY she joins a wacky art club!! without her parents knowing!! HECK YEAH!! unfortunately it takes more than joining an art club for her to learn to love herself (it is a long journey after all!). i love this webtoon because it explores the problems of multiple people, not just amy: her high achieving brothers, her mother who had to give up her dream, the different members in the art club, Amy’s girl friends. the art is unique and has a cool watercolor-y texture! and the main couple is just adorable, too. if you’re an artist especially, i recommend this because that’s a big theme and you get to see these characters expand their art styles! which is very cool!

(you can read this one fully on 1stkissmanga)

now here’s where the majority of my recs are:

IN PROGRESS (all can be read on webtoon.com)

1) The Makeup Remover (currently 71 chapters)

i look forward to this every tuesday and friday because oh man!!!!!!!!! idk about you guys, but i am thinking about beauty standards A Large Amount of the time, especially when i consume media. and this webtoon is all about beauty standards (specifically in Korea, but still applicable like. everywhere). Main character Yeseul ends up having to partake in this beauty competition and, with her experiences through it, she begins seeing makeup and beauty standards for the huge role they play in society. i said it already but i LOVE LOVE LOVE this webtoon because it really challenges you as a reader to think about your own perspectives. why do we find the things/people beautiful that we do? what shapes our perception? how much of it is marketing, and how much of it shows in our daily lives? what assumptions do you make about people based on how they look? AGHH im sounding like an essay prompt instead of a reviewer but man. if you like webtoons that examine society through a critical lens (gosh i sound like an english teacher), this is the one.

2) Odd Girl out (currently 261 chapters; on season 2)

okay, first and foremost: if you’re NOT into long winded drama, this probably isn’t it for you. i will admit im not a fan of long problems that get dragged out, especially in a school setting, but i did keep reading this webtoon and i am glad that i did! the character development here is amazing and ONE CRUCIAL THING is that the whole first season (which is many, many chapters. at least over 100) focuses on the friendship between our main 4 girls. if you don’t wanna wait for a romance storyline (which comes in season 2), then you’ve gotta have the patience of a saint. i loved this though because lots of romance webtoons cast friendships aside or use them to further the romantic plot. platonic relationships are great to read about and this one does it masterfully! main character nari is resilient and emotionally strong, and it’s great to see her ruin her enemies

3) Cursed Princess Club (currently 110 chapters; on break before the final season)

this is another one about beauty and societal expectations, but in a fantasy setting! it’s really funny and the cast of characters is heartwarming. Gwen is a princess, but she doesn’t look like the typical princess. she accidentally stumbles upon the Cursed Princess Club, which is exactly what it sounds like: a club for princesses that have been cursed and are trying to find their self worth despite not being conventional princesses! now that i think about it, this is like a lighthearted mixture of Makeup Remover and Spirit Fingers. although while i do say “lighthearted”, this webtoon has its fair share of mysteries and exploration of deeper topics. but its funny throughout

4) Brass & Sass (currently 83 chapters)

ahh this one is really cute and the art is cute, too! i also like how this has a diverse cast. high schooler Camilla kinda sucks at band, but dangit if she’s not passionate. Victor is some type of musical prodigy but he’s a brass-hole (hahaha get it. no that’s not original i ripped it from the summary). now i KNOW I KNOW, the whole “perky girl and asshole guy” is so overplayed BUT DON’T FRET! this isn’t the type of story where the girl “fixes” the guy, or where the guy is an asshole to everyone except the girl. believe me, the character development and relationship development in this story is SPLENDID. there’s no real antagonist. it’s just a bunch of high schoolers trying their best to make themselves and everyone else happy, and that’s hard! the story is carried more by the characters than by the plot, but it works well in this case since the characters are strong and each one has a presence.

5) Surviving Romance (currently 10 chapters)

this one is relatively new compared to my other recs but it’s by the author of the Makeup Remover so yaknow i had to hop on it. BUT IT IS VERY DIFFERENT! first off, it’s a horror, so keep that in mind. the best way i can describe it is a mixture of the standard “girl falls into a story” genre, Groundhog Day, and zombies. Yeah. Bascially, Chaerin is our main girl and she’s in a romance story that’s she’s read a bajillion times, so she knows the day has come for her male lead to confess his love! except he doesn’t! because he becomes a zombie instead! hahaha well that sucks! it’s only got 10 chapters but i am very into it, and it seems to be taking an emphasis on platonic relationships, so i am very closely watching 👁��

6) The Witch and the Bull (currently 60 chapters)

another witch story! and the art is GORGEOUS. more witch + nonwitch conflict, too! our main dude, Tan, is the royal advisor and he’s hella bigoted against witches. our main girl, Aro, happens to be a witch. and Tan needs her help to make him into a human again (because he got turned into a bull. that is worth mentioning). this is a very barebones summary and there’s a lot more that goes on, but that’s the general gist of the beginning!

ANYWAYS. this got very long, predictably, and i rambled for each title, predictably. i’ve got more that i’m reading, but i really like these 9! i also made comments on the art for a lot of them, which might not matter to some people, but i feel like my art was very impacted by each webtoon i read. if you’re an artist i recommend finding a webtoon you like and studying the art; try implementing parts you like into your own style!

anyways, i am FINALLY done talking. bye yall

#webtoons #my recs

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call-me-rucy · 3 years

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About Desmond Sycamore

This is the year 2021 and I’m not done talking about this man and his amazing tearjerking plot twist, so thanks to popular demand, here’s the 1k essay.

About his name

This post is brought to you by my brain, who, after 8 years, finally had an epiphany on what the meaning of Sycamore’s original surname is. Well, I say meaning. More like “way of writing”.

As you may know, Desmond’s original name in the Japanese version is “Foster Sahaiman”, originally “Fosutaa Saahaiman”, but that’s the regular Japanese way of spelling Foster so no problem there. Now, about the surname. Most common ways of spellling I’ve seen is either directly like it is in Japanese or, trying to English-ify it by ignoring a bunch of sylabes and going with “Simon”.

I finally found a way to write it in “English”, not ignoring any syllables.

My take is “Sirhighman“. Foster Sirhighman. It’s English sounding, non-existent and tbh sounds like the kind of name Hino would give to such a character. Basically, named him “Dr. Adopted Important-Chatacter”. And then again, we’re talking about the same character than later renamed himself “Desukooru” aka Deathcall (you can pry my headcanon of that being the intended meaning from my call death hands), so, in my opinion, it checks out.

About his colours

Back in the day, before we even knew what the sixth game would be titled, I already had the idea that it would include information about the professor’s early childhood. It was only natural, as the first time we’d heard about Layton’s past had been the end of the first trilogy and then in Miracle Mask we had explored his teen years. We were working backwards to a great and final backstory to close it all. The only problem I had with this deduction was, what would he get from this backstory? From Claire he got the “professor”, the “gentleman”and the hat; from Randall, he got the archaeology and the puzzling solving. If you removed that, all that was left of the character was just a man called Hershel Layton! , I remember thinking, annoyed, not knowing that that “Hershel Layton” was in fact the answer I was looking for.

On an apparent change of subject, I’d like to point out that Takuzo Nagano is an amazing character designer. He’s responsible for most Layton character designs, including Layton, Luke, Flora, Emmy... and of course Sycamore. The main characters are designed so that you can tell who it is with a glance. Blue? Luke. Yellow? Emmy. Orange and light brown? Flora. Dark Blue? Dark Future Luke. Except. Except. Sycamore shares the black and red palette with Layton. And when I say shares, I mean it.

Here I picked the colours to compare: in the scene, their skin, hair, suit and red details colours are extremely, extremely similar. In the credit images they’re downright identical. So much I had to put the shoe colours too so that I wouldnt confuse whose line is whose.

Slow clap for Nagano for designing two such visually different characters even though they share most of their colours.

Desmond’s suit is also (understandably) heavily inspired by Descole’s disguise: see the purple buttons, similar to Descole’s purple ribbon and how the shoes are literally the same. Real fun that Level-5 decided to make obvious from minute 1 of AL (aka the moment Raymond shows up, an then Desmond’s suit and voice) that these two were the same person only to then leave us with the existencial question of “Was Sycamore’s real identity Descole or was Descole’s real identity Sycamore?”.

Where am I going with all this? I’m not certain myself, I’m not particularly good at formalizing my ideas but imagine for a second that you have played all Professor Layton games with the exception of Azran Legacy, and you have no idea who even Sycamore is. And then I present you the following image, tell you it’s an image from the game you haven’t played, and I ask you to point to Hershel.

You’d do it right.

You’d correctly point to the figure with brown hair and dressed in orangey-red and go “That’s Hershel”. And that fact drives me crazy.

Because it there’s one thing Hershel Layton had before Claire, before Randall, apart from his name, it’s his colour scheme. I can only think of two instances before Azran Legacy in which Layton isn’t wearing anything orange or orangy-red (the fencing suit and a credit image in MM; no, I’m not counting Luke’s dream). Even future Layton in LF and the unused AA evil Layton designs had red in them!

So when Hershel gave his brother his name, he was giving him his place in the world, but, design-wise, he was also giving him his character place. The red colour we have learned during 5 games it means “Professor Layton” and “main character”, was not his own but given to him along with the name. Hershel Layton only starts wearing red and orange AFTER he is Hershel Layton, because those colours are the ones inherent to the character named Hershel which he wasn’t before.

It’s also interesting how they both got the same black. Story-wise, Layton wears black to match his hat, who was given by Claire, but she might have chose the colours based on clothes Layton already owned, as seen in the last credit picture of Unwound Future. But design-wise it’s just because he was thought like this. He was the main character and presumibly the first designed and they thought black was nice. I guess Sycamore’s black it’s also a nod to Descole but, for all that, Sycamone could have been in green. Or purple. Or, if you want it plain looking, just brown. Also Descole has a darker black in his cape and shoes, they could have gone with that. The point is: they didn’t need to copy paste Layton’s colour palette into another archaeology professor, but they did, and it’s entirely justified and supported by the story and that’s just beautiful and really clever.

That’s it! Hope you enjoyed reading, feel free to add your own comments on the subject! :D

#professor layton #desmond sycamore #jean descole #azran legacy #azran legacy spoilers #the return of rucy the layton infodumper #im not apologizing for the length #hershel layton

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fuckallthegood0nesweretaken · 4 years

Text

Sandor Clegane X Reader - Five and One

Title: Five and One

Words: 5,574

Warnings: Slight violence

A/N: This might be turned into a series, but I don’t know just yet. If you’d like to request something, send me an ask. I’d love to write for you! There’s a Kiss Prompt list, a NSFW Alphabet list, and a Headcanon list. If you have an original idea, don’t hesitate to send in an ask for that as well.

If you’d like to support me, I have a Ko-Fi and a Patreon. I’ll be posting all of my work to Patreon first from here on out and I’ll even be posting some non-fanfic writing there as well.

Sandor Masterlist

Game of Thrones Masterlist

Masterlist

~~~~~~~

The five times Sandor Clegane wanted to kiss you

It was a hot day in King’s Landing and you were positively miserable. You had moved there seven years ago, just before the birth of your nephew, Joffrey. You were used to the cooler climate of Casterly Rock and the only reason you agreed to move into the Red Keep was because of your siblings. You had always been close to them and it had hurt to be so far away from your family.

This is how you found yourself walking to the cooling pools, a little Joffrey in tow. You were easily his favorite person, not including his mother. He absolutely adored you and you adored him too. Joffrey giggled and tugged on your hand.

“Come on Auntie! You promised to teach me how to swim!”

“I know, my love. We’re almost there,” you said with a sweet smile.

Sandor was following closely behind, eyes never leaving your form. Once he realized he was staring, he shook his head lightly to clear his thoughts. Sandor and you had a, friendship, of sorts. He was always around Joffrey, being his guard since birth, and in turn he was almost always around you as well. If Joffrey wasn’t in his lessons or with his mother, he was with you.

You could never say no to Joffrey when he wanted to spend time with you. You loved your nephew dearly and wanted to cherish the time spent with him while you could. It also helped that you liked Sandor’s company and he was with your nephew all the time. You shook yourself of your thoughts and turned to Joffrey.

“We’re here!” Joffrey looked around the cooling pools with wide eyes.

“It’s pretty,” Joffrey said, slightly in awe. There were three pools in the room, each with different depths. The clear water was slightly blue due to the stones at the bottom and the sunlight shining through the large windows made it sparkle. The temperature was significantly lower than outside and you were visibly more relaxed.

“Are you ready to swim, little one?” You said to your nephew. He nodded excitedly, a wide smile on his face. “Alright. Let’s get started then.”

Sandor turned around when you started taking off your outer layer of clothing and only faced you and Joffrey when he heard splashing. He watched as you taught your nephew how to float on his back and when he was having trouble, Sandor watched as you were patient with him.

“Sweetheart, it’s alright,” you cooed. “It takes a while to be able to swim. No one gets it in a day, so don’t worry about that.”

“I bet you got it in a day, Auntie,” Joffrey huffed. You let out a laugh and pinched Joffrey’s cheek.

“Actually, I didn’t know how to swim until I was almost fifteen.”

“That’s so old!”

“You hush, little one!” You said as you tickled Joffrey lightly, your face in a false pout.

“Why did you learn so late?” Joffrey questioned.

“Well, when I was a kid, my father, your grandfather, didn’t want me learning anything of that sort. He viewed swimming as being in the same ring as sword fighting and other, lordly things, things that a lady shouldn’t do. But one day, I fell into the water at Lannisport and almost drowned. Luckily, my father wasn’t far away and managed to get to me in time. After that, he made all of us learn how to swim.”

“So now you’re teaching me how to swim?”

“I am. When Marcella and Tommen are big enough I’ll teach them and if you have any other siblings, I’ll teach them as well.”

After a few more hours, Joffrey had learned how to float correctly and how to hold his breath under water. You were about to teach him how to tread water when someone came walking into the cooling pools, asking for you.

“Lady [y/n], King Robert is calling for you,” the servant said.

“Did he say what he needed me for?” You asked.

“He did not, my lady.”

“Alright. Come on, little one. We should get you back home.”

“But Auntie! I want to stay here with you and to keep swimming,” Joffrey pouted.

“I know, sweetheart. But your father needs me and don’t you want to see your mother? Get some food in that little belly of yours?” You tickled him again and Joffrey’s laugh echoed throughout the chamber.

“Okay, Auntie. Do you think Uncle Jaime and Uncle Tyrion will be there too?” The two of you climbed out of the pool and Sandor handed you some towels.

“Thank you, Ser Clegane,” you said to him with a smile. Sandor only grunted at you and turned away as you looked at Joffrey.

“I’m going to go change real quick. You go with Miss Ava and get changed too, alright?”

“Yes Auntie.” You kissed his forehead before going to the changing rooms.

Sandor watched you walk away and he shook his head. He was having a hard time controlling himself and if he didn’t get his shit together, bad things would happen. But he couldn’t help himself. You were so kind and gentle, and when he saw you interacting with your family, all he could think about was kissing you senseless.

When you walked out of the changing rooms, Sandor clenched his jaw shut and followed closely behind you when you started making your way back inside the Red Keep.

You couldn’t wait to get to Winterfell. The long trip would finally be over and you’d get to sleep in a real bed for the first time in a month. You’d also be able to see Ned and Catelyn again.

“Auntie, you’ve been here before, right?” Joffrey asked you as you rode beside him on your horse. Sandor was behind you, silently listening to your conversation.

“I have. I went with your father some years ago to help with some diplomatic things.”

“Did you enjoy Winterfell?”

“I did. It’s a beautiful place and the Summer snows are absolutely wonderful,” you said.

“It snows in the Summer?” Joffrey’s eyes were wide and you let out a laugh. Sandor snorted lightly behind his helmet but no one heard him.

“It does.”

“But it’s Summer time,” Joffrey said. “Do you think it’ll snow while we’re here?”

“They’re so far North that they get snow all the time, even when it’s Summer. It’s definitely possible that it could snow, but I don’t know for sure.” You gave your nephew a smile and pointed to the horizon. “We’re almost there.”

Joffrey looked to where you were pointing and saw Winterfell in the distance.

“We’re here to ask Lord Stark to be my father’s Hand, right? Do you think he’ll accept?”

“I hope so. Ned Stark is a good man and he’ll make an excellent Hand of the King.”

Joffrey kept asking questions and you answered them to the best of your ability, Sandor listening to every word. You were the only one that was able to make the prince less of a prick than he normally was and Sandor thought that it was hilarious. Not even his mother could make him do the things you could.

When you crossed Winterfell’s gates, Joffrey went silent and you sat up straighter. Your eyes met Catelyn’s and you smiled at each other. The youngest Stark girl looked at you in awe and you winked at her before Robert made himself known and everyone knelt on the ground. After Ned and Robert greeted each other and Robert looked at Ned’s children, you dismounted your horse and walked up to Cat.

“Lady Stark, it’s good to see you,” you said, giving her a hug. You turned to Ned. “It’s good to see you too, Lord Stark.”

“’It’s been too long,” Ned said as he kissed your hand. Cersei walked up and you moved to the side so the Starks could greet their Queen.

“Nine years, just as the King said.”

“Ned, take me to the crypts. I need to pay my respects,” Robert said, giving no room for argument. You gave your elder sister a sad glance when Robert said that and watched as they walked off.

---

You had been in Winterfell for a couple days when you saw Joffrey angrily talking to someone, Sandor looming behind him. Brows furrowed, you walked towards the three of them. When you could hear what he was saying, you narrowed your eyes.

“Do you know how much this cloak cost?!” Joffrey yelled. “Tell me how much you think it cost!”

“I-I don’t know, your grace,” the woman stuttered out, clearly terrified.

“Tell me!” The woman whimpered and you stalked towards them.

“Joffrey Baratheon, what is the meaning of this?” You said. You stopped a few feet away from them and put your hands on your hips. Joffrey turned to you and pointed at the woman.

“This peasant poured wine all over my cloak,” Joffrey hissed. Sandor rolled his eyes and shook his head when you glanced at him.

“And that means you can yell at her?” Joffrey was about to speak but you silenced him with a glare. “No, it does not. You can get a new cloak. Now, apologize to her at once.”

You could tell that Joffrey was biting his tongue and you narrowed your eyes slightly. He gave in and looked at the ground before glancing at the woman.

“Please forgive me. I acted rashly and rudely,” Joffrey said, voice low.

“It’s a-alright, your grace,” the woman said. She glanced at you and you motioned for her to leave. When she was gone, you turned to your nephew.

“Joffrey, you need to learn how to keep your emotions in check,” you said.

“She wasn’t paying attention and spilled wine all over me, Auntie.”

“That doesn’t matter. It was an accident and accidents happen.” You took his face in your hands and made him look at you. “You are to be king one day, sweetheart. A king needs to know when to release his anger and when to keep it in check. Yelling at servants because of accidents is not a kingly act.”

“You’re right, Auntie. I am sorry I acted like this,” Joffrey said.

“It is alright, my love. Just remember that when you are king, fear will be needed, yes, but you also need kindness.”

“I will.” Joffrey kissed your cheek and walked away. You sighed and looked at him as he walked away.

“He’s lucky to have you by his side,” Sandor said quietly.

“Let’s just hope that he continues to listen to me,” you said. You gave Sandor a small smile and bowed your head at him before walking back inside the castle.

Sandor let out a breath and leaned against the wall as he watched you leave. You were so kind and he knew that you would be going to find that woman and apologize to her again, even though you didn’t need to. He smacked his fist against the stone and pushed himself upright before walking back into the castle.

The day Marcella was sent to Dorne, you cried. It felt like it was the last time you’d see her and your heart broke as you watched her get smaller and smaller. Once she was a speck on the horizon, you walked with your family and Sansa through the streets of King’s Landing. The crowd was getting restless and when you saw Joffrey get hit in the face and heard the swords zing as they were pulled from their scabbards, your heart felt like it was going to beat out of your chest.

Joffrey was yelling and fighting broke out. You were with Tyrion and you both watched in horror as the crowd converged on a Septon and ripped his arm from his body.

“Tyrion, where’s Sansa?” You said. Your eyes darted around the street and you saw no sign of her anywhere. Tyrion pushed you towards a guard and he grabbed you before guiding you inside.

You sat down and immediately someone came over to you and checked you for injuries.

“I’m fine,” you said. “Other’s need your help more than I do.”

“My Lady—“

“I’m fine! Where is Lady Sansa, Ser Meryn? Has she made it here safely?” You said as you stood up.

“I haven’t seen her, Lady Lannister,” Meryn said.

“Go out there and find her. Bring her here.”

He was about to speak when you heard Joffrey say, “Let them have her.”

“If she dies you’ll never get your Uncle Jaime back!” Tyrion said. He walked up to Trant. “Ser Meryn, take some men and go find the Stark girl.”

“I take my orders from the King!” Meryn spat. Tyrion turned to Joffrey, expecting him to say something, but Joffrey just got up and walked away.

“I’ll go talk to him,” you said.

“He listens to you. Go talk some sense into our nephew.”

You started walking to Joffrey when the doors opened with a crash. Spinning on your heel, you were prepared for the horde outside but all you saw was Sandor carrying Sansa. Talking to your nephew was pushed from your mind as you ran to the girl.

“The little bird’s bleeding,” Sandor said as you got to them.

“Sansa! Oh god’s.” You cupped her face in your hands and brushed away her tears. Sansa clung to you, scared out of her mind and as you ushered her away from the commotion, you turned to Sandor.

“Thank you for getting her back,” you said. Sandor said nothing back, but stood straighter.

“Well done, Clegane,” Tyrion said.

“I didn’t do it for you,” Sandor said. His eyes darted in your direction before he stalked off.

When you heard the bells, you knew the siege was happening. You were in your room and ran to the throne room just in time to see the tail end of Joffrey’s men leaving and Sansa walking back to her handmaiden, Shae.

“Sansa!” You said as you approached. “Why aren’t you in the holdfast?”

“The king wished for me to see him off before the battle,” Sansa said.

“I hope he wasn’t too much of an ass?” You said quietly. Sansa’s eyes widened and she shook her head.

“No, never.”

“It’s alright, love. I love my nephew, yes, but he can be such an ass at times even though I’ve tried talking to him about it.” You gave her a smile and kissed her cheek. “The two of you go on and get to the holdfast. I’ll be there shortly.”

“Where are you going?” Sansa asked, worry in her voice.

“To give my brother and nephew my luck for the upcoming battle. Now go!”

Shae took Sansa’s hand and started leading her away. You took a breath before walking outside to find your family.

---

When you got to where Tyrion and Joffrey were, they were arguing as usual.

“The two of you seem to never stop bickering,” you said. You were walking up the steps, and the men turned to look at you, surprise written all over their faces.

“Auntie? What are you doing here? You should be in the holdfast,” Joffrey said.

“For once we agree on something,” Tyrion said.

“I missed you in the throne room. I came to give the two of you luck for the battle.” You gave them a smile and took Joffrey’s hand.

“You will do well to listen to your uncle, my love. I know the two of you do not get along, but Uncle Tyrion is a smart man and he knows what he’s doing. Now stay safe, and come back to me and your mother, alright?”

Joffrey just nodded and you kissed his forehead. Then you turned to Tyrion.

“Stay safe, little brother,” you said. “I expect to see you for our weekly dinner tomorrow night as always.”

“Of course, dear sister.” Tyrion grabbed your hand and kissed it, giving you a small smile.

“And Ser Clegane, I expect for you to keep my family and yourself alive,” you said to Sandor.

“Yes, Lady [y/n].” Sandor bowed to you and you dipped your head in return.

Turing to face the water, you heard the sound of distant drums and saw the first of Stannis’ fleet appear.

“There they are,” Joffrey said.

“Archer’s to their marks!” Tyrion said. His order was relayed and he looked at you. “It’s time for you to get to the holdfast.”

“Yes, it is.” You took a breath and looked at your family. “I love you both. Come back unharmed.”

Tyrion nodded and pointed at a soldier. “See to it that my sister is escorted safely back to the holdfast and you will be paid your weight in gold.”

“Yes, milord. Right away.”

You started walking away, giving one last glance to the ships appearing one by one. Pushing your nerves aside, you made your way back to the Red Keep and into the holdfast. Once you got there, you thanked the soldier and opened the doors. Sansa saw you almost immediately and walked over to you.

“Has the fighting started yet?” She asked you.

“No, but I saw the fleet. It will start soon enough,” you said. You saw the fear in her eyes and pulled her close. “No harm will come to you, little one. If Stannis manages to win this battle, he will not hurt you.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“What I am about to say is not something that sounds nice. Do you want to hear it?”

“Yes.”

“You are a bargaining chip, little one. An ugly fact, but a fact nonetheless,” you said. “Stannis will want to make sure the North falls in line and will need you to help him.”

“Just like Cersei made me do for her.”

“Exactly like that.”

“Will you be hurt?” Worry was in her voice and you gave her a smile.

“I am a Lannister, love. Even though I haven’t done anything with the battle, I am still his enemy. I will be one of the first in here to die.”

“I won’t let that happen,” Sansa said. You kissed her forehead and took her hands.

“Stay strong for the people here. They won’t get it from my sister. Show them the queen you can be,” you whispered. Sansa nodded and you kissed her forehead again. Right then, Cersei came inside the holdfast with Tommen and he came running towards you.

“Auntie!” He said.

“My little love!” You swept him up in your arms and kissed your sisters cheek, the two of you walking to the back of the room.

“I heard you went to the battlements earlier,” Cersei said.

“I did. I missed our brother and your son so I went to them to give them my luck.”

“How kind of you.” There was a slight bite to her words but you ignored it.

The two of you sat down, Tommen sitting on your lap. Tommen fell asleep quickly and you pretended to do the same, listening to Cersei and Sansa talking. It was only when Lancel burst into the room did Tommen wake and you jerked with surprise at the noise. You listened as Lancel updated Cersei on the battle and as she told him to get Joffrey back inside the Red Keep.

When Lancel came back and told Cersei that all hope was lost because the soldiers saw Joffrey leaving, you had to hold back a laugh when Cersei pushed your cousin down and stormed out of the room, Tommen following her. Sansa then saw it fit to take your advice and calm the women, offering to sing a hymn with them.

“You must go,” Shae said to Sansa. “Run to your chamber and bar the door.”

“Come with me!” Sansa whispered.

“I have to say goodbye to someone. You need to run.”

“I’ll go with you,” you said. You locked eyes with Shae and she nodded.

“Come, Sansa. Let’s go.”

---

When you got to Sansa’s room, you made sure all the windows were shut as Sansa locked the door and brought a lantern over to her vanity.

“We’ll be safe here, love,” you said quietly. Sansa picked up a doll and you sat down.

“The ladies are starting to panic,” a voice said. You jumped from your seat and stood in front of Sansa, ready to take the brunt of an assault until you saw who had spoken.

“Seven hells,” you said, squeezing Sansa’s arm.

“What are you doing here?” Sansa asked him.

“Not going to be here for long. I’m leaving.”

“Where?” You said, approaching him.

“Some place that isn’t burning.” He looked at you and Sansa. “North, most likely.”

“What about the king?” Sansa said.

“He can die on his own, just fine.” Sandor took a drink of wine and stood up. “I can take you with me. Both of you. I can keep you safe.”

“I’ll be safe here,” Sansa said. “Stannis won’t hurt me.”

Sandor surged forward and Sansa flinched back. You stayed silent as Sandor went on about killers and when he was done, Sansa stood up straight and looked Sandor in the eyes.

“You won’t hurt me,” she said.

“No, little bird, I won’t hurt you.” Sandor looked at you and you shook your head.

“I can’t leave either,” you whispered. You saw his face fall for a split second before he turned away.

“Sandor, wait!” He stopped in his tracks, heart beating a mile a minute. That was the first time you had called him by his first name and he already loved the way it rolled off of your tongue. You walked up to him and put your hand on his arm.

“Can we speak outside?” You asked. He nodded and unlocked the door, stepping outside. You turned to Sansa and said, “I’ll be back in a minute, love. Don’t lock the door, we’ll be right outside.”

“Okay.”

You walked through the doorway and closed the door behind you before turning to look at Sandor.

“I can’t leave her by herself,” you said. “Besides Tyrion, I’m her only ally in this gods forsaken place and she needs me. She’s like a child to me.”

“I know,” Sandor said. He looked you in the eyes. “Keep her safe.”

“I will. You stay safe as well. My nephew won’t take your leaving kindly.”

“As you wish, Lady [y/n].”

You bit your lip and after a moment’s hesitation, surged forward to kiss Sandor’s cheek. He stood still in shock and stared at you as you went back inside Sansa’s room. The click of the lock spurred him into motion and Sandor left you and King’s Landing behind.

When you saw your brother step out of the carriage, you swayed slightly. Sansa steadied you and gave you a push.

“Tyrion!” You cried. Running toward your brother, you fell to your knees and embraced him tightly. Tears were running down your face and you felt him wipe them away.

“So you went to Winterfell when I told you to flee. How has that worked out for you?”

“Pretty well. Except for me losing my eye,” you said, laughing softly. “And I see that the rumors were true. You’re the Hand of the Queen.”

“I am.”

“Lord Tyrion, who is this?” You heard the Queen say.

“Your grace, this is my other sister. Lady [y/n],” Tyrion said. He kissed your cheek and the two of you stood up.

“Forgive me, your grace,” you said. “I did not mean to interrupt the formalities.”

“It is quite alright. It’s nice to finally meet you. You’re one of the few people Lord Tyrion speaks highly of, Lady [y/n].”

“I’m flattered, your grace,” you said. Bowing slightly, you looked at Daenerys. “If you’ll excuse me, I should get back to Lady Stark.”

“Of course.”

You turned and returned to your place next to Sansa and watched as they interacted for the first time. What you didn’t see was Sandor riding in, but he saw you.

You were radiant in his eyes, standing there. You didn’t look like the lady he had left behind in King’s Landing. There was an air of confidence around you that you didn’t have before, standing straight up with a sword at your hip and a dangerous glint in your eye. Sandor was so distracted by you, he didn’t realize someone had grabbed his horses reigns until they started speaking to him.

“Milord, I can take your horse to the stables for you,” the man said.

“I’m no lord,” Sandor said gruffly as he dismounted his horse.

“I can still take your horse for you, if you’d like.”

Sandor grunted as a reply, but let the man take his horse anyways. He didn’t really care what happened to the horse, if he was being completely honest. All he could focus on was you.

---

At the meeting, you finally saw Sandor Clegane. You were sitting next to Bran and Sandor was standing at the back of the room. The two of you had made eye contact and you gave him a smile, tilting your head in greeting. He did the same and you turned your attention to the meeting going on.

Lord Umber had just left and now Lyanna Mormont was talking to Jon. You loved how sassy she was and so did almost everyone else. Then, Tyrion started talking.

“If anyone survives the war to come, we’ll have Jon Snow to thank,” Tyrion said. “Thanks to his courage, we have brought with us the greatest army the world has ever seen. We have two full-grown dragons. And soon, the Lannister army will march North to join our cause.”

You sat straighter at those words and looked at Sansa, brows furrowed. That couldn’t be true. Cersei would never join forces with the Starks and the last Targaryen, least of all the two people in the world she despised the most: you and Tyrion. Tyrion kept talking but you weren’t paying attention anymore. You were too busy looking around the room, gauging the people’s reactions.

Lady Mormont was seething in her seat, Royce was shaking his head in disbelief, and everyone else was trying to speak all at once. You made eye contact with Sandor and cocked your head to the side, silently asking if it was true. He nodded and you sat back in your seat, mind running a mile a minute.

The meeting was over soon after that bomb was dropped on you. You kissed Sansa’s cheek before walking to the back of the room and stopping right in front of Sandor.

“Sandor,” you said, looking up at him.

“Lady [y/n],” he said, bowing slightly.

“Just [y/n]’s fine. Don’t feel much like a lady nowadays.” You laughed and Sandor scoffed lightly.

“You serving the Little Bird now?”

“In a sense. Brienne and I both protect her but I’m also protecting her little brother, Bran. I also give her advice when needed,” you said. “It’s not what my father had in mind when he taught me war tactics and probably not what my brothers thought would happen when I started training with a sword.”

“You seem happy,” Sandor said.

“I am. It’s been a long road to travel, but I’m glad that I got to Winterfell in one piece. Well, mostly.” You let out another laugh, Sandor frowning.

“When did that happen?”

“I was almost at Winterfell when I ran into Brienne and Podrick. Pod recognized me and convinced Brienne to let me tag along. Not long after, we found Sansa and Theon being attacked by some of the Bolton men. One of them got my eye but I took his life.” You shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly but Sandor stayed quiet and let you explain how you had gotten to stand by the Starks side.

He heard all of what you said, but couldn’t stop staring at you. He had known you were alive due to hearing it come from Jon’s and Tyrion’s mouths but seeing you here, in the flesh, made his brain stop working. He short circuited even more when you told him you had helped out with the Battle of the Bastards, but calmed down when you said it was just with the strategy.

“I’ll also be fighting the dead when they arrive.” You looked at Sandor and found him staring back at you, face unreadable. “Sandor?”

“You’re what?”

“Fighting in the Great War. I’d planned on it before Cersei said she was going to help us and I’m still going to now. Even if I don’t think she’s actually going to send anyone to help. My sister only loved five people in this world and now it’s down to one.” You were about to continue, but someone came up to you and said that Sansa needed you.

“I’m sorry, Sandor. This conversation will have to be continued later. I hope you find your stay in Winterfell better than the last.” Tilting your head slightly, you walked away.

Sandor watched you go and rubbed is face in irritation. He didn’t want you to fight, especially since he’s seen them up close, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to stop you. Sighing to himself, Sandor started walking deeper into the castle, mind running all over the place.

The one time Sandor Clegane kissed you

The dead were here and no matter how much you thought you were, you weren’t ready. You were up in the battlements with Sansa and Arya, watching the Dothraki being obliterated by the Night King’s army and to say you were scared would be an understatement. When Sansa went down into the crypts, you stayed up top with Arya and shot arrow after arrow at the dead.

The dragons were impressive but when the cold winds came whipping through Winterfell and obscured them and everything around you, you went down off of the battlements to join your brother Jaime, helping with the retreat. Once the trench was lit, you took a second to breathe. This small moment would allow who was left to regroup and make sure they were still equipped to fight the battle.

“You should get to the crypts, [y/n],” Jaime said. You glared at him and he flinched slightly.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m perfectly able to fight, just the same as you.”

“I just don’t want you to die!”

“No one here wants to die, Jaime. But I’d rather die here, defending everyone, and not run away like a coward,” you said. You turned and grabbed his arm. “I’m not leaving. I’m going to fight by your side, okay?”

“Alright.” Jaime kissed your cheek just as soldiers started yelling.

“Man the walls!” Was all you heard.

Sharing a look with your brother, the two of you ran up to the battlements, Jaime relieving the archers and you sending them up higher. You sheathed your sword and took out your Dragonglass knife, readying it for when the Wights came over the walls. Jumping up and down slightly, the first Wight came and you stabbed it in the head.

---

Sandor was faring no better than anyone else. All he could see was fire and all he could think about was you. The only thing that took his mind off of you was Arya. Seeing her in danger spurred him into motion and he found himself running through the halls of Winterfell to get her to safety.

---

When the dead started rising again, you felt your heart drop. You were in the courtyard with Jaime and you blindly grabbed his hand. He squeezed it and you looked at him, fear all over your face.

“Fight till our last,” you said. Jaime nodded.

“Fight till our last.”

You were soon joined by Brienne and Podrick, the four of you fighting off the new dead with everything you had. Blood was flying everywhere, the sounds of fighting and your own heart beating were the only sounds you could hear. You only stopped fighting when the Wight you were fighting dropped without anyone harming it. Exhausted, you stumbled back, falling against Jaime.

“We’ve won?” You said, breathing heavily.

“I think so,” Jaime said back. You let out a small laugh and turned to embrace your brother. He hugged back and after you let go, you saw Sandor walking towards you.

“Oh thank the gods! You’re alright!” You said, walking towards him as well.

There was a smile on your face and before you knew it, Sandor had swept you into his arms and was kissing you like he was never going to see you again. After a moment, you started kissing back, the initial surprise over. When Sandor felt you reciprocating, he snaked one hand down to your waist and the other to your cheek.

Sandor stopped the kiss and put his forehead to yours, breathing deeply. Your eyes were still closed and when you felt him start to move away, you grabbed his arms and stopped him.

“[Y/n], I—“

“I love you,” you blurted, interrupting him.

“What?” He had a look of bewilderment on his face and you giggled.

“I love you, Sandor Clegane. I have for a long time.”

He said nothing and pulled you in for another kiss. You could feel the smile on his face and you couldn’t keep one off of yours either.

“I love you too,” Sandor muttered.

305 notes · View notes

trsilvers · 3 years

Note

What is your favourite quote for each Team Rocket character?

Good question. This took me a hot minute but was really fun to think about.

Jessie - “Thank badness we’re alive!!!” I actually don’t remember which episode this is from, I tried to google it, but I specifically remember it because I used to quote it all the time. I just thought the idea that villains would actually say “thank badness” was hilarious.

James - Zero is a gross exaggeration, we are at least two to three percent worthwhile! (Talkin’ Bout an Evolution) James has like a million great quotes but I always loved this one. You have to appreciate his candid self-awareness 😂 A lot of my favorite Jessie and James moments are where they happily admit they are failures but remain totally undeterred. Also - literally ANYTHING he says in the Flaming Moltres episode 😂

Meowth - “Maybe if we started lookin at what’s the same instead of what’s different…well, who knows?” This is part of his little monologue in the first movie when he’s talking to the clone Meowth, I always loved this quote. I mean, what a great sentiment, delivered in a touching way that only Meowth could do.

Cassidy - “Oh I’m still shaking like a leaf officer thank goodness you were here to stop them before they hurt the Pokémon ~ oh!” (The Breeding Center Secret) Butch and Cassidy have a lot of great quotes, especially from chronicles where they started getting played for laughs, but I really love this one because it highlights Cassidy’s ability to turn on and off this fake persona she’s created totally effortlessly. The delivery of this line is just 10/10. No other episode has really showcased her ability to do that as well as their first appearance, but I always loved that about her. She deserves an award for that performance lmao 😂😂

Butch - “I am, but I like dry socks.” (Showdown at the Oak Corral) I’m sorry, there are also a lot of better Butch quotes than this but I have to pick this one because it made me laugh like no other. The man likes dry socks, ok? 😂 Also I think I just like it because it’s a little glimpse into Butch as a person, he seems like he can be a little particular about stuff.

Domino - “I’m like a totally off the hook fan of yours! I wanna be just like you when I get old!” (Mewtwo Returns) Domino, like Cassidy, has the ability to adopt a fake persona and do a REALLY good job at pretending she’s somebody she’s not. I love her ditzy voice she uses when she’s undercover, but this quote in particular because even when she’s trying to be cute and sweet, this was a pretty backhanded compliment to throw at that doctor. (I forget her name, but she wasn’t even old 😂) It was pretty funny.

Wendy - “Revenge is sweet, my dear Jessie.” (Dues and Don’ts) I mean, you have to love a good long grudge. The fact that Team Rocket even has an HR department is hilarious on its own, but the fact that it seems to be led by a woman who held onto a personal vendetta against a fellow employee for YEARS, all because of a fruit smoothie, is even better.

Attila - “I used to collect them, they’re very sweet creatures.” (Legend of Thunder) I’m pretty sure this is a dub only fact about Attila, but I absolutely love the way they dubbed Attila and the idea of someone like him with a soft spot for Caterpie is just…I love it 😂 Seriously though Attila has a whole score of cheesy dialogue, and I love almost every single thing he says. Yippie Yi Yay 😂

Hun- “You don’t get to run the world by being fair; you get to run the world by being nasty!” (Legend of Thunder) Hun…who hurt you? 😂😂😂 Do you need a hug? This was tough because there are multiple times in LoT that Hun has to try and keep Attila on task, which I love, but I picked this quote as my fav because I like that little glimpse into Hun’s sinister personal ideals.

Tyson - “You look a little…tied up! BAHAHAHAHAJSJFGSHKJAFLSNWSA” (Talkin Bout an Evolution) I’m sorry, I love bad puns, and that exaggerated laugh he does at the end, I love it so much 😂😂😂 There are lots of bad puns in the Pokémon anime, but this one…it’s the laughing at his own joke for me 🤣 And the fact that none of the grunts with him are laughing at all, dub or original. You can tell this is a frequent occurrence and they’re just over it. 😂😂😂

Pierce - “Then we’ll just have to see how good you are. *laugh*” - this might seem like a weird quote, but I picked it solely because of that little laugh he does at the end. Pierce unfortunately didn’t get that much screen time, so he’s not super quotable :( Which is a shame because he really, REALLY has a nice voice. It might actually be my second or third favorite, behind Sebastian and *maybe* Attila (only because I think it suits him so well)

Professor Namba - (singing) “Rage, rage, bring out your raaaaage!” (One of the Lugia episodes, I forget which one) 11/10 beautiful vocals, clearly should have been a singer and not a scientist. Seriously though the fact that Namba can be in the midst of such a cruel experiment and stand there and sing a song about it really highlights his insanity and I love it.

Dr Zager - “CURSES!!” (I forget the episode title, I’m so sorry) Again, someone who sadly didn’t get that much screen time, BUT we do at least have this quote. He’s overall a pretty serious character and doesn’t have any especially memorable lines…except this one. 😂 I love it. Very old-fashioned villain, Old Man Yells At Cloud energy here 😂😂😂

Professor Sebastian - “If you’ll kindly follow me, I believe you’ll find this…electrifying.” (Legend of Thunder) this is REALLY hard because I love everything he says, but once again my appreciation for bad puns wins out in the end. Also the confirmation that Sebastian does have a sense of humor, however bad, makes me very happy. 😂 Would watch an entire episode of Sebastian and Tyson making terrible puns. No, actually, an entire feature length film.

Giovanni - “I haven’t had any repairs done to those old blimps for decades. They’re completely unfit to fly. About the only thing I have maintained on those blimps are their insurance policies.” (A Scare in the Air) this is not only my favorite Gio quote but one of my favorite moments in the entire anime because it’s so dark. I even posted about it recently. Giovanni actually tries to have three of his employees killed and profit off of their deaths via insurance fraud. AND HE DOES IT IN SUCH A CAVALIER WAY YOU KNOW IT’S NOT HIS FIRST TIME DOING IT. Also you really have to just appreciate the confirmation that insurance - an evil greater than Team Rocket- exists in the Pokémon world.

(I’m sorry if some of these quotes are not exact word for word, I tried to google to confirm I’m remembering it correctly, but it’s not as easy to find some of these as you might think 😂)

#pokemon #teamrocket #team rocket #asktrsilvers #quotes #team rocket quotes

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imagine-loki · 3 years

Text

Not as it Seams

TITLE: Not as it Seams

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: One-Shot

AUTHOR: wolfpawn

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki using a seams ripper to play a prank on Thor

RATING: General Audience

Elena loved her job tending to the fashion needs of the Aesir royal family. She loved assisting Queen Frigga in designing grand dresses, working on Thor and Odin’s clothes to get their attire to work with their armour, but Prince Loki was the most fun to work with. He had impeccable style and taste and appreciated the work of the palace tailors. He often came in discussing what he needed and spoke with them rather than merely telling them what he wanted and expecting it done.

“What is that device?” Loki was looking at the small item in her hands.

“This?” She held it up causing Loki to nod. “A seam ripper which does exactly what it’s named and rips seams.”

Loki’s eyes lit up at the explanation of the device. “Interesting.” For the rest of the time he stood waiting for his cloak to be sized correctly, he remained silent but looking at the instrument on the table close by.

When he was finished, Elena was entirely unsurprised when he walked over to it once more. “I wonder if I could borrow this for a short time?” Knowing better than to decline such a request for a item worth so little, Elena walked over to her desk and pulled out another one. “Perhaps you would like it better in green?”She held it out for him. “They are inexpensive so don’t fret returning it.” She was half saying it because it was true, half because she feared what he would do with it and she did not want to get blamed if it could be linked back to her.

With a deep chuckle, he took the seam ripper and left the room.

Elena had practically forgotten about the seam ripper Loki had procured from her when the reason for him acquiring it came to the fore.

Loki had been on Vanaheim for a solid four weeks when Thor burst into the tailors’ rooms looking red-faced and bewildered. “What has happened my clothes?”

Elena and a few of the others that worked there looked at him worriedly before noticing parts of his clothes seemed to be coming apart...at the seams. With raised brows and a look to match her workmates, though a deeper understanding as to what was happening, Elena walked forward to look at the attire. “Your seams seem to have fallen apart, Your Highness.” “How? Is it seidr? I bet it is, I wager Loki is to blame.” Thor snarled angrily, not admitting to them that this became embarrassing because he had been attempting to talk a maiden of the court to go to his rooms with him and she had laughed as he flexed only for the side his attire to fall open.

She studied the clothes closely and shook her head. “No, the thread is snapped in a few places.” She pulled out some of the thread for him to see. “There is no foul play afoot, as you can see, it is simply pulled apart, nothing more. I would assume seidr would fizzle it to nothing or snap it cleanly. This is just frazzled. I think I recall this clothing, it is quite old at this stage, it looks like it has had a few adventures too.” She indicated to the few areas that needed patching previously. “I would wager in moments of playful sparring with your comrades, you have pulled it harshly from you and discarded it to the nearest surface, with your muscle growth since this was made, I am sure that has pulled on it so.” She smiled.

Loving that his ego was being stroked by the implications of her words, Thor moved his head side to side slightly in agreement. “Well, it has been some time and you know, clothes are not meant to last forever, I suppose. I better leave it so.” He pulled it from himself and gave it to Elena who nodded back at him. “I will require new garments, are you the one that usually does such?”

“Not for yourself, Your Highness, that tends to be Lady Geraldine,” Elena explained, unsure how the prince would not notice the Light Elf that made his clothes from the Vanir and Aesir that also worked in the rooms.

“Is she here?” “No, Your Highness. It is her day off.” Thor swore. “You start them, then.” Unhappy at threading on Geraldine’s work but knowing she could not decline a direct order from Prince Thor, Elena took his current measurements and started her work.

Thor was nothing like Loki, he did not assist in any manner. Loki seemed to know where she needed him to place his arms and when she did the inseam of Thor, he seemed to think she had different thoughts with her hands there. “Perhaps you rather go somewhere more private with that?” Elena rolled her eyes internally at his stupid remark. “I will say to you as I say to every man that makes that joke, regardless of where you want me to do this, it needs to be done and I am not interested in wasting time. I can do it correctly now or guestimate it if you make me wait but that results in incredibly tight groin areas that tears easily at best or damage your, Crown Jewels when not done correctly.” Thor winced at her reference. “I am just doing my job, so please let me do it.” Feeling embarrassed by her admonishment and nauseated at the image she had put in his head about tight pants harming him, Thor said nothing after that. She moved his limbs as she needed them and took notes. Walking over to Geraldine’s table, she took her notes for Thor and checked them against her own.

“Your last had your measurements done with Geraldine eighteen months ago, your numbers are mostly similar, your neck has increased somewhat, metaphorically and physically.” She added the last three words quietly, though not so quietly as for others to not hear causing the other tailors and seamstresses to chuckle. “I will add these to her notes and begin the basics as per the instructions she has here. She will do the more intricate work when she returns to work. She is off for a few days, you should have them ready to try within the week.”

“So long?” Elena wondered what level of service Geraldine was being forced to work at. “That is standard practice outside of emergencies, Your Highness.”

“What are emergencies with clothes?” Thor asked.

Elena merely held up his destroyed clothes he no longer could wear as an answer.

“What will I wear back to my rooms?” Renée, a seamstress, brought over a riding cloak for him. “If I may, Your Highness.” Thor studied it and put it on. “This is for someone more slight of frame than I.” “It is Prince Loki’s,” Elena explained. “It was in for repair but with him being off-realm for so long, he has not collected it yet.”

Remembering that Loki was gone and certain he had worn the clothing since Loki’s departure, Thor grumbled and mentioned something about having them brought to his rooms when it was done before walking out of the tailor’s rooms.

Elena looked at the other tailors and seamstresses present before shaking her head and sighing. “I guess I better get started on this, then. Renée, could you get me…” She looked at Geraldine’s notes to see what fabrics Thor preferred and gave the seamstress her instructions.

Loki walked into the room with a smirk on his face. He had waited three weeks after court began to gossip about his brother’s clothes seemingly fell apart where he stood speaking to a lady of the court.

Elena, who had been working on a clasp of a coat that Loki’s hand servant had sent to be repaired before Loki’s return, turned on the sight of black and green leather in the tailor’s rooms. She noted Loki walk past her desk and inconspicuously drop the green seam cutter as he passed without breaking stride. “Your Highness.” “I have to have a few new pieces commissioned.” He declared. “When are you free to take my fresh measurements?” “I can fit You Highness in now if that would please you?” “Excellent.” He used his seidr to alter his travelling clothes to something more comfortable and stood as he knew Elena liked him to do to start his measurements. “Have I missed much in the world of tailoring in my absence? I hear my brother had the palace all a din.” “Apparently, Prince Thor was over eager with his attire and tore his seam in a manner that relieved his clothing from its duty of concealing his torso.” She responded, barely able to conceal her grin as Loki embraced his own laughter. She took the measurements of his inseam and around his thigh as he stood still, with him ensuring she had enough room to do so. “He also was of the impression that my current actions are somewhat sexually based.”

Loki stared at the tailor in startled shock. “Norns, I am not sure if it is ego or stupidity or even both with that fool.” He chuckled to himself. “I am sure you set him straight.” He moved so she could check both thighs were equal in size.

“But, of course.” She rose to write the measurements, Loki checking on her notepad to see how he had altered in the few weeks away. “The usual?”

“Please.”

She nodded and while he was close to her, she whispered in his ear. “Next time, try the groin of his pants where it attaches the front and back. It will either rip as he bends down to show his rear end or when he sits and tears to reveal his less than attractive underwear." Loki's eyes widened at the idea.

After doing all that needed doing, Loki went to leave again bidding Elena farewell as he did.

When Elena went to put her notebook back on her desk, there was no sign of the green seams ripper on her desk causing her to laugh slightly to herself as she shook her head.

#Loki #god of mischief #submission #Submitted one shot #wolfpawn #not as it seams

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