#MAD VITOR

[garciapimienta]

Marc (Guiu) actually leaving makes me so upset with him, not because he's leaving (like obviously I wanted him to stay and think that the conditions for him to get decent play time are optimal rn, but fine, if he wants to leave because he's not sure of that, whatever, he can leave, that's completely fine) but because choosing Chelsea makes no sense if what he really wants is more playing time on a first team

[vitorofthescaleless]

T'was the night before Soulsmas, and all through the land, not a creature was stirring, especially the Brigand. All the stockings were hung by the hearth with care, with Gwyndolin being careful as not to singe off her hair. All through the Archives the Channelers were running, for Santa's great sack Seath the Scaleless was gunning. If you're dismayed by the way that was said, cheer up good fellow it's all in your head. The old dragon Seath, clever as ever, would set a trap for the old geezer no matter the weather. "All those gifts will be mine, an endless resource, immortality assured with absolutely no remorse!" Was something he'd say, if he actually can talk, we'll never know to this day. So Hollow by Hollow were placed by the chimney and its fire, rigged with black fire bombs to be the old saint's funeral pyre. Such an artifact of power and items will surely survive explosions galore, Seath's mad thoughts would quite insanely implore. A mad plan indeed as found in a commode, who'd think to capture Santa in a way he'd explode?

Along came the night the old dragon did wait, the thought of the goodies made him salivate. A jingle on the roof and a slip down the stack, the fuse was lit and he'd have the old sack! Again if you're worried how that's displayed, your train of thought leaves something to say. Down with a thud came the jolly old man, then cacophonous explosion lit him just as planned! With a great furor he slid down the stairs, only to find an angry Gwyn in his crosshairs. "You foolish oaf, you giant git, you tried to set me on fire, now THAT's quite a sin!" Seath was perplexed at the sight with great pain, he had used up all the smarts that were there in his brain! "You nambling ninny, you sodding old goat! I'M Santa Claus, you unclever stoat! I visit the homes of all good boys and girls, leaving behind presents all over the world! I came to see you, but the sight makes me puke, a trap set for Santa, by Gwyn's only Duke!" Seath bowed his head unsure what to say, he'd made a fool of himself this cold Soulsmas day. Gwyn heaved with a sigh and in a move he'd resent, held out a box, a singular present. Seath clapped his hands and tendrils with glee, "What did you get for little old me?" Inside was a paper neatly pink and carefully folded, that somehow survived the fireplace that'd exploded. It read as thus: "For being such a dimwitted liar, pack up your bags because you are fired!" So Seath learned a lesson on this Soulsmas day, when Gwyn comes to visit, revenge he will pay! For every lit fuse, for every bomb left exploded, if you stick to your wicked ways your head will be imploded! Out of the Archives and into the street, did Seath slither out on his not quite feet. "Now what to do and where are my manners, as a true Christmas Gift, the Archives will be run by the Channelers!" So now you see why Seath isn't here, he was fired by Gwyn one Soulsmas year. Wrapped up with a bow that couldn't be neater, here's a free silly not quite true backstory for your old Channeler, Vitor. Merry Christmas/Xmas and all in between, for holidays most cheery and years yet to be seen!

[ikram1909]

holy shit hell must’ve frozen over, the apocalypse is near. vitor roque is on the field and lewandowski is not, what is this madness?

[thisisyourdriverspeaking]

Happy New Year everyone! Starting off the year with the latest edition of Indy 500 racing tunes. Please enjoy (and here's to a brilliant 2025 for all of us)

Sam Hornish Jr (Car 6) - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California

Helio Castroneves (Car 3) - Chamillionaire ft Kayzie Bone - Ridin'

Dan Wheldon (Car 10) - The Fray - Over My Head (Cable Car)

Scott Dixon (Car 9) - Nick Lachey - What's Left Of Me

Tony Kanaan (Car 11) - Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten

Vitor Meira (Car 4) - Sean Paul - Temperature

Kosuke Matsuura (Car 55) - Kenny Chesney - Summertime

Scott Sharp (Car 8) - T.I. - What You Know

Marco Andretti (Car 26) - Yung Joc - It's Goin' Down

Danica Patrick (Car 16) - Rihanna - Unfaithful

Tomas Scheckter (Car 2) - Daniel Powter - Bad Day

Ed Carpenter (Car 20) - Nickelback - Savin' Me

Michael Andretti (Car 1) - Rihanna - SOS

Buddy Rice (Car 15) - Ne-Yo - When You're Mad

Townsend Bell (Car 90) - The Fray - How To Save A Life

Bryan Herta (Car 7) - Lil Jon ft E-40 & Sean Paul - Snap Yo Fingers

Dario Franchitti (Car 27) - Bon Jovi - Who Says You Can't Go Home

Max Papis (Car 52) - T.I. - Why You Wanna

Eddie Cheever (Car 51) - Three 6 Mafia - Poppin' My Collar

PJ Chesson (Car 91) - Gary Allan - Life Ain't Always Beautiful

Felipe Giaffone (Car 14) - James Blunt - You're Beautiful

Jeff Bucknum (Car 92) - The Raconteurs - Steady As She Goes

Larry Foyt (Car 41) - Ne-Yo - So Sick

Jaques Lazier (Car 21) - Christina Milian ft Young Jeezy - Say I

Buddy Lazier (Car 5) - Fort Minor ft Holly Brook - Where'd You Go

Jeff Simmons (Car 17) - Mary J.Blige - Be Without You

Al Unser Jr (Car 31) - Shawnna - Gettin' Some

Roger Yasukawa (Car 12) - Bubba Sparxx ft Ying Yang Twins & Mr ColliPark - Ms New Booty

Airton Dare (Car 88) - Heather Headley - In My Mind

Stephan Gregoire (Car 97) - Buckcherry - Crazy Bitch

Arie Luyendyk Jr (Car 61) - Ghostface Killah ft Ne-Yo - Back Like That

PJ Jones (Car 98) - Shinedown - I Dare You

Thiago Medeiros (Car 18) - Daddy Yankee - Rompe

All added to this playlist :)

[dyclerc]

https://www.tumblr.com/dyclerc/754138150229753857/httpswwwtumblrcomdyclerc754122709818064896d

this is the last thing i’ll say, i promise because i’m sure i’m beginning to get a little annoying lol. marc has less competition at barça than he would have at chelsea. even if he’s third-choice striker at barcelona, him and vitor roque would likely get rotated for minutes because both are too young to be solely relied upon to be barça’s starting striker. at chelsea nicolas jackson may be the only “true striker” but there’s still way more competition from players that are capable of playing as striker. at chelsea there’s deivid washington who can play on the wings but is mainly a striker, david datro fofana who can play on the wings but is also mainly deployed as a striker, armando broja who could be potentially sold but is a striker, christopher nkunku who’s more of an attacking midfielder/second striker, and cole palmer who’s been used as a striker a couple of times for chelsea last season. so that’s five players already who’re competition for marc, and that’s not even counting the players that chelsea are currently linked to. omari kellyman who can play as a winger/attacking midfielder/striker and is already set to join chelsea, jonathan david who’s currently being linked to chelsea, samu omordion who’s also a striker and is being linked to chelsea, dominic solanke who’s again another striker linked to chelsea, and jhon duran who’s another striker linked to chelsea. it’s obvious that there’s going to be stiff competition when comes to joining chelsea as a striker. again, this is going to sound harsh, but with all the information available to me it really looks like marc is thinking with his bank account and not his brain. chelsea may be able to offer more money, but it really does look like he’s walking into a team that’s already chalk full of players who can play in the same position that he does. all the best to him and i truly mean that, but i can’t help but think he’s setting himself up for failure.

It's ok I love getting anons and to talk about football so I've enjoyed this ❤️😅

I think if Marc's as good as we think he is, he'll earn his place anywhere he goes. And at the end of the day we don't know what the renewal or the Chelsea offer looks like, so I can't just assume he left for money. What I'm certain tho is that the board could've and should've done a better job, and I'm very mad they didn't

[thecasualbookreviewer]

2023 To be read!

The last few months of 2022 put me on a big reading slump, one I'm hoping to get out off during 2023, so here's this years reading list. I will be updating the one's I've read and adding monthly additions, because let's be honest, reading books and buying books are two different hobbies.

The list:

The restaurant at the end of the universe, Adam Douglas.

Life, the universe and everything, Douglas Adams

So long, and thanks for all the fish, Douglas Adams

Mostly harmless, Douglas Adams

Ink heart, Cornelia Funke

Ink blood, Cornelia Funke

Ink death, Cornelia Funke

The last cuentista, Donna Barba Higuera

Trigger Warning, Neil Gaiman

Smoke and Mirrors, Neil Gaiman

Macabre stories, HP Lovecraft

The Randolph Carter tales, HP Lovecraft

Stories of the dreamlands, HP Lovecraft

At the mountain of madness and other stories, HP Lovecraft

The call of Cthulhu and other stories, HP Lovecraft

The dunwich horror and other stories, HP Lovecraft

It, Stephen King

Woven by moonlight, Isabel Ibáñez

Written in starlight, Isabel Ibáñez

Here the whole time, Vitor Martins

The fever code, James Dashner

The Kill Order, James Dashner

Maze runner, James Dashner

The scorch trials, James Dashner

the death cure, James Dashner

Something fabulous, Alexis Hall

The affair of the mysterious letter, Alexis Hall

The house in the cerulean sea, TJ Klune

The Princess Bride, William Goldman

[fireheartwraith]

I'm reading Batman Eternal and everything is fine until I come across this

Seriously Scott Snyder? A single google search would've told you that people in Brazil don't speak Spanish

This may seem like a small detail to get mad about (I don't even know yet if the character speaking is Brazilian or just in Brazil), but if they had done the bare minimum they would know that

The official language of Brazil is Portuguese, so instead of saying "que diablos" it could've been "mas que raios" (sfw) or "mas que porra" (nsfw)

No one in Brazil is named Gonzolo. That sounds like gorgonzola, so they absolutely would have been bullied in school. Some common male names in Brazil would be Pedro, Felipe, João Vitor (names like João, Maria and Ana almost always have a second name in Brazil). If they wanted to keep the G, Gabriel, Gael and Gustavo would be good choices

Though "Dominguez" is common enough surname, the z indicates a hispanic descent. If they are from Rio, it would probably be spelled as "Domingues" because of the proximity to the Portuguese court in early nineteenth century. If you don't want to bother thinking about geography, just use the surnames "da Silva", "Oliveira" or "Santos". Be aware that having middle names isn't common, João Vitor is considered a single name, instead we usually have two surnames like {<GivenName> <Mother's Last Name> <Father's Last Name>}. Btw, Silva is such a common surname there are people called "Silva Silva" because both parents had it.

"telenovela" isn't a thing we say. They are just novelas, and the actors are just that, actors. Many of them begin in theatre before going to tv (the novelas) and starring on the occasional movie, so it doesn't make sense to differentiate a "movie star" from a "telenovela star"

TL;DR: if a part of your book/movie/etc is going to take place in a foreign country, make sure to at least google what language they speak there

[dailyadventureprompts]

I was re-reading the Blue Rose rpg, and I'm trying to do something with flesh shaping. In the setting good mages can regrow missing limbs and help people transition, while bad mages can warp people into slaves. While I'm sure DnD already has spells for those specific uses, I'm thinking of an ally or patron who can give the players something special, like switching around ability points, or grafting some of those extra monster parts in the loot sack for bonuses. Any thoughts?

check out Vitor Osmos, my biomancer NPC and a delightfully benign mad scientist

[ao3feed-victuuri]

There's Nothing The Pakhan Hates More Than Viten'ka

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2RIwYGK

by MagicalMirai

“M-mmh… Vitya…” Yuuri moaned around the toy, rather loudly as his hips began to buck against the vibrator on his clit. 

Then, an even more lewd, even more… evil thought came to his head. 

“Ahh… haa… Viten’ka…” Yuuri groaned, deliberately moaning louder, in hopes that Victor would hear. And oh, he’d be so mad to know Yuuri had given such a name to a cheap rip off of the real thing. “Viten’ka…”

Or... How Victor's worst enemy, Viten'ka came about.

Words: 8893, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 11 of Femme Fatale Mob Wife Yuuri

Fandoms: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Katsuki Yuuri, Victor Nikiforov

Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov

Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Mob, Omega Verse, Intersex Omegas, Mafia Victor Nikiforov, Mafia Katsuki Yuuri, Omega Katsuki Yuuri, Alpha Victor Nikiforov, Established Relationship, Established Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Possessive Victor Nikiforov, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Sex, Bottom Katsuki Yuuri, Top Victor Nikiforov, Confident Katsuki Yuuri, Dark Victor Nikiforov, Dark Katsuki Yuuri, Eros Katsuki Yuuri, Thirsty Katsuki Yuuri, Thirsty Victor Nikiforov, Bratva, Russian Mafia, Double Penetration, Sex Toys, Squirting, Creampie, Anal Sex, Vaginal Sex, Oral Fixation, Yuuri has one of those clone a willy things lol, Teasing, Masturbation, Anal Fingering, Breeding Kink, Pregnancy Kink, Begging, Desperate Sex, Sex as a stress reliever, Pussy Spanking, Jealous Victor Nikiforov, Jealous sex, Vitor is jealous of a dildo lol, Murder, Murder Husbands

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2RIwYGK

[thesportssoundoff]

DWCS Season Finale Primer

Joey

August 25th, 2019

Dusko Todorovic vs Teddy Ash Middleweight

Dusko Todorovic 8-0, 25 years old From Serbia Secutor MMA

Fun Factoids:

-Dusko Todorovic already comes into the DWCS with plenty of quality wins on his resume. He has a win over funky Brazilian UFC fighter Michel Pereira (up a weight class for Pereira), DWCS fighter Alexander Poppek (up a weight class for Todorovic), Pride veteran Kazuo Takahashi and then undefeated fighter Toni Merkulev. -Dusko is looking to become the second European born fighter to win a contract on the DWCS. The first one was Croatian fighter and Stipe Miocic training partner Aleksa Camur. -6 of Dusko's 8 wins have been recorded (one fight has no listed methodology for the result) first round stoppages.

Teddy Ash 14-4, 29 years old From Canada Shaved Bears MMA (Home of Tanner Boser)

Fun Factoids:

-Teddy Ash's record is equally loaded with names you'd know. He went 1-1 with former UFC veteran Dominique Steele, has a win over former UFC veteran Seth Baczynski, a win over DWCS veteran Cameron Olson, a loss to UFC signee (released due to PEDs) Adam Hunter AND a win over Bellator vet Viktor Valiamaki.He was also at one point scheduled to go back up to 205 lbs to fight Matt Hammil this year but THANKFULLY that fight fell through. -Teddy Ash has been a pro since 2013 and is an ALASKA FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP veteran. -Since "What do fighters do when they're not fighting?" is always of interest to some people, Teddy Ash works as a welder in the Syncrude Aurora mine.

Kailan Hill vs Impa Kasanganay Middleweights

Kailan Hill 5-0, 24 years old From California, By way of Puerto Rico Blackhouse MMA (Home to Lyoto Machida, Anderson Silva, Pedro Munhoz, Mackenzie Dern)

Fun Factoids:

-Kailan Hill has spent 4 of his 5 pro fights fighting in the LFA cage with stoppage in 3 of those 4 fights. -Hill comes into this fight with a decision win over Jhonoven Pati; Pati's pro losses prior to that? Ryan Spann (in the UFC) and Punahele Soriano (now in the UFC). His other high profile was WW Adam Fuggit, 4-1 with his sole loss coming to Bellator vet Austin Vanderford. -Hill owns two of LFA's most impressive finishes; one by step up knee into a right cross vs Adam Fuggit and the other a spinning backfist KO over 4-1 Andre Walker.

Impa Kasanganay 5-0, 25 years old From North Carolina Gym-O (Home to Scott Holtzman, Bryan Barberena and Justine Kish)

Fun Factoids:

-Impa DEBUTED in 2019. He has less than a full year's worth of experience as a pro even if he has three years of amateur experience. Madness. -Despite his relative lack of experience, Impa has appeared almost entirely for brand name MMA orgs. He's fought twice for Island Fights, once for KOTC and once for LFA. His most accomplished opponent is 4-3 (now 4-4) Devorious Tubbs. -Impa Kasangnay played college football at the university of Western Carolina as a reserve linebacker.

Sang Hoon Yoo vs Peter Barrett Welterweights

Sang Hoon Yoo 5-0, 29 years old From South Korea Busan Team MAD (Home of See Heo Ham, Dongi Yang, Stun Gun Kim and Doo Ho Choi)

Fun Factoids:

-Sang Hoon Yoo's record is truly perplexing. His first official fight on record is against a 15-6 Vitor Toffanlelli. He followed that up by fighting not a single person over .500 from that point on. -Hoon Yoo's fights has made lightweight before but two of his last three fights have been at a 165 lb catchweight so keep an eye on that as it pertains to a fighter making or not making weight. -Yoo is looking to become the first Korean fighter to win a DWCS contract.

Peter Barrett 10-3, 33 years old From Boston Team Sityodong (Home of Kenny Florian, Rob Font, Saul Almeida), Lauzon MMA (Home of Calvin Kattar, Rob Font )

Fun Factoids:

-Not sure if this counts as fun for Barrett but he comes into this fight 2-3 in his last four fights. His last win was over longtime MMA veteran Jay Ellis who boasts a rugged 17-75 (!) record. -Barrett was scheduled to compete on a Bellator card in 2018 but his opponent popped for PEDs and the fight was nixed. He never got another opportunity with the organization. -Peter Barrett works as a bartender outside of fighting.

Ben Sosoli vs Dustin Joynson HEAVYWEIGHTS BIG BOI WEIGHT

Ben Sosoli 7-2, 25 years old From Australia Resilience Training Centre

Fun Factoids:

-Ben Sosoli was a contestant on TUF 28; he lost to eventual winner Juan Espino in the quarterfinals. -Ben Sosoli has a professional boxing background as well as a background as a rugby player prior to a knee injury. -Sosoli's best opponent is Kelvin Fitial who he split fights with.

Dustin Joynson 5-0, Age Unknown From Canada Zugec Ultimate MMA (Home to Sarah Kauffman and Ryan Janes)

Fun Factoids:

-Joynson debuted in 2014 and then took three years off, in large part due to the fact that they couldn't find him a fight. Joynson struggled -Joynson did a large portion of his camp for this fight at Syndicate MMA and the UFC PI. -Dustin Joynson works in a school in Canada and he said he won't quit his job even if he gets a UFC contract.

Dylan Lockard vs TJ Brown Featherweights

Dylan Lockard 6-1, 27 years old From Boston Sityodong MMA (Home of Kenny Florian, Rob Font, Saul Almeida)

Fun Factoids:

-Lockard's one pro loss is to 3-3 Shane Manley although he did rebound from that to win three fights against opponents with records above .500. -Lockard is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire. -Dylan Lockard has some weight class versatility as he's fought as high as 155 lbs (in his last fight, a five round championship fight) and as low as 135 lbs at the start of his career.

TJ Brown 13-6, 29 years old From Arkansas

Westside Fight Team (Home of Bryce Mitchell)

Fun Factoids:

-Brown has some names on his resume that might ring bells. He has losses to UFC veteran Bobby Moffet, Bellator veteran Cody Carrillo and Bellator/LFA veteran Trey Ogden. -TJ Brown is coming onto the Contender's Series off a big highlight reel KO over Ken Beverley. -Brown is about to fight for the fourth time in 2019 and wants to take another fight before the end of the year as well.

[marvelfaceclaims-blog]

Vitor Andrade - Crosta (Crosta)

First Appearance: Dark Reign: The Cabal #1 (Jun, 2009)

“Enough of this madness. I am Atlantean. I care nothing for your surface disputes.”

[ikram1909]

Vitor’s camp aren’t playing around, they got the wife, agent, and rest of his entourage to deal with xavi 🤣🤣

Nah because they're going for Xavi's neck I don't know whether to laugh or be mad or what 😭😭

[songofsilentechoes]

Unrelated to current events in another time, Vitor nods to Noelle as he turns a corner, standing a whole 2' tall once more. Around the corner he seems to be gone.

Noelle blinks. She didn't think she was drinking, but was that Vitor....shorter than her?

He was normally so much taller than her. What madness was this?

But before she could say anything, he was gone.

[thecasualbookreviewer]

TBR list

Alright, half the year has gone by and I wanna make a list here of my TBR of books I haven't read once and have been on my shelves for a while, plus all the new additions: (The list is in to particular order, I usually read what I feel like reading or am excited about )

Code CRUEL, James Dashner (For this one I also wanna read the whole Maze Runner saga again, so its another 4 books here)

The hitchhikers guide to the universe, Douglas Adams

The restaurant at the end of the universe, Douglas Adamas

Life, the universe and everything, Douglas Adams

So long, and thanks for all the fish, Douglas Adams

Mostly harmless, Douglas Adams

Ink heart, Cornelia Funke

Ink blood, Cornelia Funke

Ink death, Cornelia Funke

The last cuentista, Donna Barba Higuera

Trigger Warning, Neil Gaiman

Smoke and Mirrors, Neil Gaiman

Macabre stories, HP Lovecraft

The Randolph Carter tales, HP Lovecraft

Stories of the dreamlands, HP Lovecraft

At the mountain of madness and other stories, HP Lovecraft

The call of Cthulhu and other stories, HP Lovecraft

The dunwich horror and other stories, HP Lovecraft (I’ve read some of Lovecraft stories here and there but I got a nice hard cover special edition of his works for my birthday)

It, Stephen King

The chaos of stars, Kiersten White

They both die at the end, Adam Silvera

History is all you left me, Adam Silvera

More happy than not, Adam Silvera

Woven by moonlight, Isabel Ibáñez

Written in starlight, Isabel Ibáñez

If this gets out, Sophie Gonzalez and Cale Dietrich

Not quite out, Louise Willingham

Here the whole time, Vitor Martins

Have you guys read any? I take all and any recs you might have!

My plan for July is the Adam Silvera books with a probable re read of RWARB to ease off the sadness 😅

[toku-explained]

Guide to Gridman EX: Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad

I do not consider as of yet this show to be part of the Gridman Universe. It is after all, just a Power Rangers style westernising of the concept, with fight scene footage mixed with new footage. The series has a bigger main cast however, and some things have definitely been referenced in SSSS.Gridman with names, and maybe SSSS.Dynazenon with the cockpits.

The series follows the same basic premise, but Team Samurai is a band, and all the abilities are granted at once. There's nothing special about the computer used, and they're called Arsenal Programs and Mega-Virus Monsters. Perhaps the biggest difference is in how the main cast contribute to the battles with those Arsenal Programs. Rather than controlling them with controllers, they are equipped in sparkly oufits and dragged into the computer, piloting the vehicles in cockpits.

Sam Collins, guitarist, wants to date Jennifer, annoyed by his unseen sister Elizabeth, he receives the Samuraizer to become Servo. "Let's Samuraize, Guys!"

Tanker, Drummer, Athlete, crush of Sydney, pilots Tracto and Torb. "Let's kick some Giga-butt!"

Sydney "Syd" Forrester, keyboard player, the brains, pilot of Borr and Jamb. "Pump up the Power!"

Amp Ere, bassist, space mad and kind of odd in what he knows, pilot of Vitor. "Random non-sequitar!"

Lucky London replaces Amp for the last of the series, a laid-back surfer and takes over piloting Vitor. "Surf's Up!"

Jennifer "Jen" Doyle is the object of Sam's affections, and Malcolm's, she is a cheerleader and dates Sam on and off.

Yolanda "Yoli" Prarchert is student council president and Jen's best friend.

Principal Prarchert is Yoli's father, often strict with Sam due to his antics.

Mrs. Rimba *Cha-Cha" Starkey is the lunchlady, often joking with the students while serving poor quality meals.

Malcolm Frink is the one creating the Mega-Virus Monsters at Kilokhan's behest, he dislikes Sam due to their mutual crush on Jen, and also dislikes Tanker.

Borr, Tracto and Viror combine into Zenon, and with Servo into Synchro. Jamb and Torb combine into Drago, and with Servo into Phormo.

So based on my research it really seems like the plan was for this show to have about the same number of episodes as the original, as the summary for episode 37 seemed to hit the same beats. Instead the literal reset button was hit and the series continued until episode 53, Amp leaving after a couple more episodes, the actual final episode having a situation where Tanker is forced to become Servo because Sam is unavailable.

[thecrookedtower]

27. Sanity Within Madness

[context: night of Den of Beasts]

It was well past midnight when the master of the tower appeared in his office, Vitor was tired, but there was still much to do. He dismissed his ghouls and set off down the hall. The relief he felt to be done with this recent bit of business added a certain lightness to his steps. The letter he would send could wait until he’d cleaned up.

               Vitor produced the knife he’d used and placed it on the basin in the washroom, and though the blade and his hands appeared clean, they weren’t truly. Magic may have cleaned away much, but remnants of grime could still be felt upon the skin. Soap and water would remedy that. He poured the cool water over his hands and the knife and scrubbed until he was satisfied. Only when all traces of the deed were washed away did he dry his hands and return to his desk.              

               The wizard gathered the letter he had written and read it once more, before sealing it with wax and affixing it to the leg of his owl. He murmured the address to it, before sending it on its way. Saltmarsh was far, but luckily familiars did not tire like regular animals. The message would arrive in the early morning.  He breathed a sigh of contentment, the night was done, he could relax.

               Walking down the many steps of the spiral staircase, Vitor directed himself to the dining area where he poured two short glasses of whisky. He placed one at the empty place beside him and clinked his own glass against it before sitting down wearily in one of the wooden chairs. He sipped his drink idly but took note as an ethereal figure took shape in the seat across from him.

               Larc’s form was a translucent array of blues, the edges of which dissipated like smoke. He was a moment frozen in time, his fine robes betraying his history as they held the fashion of a distant past. Hair that was wavy and light and fell to his shoulders. It framed an angular and young face. Vitor guessed that Larc had not been much younger than himself when he met his untimely demise; the signs of which were painted upon him. He bore a gruesome hole where his heart should be. Arms crossed over his chest, Larc’s eyes beheld the wizard with the same bitterness that he often carried in his voice.

               “Good evening, Larc. I would offer you a drink, but I know it would do you little good.” Vitor breathed a tired laugh into his glass and savored the flicker of annoyance that crossed the ghost’s features. Larc did not reply with some snide remark, he only stared at Vitor as his eyes seemingly searched for some answer he could not find.

               “Can I assist you with something? I must say your lack of banter is jarring, and I worry you have something more annoying planned.” Vitor placed his glass down on the table, tracing the rim of it with a finger lazily, but his eyes never left the specter in front of him. Larc uncrossed his arms and leaned back into his seat with a sigh.

               “I cannot figure out why you did it. Your recent actions are inconsistent with your history of motivations. I will admit I am tired of trying to uncover your reasoning and have decided to simply ask you. Why did you kill Sebastian of the Dreadful Siren?”

               “Ah, you cannot fathom why I would kill my business partner. Though, given how little you think of me, I doubt it is the charge of murder that surprises you. Explain your confusion, and I will do my best to remedy it.” Vitor’s mouth curved into a smile, his blue eyes narrowing slightly.

               “Sebastian seemed to be an invaluable source of information and other resources for you, and I have known your greed and ambition to have no bounds. To kill him would be a setback to your goals, dark as they are, and you usually do not create setbacks for yourself. I sincerely doubt he had ceased to be useful; the Sea Princes are still strong in the region. From the outside, it seems like an act of stupidity to make an enemy of them and cut off a supply line. You are many things, Vitor Monteiro, but I do not think you to be wholly without wit.” The last sentence seemed almost painful for Larc to get out, and Vitor accepted the trace of a compliment with a chuckle.

               “He threatened Morcego. Told me I ought to keep a better leash on her, and that if she continued to interfere with their business, he would make trouble.” As soon as the answer left his lips, Vitor could tell that it had not pleased the ghost.

               “You killed him for her, you expect me to believe that? Her concerns about his activities never cause you to sever that relationship, you let her leave the tower before you would cast him aside. I doubt this is a symptom of remorse, I don’t think you possess the emotion.” Larc bristled.

               “You don’t have to believe me, your trust or opinion of me have never held value. I will ask this of you, what reason would I have to lie to you?” Vitor waited, but Larc was silent, so he continued.

               “Protecting Morcego has always come first, for if she perishes, my goals will mean nothing. His usefulness for advancing my ambitions ended the moment he threatened her. The price of having to find a new supplier is outweighed by the safety I secured for the woman I love.” Vitor studied Larc’s expression and found it still held notes of distrust, but there was something else there.  

               “I will admit I would sacrifice much to achieve my aspirations, but never her. I am not the heartless monster you paint me as, though perhaps with your own lack of a heart you are simply projecting.” The wizard gestured to the wound in Larc’s chest, and it seemed this jest would be the thing that finally broke Larc’s silence. The ghost slammed his fist onto the table, and the room went cold.

               “Enough, you snake of a man. I have more than enough reasons to expect deceit and cruelty from you!” Larc hissed with a quiet and strained fury. Vitor was unruffled, and mostly curious. It was almost unheard of for Larc to lose his composure and give way to such an emotional outburst.

               “Tell me then of your reasons, then. As far as I can tell, you have despised me since the day I set foot in this tower.” Vitor cocked his head slightly and took a sip of whisky. Larc had hinted to his reasons before, but the necromancer wanted to hear them in full. Perhaps he was going mad if he sought to hear of Larc’s woes, but he suspected he just missed having a conversation partner.

               “I knew a man like you once, and trusted him,” the fire seemed to leave Larc, his posture slumped. “Like you, I was a scholar. I found tutelage under a mage of great power, and though people cautioned that his studies were dark, and that necromancy was an art that only held evil, I did not listen. I offered him my servitude for his teachings, and for years I worked under him, learning all manner of magic.”  

               “He had the same greed that grips your heart and searched for power and life beyond his mortal reaches. And as I fear you will, he succeeded. On the night that he would seize his success I was there, helping him with the ritual that would give him what he sought. As the preparations were nearly finished, he brought me near to him, and thanked me for my service. He cut the heart from my chest and used it to secure his immortality. I had only ever been a tool to him and was naïve to think otherwise,” the last sentence of Larc’s story was told in a quiet softness.

               “You were not graced with a kind master, and for that I pity you.” Vitor’s words were earnest and given with a gentleness that he had never shown the spirit.

               “I do not need your pity, you who came here seeking to learn the depraved arts he left behind. You follow his footsteps far better than I ever could.”

               “I am not him, and Morcego will not meet any such fate at my hands. She is not a tool to me; I will not harm her.”  The compassion was gone in Vitor’s voice, replaced with a venom that matched Larc’s.

               “I would never let you harm her.” Larc promised.

“And why is that Larc? Because you love her?” Vitor challenged, not expecting Larc’s silence and expression to reveal the truth of what he had just exposed. The wizard laughed at the realization.

“Oh, you poor ghost. Perhaps your hatred of me is born also of jealously. You are so clouded that you forget: I have only ever protected her, while it is you that made her heart stop all those years ago. Do not think for a moment that I will forgive you for the danger you put her in on that day.”

               To that, Larc had no response. The spirit looked as if he had been kicked and sat motionless as Vitor knocked back the rest of his whisky and rose to leave the table.  

               “Good night Larc, do not interrupt my studies tomorrow.”