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aspoonofsugar · 3 years

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Red and Gray in a Black and White World

Carmen Sandiego likes playing with colors.

In particular, VILE is black, while ACME is white.

This is why Carmen’s codename is Black Sheep, which later becomes ironic when she grows to be VILE’s literal “black sheep” and their thorn in the side. At the same time, Shadowsan too has a codename suggesting something dark in color. Of course, his name also foreshadows that he is the one protecting Carmen from the shadows.

Similarly, the ACME’s agent closest to Carmen is Julia Argent aka “silver”. She is not completely “white” and she is able to see the complexity of the world, differently from Devinaux and Zari.

As a matter of fact the whole point is that Carmen refuses a black and white vision of things. She doesn’t want to join VILE, but she doesn’t want to be a part of ACME either:

She wants to use her “wicked skills” for good.

This is a fitting theme for a show whose aim is to help kids learn about geography and how rich Earth is. It conveys the idea of complexity.

In other words, Carmen explores the world and its wonders at her own pace and with her own rules. This is expressed by her color being “red”. Everything about her is red. Her codename, her clothes and even her adoptive family:

Similarly, Gray is another character, who is neither black nor white, but (obviously) gray (duh).

This is made clear in Chief’s speech above and his moral complexity is also what makes his dynamic with Carmen so interesting.

“GRAY” AND “BLACK SHEEP”: NOT MY NAME ANYMORE

Carmen and Gray’s relationship is one of mutual attraction (platonic or romantic does not matter), but also of conflict.

They want the other by their side:

But they can’t agree on which side they should both be:

This is because they both refuse a part of the other. This refusal is well expressed through the name symbolism of both characters.

On one hand Gray keeps calling Carmen Black Sheep:

He refuses her new identity because he does not understand it:

On the other hand Carmen refuses Gray’s VILE persona, but also his civilian one.

This is interesting because her refusal of “Crackle” is something Carmen does willingly:

She does not genuinely understand it, just like Gray does not understand her being Carmen Sandiego.

At the same time, though, Carmen somehow also refuses Gray’s civilian identity and keeps calling him Gray instead of Graham:

Even if the brainwashing makes their friendship easier, Carmen still feels something is amiss. The person in front of her is not really “Gray”, but somehow a “white” version of him. It is not by chance that she is able to partially rebuild their past relationship by involving him in a dangerous mission:

And in this mission Carmen needs Gray’s “wicked skills” that are still a part of him. She becomes Gray’s link to his previous world:

Just like he is the one who symbolically introduces her to what truly means to be a criminal:

And to its harsher aspects:

At the same time, it is interesting that when brainwashed Carmen still refuses the codename Crackle:

And she only uses it when she thinks he has betrayed her:

In that moment it is as if Gray truly became “black” for her and changed from her partner in crime to an enemy.

In short, both characters can’t truly pintpoint who the other really is.

Who is Carmen really? And is Gray good or bad?

The answers to these questions are difficult because Carmen and Gray themselves are not sure until the end of the series.

THE MISSING MATRIOSKA AND BROKEN LIGHTS

Carmen does not know who she is, while Gray is caught up between his wish to be a criminal and his empathic side.

These internal conflicts are well conveyed through specific motifs linked to the two characters.

Firstly, Carmen’s journey of self-discovery is commented by the burnt matrioskas motif:

The matrioskas are what links Carmen to her biological family. They’re the only things she has had since she was born and it is later revealed they’re a toy her father used to calm her down.

At the same time, the matrioskas symbolize Carmen herself. Like her “oldest traveling companions”, she too is made of multiple identities who live inside her and change as she grows. She starts as Lambkins, grows into Carmen Sandiego and finally discovers her identity in the finale:

Both in terms of her origins and who she wants to be:

The missing matrioska represents both. On one hand it is the link to Carmen’s past and it is symbolically the smallest one (like a baby). On the other hand seeing it makes Carmen remember who she wants to be.

In short, the matrioska is Carmen’s missing piece both when it comes to who she was and to who she will be.

As far as Gray is concerned, him being caught between “light” and “darkness” is conveyed by his electrician’s motif:

Gray’s criminal career started when a light bulb went off. This is an ironic inversion of a light bulb switching on when one has an idea. Still, it also symbolizes a fall to darkness. Gray’s job was supposed to switch lights on, but he chooses to turn them off, so that he can steal.

This motif comes back in season 2 ep 7 where Carmen’s mission is to stop Doctor Bellum from causing dangerous black-outs. This is tied once again to Gray’s character. As a matter of fact not only the objective is to avoid physical blackouts, but also to stop Graham turning back into Crackle once again. The blackout which must be avoided is the one of Gray’s personality.

At the same time, this motif is not as straightforward as it may seem:

As a matter of fact the whole reason Gray has turned into Graham is a metaphorical “black-out”. This is an interesting idea. Gray has left criminality and can have a new beginning and Carmen sees it as a positive thing. However, this whole new identity is a lie built through brainwashing:

Carmen has good intentions and is ultimately proven right about Gray’s good nature. However, she is still ready to accept a persona constructed through an unethical method.

She meets an idealized version of Gray, she realizes something is missing, but still accepts it. This is why she needs to see this illusion shatter and to confront the real Gray once more.

This happens when Gray gets his memories back:

The one on the Himalaya is the second real confrontation between Carmen and Gray after the one on the train.

At this point, we are shown how they have changed and how they have not.

On one hand Carmen is finally forced to accept that Graham was nothing, but an illusion:

However, she does not completely give up on Gray:

Even if confronted with the truth she still hopes Gray will change. It is just that this change to be true should happen because of her friend’s free will and not through a coercion.

On the other hand Gray has grown enough to accept Carmen:

And to realize she will never come back to VILE. However, he still begs her to stop fighting the organization. In short, he has grown a little, but is still asking Carmen to give up on her life mission, just like she wants him to give up on criminality.

The two characters have clearly grown closer, but they are still unable to see eye to eye and this is why they end the episode as enemies, despite this:

There is clearly affection between them, but this affection is not enough to let them overcome their rift. At least not in that moment.

THE FLYING DUTCH AND THE RED PHANTOM

In season 4 ep 4, while Gray is about to make his choice, we hear a song from The Flying Dutch in the background. This is not a surprise because Graham and Carmen’s relationship has also an Opera motif.

Graham works in a operahouse and famous operas pieces comment his relationship with Carmen while brainwashed. They meet at The Carmen, are reunited through The Swan Lake and finally Graham turns into Crackle again while The Flying Dutch is playing.

This last opera is important not only for Graham’s story, but also for Gray’s overall arc. As a matter of fact the story of this opera is one whose main theme is about how love leads to redemption.

This is precisely what happens to Gray in the end.

In particular, he finds himself in the position Carmen was just a while before: he meets an idealized version of Carmen.

Brainwashed Carmen is who Gray has wanted Carmen to be all along. She is loyal to VILE, close to him and in love with stealing.

However, despite Gray having all he ever wanted he quickly realizes he does not like it at all:

Black Sheep realizes she does not want anything to do with VILE after she sees how the organization has transformed Gray.

Similarly, Gray decides to betray VILE after he sees what they did to Carmen. This is interesting because, while Carmen refuses to work both for VILE and for ACME, Gray ends up working for both.

Anyway, in the end Gray leaves VILE out of love.

Not only that, but he shows to have been influenced by Carmen on a deeper level:

It is because of this that Gray survives his final confrontation with his old classmate.

All in all, Gray manages to save himself and he and Shadowsan are the two people that helped Carmen to save herself the most.

At the same time, Gray and Carmen’s story ends on a bittersweet note. They have both hurted each other, but still clearly love each other:

Despite this, they are avoiding each other. This is not something new, if anything Gray’s final choice:

Perfectly mirrors Carmen’s one in the first season:

Both times the two characters decide that the best thing for the other is for them to walk out from their lives. However, I think that both times this is wrong.

Carmen’s decision is later on proven wrong by how the story develops. Gray would have never truly changed if Carmen had not walked in his life again and he would have stayed prisoner of a lie forever.

Gray’s decision happens at the end of the story and seems to be built on this idea:

The idea is that Carmen deserves a normal life. She deserves to stop being a symbol aka Carmen Sandiego and to become a person. She can now live a normal life and meet her mother.

However, even if it seems Carmen will do just that and she even disbands her gang aka her adoptive family, in the end we are shown this:

Carmen has not given up on being Carmen Sandiego and on fighting criminality. Whatever happened after she met her mother, she goes back to her previous identity. This is because Carmen Sandiego is not just a mask she has worn all this time, but it is genuinelly a part of who she is. The difference between the beginning and the end is that Carmen previously was Carmen Sandiego because she did not know who she was, while now she is because she knows.

Carmen will always be both a good person and a thief. She is both and ironically she has told us (and Gray) this since the very beginning:

Because of this, Gray’s worrying he will make Carmen’s life complicated if he even just contacts her is probably false.

Anyway, in the end their relationship has an open ending, but both characters have both realized who they are and who they want to be and they have done so with the other’s help.

#carmen sandiego #carmen sandiego meta #gray calloway #gray x carmen #red crackle #my meta

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janetbrown711 · 3 years

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“I’ve got you. You’re safe” yakko to Wakko after there parents.... um yeah idk like nightmare in orphanage I hate myself

Yakko was eight years old, but somehow he already knew he had seen more than others should in a lifetime.

Yakko had never liked the idea of war, but his father never failed to reassure him that it wouldn’t come to that. He said wars were better fought with words than death and destruction, and that their kingdom and castle were strong and nothing bad was ever going to happen to them. Yakko had believed him, but asked too many questions. His father had sent him off to play with his siblings.

His mother had just set Dot down for bed. Wakko was playing in the playroom while Queen Angelina II sat and smiled at Wakko fondly. Yakko had complained when Wakko said he wanted to play with him. His mother scolded him softly, whispering that she’d give him a treat later if he and his brother got along. He had agreed to play, though he had been disagreeable most of the time, though the four-year-old didn’t seem to notice.

There had been a loud crash, windows breaking. The Queen had jolted to life, having been practically asleep by then.

“What was that mummy?” Wakko tugged on his mother’s sleeve.

“Yakko, watch over your brother. I’ll be back in a moment, I promise,” She smiled, but Yakko could see the panic and worry in her eyes. His mother hugged her boys tightly and kissed their foreheads.

“I’ll be back in a moment, I’m just going to check on your father,” She had said, trying her best to hide the negative emotions behind her kind eyes. she turned to Yakko and grabbed his shoulders.

“If anything should happen, I need you to grab Dot and exit the castle using the servant tunnels underground. Don’t stop until you reach Acme Falls, understood?” She asked. Yakko couldn’t say he really did; She was going to come back, right? Still, he nodded. A tension seemed to release from Angelina and she smiled again.

She went to leave but stopped hugged the boys once more.

“I love you boys so very, very much,” She said. She kissed their foreheads again and ran out into the unknown.

Yakko hadn’t liked that. There was another crash, and Yakko heard shouting and fighting. He felt Wakko cling to his arm and look up at him worriedly.

“Is it okay?” Wakko asked. Yakko cringed.

“I don’t know,” Yakko admitted. They waited and sat in there for what felt like an eternity. The noises didn’t go away and only got louder and closer. Yakko felt a sense of dread crawl up his spine.

"I’m gonna check on mom,” Yakko decided impulsively. He hadn’t liked it. He hadn’t liked it one bit.

“Mummy said not to split,” He pouted, then added- “I wanna see dadoo.” Yakko had wanted to refuse but knew his mother knew what was best and took him along.

Yakko had only been with Wakko for an hour, and the castle changed into an entirely different place. Broken glass was on the floor, tapestries taken down, muddy footprints were upon the once spotless marble and carpets. Wakko gripped tighter on his arm, and even kept his tongue in his mouth.

Yakko had heard voices down the hall: angry men. They had someone. The voice was female. They were coming closer, so Yakko panicked and grabbed Wakko and went into where the maids kept the cleaning supplies. Wakko had complained, but Yakko quickly shushed him as the voices got louder.

“What are they saying?” Wakko asked. Yakko leaned against the door and shook his head. He hadn’t been able to hear from within the closet and the voices were getting farther away. He bit his lip.

“I’ll be right back- I’m gonna get Dot,” Yakko said.

“Why? Mummy is gonna get Dot,” He frowned. Yakko didn’t have it in him to tell his little brother why he doubted.

“Just... stay right here. Don’t move. I’ll be back, got it?” Yakko pointed to emphasize the seriousness. Wakko nodded.

Yakko had crept out of the closet and saw a swarm of men with torches. They were shouting at someone. Yakko took a deep breath and tried to see who it was, but was struck frozen when he saw that they had his mother, just like he had dreaded.

“I’m not telling you where they are.” Her face was bruised and her fur was disheveled and she was bleeding. Yakko wanted nothing more than to run and to protect her, but he couldn’t move.

“We’ll find them either way, Angelina, so how about you tell us anyway? We already killed your husband, we can kill you just as easily,” One man pointed a gun right at her head. Yakko had felt the floor drop out from under him.

Dad.

Dad was... was...

No. He couldn’t think about that. He had to save his mom. He had to save her. Somehow.

He looked around for something he could use as a weapon, a sword, a large piece of wood, something. Yakko knew he wasn’t strong, especially not strong enough to take on four adult men in armor. His mind scrambled to think.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have to. He caught eye contact with his mother accidentally, and the man threatening her noticed and saw him immediately.

“Seize the boy,” He ordered.

“Yakko, run.” Angelina ordered. Yakko came back to life and booked it down the opposite way. His heart pounded in his chest and wind roared in his ears as he heard shouts and the clanking of armor behind him. He turned a corner and heard his mother cry out in pain, shouting things at the man, and then-

A loud gunshot rang through the hall, and his mother’s voice was silenced.

Yakko felt a sharp pain followed by a wave of numbness overtake his body and he quickly began to cry, but his pace didn’t let up. His mind throbbed, as did his chest as he lifted his heavy legs as he ran.

He did know one thing: He had to get Dot. But he couldn’t let the men find her or Wakko.

After running for what felt like miles, he jumped under a table and the men continued running on, even after it was apparent they weren’t chasing anyone anymore. Yakko kept a hand over his mouth and didn’t move a muscle for what felt like an eternity and his mind did it’s best to avoid thinking about what had just happened.

Gunshot. His mother’s cries. Her pleading-

No.

He couldn’t think like that. He had to get his sibs.

Eventually, the hall he was in fell utterly and painfully silent and Yakko ran with all his might back to the closet where Wakko was still waiting, thank god.

“Yakko! You’re back!” Wakko threw his arms around his older brother and Yakko couldn’t help but hug him back.

“We have to get Dot and then get out of here,” Yakko said. Wakko didn’t argue, but it was clear he didn’t get it and was scared. Yakko bit his lip, but couldn’t think of anything comforting. He grabbed his brother’s hand and together they walked back, gingerly stepping over torn curtains, broken glass, and other destroyed furniture. Yakko couldn’t get himself to look at the half-burned painting of their family.

He could hear Dot crying by the time he reached the nursery.

“Yakko, I want mummy,” Wakko pulled on Yakko’s pant leg as he approached his sister’s crib.

“Mom can’t help anymore,” Yakko said as he picked up the crying infant and tried to soothe her.

“Why? Where’s dadoo?” Wakko pressed.

“I don’t know Wakko. We have to go,” Yakko half lied. It was true he didn’t know his father’s location, but...

“Why?” Wakko frowned.

“Because we aren’t safe here. We have to go to Acme Falls,” Yakko said.

“But that’s so far!” Wakko groaned.

“Then we better get going.” Yakko snapped at him. Wakko froze before looking at the ground and muttering to himself. Yakko had sighed as Dot’s cries ceased.

“We just... we have to go. It isn’t safe here and mom said we have to go Acme Falls,” Yakko explained.

“I don’t wanna go. I want to see mummy and daddy...” Wakko sniffled.

“We can’t Wak... We have to go,” Yakko felt tears threaten to spill, but he knew he didn’t have the time, and swallowed down the pain.

“Come on... We have a long way to go,” He offered his free hand to Wakko and the four-year-old prince took it.

The three of them successfully got to the bottom floor of the castle, and got to the servant's quarters without a hitch. They made their way through the dark and poorly lit tunnels leading to Acme Falls, and by the time they reached their so-called “safe place”, it was morning. Wakko had all but passed out the moment they sat down in an ally outside the bakery. Dot had been asleep almost the whole night.

He still couldn’t get himself to cry. He couldn’t admit what had happened. Even when the townspeople recognized them as the royal children and wondered what happened. Even when the town crier had come the next day to announce that the kingdom and the castle had been overtaken. Even when a nice blonde lady had taken them to the orphanage and they explained to Wakko what had happened. He hadn’t cried. He still couldn’t believe it.

That’s where he was now. It had been three days since the attack. Yakko was sitting up in his bed, still unable to sleep, his mind stuck replaying what had happened. Wakko was making attempts to sleep and Dot was in a crib next to Yakko’s bed.

However, just like the previous nights, Wakko had shot away and began to cry. Yakko had been waiting for that, and immediately opened up his arms to his little brother, who hugged him and sobbed into his shoulder.

“I’ve got you Wak, you’re safe,” He soothed.

“I-i want mu-mum-mummy and d-daddy,” Wakko cried.

“I-i know Wak... I want them too,” Yakko bit back tears of his own.

“A-are... are they really gone Yakko?” He asked, looking him in the eyes with his own, which were red and puffy and leaking with tears. Yakko couldn’t look away, no matter how hard he tried. He knew the answer, he had heard her cries and the gunshot. He knew.

“Yes, Wak. They’re... they’re gone,” He answered truthfully, feeling tears finally begin to stream down his face. Once they began, they didn’t stop. Wakko’s hug tightened around him and the two brothers held each other until both of their tears had run out and reality had truly set in.

Their parents were dead, their home destroyed, and they only had each other.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

#yakko wakko and dot #animaniacs #wakkos wish #angst #my fics #wakko warner #dot warner #yakko warner

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disfordevineaux · 4 years

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Character Parallels: Chase vs Julia

First off, let me start with:

SEASON 3 SPOILER WARNING.

This is somewhat a continuation from my original Chase Devineaux Case Study I did a while back. Feel free to read it to fully understand the context behind my opinions and thoughts on Chase, Julia and such discussed below. Let’s begin.

Although Season 3 was short, it was still a season that provided us with a new potential story catalyst to propel the plot in the form of major character development.

A bit of context:

Throughout the series, Chase Devineaux was always sceptical and often outright against the idea that Carmen Sandiego could have ulterior motives (due to his ill-fated meetings with the said person driving that home and on the surface she literally is stealing), an idea his previous partner, Julia Argent, was the spokesperson for. To quote a long story short, Chase was not too pleased or in agreement with the idea proposed by Julia: Carmen Sandiego isn’t the real enemy. Others shunned this idea too (Zari & Chief) and consistently was never outright ‘proved’ from a physical evidence standpoint. Both stood on opposite ends of the ‘who really is Carmen Sandiego’ spectrum. This was the major theme of division between Chase and Julia, a plot point further driven by the unlucky streak he suffered when dealing with Team Red, and VILE. Mostly he, and ACME, could not separate the entities completely, even up until the end of Season 3.

In the S03E04, ‘The Masks of Venice Caper’, after 3 seasons of being moments away from Carmen Sandiego at every step, Chase succeeds. After a long and clearly exhausting chase throughout the streets of Venice, he is able to finally catch up.

He leaps aboard after making the jump and officially bears witness to the handing over of goods, something which Julia was only ever afforded. Chase is blindsided at her easy surrender, simple innocent explanation and instantly clean escape. He does not go after her, instead stands bewildered at what she said, leaving him with the important line of: ‘Jules would understand’, (because she would with her prior knowledge and experience), to digest what just occurred.

This was not what he was expecting, as on other occasions they met him with hostility or evasion without explanation. Instead, he is treated as if he were Julia, filling the role as a substitute, as she is no longer on the scene to be the recipient of the ‘handoff’. At this moment, thanks to Carmen’s finale line, it all clicks. Previous conversations run through his mind, visibly questioning, as he makes the connection before being interrupted by Agent Zari, congratulating him on stopping the robbery.

The confirmation that he finally gets it is reaffirmed by a theme of a ‘silent partner’ which he now uses himself with commenting, awkwardly, that ‘I did not do it alone’ (A call back to S01E09, see below). This is the formal affirmation that he now understands that Carmen is not the enemy. There was no way he would have ever connected the dots without visual verification, experiencing it for himself first hand, a situation Julia experienced multiple times by fortune, something people forget when watching him grapple with his inability to detain the ‘thief’. Julia was provided with many chances throughout season 1-2 to work with or in situational coincidence with Carmen and aid in the protection of potential goods in harm’s way. (Most notably S02E04)

Julia’s departure, though disappointing to fans (and myself), was a crucial plot device to enable Chase to be finally exposed to the events which would lead him to change his mind for the better. Unless by some miracle he was chosen as the recipient of Team Red’s well wishes with Julia on the scene and/or in tow, it would have taken far longer for the realisation to be made. An understanding that is only able to be fully recognised by Julia and Chase. The only two people around long enough and familiar enough with Carmen Sandiego and the entire case to be in any position to come to the right conclusion about her intentions.

As many may say, seeing is believing. And seeing was what he needed to believe, both Chase and Julia needing that direct witnessing to understand. Seems the red lining of his original coat meant something after all.

(Do note: Julia was more inclined and susceptible to a conflicting opinion due to her heightened observation skills from the get-go but still needed visual confirmation, which she got, to stand strong with her diverging opinion on Carmen Sandiego.)

The Parallels:

In the next and final episode of S03E05, "The Jolly Good Show Caper", we are greeted with a callback to S01E03’s episode "The Sticky Rice Caper". Instead of Chase and Julia being on their way to interrogate Gray in the Paris Interpol office, Agent Zari and Chase are walking through the halls of the Italian Interpol office to interrogate their latest captured VILE operative, Neal the Eel. From a clearly visual standpoint (see below), the makeup of the scene and placement of characters is a direct callback to the dynamic between both Chase and Julia, and now between Chase and Zari.

S01E03 VS S03E05

Chase now takes the place of Julia, physically and mentally, who listens to a rundown of the situation, proposes a vague counter-argument which is disregarded by Zari. Chase is now wanting to look beneath the surface of the robbery or incident (like Julia always did), unlike before. Similar to the situation in S01E03, Zari is unwavering in her opinion that Carmen and the new detainee are in cahoots, Chase stating that his previous statement was merely ‘entertaining all possible angles’, a comment he further elaborates on to Chief at the end of the episode.

S03E05:

S01E03:

After coming to the interrogation room, Zari dramatically pushes it open in the same style as Chase did seasons earlier, halting her statement to reveal the suspect has ‘escaped’. Zari is stumped, Chase not too phased at this revelation and quickly checks the documents to understand what has occurred, once again.

S03E05

S01E03

Chase again, takes the stance of the ‘Julia’, all-knowing and proceeds to correctly recount the possible scenario that they have found themselves in, having experienced this once before. This ‘recounting of events’ is confirmed to the audience by Chase’s voice monologuing of sorts over an escaping by boat, Neal.

S03E05

S01E03

This scene is interesting for obvious reasons: it’s a direct call back to a later episode and the dynamic within. It is also a pivotal moment we see that Chase was always fully aware of what is happening around him, and really only required the correct pieces to fall into his lap at all the right times to now be the new ‘Julia’ in the dynamic. That style of a sequence of events is what helped Julia see the truth in Carmen’s actions in the first place. Chase has always been cognizant of the events around him, even if they could be contradictory to his main beliefs. Actively choosing not to present it to the audience, in favor of the popular opinion presented by and through ACME, their agents their leader that Carmen Sandiego is the enemy. Half of this being pressure, wanting to succeed in his work, gain praise for it and lack thereof witnessing first hand some sort of ‘positive’ reaffirmation of Carmen’s good intentions and that he really thought he was right. We see this through his sheer self disappointment and embarrassment when facing Chief after mistakes he had no true control over.

Towards the end of the same episode. Carmen is ‘captured’ in London. Agent Zari and Chase receive this development while travelling, Chase jumping out of his seat surprised, shocked, concerned that she was detained saying ‘that is terrible!’. Zari is notable taken aback, Chase quickly tries to collect himself and adjusts his statement and ends with ‘that. we were not the ones to make the arrest.’ Time has passed since the escape of Neal, Chase left to stew with his changing opinions and it clearly appears as if he no longer wishes for Carmen’s capture in the traditional sense, knowing that what she has been doing, is not criminally based. It’s unsure what his plans are when facing Carmen once again, but it at the very least no longer her capture.

Not only are Chase and Julia’s mindsets on the same path, but Chase is also no longer the driver between the pair. A fun nod to how Chase always drove, if dangerously at times.

After events unfold, Chase and Zari soon discover the planted crown jewels in Roundabouts office after a tip off, they run to retrieve them and Chase stops to glance out the window, witnessing Carmen Sandiego flying away from the scene. This is important, if a small detail, in once again showing us he has changed. He is far more observant and is the new candidate to witness the usual things Julia would if she were there. He stopped, was in the right place at the right time, recognised first hand the role Carmen plays in the grand scene of things, as a protector who runs interference.

When things have seemingly been resolved, Chase and Zari are in conference with Chief who details how she deems that it was all an elaborate plan where Roundabout and Carmen were in cahoots. In what is shown to be his first moment ever displaying his new and differing opinions to Chief on the events prior, he details how, maybe, Carmen left the items here for them to discover purposefully. Chief glares at him silently, Chase displaying an awkward reluctant smile, then ignores his opinion moving on. She informs him that it is his job to interrogate Roundabout for answers on how Carmen is connected to him, disregarding his prior though they are not united until Zari receives a phone call. They are informed that Roundabout never reached the destination and has escaped.

S03E05

A Sum Up:

In conclusion, Chase has officially changed opinions on Carmen Sandiego and has fallen into the role Julia left for him when she departed from ACME. Even with the pre-existing knowledge of the hacking by Player and all other indiscretions against him perpetrated by Team Red. He has been through a journey and come out the end with a new perspective

Agent Zari has now acted as both Julia’s and now Chase’s, well ‘Chase’, when it comes to the dynamic of the pairing. In many instances when consulting Chief, Julia has been informed to essentially ‘do her job’ or is only half-listen too, in a subtle way, instead of coming up with theories that don’t necessarily correlate with the majority. This all comes ahead in S03E02 ‘The Day of the Dead Caper’, where Chief is finally blunt with Julia (see below). The same thing has now befallen Chase (see below), except with little to no lead up to instant rejection. All of Chief’s patience for differing opinions was used up, all on Julia it appears.

S03E05

S03E02

The summation of all this produces a new defender of Carmen Sandiego; Chase Devineaux. The likely future outcome will be Chase attempting to contact, seek an audience with Carmen as Julia once attempted, and would succeeded in part from time to time. It is unlikely how well this will go considering Chase and is usually outwardly expressive with his determination to arrest her. One can only hope he is given a chance to rectify his past miscalculations and is able to further support these new set beliefs to ACME, Carmen Sandiego and himself.

One can also hope Julia returns, maybe by a proposition from Chase, who will no doubt have trouble enacting his new purpose of true justice, and seeking answers/help from Carmen Sandiego. This would also promote a chance for an adult discussion, an apology, one sorely lacking in Season 3 between them. With this new air of familiarity between their opinions on Carmen, a rare opinion it appears, a chance for a reformation of a proper team dynamic is possible.

They lacked a connection throughout season 1 and 2 which aided in their bitter union, both full-heartedly, if not realised or intentional, determined to have their opinion victorious over the other to themselves and to those around them. Chase far more openly critical and cynical, Julia keeping such comments more hidden and modest, but also far more willing to stand up for herself to and in front of Chief. (Prominent examples seen in S02E02,4 & 8, S03E02) Chase was aware of his poor behaviour but found it justified in a sense that he truly believed she was misguided, that he was correct about Carmen Sandiego, now knowing she clearly was right all along. (This does not excuse/justify his rudeness in any sense, but can explain it.)

They would be a great team, now finally on the same page but unfortunately separated. Julia has the nohow and Chase possess the drive to make it happen. They do share those traits, each more natural at one over the other. Neither are willing to give up without a fair fight, and proudly declare and justify themselves at every turn, both proud individuals. (Julia far more modest in comparison). If they worked together, who knows the possibilities, if they can change ACME’s stance on Carmen Sandiego or if they decide to abandon it altogether and aid the other fighter of VILE, Team Red. Either way, it was clear Julia could not do it all on her own and I’m sure we will see Chase realise and suffer the same fate. Hopefully reasoning that he needs help, not getting it to form anyone else, remembering Julia, seeking her out and bringing her back to ACME.

Her reason for leaving ACME was that her heart was no longer in it, her passion snubbed out. Her work now directly contradicts her beliefs which are doubted by all those around her at every turn.

A sad but visibly true thing as no one else in ACME was willing to consider her way any longer, her opinion not shared by anyone else, a very demoralising thing to go through. She was always fighting and standing up on her own.

With Chase now sharing this opinion, the burden of seeing and knowing the truth, it will be easier to stand behind with full conviction, to attempt to highlight the innocence Carmen Sandiego has hidden in plain sight, together. Only time will tell how it all plays out.

#season3spoilers #welp #thats was longer than i wanted it to be #HOPE YALL LIKED IT?#chase devineaux #julia argent #carmen sandiego #carmen sandiego netflix #if i come back and read this and find any mistakes i will murder someone #cs chase devineaux #cs julia argent #cs 2019 #cs #cs chief #cs agent zari #agent zari #cs roundabout #disfordevineaux #text

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themurphyzone · 3 years

Text

BatB AU: A Provincial Life

Summary: It’s an ordinary day in ACME Village for Pinky. Until it isn’t.

AN: This oneshot adapts the opening number ‘Belle’ and village scenes, up until Pinky sets off for the castle in search of his father, which leads into the entry Imprisoned.

AO3 Link

Pinky scooped a ladleful of oatmeal into a small, earthen bowl, humming dreamily as he added a dash of cinnamon and several apple slices into the mixture.

Today was a very special day for Papa, and Pinky wanted him to eat a healthy and nutritious meal before he went off to the fair with his invention. It would be a few days of travel, and Papa would need his strength for traveling there and back.

“Papa, I’m going out!” Pinky called as he carefully pushed a large woven basket of acorns outside. “Your breakfast is on the table, so make sure you eat it all!”

There was a sputter and cough of machinery and a trail of smoke from the small room that served as a makeshift workshop next to the kitchen, followed by a loud bang.

“Just getting ‘er warmed up for the final test!” Papa shouted. “C’mon, Madeleine! You may’ve fallen apart for the 264th time, but you can do it!”

Oh, Pinky had no doubt people were gonna love the woodcutting, ax-wielding, only occasionally threatening to take fingers off machine known as Madeleine. She was definitely gonna win that gorgeous blue ribbon at the fair! And even if she didn’t, they’d love her all the same anyway.

He opened the door and stepped into the beautiful autumn morning, taking in the cool, fresh air as he carefully maneuvered the basket of acorns into a red wagon. The leaves were varying hues of crimson and gold, dancing along a gentle breeze that ruffled Pinky’s fur. The sun was peeking over the horizon, slowly bathing the world in light as it rose.

Two songbirds flew merrily above him, their sweet morning song filling the air with beautiful music. Pinky reached up, and one of the songbirds briefly landed on his outstretched hand before flying after his partner, leaving a red feather behind.

“Thanks for the feather!” Pinky shouted to the sky as he tucked the feather behind his ear, where it fit perfectly.

He picked up the wagon handle and pulled it along, the wheels squeaking along behind him.

In the meadow beside their quaint little cottage, Pharfignewton chewed placidly on dew-covered grass. She neighed a greeting to Pinky, and Pinky cheerfully waved back. As much as he loved taking the beloved family horse into town for company, she needed her strength to lug Papa, Madeleine, and all their supplies later. So he had to let her rest.

Reeds and wildflowers of all sorts grew along the banks of the pond that separated the little cottage from the rest of ACME Village. A pair of ducks paddled along in the water, trailed by four adorable, fluffy yellow ducklings. Several tiny turtles sunbathed on an old log, while a large green frog sat on its lily pad and caught insects unlucky enough to stray in the path of a long, sticky tongue.

Pinky took his time crossing the cobblestone bridge over the pond, watching the wild animals go about their day without hustling, bustling, or rushing from place to place. Their lives were very different from their neighbors, despite living so close together.

Little animals, little pond, and little humans in their little town.

Or was everything just bigger than him? He was a mouse after all. It wasn’t hard to be bigger than a mouse, unless one happened to be an insect.

As Pinky crossed onto the other side, he spotted a smooth, pretty gray stone poking out of the reeds. He plucked it out of the damp soil, cleaning the dirt off with the inside of his apron.

It would be a perfect stone for his collection. And he didn’t have any that were this smooth. Most of the rocks he picked up were half-crushed or broken from city streets or well-worn paths. He tucked it into a pocket that he’d sewn on himself, because for some odd reason dresses never came with pockets.

Then he faced the little town, with all its timber and stone buildings lining a narrow cobbled street that quickly filled with half-asleep, half-awake people trying to get an early start on their sales and trades.

To think he and Papa had lived here for three years. While not the most exciting town in the world, Pinky was just happy they didn’t have to move again. He’d spent too much of his life being bustled from place to place since Mama died. The cottage was the loveliest place they’d ever owned.

And while the townsfolk had the same ol’ familiar routine every day, Pinky tried to vary his activities. From baking to horseback riding to volunteering for odd jobs around town, or just taking a day off to nap under a tree and roll down the hilly meadows while grass stains formed on his back.

Just a normal provincial life, yet Pinky often wondered what laid in the big blue yonder. Did the stars and sky look different elsewhere? Do the clouds form big, fluffy, and silly shapes in South America?

“Bonjour!” a man called out as he threw open his shutters.

“Good morning, Emile!” Pinky replied as he skipped past his window.

“Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!” The echoing chant swept across rooftops and streets alike as a new day dawned upon ACME Village.

Everyone from chimney sweepers to merchants to coachmen responded with vigor and cheer, all of them satisfied with their occupations in life.

Pinky greeted everyone he passed, though not all returned the gesture. Everyone was staring at the feather tucked behind his ear, the bulge of the stone in his pocket, or the red wagon with the basket he pulled along. He didn’t think he was that strange-looking.

Unless he had a bit of cabbage stuck in his teeth again. But he flossed really well last night, so he didn’t think that was the case.

“Marie, hurry up with the baguettes!” the baker shouted as he carried several loaves of bread outside.

Pinky inhaled deeply. There was nothing quite like the scent and sound of fresh bread.

“Narrrrrrf! Smells just like heaven, Mr. Baker!” Pinky exclaimed.

The baker set his tray of bread on a windowsill, tapping his foot as he impatiently waited for Marie. “Morning, Pinky. You off somewhere this morning?” he asked, though he didn’t turn around.

“Yup! I’m delivering this basket of acorns to Slappy!” Pinky said, pointing to his basket of acorns. “She really likes the acorns near our cottage but doesn’t wanna make the trip herself. She says it’s too far for her aching joints and she can’t take Skippy along because she’s still trying to convince him that we’re not gonna be shot like Bumbie’s mom if we venture into the meadow, and-”

“Yes, yes, that’s all very nice,” the baker said, half-leaning into the open window. “Marie, I said hurry up with the baguettes! The morning rush is coming soon!”

“Well, if you’d bought the ingredients from Francois instead of Vincent like I suggested then maybe we wouldn’t be running behind, Pierre! But no, you always act like you know best!” Marie snapped.

Not wanting to get embroiled in yet another argument between the baker and his wife, Pinky followed the cobblestone path further into town, where the usual market sprung up, full of local farmers, tradesmen, and merchants.

Villagers bartered and argued and traded like always, and as Pinky stopped to admire a small yellow daisy poking out from the cracks of the street, he could feel eyes follow him closely in that looking-at-you-but-pretending-we’re-not sort of way.

“There goes the funny mouse again.”

“Gets distracted by the littlest things, I swear.”

“Does he even have a useful skill?”

“Besides being the village idiot? Doubtful.”

They’d made those comments ever since he and Papa had moved in. Everywhere they went, people asked Pinky for his trade, and Pinky always told them he took care of Papa and worked various odd jobs around the area for money.

But that wasn’t considered a useful role in society.

He didn’t mind helping Papa though.

Oh well though. He couldn’t delay getting these acorns to Slappy, so he hauled his wagon alongside a horse-drawn carriage that steadily cut through the crowded streets, clearing Pinky’s path.

“Bonjour!” the coachman called to a young woman walking down the street. His eyes were trained on the girl rather than the road, and his horse plowed straight into a farmer’s cart, knocking his produce into the road.

“MY CABBAGES!” the farmer screamed, tearing out his hair as several pigs devoured his vegetables.

The coachman let out a nervous laugh and flicked the reins, spurring his horse forward and blithely ignoring the despairing farmer’s demands for compensation.

“I need six eggs!” a woman cried as she tried to hold several fussing babies at once.

“That’s too expensive!” a man complained to someone selling pottery. “Twenty coins for a pile of cheap clay? Bah!”

Pinky and the carriage parted ways as the cobblestone street changed to an unpaved dirt path. The gossip and chatter of ACME Village faded to background noise.

Slappy had made her home in a hollow tree on the outskirts of town, close enough to get supplies but far enough to deter most from knocking on her door.

Pinky passed by many warning and danger signs that kept most people from bothering the old squirrel. There was a new post up today, right next to Slappy’s front door.

LAST WARNING

NO SELLING, NO PREACHING, NO TAX COLLECTING

KNOCK AT YOUR OWN RISK

Well, what was life without a little risk? Pinky knocked on the door anyway.

He was trying to decide if one of the clouds overhead was shaped more like a monkey or a strawberry when a small brown squirrel in a blue nightgown and cap opened the door. Despite the early morning, he was wide awake and hopping in place, his excitement only growing as he spotted the basket of acorns behind Pinky.

“Morning, Skippy! Got the basket of acorns your aunt wanted!” Pinky exclaimed.

Skippy grinned as he took the basket from the wagon. “Thanks, Pinky! Aunt Slappy will love these!”

He popped a few acorns into his mouth and loudly crunched the shells.

“Skippy, what’d I say about answering the door at this godforsaken hour in the morning?” a cranky voice yelled from upstairs.

“It’s just Pinky with the acorns, Aunt Slappy! No door to door salespeople, preachers, or tax collectors in sight!” Skippy shouted. Then he turned back to Pinky and pointed to his ear. “I like your feather, by the way.”

“Thanks! I like your nightcap!” Pinky said, returning the compliment with his own.

A few moments later, Slappy joined Pinky and Skippy downstairs. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, her long gray tail dragging behind her.

“Well, why didn’t you say so?” Slappy asked. She tossed several acorns into her mouth and nodded her approval. “Crunchy with a pinch of salt. This is gonna be a good topping for my world-renowned creamed spinach later.”

“SPEEWWWWWWWWW!” Skippy cried, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

Pinky just smiled politely. Slappy took a lot of pride in her creamed spinach recipe, and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings by saying it tasted like soggy socks.

“Hey, when I was your age, I ate lots of creamed spinach for dinner. And now I have enough muscles to wield a hundred ton mallet,” Slappy retorted.

“Wow! Was that when dinosaurs roamed the earth?” Skippy asked.

Slappy gave him a light smack on the back of his head. “Little brat. Go grab a few coins from the bureau in my room. Gotta pay the mouse for lugging this stuff across town.”

Skippy blew a raspberry at her and ran up the stairs.

“Your tongue is never gonna go back in your mouth if you keep doing that!” Slappy yelled.

Funny how the Squirrels were his best neighbors, even though they lived on the opposite side of town. They’d helped out so much when Pinky and Papa first moved into the countryside cottage, from showing them all the best places to buy from and all the best trees to climb. Everyone else usually stared at them strangely for not knowing how to find a shop and moved on with their day.

Still, Pinky didn’t want to impose on them or anything. Collecting the acorns was no trouble at all. And he knew money could be a little tight in the village at times.

“You don’t have to pay me,” Pinky said. “Poit. I don’t mind the morning exercise.”

“You’re walkin’ outta here with those coins whether you like it or not,” Slappy said in a tone that invited no room for argument. “Don’t be one of ‘em honor before reason types. That sorta mindset is nothing but trouble.”

Slappy’s long tail flicked in irritation, accidentally knocking a framed painting askew on the wall next to her. She sighed and fixed the crooked painting so that it hung straight. “Can never keep this darn thing straight,’ she muttered.

Pinky had been inside the hollow tree many times, but he’d never seen this painting before. It contained a colorful cast of characters, from a carrot-munching gray rabbit to a crazy black duck to a short gunslinger with an enormous bright red mustache.

In the painting, a youthful Slappy with a manic grin on her face and giant firecracker in her hand was chasing a bald hunter. Her smile was brighter, and her eyes didn’t seem so world-weary there.

“Like it? Old pals sent it to me two weeks ago,” Slappy asked, a hint of nostalgia in her voice. “The Looney Tunes Troupe were a rascally bunch, that’s for sure. All the money for a detailed painting, and they can’t afford a better frame. Our shows were legendary back in the day, you know.”

“Never heard of them,” Pinky admitted.

“Course ya haven’t,” Slappy sighed. “Your generation doesn’t know good comedy when it hits them in the bum with a mallet. Troupe’s faded into obscurity now, but they’ve never stopped traveling and being annoying yet lovable nuisances to everyone from Albuquerque to Kalamazoo to Timbuktu.”

Pinky tilted his head. “But you don’t travel anymore.”

If the Squirrels needed something they couldn’t get in ACME Village, they usually asked Pinky to run the errand for them.

“Yeah, well, that’s life,” Slappy said. “Sometimes you’re a nomad with total freedom and other times you gotta flee with your nephew to a different country.”

Before Pinky could ask more questions, Skippy barreled downstairs with as many coins as he could carry. “I didn’t know how much to grab so I just took a handful,” Skippy said, dumping the currency onto a small side table.

Slappy picked up six coins from the pile and dropped them into a small drawstring bag, then tightened the strings and tossed the bag into Pinky’s wagon. “You can have these. I’ve got plenty more lying around,” she said.

“If you're sure then,” Pinky said, picking up his wagon handle and turning it around. “Love to stay, but Papa’s leaving for the fair soon and I gotta see him off!”

“Tell him we said hi!” Skippy shouted, and Pinky saluted back.

Slappy yawned, stretching her arms above her head. “And I’m hitting the hay again. It’s too damn early, and I’m too tired to censor my swearing in front of kids.”

o-o-o-o-o

After his visit to Slappy’s tree, Pinky decided to kill some time at ACME Village’s fountain, where he could enjoy the fine spray of water and run in circles along the stone rim. It was always fun seeing how fast he could go without tipping into the water.

“Sorry!” he shouted as he accidentally trod over freshly washed sheets that a woman had been folding next to the fountain. She made an indignant noise and carried her basket of laundry away, nose high in the air.

And the whispers started up again.

“That mouse may be a beauty, but he is way too peculiar for his own good.”

“You have to wonder if he’s feeling well.”

“Always a dreamy, far-off look on his face.”

On his tenth lap around the fountain, a flock of sheep strolled by, guided by a young shepherd from behind. Two fluffy ewes jumped onto the fountain rim next to Pinky and drank the water. Pinky smiled and stroked their soft wool, and the ewes bleated in contentment.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Pinky whispered into their ears. “Don’t go blabbing this to anyone now...but I believe Papa’s a shoo-in for that blue ribbon!”

One of the ewes turned and nibbled on his ear, and Pinky laughed as her blocky teeth tugged and tickled his fur. He gently pried her jaw open and his ear popped out of her mouth, dripping wet with sheep saliva.

As Pinky prepared to slide off the fountain rim and onto the small bag of money he’d gotten from Slappy, a regal fanfare went off in the distance, thundering hoofbeats growing ever closer.

A messenger in a white powdered wig blew his coronet and cleared his throat.

“HEAR YE! HEAR YE! MAKE WAY FOR HIS ROYAL MAJESTY, PRINCE SNOWBALL AND HIS HUNTING PARTY!”

The messenger’s declaration sent every man, woman, and child running towards the plaza, gathering in front of the entrance of the local tavern, the centerpoint of all social activities in ACME Village.

The hunting party rode in on their enormous horses, spearheaded by the ruler of the province, Prince Snowball. Though only a small hamster, he was famed by all for his keen mind and ability to get results on whatever he set out to accomplish.

Though dressed in only a simple red shirt and breeches for hunting, the only signs of his higher status being the golden crown upon his head and the expensive black horse he rode, his presence commanded respect and awe.

Behind him, a hunting party consisting of the best huntsmen and archers in the land dragged an enormous buck, two wild boars, and several pheasants into view.

“People of ACME Village, tonight we shall dine on these fine specimens of the animal kingdom!” Snowball announced as everyone bowed in fear of a noble’s anger. “Everyone’s presence is required, for I have a further declaration that shall lift this derelict province out of the ashes and into a glorious future!”

His pink eyes were sharp, but beneath that layer of intelligence, there was an undertone of something that didn’t feel right. Pinky couldn’t explain it, but he always just had this odd, icky feeling that crawled up his spine whenever he saw Snowball.

The crowd straightened up, cheering and clapping and praising Prince Snowball’s name for bringing them such good fortune with the promise of more to come.

Pinky’s ear twitched. There was a soft, desperate sound mixed in with the roars of the captivated audience.

And to the left side of the crowd, there was a tiny lamb whose back leg was tangled in a large fishing net. The mother ewe was both nuzzling the lamb in comfort and trying to pull the net off with her teeth, but to no avail.

The shepherd never noticed his sheep were in trouble, too caught up in hailing Prince Snowball to notice one of his charges was stuck.

Pinky hopped off the fountain and slowly walked over to the thrashing lamb and his mother, putting his hands up to show them he wasn’t a threat. The lamb bleated in panic, and the mother eyed Pinky warily.

“May I help? I’m good at untangling stuff,” Pinky asked. He’d gotten a lot of practice when Papa occasionally tangled himself up in threads and wires.

The ewe regarded him for a long moment, then nuzzled the back of her lamb’s head, letting him bury his head into her wool. The lamb’s trembling stopped, his back leg still.

It was a sweet gesture, one that seemed so familiar to him, even though his own mother had long passed. He remembered that feeling of warmth and safety from so long ago, the last time he felt like he was truly home.

Wiping a stray tear from his eye, Pinky untangled the mesh from the lamb’s leg, starting from the top and slowly moving down to the hoof.

“There you go, baby,” Pinky said once the leg was completely free. The lamb pulled his hoof out of the netting, gave it a good shake, then joyfully pranced and bleated around his mother and Pinky.

The mother gave Pinky a tiny nod, bleated to her little one, and together they rejoined their flock. The shepherd was still ignoring his flock in favor of Prince Snowball. Pinky couldn’t see him anymore from the ground.

Pinky picked up his wagon handle, ready to go home and help Papa hitch everything up to Pharfignewton.

Then he felt a pair of fingers pluck the feather he’d lovingly tucked behind his ear. Pinky turned to get his feather back, and jumped when Snowball was just inches from his face.

“Hello, Pinky,” Snowball said. He smiled, but it was more out of smugness than a real smile.

Pinky’s ears lowered, but then he remembered his manners. “Bonjour, Prince Snowball. May I have my feather please? A really nice bird gave that to me.”

Snowball frowned, holding the feather out of Pinky’s reach. The feather crinkled in his tight grip. “How could you possibly need this? It’s hardly good quality for even the cheapest quills.”

“Poit. It doesn’t need to be a quill to make me happy,” Pinky replied.

Snowball rolled his eyes, tossing the feather behind him. Pinky tried to grab it, but it was caught on a gust of wind and drifted to the ground. It landed in a mud puddle, soaking the barbs of the feather and staining it brown.

“Pinky, get your head out of the clouds and pay attention to important matters,” Snowball’s lip curled as he blocked Pinky from retrieving his feather. “Such as showing royals courtesy when they address a peasant like you.”

“Excuse me, Snowball,” Pinky said politely, going around the hamster to pick up his feather. The damage didn’t look too bad. Still, he tried to be careful when he cleaned it with his apron.

Snowball crossed his arms, and the town’s whispers started up again.

How dare he not show proper respect to Snowball, does he fancy himself higher than a prince, why would Snowball pay him any individual attention and not someone more deserving.

“That’s Prince Snowball to you.” Snowball’s fur bristled for a moment, but he took a deep breath and put his arms around Pinky’s shoulders instead. “The whole town's talking about you and your lack of...purpose. And we can’t have that, you realize. After all, a machine requires all of its cogs and gears to run smoothly, otherwise it won’t work.”

“Bet his crackpot father would know something about that!” one of Snowball’s men chortled.

Everyone laughed, even Snowball, who rarely did so. An unfamiliar feeling boiled in Pinky’s stomach.

“Don’t talk about my father that way!” Pinky snapped. His inventions were amazing and he was going to do well at the fair! They didn’t know how hard Papa worked on his inventions!

Snowball glared at his men. “Yes, don’t talk about his father that way, you fools!” he hissed like Pinky hadn’t heard him laughing just seconds ago.

“He’s not a crackpot! His invention’s gonna win the blue ribbon cause it was made with smarts and love, you’ll see!” Pinky declared, just as an explosion went off in the distance.

And he knew exactly where that explosion had come from.

“I have to go. Goodbye!” Pinky dragged his wagon behind him, setting off for the cottage he and Papa called home.

“It’s a pity and a sin,

He doesn’t quite fit in.

He really is a funny mouse,

A beauty but a funny mouse,

He really is a funny mouse,

THAT PIN-”

The sharp, high-pitched crack of a rifle interrupted the village’s song, and everyone ran for cover.

“WILL YA SHUT UP? SOME OF US ARE TRYIN’ TA SLEEP!” Slappy shouted from her tree, her screech blowing tiles and lumber from the roofs of buildings.

Just a provincial life in this little town. Pinky ran across the cobblestone bridge, wondering if he truly had the right to ask for something more than that.

o-o-o-o-o

He hurried over to the cellar, where smoke trailed from the gaps of the heavy wooden doors. Pinky opened the entrance, and a smoky cloud blew right in his face. He coughed and waved it away, hiding his nose in his dress as he hurried over to Papa, who’d been thrown onto his back. A pile of broken wooden planks covered him.

In the corner, Madeleine sputtered, her gears and dials spinning wildly before she finally quieted down, one loose spring sending a gear crashing into a wall.

“Dagnabbit, Madeleine!” Papa cursed, stumbling as he extracted himself from the pile of wooden planks. Pinky grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet, checking him over for any injuries. Luckily, there were no bruises or splinters to be found. “Don’t you stall out on me now!”

Pinky smiled. Papa’s string of random gibberish and mutterings of smart inventor words he couldn’t understand was something he’d been familiar with from a young age. No matter where they lived, it was just one of those things that came with home.

Papa huffed, untying his apron with all his tools and tossing it to the ground. “She’ll never work in time for the fair! What was I thinking?” he lamented. “It’s not too late. Maybe I can cobble something else together quickly! Yes, I’ll just take the doowhatzit out of Madeleine, combine it with the kaleidomajiggy from the old washer, and-”

“You always say that, Papa,” Pinky said, hugging his father around the shoulders. Papa rested his hands over Pinky’s with a sigh. “Don’t worry. I believe Madeleine will work, and she’ll win you that blue ribbon and help you become an inventor for the history books! Narf! Just like Benjamin Franklin, ‘cept without all the kite-flying.”

“You really think so?” Papa asked, his frown turning to a hopeful smile.

“Course I do,” Pinky grinned.

A determined look crossed Papa’s face, and he tied his apron around his waist, nearly tripping over it in the process.

“What are we waiting for then? Let’s fix ‘er up!” Papa said, laying down on a flat, low cart and pushing himself under the broken stove that made up Madeleine’s main body. “So how was your morning in town?”

“A little birdie gave me a feather. I found a pretty stone by the pond. And I delivered the acorns to the Squirrels. Did you know Slappy used to be a part of a traveling troupe? I didn’t.” Pinky recanted his morning to Papa as tools clinked and scratched against metal. “Oh, and I guess you’ll be missing Prince Snowball’s feast tonight. They’ll have venison and wild boar there.”

“A feast? That sounds nice. Much better than inn food,” Papa mused. As usual, only part of what Pinky said ever registered with him. “Are you going?”

“I don’t know yet,” Pinky admitted. “Don’t get me wrong, I love a good party...but Prince Snowball is-um, what’s a good word for him?”

“Rich? Smart? Confident?” Papa suggested. “He’s been talkin’ to you a lot lately.”

So everyone’s noticed, even Papa who spent much of his time in the cellar that doubled as a workshop.

“He has,” Pinky agreed. “And he says he can give me a purpose. But...I don’t know. I don’t think he’s right for me. Maybe I’m just as odd as they say I am.”

It was the same everywhere they settled. No matter what Pinky tried to do, the whispers always followed him. He noticed strange things, he wore strange clothes, he and Papa were always strangers in towns where everyone knew each other from birth.

Papa slid out from under Madeleine, wearing a silly helmet on his head that gave him huge, bug-like eyes.

“My son is odd?” Papa asked in disbelief, and Pinky laughed. The helmet always made Papa look silly. “Don’t know where these folks get their ideas from…anyway, I think Madeleine’s all ready to go. Care to give her a whirl?”

“Zort! Am I!” Pinky clapped his hands together. Papa pointed to a lever, which Pinky pulled with all his might.

Madeleine’s bells and whistles sounded, water steadily pumping through her system while steam filled her stove. Pulleys and gears turned along her sides, reaching the front. Her dials quivered until they reached the red zone, and the ax at her front swung down, scoring a deep cut in a block of firewood. The ax swung faster and faster, until one final split the firewood in half and sent one chunk flying.

Pinky and Papa ducked, and the chunk flew over their heads and landed perfectly on a pile of firewood against the wall.

“She works!” Pinky shouted in joy, kissing one of Madeleine’s wooden wheels. “You did it, Papa!”

“I did?” Papa murmured. “I did! 265th time’s the charm, Pinky! Look out fair, I’m on my way!”

o-o-o-o-o

Within the hour, Madeleine was wheeled out from the workshop, covered and tied up with a tarp, and hitched to Pharfignewton.

“Bye, Fig,” Pinky said, hugging his beloved horse’s muzzle. “Keep Papa on track to the fair, okay? You know how he likes taking shortcuts.”

Pharfignewton whinnied gently, planting a sloppy kiss on top of Pinky’s head.

Then Pinky embraced Papa, who returned the hug with the same enthusiasm. And he was reminded of how the mouse and horse he considered his home would be leaving for some time. He wished he could go with them, but someone had to keep house and he was the best one for the job. It wouldn’t be for long, but he’d miss them all the same.

A stray tear dropped. Just another reason he was considered odd. He cried so easily.

“Chin up, Pinky,” Papa murmured, rubbing a soothing circle into Pinky’s back. “I’ll win that blue ribbon along with the prize money, and we’ll begin our lives anew within the week.”

Through his tears, Pinky gave him a wobbly smile. Then he helped Papa onto Pharfignewton’s back.

“Take care!” Pinky called as Papa flicked the reins, and Pharfignewton trotted off at a steady pace, dragging Madeleine behind her. He watched them from atop the highest hill in the meadow, as they went further down the well-worn trail that merchants used for their travels.

Then they were nothing but specks in the distance, swallowed by the thick, twisted branches of the forest. It was an unusual forest, one where the trees lost their leaves in early autumn, making the trees look scarier than they actually were for half the year.

With nothing else to do outside, Pinky went back into the empty cottage. He’d had three years to become familiar with this house, full of odds and ends from Papa’s inventions alongside their meager belongings.

Mama’s cloak hung from a place of honor on a coat rack by the door, one of the few belongings Pinky could take along no matter where they lived.

Hours passed, and Pinky already missed the banging and exploding and sputtering of Papa’s inventions. It was just too quiet without them.

He cleaned the red feather and pretty stone, then added them to his collection. Feathers and rocks didn’t take up a lot of room, and like Mama’s cloak, they could easily be taken to new places as well. He was just very careful not to lose them.

The wagon was tucked away by the door, and the small bag of money was tucked inside a flower pot. It was how Papa always stored money, and Pinky had picked up the habit.

There wasn’t much to do. He’d cleaned the cottage several days ago, cellar notwithstanding. That was Papa’s territory, and he always had trouble finding tools when Pinky put them away.

Suppertime approached.

He could either cook dinner or go to the feast.

Didn’t matter what he chose. He would be lonely either way.

A sharp rap on the door startled him out of his thoughts. How strange. People only knocked at this time when there was an emergency.

“Sorry for taking so long. I wasn’t expecting-” Pinky opened the door, and he immediately stood face-to-face with Prince Snowball. They were so close that their noses nearly touched. “-to see you here, Snowball. Um, this is a surprise. Poit.”

Snowball’s pink eyes narrowed in annoyance, and Pinky remembered that Snowball preferred to be addressed with his full title. “Yes, it’s not often that someone of my standing chooses to grace a peasant’s home with their presence.”

Behind Snowball, there was an entourage of townsfolk. Many wore their Sunday best, which was still quite cheap compared to the royal finery that Snowball bore. A fine red coat, a decorative golden cape slung over one shoulder, and white dress pants. A shiny crown embedded with rubies and emeralds sat atop his head.

“I thought you were all at the tavern for the feast,” Pinky admitted.

Snowball laughed, but it was a joyless laugh. He stepped across the threshold without being invited in.

“Why, Pinky. Your hovel is positively primeval,” Snowball said, wrinkling his nose in disdain. He tugged Mama’s cloak off its hook, stared at it for a moment, then carelessly tossed it behind him. “If this is how you live, then it’s a truly auspicious time for me to come and offer you an opportunity out of this squalor.”

Before Pinky could ask what auspicious was, though he figured it had something to do with Austria, Snowball harshly dug his fingers into Pinky’s shoulders. Pinky tried to pry them off, but the fingers just burrowed further into the fabric of his dress.

“Not to worry, dear Pinky,” Snowball said. “Today is the day all your dreams come true.”

“You mean my dream to find a home and a porpoise? Because I don’t know if we have enough money to live by the ocean. Beachside properties get very pricey, you know,” Pinky asked.

Snowball waved off that concern. “You forget that finances are of no consequence for me. But I digress. For now, allow me to plant the image of a wonderful future in your vacant mind.”

“Okay, but I don’t know how you’re gonna water it,” Pinky said.

“Picture this,” Snowball demanded, leading Pinky around the cottage. “A magnificent castle. Two golden thrones, mine higher than the queen’s of course. A few summer homes to expand my sphere of influence. A court of other royals, lesser nobles, while the servants do all the menial work around the fires and kitchen. We’ll have...oh, six or seven.”

“Servants?” Pinky grinned nervously as Snowball leaned in with a chuckle.

“Castles, Pinky. How else would I showcase my power?” Snowball corrected. “And the townsfolk shall become our servants. It will save me the trouble of setting up a hiring process anyway. Besides, you’d appreciate having familiar faces around. Less of an adjustment period.”

Pinky freed himself from Snowball’s grip. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you don’t,” Snowball shrugged. “But in simplest terms, I require a queen. One who is good at smiling, waving, and entertainment.”

Wouldn’t that person become a princess rather than a queen though?

Snowball must’ve seen the question coming. He paused in front of the mirror to adjust his crown.

“There is but one title higher than a prince, Pinky,” Snowball said once he was finished. “In order to qualify for the kingship, it’s required of me to marry first. And do you know who that queen will be?”

“Elizabeth? Victoria?” Pinky wilted under Snowball’s intense stare. “Um...Cleopatra, final answer?”

Snowball shook his head. “It will be you, Pinky.”

A queen? He’d always just been the inventor’s son. An outcast no matter where he lived. How could he possibly be a queen?

“That’s a very generous offer, Snowball,” Pinky said, once he finally found his words again.

“Isn’t it, though?” Snowball said smugly. “You and your father will live in an extravagant new home as you perform your queenly duties, and I will be forever hailed as King Snowball. Both of us shall benefit.”

Maybe he and Papa could live in better conditions. Maybe they didn’t have to move around anymore. Maybe they could afford shoes for Pharfignewton. But at the same time…it wouldn’t be right.

It wouldn’t be home.

Smiling, waving, entertaining. Was that all he was good for? Was that all Snowball thought he could do?

“I thought...marriage was for love,” Pinky said softly. “That’s what Papa always said.”

Snowball rolled his eyes. “It’s a political marriage. It doesn’t have to be built on love.”

Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.

It was one of the earliest morals Pinky had learned.

Wish for a home, only for it to be a castle. Wish for a purpose, and it’s to be married without love as a foundation.

“Snowball...I’m speechless,” Pinky said, backing out the front door. He nearly tripped over the welcome mat, but regained his footing. “I...I really don’t know what to say.”

Not even a narf would help him out of this situation.

“Say that you’ll marry me, Pinky,” Snowball replied, and he stalked toward Pinky like a cunning predator, backing him against the edge of the porch. “And after you say yes, I will announce our engagement to the rest of ACME Village at the feast. Attendance is mandatory for a reason.”

“I’m really, really sorry, Snowball,” Pinky said. He’d backed up too far, and the heels of his feet dangled precariously over the edge. Instincts kicking in, Pinky grabbed Snowball’s shoulder to pull himself to safety, though he underestimated his strength. Snowball yelped as he was pulled over the edge, falling into the mud puddle by the staircase.

Oops.

“Sorry, Snowball! But I just don’t deserve you,” Pinky admitted.

The mud-covered crown slipped around Snowball’s head, covering his eyes until he took it off with an annoyed grunt.

Pinky slipped back into the house, grabbed a small towel, and handed it to one of Snowball’s men.

Claude, if he remembered right.

“He can have that one,” Pinky told Claude, who gingerly took the towel like it was a fragile item.

Snowball crawled out of the mud, his royal clothing covered in gunk and sticks. He stomped out of the mud, hands clenching against his sides.

Snowball’s brow lowered, his pink eyes hidden in humiliation and a quiet, seething fury.

Slowly, Pinky retreated into the cottage and hid behind the door. There was something about that look that terrified him. And it wasn’t the fun kind of fear, either.

“You will consider my offer, Pinky. Make no mistake about that,” Snowball spat, his scrutinizing gaze directly on Pinky, despite the door between them. “Claude, quit being daft and hand me that towel already!”

Pinky waited in the cottage until he could no longer hear their voices or footsteps. They must’ve gone back to the tavern for the feast.

He didn’t feel hungry though. Snowball’s proposal left a sour taste in his mouth, like he’d just sucked on a lemon.

“He asked me to marry him,” Pinky said to his mother’s cloak, which was still crumpled on the floor. He gently picked it up, brushed off the wrinkles, and put it on. The fabric was warm against his back, like being wrapped in a ginormous embrace. “But he doesn’t love me. Narf! You can’t have a marriage without love!”

He thought of all the married couples he knew in ACME Village. The baker couple, who were constantly at each other’s throats. Gerard the butcher was always making googly eyes at any woman who bought cuts of meat, much to his wife’s frustration. There was the stressed lady who had to drag her six kids around town while her husband played cards and darts at the tavern.

And Pinky thought of his parents. His mother had fallen in love with his father’s inventive streak when she was the daughter of a town official and Papa was just the crazy mouse whose inventions blew up a lot.

He tied the cloak tighter around himself. Unable to take the silence of the cottage and the stifling influence of the village much longer, he allowed his feet to carry him out of the cottage and to wherever they wanted to go.

He sprinted into the unknown. He wouldn’t be afraid of whatever he found there. The autumn wind blew golden, red, and brown leaves in whichever direction it wished as Pinky climbed the highest hill in the gorgeous flower-filled meadow.

The peak of the hill was his favorite spot, and he was surprised that nobody else came out here to enjoy the view with him. Trees lost their colorful leaves so they could sleep for the winter, the river splashed and babbled along its banks, and proud mountains with mysterious cloud-covered peaks rose high above the landscape.

What laid beyond villages and towns, he didn’t know.

There was something in that great wide somewhere for him. Just a feeling, an inkling, a hunch.

But could he truly go exploring it when his home was here?

Maybe he could convince Papa. Somehow. When Papa came back with the prize money, they could fit Pharfignewton with her shoes and they could all explore together!

Staring into the autumn landscape, Pinky sank to his knees, careful not to squish the daisies and dandelions around him.

Maybe that was home, but…

He didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. Would he ever figure that out?

He loved Papa, but he couldn’t really talk to him. And Slappy had her hands full with such an energetic nephew. Pinky didn’t want to impose. Everyone in the village gossiped about him, like he couldn’t understand.

But he did.

And it hurt.

“Would be nice to talk to someone. Anyone, really,” he whispered, and he blew on a cluster of dandelion puffs. His wish scattered along the wind.

Pinky picked up more dandelion puffs. If he blew more around, maybe his wish would come true. And dandelion flowers were very pretty.

Maybe they were considered weeds, but how could anyone call such a sunshine-y yellow flower a pest? He didn’t get it.

Then a distant, familiar neigh caught him off-guard.

Pinky thumped his hand against his ear. Maybe he was missing Pharfignewton so much that he heard her voice?

But he’d recognize her magnificent white coat and spirited blue eyes anywhere.

“Easy, Pharfignewton! It’s okay!” Pinky cried. He scrambled up Pharfignewton’s leg, avoided her flailing hoof, and held onto her muzzle as she bucked and reared in sheer panic. “Shhh, it’s okay. You’re okay…”

Pharfignewton quieted down, her frantic neighs melting into soft, worried nickers as Pinky stroked her nose. She stopped kicking, though she was wide-eyed with fear.

Madeleine wasn’t hitched to Pharfignewton. Nor was she wasn’t the only one missing…

And Pinky suddenly understood his horse’s panic.

“Pharfignewton, where’s Papa?” Pinky asked. “Is he okay? How did you get separated? Did he try another shortcut when I told him not to do it?”

Pharfignewton’s hooves shuffled, and Pinky forced himself to take a deep breath. He was scaring her with all these questions, so he nuzzled her between the eyes in apology. Still, his heart raced with panic.

From the top of the hill, he saw thick, gray clouds rolling in from the mountains. The temperature was dropping fast.

An early winter would be upon them. They had to find Papa quickly.

“Please, Pharfignewton. We’ve gotta find him,” Pinky pleaded.

She whinnied in agreement, and galloped into the strange forest with all its dangerous, twisted branches before Pinky had a chance to settle in his usual spot at the base of her neck.

Don’t worry, Papa. I’m on my way.

End AN: Well, this is beast is complete (no pun intended).

Yeah, poor Pinky’s usual charm doesn’t really work here. Poor mouse.

Slappy is fun to write, not gonna lie. Love her cartoony antics. She’s also led quite the interesting life in this AU.

The reason Snowball didn’t show up sooner was because I wasn’t sure how to tweak the proposal scene to fit. Cause for one thing, Snowball is way smarter than Gaston, but just as arrogant to boot. So I changed Snowball’s motivation into marrying Pinky because it will help him gain a higher title than a prince. He doesn’t actually love Pinky in this AU, but he’s very annoyed at him for that stunt with the mud puddle (though it’s accidental on Pinky’s part rather than intentional like Belle’s).

The reason Snowball doesn’t go seeking a princess’s hand to gain the kingship is cause he tried that already. It was Billie of a nearby kingdom. It didn’t go well.

Also yes the village is named ACME Village because I’m lazy and can’t come up with anything better.

#pinky and the brain #patb snowball #beauty and the beast au #patb fanfiction

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kurisu-morgenstern-schuyler · 3 years

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some alt/additional endings for the carmen sandiego finale

(none focus on ships because I liked how they kept it open and I don’t really have any preferences)

(also I label these as Versions A, B, C, but honestly they’re all just random collections of scenes I’d have loved to see and can be mixed and matched)

Version A

[montage of ACME taking down VILE, except Team Red is also there. Coach Brunt and Carmen fight and/or have a stare-down as Coach is dragged away for closure.]

[We get the show’s scene of the remaining VILE operatives as they had it, Tigris in jail, the jeantonio taco cart, etc.]

Next scene shows Team Red visiting Player in person and they’re all at a diner having a nice meal. Perhaps off screen we hear Player’s parents:

Parent 1: Where are you going?

Player: Just grabbing dinner with my friends!

Parent 1: Friends?

Player: Yeah... from...school?

[Zach and Ivy wave]

Parent 1: (relieved their son can socialize with others) Have fun!

Cut to:

The show’s scene of Shadow-san approaching his brother.

Cut to:

Argentina. Carmen approaches her mom’s door. She raises her hand to knock, hesitates. She looks behind her, and Zach and Ivy give her encouraging gestures (thumbs up, silly smiles, etc).

Carmen knocks, the door opens. END OF SHOW.

Version B

Team Red leads the charge on the VILE, capturing the major faculty with ACME backup.

Meanwhile, we see Gray discharged from the hospital and he walks down the street.

Cut to: Gray enters a fancy-looking opera house in a faraway city. We hear him introduce himself as an electrical engineer and ask if there are any jobs. An employee tells him “we’ll see what we can do” and as the two of them walk through the lobby, some shiny artifact gleams in the side of the frame. Gray smiles. Is he planning to do honest work? Steal something? Could go either way!

Cut to: The factory. Zach and Ivy are decorating their respective rooms upstairs, indicating that they’re planning to stay for a longer period of time. Downstairs in the living room, Shadow-san, Carmen, Chase, and Julia are sitting around the table, and Carmen says she’d like to tell them the whole story.

Later: Shadow-san give the folder with the info about Carmen’s mother. In the next scene, we see her writing a letter.

Cut to: Argentina - her mother (we still don’t see her face) receives Carmen’s message.

Cut to: Another day. In their lived-in looking home, Carmen, Zack, and Ivy crowd around a laptop with Skype/similar program open. (Shadow-san and Player could be here too, though I feel like they might give Carmen space on this one)

Zack: You nervous?

Ivy: Do you want us to go?

[On the screen, we see an incoming call from Carmen’s mother.]

Carmen: No, stay. I want my mom to meet my whole family.

End credits.

Potential additional epilogue: We see one of the at-large villains (Neal, maybe?) reaching for an object in a crowded place. They think they’ve been discreet. Then a blow comes out of nowhere and another hand snatches the object.

We pan up and see Xifeng (or Lupe, or Sonia, or anyone shown in that “you could be Carmen Sandiego montage) smile.

Version C

Carmen leaves a note for Zack and Ivy, though it says something more along the lines of “taking a personal trip, see you next week!”

We see the scene the show has of Carmen approaching her mother’s house.

Cut to: Julia back at the university, finishing up a lecture. She walks out of the hall and meets Chase, and the two of them walk together to a cafe where Carmen, Zach, and Ivy are waiting (and maybe Player is there virtually; Zach pulls him up on facetime and props the phone on the table). They all sit down for a meal together where Carmen promises to give them some answers.

Potential intercut scene: Outside the window, we see Gray sitting on a bench. Carmen excuses herself from the meal and says she’ll be right back. We see her approach Gray and [they talk about whatever you think makes sense. Closure? Shipping? Friendship?]

They wave to each other and Carmen waves, walking back to rejoin her friends at the cafe.

-OR-

Julia exits her lecture, meets Chase, and they head to a cafe to meet Carmen. Carmen starts telling them more about herself, but halfway through her phone starts ringing. It’s Player, telling her she’d better get going if she doesn’t want to be late.

Cut to: Zack and Ivy are racing professionally, and Carmen, Shadow-san, and (virtual?) Player cheer them on from the stands. Zack and Ivy win, of course, and all of Team Red poses to take a photo together, which is the last image of the show, thus emphasizing the importance of found family! (feel free to throw in Gray, Jules, Chase, Carmen’s mom, or whoever else to this scene hehe)

(Bonus scene: Carmen wanders off to get the gang some food and approaches JeanTonio’s taco truck. They serve her and make eye contact, then Carmen just smiles and waves to them and goes to rejoin her friends, happy they’re happy and no longer doing crime).

(Bonus scene 2: after the race, we cut to a few credits, then return to a mid-credit scene. We see Chief telling her agents they’ve spotted a rogue VILE operative in the wild. Chief pulls out her phone. Scene cuts to Carmen (maybe at her mom’s house, but with her friends near by), saying, “we’re on it!”)

End of show!

#carmen sandiego #carmen sandiego s4 #carmen sandiego finale #cs netflix #my writing #kind of

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juniaships · 3 years

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Loonatics Reboot: Origins

The cousins of the world-famous Looney Tunes, the Loonatics are resident protectors of the progressive city-state, Acmetropolis. Currently there are seven members headed by their mysterious mentor, but for now let's dive in deeper into the origin story of the first six Loonatics. We'll get to number seven in the future! 💛💛💛

The story goes, the Loonatics came about by chance. You see, not too long ago six individuals volunteered for an experiment conducted by the city's namesake ACME (the business). As all of them needed the extra cash, they didn't mind being used as temporary guinea pigs if it meant having the funds to pursue their dreams or pay the rent.

Unfortunately the test did not produced the expected results and was marked off as a failure. While the group were paid they were disappointed & went back to their normal lives.

Until abnormalities started cropping up.

One volunteer, a college freshman named Lexi Bunny, began hearing things, increased migraines, and physically cringing at even moderately loud sounds. Such condition affected the way she moved and grooved to the beat (she was an avid dancer) and one day, she had passed out from the pressure and sent to the emergency room. While she recovered she began seeing everything in a pink haze. Lexi didn't know exactly caused her health emergency but she had a feeling that it had something to do with the experiment. But she kept quiet, she wasn't one to stand up for herself, remembering a horrid incident trying out for her school's cheer squad. She wondered what the other volunteers were feeling...

The second volunteer was an Acmewood stunt artist named Ace Bunny (yeah yeah he's related to Bugs now let him train in peace). Whenever Ace felt particularly confident, he saw his vision turn red...literally. His eyes burned no matter how much ice or eyedrops he used. During rehearsals he started to notice how every time someone went to strike him, he dodged them every. Single. Time. Many of the crew members lucky to see were impressed, shocked even (much to the displeasure of the lead actor) & leaving the Looney cousin embarrassed at the increased attention.

The fourth volunteer was a scientist named Tech E Coyote. Like Duck he also lost his job though unlike Duck he was on the receiving end of an angry coworker. The poor man was left to craft consolation contraptions in the solitude of his workshop. One night he noticed some pieces of metal clinging to his lab-coat. At first he brushed them off but they stuck to his hands. He made a note to himself to use anti-static softener; but after several wash days the problems persisted and very soon larger pieces of metal started clinging to his clothes, hands, all around his body - one incident he knocked himself out with a frying pan! He also took notes of lights flickering around him, computers and screens turning on and off whenever he walked near them.

The third volunteer was a young man barely out of his teen years simply known as Duck. Danger Duck. He worked as a pool boy ironically had a hot temper. To put it best he loathed his job, feeling not being taken seriously by the oh-so-macho lifeguards that picked on him constantly. One minute he was complaining about his job, and the next thing he knew, he was standing in the middle of a desert. Than back to the pool. Than an artic region! He also complained of tingling sensations in his fingers, as if he dumped his hands in a bowl of cut peppers. And after one particularly frustrating day, he got so made he raised his threw something at the lifeguard... something red-hot and round...which nearly costed the lifeguard his life yet ALSO caused Duck to lose his job.

Rev, a pizza delivery man with a sense of words and no sense of direction, was the onlt one whose problems weren't seen. Not at least externally. During his trips he was relieved to not miss addresses as much as he used to. Maybe a stroke of luck he guessed. But now it seems his brain was replaced by a GPS because days by he can verbally recite the location almost every place in Acmetropolis from the tallest skyscraper to the dingey of alleyways. Not even having to travel to these places.

As for Slam, his already phenomenal strength increased tenfold, and so did his speed. Such growth massively helped his wrestling career. Every time he spun however, he swore he felt and heard the crick-crackle-boom of lightning...which one day during a match he accidentally electrocuted his opponent, promptly suspended for the rest of the season. At least the guy was alive...a cooked steak but alive.

Eventually these side effects took their toll and the citizens finally had enough. Weeks after the test the group went back to Acme to report on what they were experiencing, hoping to get some compensation to pay off frequent trips to the hospital.

To their surprise ACME was pleased to hear the results of the experiment had been successful after all. The CEO, Otto Matthias, saw potential in the ragtag group of Tunes and offered them a deal: work for his company as sponsored superheroes. There was a mixed reaction: Tech was skeptical, as was Lexi and Slam. Ace didn't know what to think of the deal, he wanted to be recognized for his talents. Danger was the only one totally on board with the plan (no more finding lost trunks). Rev was also excited yet nervous at the prospect. Otto added that the offer came with free housing, access to any and all Acme products, and a lifetime supply of Scooby Snacks (much to Slam's fancy).

Duck didn't have to hear anymore before immediately agreeing to the deal. He did not want to go back to being a lowly pool boy or any other position to be laughed at and bullied, and saw the deal as a surefire way to success. The rest of the group & Scooby Snack Slam decided to wait a week before giving their answer. Acme signed Duck as Danger Duck, the Living Magma Extraordinaire! Cool name is it?

Throughout the week the remaining Tunes pondered long and hard about the company's offer. Would this deal really help them find meaning in their otherwise pitiful lives? Or was it all a glorified corporate tactic designed to keep them quiet? Danger Duck, Living Magma Extraordinaire seemed to be having a good time, so they might be missing out on a stable fulfilling lifestyle. Surely it wasn't an evil trick? Right? Right??

The answer to their dilemma showed uo at their door. Literally.

For five days, each person received a visit from a woman dressed in a simple lavender coat with the hood drawn up. From the shadows they could make out ruby-colored lips, yet her eyes seemed to lack irises as they were entirely blank-white.

This woman claimed that she was the creator of the drug and that is was not meant to be in mortal hands. She claimed that Acme stole her formula for personal gain, warning them the CEO was not who he seemed & that they shouldn't take his word. When the civilians asked about Danger Duck, the woman vowed she would do everything in her power to try to steer the young man from a terrible fate.

"How do you know I can trust you?" That was the sentiment shared by the five Tunes, in varying words.

The woman only smiled. "It's all up to you," she simply replied before handing out a shiny triangle with the familiar shield logo on it.

As each Tune took the metallic shape in their hands, they wondered how would this hunk ol metal help them decide their future? The lady's words echoed through their minds...maybe...the shield was a emblem of their roots. How did she know so much about them and so concerned about their lives?

By the morning of the last day, it was Ace who came to his decision first. "I'll believe you," he relented. "If only you'll tell me more about this drug you made."

The woman shook her head. "I'm afraid that'll have to come in a group meeting," she said a bit tersely. The truth is too much to bear on one man.

"Here." She scribbled a few words down on a piece of paper. "Meet me at this location later this afternoon. Don't bring anyone else."

"Okay," Ace said a bit skeptically. He was about to ask more but the lady quickly left with a hurried goodbye. Ace blinked his blue eyes before reading what she had wrote. "I hope this ain't gonna land me on a watchlist," he muttered before starting to prepare for his impromptu meeting. He prayed that he made the right choice.

I'm making this as I go along XD

My goal for this chapter and the next one is to give the team a better backstories and the why and HOW they got together. I know the show had an origin episode but it didn't show them their first mission or how they actually met, only how they got their powers. As this is a reboot there are a lot of changes so instead of being set in the future, it's set in modern era and they're cousins of the Looney Tunes. I'm also trying to give them motivations: Danger Duck seeking fame and fortune; Tech seeking recognition for his genius; Ace forging his own path out of his cousin's shadow. I haven't gotten to Slam & Lexi's motivations as much as that would be for when I get to writing Weathervane (who will be Lexi's foil) and Massive (Slam's foil). Rev's motivation will also be explored as him learning to be more independent away from his family's wealthy lifestyle. As for my OC Mikayla Jordan, she's going to appear in a future post pertaining to the Freleng Royal Family oop spoiled my own OC subplot XD

#fanfiction #loonatics unleashed #loonatics unleashed reboot #looney tunes #ace bunny #lexi bunny #danger duck #tech e coyote #rev runner #slam tasmanian #zadavia #crossover #warner bros #au

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niallischill · 3 years

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¡Go Taco Molé!

Preface:

This is my very first written fan-fiction, and English is not my native language so if there’s any mistake I made, please message me. I write from both Jean-Paul’s and Antonio’s perspective. For the first chapter, you’ll be in Jean-Paul’s mind, then switch to his babe’s in the next, and the cycle goes on. The first chapter is pretty short, but I might add some more things to it later.

Chapter 1: Jean-Paul

We made it.

This not what I had in mind when I got admitted to VILE, but all I want and need for the rest of my life is right here beside me.

“Mi amigo! Can you hand me the sauce?” Says my man.

“Oui!” oh please, I’d do anything for you.

“And... Antonio, don’t you think we should drop that fake title and use the real one? We’re no longer monitored by the homophobic Brunt.”

“Of course, mi amor.” he smiles at me and my heart very much just melted, just like every time.

He hands me the taco, then I give it to our last customer today.

“Mon amour, let’s head to the beach ? It would be such a shame if don’t when we’re in Cartagena.

“Definitely, mi amor” he smiles again. Honestly, what did I do to deserve him?

Our truck is only about a 10-minute walk from the beach, but just walking there would be so boring.

“Let’s see who gets to the line where the beach meets the sea first!” I propose.

“Challenge taken” he says with a confident look on his face

“1, 2, 3!”

Both of us start to run at the very same moment.

I’m leading the race, I mean, there’s a reason why I’m called le chèvre.

We’re only about 500 meters away from the finish line, I accelerate.

After about 5 seconds, I look back, only to find that Antonio is gone.

Wait what?

“Mon amour?” Where could he go? No kidding, I’m getting worried even though he’s only been gone for 10 seconds

“¡Aquí! Mi amor!” He waves from the beach with goggles on his head

I run to him, “how did you get there so fast?”

“Jaja I just did what a mole would, I dug into the sands” he laughs “and I think the winner deserves a prize” he takes off the goggles, looking right into my eyes

“Of course” my lips meet his

the next thing I know is that

I transcended to another realm... the realm where only Antonio and I exist.

“You could’ve just asked, you know” I say with a smirk

“A little competition makes it more fun, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed” I can’t help smiling at him

Then we just cuddle with our eyes closed.

The cold sea water splashing on our feet just doesn’t feel so threatening anymore

because I know when I’m with him, there is nothing to be scared of.

We kiss again. I can feel our souls, hearts, and minds merge into one. It’s an ineffable yet the most extraordinary sensation one could ever feel, the one that I want to feel forevermore.

When I open eyes, I see someone in a red hoodie walking towards us.

Red hoodie... Red...

No. It can’t be her.

“Carmen Sandiego is here, mon amour”

“What?” He immediately turns around, but we’re still holding each other’s hands

Now we’re both in a position where we can quickly attack or flee, it all depends on what Carmen Sandiego is going to do.

“Relax, guys. I’m just here for some vacation

Looks like you guys are having lots of fun at the beach?”

We look at each other with confusion, then glare at her.

“Can’t trust me, huh? If I wanted to put you down, you wouldn’t be standing right now” she says with so much confidence

“What do you want from us?” The words come straight out of my mouth

“What’s all that hostility about?” She lifts her left brow up “I’m just checking on some ex-criminals and see how they’re doing now”

“We’re done with being criminals! We swear!” Antonio immediately replies

“Yes, we’ve given up that identity the moment VILE collapsed” I add

In fact, we already decided to cut ties with being criminals way before VILE was trashed. We were just waiting for the right time to escape.

“I know. I scanned your food truck, and it looks like you mean what you said. No weapons, no equipments, no drugs. Just ingredients.” She continues. “If you’re really just trying to live a civilian life, I won’t bother you although ...I can’t promise if ACME will do the same”

Damn it. ACME. I also forgot about them.

“Luckily, I have a solution to end that anxiety for you. I’m not only here for vacation. I’m here to arrest a bunch of drug smugglers here in Colombia, and I feel like I might need some help. If you can assist me in this mission, I can send a message to ACME and tell them that you’ve changed, which will guarantee your safety. If you don’t want to, I won’t come after you, either”

All I want and need is to be with Antonio... I don’t want to risk losing him... but if we don’t join Carmen Sandiego, ACME will arrest us someday eventually.

“Mon amour...” I look to Antonio

“Mi amor...” he nods

“Fine. We’ll help you, but just this once”

“Dealt, I’ll see you two at the port at 9” she says, then turns and leaves.

#carmen sandiego #jeantonio #el topo #le chevre #canon

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wellesleyunderground · 4 years

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The Double Standard in the Wellesley CS Department: An open essay from former students of the Department

The following was submitted to us by former students in Wellesley’s Computer Science Department:

The Wellesley Computer Science (CS) Department prides itself on preparing its students to take on both the technical and social challenges they will face in their professional futures. Questions of gender discrimination in the greater CS community are frequently discussed* with the Department’s active support evident, for example, in its funding for students’ attendance at the Grace Hopper Celebration, the conference known for being the “world’s largest gathering of women technologists”. However, the treatment of the Department’s junior faculty and lab instructors (non-tenure track positions) confers a contradictory message.

This disparity is highlighted by the recent reappointment denial to Prof. Ada Lerner; the decision has surprised the student community given Ada’s status as a beloved professor, known for both their focus on teaching and inclusivity in the department, and their contributions to the field of computing more broadly. We, a group of former students of the Department, question the rationale behind Ada’s dismissal and what it indicates about the treatment of junior, or pre-tenure, professors in the department.

(*We later discuss the fact that other forms of discrimination are not consistently discussed by the department, but we do note that gender discrimination in particular is frequently mentioned, owing in particular to Wellesley's status as a historically women's college.)

A champion of all students

Prof. Ada Lerner joined the Wellesley CS faculty in 2017, immediately upon their graduation from the UW Allen School of Computer Science doctoral program, after receiving numerous tenure-track offers. Ada quickly became a favorite of students for their remarkable teaching skills, instructing students at a variety of levels, including Introduction to Computing, Data Structures, and an advanced seminar on Security & Privacy–their research area. Students frequently commend their flexible late policy, which carefully balances student mental and physical wellbeing with course content and academic achievement. A variation of Ada’s policy was implemented near universally by the Department at large.

Ada’s belief in and support for their students is further exemplified by their content delivery and expectations of students. One former student summed up their seminar course as “by far the most challenging elective I took as a computer science major, and while in any other context that might’ve been an incredibly stressful experience, Ada worked with me to make sure I could finish all the work. She by no means went easy on me, but she did give me the support I needed to finish the work.”

“She definitely doesn’t let you off easy,” adds another student, “but she gives you the support so when it gets hard, you know you can ask questions without judgment. The material would go over my head in class and then Ada would explain it fifteen different ways until I felt comfortable.”

Ada’s research area reflects the same care and concern for the experience of marginalized populations. Their research was featured in Wellesley Magazine in Summer 2019, with the article “Online Safety for All” highlighting their focus on inclusive security and privacy, describing the field as “a subfield of security that focuses on specific populations, including marginalized or vulnerable groups like refugees or LGBTQ people, as well as groups with key roles in society, such as lawyers or journalists.” Their work recently garnered a prestigious $175,000 grant for “Understanding and Addressing the Security and Privacy Needs of At-Risk Populations” from the National Science Foundation and has been published in highly selective computing conferences, including the 2020 ACM CHI conference (24.3% acceptance rate). As former students, we note that her lab is impressively staffed with students from various grade levels who often serve as co-authors on lab publications and are actively involved in a variety of projects. A student who has worked with Ada as a research assistant jokes that they feel “almost spoiled” for having had the chance to work with a research mentor who is so considerate of student experience and learning.

Outside the classroom, Ada is an outspoken advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the Department. “Ada shows up,” one alum states. “They not only consistently attend events where students voice their concerns and celebrate their identities, they intentionally look for ways to uplift and empower marginalized student voices, asking all the right questions and putting in whatever work is necessary to aim for equity in all aspects of college life.” Ada helped lead a self-study that publicly disclosed the experiences of different student populations in the Department, with a particular focus on the roles of race, ethnicity, LGBTQIA+ identity and class, as well as the experiences of students with learning accommodations. While the results were conclusive that the CS Department, like many others on campus, had a lot of work to do, DEI efforts seemed to stall at the study’s conclusion.

Students were confused that the Department failed to implement student-facing changes the study suggested; some students noted the repeated absences of some professors and observed that some senior faculty members didn’t seem to buy in to the topic. We cannot help but wonder if some professors hostile to the DEI push led by Ada did not support her reappointment as a result of their feelings about the self-study.

All of the above leaves us puzzled by the College’s decision to terminate Ada’s tenure-track contract, making this their last year at Wellesley. The Committee on Faculty Appointments (CFA), which decides matters of faculty appointment, promotion, and reappointments on behalf of the College, handed down the decision leaving us both surprised and concerned about the integrity of the reappointment process and the potential factors affecting the decision. We note that the CFA states they make decisions based both on the recommendation of the candidate’s home department, as well as their own evaluation of a candidate’s quality of teaching, research, and service to the College. Given the information we’ve shared, we question why the College chose not to reappoint an assistant professor who is clearly beloved by students for her teaching, mentorship, support, and inclusivity.

To that end, we remind students that are bothered by the decision made regarding Ada's reappointment they can voice their concerns to the Committee on Faculty Appointments, who are ultimately responsible for reconsidering the decision. Information on that process:

You can send emails concerning your impressions of Professor Lerner to the address: [email protected]. If you want to send physical letters, they should be addressed to:

___________________________________________________________

Provost/Dean of the College

Chair of the Committee on Faculty Appointments

106 Central St

Wellesley, MA 02481

___________________________________________________________

According to college policy, your letter will be shared with Professor Lerner and the chair of the Computer Science department (Professor Takis Metaxas), as well as all members of the Committee for Faculty Appointments. You may indicate in your email whether you would like for your letter to be shared anonymously with identifying wording removed, or with your name attached. Letters may be submitted electronically as an email, or as an email attachment.

If you have any further questions about this process, you can contact Jennifer Ellis, Clerk of the Committee on Faculty Appointments ([email protected]).

Reflecting on departmental culture

We reflect on this decision in the context of the Department’s junior faculty at large; specifically, we are concerned by trends that we have witnessed as students in the Department interacting directly with junior faculty. We are frustrated with the way some of the more senior members of the department have handled the hiring and retention of faculty in general.

Junior faculty are held to extremely high standards that we believe the people imposing those standards wouldn’t necessarily have met at the same point in thei careers. Junior faculty are also much more likely to be approached by students, both because they teach many of the introductory classes that students will have taken by the time they must choose an advisor, and because their demographics are often more similar to those of the student population. While the formal advisor process has been restructured to take some of the load off the junior faculty, many are still approached for informal advice and guidance in a way their senior peers are not; it is also unclear if current tenure-track professors will have their research expectations reduced as a result of the excessive amount of advising they were previously providing. We also note that a particular source of emotional support for students – lab instructors – are mostly women and untenured, meaning that they do not have the job security that their peers do, and are not necessarily compensated for their mentorship in the same way.

We call on the senior faculty to make themselves more approachable to students, so that the load does not fall on junior faculty, who are also facing the pressures of research and teaching evaluations. There are existing models for this, including many adopted by Wellesley's own Math department, who host informal teas to build community and encourage interaction between senior faculty and students in various ways. We also note that along with Ada, Prof. Sohie Lee is a champion of D&I initiatives and has worked to implement new tutor training, yet she is one of the few faculty members of color and is technically a lab instructor, despite holding a PhD, This again reflects an onus of emotional and cultural labor on already overburdened pre-tenure and non-tenure track faculty.

It is unclear to us why the Department is both unable to hire many faculty of color, and unable to retain the faculty of color that they do hire. We question whether the environment of the Department is perceived as hostile, and, if so, what can be done to change that. We theorize that, in part, the Department's hiring practices may be exclusionary, as the majority of candidates come from a small pool of highly selective CS programs, which are already known to have a host of systemic problems that make them unwelcoming environments to both people of color and those who are not cisgender men.

Moving forward

This letter has two main goals. First, we hope to make the Wellesley community aware of the double standard in the CS department, and especially encourage the upper levels of administration to investigate the treatment of junior faculty in the department. Second, we hope to encourage members of the department to reflect critically on the treatment of their peers and engage in self-reflection with regards to departmental culture. Ultimately, we believe that it is in large part these systemic problems in the department that contributed to Ada's reappointment denial, rather than official, concrete factors such as teaching, research, and service to the CS department and College at large.

We call on those involved to truly reflect on the concerns raised here and via other fora, and to commit to measurable improvement; in short, to do better, both for current students and faculty and for those to come.

#Wellesley Underground #Open Essay #Computer Science Department

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darkspellmaster · 5 years

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The Role of the Gentleman or Lady Thief and their Detective/Cop/Agent and how it relates to Carmen Sandiego Part 2

Okay now we can get into the Carmen, Chase, Julie, Zack and Ivy, and a bit of the chief (although for her I would rather discuss Acme and the Chief in their own post).

As I said in part one seen here the part of the Thief and the Detective is a lot of game playing and challenges. Both have their own code and work inside that code to lead their best life in their own pursuit of justice. Meaning in this case both the Thief and the Detective are trying to do the right thing, it’s just in a weird way.

There are a few things that stay static with Carmen through all her depictions:

1. She does this for the fun and challenge and not for any personal gains, though her team in some cases does.

2. She’s got a conscious and tends to only take things that she sees as valuable and won’t hurt others in the pursuit of it.

3. She was formally involved with law enforcement at some point.

4. Those that intend to catch her also are conflicted upon it because most of the time they see good in her and that she was their former ally/friend, so it makes this harder.

5. If there is someone worse than her doing bad, she will team up with the Agent to stop the other person from causing serious harm to the world.

So regarding this idea, let’s take a look at the old Carmen and her relationship with the Agent from the earlier games.

Back when Carmen first showed up in games, the player was the Agent sent to track her and her minions from Vile down. Her goals were simple back then, take things that traditionally couldn’t be taken and you, as the player or Acme Agent, were sent on a quest to find her ally and then catch her. Carmen and her team always seemed to leave some sort of trail, by game design as a means to challenge the Agent. Over the years she’s gone from a former Spy/intelligence agent from Morocco to being a former Acme Detective who decided there was more of a challenge in stealing than being the one to catch the baddies.

So as the player, our Agent may or may not know Carmen, but she always leaves them clues as to what she’s going to take and why. The Agent is then tasked with catching up with her and getting the item back and in the game it’s the holy grail to actually find her and bring her to justice for her thefts. Something that is not easily done. In earlier games she was formally a fellow Agent though not directly a partner, so the banter between her and the player could sometimes be a teasing thing as she would know how they would go about trying to solve the case, being a former fellow employee of Acme.

The games always gave a sense that Carmen was one up on the Agent, but never so far ahead that she would leave them in the dust, and always using a minion to give that Detective a push in trying to catch her. Her mouse to the Detective’s cat was more used by the publisher to get kids to think about things and understand different locations in the world, bringing about a better understanding of geography and culture. In some cases Carmen’s clues would actually give a lesson about the region or area that she was taking something from or something about the significance of it. This lead into how the shows would play her. Namely Where on Earth’s TV series, and Where in the World’s game show on PBS.

Looking at Carmen for the Game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? we get an interesting character in her vs. her computer game counterpart. Where as in the games Carmen is seen as someone playing a game, this version is more serious, and a bit more sarcastic. She leaves clues via messages and other means to the Agents (game players) who are being trained by the Special/Senior Detective, Greg Lee, who acts as a go between between the younger agents and the chief in finding her. Carmen herself only shows up near the end of the game, most of the time is spent working with her minions but it’s important to note that she, at times, get’s exasperated with those working under her, going as far as to call them dolts at points, or nearly sound like she’s about to roll her eyes at their weirdness.

What’s also interesting is that in the game show world we learn a bit more about her willingness to work with some rather unusual suspects when it comes to her crimes, and a majority of these became her rogue gallery. While there are only a limited amount of people involved, including an alien (yeah that’s real), Carmen seems to treat them with respect to a point, and is willing to work with them even after they fail her.

Her relationship with Greg and the Chief seems to be more playful, as the indication is that she sends them info about the case and knows she’s being tapped. However that doesn’t mean that she intends to be caught as the ending is having the player run around a map trying to locate where she is on different countries and continents. Her cohorts never directly talk to Greg, but ask him to allow them to speak to the Agent that’s the head of the case, and typically they want Carmen to be caught with them. Greg treats her like she’s someone who is amazing in her own way, but he never pushes the idea of her being “good” rather she’s just really capable and smart. It’s never explained if she worked for Acme or not, so the relationship to Greg and the chief is honestly unknown.

On the other hand you have her situation with our two leads Zack and Ivy in Where on earth is Carmen Sandiego? which is very different than what we see in the game show.

When examining Carmen and the two detectives in this show you have to consider the fact that the show is actually someone playing a game. At the very start of the first episode for the 1994 series, we see Player interact with Carmen who has stolen an item from the Louvre, and a taunt to catch her is issued. This leads to Player accessing the Crimenet where he gets Chief (a giant floating head in this show) to pull up Ivy, a detective for Acme, and her partner, her younger brother Zack.

Ivy is very much gung-ho about going after Carmen, specializing in various fighting styles and has a past with Carmen that we don’t know about. Given that she’s shown to be younger than Carmen, it’s likely that Carmen at some point may have been a mentor of her’s or, that Carmen made her screw up early on in her career with Acme. It’s not stated exactly what went down between them but Ivy is willing to create a fake villain in order to get close to Carmen to capture her.

It’s clear that Carmen has a lot of respect for Ivy wanting her to become the best that she can be and it shows. Not only does Carmen pick on Ivy directly in her taunts at times, but it’s also clear in later episodes that Carmen views Ivy as nearly equal to her in skills, though not in smarts, that she gives to Zack. Even when working with the two the conflict between Ivy and Carmen crops up in tensions, while Zack is less likely to be against the help that Carmen brings to the table when dealing with a far more dangerous character in Maelstrom

On the other hand you have Zack, who is the brains to Ivy’s brawn. Unlike his sister, who has a grudge with Carmen, Zack has no direct ill will for the Lady in Red. On the contrary, he finds chasing after her interesting and a great way to bond with Ivy. One thing that is key about Zack, other than his linguistic skills as he speaks a number of languages, he’s also got a photographic memory, which Carmen uses when she creates her clues that target his skills.

To Carmen while Ivy is someone that is staunch in her desire to bring Carmen in, she knows that Zack is a bit more understanding of a situation. At one point, if I remember correctly, the two siblings split to chase Carmen on their own, and both struggled without the other. Interestingly, Carmen was the one that brought them together in that case, allowing them to see that together they were a team that could take her down effectively, and it was something she treasures.

Carmen in Where on Earth plays a lot with the duo, and tends to pick and chose who helps her. She is cunning but not cruel in her quests and her back story is one that seems to line up with lots of later incarnations where she once worked for ACME and got board with saving the day, finding the criminals rather dumb. This is why she is so invested in getting Ivy and Zack to chase her because they are the only two that can, along with the Player, keep up with her and her thrill of the chase.

This brings us to the new versions of Zack and Ivy and their role in the story.

In this case Carmen is friends with them and met them by chance while in South Boston while staking out a donut shop which was a front for V.I.L.E. Some how both Zack and his sister Ivy got wrapped up in her actions to stop V.I.L.E. and bring them down.

In this reality is’t interesting to see how Zack’s past self, and the present version, mix in with that of Carmen’s Gentleman thief role in the story. As I said above Zack was sort of the Watson to Ivy’s more brute force Holmes, and acted accordingly in order to stop or capture Carmen. However here he’s more of the Get away driver for Carmen and her accomplice. Much like Impy Barbicane in the game Code: Realize, Zack acts as the one that helps Carmen escape her capture, being able to drive like a stunt driver helps a lot. He’s also, for his part, good at learning roles and can play them off even in tense situations and apparently good at thefts, though it seems more likely that Carmen taught him that.

Zack also seems to be the gadget guy in some cases, as when he was able to help deal with the situation in the tunnels in the Australian caper. Zack’s also shown to be close to Carmen, as she willingly bought him the car from one of his favorite movies, showing that she knows him well enough to purchase things out of friendship with him. It’s unknown how exactly Zack feels towards her, other than friends, but it’s clear that he treats her like a friend and ally willingly putting himself in dangerous situations to help Carmen and his sister out.

So here we see that Zack’s part has been shifted slightly but also retains that same respect he had for Carmen from the original show.

Ivy on the other hand has changed drastically. This version of Ivy is not the strong guy, as her moves have been given to Carmen it seems, but she did take Zack’s skills as a linguist and retained her disguise skills. Ivy, as with her original, is still stubborn and always teasing Zack, showing that they still retain a close relationship. She still is willing to put herself on the line for her friend, diving head first in trying to stop a rocket from launching, but they again switched her with Zack having her be less of the risk taker than him. I think they kept her fear of heights from the previous show though.

With Carmen though her role is slightly different. Where as in the original show, Ivy here is more a willing friend to Carmen and looks up to her. There is no issues between the two and it’s clear that Carmen cares deeply for her two buddies. As I said with Zack, Ivy is now her helper, being Carmen’s double and plant in a situation where Carmen needs someone to play a part for her. It’s clear that they want to give Ivy a role that is more associated with a closeness to Carmen and show that there’s a softer side to this sort of trio of thieves. As shown with the Rocket, she’s willing to do whatever she can to finish the task that Carmen has out for them, even risking her own life for it. It’s interesting to see that they��re showing that Ivy can have a close friendship with Carmen as it’s very different from the relationship that the detective Ivy had with Carmen in the older series.

As accomplices, both Zack and Ivy play a part in the thefts, but it’s clear that most of these are set up by Carmen and that she is the brains behind all this and the other two are in it for the ride. They want to help her, but I don’t know how much they truly know about their friend as neither knew about Crackle, nor did they know about Player and who he was. This brings up a question of if Carmen is actually training them for continuing the mission should she fail it.

Then we have Player.

Player in the original series was played by three different actors/actresses, over the course of Carmen’s first series. The Player character typically played the part of trying to capture Carmen via the real world and worked with ACME to discover the truth behind Carmen’s theft and the two traded banter a lot via messages on the computer.

Player was, to Zack and Ivy, not only a boss in a way, but also a friend and ally. In the 1994 show, the duo always knew that Player had their back and was willing to help them get where they needed to go using the C4 system (in the game you could use that to hop around the map for fast travel in later Carmen games), or pick up information for them and give them a report about things. Even when things were at their worst, Player is always there to lend Ivy and Zack a hand, showing a great deal of determination even in the face of Carmen’s tougher challenges. Player also is shown to care for the two detectives, as when they lost communication with them, during a trip in time for the duo, Player was legitimately worried about their safety.

To Carmen, Player is her Holmes. Player is always on the case and won’t stop till she’s caught and she adores the Player for it. Because Player is the only one that seems to get the fun that Carmen is having with all of this. Player isn’t one person though, and Carmen notes this in her comments to them. The two quip a lot against one another, even when Carmen loses, there is only respect shown for Player from her. It’s an interesting dynamic that seems to have transitioned over to the 2019 version of the two of them.

Player’s role in the new series though is quiet different. An ally to Carmen, he is a boy of about 16 or slightly older. We’re not sure where he’s at, but there are moments when it seems like he’s in their world and yet not. we have no name for him, but we do have a face, unlike the originals. We know that he’s a white hacker who is willing to dig up info for Carmen in order to stop V.I.L.E. and help save the day. One thing of importance here is that Carmen and Player have a close friendship, and are almost like siblings in how they communicate with one another. It’s clear that Carmen regards Player as her best friend, which is very different from the dynamic from the other series where Carmen was much older than Player and more world wise than this one is.

Player helps drive Carmen’s moral compass, and also helps her to have hope when things seem lost for her. For the two of them, Carmen is his eyes and ears to the world outside as it appears that Player likes to stay in his home, and he’s willing to trust her in regard to her plans and ideas, as he’s quick to trust her when they first meet, even if he’s not sure about things.

It seems more than likely that Player is going to be the Oracle of the team. Being the eye in the sky and helping out with the intell for Carmen, Ivy and Zack. His part in as far as the Thief’s role is actually the in between and probably will eventually end up helping out not only Carmen but ACME, being the one that can prove to the Chief that Carmen is more of a Ally than an Enemy for them.

Guess now it’s on to Julia and Chase...I’m saving him for last though.

Julia’s part in the story of Carmen is a tricky one to talk about. She comes from the Games originally, and was once a partner of Carmen’s back when she was working for ACME. Julie Argent considers Carmen to be the best detective in the world, and still does even when she switched sides. One of the key factors about her character in the game is her use of a journal and the intuition that she has about other people, something that seems to have transferred over to the new show.

It’s important to note that Julia has a bit of a complex relationship with Carmen, stemming from the fact that Carmen left while being her partner and that she feels that “Everyone” at ACME blames her for Carmen leaving. This is not true but her own guilt in losing her friend and partner to the “dark side” is a lot to bear and it’s something that weighs on her as a person. While she considers Carmen a friend, there is more to their relationship as Carmen sees Julia as “Opinionated” and she felt that she was a bit difficult to work with, showing that there was, at least on Carmen’s side, some animosity going on there.

In the games Julia is paired with the slightly Arrogant Agent Shadow Hawkins. A young man that believes that gadgets are everything, and that he’s going to catch Carmen. (You can see similar dynamics here in Chase regarding some of his behavior towards her in the 2019 series.) Shadow believes that Carmen can’t be redeemed while Julia argues that there is still good in her. During the game Julia begs Carmen to come back and tries to apologize for her past actions which, she thinks, made Carmen go bad. What’s worse is that during the story Carmen leaves mementos of their past cases at crime scenes for Julia to discover, either as a means of showing she still cares about her old friend or to hurt her (as Shadow thinks). Later game has Julia working with new agent Cole Gannon who seems more likely to want to catch Carmen for personal reasons.

Julia’s role in the 2019 version of the show is interesting as it keeps somewhat true to her game counterpart. We see early on that Julia is a very smart and capable officer of Interpol and working hard with the more arrogant Chase (who seems to be mixing Shadow and the original together) to catch Carmen. It’s clear that there is a slight back story here between them and Carmen, though we don’t know it yet. However, Julia’s willingness to observe and make good intuitive speculations on Carmen keeps true to her game counter part and shows that she’s the one that, until the last episode, believed that everything Carmen does is for a good reason.

Julia also is seen writing in a Journal and, unlike Chase, actually puts things together in a more proper way. She is, more or less, the wise assistant to the bumbling detective at this point in the story. However, it seems that they’re going to shake her up some with the whole situation with Chase being hurt. We see that that, in regard to Carmen, Julia is someone that could become an ally to help get ACME to work with Carmen since she can tell that Carmen is not your typical thief. Her patients with her partner is boundless to a point it seems, yet, Chase is willing to at least yell at himself for his bad behavior to Julia, showing that he does care about her and is clearly jealous of her superior skills as an investigator.

The issue right now with Julia and Carmen, other than their short meeting, is that they really don’t have a huge connection. Though Carmen seems to see in Julia what 1994 Carmen saw in Ivy and Zack, someone worthy of chasing her down. I feel like over time Julia is going to become more of a player in Carmen’s capers in taking down VILE, and probably working with Carmen’s older Mentor along with the Chief. Friendship, I’m sure, is on the line here for these two as they seem on the same wave length.

Chase on the other hand...is our main story focus right now.

So who was Chase Devineaux? Again originally from the games, Chase was Carmen’s partner and ACME’s top agent. The two solved a number of cases together, and like Julia, Chase felt guilty when Carmen left. So much so that he quit ACME to try to bring her back. He eventually returned to the service of ACME after Ann Tickwitee, Agent 12 and the partner of the player’s Agent 13, goes missing. During the story line, Chase acts as a mentor as well as a intelligence partner to Agent 13 and we learn he’s been trying to track down Carmen himself. After the fall of the new Tower and Agent 13′s rescue of Ann, Chase goes after Carmen himself with a Jet Pack, intent on catching her.

In the games Chase talks fondly of Carmen, noting their close friendship and respect for one another. To him Carmen is his equal in intellect and everything else, this was why he was heart broken when she left ACME and that’s why he’s trying to bring her back to the good guy side. He’s willing to do whatever it takes, even lock her up, to stop whatever she’s planning and there are hints in Math and Think Logic that there may have been feelings on his end for her. Like Julia he does have a moment where he tries to convince her to change her ways, but this leads to no where as she takes off with Chase giving, er, Chase. Chase here is far more of a competent person, giving you info as you go along, and trying to help you out of scrapes when he can. It’s clear that he intends to keep you safe from Carmen as well, since he’s ready and willing to throw down with her henchmen to stop her. He’s also a bit sarcastic and quips from time to time with the player as they go about their missions, giving encouragement and a friendly reminder that he’s proud of them for doing such a good job for such a serious situation. Also of note Chase is totally fine with sleeping outdoors if he has to, and really doesn’t complain unless you really start to screw up.

Chase Devineaux in the 2019 version of the show however...is more a Mix of himself and Shadow Hawkins.

This version of Chase is clearly meant to be a Zenigata type. From his outfit to his Interpol status, Chase here clearly has a connection to Carmen on a personal level, but he is no equal to her. He’s not that smart, more like Richard from Case Closed, or Zenigata from Lupin, not realizing that Carmen is at least 10 steps ahead of him. And like Zenigata he’s obsessed with catching her for a reason, even to the point that he doesn’t realize that she’s not the enemy, much like the early anime Zenigata before he started to realize that Lupin can be an ally at times.

Where as Chase in the game clearly has a deeper feeling for Carmen, and wants to basically save and bring her back. We don’t know how Chase feels for the woman he’s dubbed “Le Femme Rouge” though it’s clear that he’s enjoying chasing after her and has some weird level of respect for her as a person. Outright talking to her before he tries to capture her, and I think recognizing her even out of her traditional gear. It’s clear that something happened between them that made Chase feel that he has to catch her, but we’ve yet to see this.

What’s interesting here in their relationship is how much of a dynamic they already have in just one season. The playful banter between them shows that Carmen enjoys screwing around with Chase and only grows annoyed when he’s in her way about something serious. However we can also see that there’s some sort of tension there between them as he’s unwavering in his reasoning, going as far as to yell at his own partner over her. It’s an interesting moment when you see him confront her while she’s wearing a dress as we see from the quirk in his face that he’s sort of impressed by her outfit, where he’s used to seeing her in her normal gear.

Chase though is also just as tough as Carmen, going through what has to be a terrible experience with VILE when he’s captive. We’ve seen Carmen deal with pain, and we know that Chase can match her for the stubborn award. Dude downright starts singing louder at the threat of permanent brain damage and is still able to function enough to use his pen to get help. Given that he probably wasn’t 100% out of it his and Julia’s roles may switch next season, as he may start seeing what Julia saw in Carmen due to her wanting to help and protect him.

What’s interesting about this whole situation with the two is that it does build on the whole Arsene and Sherlock relationship. Carmen is the thing that can outwit Chase, even though we know he’s not that smart, but it’s clear that he probably has had success in catching other criminals before. You don’t get to be on Interpol without having a sharp brain. And, for the most part, he does go about doing things that can be seen as really smart. His tailing of Mime bomb, his chasing down Carmen in his car (even if he leaves Julia behind), his actually catching up with Ivy and also figuring out that something was up with the Dinner party that he was at. There’s clues all over that, if Chase was a bit more like his Game counter part he would be a match for Carmen. Which is probably why they avoided that in this case as it would be too much like the game and, well then Julia wouldn’t have a part to play in their Brains and Brawn duo.

It honestly wouldn’t surprise me if eventually we saw Chase and Carmen becoming friends and working together with Chase intending to eventually capture Carmen in a hope of making her a “Lawful” person. Another part of me thinks that there is a slight, given that it’s a kids show, possibility that Chase may have something of a crush on Carmen given that he’s got nicknames for her already.

Their pairing as the Detective and the Thief plays a huge role in how they play off each other. Carmen’s wit and willingness to play along with Chase shows that she, like Lupin, wants Chase to actually understand what she’s doing and probably be an ally in her cause. She uses him too, as a means of catching Graham and then later to help stop Tigress and the others in various ways. Chase for his part sees her as someone who is sharp and intelligent and he feels that he’s the only one that gets her, even though it’s clear that he doesn’t. But I think that, as I said before, we’re going to see more about their dynamic as a duo working to stop worse crimes while still playing their cat and mouse game.

In the end Carmen/Ivy/Zack and Chase/Julia, all play a role in continuing the idea of the tense suspense of a gentleman thief and their detective. All five characters are able to use their relationships as of right now to build up the mystery around the two groups and show that there is still a way to update the idea of the cat and mouse game. And personally I’m loving it.

#carmen sandiego #where in the world is carmen sandiego #carmen sandeigo 2019 #carmen sandeigo netflix #chase devineaux #julia argent #zack and ivy #gentleman theif #detective #where on earth is carmen sandiego

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cyanidelegacy · 5 years

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Recap 2: Episodes 101 - 150

Read Recap 1 ◊ Read from Episode 151

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SUMMER | MONDAY, EVENING

After she found Aurora, Audrey comforted her over her loss and offered her some relationship advice.

Then Artemis and Lorenzo warned Aurora about Hayden’s deteriorating health, and asked her to settle down quickly.

Meanwhile in the next room, Adam Andrews aged up to a toddler.

Hayden confronted Bailey in the study, and in the heat of the moment, ordered his son to leave the Cyanide Residence.

TUESDAY

The argument between father and son came to a head and Hayden reminded Bailey of the Reapers’ ability to summon spirits. But the situation became too much for Hayden to handle. He died on the spot of heart failure on Tuesday 4:11am.

After her cousin’s death, Artemis vowed to spend the rest of her days working on unfinished business - re-investigating the mysterious death of her father, Alexander Goth.

Later that morning, Fred discreetly re-investigated the death of his mother, Natalie Faust, and found that the evidence had been tampered with.

Meanwhile, Bailey confessed to his mother that Hayden had kicked him out of the Cyanide Residence before he died. Blythe told him to keep it a secret from the rest of the family.

Aurora found a vacancy for Audrey, who was thrilled at the prospect of pursuing her dream to be a writer - and also an opportunity to get out of the mansion regularly.

After she’d caught Fred snooping around, Chief Tiffani Behr proposed to promote Fred, but Colonel Pauline Whipple was reluctant to agree.

Aurora visited Catscratch Cottage to apologise to Jamie, who also apologised for their own behaviour.

Anxious over the possibility that the Reapers may summon his father’s spirit and discover that he has been kicked out, Bailey drowned his sorrows at the Salty Paws Saloon.

Late Tuesday night, Fred broke into the Acme office and retrieved the hard drive belonging to Rohil Datta, who was alleged to have misappropriated funds from the company that employed Natalie Faust.

He took the hard drive home and found an anonymous email addressed to Rohil, which contained a copy of Natalie Faust’s original email to Alexander Goth. Rohil knew that there was a whistleblower in Acme, but not the identity of the whistleblower, which the anonymous sender did.

WEDNESDAY

Unable to sleep, Artemis recalled the time when she summoned her father’s spirit.

As it was not Spooky Day, Alexander Goth’s spirit could not stay for long. But he also had no clues or leads to offer.

Artemis went to Brindleton Bay PD one last time to deliver her resignation speech.

In the basement floor of the same building, Audrey turned up at the Brindleton Bay Bugle for her interview with Everly Ranches, the editor.

After running an errand, Fred visited Alexander Goth’s desk to find Artemis seated. He offered to help her with investigating her father’s desk by bringing up deleted files from the computer hard disk. They agreed to work together, but Artemis would keep Alexander Goth’s hard disk.

Meanwhile, Rohil received a tip-off that his former office had been broken into, and that his hard drive had been removed. He called on the anonymous sender of the email to retrieve his hard drive from Fred by any means necessary.

Fred received a promotion to the rank of detective, but his mentor would be Lovisa Bjergsen, an illustrious sergeant with a thorny personality.

Later that day, Fred received a phone call out of the blue from an old acquaintance, Vernon Landgraab. He tried to back out of meeting Vernon that evening, but eventually gave into his guilt.

He thought of his childhood with Vernon, and hoped that from their meeting that evening Vernon would explain why he stopped keeping in touch.

Aurora and Jamie went window-shopping in Magnolia Promenade, where they also discussed plans to have a baby together.

At the Solar Flare lounge, Fred found Vernon with his girlfriend, Heaven Patel.

After hearing Vernon’s side of the story, Fred received a phone call from an enraged Artemis, who is disappointed by Fred’s apparent lack of commitment to their investigation.

Unbeknownst to Artemis, she was being watched by someone behind her back.

His mood turned sour after he was berated by Artemis. A highschooler named Jane Linde tried to flirt with him, and he turned her advances down.

As he was about to leave the lounge, Fred passed out.

THURSDAY

Bailey attended his final interview for the position of Project Manager at InfoSims. He was greeted by several key personnel, notably Phavithra Datta, sister to Rohil Datta; and Krishna Patel, father to Heaven Patel.

With an important team sports event later that day on her mind, Jane took a bite of growfruit, which is an illicit harvestable that raises testosterone and adrenaline levels, and the production of nitric oxide in the sim body. However, many sims take growfruit to increase their athleticism and productivity.

A scene between Rohil and his niece, Dharshini Datta (the daughter of Phavithra Datta and Ella Bjergsen) revealed that the Dattas are related to the Reapers - Lorenzo Capricciosa is Dharshini’s uncle.

After she broke down in tears, Blythe was comforted by Artemis Reaper. Blythe expressed her desire to retire and hoped to see Hayden again on Spooky Day.

Fred woke up in Oasis Springs in a daze. His pockets had been searched.

He returned to his home to find that it had been broken into. He lives with his cousin Franziska Faust and her husband, Ken Yamaguchi, and their three children: Julia, Jannik and Jana.

Artemis received a phone call from Fred, who told her what happened to him. She is certain that they are in danger and commanded him to work on Alexander Goth’s hard disk as soon as possible in the Cyanide Residence.

After the phone call, she returned to the nursery suite. Blythe told Artemis that she has retired, freeing up her own time to watch over Adam instead.

At the Brindleton Bay Bugle, Audrey was lightly teased by her colleagues and the editor-in-chief, Everly Ranches, supported the idea of an office party at the Salty Paws Saloon.

Fred arrived at the Cyanide Residence and started working on Alexander Goth’s hard drive in Artemis’s bedroom. As the hard drive was very old, Fred would have to spend more time than usual to access its contents.

Once Bailey returned from his job interview, Patchy the Scarecrow revealed the secrets of his power to him. The Reapers can summon the dead, whereas Patchy’s descendants can extend life. However, there are severe limitations on their powers to maintain the balance of life and death. As custodian of the secret to this power, no other sim can speak of it except Patchy alone.

Read Recap 1 ◊ Read from Episode 151

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#tcl recap #cl season 1

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warnerbaby · 6 years

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protected privacy

[SO I told you to expect a post today so here it goes, and we're going to say that it's chEERleader locker time. Winnie's a terrible liar edition-- oh wait that's every edition... isn't it? So woohoo let's jump right in.

Winnie, poor, Winnie.

For one, home has been horrible. She was finally ungrounded for having Miguel over, right? So why were her parents still treating her like she was? 'No, Winnie you can't go out and hang out with anyone. Winnie, stay in your room. Winnie, no dinner for you' --Am I serious about that last one?? Sure but it's more like, 'Winnie we're taking Ronnie out for dinner, fend for yourself and cry about it alone lol'

For two, it was slowly--- and by the end of this post it will be exceedINLY aPPAREnt-- becoming more apparent that the had only two people she had left in her life that she THOUGHT she could trust. One being her boyfriend and the second one being his sister. Because Charlie Jo still wasn't speaking to her-- despite her more frequent visits to the coffee shop, and Winnie's puppy dog eyes. Hanna was still giving her the cold shoulder, and her other cheerleader friends were shunning her much as they had shunned Nati for Rivera/Harper reasons, I'm sure.....

And for three, her brother, who was nOW permananTLY LIVING WITh the Warners and goING TO ACME UNIVERSITY TO TRY TO IMPROVE HIS GPA was still giving her a hard time about Miguel.

And why's this??? Because Winnie's life will not start until her 18th birthday and for now and until then she will be a miserable unadoptable puppy :(

SO scene-- much like all locker room scenes, the girls have come in from practice, and it's fucking gossip time...

Cheerleader locker rOOOm tALK tIMe~ who's present??? Cheerleader 1. 2. and 3. Abby. Winnie.

And you guessed it, Hanna is lurking around.

And it was normal gossip all around which surely started with Ronnie being back in town-- to which Winnie confirmed with a sad sigh~]

Another interesting new development...

[Yes, Hanna was trying to change the subject because, yuck, she didn't want to hear about that scumBAG. And she's not really asking this of Winnie, per say, but she is eyeing that girl]

Or should I say rekindling? Taylor and Harper?

[And Hanna was the brave one to ask first, and maybe the other girls hadn't asked to not piss off Hanna because Nati's name doES TEND TO DO THAT. But once that damn was broken the questions came flooding in.]

If anyone knows it would be Nati's sister-in-law. [Cheerleader 1]

[Winnie's cheeks blUSHED a NICE SHADE OF PInk AT THat. Because that is her bIGGEST DREAM EVEr.]

Yeah, are they back together, yet???~~ [Cheerleader 2]

They have to be. I mean you've seen it. It’s almost cute-- in a weird ‘that’s not your baby, Andy’ sort of way...

It could just be... [Cheerleader 3]

Oh, come on. The way he looks at her. It's like she's not even knocked up, and Bravo never touched her. Something is going on. Right, Winnie?

[A small shrug from her corner, as she pulls a big comfy sweater over herself deflecting the question. And Hanna's got a screwy smile because she is judging. Having a baby with hER BEAU and daTING around Andy Taylor??? What a--]

They could just be friends. Cheerleader 3]

Friends? Likely.~~ [Cheerleader 2.]

Kind of like who her and Bravo were just friends??~

[ABBY YOU ARE A BRAVE SOUL and the whole locker room has gone quiet because Hanna's glaring at that Abby and it looks like she could tap into the force with that concentration and force choke the heck out of that bitch, but you know....]

Sorry, but I just think it's a total Nati thing to do. Especially if she's keeping the baby. It's right up her ally to steal yet another guy and play with the other's emotions.

That's not fair to say. She's not---

She's not what, Winnie?

Nati’s not like that. She wouldn’t do that.

[ And Hanna's let out a rather condescending exhale of laughter because Winnie, darling. Are you fucking blind?]

So there's nothing going on with either one of them. Beau or Andy?

Is that what you're confirming? Because there's nothing wrong in confirming that-- however it doesn't excuse the awful person she is.

I mean... how should I know? I hardly speak to her anymore.

That's because she's always with Taylor. ~ [Cheerleader 2]

It's not her fault that Andy is so nice. [Cheerleader 3.]

Actually she could be leading him on. [Cheerleader 1.]

While leading Bravo along too.

Can we stop talking about her? Please? She's a human. She has feelings and she's allowed to feel them and figure them out if she needs to.

Your lack of an answer is only proving all of them right. So you may want to try lying a little bit harder.

[ And Hanna's folded her arms like la reina puta she is, and she's giving Winnie a stare down.]

If there's nothing going on between her and Andy you can say it. It's that easy.

It's not...

So she's with Andy, then? Easy answer.

It’s not for me to say who she is with-- even if I knew.

So what are you saying, Winnie? Who is she with, because it looks a lot like her and Andy are together. But it also sounds like you’re trying to cover up for that dear cousin of yours....

[ And the girls have all stopped and stared and they are all asking for more with their hunGRY StarING eyes, and it's like a magical cheerleader force as they stare at Winnie's face which is giving it all away. And here's Abby to confirm--]

She's totally playing both of them, oh my god, I was right. It’s like I know this bitch too well. I almost admire her-- if I didn’t hate her so much.

[ And an evil laughter from her as Hanna huffs and turns away, yikes.

And Winnie poor Winnie is left alone as the other girls pile out with her.

And it's all she could do--- clean out her locker, and leave her pom-poms for Hanna to find later, because this would defINITEly be the last time she walked out of that locker room as a member of the mean girl's club aka cheer squad.

And as she backed out of that room, she hoped Nati would forgive her for her doormat ways.

Maybe she should have felt bad for quitting? But you know, she didn’t. lol]

#locked

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hellocanticle · 4 years

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The amazing Stuart Dempster at a house 2015 house concert at Philip Gelb’s Sound and Savor.

In many ways this has been a year of reckoning. I kept my promise to myself to double down on writing this blog and have already reached more viewers than any previous year. I am now averaging a little more than 1000 hits a month from (at last count) 192 countries and have written 74 pieces (compared to 48 last year). I need to keep this up just to be able to stay in touch with similarly minded folks (thanks to all my readers). Add to that the fact that a piece of music I wrote 15 years ago was tracked down by the enterprising Thorson and Thurber Duo. They will provide me with my very first public performance this coming July in Denmark. Please stop by if you can. After having lost all my scores (since 1975) in a fire and subsequently the rest of my work on a stolen digital hard drive I had pretty much let go of that aspect of my life but now…well, maybe not.

Well one of my tasks (little nudges via email have been steadily coming in) is to create a year end “best of” list. Keep in mind that my personal list is tempered by the fact that I have a day job which at times impinges on my ability to do much else such as my ability to attend concerts. However I am pleased to say that I did get to 2 of the three Other Minds concerts this past year. The first one featured all the music for string quartet and string trio by Ivan Wyschnegradsky (1893-1979). The second one featured music by the same composer written for four pianos (with two tuned a quarter tone down). Both of these concerts exceeded my expectations and brought to light an amazing cache of music which really deserves a wider audience. These are major musical highlights for this listener this year.

The Arditti Quartet acknowledging the applause at the Wyschnegradsky Concert.

Read the blog reviews for details but I must say that Other Minds continues to be a artistic and musical treasure. Under the leadership of composer/producer/broadcaster Charles Amirkhanian (who turns 75 in January) the organization is about to produce their 25th anniversary concert with a 4 day series beginning in April, 2020. For my money its one of the reasons to be in the Bay Area if you love new music. He is scheduled for a live interview on the actual day of his birthday, January 19th as a guest on his own series, The Nature of Music. This series of live interviews (sometimes with performance material) with composers and sound artists he has hosted since 2016.

Amirkhanian performing at OM 23 (2018)

Next I will share with you my most obvious metric, how many views my various blog posts got. I have decided to share all those which received more than 100 views.

The winner for 2019 is:

Linda Twine (unknown copyright)

Linda Twine, a Musician You Should Know

A rather brief post written and published in February, 2018 for Black History Month. It was entirely based on internet research and it got 59 views that year. As of this writing in 2019 it has been seen 592 times. I have no idea why this “went viral” as they say. I just hope it serves only to her benefit. Amazing musician.

Fatu Duo

Charming little album of lesser known romantic violin and piano pieces played by a husband and wife duo. This self produced album seems to have had little distribution but for some reason people are enjoying reading about it. I only hope that the exposure will boost their sales. This is a fun album.

G. Thomas Allen

Darryl Taylor

John Holiday

The Three Black Countertenors

I’m guessing this is one of my “viral” posts. I wrote it in 2014 and it continues to get escalating hits, 180 this year. The title pretty much says it all. First time three black countertenors appeared on the same stage.

Jenny Q Chai

This concert was an all too brief presentation of some very interesting work. Quite a pianist too. File this artist’s name in your “pay attention” category.

Heavenly Violin and Piano Music by Giya Kancheli

Giya Kancheli (1935-2019), one of the artists we lost this year (I refuse to do that list). If you don’t know his work you should. He wrote I think 7 Symphonies and various concertos, film scores, and other works. He was sort of elected to the “Holy Minimalists” category but that only describes a portion of the man’s work. Very pretty album actually.

Because Isaac Schankler

This composer new to me, works with electronics, and maintains an entertaining presence on Twitter. Frankly, I’m not sure exactly what to make of this music except to say I keep coming back to it. Very leading edge material.

Wolfgang von Schweinitz’s “Klang”

A very different music from that of Schankler listed just above. But another recording to which I find myself returning. Thanks to Mr. Eamonn Quinn for turning me on to this one.

A New Voice for the Accordion

I pretty sure that Gene Pritsker can shoulder at least part of the blame for connecting me with this great new musician The accordion has come a long way and this guy leads it gently forward.

Bernstein’s Age of Anxiety in a new recording

Loved this one. I had only listened to this work three or four times and probably not with adequate attention. Hearing this performance was revelatory. It’s a great work deserving of a place in the standard repertoire/

Charles Dean Dixon (1915-1976)

Carl Van Vechten’s 1961 portrait of Marilyn Horne with her husband Henry Lewis.

Thomas Wilkins (1956- )

Michael Morgan (1957- )

Paul Freeman

James Anderson De Preist (1936-2013)

Black Classical Conductors

Written in 2013, just an occasional piece about black conductors for Black History Month. It’s now been read over 2000 times. It is my most read article. It’s embarrassingly incomplete and in need of a great deal of recent history but that’s a whole ‘nother project.

Blue Violet Records

Blue Violet Duo

So glad this disc got a little exposure. Its gorgeous. This disc of jazz influenced classical Americana unearths some real musical gems.

Shakuhachi Ecstasy

OK, I meet this guy at a vegan underground restaurant (whose proprietor is noted Shakuhachi player, Philip Gelb). A little casual conversation, a few vegan courses (Phil can seriously cook), and whaddya know? About a month or so later he sends me this gorgeous self produced set of him playing shakuhachi…but the upshot is that this is the distillation of the artist’s sensibilities filtering his very personal take on the world via his instrument. It has collectible written all over it and that is as much due to the music itself as to the integrated graphics and packaging. You really have to see and hear this trilogy. It got over 100 hits. Thanks to Cornelius Boots and Philip Gelb (musical and culinary concierge).

That’s it. Everything else (300 plus articles total with 74 from this year) got less than 100 views.

Personal Favorites

It was a great year for recordings and I listened to more than I did last year. Some may have noticed some experimentation with writing style and length of review here. The problem is that the very nature of my interest is the new and unknown so I have to do the research and have to share at least some of that to hopefully provide some context to potential consumers that will ignite the idea, “gotta check that out” without then boring them to death.

For this last section I will provide the reader with a list in reverse order of the publication of my reviews of CD and streaming releases that prompt this listener to seek out another listen and hopefully draw birds of a feather to listen as well.

Keep yer ears peeled. This young accordion virtuoso is an artist to watch. This was also one of my most read review articles. This guy is making the future of the instrument. Stay tuned.

This artist continues to draw my attention in wonderful ways. Her scope of repertoire ranges hundreds of years and she brings heretofore unknown or lesser known gems to a grateful listening audience. Blues Dialogues is a fine example. It is also reflective of the larger vision of the Chicago based Cedille label.

I found myself really taken by this solo debut album by American Contemporary Ensemble (ACME) director Clarice Jensen. In particular her collaboration with La Monte Young student Michael Harrison puts this solo cello (with electronics) debut in a class all its own, This independent release is worth your time.

This album of string chamber music arrangements of Mahler is utterly charming. No Time for Chamber Music is a seriously conceived and played homage.

Canadian composer Frank Horvat’s major string quartet opus is a modern classic of political classical music. It is a tribute to 35 Thai activists who lost their lives in the execution of their work. His method of translating their names into a purely musical language has created a haunting and beautiful musical work which is a monument to human rights.

Donut Robot is a playful but seriously executed album. The kitschy cover art belies a really entertaining set of short pieces commissioned for this duet of saxophone and bassoon. Really wonderful album.

It has been my contention that anything released on the Starkland label requires the intelligent listener’s attention. This release is a fine example which supports that contention. Unlike most such releases this one was performed and recorded in Lithuania by the composer. Leave it to the new music bloodhound, producer Tom Steenland to find it. In Search of Lost Beauty is a major new work by a composer who deserves our attention.

My favorite big label release. This new Cello Concerto from conductor/composer Esa-Peka Salonen restores my faith that all the great music has been written and that all new music is only getting attention from independent labels. Granted, Sony is mostly mainstream and “safe” but banking on the superstar talent of soloist Yo-Yo Ma they have done great service to new music with this release. Not easy listening but deeply substantive.

This release typifies the best of Chicago based Cedille records’ vision. Under the guidance of producer James Ginsburg, this local label blazes important paths in the documentation of great music. “W” is a disc of classical orchestra pieces written by women and conducted by the newly appointed woman conductor, Mei-Ann Chen. She succeeds the late great Paul Freeman who founded Chicago’s great “second orchestra”, the Chicago Sinfonietta. Ginsburg taps into Chicago’s progressive political spirit (I guess its still there) to promote quality music, far beyond the old philosophy of “dead white men” as the only acceptable arbiters of culture. Bravo to Mr Ginsburg who launched Cedille Records 30 years ago while he was a student at the University of Chicago.

Become Desert will forever be in my memory as the disc that finally got me hooked on John Luther Adams. Yes, I had been aware of his work and even purchased and listened to albums like Dream in White on White and Songbirdsongs. I heard the broadcast of the premiere of the Pulitzer Prize winning Become Ocean. I liked his music, but this recording was a quantum change experience that leads me to seek out (eventually) pretty much anything he has done. Gorgeous music beautifully performed and recorded.

OK, I’m a sucker for political classical. But Freedom and Faith just does such a great job of advancing progressive political ideas in both social and musical ways. This is a clever reimagining of the performance possibilities of the string quartet and a showcase for music in support of progressive political ideas.

Michala Petri is the reigning virtuoso on the recorder. Combine that with the always substantial production chops of Lars Hannibal and American Recorder Concertos becomes a landmark recording. Very listenable and substantive music.

I have admired and sought the music of Harry Partch since I first heard that excerpt from Castor and Pollux on the little 7 inch promotional LP that came packaged with my copy of Switched on Bach. Now this third volume in the encyclopedic survey of the composer’s work on Bridge Records not only documents but updates, clarifies and, in this case, unearths a previously unknown work by the master. Sonata Dementia is a profoundly important entry into the late composer’s discography. I owe PARTCH director, the composer/guitarist John Schneider a sort of apology. I had the pleasure of interviewing him about this album and the planned future recordings of Partch’s music but that has not yet been completed. You will see it in 2020 well before the elections.

The aforementioned Shakuhachi Trilogy is a revelatory collection which continues to occupy my thoughts and my CD player.

Gil Rose, David Krakauer, klezmer and the inventive compositional talent of Mathew Rosenblum have made this album a personal favorite. Lament/Witches Sabbath is a must hear album.

Another Cedille disc makes the cut here, Souvenirs of Spain and Italy. The only actual Chicago connection is that the fine Pacifica Quartet had been in residence at the University of Chicago. But what a fine disc this is! The musicianship and scholarship are astounding. Guitar soloist Sharon Isbin celebrates the 30th anniversary of her founding the department of guitar studies at Julliard, a feat that stands in parallel with the 30th anniversary of the founding of Cedille records. This great disc resurrects a major chamber work by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and presents a definitive program of chamber music for guitar and string quartet. This one has Grammy written all over it.

This New Focus recording was my personal introduction to the music of Du Yun and I’m still reeling. What substance! What force! Dinosaur Scar is quite an experience.

Another Starkland release, this album of music by the great new music pianist is a personal vision of the pianist and the creators of this forward looking repertoire. Eye to Ivory is a release containing music by several composers and championed most ably by Kathleen Supové.

Chicago born Jennifer Koh is one of the finest and most forward looking performers working today. Limitless is a collaboration between a curious but fascinating bunch of composers who have written music that demands and receives serious collaboration from this open minded ambassador for good music no matter how new it is. And Cedille scores another must hear.

Many recordings remain to be reviewed and some will bleed over into the new year so don’t imagine for a second that this list is comprehensive. It is just a personal list I wished to share. Happy listening and reading to all.

My 2019 in the Arts In many ways this has been a year of reckoning. I kept my promise to myself to double down on writing this blog and have already reached more viewers than any previous year.

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alwayssummerblog · 6 years

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Miranda Lambert Sings ‘Tin Man’ on ‘Austin City Limits’

There’s no question Miranda Lambert is one of the leading females of country music. The Texas native has an undeniable ability to silence a room with her music as well share the most unique and powerful of emotions with a packed crowd, all while making each listener feel as though it’s just the two of them.

Watch Lambert perform “Tin Man” at the 2017 ACM Awards, it’ll leave you itching for her episode to air.

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Since the 2016 release of her two disc album, Weight Of These Wings, Lambert has consistently silenced arenas with this particular track. She introduced “Tin Man” with a thought provoking story of the songs creation, as well as why she performed it last, alone at the mic. “I wrote this song with two of my best friends, that are from Texas as well, Jack Ingram and Jon Randall. I think we all needed to write this song at the time that we wrote it. We all took equal parts in each other's pain and put it down on paper and on a record. I recorded it, but I wanted to do it by myself because I feel like that's where it starts – with a song and a guitar and a girl and some emotions. So I'm gonna leave it there tonight.”

Austin City Limits is a PBS program where artists perform live for a small studio audience which is taped and televised for a later date. Lambert’s episode will air on Saturday, November 4 at 9 PM EST.

#megacountry #country #miranda lambert

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adambstingus · 6 years

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‘Bro country’, white men and Chris Stapleton dominate the Academy of Country Music awards

An uncalled-for duet by Dolly Parton and Katy Perry failed to tip the gender imbalance, in a night as lacking in diversity as country radio playlists

Power ballads, thunderous stadium rock, swaggering R&B, a tribute to fallen musical heroes like David Bowie, a ZZ Top cover, and even an appearance by rebranded country singer Kiefer Sutherland. The three-hour show may have been billed as the Academy of Country Music awards, but its programming was obviously much broader than that.

Sundays live telecast was, tellingly, broadcast from Las Vegas, the capital of illusion. The location fit this years ACMs, which treated the actual awards as afterthoughts to the main event: the promotion of modern country stars, particularly predominantly male, white newbies who didnt perform anything closely resembling country music.

More on that later. The awards, if they did matter, belonged to Chris Stapleton, the brooding and bearded Nashville outsider who last year came to represent a supposed turning point at country radio, which had largely been spinning its wheels with bro country: that is, muscle hunks in baseball caps who deliver party songs about drinking beer on the beach. That may be an overstatement, but as Dierks Bentley sang Sunday, Got a new girl, she got it going on/we drink all day, and party all night.

So it was telling that two of the genres biggest stars, Bentley and Luke Bryan, opened the show with a comedy bit in which they, and other stars like Carrie Underwood, claimed they were responsible for Stapletons success. I was a fan of him before he had the beard, said Jason Aldean. Stapleton ended up good on that promise, winning four awards including album and song of the year. The adulation got so heavy that, in accepting the award for vocal group of the year, Little Big Towns Kimberly Schlapman thanked Stapleton for not being a vocal group.

Of the 13 awards, only seven made the actual show, with the rest announced as early as last week. The real spotlight was on the performances, the last of which was Stapletons Fly Away, a haunting country ballad that featured the singer harmonizing with his wife, Morgane. That was the most country moment in a night filled largely with male performers a reflection of current country radio playlists from which women have been shrinking in recent years, leading many female artists to charge programmers with sexism.

Chris and Morgane Stapleton perform Fire Away Photograph: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

Indeed, among the few women who did perform newcomers Cam and Kelsea Ballerini along with Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert two were matched with male counterparts: Ballerini with Nick Jonas and, in a performance of ZZ Tops Tush, Lambert with Keith Urban and guitarist Billy Gibbons. The performance of the latter concentrated on requisite guitar shredding between Urban and Gibbons, leaving Lambert, one of country musics fiercest voices, with not much to do.

Strangely, the shows homogeny became even more evident when Tim McGraw performed the ballad Humble and Kind, a recent single connected to an online movement promoting global harmony. While in the middle of the MGM Grand Garden Arena, McGraw was surrounded by a multi-ethnic, multi-racial cast of people whose presence inevitably reminded the viewer of how singly uniform this industry remains.

Then there was what the ACMs promoted as a once in a lifetime event: the pairing of legend Dolly Parton with pop star Katy Perry. Who ordered this mismatch? Wearing a sparkly cowgirl outfit, Perry introduced Parton, who received a Tex Ritter award for a recent television biopic of her life. Despite recent albums by Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, and others, she was the only veteran invited to this party. The duo rushed through a melody of Partons Coat of Many Colors, Jolene, and 9 to 5 near the end of the night, with Parton ad-libbing quips between lyrics.

Who ordered this mismatch?: Dolly Parton and Katy Perry perform Coat of Many Colors at the 51st annual Academy of Country Music Awards Photograph: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

The three hours closed with the ACMs highest honor: entertainer of the year. Presenting was British actor Tom Hiddleston, who portrays Hank Williams in a new biopic. Before naming its recipient, he said the award would go to a singer who would be following in Hank Williams footsteps.

Then he called Jason Aldean to the stage. Earlier in the night Aldean sang Lights Come On, a pounding electro-rock anthem with lyrics such as, Yeah, the drink that were drinking, the smoke that were smoking/The party we throw, its going all night long.

As an Englishman and as an actor, I feel very much like a guest at this party, Hiddleston said earlier. Well, at least he has an excuse.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/2017/11/16/bro-country-white-men-and-chris-stapleton-dominate-the-academy-of-country-music-awards/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/167536340547

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grahamcarmen · 3 years

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Hi, so I just finished the new season today! I have so many thoughts, the last few episodes felt kind of rushed? I wished they had gone about the whole situation between Gray and Carm at the end differently. More so on seeing them reunited. My biggest question, is why was he so quick on going back to VILE? He knew what they were capable of yes, was it to feed his criminal impulses? Why did ever want to steal in the first place? What led him to that conclusion and how did he learn of VILE? I was keen on seeing more of his backstory, and still need time to let the story simmer so I can analyze it more. It's just confusing. I guess it's just because the show ended that I feel so bittersweet y'know. What do you think Carmen would've done after they all disbanded? How could she leave them so quickly after she just got back to Team Carmen in the end? Besides wanting to see her mother. I was hoping they'd at least stay together.

i think that more than a few people feel that ( the knee jerk incredulity at her just leaving them a note and yeeting was real)

like disclaimer again: i do love carmen and this season this is just expanding on some little ??’s

on gray and “thinking gray.”: I was also feeling the lackluster on the payoff motivation wise for gray returning to VILE ( which was definitely needed as he was the secret weapon needed to finally get evil carmen back and at least partially inevitable due to ownership of the choices yadadadada )but like when he finally got his memories back he just repeated some things that i never really doubted. that gray did this of his own free will, he probably is of a lower empathy in general (which does not mean incapable of caring and doing the right thing. just that..~~~), that he regretted hurting carmen. in s1 he says his primary motivation as making more money and i was like”mmhmm fits.” being a thief and all and why not since they hadn’t introduced the big “needs to be able to tie up loose ends.” as a operative qualifier to anyone, including some of the recruits there. the only newer thing was his video that he seeked them out. which is interesting and all but sets him up as a go-getter so its so confusing that he’d choose to return to VILE ...a place where he was hurt and is so freaking selfish with what capers they choose to pursue. i kinda went on a tangent on another post that there is a theme of using a false sense of bonding to give them a little more loyalty which is like really heavy considering that means offering a “home” to what looks like operatives who might all be orphans but i don’t think it was highlighted enough to say “HEY YO” even tho GRAY LOOKS SO TIRED TO LEARN ABOUT HIS PAST WITH VILE

its really interesting because of the 3 people who had access to him/nature we got; carmen who only encouraged his desire to help (for the kiddos, for her safety, for assuring her that they were in...whatever... together, and make sure that they weren’t being secret spy jerks) ACME who got like...0 usefulness (riperonis ma guys), and VILE with maelstrom just hammering home all his shadier deeds with “YEAH THIS IS YOU.” AND HIM JUST ACCEPTING IT AFTER SITTING FOR A LONG AF TIME ALONE.

and when this was happening I was thinking about this analysis from another fandom about characters who resign to the law of the strong which could have been a reason for why gray doesn’t seem to hold the consequences for his failure against VILE even though he really should. (if they bothered but listen-)

its something that happens when characters choose to live in worlds they know are unfair, know that they choose to lie and steal and cheat, and thus should not be surprised or hurt when it happens to them in return. which of course lead to them not knowing where to draw the line on what happens to them...and i mean this in like some narratives usually go (hahaha no thats messed up please gtfo being treated like that is not ok and in allowing others to define your limits you are whittling yourself away). and they decide to live in resignation that. i am capable of bad... so i AM bad. (I am that guy. i’ve always been that guy) and makes them absolutely ripe for the (but you’ve been good . you can choose to be better. it won’t erase the wrongs of the past but it will make for a better future)

but that still leaves exploration of “WHY WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE BY THE LAW OF THE STRONG??” and you know...not having anyone to rely on, poverty, or what was simple rebelliousness turning to darker and darker paths, are some easy reasons to put a spotlight on maybe our operatives having depth and like..arcs. especially any of those reasons combined. ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY’RE WHAT VILE CONSISTENTLY IS SHOWN OFFERING. (shadowsan really is their s-tier character huh)

which i really thought this show would go for when a shivering brunt who is loyal and protective asked if she was really going to be left behind or remember how unsympathetic most of them seemed to see carmen chloroformed because “she did interrupt our heist.” meaning that they understand this world. probably have understood it for longer than anyone should. (antonio being content as a “pawn” is the tenant in my head today) and why shouldn’t more money be important. or honestly how simple it was to accept that someone would just need more money.

with gray they introduced that he could be good and he could be bad but like leaned into “no all that niceness was fake and he’s bad.” due to the hyper specificity of the mind wipe apparently? which also leans into really flat interpretation of evil!carmen (i just mean that there is a lot there ...) meaning theres no really exploration of him and more of a judgment (even though he’s shown to be kind, snarky, and upfront, as himself without a mind wipe.) and then we wait...

the pacing of the last 2 episodes: adrenaline bebe!!! but also there were so many concepts being introduced and resolved and skimmed past so that it is a little confusing at some conclusions. like the scene you’re talking about where carmen just leaves a note and ghosts is like 30 seconds and thats a lot to unpack because ?? i’m really thinking that it might have been insinuating that carmen left them the pen specifically to give them a new home to wait for her because she was going on that little break like she planned (and they knew was the endgoal) because it was behind her note and presumably placed by her but because i was focusing on the letter goodbye like ??? i thought for some reason that it was zack saying he would now like to try ACME because HE thought of it and i was like ??when did you consider this?? and 3rd watch i was finally “ahhh ok ok i think i get it.”

another bitten off scene i think might have been when gray in his first mission is already exhibiting signs of going...”huh this is not good.”

from stopping carmen from unprofessionalism to seeing that new carmen is willing to up and leave the group for mental gymnastics instead of relying on them 100% to going to the ferris wheel where he DEFINITELY SAW HER TRYING TO KILL A CIVILIAN since it showed his reaction after ivy’s. and then it turn to team red because how they feel about it definately matters more than gray but its also so easy to miss that choosing to have gray witness that as the start of what makes him turn himself in (maybe this is just a possible interpretation and its midnight ok)

evil carmen! lost her empathy. ok. so then like thats a static judgment about how they’re gonna make her do bad stuff and she still absolutely cares about her history and VILE still needed to enforce bonding and giving her memories that they comforted her and gave her her coat so thats why she cares about it and her anger at betrayal and sense of loss that she still throws right in shadowsans face when “evil”

carmen thought she crossed a personal line?? like jeeeeeez that’s 6 months of crossing lines and the most recent and horrifying one happened like not even a minute ago and then 5 seconds later we get chief and her reconciling because yes it needed to happen so we’re not gonna address how traumatizing it was or

VILE JUST WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN HUH??

and all these things are important and have the groundwork for happening but man they just happen one after the other and its like

before moving on to the next thing and like let me breathe omg

and yeah that means that so many people were left confused because the show about family (carmen’s family that SHE built ) seemed to disband for carmen to go to see her mother at last alone, shadowsan to go to his brother and a heartbroken pair of red heads to join ACME

and we get a time gap before reuniting but only a few seconds to decide if reuniting was the plan all along(the pressure point)

and there is a lot of actual IN TIME that is broad strokes that many people have already picked whats going to haunt them that wasn’t explored more...

TLDR; i get it on both counts (gray and rushed)! glad there was some sweet in your bittersweet and since canon definitely had team red in the same place they absolutely reunited and moved back into the shop and carmen talked to them about how great her mom is and planned a dinner

#red crackle thoughts #not really red crackle but #ask #midnight me needs to learn what brevity is i swear #cs spoilers #also i am notorious at clipping my pwn thoughts #some of the context in my head didnt make it to being typed i am so sorry

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