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[isharaneith]

August 2023 companion icons

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[ultraericthered]

Pokemon English Voice Compare/Rank, Villains

In which I rank the English dub voice actors of Pokemon characters from strongest to weakest, and sometimes throw in my 2 cents of who I think would be solid casting choices. This one is for villains.

GIOVANNI: 1. Ted Lewis - Voice of Giovanni in the main anime. This is what most kids growing up with Pokemon, especially from the very beginning, no doubt hear in their heads for Giovanni. His fancy Italian accent he put on at first was a little inconsistent prior to him dropping it in favor of a transatlantic Yami Bakura type voice, and nowadays he blends the best of both into his deliciously evil voice. And he’s always killed it in giving Giovanni the menacing presence and charm that he needs. 2. Jamieson Price - Voice of Giovanni in Pokemon Origins and by far one of the strongest casting choices and strongest performances in that dub. The tone he takes is very cold but suave and intelligent sounding, and his naturally deep voice just commands authority. 3. Andrew Russell - Voice of Giovanni in Pokemon Masters. Given his minimal amount of previous work, this was an unorthodox casting choice, but Andrew really nails the smooth, shady, devious criminal mastermind voice, often sounding like a Keith Silverstein impression. 4. Richard Epcar - Voice of Giovanni in Pokemon Generations. On paper, this is solid casting, but his material was so lackluster that all he had to do was phone it in, making his Giovanni very forgettable. 5. Craig Blair - Remember that one season where this frankly awful (and thankfully now retired) voice actor filled in for Ted Lewis twice, and sucked big time at imitating him? You’re forgiven if you didn’t. FANCAST OPTION - Keith Silverstein. For whatever reason, I was henging my bet on him being the VA they’d use for Giovanni in Pokemon Masters, so when Andrew Russell ended up channeling him so much I can’t help but wonder if that was the initial idea. He’d be a perfect fit given how he’s performed in villainous roles such as Ougai Mori, Gabriel Agreste, Gild Teroso, and Masayoshi Shido. Other spot on voice talents to cast as Giovanni would be Crispin Freeman and Chris Rager, who’d easily measure up to Price’s take.

JESSIE: 1. Rachael Lillis - Her original dub voice. Much like she did with Misty, Rachael just nailed absolutely everything about the character. 2. Michele Knotz - When her Rachael Lillis impression is on, it is SPOT ON. But when it veers off into this really high pitched, shrill, over-the-top voice in Jessie’s more shrewish moments, it’s grating. FANCAST OPTION(S) - Mari Devon would be a natural fit for Jessie, especially under Jamieson Price’s Giovanni. If not her, I would’ve actually really liked to see Lauren Lapkus take on the role since she did voice a parody of the character appearing on Big City Greens.

JAMES: 1. Eric Stuart - Eric started as just an understudy to Ted Lewis for this role, but in retrospect having Misty and Brock’s VAs also voicing Jessie and James was a stroke of brilliance, especially since Eric just took the role and ran with it with such campy, preening Tim Curry-eseque rich boy flair. Late into the Johto seasons, he unfortunately dialed up the goofiness and made James more annoying to listen to, but he always put in an effort to sell the character’s funny lines.

2. Edward Bosco - Dub VA for James in the To Be A Master limited series that closed out Journeys. Ed, I wish you’d been with us for longer prior to this point. This rendition of James is closer to how Cathcart used to approach the role, nailing his flamboyance perfectly. 3. Ted Lewis - The first VA to be assigned the role of James. He did alright, but was mostly very generic and lacking especially compared to his later Giovanni. Recasting him with Eric Stuart was for the best.

4. James Carter Cathcart - This one kind of hurts since not only is he actually named James, but his James was really good in the Battle Frontier and Black & White seasons, actually better than Ted Lewis’ AND better than Eric Stuart’s later work. But his James everywhere else, especially as of now, is just way overdone and insufferable.  FANCAST OPTION(S) - Kirk Thornton would be a natural fit for James, especially under Jamieson Price’s Giovanni. If not him, I would’ve actually really liked to see Thomas Middleditch take on the role since he did voice a parody of the character appearing on Big City Greens. Yeah, it’s just the exact same deal as Jessie. MEOWTH: 1. Maddie Blaustein - She was irreplaceable, especially as Meowth. 2. Nathan Price - The initial dub VA for Meowth. His voice and line delivery was consistently hilarious, making for many a fondly remembered moment. I don’t know why he got replaced by Maddie, but it might’ve been necessary since I’m not sure he could’ve pulled off some of the character’s later, more serious material. 3. James Carter Cathcart - Eeeeh, it was a nice effort at first, but casting this guy as both James and Meowth did not work out in the long run. His Meowth has gotten just as grating as his James.

4. Mick Wingert - Dub VA for Meowth in the To Be A Master limited series that closed out Journeys. OK so, how did Mick go from remedying one terrible James Carter Cathcart role with Professor Oak to doing a hundred times worse than Cathcart with Meowth? This could’ve been a slam dunk had Mick been allowed to do his own thing with the role, but having to impersonate what Cathcart did impeded his performance, making this easily his worst Poke’ role. FANCAST OPTION(S): Brian Beacock would accompany Mari Devon’s Jessie and Kirk Thornton’s James - listen to this laugh here and tell me it’s not Meowth material! If not him, then Martin Billany, AKA LIttleKuriboh, since his Iruka-sensei voice, as he’s even acknowledged, is the perfect successor to Maddie’s Meowth voice.

ARCHIE:

1. Jamieson Price - Voice of Archie in Pokemon Generations. Despite some truly awful writing for the character, Jamieson’s deep, gruff, booming voice and manic performance was perfectly suited for the part, the closest to perfect you could expect the guy to sound. 2. Adin Rudd - Voice of Archie in Pokemon Masters EX. His voice for Archie is really, really solid, even if a bit Discount Richard Epcar at points. He’d be as near perfect a fit as Jamieson were it not for the voice direction leading him to some lukewarm line readings at times. 3. Sean Schemmel - Voice of Archie in the main anime. I get what he was going for, but he was not able to actually pull it off well, as he sounds like a big, dumb doofus of a villain with little credibility. FANCAST OPTION(S): Clancy Brown is my ideal Archie voice but they’d never be able to land him for any official project so the next best thing would be Richard Epcar, who Adin Rudd sounds like he’s emulating. Also, props to Austin Lee Matthews for his decent take.

SHELLY:

1. Cristina Vee - Voice of Shelly in Pokemon Generations. She pretty much just does her Rei Hino/Sailor Mars voice, but it ironically fits this water-themed villainess perfectly. 2. Dani Chambers - Voice of Shelly in Pokemon Masters EX. Her take on Shelly is good, but just a bit deeper than the design’s sleekness seems to warrant, she could’ve dialed it back a little.

3. Erica Schroeder - Voice of Shelly in the main anime. Her voice really fits this interation of Shelly, but the performance is overall bland and generic because that’s largely what the material for her was.

MATT:

1. Mike Smith - Voice of Matt in Pokemon Masters EX. For a fresh newcomer VA with not many roles to his name, the vocal depiction he provides for Matt is pretty much pitch-perfect; imposing yet affable. 2. Richard Epcar - Voice of Matt in Pokemon Generations. Look, if you’re not going to cast Epcar as Archie, why have him there with Team Aqua at all? And unlike the above, I only hear an imposing, thuggish quality to his Matt. This series just squandered Epcar’s talents all around. He fares much better as Sawyer in Masters EX.

MAXIE: 1. Lex Lang - Voice of Maxie in Pokemon Generations. While we sadly don’t get to hear him in pompous nerd mode (which we know from Dr. Neo Cortex that Lex can totally nail), his Harold Ramis-esque “serious man of science” and “commanding leader” tones are down pat. Like Jamieson Price’s Archie, it’s just ideal voice casting. 2. Jarred Kjack - Voice of Maxie in Pokemon Masters EX. Sort of a middle ground between Lex Lang and Marc Thompson, his take on Maxie is also as solid as you could ask for...well, for the most part. Opposite of Archie, the voice direction let him go a little too hard on the pomposity at times, leading to some unnatural line readings. 3. Marc Thompson - Voice of Maxie in the main anime. Like with Sean Schemmel as Archie, I get what he was going for but he just ends up sounding like a cartoonish impression of Richard O’Brien in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Nothing about Maxie’s character, even in this anime, suggests that he ought to have a creepy voice. FANCAST OPTION(S): Tom Kenny is my ideal Maxie voice but, again, they’d never land him for this, so the next best thing would be David W. Collins, a more smoothed out version of Kjack’s Maxie. Also, props to Sean Chiplock for his almost identical sounding take.)

TABITHA: 1. Doug Erholtz - Voice of Tabitha in Pokemon Generations. I don’t know what it is about Doug’s voice for this character that suits him so well, but it just does. It’s a great match for his look and attitude. 2. Van Barr Jr. - Voice of Tabitha in Pokemon Masters EX. He does a decent enough job, but I have to wonder if they had the original Gen 3 Tabitha in mind when they cast him, as he’d fit that Tabitha better. 3. Greg Abbey - Voice of Tabitha in the main anime. His voice really fits this interation of Tabitha, but the performance is overall bland and generic because that’s largely what the material for him was.

COURTNEY: 1. Anjali Kunapaneni - Voice of Courtney in Pokemon Masters EX. Not much to be said other than they get Courtney right in every way. 2. Sandy Fox - Voice of Courtney in Pokemon Generations. The high, child-like pitch just sounds off, and she totally fails on the crazy.

ZINNIA: 1. Vivian Lu - Voice of Zinnia in Pokemon Masters. I’d not heard this VA in anything before she voiced Zinnia, but her voice and the way she says all of her lines are just amazingly on point for the role. 2. Laura Stahl - Voice of Zinnia in Pokemon Evolutions. She also uses a fitting voice and kills it in the delivery, especially for Zinnia’s emotional moments towards the end, but Vivian Lu still has her beat. FANCAST OPTION(S) - Bang Zoom could’ve also cast Dawn M. Bennett in this role, since she’s done some great Zinnia-esque voice acting elsewhere. Or for a VA from the Sentai Filmworks/Funimation side of things, Juliet Simmons would be perfect casting for the role.

CYRUS: 1. Armen Taylor - Voice of Cyrus in Pokemon Masters. His voice for Cyrus is EVERYTHING I could ever imagine and want the character to sound like - like some sort of android or computer-minded alien being with sinister undertones akin to George Newbern’s Sephiroth. 2. Michael Sorich - Voice of Cyrus in Pokemon Generations. While no doubt the most competently acted dub voice for Cyrus, the voice itself is the only holdback. Sorich’s signature gruffness is still here. Oddly enough he loses the growl when he shouts, which is when he sounds at his best. Certainly sounds younger than he actually is.

3. Sean Schemmel - Voice of Cyrus in the main anime. Schemmel fits this role better than he did Archie, and if he’d played it like his Nail, he’d be great. But he unfortunately plays it ludicrously over-the-top and bombastic, which fits Cyrus’ first appearance but becomes a distracting nuissance in the episodes he appears in afterwards. FANCAST OPTION(S) - While Peter Jessop or Corey Burton would be ideal, the former doesn’t really do much for Bang Zoom anymore and the latter would not ever be sought for the part. So aside from DC Douglas (who was a VA for Lysandre) the only credible rival to Armen Taylor remaining would be David Lodge, if he’d been cast to voice Cyrus like his Fire Emblem: Three Houses (and Three Hopes) narrator voice, except with some actual passion and presence! Bang Zoom has also used JP Karliak, who could rival Sean Schemmel.

SATURN:

1. Mike Haimoto - Voice of Saturn in Pokemon Masters EX. Distinct and fairly different from his usual roles, Mike’s Saturn is very pleasing to listen to and nails down the character’s smugness and zealotry. 2. Ricky Ryba - Voice of Saturn in Pokemon Generations. Despite not being a voice actor, he played his bit part as Saturn really well. 3. Marc Thompson - Voice of Saturn in the main anime. His take didn’t really do it for me, as he sounds too snooty and James-like. FANCAST OPTION(S) - For a dub voice that would accurately translate the main anime’s JP voice, Mona Marshall would be the one to go for. Or if we wanted another male VA, Todd Haberkorn, who Mike Haimoto even sounds a lot like (his Muruta Azrael voice.)

MARS: 1. Christie Cate - Voice of Mars in Pokemon Masters EX. She’s not done much, yet she conveys with total accuracy the way Mars sounds and how she talks in the JP language anime and Masters. 2. Lisa Ortiz - Voice of Mars in the main anime. Uh, what made anyone think that Mars sounding exactly like Amy Rose was a good idea? This take just didn’t work, especially on her final line/scream. Admitedly, she did show some improvement in the dub for The Arceus Chronicles - why couldn’t she do that for her Korrina? 3. Unknown VA - Voice of Mars in Pokemon Generations. Uh, I think someone might’ve got Mars and Jupiter’s casting switched around. FANCAST OPTION - Cassandra Lee Morris! Seriously, you had her right fucking there and made her voice Jupiter instead of Mars???

JUPITER: 1. Brittany Cox - Voice of Jupiter in Pokemon Masters EX. Thank you, Brittany - this is exactly how Jupiter is supposed to sound like! 2. Suzie Yeung - Voice of Jupiter in Pokemon Evolutions. She did what Eileen Stevens was trying to do, and pulled it off correctly! 3. Eileen Stevens and Kira Buckland - Voices of Jupiter in the main anime. Eileen was not suited for this kind of role, as her femme fatale tones come off as laughably forced, as does her burst of madness in her arc’s finale. Kira could be a great Jupiter on her own, but was unfortunately saddled with having to do an impression of Eileen. 4. Cassandra Lee Morris - Voice of Jupiter in Pokemon Generations. A true “what were they thinking” type of miscasting. Cassandra’s distinctly light and youthful voice coming out of Jupiter is just wrong.  FANCAST OPTION: Michelle Rojas would also be a great choice.

CHARON: 1. Mike Pollock - Voice of Charon in the main anime. The one casting for a Team Galactic member that was just absolutely flawless, as Mike doing a lighter, more weaselly sounding Eggman voice was perfect for Charon’s character in every way, including accuracy. 2. Keith Silverstein - Voice of Charon in Pokemon Generations. While he does a decent enough Pollock soundalike voice, Keith’s “evil old man” voices have typically never fully convinced me, so it’s not something I can imagine him holding up for a fuller performance.

FANCAST OPTION: Charon ain’t due for a Pokemon Masters debut, but the one VA Bang Zoom would need for him is Frank Todaro. 

GHETSIS: 1. Mick Wingert - Voice of Ghetsis in Pokemon Masters EX (though on the record, it “wasn’t him” who provided this voice, gotta uphold that NDA and all). A+ absolutely inspired casting. Easily the most talented and versatile of the VAs cast in this role, and he gives Ghetsis exactly the sort of voice I’d always imagined him to have.  2. Patrick Seitz - Voice of Ghetsis in Pokemon Generations. Being the voice of many a dapper, handsome male or big, monstrous brute made Patrick an ideal English equivalent to Sho Hayami, and the performance he gives is chillingly good (pun fully intended) at capturing Ghetsis’ faux regal front and his true demented nature. 3. Armen Taylor - Voice of Ghetsis in Pokemon Evolutions. For the most part his take works, and the silky, meticulous snake-in-the-grass quality he puts into his voice is spine-tingling. He falters only on three points - he sometimes veers right into his Cyrus voice, his delivery sometimes fails to match up so badly that it’s distracting, and when he emotes he does this Discount Patrick Seitz thing that you can imagine would sound better when done by Patrick Seitz himself. 4. Bill Rogers - Voice of Ghetsis in the main anime. I can certainly see where one would concieve of this kind of voice for Ghetsis due to B2W2 and even his anime potrayal, but it really does not work at all - sounds way too snarly and eeeevil to the point of parody. This failure is on Tom Wayland, though, since we’ve heard Bill Rogers do better.

FANCAST OPTION(S): While I’d love hearing Richard Doyle or David Dayan Fisher (or Richard Doyle sounding like David Dayan Fisher) for Ghetsis, they’d not be readily available, so I could settle instead for Edward Bosco or Kellen Goff. The perfect equivalent straight from the Sentai Filmworks/Funimation aisle would be John Swasey, known for voicing Gendo Ikari and All For One.

N: 1. Nicholas DeMichele - Voice of N in the main anime. The only N VA whose name begins with that letter, he’d not voiced much roles and hasn’t since, but he’s a case of striking casting gold if there ever was one. Everything he brought to the table was spot on for N’s character. 2. Daman Mills - Voice of N in Pokemon Masters EX. Lighter and raspier than the above, but just as fitting in the tone and delivery. 3. Grant George - Voice of N in Pokemon Generations. Solid casting decision on its face, and in his very last lines in the short Grant performed well, but beforehand he was notably off, first sounding too deep and then sounding like just another Grant George perfromance. 4. Tom Wayland - Voice of N in the animated trailer for Black 2/White 2. Only has a single line - “Think of you and your Pokemon - what are you striving for?” - but delivers it in a stupidly hammy way in a voice that does not fit with the design of who it’s coming out of at all.  5. Chris Hackney - Voice of N in Pokemon Evolutions. Only has a single line - “Zekrom, come to me!” - but...yeah, same as above. FANCAST OPTION(S): Alessandro Juliani, of course. But since he’s Canadian and might be tough to get ahold of, then I also would’ve been keen on hearing Clifford Chapin voice the role. We have one Kaworu VA as N (Daman Mills), so this would fit nicely too.

COLRESS: 1. Eli James - Voice of Colress in the main anime. This turned out to be just as golden a casting decision as N’s, as Eli nails the cold, calculating scientist voice, the casual, friendly guy voice, and the maniacal power enthusiast voice of the character at most of the right points. His performance is especially good in his last four episodes.

2. Yung-I Chang - Voice of Colress in Pokemon Masters EX. With his chillaxed, smug, intellectual, analytical tone of voice and perfect delivery of his more passionate or threatening lines, he’s almost as good as Eli James in the role in spite of the more limited material. Also somehow sounds EXACTLY like older VA David Vincent here! 3. Chris Niosi - Voice of Colress in Pokemon Generations. While the voice fits, not sounding too unlike the above two, the material effects his delivery and makes him come off a bit bland and throwaway. 4. Sean Schemmel - Voice of Colress in the animated trailer for Black 2/White 2. Three strikes, you’re out, Sean! That forced Crispin Freeman impression and laughably melodramatic “I DISAGREE!” failed you. FANCAST OPTION(S): Bill Timoney would’ve been an equally perfect pick for the anime. Other VAs that would work well elsewhere would be Nolan North, or the actual David Vincent, or the actual Crispin Freeman, or another Siebold VA Sean Chiplock, or fellow nerdy villain VA Jarred Kjack, or fellow Acting Boss VA Christian La Monte, or even fellow Plasma Boss VA Mick Wingert.

LYSANDRE: 1. DC Douglas - Voice of Lysandre in Pokemon Masters EX. As with Cyrus and Ghetsis’ voices in this game, this casting for Lysandre was perfect. Whatever your feelings on Douglas, he’s got the right voice and tones for a bitter, snobby and driven genocidal madman like Lys. 2. Tyler Bunch - Voice of Lysandre in the main anime. Very refined and eloquent yet rough sounding, he set a good standard for how the character needs to sound. His one drawback is that, opposite of Colress, his performance just plummeted in his last four episodes. 3. Adin Rudd - Voice of Lysandre in Pokemon Evolutions. While he delivers on the emotional intensity that Tyler Bunch failed at, most of his performance is too emotional so as to be melodramatic and awkward sounding, and it just fails to leave much of an impression. 4. Dean Wein - Voice of Lysandre in Pokemon Generations. For real, who is this guy? ‘Cause he sounds totally disinterested in his line readings and the voice itself does not suit Lysandre at all. Out of all villain voices in this series, easily the most horrendously miscast. FANCAST OPTION(S): JB Blanc would be a no-brainer, but like Peter Jessop he doesn’t really do non-union work for Bang Zoom anymore. Like with Giovanni, Keith Silverstein would be obvious given past roles. But for a Sentai Filmworks/Funimation crowd counterpart, Chris Rager would be the best suited for this role. Another ideal casting option would be Trevor Devall, who even voiced a similar looking character before. MALVA:

1. Morgan Berry - Voice of Malva in Pokemon Masters EX. Her doing the Yohane voice for Malva should be distracting, yet it’s an exact match for how I’d imagine Malva sounding, with the deep huskiness, haughty tone, cool-headed smugness and fiery passion (and a semi-posh accent) that the character needs to have vocally conveyed.

2. Samara Naevmi - Voice of Malva in the main anime. Gives Malva this smug, aristocratic tone that the remaining VAs for her lack, which is what I feel is needed to help Malva really stand out as a character.

3. Marissa Lenti - Voice of Malva in Pokemon Evolutions. Her part is brief, but the solemn tone harboring an emotional undercurrent is deliverted perfectly for what that bit part requires of her.

4. Kira Buckland - Voice of Malva in Pokemon Generations. She sounds like a female newscaster, alright. That’s literally about it. 

FANCAST OPTION - Sabrina Weisz, given her work in Miraculous.

LUSAMINE:

1. Dawn M. Bennett - Voice of Lusamine in Pokemon Evolutions. Not a VA I’d thought could really deliver THAT to the role, but she really, really did. Her Lusamine totally captures her haughtiness and cruelty.

2. Bobbi Hartley - Voice of Lusamine in the main anime. Despite voicing a very different Lusamine from the games, she has a voice that fits naturally into the character and sells her multiple facets.

3. Michelle Ruff - Voice of Lusamine in Pokemon Masters EX. Adequate casting choice, though not as good as her Plumeria and she sounded a bit flat and inconsistent at first. Thankfully she’s stepped it up and come into her own as Sygna Suit Lusamine.

FANCAST OPTION(S) - Two Bang Zoom contracted VAs, Laura Post and Wendee Lee, would’ve nailed the role even better, though.

FABA:

1. Alexander Gross - Voice of Faba in Pokemon Masters EX. He puts on this very grating, weasely voice that sounds like an unholy hybrid of Jim Rash, Tony Hale, and Tom Kenny, and he makes it really work for the character, especially with appropriately insufferable and smarmy line delivery as well as cartoonishly over-the-top shrieks.

2. Kaiji Tang - Voice of Faba in Pokemon Journeys. Goddammit, why’ve we this voice for Faba in just one episode? Tremendous improvement over the Daniel J. Edwards performance we had for the SuMo dub! Kaiji does it so perfeclty, giving Faba the pompous, hammy, frantically emotive voice acting he was meant to have.

3. Daniel J. Edwards & Unknown VA stand-in - Voice(s) of Faba in the Sun & Moon anime dub. It sounds like the voice direction boiled Faba’s entire character down to “evil creep” and told the VA to run with it. He doesn’t sound good to start with and only gets worse when he sticks with the cartoonish bad guy voice even when Faba’s not a bad guy anymore. It’s not funny, it’s just offputting and grating.

FACAST OPTION(S) - Jim Rash, Tony Hale, Tom Kenny, Keith Ferguson, or William Salyers would all be dream casting picks.

GUZMA: 1. Doug Erholtz - Voice of Guzma in Pokemon Masters EX. Doug has got a voice that just begs for casting in a role like this, and the tone and inflections he uses for Guzma make the fullest use of it. 2. Evan Maltby - Voice of Guzma in the main anime. There’s nothing in the voice or the delivery that reflects Guzma. He’s just some dude! FANCAST OPTION(S) - Definitely no offense to Doug Erholtz, but if they’d managed to cast Andrew Kishino, Sam Riegel, Robbie Daymond or even Austin Lee Matthews in this role, any one of those guys would kill it as well or possibly even better than he does.

PLUMERIA: 1. Michelle Ruff - Voice of Plumeria in Pokemon Masters EX. Like with Doug Erholtz as Guzma, Michelle is just all too well suited for roles like this where she gets to use her tomboyish Rukia tone. 2. Jo Armeniox - Voice of Plumeria in the main anime. Unlike Ruff, Jo was not suited for roles like this and it showed in her performance. FANCAST OPTION(S) - Diana Kaarina is, again, Canada-based so it’d be tough to get her. So on the Sentai Filmworks/Funimation aisle, Christina Kelly would be my ideal casting choice for this role.

CHAIRMAN ROSE: 1. Keith Silverstein - Voice of Chairman Rose in Pokemon Twilight Wings. Probably Keith’s best Pokemon role that he was cast in, he brings such a laid back charm and warm, delicate smoothness to Rose’s voice that you totally buy why he’d win the trust of so many.

2. Maaz Ali - Voice of Chairman Rose in Pokemon Masters EX. Probably the voice that best fits Rose’s characterization and even has a posh British accent. The only thing putting him below Keith’s take is the delivery; sometimes he sounds too fruity a la Maxie and at other times too deep and unintentionally threatening! 3. Barron Bass - Voice of Chairman Rose in the main anime. Blegh. This is like Lysandre in Generations all over again - Barron is not a voice actor and his inability to emote as Rose even in moments where he clearly should be make his a dull performance. FANCAST OPTION(S) - Mick Wingert again, since he’s got the Tony Stark voice down pat and can do a convincing British accent. and if not him, then Matthew Mercer would be the other best option.)

OLEANA: 1. Julia McIlvaine - Voice of Oleanna in Pokemon Twilight Wings. A few words spoken from her mouth in her voice and you know what Oleanna’s all about, she just fits this role that perfectly.

2. Linsay Rousseau - Voice of Oleana in Pokemon Masters EX. Her voice and accent works for Oleanna in feral rage mode, but it leaves something to be desired when applied to Oleanna as she regularly is. 3. Jennifer Losi - Voice of Oleanna in the main anime. Unlike Rose, her acting ain’t bad, but the voice is just too youthful sounding.  FANCAST OPTION - Morgan Berry, who aside from being the best voice for Malva was also in Twilight Wings and who we know from Love Live! Sunshine!! how great she can play a character whose mood and entire persona can shift on a dime in an insane way.

[beyondtheciouds]

.29.

Part 1 of 3

Heavy rain descended from the sky swallowing up the last ounce of hope. The black clouds were staggered; swollen red from the heat of the day. The world outside is flipped upside down; black is white; white is black and all is red.

Her head aches with the shift in color; the logic of her accommodations rather painful. She gasps, her throat hoarse and still raw from screaming for hours on end. Tears slide down off the bridge of her nose and she can't close her mouth fast enough. A salt lick of a tear hazardly grazes her tongue; the clear liquid tasting like bottled anguish.

In her mind, she remains back at the Institute with her family. She braces and steadies herself for the worst.

The cold, steel manacle around her neck chokes her and makes it difficult to breathe. Chains, wrapped around her lithe body curl around and over her; tucking her away between their links.

The rusted chains rattle as she moves from left to right in a rhythmic sway; an attempt to crash through the door.

Velocity. Volume. Vantage.

Her nostrils flare with determination then deflate with defeat when her body doesn't pick up immediate speed.

Her long brown hair is loose from it's tight chignon; the ribbon torn in half. Dirty and tangled; the snarls of her hair half drag across the dusty floor of the tin can coffin.

Hanging upside down from the ceiling in her undergarments is Tessa. Her hands are behind her back held together with simple, normal rope. The rope is knotted in several places with sailors knots and elegantly tied to the rope around her feet. Both ropes are linked by a chain that is attached to the manacle around her neck.

Tatiana smiles vicious and hateful watching Tessa struggle. She enjoys the fact she can literally see the blood rushing to her enemy's head in the whites of her eyes. "Moving only makes the blood run quicker."

Tessa grimaces, a wave of dizziness and nausea washing over her. "Now you tell me."

Tatiana smiles that heinous smirk and shrugs. It lasts only a second, but something about the casual confident roll of her bony shoulder reminds Tessa of Gabriel. In the shift of a second, Tessa sees a glimmer of the person Tatiana used to be; a Lightwood-- confident and capable. This was the person Tatiana had been long before Rupert was murdered and her world broken.

Tessa allows the moment to pass; her regret left unsaid to the woman who perhaps could have been if not a friend an ally in another life. The moment clears the way for another idea. Tessa is willing to take a risk. Watching Tatiana closely, she feels she might be able to manipulate Tatiana into releasing her.

The door of the metal shack creaks open, a squeak of a mouse echoes as the bright red light becomes a beacon in the darkness. Ghostly fingers begin their smoky dance; the ghosts beckoning Tessa to join them in the afterlife.

Belial's silhouette becomes visible as the smoke dissapates. He is slouched precariously against the wall. He reminds Tessa of a criminal with his arms crossed over his chest. The red cherry of a cigar is a pulse beating in the dark. Tessa can't take her eyes off it.

"Are you ready to behave, my dear? Or should we continue with the torture?"

Tessa struggles, her fear turning into fury; refocusing. "You will never have James and Lucie at your side no matter what you do to me. You may be their grandfather, Belial but you are not family."

"Oh, love how foolish you are." Nate says and steps out of a dark corner. " I thought after living like one of them," He hisses the word as he crosses the room. "you would start acting like one." Nate flashes an unlimited amount of teeth at Tessa before briefly stepping into the beacon of light.

Tessa's heart breaks. She wanted Nate to look like the boy she'd grown up with. The brother she loved. The shock reverberates in her veins that Nate is now only a decaying mass of flesh and teeth; silhouetted and hollow like long dead bones. He should be burnt and buried.

Tessa had turned her eyes to the sound of his voice. She tries to turn her head but her neck is stiff; shackled in place. "Nate, please." She begs, her body rocking then swinging.

Nate stands in front of Tatiana and even she recoils, pushing herself away from him. His face is clawed; red streaks spiraling disease sporadically and oozing with infection. One clear blue eye pulses like a noncompliance heart; beating rapidly and out of rhythm. The next minute the eye is springing out of its socket; the other drooped and distorted what was left of his face.

The wooden chair creaks and scrapes the floor as Tatiana is dragged backwards into the darkness.

Belial smiles, his teeth twisted twinkling stars. The smoke from the cigar curls around his silhouette; mysterious and inviting in his hand. "Oh, my darling Theresa. How foolish you are indeed. I am not after your precious gifted children. I am after your only grandchild." Belial laughs quietly and whispers, "Quod sanctum puerum. De Trinitate."

Tessa gasps, her anger surfacing like a forgotten shipwreck. "NO. NO. NO."

Belial laughs again, louder as the soles of his boots step into the cold darkness. "Quod aurea puer. Et trifecta spiritualis vitae pertinent."

Tessa's eyes are wide as she whispers, following Belial's cruel smile. "The trifecta. Angel. Demon. Fairy."

Belial grins.

Tessa's face is burning.

The color of Belial's eyes changes, glowing red in the shadows as he inhales and exhales the smoke into the shadow of a child. "My ticket to freedom."

****

The ride to Fairchild Manor had been far from interesting, at least from James's point of view. The carriage was not his own, but a hansom cab for starters. The quarters were musty smelling and too cramped to get comfortable. Cordelia was seated closely beside him and he could smell the scent of rosewater on her skin. The weather was cold and the elbows of their heavy coats touched and their hips grazed one another when the road turned bumpy.

Cordelia had been quiet for some time with her nose stuck in a book. Her dark eyes swept across the page; darting under her long lashes along every romantic line of Pride and Prejudice. James had to smile to himself as his gold eyes finally settled on Cordelia as she drifted away in her story. Sometimes he forgot how much alike they actually were; how compatible compared to others.

For weeks he had tried not think of her as his sister's best friend but as his bride-to-be.

The boys were right and James was hesitant to admit the situation was serious. The specific runes; the sealing vows were sacred and similar to that of a parabatai. A bond between two people that was not easily broken.

He glanced down at the silver circlet around his wrist; Grace's bracelet. The metal burned the inside of his wrist. He imagined the bracelet imprinting the Blackthorn moto on his flesh tying him to them.

James frowned. He felt this tremendous impact on his chest that he thought meant that he owed Grace.

Was he making the right choice? Only time would tell. James couldn't think straight and despite his lack of sleep, it wasn't the girl he was looking at who was in his thoughts.

Another girl was on his mind. Thomas had warned him that morning Grace was up to something devious and devoted to destroying Lucie.

Cordelia had told him as much the night before. Still, James couldn't help but think that Thomas's caution might be mistaken for paranoia. He also detected that Cordelia was overly jealous.

James didn't disagree outloud, but he didn't believe Lucie was in danger. Not for a second.

The only person who he believed was in danger was his mother. Will was vigorously and vigilantly working to save her and James wanted to be there when his father did.

The only thing James could do to help right now was be at Lucie's side and get her through. All either could do was wait.

Wait for life; wait for death.

Christopher and Thomas sat across from them, each preoccupied in their own space.

The former had spent most of the ride untangling a scientific equation that James decreed was the equivalent to opening a glass jar.

When Christopher speaks, there are crickets--dead silence in the carriage and even Cordelia glances up from her book. "What are the odds that we could send Matthew a message by launching a bottle into the sky?"

The latter is a wanderer. He is daydreaming and James can tell that Thomas is filled with anxiousness; categorizing his own neurotic suspicions under the guise of appearing somber. "Like a cannon?"

James blinks, his inky eyebrows furrowed. "A cannon?"

"No. More like a message in a bottle attached to a...a...something. Then we launch the something into the air by striking a match to a series of ropes soaked in kerosene."

James's interest peaks, "Kerosene?"

Thomas turns away from the sublime serenity of the Idris countryside long enough to crook an eyebrow at Christopher. "Are you proposing another exploration of explosions?"

"Gunpowder. We're going to need a lot of gunpowder." Christopher says excitedly, his lavender eyes wide. The gears in his head start turning.

"No gunpowder," James says, shaking his head. He has to be the voice of reason with this crazy idea because it is obvious that Thomas is not listening. "and no explosive devices."

"I know...no. No, well I..." Christopher trails off, his thoughts unraveling like the blueprints to his inventions. Henry would have understood, he reminds himself.

Thomas huffs, unhappy with Christopher's idea. He turns back towards the landscape, silent. He doesn't glance over at Christopher or James. None of them say a word.

James finally sighs, placing his hand on the seat close enough to graze Cordelia's gloved fingers.

The carriage would be at Matthew's front door by nightfall and James was not ready for the confrontation. For the first time in their friendship, James had no idea how to approach his parabatai on a subject as sensitive as fatherhood.

As they passed a lone cemetery, he closed his eyes and prayed to Raziel that they were not too late.

***

The clouds gathered overhead, the sky a darkening gray. A stray dog barked in the distance and Lucie pulled the wool coat tighter around her docile frame. "Why are we here Grace?"

The two girls are in the snowy cemetery; sitting upon a cobblestone hill facing a vast expanse of headstones. A cardinal flutters in the tree branches above; red in a world of white.

Grace is understanding in the quiet; almost complacent and comfortable among the dead. "Shhh. The sun is going down."

On the horizon, placed before them like a slice of golden fruit was the sun slipping into the snow capped hills.

Lucie is the opposite of Grace. Her powers hum inside, keeping her on edge with her instinct wavering. She glances nervously around and feels the priceless prickle of despair crawl into her heart. "Can we go now Grace?"

Grace shakes her head. "Not yet."

A carriage rolls by and Lucie catches the shape of a dark haired boy in the window.

She hopes it is James.

[gabefms]

HI ! I am super excited to meet everyone and their beautiful muses ! my name is indy , pronouns are she/her , I am 22 , and my tz is gmt ! I will be coming around to say hi to everyone and beg for plots ! <3

✼:♡*ﾟ✿ ↝／  gabriel parilla is blasting moral panic by nothing but thieves again … ugh , i swear they play that song every single day ! you’d think they’d learn how to pipe down . oh , you don’t know them ? they live in apartment 2d . i haven’t talked to them much , but i know that they’re twenty six years old , and that they’ve been living in the complex for three years . i always run into them when they’re coming back home from golden four , and they seem really witty and withdrawn . maybe you’ll have better luck with the aquarius than i do . 

FUN STATS ...

FULL NAME : gabriel hugo parilla

NICKNAMES : gabe

ZODIAC : aquarius

ORIENTATION : bisexual & biromantic ( semi - closeted )

HOMETOWN : los angeles

FAMILY : mother and father ( estranged ) , two older sisters

OCCUPATION : baker at golden flour

DRUGS / ALCOHOL / SMOKE : no / yes / yes

MORAL ALIGNMENT : lawful neutral 

SOME BACKSTORY ...

growing up around strong women , gabe struggled to find himself . lacking the same domineering , passionate and sometimes overwhelming personalities . at four years old he felt lost and insecure , unsure who to be . but that was okay , because typical of the youngest of child , everyone around gabe spoilt and fussed over him . his childhood should have been spent as any other , being himself . indulging in hobbies and developing his own personality . instead , control was snatched from gabe’s hands . he was taught who to be , from his mind to his appearance . best behaviour on , he wore that mask well . pretending as if everything were fine , was something he learnt to do at a young age .

it took him nineteen years of breathing air to finally decide that particular life wasn’t for him . opting out of further studies , gabe took his high school diploma and ran . although , newfound freedom proved difficult . finding himself drowning in that lost feeling all over again . it certainly took a substantial amount of time to adapt . growing out of the guilt of no longer following others wishes for him , he spent several years making some good , but mostly poor decisions . gabe fell into every wrong crowd imaginable . the snobs , the hard partiers , the petty criminals . until he decided , he didn’t enjoy the company of people much at all . eventually gabe dropped his terrible bartending gig, after spotting a wanted staff sign on the window of a small bakery . which is when his life truly started to take shape . most days were then spent mostly alone , baking at work , baking at home . gabe had ghosted all of his friends and created a new life for himself once again , but this time it was one he alone , had decided to live .

gabe has only grown resentful of his parents , although they remain close , their relationship is conditional . gabe has learnt not to upset the status quo . therefore , he keeps most details of his life to himself . particular topics such as his education , job , and relationships are not heavily discussed and better off avoided . he is not out to his parents , knowing he would be risking a negative reaction .

nor are his sisters particularly privy to his private details . gabe finds it difficult to relate to either of his siblings . living quite a different lifestyle from both . his eldest sister , val , was happy falling into the place set for her . married with children . far too many responsibilities and worries for gabe to burden his own . instead , time was spent playing with his nephews and nieces . his other sister , azure , was the family disappoint . the rebellious artist type , gabe had witnessed many arguments between her and their parents . before they ultimately disowned her completely . she had decided to wipe the slate clean , cut all ties . they spent years as strangers , until she randomly made contact one day . since then , they have remained in contact , but it is always on her terms , conversations few and far between .

PERSONALITY ...

much like his siblings , gabe feels his emotions strongly . however , he opts to keep it to himself , rarely speaking of them . he can be unpredictable because of this . if he chooses to make these emotions known , it may appear to be out of nowhere .

gabe has learnt to be independent , almost dangerously so . he fears ever losing himself to someone else again . meaning he may be defensive and condescending when faced with challenges of his decisions or behaviour .

he was never gifted with intelligence , having to study hard for his brains . gabe remains quite studious out of habit , he does not particularly enjoy learning , but sometimes feels it is a necessity.

that said he certainly has an idealistic and creative mind ! gabe prefers to keep his hands busy , and strives for perfection . he will be found spending his hours baking !

not shy but withdrawn , he would rather spend his time alone , and makes that known . people tend to exhaust him and particular social situations make him anxious .

a dry sense of humour but is quite witty . a sharp tongue which is great at not only poking fun at others , but also himself . if he does not like you , he will make it known with a subtle , but merciless tongue lashing .

[thebeethathums]

Observers - 64

Pairing: Sherlock Holmes x Reader

John snoozed lightly in a chair by your hospital bed, his head balanced in his hand as he rested his elbow on the wooden arm. His blonde hair was disheveled, a considerable amount of stubble covered his chin, and his eyes were rimmed with dark circles from lack of sleep. In the past three days, he’d refused to leave your side. The only reason he wasn’t still in the blood covered clothes from before was Lestrade, who had brought him something clean to put on when he’d come to wrap up his report. The room was filled with an assortment of things from all the people who’d been in. Molly had brought you a lipstick and John some strong coffee. Mrs. Hudson came with a tin of biscuits she’d made herself. Harry couldn’t come but sent her best and not only a large bouquet of flowers but some new colored pencils for when you woke. Lestrade hadn’t brought anything but sat with you for a long while and promised he’d figure out what had happened. Mycroft had sent flowers and visited in the dead of the night, standing at the room’s window to look out pensively. He felt guilty. He shouldn’t have let you go to your flat. The mystery of how your ex had gotten out in the first place was just as important to him as it was to Lestrade. On top of that was the fact that he’d found the eyes that he’d put on you dead. It was troubling. Aside from them, there was a long string of people John sort of recognized- including both Annie, who left in tears, and Gabriel. The only person who hadn’t come was Sherlock. 

John didn’t know whether to be angry, relieved, or sad but decided, in the end, to give him the benefit of the doubt since he’d very nearly killed Nicolas and certainly wouldn’t ever walk again. Sherlock, for all intents and purposes, acted as though nothing had happened. He solved the case without John and then started a new experiment, holing himself up in the flat as he diligently worked on it. Internally, he was reeling, he was terrified, miserable, guilty, and worried all at the same time- It was overwhelming for him.

It was his brain that was keeping him away from you, telling him that he’d gone too far in his experiment with feelings and that it had made him weak. If he was alone, he was safe and, to some extent, if he was alone, you were safe. You made him lose focus. You gave criminals something to use against him. You distracted him. He listened to his brain as he’d done his entire life, letting it take him through the motions of his everyday life, but somewhere else inside him was a new voice. He’d never heard it before and he wondered if it had existed all along, just lying dormant in him, or if it had recently developed when you entered his life. The voice that he’d since identified as his heart yelled at him to go to you, to never leave your side again, to kiss every bruise on your skin. It told him it wasn’t a weakness because caring for you brought out his strength, his humanity, and staying away to protect himself and you only placed more hurt on you both. This was the argument going on inside him as he measured out some chemical in a vial and it slipped, shattering on the table below. He just stared at it for a moment. He’d never broken a vial in his life. Not once. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before trying to come to a compromise between the two voices- he’d go visit Molly and work from there… closer to you but still away. As if he had a big brother sixth sense, John woke up a few minutes before you stirred and grumbled something about hating hospitals. He was stunned for a moment, as if he couldn’t believe that you were actually awake, but came out of it quickly when your eyes flickered open and you softly called, “Johnny?” He was out of the chair and by your side in an instant, taking your hand up in his, “I’m here, Squeak. I’m right here. How are you feeling?” You gave him a weak smile, your eyes sliding closed again as you took a slow breath and shifted slightly to take an assessment, “I’ve felt better. Doesn’t feel like anything’s broken besides the ribs. That’s good.” “You scared me half to death. I thought I was going to lose you… or that you’d never wake up.” “I’m so sorry, Johnny. Things got out of hand.” “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. I’m just glad you’re ok,” he nodded, you’d been unbelievably lucky and everything except the head injury had been extremely treatable and would heal with few to no complications aside from the scaring on your arm. Now fully awake, you opened your eyes again to look for him, and frowned confusedly, “John?” “What is it, Squeak?” “Why can’t I see you? Or anything?” you whispered, panic rising in your voice. He visibly startled, “You can’t see me? Can you see anything? Blurs?” Tears came to your eyes and John’s heart broke as you panicked, “Just blacks and greys… John, what happened? What did he do to me?” Trying to calm you, he leaned and pressed a kiss to your forehead, mumbling into it, “Hush, love, hush. I’m sure it’ll be all right… I’m going to go get your doctor okay?” You nodded, trying to ignore that fact that he’d just called you love, something he only ever did when he was beyond worried, and felt him leave. He came back only a few minutes later with the doctor, adjusting your bed so you could sit up when you asked before a serious sounding man started going over test results. You could only sort of comprehend what he and John were discussing. Something about the impact of the wall causing your brain to bounce, effectively bruising the occipital lobe, the lobe that controlled vision, to cause temporary blindness. Even hearing him say it was temporary didn’t make you feel any better, especially when he went on to say that it should clear up in a few weeks but could take months, and you felt even worse when he said there was a small chance it could be permanent. Your entire life revolved around your ability to see. How would you draw? Or paint? You felt tears start running down your face as you thought of all the things you would miss- the colors, John’s wide grin, the intensity of Sherlock’s eyes, the sky after it rained… everything. The doctor excused himself and John moved to sit on the bed next to you, brushing the hair from your face before wiping some of your tears as you blinked blankly, “It’ll come back, Squeak. That you can see something other than black is a good sign. Give it time.” You knew your brother was worried but relieved from the tone of his voice but he sounded so tired. You reached in the direction of his face and he caught your hand, bringing it to his cheek as he rubbed his thumb along the back of it. You fingers gently felt the stubble and the bags under his eyes with a frown. He’d been up far too long, “Go home, John.” You felt his head shake, “I’m not leaving you alone, (F/n).” Closing your eyes, you huffed frustratedly, “Where’s Sherlock?” The silence answered your question and you sighed, you were a bit disappointed but other than that you didn’t blame him- hospitals were the worst and you probably looked dreadful. You wondered if he was mad at you for going to Mycroft or for not being more observant or more careful or for getting him caught up in this whole thing. You opened your eyes again with the intent to look around and found only black, reminding you of what you’d just been told. John could see from your face that you were struggling but had no idea how to help, wanting to hold you close but knowing that he couldn’t because it would only put you in more pain... he couldn't even give you your sketchbook to draw. You turned your head away from him as tears started to roll down your face again, “Go away, John. I want to be alone.” “But-“ “Just go!” you snapped, feeling a little guilty for pushing your brother away but too upset to do anything else. He sighed, assuring himself that you were just trying to process everything, and then kissed your temple and left you alone with your thoughts.

[orbemnews]

Migrants face danger as numbers headed toward US grow “I told my brother, if you want to go, let’s go,” said the 19-year-old, who asked CNN to withhold his last name. They filled two backpacks with a set of clothes and a toothbrush, each. Carlos packed a razor. Wilfredo doesn’t shave yet. With 2,000 Mexican pesos (about $100) between them, they broke the news to their mom. “She was crying,” said Carlos. “She asked us not to go because she would miss us. It was really sad to leave the house, not knowing whether you’re going to die or where you’ll end up.” The trip to the US from Central America is an infamously dangerous one. Less than a week after he left — talking to CNN and wincing as he tried to keep blood running down his forehead and dripping into his right eye — Carlos’ fears would be confirmed. Migrant numbers on the rise CNN first met the two brothers in Mexico. Guatemalan immigration authorities had already taken all the money they had on the way, they said. Still, when they joined dozens of other migrants at La 72 migrant shelter, just over the border in the small town of Tenosique, they were in good spirits. Wilfredo watched from the sidelines as Carlos peeled off a sticky shirt to join a shirts vs. skins soccer match, migrants from Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua all putting their journeys aside for a moment, a brief respite for the beautiful game. Carlos’ team won, and he was all smiles as he spoke to us. “There’s a lot of people besides us who decided to leave and migrate, to look for a better life,” he said. Each night a line forms in front of the shelter’s main entrance. On one recent night, dozens patiently waited to have their temperatures taken and wash their hands, mandates for entry during an ongoing pandemic. “This year we’ve seen a huge surge in the flow during the first two months of the year,” said Father Gabriel Romero, the shelter’s director. “The people aren’t afraid anymore to leave their countries due to Covid-19 because they’d prefer not to die from hunger, violence, or a lack of work.” The shelter registered some 5,500 people in January and February, according to Romero. They only registered 3,000 in all of 2020. “I think it’s a moment of a humanitarian emergency,” said Romero. Most are heading for the US. And the number of apprehensions at the southern US border has jumped as well — more people were apprehended in January 2021 than the same month in any of the past three years. Romero says if the pace continues — and he expects that it will — he could see more migrants at his shelter this year than ever before. Why now? Over five days reporting on the ground near the Mexico-Guatemala border, CNN spoke to dozens of migrants. They said the reasons for the increase were myriad, but all agreed poverty was at its center. Struggling economies in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala before the pandemic have been further decimated by Covid-19. Finding work has never been easy, they say, but never harder than during a generational health crisis. As if that weren’t bad enough, back-to-back Category 4 hurricanes devastated broad swathes of Central America when they made landfall within two weeks of one another in November. Hurricanes Eta and Iota unleashed record-setting amounts of wind and rain, and wiped out entire communities thoroughly unequipped to handle one storm like that, let alone two. Tens of thousands of people were displaced. With nowhere else to go, a large majority of migrants told CNN the hurricanes and their aftermath played a big part in their decision to head north. A third reason has emerged as well—there isn’t a Trump White House anymore. “It’s no longer a racist president,” said José Alduvas Moncada Salinas, who spoke to CNN as he rested along the set of railroad tracks he was walking on. “He looked at us like we’re animals.” Trump, who made anti-immigrant rhetoric a central part of his political appeal going back to the first days of his 2015 campaign, pursued a number of policies to curb immigration. The Biden administration is trying to ease Trump’s more restrictive immigration policies. It also says it will admit more asylum seekers but will take time to do so. Citing a pandemic and hoping to avoid a surge at the border, US officials have publicly said now is not the time for migrants to come. That did not dissuade any of the migrants CNN spoke with. Most said they believed a Biden presidency would give them a better chance of getting in and said they weren’t going to wait around for the pandemic to ease. “That’s the difference, that suddenly the new president is noble with a good heart,” said Moncada Salinas. Mexico has stepped up its immigration enforcement in recent years, initially prompted by economic threats from the Trump administration. It has continued the presence of its National Guard along the southern board and has refused migrants free passage to transit to the United States. But thousands are still finding ways through. ‘One of the most dangerous trips in the world’ Carlos and Wilfredo set off with a group from La 72 shelter at dawn the next day, their pace brisk and upbeat, trying to make up as many miles as possible before the midday heat closed in. They didn’t leave for any one specific reason — poverty, hurricanes, and Biden were all a part of it, they said. “If you have nothing to live with back at home, you come this way to look for work,” said Carlos, matter-of-factly. They took a route along a set of unused railroad tracks. A train nicknamed “The Beast” used to run here and migrants would climb aboard, hitching a ride north. A construction project has halted the train for now, but migrants still follow its tracks. Walking through dense, isolated forest, they are extremely vulnerable to crime and exploitation — the proverbial fish amidst sharks. A Médecins Sans Frontières report in February of 2020 found that nearly 60% of migrants reported experiencing violence traveling through Mexico. “It’s one of the most dangerous trips in the world,” said Rubén Figueroa, an activist with migrant advocacy group Movimiento Migrante Mesoamericano. “The migrant route is plagued by cartels and local criminal groups that see migrants as commodities, so they’re victims of assault, extortion, sexual assault, kidnapping, and murder.” A few hours later, Carlos and Wilfredo emerged from their route. It was clear they’d been attacked. Multiple members of the group, including the two brothers, were bleeding. “We had lagged behind the front of our group a bit and when we caught up to them, we saw the robbers holding them at gunpoint,” said Carlos, telling CNN four armed men and a woman assaulted them. Carlos and Wilfredo tried to run but didn’t have time. A gunman struck out at Wilfredo first. “One of them was carrying a little gun in his hand and I said, ‘I’m not afraid of you,’ and that’s when he hit [Wilfredo] and so I went after him. I don’t know how he hit me,” said Carlos. Carlos, Wilfredo, and another man were all pistol whipped. Wilfredo had a severe gash on his head. Shown a photo of the wound, a former surgeon told CNN he’d expect it would need more than a half dozen stitches or staples. Carlos and the other man both were bleeding from swollen wounds, each on the right side of the head. Their attackers took what little money the group had and scattered. Not long after Carlos recounted this story to CNN, a white van sped down the dusty road. It was from the Mexican National Migration Institute, the agency responsible for enforcing immigration law. The group shouted and ran, scattering into the woods. Better days lie ahead … maybe That night, the brothers and the group walked more than 12 hours, making it about a half-mile away from the next commonly used migrant shelter on the route. Their group took a break in the morning, sipping on instant coffee given to them by a woman who owns a small bodega along the train tracks. Migrants pass by “day and night,” she told CNN. “This group just came right now, this afternoon more will come. I’d give them more but I haven’t even cooked for myself today.” The brothers sat in front of her store, exhausted. The trip was still worth it, Carlos insisted. Eventually, they would make it to the United States and he would find work — even though he has no actual plan for how to do that or which state he will work in. Wilfredo, dazed and quiet, was not so sure. “I don’t know if it’s worth it,” he said. “But wherever my brother goes, I’ll always be there.” Source link Orbem News #Danger #Face #grow #Headed #migrants #numbers