#passive aggressive jean paul

[one-hit-boy-wonder]

Jason and Jean-Paul would either get along like a house on fire or try to kill each other on sight

[dedeinthewild]

paul aron x reader, no labels

“Your bed is like… 30% sheets, 70% snack wrappers and passive aggression,”

summary : In hotel rooms that smelled like warm sheets and shared routines, a sleepy driver and his favorite photographer quietly fell into something soft and utterly theirs.

If there was one thing they loved, it was the smell that filled the rooms they slept in for just a few days but, for that short while, became their home. That smell they picked up—each time a different blend of skin, fabric softener, and soap bars stolen from hotel amenity kits—and the sound of them waking up and fixing their hair in the morning, one of the things that bonded them. Like when you're at home with nothing to do, and once you open your eyes, you just stay under the covers, the warmth of your skin marked by the deep sleep, and you can still catch that unmistakable scent people leave in the sheets.

That had kind of become Paul’s anthem in life. By now, he was the third driver for a Formula One team, and even though he wasn’t racing anymore, he still traveled around to do some testing and spend time with the team. But not being behind the wheel meant he could give in to that feeling—the one that glued you to the mattress for hours and was nearly impossible to resist. And if it hadn’t been for the girl often by his side, the Estonian probably would’ve spent weeks wrapped in the warm scent of his own skin, getting up only for the morning run he loved. Maybe not even for that.

She, on the other hand, was the type of person who went to bed when everyone else was already asleep and woke up before most had even opened their eyes. Still not quite used to traveling, she’d walk down the hallways in pajamas, hotel slippers, and a slightly messy braid keeping her hair in place. Lately, though, she’d gotten into the habit of waking Paul up when they were at the same hotel—especially when Parc Fermé was collaborating with him and they were spending several days in close contact. She had figured out that after racing, he would always crawl back into bed and sleep a few more hours now that he didn’t have to follow the intense training schedules of the racing season. And after two mornings of Paul sprinting breathless into the paddock, she figured she could kill two birds with one stone.

That morning, she’d been woken up earlier than usual by a call from her mother, who had completely forgotten about the time difference. So she’d taken a little extra care getting ready for the day of photos she had ahead in the feeder series paddock. She was walking down the hallway in a pair of worn jeans, cameras in hand, hair neatly braided, and that calm, rested air she always carried leaving behind faint hints of a perfume she’d picked up in the French Riviera. A sharp contrast to the chaos she’d find in the driver’s room—shirts everywhere, an overflowing suitcase splayed open on the floor, and protein bar wrappers scattered at the foot of the bed.

“You better not be dead in there,” she joked, pushing open the door he’d left ajar, stepping in carefully so she wouldn’t startle him. A few water bottles were scattered around, some cologne boxes falling out of the suitcase, and polo shirts draped over the armchair, next to his laptop.

“Paul?” She passed the entryway and peeked into the main room, where the giant Estonian lay sprawled across a bed that looked both massive and incredibly comfortable. His left arm was wedged between the pillows, the other resting on top, his hand close to slightly parted lips, curls splayed across the striped blue sheets. He looked like he’d been shot mid-dream—lying on his stomach, sleeves of his black sleep shirt rolled up on his shoulders.

“You’re not slick. I know you’re awake,” she said with a smirk, setting her cameras down on the nightstand and leaning over slightly to tickle him just under the arms—his weakest spot. But he was quick. And sneaky as hell. With a swift move, he grabbed her arm, trapping her between himself and the bed and pulling her onto the other half like the universe had always known that was where she belonged.

Paul looked at her with those mischievous, strikingly blue eyes, the blankets pulled up to his chin as he stretched, while she stayed there with the faintest smile still on her face.

“You’re so predictable. You fell for it,” he laughed, stretching wide enough to knock the cameras off the nightstand and nudge her glasses back up her nose.

“You are the worst human being I’ve ever met,” she said—her usual line—while he rested his head on his fist, curls going in every direction.

“Mm, good morning to you too.”

“I have a schedule. People to shoot. Tire blankets to romanticize. Let me go.”

“Nope. You willingly entered enemy territory. Rookie move.”

He grinned, chest rising and falling with each breath, and she caught a whiff of that signature scent—some blend of hotel sheets and whatever cologne he’d bummed off a teammate after forgetting his own. He always had a different one, but underneath it all was the smell of Paul, and to her, that was one of the best scents in the world.

“I knew you were awake,” she muttered, pinching his arm, stealing a bit of that grin for herself.

“Sure you did,” he teased, soaking in the perfect feeling of waking up next to someone like her—in warm sheets, with all the time in the world… or almost.

“You look like a real adult this morning. Very professional,” he added, nodding toward the cameras on the nightstand, alongside her phone and wallet buzzing with notifications.

“You’re just jealous because I actually have responsibilities today, while you sleep here like one of those snoring dogs.”

“What kind of dog would I be?”

“What kind of question is that?” she laughed, resting her cheek on the arm he’d curled around her. Her full cheeks pressed into his skin, warm from the bed. She was so cute. Sweet. Terribly familiar. And the fact that she didn’t realize it made it all even better.

“I’m saving my energy. It’s called reserving. You wouldn’t understand.”

“You’re not even pretending to be productive,” she said, while he raised his eyebrows at the jab—watching her slowly give in to the bed’s siren call.

“I’m not a fan of lying.”

Paul was the kind of person who was hard to read at first, but she’d been one of the few to really understand him. Sometimes withdrawn and private, other times so goofy and light that even the deepest conversation would turn into laughter. The kind that carries you somewhere else. The kind that makes you want to play your favorite song and let it blend with the moment—just like the two of them did.

“Your bed is like… 30% sheets, 70% snack wrappers and passive aggression,” she grinned, eyeing him as he seemed to realize she was trying to get up and drag him with her.

“Five more minutes, come on,” he said, gently tugging at the hem of her shirt, keeping her close before wrapping his arms around her shoulders, pinning her between his chest and arms.

“You don’t even like cuddling.”

“Who said that?”

“You,” she laughed, feeling the warmth of his arms against her, almost brushing her cheek. In truth, Paul was exactly the type to rest his chin on someone’s head, wrap an arm around someone’s shoulders, press a quick kiss on a relative’s cheek, or offer his elbow to a girl walking beside him. So no, he wasn’t someone who didn’t like cuddles—he just had his own rhythm.

“I guess I’m evolving then,” he said, letting her go so she could move to her side of the bed. But she didn’t seem inclined to. She was too comfortable, nestled in the pillows, one of his hands still resting around her waist.

“You smell like… photographer stress and vanilla lip balm.”

“It’s unscented, dumbass,” she laughed. “You smell like hotel sheets and ego.”

They stayed like that, laughing, tossing around dumb questions, until her phone and alarms buzzed a little louder, and it was finally time for her to leave. She sat up, grabbing her phone, while he leaned back with his hands behind his head, watching her with a half-dreamy smile, eyes locked on the way she talked to herself out loud.

“Okay. I actually have to go. Like, five minutes ago.”

“Fine. But if I fall back asleep and miss breakfast, it’s your fault.”

The sleepy air around them definitely made that a real risk.

“I wouldn’t even be here if you didn’t forget to set alarms and would 100% sleep through your entire career.”

“True. But still. Makes you kinda my hero.”

She rolled her eyes, stepping out of bed and noticing that even though Paul had slept alone, he’d still slept on the monster side of the bed. And her heart told her that if he were in any bed, anywhere in the world, then the other half of it would always be hers. With her wallet, her shoes kicked off at the foot, and her own suitcase open on the floor—shower gels and hair straighteners scattered everywhere.

By the end of the day, she was exhausted—thousands of steps, countless photos, and the full weight of her work sinking into her spine. And as if that wasn’t enough, after her shower, the hotel hairdryer sputtered out in a puff of black smoke, leaving her in her favorite oversized tee and too-big pajama pants, standing in the hallway debating who could lend her one.

The answer was obvious. Actually—no “almost” about it.

She knocked on the door that had become her regular stop. Key card in one hand, phone in the other, hoping no one stepped out of their room to witness the mess she was.

Paul opened the door in Nike shorts and a faded shirt she’d seen him wear a thousand times, holding a mug of hot tea, freshly dried curls falling perfectly across his forehead.

“You look… aggressively off-duty,” he said, surprised, glancing at her wet hair and her pajama pants.

“Bold coming from someone drinking bedtime tea like a grandma.”

He laughed, letting her walk in under his arm, watching her head straight for the bathroom in search of the hairdryer, as he leaned on the sink sipping his tea.

“You have a nicer one,” she called out.

“Parc Fermé not treating you well?” he teased, watching her comb her hair with the precision of someone with a full-blown routine. She looked pocket-sized in the mirror, like a character from one of his favorite books.

“So this is where you disappear when you ghost the group chat,” she said, pointing at his mug.

“Sometimes I need a break from you chaos goblins.”

“You are the chaos goblin,” she muttered as she carefully dried her hair, and he watched her in silence—comfortable, easy.

“Do you ever think we’re gonna miss this?”

“Me stealing your hairdryer?” she smirked at him.

“No. I mean… this. The weird nights. The almost-normal stuff. The in-between.”

Paul could be tender. He knew how to put into words the memories and feelings she usually just felt, but never said—sometimes too afraid, sometimes too wired to nostalgia.

“Yeah. Probably. Even the dumb parts,” she said, warmth filling her chest just like it had that morning.

“Especially the dumb parts,” he smiled, handing her a bit of tea while she combed. Then helped smooth her shirt with the warm air, flattening it with his hands.

No surprise they ended up sitting side by side against the bathroom wall, two more steaming mugs in hand, hair full of what was happening between them—laughter, comfort, little moments. Talking about where to eat, hotel towels, and the laundry service they’d both secretly worshipped at least once.

“I like how it fits you, anyway,” he said, sipping the last of his tea.

She looked down, realizing she was wearing a shirt from the collection her agency had made in collaboration with Paul. And his smile held the look of someone who knew she’d caught the meaning—and loved watching those little moments bloom.

“Wanna split a protein bar? I gotta finish them or the team’s gonna kick me.”

“Not a chance,” she laughed, eyes soft as ever. Shirts on the floor. Bottles on the ground. Just like them.

I know you'll be getting bored of the photographer x driver plot line, but it fits paul (and me) so well, so I feel like I can picture it well... however, I'm having another huge paul phase 'cause he's amazing and well... he's paul aron

[maxwellatoms]

Are there any Mandy openers that gave interesting origins?

If not, which Mandy opener is your favorite?

I remember reading a blurb by Stephen King(?) about postmodernism, and how you have to be careful about adopting little bits of culture from other places or you won't remember what's yours and what's not. Those are sort of the Mandy openers to me. Most of the early ones were original snarky quotes that just popped into my head. A few were famous quotes from others. Now I have a hard time discerning what was what. "Push the button, pull the chain. Here comes the chocolate choo-choo train" was originally a Jean-Paul Sartre quote, for example, when I spent the last 40 years thinking I'd made it up. All of those kids from Mrs. Emenheizer's 3rd grade class probably think I'm a sham now.

My favorite opener is probably "Quick! Jump into the TV set while no one's looking!" (a famous saying widely adopted after the Mongols defeated the Seljuqs at the end of the 13th century). At the time, CN wasn't allowing our characters to interact with TV sets by turning them off or on, or by pressing their faces to the screen. We were in the middle of Screen-Tipping Paranoia, and for some reason everyone was worried about kids crushing themselves with Televisions. The Mandy opener was my passive-aggressive dig at the censors, and I was certain they'd make me remove it. But they didn't. So if you were flattened by your own TV after watching it, that's on Cartoon Network.

✌️

[aliennasaprincess]

First of all we must confront an unexpected sight: the striptease of our humanism. Not a pretty sight in its nakedness: nothing but a dishonest ideology, an exquisite justification for plundering; its tokens of sympathy and affectation, alibis for our acts of aggression. The pacifists are a fine sight: neither victims nor torturers! Come now! If you are not a victim when the government you voted for and the army your young brothers served in, commits “genocide," without hesitation or remorse, then, you are undoubtedly a torturer. And if you choose to be a victim, risking one or two days in prison, you are simply trying to take the easy way out. But you can't; there is no way out. Get this into your head: if violence were only a thing of the future, if exploitation and oppression never existed on earth, perhaps displays of nonviolence might relieve the conflict. But if the entire regime, even your nonviolent thoughts, is governed by a thousand-year-old oppression, your passiveness serves no other purpose but to put you on the side of the oppressors.

Jean-Paul Sartre, foreword to The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon, 1961

[transmutationisms]

sorry just realized that last ask could have been interpreted as a middlingly passive aggressive message of disappointment as to your content. when really i am confused by belle delphine hereditary nose job

ok realised that was a fairly incomprehensible post to encounter on the average dash. so i can't find it right now but there's a post that circulates from time to time with a pic of belle delphine that's captioned like "getting a nosejob so my kids are born with naturally small noses". i genuinely dk whether she said that or someone just added that text. anyway someone on here then rbed with a pic of jean baptiste lamarck, who famously articulated a theory of species evolution ('transformisme') in the aughts of the 19th century, 50 years before c darwin published his.

lamarck is like most historical figures in that he's been subject to various distortions in the written record, including the idea that he thought that an acquired biological change (like a nosejob) would be inherited immediately and fully by the next generation. in truth he did think that acquired changes could be inherited, but this was a really long-term, gradual process, and in one generation the differences you would notice would be minor, like an inclination toward a certain temperament or a certain muscle being slightly easier to train up or something ('use-disuse principle'). the nosejob thing is obviously a play on paul kammerer's famous experiment wherein he tried to 'prove' (neo-)lamarckian inheritance by like, cutting the tails off mice and injecting ink into the toepads of toads and shit. he also fabricated a bunch of his results. part of the distortion here is because later commentators (including french neo-lamarckians in the third republic, as well as, yes, lysenko) had various political reasons to exaggerate what (they said that) lamarck had said, and what sorts of claims they could make to basically bio-engineer future generations.

in truth lamarck's actual claims were fairly tame and well within the range of normal for his time—lots and lots and lots of savants were already making claims about inherited biological changes (buffon, cabanis, condorcet, to name the tip of the iceberg) and even though lamarck did depart from the mainstream in claiming the species barrier was crossable, again, he thought that would happen over the course of literally thousands of years. which is why evolutionary (transformist / transmutationist) claims also involve geological claims about the age of the earth.

[anotherkindofmindpod]

I think something that’s worth pointing out is that a writer’s POV, voice, narrative, writing style, bias, etc. is not going to suddenly transform with an extended edition. Increasing the quantity of anecdotes about Paul is not going to change the quality of those anecdotes. In other words, Lewisohn is not going to be less of a smarmy, passive-aggressive Jean jacket after 2,000 pages as opposed to 1,000. All that will change is how exhausted we all feel after enduring his writing that long.

ALSO: if he can’t write a good book about the Beatles in 1,000 pages, then I think the consensus should be that maybe he just can’t write a good book about the Beatles, not to make allowances for him.

Bravo, anon!!! We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

[kiragecko]

Passing the Mantle

A guide to how various Bat-characters took on codenames, and what the reaction was.

Batman

Clark: wears the costume when Bruce needs a duplicate, fill-in, or alibi. Everyone is fine with this, except MAYBE Selina? I think she's been annoyed, occasionally.

Jean-Paul: given the job while Bruce was recovering from having his back broken. Excited and intimidated. Bruce, Alfred, Tim, and Babs were supportive. Dick was offended that he hadn't been the first choice. (Bruce was TRYING to respect his son's independence!) Selina WAS NOT IMPRESSED.

Dick: given the job after Jean-Paul got stripped of the title for being too violent. Relieved, proud, and insecure. Bruce was apologetic. Tim was SO RELIEVED and spent all his time telling Dick how great he was.

Took the job a second time after Bruce's 'death'. Tried VERY hard not to. Jason fought him for the title. Alfred was quite passive-aggressive while trying to guilt him into taking it. Tim risked his own life trying to convince him it was necessary, and then was IMMEDIATELY crushed when he found out it wasn't going to be 'Batman and Robin, Brothers Extraordinaire' again. Damian was dismissive.

Helena: took the job during No Man's Land. Bruce had been out of Gotham for a long time, trying to lobby the government to reverse their decision of abandoning Gotham. Helena realized that Gotham needed Batman. So she put on the costume and started spray-painting batlogos everywhere, reminding people that there's hope. This was effective! The rest of the bats picked up her tactics! But they had NO grace for her. They kept calling her Batgirl, even though she corrected them. (She was going by 'The Bat', and was NOT modelling herself after Batgirl.) Babs was really mean about Helena 'stealing her costume'. Bruce accepted her at first, but fired her the first time she got too violent. Everyone else was ... ugh. She leaves hurt and angry. I don't blame her.

Jason: took the job after Bruce 'died'. No one liked this. Tim put on a Batsuit to fight him (as part of his complicated 'get Dick back in the costume' plan). Dick fought him (as part of his 'save Tim's life' plan.) Damian mocked him. (But Damian mocked everyone.)

Tim: put on the costume after Bruce 'died', but just to annoy Jason and convict Dick. Jason was appropriately annoyed, Dick was appropriately convicted. Damian mocked him, though I'm not sure if it was about the costume.

Damian: wore a trenchcoat version of the Batman costume to patrol with Titus once when Bruce wasn't around. Everyone who saw agreed that it was adorable. HE thought he looked very grown up and intimidating.

We're not doing possible futures, but Tim has a LOT of opinions about his possible future version being Batman! He would rather die than have that happen! Most of the others have also seen themselves as future Batmen, and have complicated feelings about how that went.

Robin

Jason: pre-Crisis briefly mentioned becoming Robin, got shut down HARD by Bruce, since it wasn't his name. Spent several issues trying to find a new codename, and then was overjoyed and honoured when Dick offered him Robin. Bruce was proud.

Post-Crisis he was given Robin by Bruce. Precise events change for every retelling. Dick didn't know, was briefly hurt, but usually ended the story by symbolically giving him the name again. Bruce and Alfred could be ... hard to read in several versions.

Tim: tried to convince Dick to become Robin again, because Bruce was not thinking or fighting well. When that failed, he hoped desperately that Nightwing's help would be enough, and was oblivious to Alfred's pointed comments about people becoming Robin, or his extended dusting of the Robin case. Eventually, figured out Two-Face's plan, realized that Batman and Nightwing were walking into a trap, and Alfred stopped trying to by subtle. Dick was approving after Tim rescued him and Bruce. Bruce was VERY disapproving, and it took Alfred, Dick, AND Tim ganging up on him for him to grudgingly accept Tim's application.

Both Jason and Damian would later have issues with Tim being Robin. Jason's are way less than fandom suggest, though. He thinks that teen vigilantes are a bad idea, but doesn't really blame THEM for that. (Even if his attempts to win them over are usually violent and ... poorly concieved.) He wants to make sure his successor is good enough, and after their fight at Titans Tower, is convinced and fine with Tim. Damian just thinks that there can only be one heir, and he's desperate for it to be him.

Steph: took the job after Tim was forced by his dad to retire. Bruce was amused, and seemed to enjoy her company, but never really took her seriously. He was at least partially using her to get back at Tim. Alfred was disapproving. Tim was hurt, especially about her not taking his calls. Babs had reservations, but accepted her and tried to be supportive. Cass tried even HARDER to be supportive, but her standards are even higher than Bruce's, and she thought Steph wasn't good enough to be a vigilante.

Damian: given the job in a desperate attempt by Dick to find SOME type of authority that Damian would respect. It worked. Dick was frustrated at first, but quickly fell in love with the kid and becomes SO SO proud of him. Tim was hurt, but more than that, he was desperate. The house of cards his mental health was resting on REQUIRED Tim getting to be Dick's Robin. He was holding on by a thread! Jason ... Jason had opinions! But they were Grant Morrison Jason opinions, so I don't understand them. Steph was fine with him being Robin. Alfred ... approved of Dick's choice, as far as I can tell? He doesn't seem to approve of DAMIAN for a while, but he approved of Dick's decision to make him Robin!

Bruce, when he returns, disapproved. He accepted the decision, but seemingly grudgingly.

Batgirl

Helena: see above. She WAS NOT Batgirl!

Cass: given the job by Babs after helping the older woman as a messenger, and saving Babs' dad. You guys, Babs gave her HELENA'S costume! Not her own, Helena's. So, Helena was hurt, not that we see much of her reaction. Jean-Paul was really accepting and great. Steph and Tim were intimidated and a bit scared of her, but got slowly won over. Dick was surprised that Babs was letting someone stay with her, and sharing the legacy she's so protective of. Babs does not open up easily or well. It made him a bit cautious about the situation. Bruce was ... projecting a LOT onto Cass, and wilfully ignorant, and very approving because of it? Alfred was mostly focused on enabling Bruce, with Cass' happiness coming in second.

Steph: given the costume by Cass, after Bruce's 'death'. Cass was JUST adopted before Bruce died (the issues actually come out after his death) and was recovering from being brainwashed by her birth father. She needed to leave the city. Steph was trying to figure out how to reinvent herself into someone she could live with. (She had just got Tim blown up after Bruce asked her to help him make Tim more paranoid. Well, 'train him' was the euphemism used. And she'd only been back in the city after her faked death for a few months.) Tim was very hesitant about the idea, and kinda patronizing. Babs disapproved, but tried to do better at supporting other women than she had in the past. Damian mocked her ... but was also willing to work with her? Which is pretty high praise from Damian! Dick was awful, at first.

Nightwing

Dick: copied the name from a Kryptonian legend Clark had told him. 'Uncle' Clark supported him through his post-Robin confusion in at least one version of this period. (Doylist explanation: DC probably wanted to keep the copyright on the name without writing more Superman-in-Kandor stories.)

Jason: moved to New York and started being Nightwing shortly after Dick and Tim got off their year-long cruise 'with Bruce'. (Bruce abandoned them to go sit in a cave.) I BELIEVE Jason knew Dick was there and was trying to annoy him, but it's possible Jason just wanted to see if he could do it? Dick disapproved strongly, and there was fighting. And then Jason turned into a tentacle monster and I will never shut up about this.

Red Robin

Jason: given it by alternate reality Bruce, who had designed the costume for HIS son before that Jason died. Jason wore it for 2 issues, and then threw it in a dumpster, unable to deal with the emotions. That Bruce was proud and sad. Nobody else knew, until:

Tim: wore the costume to protect his neck after Ulysses Armstrong and Steph got him blown up. Tim had a bunch of burns that he needed to keep covered. (Ulysses had found it in the dumpster. Jason was slightly angry, but mostly distressed, when he saw Ulysses wearing the suit. Tim notably does NOT give it back to Jason after he retrieves it from the about-to-explode warehouse.) Slightly later, took on the codename after Dick's attempt to ask Tim to hand Robin down to Damian was interrupted by Damian being an obnoxious brat. Dick was worried and desperate to keep Tim from leaving. Steph was worried. Cassie was worried. Damian seemed relieved, to me, under the mocking. Cass was happy for him (he's in a better place by the time she sees him.) We don't see Jason's reaction, but I doubt it was good.

(Doylist explanation for both: Dick had the name and costume in Kingdom Come, an influential alternate future story, and the art in that series was REALLY pretty. Everyone wants to reference it. So they found an excuse.)

Drake

Tim: copied it from an evil alternate reality version of himself. Why? I am uncertain, even after hearing his reasoning. Bart and Kon switched from approving and thinking it was cool, to mocking him, once DC saw fans' reactions.

Redbird

Damian: he isn't actually referencing Tim's Robin-mobile. It isn't a legacy name. But I find it really funny to imagine he is, so I'm including it anyways!

[michelles-garden-of-evil]

Episode 43 Review: Curiouser and Curiouser

{ YouTube: 1 | 2 | 3 }

{ Full Synopses/Recaps: Debby Graham | Bryan Gruszka }

Maljardin, an isle of mystery. Much remains unknown on Jean Paul Desmond’s isolated island, including the locations of the conjure doll, silver pin, and the missing cyanide, the contents of the final week of Dr. Menkin’s missing notes, and the true cause of death of Jean Paul’s beloved wife Erica. Now that a mysterious black rabbit has appeared on the island which has known no wildlife for three hundred years, new mysteries arise, including one that literally surrounds that rabbit’s neck.

In Ian Martin’s original timeline, this would be the point where the Reverend Matt Dawson exorcised Raxl and Quito’s writing box (although whether that would have revealed the Conjure Man’s also mysterious original message is anyone’s guess), but executive meddling required him to negate that timeline and write about the Rabbit of Evil instead. Come, let’s follow the black rabbit into the increasingly bizarre rabbit hole that is mid-Maljardin-era Strange Paradise.

A minute and a half in, and Cosette Lee is already in top form. Chew that scenery, Cosy!

We open with a recap of the séance from a week and a half ago, courtesy of Raxl and Jean Paul. Raxl gives us the great line above comparing the falling chandelier to “a fist of the devil,” which she delivers beautifully. She connects the falling chandelier to the rabbit who just appeared--or, as she calls it, "this THING that mocks the problem!"

This is Jean Paul’s concerned face.

When she reminds him that the black rabbit appeared out of nowhere on the island which previously harbored no wild animals, he looks increasingly concerned. Whereas in yesterday's episode, he dismissed her claims as superstition and the rabbit as a harmless animal that probably came over on the boat, now he appears willing to think them over. At least that’s how it appears in this part of the scene, although it’s also possible that he’s just worried about Raxl’s sanity. Raxl may be melodramatic and she may sometimes go to extremes in her efforts to protect her home from THE DEVIL JACQUES ELOI DES MONDES, but she is arguably saner than you are, Jean Paul.

"Oh, master, believe me!" she begs. "This…thing, this…thing in the form of an animal is a manifestation of evil!"

“Evil, in your eyes, Raxl,” corrects Jean Paul, or so he thinks.

“Not only mine. Look at Quito. He has eyes, too. He knows. Oh, master, believe me! This black rabbit is an emissary of DEATH!”

Jean Paul continues his mansplaining.

Oh, Jean Paul! To think, I had so much hope for you! I guess that, even after repeated possessions, Dr. Menkin's mysterious death, a leaking capsule, a falling chandelier, and all the things that have happened to Holly, you still refuse to believe in "superstition." You know that, down in Hell, Jacques is kicking back in his peacock chair, gloating about this again:

Jacques: “Jean Paul, what was that again about your IQ of 187?” *evil laugh*

"Then how could it be on Maljardin?" she asks.

"The supply boat, perhaps," he repeats from last episode. "Holly Marshall had no trouble in hiding herself in order to get over here. Surely a small animal like this would be even less likely to be noticed." It sounds plausible, but it’s still doubtful that the rabbit would have lasted so long after the supply boat returned to Maljardin without eating some poisonous plant and dying. I doubt that Quito leaves fresh produce just lying around on the boat.

"If you want to, believe that," replies Raxl, "but I believe it is possessed by EVIL!"

"Raxl, it seems that you are the one who is possessed by fear.”

"It seems the Devil is possessing us all, quietly, cunningly, and each day just a little more," she says, before leaving for the crypt. Quito follows behind, carrying the rabbit, who is just as enthusiastic as it was last episode about being part of one of Canada's first domestically-produced soaps. The way it squirms trying to escape from Quito’s arms in the crypt scene is priceless:

ROFLMAO

Meanwhile, Jean Paul argues with Jacques about the rabbit. Jacques agrees with Raxl on the rabbit's supernatural origins, which further angers Jean Paul. He asks him why he wants to convince him of that, and Jacques gives this cryptic reply: "Big beings have little beings on their backs to spite them, and little beings have smaller beings, and so on, ad infinitum."

"Now, perhaps Raxl is right," Jean Paul muses. "Now just what is in your mind?"

"Perhaps you'll find out at the séance," Jacques teases. He goes on to suggest to him that perhaps Erica did not want to be frozen in the "ridiculous" cryonics capsule. Jean Paul gets all defensive in response and accuses him of trying to break their pact. "Isn't it about time that you delivered her back to me?" he demands.

"We'll find out at the next séance," says Jacques, and Jean Paul demands that he not attend. Jacques implies that there may not be another séance (but why not?), and Jean Paul flips out on him:

FEAR the finger of DOOM!

The acting from both Colin and Cosette in this episode is so over-the-top that it’s somewhere in outer space.

And then...

The Reverend Matt Dawson walks in on him arguing with Jacques and thinks that he was talking to himself.

How does Jean Paul respond? Why, by gaslighting him, of course! “It’s hard to imagine that a man of the cloth would lose control so easily,” he says as though Matt were the one with a screw loose. Now, isn’t that charming?

Matt warns Jean Paul that the people on Maljardin--himself included--are looking for an escape. "We are not children, and we are not completely powerless," he tells Jean Paul. "We will find a way to cut the knots that bind us here."

He also says that his faith, which was challenged when he arrived on the island, is returning. Jean Paul uses this as another opportunity to gaslight him: “You are not regaining your faith. You are merely losing your faculties.” One would think that was a Jacques line, but it’s not. There’s neither a shot of the portrait disappearing, nor any Jean Paul headache faces followed by Jacques’ beringed hand grabbing his face, nor is Fox-C grinning psychotically like Jacques would probably do while saying that. It’s Jean Paul at his most unpleasant.

“On Maljardin, only I speak,” he continues. “Others listen.” It’s like he’s determined to be as much of an asshole as possible in this episode. Bless his heart.

But all the despotic orders in the world won’t shut the Reverend up. “Now I know why I came to Maljardin,” he replies, and it’s not to stalk a twenty-year-old teenager. “It was my destiny to be a force of good among all the evil here.”

“A savior?” Jean Paul asks.

“Perhaps,” he replies. “Is there one here who needs saving from himself?”

Sometimes I wonder if Reverend Dawson was intended to be the real hero of SP.

Raxl and Quito enter the Not-So-Hidden Temple of the Serpent with the rabbit. She pleads and begs for the Serpent to give her answers about the Rabbit of Evil, calling the adorable animal a “monster.” This scene is classic Raxl and belongs on any list of Raxl’s best scenes. Here are my two favorite lines from it:

Raxl: "Speak to me, Great One, for the sake of my master and his beloved visitors and for all the spirits in this house who are roasting on the spit of the fire of evil. OPEN YOUR SPEECH TO MY UNDERSTANDING!"

"Quito, TAKE THIS EVIL THING! Its foulness has stilled temporarily the voice of the Great Serpent!"

But it doesn’t stilt the Serpent for long. The mysterious locket at the beginning of this review appears around its neck, where it wasn’t before. When Raxl touches it, it stains her hand with blood.

Meanwhile, in Jean Paul’s hidden monitor room...

Jean Paul: "Erica, my darling, I wonder how you will find me when at last we are together again? I fear the strain of all this has made me hard and cynical. The Reverend is good, twice the man he was when he first arrived. If only he could see the rightness of my cause, he would make such an ally for my purposes." [You’re deluding yourself, Jean Paul. You have zero chance of convincing Matt that your cryonics scheme is anything but blasphemy.]

"Some serve me, to their honor and reward. Some cross me--to their death!"

*reading Teleprompter* "No one understands. There is an inner circle, my love, and it is big enough for just the two of us."

Jean Paul: "My darling, the second séance is very close at hand. The Conjure Woman recovers and this time nothing will stop us!"

*more obvious Teleprompter reading* "You will come, you will speak, and at last for the first time, for just a little while, you and I will be together."

He’s so cute! <3

Like the previous episode, it’s obvious that they rushed this one even in comparison to the others, because of how often Fox-C reads the Teleprompter. I’ve noticed that he does so more often starting during this week of the show and increasingly until Cornelius Crane takes over writing the show--which won’t be for another two weeks--before slowly petering out until Desmond Hall. I see this as a measure of how hastily an episode was slapped together, although I could be making assumptions.

Anyway, Raxl asks Quito if he noticed the bloody locket before, and he shakes his head. “I am right!” exclaims Raxl about her belief that the rabbit was a demon. She follows this up by asking the Serpent, “Where did it come from?” and we cut to the camera panning over the cryonics capsule:

Obvious foreshadowing is obvious.

Quito leaves the temple to find Matt and Holly sneaking into the crypt, and chases them back up to the Great Hall. Holly demands to know where the rabbit is and Raxl (who enters just then) announces that it ran away!

“Discovered something, didn’t you?” Matt asks Raxl. He asks if she found the doll and pin or the week of missing notes, to which she answers no and no. “For Heaven’s sake, what? Another demon?”

Just as baffled as I am that a Christian minister like him doesn’t believe in demons, she accuses him of mocking her. He accuses her of turning irrational, which means that Jean Paul’s “everyone is irrational but me” delusion must be rubbing off on him. Holly accuses Raxl of having already killed the rabbit.

“Foolishness! Madness!” Raxl shouts. “I tell you that-”

Matt interrupts to point to the rabbit, who, despite its tall ears, is somehow able to sleep through this argument. Must have selective hearing.

Holly grabs the rabbit and Raxl starts screaming for her to hand it over. “IT IS EVIL! IT MUST BE KILLED!” she cries as Matt restrains her. “IT MUST BE DESTROYED BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!” Fortunately for Holly (but unfortunately for Raxl), Jean Paul hears the commotion and comes downstairs to take the rabbit from them.

When he does, we hear the sound of a small object dropping. He leans over to pick it up and reveals the strangest detail so far in this mystery:

Jean Paul: "This locket…" Raxl: "Yes, master, I-" Jean Paul: *more pained* "This locket…was…Erica's!"

Everyone’s jaw drops--which we see in a series of close-ups of all five human actors in this episode--and the music swells. After commercial, Raxl tearfully reveals that Jean Paul gave Erica the locket on her birthday, and tells Jean Paul and the others that she knows that the locket was not around the rabbit’s neck until after she called upon the Serpent. Holly accuses her of being superstitious, and they get into a fight where Raxl tells Holly that she and her fellow Christians don’t understand the spirit world and Holly calls Raxl’s beliefs “mumbo-jumbo.” Matt also accuses Raxl of lying about how the locket appeared “so that we would believe in spirits and demons.” I know that not all Christian denominations believe in the literal existence of spirits and demons, but it’s still odd hearing the Reverend deny their existence.

Raxl calls him a fool, too, and says once again that the rabbit must be killed. She and Holly are about to go back to arguing when Jean Paul cries out, “YOU ARE ALL WRONG!” And then we have yet another shocking revelation: Erica was wearing the locket upon her death, and still when she was entombed in the cryonics capsule!

Somehow he’s able to get the rabbit to hold still for a few minutes, even with all the shouting in the final scene.

In case anyone’s wondering why this entry took so long, it’s because I’ve also been working on a couple posts reviewing Ian Martin’s entire period headwriting this show. That’s what I plan to do at the end of each arc or at the end of each writer’s stint on the show (with the exception of those writers who only wrote a few episodes, like James Elward, Joe Caldwell, and the team of Ron Chudley and George Salverson). You can expect my two-part review of Ian Martin’s SP shortly after my review of Episode 44, which may also be slightly delayed because of it.

Coming up next: Ian Martin’s final episode, the much-anticipated second séance and its shocking conclusion.

{<- Previous: Episode 42   ||   Next: Episode 44 ->}

[heritageposts]

how do i start to read marxist leninist/leftist stuff ? i searched on the internet but it’s super confusing lol

the most important value for me as an ML is anti-imperialism, so i guess i'll always recommend that people start with works centred on that

some suggestions below (all books should be available either on marxist.org or as pdf/epub files on libgen)

American Holocaust by David E. Stannard

about the colonization of america. not explicitly marxist, but it's probably done more to radicalize me than any other piece of writing. this is the pile of corpses capitalism is built on:

Within no more than a handful of generations following their first en counters with Europeans, the vast majority of the Western Hemisphere's native peoples had been exterminated. The pace and magnitude of their obliteration varied from place to place and from time to time, but for years now historical demographers have been uncovering, in region upon region, post-Columbian depopulation rates of between 90 and 98 percent with such regularity that an overall decline of 95 percent has become a working rule of thumb. What this means is that, on average, for every twenty natives alive at the moment of European contact-when the lands of the Americas teemed with numerous tens of millions of people-only one stood in their place when the bloodbath was over. To put this in a contemporary context, the ratio of native survivorship in the Americas following European contact was less than half of what the human survivorship ratio would be in the United States today if every single white person and every single black person died. The destruction of the Indians of the Americas was, far and away, the most massive act of genocide in the history of the world. That is why, as one historian aptly has said, far from the heroic and romantic heraldry that customarily is used to symbolize the European settlement of the Americas, the emblem most congruent with reality would be a pyramid of skulls. - David E. Stannard

2. Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism by Vladimir Lenin

Imperialism is capitalism at that stage of development at which the dominance of monopolies and finance capital is established; in which the export of capital has acquired pronounced importance; in which the division of the world among the international trusts has begun, in which the division of all territories of the globe among the biggest capitalist powers has been completed. - Vladimir Lenin

3. The Wretched of The Earth by Franz Fanon

Let us look at ourselves, if we can bear to, and see what is becoming of us. First, we must face that unexpected revelation, the strip-tease of our humanism. There you can see it, quite naked, and it’s not a pretty sight. It was nothing but an ideology of lies, a perfect justification for pillage; its honeyed words, its affectation of sensibility were only alibis for our aggressions. A fine sight they are too, the believers in non-violence, saying that they are neither executioners nor victims. Very well then; if you’re not victims when the government which you’ve voted for, when the army in which your younger brothers are serving without hesitation or remorse have undertaken race murder, you are, without a shadow of doubt, executioners. And if you chose to be victims and to risk being put in prison for a day or two, you are simply choosing to pull your irons out of the fire. But you will not be able to pull them out; they’ll have to stay there till the end. Try to understand this at any rate: if violence began this very evening and if exploitation and oppression had never existed on the earth, perhaps the slogans of non-violence might end the quarrel. But if the whole regime, even your non-violent ideas, are conditioned by a thousand-year-old oppression, your passivity serves only to place you in the ranks of the oppressors. - prefrace by Jean-Paul Sartre

4. Discourse on Colonialism by Aimé Césaire

Yes, it would be worthwhile to study clinically, in detail, the steps taken by Hitler and Hitlerism and to reveal to the very distinguished, very humanistic, very Christian bourgeois of the twentieth century that without his being aware of it, he has a Hitler inside him, that Hitler inhabits him, that Hitler is his demon, that if he rails against him, he is being inconsistent and that, at bottom, what he cannot forgive Hitler for is not crime in itself, the crime against man, it is not the humiliation of man as such, it is the crime against the white man, the humiliation of the white man, and the fact that he applied to Europe colonialist procedures which until then had been reserved exclusively for the Arabs of Algeria, the coolies of India, and the blacks of Africa I have talked a good deal about Hitler. Because he deserves it: he makes it possible to see things on a large scale and to grasp the fact that capitalist society, at its present stage, is incapable of establishing a concept of the rights of all men, just as it has proved incapable of establishing a system of individual ethics. Whether one likes it or not, at the end of the blind alley that is Europe, I mean the Europe of Adenauer, Schuman, Bidault, and a few others, there is Hitler. At the end of capitalism, which is eager to outlive its day, there is Hitler. At the end of formal humanism and philosophicrenunciation, there is Hitler - Aimé Césaire

5. Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism by Michael Parenti

probably the most accessible introduction to communism that doesn't demonize countries that have undergone—or attempted to undergo—a transitation into socalism (like the ussr, cuba, etc.)

The very concept of "revolutionary violence" is somewhat falsely cast, since most of the violence comes from those who attempt to prevent reform, not from those struggling for reform. By focusing on the violent rebellions of the downtrodden, we overlook the much greater repressive force and violence utilized by the ruling oligarchs to maintain the status quo, including armed attacks against peaceful demonstrations, mass arrests, torture, destruction of opposition organizations, suppression of dissident publications, death squad assassinations, the extermination of whole villages, and the like. - Michael Parenti

[cryptotheism]

Jsyk, Sartre signed a petition calling for lowering the age of consent and had affairs with his much younger students. Would not recommend quoting him.

Strong 8 - light 9 /10 bait.

Things I liked:

The sheer deft subtlety of the ask itself

The frankly hilarious concept of "cancelling" Jean Paul Sartre

The implication that the persona of the asker is familiar with Sartre, Sartre's philosophical works, and this corner of his life, AND flattens it to this specific sort of twitter social justice language.

The bait itself almost reads like an inside joke to the author.

"Would not recommend quoting him." Magnificent finisher, does not moralize, but is DEEPLY passive aggressive.

What I didn't like

I'm normally a fan of "JSYK" it's one of those openers that's a solid choice for any occasion, but in this case, it felt like the wrong play.

Personally, I would have stuck to the utterly deadpan delivery. The body of the bait is strong enough to carry it.

MY RESPONSE HAD I TAKEN THE BAIT:

"Oh man, if you think that's bad, wait till you hear about [copy pasted list of every classical Greek philosopher]

[dumbass-duo-showdown]

Okay, 3 days left.

MOST SUGGESTED CHARACTER TIME!

Also the apple and bapelsin basically stands for said category. Apple is anime, western cartoons, and video games associated with anime. Bapelsin is live action, books/comics, and video games not associated with anime.

1. Donquixote Rosiante (one piece) 10, apple

2. Garmadon (Lego ninjago): 9, apple

3. Eddie Diaz & Dave (9-1-1): 9, bapelsin

4. John Silver (treasure planet): 9 apple

5. All Might/Yagi Toshinori (MHA): 6, apple

6. Bandit Heeler (bluey): 5, western cartoon, apple

7. Heinz Doofeshmirtz (phineas and ferb): 5, western cartoon, apple

8. Greg Universe (Steven universe): 4, western cartoon, apple

9. Professor Utonium (ppg): 4, western cartoon, apple

10. Bob Blecher (bobs burgers): 4, western cartoon, apple

11. Din Djarin (mandalorian): 3, live action, bapelsin

12. Paul Blofis (Percy Jackson), 3, bapelsin

13. Subject Delta (bioshock): 3, video game, bapelsin

14. Reigen Arakata (mod psycho 100): 3, anime, apple

15. Maes Hughes (FMA): 3, anime, apple

16. Phoenix Weight (ace attorney): 3, apple

17. God (bible): 3, apple

18. Jean Valjean (les mis) 2, bapelsin

19. Bobby Nash (911): 2, bapelsin

20. Yosuke Koiwai (Azumanga Daioh): 2, apple

21. Sojiro Sakura (persona): 2, apple (anime)

22. Doctor Venomous (OK, KO): 2, apple

23. Waymond Wang (everywhere everything all at once): 2, bapelsin

24. Hans Hubermann (the book thief): 2, bapelsin

25. Calvin’s dad (Calvin and Hobbes): 2, bapelsin

26. Augustus Aquato (psychonauts): 2, bapelsin

27. Benjamin Sisko (DS9): 2, bapelsin

28. Gomez’s Addams (Addams Family): 2, bapelsin

29. Simon Petrikov/Ice King (adventure time): 2, apple

30. Splinter/Lou Jitsu (TMNT): 2, apple

31. Pyrrha dve (the locked tomb): 2, bapelsin

32. Seteth (fire emblem): 2, apple

33. Iruka Umino (Naruto): 2, apple

34. Joel (the last of us: Pedro pascal version): 2, bapelsin

35. Kiryu Kazuma (Yakuza): 2, bapelsin

36. Uncle Iroh (avatar): 2, apple

37. Kaname Date (AI: Somnium files): 2, apple

38. Drake Millard (dark wing duck): 2, apple

39. Lee Everett (the walking dead, video game): 2, bapelsin

40. Hadoka (ATLA): 2, apelsin

41. Dustan Thorn (stardust): 2, bapelsin

Extra stuff

Basic Code Of Conduct

Current Phase and Propaganda Explained

AND HERE IS THE FORM

Reminder the ask box is always open if you need to ask anything and also. Please don’t use the Anon asks to correct me on spelling or grammar. English is my second language so if I mess up something just tell me straight ahead. You’re not rude for correcting me (unless it’s really passive aggressive)

Oh wait, what is this…?

Yeah these 5 men are getting in because why not! Those are Bruno Bucciarati & Norisuke higashikata IV (jjba), Bamse (bamse), Barret Wallace (ffvii) and Pollination Tech #9 Smith (sims 2)

[not-another-dam-demigod]

More headcanons I found on my phone:

Hazel chews her nails, so they're really, really short

Piper's are really long and jagged because she can't be bothered cutting them, and there's dirt under and around them

Jason is left-handed

But Thalia is right-handed

Their voices are really similar

If you yell "Grace" but you can't see either of them, they'll both answer and you cannot tell who is who

(Except for Annabeth, because she knows Thalia so well, and knows the rusty kinda scrape that you hear when she says her vowels)

Annabeth's stepmom tried to get her into ballet when she was five, but Annabeth would just sneak out, put on jeans and sneakers, and play with her dad's army figures until she had to sneak back to the center and get picked up

Estelle was a better surfer than Percy

She also knows more about Greek mythology than all of the seven combined

Estelle's list of favorite people is Sally, Paul, Piper, Percy. Piper never misses out on an opportunity to tease Percy

Percy and Estelle cannot sing for shit, but they can both rap really really well

Hazel can beatbox amazingly

Leo's lashes are really, really long

On the other hand, Piper's are super short

Jason likes pushing his glasses up his nose in a passive-aggressive way

Frank, after discovering he could turn into animals, went vegetarian

He and Piper share their favorite recipes

[nottooldtodream]

If you needed proof that he is a Gemini, passive aggressive brat. Catch the hat, it’s a Jean Paul Gaultier. The same company featured Bix in their recent campaign for Le Male perfume… in the same hat. I love brats. The song is ccjtay… which is about Bix, so fitting?

but the smirk when he talks about it clearly says he enjoys the inside joke.

[hood-ex]

I read a few of your ask replies one after another & now want a Nightwing min-arc where Dick has to team up with Talia and Jean-Paul Valley (followed by an adventure with Steph because he'll need to have some fun after that). Halfway through writing this I looked to see if Talia and JPV had any history since I'd just assumed she'd dislike him too, then I read the fandom wiki synopsis of Azrael #30 & wow I guess Ra's Al Ghul really loved the "kidnapping as a test for potential son-in-laws" idea.

I read this at 4 in the morning and screamed because LOL the idea of Dick having to lead Talia and JPV is so fucking funny 😂. He would level up in bossiness. JPV would be on the receiving end of Dick's passive aggressiveness because, y'know, JPV is team bat so Dick would try to be as civil as he could with him. He wouldn't give a fuck with Talia though. He'd be openly hostile, and even though he'd lead the mission efficiently, he'd still be like, "Shut up, Talia!" every other minute 😂.

Talia would make some comment about JPV being a better Batman just to piss Dick off, and while JPV would sigh and facepalm, Dick would Lose His Mind.

Probably scoff and say some shit like, "Why don't you run back to daddy, Edward Cullen. I think I see a few wrinkles coming in."

(Because Talia used to be 150+ years old and would start to age unless she had physical contact with Ra's.)

Then maybe... just maybe Dick would see some kinda emotion pass over Talia's features and he'd sigh and grudgingly apologize to her later during one of their rare, civil moments.

Maybe.

[seadolph]

Pearlshipping? For if they had a kid meme?

...hahaha let me just...go diving into the depths of the computer and vaccuum the dust off of these two...

Name: Linden Ketchum

Gender: Male

General Appearance: Long, dark bluish greyish hair tied neatly into a bun. Blue eyes, behind rectangular glasses. Genial disposition, if a bit scatterbrained. Often in a lab coat, following lab safety instructions. Neutral colours, jeans. Tall, but not imposing.

Personality: A curious soul who gets absorbed in his work. Kindly and polite, he's rather soft spoken and has a dislike of public speaking. Writes and explains well, although he may ramble off into long discussion and use overtly flowery academic language. Patient. Difficult to anger, but tends towards passive-aggressiveness rather than outright confrontation. Calm as a cucumber, everything'll be alright.

Special Talents: Deciphering extremely bad handwriting. Of course, most of it is his own. Fills out Sudoku puzzles very quickly. Plays good chess, surprisingly good poker. Excellent luck when gambling, but he's not one for gambling in the first place, so his sister jokes it's wasted on him.

Who they like better: He likes both pretty equally, but probably Dawn.

Who they take after more: Neither, really. I don't know. Ash and Dawn strike me as more extroverted and energetic, while Linden tends to be pretty lowkey. Probably the calmest one out of the family.

Personal Headcanon: He studies chemistry. In particular, he's looking into the chemical makeup of Pokémon secretions, with a focus on arachnid silk. Ariados is his starter, but he does get a whole team of bug Pokémon for research reasons. Has a best friend called Spruce (Conway/Paul, according to my notes app) that I never got around to drawing.

Name: Haze Ketchum, shortened from Hazel.

Gender: Female

General Appearance: Dark blue hair, tied up in a sort of a cross between a bun and a ponytail, held together by a triangular hair clip. Brown eyes. Blues and yellows, clothing that's athletic and tends to be easy to move around in. Short, but loud. Often seen climbing on things that should probably be left alone.

Personality: Loud, enthusiastic, and determined, unafraid to pick a fight if she thinks someone's wrong. Easily provoked, thin skin, but doesn't hold grudges and likely to forgive quickly, make up, and try to be friends. Makes friends (and rivals) super easy, too. Goal setter, go-getter who seizes opportunity by the shoulders. Will cheerfully attempt to help people if she thinks they need it - she always has to step in. Somewhat impatient, always has to be moving. Despite her ditziness, she does attempt some regulation of her appearance, particularly her hair, which she hates it being messed with.

Special Talents: Has flashes of intuition and sudden understanding when she clicks with her Pokémon, which allows her to excel at double battles. Surprisingly good observation, for someone who finds it hard to sit still. An affinity for trouble and explosions. Also, a knack for being charming and innocent looking enough to get away with things.

Who they like better: Both, but probably Ash?

Who they take after more: Ash...

Personal Headcanon: She does both the League circuit and Double Contests, because she's got an interest in double battles, and there's no offical full League style competition for that yet, just the occasional one stop stuff. Would probably really enjoy the Battle Frontier. Flashy combat style, which she uses to cover up any tricks and plans that she has going on underneath. Her starter is a Shinx.

Thank you for the ask!!

(meme link here!)

old sketch under the cut.

[mahvaladara]

basic character development questions for Apollo because I'm curious.

Gonna do it for young adult college student Apollo!

full name: Apollo Lunar-Sullyvan

He is named after Apollodorus "Paul", a painter who finds out he is bisexual when amidst a school trip he falls in love with an history college professor who had romantic feelings for his father.

age: 20

birthday:

Born in game during Winter season.

23rd of November, Sagitarious, born of fire during the months of winter.

pronouns: He/him

gender: Intersex, presents as Male.

sexuality: Heterosexual

height: 1,70 meters tall.

hair color: Black

eye color: Green

body type: Slim-Fit, muscular with nice legs.

race/ ethnicity: Mix Astreian-Earthling / (¼ asian + ¾ caucasian)

nationality: Britchester (born and registered)

personal style:

His style would be considered a nerd-jock type. He has a very simple stule, he prefers jeans, t-shirts and jackets, preferring blue colours and some yellows to add variety. He açlways wears sneakers or boots and he'd lock like the avarage popular guy who gets all the girls.

introvert or extrovert: Extrovert. He gets along with everyone (except his twin) and enjoys the company of equal-minded people.

passive, aggressive, or passive-aggressive: Aggressive.

Curiously, Paul is very hot-headed and therefore aggressive. He is the type to punch you with facts, quite literally. He is not privy to hitting people, only exceptions being people he deems weaker than him. He wouldn't beat up the school rejects or nerds or even his brother, but if he found a bully harass a girl or a guy in school, he'd break it up and if the bully provoked him they'd have a date with his fist.

creative and/ or athletic:

Athletic. Despite being smart, Paul isn't very creative. Yes, he can play the piano, the violin and copy a painting if asked. But he can't make an original painting, or improvise a song, or even make up a story. Paul is very textbook smart and not so creatively smart.

do they drink and/ or do drugs?

No. No alcoholic beverages, no drugs, no smoke, and even when the guys in his fraternity did parties, Paul was usually the voice of reason stopping the guys from doing something illegal. Some of his friends call him the Fun Police as a result, but he's so funny, charismatic and intelligent they just brush off and love him regardless.

what do they do to relax?

Go for a jog.

are they a virgin?

No. Anika was his first and only during highschool. All the other guys question how they have been so faithful to one another when there are girls and guys flashing at Paul to get some. Because they share a heart and Paul can feel what she feels so if they were going around having sex with other people... it would get weird very quickly.

what kind of music do they listen to?

Curiously, he's not music-oriented. Like, he'll listen to a workout playlist while he trains or goes for a jog and listen to the radio when he drives. But... Paul isn't the type to go "I can't live without music!" Most party music is sound pollution to him but since others like it and it's harmless he is cool with it.