#i love creighton though

[thehighrepublicbrainrot]

*Spoilers for Star Wars Cataclysm*

YES CREIGHTON, YES YODA, I'M SURE IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO COMPLETLY COVER UP THE NAMELESS, THAT TOTALLY WON'T BECOME A PROBLEM IN THE FUTURE!!!

[heraldofcrow]

Ok, so Crest’s new video on the internal data names for Dark Souls 2 is out and wow. This game. Wtf.

—

First off, this name makes perfect sense for Shanalotte, aka the “I’m part dragon because of experiments” girl that is somehow the game’s firekeeper but also…not? She’s really interesting to me when in comparison to the other Souls bonfire maidens, and there’s this odd bit of story separation with her. She seems really independent of us in little ways, and maybe her motives with wanting us to link the fire are tied strictly to her own personal beliefs, not just because it’s her duty. Also, it seems like her name could be more accurately translated to “Dragon Priestess” which is…even more fascinating. Her mystery will never not engage me.

Pate is Patches. Dark Souls 2 always had Patches and we all knew it. Even if he doesn’t have the same VA, we just know the archetype is there. Even his “mild-mannered” and silver-tongued persuasion is accurate to the general character. Personally, I think it’s pretty funny that they still found a way to insert the conniving bastard into this game.

He’s apparently just Ornstein….which is obvious, but admittedly it’s confusing as hell. In my eyes, this is Ornstein mid-journey and on his way to find NK. We get to fight him in-game for fun, but in the “time is convoluted” world of Dark Souls, that never actually happened. Ornstein went on his way just fine. Alternative interpretations are always welcome though.

SEA SOLAIRE!! LUCATIEL IS THE SOLAIRE OF DS2 AND WE ALL KNEW IT!! This honestly makes me emotional, because she really did get us all in the feels the way Solaire did, and the theme of slow decay/hollowing and the desperation to stop it is so poignant for both characters. They’re uniquely written too, which I appreciate because even though it’s the same archetype, Lucatiel and Solaire both stand out as individuals as well. My beautiful and sad blorbos </3

Ok, so Creighton and Benhart are/were apparently father and son…which is kinda cool? It’s too bad the final game didn’t cement any connection besides their crest sigils, but I’d still accept it as canon, personally.

She’s just like me fr

Lucatiel’s older brother! This is the first time I’ve seen him unmasked and it’s kinda sad. He was just a normal lad.

Agdayne is a Jojo reference, guys. It’s true. Darklurker is his stand 💀

(In all seriousness, I wonder what the actual connection here was? It’s fascinating).

And finally, to absolutely nobody’s surprise! I hate this so much lmaoooo. I also can’t get it out of my head now that Dark Souls 2 is full of random Star Wars references and that’s what gives it such a unique and alien vibe compared to the other games 💀 (I mean, even the Desert Sorceresses look a bit like Leia’s slave getup in Return of the Jedi skdjdksks).

—

Anyway, this was bizarre and as usual, I can see the verge, or the vague image of how complex DS2 was originally meant to be. There’s just so much going on here, but it doesn’t seem like they put the time into really finishing it. I still love this game, flaws and all, but I do wish they would have…actually finished it.

[focsle]

you ever read journals from gay or bi whalers????

Not explicitly, but that’s so often the way of things regarding lgbtq+ history. Are the men whose journals I’ve read who occasionally describe their fellow whalers as fine/good-looking or handsome attracted to them, or simply using complimentary language? Does one man saying he played as another man’s “lady” at a dance during a gam mean anything regarding his identity in relation to other men, or was it simply the language he used to say he danced as the opposite partner in an all-male space? Who knows! Maybe, maybe not. Is a mate goading the men in his boat's crew by saying:

"I love you, my dear fellows, yes, yes, I do; I'll do anything for you, I'll give you my heart's blood to drink"

anything? Dunno! Sure is hot and weird tho!

Scholar Margaret Creighton highlighted one whaler, Elias Trotter, as someone who forged--if not romantic--very close emotional relationships with other men. This included both men he met briefly on gams as well as men aboard his ship.

He described one man, Charles Wheeler, on a gam saying that he ‘drew my attention on account of his manly beauty, activity, and intelligence’, and spent the entire gam speaking with him alone for hours, lamenting at the end the inevitable parting when both ships went on their way. He also developed a close relationship with someone on his ship named Longworth.

Dan W. Everton is a graduate student who spent time researching Trotter, and at a talk highlighted an excerpt of Trotter’s description of Longworth. I found it very poignant and it gives a little bit of insight to one man's perception of another, as well as the specificity of life at sea:

“During the night watches Longworth and myself will paint a pleasing future and will count and cipher out the many days to elapse before we tread our native soil. Will build many castles in the air and then with sober thought will crush them. How truly does sympathy entwine around the heart and produce friendship in its purest, fondest state. How such interchange of thought foments affection? I flatter myself tis even so with us, for, when after these interchanges of thought, of hope, of sympathy I know and feel that the friendship between us grows stronger and more lasting. At sea, there is no formality. Man acts himself and tis here that none has an opportunity of seeing his fellow in all his impurities as well as in all his goodness. I take pride in writing that, in every circumstance and in all duties, Longworth during the last twelve months has shown himself to be one of nature’s noblemen, so kind, so good, so free.”

Since Trotter’s journal hasn’t been digitized I haven’t been able to read it myself since I don't have physical access to the collection it lives in! I'm really hoping that it will be digitized (or fully transcribed) one day though.

The only (very scant) records I’ve seen explicitly regarding same sex activity on whaleships have been non-consensual instances in which there was disciplinary action taken. And that disciplinary action was also in connection with other violence/threats of violence from the man in question that led to his expulsion.

How consensual same sex relations on a whaleship may have been regarded and navigated is a bit of an unknown. But as with any same-sex occupation (especially something as lengthy and isolating as whaling, where one would maybe get liberty ashore every 6ish months) there were undoubtedly going to be same sex acts and partnerships. To say otherwise would be silly, I think. The absence of their mention gives me the sense that it was something people tended to look the other way with (or circumstantially accepted) if parties were consenting, rather than that they just didn’t happen at all. Herman Melville’s ‘oh I love you my fellows’ Moby Dick chapter that’s just an extended mutual masturbation pun has to come from somewhere. And not just from the notion that Melville likely loved men. But uhhh if you want a gay/bi whaler, there’s probably Melville, at the very least.

[spaceshipsoutthepool]

I was trying to draw a bunch of my OCs /NpCs in an hour. heres a few that are thunderbirds and stingray. I messed up on Jokster though sorry my dude. Jackie-Ann Gris is the only one to have actually appeared in a fanfic as yet. Brief description of each under the cut

Alice Lie. 28 lesbian. Academic. Historian tour guide and national trust/british heritage's newest sceutary of the Creighton-Ward Manor. Samll crush on her lady ship. Bit shy Very kind hearted but has awful luck follow her around. No clue what spy secrets her employer is actually hiding. For now. Wip Story: war on the roses

"Zara smith" 29 Alice's sort of girlfriend. Zara seemed to pop up out of the blue and sweep Alice off her feet. But now they've been together a little while Alice is worried somthing in the relationship is a bit off. It is, because Zara is as fake as her dyed hair. (So sue me I love a goth baddie.) By why would someone go out of thier way to fake date a Manor tour guide hmmmm? Wip Story: war on the roses

Percivle Chrighton-ward. Lady Ps little brother. Sees himself as 'the prodigal son' and real heir to the estate. Posh prick. Homophobic/transphobic cunt too. Parker would love to love to kick his arse. irratelable and irateing. Deepy jealous of his older siblings especially his sister but absolutely clueless to what she actually does for a living. Rocks up to ask for money. Is the only one to get under Penelope's skin. Will get his competence . No fixed story as yet

Tola or Tokla. Bout 16- 20 in human years. My baby! Seamonkey mermaid when in the water. Shapeshifer human father. Refugee. Lives and works as Translatour and teacher in Pacifica. but joins the wasps temporarily when trouble strikes marina. Loves human stuff. Wip story: seasick.

Jokster. she/them/ it. Pacfica's royal fool/clown. Froggy feet flippers. Teller of tall true tales and even bigger fibs. I am half convinced they're made out of elastic. No fixed story as yet

Jackie-Ann Gris . Phones' younger sister. mum of three. Chatty and a hugger. You will be pet named. Very do no harm take no shit mentality. Appereed in Story: A Baby-grow Onesie with Fishes and Boats on.

[fruitbasketball]

i love aaliyah too but she is inconsistent, like always good but sometimes she’s amazing and sometimes she kinda disappears. she’s definitely better than the iowa bigs though, that was mostly a joke

the uconn defense is below their usual standard this year you gotta admit, and it’s only gonna be worse against good teams with aubrey out

i think aaliyah’s one of the most consistent players i’ve ever seen what…

she’s literally averaging almost 17 and 8 + pretty much every one of the past five games she’s shot over 60% and the one game she didn’t she only played 21 minutes against creighton… and she still shot 53.8%

aaliyah is objectively uconn’s most reliable scorer imo. like paige has off nights but aaliyah gets in the paint and she does what she’s supposed to do without fail every single time.

i think maybe she’s a little more under the radar like she’s not as flashy as paige is but she does what she needs to do

idk like uconn’s defense has definitely BEEN better but i think bare minimum is a TAD reductive like ash and nika and kk are PRESSURING them and paige’s defense is miles better now

[huggingtentacles]

There isn't a character in Fromsoft games that represents their invaders well, except for Dark Souls 3, and even that it's not enough. Is it because invaders are difficult to represent due to the sheer variety? Maybe. Perhaps Varré is the Pathetic Wet Man representation.

In dark souls 1 there isn't even an invader NPC. There's just Kaathe and he doesn't invade. There's Kirk but he doesn't really speak. In dark souls 2 there is that fanatical little gremlin man, which is like, sure. Some invaders are little gremlin people.

In dark souls 3 though, we get something good. We get the Edgy invader who takes himself very seriously and has a dark, stylish outfit. Morally grey edgelord is your typical invader.

And now there's Heyzel, who also doesn't speak, but from dialogue and item descriptions, she's more of an easy-going type of girl who wears silly little outfits and uses a fun, interesting weapon. She also loves her fellow invaders and thinks they're her friends. I think she's the closest to being "just like me fr" but I also take myself seriously despite liking silly little outfits. I like being optimal and a menace. That's where we get Creighton. I know he appears in DS2 first but we talk about the good games here. He's just a serial killer. A force of nature. He kills indiscriminately. His armour is practical, his weapon is optimal, he's all business. But he lacks... The spirit, I guess. Why does he kill? Because it makes him "feel alive"? Well that's kinda fucking boring.

Where's my overconfident brat who throws himself into three guys and tries to win? Where's my inspiring teacher that tells me to never give up no matter how much the odds are against you? Where is the swordsmaster who invades for nothing but their own self-betterment? Oh wait.

That would make the invaders the actual underdog who isn't straight-up a villain. In a blink of an eye, some casual might want to actually try invading without being intimidated by all of these edgelords. They can't do that! Because it's so important for Fromsoft to make invaders canonically dickheads for some reason :/

[scribbles97]

Left Behind - Chapter 53

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 Chapter 48 / Chapter 49 / Chapter 50 / Chapter 51 / Chapter 52 Read on AO3

Going back to the hospital the following morning was the last thing on Lucy’s mind. Whilst she had been with Scott there had been a distraction for her, the focus on Tia and what happened next for the young security specialist. But once she had returned to the apartment her thoughts had turned elsewhere.

Hugh had always been a friend. Since Sally had introduced him as a potential manager for the Europe base of Tracy Industries, Hugh, Jeff, and Lucy had all talked frequently. She couldn’t count the number of nights they had shared a tipple and a laugh between them, of course it had continued after Jeff.

He had been there. Hugh had lost the woman he had loved all his life when Penelope had been but a babe. When he had listened to Lucy it had seemed different to anyone else’s ear, there were no condolences or words that sounded falsely hopeful, just a quiet reassurance that someone else really did understand.

And she had fallen. She had fallen so hard without even realising it.

But now Jeff was coming home.

“You mustn’t sit dwelling.”

She glared from the sofa at the taller older man, hugging her mug of coffee slightly closer as he closed the door and stepped into the room.

“Good morning Kyrano.” She sighed, looking down into the mug.

“Jeff has been gone for an extended period. Do you not think he would expect your eye to wander?”

Jolting upright, she glared over the back of the sofa, “Kyrano!”

He simply smiled from where he was leaning against the kitchen counter, like the cat that got the cream. His intention was to rile her.

Well she wasn’t going to rise to it.

“Lord Creighton-Ward is an attractive title, not to mention the looks of the man himself.”

“Tia’s fine by the way.” She sniped, sinking back down with her coffee.

“I have just come from the hospital, she and Scott were talking to the neurological specialist.” He stated turning to the kettle, “I take it that it was a discussion with Scott that made you realise how you felt about Hugh?”

Lucy shook her head, he was being pushy, not to mention how overt he was being about it. The man had a point to make and, for once, wasn’t interested in his usual gently-gently approach.

“Would you drop it!?” She sighed, “Yes, I love him, alright? Is that what you want to hear? I love him but I never realised it because I never thought that there would be anyone other than Jeff. He’s coming home though and that’s made me realise that I love Hugh and I don’t want to lose him out of my life just because my actual husband is coming home and--”

The sight of Kyrano sipping quietly out of a cup of tea made her blood boil, “How can you just stand there drinking tea!?”

“I was letting you get things off of your chest.”

His calmness was irritating. How could he understand? His heart belonged to Onaha and he had never so much as looked at another person in lust.

“Have you perhaps considered that you can love someone without it being romantic?” He asked, watching her as he sipped his tea again.

She frowned as she looked across at him, “What do you mean?”

The look he gave her over the top of his cup was pure disdain.

“Come now Lucy, do you not love Evangeline?”

“Like a sister.” She nodded, Val had been part of her life for longer than she could remember. There were things she had talked about with her that nobody else would ever know, but that was different.

“Did you have intimate relations with Hugh?”

“I’ll throw this mug at you in a minute.”

“We all know that you threaten violence as an outlet without ever intending any harm.” Kyrano tutted, “But again, I don’t believe that Mister Tracy would hold it against you. Maybe you should speak to him about it?”

If it weren’t for her aching leg she would have got up and stormed from the room. As it was she had neither the strength or energy to shift from where she sat, even if it weren’t for Kyrano’s eyes pinning her in place.

“I did not sleep with Hugh!” She yelled, “Alright? I didn’t even realise how I felt until yesterday! I mean-- how badly can you screw up? Wait until you find out your dead husband’s alive before you fall in love with someone else.”

Kyrano’s soft snort was emphasised by the cup being raised to his mouth, “I think you fell in love with him long ago Lucy, you simply did not wish to acknowledge it, and now you must.”

He wasn’t her counsellor. She didn’t even know if he had some sort of qualification in psychiatry. Maybe he just knew her too damn well.

“You were in love with the man before Mister Tracy was even gone.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” She spat, “I love Jeff.”

“And how many people asked you about Hugh the morning after Scott’s passing out parade?”

The night of the party was vague in her mind, but the conversations with Val and then Scott and Virgil were seared into her mind.

“I was drunk.”

“A drunk mind is quite the expressive thing.”

“Kyrano.” She warned, “Just stop it okay? Hugh and I-- we’re not-- I love him but not like I love Jeff! And he’s coming home. He’s going to need me, he’s not going to need to be questioning if I truly love him or if I’m about to run off with a friend .”

Kyrano set his mug down on the counter top, the soft clink of the ceramic the only sound in the room. He held her eye for a moment and she wasn’t sure if she was meant to say more or if he was waiting to say something.

“Does The Mechanic mean anything to you?”

She spread her hands at the change in topic, thrown by his question and how it related to anything.

“No? I don’t-- what’s this got to do with anything?”

She hated his riddles. Hated how he seemed to know so much but shared so little. What did it have to do with her relationship with Hugh?

“I would talk to them both. Especially Mister Tracy, you may be surprised by their opinions.”

She sat straighter as he headed for the door, “But what about the Mechanic? Kyrano! You can’t just--”

He paused with his hand on the knob, “Tanusha is looking into a new role for Ms Anwar, I must go and discuss it with her and our team.”

“So what? I’m just meant to figure the rest out myself? You want me to tell Jeff that I haven’t had a love affair whilst he’s been gone but now I am? You want me to remember who the hell The Mechanic is?”

Kyrano shrugged, “I never said anything about remembering The Mechanic.”

That caught her, no, he hadn’t. Why did she get the feeling she should be able to remember him?

“I’ll speak to you later Lucy.”

Before she could protest he was gone and she was alone. Sinking back into the sofa she sighed heavily, wondering what the hell she was meant to do next.

[gumnut-logic]

A quick guide to Nutty’s blog

Hi, everyone, new and old to this blog.

Been meaning to write this up for some time. Finally just sat down and wrote stuff because it needs to be done since I’ve recently been posting a few more things in one topic and a few less in others.

This blog started off as a fandom blog. It still is. You will see fanfic and art from the amazing Thunderbirds fandom, both mine and others posted here regularly. Along with prompts, discussions, challenges and other shenanigans. Love da Thunderfam.

If you haven’t already worked it out, Virgil is my fav Tracy brother, but love them all really and write them all to varying degrees.

However, I also post art and craft here, so you will see some of that. Some of you may have followed me recently for this reason. If so, welcome!

One handy thing to know is that I’m a librarian and this blog is tagged within an inch of its life. So with a little fiddling with Tumblr, you can follow/block any tags of mine you want to, or don’t want to see.

So here is the key to my blog :D

For the Thunderfam:

Nuttyfic is where you will find all my original posting of my fic (except the very early ones - it took me a bit to clue on that I might want to find my stuff one day.

Nuttyfic reblog is where I reblog my previously published stuff at a whim or because I wanted to at some point. These are all repeats and formatted differently from my new fics. you can block this one if you find them annoying.

thunderbirds fanfiction and thunderbirds fanart are basically what they say. Everyone’s, including mine, blogged, reblogged, whatever. If you are looking for a particular person’s work on my blog, all work reblogged by me has the artist’s name tagged to the post. For example, tracybirds, gaviiadastra, soniabigcheese, thatkidwholikesthunderbirds, etc

Flyboytracy, our amazing gif-maker, I plead guilty to reblogging a lot of their stuff (though likely only a fraction of what they have done - find them at @flyboytracy )

TBDailyDose is my tag for all my screen shots. So if you are looking for art reference, this might be a great place to start. Admittedly, you will discover how often I reuse favourite shots, but there are a lot of headshots in that pile. I really should capture more.

I’ve also tagged for character content - Scott Tracy, Virgil Tracy, John Tracy, Gordon Tracy, Alan Tracy, Grandma Tracy, Kayo Kyrano, Hiram Hackenbacker, Jeff Tracy, Eos, Penelope Creighton Ward, Aloysius Parker.

Bro combos - earth and sky, fishtank, astroturf - not a complete list this one and many more recent than some of the other tags.

There are some relationships tagged as well - virgil/kayo, scott/em, scayo, virgil/brains, gordon/penelope (pen and ink) - if you are not a fan of romance, I’ve have been tagging for that for about the last year, so it can be blocked if you desire.

I have also tagged all my major series, but you are probably better served by visiting my Ao3 account where everything is in order. But since I’m here...Kermadec AU, Supermen AU, Steampunk AU (and Where there be dragons AU), Callisto, Marks and Wings, Warm Rain, Gentle Rain.

And then there are some of the challenges held in Thunderfam - fanartam, fabfivefeb, irrelief, sensorysunday, nuttys fandomversary, fluffember.

Wow, that’s a lot of stuff.

For those of you not into fandom:

nuttybeads - all my crafting, which tends to be mostly beading, but does include crochet and micromacrame as well as whatever else catches my eyes and my wallet :D

nuttyart - admittedly this does include some fanart, mostly Thunderbirds, but from time to time, I do other stuff - like I should be doing :D

I’ve also recently started a palette challenge, for however long it lasts - you can find it tagged nuttypalette.

There will also be geeking out over nature topics and the occasional piece of photography usually of beaches, sunsets or critters.

And that is pretty much it in a nutshell (a very big nut in my case :D)

I hope you enjoy whatever you end up following here.

Nutty

(off the edge, but learning to fly)

[indianariesolive]

My Unpopular(ish) opinions/takes on Legacy of the Gods series by Rina Kent

Contains spoilers ⚠️

Starting off strong, let me just get this off my chest, I really dislike God of Malice. This is mainly due to the insufferable MCs; Killian & Glyndon.

First of all, I found Killian really difficult to empathize with. Sure, what his dad said about regretting having him sucks but that's no excuse to be an a$$hole. I'm sure that if a mid/ugly guy with no money & prestige did the same things he'd done when first meeting Glyndon (iykyk) they'd be mercilessly ripped apart by the fandom. Also that one line in his POV when he said that the main reason why he chose to be a med student was because that gave him a free pass to poke & prod into people's innards & watch them squirm in agony 🤢

Coming to the 2nd part, Glyndon. As a protagonist she was such a blank slate. Killian at least had personality! (A bad one but he had one nonetheless). Same can't be said about Glyndon with her wimpiness coupled with an absurd inferiority complex (despite being talented & surrounded by a powerful & loving family & friends) as well as her lack of a deep connection with her friend group. On a more serious note, I despise the absolute double standards with which she views Killian & her brother Landon. Both are clinically diagnosed psychopaths but she has none of the grace & understanding for her own brother but readily excuses her boyfriend's behavior even though both of them are the same person, different font. 🙄

Moving on to the 2nd book, God of Pain is one of my favorites in the series but not without its fair share of drawbacks. Even though Annika appeared to be a manic pixie dream girl at the beginning she grew on me as chapter by chapter, her POVs revealed her to be more complex & headstrong, contrasting the whimsical image she's perceived as (both by her love interest, the MMC Creighton as well as the other characters like her friends & family). She's a sweet, soft girl with a dormant badass side that can get dangerous when provoked & that's precisely what Creighton had to learn through the hard way.

Getting to the gist of my main problem, I really hated the way everyone treated Annika after the you-know-what. I mean, what else was she supposed to do, watch her beloved brother get murdered by the love of her life? Everyone cut her off 'cause 'she hurt Cray-Cray who's like our brother'. Well, SHE HAD TO DO THAT TO SAVE HER OWN BROTHER, YOU ABSOLUTE DUMBASSES!!!! Y'all brains weren't braining here. Also, that scene near the end where there's this huge confrontation Creighton has with Adrian Volkov & Annika with her quick thinking just snatches a guard's gun, negotiates & diffuses the situation without bloodshed was just chef's kiss. 😌

Also, everyone gushes over Lia & Yan's friendship but Yan's bond with Annika, how he plays the role of the fun uncle while Adrian glares & has to rein them in as the level-headed dad. 🥺

That brings me to this sidenote: Glyndon could take a page out of Annika's book & learn a lesson: How to Love Your Brother & Stand Up for Yourself.

Regarding Jeremy & Cecily, I don't have any major complaints. I like how Cecily put Jeremy in his place & made him grovel for disrespecting her with his trust issues. Putting his mommy issues aside, Jeremy was overall a good character for a dark romance. He's got the hot biker thing going.

Moving on to Landon & Mia. I have nothing against Mia per se. She's pretty cool. I only hated how the author ruined her bond with her twin Maya. Also, I'm kind of ashamed to say that I wasn't the biggest fan of Landon at first but then going through his POVs made me realize that I'd been bought into the anti-Lan propaganda by Glyndon. He actually cares for his siblings, unlike Killian. He just has an unconventional way of showing it. Plus there wasn't a huge power-gap/imbalance between him & Mia so that's another point in his favour.

Last but not the least, God of Fury featuring Nikolai & Brandon has got to be among my top favorites. I only dislike the unnecessary mud-slinging with the irrelevant ex Clara. Everything else was perfection. I never expected Nikolai to be such an adorable & funny character. Also something I find really funny was that both in this book as well as in her POV, Glyndon claimed to be the one closest to Brandon. The way she described her dynamic with her brothers was, "Bran & I are a team against Lan." And not only did Brandon shut her down in a gentle yet firm tone, also her dense arse never noticed anything wrong with Brandon like!?!?! Landon was the one who'd picked on Brandon's tendency to hide & repress his emotions & stuff, and he was the one who'd tried to help Brandon open up, even if his attempt was unsuccessful. So much for her being the one on the same team lol.

[g-on-ef]

👀👀😬😬😲😲 so I just read the latest chapter of to kidnap a lotus flower and damn 👁️👄👁️ it really was a blood bath . The dark side of niko is so scary. With him stabbing remi, cutting Creighton's face and breaking Landon's leg... That too in front of Bran, I am convinced Bran will have the worst mental breakdown. Like with niko harming his family and then keeping him away for one whole year🥺 I don't even know how bran will cope with all these.

Not to mention Lan. He must be so devastated, niko giving him ultimatum like that. So this is why Lan goes into his dark mode

I am just so excited to see the whole king family coming together, especially protective Levi, Aiden and Johnathan 😁😁

And it seems that niko and bran won't be fixing their relationship anytime soon.

Gosh I just know now that born sinner will be more violent and gore type

So take all the time, love ya 🥰

It hurt to bring pain to Remi I adore him and to write that I wanted to cry !!!!

Lan and Creigh got the worst though Lan with a broken leg and Creigh with a missing eye {he slashed right through Creighs face and unfortunately they are going to have to remove it}

Bran is gonna have nightmares and he's gonna hate himself more than he already does especially since his safe person became his worst nightmare

Bran is gonna have a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms he's gonna suffer a lot its gonna take a lot of time and patience with Niko and trust Niko has his work cut out for him but he's up for the work it'll take to help his lotus flower

The King Family is out for blood Astrid is gonna say fuck everything and {spoilers} attack one of the Mafia wives so it's gonna be a very bloody experience to see ^^

Lan is gonna be a nightmare in the first few chapters he's gonna hate himself and blame everything on himself he's gonna go through a mental breakdown but once he comes out of he's gonna be a monster trying to find his baby brother

Nope in fact the first 3-4 months Bran and Niko are gonna be a mess and it's gonna take a long while before Bran can trust Niko again ^^

Born sinner omg Born sinner is gonna be my most violent story and its gonna hold no punches so be prepared ^^

[fibula-rasa]

Favorite New-to-me Films

February ‘24

(listed in order of collage above, L to R)

READ on BELOW the JUMP!

The Clowns / I Clowns (1970)

[letterboxd | imdb | kanopy (US)]

Synopsis: Fellini delves into the world of European clowning, traveling with his crew to various capitals of clown culture. From a dramatization of his own challenging childhood experience with clowns to a barrage of performances by current clowns (in a variety of unique venues) and recreations of historical circus-based acts, Fellini creates a dizzying comedic portrait of an artform struggling to survive. (CW/TW: blackface, as seen in one recreation of a historical act.)

---

Gribouille redevient Boireau (1912)

[letterboxd | imdb]

Synopsis: In this meta short, French-born comedian André Deed dramatizes (or slapstick-izes) his move from Italy, where he made films as Cretinetti (Gribouille in France) for Itala, to France, where he would continue making shorts under the name Boireau. Cretinetti/Gribouille survives an altercation with the father of his sweetheart Valentina (Valentina Frascaroli), a run in with border patrol, an attempted kidnapping, a train hijacking and subsequent derailing, and being forced at gunpoint to make films for France. Now Boireau, he is rushed onto set where a bit more chaos ensues before he addresses the camera directly and assures us in pantomime that he will keep making films and that his heart is here in France.

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Torture Garden (1967)

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Synopsis: At an amusement park sideshow, a fiendish host, Dr. Diabolo (Burgess Meredith), selects a few of his guests to get a preview of their potential downfalls from Atropos, the Goddess of Destiny. The first customer (Michael Bryant) is warned away from victimizing his uncle and cutting an unholy deal with a demon cat. The second (Beverly Adams) has to look out for the consequences of too ruthlessly pursuing fame in Hollywood. Her cousin (Barbara Ewing) has to look out for a boy and his piano possessed by his dead mother. The final customer (Jack Palance) is an avid Poe fanboy who is at risk of taking his obsession too far. Dr. Diabolo is not a simple carny though, so these glimpses into their respective futures may give them an opportunity to change their fates.

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The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971)

[letterboxd | imdb]

Synopsis: An unflinching look into the Chicago police’s vicious assassination of Fred Hampton but also a survey of some of the important antifascist work Hampton did with the Black Panthers in his final years.

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Bedtime for the Bride / Coucher de la mariée (1896)

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Synopsis: A new bride (Louise Willy) disrobes before bed on her wedding night.

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The Others / Le Altre (1969)

[letterboxd | imdb]

Synopsis: Alessandra & Flavia, a lesbian couple living in Rome, decide that they want to have a baby. The process of finding a suitable baby daddy is a series of misadventures but eventually Flavia becomes pregnant. Their relationship is tested but they build a happy home until the potential dads figure out what’s going on. The men want to turn their relationship into big news and an ad campaign; their private lives become public spectacle. Thankfully, Alessandra hatches a scheme to solve all their problems.

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The Marriage Circle (1924)

[letterboxd | imdb]

Synopsis: The marriage of Mizzi and Dr. Josef Stock (Marie Prevost & Adolphe Menjou) is on the rocks. Josef hires a detective to gather enough evidence to secure a divorce. Meanwhile, Mizzi attempts a flirtation with Dr. Franz Braun (Monte Blue), who she soon finds out is the husband of an old friend, Charlotte (Florence Vidor). To complicate matters, Dr. Gustav Mueller (Creighton Hale), who is Franz’s business partner, is in love with Charlotte. A variety of schemes and misunderstandings ensue before the Stocks’ marriage dissolves and the Brauns’ marriage is saved.

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It Happened Tomorrow (1944)

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Synopsis: An aspiring reporter, Larry Stevens (Dick Powell), thinks he would be set for life if he could see one day into the future. Larry’s wish is granted in an unexpected way when he gets a copy of the next day’s newspaper. Larry tries to make the most out of the situation while sparking up a romance with a phony psychic called Sylvia (Linda Darnell). It does not take long before Larry figures out that the scenario for success that he dreamed up may be a nightmare.

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Personal Problems (1980)

[letterboxd | imdb | kanopy (US)]

Synopsis: A soap opera wrapped in a cinema-verité package, Personal Problems recounts a period in the life of Johnnie Mae (Vertamae Grosvenor), a nurse living in Harlem. Johnnie Mae tries to juggle her job as an ER nurse with an affair with a musician, tension with her husband (who is also having an affair), a father-in-law (who has overstayed his welcome), and a long-term visit from her brother and sister-in-law (who was just released from prison).

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New Year’s Eve / Sylvester (1924)

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Synopsis: In this wordless spectacle, a man tries to hold his household together after the antipathy between his mother and his wife boils over one New Year’s Eve.

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Cane River (1982)

[letterboxd | imdb | kanopy (US)]

Synopsis: Peter (Richard Romain) returns to his small hometown in Louisiana after trying to make something of himself in the big, wide world. When touring a local plantation, tied to his ancestry, he meets Maria (Tommye Myrick) and they begin a romance. However, Maria has saved up for years to leave Natchitoches and go to college and she plans on leaving soon to start school. Various complications arise in their relationship as their different backgrounds and ambitions come into stark contrast.

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Honorable mention:

Léontine Keeps House / Léontine garde la maison (1912) [letterboxd | imdb]

Boireau et la gigolette (1912) [letterboxd | imdb]

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This month, I watched a silly amount of silent comedy shorts because I’m reading Steve Massa’s Slapstick Divas and wanted to sort of watch along. I put together a little list of some of the highlights in case you all are also interested in the women of early silent comedy: “‘Film Comedy’s Eves’ Watchalong”

The next installment of Lost but Not Forgotten is a doozy, but it’ll be up very soon! In the meantime, I made a gifset of a few surviving minutes of A Lover’s Oath (1925).

Other themed gif and still sets I put together this month include:

Out of the Unknown: 1.01 No Place Like Earth (1965)

Eleven P.M. (1928)

The Ghost Ship (1943)

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For March, I’ve got a little cosplay in the works in addition to the next entry in my LbNF series. So stay tuned!

☕ Appreciate my work? Buy me a coffee! ☕

[wantonwinnie]

(Cataclysm spoilers, again)

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One thing that surprised me the most, especially after Convergence didn't spend much time on her, was Enya becoming one of my favorite characters. Not only is her courage inspiring, but she has a really unique relationship with lightsabers (as does Gella, though a little different). It’s one that says a lot about the Jedi as a whole, too.

Of course the lightsaber is especially important to the Jedi as one of their most well-known symbols across the galaxy and a cultural symbol to themselves. Char-Ryl-Roy is aghast that the Path would even suggest them handing over their lightsabers. But Enya begins to understand what the greater good requires, and that hanging onto the sabers is meaningless if that means no discussion or investigation can happen. So she gives up her kyber crystal in order to start the process (without knowing for sure at this point that the Path are warmongering ghouls).

This is a hard but worthwhile step for her, and when the battle starts, she becomes distraught that she is without a Jedi's signature weapon. But Roy, in his wisdom, shows her the importance but limits of the lightsaber. The saber does not make the Jedi. It is merely an extension of the force, literally and metaphorically. So Enya does not need her own saber to fight back against evil or protect others, because she already has the force by her side. Her ally is everywhere.

But it doesn't stop there. In the midst of battle, while fighting off numerous Path members, she finds Orin Dharga's saber. She hasn't met him before, but in recognizing his passing, she is saddened but appreciative of his assistance. She uses the saber to great effect, and later, she ends up unintentionally finding her crystal again while trying to stop the Path elders from escaping.

At the end of the novel, Roy has passed, and Orin's saber is laid with his body. But Roy's saber isn't yet ready to be put away - Enya can feel that the saber still has much work to do, and she has been allowed to train with both her own saber and Roy's.

Using two sabers already has exponential cool factor (yellow and blue combo!), but Enya has purpose behind it. She doesn't want to use it because she can't let go of her master or her past trauma (like Cal from JFO). She uses it because she knows it will help her contribute to the future.

Alongside Gella, who at one point uses Aida's and Creighton's in her own dual action, the lightsabers of this novel are both very personal but also collective. If one looks at Obi-Wan's teachings for Anakin in a very literal (and incomplete) way, then maybe sabers seem more like a simple tool that is a representation of personal responsibility at most. But lightsabers are representative of both the individual and the collective body. Orin died early on in the novel, but his saber lived on through Enya. Particular kyber crystals call to initiates, but Orin's saber hummed in her hands, telling her to keep going. Now Roy's does too.

Obviously this isn't the first time something like this has happened. From the very beginning Anakin's lightsaber was passed on through multiple hands and used a lot. But Luke didn't have any context for the saber to have an emotional connection to it beyond generally knowing it was his dad's. I think the collective connection Jedi have to lightsabers comes across really well through Enya; every lightsaber is connected to every Jedi in a minute but noticeable way. It is a part of them that carries on after death. Despite Anakin turning to the dark side, his legacy as a Jedi from The Clone Wars – and the legacy of the Jedi as well – carried on long after that part of him died.

A common refrain of the Jedi (and some others in the galaxy) is that no one is ever truly gone, mainly because their love and spirit live on in those who remain. This is a great message, and the continued presence of lightsabers after their owners' demises represents that message in a very tangible way.

This post might be really disconnected or irrelevant, but hopefully it made some sense. Enya's relationship with the force and lightsabers is a big part of why I want to see her story continue.

[fareehaandspaniards]

You asked me about Patches recently, but how do YOU feel about him? I've noticed that his Bloodborne portrayal stands out not just because he becomes a monster, but it is the uhhh... idk, delivery? I did not even realize it was him until much later when I could recognize the voice actor ;-; Which version of Patches is your fav? (I personally don't think DS3 version could be bested, but ALL Patches are good)

Sorry it took so long, Kat! I had 1 hour of free time a day for a few days in a row :'^)

Patches caused me and my spouse a lot of conflicting emotions, because we started with DS3, and there he was, well… Not the best character xD I was genuinely amazed at how game developers could make THAT kind of asshole. My spouse killed him right away on the first playthrough xdd It was a shame not for the player character, but rather for Siegward of Catarina - a real sunshine! And then we found out that Patches really cares about Greirat, even though he hides it, and we started changing our opinion. As it turns out, they're friends, and Patches might even save him during the questline! Also, in the DLC, he shows up quite suddenly with memory loss, and gradually comes back to himself. It's so cute that by losing himself he becomes something of a knight, but the mean version of him is cuter still!

Then in Elden Ring we realized he's a king! xd No really, his character there is something awesome, he has his own, full questline and the way you get the "Extreme Repentance" gesture from him is divine! He gives hints, is simping for Tanith, and is overall a very cozy character that is something very nice to meet! And his gesture "Patches' Crouch" - oh my!!! xdd That's adorable!

In ds1 he shoves us off a cliff, but that was even cute! I accidentally killed him then because in my favorite location, I had giant skeletons running after me and I lost all bearings and got lost. He's very charismatic, actually, and his voice actor does double duty in making you love the character.

Well in BB his line "Oh Amygdalaaaaaaaa, have mercy on a poor bastard" is so SO HOT. So well said. I fell in love with it then. xd And the spider with the bald man's head is just a sample of what I want to see every day lol It's very interesting to imagine his place in BB's lore, but I can't do that. Not enough mana for that

And he's also Miyazaki's avatar in the game (I don't know where this info comes from, but it says so in the wiki and some articles! xd It must be just a theory, but it is sooo funny) So we have developed a local meme with my husband, like "everything is clear, the author is Patches" (все ясно, автор - Лоскутик. Так звучит лучше! хд) when any publication seems like a hoax, stupidity or something to us xdd

I haven't played DS2, but so many people are shipping him with Creighton? It looks hot and cool but I don't understand the background but shipping them sounds good xdd

He has something so cool in his character. Like he is completely fictional, but he is so "human-like"! Not because he is mean and lying, but because he has a balance of good and bad! He is easy to befriend actually, soft and nice, but also soooooo bitchy I can't xD He is that charismatic ass of a character, that is pathetic, but does nothing bad actually (almost???), but actually has a strong humanity... I can't describe! ;_; love him

Patches is a king (sorry for this sketch)

(Oh look! He caught another greedy bastard (no))

[quasar-concept]

A Lot of Sand

MerAU written for the TAG MiniBang 2022 (@tagminibang2022 )

My recipient is @soniabigcheese, and I was really inspired by this gorgeous art she did during MerMay, and had to write something for it! 

While it is, obviously, no longer MerMay, I decided to ignore that this wouldn't be posted in May and instead embrace my roots as a kid who used to exclusively play "mermaids" both in and out of the water haha 

Despite some recent difficulties I hope you enjoy because I had a lot of fun writing this! 

Feel free to enjoy under the cut or on Ao3!

PS I'm terribly sorry I've posted this so late, it's been an unexpectedly hectic few months

Going to the beach was probably a bad idea.

Gordon knew that Scott would be livid if he knew—it was out of love, Scott’s overprotectiveness, but Gordon thought it would do Scott some good  to loosen up from time to time. 

 On this particular occasion, Gordon had to give it to Scott. Hanging upside down on a trawler, his golden-scaled tail trussed up above him and quickly drying out, Gordon thought that, just maybe, Going to the beach was a bad idea.

Gordon, along with his four brothers and adopted sister Kayo, were typically the defenders of the ocean—or rather, they protected other merfolk from the ocean, and other incredibly stupid merfolk. On occasion there was trouble with the landfolk, but for the most part they were dealt with by one Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, an highly influential land dweller, and longtime family friend of the Tracy’s. 

There was a—very brief—time where Gordon had thought that Scott with his electric blue eyes and shiny shark-grey scales had a Thing going on with Penelope. This was, of course, before he realised how close John and Penelope were far closer that she and Scott, and had a brief heartbreak over that (also entirely nonexistent) relationship. 

Gordon was, admittedly, not paying attention to what the fishermen below were going on about. Probably looking to sell his tail or scales as some faux cure for some human illness. It wasn’t really important, though he was working on a time limit—his tail had already gone through enough trauma that drying it out was undoubtedly going to make swimming near-impossible. 

Though he would generally consider his brothers his best method of escape, there wasn’t a way to contact them now that he’d been hanging out of the water so long. Besides, he wasn’t particularly keen on getting any of them close to this trawler, especially not Alan.

Gordon... well, he had nothing. No ideas, no plan, and most certainly no backup. Penelope was easily his best shot at escape, but unless the fishermen were dumb enough to sail past the lighthouse, Gordon had no way of getting her attention either, since they seemed too dumb to sail the trawler anywhere (never mind that they caught him, he wasn't paying attention okay?) 

Waiting around for something to happen wouldn't get him anywhere. Gordon clenched his jaw and curled upwards towards where his tail was trapped and found (of course) that he didn't have enough momentum. With a quick glance below to make sure the fishers weren't paying attention to him, Gordon swung himself back and forth, and he missed his tail again, but now he was moving. He tried again and— yes! Though his tail was twinging in protest at the awkward angle, Gordon couldn't stop the grin that broke out on his face, his grip on the chains solid. He couldn't exactly break solid metal but maybe he could get enough of a gap to wiggle his tail free.

Even among merfolk, Gordon was a frightfully good swimmer, fast and deceptively powerful, which came in particularly handy during their rescues. Sure, he had lost a lot of his stamina after his accident, so he couldn't go particularly far on his own, but he was still quite easily one of the best swimmers anyone knew. 

Gordon tried to wedge his hand between the metal and his drying tail. The trawler shuddered, and he lost his grip, cursing quietly. An angry whir and the cackling of laughter drew his attention to the small group of fishers standing below him, the clank of chains as he was lowered—slowly but with little care, the chain jerking and twisting and stuttering all the way. 

"You we're quite the surprise, goldilocks." A woman with blonde hair stood over him, tail still hung mostly taut, his head rested against the foul-smelling deck, her face adorned with an ugly and self-satisfied smirk. "Didn't think we'd be bringing in an adult mer today, too."

Too? Who else had these barbarians captured? And it sounded to Gordon like they'd taken a child. He let the anger curl in his chest, and crushed it under a sunny smile. 

"Didn't think I'd be getting such a lovely tan, but you did such a wonderful job of making sure I didn't miss any spots!"

Someone laughed, but one glare from the lady in front of him and it stopped. 

"You try anything funny," she said. "And I'll make sure to rip your scales off one by one."

Unfortunately for her, Gordon thought, just that little bit of slack in the chain had given him the wiggle room he had needed before.

Gordon jerked his tail down, and with a thunderous shriek the chains fell to the deck.

Ignoring the bruises and cuts on his tail, Gordon launched at the woman and knocked her to the ground. Before any of the others could move out of their stunned stillness, Gordon pulled himself up the side of the boat.

"Well, I'll see you fellas later!" He said, and dropped into the cold ocean. 

The water on his skin, sliding over his scales, was bliss. He hummed to himself and let the calm seep into him. A moment of calm to connect back to himself before rescuing anyone else would do both him and the victim good.

Now that he was back in the water, Gordon could easily contact his brothers. In a way not unlike echolocation but also entirely different, they could communicate through the water with each other long-distances. 

"John, Thunderbird 5, come in." Gordon said, eye tracking the trawler's outline above.

"Gordon? Where have you been?"

"At the beach, but we have a situation."

Immediately, John's voice went smooth and controlled—unshakeable professionalism. "FAB, give me a sitrep."

"There is a child trapped on a trawler, but I don't know where exactly. I think the fishers intend to sell their tail as... something."

A beat. John sighed. "Gordon, this sounds like something for the GDF to handle, not an emergency.

Gordon pouted. "Then send Kayo and let Lady Penelope know so she can send the GDF to stop these guys!"

"Gordon—"

"I'm getting the kid off whether you think it's an emergency or not, so either send me some backup or don't but make sure Lady Penelope gets a message so she can put an end to this crew."

"FAB Gordon, I'll send Kayo to your location now, and alert Lady Penelope of the situation."

"Thanks John." Gordon grinned.

"Be careful."

"FAB Thunderbird 5, see you later."

Right. Now. First things first, Gordon needed to find out where exactly this kid was being held captive which, he thought, might prove a challenge. Staying clear of not only the whirring propellers of the engine but the nets they had cast over the sides would make casing the vessel harder, but Gordon was confident he could still get a good scan of the boat from a distance.

Gordon circled the boat, letting his breath bubble from his nose as he scanned. There weren't any people in the lower bowels of the trawler, just chains and crates full of ice and fish. No merfolk children, either. He'd need to get closer, once Kayo arrived.

"Gordon!" Kayo's voice floated up from the deep. Her tail rippled in the water, the iridescent red of her black scales shining, red dorsals dark in the blue of the water. 

"Good to see you, Kayo." Gordon smiled.

"I'm sure," she said. "You find the kid yet?"

Gordon shook his head. "I need to get closer, but they've got nets and harpoons hanging around."

"I'll distract them, you get closer for a scan and send me the details to give to Lady Penelope."

"FAB, Kayo," Gordon said. "Try not to get caught."

They sped in different directions, Kayo easily out-manoeuvring the screech of harpoons hitting the water, nets a non-issue for her speed and agility. Gordon swam straight up underneath the trawler. He ran his fingers across the mottled underbelly of the craft, and sent out a wave to scan the ship again.

There, in the front of the ship, below the helm. The shaking form of a child tied up in harsh ropes and whatever else. Gordon hoped their tail was still mostly undamaged but couldn't be sure. He had to get in there, somehow.

He surfaced near the front of the trawler. "Kayo, got the trawler's name," he said. "Tell Lady P that the Havoc Haven means trouble." Not a particularly subtle name, but Gordon had to admit it was, at least, catchy.

"FAB Gordon."

"I'm boarding now, just a few more minutes." Gordon hauled himself out of the water, Kayo's response cut off the moment his body was out of the water. Moving out of the water was always tricky, and Gordon's ability to shift to human legs was largely gone now, but he had tools to get both himself and the kid out of the ship without having to climb back up the stairs he was going to have to crawl down.

All the fishermen were conveniently preoccupied with Kayo at the stern, but Gordon was careful as he edged his way towards the hatch to the hold. The lady he'd smacked earlier was nowhere to be found, and he hoped she was somewhere out-cold because he wasn't sure he could fight her off and get the kid free at the same time.

Gordon made his way down the stairs, tail awkward in the cramped space. Right where he was expecting, there was the kid, shaking and green tail clearly dried out and starting to flake.

"Hey there, I'm Gordon with International Rescue," he said. "I'm gonna get you out of here." The kid sniffled. "Can you tell me your name?" Gordon moved closer to start cutting off the chorded ropes, careful of the hooks the were protruding into the kid's scales and skin, net tangled around their forked caudal tail.

"My name is Aara," they said. "It hurts."

"You're doing really well, Aara, you've been so brave and I promise it'll stop hurting soon, alright?" Gordon smiled at them.

They nodded.

"How'd you end up with this lot? They kind of suck." Gordon kept working gently but swiftly, pulling out hooks and untangling unforgiving lines of rope.

"I went to the beach." They said. "My older brother told me not to but... I didn't listen."

Gordon laughed. "I didn't listen to my big brother either." He smiled at Aara. "They're annoying but sometimes they might have a point."

Aara laughed wetly. "Not often."

"No," Gordon said lightly. "There we go, good job! That's all of them. We're getting out of here." Using a tool from his belt, Gordon melted a hole in the side of the ship. They were still above water level, so there was a drop beneath them, but the oceans below were clear of any nets or propellors.

"Aara, I'm gonna need you to hold onto me while we get back into the water, alrighty?"

They nodded, and wrapped their arms around Gordon's shoulders. "Alright, here we go!"

They hit the water, and Gordon heard Aara gasp behind him as the water seeped into their dry scales. They'd need to go to hospital, but they seemed otherwise uninjured. Gordon swam them deeper into the ocean, out of reach of the trawler. "Kayo, we're clear!"

"FAB Gordon, I'm breaking off and heading to brief Lady Penelope at the lighthouse."

Gordon's heart stuttered with disappointment that he wouldn't be going to see Lady Penelope, but he shook it off. Aara was more important than his pining (and he had plenty of time for it later.)

"FAB. Thanks for the help, Kayo, I'll see you at home. Gordon out."

To Aara, Gordon turned, smile on his face. "I'm going to swim you out to the hospital near the southernmost lighthouse to get you checked over and have your tail rehydrated. You'll be able to contact your family from there, and you'll be good as new!"

Aara smiled back at him, dark eyes glimmering with relief. "Thank you so much."

Gordon shrugged. "Nah, of course! Couldn't let those gross fishers take off with you, you're far too cool."

Aara laughed.

"Well, we'd better get going, if you're ready?"

Aara nodded. "Sure am, let's get going."

Gordon figured that Scott wouldn't be too mad if he made a new friend at the beach, so long as he left out the part about being held captive.

(Gordon was grounded, and didn't find it nearly as amusing as John and Kayo.)

The End! Thank you so much for reading <3

[skymaiden32]

The Woman In Red And The Cavalier Chauffeur

Thundertober/Inktober Day 27: Agent

To the outside world, Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward is charm, poise and beauty personified. Parker was a man who’d turned his life around. To International Rescue, they were so much more than that.

Continuity: TAG

Tagging: @dragonoffantasyandreality @thundergeek59 @janetm74 @katblu42 @liseylou (Please ask if you would like to be alerted when I update or write new stories)

Prompt list

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The first words of her personal motto; Elegance… Charm…

These were qualities that one Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward represented in their highest degree to the world around her. Always wearing the latest fashion and attending events only open to a select few. She adored animals, and always had her faithful dog Sherbet at her heels. She was polite to mostly everyone she met, even if they were awful to her, with a few exceptions. She did seem to have a strong dislike for Langstrom Fischler and Francoise Lemaire. Dislike. Not hate. She was always adamant that hate was too strong a word. 

Quite a few women, and some men, wanted to be her. If only they knew what her full motto was. Deadly danger completed the triad of qualities she aspired to encapsulate in her day to day life, and she knew she was perhaps the only one capable of embodying all three.

Everyone knew that the Tracy’s and International Rescue were one in the same by now, but Penny remained hidden. Discreet. After all, she was a secret agent. And it was a part she played incredibly. Her main goal was gathering information. She wove her way into governments, shady corporations and underground crime rings. She found herself up against some of the greatest criminal minds the human race hid amongst themselves. Just so she could give IR a head start.

Many criminal circles could never make a connection between the fashionable London socialite and the International Rescue agent who helped capture many of their called so-called friends. They called her ‘The Woman in Red’. She was quite fond of the unofficial title herself.

She loved her job as an agent. She cared a great deal about her colleagues within the organisation even more though. As much as her job was to be an informant, it was also protection, and she would gladly give up her position as an agent, her freedom, even her life, if it meant her friends would be okay for the rest of time.

She had connections of her own. A network of friends inside high society, a few apprentices who had started their own careers under her wing, and of course, Parker. Her most trusted friend and ally. As much as she did on her own, there were a few things she couldn’t do. That was where the former criminal came in.

An expert safe-cracker, Parker knew how a criminal thought. How they acted. He took more risks than his employer, and his past impulses often came back to haunt him, but he was just as much an IR operative as Penelope was. They needed each other more than they might admit.

They were the kind of people the Tracy household were proud to know…

[lockawayknight]

@austerulous said:

“Do you know of the acreage you hold in my heart?”

Soft-spoken words disturbed the quiet, a gentle affront to the deathly company they kept. The only souls that drew breath in this makeshift graveyard, they sat side-by-side, hip to hip, Anri’s head at home on Creighton’s shoulder, snow-white tresses mingling and bleeding with pale blonde. How warm they were, how full of blood, as they huddled in the grim shadow of the cathedral.

“I have something for you.” Careful rummaging in a leather pouch produced the gift. It nestled in the well of Anri’s palm as she presented it, shining in a shade of cyan reminiscent of summer waters. A prism stone, luminescent and inappreciable, it had warmed her pocket through the ages, kept her company through more graves than she could count.

“It is my last one. My first too, incidentally. A gift from Horace, back when we were children.” A whimsical and sentimental keepsake, one that few would see the value in. Creighton would understand though, she was certain. Creighton would treasure it.

“I should like for you to always have a little light. To know that I love you, and that I will carry these tender feelings beyond the veil of true death.” How sweetly their fingers brushed, as Anri deposited the glinting pebble into her friend’s dear hands. It had been a curse to live this long, but there was a gift in meeting him. Gratitude bruised her aching heart.

Surrounded by moss-draped tombstones, the consecrated earth stippled with meadow saxifrages and cuckoo flowers – and with the bones of beloved-by-one children crumbling beneath their boots – Anri pressed a lingering kiss to Creighton’s pale, mottled cheek.

There are very few things in the world that carry more weight than the sound of Horace’s name on Anri’s lips, or the importance of their friendship bearing its beauty within her bleeding breast. Creighton knows this well, and immediately understands the depth of the ocean that dives deep within the pale stone that is placed into his palm. He knows this…

And it breaks him like a wooden arrow against a dragon’s hide.

Indeed, he’s so in awe of the gift’s every silent meaning — his breath and beating blood holding each other, choking, by the throat, ‘til neither lungs nor heart can catch any air — that he almost misses the softness of his dear friend’s lips as they grace the scattered freckles beneath his eyes. But the warmth is hard to ignore. Like a church candle’s gentle flame being held to his dappled cheek.

“Anri, you…” He has no words. He cradles the stone in the palm of his hand as one would cradle a fragile duckling, or the egg it had hatched from, knowing full well that something so beautiful deserves a much more tender hand to rest within. One like Anri’s. One like a saint’s. One so, so unlike Creighton’s. “This… I’m…”

Truly, though, what is there to say? A “thank you” would be nothing but a breeze against the stronghold of her love. A hug is too forward, he thinks, from his bearlike arms, and his scarred and split lips are unworthy of feeling her skin with a returned kiss. His words would be gawky as a pauper to her beauty’s porcelain princess. And so, he is left there, dumb as a doe and just as anxiously, innocently wide-eyed as his mailled fingers flex around the glowing stone.

A century passes, it seems, before he finally inhales the frostbitten air.

Gods, how he wishes he could pull his heart from his chest and hand it to her as one would a wedding ring.

But because he cannot…

…

Creighton swallows hard, and he doesn’t need to think twice when a very, very strong feeling begins to pluck his heart’s harp strings. “I, ah…” Pause. “…I got somethin’ for y’ too.”

His free hand moves to reach beneath his cloak.

Once upon a time, there was a lonely harpy who lived in the dunes. Not in a parable sort of way — very, very truly. And she had a very special friend.

Of course, it was Creighton. A much younger, much more volatile — could you imagine? — version of the now-Finger, gruff and gritty, vulgar and venomous, but always eager to chat with his feathered friend about the ups and downs of their lives — the churning of the sands, literal and metaphorical, and the way the spiders spun their webs. Creighton was confident and calm in the knowing that she would hold him to her black-downed breast during the times when he had nowhere else to go, even if her avian ears were unable to fully comprehend the reasons why he cried; and she, too, could flutter to his door when she craved a type of murder different than that which stained her customers’ swords. She was a comfort to him; and, indeed, he was to her. And she had a peculiar way of showing her love.

Her crow’s covetous brain treasured all things smooth and shiny, and Creighton would often find trinkets and curios left on his doorstep. Oh, how his to-be husband would snicker at the rubbish, amused by the knight’s closeness to the she-bird, his foxlike fingers studying the curves of beast bones and broken porcelain faces.

But to Creighton, each one was a treasure.

As was she.

Time passed, and bones turned to dust, and dolls’ eyes shattered into shards, and feathers disappeared into the unforgiving winds of a world left to crumble. Every gift. Every memento. Even the harpy herself.

But one treasure remained.

And it is heavy in the pouch that hangs from Creighton’s belt.

Creighton is not a man made of eloquence — poetry has never once fallen from his lips. He speaks in grunts and groans and cussing and curtness. His language is one of beastmen. He has no way to articulate this story of friendship, fondness, and forced separation that swaddles the small object he wraps his fingers around. He hasn’t the first clue how to explain the heart, soul, and sentimentality of what he pulls from his pocket. And, were it to be a gift given to anyone else, he might even feel silly for assuming the other would think the thing as anything more than a simple relic — something to sell, or to trade, or to use in a pinch.

But as he places the radiant lifegem in Anri’s palm — the golden, gorgeous gem, still sparkling with the souls of warriors past, and just as too-humanly warm — and he raises his eyes to meet hers, he knows she will read the words within them, and understand.

“Gift from an old friend,” he manages through the lump in his throat. “I’m, ah… If I get t’carry some a’ your light an’ love, then I think you oughta be able to carry a bit a’ mine. I can’t always be there t’protect the ones I care about, y’know. But, ah… at least with this, you’ll always ‘ave a bit a’ extra help if somethin’ ‘appens.”

The smile he offers seems almost… sad.

But only because he wishes he could do more.

As he releases his hold on the lifegem, the prism stone finds itself at home in the now-empty space in his pocket. And so, once again, he feels his friends’ love radiate through him like a sip of warm tea.

He’s always been bad at I-love-you-toos.