#also never drawing the statue of liberty again

[divine--intervention]

I LOVE PARIS :]

[ghost-bxrd]

[REDACTED] came and handed me footage of the pod in… startlingly good quality. I am not sure as to [REDACTED] motivations, but I won’t be letting my guard down. There’s too much at stake. I won’t do that to them. To him.

[REDACTED] did not comment the footage and left again just as swiftly. He also left me a small folder of drawings of the pod. I have taken the liberty to add some notes to them. I won’t deny that I am unnerved by [REDACTED] response to… well, I suppose I may just as well say it. A traitor.

[REDACTED] has never been anything but loyal to [REDACTED]. This apparent “change of heart”… I don’t buy it.

But I won’t deny that I’m also a little grateful. These weeks without any sightings of the pod have made me anxious.

…. Did [REDACTED] notice?

File Notes:

Personal files, recovered from the sunken remains of the [REDACTED] research facility, Researcher: [REDACTED], Researcher status: deceased

[mimzaucracks]

First post on sideblog, let’s goooo!

Image ID 1.0: The uppermost image is an image dump of rendered sketches of a ROTTMNT: The Movie AU version of Renet. She’s a young black girl, about the same age as April in the film, and she shares a striking resemblance to her, short for Renet’s hair being bleached blond. The drawings included in pictures described later, and in the bottom left corner is a photograph of the pencil sketches from a notebook. The text in the image reads:

Renet (ROTTMNT MOVIE AU)

- F!April’s daughter

- Master Michela[n]gelo’s protégé

- Got sent back before Casey but got stuck in limbo; emerged after events of the movie.

- Possibly a clone of April

(End ID)

I was rather disappointed we got another Casey as the MC in the movie instead of her, so it got me wondering if she could fill the same role as him. In my opinion she can, and that birthed this AU idea. Her being Future April’s daughter and Mikey’s protégé fit too perfectly, so I would actually have her be Jr.’s old childhood friend who was missing for many years (in limbo), so both of them are happy to see each other again in the present new timeline.

Regarding the “possible clone” comment: Many headcanon Casey Sr. either finding Jr. in a dumpster somewhere and adopting him, or that she asked Draxum to clone her. I’ve never really subscribed to either, since he does look very similar to her (which makes me think they are biologically related), but his temperament is basically the complete opposite of hers (which refutes the clone theory in my head). I always just assumed Cassandra had a boyfriend too irrelevant to mention in the show, even long before the movie released. I figure he’s her biological son, but he inherited his father’s temperament (and his mother’s looks). That being said, I’m willing to apply the cloning idea to Renet. I cannot picture April with a man, ever, so I can see her demanding Draxum clone her to give her a daughter. Maybe the kinder side of April’s personality is stronger in Renet since she grew up in an environment where kindness and hope are the only things keeping a community together and its members sane. Maybe she even adopted some of her other mom’s (Sunita’s) traits, who knows?

Image ID 2.1: A 3/4 view of Renet’s head, drawn in a style very close to the show’s/movie’s. She’s looking forward, away from the viewer, smiling slightly with a little of her teeth showing. She wears her blond hair in a ponytail like April did in the show’s finale arc, and she has a blue headband and a decorative silver tiara resembling a clock (10, 11, 12, 1 and 2), which bears a slight resemblance to the Statue of Liberty’s crown. Her cape is the same shade of indigo as her headband, and the cloak’s collar is majorly oversized, revealing her neck. She has an earring in the shape of an hourglass. (End ID)

Image ID 2.2: A fully rendered illustration (not in the style of the show/movie) of Renet and a teenage April from the end of the movie in front of a sunset. They are standing in profile towards each other, with Renet on the right, holding April’s hand in her left and her time sceptre in her right. April’s expression is slightly confused whereas Renet’s is tender and happy. A small speech bubble reads “Hi mom.” Renet’s chest plate/plastron is brown/dark orange to mirror Casey Jr.’s teal, showing her connection to Michelangelo, much like Casey’s shows his connection to Leonardo. (End ID)

I’m not entirely sure on her cloak’s exact design yet. If you look closely at the pencil sketch of her body, you can slightly see Donnie’s Genius-Built Apparel ‘D’ logo on her sleeves. I left it out of the illustration with April by accident, but I’m not sure whether I necessarily want his logo in those spots on her cloak. Maybe it’s at the bottom of the tail? I’m also not sure whether I want it to have those glitter-esque particle effects from the bust drawing; it’s not really a design element in-canon. Although, I do find it very pretty.

[dolphin1812]

This chapter!

Fantine’s behavior here is really similar to how Valjean acts around the bishop. In the same way that he was extremely polite and deferential when he entered the bishop’s house, Fantine tries her utmost to appease Javert, complimenting him and admitting her “fault” so that he might treat her more mercifully (which, of course, Javert would never do). Then, when Madeleine helps her, she can’t believe it. She rambles more than before, clearly in shock. It’s also interesting how she initially ascribes all of this kindness to Javert. While it is specified that she’s blamed Madeleine for her suffering this whole time, and it therefore makes sense that she wouldn’t automatically switch to thanking him, it also resembles Valjean’s conflicted feelings over the bishop. When he heard that he was part of the religious establishment, his first instinct was to mention the bishop he remembered from prison and how distant he was. He was still polite in the way he said it, but it’s clear that he couldn’t reconcile that man with the compassion of the bishop in front of him. He doesn’t even realize his high status until he’s almost sent to prison again. Moreover, although his experience with kindness is less complicated than Fantine’s in some way (his hatred of Myriel wasn’t specific in the way Fantine’s hatred of Madeleine is; he blamed society as a whole for his state, not the bishop), that image of a divine struggle is something they both share. This passage is long,  but it’s important:

“Nevertheless, she also was the prey to a strange confusion. She had just seen herself a subject of dispute between two opposing powers. She had seen two men who held in their hands her liberty, her life, her soul, her child, in combat before her very eyes; one of these men was drawing her towards darkness, the other was leading her back towards the light. In this conflict, viewed through the exaggerations of terror, these two men had appeared to her like two giants; the one spoke like her demon, the other like her good angel. The angel had conquered the demon, and, strange to say, that which made her shudder from head to foot was the fact that this angel, this liberator, was the very man whom she abhorred, that mayor whom she had so long regarded as the author of all her woes, that Madeleine! And at the very moment when she had insulted him in so hideous a fashion, he had saved her! Had she, then, been mistaken? Must she change her whole soul? She did not know; she trembled. She listened in bewilderment, she looked on in affright, and at every word uttered by M. Madeleine she felt the frightful shades of hatred crumble and melt within her, and something warm and ineffable, indescribable, which was both joy, confidence and love, dawn in her heart.”

Here, we have all the parallels between what Fantine feels in this moment and Valjean’s redemption: the dark vs light imagery; the references to the divine; the idea of changing one’s soul; and Fantine losing her hatred and rage as she’s filled with kindness now that someone else has shown her compassion.

On another note, I like how we see Javert’s emotional investment in the law in this chapter. I feel like his very literal obedience to it makes it easy to imagine him as an emotionless vessel for its dictates (he himself would probably like that image), but his identity is so bound up in this system that any challenges to it hurt him. He’s already in shock because of Fantine’s “crime;” someone outside of society insulting a citizen is unimaginable to him. And an authority figure intervening on the side of the poor? Especially an authority figure who’s suspicious (which is already provocative)? He fears that he’s going “mad” as he experiences “the most violent emotions which he had ever undergone in all his life,” underscoring just how much these rules impact him emotionally. He even trembles and turns blue and pale upon hearing Madeleine repeat himself; his reaction is so strong that it’s outwardly visible.

[vintamcu]

Do I Know You? Pt. 3│Andrew Garfield!Spiderman x Reader

Warnings: NWH SPOILERS!!; slight angst; fluff; slight cursing 

Word Count: 1.6k

Summary: After Thanos had wiped half the population of the entire universe, and the Avengers brought them back, there were bound to be a few anomalies. When you fall asleep and wake up in another universe, you realize you’re one of those anomalies. 

Author's Note: THE FINAL PART OF “DO I KNOW YOU?” IS HERE!!! PLEASE ENJOY. Also, as much as I love NWH, I’m still very confused about the spell and how it affects everyone’s memories. Apparently the writers still don’t have it figured out and just want audiences to focus on the emotion. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work with what I’m writing so let’s imagine it as where all digital and physical evidence of Peter Parker is gone, including memories. That being said, any connections built because of Peter are held (M.J and Ned for example) but replaced with different memories. Memories of Spiderman are kept but without Peter’s identity being involved. Hope that makes sense. 

Part 1 ; Part 2 

Sitting in New York’s Sanctum, you hold out your hands for Doctor Strange to examine.

“Have you tried talking to your physician about this?” 

Snorting in response, you’re quick to apologize when you spot the look on his face. “It’s nothing that science can explain. Or at least, not what’s available to me at Stark Industries.”

Strange nods. You watch in silence, his hands hovering over yours until he begins pulling golden threads out from the palms of your hands. Symbols start to appear above them, expanding until they go purple. The once golden lines begin to splinter, appearing in various shades of purple. The sorcerer in front of you is quick to stop whatever he’s doing, his expressionless face leaving you to wonder in worry.

“Were you blipped?”

“No, I wasn’t. Why?”

“We’ve been noticing a lot more people with abilities since Thanos wiped half of the population and was brought back. It’s not a lot, but more than enough to draw concern. It was always going to be a possibility given that people were affected by the stones.”

“But I’m not one of those who disappeared.”

He starts the spell again, this time more cautiously. The golden strands appear once more, this time only circling around you.“I never said the people who blipped were the only ones with abilities. All of us were affected by the stones.”

“If we’re going with that theory, then why did my ‘ability’ show up so late?”

Again, purple begins to appear, though this time without the splintering. He continues, his pace going slower than before. “Certain events in our lives can trigger it. When did yours start appearing?”

“It was after the incident at the Statue of Liberty.” The memories of that day were foggy, though you simply chalked up to trauma until now. Your body was merely protecting you from the events that occurred that night. Every time you tried to think about it, to figure out what happened, the memories got more blurry. But now that you thought about it more deeply, perhaps it wasn’t purely trauma. 

No.

You were having dreams now, seeing someone you had never met before. Hearing a name that you could never remember when you woke up. And now, certain dreams became more vivid. You would be in New York, but not your New York. Your apartment complex would be gone in one. In another, no one knew of the Avengers, and in the most recent, people with superpowers didn’t exist. They were merely characters in comics and films. 

Dreams. That’s all they were. That is until you received a cut on your cheek from a window breaking near you. When you woke up, you felt a familiar sting on your cheek. You began to tread more carefully after that. 

“You’re entering different Earths.” Strange concludes, ending the spell. 

“I’m sorry, different Earths? Are you telling me the multiverse is real?” 

“Very real.” The levitating platform the both of you were on begins to descend. “Until I can figure out a way to subdue your abilities, whenever you appear on a different Earth, mind your business and keep your head down.”

“And (L/n)?” Strange calls as you reach for the door. 

“Yes?”

“For the sake of our universe, and every other one out there. Don’t attempt to use your abilities when awake.”

He didn’t have to tell you twice. 

———

That night, you once again entered a different universe. 

This one was different, though something felt off. You had appeared at someone’s apartment, but not yours. Carefully making your way through the apartment, you make sure to avoid leaving any signs that you were there. Looking out into the night sky, you spot the familiar Empire State Building, but no Avengers Tower. No Stark Tower. Instead, you see the name “Oscorp Industries” decorating a building in green lights. The name sounded oddly familiar, tickling something in the back of your brain, but the harder you tried, the worse the headache. For that reason, you had long given up on trying to discern those memories.

Looking at the digital clock on the nightstand, you bite your lip as you note the time. You had no idea how long you would be here for. Time worked differently on each Earth. Your alarm would go off in eight hours. However, that meant little to you. For on one Earth, that was only a few minutes. Yet on another, it took an entire twenty-four hours. There was no consistency, and you had yet to learn how to take yourself back of your own will. 

Standing in the center of the small apartment, you gently sway back and forth, debating on whether you should leave the apartment or explore. You had yet to meet yourself in another universe, and you hoped to keep it that way. 

Doctor Strange did say to keep a low profile, and if you were honest, the man slightly intimidated you. Magic was not your thing. Science was. If he said to keep a low profile, you most certainly would.

Hearing a window slide open, you no longer have to debate. Running was your only option now. Placing your hand on the doorknob, you barely have the chance to turn it before hearing a familiar sound. Your hand was stuck on the knob, a web firmly keeping it there. Just your luck, you had broken into Spiderman’s apartment. 

“Listen—” You start talking first, anxiety getting the better of you. “This is all just a mistake. I entered the wrong apartment, you see.” 

You continue to ramble, turning your attention to the hero. As soon as you see the suit, you cut yourself off. It was different from Spiderman back in your New York. The spider at the front was more elongated, and the eyes of his mask were differently shaped. 

“(Y/n)?”

Well, shit. 

“Yes?” Your voice is timid, heart racing as you attempt to figure out the situation. Though your thoughts don’t get very far as you find yourself in someone’s embrace. Feeling the suit against your skin, you’re startled by the sudden action but not uncomfortable. Oddly, it felt familiar. The hero pulls away slightly, removing his mask so you can see one another. 

Meeting dark brown eyes, you stare at the face of Spiderman, well, a Spiderman. Images ran through your mind, some too fast for you to understand. Stealing Stark tech, going to Midtown High, helping three Spidermen. 

Stumbling slightly, the man in front of you holds you steady, keeping you from hitting the floor. His arms stay wrapped around your waist, face filled with worry as he wondered what was going on. Wincing, you bring your hand to your face, putting pressure against your forehead to ease the headache. It slowly subsides, and you’re able to get your bearings again. 

“Peter?” 

The two of you look at one another, your arms now gripping his biceps as everything begins to make sense. Strange’s spell had wiped your memory. Everyone’s memories. Feeling your heart deflate, you stare at the Peter in front of you. Would he recognize you as the (Y/n) from the other universe? Not his (Y/n) who had died?

“I thought I was Peter #3?” He’s joking, but you can tell by the way his voice cracks at the end that he was just as emotional. 

Laughing quietly, you pull him into an embrace. The both of you stay that way for a while, neither of you believing that the other was here. Slowly pulling away, the two of you sit down to properly catch up.

“How are you here?” 

“Remember the magician?” Peter nods, placing his mask on the table. You continue, telling him all the events that occurred and how that’s why you were older than Peter, M.J, and Ned. He had placed his hand on top of yours during that part, sensing your distraught. Clearing your throat, you continue, eyes flickering away from him as shyness comes over. You were sure he could hear your heart racing. 

“And so every night I’ve been jumping to different universes. I have no control, but I’m doing my best to stay safe. At least until Doctor Strange can help me control it.”

There’s a hopefulness in your voice. If you could control it, you could come and see Peter again. The two of you looked at one another, and you could see the hope in his eyes as well. Biting the inside of your cheek, you look out the window, seeing snowfall. 

“Do you want to go out for a swing?” Peter asks, voice shy.

“I’d love to.”

There was no telling when you would disappear and come back again, but for now, Peter would gladly enjoy the time he had with you. He had slipped on his mask, handing you a hoodie of his to hide your appearance before taking you outside. You never had the opportunity to do this before, but it was breathtaking. Not at first, though. Your stomach felt like it was in your throat at the beginning, but as the two of you stood at the top of the Empire State Building, fingers laced together, you didn’t regret a second of it. 

As the sun rose up, the scene in front of you flickered purple. Squeezing Peter’s fingers, he could tell what you were about to say. You were leaving. Turning your attention towards him, you smile.

“I’ll be back. I promise.” 

Removing one of the rings on your finger, you take his hand, placing it in his palm.

“See you soon, Peter.”

“Bye, (Y/n).”

The world ripples and you find yourself losing Peter’s warmth gradually before it disappears entirely. You know you’ve returned to your universe when you reappear on your bed, your alarm blaring next to you on your nightstand. Turning it off, you wrap yourself in your sheets as you stare out the window. There was no Oscorp, no Peter #3, but there was a Peter #1 who had no one right now. 

Until you could see the boy who had snatched your heart again, you would search for this universe’s Peter and remind him he was not alone. 

And meanwhile, the Peter in the other universe would gladly wait for your return. 

Happiness was not lost. 

Taglist: @ancailinaerach @uglyasswoman @maybe-a-fangurl @plutoneu @byelannie @themazerunnersupremacy​

[platoniclokiimagines]

i love your blog so much! i’ve been thinking, what kind of things do you think loki would do with his bestie?? like would they paint, maybe shop? (if you have smth that’s similar to this then feel free to ignore it LMAO)

honestly what Wouldn’t you do once you and Loki are close?

granted, it does take a While to get to that level of trust

and to really be able to just Relax around each other and let your guards down

but once you do get to that point?

hoo boy

you two would do almost Everything together

mornings? you’re both drinking tea and judging everyone’s outfits as they come in to get breakfast

“I see the spiderling is wearing the same kitten pajama pants yet again.” “To be fair, I think Tony got them for him. But I concur, doesn’t he have literally anything else to wear?” “And here comes Thor, hair a rat’s nest, as per the norm.” “We live with the most powerful beings on the planet and there’s hardly a lick of fashion sense between any of them. Shame.” “Y/N, I completely agree.”

in fact, pretty much all of your time at the compound is spent together

reading, sparring, going over game plans for missions, all of it you do together

even the mundane things such as chores like doing the dishes or laundry duty, you both end up working on it together

mostly because the two of you are inseparable anyway

and also a little bit because everyone else on the team is a little Too intimidated by Loki to actually try to separate the two of you

your free time away from the compound is also spent together

you go on “outings,” as you like to call them

since Loki’s still pretty new to Earth culture, you’ve taken it upon yourself to introduce them to all your favorite places and things

sometimes you set aside days to be complete tourists

seeing the Statue of Liberty, riding the ferry, getting pizza in Times Square

you even convince them to go see Wicked on Broadway

after which, Loki was adamant about seeing as many plays and musicals as they could get to, dramatic theatre kid that they are

and the sight of them completely enthralled by the shows always makes you smile, anyway, so how could you ever say no?

you take them to all your favorite little hidden gems

the coffee place on seventh street that you adore because it’s always empty in the evenings

the corner of Central Park where there are no joggers or scammers selling photocopies of artwork at outrageous prices

you even take them to the ironically-named Valhalla Bar, which you frequented long before you ever knew any of the Asgardians

you’ll never forget the one time they got absolutely shit-faced on a single pint of beer

“Isn’t Asgardian liquor supposed to be, like... really strong?” “Yes, well, I’m not Asgardian, so.” “...doesn’t that mean Asgardian liquor should have made you this shit-faced, too, if not more?” “................I don’t know right now.”

you also end up with Loki participating in a lot of your personal hobbies, as well

your photography, your drawing, your painting, whatever it is that you do for fun, Loki ends up at least trying

you let them hold your Good(tm) camera and show them how to aim and how to use the grid to center photos

most of them come out a little blurry and off-centered, but you had fun doing goofy poses from them anyway

you get Loki a blank canvas to work with while you’re doing your own painting, and try not to get jealous that painting comes so naturally to them

“How are you so good at that? Have you painted before?” “No. Just lucky, I guess.” “Mm.” “Why, are you jealous?” “No.” “Y/N.” “I’m not.” “Y/N.” “I’m not.” “...” “...okay maybe just a little bit. Look at how you blended those colors together so perfectly. It took me months to perfect that.”

errands? also done together

when it’s your turn to buy groceries for the compound, Loki always tags along

and throws things in the carts that absolutely No One in the compound wants or needs

“Loki, nobody even has a cat at the compound, why would we need catnip?” “I mean, we could put some around T’Challa and see what happens.” “...” “Don’t tell me you’re not at least a little curious.” “...maybe just a little.”

all in all, the two of you are absolutely inseparable

practically joined at the hip

when one of you is sad, the other is doing everything in their power to help you feel better

bringing tea or a favorite book or queuing up dumb TikTok compilations on YouTube

your each other’s wingmen

gassing each other up when you have dates, making sure you’ve got everything you need for when you’re going out

waiting up at night to make sure that the other got home safe

even though you’re both Literal Avengers and know how to handle yourselves

it’s just what you Do

and you wouldn’t have it any other way

[miekasa]

homecoming (levi ackerman)

↯ pairing: levi ackerman x (fem) reader

↯ genres and warnings: college au, how many ways can i fit levi’s captain status into the modern world, fluff

↯ notes: i love levi :// and i’m out of gifs to put at the top of these, so when i learn how to make headers i’ll let you guys know. also this isn’t proofread rip in peace 

↯ summary: there’s a pretty well known homecoming tradition, and levi’s hoping you’re willing to partake in it. 

“So,” you hum, wiping away any crumbs from your mouth, “Are you going to tell me exactly why you wanted to have a picnic at 2:30 in the afternoon on a random Thursday, or am I supposed to wait for a grand reveal?”

Levi rolls his eyes, and sips on his wine, ignoring your incoming giggles. “Can’t I want to take you on a date?” he clicks his tongue, setting his, now empty, plastic wine cup onto the picnic blanket, “Ungrateful brat.”

You smack him on the arm, mouth open in offense; but Levi’s chuckling, shoulder’s shaking at your reaction. “I am a very grateful brat,” you correct him, “But I am also very suspicious one.”

Levi hums, not bothering to reply. Instead, he separates the two halves of his sandwich, wraps one half around a napkin, and hands it to you. You accept it, albeit a little hesitantly, and watch as Levi pays you no mind, biting into his half neatly.

If it were any normal situation, you’d probably try to snap a picture of him—you have somewhat of an ongoing collection of sneaky pictures of Levi on your dates, particularly when he looks cute munching on his food, much to his disdain—but this was not a normal situation.

Levi is acting strange. It’s not just the nature of this date itself—it may be out of character for Levi to want to go on a picnic of all things, but could be quite the romantic at heart, and often planned very quaint dates for the both of you. It was everything that happened since you set up your picnic that was truly out of the ordinary.

Like the way he seemed distracted, getting lost in thought in a way you hadn’t seen before; and how he kept sweeping his hair out of his eyes, and readjusting his small silver earring. If you didn’t know any better, you would think he’s nervous about something.

“Seriously,” you say lightly, carefully setting your half-eaten portion of the sandwich back onto the blanket, “What’s this all about?”

Levi looks at you for a beat, once again using his free hand to brush his dark hair behind his ear, then with suspecting eyes, “You don’t like it?”

Your eyebrows draw together at his questioning, confused by the lack of sarcasm, or even hurt in his tone; like he was genuinely surprised.

“What? No, Levi, that’s not what I meant,” you assure him, “I just mean that this isn’t really us. You hate eating outside—you always make us wait for indoor seating—and, if I’m being honest, I’ve never seen a couple go on a picnic in real life.”

Levi reaches to pour more cheap wine into your faux glasses, “I guess romance really is dead.”

You squint your eyes, carefully tracking his movements as he hands you a plastic cup before refilling his own. Levi isn’t one to dodge questions, or any kind of confrontation. Now you know for sure that something’s up.

“Levi,” you call gently, feeling like you finally have his full focus when his eyes meet yours, “What’s going on?”

His gaze softens at your question this time, and you finally see a hint of the Levi you know behind his expression. He sighs, carefully closing the boxed wine, and taking his cup into his hand. With a slight head nod, he motions for you to come closer, and you obiiently shuffle closer to him, until you’re sitting side by side.

You take the liberty of resting your head on his shoulder, cheek soft against his coat. You can hear him take a deep breath, feel his exhale deflate his shoulders, before he speaks.

“Homecoming is next weekend,” he starts, “You’re going, yeah?”

You hum in affirmation, watching as he takes a careful sip from his cup before continuing.

“There’s this tradition. It’s stupid as shit, if you ask me, so you don’t have to say yes,” he mumbles, lips barely off of the plastic, before he takes another sip. “But, if you’re dating someone, they’re supposed to show up to the game in your jersey.”

You snap your head up from his shoulder, blinking at Levi and the implications of his words, as you begin to piece together the mystery of his actions from this afternoon. Levi—your Levi—took you on a picnic, complete with homemade sandwiches and cheap wine, to ask you to be his date to his homecoming game.

Your stunned silence is filled with light breeze that brushes past your hair, and makes Levi return to brushing his away again. He drinks in your expression, grey eyes growing cloudy as he assumes the worst of your silence.

“Like I said, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he explains cooly, bringing his cup to his mouth again for a bitter sip, “I didn’t know if you were going to stick around for the whole day anyways, you’ve probably got other shit to—”

You kiss him quiet. Levi is surprised at first, jolts a little bit when your actions cause him to spill some of his drink, but he kisses you back, a small wave of relief washing over him. At least he didn’t make a complete fool of himself just now.

“Of course I’ll wear your jersey, Levi.”

Most parents and alumni stuck around for the traditional football game, but the boys’ soccer team was always popular amongst students, and for good reason.

Not only did the university’s team have an exceptional record, but they had no shortage of eye-candy playing for them, either. Even the team’s managers were pretty cute. You were certain players like Armin Arlert and Eren Jaeger were not plastered all over the university website solely for their soccer skills.

Though, good looks aside, they were undeniably good, and made a damn impressive pair on the field. However, most of the crowd would agree that Jaeger, Arlert, and the entire team, could thank their captain for their win today.

You step onto the field with a wide grin as you watch Levi’s team wrangle him into the middle of their circle and toss him up in the air unceremoniously. You almost want to capture the moment for yourself, but to your left, Hange is already recording a video you’re certain Levi would threaten to have deleted.

Most of the mob had fizzled away after the exciting win, leaving behind the team themselves, and a couple of students—likely friends or family of the athletes. After their final huddle, the boys begin to dissipate, greet the remaining crowd. Hange leaves you to badger Erwin, who had been sitting out due to an injury.

You spot Levi carefully picking up his duffel bag, and take the opportunity to run up to him, encase in a sudden and warm hug. You wrap your arms around his neck, and Levi has but a moment’s notice to secure his hands around your back and steady your bodies, lest you both fall to the ground from your uncoordinated momentum.

“You played so well!” you exclaim, pulling back from your hug, but keeping your palms on his shoulders, bouncing excitedly, “I knew you were good, but I didn’t know you were that good! You’ve never played like that before!”

Levi admits to tuning out your praise in favor of drinking in your appearance. The green of his away jersey looks good against your skin, the fabric somewhat loose on your frame. His eyes trail down to the sleeve, a minuscule smirk growing on his lips as he reads his last name in all capital letters underneath his number.

“Come on, Hange and I are taking you guys out for lunch!” your words snap him back to reality, “Anything you want, it’s on me, Captain.”

Levi rolls his tongue against his inner cheek. That’s a promise he’d have to take you up on later. For now, he plays along with your childlike enthusiasm, agreeing to your plans.

He motions for the two of you to get going, but his stride is blocked when you refuse to move from in front of him. Instead, you let your hands crawl from his shoulder to his neck, fingers tickling the hairs at his nape, before you pull him forward into a gentle kiss.

“You really were great, Levi,” you tell him again, pressing another kiss to his lips sweetly.

Levi hums, indulging you one more time, before he hears gasps and not-so-subtle exclamations of “Captain has a girlfriend?!” coming from his annoying teammates. He scoffs when he pulls back to see Jaeger looking at him with his mouth open so wide he could catch flies.

“You’re kind of ruining my reputation,” Levi tells you, but there’s no real bark to his tone.

It’s your turn to scoff, slowly trailing your hands down his arms, and eventually back to your side. You turn and the both of you begin to walk, not before you note, “You ruined your own reputation when you invited me and Hange here.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

“Hey!” you whine, frown deepening as Levi chuckles at you, “You’re not supposed to agree, asshole.” 

Levi doesn’t stop laughing, but gently wraps his arms around your shoulder as the both of you follow behind Hange and Erwin, and back to your car. 

“Don’t think your unusual displays of affection are going to make me forgive you,” you pout, but reach your hand to wrap your fingers around his anyways; Levi doesn’t even bother to hide his smirk, “I don’t care if you scored the winning goal or not, just for that, I’m only buying you one appetizer.”

Levi hums noncommittally. That’s fine, he could think of at least three other things he would rather you do for him instead when you both got home. With and without that jersey on.

[kookieswan]

Amaranth Ballad I - Rose

Guardian!Jimin x Guardian!Taehyung (surprise), Background Bestie!Jungkook x Royal!Reader

Word Count: 801

Genre: Royal!AU, Semi-Modern!AU, Fluff, things get a tad spicy.

Summary: Watching over the Princess is their duty, but that doesn’t mean the lovers can’t enjoy themselves while doing so.

Notes: Wrote this on the plane Thursday night, posting it now because I finally edited a tiny bit lmaooo. This was requested by my beautiful 🧶anon! Also it’s in third person which I am not used to sooo… Takes place in the Amaranth Series!

Tags: @parkdatjimin @sugarflywme @chieftoadturkeynickel (lmk if you wanna be added)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Jimin…” Taehyung shifts from foot to foot, dark cloak covering most of his face. Like clockwork, he and Jimin had followed the princess as she snuck out, Jungkook hot on her heels as they fled the castle. Jimin looks up at Tae, eyes sparkling with humor as he slides a hand up the other man’s arm.

“Shhh it’s fine, my love. They won’t catch us, they’re too preoccupied with each other’s company.” They stand high above the princess and Jungkook on a rooftop, side by side as they keep an eye out for trouble. The fae doesn’t look perturbed at all, a tiny smile gracing his plump lips as Taehyung’s brow creases even more.

“It is getting dark…” The suns slowly dropping over the horizon, shrouding the garden the two stand I’ve run darkness. The princess and her companion don’t seem to mind, giggling as they sit in a bed of flowers. Jimin’s own laugh rings out quietly as he wraps his arms fully around Taehyung.

“She’ll be fine Tae, Jungkook won’t let anything happen to her. Even if something were to happen, we’d handle it.” It’s true, Jungkook would rather die than let anything happen to her, Tae knows this. It doesn’t stop the worry though.

“I worry.” The smaller man presses a soft kiss against his lovers shoulder, fingers digging into the cloth of his cloak. Jimin hums before craning his head up again, lips pursed, eyes thoughtful. The sparkle in the dying light, his wings fluttering behind his back slightly.

“As do I, but we need to lend our precious petal some liberties. The poor thing constantly has to sneak out for any semblance of freedom. I feel bad���” The amount of times they’ve let the princess get away with things they shouldn’t would probably seem staggering to others. They always keep a watchful eye though, it’s their duty as her guardians. Taehyung continues so watch dutifully, standing in place like a statue.

“He takes good care of her.” Tae tilts his head to the side, watching the two younglings interact. Jungkook picked a flower at some point, now placing it behind the princesses ear with practiced ease. It doesn’t go unnoticed that his eyes flick around, looking for threats before drawing his full attention back to her. Good boy.

“That he does. He cares for her deeply. Deeper than I think either of them know… Only time will tell, I suppose.” Jimin doesn’t let go of Taehyung, if anything, he holds on tighter. He never talks about it, but he can feel the pain the poor woman goes through, the anguish that courses through her veins silently. He wants to take it away, but he can’t. Jungkook can however… Jimin sighs, snuggling against his love, burying his face slightly into his side.

“I love you.” Jimin’s eyes flash upward to Taehyung quickly, surprised by the sudden statement. It’s not unwelcome, just a shock to hear so suddenly. It doesn’t stop the fae from grinning steadily, eyes crinkling at the affectionate gesture.

“As I love you, forever and always my darling.” He leans up, and Taehyung leans down diligently, allowing for Jimin to leave a soft kiss at the edge of his lips. With a sudden rustle, both men glance down, watching as the other two start to walk back toward the castle. Not a long jaunt for them, shorter that usual.

“Ah, they’re heading back inside. I believe our work here is done Taetae.” Jimin goes to move, pulling Taehyung with him, or trying to at least. The taller man doesn’t budge though, causing Jimin to look back in confusion. He stands tall, eyes slitted ever so tightly, mouth curled up as he raises a hand to the Faes cheek. Jimin stays quiet, letting the cold fingers caress the skin there, and then run over his lips gently.

“Taehyung…?” The man gazes at him with so much intensity, eyes dark, almost blacked out completely as he appraises the other without shame. He brings both hands forward, cupping the smallers face before leaning in for a real kiss. It’s soft for a moment, but the intensity raises quickly, Jimin’s left gasping as Tae slips his long tongue into his mouth, exploring it for the millionth time. Taehyung pulls back just a bit after he’s satisfied, lips still against Jimin’s as he mutters out darkly.

“… I want to take you to bed.” A lout giggle leaves Jimin this time, like a bell in the air echoing through the garden. Taehyung doesn’t mind it, pulling the other man flush to him, hands wrapped tightly around his small lover. The fae brings a bind up to his chest, the skin hot enough to feel through his cloak as Jimin nearly purrs out a reply.

“Then take me, take what’s yours.”

[kidical]

Recently came across your creepypasta art and its really good! Love your designs for them, especially Ben! On of your recent reblogs, you mentioned a monochrome version of him, how many versions of him have you seen and do you have any favorites? The whole idea of there being multiple versions of the pastas is pretty cool, it lets people kinda give their own spin on the characters!

hello welcome!!! :D yes! theres numerous versions of most creepypastas but in my time in the community as a kid ben was always the character with most interpretations! we can have a little ben drowned design history lesson under the cut!

monochrome ben was the one i grew up with and was popularized on deviantart by pastamonsters and an ask blog that used to be really popular but has kind of been forgotten by modern creepypasta fans known as askBEN-Drowned, whos ben looked like this v

(sidenote i loved this art style so much as a kid i tried everything to replicate it as a tot). i actually used to draw mono ben when i first came back to creepypasta in 2020, but when i decided to draw kind of a big detailed piece i realized having him monochrome in the piece would cause some trouble, so i made a color palette for him and that just kind of stuck. i really want to draw mono ben again though hes my favorite :D

mono ben is also where the whole 'ben is a pothead pervert' thing comes from as pastamonsters had ben smoking weed, and askBEN-Drowned had him both smoke as well as look at porn and love boobies. not something i partake in just a noteworthy piece of creepypasta history. i believe this may actually have been based off of dark link, too, whos an actual character in LoZ iirc.

another interpretation that also used to be popular but again is kind of forgotten by time was by an artist called L4Dpip-squeak who ran another ben ask blog on dA as well as a candlecove one

this interpretation is mostly dead to me though and id rather never have to see this design again as this artist was incredibly problematic and drew ben as a nazi as well as shipping incest and abuse and making s/a jokes although they never got called out for this i just literally remember it from when i was a fan as a kid. this artist also contributed to the 'pothead ben' trope but wasnt a pioneer of it rather this was just a widely accepted headcanon at the time by then.

then theres the most common design people use which is just link but smaller and with bleeding black and red eyes. v

nothing really too noteworthy about this one! ben drowned is a special creepypasta in that it was both a story on the website as well as an ARG off of the platform on youtube, so this kind of like. anime boy link with red eyes interpretation of ben just came from people reading the story but not knowing about the ARG, and not a lot of creepypasta fans that didnt already have majoras mask were willing to get too deep in the game to know what ''the statue of elegy'' was so they just, again, drew link with some artistic liberties. in a way, this version of ben kind of pioneered the 'black and red bleeding eyes' trope within the community which inspired another really popular but heavily ridiculed creepypasta ... sonic.exe, which started the ''hyperrealistic eyes'' trend, even if this design was never canon.

then theres the ARG BEN! nowww this one is actually really really new because of the ARGs recent revamp, so this design isnt all over the place but it is steadily gaining some traction!

this ones separate from the args ben and is an entity comprised of multiple people and i absolutely love this freak and i love drawing them even though i dont do it much

SO THATS LIKE all of the like. fandom-popular designs as most recent designs are just based off of the old ones, and as i mentioned mono ben is my favorite almost entirely due to nostalgia. theres many variations of other creepypastas too, though ben will always have the most interpretations accepted by the community jeff also has a good hefty amount of designs! and i absolutely agree with you! having artistic freedom with these characters is what a lot of people enjoy about it and i love playing with designs and using creepypasta characters as my little lab rats to practice designs on! AND THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENT!!!!! T___T

[shegatsby]

Coffee Shop

Summary; As a university student in London you were just trying to get to know the city, the beautiful places etc. and a certain gentleman caught your eye.

Warnings; Cliffhanger at the end.

Words; 1.163K

A/N; Hi guys, its me again. I love writing this series, your comments and likes encourage me to write more. Sorry for any typos. Enjoy.

TAG LIST IS OPEN!

Chapter Six

(my face when i finished writing the cliffhanger lol)

You woke up to a text from Tom, which was unexpected, you didn2t think he could see the detail of your phone number.

''Morning Y/N, hope you got a good rest. I've noticed that you put your phone number on the drawing -almost missed it- smart :D -Tom, the dude from the Café''

You almost dropped your phone, you went to the bathroom and came back, you were fully awake now.

''Good morning Tom, yes I put my number just because lol''

he immediately texted back which surprised you.

''Since you mentioned that you're new to London I want to take the liberty to show you around if thats okay with you of course. You don't have to reply quickly, just think about it.''

Tom wanted to spend more time with you and make you feel welcomed. Everything was happenng to o fast for your liking so you did what he told you, you didn't reply during the day, You had to leave your flat quickly and take classes today, it was a busy day for you.

When you came back to your small flat you dropped your things on the floor and hit the shower, the hot water did wonders to your tired soul. In the shower you made up your mind, as soon as you wrapped yourself like a burito in a fluffy towel you took your phone to text Tom; ''Hey Tom! Sorry I couldn't text you sooner because I had to take classes all day, I would love to spend more time with you and also see the London at her full glory.''

Tom had a chill day, took his dog Bobby outside, came back to make phone calls about his new tv show Loki. He was still surprised that you didn't figure out who he is, maybe you did but didn't mention him. He was smiling when he read your text. In order to test the waters he decided to drop hints.

''Hope you enjoyed your classes, to be hones I miss being a student. I had to stay at home all day and make phone calls about my new tv series. I'm happy that you said yes, I love my hometown and would be honoured to show her to a wonderful woman such as yourself ;)''

You were eating ramen when you got his text, you didn't know he also does tv serieses.

''I love my field and my profs are amazing! I will miss being a student as soon as I graduate, I can't wait to watch your tv show. What is it about?''

You asked, excited for him.

Tom didn't want to spoil it, he also wanted to see your reaction when he tells you.

''Nothing major, its about a character I played before, I want to tell you about it when we meet again. I gotta go, bye.''

That was odd, you didn't pay much attetion because you had a lot of things to do.

During your chat back at the Café with Tom, you told him that you loved Sherlock Holmes. You never thought he would take you to the famous 221b Baker Street, you promised yourself to visit this place when you came to London but never had the time to do it. ''I remembered that you love Sherlock, so here we are.'' Tom Shortly explained, cheeks going red, he was trying to impress you so badly.

You both had casual clothes, long jackets, boots, umbrellas because it was Fall and raining hell of a lot here. If he was a romantic interest this could be your first date but unfortunately life wasn't a romance novel or a movie. Tom took pics of you standig next to the Doyle statue, later you two walked into the Holmes Museum, the entrance was small, as you walked together you got a sense of his cologne, coming from the exposed side of his pale neck. It smelled like a forest after a summer rain, beautiful and manly. You could feel the blood rushing to your face, it had been a while since you had a partner, ''Get a grip Y/N!''

The museum was small, just like in the show, the objects were from victorian era -obviously- it wasn't crowded so you guys could chat and he asked to take pictures with you, he said he wanted to remember this day as a warm memory of two new friends. The word ''friends'' hurt you little bit but what did you expect? Once again, this isn't a movie.

''My favorite book of Doyle is ''A Study in Scarlet''.'' You replied to his question, after visiting the museum you two goy burgers and diet coke, sat on a bench at a park, it wasn't raining anymore. ''What's yours?''

He took a bite from his burger to think, ''If I had to choose, it would be ''A Scandal in Bohemia'' because the story is notable for introducing the character Irene Adler. She is such an icon. Why dou you love ''A Study in Scarlet''?''

You sat on the bench straight and gave the quote from the short story; ''There's the scarlet threat of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it.''

As you finished ''acting'' -which done poorly- you both had a good laugh, ''Stop,'' you teased him, ''ist so damn good written I can't help it.''

''I thought you were going to tell me more about this tv series of yours Mr. Actor.'' You changed the subject, Tom feared you would remember and when you learn who he is.. he didn't want to spoil this blooming friendship with you. Before he could express himself fully a group of people -2 girls and a boy- approached to the bench you were sitting, ''Oh my GOD! Tom Hiddleston! Can we please take pictures with you!?!'' she was jumping up and down with her phone, her friends were excited too.

At that moment something clicked in your brain. You were so caught up with your life and problems that you didn't even realize your new friend, the dude you met at the coffee shop is Tom Hiddleston. You watched him so many times and yet you had no idea up until seconds ago, ''He must think I'm so stupid. What was his plan anyways? Play with me?!''

You watched them take pictures, chat a little. As the group were leaving you heard one of the girls whiper to her friends; ''Who was that ugly bitch anyways?'' she whispered but you heard clearly.

Tom had a worried look on his face when he sat back next to you, as he opened his mouth to explain you bolted to your feet,

''How dare you toy with me Tom Hiddleston?!'' you practically screamed in anger and little hurt. ''Hope you enjoyed your little game, I'm leaving!!!'' You threw your diet coke to the ground and turned to leave.

Thank you so much for reading. :) Let me know what you think under the comments lol xx (gif isn't mine)

Tag List;

@lokistoriesblog

@chwlogy

@thatdamnflamingo

@salempoe

@help-i-need-a-social-life

@allthecraftandthings

@wizardcherryblossom

@fire-in-her-veinz

@anna21sworld

@vampire7595

@prettylittlepluviophile

@ca-loki

@buendiabebeta

@countessofkrolock

[maryellencarter]

lupin iii movie-shaped things i have watched recently:

* bye bye lady liberty: a total head trip. they steal the statue of liberty (obviously) in the first half hour and it just keeps getting more and more insane subplots. Goemon gets smooched by a pretty lady in a train, Jigen falls in the Colorado River, and Lupin eventually saves the world from nuclear annihilation by throwing a computer whiz kid at a wall, and I haven't even gotten into the football-sized diamond stored in an actual football or the part where Jigen's possibly-ex this time around reportedly had a wife and kid who were never mentioned again.

* The Hemingway Papers: features Jigen's absolutely craziest ex ever, bar none, Crazy Mash -- skinny, inventive, damn near impossible to kill, basically Lupin but if he was obsessed with killing instead of thievery, evil enough that Jigen actively goes after him to kill him instead of waiting for him to show up. Jigen and Goemon each keep trying to pull the "cool suffering loner" thing (Goemon's pouty because the titular MacGuffin is kept in a box he can't slice, he takes this as a personal affront because Goemon), and get forced to duel each other *twice*. Also Jigen does a lot of picturesque lounging on motorcycles which I might screencap for drawing purposes sometime if I ever feel like drawing a motorcycle.

* Steal Napoleon's Dictionary: Mostly consists of a classic car race through France while a bunch of bad guys are trying to hunt Lupin down for reasons. At one point Zenigata and Lupin wind up disguised as each other complete with voice changers. Fujiko wears a very pretty Edwardian-ish dress and Jigen spends about the first third of the movie trying to get Lupin to tell him literally anything about the plan. Lupin also seems weirdly convinced that Jigen is into women. Notable for ending with the gang in a steeple that is falling out of the sky after Lupin blew it off his ancestral manor for reasons, nobody has a parachute, there's absolutely no explanation of how they're going to get out of this, which is honestly a give-no-fucks attitude one has to admire in a continuing universe. Unlike Marvel or Star Wars, people do not apparently feel the need to go in and backfill how they got out of this.

* From Siberia With Love: Very strange and rather icky in places, but has some really adorable Jigen moments. Features the endearing revelation that Denver, Colorado, is apparently in upstate New York (I love the US geography in Lupin III, it's utterly bananas, there was an episode where Washington DC bordered on Kansas). Zenigata and Goemon were basically useless the whole time, which happens more often than not it seems, but Jigen successfully uses a finger gun on a drunk mugger (with ridiculously adorable vocal sound effects) and later wears a leather pilot cap with earflaps and goggles under his regular hat, plus there's that one screenshot where Lupin is posing in a spotlight while draped across Jigen's lap like a fucking ballerina.

* Voyage to Danger: I watched this a bit ago so I don't remember all the details, but this might be the closest to suicidal I've ever seen Jigen. He killed a previous partner in self-defense, the guy's daughter wanted revenge, so he taught her to shoot and then *twice* handed her his gun and told her to make it quick -- both times she was interrupted by a villain with a truly terrible sense of timing, because obviously you can't kill Jigen off, but it was really pretty sad. Lupin seemed to think there was a romance going on, but Lupin is like that. To me it just pretty much read as Jigen figuring that he owes so many people revenge on him, he might as well let someone get it, especially since it was a kill he regretted having to make.

(This might also have been the only time we saw Lupin genuinely believe that Jigen was dead. I might have to watch this one again in Japanese, because I saw it the first time in the dub and it... wasn't great. I'm curious how Yasuo Yamada and Kiyoshi Kobayashi played those scenes now.)

* Dragon of Doom (aka Burn, Zantetsuken!): Actually a pretty solid Goemon-centric piece with some hilarious moments -- giant rubber ducky escape pedalboat, anyone? -- but every time the bad guy was onscreen, all I could think was "wow, Japanese filmmakers *really* like making Chinese villains just as horrible as possible, don't they?" I've noticed that happening in episodes, but the longer runtime made this one really... kind of unfortunate.

* Farewell to Nostradamus: Slightly less unfortunate than you'd expect from a movie where the running joke is a little girl calling Lupin a pedophile ("lolicon" in the Japanese, indicating a pedophile focused on female children). The climactic collapse of a ridiculously tall building definitely hits different in a post-9/11 world, but somebody put a lot of thought into planning and laying out that building so Lupin's dramatic escape down it could be as epic as possible. (That's barely a spoiler, I saw the giant pendulum in the middle of the building on the first shot of it and said "That building's coming down". There's only one reason for an architectural detail like that.) The part that actually threw me was that the leader of the gun-toting villain faction, one Chris, was absolutely the platonic ideal of being Jigen's type -- dorito build, tank top, all the muscles, chiseled face, calm badass voice, evil smirk -- but there was no indication they'd ever met before. They saw each other for just long enough that there should have been a shocked exchange of names, but it never happened. Which is a damn shame. He was a fine specimen of a terrible guy Jigen absolutely would have fallen head over heels for and been betrayed by.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Was Napoleon a tyrant? I don't necessarily think he was: at least, I believe he was a better alternative to the absolute monarchs he was fighting. But there are those who disagree. What are your thoughts on the subject?

This is a can of worms to be sure.

I mean....how are we defining the word tyrant? All monarchs are tyrants to someone. Monarchy, by its very nature, is tyrannical in one way, shape, or form, no matter who is at its head. Even in the more neutered forms we see now days with the British. The Queen still exerts a ridiculous amount of power, all things considered.

Napoleon was no better or worse than any other monarch in Europe at that time. Indeed, better than some, worse than others. Because you know, he was human!

-

This got VERY long. SO LONG. Choice excerpts from below the cut:

"'Power was encroaching with large strides behind the words order and stability,' as Thibaudeau put it."

"(And I suspect he was concerned about seeming too eager for power/setting up a monarchical system. Fouche: You're about as subtle as a canon going off right next door. Napoleon: Hush.)"

"Theeeeeen the little bastard (affectionate) became Emperor."

"Napoleon Vs. Jeff Bezos: fight! fight! fight! (I'm putting my money on Napoleon.)"

--

tl;dr: a more or less benevolent emperor who had his faults and who was intimately aware, for better or worse, more than most monarchs, that the head is only tenuously attached to the body. (Skim to the bottom for my thoughts on the personal things i.e. how I interpret Napoleon's actions and brain)

But, more seriously, as with most absolute statements, I am opposed to calling him a tyrant because it is reductive and serves no purpose except to make broad sweeping political statements that I believe are far more about the person making the statement exemplifying their modern political, republican position (as in, actual republican-I-support-the-existence-of-republics not the gop) rather than expressing any sort of truth about the past. (wHaT iS tRuTh.)

For historical purposes, it can over-simplify the situation and lead to skewed interpretations of events because you're coming in with this word that has a lot of modern, 20th and 21st century baggage to it.

And, because these people are coming in with this big, bad word of tyrant as a label for Napoleon, it doesn't allow them to engage with the nuance and complexities of his reign.

Anyway.

Napoleon, as emperor, supported centralized power held in his own hands, with support from other governing bodies (senate, council of state etc.). However, Napoleon had a lot of influence in the structuring of these governing bodies and the subsequent appointments as a means to exert control over entities that would otherwise be able to act somewhat independent from him and impinge his power.

We see this consolidation of power beginning, obviously, under the consulate. 'Power was encroaching with large strides behind the words order and stability,' as Thibaudeau put it.

There was the whole theatre around the Tribunate offering to extend Napoleon's tenure as First Consul for another ten years as a means of thanks/showing gratitude for all he did for France (Fouche was like: fuck that, let's just make a statue of the guy). Napoleon played the part of Humble Servant of the Public and refused both statue and the ten year extension. (Very Julius Caesar: You all did see that on the Lupercal, I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?)

In actuality, though, he was pissed because he wanted it extended for life.

This resulted in the Council of State deciding "independently" (i.e. Napoleon wasn't present but he sure as hell influenced that Council session) to hold a plebiscite in order to ask The People two key questions: 'Should Napoleon Bonaparte be consul for life?' and 'Should he have the right to designate his successor?'

Napoleon nixed the second question saying to Cambaceres, 'The testament of Louis XIV was not respected, so why should mine be? A dead man has nothing to say.' Which is to say, he knew people would vote for him to be Consul for life, but the prospect of him choosing a successor, a la the Roman Empire, and having that choice be without input from the people and respected upon his death? Less clear.

(And, I suspect he was concerned about seeming too eager for power/setting up a monarchical system.

Fouche: You're about as subtle as a canon going off right next door.

Napoleon: Hush.)

For the Plebiscite, there were around 3.56 million votes for Yes to the question of Napoleon as consul for life and only around 8,300 for No.

The turnout rate was 60% which is uhh...impressive! (To be fair, there was no real evidence of tampering with the vote. Unlike in subsequent Plebiscites, such as the results for Do We Make Him Emperor, which were absolutely doctored. But, considering the highest turnout ever seen in the French Revolution was around 30/35%, double that is certainly something.)

Lafayette was pissed with this. He kicked up a fuss in the Senate and wrote to Napoleon saying that his 'restorative dictatorship' had been well and fine for now but has Napoleon thought about restoring liberty? and that he was certain Napoleon, of all people, wouldn't want an 'arbitrary regime' to be installed!

Napoleon: Bold of you to assume that, Lafayette.

There were, at this time, some mumblings and grumblings about tyranny from the liberals and those still wanting to continue the experiment of the French Republic, to be sure. They increased as time went on and Napoleon's power continued to consolidate.

Theeeeeen the little bastard (affectionate) became Emperor.

Lafayette: WhAt Is tHiS??

Napoleon: Look into my face and tell me honestly that you are shocked.

--

His government, as Consul and as Emperor, was centralized and very top-down in how it operated. Little was done without Napoleon's input.

The seemingly democratic institutions that had propped him up into power were retained and Napoleon used them as a means to facilitate his rule. As noted earlier, Napoleon had a heavy hand in appointments and the processes in place to fill various offices. Nothing was really...independent of him and his influence.

Though, in terms of Image Building of Empire, Napoleon worked hard to try and maintain the façade of impartiality as emperor. That he was head of state, sure, but all state apparatuses operated independent of him.

(Why is Napoleon's hat so big? because it is full of lies supporting the imperial image making machine.)

That said, when it came to filling those offices, Napoleon focused on merit more than anything as he wanted his governing officials to be capable, hardworking and, above all else, loyal.

(A good quote from Napoleon in one of his more Eat the Rich moments of the consulate: 'One cannot treat wealth as a title of nobility. A rich man is often a layabout without merit. A rich merchant is often only so by virtue of the art of selling expensively or stealing.'

Napoleon Vs. Jeff Bezos: fight! fight! fight!

(I'm putting my money on Napoleon.) )

--

This is getting really long and I feel that I've not addressed anything in a useful manner, but am I going to stop? No.

--

Napoleon, himself, at least in 1803, did express some conflicted views about assuming an imperial title. To Roederer he said, 'So many great things have been achieved over the past three years under the title of consul. It should be kept.'

Cambaceres said to Napoleon that upon assuming an imperial title 'your position changes and places you at odds with yourself.' No longer are you merely a public servant, an upholder of the Republic's ideals. Now you are a man wearing a crown, trying to be the upholder of the Republic's ideals.

(nb: I feel that duality is something Napoleon never fully got a handle on. He would veer strongly into authoritarian monarch then have moments of Rousseau-ian Idealism.)

Napoleon was insistent that his rule be a parliamentary monarchy (keeping the governance framework implemented in the Constitution of Year VIII, if I am not mistaken. But don't quote me on that.) and that the French were not his subjects but his people.

So, the imperial government worked thus with the Legislative process divided between four bodies:

Council of State which would draw up legislative proposals,

Tribunate which could debate on legislation but not vote on it,

a legislative body which could vote on legislation but not discuss it, and

Senate which would consider whether the proposed legislation conformed to the Constitution.

The Senate and the Legislative body could, theoretically, curtail Napoleon’s freedom/power. However, considering the fact that he was involved in the appointment process of these offices, and the general rhythm of daily governance, how much power they were able to exert over him was limited.

(This is at his height! Of course, towards the end we see a shift in that. But that's largely tied up in his military defeats and the British banging the door knocker demanding to be let in. Also they brought with them some friends. You might have heard of them? Bourbons?)

The initial terms the Senate brought to Napoleon with their offer of accepting him as a hereditary monarch included, but weren't limited to:

liberty cannot be infringed

equality cannot be jeopardized

sovereignty of the people must be maintained

the laws of the nation are inviolable

all institutions were to be free from undue imperial influence (e.g. the press)

the nation should never be put into a position where it needs to behead the head of state. Again.

Napoleon was uh. Not best pleased with this and had a new version drafted up that included acknowledgement of the sovereignty of the people, but a lot of the other things (e.g. freedom of the press) were cut out.

Yet, Napoleon maintained certain parts of the French Revolution's values which were reflected more in the 1804 Code Napoleon and other legislative and legal pieces than in the initial terms of Senatorial acceptance of his imperial title.

Some of the things enshrined in the Code that were carry-over from the Revolution include, but aren't limited to, the abolition of feudalism, equality before the law, freedom of conscience (to practice their own religion), gave fixed title to those who had bought church and émigré lands during the 1790s, and the equality of taxation was maintained (tax those aristos and the church). Also, there was affirmation of the idea of careers being "open to talent" rather than an accident of birth (as touched on above).

The Freedom of Conscience clause in the Code was a further formalization of several Articles Napoleon amended onto the Concordat in 1802. The Articles guaranteed the principle of religious toleration and made the Protestant and Jewish churches similarly subject to state authority (alongside the Catholic).

These are just a brief summary of some of the more liberal/revolution-informed aspects of Napoleon's governing.

The non-liberal ones I believe we're all pretty familiar with: suppression of the free press, roll-back of rights for women (women are for babies!), reinstatement of slavery (which he later reversed circa 1810/12-ish), top-down Emperor-has-final-word approach to ruling (Napoleon was all about Authority From Above, Trust From Below) etc. etc.

At the end of this, I would say Napoleon's empire falls into that "benevolent monarch" situation. For a given value of "benevolent." As stated at the start, he was like most other monarchs in Europe at the time. Better than some, not as great about certain things as others.

--

Really, it all ties back to Order and Stability.

Napoleon's assent, and his approach to strong, centralized ruling, was a result of uncertainty and constant government change over ten years of revolution alongside the growing belief, by 1803, that a republic like the Romans or Greeks was not going to happen any time soon. Not without constant warfare and the forever looming threat of a Bourbon restoration.

In addition, Napoleon was doing imperial drag. (If that makes sense.) He was dialing the notch of Emperor up to 11 - being the most emperor of all emperors. So, state control was absolute because he couldn't show any signs of weakness - either in his own body, his familial body, or the body of state. The court protocols were intense and over-the-top at times because he had to prove he was not just a second son of a parvenu lawyer from the sticks. No! he was worthy of this pomp. He was worthy of imperial majesty. He was worthy of the crown and scepter.

Napoleon was not raised to be anything other than a military officer and a middle-class head of a family (would have been a MASTER at doing Sunday Dad Puttering About the House). When he dawned the mantel of power, particularly that of empire, he had to make it up as he went along. For such a self-conscious and proud man, this was difficult. He never wanted to misstep and be embarrassed - on a personal level, political or military.

At the same time, he was reared on Rousseau and Revolution so still had those values and ideals imbedded in him, and those fears and memories. Napoleon knew as well as any Frenchman that a monarch's head is easily removable should it become necessary. Therefore, he sometimes ran roughshod over the liberty to ensure security. For better or worse, that was the choice he made.

--

Napoleon was a flawed leader with a complex approach to governing that was focused on a centralization of power within him while, at the same time, trying to be the Successor of the Revolution, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Layers! Like an onion.

His approach as emperor really was within the realm of normal-for-the-times when compared to most other monarchs on the European stage in 1800. He also granted liberties to his people that were unheard of in other countries.

I feel like all my Napoleonic ramblings end with the same message: Dude was nuanced. Dude was complex. Dude did good things and bad things. Dude helped people and hurt people. Dude contained multitudes. Because he was simply human, at the end of the day.

--

ANNNNNNND we are done.

Gods bless all y'all who made it this far.

Have my favourite picture of Napoleon at Tuileries as a prize.

hmm that beautiful heavy, handed symbolism.

[maxwell-grant]

Any thoughts on Darkman, the Liam Neeson movie? I heard it was originally going to be a Shadow movie.

I love Darkman very much, but I've realized recently that this love comes with some pretty bittersweet feelings at the story behind it.

Michael Uslan: I was going to produce a Shadow feature film with Sam Raimi, but Sam got consumed by back-to-back movies and we ran out of time. We were headed in a good, period piece direction and managed to do so without relying on yet another bout with Shiwan Khan. I later had another major director passionate to do The Shadow, but a person at the company wanted to do a modern day TV series instead, which ultimately did not go... - comment saved from a post in The Shadow Knows Facebook group

For those of you who only now got into The Shadow or don't remember, for much of the early 00s, when The Shadow basically had no current projects and Conde Nast was taking down webpages and fan content left and right, the only things that kept this "fandom" alive were occasional fanfics (many of which are gone now), and the dim light in the horizon that was the rumors that Sam Raimi was finally going to make his Shadow film. Dig back on The Wayback Machine for Shadow web page and you're gonna see this as consistently the only thing they had to look forward to in regards to the character. These rumors floated around for over a decade, at one point Tarantino was even supposed to direct it, but he confirmed in 2013 that it wasn't going to happen. At least, not with him at the helm.

The project has been dead for a while now, and Conde Nast seems to be shuffling around plans for the character, and I deleted my Facebook months ago so I haven't kept up with any news, although it seems the James Patterson novel wasn't received too well, so I'm not sure what other plans they have in the pipeline.

Back in the 1970s, after the release of Richard Donner's Superman and in line with The Shadow's pop culture resurgence, thanks to the paperback reprints and the 70s DC run, there were plans to make a Shadow feature film, and there were quite a handful of scripts being tossed around for the following years (Will Murray states most of them were horrible), several names attached to the project at one point or another. The plans died down a bit following Gibson's death and only really picked up again after the 90s, and of course we all know that the 1994 movie came out with spectacularly bad timing. From what I recall, it seems Sam Raimi wanted to make his Shadow film in the 80s, was unable to secure the rights, and then just made his own version, which would go on to be his first major motion picture.

Even after making Darkman, Sam Raimi still wanted to make The Shadow. I guess that's ultimately the bittersweet part for me. I imagine the current state of Shadow media would be significantly better if Sam Raimi, who was a fan of the character and the pulp version (and even knows of The Shadow's connection to Houdini and stage magic), got to make his Shadow film, years before Blood & Judgment, years before Burton's Batman made it impossible for a Shadow film not to be compared to it, in a time period where it wouldn't have had to compete with The Lion King and The Mask for box office. And second, I have been drawing up my plans for Shadow projects for, what, 5 years now? And I have just barely got my foot off the door as a filmmaker. Sam Raimi had a decade-long career as a cult filmmaker before he got turned down, and decades later, after becoming a household name in charge of Marvel's biggest icon, the project still fell through. It doesn't exactly get my hopes up, y'know.

I love Darkman, it's the best Shadow film that doesn't technically star the real Shadow, and it works pretty well on it's own regardless of that association, but I do get pretty sad looking at it from the outside, because I just can't help but think on what it could have been.

In some aspects I do think the film benefits from not being about The Shadow proper, because it means Raimi got the freedom to do whatever the hell he wanted. The character of Darkman already existed separately from Sam Raimi's plans for a Shadow film, already carrying off the Phantom / Universal Monster influence, and what Raimi did was basically combine the two ideas together.

He took the basic iconography of The Shadow, a terrifying urban crimefighter in coat and slouch hat, and add in other Shadow traits like his mastery of disguise, his disfigurement, and that wonderful scene where he's invisibly running circles around a panicky triggerman while laughing maniacally, a moment which definitely feels like Raimi taking a second to indulge himself to do what you can call The Classic Shadow Scene with a character he's, for the most part, succesfully convinced us (and Conde Nast's lawyers, most importantly) isn't supposed to be The Shadow.

But then he filters these through his own influences and style to make him a new character, so instead of a mysterious mastermind with lots of resources and a enigmatic background, instead he's a disfigured and psychotic scientist with a vengeance against those who made him that way. He's like Night Raven, in the sense that he's built off traits that The Shadow has, but develops them differently to the point he stands on his own as a character. It's The Shadow combined with The Phantom of the Opera, filtered through a 1930s Universal Horror lens, played for greater tragedy and a dash of Evil Dead 2 wackyness.

He hides away in trashed up ruins and bickers with a cat, he has fits of rage that make him endanger innocents, he has a doomed love affair, and sometimes he gets so batshit he gives us hilarious moments like "TAKE THE FUCKING ELEPHANT" and "SEE THE DANCING FREAK! PAY - FIVE - BUCKS! TO SEE THE DANCING FREAK!". Moments that really show why he was such a good fit for Spider-Man despite the liberties he took with the source material.

I think the big thing that helps to make Darkman works as a property in it's own right is also that, ultimately, these influences are ultimately at the forefront of it, and the core of it works on it's own. Darkman is a believable, engaging character in his own right, one who tells a story that would be more at odds with The Shadow proper. 

In some aspects, Darkman tries to be The Shadow, he is forced to become The Shadow by literally picking the clothes off a dumpster after he escapes the hospital, and it's a miserable, wretched existence, in a way rather befitting his status as a legally safe knock-off. He is a creature of nightmare who lost his face and takes on a dozen others to fight crime by turning terror against them, except he is still just a man in the end, and no man was ever supposed to live like this.

Raimi was also inspired by the Universal horror films of the 1930s and 1940s because "they made me fear the hideous nature of the hero and at the same time drew me to him. I went back to that idea of the man who is noble and turns into a monster".

He originally wrote a 30-page short story, titled "The Darkman", and then developed into a 40-page treatment. At this point, according to Raimi, "it became the story of a man who had lost his face and had to take on other faces, a man who battled criminals using this power"

A non-superpowered man who, here, is a hideous thing who fights crime. As he became that hideous thing, it became more like The Phantom of the Opera, the creature who wants the girl but who was too much of a beast to have her

I decided to explore a man's soul. In the beginning, a sympathetic, sincere man. In the middle, a vengeful man committing heinous acts against his enemies. And in the end, a man full of self-hatred for what he's become, who must drift off into the night, into a world apart from everyone he knows and all the things he loves.

For the role, Raimi was looking for someone who could suggest "a monster with the soul of a man"

It's the fact that Darkman is ultimately played for vulnerability and tragedy that really sets him apart. While I wouldn't go far enough to say The Shadow is a man with the soul of a monster, still, the difference in presentation is still there when it comes to these two. The Shadow is The Other, Darkman is You. Darkman is the victim of extraordinary circumstance that affects his life, The Shadow is the extraordinary circumstance that affects the lives of others. People react to The Shadow, Darkman reacts to people (and rather poorly).

One is the man who takes off his skin (or yours, staring back at you) to reveal the weird creature of the night ready to prowl and pounce and cackle at those who think they hold power over it's domain, and the other is the monster who falls apart bit by bit until you are left staring at the broken man within who has no choice but to be something he was never supposed to be.

The Shadow is The Master of Darkness. Darkman weaponizes the dark, but in the end, he's still just a man, lost within it. Not everyone can be The Shadow, and you would most likely turn into Darkman if you tried.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Lies

You guys ready for almost twenty straight minutes of Angstdrien Depreste? Neither am I.

Let's get into the third (chronologically the second) episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season: Lies (Oh, I get what they did there).

We open with Marinette struggling to decipher the grimoire she inherited from Fu, before two of the Kwamis screw around and play a video about Adrien.

Jesus Christ... it hasn't even been an episode since she broke up with Luka, and the writers are already back to making her simp over Adrien again. And this part of the episode takes place during “Truth”, where she's still dating Luka. This is supposedly meant to show her conflicting feelings regarding both Adrien and Luka, but it just comes across as yet another joke about Marinette simping over Adrien because the writers have forgotten she has other interests outside of her hero life.

And here we go. The writers are going to go out of their way to make the audience feel bad for Adrien in this episode by showing how tough his life is. What do we see him do that is allegedly so exhausting? He models for another statue, goes to a photoshoot, and then goes to some drama class where he repeats some phrase (I think it's supposed to be a warmup, but it's never explained why he's there in the first place). That's it. This is his definition of an “endless day”? Oh yeah, his life must be soooooooo hard.

Adrien is a rich white boy who is the son of one of the biggest names in fashion across the world, has legions of fans, an honest education, and is also one of the most beloved superheroes in the city while not having to struggle with the same responsibility his partner has. But no, Adrien's life is much harder than anyone else who has suffered this past year. It's yet another trick the writers are pulling to make people feel bad for Adrien instead of criticizing his behavior. I'm sorry, but I find it a little hard to relate to someone whose biggest problems amount his diamond shoes being too tight.

Good lord, I'm not even a minute in...

So Adrien transforms into Cat Noir and heads off to patrol. Keep in mind that the first part of this episode takes place during the events of “Truth”, so we see how he reacts to Ladybug not showing up for patrol. He waits for a while before he starts, but not before leaving a message for his partner.

Now, this moment honestly could have worked. What doesn't make it work is the air quotes Cat Noir starts off with. If he had said something like that honestly and kept his feelings a secret, it could have shown he understands the burden Ladybug has to bear now that she's the Guardian, but doesn't want to worry her. The problem is that the way he phrased the first sentence coupled with the air quotes make it seem like he doesn't care about what Ladybug has to deal with now, and only wants her to spend time with him.

You think I'm being overdramatic or I'm just jumping to conclusions? In the very next scene, Cat Noir actually tries to see if Mr. Ramier is emotional enough to get akumatized into Mr. Pigeon again just so he can see Ladybug.

This is just... why? Why would any of the writers expect the audience to feel bad for Cat Noir here? It's one thing for him to miss Ladybug's company, which is natural considering how much time they spend together, but wanting to start a life-threatening situation just to see Ladybug just isn't cool. What makes this any different from Chloe causing a subway to go out of control so she can save it herself, or Lila intentionally akumatizing herself and working with Hawkmoth just because she hates Ladybug? If you can find a reason other than “because the plot says so”, I'll want to hear an explanation.

So Cat Noir goes to Le Grand Paris to drown his sorrows in alcohol with his favorite drink, a White Russian without the vodka and coffee liqueur. Also, instead of cream, it's skim milk. And speaking of Chloe, we see her get into a brief squabble with Sabrina over missing a bag she has underneath her shoulder, and Cat Noir gets excited again at the prospect of getting to fight an Akuma, but thankfully, the situation is resolved fairly quickly.

Ignoring how unheroic this makes this supposed “superhero” look, I have a quick question. SHOULDN'T CHLOE BE IN PRISON RIGHT NOW? She essentially committed treason against her country by willingly conspiring with a terrorist. I get that everyone in Paris was paralyzed at the time, but did Ladybug not tell anyone what happened? How is she not in trouble? Did her father pardon her or something? Is she not even going to do any community service? You would think given how much Astruc hates her, Chloe would be forced to face more consequences for her actions other than losing her Miraculous permanently. Hopefully, “Queen Banana” will shed some light on Chloe's situation, but I'm not exactly holding my breath on that.

But yeah, Cat Noir actually gets excited at the prospect at fighting an akumatized Sabrina, while ignoring how cruel Chloe's being to her, because I guess it's a day that ends with a “Y”. Remember when Adrien actually called out  Lila and compromised with her in order to get Marinette back into school? Good times.

Cat Noir keeps calling and leaving messages for Ladybug, but changes his mind as soon as he sees Kagami, because he has the attention span of a puppy looking for someone to play with. Adrien stares at his phone's wallpaper of Ladybug, implying he still has feelings for her, and is then informed by Nathalie that his fencing class with Kagami was moved back by an hour. In reality, it was a trick by Kagami to get the two to spend some quality time together.

They choose to hang out in the art room because, get this, Kagami has always had a passion for drawing. Of course! That explains why it's never been mentioned in any earlier episodes, not even the one where she attended the premiere of an animated movie, which is a similar form of art. It's almost like the writers wanted to have Kagami do something that doesn't involve swinging a sword around. It's a good reason, mind you, but maybe if it was foreshadowed more, I would be more open to it.

Kagami says that she loves drawing because “art never lies”. Because it's not like someone can draw something completely inaccurate to what's actually being depicted, much like a certain character who likes to make up stories of people she knows to get others to like her, right? Kagami also says that her mother doesn't let her draw because she doesn't think her art isn't good, even though she's blind. Because when it comes to parents in Miraculous Ladybug, they're either amazing people who love their children, or they're emotionally abusive pieces of garbage who make you wonder why they even had kids in the first place. There is literally no middle ground. Maybe some of the writers have daddy issues?

So Kagami decides to draw a picture of Adrien, but wants him to give her a more “natural” pose instead of the standard model poses he usually gives.

Okay, this scene is raising so many red flags, the dialogue might as well be in semaphore. Where the hell did this side of Kagami come from? Why is she so controlling and forceful all of a sudden? In fact, why is she so obsessed with Adrien being “perfect”? The two made jokes before in the past (Desperada), and even spent half of the Season 3 finale playing around with Marinette? Why is she now Little Miss Serious?

Also, Kagami is really overstepping boundaries with Adrien here. Like, to a seriously uncomfortable degree. I get she isn't good with social cues, but how can she not see how anxious Adrien looks while she forces him into a pose, all while saying how wrong he is for doing what he sees as “natural”? This is not what a healthy relationship looks like, and spoiler alert, this isn't exactly why they even break up at the end of the episode.

Before the two can kiss while they're actually at fencing practice, Adrien is forced to leave Kagami to help Ladybug fight Mr. Pigeon (which means the narrative basically gave him what he wanted for no reason), leading to the same scene where Ladybug almost kills him, while he jokes about how he likes how angry she gets, and she apologizes for something that wasn't her fault. Just remember, he flirts with Ladybug right after he left his girlfriend to join her for an Akuma battle. The same montage from “Truth” happens, only it's Adrien missing opportunities to be close with Kagami, culminating with the little Kitty Section concert that happened right before Luka got akumatized.

While the two wait for their rides, Adrien accidentally drops the charm Marinette gave him all the way back in “Gamer”, which Kagami picks up. When he sees an Akuma flying, Adrien soon heads off to fight him, saving Ladybug from blowing her cover. After the events of “Truth”, Adrien apparently heads to Prince Ali's birthday party (yet Rose isn't there for some reason), meaning the second half of this episode takes place immediately after the previous one, even though it's been established that Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth needs time to recharge.

After Cat Noir flirts a little with Ladybug again, he heads off to the party to meet up with Kagami. When he had to leave to fight Truth, Adrien claimed that he left something on the Liberty, which Adrien later claims was the charm Marinette gave him. Kagami soon realizes he's lying about something, and doesn't take it well.

There's a good performance from Kagami's voice actress here, and it's a nice parallel to Luka, who also feels a sense of betrayal when Marinette can't be honest with him. But this scene does tie into the problem with Adrien and Kagami in this episode, and I'll get into it towards the end.

Kagami storms off, and is immediately akumatized by Shadowmoth, turning her into Lies.

Like Truth, the design here is really forgettable. The design is all white and gives Kagami a haircut that looks like it belongs in The Jetsons, but that's it. The one thing I like about her is the way her powers work. Instead of going from victim to victim, Lies creates an energy dome that slowly grows and paralyzes anyone has lied before in the past, which is basically everyone who comes into contact with it. It's a pretty interesting idea, and it means that Ladybug and Cat Noir have to rely more on strategy while avoiding any contact with the dome.

Adrien transforms into Cat Noir and charges into action, with Jagged Stone offering to help out.

I don't think you can say the same for your family, can you, Jagged?

Cat Noir tells Jagged to get to a safe place, but much like his one night stand with Anarka, he refuses to pull out, so he gets paralyzed by the dome, along with everyone in the building.

Ladybug meets up with Cat Noir and immediately summons her Lucky Charm, a remote control drone. Since it hasn't lied, it can go into the dome and be used as surveillance while Cat Noir distracts Lies. While it seems like nobody inside the dome can touch Lies, Ladybug realizes that Fang, Jagged Stone's pet crocodile, hasn't lied either, so she uses the drone to lure him out of the building.

Cat Noir thinks of a way to distract Lies by doing what he always does to increase the tension.

You know, I thought of a little game we could play. Why don't we count how many times Cat Noir sacrifices himself this season? So far, the Cat Noir Self-Kill Counter is at 1, but I'm guessing it will be higher the longer this season goes on.

So while Lies is distracted by Cat Noir's unconscious body, Fang runs over and breaks her corrupted object, Marinette's charm. So after using Miraculous Ladybug, Ladybug runs over and, for good reason, I may add, scolds Cat Noir for recklessly sacrificing himself yet again.

You know if this plan failed, not only would Shadowmoth get your Miraculous, but Ladybug would be all alone, you idiot! And we're supposed to find this reckless endangerment funny!? Seriously, Ladybug smiles at Cat Noir's stupid little quip as he still flirts with her right after he got into a fight with his girlfriend.

The next day, Adrien apologizes to Kagami, but she says she can't trust him, not as a boyfriend, and not as a friend either. And here is the problem with the Adrigami breakup. Like with the Lukanette breakup, it chooses to focus on one detail instead of the other, and glaringly obvious detail. The episode is trying to say that the whole reason Kagami and Adrien can't work as a couple is because of Adrien keeping his life as Cat Noir a secret. In reality, both of them have problems that they need to work on before they consider dating. Kagami has shown herself to be a massive control freak in this episode because of her own vision of what Adrien is like, showing she doesn't respect his boundaries or beliefs.

And Adrien? Where do I begin?

Adrien clearly shows several signs that he hasn't moved on from Ladybug with how much he flirts with her, even before he and Kagami got together, and there's the fact that unlike Marinette who realizes how she can't have a love life, it doesn't feel like Adrien actually learned that lesson.

We are supposed to see Adrien focusing on his secret life as Cat Noir as the responsible thing to do, and that like Ladybug, he needs to prioritize being Cat Noir over dating. The thing is that this episode has only showed how he doesn't take any of the hero stuff seriously. Throughout the episode, he treats being Cat Noir as a fun pasttime, when it comes to craving Ladybug's attention to the point where he's just short of causing an Akuma attack out of desperation until he sees someone else to spend time with, constantly flirts with Ladybug despite how annoyed she can come across, doesn't understand any of the stuff she has to deal with now that she's Guardian, and will sacrifice himself all so Ladybug can do all the work for him. He doesn't care about anything unless he gains something in return. It doesn't matter if lives are in danger, he thinks his personal feelings are more important because his civilian life is sO hAaArRd.

At one point when we were all kids, we all wanted to be superheroes because we all thought the idea of having superpowers and the freedom to do whatever we wanted sounded awesome. But that's not what being a hero is. We never thought about the responsibility that comes with being a superhero. One of the main themes of superhero media that we all watched growing up was that they would help us to learn right from wrong, and that sometimes, personal sacrifices have to be made for the greater good, and our feelings just aren't that important in the grand scheme of things. Whether we learned this lesson from Superman, Spider-Man, Sailor Moon, the Power Rangers, or even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, what matters is that by the time we reached the age of these heroes, we would have a similar moral compass so we would understand why these heroes would make some of the choices they did, and we would be able to make similar choices if we encountered situations like the ones they went through.

Part of growing up is realizing that being a superhero isn't all fun and games. Sometimes, you need to put your own personal desires aside to make sure nobody gets hurt because of something you did or didn't do. We are currently in the fourth season of this show, and after 82 episodes, Cat Noir has still failed to learn that lesson. He doesn't understand that even if his “true self” is clowning around, that's not how a hero acts. You don't see Batman or Captain America acting this way, and you don't see real life soldiers or emergency workers acting this way either.

And that's not even getting into the fact that this is the same problem the Lukanette breakup had. Even though Marinette had a valid reason to break things off with Luka because she realized being Guardian was more important, the narrative framed it like she was still into Adrien, no matter if she was making an effort to get over him. Likewise, even though both Adrien and Kagami have issues the narrative refuses to actually acknowledge, they frame it as Adrien's hero life was ruining their relationship, when in reality, the reasons for both the Adrigami breakup and the Lukanette breakup should have been flipped. “Truth” should have been about Marinette coming to terms with her new responsibilities as the Guardian, and “Lies” should have been about Adrien realizing he needs to work on his own personal issues before he considers his feelings for Kagami or Ladybug.

So the episode just ends with Ladybug and Cat Noir saying that even if they have to keep secrets about their identities, they can still trust each other. Also, before Kagami dumped him, Adrien reaffirmed his feelings for Ladybug (the only time they were actually referenced outside of flirting and his phone's wallpaper), which implies that Adrien is going to continue to pursue Ladybug, having learned nothing from this whole episode.

You know, after watching both this episode and “Truth”,  and seeing how it undid two of the major changes from the Season 3 finale, does it almost feel like nothing's changed at all? Does it almost feel like you've been here before? How am I gonna be a optimist about this? Hell if I know, this episode's honestly worse than “Truth” was.

Put aside your feelings on the Adrigami breakup, the pacing here was awful. Because the writers thought it would be interesting to have some continuity for once by having it take place right after “Truth”, the timeline is incredibly confusing. Can Shadowmoth just create more Akumas at once without having to recharge? And shouldn't Ladybug and Cat Noir be exhausted from having to fight two Akumas and a Sentimonster in one day?

Even then, about half of the episode was spent following Adrien as he whined about how hard he supposedly has it, proving despite what Astruc continues to state, he is far from perfect, and like what he loves to say about Chloe, refuses to change. Wow, that's so interesting. And we're supposed to feel bad for Cat Noir and be mad at Ladybug for missing their patrol, forgetting everything she's been going through in the last week, considering how Gabriel just fixed the Peacock Miraculous, suggesting that the events of “Truth” and “Lies” happened not too long after “Miracle Queen”. Even the Akuma fight wasn't that interesting because it was crammed into about five minutes thanks to everything else going on in this episode.

In an attempt to make the audience sympathize with him, this episode only made me loathe the way Adrien is portrayed even more. Seriously, he reaches “Frozer” levels of unlikability in this episode. Maybe he'll get some much needed character development, but given how much Astruc will put him on a pedestal and ignore his flaws, I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon.

But I still don't see the point of spending so much time building up this relationship for two seasons just to end it as soon as they hook up. At the end of the day, all Lukanette and Adrigami amounted to was filler. It was a way to get in some romantic scenes for the fans while the writers continue to drag out the Love Square drama like a taffy puller. And now that Luka and Kagami have served their purpose, watch as Astruc and the other writers start to slowly remove them from the narrative until they appear about as often as Nino does now.

After all, why care about anything in this show that isn’t related to the Love Square? It’s clear none of the writers do.

[guzhuangheaven]

Which cdramas would you rate as having the best/most accurate costumes you have ever seen? And are also historically accurate in terms of culture and history?

We always dance around answering this question, because it is impossible (for us) to answer. For two reasons.

1) There is no such thing as historical accuracy in dramas

You can never know everything that is needed to know about how people lived, dressed, styled their hair etc. in ye olden times unless you are a time traveller who has actually lived in those times. Historical records, extant garments, paintings, drawings, statues etc. can give you an idea of what people dressed like/lived like at the time, but historical records are fickle. They do not necessarily reflect the lives of everyone in society and often can be imperfectly preserved, leading to gaps in the knowledge we can have today. Because of this, any dramas that claim to be 100% historically accurate in terms of their costume/make up/whatever is lying because that is impossible.

What dramas can do, however, is do extensive research on the cuts and materials of clothes/jewellery/make up people used at the time and try their best to recreate them with the materials available to us now. Even then, dramas, for the sake of aesthetics, will often take creative liberties, for example using chemical dyes that make clothes in colours that was probably very hard/impossible to get, or not available to that person in that social class, at that time.  

All this is to say, I personally don’t usually scrutinise dramas for “historical accuracy” in their costumes, unless the drama is so bad that I can’t concentrate on the story and that’s what I turn to nitpicking to give myself a reason to keep watching. At the same time, I will forgive A LOT of costuming sins if the drama keeps me engaged with its story. Examples of this include Oh My General with its OBNOXIOUS use of colours and The Mischievous Princess with I don’t even know what to call this travesty they call costuming Ming dynasty.

However, this does not mean that dramas can’t try to be historically accurate, of course. To me, dramas that succeed in this area makes it clear that they have done research and consulted extant garments/historical sources to make their costumes look like it could reasonably have existed in the time the story it is set in.

I guess I will talk about Ruyi and Yanxi because I just know someone will ask us about it again eventually, despite the fact that we have sort of tried to avoid answering the question of whether Ruyi or Yanxi is more historically accurate the last time we were asked.

Here’s our very inexpert, very limited opinion, based on extremely limited research, on this question: both Ruyi and Yanxi clearly consulted extant garments/accessories of the Qing dynasty, and tried to recreate them in different ways.

There is evidence that Ruyi based many of their costumes on extant garments. We have a post about it, even though we do strongly suspect these extant garments were from the wrong time, i.e. they are late Qing circa 19th century, purely because they still exist at all, rather than the early Qing period of Qianlong. Yanxi also based its costuming on extant historical artifacts, including the use of the yunjian collar and the velvet flower hair accessories, which can be seen in paintings of women from around that time.

And then there is this headdress which Er Qing wears to her wedding, which has photographic evidence that it existed, but then the time of photography is clearly not the time of Qianlong.

However, the point we’re trying to make is that, because the Qing dynasty stretched 300 years, it is highly likely that both of these dramas did their research, then cherry picked the aspects of clothes and hair from different times of the Qing dynasty that suited their drama’s aesthetics. Does that make them historically inaccurate? Well, that depends on what level of accuracy you are after. But realistically, to expect them all to dress like it was really Qianlong’s time is likely almost impossible, not to mention would require the costumes to change, as both dramas spanned like 30 years.

Also, even when you can tell the drama did consult extant garments and artifacts, they can still fail in the making of the costume. Case in point, Danshu’s pheasant robe is very polyester and has printed “embroidery”, even though it was set in the actual Song dynasty when they would have worn this garment. 

Compare that to Royal Nirvana, which was set in a fictional dynasty (based on Song), but managed to pull a pheasant robe that looked a thousand times better because it was actually embroidered.

Here’s a more important reason why we often don’t want to answer questions about what dramas are historically accurate:

2) We don’t know.  

Can I just stress again that we are not historians of Chinese period clothing, history, anything? We’re not even Chinese and can’t even read Chinese. Any random “knowledge” we put on here is result of years of accumulation from watching dramas (so take everything we say with a fistful of salt) and yes, sometimes research, but in the sense of we google things. We also have to translate things on google translate, which admittedly is a little better these days especially from Chinese to Vietnamese, but still highly inaccurate sometimes. Sometimes we have sources that has been translated into Vietnamese or English, but whether that’s accurate is dependent on whether the source is accurate and whether the translation is accurate. tl;dr: don’t believe everything we say and don’t look to us for…you know, authority.

And on that note, regarding your other asks, unfortunately we don’t think we can answer them, simply because if you haven’t found the answer you want by Googling, it’s very unlikely that we can do better. Our series of post on Qing dynasty costumes exists because the popularity of Legend of Ruyi meant that this information was available in Vietnamese, and we just did a couple of steps to make sure the information was reasonably believable by looking up the Chinese sources and putting them through translation bots. We would not have been able to do all of this research from scratch. 

ALL THAT BEING SAID, here’s some links of relevant posts on @ziseviolets tumblr, which maybe I should just have directed you there from the beginning:

Hanfu in television dramas

Recs for historically/stylistically accurate Chinese drama

- h

[mandadoration]

before the winter

summary: anon asked: I am LITERALLY BEGGING on my KNEES for a sliver of Din (from that black and white drawing) with a breeding kink. He looks like he fucks wild, like supet dominant, almost primal, but extremely caring. Mando is definitely territorial over his girl. Bitch looks like he invented the breeding kink... I unfortunately cannot help that I am a whore for that man - Fool + anon asked: Could we maybe get some breeding kink din? Claiming his girl in the ultimate way, making her take his seed and punishing her if any falls out. He wants to breed her, wants to fuck himself and his seed so deep she will always be his, telling her dirty things while he does it, how she'll always be his, how she is going to take his cum like a good girl and not waste a single drop

word count: 1, 6222

pairing: clan leader!mandalorian x reader

warnings: smut, breeding kink, mild bondage

a/n: so the context behind the drawing by @magichandthing​ is “what if clan leaders dressed like this” and so uh

I’ve taken some liberties with thinking about if this were the case (i.e. clan leaders =/= covert leaders, but still in high standing? maybe some sort of council?) I’ve also amended the Ways of the Mandalore and Mandalorian culture to try and explain his dress. 

Also kind of expanded on this post?

Read this on AO3

In the turbulent times of today, trying to make sure the Ways of the Mandalore didn’t die out were crucial. Mandalorians were an endangered way of life already, and the current political climate wasn’t the best environment for expanding. Secrecy and discipline were enforced. Mandalorian coverts were hidden with high security and discretion. All members of the covert had to be on the same page at all times to reduce risk. After all, the best way to stop something was to stop it from happening in the first place. All of these preventative measures, but time marches on without a care. A new generation had to be brought up. 

Foundlings were to be revered, but there always seemed to be an undercurrent of tragedy underneath all that. A foundling wasn’t taken in by a clan unless they were all alone, and as death tolls rose, more and more were orphans. There seemed to be an increase of that, it seems. Young children left alone in the cruel world forever torn apart by war. As Imperials do anything and everything to scrabble for power, numbers were growing seemingly by the day as more and more children were taken under wing. They were cared for, and even loved, for a found family was just as important as beskar.

But a child born into a clan was something to be celebrated. 

“Mando--”

Which is why your whimpering voice and the wet sounds of your bodies meeting were echoing around the empty chamber as Mando takes you from behind. 

As a result of circumstance, the Way has amended itself a little, and life became different compared to what it was in the past. It still retained the heart and soul of Mandalore, staying true to the real meaning of what it means to be a Mandalorian, but times have forced change, especially concerning clans. For example, within their home turf, clan leaders forwent the usual pomp of beskar. Of course, anywhere else, and they would proudly show off shining armor and the best gear. The show of bare skin was a testament that they have earned their title through blood and body, a way of showing their status. To have the grace to bare their skin, especially in these dangerous times, was an immense show of power. 

For you, it just means less layers. Less layers meant Mando could sheathe himself into your warm heat faster. Less layers meant it’d be easier and more convienent to fuck a child into you. 

You weren’t a Mandalorian. You weren’t a foundling and you didn’t swear the Creed, but you were unequivocally Mando’s, and you were his to take whenever he felt like it. It’s a high honor to catch the eye of a clan leader, especially one as selective as Mando, and you became a person of intrigue when it was revealed you weren’t bound by the Way. Despite the eyes that follow you and the ever-so fleeting touches from others in the covert, the marks that never failed to show on your throat far above what any collar could hide spoke more than words. 

The last time someone put their hand on you, Mando had no hesitation on showing what happens when someone fucks with something that belonged to him. 

Paz Vizla’s broken arm was a testament to that. 

Mando puts a firm hand on your back and pushes you down, keeping you face down, ass up as his hips snap forward against yours. Each thrust makes you scoot forward the slightest, and punched out moans seem to be the only sound you can make beyond the occasional garbled sound of his name. His grip is bruising on your hips, and he pulls you back to meet him halfway in an effort to increase his pace. Mando’s breathing is labored, a soft groan going through his vocoder every now and then, but he’s rather impassive considered how brutally he was fucking you. 

Mando’s beads and necklaces have long since been discarded, and his pants are only shoved down far enough to reveal his cock. You wish he could pull you flush against his chest, but the horns soldered onto his helmet prevents you from getting too close. You don’t mind, and you mind even less in those rare moments you’re on top, holding on to those horns for stability as you fuck yourself on him. But Mando had descended upon you far too quickly and without any preamble that you had no time to even ask him what was going on. Clothes were taken off, and if too much of a hassle, ripped off, his belt secured around your wrists and shoved to the cold floor of his room. Your hands are bound in front of you with it, the Mudhorn buckle, the symbol of his clan, glinting in the low light of the room. He at least had the sense to lay his cloak underneath you, and the fur trim gave your hands something to grasp at. 

You only feel the slightest bit of guilt when your tears soak the fine fabric. 

Mando moves his hold on your waist to your arms, yanking you back as your back arches and lets Mando somehow sink deeper into you. The moan you let out is filthy, and you think through the haze that you’re being a little too loud, and others were sure to hear. So you bite your lip, teeth tugging on the soft skin as you try to stifle the sounds, only for you to yelp when Mando slaps your ass before he goes back to hold onto your arms.

“Let me hear you, sweet girl,” he breathes. “Don’t hide yourself from me.”

Your shoulders are straining at the joints from the angle you’re held up in, but you’re so close that you ignore it in favor of increasing your moans tenfold as per his request. In turn, a deep, guttural growl emanates from Mando, making you clench around him. 

“Fuck,” he snarls. “My sweet girl, so- so tight, so willing, and all mine.” He punctuates each word with a sharp thrust that makes you shake. Mando slips out of you, chuckling under his breath at the needy whine you give, and flips you over so that you’re on your back. One grabs your bound wrists and pins them above your head, and the other comes down to lead himself back into your blushed hole, the sweet drag of his cock curling your toes and making you see stars. As you stare up at his helmet with glazed-over eyes, you can see how truly debauched you look in the reflection. Hair mussed, face flushed, eyes shining with unshed tears, seemingly frozen in a permanent state of euphoria. That’s what Mando saw when he looked at you.

You wish you could kiss him. 

And that’s another thought that’s fucked out of you as Mando resumes his previous pace. Harsh, unforgiving, and with a clear purpose in mind.

He leans in as close as he can. “Are you going to cum with me?” Mando croons. You nod frantically, half delirious from the rising rush of your orgasm, and give a moan of appreciation when Mando dips his hand down to rub at your clit, matching it in time with each thrust. “Where do you want me cum?” he asks, and it’s a misleading question because you know all he wants to hear is you beg for it. “In your mouth? On your face? Wherever you want, sweet girl, I will do it.” Mando’s voice is so tender and soft, borderline condescending compared to how ruined you feel. He’s close, you can tell, the strong, corded muscles under his skin jumping and straining to maintain an even pace, and he gets awfully wordy when he’s about to cum. 

“In me!” you gasp out, clenching and unclenching your hands, nails digging into your soft palms. You strain against your bonds, wanting so badly to bring him close, to touch him. “Please, fuck, Mando, cum in me!”

“Anything for you,” he grunts, “Anything for my sweet girl,” and with one final swipe at your clit with the rough pad of his gloved thumb, you’re cumming, mouth open in a soundless scream as your eyes roll back into your skull. Mando buries himself to the hilt, moaning through the voice modulator as he releases inside of you, and from how much he absolutely fills you, his hot cum has nowhere to go but out, leaking over his cock and smearing over your thighs. His cloak is definitely stained from that. 

As you start to come out of your haze, whimpering one last time with a hoarse voice as he slips out, the ridge of your entrance catching on his head, you’re glad that your hands are bound because you’re sure you would’ve torn up Mando’s back with your nails. You run your fingers over the crescent marks dug into your palm. 

Maybe he’s into that. You’ll have to ask some other time. 

Your heart rate picks up again when Mando makes a displeased sound, almost disappointed, running a finger over your abused entrance. “That won’t do,” he sighs, and he scoops some of his leaking cum to shove it back inside your hole, not caring when you jolt and sigh with each insistent press of his fingers. 

You give him a breathless, “What?” and Mando just hooks his arms under your legs to bring him flush against his hips again. 

“I said, ‘That won’t do’,” he repeats, slower this time, and your face reddens again when you feel his softened cock twitch against the cleft of your ass. “Because you’re a messy girl, and I’m aiming for a child before winter comes.”

---

Forever Tag: @mabelleen @mando-vibes @isaissafail @adikaofmandalore @lavenderl3mons @jokersdoll​​ @creamysacrilege @blondecity​

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