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queerb · 2 years

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ALLLLLL of those obscure asks for the Time Squad!! You can divvy them out how you want, not necessarily like “answer every single one for every single character”!

HEY WHAT'S UP I'M A WEEK LATE ON THIS because of laziness and that internet debacle that took three goddamn days to fix. I refuse to let this be another ask that dies in my inbox 🤧 Though I did omit a couple of questions for my brain's sake. Answers under the cut!

What convenience store food would be their go-to at a 7-11 (Fantasy or otherwise)?

I just get this distinct image of Mochi dragging Aria into a 7-11 and leaving with about fifty bucks (zeni?) worth of candy, coffee, and snack cakes. She eats it all in the car while Aria continues to wonder what the hell is wrong with majin.

Who is their drinking buddy? If they don’t drink, which drunk friend would they watch over?

These are OC questions so I'm leaving out Those Two (but I feel like you know what side they'd fall on) so here's the list of who's drinking/who's mom-friending:

Avon has the highest alcohol tolerance on the team, she's pounding back drinks while encouraging bad ideas.

Shiva pregames and ends up passed out by the end of the night, either stays glued to Avon's side or gets lost somewhere.

Mochi mixes drinks, slowly phasing out the alcohol as the night goes on. She never drinks a drop herself.

Jicama maybe has one glass of something, but hardly ever finishes it. She's keeping a close eye on her friends.

Aria can be pressured into taking a single shot, and then he's done for the night. He prefers to sit back and watch the fireworks. Don't tell anyone, but he's a lightweight.

Cola cuts herself off before she gets drunk so she can stay some semblance of responsible.

Carina is underage, but thoroughly enjoys watching her friends and mentors make asses of themselves. Shiva will be the ~cool uncle~ and offer her a sip of his beer.

The Cosmo siblings are also underage (though Capella is 19 and that's a little eh depending on the country, she might be fine) and are probably chilling with Carina to the side of the party.

Who would be their go-to character in Clue?

Clue seems like a Cola thing, and I think she'd be partial to Mrs. Peacock. Unrelated, but she wipes the floor with everyone when they play. She's the kind to win a board game in the first five minutes and leave everyone else vying for 2nd place.

If they ever had to go to college, what major would they pick?

As canon in the Punk!AU, Mochi would major in engineering with a minor in business management. I decided if I did an actual College!AU, Avon would major in architecture.

Do they have a signature color(s)?

Avon: purple, orange, light green

Shiva: gold, bright blue

Jicama: cornflower blue, white

Cola: red, blue, bronze

Mochi: pink, purple, white

Aria: black, orange

Carina: pink, red, black

The Cosmo siblings all have indigo and gold. In addition, Capella has white, Cano has red, and Etta has black.

What would be their favorite vine?

Shiva sends that vine of the guys singing Rolling In The Deep in their bathroom to the groupchat with the caption "me and the homies." Aria really likes the "caterpillar rave!" vine.

If they had a social media account, what would it be about?

Ahhh, I wrote this out once but I can't remember if I still have it saved. I know I made that post about some of their Youtube channels once, and that still holds up. I know Capella is really into whatever the DB universe version of Instagram is. Her account is almost all selfies and #blessed captions.

Who would they invite to be their best man/maid of honor at their wedding?

This question's harder because I don't have a traditional view on weddings, therefore most of my characters don't either. So I'm gonna be a little shit and skip it and the question that follows up on it 😂

What would be the title of their sex tape/mixtape?

WHY are we grouping sex tape and mix tape together??? Those are two very different things??? Anyway in both cases Shiva's is called Silver Tongue.

If there was no prejudice, what time period/place would they love to visit?

Well, they're all time travellers. I was gonna say Cola would like to go back to prehistoric times, but dinosaurs exist in modern day Dragon Ball soooo. Jicama would be curious about Earth's Victorian era before she saw how dirty it was. Avon would probably like to see some of the Old West! RDR crossover anyone?

What three words would they use to describe themself?

Sticking to Aria on this one: "sad but growing."

What three words would their friends/family use to describe them?

Mochi would describe Aria as, quite simply, "my best friend!"

What nicknames do they have? Any particular stories behind them?

Aside from shortened versions of their names, I don't think any of them actually have nicknames?

Do they consider themself a good person? Why or why not?

Shiva definitely doesn't. He'd tried his damndest to leave his past as Helsius behind. Then when that didn't work, tried to squash it back down and take care of the problem himself. That didn't go well, blah blah blah, and now even though everything's in the light and his friends still love him, he's still internally really hard on himself.

If they were a cryptid, what would they be?

Carina gives me Flatwoods Monster vibes, for some reason.

What would they tell their ten year old self?

Oh god. The things Avon would tell herself. "You're never gonna have to see Sepir again. You're gonna be more powerful than ever, and on your own terms. You're gonna make friends. You're gonna fall in love -- don't look at me like that, I didn't believe it at first either. You're gonna make this whole big family for yourself, and it's gonna be crazy but you're gonna love every second of it. Also you kick ass for a living and it's cool as fuck."

Can they drive a car? Are they good at it? (If cars don’t exist, would they be able to drive if they existed?)

It's easier to list who can drive than who can't. Mochi and Jicama can, but hardly ever have a reason to. Everyone else can at least operate their time machines, but that's about it.

What word(s) would they freeze up at if someone said it to them?

I think I've gone over this with you before, but Avon hearing "I love you" in any context at first? Bruh.

Who is someone that they don’t talk to much, but would probably get along with?

I've been thinking more and more about a potential "Time Squad meets the rest of the canon cast" situation, and I'm realizing how many parallels there are between Avon and Goku. They'd get on like a house on fire.

What type of soda would be their favorite?

*sideyes Cola*

#cut off the last few questions because Time Crunch and Can't Concentrate #but!!#oc talk #b answers

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prettyboysdontlookatexplosions · 3 years

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@dressrosaa and anyone else unfamiliar with pretty little liars, a postmodern tone poem about girlhood and violence, an experiment in storytelling divorced from linear time about how all cops are bastards and dads are even worse, one of the most bafflingly homophobic pieces of media i have ever seen despite the fact that the showrunner for all seven seasons is literally a lesbian like GIRL are you OKAY blink twice for I NEED THERAPY:

pretty little liars tells the story of four friends: spencer hastings (deranged genius/former and future speed addict, perfect); hanna marin (blonde shoplifter/recovering bulimic, an angel we don’t deserve); emily fields (gay swimmer, has no personality but it’s hard to tell if that’s because pll is homophobic or because shay mitchell CANNOT act but is almost hot enough to make up for it); and aria montgomerry (the fucking goddamn worst i know it’s wrong to hold this much hate in my heart for a sixteen year old who spends the ENTIRE show being sexually preyed upon but in my defense it is fiction and frankly barely even that; truly the relationship between pretty little liars and our normal human understanding of narrative is tenuous at best; the point is if aria were real she would be deserving of infinite compassion but she is not so she just sucks). a year after their queen bee alison disappears, her body is found, at which point they all start getting texts from the mysterious “A,” who knows their secrets with NSA-bugging-a-therapist’s-office precision and seems to have nothing to do in life other than to torture them into constantly endangering themselves or betraying each other or doing other horrible things that will then hang over their heads for 800 years.

PLL is sort of like what if a classic dead blonde whodunit has a nightmare octopus baby with jj abrams “mystery box” storytelling spliced together with a sense of pacing even more deranged than the magicians at its most unhinged; the reason i make so many jokes about its lack of interest in physical spacetime is because it’s technically canon that two and a half entire seasons, during which among other things spencer has a nervous breakdown and an addiction relapse and goes to rehab and then gets out of rehab T W I C E, takes place between the first week of school and thanksgiving break. it is not by any means a “good” show and it’s pretty clear that any “ideas” in it were there by accident, but watching 6 seasons in a month was one of the most enthralling television experiences of my life, and it really does love to remind you that no men on earth are good (*except for hanna’s street rat hacker boyfriend caleb played by tyler blackwell whose face makes me feel extremely safe who is the most perfect dreamboat in the history of televisual dreamboats). part of its unhinged M. O. is of course keeping you constantly guessing about who “A” is, taking you through like 7000 red herring reveals (along with some real reveals later retconned as beta-A’s working for the real A - i’m telling you this shit is fucking nuts) in which we spend a couple episodes thinking (if we have never watched a television show before) that so and so must be A, only to have their nefarious behavior explained away by some other mechanism.

i’m giving this context because i am taking your inquiry about the throwaway reference i made as a chance to explain my favorite of the A fake-outs, which centers on ezra fitz. who is ezra fitz? he is a demon in human disguise. he beats out craig manning on degrassi for worst fictional boyfriend in the history of teen melodrama. he is a dude who macks on a fifteen-year-old aria montgomery at a bar the weekend before school starts and then turns out to be, surprise! HER ENGLISH TEACHER. because the show, despite being incredible and amazing and iconic, is also very bad, their relationship, which goes on and off the entire seven seasons and winds up endgame, is sold as like a torrid and angsty secret affair, and not the creepiest thing that has ever happened. despite the fact that ezra is the closest the show has to a male lead and played by the second hottest dude on it, in season 4 they were running out of A candidates and started giving us shady clues to ezra’s shadiness, discovered and mostly put together by spencer, who simultaneously was coping with the stress of trying to get into an ivy league college while also saving herself and her friends, all of whom take turns sharing one brain cell leaving her to do all the thinking, from the constant assault of a blackmailing emotional terrorist who at this point has also tried to kill them several times. one time aria winds up in a box on a train next to a dead body and also it’s halloween and adam lambert is performing on the train, god when riverdale season 1 was good i thought riverdale was like what if pretty little liars but on purpose but with the benefit of hindsight clearly PLL had what riverdale fucking WISHES it could.

in order to deal, spencer has fallen on her old pill-popping ways (for, just to reiterate, the second time after leaving a mental institution in the span of like 10 weeks), and JUST as she is on the verge of really PROVING that their english teacher is A, she suffers a stimulant-induced psychotic break i.e. gives the show their framing device for doing a Theme Episode around the theme of Film Noir, where everything is in black and white and everyone talks funny. you can watch a clip here to get the flavor. sidebar at this point alison has appeared to every single character i think and it’s like still fully a mystery whether they all individually hallucinated her at times of stress or if she’s secretly alive. once again this show owns.

anyway her friends totally freak on spencer when she tells them her theory, because she is literally the only person in town with a brain, but then we get this amazing episode where aria (a child) is at her english teacher’s cabin for the weekend and he’s acting exactly like a serial killer the entire time and she starts to have doubts and has a very tense ski lift ride with him and THEN! THEN what’s amazing is that ezra is NOT A, but in explaining why he has been acting so shady despite not being A they manage to somehow make him not ONLY worse than an english teacher who was fucking his high school student but ALSO make him POSSIBLY WORSE THAN AN ACTUAL MURDERER IMO, because it turns out that he met alison briefly before she died/fake died and then got obsessed with her death and SO he came to town and got a job at the school AND MADE OUT WITH THIS DEAD TEENAGE GIRL’S EQUALLY TEENAGE FRIEND IN THE BAR THAT DAY AND PURSUED A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HER AS HER ENGLISH TEACHER.............................................. IN ORDER TO DO RESEARCH FOR A TRUE CRIME BOOK. LITERALLY the most incredible thing i have ever witnessed on television. it’s SO incredible and PLL is SO far from being what you could call a “normal” “story” that my love for it is not even diminished by the fact that aria eventually takes him back because this show is evil and she is stupid (again i would NOT say that of an ACTUAL child victimized by an english teacher/pathetic truman capote wannabe, but aria is made up and not around to hear about how bad she sucks and i hate her) (my god she’s so bad guys like you simply cannot watch the show and retain empathy for her it WILL break you). it does help that in between those things ezra gets his dumb ass shot. yeah for “love” or whatever but like he deserved it i’m not gonna complain.

anyway i hope that helps clarify matters. just to stress the important part, this is not in the top 10 most deranged things that happened on this show. one time A snuck into a dentist’s office and knocked hanna out with laughing glass and implanted a tiny strip of paper in her gums which when the liars extracted it later read DEAD GIRLS DON’T SMILE. another time for a fashion show they were getting dressed up and one of them realized she was wearing a corset made of human finger-bones. they all go to jail because they have been framed but then on the way to jail they get kidnapped in an underground bunker styled to look like their childhood bedroom where A makes them milgram experiment each other for three weeks. watching this show will literally change the structures of your brain. i heard it’s finally legal in oregon now.

#pll

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monotonous-minutia · 3 years

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It’s here! The ridiculously long (about 9 pages on Word) and totally unnecessary literary analysis of the absolute gayness of one of my favorite operas!

you guessed it: Les contes d’Hoffmann. I spent way too many hours over the past months writing this thing.

I just think of all of this altogether too much so I decided to just write it all down in one place like the lit crit nerd I am.

As I’ve mentioned before, there is a LOT of evidence in Les contes d’Hoffmann that the two main characters (the titular Hoffmann and his friend Nicklausse, aka the Muse) are absolutely an item. To the point where I honestly can’t understand how a director can look at this opera and think “oh that’s not gay” and proceed to stage it as if it’s not. It is SO GAY. I can only imagine that directors who stage this differently are deliberately trying to specifically remove the gay content (e.g., taking out the Violin Aria, messing with edits, doing weird things with the productions that I won’t get into lest I fall into a rant and forget what I’m here to talk about).

For some, the only way to acknowledge that Nicklausse and Hoffmann are an item is it ignore the Nicklausse part and have the Muse be a girl for the entire opera. Because, well, we can maybe admit to the romance, but at least it’s not gay, right?

Well, no.

Often, we get a strange dynamic where productions can’t seem to decide how to mitigate the gayness. Is Nicklausse a girl so there’s no gay with Hoffmann? But what about when he’s flirting with Giulietta (and come on, it’s really hard to stage the Barcarolle, which is basically a love song, without Nicklausse at least vaguely flirting with Giulietta and vice versa, because they’re singing it together). How is that not gay if you insist Nicklausse is a girl? There’s no way to get around it.

No matter how you spin it, it’s gonna be gay. And like I said, if a production tries to insist otherwise, it’s specifically to push back against The Gay. That usually fails miserably for two reasons. One, those productions are garbage, I don’t care who the director is and how fabulous the rest of their work might be. And two, by trying their hardest to get rid of the gay, they are flat-out admitting that it is there. If it wasn’t so blatantly obviously gay, people wouldn’t try so hard to prove that it isn’t.

On another note, it’s pretty obvious that the character of Nicklausse/the Muse is genderfluid. The Muse introduces herself in feminine terms in the Prologue (and Muses are typically associated with femininity), but navigates the majority of the opera identifying as Nicklausse, who’s a man. Ironically productions that try to lessen The Gay get stuck on this because if Nicklausse is definitively a feminine Muse, she’s gonna be gay with Giulietta, in which case the only way to avoid that is to say that isn’t gay because Nicklausse is a man, and, well, whoops, you just admitted the character is genderfluid.

Like I said, there’s no way around it.

I feel like even this super-vague analysis should be enough to convince people. But, because it’s not lit crit if we don’t get all in-depth and nerdy, and because it’s really fun, I’m going to plumb the depths of my research and analysis and share with you this 4,000-word essay proving that yes, indeed, Nicklausse is genderfluid; and yes, indeed, he and Hoffmann are a couple, and a very gay one at that.

Let’s begin.

(Note: the following contains a lot of references to outside sources and I’m just too lazy to properly cite them especially because I just spent the last three years of my life doing that for all my research papers and it sucks. But if anyone is curious and wants to know where specific pieces of information come from, let me know.)

Nicklausse is genderfluid.

This honestly seems like a no-brainer. The dictionary definition of genderfluid is “of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity is not fixed,” so the fact that the character spends part of the opera in a feminine form (the Muse) and part of the opera in a masculine form (Nicklausse) is pretty much the definition of gender-fluid since the character’s gender identity is not fixed. Yeah, maybe the Muse is just in drag for the night, but either way, they’re obviously extremely comfortable in the masculine form so it seems more than likely it’s something they’ve done many times before and are not only okay with but very used to. There’s debate as to how much time, exactly, the Muse spends with Hoffmann as Nicklausse, or even whether Nicklausse is a real person or has been the Muse all along. The solution to this could affect the way the character is or is not defined as genderfluid, but the fact that there is no way to tell what the answer is—because the authors deliberately left that ambiguous—renders it a moot point. We could argue back and forth about that all day and never come to a conclusion because there isn’t one. At the end of the day all we can agree on is that the Muse is acting as Nicklausse the night Hoffmann tells the stories, and likely has done so before.

There is other, non-textual evidence that backs up the concept of Nicklausse as genderfluid. The biggest one is that Barbier and Carré were not strangers to the idea of gender fluidity in their work. About 14 years before Hoffmann premiered, another work from these two hit the stage: Ambroise Thomas’s opera Mignon. The titular character is, for all intents and purposes, genderfluid, presenting as both male and female throughout the course of the opera and seeming comfortable in both roles. Even earlier than that, the two of them translated da Ponte’s libretto for Le nozze di Figaro into French for the Paris Théâtre Lyrique. Anyone who knows this opera knows the multiple levels of gender-bending that occur here and the extremely meta exploration of gender primarily through the portrayal of Cherubino, a boy, who is played by a woman and frequently dresses up as a girl. You can hardly talk about Nozze without acknowledging the genderfluidity it contains. So, before writing the libretto for Hoffmann, Barbier and Carré had worked with at least two other stories dealing with canonical genderfluidity. It’s not much of a stretch, then, to say that they were deliberate in their portrayal of the Muse/Nicklausse as a genderfluid being.

That being settled, on to the next point:

Hoffmann and Nicklausse are a couple.

You wouldn’t think so watching the way most Hoffmanns treat Nicklausse onstage, but there’s a lot of textual evidence that supports this claim. There are multiple facets of Hoffmann and Nicklausse’s relationship that indicate they are, at least in some sense, an item, even if Hoffmann doesn’t always acknowledge it.

We still don’t know if the Nicklausse we see in the tavern has been Nicklausse all along, or if he’s taking on the position of someone who’s actually been hanging out with Hoffmann all this time. That doesn’t necessarily mess up the analysis, though, because: if the Muse has been Nicklausse all along, then all of the evidence in Hoffmann’s stories is true (as “true” as they can be, being a result of Hoffmann’s drunken storytelling) of the person who is sitting next to him in the tavern right now. If, however, the real Nicklausse is absent, Hoffmann is still admitting the extent of the relationship to the Muse/Nicklausse who’s in the tavern tonight. We know this because Hoffmann is presumably making these stories up since it’s revealed at the end all these “loves” are manifestations of the real-life Stella. In which case, it is Hoffmann who is describing all of these things about Nicklausse that indicate they are in a relationship, consciously or unconsciously admitting that they are an item. Since the Nicklausse who is sitting with him during the storytelling is also the Muse, it’s not really a stretch to assume Hoffmann is talking about them during the telling, even if there is a “real” Nicklausse who’s absent tonight, because Hoffmann is taking details from things in the immediate vicinity to tell these stories tonight.

Now on to some more specific details:

They are a packaged deal. Before Hoffmann enters the tavern, Luther announces his arrival, adding that Nicklausse is with him (“Messieurs, il ouvre la porte,/Et Niklausse est avec lui!”). No one questions this or asks who Nicklausse is. They are all used to the idea of Nicklausse coming along with Hoffmann, so it clearly happens on a regular basis.

It’s also clear that Hoffmann is much closer to Nicklausse than he is to anyone else in the tavern. And that’s probably saying something, as it’s clear the friends at the tavern know a lot about him: they are familiar with his many different stories; they look forward to seeing him and hearing his tales; they know he enjoys singing, and convince him to do so to cheer him up; they tease him; they ask him personal questions; and they know his schedule well enough to notice when he’s late coming to the tavern. So, Hoffmann clearly has a lot of people here who know and care about him—but none nearly to the extent that Nicklausse does, as we will see. That indicates his relationship with Nicklausse is much more intimate.

Here are some examples:

When Hoffmann and Lindorf are facing off in their insult duet, before they can get too far, Nicklausse intervenes with a metaphor about shepherds and their girlfriends, distracting them before they come to blows. The others in the tavern join in, but no one else was motivated to stop the fight. Nicklausse was the only one who cared enough to break it up.

When describing his role in the stories that are to come, Hoffmann says Nicklausse takes the prize for common sense; he thinks highly of Nicklausse’s perceptions and opinions, even if he doesn’t always show it.

HOFFMANN Tu m'auras sans doute compris, O toi qui dans ce drame où mon cœur se consume Du bon sens emportas le prix!

At the beginning of Act I (Olympia), Nicklausse makes several statements that indicate he knows Hoffmann extremely well. Upon his entry, he exclaims “J'étais bien sûr de te trouver ici!” (“I knew I would find you here!”) He is familiar with Hoffmann’s usual haunts and knows exactly where to look for him. Further, he already knows about Olympia; when Hoffmann shushes him after his entrance, Nicklausse asks, “C'est là que respire la belle Olympia?” (“Is there where the beautiful Olympia is?”) He teases Hoffmann about being in love with her, so Hoffmann has obviously told Nicklausse all about her. Given no one else in the tavern knew anything about Hoffmann’s love life, we can assume he only talks about things like this to people he’s particularly close to.

Further, when Nicklausse is trying to get Hoffmann to reach out to Olympia before proclaiming his undying love, we have this exchange:

NICKLAUSSE Alors, chante, morbleu! pour sortir d'un tel pas! (Then sing to her, for heaven’s sake, if there is no alternative!) HOFFMANN Monsieur Spalanzani n'aime pas la musique. (Mr. Spalanzani doesn’t like music.) NICKLAUSSE Oui, je sais! Tout pour la physique! ... (Yes, I know! Science is everything!)

So not only had Hoffmann told Nicklausse about Olympia, he has also told him about Spalanzani’s obsession with science and aversion to music. Which means Hoffmann very likely talks to Nicklausse a lot about his studies and his intention to pursue a science education.

Out of all the names and titles Hoffmann is given in the tavern—poet, writer, artist, drunk—no one mentions the fact that he is a student. It might be because the group consists almost entirely of students, so it’s a given; but it might also be that, in addition to not discussing his love life with his friends, he also does not talk to them about his studies. Once again, this indicates that he is much closer to Nicklausse than anyone else in the tavern.

Nicklausse also knows the best ways to interact with Hoffmann. After Nicklausse sings his song and Hoffmann brushes him off, Coppélius enters and tries to get Hoffmann’s attention. However, Hoffmann does not respond, to which Nicklausse replies “Voilà le seul moyen d'être entendu!” (“There is only one way to be heard/get his attention”). Then we get the stage direction “il frappe doucement, puis plus fort sur l'épaule d'Hoffmann” (“he hits softly, then harder on Hoffmann's shoulder”). It works; Hoffmann turns and asks him what he needs. This is a very particular way to get someone’s attention. The fact that Nicklausse knows it means he gets Hoffmann’s attention a lot, and knows him well enough to understand the ways in which Hoffmann needs people to interact with him. This once again indicates a more intimate relationship, as no one else in the opera expresses having this kind of knowledge.

In less specific examples, Nicklausse spends a great deal of this act teasing Hoffmann about his love for Olympia. However, Hoffmann doesn’t seem annoyed or put off by his behavior. He goes to Nicklausse repeatedly to make sure he stays involved in the action. He’s used to Nicklausse’s banter, but it doesn’t annoy him enough to keep him away. He’s too attached to him to let the teasing get to his head.

Though Nicklausse does leave with the other guests so Hoffmann can be alone with Olympia, he returns much sooner than any of the others, looking for Hoffmann and asking “Veux-tu qu'on se grise sans toi?” (“Do you want us to get drunk without you?”) Apparently the party isn’t nearly as fun as it would be if Hoffmann were there with him. He misses Hoffmann and wants him to come join him. Then, he tries to warn Hoffmann that Olympia isn’t what she seems, and that he should be careful. When Hoffmann doesn’t respond to that, Nicklausse suggests he come to the ball and dance with Olympia—anything to get him to come to the party.

When Hoffmann does begin to dance with Olympia, she goes out of control. Nicklausse intervenes, afraid for Hoffmann’s life; in the process he gets knocked over himself, but continues to focus on Hoffmann’s well-being (while no one bothers to check in with Nicklausse). (This is rarely staged but it’s in every version of the libretto I’ve read.)

Finally, when everyone else is laughing at Hoffmann for falling in love with a robot, Nicklausse goes to him and tries to comfort him among the madness.

In Act II (Antonia), we obviously get the Violin Aria, which I wrote a really long thing about earlier. In short, it is clearly a love song, and since he’s singing it to Hoffmann, what’s really left to be said? That alone should be enough to convince folks that there are romantic implications (to say the least) between Nicklausse and Hoffmann. I’m at a loss as to how anyone could come up with any other reason Nicklausse would sing that song. “Love victorious”? “Poet, give your heart”? What else could he possibly be talking about?

Unlike almost every other number in the opera, the Violin Aria has no precedent in the play. It’s only here now because we have the Muse doubling as Nicklausse, singing a love song to Hoffmann. Though he spends a great deal of the opera discouraging Hoffmann from pursuing the objects of his affections, he’s not against the idea of Hoffmann being in love. He’s against the idea of Hoffmann being in love with anyone who isn’t him.

Of course, this song is sometimes (often) cut. There’s more evidence that it’s supposed to be there than evidence against, though (according to a bunch of people’s research), so edits that exclude it are probably trying to lessen The Gay as much as they can. I don’t see any other reason for taking it out.

In addition to that, though, in the dialogue version of the libretto, Nicklausse gets a paragraph or so describing just how long (six months) and hard they have been looking for Antonia. You’d have to be pretty devoted to someone to follow them around for six months helping them look for the supposed love of their life. And on Hoffmann’s end, you’d have to like someone quite a bit to have them around you nonstop for six months, and feel extremely close to them to be able to expect that kind of devotion from them.

In addition, Nicklausse once again risks his own safety in order to save Hoffmann (though this is also rarely staged). When Crespel goes after Hoffmann with a knife at the end of this act, Nicklausse literally throws himself between Hoffmann and the knife. Y’all, if that’s not devotion, I don’t know what is.

Act III (Giulietta) is much more complicated because there are just so many versions of it. Of course there’s Kaye’s edit which is heralded by many is definitive and I’ll admit his research seems pretty sound so I’ll allow that to stand (because obviously I have the authority to have any kind of say in the matter). However there are several things from previous edits that Kaye takes out that also contribute to this discussion, so I’ll be referring to them as well.

First off, we get this line here which I’ve seen exactly once out of (n) productions:

GIULIETTA (se tournant vers Nicklausse) Et son ami! Pardon, Pylade or Pollux?

Giulietta is introducing Hoffmann to her company, and of course wherever Hoffmann goes, Nicklausse is as well, and since they’re a packaged deal, Giulietta introduces him as well, immediately after. And not only that, it’s precisely what she calls him that really drives the point home.

“Forgive me, was it Pylades or Pollux?”

I wrote a thing about this too. Here I’ll say:

Pollux refers to Castor and Pollux, who are typically used as a symbol of platonic affection between men, since they’re half-brothers. However, Pylades and Orestes are a different story. As I mentioned in the other post, if you’re familiar with Greek mythology discourse, you’ll know that most people agree there’s more to the relationship between Orestes and Pylades than a little bromance. So Giulietta is clearly suggesting something here when she refers to Nicklausse in these terms. It’s almost like she’s asking the question: “Are you two bros or are you romantically involved?” The fact that neither Hoffmann nor Nicklausse attempt to address that point seems significant to me. Nicklausse simply introduces himself, neither confirming nor denying the implications Giulietta is making about his relationship with Hoffmann. Nor does Hoffmann make a comment. If they didn’t want people thinking of them as a couple, one of them would have probably spoken up, but neither do.

In some Oeser-based edits we get an extended gambling scene, during which Giulietta serenades the guests, Hoffmann is distracted by her, Dapertutto gets some side dialogue, Schlémil acts shady, Pitichinaccio has some fun, the chorus gets philosophical, and Nicklausse tries to convince Hoffmann not to gamble away all their money. (Even if the extended scene isn’t included, Nicklausse gets a line to this effect in many versions of the libretto.)

Their money. Throughout, Nicklausse isn’t just worried about Hoffmann throwing away his own life savings. He’s worried because, despite the fact that he himself is not involved in the game (until Hoffmann makes him take his cards so he can go be with Giulietta), Nicklausse’s funds are at stake here too. I don’t know all the historical intricacies of finance at the time, but it sounds to me like the equivalent of these two having a joint bank account. You don’t share a joint bank account with just anyone. If Nicklausse and Hoffmann’s funds are collective to the point that Hoffmann losing money means Nicklausse is losing money too, the two of them are clearly financially dependent on each other, and if that doesn’t scream domesticity, I don’t know what does. I almost feel like the entire argument could ride on this alone.

The rest of the act is all over the place in terms of the order of events and even if some or others happen at all. The one most of us are probably used to honestly doesn’t have much Nicklausse material after the Barcarolle and his spat with Hoffmann, but others have more—like the conversation with Giulietta and the gambling scene described above. One of the most significant, which is based on a similar scene from the original play, concerns Nicklausse trying to get Hoffmann to leave with him, begging him to leave Giulietta behind, telling him this place is sketchy AF and they should leave before someone tries to steal their souls (which, incidentally, is pretty much exactly what happens). Eventually he gives up and goes to find a means of transportation (usually horses) and someone to help him physically remove Hoffmann so they can finally get out of there. After that, we only see him when he returns after Hoffmann gets his reflection taken; sometimes he doesn’t say much, sometimes he laments their fate, sometimes he finally does get around to dragging Hoffmann away once Hoffmann finally gives up, rescuing him yet again as they escape just before the police come looking for Schlémil’s murderer.

An interesting side note: In one performance I saw, Nicklausse tries to go after Hoffmann when Hoffmann goes with Giulietta, but is held back by Pitichinaccio (who then attempts to give him a poisoned drink, similar to an event in the original play). I also found a libretto and an album where a similar event occurs, except it’s Dapertutto who pulls Nicklausse away and makes him go back to the room where everyone else is still playing cards. In both cases he was able to return to Hoffmann right after Giulietta steals Hoffmann’s reflection. This bit isn’t included in any of the critical editions as far as I can tell, but it’s an interesting event, Nicklausse trying to go after Hoffmann to protect him (yet again) but being prevented by one of the villains. And, because Nicklausse isn’t there to help him, Hoffmann does get hurt this time (Giulietta steals his reflection). The one time Nicklausse is prevented from helping Hoffmann, Hoffmann winds up in a whole lot of trouble.

The epilogue is pretty self-explanatory, I feel. Nicklausse doesn’t get too many lines, but his altercation with Hoffmann is pretty significant. Nicklausse makes the connection between the three ladies in his stories and the real-life Stella, joking that they should make a toast to the lady. Hoffmann yells at him, basically telling him “shut up or I’ll slap you” (and in some productions I’ve seen, he actually does get slapped). Nicklausse is definitely offended by this.

NICKLAUSSE se levant Ah! je comprends! trois drames dans un drame Olympia ... Antonia ... Giulietta ... Ne sont qu'une même femme: La Stella! LE CHŒUR La Stella! NICKLAUSSE Buvons à cette honnête dame! HOFFMANN furieux, brisant son verre Un mot de plus et sur mon âme Je te brise comme ceci! ...

NICKLAUSSE Moi, ton mentor? Merci! ...

This isn’t the kind of fight you have with an acquaintance. Banter like this, that borders on threats and insults, typically happen between people who are very close and have a lot of history. Nicklausse is trying to draw attention to Hoffmann’s failed loves, comparing them to Stella, to point out how futile it is for him to continue to pursue this siren. It’s about time Hoffmann notices him. Hoffmann, on the other hand, is furious at Nicklausse for revealing the fallacy in his tales. Saying “I’ll break you” is a pretty savage way to respond; Hoffmann feels betrayed by Nicklausse. He’s also pretty drunk. Either way, it’s clear his reaction stems from the closeness he feels with Nicklausse; upset that his “mentor” and confidante would reveal him like that.

After this, Nicklausse usually ducks away, though some edits give him the line “Il faut se décider!” (“You need to decide!”) as Stella enters. He’s giving Hoffmann the final choice, the one he delineated in the Prologue:

Il faut en cette heure fatale qu'il choisisse entre nos amours, qu'il appartienne à ma rivale ou qu'il soit à moi pour toujours!

(In this fatal hour he must choose between our loves; he will belong to my rival or be mine forever!)

Hoffmann is too drunk to recognize Stella, and she leaves him to go with Lindorf. The students leave as well, and Hoffmann is alone—until Nicklausse returns (or maybe he never left, depending on how it’s staged), revealing their identity as the Muse. Again, it’s unclear if they were Nicklausse all along, or just borrowing the identity for the night. Either way, the character that we’ve spent the last two and a half hours with (or longer depending on the edit)—the one who, as the last six pages will attest, is almost definitely Hoffmann’s boyfriend—is here declaring their love for Hoffmann. In some versions they literally say “I love you!”

Je t'aime, Hoffmann: confie-toi à moi! fie-toi à moi!

(Interestingly, when this line is included, it is spoken under the name “Nicklausse,” before their transformation back into the Muse. To me, that’s a decent indicator that Nicklausse has been the Muse all along, even before the events of tonight.)

We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen next, and what precisely we assume will happen once again depends on the Muse’s status as the actual Nicklausse in Hoffmann’s life or imagining. I haven’t seen any two productions (save revivals of the same production) that stage the ending in the exact same way. There’s a lot of ways to interpret it.

But after all this, I’d venture it’s pretty safe to say the ones where Hoffmann and the Muse get together at the end are accurate.

#aaaaaan there you have it #have i reached peak nerd level yet?#Les contes d'Hoffmann #The Tales of Hoffmann #literary criticism #literature analyisis #character analysis #opera #opera analysis #opera tag #also none of these translations are mine i got them all from libretti and subtitles #i may have this opera memorized but that doesn't mean i can translate haha

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mysoftboybensolo · 2 years

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I want you to hear my theory. What if Laszlo likes opera because that's what he really wanted to do? I'm not saying that maybe he wanted to be an opera singer (or maybe he did), maybe he wanted to be a professional pianist and play in the orchestra or be the conductor of the orchestra. But he couldn't be because his father broke his arm, so he turned to psychology to explain what happened to him that tragic night. (1/2)

So Laszlo continued to go to the opera because it reminds him of what could have been in his life, you know what they say, that you always long for what you will never get. I don't know if this is something that is talked about in the books, but, I feel that Laszlo would not go to see German repertory operas because that language reminds him of his father and the fear and anxiety that man caused him as a child. (2/2)

P.S: I feel that Laszlo would be more fond of operas in Italian or French. What do you think?

Ok, so let's open up this can of worms, let's go!

I so see Laszlo being a conductor or even a composer if his arm was never injured. Music is clearly his first love that never died, considering that he has his own box at the opera house, and he was called a musical prodigy as a child, I could see him creating music while growing up and instead of going to Harvard, he'd go to a conservatory in Vienna to study music. Whether it is to create music or to control it, Laszlo would have become world renounced for his work. But sadly, his father was a dick and ruined any possibly of Laszlo pursuing an career in music and can only be a part of it from afar, but if you consider the deleted scene canon, can still play a French horn.

On which kind of opera Laszlo would like, I did have to do a little digging to give a proper answer. We know he at least likes Verdi, since he had a record of Verdi's Aida playing in the background during the Mary dinner scene, he asks John to come to the opera to see Rigoletto in the beginning of the series, another Verdi opera, and then Mozart's Don Giovanni, performed in Italian, in the final episode. Considering that people believed that operas were best performed in Italian and it was more fancy (upper-class rather), it isn't surprising that Laszlo would gravitate towards that language, and I can see why one would think Laszlo would avoid German operas, but I think that overall, story, music and tone would not fully stop him from enjoying an opera performed in German.

None of those operas are exactly happy endings (unless you think Giovanni deserves to be dragged to hell, which yes, yes he does), their tones are pretty dark, but they all one thing in common, tragic love. Aida and Radames are star-crossed lovers , Gilda sacrifices herself for her unfaithful love, and Donna Elvira is heartbroken after being dumped by Don Giovanni. To go back to my first assumption when I wrote the first chapter of The Alienist and the Soprano, I think Laszlo tries to live vicariously through opera, and the one thing he felt he lacked in his everyday life? Love. Yep, Laszlo is a sucker for love stories, I'm calling it.

Opera can be separated between three eras, Baroque (1600-1750), Classical (1750-1830) and Romantic (1830-1900), and Laszlo would perhaps like the Romantic era best, beside living during it, but because it was intense and emotional, compared to the other two, which were often social commentaries and musically light. Some composers I think Laszlo would like besides Verdi; Richard Wagner, who often chose legends and myths to create larger than life stories, Mozart, who ranged from light and vocally challenging The Magic Flute (specifically thinking of The Queen of the Night's aria) to the dark and twisted Don Giovanni.

Sorry it took me a while to respond and I hope I answered everything you wanted. Thank you for the ask!

#answered asks #the alienist #laszlo kreizler

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akindofmagictoo · 3 years

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20 first lines tag game

this comes from @zmlorenz and also I think @amillionwips — thank you both!

rules: list the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20 stories just list them all). see if there are any patterns. choose your favourite opening line. then tag others.

(I will tag @writingbyjillian @pamsdrabbles @sleepyowlwrites and anyone who wants to play!)

Hurricane

Tempest stilled her bouncing leg, eyeing her sleeping husband. Had she woken him? She took a careful breath and didn’t let it go until he snored and rolled over, pulling the covers tighter around himself. Still she waited. One breath. Two breaths. When he still didn’t move, she stood up and grabbed her coat and sword belt, not even bothering to put them on. Because she had to leave, and she had to leave today.

Theo x Aella Little Mermaid AU

Water closed over his head, tugged at his clothes. Tugged him down… down…

He wanted to cry out for help, but the water filled up his mouth before he could make a sound. Cold stole into his limbs, heavy and dark, weighing him down.

His chest ached, searching for air. Deep, cold darkness wrapped around him. Dragging, pressing, pulling down.

Down… down… down…

When he’d hit the water, he’d panicked. That was gone now. All he felt was the cold, the deep dark cold.

a random post-canon Theo x Aella oneshot

Thunder rumbled overhead, blending into the drumming of the rain on the roof. Aella tucked her blanket more tightly around herself, but it did no good. She couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t keep her mind off the locked front door, Alanna’s instruction to stay inside. It felt too much like other locked doors. Every time she closed her eyes, she was back there again and—

No. Sitting in this bed alone with her thoughts would do no good.

a post-canon Theo x Aella oneshot (sort of the former version of the one above)

“Read the mermaid one again.” Aella snuggled against Theo, pressed up between him and the arm of the big old armchair.

a Theo x Aella modern AU

Even with a map on his phone, Theo was impressed he’d made it to the small cafe on the main street. True, it was the main street, but his new house wasn’t, and directions weren’t his forte. Given how recently he’d moved, it was at least understandable.

The cafe was small, but its list of drink options was larger than he’d expected. But it included several types of tea, so he ordered a familiar English Breakfast and sat down at the nearest table.

post-canon oneshot of the Hurricane women play ‘theatre’

“So, who’s up next?” Aria stretched out in her hammock. “As much as I enjoyed being the defence lawyer, I think it’s someone else’s turn.”

“I’ll play the accused. I want to try my daring escape again,” Aella volunteered, sitting up.

Theo grinned. “Because you got caught last time?”

a crossover royalty AU with another project (Labyrinth)

(this isn’t the first line, but it’s the first lines where Theo appears. also, you would be correct if you assume that the Spanish princess is not Aella. that is the complication.)

“Spain confirmed the marriage alliance,” said Jared. “We still have to confirm it one last time, though.”

Theo glanced up at his dad. “Hardly surprising, really. They offered it, after all.”

Jared nodded. “Are you still alright with this? We can turn them down now, if you want.”

“My calendar is free,” said Theo, straight-faced. “I mean, it’s not like I’ve got my eye on someone else or whatever. Just as long as I’m not expected to actually have a romantic relationship with the Spanish princess.”

the below are all fanfictions. [ps my AO3 is @/ sidebysidewithafriend go check it out if any of these fics interest you]

Shadow and Cottontail (Harry Potter: Marauders (OC insert))

(this is co-written, I’m posting the first part that I wrote)

“Is there mail today?” Kai Lupin jumped the last step down to the dining room. This was the same question she’d been asking for five days, but she asked anyway.

Her mother Hope was about to answer when an owl swooped through the open window, a parchment envelope clutched in its beak.

“I think the answer is yes,” said Remus, descending the stairs behind her with a little more care than she’d taken. Kai rolled her eyes and crossed the room to see what the envelope contained.

Hope was already taking it from the owl. “It’s from Hogwarts,” Hope said, and Kai’s heart leapt, only to be dashed by her mother’s next words. “But there’s only one envelope. It’s addressed to you, Kai.”

Told You You’d Kill It (Harry Potter: Romione)

“Ugh.” Ron shoved his books to one side and ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up in all different directions. Hermione hid a smile as Ron drew his hands inside his jumper sleeves.

Through a yawn, he continued, “I’m done. I’m so tired.” Probably from his basketball training, but schoolwork was also a struggle for him, she knew. And they’d been studying in the library for several hours now. No wonder he was exhausted.

Thank You For Saving My Cat (Harry Potter: Jily)

Lily pushed herself up to a sitting position and breathed a small sigh of relief. At least she was out. She turned back to the house, watching the orange flames that danced over the structure with her heart in her throat. Was it her imagination, or were they growing smaller?

Most of her stuff could be replaced. But she hoped nonetheless that she wouldn’t have to.

Then she remembered the one thing she’d left behind and couldn’t replace. Crookshanks. She stumbled to her feet. Legs shaking under her, she ran to the nearest firefighter and grabbed their sleeve. The firefighter gear covered its occupant’s face, but the voice sounded male. “Are you alright?” He took her arm gently, steadying her.

3AM (Harry Potter: Wolfstar)

The beeping of the fire alarm filtered into Sirius’s sleeping brain, burrowing in until he couldn’t help but wake up. At which point he groaned and wrapped his pillow around his head, trying to block out the noise.

But this was a fire alarm, so really he had to get up. Grudgingly, he removed the pillow from his head and fumbled for his phone to check the time. The light from the screen was blinding in the darkness of his dorm room, but after a moment his eyes adjusted to see that it was 3:07 AM.

Give Him Back to Me (The Great Library: Wolfe x Santi)

Day 1

“Nic?” Wolfe half-rose from the bed at the sound of knocking, leaving his Codex open beside him. Something was off, though. Nic wouldn’t knock. He had a key. Besides, Nic was away in Belgium, training a new company. He wasn’t due back for another day or two, and that was assuming everything went to plan.

Nevertheless, when the knock came again he got to his feet and headed for the door.

Death Is Not Fair (Shadowhunters: (very angsty) Malec)

It wasn’t fair. Then again, life wasn’t fair.

And neither was death.

It shouldn’t have happened. It should have been a simple mission. The scans and all the reports had said there was just one demon in the area. It was a larger, stronger demon, and would’ve put up a good fight, but it was still practically nothing to a Shadowhunter like Alec.

Untitled (Shadowhunters: Sizzy) (unfinished and un-posted)

Izzy was swearing off dating. She’d kind of thought about it before, but hearing about the amount of drama in Jace’s love life right now cemented the idea firmly in her mind. No more dating. Between that and the mess Alec had gone through a couple of months ago, she wasn’t sure she wanted any part of that. Not to mention that of all the boys she’d dated, none of the relationships had really been right. Did she believe in The One? She wasn’t sure. But none of her boyfriends had been it, that was for sure. So no more dating for her. She was here to study forensic chemistry, after all, and surely it was better to concentrate on that.

Moving Day (Riordanverse: Blitzstone)

Last? signed Hearth.

Blitz brushed a speck of dust from the shoulder of his shirt, studying Hearth’s face. He knew exactly how many boxes were left to move, and it was more than zero, but the elf was looking paler than usual. If that was possible. As he watched, Hearth swayed a little and put a hand on the wall for support. “No. But I’ll get the rest. You need a break.”

Untitled quarantine AU (Riordanverse: Percabeth) (unfinished and un-posted)

“Thanks for letting me stay over to finish this project,” said Annabeth, setting the last piece on the model Coliseum she’d made. They’d done most of it last night, and she was just adding the finishing touches now. Although that had been before school had been shut down; they’d been notified the night before, but since she was here she’d been determined to finish it.

Untitled (The Hobbit) (I have a “better version of Tauriel’s arc” thing in the works, and this is an accompanying oneshot of how the Durins died in this version) (un-posted)

“Where is he? It looks empty. I think Azog has fled.” Fili glanced around nervously, his breath steaming in the icy air.

“I don’t think so,” said Thorin.

Footsteps sounded on the ice, echoing in all directions. It was impossible to know their source.

“We’ve got company,” Thorin growled.

Kili readied his sword.

This was practically everyday for them at this point. Every motion of his sword, every footstep, every bit of it was familiar. Fili hardly had to think. His sword flashed in the faint light. Droplets of blood and crystals of ice spattered his exposed skin, hot and cold. He was at home here; he might not have been on the ice before, but with a sword in his hand and Kili and Thorin at his back, he was content.

this is VERY long. if you read to here, thank you! and maybe consider reading some of them in full on my AO3?

#tag game #20 first lines tag #wip hurricane #wip labyrinth #zoe writes

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nastasyafilippovnas · 3 years

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40 and 45 for santhony :)

I did the 40 one. If I do the other, I'll tag you. I hope you like it!

santhony + exes meeting again after years AU, post-canon, wc. 2.1 (ao3)

Siena wouldn’t lie, over the years she had imagined many scenarios for meeting Anthony again. He would attend one of her performances, she would spot him among the crowd and miss the next note, making the audience gasp collectively. Or they would cross paths down the street, with her coming out of Genevieve’s shop and him coming in with his mother and sisters. They would freeze for a moment, caught in each other’s eyes, then she would run as fast as she could in the other direction. Or maybe, just maybe, she would finally attend one of Anthony’s balls, in the arms of another gentleman, and he would stare helplessly at her as she waltzed the night away.

But soon a year passed and they didn’t meet each other once. She left for France with her new protector and, shortly after, Genevieve wrote to inform that, just in case she was wondering, the Viscount Bridgerton had finally married. Genevieve enclosed a sketch of the wedding gown she had designed for the bride. Siena understood her friend’s message loud and clear. It wasn’t cruelty. It was simply time to let go.

Of course, as much as she told herself that, her heart wasn’t as easily convinced. And sometimes, in the dark of night, she still indulged in fantasies and dreams. He would come to France on business and their paths would cross at a Parisian café. Or his wife would die of consumption and he would finally come running back to her. This one left her so horrified at her own selfishness that she found herself back in church, lightening a candle and praying for the Viscountess’ health.

Then time passed, as time ought to. Ten years went by in the blink of an eye. She went from Paris to Vienna to Milan. From Le Théâtre National to the Theater in der Leopoldstadt to La Scala. She was famous all over continental Europe. She was adored. And she had accepted that Anthony belonged to her past. She would remember their time together fondly, instead of tormenting herself with what ifs and regrets.

And now, here he was, hat in hand, standing at the door to her grandmother’s house, in the Tuscan town that carried the same name as she did, twelve years after they had parted ways. Older, yes, with some gray hairs and rug lines that the boy she had known didn’t possess, but equally handsome.

Siena couldn’t hide her astonishment as she openly stared at him, without knowing what to do.

“What…what are you doing here?”

“I stopped by the theatre first.” He answered simply, as if it was the most common thing. As if they had an appointment to meet for tea she had forgotten about and now he came to remind her. “Signore Maldini told me you were here.”

Siena bet he did. Signore Maldini, who managed the day-to-day affairs of the Milanese theatre, was the biggest gossiper she knew. He must have been delighted to tell Anthony where she was staying. And by now, the whole cast of La Scala - and probably half of Milan - already knew that some English gentleman had come looking for her.

“He mentioned you were sick.” He kept moving the hat in his hands in worry. “Are you feeling better?”

“It was just a cold that wouldn’t leave.” It had been a bit more than that. It had kept her from performing. Siena had remembered how scared she had felt when week after week went by and she couldn’t sing an aria without having a coughing fit. “The doctor recommended a change of airs and warmer climate.”

Anthony nodded, but the worry still clouded his eyes and she didn’t understand it. She didn’t understand any of it.

“My lord, why are you here?”

“Do you think I could come in?” Anthony asked and Siena noticed then they were in the same position as when they had last seen each other. Her at the door, and him in her steps. All that was missing was the other man. “That is, if you don’t…”

Siena stepped aside, showing him inside. “I’m sorry for my manners. I guess I was a bit surprised.”

“It’s understandable. Is this your house?” He looked around the place curiously.

Siena supposed that compared to his usual lodgings, it wasn’t much. The house was a good size, and it even had two floors, but it was in desperately need of repairs. The living room only had one couch, a writing desk and a chair on one side and the fireplace occupying the other side. At least she had fixed the leaking in the roof before Anthony arrived. She would’ve been mortified if he had seen that.

“It's my grandmother’s. Well, it’s mine now. She died last year and left it for me.”

Despite all the conditions, Siena had never been more relieved to have this place than when she had gotten sick. Leaking or not, it ensured she at least had a roof over her head and, with the money she had saved over the years, it was enough to live comfortably for some time. And although the house was far from the city center, which meant long walks to the market whenever needed, it also had a huge backyard and a great view of the Tuscan hills which had done wonders, if not for her health, at least for her soul.

“I'm sorry for your loss.”

Siena shrugged her shoulders. “It's okay.”

“Siena…”

They were still standing on the living room, she realized now. And whatever Anthony had to say, she didn’t want him to say it here.

“Come.” She said, already walking from the living room to the kitchen and taking the tea set she had left there for her afternoon tea and adding another cup to the tray. “We can sit on the patio and you can say whatever you have to say there.”

Anthony nodded and moved to follow her.

Siena opened the garden doors and felt some of the excitement over Anthony’s arrival leaving her, the calmness she had grown used to here returning to her. This was her favorite place in the house, probably in the city. The patio had a set of iron chairs and a table where to she directed Anthony and set their tea. It was spring and the whole backyard was blooming with flowers she had tended to herself. It filled her with pride to know she had turned the garden around all on her own, and maybe she wasn’t creating art, but at least she could help nature give and nurture life.

From their seats at the patio, they could also see part of the road and some of the Tuscan hills so many painters had tried and failed to capture the beauty of.

“It's beautiful here.” Anthony said in amazement.

“I know,” she answered, smiling. “I’ve been here for six months and it still takes my breath away every time.”

“Thank you for bringing me back here.”

She poured the tea for them. It was one of the few English habits she still kept, drinking a cup of tea while watching the Tuscan sunset, though she hardly ever had any company.

“You're welcome. Now…why are you here, Anthony?”

During all the time they spent together, she hardly ever used his name. But, after so many years, and inside her own idilic corner of the world, she felt she was finally allowed to.

Anthony let out a small chuckle, “I guess the scandals of the ton don’t make their way to little corners of heaven in Italy.”

“I'm afraid we don’t yet receive Lady Whistledown’s papers, no.” She said and, because she also worried about him, added, “Is everything okay? Is the Viscountess well?”

Anthony smile grew bigger at her question and he laughed. “The Viscountess is very well. She is currently enjoying herself to our country house with her lover. Female lover.”

“Oh.” That was certainly unexpected. Siena snorted. “I'm sorry. I’m sure that must have been most distressing for you.”

“Not as much as it should’ve been.” He answered seriously, staring directly at her.

Siena bit her lip and turned away from him, looking at the garden. “I see.” She paused and took a sip from her tea. “Are there any kids?”

The last news she had from Anthony were of his marriage on Genevieve’s letter. Afterwards, she never asked and, if she knew of anything, her friend never mentioned it.

“No. None.”

The answer didn’t shock her as much as how unbothered he seemed by it. That had always seemed so important when they were together, to have an heir. It had been his duty, after all.

“You could always get an annulment and marry again.”

When he didn’t offer any reply, Siena looked back at him. “But you won’t.”

Anthony sighed and drank his tea before answering it. “It seems…unkind to separate the Viscountess and the woman she loves, doesn’t it? Why should they suffer for being in love?”

She smiled softly. Anthony Bridgerton. She had always known he was a hopeless romantic.

“And the title?”

Anthony shrugged. “Benedict has two boys and so does Colin. It shall pass to one of them upon my death. Though, hopefully, a long time from now.”

“You seem to have made your peace with it.” It amazed her he wasn’t right now back in England attempting to perform his duties to perfection.

“Did you know I had never left England before?” Siena shook her head, though it didn’t come exactly as a surprise. She had travelled all over Europe like a gipsy, but he had stayed, strong and steady, since becoming head of the family at twenty. “Simon left to see the world and so did Colin. But I stayed. I never even considered leaving, except…”

He paused and looked away from her as both of them remembered the one time he was talking about. He didn’t finish that sentence, he didn’t need to.

“When the rumors started, the Viscountess left for the country and I didn’t see the point of staying in London, hearing the catty comments about my failed marriage.”

Siena nodded in understanding.

“You should know,” he continued, “I didn’t set out to see you.”

“Is that so?” She didn’t know if she should feel offended or not at that when he ended up at her door all the same.

“I went to Spain first. Not Italy. Not France.” The no country that would’ve reminded me of you was implied, but she understood it.

“That's a beautiful country too. I performed there for the King once.”

“Of course you did.” He smiled fondly at her. “So, I was walking down the streets in Barcelona one day, seeing all these marvelous things around me, and I realized there was only person I wanted to share that experience with. One person I wanted by my side. The same person I have always wanted. And I was wasting my time. I was letting my injured pride and my fear of another rejection prevent me from pursuing her.”

He looked directly into her eyes through the whole speech. After all this time. It was preposterous and fantastical and her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would leave her chest.

He raised his hand to her face and caressed it softly, tracing the contours of her lips and her chin just like he used to do. Siena closed her eyes and focused on the sensation of his fingers on her skin once more.

“Then you went to Milan?” She asked.

“No.” He answered with a little laugh and she opened her eyes. “As far as I knew, you were in Paris. So I went there. Then to Vienna. And finally to Milan. Every place I went, you had already left. It figures I would have to come to your city to find you.”

He grabbed her hands into his and dropped a kiss on top of it. She could hardly believe what was happening.

He had gone through quite the journey. For her. Back to her.

“I don’t know if I can sing anymore.” She blurted out before she could stop herself.

“What are you talking about?” Anthony looked back at her in confusion but didn’t drop her hands.

“Ever since I got sick, I can’t… The coughing was too bad. I’m better now, but… I’m afraid of trying and not being able.” It felt good to finally confess her feelings to someone. “And, to be honest, I don’t know if I want to go back. I miss singing but I don’t miss the stage.”

He kept caressing her hands through her confession, providing her support.

“You should do whatever makes you the happiest.” He said simply.

Siena got up from her chair and sat on his lap. Her hands on both sides of his face, looking directly into his eyes as she asked, “And you?”

“That’s also up to you. I will stay for as long as you will have me.”

Forever, Siena thought. Then she kissed him, again and again.

send me a ship + a number from this list and i'll write a short story

#truegodofthearena #answered asks #santhony #anthony x siena #bridgerton #anthony bridgerton #siena rosso #my fics

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ilovetheaffection · 3 years

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So I haven’t done a verses doc yet because I have so many and then there’s kind of the default for each fandom. It’s a lot. But, I thought I’d let people know about Nicholas and his defaults because there’s really on three.

So in verses where he’s faked his death, they can go one of two ways:

the standard is that he’s moved to the middle of nowhere USA basically the midwest and sometimes parts of the south. He’s gotten to living on ranches, helping out there, he did rodeo for a time. But he ended up hurting himself too often. He will always keep his first name in any verse, but if he’s hiding out, he will likely change his last name when he moves from place to place.

the other option for faking his death is that he did end up in the USA still and was recruited by the government. He in turn has ended up becoming one of their many hired killers with a new name and identity. And Ric and Aria specifically still have no idea he’s alive in these verses unless he turns up to save them from some situation.

And his other verse is if he had never faked his death or just straight up died within his canon and was raised by his parents. He still rebelled in a way. He didn’t become a lawyer. He started his own company and kind of is and isn’t your stereotypical rich boy. He has manners. Class. He will definitely show you a good time. But he is something of a workaholic even now.

#( ya like jazz ~ ooc )

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moonlight-breeze-44 · 4 years

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Shadowhunters One-Year Anniversary!!

Hello, there! I don’t post a lot of things of my own (it’s mostly limited to my stories on AO3) but I truly felt like I had to post something now, because it’s a very special occasion! It is the one year anniversary of Shadowhunters!

On this day in history, (one year ago, to be exact) the two-hour finale of Shadowhunters was aired. And thus we all collectively died.

So, here I am, to honour this momentous day.

I want to start off by saying that I am fairly new to this fandom. I joined it late. I’ve only been a part of the Shadowhunters fandom for about five months, give or take a couple. Today, I’m sharing the cliche that everyone shares at some point: how I got involved.

It all started when I was browsing the library in a nearby town for something to read over the long weekend and I stumbled across City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I took it home, read it, and loved it. I started reading City of Ashes after that, and I took to the Internet in the wake of the revelation that Jace and Clary are “siblings”. I will admit, this was purely because book!Clace is my otp and I wanted to know if they were really siblings or if they still had hope. Upon discovering, (much to my relief) that they weren’t, I stumbled across another thing: a TV show based off of the Mortal Instruments book series. Naturally, I looked it up. I tried watching it on Freeform, but it buffered so badly that I stopped after only a few minutes.

Fast forward a month or so. I’ve stopped reading the books (things that I’m not intensely interested in don’t tend to hold my attention for very long) and the Shadowhunters fandom is far from my mind. My friend gave me his Hulu password as payment for something I did for him, and though I’d assured him I wasn’t expecting anything in return, it ended up being one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever gotten, because that was how I found Shadowhunters again. It was in the recommended on Hulu, and when I looked at the description, I remembered it. I watched the first episode and immediately fell in love.

The cast, the effects, the soundtrack, the storyline. All of it was so perfect.The characters were immensely well-rounded. The plot was engaging and interesting. I loved it. binge watched all of season 1 in about three days and then realised I should really start reading the books again, so everything would make sense. Unfortunately, I watch things a lot faster than I read. So I ended up finishing Shadowhunters while I was just starting the fourth book, City of Fallen Angels.

Now, I’m reading City of Lost Souls, rewatching Shadowhunters for the third time, and deeply involved in the Shadowhunters fandom.

The Shadowhunters fandom is truly one of (if not the) best fandoms that I have ever been a part of. Everyone I’ve met is very kind and friendly and always willing to help each other with whatever they need. I’ve gotten to know so many wonderful people through this fandom, and I’m eternally grateful to have them in my life. I’ve also written more fanfiction for Shadowhunters than I have for any of my other fandoms, partially due to the tools and resources available for writing in the Malec Discord server I’m a part of and the support and encouragement of my new online friends. In addition to this, I’ve finally found a character that I connect to on a deep, personal level in Alec Lightwood.

In short, the Shadowhunters fandom has made my life a better and brighter place. It’s made me smile on days when I feel like I might never smile again. It’s connected me to other people that understand me and support me and be overdramatic when I really, really need someone to employ the theatrics of Magnus Bane and make me feel better. (Yes, I’m talking about you, Aria.)

Shadowhunters is one of those things that I’m not sure how I ever lived without.

To celebrate the one year anniversary, I ask my Shadowhunters-involved followers to make their own post (or reblog mine with their information added on) with their three favourite things about Shadowhunters. It can be anything - a favourite cast member, character, or episode, something you’ve gained as a result of the show/fandom, or something that’s a part of the show or fandom itself. Let’s share the love for our fandom!

My three favourite things about Shadowhunters:

1. Malec. The simple fact that there is a TV show in existence that has two male characters in a canon relationship and doesn’t perpetuate harmful bisexual and/or gay stereotypes is beautiful to me. Malec has given so many people so much hope for the future. Their relationship has made so many people feel accepted, validated, and loved. This is the kind of thing that we, as a people, need to see more of.

2. The Malec Discord server. I joined a Malec Discord server a while ago, after finding the link in one of my mutuals’ fics. It was the best thing I ever had doubts about going through with and ended up doing in my entire life. I’m socially awkward, as I’m sure most of you know. Not to get too sappy, but throughout my entire life, I’ve been cast out of multiple social circles because I am weird and not what most people would consider ‘normal’ and I didn’t really feel like I ever truly belonged anywhere. The Malec Discord server changed that. There, everyone that I have met is kind, friendly, and unfailingly welcoming to everyone, regardless of differences between us.

3. Alec Lightwood. I spend a majority of my time self-projecting in fanfiction and relating myself to my favourite characters. Naturally, I’ve always been on the lookout for a character that’s extremely similar to me. I found that in Alec Lightwood. So much of his story is synonymous with my own, from the pressures of watching over other people with all of your heart to the repression that comes with internalized homophobia. His story gives me inspiration and hope. Alec goes from hurting himself to avoid dealing with his own feelings to marrying the man he loves with all of the love and support he could’ve ever dreamed of. He is not only an icon to members of the LGBT+ community. He is also a sign that, even if things seem absolutely hopeless, there is always room for change. Things can and will get better, and he is proof of that.

Please don’t hesitate to reblog if you’d rather do that! I encourage everyone I know on here that’s into Shadowhunters to make their own post about the anniversary with their own three favourite things. This fandom has given me so much, and I feel in a way that this is like giving back.

To kick-start this post, (because I am not at all confident in myself and my ability to make it known) I am going to tag some of my favourite people from the Shadowhunters fandom to do this, as well, if they want to. You guys can tag people, too, if you like, or not. It’s up to you.

@archeryandeyeliner @arialerendeair @eternallysilvermagnusandalec @lightwormsiblings @bidnezz @skylar102 @aceon-ice @sugarandspace

TLDR: I am absolutely in love with the Shadowhunters fandom and everything it stands for. In this post, I talk about how I got involved and what the fandom means to me. In addition to this, I tell you my three favourite things from/about the Shadowhunters fandom. I also task my followers who are in the Shadowhunters fandom to create their own post about Shadowhunters in honour of the one year anniversary and encourage them to list three of their favourite things, as well!

Have a good day/night, everyone, and thank you for giving me a few minutes of your time. <3

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rex101111 · 5 years

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Character concept: Aria/Justice

because I can’t get it out of my head here’s some scattered nonsense of ideas that I would like to see if Aria becomes a playable character again in the next Guilty Gear :D just like, a bunch of stuff thrown at the wall because I want these out so they won’t bother me in my head so here you go!

Intro: Shot of a hand holding a remote with a prominent red button on it, the thumb presses down on the button. Camera pans up to see a shine in the sky, followed by a huge shadow dropping swiftly down. Cut to a side view of Aria with her hands crossed as the shadow stops in front of her, a lightly altered recreation of the Gear Justice. She looks aside, at the camera and her opponent, says her opening line, before the suit opens up and she jumps inside. The suit closes around her as lights turn on all at once and the Gear, Aria, turns to her opponent with clenched claws.

opening line ideas:

Sol: “Fredrick, I want to test this thing out, don’t hold back like last time.”

“Don’t give me that look, I know you’re itching for another go.”

“I get antsy too you know, research gets boring sometimes.”

“No, I’m not mad. I am still going to beat you up though, it’s the principle of the matter.”

Dizzy: “Alright, now take a deep breath, and don’t hold back.”

“I know you don’t like fighting, but keeping your skills sharp is important.”

“You can do better then that, I know you can, I’ll drag it out of you if I need to.”

“You can’t hurt me dear, so let Necro have some fun this time, eh?”

Ky: “I need to know for certain if you can stand by her side, your majesty, so get ready.”

“A mother-in-law’s advice is healthy for any marriage, now pay close attention.”

“You never did fight Justice did you? Now’s your chance.”

“Dizzy gets a lot from me; my looks, my eyes, and my fire power.”

Baiken: “Take your anger, your pain, your hatred, and fight me!”

“I remember the feel of your blade against my armor, this time don’t miss.”

“This is your revenge, come and take it!”

“Guilt isn’t weighing me down, but I won’t sit by and let you wallow.”

Generic: “Don’t worry, this won’t hurt you, just think of it as an intense work out.”

“I installed a few new tricks into this baby, keep your guard up!”

“This isn’t the real deal, but it will be more then enough to handle you.”

Instant Kill: Aria lunches out a sort of tether to trap the opponent in place, fires a barrage of lasers, and then charges her Gammy Ray. She charges it up until the glow of it reaches the sky, and then flies towards her target to fire it, at point blank range. DESTROYED. Open to a large canyon in front of the suit, stretching out into the horizon. The suit opens and out comes Aria, grimly satisfied and the wind whipping her hair around while she says her winning line. Aria WIN!

“Asuka really went for overkill with this, didn’t he?”

“And that, is how you win a battle, even if you lose a war.”

“Most strategies fall apart when faced with overwhelming force, bigger stick always wins.”

“It may be a pale imitation, a reproduction, but this lady still packs a mean punch doesn’t she?”

Normal Victory Pose: The suits opens to let Aria step out before kneeling behind her, she leans back to sit, not at all elegantly, on it’s head with a weary sigh, reaches into her pocket to pull out a lollipop with a kind smile as she says her line before she starts eating it. Aria WIN!

“Yikes, did I overdo it again? Sorry about that.”

“The thrusters still need tuning up, thanks for running around so much that I noticed.”

“You did well back there! A little more practice and I’ll have to work for it next time.”

“Next time, when you think of picking a fight with a laser shooting robot, don’t.”

End match quotes (AKA where I completely indulge in my HCs about Aria post Rev2):

Sol: “Hey Fredrick, remember that time I challenged you and Asuka to an arm wrestling competition? You two complained about sore wrists for weeks! *short chuckle*...brings back memories. doesn’t it?...”

Dizzy: “Very good Dizzy! Literally ever single reader and scanner on this thing burst and broke during that fight! W-wait no don’t look worried! That’s a good thing! I’m proud of you, really.”

Ky: “If I’m being honest, I really don’t get what Dizzy sees in you. Not that I’m questioning her choices, God forbid! You’re just not my type at all, bit too straight laced...though, that short hair look does suit you better, very handsome.”

Leo: “You make an odd King, Leo. But not a bad one at all! Sure, Ky may be more popular among the public, and the press love him more, and he tends to lead things more confidently and thoroughly, but you-you....Leo? Why are you sulking?”

Sin: “Well, deal’s a deal. I beat you so now you need to go back and finish your homework young man. Now don’t frown like that, only kids do that. Tell you what, finish your work quickly, and me and Fredrick’ll treat you to a big dinner, deal?”

Ramlethel: “Excellent work Ram, you’re improving very quickly! You and Sin train hard don’t you? Just try not to overindulge on those burgers after your sessions alright? Gear Biology or no those things are bad for you.”

Elphelt: “El, sweetheart, I know you have your style and all, but is the wedding dress still necessary? A place to hid your weapons sure but doesn’t it get in the way?...was I ever like that? God I hope not..oh! Nothing it’s nothing!”

Slayer: “Every single reader is either broken or glitching on me, armor cracked to hell, engine damn near exploded, exhausted my fuel and my ammunition...and here you are, lounging like it’s a holiday...what are you exactly...?”

Potemkin: “Well! Zepp technology is certainly...hardy! Nearly overloaded my canons on you! Took me by surprise there...”

Chipp: “You really need to stop playing this silly ninja game of yours and sit down. Politics is boring as dirt but if you call yourself a president that’s your job...*sigh* I pity your secretary, truly.”

Faust: “Sorry about that...outburst, I kind of have this thing with medical procedures and needles and...well, I’m sure you understand, Doctor.”

Jam: “God it’s been ages since I had proper Chinese food, how’s your general Tsao?...why are you giving me that dirty look? Did I say something wrong?”

May: “You pack a wallop don’t you? I thought that anchor was a toy at first but your swinging that cast iron like it’s nothing! Maybe train with someone who can teach you how to use it more directly? Who knows what kind of damage you could do...”

Zato: “...according to my scanners you don’t have a pulse...did that vampire have something to do with it? Either way, stay away from me, no offence but that shadow of yours is creepy, and coming from me that says something.”

Millia: “There are no chains on you dear, nothing holding you down and no one holding you back. Your freedom is right there, all you have to do is reach for it with both hands.”

Venom: “...you know, you remind me of this baker in downtown Ilyria, he’s a genius with bread and sugar, honestly incredible. I hope his business is doing well, I don’t know if I could make it through the day without one of his cinnamon buns.”

Baiken: “Get up. I know this isn’t all your anger, get up! Gather more hatred and fight me! Pour every ounce of pain you have into your blade and let it out! Get up! I won’t stop until you can live again, until you can let go before you tear yourself to pieces...get. Up.”

Anji Mito: “Now. You are going to behave, sit there, and tell the truth for once. Mind you this suit has a heartbeat monitor so I’ll know if you try to pull a fast one. Now, question one, what do you know?”

I-no: “...sorry for causing you so much trouble as Jack-O, my excitement kind of got away from me. Thanks for putting up with it.”

Raven: “I never did thank you for that wound you healed, did I? Of course I remember, who forgets a friend in this day and age?”

Extra stuff/Headcannons:

* She’s like mature Jack-O personality wise, though with a rather wry sense of humor. Pokes fun at Sol every chance she gets (only calls him Fredrick, or Freddie if she wants to troll him), but always with a hint of affection. Sometimes blanks out or has her mind wonder off.

* Worked closely with Paradigm to build the suit, though she did most of the heavy work herself. Used schematics from a few of Asuka’s old hideouts and accounts from the Crusades while adding her own spin on the design. No...crotch spike. Constantly improving it and tweaking it whenever she has the time.

* Nags Ky like a proper mother-in-law mostly just for the sake of poking fun, she trusts him with Dizzy. Wants to make up for lost time with Dizzy, though she knows she can only go so far with her being about a decade late to be a mom.

* Treats the Valentine sisters like, well, sisters almost. Little sisters. Spoils Sin rotten whenever his parents aren’t paying attention. Had a 10 hour long training session with him after he called her “grandma” once.

* Feels a little guilty about Japan. Doesn’t exactly blame herself entirely, but she still feels some responsibility to fix some of the damage. Baiken makes that guilt double in her gut, wants her to move on because she has a vague memory of Baiken fighting Justice and failing miserably.

* Has an odd, vague mix of memories from both Jack-O and Justice, she can just manage to keep up and make sense of them, but both at once has her needing to sit down and clutch her head because ow migraines. Also pretty much remembers everything from before she died the first time.

* Wants to punch Asuka in the nose. Also to say she forgives him and she gets why he did what he did, but first she needs to break his nose because seriously Asuka the fuck.

* Her theme would probably be some mix between “Meet Again” (Justice theme) and “Juno” (Jack-O theme), with maybe the “Diva” riff thrown in there for flavor. Slightly manic rock mix but ultimately in control and, near the end, happy. Song title would be something like “Together Again” or “Hera” (Juno’s Greek name)

#Guilty Gear #Aria Hale #Justice (Guilty Gear)#self indulgent stuff #to the max

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artsynedthenerd · 5 years

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Head Canon Corner: What if Lyudmil Came Back in 2035?

I have a theory friends: the Demon Castle War, 1999, it is safe to say that would have brought back all of Dracula’s undead servants to fight in the war, yes? What would make Lyudmil any exception? Obviously, he died as a vampire, making him a creature of the night, and since he was a servant to Alucard, that would still make him something like one of Dracula’s servants. So, what if he was revived in 1999, but with his trauma from Magnus, instead of going to the castle for the war he fled and he started living a “normal” life. That is until one day thirty-six years later he finds himself drawn to Japan and he reunites with who else but his Master?

I just wanted to share this head canon. It’s one I have had for the longest time (and shameless plug, this was the basis of my first ever fanfic), but I enjoy it immensely for not other reason then it gives Adrian and Lyudmil a chance to be happy and live a relatively domestic life together.

Perks to this head canon

LYUDMIL IS ALIVE AND HAPPY AND FREE FROM MAGNUS

Lyudmil is not evil anymore because no more Magnus being a jerkface

Adrian is happy to have his bestie **cough cough** lover **cough cough** back.

Lyudmil and Soma interactions

Lyudmil and Genya can even work together!!!

Genya helping Lyudmil get over his trauma’ s from Magnus.

And who’s to say Lyudmil wasn’t one of the associates left to take care of Mina in Dawn of Sorrow?

Lyudmil would love Mina OMG

Maybe Adrian can actually learn how to make flower crowns.

Actually, I have revised the first chapter of my work so it was slightly less cringey than the original so I could share it with all of you. If you are interested in their reunion, read below!

After the Aria: Reunion

“Genya, where are you?”

“I am on my way now. What is your status?”

The voice on the other end of Genya’s phone was drowned in a tiring haste. It was nearing dusk. It was the time of day where the sky was still blue, but the edges of sunset began to sear the sky. Genya usually stayed late at work, usually late into the evening. However, his affiliate Julius Belmont had an urgent call which forced him to alter his plans.

“Yoko and I have split up in the the wooded area to the west,” Julius began to explain. “We are trying to corner it, but it’s hard with just the two of us. He’s faster than I anticipated. Do you know if this guy is dangerous?

“You can probably handle him.”

“Have you taken any consideration that I am not as young I used to be? 1999 was a long time ago. Things change.”

“Do not kill him until I get there.”

“Fine. Whatever you say. But you better make it here soon.”

Without another word, Genya Arikado took the cellphone from his ear and hung up. He stormed out of the doors of the heated agency as fast as he could into the chilled and unforgiving late autumn air.

He had to get to them, and fast. There have been vampire sightings lately, but never have they actually found said vampire. That is, until now. Julius Belmont -the same man who destroyed Dracula for good over thirty years ago- got word of a mysterious figure roaming near the city. So he and Genya’s colleague, Yoko Belnades, got a head start on finding this character. Genya knew for sure the two of them could take this rogue vampire down on their own, but Genya had a primary obligation to take in this monster with his own hands. That was his job after all.

Once he reached his ebony motorbike which was parked in the routine space outside the front entrance of the agency, Genya pulled back his sable hair and put on his matching helmet. Throwing his leg over the apparatus he revved its engine and as soon as he could get it to start, he drove through the security gate and sped towards the road. He raced down the thoroughfare and merged onto the upcoming parkway. Leaning in on the black vehicle, as if it were a black stallion, he zigzagged through the impending traffic with cold air pounding against his body. The competing cars wailed as he let them fall behind him. It made no difference to him. There was absolutely no time to waste. His raven chariot buzzed below as he made his way closer to his destination.

The motorbike was fast, yet it would be so much faster if he could just run. But that would only affirm the existence of vampires. The whole point of his job was to secure that ghouls and ghosts were merely myths, not to show off his own vampiric abilities.

The crowd of trees Julius told him about came up on his left. Of course, he was on the right side of the parkway. There was a whole road, a median, and another group of lanes until he could get to the location he so urgently had to get to. Genya looked at the oncoming traffic to his left and in a split second decided to cross in front of all the cars coming towards him, nearly getting slammed by them. But his mind was on his job. He had one goal and that was to stop whatever was out there. In a matter of seconds he crossed the stretch of grass and barely passed the other vehicles that ran towards him. He blazed into the coupling of trees and leaped off the machine, throwing it sideways and simultaneously threw off his helmet. The pitch-black motorbike braised the terrain as he bolted into the cluster of green, trying to find out where his associates were, and where this threat was.

The leaves below him crunched as his feet pounded the ground. As he got deeper into the woods he heard the cracking of a whip and knew that Julius must be close. When he got closer he could even hear the crash of Yoko’s ice magic. He pursued the sounds of battle and slowly began to summon Hellfire. Genya preferred the use of a sword. Alas, this hunt was on such short notice he could not waste any time retrieving the sword passed down to him by his mother. So magic would have to suffice.

Eventually he came upon an area that was void of the heavy woods that not too long ago was he using as cover. It was an odd area to find in the middle of such a vast sea of trees. It actually was a blessing they were so deep into the woods, giving them a nest of security that prevented any outsiders from observing the confidential situation. The only ones who would know about what happened here today were the hunters and the one being hunted. But he won’t much of a problem for long.

Once he crossed the border, he spotted his associates mercilessly trying to hit a target that was constantly on the move.

On the battlefield, Julius wielded the legendary Vampire Killer and Yoko utilized all the ice spells she could conjure. Yet, nothing hit this speed demon. As Julius stated perfectly, this vampire was fast. So fast Genya could barely make out it’s figure. When it moved, it was practically a blur. Genya refused to attack until he could figure out why this monster was here and where he came from. It was crucial to determine that there are no other predators on the loose or, God forbid, any connections to his father. Yes, Dracula has been destroyed for over three decades now, but ever since what happened on the night of the solar eclipse, nothing can be taken lightly.

To be honest, there is no evidence of this vampire causing harm to any innocents. But it could still be a valuable source of information regarding other vampiric locations. Of course, if it became a threat, Genya would destroy it no questions asked. Surprisingly, though, it seemed to refuse to fight back. It just kept flinging itself side to side, dodging their attacks.

At a crack of Julius’s whip, the figure was finally thrown against one of the trees that edged the vacant space. Standing over his hit, Julius called to the man who told him to hold off from killing the rogue. “You finally decided to join us. Arikado, what should I do to this demon?”

“Is he violent?” Genya yelled back as he started to make his way over.

“Not as of yet. But who knows when he could turn.”

Yoko went to Julius’s side, making sure the vampire couldn’t escape until he could be questioned by the agent. The figure began to beg:

“Wait please, let me explain.”

“Be quiet and await your judgement,” snapped Julius. But he kept pleading:

“I swear, I haven’t hurt anyone, just let me explain myself.”

Genya listened close to the voice he approached. It was a young male, which oddly sounded human. It… It actually sounded familiar.

Julius and Yoko stood in Genya’s view of the cornered prey, and as he got closer, about six yards from their current post, he asked for them to let him see this being. As he asked, the two of them cautiously flanked the vampire.

At the sight, Genya froze.

“Is everything alright?” inquired Yoko, with a look of concern.

Genya stood there staring, shocked, straight into the eyes of this thing.

“Arikado, what’s wrong?”

Just as unanticipated, this monster looked back at the man in black with a similar expression of disbelief.

Genya knew this face. But it wasn’t possible. This, creature of darkness, he looked just like him. His hair. His hair was the same silvery-jade. Slicked back the same way as well. Well, slicked back for the most part. He never had a neat head of hair. What you could call “bangs” still curled in front of his ears. Just like his. And the eyes, a deep scarlet.

But it wasn’t possible. He was dead. The man Genya felt this was died three-hundred years ago.

The vampire stood up, forgetting all the danger he was in. Julius was on guard, but Yoko gave him a look as if to tell him to stand back. Arikado never froze on missions. There was a reason for everything, and Yoko knew to let Arikado handle it. Apparently he knew something they didn’t.

Arikado and this person just stared at each other. They stood still in time. A tranquil breeze brought a chill in the air, enhancing the icy silence. They looked across to each other, as if they were the only two people left on this entire Earth. It was as if they have known each other for years. Time no longer mattered.

The vampire overlooked him, stared into his eyes and questioningly regarded the black hair upon his shoulders. Genya let him. He let him look into his eyes. He let him figure out who he was.

“Master,” the vampire started. “Is that you?”

Genya felt a strong pang in his chest. He said it just like him. It was his voice, there was no doubt about that. But that could have been a coincidence. Some strange coincidence. After all, this wouldn’t have been the first time demons posed as someone he loved dearly, making him fall into a false sense of nostalgia only to try and kill him moments later.

But on the breeze was a scent: blood. The smack of Julius’s whip drew blood from the vampire, and it was that that told Genya it was true.

Within the vampire’s blood was the ancient remnants of a human scent, that f someone he knew long ago. Unfortunately, it was coated in that of a monster, an inhumanity that caused him to starve for human crimson. Even worse, Genya could smell the echoes of his own blood within this beast.

The bite scar on the right side of the vampire’s neck. Those were Genya’s fang marks, without a doubt.

Genya couldn’t stop himself from trembling.

By the Gods, it is him.

Barely audible, Genya whispered a name. A name he never thought he would ever get to say again. His voice was shaking, as if his speech was rusty from lack of use.

“Lyudmil?”

The figure with silver hair staggered. He began to reach one hand out, as one would do to check if there was a barrier keeping him from progressing forward. He took a single step forward and faintly whispered, “is it...?”

Then he stopped short. His suspicions were not in vain.

The staggered steps instantly became a rushing run and with crimson tears streaming down the side of his pale vampiric face he called out “Master!” and threw his arms around Arikado’s neck.

And Genya stood there, just like one of the statues that adorned his father’s castle so many years ago. This was him. The voice. The face. The mere presence. It was him.

The man now sobbing on his shoulder just whimpered, “I never thought I would see you again.”

Genya took his petrified arms, and hesitantly drew closer around the friend he lost so many years ago. It was so warm. With a shake in his usually-stoic voice, he barely said the name again.

“Oh Lyudmil.” And the arms that were once paralyzed now fully clutched him. “You were right,” Lyudmil said into his Master’s shoulder. “I suppose this in the next lifetime.”

Genya felt his core tremble as Lyudmil said those words. Everything came back in a blinding flash: The fight with Magnus, how he had to destroy Lyudmil because he became a lost soul in a world of darkness. He held him in his arms as his vampire body shut down, and when he still went by the name Alucard, he told Lyudmil that wasn’t the end. He told Lyudmil they would see each other in the next lifetime.

Never did he expect it to be true. But at realizing the fact that it was, Genya felt his own emotions overwhelming. He clutched Lyudmil’s head and forced it to his chest just as a crystal tear fell from his own stoic eyes.

He was never going to let go again. He will not lose him like he did before. This was a reunion. A reunion of two lost souls who felt they would be lost forever. Two souls who found hope in each other. Two souls who are together again, against all possible odds.

#Castlevania #Genya Arikado #Alucard #Lyudmil #Adrian Tepes #Fanfiction #After the Aria #Aria of Sorrow #Dawn of Sorrow #Nocturne of Recollection #Lyudrian #Aludmil #AlucardxLyudmil #Headcanons

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chaoticspacefam · 4 years

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Oh look another NPC that I basically turned into an OC

Part the first (officially documented on this Tumblr blog anyways) of “Elven gets unnecessarily attached to background NPCs that have literally no real significance to the story in-game and makes them way more important than they “are”.”

Saarai needs to work on her “it wasn’t me” face, dad is not believing it

THIS GUYYY ✨✨ a.k.a. Abaron, or that one dude hanging around Korriban’s Academy that gives you the “Purity” side quest where he asks you test how “pure” the Overseers are and says he’s gonna report back to the Emperor about the results. Cept that’s not quite how we’re doing things in the Subterfuge verse! (of course, what did you expect! lol) He’s Vowrawn’s husband, and a very, very tired (stand-in) dad to Ni’kasi and Saarai since their biological father died when they were toddlers, which meant Abaron and Vowrawn were their paternal figures instead for most of their lives.

So, here we gooo, meet Abaron, or as Vowrawn and the girls like to affectionately call him, Abe.

and as you might expect, headcanon/backstory time wooo!! which I shall put under a cut in case people don’t want spoilers cause it does detail (briefly) the Ahaszaai family backstory ;3 I covered a lot here but if there’s still more you wanna know either about the husbands or about the Ahaszaai family as a whole, shoot me a reply or an ask or whatever! (anon should be on if that helps you feel less nervous!) I could honestly talk about my dumb tomato family for DAYS, I love every single one of them.

He used to be part of the Royal Guard before Vitiate took over the Empire after the purge the Jedi did, and was one of the few who managed to survive the additional purge Vitiate did in order to “take over” rule of the Empire. Abaron managed to get D’leah and the very young twins to Rishi where they could grow up out of Vitiate’s radar, and then once they returned to Dromund Kaas and Korriban when the twins were older, he managed to keep D’leah, Vowrawn, and the twins “hidden in plain sight” right under Vitiate’s nose (whilst Vowrawn pretended to be loyal to Vitiate and worked his way onto the Dark Council and stayed there, Abaron remained as a “tutor” in the Academy so he could watch over the twins). After the Incident(tm) with Ty’s father “outs” D’leah and the twins (but by a stroke of luck/because Vowrawn’s sneaky y’know, not Vowrawn), D’leah makes Abaron swear that if anything happens to her, he and Vowrawn will guard the twins with their lives. Of course, Abe agrees. Ni’kasi has Saarai and little baby Ty holed away in a “secret” (but not terribly secret) apartment somewhere and after some searching, Abe manages to find them and get the full story about what’s happened because D’leah’s a combination of too angry and panicked by the events as a whole that she’s not able to either think clearly or recount them to him. His reaction is something to the tune of “aw shit, kid” and then the dad brain kicks in and Abe’s on it.

Abe manages to smuggle Saarai and tiny Ty back to the place on Rishi where D’leah raised the twins since Vitiate didn’t know about it, whilst Ni’kasi voluntarily stays back on Dromund Kaas with D’leah to do damage control. Abaron returns to Dromund Kaas to find out that Vitiate’s loyalists (Baras, Ravage and so on amongst them, the only NPC Dark Councillors I don’t headcanon as being ultimately loyal to Vitiate/the Emperor at this time are Marr and Vowrawn) have tracked down the family, D’leah is unfortunately killed, whilst Ni’kasi “turns herself in” as the “murderer” and essentially takes the responsibility for the killing so she takes the fall for Saarai in order to stop them continuing to look for a trail. Ni’kasi is then demoted to a slave and yadda yadda canon Inq storyline. BUT of course Vowrawn and Abaron are still worried about Ni’kasi, so, that’s where his canon appearance in the Academy comes in and also the reason why he’s so obsessed with “purity” in the ranks. Abe’s not reporting back to the Emperor, but rather using that as a ruse while he instead reports back to Vowrawn and the way of “scanning” the Overseers, other acolytes etc. is his best attempt at trying to track down Ni’kasi again, since it’s been a couple decades and he doesn’t know how much of her will have physically changed given the poor condition that slaves are kept in and so on. He and Ni’kasi do eventually reunite and Abaron will probably, in the Subterfugeverse, take Qet’s place in the Warrior storyline protecting Vowrawn once Baras and Vitiate’s other loyalists finally realise he’s also an Ahaszaai (because as much as I do love Qet, no way is Abe letting his husband go hide out on Republic territory with one of Baras’ assassins on his tail, without him nuh uhhh)

While Abaron, Ni’kasi and Vowrawn all reunite with Saarai and Ty on Yavin IV when the first coalition is formed with Marr and Satele, Vano and Aria and so on, when that battle is over Abaron and Vowrawn originally return to the Empire and serve under Acina for a while, whereas Ni’kasi refuses to separate from her twin and her nephew again. Abe and Vowrawn attempt to continue the plan laid out with Vano, of reforming the Empire from the inside out, and with Vitiate’s influences removed they hope this would become easier. Obviously, Iokath proves it is not. So, at the point where canonically Quinn re-joins the Alliance if you let him, Abaron and Vowrawn also defect and join the Alliance. Abe then flits between being personal guard for all three of them, though Vowrawn needs it the most often, because at least the twins do what Abe tells them to. His husband on the other hand..yeah, leaving that man without a babysitter is asking for trouble - which is why Quinn has to help him. It’s a (minimum of a) two man job keeping Vowrawn out of trouble 👏🤣🤣

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susandsnell · 5 years

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hello lovely, what do you think about a hypothetical GotG rock opera?

SAVED THIS ONE FOR LAST BECAUSE HOLY MOLEY

Anon, let me hug you. Let me kiss you. Let me live for you.

Or, let me regale you with what I think. In exhaustive detail. And drag @mapleymood into this mess because she might appreciate it.

First and foremost, rock opera is absolutely the way to go for a Guardians of the Galaxy theatrical adaptation. Initially, this would be the one rare, rare case where I’d actually be down for it to be a jukebox musical in that the plot point/diagetic presence of Meredith’s Awesome Mixes actually justifies the medium (and it’d be interesting to see which characters actually sing the songs, other than obvious canon moments like Come and Get Your Love, O-O-H Child, Meredith singing Brandy with Ego, the unseen choir gloriously heralding Yondu, Rocket and Groot with come a Little Bit Closer).

However, if we’re talking an original score, a rock opera that pays homage to the stylings of Meredith and Peter’s music tastes works perfectly, especially since the genre was born in about the decades where most of the songs on the Awesome Mixes were released.

Plot-wise? I can’t not incorporate elements of Vol. 2, what with its operatic themes of filial piety soured and subverted, and of course, heroic sacrifices and redemption of previous villains. If it were in multiple acts, you could condense both Guardians 1 and Vol. 2; or even in 2, I think, if you move a few things around and squeeze each film into an act. Also, Mantis. Absolutely needs to be in it, as well as the fantastically operatic villain that would be Ego.

Vocally, I want Nebula to be an alto, Gamora either a mezzo or an alto, and Mantis and Meredith as sopranos. Peter’s a great lead tenor, while Yondu’s pieces have a country/bluegrass twang leitmotif. Drax is born to be a comic baritone, as is Groot.

I need some Bowie-esque stylings for the space exploration scenes (turntable sets please!), Queen for battles, and anything and everything in between for character pieces.

In fact, here are some more ideas for songs/staging:

1. “Starlord (Take My Hand).” Meredith’s death in the prologue is done in song a la Fantine or Mimi in La Boheme; she sings a soft duet in a gentle first run with Peter. She dies just before she finishes the song, and Peter can’t bring himself to finish it either. She keeps appearing as a lost Lenore figure for more than the brief flashbacks the films give us of her; a kind of guardian angel that often lingers in songs only Peter can hear. Perhaps she’s even seen as a shadow in the ensemble of some of his dance numbers; he’s shaking it and having a good time to a wonderful song, when there’s a single voice harmonizing with him that always makes him pause; her leitmotif creeps in.

There’s only one proper reprise, of course, when she shows up as a vision as they’re fighting Ronan, and this time, Peter completes the song, just as the Guardians take his hands to disperse the power of the Infinity Stone – and they all join in the melody. Meredith holds Rocket’s hand where Groot ought to be.

2. I actually have a couple of silly ideas for Groot – the first being that “I am Groot” is all he sings and he has a solo number consisting of all of these, or, a la Quasimodo in the stage version of Hunchback, his spoken dialogue is all “I Am Groots” but he’s perfectly understandable through song lyrics. Of course, the “I am Groot” is so integral to his character we could have it that he doesn’t sing (except vocalizing) until his big climatic sacrifice in the battle over Xandar; a power soliloquy titled “We Are Groot.”

3. Ronan was born to have a booming baritone dirge about the Xandarian treaty and the vengeance he demands. Thanos can sinisterly reprise this at him at any point.

4. Nebula’s aria/soliloquy. I’m talking sick guitar riffs. I’m talking angst. I’m talking backstory. I’m talking stage pyrotechnics, just ‘cuz.

5. Drax’s Lament to flesh him out.

6. Rocket and Groot’s introductory duet needs to be killer; sideshow and comedic, but also fast-paced – there also needs to be brief solos later in the show for Rocket backstory.

7. ACTION SEQUENCES DONE THROUGH DANCE! THE KYLN ESCAPE! THE BATTLES! AAAHHH

8. Angry duets are a must, but I absolutely insist upon Rocket and Yondu’s being a medley of reprises to show the vicious circles in which the two draw themselves; particularly, the twangy, Hadestown-esque leitmotif of Yondu’s and Rocket’s melody when he reveals he was a lab project.

9.. Gamora and Peter love ballad called “Ones Who Dance.”

10. Gamora could get an “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” -esque ballad of her own, albeit about finding herself and carving her own identity and wants now that she’s free of Thanos.

11. “This Is The Sea”, a number that starts out fun and bombastic and turns deeply sinister as Ego unveils his plans/the truth about Meredith.

12. “Help You Sleep,” starts out as a sweet little ballad to introduce Mantis as a character/her powers and exist diagetically as a sort of lullaby she uses for Ego but then she gets a belting reprise when she knocks him the fuck out later on. (And Thanos.)

13. Big ensemble numbers for the Sovereign (more traditionally operatic) and the Nova Corps

14. Listen, I don’t know about you, but The Collector, aka Tanaleer Tivan, needs a “King Herod’s Song” style number yesterday.

13. “Hordes of Freedom (The Ravagers’ March)” as an unforgettable theme for the Ravager crews; we might even have an earlier montage through dance where it’s sung if we want scenes of Peter’s childhood. Solos for Yondu (in his signature style), Kraglin, and later, Aleta, Stakar and the rest at Yondu’s funeral.

14. “Family Ties,” as a multi-part counterpoint; the duet that resolves things somewhat between Gamora and Nebula, and another duet between Peter and Yondu as the latter rescues the former. There are hints of Meredith’s melody throughout – likewise, Yondu can’t finish the song, this time. Peter forces himself to. This might condense both arcs as happening concurrently, or maybe I just love dying and being dead and feel like you should have “You will always be my sister” and “He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn’t your daddy” juxtaposed directly.

14. Yondu’s funeral should be the grand finale. And as I imagine the arrow golden dust would be very hard to stage, he should ascend to some sort of catwalk/higher level of the theatre, where Meredith, and the other beloved dead (adult Groot’s giant costume?), stand.

15. Puppet groot? Giant costume? Who knows.

WHAT A QUESTION. (Everyone else, please feel free to add.) Anon, I owe you my firstborn.

#gotg #guardians of the galaxy #peter quill #starlord

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cerastes · 6 years

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With all these Belmonts, is there a concise family tree?

Concise, yeah, though not all the details are filled, and some stuff has been left open-ended or simply not enough information was given. The traditional timeline’s canon Belmonts, and their tree, is as follows:

The short answer is Leon -> Trevor -> Christopher -> Soleiyu -> Simon -> Juste -> Richter -> Julius.

The long answer is

Leon Belmont (Lament of Innocence): The earliest known Belmont who went into a vampire fortress alone and unarmed to beat the absolute crap out of whoever it is that kidnapped his wife in the year 1094. A baron who was widely believed to be the strongest knight in Europe, he started the Belmont Clan’s tradition of killing vampires and respecting women. Quotes of his include “I’ll kill you and the night!” and “Mark my words, from today on, I and all my descendants will not give you peace! The Belmont Clan will hunt the night!” which proves that people named ‘Leon’ in PS2 era games are just treasure troves of quotes, and not small time. Actually didn’t fight Dracula! He did best Death, though. He was engaged with Sara Tantroul, but during the Mess that happened during Leon’s adventure, as she was dying, she infused her soul with the Whip of Alchemy, turning it into the Vampire Killer. This means that every Belmont is practically swinging their great great great grandmother at Vampires to beat the utter piss out of them and she couldn’t be happier. Leon later married an unknown woman, which I hope wasn’t too awkward for his now Whip Wife.

Trevor Belmont (Castlevania III and Curse of Darkness): Almost 400 years pass, and in 1476, Trevor becomes the first Belmont to defeat Dracula, alongside future wife Sypha Belnades (a powerful spellcaster from the magic-focused Belnades Clan) and close friends Alucard (that Alucard, Dracula’s son) and Grant Danasty (a noble thief from Wallachia), and then assists a Devil Forgemaster that defected from Dracula’s service named Hector (a very strong and good boy) kill Dracula after Bad Vlad resurrected prematurely. Although an incredible warrior proud of his skills, he is also cautious, and kind of a rude jackass but he has a heart of gold. Has a REALLY good boss theme for when you have to fight him. He also starts in the Castlevania Pachislot game, which has a soundtrack too good for a fucking pachislot game, what the hell.

Christopher Belmont (The Adventure and Belmont’s Revenge): Around a hundred years later, in 1591, Dracula resurrected tougher than ever. Luckily, Christopher Belmont, great-grandson of Trevor, was lifting pretty much every day, so he went and clowned on Dracula. He was very happy about this, and he also very happy that 15 years after this fight, Soleiyu Belmont, his son, was coming of age as a Vampire Hunter. He was going to give him the Vampire Slayer, as per tradition, to make him the main Belmont, BUT THEN, Dracula, the tricky willy, HADN’T ACTUALLY DIED from the fight with Christopher, and had just been left very very weak, but due to this, he couldn’t do anything, so he possessed Soleiyu to recover his power, which Christopher DIDN’T LIKE, so he went at him again. After defeating his son Soleiyu in a duel and freeing him from Bad Vlad’s influence, he went and beat Dracula SO HARD that he did die this time, and for a while at it.

SIMON FUCKING BELMONT (Castlevania, Simon’s Quest, Super Castlevania IV, Harmony of Dissonance, and Chronicles): THE LEGEND HIMSELF. Simon Belmont, the hero of the very first game, and thus, the “first” Belmont in that way. Simon grew up hearing stories and legends of his lineage’s finest feats: His ancestor Trevor, his great-grandfather Christopher, even his grandfather Soleiyu, and always felt anxious of whether or not he was worthy of the name Belmont, worthy enough to be in such a kickass family, always wondered if he would be able to stand up to the expectation. A chance to find the answer to that question would come in 1691, when Dracula revived AGAIN, and Simon, age 22, who had spent his whole life training and becoming a monster truck gijinka, went and absolutely fucking eradicated Dracula, just gave him those kind of punches that send you to another side of the map, blew him across his own throne room as if he was on 200% damage in Smash Bros, just pulverized him. Dracula, however, managed to inflict a wound on his back, and he cursed it with his dying breath. The wound never healed, and Simon just kinda accepted that. 7 years pass and Simon’s all bummed out ‘cause he’s gonna die from this one little fuckin’ nick on his back, when a Mysterious Woman tells him “hey, find Dracula’s body parts and burn them to heal your curse” and he was like “sounds good to me”, so he did, assembled the parts, and ended up reviving Dracula, who immediately looked at Simon and went “Oh bother” before Simon unleashed the mother of all beat downs on him, tore him apart AGAIN, and now burned dismantled Bela Lugosi-looking mother fucker for good measure. This undid the curse, because exorcisms and blessings are weak and inferior to some good ol’ ultraviolence. The Belmont Clan was kinda ostracized before this because people were afraid of their superhuman power, but Simon’s feat of kicking Dracula’s ass, and then reviving him so he could kick his ass even harder was so awe inspiring that the people were like “that’s pretty cool dude!” and now they loved the Belmonts, and Simon became a legend, and a village formed around the Belmont Clan household out of respect for them.

Juste Belmont (Harmony of Dissonance): ...And in this village is where Simon’s grandson, Juste, grew up! Even among Belmonts, Juste was particularly powerful due to his immense aptitude for magic in addition to his factory setting Belmont Strength, owing to the Belnades blood in his lineage. In 1748, his best friend, Maxim Kischine, wanted to prove he was stronger than Juste, so he emulated Simon’s feat from 50 years ago and collected all of Dracula’s body parts (which should have burned but Dracula is tenacious HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO TEACH YOU THIS LESSON, OLD MAN), EXCEPT despite being a formidable lad, Maxim was nowhere near Simon levels of strong, physically or spiritually, so he got possessed by Dracula’s influence, lol. Not Dracula himself, though, he was still VERY dead after Simon got done with him, but his influence lingered in his body parts. Juste is also a very successful IKEA employee and loves interior design, skills he puts at good use in a room in Castlevania for some reason unknown to everyone but him. Despite his kitsch tastes, Juste, as said before, is VERY STRONG, and so he beat the influence right out of Maxim and then killed it AGAIN outside of Juste, all while traversing a physical Castlevania and a spiritual Castlevania brought to quasi-existence by Maxim’s psyche, all the while rescuing their mutual friend Lydie Erlanger. Fun Fact! What Juste kills is Dracula’s influence, not Dracula himself. The final boss, Dracula Wraith, is just the manifestation of his influence after draining power from Maxim (as formidable as the real Dracula, but not actually Dracula), making him and Leon the only two people in this list that didn’t actually kill Dracula. He then likely marries Lydie and they have a no doubt very beautiful home hand-decorated by Juste himself.

Richter Belmont (Rondo of Blood, Symphony of the Night, Nocturne of Recollection, Portrait of Ruin): Richter is either Juste’s son or grandson, we don’t know, but what we do know for sure is that he’s made of something harder than the strongest metal known to man. He is VERY strong, and said to be The Strongest Belmont, period (at least until Julius). Dracula revived again SIGH and ordered a bunch of women to be kidnapped to be sacrificed to him, which included Annette, Richter’s girlfriend. Richter kinda doesn’t like this, so much like Leon, he goes absolutely ballistic on 1792 and embarks on his quest to kick vampire ass. Unlike Leon, however, he does bring weaponry. On his path of asskicking, Richter rescues fellow Vampire Hunter and distant relative of the Belmont Clan, Maria Renard, and if you’ve been following this post, you’ll know that just one Vampire Hunter is VERY strong, WELL IMAGINE TWO OF THEM NOW. Holy SHIT, they just fucking suplexed the entire castle like Sabin on steroids, satellite lasers have less firepower than this duo. So Dracula obviously loses like the jobber he is, and everything’s ok. Unfortunately, Dracula has a hyper competent sidekick. No, not Death, that guy jobs, too, I mean a Dark Priest named Shaft, who, unlike what his idiot name might suggest, is actually really good at his job. He’s the one that revive Dracula this time, and boy howdy he was going to try again, EXCEPT this time he brainwashed Richter into helping them, and that’s when Alucard, ally of Trevor, bursts out of his sarcophagus and decides to lend a hand in this whole Dracula ass kicking, but that’s another story for another day.

Julius Belmont (Aria of Sorrow/Dawn of Sorrow): The last known Belmont and the strongest. Julius fucks. In 1999, he obliterated Dracula, we don’t know how, we never were told how it went down, but all that is known is that he absolutely did that. He then lends a helpful hand to Aria/Dawn’s protagonist, Soma Cruz, but that’s also another story for another time.

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monotonous-minutia · 4 years

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The cast of Le nozze di Figaro: Reality Check

as per a request from @notyouraveragejulie, another collection of random musings on an operatic cast.

Figaro, baritone

Former barber, now works exclusively for the Count after helping him win the hand of Rosina. Engaged to Susanna, a fact upon which much of the plot of this piece hinges, although if we’re honest most of the conflict and action belongs to Susanna and the Countess. Figaro’s cleverness helps him get the better of almost everyone and occasionally himself. Ironically he tends to jump to conclusions when it’s his own life he’s working on rather than someone else’s. Genuinely wants to help Susanna and Rosina, and is rightfully miffed at the Count for trying to seduce his fiancée. It’s not as clear how he feels about Cherubino which is a fact unfortunately exploited by directors to various degrees. Almost always steps ahead of everyone, but when he isn’t, he has Susanna to help him out. It’s clear they are a great match for each other, though it doesn’t take much for either of them to fly into a jealous rage at the mere hint that the other is cheating. At least he’s not a tenor.

Susanna, soprano

A maid in the Almaviva household, Figaro’s bride-to-be, very close friends with the Countess. Ingenuity is on the same level as Figaro’s which is probably why they got married. Is occasionally a step ahead of him and always five steps ahead of the Count. She is very much grossed out by the Count’s advances because he is a creep and also her best friend’s husband. Is often the go-between for various parties and it’s miraculous she can keep all these differing plots straight in her head. Basically runs the household.

Countess Rosina Almaviva, soprano

Has every trait of your typical Tragic Soprano but because this is opera buffa she doesn’t die. Rightfully upset that her husband has forgotten her but is also clearly in love with Susanna, yet once again we do not see this fulfilled. Though she spends a significant amount of the opera sighing over her misfortunes, she’s retained much of her quick-wittedness from her previous adventures and contributes a lot to the action. Her anxiety occasionally prevents her from jumping into things feet-first like Susanna and Figaro. Altogether too forgiving of her dickwad husband.

Cherubino, mezzo

As has been eloquently stated elsewhere, Cherubino is a page in the Almaviva household who is in love with everyone. The personification of energetic confusion. Takes every opportunity to flirt and that gets him into a lot of trouble, which can be anything from hiding under tables to jumping out windows. There’s only two speeds with this kid: trouble and a lot of trouble. Annoys the ever-loving hell out of the Count for crushing on the wife he apparently doesn’t love anymore. Gets involved in the obligatory meta dressing-up-as-a-girl moment which confuses everyone even more on a variety of levels. Gets unofficially engaged to Barbarina, but it’s unclear if he’s going to stick with that. Has some of the best music in the opera.

Count Almaviva, baritone

Total dickwad trash husband. Was a somewhat decent person when he was a tenor a few years back, but is now a jealous, possessive, horny, hypocritical asshole. Married Rosina after the very convoluted events of Barbiere. Long story short he fought very hard to get her in his life and now that they’re married he has other ladies on his mind. Not clear exactly how much has passed since that fateful wedding day. Spends half the opera pursuing Susanna and the other half trying to thwart Figaro and the other half trying to get rid of Cherubino. Puts Clueless Tenors to shame with his constant misunderstanding of people’s intentions and current events. Does not deserve the forgiveness he receives.

Bartolo, bass

A doctor who used to be in love with Rosina despite being almost old enough to be her father. Coincidentally, he is also unknowingly the father of the very man he spends the first half of this opera trying to thwart: Figaro. (A lot of people spend time trying to thwart Figaro in this piece.) As if that weren’t ironic enough, he wants to get back at Figaro by marrying him off to someone who happens to be Figaro’s mother. Does a total 180 when he finds out he’s Figaro’s dad and becomes a decent person. It’s unclear if he’s actually still in love with Marcellina, though they do get married. Though if we’ve learned anything over the course of this opera, it’s that marriage doesn’t really count for much.

Marcellina, mezzo or alto

Bartolo’s old maid in both senses of the term. Weirdly in love with Figaro, even though she’s old enough to be his mom, which, coincidentally, she is. Before this is discovered she has a sassy rivalry with Susanna and they exchange insults thinly disguised as pleasantries. Awhile ago she loaned Figaro some money on the condition that if he didn’t pay her back, he would marry her. Apparently he didn’t take this seriously. Demands he pay up or marry her on the day he’s supposed to marry Susanna, which is inconvenient for everyone except the Count, who tries to use this to get back at Figaro. But it leads to the familial revelation, so we can’t be too mad. Also pulls a 180 when the family ties are revealed. Tries to be a good mother but doesn’t have enough practice to deal with Figaro. Seriously, though, could anyone deal with Figaro? Props to whoever did raise him.

Basilio, tenor

Used to be Rosina’s music teacher. Is now Susanna’s music teacher. It seems apparent he is better at gossip than music, though given Susanna and Rosina have some of the best music in the opera, that point could be debated. Ironically, he doesn’t get much of his own music. Fulfills the role of the Opera Buffa Tenor by being exactly where you don’t want him right when you don’t want him. Enjoys watching other people suffer. Interestingly, that never comes back to bite him. Unless you count his aria always being cut. Could be karma.

Antonio, baritone

The gardener, also Susanna’s uncle, but most importantly always drunk. Pretty much only here as a plot device and resource for the Count to try and catch Cherubino. He is sober just long enough to appreciate how clever Barbarina is, though he does erroneously credit himself for this.

Barbarina, soprano

Antonio’s daughter, Susanna’s cousin, one of Cherubino’s numerous crushes, and the only one who returns his affections. Mostly she is here to be adorable. The Count is probably taking advantage of her, and she is either too sweet and naïve to understand, or wily enough to let him so she can get back at him later (which she does). Pulls an almost Susanna-level blackmail stunt. We can imagine her growing up to be as clever and resourceful as Susanna someday. Something she will definitely need to be if she and Cherubino do in fact get married.

Don Curzio, tenor

The judge called on to settle the legal matter between Figaro and Marcellina. Canonically has a stutter that everyone makes fun of, which is really unfortunate. Interestingly it seems to go away during choruses.

#Le nozze di Figaro #The Marriage of Figaro #opera casts #opera characters #Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart #Lorenzo da Ponte #opera #opera tag #don't mind me #i still have no idea what these things are but they are very fun to write

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alley-cat-sunflower · 7 years

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unpopular opera opinion…???

literally nobody is going to care about this, but Il Trovatore always gets me fired up (I’ve spent the better part of 14 years contemplating this, ok), so here are all the reasons Count di Luna [the villain] should have gotten the girl, Leonora, instead of Manrico [the hero]:

Dmitri Hvorostovsky. seriously, look up his appearances as Count di Luna if you haven’t seen him already (or look at the link several points below) and then show me a comparably beautiful Manrico. you’ll probably have a tough time of it, if you can even find one at all.

…now that the shallower stuff is out of the way, I’ma get to my main point and say that Manrico x Leonora isn’t any more healthy than Count x Leonora. sure the count is kind of an obsessive stalker but Manrico demonstrates the exact same behaviors and it’s apparently ok because she “loves” him I guess

Manrico is so insecure that when Leonora accidentally mistakes di Luna for him in the dark, he instantly assumes she was cheating on him or something. like, instantly. I’d also like to point out that by the beginning of the opera, Manrico and Leonora have only met approximately once (maybe twice??), and are not an item yet. they’re just kinda mutually into each other, although the depth of their attraction is questionable. the Count is implied to have been courting Leonora for a lot longer, or at least having admired her instead of running into her one time at a tourney and dedicating a song or two to her

Manrico picks a fight with the Count offstage and loses so badly his mom goes looking for his corpse. when she finds him barely alive instead, she nurses him back to health. except when Ruiz shows up and tells Manrico that Leonora’s going to become a nun bc she thinks he’s dead, he promptly ignores Azucena’s warnings—ya know, how he just finished recovering from wounds that probably should have killed him???—and runs off to throw himself headlong into another dangerous situation. (and speaking of which, the Count plotting to snatch Leonora away from God was bad enough, but Manrico did have the exact same idea)

edit: I just realized that the entire time Manrico was recovering, which has to have been quite awhile if he’s in good enough shape to go running off like that, he never even thought about the impact his alleged death would have on Leonora, since it comes as such a Shock when Ruiz tells him she’s going to join a convent. like. did he never even bother checking in on her or letting her know in any way that he was still alive?? I guess he just expects her life to stop or something whenever he’s not a part of it??? what a colossal douchebonnet

the Count gets a better love song to Leonora than Manrico ever sings: “The light of her smile / makes the light of the stars seem pale […] May the light of her gaze drive off / the tempest raging in my heart”. (this link also contains the kickass fight song he gets afterward, in which he rallies his spirits to defy everyone and steal Leonora. my favorite line is “Not even a god, my lady, / can take you from me now!”)

…come to think of it, all Manrico’s ‘love songs’ are really self-centered: “Ah, yes, my love, in being yours, / in knowing that you are mine, / my soul will now be braver, / my arm stronger” and “Now I pay in blood / for the love I gave to you! / Never forget me!”

just like he ran out on his mother to reclaim Leonora, Manrico turns around and leaves Leonora at the altar to go save his mom despite Leonora’s warnings and falls right into the count’s trap and gets captured. tbh that’s one of the funniest scenes in the opera because there’s “Di quella pira” to rally the troops and then immediately after the aria ends… sad oboe music. there wasn’t even a struggle song or an onstage scuffle. this idiot has never actually won any of the battles he fights in this opera, with the minor exception of stealing Leonora from her nun friends

by contrast, di Luna has won pretty much all the battles he fights in this opera, and is also clever enough to figure out who Azucena is (with a little help from Ferrando and the poor woman’s dementia) and use her as bait to lure out Manrico

while Leonora is hanging around outside Manrico’s prison cell singing about how much she loves him and how there’s never been a love stronger than hers and how she’s 100% willing to trade her life for his, Manrico’s busy singing about how much he wants to fuCKING DIE (no joke, literally, “Ah, how slow is death, / how slow in coming, / for one who wants to die!”)

Leonora did swear [before God, in fact] that she’d marry the Count in exchange for freeing Manrico, so they were canon for the .5 seconds it took for her to secretly drink poison so she wouldn’t have to actually follow through. then while the Count sings about how happy he is and can’t believe his luck and wow all his dreams are coming true, Leonora sings about how happy she is to die now that her actual bf is safe

let me just break that down for you. the Count is happy for approximately one song in the entire damn opera, two if you count his love song since he’s reminiscing about Leonora, and then she goes and breaks his heart. and before you tell me he doesn’t care about her as much as he does about possessing her, name one (1) time in the entire opera Manrico doesn’t act like Leonora is His Girl™

speaking of which, Manrico is such a god damn self-absorbed mama’s boy that Leonora has given her life to free him from jail and shows up to deliver the news, but then he gets all insecure about how she gained that favor and jumps to mad conclusions.

no, really. when Leonora tells him to leave, with zero cuts in dialogue, he tells her, to her face: “I care nothing for my life. / Now, woman, look into my eyes! / How have you done this? / And at what price? / You won’t speak? Monstrous thought! / From my rival! I understand, I understand! / This wretch has sold her love…”

…and then he proceeds to shout her down while she is literally dying, rejecting her and her attempt at explanation when she is prostrate at his feet begging him to just shut the fuck up and listen, and only when she points out that he should be praying for her instead of cursing her, does it occur to him that maybe, JUST MAYBE, something might be wrong??? what the hell?? terrible husband material.

after finally seeing the error of his ways, Manrico still doesn’t fully catch on to what she wants for him, because he proceeds to stick around and wait for Leonora to die… so obviously the Count goes through with his execution and her sacrifice was for nothing, all because he was too much of a tool to believe she actually loved him the first time. how fragile does your confidence have to be for you to be THAT much of an asshole about fidelity??? holy shit

edit: also it’s worth noting that the Count stumbles upon the two of them after Leonora reveals she’s dying and would have every right to interrupt since he [justifiably] hates Manrico’s guts and Leonora is supposed to be his fiancée but instead he just lets the scene play out like a respectful onlooker

yeah, sooooo that’s why Manrico doesn’t deserve Leonora and the Count should’ve gotten a better chance. but hey at least he lived and they died?? even though that’s really more a curse than a blessing due to all the shit he’s been through. but tbh you gotta take the small victories in opera considering a lot of them end in death all around.

anyway thank u for your time, I just have a lot of Thoughts™

#things heating up in the verdi fandom #il trovatore #even if you don't read this #the length of this post is enough to show #how unnecessarily detailed i can be #in finding backup for opinions that don't matter

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