#where I compared Alice to a cat and Victor to a dog

[victorluvsalice]

Valicer Not-Incorrect Quotes, Food Edition

In honor of the “food” prompt for this month’s @polyamships Polyam Shipping Day:

--

Alice: [looking at a collection of “freakshake” photos online] I really don’t understand these things. I mean, I’ve got nothing against a good milkshake, but -- look at this, this one has an entire slice of cheesecake on it. 

Victor: I know! You know I like sugar, but -- that seems really excessive.

Smiler: You know what I’ve always thought? That those are like the milkshake fancypants version of the Vermonster.

Alice: The what?

Smiler: A giant bucket sundae that you’re supposed to eat with your friends -- it’s from Ben & Jerry’s. Why else would you get a slice of cheescake on a milkshake if you weren’t supposed to give the cheesecake to someone else?

Victor: That’s -- probably the most sensible explanation for these things I’ve heard.

Alice: Pity that probably means it’s not true.

Smiler: Probably not, but it SHOULD be. Also, if we’re ever anywhere near a Ben & Jerry’s, we should get a Vermonster.

Alice: Well, that goes without saying.

--

Smiler: [sneaking into the kitchen]

Smiler: [looking around as they grab a package of Jaffa Cakes out of the pantry]

Smiler: [grinning to themselves as they tear it open]

Victor: [immediately poking his head around the door] Can I have one too?

Smiler: How do you always know?!

--

Smiler: [pouring some strawberry mojito mocktails they’ve whipped up for everyone] We got drinks!

Alice: [comes in and claims her glass, taking a swing] Mmmm -- delicious as always, Smiler.

Victor: [following soon after] Oh yes -- you really have a talent for this.

Smiler: [sipping their own drink] Well, talent and years of helping Mom with parties and working at coffee places.

Victor: Even still -- you really should be a bartender. You’d knock the socks off everyone with these.

Smiler: [laughs] Maybe, but I think most of them wouldn’t be impressed with the lack of alcohol.

Alice: Look, I have enough problems with Wonderland, I don’t need to add booze to the mix.

Victor: And you don’t need me trying to tell you my entire life story.

Smiler: But I like your entire life story!

Victor: That involves me talking more about my parents.

Smiler: I do not like your entire life story, finish your mocktail.

--

[context: Victor and Alice are hanging out with Smiler’s other friends for a movie night]

Oblivion: [bringing in some boxes] All right, we have pizza!

Rita: Finally! Hand it over, Oblivion.

Oblivion: Yeah, hang on -- okay, this one is all pepperoni, nice and standard; this one is pepperoni and olives on one side, and mushrooms and olives on the other; this one is Meat Lover’s and sausage, peppers, and mushrooms; and this one is Hell On Pizza.

Smiler: [rolling their eyes as they pick up a slice of Hell On Pizza, otherwise known as Hawaiian] You could actually try some before knocking it, you know.

Thirteen: Everyone knows pineapple does not belong on pizza, Smiler.

Galactica: It’s a scientific fact.

Smiler: Scientists don’t know what they’re missing.

Rita: [grabbing a slice of pepperoni] Please just accept you have terrible taste in pizza, Smiler. It’ll be easier on us all.

Victor: [had been reaching for his Meat Lover’s -- but upon hearing all this admittedly good-natured teasing, he stops, considers -- and then picks up a slice of Hawaiian and takes a big bite]

Everyone Else: [regards him with surprise, even Smiler]

Victor: [after a contemplative chew and swallow] Actually, this isn’t bad. I don’t know if I’d want it every time, but --

Smiler: [practically tackles him and kisses him hard] Marry me. Now.

Oblivion: [mostly-faux horror, eyes wide] Oh no. [looks at Alice] Have they gotten to you too?

Alice: [taking a dazed Victor’s forgotten slice] We’re about to find out!

--

[listingmovies]

TOP 5 DISNEY MOVIES that still have meaning today.

Surely you remember how you used to watch animation movies in your childhood. First, you had to know from the start whose side you should be on. You didn’t care why, you just knew. But rediscovering a Disney Classic when grown up is something I highly recommend. You’ll watch it in a totally different light. Sometimes, you’ll even feel that the story (that you didn’t quite get when you were a child) actually sounds familiar in our times. In fact, I noticed that many children movies talk about a subject that we can still relate to today. So basically, we all grew up to these Disney movies (if you didn’t, you had a sad childhood) but why are they still contemporary?

Top 5 – One hundred and one Dalmatians (1961)

When Dalmatian puppies are abducted by Cruella de Vil, their owners must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion purpose. When watching the 101 Dalmatians at the age of 7, I clearly didn’t like Cruella. First of all, she was ugly. Our criterial choices were not that nuanced. Second of all, she wanted to kill those cute dogs. And that was enough for me. God, I hated her guts. But now that I’m older (a bit smarter too), I get that Cruella is bad because she wants the dogs’ fur. Call me crazy but doesn’t this sound like a vegan campaign to you? I mean, animals have really been the hot topic of the past few years. Fighting for animal pride seems like a priority these days, questioning the non-ethical methods within the meat industry, the beauty brands that test on animals, the clothing brands that sell fur, leather etc. I’m not against this movement of protest (actually, I would kill anyone who hurts my cat). In fact, the Pro animals community have interesting views about the relationship between children and animals. They claim that there is a reason children love animals so much and therefore enjoy movies that star animals. As they say, it is not right for the human being to want to hurt an animal and the innocent reaction of a child towards this cruelty is the natural, unbiased one. It is the one that is not influenced by society, the one that just follows the logic of Nature. And this is why it’s easy to hate Cruella, even when young. Because what she’s up to is, according to some people, counter-nature. Humans should not be against animals and protesters often use this argument to assess how unnatural it is to take part in the killing.

Top 4 – Alice in Wonderland (1951)

The movie is based on the tale by Lewis Caroll. On a riverbank, Alice spots a White Rabbit in a suit passing by, claiming that he is "late for a very important date". She gives chase, following him into a large rabbit hole. This hole takes her to the most delusional adventure, where Alice is subject to nothing else but hallucinations. To sum up: Kids, stay in school. Don’t do drugs. Now it hasn’t been clear what Alice had been taking. Probably LSD. But it’s rather interesting how a 5-year-old can believe such a story. He has no clue we’re talking about the largest and most dangerous epidemic phenomenon of our century. He just absorbs the story as if it was normal, while Alice is obviously…tripping. Still, what bothers me about this very down-to-earth interpretation of the tale is that I want to believe in this cooler funnier world Alice gets dragged into. And claiming that the only way to get to it is to be on drugs is rather sad. Can’t we pretend that Alice was a perfectly healthy little girl and had that much imagination without the help of any substance? This is why the movie is so compatible with our times. We live in a cruel harsh world. So why not imagine a Wonderland where everything is lighter? (Minus the annoying characters)

Top 3 – Robin Hood (1973)

It is based on a legend of the English Folklore, but uses animals as characters instead of people. The story follows the adventures of Robin Hood, Little John and the inhabitants of Nottingham as they fight against the excessive taxation of Prince John. So, in other terms, it’s about socialism vs capitalism. Which is basically what our world is about today. It seems like an endless debate too. We’ve been trying out different types of governments ever since politics were created. And so far, we still don’t know which is the ideal one. Stealing rich people’s money to give them to the poor might work in animation but I have a slight feeling it would be harder to put in practice. If Robin Hood proved to be an efficient proletarian, who practically brought the peace to the country, I don’t really see François Hollande pulling off a heroic act like that. I wish we could go back to Robin’s time where it was easy to solve poverty and unemployment. Can you imagine him making the world a Disney world? I wouldn’t want to miss Donald’s face when he does!

Top 2 – Mulan (1998)

The story is based on a Chinese legend. To save her father from death in the army, Mulan, a young maiden, secretly goes in his place and becomes one of China's greatest heroines in the process. Isn’t Mulan the best example of feminism among the Disney heroines? She is strong and feisty and proves to be the worth of men. I don’t know about you but this reminds me of a certain speech recently held at the UN. Two years ago, Emma Watson said at the launching of UN’s new feminist movement called HeForShe ‘’I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decision-making of my country. I think it is right that socially I am afforded the same respect as men.” Shame she and Mulan didn’t get to spend much time together. And however Disney-ish is the movie, I find it vital, in order to show the kids that women are capable of greatness too. In fact, there aren’t too many of those Disney heroines. Even though gender equality has improved, we’re still far from that goal, and Mulan is yet to be real. In fact, I believe we have a world full of Mulans, but how many of them have the chance to take action like she did?

Top 1 – The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

The story is adapted from a novel by Victor Hugo, a notable French writer. He tells the story of a deformed bell-ringer who must assert his independence from a vicious government minister. His rebellion starts by helping his friend, a gypsy dancer, named Esmeralda who he secretly falls in love with. Esmeralda’s community is a group of gypsies who are just wandering about in the capital. When government authorities threaten to fire them, they demand asylum at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. It is sad how not much has changed, in Paris or any city of the world. Groups of refugees are still flowing from all over the world, escaping wars and poverty and risking their lives to be welcomed in a safer land. If their condition today is not comparable to Hugo’s 1831 novel, the situation is still not pretty. Immigrants from here and there are still bound to the same misery. I don’t see any of them banging on the doors of Notre Dame but they’re here, among us. And we try to ignore them while we’re getting off to a busy day. But they’re here.

[victorluvsalice]

*waves* Hi there -- to save people's dashes I'm initiating readmore times, because holy shit did this get long fast XD

Ah, so you like yeeting the characters from their own world into another, like most LiveJournal/Dreamwidth RP games I’ve participated in. XD Nothing wrong with that, it’s a venerable tradition, and one I quite enjoy as well. Valicer In The Dark just works best if everyone is native to the timeline...though I do enjoy yeeting the trio from that into OTHER worlds so people can react to just how fucked up their native world is (short form, sun blew up and afterlife broke 850 years ago so everyone lives in eternal night with ghosts everywhere). XD And I see – I’ve had plenty of AUs like that, where it ends up just being a few scraps of an idea. Maybe one day the Sanitized Cephalopocalypse shall come into the spotlight, but it is not this day. :p

*pats* Trust me, I feel that. *stares at the growing list of scores and such for my Valicer In The Dark verse* Like, brain, not only are there only so many hours in the day, but I’m working on other stuff too… *sigh* Hopefully you get some time to get to work on it soon enough! And huh, had no idea there was a manga (though I guess I’m not actually surprised, given I understand it’s a pretty popular game...sorry to hear that it’s apparently not very good, or at least the main plotline isn’t). *snrk* Yeah, you murder that canon – if you’re having fun, who cares, and I, a person who has never played Splatoon and is very unlikely ever to because I don’t like multiplayer games, isn’t going to be able to tell the difference. :p Though I did know the whole thing about humanity going extinct in those games – so yeah, I can imagine there’s going to be a lot of “wow, humans!” among the inklings, who are otherwise just vibing. Unlike everyone else in this universe. XD

Ooooh~ :D How interesting – so it sounds like there are going to be some shenanigans with Wonderland and Headspace and their potential connection to dreams/the afterlife. Though I feel a bit bad for that character who had their world forced on them – that’s never fun. And ooooh, cool! We do love a good spirit design. (LOL, I see – and yeah, honestly, if you’re doing the Liddell sisters as anthropomorphic animals, they HAVE to be cats of some description. Just like Victor would have to be a dog in my head)

It is fascinating culture clash times, isn’t it? And yeah, you know what, that’s fair, I do put them through a lot of shit. (I mean, Alice’s shit is mostly just the same shit she got in canon, but Victor definitely gets extra bullshit.) And TELL me about it, I’d love for there to be a 2024 that doesn’t suck and where everybody could just get along and be happy, human and nonhuman and other (for the most part, since dumb shit causing conflict is ALWAYS gonna happen). I would HOPE cake and candy would be cheaper for them, but I honestly have no idea how current prices would compare to the 1870s anymore. Though I hear you on going down the research rabbit hole – I used to have so many various Victorian trivia websites bookmarked when I was writing the Forgotten Vows Verse. XD We do love our shipping goodness… And LOL, I see – so, basically, the portion of Whitechapel that Victor and Alice spend most of their time in doesn’t notice anything’s up until at least a few months in, and then they realize what’s going on, and – well. It’s not like they didn’t have ENOUGH to deal with before discovering that huge chunks of different worlds have been suddenly thrown together through unknown means. XD Like, Alice is like “I really wish this WAS just a hallucination of mine, because then I’d know I could get back to the real world at SOME point.” XD And yeah, I imagine that’s easier for everyone than in the Time Travel AU (and I’m sure they’d love to meet the dork!)

Ahhhh, I see – so they’re being thrown around to help fix different worlds, or at least help people in those worlds? Well, you think the universe would be kind enough to give them a head’s-up on what they’ll be investigating. *shakehead* Poor kiddos… And I see – well, at least Manami doesn’t have to worry about the fighting and death, usually? I mean, granted, I don’t think she’s gonna be wild about this assignment, especially when it comes out what Bumby’s been doing, but still. She can leave any fighting up to Alice in Wonderland. (And Victor punching out Jack Splatter.)

Oh, I know a bit about Okami! I’m pretty sure a guy I used to watch for his video game LPs did a LP of that game once! And Victor had some nice interactions with some Ammys over on Dreamwidth back when I did RP over there. :) Not really familiar with Okamiden other than it stars adorable puppy kiddo. :p But ah, okay, I see – well, okay, I’m not sure I DO see, but I get that we have two sisters and one not-brother thanks to time anomaly weirdness, and they all have special supernatural powers but not necessarily the ones that they’re supposed to have. (I do not blame Manami for NOT wanting to tell anyone about her very powerful pyrokinesis, ESPECIALLY Alice. I feel like this would be an EXCEEDINGLY bad idea, at least at first. Alice would need some time to get used to the idea, and would probably STRONGLY PREFER Manami never use it in front of her if possible.) And LOL, maybe – I know he has the spell for seeing magical auras, and if he used that on her, it would probably be a “WTF ARE YOU” moment, since her magic would be SO DIFFERENT from what he knows. XD

*snrk* I mean, I’m sure there’s only so much the guy can do, given that his magical experience cannot help her particular brand of supernatural weirdness. And I see, interesting… (sounds like it’s time to go look this sucker back up – you want all the info you can on fae-like creatures!) And that’s good! I mean, I don’t know if he will appreciate having such an important role, since, again, this is entirely new supernatural weirdness for him, but still. XD (And ooooh, well then – sounds like they’re going to be doing some fighting of dangerous mental creatures. Strength in numbers is always a plus there!)

Oh come on, purple is my favorite color! Why were so many Victorian paints and dyes and whatnot made with damn arsenic?! (Because they didn’t realize that arsenic was dangerous even if you weren’t eating it *sigh*) I’m not sure if it would be popular in Burtonsville because they seem to be allergic to color in general, but I guess the original form would be dark enough for their gloomy sensibilities… (And don’t say stuff like that, because then it puts the idea in my head XD I shall spare him the purple wallpaper, but maybe Nell has a fancy purple dress she brings out for special occasions…) Hopefully his tie is not murdering him every time he plays with it! Seriously, Victorians, can you not poison yourselves for the sake of color… And I can’t say I blame her! I wouldn’t want to touch anything from the Victorian era either at this point! (Though yes, gotta take some risks when it comes to keeping Bumby from being all Bumby at her friends. That guy is worse news than arsenic.)

Awww, good – they need a kind person in their lives. And yeah, unfortunately that kind of closeness wouldn’t exactly be tolerated in the time and location that they all find themselves in! Not to mention Alice isn’t really into being touched by anyone she doesn’t know very well… (though AFTER making friends, she’d be at least a little more open to hugs.) And oof, hmmm, concerning…

Oh, I’m pretty sure Victor had a lot more than one moment of going red if Manami is as pretty as you say she is. XD But yes, Alice is definitely going to be the one having the most crises as she tries to figure out what the fuck these new feelings are that she’s having for this impulsive-yet-kindhearted new woman in their lives. XD Good to have an idea what Manami and her siblings look like anyway! Sounds like they’ve all got really cool-looking eyes too, even if two of them don’t have the “standard” eye color for their family type. (Nothing wrong with a pretty teal, and thanks to Smiler I am a pretty big fan of yellow, soooo…)

Oh Manami – though honestly, Alice would totally sympathize with/get Manami ending up in a dissociative state from ADHD, given her own brain problems (even if hers are a different flavor from Manami’s). And she’d probably be interested in the fidget cube – Victor too, if he spotted her with it. I suspect he might actually like those kinds of toys – keep his hands away from his tie. :p And I seeeee – sounds like Manami has some learning to do if she wants to see Cheshire and the others! But Alice appreciates the support no matter what. :)

Which Victor also appreciates! It’s nice to have more people believe him about Emily. (And LOL, I bet, though I suspect Victor would actually rather like that song. XD It’s a bit of fun, isn’t it?) And awww, I see… Butterflies do seem to be associated a lot with death and rebirth and all that, huh? (And I’m not surprised if you have a spirit form for a certain older sister…)

*snrrrk* Well, to be fair, Fixxler is playing up being “weird” and “foreign” in order to get more sales. He’s more normal than he lets on. XD And yeah, she’s trying her best.

Ooooh, oh boy...well, I mean, I get why she would be very reluctant to bring up that the person she considers her soulmate isn’t human, that’s a hell of a thing to admit. And probably wouldn’t be taken well by a decent number of people. :( But if anything poly happens, she’s gonna have to bring it up sometime. Not the kind of secret you can keep from people you are now potentially going to be romantically involved with! Hopefully they can all work their way through the revelation if and when it becomes relevant.

LOL, oh dear – I imagine he’d do his BEST to keep up with her, but – well. He’s not the highest-energy person, and while he appreciates her enthusiasm about music...some of it just isn’t for him. XD And yeah, I can bet – Victor isn’t so great at that kind of multitasking! (And damn, yeah, I’m sure they LOVE having someone else to entertain the kids around so they can get on with their own shit! Sounds like she’s very well-versed at handling potentially-unruly children too, good for her.) And good, yes, Alice needs that patience. Though Alice WOULD be rather confused by that response, being like ??? Which would probably lead to more shenanigans. :P

Damn, Sunny, you definitely have your own fair share of fucked-up shit in your head, don’t you? Poor kid indeed. . . *will pat him if he’s okay with that* And LOL, yeah, I can understand that – she’s used to the nonsense, basically! And awww, I see – well, I’m glad Victor’s drawings don’t freak her out! Victor would be very sad and apologetic if they did. And good, yes, I am all in favor of her messing with that asshole (she’s completely right about rats, rats are good animals, unlike Bumby) and turning his own bullshit around on him. I’m sure Bumby will in turn make it his personal mission to break her so she stops screwing with him, but, uh, good luck to him. Kick his ass, Manami! Physically, verbally, mentally, I don’t care, just make sure he doesn’t get to you. (And I am PERFECTLY FINE with that – non-con is not my thing either, really, and I actually was really hoping to AVOID the whole Thirteen situation when I FIRST came up with this verse. I just realized it wasn’t realistic and thus tried to make sure Victor’s torment was kept to as short a period as possible. :( Yes, let the mind-jumping happen in different ways for different purposes, instead of Victor dealing with massive trauma!)

Oh, wow, that would just make Fixxler feel even more like he’s out of his depth. XD Like, he’d be FASCINATED, but also “I really don’t think I can help you much here.” XD But honestly, it’s probably good that she tries her hardest to not muck up the timeline, we want time travelers to be careful. But it sounds like the time situation is pretty weird already. O.o

*snrrk* We’re all disappointed about the lack of flying cars (though, as someone who has to drive on a regular basis, I don’t think I’d trust the average motorist WITH a flying car, honestly. Ground-based cars are dangerous enough!)

Hah, I see – well, sounds like she’s making some sweet dosh off it, at least. XD And I think Doc and Marty would look at each other and nod in response to that, given some of the nonsense THEY’VE gone through. XD

I knoooow – see my previous complaints about my brain refusing to stop giving me ideas about the Valicer In The Dark verse. *bonks head against desk* And yeah, not having the time to write stuff down is the worst. I’ve been doing my best, but...again, hope things are a little less hectic for you now!

Helo yes, I just want to say that I found your Forgotten Vows verse again, and also your Secundus verse, because of @thesatiricaldemon 's "Beneath A Broken Sky" and all I have to say is:

... how dare you both, now I have two AU fic ideas that sprouted from them because of inspiration! [Positive] (Actually three, but that one is just an afterthought)

*snrrrk* How very dare we XD But hey, I'm glad that both my fics and SatiricalDemon's have been inspiring to you! Love to know more about what percolating in your head! (And hey, don't dismiss that "afterthought" idea -- my ORIGINAL idea for an Alice: Madness Returns / Corpse Bride crossover after the release of the former was for them to meet after Alice killed Dr. Bumby and Victor had gone through both the "corpse bride" incident and its aftermath, but while I was sorting out that, I had a stray thought of "but what if Victor's parents hadn't believed him and instead sent him to Dr. Bumby to force him to forget the whole thing...and we see where THAT ended up. XD)