#philip of guise

[nothingunrealistic]

WENDY: How many times have you seen The Hunt for Red October? TAYLOR: I don’t watch Alec — PHILIP: Yeah, and Connery had that interview back in — WENDY: Okay, I hear you, but let’s not with that, right now. I asked rhetorically. I’m sure you both know lines by heart. The point is: even Ramius, who had almost total discretion, couldn’t act alone. Someone had to give him the keys every time he took out that sub. PHILIP: Is Ramius…? WENDY: Two captains in this story. The point is, if you’re asking for total and complete control 24/7, you are wasting your time. And his.

7x05 the gulag archipelago. the hunt for red october follows marko ramius, a soviet submarine captain who defies orders and goes rogue in what’s interpreted as an imminent renegade nuclear attack on the united states, and jack ryan, a cia analyst who figures out that ramius is actually trying to defect to the united states. if philip ends up defecting to Team Kill Prince under the guise of attacking them, we’ll know exactly who ramius is.

#you can do it philip! i believe in you! #billions #7x05 #philip charyn #wendy rhoades #taylor mason #the counterpoint: we could also get taylor defecting to Team Prince under the guise of attacking them. but i don't want that

[jezabelofthenorth]

Philip and the other Protestants of Paris spent an uneasy night, hiding themselves in fear of their lives. The next day, some began to cautiously emerge from where they had sheltered, but it was not over. For days the violence raged on. On the third day, one of Philip’s friends and mentors fell victim to the massacre. Having spent the first day and night hidden in the cellar of a bookshop, as looters sacked the contents above, on the second day, Petrus Ramus felt secure enough to return to his accommodation at the college around the corner. This was a mistake. He was attacked in his rooms and, like Coligny before him, stabbed before being thrown out of his window. Catholic students attacked and cut up his corpse, dragging it through the streets to the Seine, where it joined countless others in a morbid, mutilated baptism beneath the shadow of the great Cathedral. It was starkly clear that this was not just disordered mob violence. The order for the elimination of French Protestants had come from the highest levels, from the king and queen mother themselves. Philip would never forgive any of the French royal family for their part in the butchery he was forced to witness of his own religious brethren. ‘He is the son of the Jezebel of our age,’ Philip later wrote to Elizabeth of the duc, ‘his brother made oblation of his own sister’s marriage, the easier to make massacres of all sexes.’ How could a young Catholic duc, soaked in the blood of the martyrs of Christ, ever compare to his uncle, a shining champion of the true religion?

The House of Dudley: A New History of Tudor England, Joanne Paul

#now that's an angle of why robert hated de guise so much i never considered #philip sidney #robert dudley #quotes

[jadeslashes]

DBD request:

The killers (The Shape, Trapper, the Wraith and your choice 😘) having an unhealthy obsession with the newest survivor (female if you don't mind?)

includes: the trapper, the wraith, the huntress, the ghost face, the doctor, the legion (just frank), the artist, the cenobite, the executioner, the shape & the knight.

warnings: stalking, obsession, unhealthy relationship dynamics, you get the idea. no smut but still mdni.

note: first dbd request, thanks pookie <3 and bc this is my first dbd request, i'm just gonna include all the killers i write for :)

🔩﹒TRAPPER ꜜ﹒⟡﹒

obsession at first sight, evan has absolutely no plans of letting you get away from him, no matter what he has to do

even if it hurts you, he'll lay traps in your path to ensnare you so he can throw you up over his shoulder, have you in his complete control

and once you're in the basement, you know that there's no escape from him whatsoever

all of his traps are laid so there's no chance of rescue, and he faces you hanging from the hook that he's mercilessly thrown you on, glad to have successfully trapped his prey

🔔﹒WRAITH ꜜ﹒⟡﹒

philip finds himself using his guise of invisibility to keep an eye on you far more often than he himself even intends, crossing paths with you when he doesn't even mean to

whenever you're alone, you catch him sweeping by in your periphery, or hear in the distance a bell chiming

he notices your anxiety mounting with every second that he's watching, and in a way he almost feels bad about it

and when he's ready to chase you down, he'll ring his bell, almost in a taunting sort of way as you run from him

but he won't stop until he's got you

🪓﹒HUNTRESS ꜜ﹒⟡﹒

almost always, her first instinct when she sees survivors is to use her strength and speed, her hunting ability, and throw hatchets, anything to down them and bring them under her mercy

but the way she feels about you is almost similar to the way she feels about the children she couldn't bring herself to kill

something throws those instincts to the side when she sees you, she can't place what exactly it is, but she can't ignore it

💀﹒GHOSTFACE ꜜ﹒⟡﹒

he's always meticulously stalked people, gotten to know them without their knowledge down to the very last detail without their knowledge of his presence

but with you, his usual routine of becoming intimately familiar with victims for the purpose of killing them was interrupted, killing you was not necessarily his intent

unnaturally quickly, he knows details about you that few others pick up on, and you constantly question whether you're really alone

🩻﹒DOCTOR ꜜ﹒⟡﹒

considering the fact that he's completely sadistic, being his obsession is harrowing, beginning to end

especially because he doesn't see these feelings toward you as something he should allow to grow, he doesn't see it as any sort of love or anything romantic, which gives him only one conclusion that he needs to reach

he needs you dead, but he's going to drag it out, make it satisfying for himself, and the way to do that is to drive you mad, and make the process as torturous as possible

every scream of yours fuels him to keep going until his brutal torture is finally done, and by that point, he might even find that he'd gotten so caught up in torturing you that the rest of the survivors managed to escape the trial

🕸﹒LEGION ꜜ﹒⟡﹒

frank knew you'd be a chase, something he'd need to go after, but he's more than okay with that

every second of running after you is envigorating, with each stride that gets him closer to you he wants you more and more

both of you know that you can’t outrun him, he’s in a frenzy on your heels, completely running on the impulse that he hadn’t been able to get out of his head since he saw you; he needed to get to you

the chase doesn’t necessarily end with him plunging his knife into you, but he doesn’t mind it if you think that’s the case

in fact, he takes some pride in the fear and control he knows he has over you

🪶﹒ARTIST ꜜ﹒⟡﹒

while usually she uses her birds as a weapon against her prey, for you she'd be using them much more gently

you’d find yourself being harassed by crows throughout the majority of your trial

but it’s only so carmina can keep track of you, she doesn’t use them to cause you harm

⛓﹒CENOBITE ꜜ﹒⟡﹒

they're constantly using their chains to keep you in close proximity

and also just to hear you scream, no tears of yours could ever be a waste of good suffering in their eyes, they love your cries of fear and pain from whatever they're doing to you or when they're chasing you down

escaping their chains is virtually impossible, each second you manage to evade or hide to rest, you know you’re just putting off the inevitable

🔺﹒EXECUTIONER ꜜ﹒⟡﹒

pyramid head is a bringer of pain and suffering, but is also shockingly subtle during the trial

for a while, he’s merely a looming presence as you work towards escaping

but that’s part of the plan, he takes his time to get you tormented by his power

all so that he can get you locked in one of his cages, where you have no choice but to be all his

🔪﹒SHAPE ꜜ﹒⟡﹒

his stalking is relentless, but he takes his time before he makes a real move on you

and when he finally does strike? there's no way you could've ever been ready for it, one minute you were working on a generator, and the next, you're up over his shoulder with no way to escape

and even if you are constantly on guard, aware of his presence, he'll keep you under his mercy by keeping you injured or downed, never too far from you to keep your fellow survivors from saving you

⚔️﹒KNIGHT ꜜ﹒⟡﹒

even though he's the killer in the trial, as a knight, he feels the need to protect you, killing you isn't even something that crosses his mind

and if tarhos himself can't be keeping his eye on you at any time for one reason or another, alejandro, durkos or sander are doing so for him

he's got an uncanny ability to constantly know where you are and what you're doing, and that's because he's always keeping tabs on you, whether on his own or by means of his faithful three

#dbd x reader #dbd x you #the huntress x reader #the trapper x reader #evan macmillan x reader #the wraith x reader #philip ojomo x reader #danny johnson x reader #the doctor x reader #herman carter x reader #the legion x reader #frank morrison x reader #the artist x reader #carmina mora x reader #the cenobite x reader #pinhead x reader #the shape x reader #michael myers x reader #the knight x reader #tarhos kovács x reader #tarhos kovacs x reader #the executioner x reader #pyramid head x reader

[sepublic]

People -and this did include myself at one point- really don't want to engage with the fact that Belos is modeled after white supremacy by trying to bury this under the lens of "Oh he's actually a lonely weirdo like Luz!!!" when Belos' superiority complex is the most important part of him and it's where all analyses inevitably must stem from. I think the problem is that people are too attached to their speculative fanon version of Belos and instead of letting go of that to rebuild their understanding of him from the ground up (since he's a mysterious character who is only gradually revealed bit by bit), they keep clinging to this sympathetic tragic villain as the core behind their interpretation of him. 

Everything about Belos makes so much more sense when you explore him as someone akin to a lot of right-wing 4channers; A lonely young boy who was radicalized because white supremacy promised to rescue him from his isolation, and after buying into it wholesale, he very much chose to cling onto the need to be superior to the "NPCs" even when someone close to him actually unlearns and deconstructs for him why this is harmful. He sees firsthand how someone just like him is happier for leaving this mindset, and then kills them to eliminate that contradiction threatening his world belief; At which point it’s inaccurate to infantilize him as just a lonely and misguided kid, because he’s no longer a kid and he made a very cognizant and informed choice to double down and commit actual violence.

And everyone knows that by this point, such people are not actually being sincere; They’re not secretly misguided, you can’t simply attribute their harm to not knowing better because this is what their religion says or whatever. These people know they’re committing harm, but rather than help on “lesser” people’s terms, they ‘help’ the way THEY see fit, in the way that strokes their ego. That’s what separates Philip from someone like Gwen, who humbled herself to focus on what Eda was saying she really needed. So the Titan’s summarization of Belos as someone who only cares about being the hero in his own delusion, and fears what he can’t control is… hardly an oversimplification, it really gets to the core of Belos as a character, and the narrative he embodies. It captures the difference between wanting to help and having a savior complex, and is what ends up delineating the two at the crucial crossroads. 

And I find it a little concerning to joke about how this type of character is “just a silly guy” when people exactly like him are on the rise and committing very real violence right now. It’s also why I don’t buy the justification behind a lot of salt about how villains need to be humanized in order to show kids how THEY can become villains, because the show is fairly outright about how Belos rationalizes atrocities under the guise of the ‘greater good’ and refuses to self-reflect, and it’s not as if we don’t have Luz learning to understand characters like Amity or Lilith, the Collector and even Kikimora (whom she DID relate to personally, yet Kiki still doubled down with or without Belos), while still having the show emphasize that they need to get their act together and can’t just depend on people to save them. 

There’s also the very obvious theme of Luz realizing she doesn’t owe her oppressor anything, especially not when he won’t ever meet her or anyone else on their terms, but idk some people just seem to hate Luz for having boundaries I guess, even though she already put in the effort to be kind and understanding to Belos and she got hurt for it. Hell the Collector made that effort after being inspired by Luz, and Luz was murdered protecting them from that mistake!!! There are some very obvious stories and lessons being told here with the actual protagonists being the heart of those narratives, but the problem I’ve noticed is that a lot of the people complaining on Belos’ behalf are those who hyperfixated almost exclusively on the Wittebane aspect of the lore, going over it with a fine tooth comb and microscope to extrapolate an entire fanon from the littlest of details… only to just ignore the actual show and narrative and themes happening on-screen. 

And that leads to many not understanding various narrative decisions because they weren’t really paying attention to the actual point they’re in service to, and then they blame the writers for their own chosen ignorance, and how the story wasn’t about their part specifically so everything else doesn’t count and the whole show is wasted potential, really. The way so many of said fans immediately turned on Luz after the finale and tried to drag her down to Belos’ level by acting like she wasn’t any better for also wanting things and 'demonizing enemies', claiming Luz had unaddressed ‘flaws’ while Belos deserved more sympathy, and framing Belos as a ‘better’ character who ‘worked harder’ while claiming Luz was retconned into an arrogant chosen one who never grew, is actually baffling.

A lot of them are just upset that Belos didn’t play the role in Luz’s arc that they wanted him to play, so they’ve opted to dismiss Luz’s overall storyline as badly written and even a reflection of Dana's 'Catholic complex' (which is a tasteless jab to make) because they neglected the nuance behind every other aspect of Luz that wasn’t directly tied to Belos, that didn’t set her up as the one person who understands him or whatever because that’s more important to them than addressing the sheer trauma and pain that Belos willingly inflicted upon Luz. Because god forbid this brown girl be angry against her white abuser, huh? God forbid the white guy be used to set up the brown main character, rather than the other way around right????? It’s really just a jealous complaint about the show’s choice of priorities and celebration, hidden under the false guise of ever caring about Luz’s arc for Luz’s sake.

And that’s how you get insincere arguments about how Belos should’ve been able to survive, that’s how you get AUs that undermine the lessons of canon to egregiously relegate Luz to being Belos’ sidekick, or even present her as an obstacle to him getting his much-needed redemption, as if that last part hinges on all of Belos’ victims getting over their pain to help him, because obviously he needs it more than they do! Because we gotta spare Belos’ feelings by giving him friends instead of consequences!!! Unbelievable. He is not Amity, not Lilith, and definitely not Hunter, and the people who forgave them had actual reason to do so. And even Lilith had to move in with her mother so she could be given reparations by someone who actually owed it to her, rather than her younger sister and two kids.

And there’s definitely a major difference between Lilith and Gwen’s dynamic and Philip and Caleb’s, especially since Caleb was also a child when he moved into Gravesfield. Even if you think Belos' bigotry was radicalized due to 'grief' over losing his brother to witches, that's just entitlement and control because it's not as if Caleb can't have more than one positive relationship in his life; Philip is no better than people who blame minorities for some incident in their life and use that as justification to become white supremacists, and there's nothing sympathetic or 'tragic' about that.

But the point is that Caleb ultimately wasn’t THAT important to Belos because he’d always be secondary to witch-hunting, Belos clearly chose his white supremacy over his brother, and any ‘takebacks’ that come in the form of the Grimwalkers are insincere given Belos does nothing to actually repent or regret his violence committed on the people of the isles; It’d have been one thing if he DID try to undo his mistake by choosing differently, by cloning Caleb and giving up witch hunting, but he still doesn’t (Note that Belos does not hallucinate the ghosts of the witches he killed; He still feels no remorse over them, because his fear of being wrong comes from a selfish place). And unlike Luz, Belos can’t have it both ways because one option explicitly calls for the extermination of the other; It’s the Paradox of Tolerance that Luz struggled with, except contrary to what Belos claims, humanity’s existence does not require the eradication of others.

Because yes there IS a meaningful moral distinction between Luz and Belos -don’t forget they’re not just parallels but explicit opposites- that occurs even before you get into the genocide, not that you should neglect that other part either because it’s incredibly important, being the starting point for this entire rant. Society already has a bias towards devil’s advocating bigotry as some big misunderstanding, and prioritizing the angst of white dudes who commit it over the victims of color; Can we avoid applying that to fiction?!??!? I literally saw someone complain that the show didn’t portray Belos’ grief from murdering Luz, and that Luz’s “glory moment” took away from a Wittebane backstory!!! At this point, people are just being racist.

#the owl house #emperor belos #philip wittebane #luz noceda #caleb wittebane #vent #rant

[pespillo]

these screens are all correlated .

with the fact that collector saw things/people as "playthings" that could be fixed up even as much damage its done to them, its messes me up with the implications / their behavior towards trying to be open to Belos again so quickly after everything because he thought it could kindness could work, to use their own self in the form of a doll as something that can be broken up and fixed on a whim fully makes me believe they expected to be freed by Philip and continue to be treated the same way he did before, even when Philip was physically lashing out at them in their shadow form, he put trust into Philip that even if they "got broken" , Philip would be able to "fix him" or he would fix themselves and continue playing on, just like the grimwalkers were made over and over and Collector was not raised to see them as their own individuals . By all means Collector was not raised to fear Belos like grimwalkers did , but its worse that Collector was actually always this willing to take in abuse on the guise that its "pretend" or "its just part of the game" because at the end of it all they are inmortal and it "shouldnt matter".

#child abuse ment #the collector #toh spoilers #the owl house spoilers #the owl house #toh collector #sorry this is rather heavy i just didnt expect the implication here to have this much merit #can you tell i cre abt this kid so much sdlfkjlkfds

[captainmera]

I love that in your stories that include Hunter, whether it’s a TOH IBWR au, or TGB, he must have werewolf elements to his character haha. Do you have any ideas as to what the TOH Cast would look like in your IBWR Au? Particularly interested in the fae/peculiars elements? I love your designs for those types of characters in IBWR.

OF COURSE, HE'S SO WOLF CODED.

Fairies are colour coded. In folklore, it is said that fairies can only feel one thing at a time. This is not true, but the stories stem from that fairies have a "fairy-flaw" which is associated to their colour.

You recognise them by their pointy ears and... uniformely one-coloured stuff. In a green fairy's case, green hair, green eyes. And when they blush, it's a shade of green.

This emotion will, when felt, be so much stronger and all-consuming than any other emotion. A fairy has to be aware, and learn to control and regulate, that particular fairy-flaw.

However, fairies are also masters of one trait.

In folklore, fairies are often popping up as craftsmen. They make shoes, they make silk, they make clothes, mead, milk, etc. This stems from that fairies, when allowed to work with their fixation, become natural experts in their fields.

People often feel they are unfairly talented because they're fairies, and not because they learned like everyone else (which they did, it's just an analogy for being a gifted kid). and sabotages for them, either by excluding them or ensuring they can't pursue it.

Victorian England is, in majority, a christian culture. In England, they would categorise each fairy by a "sin". So, a green fairy's flaw would be envy/jealousy. For Willow, I think this works. At least if her life in IBWR meant she was kept away from doing what she wanted and often felt envy of those who got pursue what they want in life.

Fairies, also, if they are being influenced by their fairy-flaw, starts to turn the colour of it.

She would live with her dads, under the guise that one was her dad and the other was her godfather and simply just.. such a good friend to her "only" dad that he lives there as a roommate. You might be surprised to hear this wouldn't raise much eyebrows. Sounds reasonable! They own a store together after all! People would just often comment that it's such a shame they're both bachelors.

Werewolves are a controversial topic in the field of science at the time of when IBWR is taking place (1885), as they were moved from Erebus type to Beast type. People argue that, as they are associated with the moon and are coded as dangerous, they should remain in the erebus type. But they were moved to beast, as they are very dog-like in appearance.

Werewolves were not consulted on this re-categorisation.

Despite being moved to the beast type, they still practice within the sub-culture of Erebus types. Vampires, Night fairies and Banshees still acknowledges them as part of their group.

Werewolves are reduced, culturally and socially, to their looks and the horror stories that has been crafted around them. They are deemed barbaric, hound-like, uncivilised and.. Adorable. Werewolves struggle to find authentic people to socialize with, as most want to use them for their power. People don't think they have ambitions or intelligence larger than a canine.

I think this would fit Hunter, if he lived with his uncle, and Philip never considered Hunter's feelings. Just using him for what he was; a powerful henchman he could control and order around as he pleased - they're family after all.

Spriggans have a sense for mischief, trickery and has the ability to camouflage themselves just like chameleons. They are natural showmen, charismatic entertainers and cannot stop themselves around all that glitters. Like magpies, they collect things. It's a problem. They don't even mean to, it just kinda happens. Like a cat chasing a fly. Suddenly you're eating it and you sit there like "why did I do that. That was dumb."

Spriggans have a kleptomania problem. It is rarely even about actual riches, it can be spoons. An endless amount of spoons and they just can't help themselves. If you know a Spriggan's weakness, they'll knowingly make a bad bargain. They don't even want another damn spoon, but they just... It's a spoon. They don't have that spoon. They need that spoon. Good god the spoons. There are spriggans who have lost their homes to their unhealthy desire to collect. (pst, it's a metaphor for an addictive personality). Spriggans live both merry and unfortunate lives. They love life, they love people, but they get in trouble easily.

You'll find them in music halls, in thrifting shops, by the harbour, casinos, in any kind of sales work.

For Gus, I think he'd work in his dad's thrifting store and part time in a music hall! See the people, entertain the crowd! Perhaps find a watch that slips into his hand.... But Gus is a good boy. His dad taught him well! If you pick up something that isn't yours, say aloud "WOW WHAT A NICE THING." and put it back. It's difficult to walk away from something you loudly announce, and it gives him leeway to excuse himself for being eccentric and picking up what isn't his.

Perhaps Hunter and Gus meet at the music hall? :) I'm sure that's where they meet Willow too.

In this AU, I think Gus and Willow meets Luz, then Hunter, and lastly Amity. Perhaps whatever Philip is working with involves the blight family, and it conspires a story of drama, forbidden love and friendships from there. :P

Amity, a regular! a rich family with big expectations on their children. I like to imagine the blight twins are off to rebellious outlets! Like a music hall, and decides to bring their baby sister along. To which where she meets the gang.

Luz, a regular, who wants to be a witch! She wants to join the most powerful coven in all of England! But, ah-- She's not gifted. The Ashdown family does not hire people in their stores if they have no powerful fylgja of some sort. Or at the very least have the gift of sight.

Trying to learn witchcraft anyway, from a witch (Eda) who claims you don't have to be special to become a great witch, takes her in under her wing in the music hall The Owl House. She puts her to work there, and Luz is determined to work in exchange of learning witchcraft.

Luz soon discovers that witchcraft is... rather gruesome work. Blood, rituals, dead bodies and overbearing gods. But perhaps magic can be different? Maybe you could.. Do something else with it? That doesn't involve murdering innocent peculiars.

And there is.

She just got to figure out how. And maybe with her friends, she could. :P

So... basically what Theodore is doing. :l He would hire her in a heartbeat.

#toh ibwr au #ibwr #toh

[transbookoftheday]

The Blighted Stars by Megan E. O'Keefe

When a spy and her mortal enemy crash-land on a dying planet, she must figure out how to survive long enough to uncover the deadly, galaxy-spanning conspiracy that landed them there. The Blighted Stars is the first book in an epic new space-opera trilogy from the author of the Philip K. Dick-nominated Velocity Weapon.

She's a revolutionary. Humanity is running out of options. Habitable planets are being destroyed as quickly as they're found, and Naira Sharp thinks she knows the reason why. The all-powerful Mercator family has been controlling the exploration of the universe for decades, and exploiting any materials they find along the way under the guise of helping humanity's expansion. But Naira knows the truth, and she plans to bring the whole family down from the inside.

He's the heir to the dynasty. Tarquin Mercator never wanted to run a galaxy-spanning business empire. He just wanted to study geology and read books. But Tarquin's father has tasked him with monitoring the settlement of a new planet, and he doesn't really have a choice in the matter.

Disguised as Tarquin's new bodyguard, Naira plans to destroy the settlement ship before they land. But neither of them expects to end up stranded on a dead planet. To survive and keep her secret, Naira will have to join forces with the man she's sworn to hate. And together they will uncover a plot that's bigger than both of them.

#the blighted stars #megan e. o'keefe #transmasc #trans book of the day #trans books #queer books #bookblr #booklr

[sukunasbabygirl]

Do you think Belos is running around the castle with his mask off, looking so worried, panicking and asking about his nephew, sending scout patrols after him under the guise they had a ‘disagreement’ and he wants to fix it.

We already know Philip is a damn good actor thanks to Elsewhere and Elsewhen, able to switch on his charm in an instant, and we know he knows exactly how to get to people. He does it with Luz in Hollow Mind when he takes the form of a scared child. It’s safe to say he knows that if he portrays himself as vulnerable like this, people will immediately flock to support him and be more likely to actively WANT to find Hunter.

And, I’ve said before Belos uses his genuine feelings to manipulate. His genuine feelings here are worry, but not for Hunter, rather for the fact Hunter could intervene with the Day of Unity by telling everyone the truth.

#the owl house #toh #toh spoilers #the owl house spoilers #emperor belos #philip wittebane

[asherisawkward]

Are there any headcanons that make Belos worse than he is on the show that you enjoy?

I headcanon that he went back and killed the Fang brothers after he got the Collector’s disk because they tried to burn his journal.

He overworks and keeps the scouts in poor conditions so they’ll be too exhausted and stressed to plan a revolt of any time.

There is an eighty percent chance that Coven Head Scooter Crane was murdered by other Coven Heads, Raine, or Philip himself. Regardless of this, Philip doesn’t care and actively encouraged infighting and competition between the Coven Heads, so they won’t notice what he’s planning.

Philip tormented Lilith in the Emperor’s Coven by giving her nearly impossible tasks and threatening to kick her from the coven if she failed before letting her stay if she did under the guise of mercy, but it’s really just so he can torment her more. This is because she broke his nose in the Deadwardian Era.

Philip is intentionally creating a Palistrom tree shortage so that witches are unable to make Palismen, which would make it easier to fight him.

To make Grimwalkers, Philip hunts baby Selkidomus instead of adult ones, because he doesn’t know how long scales keep before they go brittle, and he doesn’t want a lot of resources wasted. Baby Selkidomus are just sized better for his needs.

When the Grimwalkers find out about the truth, Philip often “attempts” to kill them but fails intentionally to see how they react. He doesn’t even realize he’s doing it, but he’s pushing them to leave so he has a reason to kill that one and start again fresh.

Philip and the Collector had bingo cards for the way that the former kills the Grimwalkers. The latter of the pair has more bingos.

Philip re-uses Galderstones whenever he can’t find more of them for new Grimwalkers.

He was probably forced to cannibalize his brother’s corpse some time during his years living in a cave. It was a very low point for him.

#The Pwl House #TOH #Philip Wittebane #Emperor Belos #BelosFansTakeover #Headcanons #Trigger Warning: mentioned cannibalism #Ask

[scotianostra]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#scotland #scottish #history #england #france #spain #the stuarts

[normanbateswife]

Never Any Other Option

Philip Graves x fem!reader

Warnings: mw2 spoilers, canon level violence, smut (it isn't a major plot point but it's there), graves being an asshole

It started slow. Much slower than Graves would’ve liked, that’s for sure. He had his eyes on you the moment he saw you and they sure as hell never left, not through the entire briefing. His eyes battled with everyone else in the cramped room to meet yours and you never once looked up. 

He admired your strength. It reminded him of him. 

He barely heard the resolution to the brief and made a mental note to reconvene with someone who was actually listening before he went out into the field. You left the room quickly but that didn’t stop him. Graves looped around the hallway till he met up with you at the stairs. 

“Yes Commander?” you asked under your breath, glancing up at him as you opened the door. He held it for you and then followed so that he was walking beside you. 

“Have you thought about that dinner?” he questioned. You side eyed him and tried not to show any emotions. You refused to be one of the girls he slept with in a coat closet and left behind. Dinner could be a step forward. You just weren’t sure if you could resist that charming side smile much longer. 

“I’ve thought about the mission we’re meant to leave for tomorrow morning. Have you thought about that?” you asked. He blew a sharp breath out of his nose and shrugged. 

“Enough.” 

“You get to be in the confines of a helicopter. I have to be out there. You got it easy this time Graves.” 

“I’ll cover you from the sky. Everyone else will be jealous.” 

“If you don’t help, everyone else will be dead.” 

“They can handle themselves.” 

“So can I.” He skipped so that he stood in front of you, not letting you walk past him. You halted. There was no point in making an attempt to exit the conversation. Plus. You didn’t really want to. It was an easy part of your day, flirting back and forth with the Shadows Commander, stringing him along and pulling him back. 

“One dinner. Then you can go back to thinking we wouldn’t be fantastic together.” 

“Philip,” you crossed your arms. 

“One.” 

You clenched your teeth together, narrowing your look at him. He waited in anticipation, eyes wide open. You let out a breath of finality, guised as annoyance. 

“One. Just cause we might die tomorrow.” 

He smiled brightly, clapping his hands together in triumph. He pointed at you, not quite sure what he was doing with his hands anymore. 

“Fantastic. I’ll pick you up at 8? I’ll text you. I won’t keep you out later because of work, no worries.” He looked up and moved his tongue around in his mouth. “No later than you want me to, that is.”

“Don’t you make me regret this Philip.” 

“I would never sweetheart.” 

-

Thus started the on again off again relationship you had with Philip Graves. You were not often in the same place at the same time which left some things to be desired. But everytime you came back it was a free for all. It was like neither of you had left. 

You unclenched your jaw as you exited the helicopter, keenly aware of the cold nipping at your sides. You were eager to go inside and wind down for the night. It had been a long couple of days and you weren’t exactly happy to go back the next day. For right now you would enjoy a nice long shower and sleep the day away. You were anxious to scrub the day from your body. 

“Heading to bed already?” Price asked as he caught up to you. You nodded, stretching your neck to the side. You had an endless amount of knots in your back. 

“What do you mean already? It’s 9:30 Captain,” you joked dryly. 

“You didn’t used to be a lightweight,” he said with a small knowing smile. You rolled your eyes. Your work alongside John Price and his friends could go back years. You were used to the men that had lived long enough for you to remember. 

“And you used to only smoke once a day. You’ll get cancer Price.” 

“If cancer takes me out after all those shots at me, I deserve to go.” You nudged him and gave him a nod as you split ways. You walked up the stairs to your small room. You would’ve gone home to your apartment if you had the time but right now the dorm like space would have to do. You needed sleep more than you needed comfortability. 

You opened up the door and were already sliding off your shoes when you saw Graves sitting at your desk. You had no idea he was back. You thought he and his team were half way across the world at this point but you supposed no one owed you the information of where they would end up. He looked up at the sound of the door opening. 

“Graves,” you hummed with a pleasant smile. 

You weren’t sure when looking at him had started to bring a kind of comfort. You were so used to a sense of instability. When had he started to feel stable? “What are you doing?” you asked softly. 

He stood up, an uncharacteristic gentle look on his face. For a moment you worried that someone had died. He only ever gave you that look in the middle of the night when your faces were even against the pillows and tracing each other's features. At a time where the world was asleep and no one but you could catch him with his guard down. But instead of saying anything he closed the gap between the two of you. 

Your breath caught but he gave you his. 

His hands held your sides, effectively taking the weight of the day into his palms. He was still wearing his clothes from combat. What had happened to him? What was the emotion bleeding into your lips? Even as you started to move back he pushed his face forward needily. He bit your lip. It felt like he drew blood but you didn’t mind, blinded by the haze of his eyes being so close. 

“What happened to you?” you breathed, hand flat on his chest. 

“Long fuckin day,” he muttered. You dragged your hand up to his chest and brushed hair out of his face. “Missed your face.” 

“Mmm that sounds vaguely romantic of you Commander,” you mused with a sly smile. He rolled his eyes.

“Don’t push it.” 

“I’m not pushing anything. I was gonna take a shower. You look sweaty, wanna join me?” He breathed out a long sigh of relaxation at the mere thought. 

“Yes ma’am.” 

“You got clothes to sleep in here?” you questioned starting to walk towards the bathroom. His hand let go of your waist only to hold your pointer finger as you walked away from him. 

“When have I ever needed clothes in here darlin '?” You looked back at him with a pointed look but couldn’t deny the pretty look in his eyes as you pushed open the door with your free hand. 

You didn’t speak as you turned on the water too hot. He started to remove his layers. The bathroom was tight enough with one person so there was no avoiding bumping into each other silently, soft grunts filling the room as you landed on just undressing each other. 

His lips found yours again. Familiar. Almost as warm as the water you were pushed into. You were pressed against each other, your only stability a hand on the steamy glass wall between you and the rest of the bathroom. The routine of your bodies was something you had never thought about till that moment. You lazily realized that you knew his moves now. You knew his calloused hands and the bump of his scars and the feeling of him sliding inside of you. 

He was sloppy, as usual, but slow. He was allowing some sort of feeling to meld between the two of you in the heat of the shower. You held him close and he had no denial of burying his head into your shoulder as he stroked in and out of you. When he resurfaced from your skin he kissed you lazily. 

But it was the look in his eyes when he pulled away that made you realize it. 

He was in love. 

You kissed him again before he could take back his silent words, allowing yourself to melt into him like the water was washing you both away. 

-

“Who’s in the sky?” you questioned, looking up at the helicopter trailing your group. 

“Shadows,” Ghost said evenly. You glanced up. Graves. You suppressed a smile. You never got to be in the field together. Sure you had three of the best in the business surrounding you but knowing your Graves had your six made you feel almost at ease. Almost. 

“It’s good to see you guys,” Graves said into your earpiece. 

“Likewise mate,” Ghost said. 

You were trailed all the way through till you were able to get extraction and Hassan. You were escorted back to base by the helicopter in the sky. Hassan remained masked and quiet throughout the drive. You were just trying to ignore the fact that you would get to actually see Philip in person. It had only been a couple of weeks, nothing either of you hadn’t lived without before. But if had started to move towards more serious categories. He was starting to talk about babies during pillowtalk. Retirement one day. A home instead of an apartment. 

You parked before they landed. You led Hassan back with Ghost and Alejandro but left when they had him set up in the middle of some field. You waited at the edge of the field as the helicopter landed. 

The ramp lowered and the shadows started to exit. You could see Philip amongst the faces and didn’t miss his smirk as he caught sight of you. He walked directly for you, one hand in his pocket. You raised an eyebrow. 

“Well?” he asked. 

“Well what?” 

“No thank you? No ‘my hero’?” You laughed, genuine laughter and he returned it with some of his own. 

“It was some fantastic air support. You heard Ghost.” 

“Ghost doesn’t have a sweet as silk voice like you,” he teased.

“I don’t know, Ghost’s voice is pretty good…” you joked. He rolled his eyes and looked back at the Shadows passing him into base. You leaned against the wall and followed his gaze. He was waiting until everyone went inside. You didn’t mind. You just wished you could kiss him now. The scruff of adrenaline hadn’t left him. 

“Thank you for your help Graves.”

“You mad at me?” 

“Huh?”

“It’s like saying my middle name when you say my last name.” You rolled your eyes. “I prefer Philip. Or Commander works too.” You scoffed and finally the last of the Shadows seemed to have trickled away so that you could stand up straight to get in his face. 

“I’m not mad Commander. Thank you for your help.” 

“Atta girl.” 

He dipped his head and kissed you, taking your breath away as he did everytime. He held your chin between his thumb and pointer finger as he pulled away. 

“You sleepin with me tonight?” 

“As in fucking you or sleeping in your bed?”

“Both,” he said plainly. You grinned, unable to hide the butterflies that blossomed in your stomach. You had missed him. 

“There was never any other option Commander.” He kissed your forehead, lips lingering for a moment. 

“Let’s go beat the shit out of Hassan.” 

“I don’t think you can legally do that.”

“When have you ever cared about legality?”  

“Aren’t we legality?” 

-

You were already working within the 141 Task Force when you started to work with Graves more on the missions to obtain Hassan and the American missiles from the enemies. You had worked with Ghost countless times before and you were starting to enjoy your time with this Soap kid. Not to mention you and Alejandro got along swimmingly. Price always knew how to pick em. 

You were on the boat with Ghost that held the missile and you were there when Soap and Graves changed course of the missile. It wasn’t an easy one and you weren’t envious of Soap who was in front of the missile controls. 

Graves had stood in front of you almost the whole night. It made you wonder at what point he started to truly believe you were his to protect, like you couldn’t handle yourself. You had to get back to Alejandro’s base before you could question him about it though. 

You took a helicopter back onto the ground and then piled into two cars. You and Philip forced the others in the task force into one as you took one with just a driver. You shut the window between the front seat and the back ones as you relaxed back into the seat, still soaked from the rain and bleeding in various places. 

You turned your head to look at him. He had his hand on your knee. 

“You sleeping with me tonight?” you questioned lazily. He looked over at you with a gentle smile. 

“There was never any other option,” he said gravely, dipping his head. You laughed a bit and grabbed his hand that was resting on you. You rubbed his gloved skin. 

“You know I can handle myself out there,” you muttered. “You don’t need to protect me.” He looked over at you, silently. He chewed on that for a moment. 

“I want to.”

“That’s very sweet but I don’t need you doing both of our jobs Philip.” He scooted closer to you so that your shoulders were touching. You watched him carefully. 

“I like to.” 

“What are they paying me for then?” 

“To look pretty and stay alive,” he said dryly. You scoffed, rolling your eyes. 

“Alright Philip.” You brought his hand up to your lips and kissed him. The road bumped underneath of you, making you both jolt around the car. 

He looked at you with solemn eyes that you didn’t catch. He had never quite had someone like you. Someone he liked. Someone he…

“I love you,” he whispered, barely audible. You looked back up to his eyes again. 

“Huh?” He leaned forward and kissed you feverishly like you were going to die in the next moment. You were taken about by his ferocity but countered it easily after a moment. 

“I love you,” he repeated against your lips before diving in again. You smiled into the kiss. 

“Never thought I’d hear those words Commander,” you mused. 

“Yeah, well listen and weep.” You giggled. 

“I think it’s read and weep.” 

“Whatever.” He was peppering kisses against your jaw. You grabbed his chin and forced him to look at you. 

“I love you too.” He let out a breath. 

“Good.” You laughed heartily as the car stopped. He looked towards the window and picked up his gun. 

Still laughing, you spoke, “Are we not on base? Whatcha need your gun for Philip?” 

“Don’t worry about it baby. Stay in the car.” 

“I love you,” you said, relishing in the words, “but no.” You opened up your door and noted you were parked outside. You hadn’t pulled in. The guys got out of the car behind you. 

“What’s that face?” Soap asked you. 

“Nothin.” He narrowed his eyes at you but Alejandro spoke before he could. 

“What’s this?” 

“This is the immediate future,” Philip said on the other side of the car. You circled around so you were standing beside Soap. “Darlin get back in the car,” he said pointedly. You furrowed your brows. 

“What?” you asked. 

“Y/L/N,” he said sharply. 

“Graves,” you said back. “What’s this about?” He let out a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment and then turned around to the men standing behind him. 

“Take her gently.” “What?” Soap asked, stepping forward. 

“Step away from the gate,” Graves said. 

“What?!” Soap said louder. 

“You heard me.” 

“You’re crazy. This is my base,” Alejandro said, gesturing with his hands. 

“It’s not a base. This is a sizable covert facility and I admire it - so I’m takin it.” He said it so calmly. It was like a moment ago he wasn’t confessing his love for you in the back of the car he was standing beside. 

Your smile had fallen as you attempted to process what was going on. 

“You boys have been relieved. Thank you for your service.” 

“No no no. I don’t take orders from you,” Alejandro argued. 

“Didn’t Valeria say that? Now that makes me wonder what else I don’t know about your affiliation with a drug lord?”

“Graves!” you said sternly, Alejandro speaking over you. 

“What the fuck did you just say to me pendejo…” Soap grabbed his arm. 

“You’re out of line,” you said, eyeing Graves. Soap approached him. 

“Don’t do that. Don’t. No one needs to get hurt here,” he promised, pointing to you and to Soap. 

“Are you threatening us?” Ghost asked from somewhere behind you. 

“Soldier, I don't make threats. I make guarantees. So let's not do this.” You couldn’t wrap your head around it. What the fuck was going on? 

“I’m calling Shepherd,” Soap said, speaking your thoughts. 

“General Shepherd sends his regards. He told me y’all wouldn’t take this well.” 

“He knows about this?” Ghost questioned. 

“He put me in command of this operation from here on out. So y’all need to stand down, it’s time to let the pros finish this.” You scoffed, catching the eyes of the other guys who were looking around, catching on much faster than you were. “And why the hell are we talking like this is some kind of negotiation? It’s not. I’ve got my orders and now you have yours.” 

“And who the fuck do you think you are carbon?” Alejandro asked. “My men are inside!” 

“I’m afraid not.” You set your jaw. “Your men have been…detained.” 

Alejandro pushed forward, cursing and was immediately stopped by the guards beside Graves. You weren’t prepared for this kind of fight. You were so caught off guard you barely had time to move away from a gunshot. 

“I said gently!” Philip yelled. He rushed forward, knocking Alejandro out with his gun. He had grazed Soap from the sound of it and Ghost was nowhere to be seen. He turned the corner to get Soap but he had scampered away. You started to back away, tripping over your feet. Some other men were looking for Ghost. 

“Philip what the fuck!” 

“I’m following orders,” he promised. “You were supposed to stay in the car!” You scoffed sliding away as he walked closer. 

“Graves you’re fucking shooting our friends!” 

“They’re just soldiers, they aren’t friends.” 

“Then aren't I just a soldier?!” you asked angrily. 

“No-” he shook his head quickly, “no but they-”

“You’re helping the enemy?”

“I’m following-”

“Orders?! Yeah I fucking heard!” You finally got back up onto your feet and had reached the edge of the driveway. You breathed heavily as he walked forward. 

“Let me explain.”

“You shot Soap! What the fuck is happening to Alejandro?! Where the fuck is Ghost?!” You took a breath. “I loved you!”  

He paused. He was pointing a gun at you still. You never thought you would be on the end of Philip Graves' gun. 

“They’re all a liability.” 

“And me?” 

“I could’ve saved you.” You scoffed, shaking your head. 

“Did you love me?” 

“Of course I do. Please just let me-”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore. Which of your faces am I staring at Graves?” 

"There was no other options."

You didn’t recognize the look that was staring back at you. It was supposedly a jaw you knew well with a scar you had traced before falling into slumber and eyes you had seen above you countless times. 

You didn’t recognize the look in his eyes. 

He scared you. 

You gripped a knife that was at your side and tossed it blindly at him. It hit its mark in his leg and he screamed as you fell over the edge of the railing and rolled down the shrubbery until you landed somewhere hard and dark. You looked up at the sky, the gunshots muffled. It was a dark night. 

You allowed yourself to heave an angry cry into the stars. You wouldn’t be sleeping in the familiar comfortable bed tonight. 

You picked yourself up and forced yourself to walk away, hopefully towards Soap or Ghost. Tears pricked at your eyes as you did so.

#shout out to izzy fr #its giving no time to die by billie eilish #or casual by chappell roan there in the beginning #philip graves x reader #graves x reader #philip graves x fem!reader #call of duty imagines #call of duty fanfiction

[phobylee]

I don't know if I posted these au drawings-

It's a Demon Swap AU.. I need a proper name. I'll think of one soon-!

But basically this is an AU where Caleb and Philip are demons (with a smidgen of witch in them so they CAN use witch magic too) and Evelyn is human. The boys are still orphans, only this is because their parents left for the Human Realm to research it under a demon guise and were found to be witches, though the boys didn't know that. So Caleb goes to the Human Realm to investigate for closure with a human disguise (it's an illusion at first but later on he figures out how to do full transformations), but he briefly gets distracted from his goal of uncovering the truth when a human catches his attention. They become friends and later it becomes more romantic, and that's when Caleb decides he has to tell her the truth. Let's just say.. Evelyn runs away for a while, and Caleb is heartbroken. He decides he's going to leave and visits one more time.

In the end Evelyn returned to see him, conflicted because she did still LOVE him. And they bond again. Blah blah blah, stuff happens-- I kind of wanna make this into a fic but I'm nervous-- and they end up chased out of gravesfield by a mob-- eve was nearly captured so Caleb fought them off and becomes injured. So they go to the demon realm with Philip to continue their life there! To which Philip doesn't know she's human yet but he's SUS about it. They get along later though!! And AHHH this was my excuse for them all to be happy. Cause unlike in canon.. Philip has 0 reason to kill his brother here or even attempt it. Sure, they might fight, but that's the extent and they work it out. And it's FUN and I enjoy thinking about it. MAYBE.. if anyone's interested.. I will write about these guys. :)

#toh #the owl house #caleb wittebane #wittebro #philip wittebane #evelyn clawthorne #emperor belos #witteclaw #wittewife #demon swap au #demon!caleb #demon!philip #human!evelyn #my art #need a more creative au name but HEY

[gryficowa]

Interesting fact: The author of "Witcher" sued the game company because he wanted money (And he wrote books mainly when he was short of money, yes, that's a funny fact)

And because people thought he wrote the books based on the game

Sapkowski doesn't like it being said that he wrote books based on the game, although in Poland it is a meme that he wrote books based on the game

"

In 2016, during an author's meeting at Polcon, the writer commented ironically - negatively - on the impact of CD Projekt RED games on the sale and reception of books, the gaming community reacted to the words with a kind of boycott of Sapkowski[16]. The author defends his view by saying: that from his observations - his titles with covers with computer graphics - were perceived by some readers as the so-called game related, i.e. a book based on a game, which in turn translates into perceiving the work of the writer from Łódź as secondary, unoriginal"

Yes, Polish Wikipedia has no mercy

In October 2018, the writer called on CD Projekt to pay an additional PLN 60 million, over and above the remuneration specified in the contracts between him and the company, for the use of the world of The Witcher in games, citing Art. 44 of the Act on Copyright and Related Rights. CD Projekt described this demand as groundless and stated, that he validly and legally acquired the rights to Sapkowski's works[21]. On December 20, 2019, the company concluded an agreement with the writer, the provisions of which were kept secret"

Hey guys, I found it now:

"Photo - Andrzej Sapkowski Andrzej Sapkowski(1948-06-21) - (still) Andrzej Sapkowski. The most popular author of short stories and fantasy novels in Poland. Andrzej Sapkowski - biography, life and work Andrzej Sapkowski was born in 1948 in Łódź. He is an economist and trader by education.

Andrzej Sapkowski: the witcher He gained popularity thanks to a series of stories and novels about the witcher Geralt. The Witcher is a mutant, a hired killer trained from childhood to fight monsters, but this training has not deprived him of his internal ethical code. At once cynical and noble, he is compared to Chandler's Philip Marlowe. World, in which the action of the Witcher story takes place, draws a lot from Tolkien, but also contains references to Slavic mythologies.

Andrzej Sapkowski: characteristics of his work Sapkowski's fantasy works are characterized by, apart from the fast-paced action taking place in an imaginary world populated by people, typical of this genre, elves, dwarves, etc., with a specific colorful language somewhat reminiscent of Sienkiewicz's Trilogy and a kind of humorous game with the reader consisting of hundreds of references to the world canon of fantasy novels (Conan, Tolkien, Dune, etc.), as well as references to Polish classical literature (especially Sienkiewicz and Słowacki) and traditional Germanic, Celtic and Slavic legends. However, under the guise of jokes and fast-paced action, there is often a deeper reflection hidden.

Andrzej Sapkowski: awards Andrzej Sapkowski is a multiple winner of all the most important Polish awards for fantasy works, and his books are constantly on the bestseller lists. In 1997, he received the POLITYKI PASZPORT award granted by this prestigious weekly to creators who have the opportunity to promote Polish culture in the world. Andrzej Sapkowski: controversy Andrzej Sapkowski lost the sympathy of some of his fans by coming to meetings with them under the influence of alcohol.

In 2005, a scandal was caused by Sapkowski's statement that "a white man should work three hours a day. After all, God created other races - Jews, Gypsies, to work for him…". This statement took place during the National Convention of Fantasy Lovers "Polcon", in Błażejewko near Poznań, on August 27, 2005. According to comments in the press, it was a racist statement, but most of the comments of the convention participants indicate that it was only an ironic provocation.

"Sapkowski has a phenomenal gift of narrative, inventing sensational events, creating a suggestive mood, grading tension. And a dazzling, slightly cynical sense of humor…" (Jacek Sieradzki, "Polityka")"

"The creator of the fantastic world, Andrzej Sapkowski, was inspired by, among others, Slavic traditions and folklore. There are also elements of contemporary Poland in computer games and the latest TV series"

I don't know if this thing about sequels is a meme, or if he actually wrote new books because he was running out of money, actually, I don't know.

Still, I don't know if people abroad know who the author of this series is

#the witcher #witcher 3 #geralt #ciri #geralt of rivia #yennefer #witcher geralt

[sepublic]

Any theories on why Belos wants to go back to the demon realm?? Like MAN that part caught me off guard, I have no idea what mold man wants anymore!

Well on a surface level, there's the obvious explanation that Belos is finishing what he started; His draining spell, his Day of Unity, totally failed. He can't 'rest' until he makes up for that failure, and not only that;

But the situation is now even worse than when he first arrived, from his perspective. Because no thanks to Belos' mistakes, the Collector is free and has absolute reign over the Boiling Isles! And as a godlike being, the source of an arcane type of magic "stronger than anybody's" that Belos knows firsthand because he was taught it by the Collector... This kid is an ACTUAL, legitimate threat to humanity that Philip feared and saw in witches all along. No thanks to Philip's irrational bigotry, of course; But yeah, it tracks that Philip feels the need to fix the situation and latch onto this weirdly vindicating threat.

And to dive a little bit deeper... Honestly, I think it's because Belos is running around in circles at this point. He doesn't REALLY know what he wants, because he came back home, and exactly as feared, as Luz warned him, it changed; Changed not just superficially, but in moral values as well. They treat magic and demons as a totally neat thing, they don't hate it; They live 'godless' lives. And the Halloween festival is the worst offender; A historical reenactment in which the witches are portrayed as victims, while the heroes of Gravesfield are slandered as having mundane, petty motives (in this case, taking the land of the accused).

There's nothing left for Belos here. Even the Haunted Hayride, which seems like a brief respite from the horrors, in how it portrays Caleb as a victim, and Philip as a tragic hero, is immediately undercut by Masha's commentary, and this type of narrative framing for the brothers is mostly a holdover of tradition, the need to spook people and not an actual belief.

Belos is willing to die a martyr; He suggests it at the end of Elsewhere and Elsewhen, when he says that he only needs to live long enough to see this through. And his actions in King's Tide certainly support this, even if he couldn't have done anything to stop the draining spell, anyhow. The Portal represented hope and happiness for Philip, that maybe it didn't have to end with the death of witches; That after all was said and done, he could actually have a life after that, return from his Hero's Journey and be happy again.

But... That's obviously not possible. The past truly is out of reach and impossible now. So all Belos has left is that original mission of hatred (and gorgeous hair I guess); No more love and longing, there's just spite and bitterness in this man. And tellingly, he's lost all of his original human guise and is operating as a monster full-time. Belos is no doubt aware that death is the only peace he has left, but he doesn't want to give up and commit the sin of suicide; He needs to justify it. It has to be on his OWN triumphant terms, so he's insisting on dying as a martyr by killing all of the witches.

Maybe he plans to return to Gravesfield and boast his evidence to the disbelieving community. He talks mad shit of "saving souls" and all. And/or he plans to return to the human world after this, to 'save' his home as well from its own corruption. I wouldn't put it past Philip to not know what he has planned and what's his true end goal, so he's just distracting himself with one step at a time, what's immediately in front of him, returning to a familiar pattern, the longest-lasting one he's ever had, even more familiar for him now than a childhood with Caleb. Latching onto the threat of the Collector as some evidence that his fears were right all along, to get some sense of being right again.

I guess it's a dark parallel to Luz, again; Philip isn't sure what he wants with his future, feels like he can't belong to either realm and is always a stranger. So he's hopping back and forth, trying to distract himself with immediate goals like 'helping' people, in order to not confront himself. He's totally lost and scared because the past has now been closed off forever to him, and what is there in the future that he never had to confront until then???

#the owl house #emperor belos #philip wittebane #character analysis #ask #reply

[kittenpower05]

essay time

I just got through urban plague (library of ruina) yesterday and I'm thinking so hard I am rotating it in my brain like a microwave you do not understand

I love dystopia!! I love commentary on humanity by highlighting negative aspects of society!! And I ESPECIALLY love when there is a moral implication to it!! Spoilers for wedge reception cutscene but

The conversation between Philip and Oscar hits so hard when you view it with all the perspectives and parallels goin on like,, Philip WANTS to go back and retrieve the books of his dead coworkers, he wants to be able to avenge them for their death, and though Oscar agrees to go with him, he brings up the point that inherently, that thought is selfish, and that trying to do something under the guise of it being for someone else is a dangerous mindset

And like..... looking at the City? It's not an entirely wrong stance to have! It can be argued that people arent inherently selfish, or it could even be argued that even with people's inherent selfishness that doesn't diminish the acts of good deeds/doing things for the sake of other people. But in the City, it's a dog-eat-dog world where people kill to survive, to make a living for themselves. The only way to move forward is to force someone else behind. You're trapped in oractically an endless loop of trying and failing to increase status in the city. In that sense, if you ARENT selfish, you're as good as dead. So in Oscars eyes, trying to justify actions under the guise of emotion or for the sake of someone else forgoes safety, it puts oneself at risk, it can lead people blindly into situations they can't handle anf get themselves killed over something they shouldn't have placed upon themselves.

And especially seeing Roland and Angela's commentary on it as well!!! Angela is against it obviously because she was hurt by this mentality!!! Ayin had her trapped in a basement, repeating the same day over and over and over for YEARS. She wasn't even given a happy end for all of her hard work since she wasn't deemed significant enough for one- she was forgotten in favor of all the other sephirot getting their character growth and happily ever after. It doesn't matter to her that Ayin was following Carmen's dream in hoping to cure humanity and fix depression or whatever- Angela and the sephirot and all the employees of lob corp had to suffer for it. Enjecting them with drugs to create horrid creatures, living in the same timeloop until the day turns out Just Right, is it worth it? At what point does the suffering of the few justify betterment for the many?

But even so this is not at all like the situation that Philip is going through! Angela had experienced a very severe case of this- Philip only wants to go back to the library in hopes of getting his friends books back. Yeah, there's the likelihood that he and the wedge order all die in the process, but he dies for his friends. That's honorable, right? After all, it was his fault in the first place so it's only fair that he does something to make up for that, right? Clearly Oscar disagrees- he's the head of an Extremely influential order, and if he went around helping anyone with what he sees to be a hero complex then he would quickly lose reputation, he would be overrun by lower class fixers with meaningless revenge requests.

I do have an opinion and many other thoughts on this argument- but that's not my point here! My point is that morality is extremely complex, and I love esp in dystopias when morality is discussed and characters clearly have a different view of it based on who they are or the experienced they've went through! The game has a clear stance on the topic and it's because of the setting that all of these characters are living in- and I think that's beautiful

#long post #im not sorry #its just hhhhghg me when morality in games #its not even that deep i just spew words because i got that language arts student in me whos a sucker for theme or something #library of ruina #pjmoon #project moon #lobotomy corporation #library of runia philip #<33 beloved

[waywardsunlight]

There is an unnamed show where the protagonists are glorified by the plot while doing horrible stuff with only like meta jokes about how fucked up it is/ not a lot of real thought put in by the creators. Because that show is aware of it, they address it pretty poorly and then go back on it immediately like... and that comes off as that show being okay with killing a group of people even if one of the siblings is a member of that group of people.

The Wittebanes’ have a similar relationship to that one in that show and they are the worst codependent sibling duo ever and the show knows it and that’s a huge part of Philip’s story. Philip’s a horrible person and doesn’t care about the bodily autonomy of his sibling while also putting his brother an a pedestal. He doesn’t care that his brother is a witch or made that choice for himself, it’s all about Philip and his needs. His crusade against innocent people for the supposed harm they did to him and his brother (under the guise of religion/his mission/”these people are bad”) is horrible and the Owl House is like all in on that. No sympathy for Philip. Ultimately it’s only a tragedy because of the people Philip left behind like Evelyn and Darius, and ofc Caleb and Hunter. 

They’re doing the same/ similar shit it’s just totally about the context and I think that’s very silly. It’s wild that you can watch two pieces of media with this dynamic and one of them is like... “this abusive codependent relationship with consent problems is fine” and then the other one is like “This is not okay.”

#you all know which show I'm talking about and if you don't I will kiss you on the head if that's okay and tuck you into bed #you don't need to know i promise #wittebanes #wittebane brothers #toh meta #tw abuse #i heart the wittebanes bc you get a fun awful dynamic without sympathy for the abuser but instead sympathy for the victim(s)