#the biggest estate I've ever made

[marrijaa]

≫ Oceanfront Estate ≪

[sergeantelvis]

"I'm Sorry"

SUMMARY: After following Elvis throughout his career and being there for him, he seems to forget what's most important... you.

warning: ANGST, hurt to comfort?, shouting, miscommunication, insecurity.

A/N: This is my first ever post on Tumblr I've been on here a while so I thought why not give a shot at writing, please keep in mind English isn't my first language :)

Pairing: Elvis x reader (can also be Austin elvis!)

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As the sun set over Memphis, the vibrant city whispered tales of heartache and passion. Among the countless souls navigating the streets, a young woman could be found strolling the dimly lit pathways with what seemed to be a small frown perched upon her face.

That woman also happened to be one of the worlds most talked about people in this current moment, yet she felt like she was the only one talking and no one was listening. That woman was who teenage girls could only dream to be, yet she didn't want to be herself in the very moment. Why would she?

Today was supposed to be different she told herself, he would actually remember, she really tried to believe her own husband would be there to support her during one of the biggest achievements of her life, just like she had done for him the last seventeen years. You see she had been there for him through all walks of life, since he was a tiny little blonde haired ray-of-sunshine and when he dyed his hair black and decided to switch up his style, she was there. And he couldn't even show up for one stupid court-case?

God she felt pathetic, she knew he wouldn't come, so why did she think this time it would be any different. But what could she do? She was Mrs Presley, and thats all people would see her as. As she walked along she moonlit streets she became more wary that she had been pushed aside by her husband, she had made a fool of herself letting him walk around with his wedding band off and acting like a single man with women surrounding him. People warned her about marrying Elvis but she would never listen to them because he was her Elvis and no one knew him like she did, and for a while that was true... until it wasn't.

Her beautiful Navy suit had been especially picked out for this trail, hoping that people would see her, hoping that He would see her. Thoughts swirled in her mind as she tried to process why she had let herself go so far as to have to beg for his attention, she was not some groupie he had picked up from his concerts or some teenaged fan that adored his music, she was his wife.

And she had enough.

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The night air clung to her like a heavy shroud as she approached the hallowed gates of Graceland. The moon hung low in the sky, casting a pale glow over the sprawling estate that had once been her sanctuary. But tonight, it felt more like a prison.

The grand entrance of Graceland loomed ahead of her, its ornate ironwork giving way to a long, winding driveway. As she ventured further in her green Beatle, the faint sound of music reached her ears, weaving its way through the evening breeze. Laughter, muffled and distant, hinted at a revelry she was not a part of.

Stepping across the threshold she had first hesitated towards, she entered the foyer. Dimly lit chandeliers bathed the room in a warm, golden glow, casting intricate patterns onto the polished marble floor. The air was thick with the mingling scents of expensive perfume and the anticipation of a vibrant gathering, yet it only deepened her pit of despair that was building inside of her.

Through the open doorways, she glimpsed the living room, ablaze with colour and movement. Lavish gold accented decorations adorned the walls, reflecting the vibrancy of the party within. The room seemed pulse with energy, the laughter and voices of the guests hanging in the air like an invisible veil.

In the midst of the festivities, Elvis stood at the centre, a star among the crowd. His charismatic smile drew people to him, their adoration evident in their eyes, but as her own guys met his, he remained transfixed by the merriment, not even batting an eyelid in her direction.

Her heart sank the steps, becoming slow and weighted with the sorrow she could no longer bear. She carved attention, his understanding of this passing sea of celebration. She appeared to be nothing more than a ghost existing in the peripheral of his attentions.

There, at the centre of the circle of vibrant guested, Elvis, his charm radiating like an Ethereal light. He was locked in at dance of words with a fan Her face flashed with the light basked on his attention. She observed the ease with which he engaged in stranger, his smile more genuine than she had seen in months.

The woman's voice, light and melodious, carrying hints of infatuation as she flirted shamelessly with Elvis. Hello, after accompanied by the soft music in the background seem to melt with the rhythm of his wife's own shattered heart. She could hardly fathom have someone. He didn't even know how to more sway over him, and she is devoted wife.

As she watched her husband, his eyes, twinkling with amusement, she felt an indescribable pain gnaw at her chest. She had dedicated her life to him, bent over backwards to keep their love and life. I need to find herself reduced to an inconsequential presences.

As she leaned against the wall, her tears subsiding, but her pain still palpable. Elvis's eyes flicker towards her. His eyes lingered for a moment before realisation, dawned on him, and with Swift footsteps, he crossed the room to reach her side.

"Hey, baby," He drawled, attempting to dismiss the intensity of the scene, she had just witnessed. His voice infused, with a southern twang still sent shivers down the spine, had once been the balm to her weary soul, but now it only served as a reminder of the golf at grown between.

Her eyes, once filled with love and admiration, now held a mix of sadness and anger. She took a deep breath, collecting the fragments of her resolve, before confront the man she had given her heart to all those years ago.

"You've missed my court case, my own battles and achievements, all while you were caught up in this whirlwind of adoration from strangers," She finally blurted out.

Elvis blinked, his azure eyes mirroring the confusion in his voice. "Satnin? Why didn't you say anything?" He cooed, attempting to soothe her. "You know I've got a lot on my plate."

The word "Satnin" would have once brought a smile to her face, an endearment she cherished, due to Elvis's late mother Gladys who was her second mother growing up in the small area of Tupelo. She shook her head, causing her locks to cascade around her like a waterfall of frustration.

"How can you think we are okay?" She exclaimed, her voice quivering. "

"Elvis, I can't help but feel pushed aside. It's not just about this one encounter; it's about so much more. You've missed my court case, countless family dinners, and it feels like our connection has dwindled to empty conversations. I've been left here, alone, while you bask in the adoration of fans."

Elvis's brow furrowed in confusion as he attempted to grasp the gravity of her words. He had been so immersed in his own world that he failed to recognize the depth of her emotional turmoil. "Satnin, I didn't realize you were feeling this way. I've just been caught up in the whirlwind of fame. Ya know it's not personal, right?"

y/n's frustration simmered beneath her surface, threatening to erupt like a dormant volcano. "How can it not feel personal, Elvis? We used to be each other's entire world. Now, I'm just an accessory on the fringes of your life while you play the role of the adored superstar."

Elvis's eyes widened, a mixture of surprise and offense clouding his features. He tried to interject, but her pent-up emotions poured out like a torrential rainstorm, unable to be contained any longer.

"You think this is all about my support? It's not about that, Elvis! It's about feeling invisible, unappreciated, and alone. I've offered my unwavering support, but what have I received in return? Empty promises and missed moments. Is this how our love is supposed to be?"

A flicker of realization darted across Elvis's face, but his natural stubbornness lingered. "Satnin, I've been trying my best, but I can't be in two places at once. This music, these fans, they're a part of me. You knew that when we got married."

Her voice reached a crescendo, her frayed patience snapping under the weight of Elvis's dismissive attitude. "I didn't expect you to choose, Elvis. But I did anticipate that you would make an effort to make me feel like a priority in your life. Instead, I feel like I'm a distant second to the screaming crowds that cheer you on night after night."

Elvis, his patience waning, raised his voice in frustration. "Listen, baby, I have responsibilities, commitments. This is the life I've chosen. Can't you understand that?"

She gritted her teeth, her frustration boiling over. "Understand? I understand that you're using your fame as an excuse to neglect your responsibilities as a husband. You blame me for not understanding, but what about the countless nights I've spent alone, waiting for you? What about the promises you've made and broken?"

Elvis's expression turned defensive, his charm morphing into frustration. "You're being unreasonable, Y/N. I can't be at your beck and call all the time; I have a career to manage."

Y/N's voice trembled with anger. "Unreasonable? You have the audacity to call me unreasonable? All I wanted was a partner, someone who would be there for the important moments, to listen and support me. But you're too wrapped up in your own fame to even notice."

Elvis's obstinacy overshadowed any semblance of understanding. His tone hardened as he lashed out, trying to deflect his own guilt. "Maybe it wouldn't feel so empty if you were more supportive, if you understood the sacrifices I have to make!"

Her patience snapped, her voice resonating with a mix of fury and hurt. "Sacrifices? Where do my sacrifices fit into this equation? I've sacrificed my dreams, my desires, to support you, to be the wife you needed. And all I ask for in return is a fraction of your attention, your time."

Elvis and Y/N stood face to face in their lavish Memphis mansion. The room crackled with tension as their argument escalated, both parties unwilling to back down. Her eyes were brimming with tears, reflecting her hurt and frustration, while Elvis stubbornly refused to see his faults.

"You just don't understand, Y/N! I give you everything, I give you this beautiful home, luxurious cars, and all the fame you could ever want. Why are you so miserable?" Elvis exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief.

Y/n took a deep breath, trembling with the weight of her emotions. She knew this was her moment to speak her truth and reveal the depth of her pain. "Elvis, material possessions and fame aren't enough for me. I want emotional connection, intimacy, and a partner who truly understands me. But lately, it feels like I'm living in your shadow. You're so consumed with yourself that you've forgotten about our marriage."

Elvis's eyes widened, struck by her heartfelt words. For the first time, he began to truly comprehend the gravity of his actions. "But Baby, I don't mean to neglect you. I love you more than anything. How can I make it right?" His voice wavered, a mix of desperation and regret seeping through his words.

Her gaze softened, her love for Elvis still evident despite the pain she felt. "It's not just about apologies, Elvis. It's about changing your behavior, showing me every day that I matter to you. I can't keep living like this, always feeling secondary to your career."

A mixture of guilt and sadness washed over Elvis as he realized the damage he had caused in their marriage. He reached out, gently cupping Y/Ns face in his hands. "Baby, I never intended to hurt you. I know my words haven't always been kind, but you're the center of my world. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm truly sorry."

The air hung heavy with silence as she contemplated his words. She searched his eyes, seeking a sign of sincerity. Slowly, she nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Elvis, I want to believe that you mean it, but forgiveness doesn't come easy. We need time to heal, to rebuild the trust that has been shattered."

Elvis nodded, his heart sinking as he realized the consequences of his actions. They moved towards the hallway, away from prying eyes, their voices lowering to whispers. "Mama, please don't leave me. I can't imagine my life without you. I'll do whatever it takes to make things right."

She looked into his eyes, her pain alongside her love for him evident. "Elvis, the road to forgiveness will be long and arduous. I need you to understand that. It will take more than just words to mend what's been broken. We both have work to do."

Elvis took a trembling breath, feeling the weight of his past mistakes. He gently squeezed her hand, a solemn vow crossing his lips. "I promise you, Satnin, I'll do whatever it takes. I'll be a better husband, a better man. Just please, don't give up on us."

As they stood there, enveloped in the intimacy of their private moment, Elvis and Y/N knew that the journey ahead would not be easy. But their love, their shared history, and the desire to rebuild what was lost provided a glimmer of hope. Their path to healing had just begun, one step at a time.

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A/N: I got a bit carried away! But I'm also looking to make more friends in the Tumblr/Elvis community and would love to follow people or have proofreaders :) thank you <33

[obsessivelollipoplalala]

I’ve been thinking about the auction for ages, just turning it around in my head constantly. My instant guy reaction was to be horrified, and then people online made me think I was being unreasonable. And I just kept going back and forth unsure, but Brian’s message I think helped clear my head. And I think I’ve figured out what bothers me the most about all this. Because my first initial reaction was mostly just emotion. Mostly just “but that is awful!” Especially hearing about the fucking mustache comb. Like you KNOW what kind of freaks are out there. If Freddie hadn’t been a celeb I’d probably honestly say yeah sure sell it whatever. But he was a celeb, and there’s a plethora of weirdos who would want that. You have to take that kind of thing into account.

I’ll also be honest, I don’t actually give a fuck about the furniture and art being sold. Actually if it was the interior design stuff being auctioned off I probably would have shrugged. Like oh well. It’s just a couch, and a vase or whatever (very nice very expensive furniture and decoration but you know, they don’t represent Freddie imo). The clothes, the piano, the lyrics and photos, the very personal effects (mustache comb which I will never stop harping on) that’s what bothers me. It’s because it shows an utter disregard for Freddie’s legacy. Freddie is not only a famous and legendary musician, but classic and historical. He is one of the biggest musicians there will ever be in human history (and that’s not even an exaggeration in the slightest!), and you’re just selling his handwritten lyrics etc to the highest bidder with no regard for its historical value. I’m reminded of Indiana Jones. “It belongs in a museum!”

I don’t think anybody is saying to turn Garden Lodge into a Graceland. Freddie would have been horrified at that idea with how private he was. But to not offer Queen (the only her legendary musicians in this equation who will also be in/are in the history books) even some of the the lyrics…

I think for literal historical reasons it’s a problem to be selling these lyrics and some of these clothes to randos.

Also there is a way to display this stuff properly. Everybody it seems jumps to “well Freddie wouldn’t want a Graceland.” Like yeah of course not. But there is (maybe was, not sure it’s still up) a Nirvana exhibit, which Kurt Cobain’s family had a big hand in. And it displays some important objects for the public, including some of Kurt’s clothes (which were not nearly as flashy/high fashion as Freddie’s, albeit still iconic). And I also think of again, how gracefully Frances Bean Cobain (Kurt’s daughter) who has the majority of his estate, handles his legacy, and seems on very good terms with the other band members. The literal only hiccup I can think of isn’t even her fault. Kurt’s guitar was auctioned off after being stolen from her by her ex husband, and she fought to get it back.

Anyway, I think there was a way to handle this. To auction off some of Freddie’s goods, like furniture and stuff that isn’t actually important to his legacy, and still get a hefty price. Hell, maybe even sell a shirt or two that is a bit more important. But then handle the placement of the more important materials more delicately. Hell, you could still maybe even make some money depending on how you arrange where it goes.

Yeah, that's pretty much what it comes down to. I don't care much about the furniture and décor, either, and I think most people don't. Those are things that were irrelevant to his work, just things to fill up a house. I've been saying for weeks now that selling the things which directly have to do with Freddie's music, such as his lyrics, instruments, and stage costumes, is indicative of a complete and utter disregard for his life's work, impact, and legacy as a musician. It says a lot when randos who never know Freddie think, "Wow, his lyrics should be in a museum" but the woman who the media has painted as the Only One who ever understood Freddie saw no value in these items outside of dollar signs. It's just very disrespectful.

No one is arguing that the lyrics and costumes of Freddie's that are already on display at the Montreux museum or other exhibitions aren't what he would've wanted, so these people defending the auction with "BuT FrEDDiE WOuLDn'T HavE WanTED--"are just annoying.

And to me, what's equally scummy is how there was zero consideration for Freddie's living loved ones. That was one of my immediate thoughts when I first heard of the auction. Mary clearly doesn't view Freddie's lyrics, instruments, or costumes as part of Queen's larger legacy. It's both disrespectful to the band as individuals, and to Queen as a whole. It's like she really never gave a shit about Queen, Freddie's baby, and of course she certainly never gave a shit about anyone else in his life, no matter how close he was to them (and you could argue the closer they were to Freddie, the more she resented them). And it's the very personal items, too, not just the mustache comb, but the personal photos of the band hanging out in the pool or the photos of Freddie and Anita in kimonos at Garden Lodge which shouldn't be sold without asking those actually in the pictures first. It's shitty that the band and Freddie's other loved ones would even be put in the position of having to purchase photographs that they are in.

Anyway, the whole thing is really shitty to both Freddie's legacy as a musician and his loved ones. Plain and simple.

[kiasnocturnality]

How do you come up with names for your ocs? They're so cool!

hehehe I'll never get tired of answering this question, I love talking ab naming them <3

ALOIS LEBLANC came from a list of 15th century French boys names and I liked how it means famous warrior bc it suits him. The Leblanc house is a huge name in the night court and he might have suffered great loss but he came back with vengeance and reclaimed the estate and status that his family has lost as its last remaining member - this was a all the talk of the night court for decades when they found that the Leblanc house had not, in fact, been entirely wiped out. Leblanc simply means 'the white' as it relates to the albinism gene in his family - you can read all about the significance of albinism in house Leblanc here.

NASANA is just based on the phonetic sound! It's an entirely made-up name and I liked how the consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel pattern with the s in there gives his name a slithery sound - very fitting for a naga!

TAKESHI was actually chosen by @edenspetals from a list of names that I had (I'd already looked into the meanings though and liked the warrior theme to the name as it suits Takeshi's bloody past). She's got the biggest sway over my creation of his character hehe

DESDEMONA NAUSIKÁA was very nearly called Adrienne because it means 'dark lady from the sea' which suits a dark-haired siren very well! (As I write this I'm considering making it her middle name hehe). However I left the choice between Desdemona and Adrienne down to @itseivwhore who chose Desdemona! I really enjoyed studying Othello and Desdemona was one of my favourite characters. My Des and Shakespeare's are two very different women but I quite like the contrast. Desdemona means 'ill-fated' which I think it fitting for a siren who was born from a human woman's violent death. Nausikáa means 'burner of ships' - perhaps a link to how she died? She cannot remember ;)

APHAELEON definitely has the most metaphoric name. It's a different spelling of the astronomical term 'aphelion' which is simply something's furthest point of orbit from the sun. In this metaphor, the sun represents holiness and Aphae's name therefore puts him at the furthest point from holiness but he has convinced himself that his way, his aphelion actually makes him more holy than anything that's ever been seen before. Aphae has a lot of solar imagery to him, right down to his name!

VA'ARINIEL is another entirely name up name that took me around an hours to come up with I think lol. I knew that I wanted her to have a sharp and uncommon letter at the start of the name like a V or Z and the apostrophe was to name her name seem unusual/uncommon to emphasise the distance between our world and the fae court. The -iniel' ending was to make her name seem more feminine and is inspired by fem Tolkien elves!

TARUQU'INEL is another name up name. I really loved the name Tarhuinn from a Wattpad book (Children of the Water) that I read years ago and so his name is based off that one. I've always adored the name! I wanted Taruqu'inel's name to be able to be shortened to something a little more playful too in order to convey his stolen youth and how he's much softer than his advisors make him out to be so Taru was perfect! The '-inel' ending was to match Va'ari's but for different reasons. @itseivwhore suggested I do so to emphasise their familial relation and I thought it was right to do so and wouldn't name his name seem feminine unlike Va'ari's as it had the stronger, sharper R and Q sounds. (I'm sorry but so much of this is just based on my own phonetic perceptions lol).

KHIONE was actually decided in a poll!! The most popular results were Winter, Delwyn or Khione and Khione won! Khione means 'snow' (fitting for an ice dragon) and is based on a nymph of Greek mythology who was turned into a snow cloud by Hermes!

[yingletamiibo]

SIDE: Ghost

I've had a hell of a week. I'm supposed to be some high-stealth political assassin, and now I'm a butler for some fucked up scav! I mean, she kind of saved my life, but with how crazy everyone in this house is, I think I'd be better off if they executed me.

When you're a prisoner slated for execution, the last thing you'd ever expect is a yinglet of all things to buy your freedom. There must be some cosmic power playing a prank on me or something. That's the only explanation. I shouldn't have been on death row in the first place! I dunno, I guess I should count myself lucky.

When the warden came to my cell with that sca- The Matriarch- I thought he was gonna toss her in with me. Plenty of scavs behind bars.

But the warden stopped in front of me, turned to her, and said "This is the one," something like that. She got close to the bars and eyed me up and down. I don't know what it was, but this... Tiny thing made me nervous. Could've been that knife strapped to her tail.

Something about her seemed off. She was calm, stoic. Nothing like any other scav I've seen. I have no idea what she was looking for in me, but when she found it, she turned to the warden.

"Are you sure zhis is him?"

A chill ran up my spine. I realized that my fate rested in the Matriarch's hands.

"Of course, Matriarch Zelt. All evidence points to him."

"Very well. Send him to my estate."

The warden just nodded. Taking orders from a scav... I wondered just how low the guards had sunk.

I spent the rest of the day alone in my cell. I didn't believe it at first. Surely they were just fucking with that yinglet, playing along with her.

The next day they set me free. Returned all my belongings. Led me out of the prison. And I was greeted by one of those huge bug fucks.

I stopped in my tracks as they stared at me. A vacant stare, like they were looking through me.

The guard escorting me laughed.

"I suggest you follow the indrel. And don't run."

All I could do was swallow and nod.

I followed the indrel as I was told.

"So, er... Where are we going?"

They didn't reply.

"Not much of a talker, huh?"

Again. They didn't even acknowledge me. Just kept staring straight ahead, leading me wherever. Finally, we arrived at the biggest house I've seen. In the distance, I saw some scav working in the gardens. They waved excitedly in my direction.

We reached the door. The indrel knocked, and I heard a woman yell to us-

"I'm comiiiiiiing~!"

Sounded kinda cute. I heard someone clamboring toward the door. I figured it was probably a dog or something. The door rattled a bit before opening to a huge baxxid in a maid's uniform.

This had to be a prank.

"Hhhhoh! It's the new butler! Hhhhhhjust a moment, let me get the Matriarch!"

It was that same voice. The one that called out earlier, with this... Disturbing raspiness behind it. It was uncanny. She turned and left quickly. I was left alone in the doorway with this... Creepy fucking indrel.

After a short wait, the yinglet who visited my cell greeted me. She looked me up and down again.

"So, you're zhe infamous Ghost?"

I swallowed nervously. Why did this yinglet make me feel so... Afraid?

"Yes, that's me."

She seemed pleased.

"Come inside."

She turned and started walking. The indrel had already left at some point. I don't know how I didn't notice. I followed the Matriarch.

As we walked, she spoke to me without looking.

"So, 'Ghost'. May I have your real name?"

My mind suddenly flashed with thoughts of old fairytales.

"Just... Ghost is fine, ma'am."

"You will call me Matriarch, Ghost."

She didn't quite snap at me, but the calm way she spoke felt like I had a knife to my neck.

"Yes, Matriarch."

I did my best not to show how nervous I was. I think she bought it.

She brought me into a small tea room, pulled out a chair, and gestured for me to sit. So I did. She poured some tea for the two of us. We sat there for a while, drinking tea in silence. Finally, she spoke up.

"Zhere is no need to fear me, Ghost. I am no fae."

I sat up, surprised to hear her speak suddenly.

"I... I don't fear you."

I could see a smirk on her face.

"In time, you will come to respect me. You will not have to force yourself to call me Matriarch. It will come naturally."

I don't know what the fuck I got myself into, but at that moment I missed that dank cell waiting for my death.

[jamsofdeath0]

Proof qi could generate Riverdale plots, via ai generated Riverdale plots.

"Jughead's Disaster"

1. The biggest mistake I ever made was buying a house with a basement...

2. I was never really interested in anything until my senior year of high school. And then I became obsessed with becoming a lawyer.

3. I got pregnant at 17 years old! There were no abortion clinics back then, and I had to go to the only clinic in town, where they would tell me that if I didn't want to carry to term, I could have the fetus aborted.

4. After going through some tough times, I eventually decided to put myself through college, and graduated with a degree in Law Enforcement. I spent 10 years working for the police department before deciding to start my own business.

5. My first business venture was Jughead's Disaster, Inc., the world's largest and finest provider of disaster services. I hired a bunch of people who couldn't do their jobs and charged them an outrageous amount of money for doing nothing. Within 6 months, we went bankrupt.

6. The second time around, I started my own landscaping company. We did well for a while, but after a while, everything turned to shit again. So I took out loans I knew I wouldn't be able to pay off, bought a brand-new truck, and started a lawn care service.

7. That lasted about 5 minutes. When I tried to cut grass, I realized that I wasn't as good as I thought I was. Plus, our customer base kept shrinking over the course of the summer. To make matters worse, our customers kept complaining about the smell coming from our trucks.

8. In desperation, I decided to become a real estate agent, since I figured that I'd be good at selling houses. Well, I'm not great at selling houses, but I am pretty damn good at finding houses to buy. I've been looking for a house for 2 weeks now.

9. All I need is a place to sleep for the night, a bathroom, a kitchen, a job, and a nice home to live in. But I'll settle for any of those things right now.

10. If you're reading this, I'm probably still alive. I don't know what happened to that email I sent you guys. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day.

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Jughead's fantastical day out

1. "The journey begins."

This line represents Jughead's way of starting things off. He always starts something at the beginning and finishes it off completely. When he's not thinking about his friends, he's worrying about them. So, we know where his headspace is right now. He probably got some good news, but isn't sure how to react.

2. What kind of car?

We know he loves cars. But what kind of car? Maybe he's been looking forward to driving around town with his buds on Saturday. That's pretty exciting!

3. "I've never done anything like this before. I'm nervous."

He's finally doing something he wants to do, but he's still nervous about it. That could mean that he's going to get caught. Or maybe he thinks he'll have fun without getting caught, but then again - who knows?! Jughead's just excited to go somewhere new, so he doesn't want to disappoint anyone.

4. "What if I don't like it?"

Jughead doesn't want to do things unless he likes them. If he hates it, he may run home early. But, if he does love it, he might stay longer than expected!

5. "But I'm supposed to meet my friends here..."

He knows he should be meeting his buddies, but he also wants to hangout first. We'll bet they're all worried about him, especially once they find out that he didn't show up to work.

6. "Maybe I can hang out with them later?"

If he gets bored hanging out with his friends, he'll go back home. If he really misses them, though, he might decide to stay longer.

7. "This is the last thing I need. A bad day at work."

His boss is probably mad. His coworkers are probably pissed off since they think he's messing up their plans. And his friends will definitely tell him about this later. Why is he even doing this?

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Jughead's disasters

1. A Weed Man Named Jughead

In his youth, Jughead was a member of a famous gang whose members wore blue jackets and were known by their nickname, the Blue Meanies. One day, he fell out with the gang leader, who told him to leave town. Jughead responded, "I'm going to kill you," and went home. He got drunk and shot his father dead. When police arrived at the scene, they arrested him for murder instead of being allowed to shoot him again.

Jughead's mother had been married before, and she divorced her second husband after learning about Jughead's crime. She then married a widower named Nuggety McSnooterson, who adopted two children who were also raised as members of the gang. Nuggety and his wife renamed themselves The Snoots and moved to a farm outside of town where they grew marijuana to help raise money for their adopted children's college education.

Nuggety's first harvest yielded only enough marijuana to pay off the mortgage on their house. Jughead learned about Nuggety's growing operation, and he decided to take over the business. He renamed himself Dr. Crippen (after the infamous serial killer) and began making plans to kill Nuggety and his family. Meanwhile, Nuggety's son Jack realized what was happening and tried to warn his parents, but Jughead had already poisoned them both.

Jack survived long enough to call the police, but Jughead took revenge on him too. After killing Jack, Jughead turned his attention to Nuggety's teenage daughter, Ginger. He kidnapped her and brought her back to his lair, hoping that she would witness her father's death. Unfortunately, the girl escaped and ran away from home. She eventually joined her boyfriend, a young man named Jeffy Jones, who had left school to work at the local factory.

Jeffy knew Jughead well, since they attended the same church. He was happy to see that Jughead had finally changed his ways, but the two men still did not get along. The night before Jeffy was supposed to go away to college, he came home to find Jughead waiting for him. Jeffy was forced to sit down while Jughead explained his plan to kill Nuggety. He said that he wanted to make a fresh start in life and asked Jeffy to join him in the drug trade.

Jughead offered Jeffy $10,000 if he agreed to become his partner. That night, Jeffy went to sleep on the couch, thinking that he would have plenty of time to decide whether or not to accept Jughead's offer. But when he woke up the next morning, he found himself alone. Jughead had fled without saying goodbye, leaving Jeffy to wonder just how much money he really stood to gain from the deal.

Jughead soon returned to his lair with a new partner named Sludge. Together, they planned to sell drugs to middle-class citizens in order to finance their elaborate scheme to destroy the entire community. Their first big job was to steal a shipment of cocaine from a nearby warehouse belonging to Mr. Biggs, who was a rival drug dealer.

The following day, they drove to the warehouse, where they waited until Mr. Biggs' truck pulled up. Then, they followed behind him and watched as he loaded the cocaine onto his truck. As he walked back to his office, they jumped out of their car and seized the drugs. When Mr. Biggs saw that his truck was missing, he called the police. Soon, officers from the sheriff's department surrounded the warehouse. They searched everywhere but could not find any sign of the thieves.

Later that evening, Jughead and Sludge were relaxing in their hideout when the police showed up again. They searched the premises and found some blood that had spilled onto the floor. They suspected that someone had been injured inside the building, and they rushed to investigate further.

Inside the warehouse, they discovered the bodies of Mr. Biggs and his employees. There was no sign of Jughead or Sludge anywhere. They had vanished. In fact, no trace of anyone had ever been near the site of the crime. All of the evidence pointed to the conclusion that Jughead had killed Mr. Biggs and stole his cocaine. The police arrested Jughead and charged him with murder.

When the trial date approached, Jeffy decided to testify on behalf of his friend. As he described the events of the previous night, he mentioned that he had never seen Jughead carrying a gun. He added that he had always believed in his friend's good intentions, so he could not understand why Jughead had tried to kill Nuggety (and his family). However, he admitted that he had seen the pair together many times before, and he remembered that Jughead had boasted to him about his intention to kill Nuggety so that he could inherit the family fortune.

This evidence seemed to undermine Jughead's alibi. Police searched his house and found several guns hidden under the floorboards. They charged him with double homicide and attempted theft. Jeffy testified on Jughead's behalf, explaining that he had lied about seeing the guns on purpose. He said that he had been afraid that Jughead would try to kill him if he revealed the truth.

After hearing Jeffy's testimony, the jury acquitted Jughead of all charges. He and his accomplice had managed to fool everyone, including the judge and the jury and they felt confident that they could do the same thing again.

-------------------------------------------------

[kinnsporsche]

once again an episode that made me absolutely lose my mind!!! kp are so in love and they finally said it!! although, i would have liked it better if they said it to each other in private first but oh well can't have everything. and porsche is officially a stay at home wife i love that for him. the scene when p was drying kinn’s hair though, it was the softest shit i have ever seen in my life <3 i also loved the scenes with taytime they are always so good i wish they had more screen time. 1/4

and we got the kimchay breakup :/ i was expecting it but it still hurt. I still have hope that they will end up together. however, the most important part of this episode (for me) was vegaspete!!! god these two make me go insane. the way we went from sadistic torture to that convo at the end. bible and build's chemistry is actually unbelievable i can't get enough of these sick motherfuckers. and don't even get me started on the cinematography like the lights and the shots and just the whole atmosphere it was so good and so sexy and I’m gonna need 3-5 business days to recover. that preview was the final nail in my coffin i don't think i can wait a whole week for more. I’ve read some metas about them but honestly I don’t even care if vegas changes for pete or not. their relationship is so fucked up on so many levels that I don’t think it can really be redeemed. certainly not in 3 episodes. and honestly does he need to be? can’t he just stay the fucked up villain that he is? I wouldn’t mind. I’m just here to enjoy some toxic fictional men be sexy and gay and so far they did just that so I’m satisfied. I can’t believe we only have 3 episodes left T_T I don’t know what I will do when this show ends. (I hope you’re doing well )

omg my kp anon i've missed u so much!!!!

for me i'd always had a hc that kinn had a hard time saying ily to anybody bcs he'd been burned by love in the past so he hated saying it but this show roundhouse kicked that in the face and left me obliterated at the scene this mf is out here shouting it from rooftops to anybody who'll listen good for him

god you know what sends me absolutely feral? kinn casually mentioning his mother to porsche. her death must still be a sore subject for him, nobody talks about it we've hardly had any mention of her and for him to just be like "my mother used to do this for me" god how long has it been since someone's taken care of him like that? and now here's porsche the biggest caretaker in the world just so ready and willing to do everything he can to take care of kinn bcs thats his love language and he loves him sm i just y'all mind if i break the fuck down real fast

pls the kimchay break up!!!! like kimothy i get why you did what you did but that doesn't mean me and tankhun won't beat your ass for it bestie 😔😔 you made the baby cry. like he's literally alread living at the estate, he can't get anymore involved with the mafia, but i guess kim was literally just faced with the reality of porchay being kidnapped because of his ties to the mafia through his brother, and he's probably thinking about how much worse it'll be if he's tied to the mafia through HIM, he's probably thinking about all their enemies and how much of a target it'd make him so he's being a self-sacrificing little shit about it god tankhun needs to hit him with a tray and knock some sense into him

i haven't been that eager about the vp arc yet, im betting that'll probably change in today's ep and next weeks ep 👀 just wanna see pete humble that man so bad, and i dont want vegas to stop being a bad person just bcs he gets with pete ykwim? he's interesting because he's a villain lets keep it that way besties. i do bet he'll get a redemption arc, i've mentioned this to a few people i talk to but with the way things are going it made me wonder if the big shootout at the major family house in the promo where vegas is framed as a big bad is actually misleading and vegas'll be there to help kinn and the major family and maybe put a bullet in his dad's head i just wish him a very big die even if i will miss the dilf 😔

pls dont mention that we only have 3 episodes left pls dont mention that theres only 2 more weeks of kinnporsche or i'll start to eat glass

[till-neptune]

June, 8th, 2022

So I need to really decide what this blog is about.. Yes in genreal it will be the prgress made on what ever subject I choose  

Yet will this be strickly on that progression or will it be a proeranl blog?  

For my first post it will be a mix of both since I cant decide and it will advance & evolve as I go.  

First post  

 For the first time in a long time, I sat on a bench in a park without a swing. Watching the young leafs softly sway back & forth. Watching the clouds, envious over their graceful existence. Sitting & being okay with just existing is harder than it seems.  

    Well I guess it's time to properly introduce myself. I'm Donald Hughes, 22 laps around the sun, & A introvert. I'm more of a cat rather than dog person, Cold over hot. My ambitions right now are to become a writer. The way I would define that is by having an active project besides my blog. While looking around my local city website; I found a volunteer page. One of the things being writing a 4 page a month local paper. I typed up a quick email (expecting nothing from it) & hit send to the writing director. Surprisingly they are actively looking for someone to take over that 4 page a month local paper. Tomorrow at my favorite coffee shop thats right around the corner. I have a meeting with that very writing director. I have no credentials for the potions other then Ive lived most of my life in the suburban city. Even if I don't get to take over the project, I will find or make something else. In my thoughts "how hard could it be to start my own local paper?" In preparation I downloaded a few basic english pdf books from the internets. It's been a while since I last looked at the rules for English. It's fascinating how once you get a little bit of responsibility, It gives you a surge of motivation. 

    One other ambition I hold is to get foothold in photography, Particularly in real estate photography. Its something I've been wanting to do for a while now. Theres this person that has been doing photography since i was in high school. I messaged them & they gave me the recommendation for a camera & some lenses I should use for real estate. I remember always being told that I was photogenic. That I know how to take really good photos of myself. I know that it's not how I look but how I took the photo. I know how to see things & capture its aesthetic on a camera. I've done a photo shoot of my ex on my Yamaha MT-03. Edited them & when she posted them, her friends praised the quality. Other then that I've only done a few other shots & edits of my motorcycle in the mountains. Its a natural skill that I could profit off of. I know it's not a good idea to have that be the motivations behind something. Money is my biggest stress right now so it is what it is. I have a Iphone 11 standard, Perhaps I could start with that. Free commission so that I can build a portfolio to advertise. My first thought is to call a dozen or so realtors & ask if they want some free shots of a property they're showing. One thing I've learned while operating in the real world. If theres someone to call & past work to show. Thats as valuable as a college degree for a lot of applications. I'm not familiar with the linguistics of photography. The internet will provide me with some basics. I should go get started.    

I'm gunna go get more coffee. Have a good rest of your day. Goodbye 👋  

[casspurrjoybell-26]

Made of Steele - Chapter 22

*Warning: Adult Content*

- KIT -

The flight from America to the United Kingdom had just landed and with it, a text from my mother the moment I turned off 'airplane mode'.

No words could describe how stupid I had been these past few hours but I've had time to think about it and with each passing second, I felt sick to my stomach with what I had done.

Jamie was right about me, about so many things but the biggest one I agreed with was, yes, I was a coward.

If only I could tell him everything, not just the half-truth that Leah knew.

I've spent the last few years hiding so many secrets from those who would love to watch me burn and for what?

A truth that kept everyone's reputation intact.

It had destroyed my relationship with Leah, something I knew would happen the moment I had learned the truth that night.

Amber had complicated things beyond measure at this point and the moment Jamie's dad, Donovan Steele found out my name, I couldn't risk him getting more interested in me, I had to leave.

I felt awful.

Jamie was looking for me, according to my landlord who lived across from my apartment and by the sounds of it, he was pissed.

I'd be lucky if I ever gained his trust again after the past few hours.

Once I collected my suitcase, I went out of the airport and instantly spotted my mother and a driver waiting for me in a black limousine, with a very familiar family crest printed on the side.

I took a deep breath, straightened my back and walked over to the car, where the driver then opened the back door for me.

I dipped my head and saw my mother, who had not aged a day since I had left to live in the States, wearing her finest pearls and coat made from fox.

"Christopher," my mother looks at me, her eyes already judging my form of 'attire'.

Nobody called me that, nor have they called me my birth name since I was ten, the only times were when I was in trouble or demanded to do something without question.

"Mother," I smiled tightly. "You're looking well."

The car started and with it, so did my mothers crossing of her arms, which could only mean one thing and one thing only.

"Your father is furious, you're lucky it's me here and not him this time, Christopher."

I wanted to laugh because he had not once put his work on hold for me, so showing up at an airport was a weak threat and a poor one.

"I didn't ask you to come and I don't recall calling you," I hit back, looking out the window.

I couldn't help but wonder what Jamie was doing, if he was sad, angry or if he was simply plotting ways to track me down so he could punch me in the face.

It was things like that which made me like him even more... damn.

I missed him, yet I had no right to, he most likely had forgotten all about me by now and me thinking he missed me back was just wishful thinking.

"You are still part of this family and whether you like it or not, you are a Judge and an Earl's son and you will behave as one."

"I let you go to America to keep the peace but you are the heir, Christopher and right now, your father and I need you," she sighs, as I look at her confused.

The heir and judge's son... a son of a man who only thinks of himself and the 'family' or the power he holds over his family.

What a joke.

"I haven't been part of this family for a long time," I breathed out deeply. "Driver, excuse me," I called the driver, leaning forward to gain his attention. "You can just let me off here, thanks."

My mother gasps and looks at me with disapproval in her eyes.

"Christopher..."

"It's Kit," I snap, as the driver parks against the curb. "Nobody calls me that but of course, you wouldn't know that, you aren't interested in my life."

I grab my bag and open the door to get out, I don't wait for the driver to get my suitcase as I popped open the trunk and then got it out myself.

I went back to the back door and bent down to look at my mother, who was shaking her head, with a sigh.

"You are the Lord of an Estate and there are just some things you can't run from, as hard as you push, in the end, we are all bound to our duty, Kit," my mother says, a sad smile on her lips. "Your father is sick and he... doesn't have long. Please let whatever it is between you both go, before it's too late," she said, before leaning forward to close the side door, leaving no room for me to say anything more.

I took a step back and watched as the car pulled away from the curb and back onto the road, where I watched until I could no longer see it anymore.

I wanted to scream and hope this was all just one big nightmare and any moment I'd wake up, next to Jamie.

Duty… honor… Lord, those words I have heard all my life and for what?

I ended all that heir stuff the day I left, I didn't take my inheritance and I left this part of my life behind to build a new one, away from this world.

It was all bullshit and my mother knew that, yet she still clings to the hope that I would take the reins from Alexander, my younger brother.

My brother... Ha... How long has it been now?

Was he also really sick?

If that was true, then it looks like coming here might've been for the better because as much as I don't talk or like being around my father, I still care deeply for my mother.

The fact she had stayed with him this long, was a miracle.

Yet, there was something she didn't nor did my father quite understand anymore.

I wasn't Christopher anymore, this wasn't my life anymore, I did change and I was going to prove it.

Jamie probably hated me and any explanation I give now will only be heard by deaf ears, as much as I just wanted to be with the guy I had been fascinated with the moment I saw him.

Everything was messy and my life was complicated, being the heir to my fathers company and estate... ha, maybe Jamie could understand everything if I let him know everything but I wasn't going to take that chance.

He deserved to be happy, while I... I didn't have that luxury, not anymore.

I called a taxi and gave the driver the address to my apartment in London and as I sat there in the back seat, I thought of nothing but the look on Jamie's face and then I wondered... Will I ever see you again?

End of Part 1

[dry-valleys]

Hardd Hafan Hedd.

Haulfre Garden (its name meaning '"sun hill", very aptly) overlooks Llandudno, a town I've known since childhood (please see my earlier series about the town from 2017) but had somehow never been to this spot, a wrong I've now righted.

Haulfre sits on land historically owned by the aristocratic Mostyn family, who pioneered the founding of the modern resort on what was once a sparsely populated farming country, in the six years after the Enclosure Act of 1843 .

This was done with pioneering architecht Owen Williams, who happened to be at the mines (please see here) when he realised "what a beautiful place and what a fine watering place it would make". Williams came from Liverpool (then as now one of our biggest trading cities, whose industries were ever-hungry for new portsnfrom which to export their wares, and one of my favourite places which you can read about here) and was employed by the Mostyns on work the results of which is all around.

Haulfre Gardens is also a Victorian creation.It was laid out in the years 1871-76 by industrialist Henry Pochin, who had been born into poverty in Leicestershire but had made himself wealthy in Manchester on the riches of the new age (which found room for new men alongside older landowners such as the Mostyns, who boomed througout this time and are still here).

Pochin had a love of Wales, as did many other holidaymakers such as John Bright; nearby Bodnant (please see here for my series from that place last year) is another estate Pochin bought IN 1874.

I have been coming here since childhood, as is the tradition on my home city of Stoke-on-Trent; who can forget Denry Machin taking Ruth Earp here in 1911? (I don't know whether to be glad or sad that my time here, though it had a lot of walking and swimming, was much more sedate than his).

Haulfre, meanwhile, was bought by the council in 1928 and opened as a park in 1928 by David Lloyd George, the MP and a Welsh legend whose museum I went to here (the Llandudno museum is also not to be missed and is the place where I first learned about Haulfre, which I'd never been to on any of my earlier visits).

The Mostyns are still big landowners in the town and surrounding countryside, running their estate from their office on the modestly named Mostyn Street, but Haulfre with its mighty redwood trees has been a public park ever since 1929.

Although I have since left (until next year), I can confirm that Llandudno is still what Queen Victoria called it, a "beautiful haven of peace".

[stellocchia]

Since I really enjoyed yesterday's stream I decided to do one of my overly long analysis on it

So, here's my analysis of (DSMP LORE) Healthy Competition

Dialogues will be color-coded as usual, so here's what I used: Phil, Wilbur, Ranboo

As always I am incapable of brevity, so everything's under the cut

The stream starts with a conversation between Phil and Wilbur in which Wilbur admits that he hasn't been to visit Phil in a while, which makes Phil's later threat about throwing him out feel that much more ridiculous since Wilbur clearly doesn't really live with him either way...

"Alright, it's got one for Phil, one for Ranboo, and one for Techno. Is that all that live here? Just you three?" "Yep, just us three, just chilling"

The only reason why I'm singling this out is that it was right after the mention of Techno's birthday and Wilbur was pointing at the seats occupied by the 4 members of the Syndicate so it feels slightly weird that Niki wasn't mentioned at all. But also it's technically not a lie, she doesn't live there and she only comes around for the Syndicate meetings.

Another thing to add is that Wilbur did notice the chest Ranboo left for him and consciously decided to ignore it.

"I must admit I've come to you with a bit of a- a bit of a proposition. You're into propositions Phil? Are you a bit of a 'propositions' kinda guy?" "Oh, depends, depends. You- you've had some pretty... let- let's just say, uh- not- not a great track record on propositions that you've had in the past" "Alright... I mean, I'm trying to move past that"

I wonder what exactly Phil is referring to here. Because, like, Wilbur did bad things, don't get me wrong, but what's his track record with "propositions" in particular? Because he isn't talking about "Tommy, let's be the bad guys" here since he doesn't know about that. Is he talking about Wilbur founding L'Manburg? But then again, I don't think Wilbur interpreted it that way. I think that, from Wilbur's reaction, he clearly interpreted it as a jab at him exploding L'Manburg (which is the one thing he's trying to move past) which would be extremely hypocritical from Phil since he did the exact same thing but worse.

Also, I really do think that Wilbur is trying to move forward. He's lonely and he has the lowest possible opinion of himself so it doesn't feel weird that he'd want to move on. He isn't putting the work in it right now and he hasn't really changed, but he does seem to want to (though I think he may not know how).

"He [Quackity] didn't seem afraid of me, which is cool. Not many people- I mean you don't seem afraid of me. You aren't afraid of me, are you Phil?" (little look into Wilbur's mind and his fear of isolation once again. And this is fear of isolation, he's worried that other people are afraid of him and therefore are only waiting for him to step out of line so that all their fears would be confirmed)

"'Cause I'm not afraid of you [Phil]" (bold words for someone who spent who knows how long lying to his dad because of a crippling fear of disappointment...)

"Technoblade spent his entire time taking down the establishments, what he left is, as predicted, a power vacuum for a new establishment to come in" (in case it wasn't obvious, Wilbur is not the biggest fan of anarchy. And he actually got this one criticism spot on, indeed all taking down L'Manburg did was getting 4 new governmental-like structures to sprout in its place)

"Phil, I want to make a burger van" *Phil sighs and walks away* (I'm more sure now that Phil really meant "creating L'Manburg" as Wilbur's bad track record with propositions)

Wilbur repeating 4 times that he has no ulterior motive with the burger van managed to make me think the exact opposite. That said that ulterior motive may just be to create a safe little home for himself and Tommy for all we know honestly. Also, the whole thing with Phil trying to convince his grown-ass kid to go play with the neighbor kid and Wilbur throwing a tantrum in response was hilarious...

"If he's [Ranboo] shit you gotta come help me okay? If he's shit you've gotta come be burger boy with me, okay?" (he still is mistrustful to an extreme and pretty childish admittedly)

"Why is he [Phil] treating me like a kid?! Why is he treating me like a little baby?" (remembering how Wilbur treated Fundy I think it may be a family problem)

Another interesting thing to point out is that Wilbur was openly scared of the spider attacking him here, and fights it off, but he doesn't move away from the explosion later on and he didn't move away from the exploding creepers last stream. Other people already made this connection, but I do think it may be a sort of way to punish himself. Specifically, it's brought up later on that he thinks he got off easy for what he did, so he's using what he hurt others with (explosions) to hurt himself now as a sort of punishment for that. Which is another indication of just how much his stay in Limbo didn't help with his mental health.

"Am I being- is this [Ranboo having both cows and wheat] a setup?" (the paranoia never left)

"Ranboo I'm gonna go out on a limb here: do- do you wanna be friends?" "Su-sure yeah, I don't see why not" (I think that at this point it was still just Wilbur following along with what his dad told him to do and trying to find out more about Ranboo. That does seem to change later down the line)

"And then we decided that it [the 'cookie' outpost] was too much trouble so we kinda just left it" (So we have confirmation that the cookie outpost was abandoned)

"We're not gonna annoy Quackity" "That's good" "We can't annoy- we can't annoy him because we're simply put- we're simply put gonna be making...- I got the real estate! He's giving me the area and we're gonna be making a competing business"

Wilbur says this as if he wasn't perfectly aware that this would annoy the sh*t out of Quackity. As if the point of it wasn't exactly to annoy Quackity. Or well, annoying him isn't the end goal, it's just the means to an end. We don't know the actual end goal (though I think Wilbur still wants to either be let into Las Nevadas or actually instate a rivalry between them as he said, one of the two).

"We [he and Quackity] were a part of the same cabinet during New L'Manburg or whatever" "Cabinet?" "Yeah a cabinet is like-" "Was this- was this with Tubbo?" "Yeah yeah" (...) "So you were part of the old L'Manburg? I didn't know that actually, I thought you were a bit of an independent"

Once again: Wilbur is missing A LOT of knowledge. He wasn't aware that New L'Manburg had a cabinet and he wasn't aware that Ranboo was ever part of the country either. He has a lot of misconceptions about what happened during the time he was dead so it really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that his views on a lot of things are as warped as they are. Wilbur is getting to his conclusions with an incomplete and sometimes wrong set of data.

"Do you dislike anyone Ranboo?" "Not too much I don't think. I mean there are other people I don't, like, agree with what they've done of course, but I think that everyone is just a product of what they've gone through and everything so if you understand that then you understand the person!"

There is nothing inherently wrong with Ranboo's reasoning here. It's true that most people are a result of their environment and, once you understand what they've been through you can understand them better as a person. It's also fine that he personally doesn't want to hold grudges. But that way of thinking isn't applicable to those who have been hurt by others, sure they can reach an understanding, but an understanding of a person doesn't justify shit and doesn't change shit unless that person works towards repairing old broken relationships. It just all sounds like a nice way of thinking about things in theory, but in practice, it just takes away responsibility from those who have wronged others to fix things and moves it to those who have been wronged. (Ranboo isn't advocating for everyone to think that way though, but I know the fandom will).

Either way, they arrive in Las Nevadas and Wilbur talks about how their place doesn't benefit the consumer and puts down 3 signs.

"I've been trying to think of a name for it [his and Tommy's area], I'm thinking about 'Paradise'"

There are two possible reasons for the name that I can think of:

1) It's in reference to Las Nevadas itself and how Las Nevadas is based on Las Vegas, the famous city of sin

2) It could be a reference to Tommy insistently calling Las Nevadas Paradise in the last stream and Wilbur trying to convince him that their place is the true Paradise

Wilbur does decide to make the Burger Van right at the border which really feels like a very obvious provocation. The other thing is that he makes it clear that he wants the van to be red and white which could be a random choice, but really feels like a reference to Tommy (since they are famously his colors) or an imitation of their opposition. Or both considering how much Tommy liked the restaurant of the opposition and the fact that Wilbur is still trying to convince him to stay.

"I'm not very fond of blue" (at this point it's obvious that Wilbur has quite a bit of pent-up animosity against Ghostbur. I wonder if it is because it still feels like people liked the ghost more than him...)

"Like, the Cookie Shop, I don't even know if it was a cookie shop, to begin with, because it was a little... fortified if I'm entirely honest, I realize that now" "Really?" "Yeah did you not see- oh wait- that giant stone structure?" (Ranboo really did fail to realize that the cookie shop was actually a military outpost, huh?)

"See, I like Tubbo. He's strong-headed, he doesn't let people push him around, you know?" (this is both an interesting change in what he thinks of Tubbo if he actually thinks that and further confirmation that Wilbur isn't a fan of people he considers to be 'followers')

"Why do you claim that you're so 'peaceful' and 'neutral' and yet somehow appear in almost every conflict this server's had since I died?" (since I saw people claiming this is manipulation already, just know that it isn't. He's just confused because, admittedly, Ranboo is a confusing guy and Wilbur doesn't really know him at all)

"Ranboo, why did you come to help me?" (...) "And then also I just think, you know... you can, you know- I think- I think you're an alright person, you know? So I wanna- I did kinda wanna get off on a better foot with you then what happened-" "Why?" "Just because I don't really like having the thought that people don't really like me" "Nonononono not the bit about the right foot, the 'why don't you think I'm a bad person'" "Well I mean, I think that you did bad things, but like, I think that you also went through things that made you that way and then I also think that you've changed now (...) but I think that now you've- apparently you've been away long enough that I think that if anyone goes away for that long eventually they'll have a thought about their morality and everything and maybe become a better person because of it"

I know this quote was absurdly long, but it is one of the most interesting conversations of the whole stream and it is really important and it tells us quite a bit as well. For one thing Wilbur was left quite emotional from someone simply admitting that he's an "alright person" and that they think he's capable of changing and this does bring him to open up to Ranboo right after. What Ranboo says to be exact is that anyone would have changed after going through what Wilbur went through and that change could be positive and while I completely disagree with it, it's clearly something that Wilbur needed to hear.

Now as to why I disagree with the notion that 13 years of semi-complete isolation could change anyone for the better should be rather obvious. But if it isn't, well, that's torture to put it simply. Psychological torture. Just like abuse it's one of those things that only cause trauma and a worsening mental health state and we see this with Wilbur because he didn't change, he only became more self-deprecating. Hurting someone doesn't make them become a better person all of a sudden, that's really not how it works. Hurting someone makes them become more traumatized.

"I think I scare people" ( as I said, immediately opening up about his insecurities)

"I think that a lot of people share your idea, but they share your idea in trying to- trying to keep me from hurting them" (for a bit here Wilbur talks about how he feels like everyone else is just waiting for him to step a foot out of line, which does really show that he's still interpreting all his interactions with people through the lens of his paranoia and self-deprecation, because no one is really interacting with him with that objective in mind)

"Dream's had his comeuppance and I've not" (this seems to be the crux of Wilbur's insecurity. This idea that he got off scot-free for his crimes, the idea that the only difference between him and Dream is the punishment that's been bestowed upon them which, of course, is wrong, but he doesn't know this, because he doesn't actually know why Dream's in prison)

"I've been investing into the wrong areas Ranboo, I've been investing into the wrong people" (This is either a reference to Tommy, to Phil, to Quackity, or to all of them)

"We're kindred man, we get each other" (the reason why he thinks that is because he seems to think that Ranboo has a similar type of paranoia to what Wilbur experience himself and he's not entirely wrong. Ranboo is deathly afraid of conflict and of being disliked so much so that he never stands up for anything in fear of angering others)

Little definition of "neuroticism" for you all since Wilbur kept mentioning it: neuroticism, one of the Big 5 personality traits, is typically defined as a tendency toward anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and other negative feelings.

I'd say it's quite fitting for both characters...

"I feel like life dealt us the same cards and the difference is that you built your trust by showing people your cards whilst I- I keep them close to my chest and I feel like that may be the big difference" (I felt like this was interesting. Especially knowing how much Ranboo actually doesn't share and how much he actually also keeps close to his chest)

They talk about tubbo in general for a bit and about what's been going on the server in general. Ranboo also that he's part of both Snowchester and the arctic commune (mostly the latter though).

"This has been chill, this has been good, I'm excited to show Tommy. What's your opinion on Tommy?" "Oh, he's- he's great. Tommy's awesome" "I agree I agree" "Definitely gone through a lot but I think that it's made him a good person" "Well you seem to think that everyone going through something at least gives them some merit you said" "I mean, yeah. I mean if- if no one- the only really bad people are the ones who are just evil because- just because and they don't have any reason why"

Included the whole thing here because if I stopped at Ranboo saying that Tommy going through trauma is what made him a good person it would have sounded really bad. As things are I think that that was just poor wording on his part and that this mostly goes back to the mentality he expressed before about how people sometimes do bad things because of the environment they're in pushing them and this idea he seems to have that actual hardships (like 13 years in Limbo or whatever he knows about what Tommy has been through) can encourage people to be better which is... sort of naive honestly. Again, trauma isn't a catalyst for the betterment of a person, and any improvement Tommy has made came from his self-reflection, not what he's been through.

After they're done with the van Wilbur brings Ranboo to their competing establishment and asks him to smash the windows, which Ranboo does with no hesitation whatsoever. After that Wilbur proceeds to place down one single block of TNT in a corner and Ranboo starts being a little more hesitant.

"You trust me right?" (I feel like that was a trick question considering how their common paranoia is the thing that Wilbur praised in Ranboo before)

Wilbur hands Ranboo the flint and steel to detonate the piece of TNT which Ranboo does, albeit with some hesitation.

"You passed the test, good job man, you go back to the van (...) Ranboo- Ranboo... I'm proud of you man. You've taken a side, you've proven that you can choose a side"

Quite a few people have already pointed out how similar this scene was to the time Wilbur tested Tommy in season 1 to decide if he was fit to be his right-hand man. In both situations, Wilbur gave someone a chance to cause some destruction against someone on the opposite side. Tommy passed the test by refusing to do so and showing that he was willing to uphold his morals and what he believed in. Ranboo passed the test by doing the exact opposite, by showing that, as much as he talks about how he chooses people and not sides, he's not willing to prove that even when all he would need to do to do so is doing nothing.

And it's an interesting scene to analyze as a parallel to that, but it's also interesting to note that Wilbur knows about Ranboo and Tommy griefing George together. He knows that Tommy was the only one to face any consequences for it (not that exile was actually the consequence for the griefing, but this is from Wilbur's point of view). Now putting this in the context of Wilbur seeing himself in Ranboo and thinking that he himself got off scot-free explains this next part perfectly in my opinion.

It explains why he made sure to leave this sign:

To me at least. This is only a theory honestly, we don't have an actual full explanation. But I do think that Wilbur may feel like the both of them never got the comeuppance they deserved, which is why he did something that's sure to get a reaction from one of the most powerful people on the server. Though considering that he also left 2 diamonds as retribution + a chest with all the materials he picked up it could have also been Wilbur's idea of a bonding moment and he could actually really be proud of Ranboo.

[dragon-kazansky]

Til death do us part | Helmut Zemo

Bodyguard AU! 🕶

Gender neutral reader

Collage by @realremyd

[Previous chapter] - [Next chapter]

Part 10

The very day the rest of the guards that Steve had contacted arrived. He gathered them for a meeting to brief them on the job. He was worried about the group that had taken you out of action for a while.

You had begun to suspect that Zemo knew exactly who they were and what they wanted, but he hadn't informed you about them at all. Since it wasn't deemed important enough for you to know, you didn't ask.

You had been excused from Zemo's side, reluctantly for him, to join Steve and Bucky outside.

The boys were stood with their hands behind the back watching the new lot get used to the grounds. It was important they knew their way around.

You came up beside Steve.

"Morning."

"Morning, Y/N," he smiles.

"How is it being Zemo's personal bodyguard?" Bucky asks.

You chuckle. "So far so good. No issues to report."

"And in the romance department?" Bucky asks, grinning like a fool.

"Non existent, Buck. Don't be silly," you scold him.

Steve is smiling.

"Not you too, Rogers."

"I'm sorry, Y/N, but I think Bucky is right. I honestly believe the Baron may have feelings for you."

"Why would he? He hated me when we met."

"You saved his life," Bucky reminds you, "that is plenty enough to change a point of view on someone."

You sigh.

"I suppose."

You knew it was probably true just from the way he had been treating you. You felt less like a bodyguard and more like a guest. Even you could tell he was reaching for any excuse to keep you near him.

You would just go back to being the professional you were and decline politely, having excuses of your own to do other things.

He was your boss.

"Nothing is going to happen, so no point in bringing it up any more," you tell them.

"You sound so sure of that," Bucky says.

"Because I am."

Neither one of them mentions it further. The new group finish their tour of the outside grounds, and it's here you decide to go back inside, leaving Steve and Bucky to show them the rest.

Bucky watches you go, feeling bad about teasing you, but also not because he knows it's true.

You pass Natasha on tour way back inside.

"Can I join you?" She asks.

"I don't see why not," you chuckle.

The pair of you walk in perfect sync as you head upstairs. The house is quiet as you walk your usual route.

"Are you not scared they'll come back?" She asks, looking at you from the corner of her eye. Natasha had been worried sick after you were rushed off to hospital. There hadn't been much word about your status until they all got back to the hotel. She was scared it was going to end badly.

Then they heard you were stable and she let out the biggest sigh of relief. It painted them that they couldn't all come and visit you, but Steve assured them you were on the mend.

You sigh softly.

"Honestly, yes."

Natasha didn't miss the way you reached u pro your shoulder for just a moment. Obviously it bothered you everytime that day was mentioned.

"But in here to do a job and I'll do it again if i have to. My life for his."

"It's a reckless job, isn't it?"

You smile softly. "Yes, it is, but it is also the most rewarding. We are duty bound to protect someone and I did just that."

She smiles.

"And I'm sure you'll be rewarded handsomely for it too."

You narrow you eyes at her, lips tugging into a frown.

"What do you mean by that?"

She laughs a little. "The Baron fancies you, perhaps your reward is, well, him."

"You too? Natasha, no! I just told Steve and Bucky off for this. Even if he does like me, I won't peruse it. I'm here to do a job, Natasha. He trusts me with his life."

"Maybe he just wants to keep you close to him."

"You're being ridiculous," you sigh.

The pair of you reach Zemo's office. You stop outside and turn to your dear friend.

"Trust me, nothing is going to happen here."

She looks sceptical, but Natasha doesn't say anything and just nods once. She gestures to the door and leaves silently.

You hold your head up high and knock on the door.

"Come in."

You open the door and enter. The door closes gently behind you, and then you make your way over to the Baron to stand behind him.

You ignore the way he watches you do so. You can feel his eyes on you as you pass him.

Helmut hides his smile as he looks back down at his work. He was glad you were here. He had missed your presence in the room. You had this calming affect for him and he noticed it greatly when you were gone.

He hadn't got very far with his work. For every time you leave him, his mind lingers on you. He wonders what you'll do, where you'll go, if you think of him as he does you.

Whenever he thought about that last part, his heart was skip a beat.

Zemo's thoughts came to a halt when another knock sounded at his door. He gave them permission to enter.

A maid enters. One you've seen around the estate. She is carrying a tray with a tea set on it. The maid approaches the desk and places the tray down. Helmut thanks her quietly and she then excuses herself.

Helmut pours himself a cup.

You admire the little tea set. It's all matching. All made from china. White with flowers painted onto them in an intricate design. Simple, yet classy.

Too busy admiring the teacups, you only just realise he is pouring another cup.

"Sit."

You glance at him quickly. He was obviously talking to you as you were the only other person in the room. Not wanting to argue with him, you take a seat opposite him, all while keeping your wits about you just in case.

Helmut places the other teacup in front of you. You stare at it.

"For you," he chuckles softly.

"Um, thank you, sir."

You accept it. You sip the hot contents of the cup and hum softly. It was very nice. You hide your smile behind your cup, hoping he wasn't looking at you right now.

Problem is, he is always looking at you when you're within his eyeline.

"How did you get into this line of work?" He asks, desperate to get you to open up to him. He wanted to know about you, hear you say more than a few words to him.

"Steve Rogers is a dear friend of mine. He was looking for recruits back when the agency was just starting. I told him I was interested, but I had no training. He assured me that was alright and introduced me to Natasha. She became my mentor. Everything I know, I learned from Nat. Within the first month of my employment, I received my first assignment. I've been a bodyguard ever since."

He smiled. This was progress. You were opening up to him and he was happy.

"Then I should thank Mr. Rogers and Miss. Romanoff," he says, smiling softly.

"Thank them?"

"If not for them, I wouldn't have such a hard working and efficient bodyguard."

"With all due respect, sir, you didn't think that way when we met."

His smile fades. Of course you wouldn't forget about that. First impressions are important and he had ruined it by thinking lesser of you.

You must really hate him for that.

Perhaps he didn't stand a chance with you after all.

"Yes, well, opinions can change," he said, lowering his cup onto it's saucer on the desk.

"Your opinion changed because I took a dee bullets for you. Your opinion changed because I did my job and saved your life."

Normally you would never talk back to your employer, but you wanted him to know how he made you feel.

"I apologise."

"Apologies are unnecessary when I'm doing my duty," you tell him.

"Do you ever not think of your duty?"

"No. When I'm working, all there is to think about is the job."

Helmut looks at you with a longing gaze, not that you see it as such.

"Are you happy?" He asks. The question startles you.

"Happy?"

"Happy doing your duty? Happy putting your life before others. Do you not think your life as important compares to those you serve and protect?"

You stare at him blankly.

"My purpose is to put my life before others. I do what I do because I'm good at it. It is my job to put myself before others in dangerous situations. I wouldn't want to do anything else. I'm here to keep you safe, sir."

Silence falls between you.

All you think about your job and for some reason he hates that fact. Right here in front of him, you aren't your own person, you're someone who lay down their life for whoever employs them.

Once upon a time he had happily felt the same, laying down his life for his country, but things changed. He changed.

"Anything you want, just say the word and I'll get it for you. I want you to be happy in my home."

Our home. He wanted to say our home, but that felt far too personal, even of you were living here now.

You put your cup down and stand up.

"If you'll excuse me, sir, I have to make my rounds."

You leave before he can say anything.

Helmut stares at your half empty teacup. He sighs. The most you had ever said to him, and he had only managed to upset you further. Judging by the way you left, he may have offended you.

His heart was going crazy.

"Why must romance be so difficult?" He sighed, sitting back in his chair.

He just wanted to know you. What a fool he was.

Sitting there in silence, he made a silent promise to make it up to you. He had a mission of his own now.

Helmut Zemo had accepted that he liked you, and now he just had to win you over. He would start tomorrow, when the day was fresh and today could be forgotten.

He was going to show you who he was underneath the title of Baron.

Helmut Zemo was going to win over your heart.

@thesuitkovian @justfangirlthingies @belle82devart @zemosimp420 @anteroom-of-death @silverlambcaptain @that-stupid-head-tilt-thing @lieutenantn @daniielbruhl @awesomesauce-abbie @latenightartist-author @lazygurl05 @rumblelibrary @nonamec0s @shura-gorl @ginger-abreu @caligrl1992 @livvyshmiv @luciadiosa @vverliebt @tatooineisdry @charistory @somethingthatsaysbubbles @apparrio @alex-the-nb @thewrongkhristol @hb8301 @the-chaotic-cow @mssennimatilda @uncomfortablebagel @fictionlandslanddreams

[wandas-sunshine]

Hi, sweetie! Congrats on 1k!! I love your writing <3

Sooo for this ship thing (I've never done this before and English isn't my first language, sorry if I get something wrong!)

Rosie (she/her)

Straight

I'm pretty shy

I'm really into fashion

I speak spanish, italian and english

I'd like a romantic ship and scenario number 3, if that's okay!

Thank you and congrats again! <3

Thank you sweetheart! Hope you enjoy!

I ship you with Tony Stark

Tony didn't expect to click with someone shy and reserved, but meeting you would shake up his entire way of looking at the world. He wouldn't ever force you out of your shell, I think if anything he would be careful not to force you into uncomfortable situations.

First Kiss:

Dating Tony was an experience, and that was putting it lightly. He was a lot to handle at any given point, even when you had been nothing but a barista at the coffee shop that he always had his coffee picked up from.

He was a flirt, loud and boisterous, and entirely taken with the way you were so shy. Even as you two grew closer and fell for one another properly, you had a hard time opening up to him and not finding yourself struck speechless by his bold personality.

He worked hard to make sure you felt safe with him. That was hard enough for him considering that simply being around him, being close with the billionaire, meant that you were putting yourself in harm's way. But he did what he could, shielded your face from the media and avoided talking about you as anything more than a friend. He even kept the affections behind closed doors.

But the both of you could only keep that up for so long. It was a big event, a charity fashion show that Tony had been invited to. You hadn't said anything about going, but he would have been a fool to think you wouldn't want to be there.

So he had bought you the nicest dress he could find, having it delivered to you. And he couldn't have imagined you looking as good as you did, even being himself he was stunned by how he had gotten someone like you.

The night was in full swing, he chatted over glasses of wine and whiskey with people from around the world. You smiled and nodded, shying away from questions as much as possible. But you were on Tony Stark's arm at one of the biggest fashion events of the year, so it was hard to keep your feet on the ground.

The show itself was over, and everyone was mingling. You had excused yourself quietly, telling Tony that you needed some air and finding your way outside. The grounds of the estate the show was being held in were sprawling, perfectly manicured lawns cut by ling, smooth walkways. There were all sort of flowers, and the summer night was accented by the sweet floral scents.

You found a bench, sitting yourself down far enough out that the likelihood of being interrupted was very low. You sipped your champagne, enjoying the warm breeze and the moon sitting high in the sky that made the silver of your dress twinkle. You enjoyed the solitude of it, closing your eyes only to nearly jump out of your skin at the sound of a voice beside you.

"I thought I'd never find you. What's the point in outshining the models if nobody sees you?" Tony mused aloud, sitting beside you. You laughed, cheeks flushing with a warm blush as you turned to look at him.

"You flatter me too much. But I appreciate the compliment." You mumbled with a smile that regularly swept him off his feet.

"It's not really flattery if I mean it." He argued, reaching up to brush his thumb against your cheek. It made your heart lurch in your chest as he moved to cup your jaw. "And I do mean it."

You lifted your gaze to his, swallowing as you caught a glimpse of the pure adoration swirling in his eyes. He had been looking at you that way from the moment the two of you met, but you had always been oblivious to it.

"Rosie?" You hummed in response to him saying your name. "I'm gonna kiss you."

There was barely a moment between the warning and his lips landing against yours. Your brain felt like it was moving through honey as you tried to kiss him back, your reaction time slow. But soon enough your lips were moving against one another nice and slow.

It wasn't the type of kiss you would have expected from him, but it was perfect. His tongue teased against your bottom lip, and they parted just enough to invite him in. He tasted spicy and warm like the whiskey he had been sipping at all night, and it was a good taste even if you didn't particularly like whiskey.

Soon enough he pulled away, moving his thumb to run along your bottom lip.

"I might need to do that again." He confessed. You felt the heat rise through you, a rush of embarrassment mixed with the intoxicating excitement as you nodded.

"Yeah, we could do that again." You agreed. And you decided then and there that you would make sure that that happened many many more times by the end of the night.

[shezzaspeare]

Pilot/Episode 1: Patching Things Up With Pastiche & Fanfiction

Hi, hello, and the wait is finally over! My name is Blessie, and welcome to the first episode webisode log installation I've decided to call these things an episode for now because why not also let me know what do you actually call these things episode of The Science of Fanfiction, where we take a closer look into our beloved works of fanon because we've all got plenty of time to spare till Season 5. Before I continue, I would like to thank everyone who's liked and reblogged the last few posts before this one. It means a lot for a small and growing Tumblr user like me, and your support is something I cherish more than my modules. You guys rock!

Anyways, like with most things, we have to talk about the boring and bland stuff before we proceed with the fun stuff. For today, we are going to settle the difference between a couple of things: first being the confusion between pastiche and fanfiction; then the distinctions between tropes, clichés, and stereotypes, which we'll tackle the next time. It's important for us to establish their true meanings in order for us to really understand what fanfiction truly is, even if it's merely just a work done for the fandom. I know – it's boring, it's something that shouldn't be expounded that much, but I believe that all forms of writing (unless it's plagiarised) is a work of art — and fanfiction is not something we always talk about. I hope that by the end of this, you'll learn about what they really are as much as I did. Let's begin to talk about the—

[Image ID: A flashback of John (left) and Sherlock (right) finding an elephant (not in the screen) in a room in The Sign of Three. End ID]

. . . I did say that this GIF will always have to make an appearance here, didn't I?

So, just as with Sherlock Holmes, all other works of fiction have their own pastiches and fanfiction, and many more original works out there have taken inspiration from them to create their own books. Although they've gained popular attention, this will not be possible if they did not have taken inspiration from the materials their writers had at the time.

[Image ID: Various actors as Dracula. Jeremy Brett in 'Dracula' (1978) (upper left), Adam Sandler in a voice role for 'Hotel Transylvania' (2012) (upper right), Gary Oldman in 'Dracula' (1992) (lower left), and Bela Lugosi in 'Dracula' (1933) (lower right). End ID]

For instance, Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' (the second most adapted literary character, next to the consulting detective himself) has been portrayed on the screen over 200 times — from Gary Oldman to Adam Sandler — and has spawned off numerous books and pastiches of its own such as Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot'. Its cultural impact served as a basis of how we see vampires today, since some characteristics of the Count were made by Stoker himself. Stoker's creation is the brainchild of his predecessors and inspirations.

[Image ID: Vlad the Impaler (left) and a book cover of 'Carmilla' by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (right). End ID]

Other than the ongoing hysteria over dead back then and the existing vampire folklore, Stoker also took his inspirations from the published books on vampires he had at hand. He is said to have taken inspiration from Vlad the Impaler, a Romanian national hero known allegedly for having impalement as his favourite method of torture. He is also said to have been inspired by the J. Sheridan Le Fanu's 'Carmilla', a Gothic lesbian vampire novella that predates Dracula by 26 years. I could go on, but hey, we're going back to Sherlock Holmes now before I deviate any further. However, if you want to know about Dracula's literary origins, I suggest you watch Ted-ED's videos about the subject matter such as this one or this one.

Very much like Stoker, ACD didn't just conceive Holmes on his own. He took his own inspirations from what he had available at the time.

[Image ID: Dr Joseph Bell (left) and Edgar Allan Poe (right). End ID]

As we all know, ACD's biggest inspiration for Sherlock Holmes was one of his teachers at the Edinburgh University, Joseph Bell. He was famous for his powers of deduction, and he was also interested in forensic science — both characteristics which Holmes is greatly known for. He also drew inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe's sleuth, C. Auguste Dupin ('The Purloined Letter' & 'Murders in Rue Morgue'). As ACD himself has said at the 1909 Poe Centennial Dinner: "Where was the detective story until Poe breathed life into it?" Some other writers he took after are Wilkie Collins, Émile Gaboriau, and Oscar Wilde.

Now, what does this say about us Sherlockians/Holmesians (depending if you're the coloniser or the one that was colonised)? Basically, ACD laid the groundwork for us with Sherlock Holmes: his humble abode 221B that he shares with his flatmate Dr. John Watson, his adventures, memoirs, return, casebook, last vow, and all that. Now that we have this material at hand, we can now make our own versions, takes, or even original stories featuring the characters of the Canon. Our inspiration comes from ACD's Sherlock Holmes, and we now get the chance to make our very own stories/conspiracy theories about them.

As I have mentioned earlier, Sherlock Holmes is the most adapted literary character in history. He has been adapted in over 200 films, more than 750 radio adaptations, a ballet, 2 musicals; and he's become a mouse, a woman, a dog, even a bloody cucumber. On top of all that are numerous pastiches and fanfics, and finally, we have arrived at the main topic of our post!

Fanfiction and pastiche are often confused together since they have three common elements: they take after the original work, they usually use the characters in that original work, and more often than not do are they set in that same time frame/period or not long after that. The common misconception is that pastiche are printed fanfiction, which is only partly true. While pastiche is definitely fanfiction in some ways and vice versa, there are fanfictions out there that aren't necessarily classified as pastiche that have been published.

Let's get on with our definition of terms to clear up the confusion a little more. Pastiche, according to Literary Terms, is:

. . . a creative work that imitates another author or genre. It’s a way of paying respect, or honor, to great works of the past. Pastiche differs from parody in that pastiche isn’t making fun of the works it imitates – however, the tone of pastiche is often humorous.

A good example of a pastiche is Sophie Hannah's 'The Monogram Murders', which is her take from Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot.

[Image ID: A book cover of 'The Monogram Murders' by Sophie Hannah. End ID.]

Although this was a commission from Christie's estate, it's still considered as a pastiche as:

It's takes after Christie's writing style;

It is set in the early years of Poirot's career (1929), which is still within the time frame that the author wrote him in;

It features Poirot and;

It pays respect to Christie in a sense that it stays true to her (Christie) characters and way of storytelling.

Meanwhile, our good and slightly unreliable friend Wikipedia defines fanfiction as:

. . . is fictional writing written by fans, commonly of an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, settings, or other intellectual property from the original creator(s) as a basis for their writing. [It] ranges from a couple of sentences to an entire novel, and fans can both keep the creator's characters and settings and/or add their own. [ . . . ] [It] can be based on any fictional (and sometimes non-fictional) subject. Common bases for fanfiction include novels, movies, bands, and video games.

To avoid any copyright infringement issues if I ever use a popular fanfic in the fandom, we'll use my (unfinished and unpopular) Sherlock Wattpad fic, 'Play Pretend'. You can read it here.

[Image ID: The second self-made book cover of Blessie/shezzaspeare's 'Play Pretend'. End ID]

Why is it considered a fanfiction and not a pastiche?

It takes after an adaptation of Sherlock Holmes (BBC Sherlock) which is a TV show, not the ACD canon itself;

The author (in this case myself) uses her own writing style and does not take after the original story's style;

Although it is set well in modern-day London and after Season 4, it also features scenes decades before the actual fanfic is set and outside of London;

I added a considerable number of characters, i.e. siblings to canon characters;

I had my own take some of the canon characters' personality especially after the events of Sherrinford;

It is written by a fan – myself. It is a work of fan labour and;

It is only a work of fanon, and isn't likely going to be considered by the show as its writing style is different from the actual show.

To put it simply, you can have more freedom in a fanfiction as it does not necessarily restrict you to follow or take after the original stories. Alternate universes (AUs) such as Unilock and Teenlock are perfect examples of this thing.

So can a pastiche be classified as fanfiction? Yes.

Can a fanfiction be classified as pastiche? Not all the time.

What's the difference? While yes, they share the basics, pastiche is technically leans more onto the original work's fundamental elements whereas fanfiction is a broader range of works inspired by the original work but doesn't necessarily follow all or any of its fundamental elements.

In order for us to understand it more, I'll give another example.

[Image ID: The 'Enola Holmes' title card (upper left) and Henry Cavill as its Sherlock holmes (upper right). Underneath it is a a scene from the opening titles of BBC Sherlock (lower left) and Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in A Scandal In Belgravia. (lower right) End ID]

Most of you are familiar with these 21st-century adaptations of Holmes: the 2020 adaptation of Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes books and BBC Sherlock, which needs no further explanation – but for those who don't know, it's basically Holmes and the gang if they were alive today. I specifically chose these two as they are the ones that I believe would get my points across best. Though both are considered as wonderful pastiches with a well-rounded cast and awesome visuals, if we break them down bit by bit, we'll see which one is more of a pastiche and which one is more of a fanfic. (Yes, I know they're both screen adaptations. However, as Enola Holmes was based on the books and BBC Sherlock's fanfiction has the show's scenes written out in most fanfics, hear me out.)

They share these characteristics of a pastiche:

They feature characters from the Canon (Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, and Lestrade);

They have additional characters added by the writers (Including but not limited to Molly Hooper, Eurus Holmes, and Philip Anderson for BBC Sherlock while Enola Holmes has Lord Tewkesbury, Eudoria Holmes, and Enola herself) and;

They pay respect to the original Canon as their stories are based on the cases (BBC Sherlock) or simply what was going on around them (Enola Holmes).

They also share these characteristics of a fanfic:

They are made by enthusiasts of Sherlock Holmes (Moffat has called himself and Mark Gatiss 'Sherlock Holmes geeks', while Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes books are not just one or two but six);

They follow a common trope (we'll discuss these tropes in the following episodes) that goes on in the fandom (Sherlock's Sister & Modern AU)

They are based on a fictional subject (Sherlock Holmes);

They used characters and story elements that are copyrighted by the author/author's estate (fun fact: prior to the production of Enola Holmes, the Conan Doyle Estate filed a lawsuit against Springer & Netflix over Sherlock's emotions since he was more 'sympathetic' than he was portrayed in the Canon – this was later dismissed by both parties) and;

Their writing styles don't necessarily follow ACD's.

Despite these similarities, there are very obvious differences between the two that separates them from being a pastiche and a fanfiction.

Enola Holmes embodies pastiche more as it doesn't stray far away from the original elements of the Canon. It's still set in Victorian England. While Springer added characters of her own and definitely twisted the Canon to suit her series, she didn't necessarily place them out of the social construct that was going on around the characters. It follows ACD's writing style more as Enola Holmes' setting still remains within the Canon's original setting.

Meanwhile, we can safely say that BBC Sherlock is a work of fanfiction. While it did give us The Abominable Bride, the main series focused on Holmes and Watson in 21st-century England, which is drastically different from Victorian England. There are phones, black cabs, and cellphones — things which ACD Sherlock Holmes doesn't have. It also diverted from the Canon in the characters themselves, which is mostly seen in the names: Henry Baskerville became Henry Knight, Charles Augustus Milverton became Charles Augustus Magnussen, the H in Dr Watson's name stood for Hamish and Sherlock's full name is actually William Sherlock Scott Holmes. They also changed the personalities of some Canon characters: Mary was actually an ex-assassin, Mrs Hudson was an exotic dancer who drove a kick-ass sports car, Irene Adler is a dominatrix, to name a few. Moffat and Gatiss created a world of their own featuring the characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which is really what most of us fanfic writers do with Mofftiss' rendition of Holmes.

In conclusion: while pastiche and fanfiction could have been the same thing, they're actually not. There's more to them that just printed fanfiction or pastiche e-books, and we all should take some time to see and observe them in a closer perspective.

And that's it for our first episode! I hope you enjoyed it. It was a lot fun for me to write this, especially now that I'm only starting. I would also like to note that while intensive research has been done on this series, some parts of this comes from my own observation and opinion, which may vary from yours. I am very much open to criticism, as long as it is said in a polite and civil manner. I'm still young, and to be educated as I go is something that could really help me with this series.

Like and reblog this you like it. It helps out a lot. Be sure to follow me as well and the tags underneath if you want to see more of TSoF.

See you soon!

Blessie presents – The Science of Fanfiction: A Study In Sherlock (2021) • Next

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SOURCES • Pinterest, Google Images, Wikipedia, Literary Terms, Conan Doyle Estate, Definitions, The Sherlock Holmes Book, and Google

[needleanddead]

I know you’ve talked about Van being capable of love but could Cass? Or is he doomed to think of people as either useful models or pointless forever?

i feel like i've answered a similar question before but it might have gotten lost in my pruning of blog so . . .

Cass, at heart, is incredibly self-centred. He thinks of people as either 'useful' - those are people with connections, people who can help him with his problems, or indeed people who might make good models - or 'very much not so'. Nobody has ever really, honestly, truly cared about him - his father was only interested in him after his talent made itself known, and his mother always felt a little tied down by having a son. Other people, too, only really became interested in Cass when it became obvious that he had something to give.

The biggest way to make Cass like you is to be useful to him. But I think the biggest way to make Cass love you is to look past everything he covers himself in - this whole dissolute dandy persona - and see what he needs. Honestly, what I think Cass needs is stability. Someone who isn't going to abandon him. He's never had a real 'home' - he spent his childhood hopping from hotel to hotel - which is why he's so attached to the estate even though it's literally rotting out from underneath him. He can't take care of himself because he never learnt how to. He's rakish and don't-careish now because he wants to keep himself in control; people can't leave you and make you feel worthless if you do it to them first.

Chances are you'd have to be his model first, because they're really the only people who see the unhinged real Cass beneath his carefully cultivated guise, but . . . yes. I think he could be capable of love. I don't think he'd be any less dangerous in love - that's likely to unlock a desperate Cass afraid of being left as he has been before - but . . . I think you could "Fix" him. (As always, an extra bonus to 'being able to fix and love Cass' goes to artists, people he might be able to empathise with, masochists, and people who might be able to help him with his little demon problem . . . because chances are if he stopped killing and sacrificing so much because he's found love, the demon his deal is with is going to try and bring an end to the bargain forcefully to get something out of it).

[littlemisssquiggles]

I've been reading through your latest post about Mistral starting the Second Great War of Remnant and something immediately jumped into my mind. There is a theory floating around that Cinder might be a descendant of the Mistralean (?) royalty and that her ultimate goal is to restore her family's empire. I am considering to make a post about that myself, but for now, I just wanted to know: what do you think of Cinder being part of the former Mistralean royal family?

Hello again Mizu. Well to be honest, this is my first time hearing about thistheory for CinderFall. When I think about it, it could be apossibility in a sense when I look at Cinder’s fairy tale inspiration. Cinderella was originally a young girl who was treated as a slave byher wicked stepmother and stepsisters who eventually married into royalty whenshe fell in love with the prince of her story.

Cinder being of Mistralian or Mistrali royalty could actually fit. Perhaps Cinder Fall had a Sophia theFirst kind of experience as a child where shewas the daughter of someone whomarried into royalty but was mistreated by her new royalfamily who never fully accepted her in. 

For the sake of this theory, let’s say:

Cinder was once poor living with herfather in the slums of Mistral. In the beginning, Cinder used to be a rathercompassionate person who cared a lot for her father. Her father wasn’t awell-man and mostly depended on Cinder to care for him. Not that she minded.But things changed after her father met and married the daughter of a Mistraliaristocrat. 

After the wedding, Cinder and her father moved out of their oldhome and into the lap of luxury. A feat which made Cinder happy since she usedto pray that one day her luck would change since she used to believe that herdestiny was to die poor. But after her father’s new marriage, she figuredthings were finally beginning to work in her favour.

Unfortunately Cinder was wrong. Let’s say Cinder’s new royal stepmotherdidn’t like her very much. She used to treat Cinder like garbage and made hernew life miserable when the poor girl expected things to be better. ThoughCinder tried to warn her father about her stepmother’s mistreatment of her, toCinder’s dismay, the stepmother basically turned her own father against herwith him often taking his new wife’s side over his own daughter’s. 

To makematters worse, the stepmother also had two other spoiled children who wouldalso take turns abusing Cinder; ridiculing her on a daily basis emotionally andat times, even physically. Despite living in a castle as the daughter of theclosest thing to Mistrali royalty, instead of feeling like a princess andliving the happily ever after she always dreamed of having, Cinder’s dreams were turned to nightmares by the hands of her so-called new family. 

To make a long storyshort, at some point, let’s say…Cinder’s father winds up passing away but during their marriage, the father had acquired his own status to the point thathe owned some form of royal privilege despite coming from rags. Basically thefather passed and left his share of the estate to Cinder as she was his onlychild. Basically Cinder was to take her father’s place and inherit his status and all of its perks.

Let’ssay, for the sake of this headcanon of mine, that Cinder’s father used to be amember of the Mistral Council who governed the kingdom.

Perhaps Cinder’s father was once alower-class man who married into wealth and then used his newfound status to join the political side of things beforeworking his way up to becoming a member of the Mistral Council. Almost like a Jacques Schnee type of scenario only that Cinder’s father was actually a good man.

And after hisdeath, it was originally believed that his daughter would take his placehowever that authority was stripped out of Cinder’s hands by her wickedstepmother.

Angered by the fact that her latehusband would give his seat to Cinder rather than one of her daughters, thisled to the stepmother increasing her abuse on Cinder to the point that she even tried tokill Cinder. Possibly by drowning her. Pushing her into the depth of raging sea waters on the outskirts of the kingdom in the hopes that her corpse would never be found due to the tide.

But unbeknownst to the stepmother, Cinder survived like she alwaysdoes and after washing up ashore somewhere far from home, that’s when Cinderwas discovered by Salem…or rather someone who would eventually take her toSalem.

And the rest, from there is history.

If the CRWBY Writers decided to playaround with something like this for Cinder’s story then cool. But up until thispoint in the main series narrative, there hasn’t really been much of anything totie Cinder to originally coming from royalty. If anything Cinder’s story couldeasily be one where she came from poverty, mistreated by an abusive family thatmade her feel helpless and afraid, thus fuelling her desire to become someonepowerful enough to strike fear into the hearts of her enemies.

Cinder doesn’t necessarily need to haveroyal roots to desire to acquire an empire. Heck you can even say that royalty isone of the perks of being powerful. Even if you are on the wealthiest people inthe world, money becomes practically invaluable when in the face of a beingwith abilities grandiose in nature. If the series Empire has taught me onething—it ain’t about the money. It’s about the power. Power over money.

And power is something that Cinderdesires most of all. So I guess my actual answer to this would be that I don’t mindthe Cinder being connected to Mistrali royalty theory. 

I just need moreclarification from the show in the form of Cinder’s actual backstory. That’ssomething I’m still waiting for the showrunners to delve into to shed morelight on where Cinder came from. If Cinder’s past sheds light on what othershave speculated with royal roots rooted in the government of Mistral thenkudos.

But for now, this squiggle meister isgoing to stick with the Cinder theory she’s always had. That Cinder, similar toMercury, was once a meek young woman who came from an abusive family whotreated her like garbage and made her to feel powerless in a world where power meant everything. Thus from that abusebirthed a megalomaniac with an insatiable hunger to gain the power toturn the tides in her favour. 

To transform this formerly feeble young girl intoan intimidating goddess among men feared by all who dared stand before her. Andthis young girl soon became the perfect target for her insecurities and innerdesires to be preyed upon and coaxed by a wicked witch, playing Fairy godmotherto said child, turning her into her an apprentice.

I’m going to stick with all thetheories I’ve shared on Cinder thus far, including my newest one about herbecoming the Red Queen—replacing Salem as the Masterof Grimm after finally giving into her Grimmhalf and becoming the first ever Grimm-human hybrid. A Grimmoire as a dubbed it.Half human, half Geist Grimm with the abilitiy to take possession of other human’s bodies and steal their form. I even gave a small hunch about Grimmoire Cinder stealing Neo’s body after fully-realizing her Grimm powers following another crushing defeat by our heroes.

I know the Neo-stans aren’t going to like that at all but…seriously, what are the Writers going to do with Neo after V7? If Neo doesn’t AT LEAST get a happy ending (y’know becoming the General Jingur of the RWBY-verse so we can have another Marvelous Land of Oz character for Atlas with her ultimately settling down and marrying Henry Marigold) then…what are they gonna do with her after Atlas?

Anyways upon her ascension into Red Queenstatus, Cinder will move onto fulfill her destiny of becoming the biggestthreat in Remnant history by acquiring control of Salem’s former Grimm army aswell as the armies of Mistral and Mantle who, under her influence, spark another Great War in Remnant; repeating history as they try to conquer Vacuo and Vale following the Fall of Atlas. 

To further her ascent, Cinder would evengrow powerful enough to fully dethrone Salem, stripping her of all her magicalpower in a time when she’s most vulnerable before setting her sites on higherpowers—the remaining Relics so that Cinder may repeat the same attempt thatSalem did years ago.

To challenge the Brother Gods butunlike Salem who desired revenge against the Gods, Cinder’s aspiration would beto kill the Gods so that in the end, only she would stand as the most powerfulbeing in all of Remnant—more powerful than Salem and more powerful than  the Gods themselves.

This is the path I see Cinder going. It’sa destructive path but it’s one that I personally see fitting of the type ofcharacter Cinder had been portrayed to be. 

Now this is only plausible if Cinderis destined to survive past another season. I’m waiting to see how V7 shapes up since I’m still on the fence about whether or not Cinder has a bigger role toplace in RWBY or if she’ll end up being killed off in the same manner as AdamTaurus in V6. 

For now, that’s my take on it. Hope this answers your question Mizu.

~LittleMissSquiggles(2019)