#from a totally objective impersonal perspective...

[earthtonenjoyer]

she's the man reference in across the spiderverse?????

[danadiadea]

Severus’ isolation after the exam is one of the reasons Lily’s attempt to get him to abandon his Slytherin ‘friends’ has never sat that well with me.

Because I get why she doesn’t like Mulciber, obviously, but instead she’s asking him to alienate them for…who, exactly? She can’t even be bothered to wait to exchange two words after something really important to him, she’s off with her girlfriends without a second thought, and there’s no indication Sev was hoping she’d wait so clearly this is a well established pattern (strange, considering he’s supposedly a possessive incel stalker, that he doesn’t interfere with her social life!) She appears to have made no moves to introduce Severus to any non-Slytherins or join any clubs together. She’s so over him that she doesn’t even address him personally while her housemates have him strung up by the ankle. And obviously he’s picked up on her indifference, or he wouldn’t be begging for reassurance they’re still best friends. I find it hard to condemn him for not cutting off the Slytherins for Lily’s sake when Lily’s so chronically unsupportive and unavailable. Total isolation does horrible things to people’s brains.

And then of course there’s the fact that Lily’s crush + hangers on have ensured the only space in the castle potentially free from violence is the Slytherin dorms they can’t enter, where Sev is also at considerable disadvantage as a son of a muggle sleeping alongside pureblood supremacists. But this also doesn’t cross her mind. I get that she’s a teenage girl, but 16 year olds are not incapable of putting themselves in another’s shoes! (I’ll add the disclaimer before I get jumped on that ofc I understand that Severus fails to do this for Lily too).

Severus is an incel stalker, but Lily has a friendgroup that talks shit on Severus and that clearly is her priority, but he does not interfere or try to prevent her from hanging out with them, unlike Lily who tells him to not spend time with the only people sho seem to at least somewhat accept him (by the way she doesn't assign anything bad to Avery, and I find it interesting that Sirius doesn't mention Mulcibier when talking about "the gang" at all, but he mentions Avery too. Maybe Avery was closer to Severus, and he was a more decent person overall? also Lily says she detests "some" people he's hanging around with, so maybe there were Slytherins she didn't dislike that much, like Rosier and Wilkies? I don't trust Sirius too much though, he mentions Bella and Rodolfus who couldn't possibly study with Snape).

Lily not adressing Severus during the SWM irks me so much. Like this is the №1 reason I support the "Lily was a deeply imperfect friend" agenda even more than "you're ungrateful to James Potter" stuff, honestly. Like this is charity what she does, not backing up her friend. Not only she doesn't attack them, but she doesn't help him to get his wand back or unbind him – all her attention is clearly on James. Severus isn't treated like a subject of the social dynamics, but more like an object of pity, and we know he's very proud. And I wonder if their friendship was already so rotten, or if Lily and Severus weren't known to be very close publically?... At least the adult Marauders never refer to it, so it wasn't a very big part of Lily or Severus from their perspective it seems. Clearly it was known they were friends, but she might not want to be associated with Severus more than necessary in their later years, since her other friends disliked him. At least that would explain why doesn't she approach him after the exam or vice versa, why she seems to be very, very impersonal during SWM, and why no-one ever (except Petunia) refers to Snily friendship from a Watsonian perspective.

Severus begging for the reassurance they are best friends😭😭😭 Too bad we don't hear the previous lines of theirs, I wonder to which phrase/situation he reacted like that. They probably discussed something related to his affiliations, but I don't think it was about Avery and Mulcibier all the way before – she seems to bring them up rather then continue a long lasting argument against them (also this is obvious it's not an argument they have for the fifth year straight. like Severus couldn't possibly be closely associated with them for a long time before that scene). I can imagine a lot of things from which the dialogue might go to Mulcibier and then to the Marauders, but yeah, that "I thought we were supposed to be friends" line sounds desperate asf... And how he can't contain his happiness when she says she hates James, and forgets about defending Mulcibier! All it had required was Lily supporting him in his rightful anger the tiniest bit!

Severus was pretty selfish as a teen, but no-one cared for him. Was even he himself supposed to not care about him? Well, he'd just die then (non-figuratuvely at this point). Severus was a kid from a violent neighbourhood, with abusive and neglectful parents, didn't have any really close friends who'd stand up for him, and his abusers were supported by the school authorities and the student body. Of course he would do what serves him best in that situation, which is sticking to Avery and Mulcibier! Again, Severus' loneliness in SWM shows they weren't emotionally close at all at least by then, he probably just spent time with them (as you've said, they live together and every place in that school that is not Slytherin dorm room is pretty unsafe for Severus, and also the Marauders might not attack him with other slytherins around, when we know that Lily's presence only heated James up from his glances to her in SWM) and Lily asked Severus to abandon even that without giving him any other options.

Also, my favourite ignored thing about it is that this argument arises just after the Prank had happened "the other day". Might a silenced murder attempt intensify Severus' wish to support Mulcibier, I wonder?

[toniko]

okay I agree with everything you said about Kim except his treatment of Baek. If you read as far as 161 then you know we see Baek constantly being conniving and sneaky and really is always looking for the next opportunity to backstab someone if it’s advantageous to him from Baek’s POV. In the Dream School Arc he makes a murder attempt on him which Kim artfully dodges. Baek’s whole thing is being a clown that keeps making his own situation worse because he keeps confirming for Kim that he’s frankly awful even when Kim tries to give him an out.

up to 161 still

totally will admit my section on Saheon was something I threw on quickly without explaining well. In frank words now, I’d say:

‘Kim Soleum seems to believe in the Baek Saheon (Viper-heon, Doksa) from the text a lot compared to the one in front of him. The one from the text is implied to be much more cruel. His discipline reflects as way too extra for this Baek Saheon.’

not that he isn’t a bastard in the first place lol. also yeah, I get that interpretation too. I just give the ol’ Baek Saheon some benefit of the doubt, more detail below. other reasons too

again big opinion piece

I was going to mention the attempt on Kim Soleum’s life in the school arc actually! Thought it would go on too long. In my mind, Baek Saheon reads as someone who’s overly hasty, almost bullheaded? He decides Kim Soleum is some kind of traitor very quickly and takes action. Actually his exact thoughts is that Kim Soleum would have a name tag anyway and he’ll just wake up. (He’s pretty stupid now to just assume that, doesn’t he? But he really does believe in the total competency of Kim Soleum after seeing him operate.) I think to even have thought that though means he’s adverse to committing literal murder.

Yes, his morality is loose, but killing people is not on the board yet and I think that’s the most clear line between the true psychos who use finishing team members, mad scientists and shitty bosses vs this guy that we’ve seen being an absolute bastard but backs down the moment he seems threatened. And input some of my own bias here, I think killing with intention is truly the line between a truly evil character and one that isn’t (because of the great emphasis of preserving life within the story) at least in this ghost story where psychopaths are rampant and bad personalities are abound.

I also didn’t describe what I believe to be Kim Soleum’s evaluation of Baek Saheon as a character. I think there’s a combination of Baek Saheon committing the first instance of ‘cruelty’ Kim Soleum witnesses in this new world and his previous knowledge of Saheon. We can only speculate what the original Saheon is like, but it’s clear he’s the character with the largest departure in his story from his original. The character in the text Kim Soleum often refers to is already a chief with many years of experience and lots of time for horrible acts to pile up. So this is the frame of mind I think Soleum has when thinking of Saheon.

Kim Soleum’s discipline is rather important for his safety of course! But rather, since we have some POV chapters from Saheon’s perspective, we can see how that guy immediately crumbles after any opposition lol. The longer Kim Soleum performs this discipline, the more it seems like he doesn’t need to be doing all that work. (Read cat note death threat before Saheon shows a semblance of scheming). It is also possible that Soleum is going overboard for fun (even though he likes to say that this is absolutely necessary).

In the end, it’s difficult to say Kim Soleum views Baek Saheon in an objective way regardless or without any bias from the darkness text. I can loop this right back to the impersonalization topic

Of course this is all very speculative! I do call it my personal interpretation.

I’m someone who believes Kim Soleum is not just reliant on the text, but was overly reliant on it as both his way to survive and interpret this world and to cope. I also think the writing is a bit of a trick most of the time, some classic unreliable narrator type shenanigans.

Here’s some meta elements I base it off of as well:

Baek Saheon is like one of the only characters that gets chapters in his POV and the most compared to other characters as well. So I don’t doubt he’s here for the long run. He’s set up as more of a comedic character for now but the angle for his character doesn’t seem like an antagonistic setup. But additionally with a character like Kim Soleum as the protagonist, I don’t think he’s in any narrative position to get worse.

please don’t take this as me overly defending Saheon, I make fun of him like every other Tuesday. Kim Soleum just doesn’t quite treat him like any he does with any other character in a drastic way so I can only theorize on why 🤔 (there’s more to say about this but man, this is not the post for that

[kuekyuuq]

At this point, I see things regarding Supercorp this way...

(Mxaybe... in another universe... *sighs*)

My head-canon for the show:

Lena had a crush on Kara since day one and vice versa. She tried to deny it, deny herself the ‘luxury’ of personal attachment... but Kara was quite persistent, and cute, and sweet, and warm, and such a dork, and... yeah... Lena got confused when she developed similar feelings for Supergirl, and then her disagreements with Supergirl caused her to not-like her anymore, but still felt physically attracted to her - damnit. Since oblivious Kara did not respond properly to her flirts (and they both verbally friend-zoned each other), Lena resigned to gaze and long for her in secret, thinking Kara was straight. Neither her short and tragic re-encounter with Jack - an unresolved comfort from her own past - nor her sudden enemies-to-lovers thing with James (Kara's ex of all people) could quite quench her craving for Kara's closeness and warmth or her verbal tension-filled jab-throwing matches with Supergirl. After the reveal, Lena was more hurt over her 'friend' betraying her trust, keeping a secret from her (yes, that's a double-standard, Lena! ...girl's got deeply rooted issues) than 'Supergirl' using her alter-ego to take advantage of Lena (which, hands down, Kara actually did on some occasions - so, ironically that one would have been objectively valid, but, hey, feelz shape our perspectives). She went through her lashing-out phase, only to realize she can't live without Kara in her life. And really wants to do good. Yes, that too... ...and it only took her trying to brainwash the whole world (good intentions and the road to hell) and Lex back-stabbing her a couple of times, to see the light and join the good guys for good... to be more like Supergirl, in her own small way...? Y'all know what I mean ^_- She came crawling back, continues to try hard to prove herself worthy, longingly watching on every time Kara and Alex hug, desperate to keep her sunshine-impersonated in her life, whom she truly loves, despite how much she tried to convince herself she did not...

...

Meantime, Kara is an alien (yes, I bold that, bc, people tend to not think this through). From a totally different culture and all, having suffered great trauma and entering Earth's culture during her puberty/informative years. A Kryptonian who crushed for Humans (males - James, Adam - and apparently 4 other dudes she broke the noses of when kissing) and other aliens (Daxamite Mon-El) ...uh, and even couldn't stop herself admitting how she likes how nice Lucy (female Human) smells (the most prominent other time such a statement was made, was when everybody was swooning over Kal). Who only in her adulthood realized homosexuality was even a real option, outside of high-schoolers slurring at each other. (And I am not saying, Kara is gay, as in lesbian... she incidentally spoke true when she denied that in the pilot. Repeat after me: “Kara is an alien.” ..I’d call her pan, but am also aware, that the textbook definition doesn’t include ‘all species’... so.... there’s that.) Kara, who so desperately hard tried to fit in, she got absolutely used to others telling her what she's supposed to feel and think.

...who crushed hard for Lena at first sight (possibly, also star-struck). But both Clark and Alex, her most important people to look for help, guidance and reference, told her any Luthor was bad news.

There was Mon-El, whom she didn't even like, at first. When he lied told her he wasn't in love with her, she was utterly relieved. She was all “Oh, golly. That’s unexpected and awkward. What now?!” when he confessed to her, and tried (and failed) to let him down gently. (I am actually convinced, that Kara was more ego-hurt, that he moved on to Eve so quickly, and.. where she and James ended things once Lucy was out of the picture, Kara only started thinking/feeling differently about Mon-El when he was taken... just sayin’ I maybe spot a pattern there.) But, Alex told her, that she had a thing for Mon-El and that she should give him a shot... ...even when Lena got involved with Cadmus, and Kara found herself passionately defending the youngest Luthor against ALL her friends, when she could not explain her bone-deep trust in Lena but by "I can see it in her eyes" and other instinctually tainted expressions... Well, she and Mon-El made it work, they were actually a sweet couple when they weren't butting heads... Didn't stop Kara from having mixed feelings when Lena ran into her ex. And yes, Kara did mourn Mon-El. If only for the concept of what they had together, but I do think, she did feel love for him... Me thinks, Kara would be one of the people who simply can not separate physical and emotional. So by kissing and sleeping with him, stronger emotional attachments came to be. Not to invalidate them, but... personal history is important.

....long story short, Kara kept trying not to stand out. Lived and loved on the safe-side, hurt one too many times by circumstance. And yet kept feeling drawn to Lena, kept trusting her, kept wanting to reveal herself to her - despite what everybody else said. But, emotionally and 'culturally' on the safe side.

Kara friend-zoned herself.

The reveal happened and... Lena HURT her and Kara STILL kept her hope and trust up... and while towards the end of it, being incredibly hurt and worn out, she still let Lena back in. And within 24h decided that Lena came through enough times and Kara was ready to accept her apology...

And then Lex happend (again) and Phantom Zone...

Now...

[*] My head-canon for RL:

Katie is such a natural flirt, that even though the SG writers (after introducing both Lena and Mon-El to the show) have been told "no gay Supergirl" by the CW in 2017, Melissa just never knows what hit her...

Director: "CUUUT!" Melissa: "--...wait, what? I'm married. I mean... huh?" Melissa: "Wait! We have to redo that! We were told, not to-" Katie: "To what?" Melissa: "...uh, the Supercorp-thing... you know... the heart-eyes?" Katie: "What heart-eyes?" *raises an eyebrow the typical Katie-way* Melissa: "...the... um.... you..." Katie: "Wait, did you-..?" Melissa: "Me!? Oh, no. I am married!" Katie: "What has that to do-... Are you okay?" Melissa: "Yes!" Katie: "Okay, then." *Katie swaggers off stage & hi5s one of the writers on her way out* Melissa: "...darn it." *calls Chris* "Honey, I love you." Chris: "...it happened again?" Melissa: "..." *Chris starts laughing* Melissa: "...so not funny."

So, yeah, that's where I am at. Kara friend-zoned herself and Lena is totally mush for the Girl of Steel. ...and Katie is just being Katie :)

Also, I am currently 99% sure Supercorp will not be endgame. But I would be 100% pleased to be proven wrong.

[* In all seriousness, do not bash on the actors, please. They are just doing their jobs, have a life and family, real relationships and feelings. So, my above 're-enactment' is completely fictional, purely for light-hearted entertainment and not meant to do any harm or spread any hate or to be actually transcribed onto the actual, real people. We do not really know these people! They - and the writers, too - do bring characters to life that we invest in - for that they deserve our gratitude. My gut feeling (or shipper-heart feeling?) is, they are doing their best to sneak Supercorp in whenever they can - not to bait, but because they may actually not be allowed (yet..?) to make SC text but see the same chemistry we do. Have fun, but be respectful, please! We can disagree with the CW's executive decisions - although, we do not really know what’s going on bts - and express our dismay, but do not in all seriousness spread hate.]

[twopoppies]

Alright so as a person who's very passionate about photography... It feels like Anthony is very selectively capturing shots that fit 'the golden boy, huge popstar' vibe.. like idk how to express it but it feels like I'm seeing the shots from an outsider's perspective and there's really nothing Harry about it.. nothing intimate and just... screams HARRY

So yeah even if you're looking at it from a marketing point of view, HS1 would be a great example of inherently Harry shots while still portraying his success/popstar image

Idk what they're going for but as of right now it feels disconnected

I guess? I just don't even get the huge pop star feeling except maybe the last one? I find it interesting that his face is completely obscured, as if that's somehow a message. But it's just a dumb photo. As a photographer why would you even show that to your subject, unless they specifically asked for things that make them look like an object or disconnected from the moment? It's all just very weird to me.

As for the HS1 photos, they feel totally impersonal to me, too. And yeah, they were stage shots but they were so awful that it still really didn't give you any sense of what fans saw each night or what makes Harry so special.

[diurnaldays]

I was tagged by @skullycloud in the @americapersonified usuk/ukus survey!

Quick note, I'm answering all of these from a canonverse angle specifically.

USUK/UKUS SURVEY (by americapersonified) QUESTIONS:

- In what decade did they officially become involved?

If you know me, you know I loooooove WWII USUK. There's just so much significance, both personal and historical, to the WWII US-UK alliance that I doubt they didn't start dating during the 1940s. Maybe they first kissed on VE Day, maybe they first kissed on Janurary 8th, 1942 (you'll find out the significance of that date eventually if you follow along with my historical USUK fic "Tigers in the Sky", wink wonk).

- Who tops? (USUK or UKUS?)

They wrestle it out. Either that, or they do rock/paper/scissors. In all seriousness, it likely depends on what fantasies they're acting out, who's less drunk, etc etc.

- Was either of them a virgin before their first hookup?

Maybe America, definitely not England, though I like changing this around in human AUs.

- If not, to whom did each lose his virginity?

England either lost his virginity to Portugal or France, depending on just how closely England entangled himself with them during alliances/invasions.

Although I doubt America lost his virginity in canonverse (before WWII, that is), I guess his first time might be with either France or a human. With France, it'd have happened during the Rev War to spite England, while if it was with a human, it was a one-night stand that America probably felt bad about afterwards.

- Are they more patient with each other in private, or do they bicker/tease each other all the time?

A mixture of both, to be honest? They express more affection and intimacy in private, as they don't feel a need to put up the same barriers they maintain in public or when around other people. At the same time, they're both always up for a verbal sparring match, regardless of whether or not they're behind closed doors.

- Will they get married?

I'm a sucker for gooey romantic shit, so of course they do. Anyway, speaking from their perspectives, they love each other and probably have preconceived notions of what a modern long-term romantic relationship should look like, so they'd get married regardless of what their bosses think.

- If so, where will the wedding be held? (Add other details if you wish)

Regardless of whether or not they're public figures, their ceremony was probably rather small but still decorated rather nicely with some of their closest allies invited cordially as guests. I think the first time around they'd get married in a quaint chapel in the English countryside somewhere, but when they renew their vows they alternate between each other's bucket list venues -- so one decade, America insists on renewing their vows in Las Vegas with an Elvis impersonator as the officiator, another decade England arranges a ceremony on a historic ship, the decade after that America organizes a bombastic ceremony at Disney World, and so in so forth.

- At whose house do they most often stay together?

In canon, they usually stay at America's house. In my opinion, they try to split trips 50/50 whenever possible, though any number of reasons could compel one of them to visit the other more often.

- Do they refer to each other by their nation names or human names?

Depends on the situation, time period, etc. I think that both their nation and human names are intimate for different reasons that evolve over time.

- What pet names do they have for each other?

America @ England: sweetheart, babe, baby, (insert gooey silly pet name here when he's trying to tease England rather than openly express affection towards him)

England @ America: love, poppet, my love (He uses these both sarcastically and endearingly.)

- Who drives?

Depends on which side the country they're in drives on.

- Is Alfred good at making Arthur's tea?

Eventually, he develops a knack for brewing tea just the way England likes it, but he doesn't admit to himself that he cares about England enough that he's learned how to make perfect tea and scones -- it's just so that England will stop making a sad face and cheer up, you see! A hero can't do heroism when his lover is all pouty and sad! Anyway, England knows that America can brew tea correctly, and so he gets pissed off whenever America brews his tea incorrectly, as England knows that his lover is trying to get a rise out of him.

- It's universally accepted that Arthur is bad at cooking. Does Alfred enjoy cooking? Is he good at it? Or does he usually stick to McDonalds and fast food?

Hey, England's canonically good at baking :( But anyway, I have no doubt America can actually cook very well when he tries. However, fast food is easy, tasty, and convenient for him, so he usually just orders delivery when he's not having England or a friend over. I bet England would be surprised that America can actually cook really well the first time America prepares a lavish three-course Thanksgiving meal for the two of them, though America brushes off the effort he puts into cooking and alternates between pretending that he doesn't know how to cook and taking pride in how much better his cooking totally is compared to everyone else's.

- Do they shower together? (Not specifically for sex)

As long as the shower stall or bathtub is big enough, yes. Just as England fixes up America's shirt collar and tie before attending formal events, England likely also joins America in the shower to both save water and make sure America washes himself and towels off properly. I'm not sure how they'd stay in such close proximity to each other while naked for so long without getting at least a little handsy, though, lol

- Who smells better? (In your opinion)

Uh, England? While America probably has a nice warm sandalwood and sea breeze musk when he's trying to be seductive, he's also sloppy enough that he'd smell of grease, lint, and sweat most of the time (sorry, you know it's true). England is probably more attentive to his own personal hygiene and so usually carries a faint aroma of rose blooms and tea.

- How vocal are they in bed?

Both are very vocal, though England probably moreso when America's doing a good job.

- Is spending time together easy, or are they forced apart for long periods at a time?

I'm a sucker for America and England dealing with the loneliness and longing of a long-distance relationship, so while they'd do their best to find time to visit each other, they both have separate lives and duties that sometimes keep them apart. Still, they generally spend every vacation together, and their allies/friends are used to every invitation likely involving a plus one at this point.

- Are they wealthy, or do they live modestly?

Depends on the time period and where they are. I'd imagine they both own lavish estates and apartments/flats as well as some more modest homes across their respective nations, though they try to maintain lifestyles similar to those of their more average people.

- For Alfred specifically: Glasses on or off?

On in public, off in private or when they're being annoying (as glasses are wont to do).

- How often do they break up?

Unless they have a really bad misunderstanding, I don't think they'd take breaks or break up. They've developed good communication and rapport with each other after decades of dating.

- Open relationship?

In terms of romance, definitely not, they're both too possessive (and also imperial powers lmao). In terms of the bedroom, however, maybe that'd be a different story... (Jealous possessive America ftw)

- Did Arthur actually care for Alfred before the revolution?

Hmm, probably in a paternalistic (NOT paternal) sense, like America/Alfred was an abstract love object for him who he sometimes mentored and sometimes brought gifts for, but who he otherwise chronically neglected up until America broke off their relationship unilaterally with force.

If you see this survey and want to fill it out, consider yourself tagged! :)

[kalendraashtar]

Fanfiction - Dark Shines

Friday 13th and a Harvest Moon call for witches and crime stories! This chapter debuts an incredible new moodboard, made with love by the amazing @sassy-sassenach and lovingly accepted by this author. Thank you so much! ❤

Part I, Part II

Dark Shines

Part III – Tasseography

Behind the ash wood door was a spacious room, substantially darker than the inside of the Beauchamp’s Cup front store. Still, that diffuseness didn’t feel like the dimness of depraved things, but more like the controlled atmosphere meant to protect old books and antique items.

Jamie could identify hundreds of glass jars and wooden boxes, made of a myriad of different colours and shapes. There were also books aplenty, some neatly stored in a massive bookcase against the back of the space, others – probably the ones more frequently used – stacked in piles between the two worktables and the imponent desk.  The writing table was built from a beautiful white wood with an almost invisible grain, ivory-like, that Jamie eventually identified as holly, one of the sacred trees of the old druids.

There were also other objects scattered around the surfaces, stranger and somehow more disturbing in their simplicity – a small silver bell, a pendulum, several knives in different sizes, candles and a totally black tea-set, with seven delicate-looking cups and a robust teapot, which sparkled like an onyx stone would under the intense gaze of the moon.

“Tea first, I think.” Claire said amiably, pointing him in the direction of a plush burgundy armchair in front of her desk. Jamie nodded and tried not to stare openly around him, half-expecting her to go for the wicked looking set of porcelain. Instead, she retrieved a fairly common pair of tea-cups from a sideboard, reassuringly white with the rim simply embellished with soft pink lilies. “Do you have a preference?”

“Whichever ye’re having is fine.” The criminal profiler answered, studying the tea-maker as she prepared the infusion with the measured practice and solemnness of a ritual. After she offered him a cup, pungent with the fragrancy of mint and lemon verbena, Jamie thought he had endured enough politeness for the time being. “So, will ye tell me about the true nature of yer relationship with Morag MacKenzie and Mary Hawkins, Miss Beauchamp?”

The rumoured-witch sipped her tea placidly, blowing softly against the rim of the cup, a magnetic movement of her lips that drew gooseflesh on his arms. “They were faithful clients, almost since I founded the company a couple years back.” She nodded to herself, seemingly content either with the taste of the brewing or with the progress of the conversation. “And they were...curious, about other subjects. Sympathizers, one might say.”

“Do ye mean that they were some kind of witch-groupies?” The man raised a brow, mechanically stirring the liquid with an odd-looking small teaspoon, the point carved like a coiled snake.

“I’m not a member of the Beatles, Agent Fraser.” Claire rolled her eyes, scrunching her perfectly perky nose. “They weren’t groupies. They were interested in some aspects of power and the barriers that stop most people from using it.”

“Were they yer version of Muggles, then?” James Fraser smiled bitterly, silently reprehending himself for letting his own perspective on the subject so abundantly clear. He needed her help, as much as he was convinced that she was a blatant schemer. “I gather from what ye’re sharing that they didn’t have any…power of their own.”

Claire’s eyes fixed on his face, with an intensity that was almost predatory, and then they slowly descended to his upper leg, where he felt her gaze like the two gunshots that had once pierced his flesh, hot and devastating like speeding bullets. It was strange to be once again close to people who knew part of his story, even though they couldn’t possible fathom him.

When her lips moved, it felt like being underwater listening to the secrets of a siren, that he could never accurately reproduce. “Everyone has power. Maybe not what we’d prefer - but some. You won’t find any magical wands here, Mister Fraser, but there are still instruments – conduits, if you’d like – that one might use to do…what I do.”

“And what is that, exactly?” He raised his brow, his tone lowering to a not-too-subtle provocation. Jamie was trying to draw her out, to force her to show more of herself openly - most people revealed plenty with the simplest behaviours, like a choice of recurrent words or hand mannerism, but Claire Beauchamp was undecipherable.

“More tea would be nice, wouldn’t it?” She didn’t wait for his answer, diligently grabbing his cup to refill it from the steaming teapot. Claire squinted at the bottom of his empty cup and then smiled, a lopsided movement of lips that was the true portrait of light-heartedness.

“Found something amusing there?” Jamie asked, annoyed at the growing feeling of rawness, of extreme and unwanted exposure. “I dinna believe in fortune-telling or in the reading of tea leaves, so spare me the telling of some grand adventure in my future, aye?”

“You put too much sugar in your tea.” She revealed cheerfully, deliberately ignoring his borderline-rude remarks. “I don’t need to resort to tasseography to realize that you’ve already experienced too much bitterness in your life.” With ease, she returned him the teacup refilled with a second helping of the hot beverage. “Besides, there’s always more of someone’s past at the bottom of a cup than of the future. That’s the nature of the leaves themselves – they are the tea’s past.”

Jamie offered her a narrow and cold indigo look, retrieving a pen from his pocket to scribble down some notes. “Do people really fall for these tricks?”

“Do people really fall for the brooding and intimidating approach?” She quirked her lips as if she was about to laugh aloud and with a strange twitch his pen fell from his hand, as if it had acquired a life of its own. The policeman bent down haphazardly to catch it, furrowing his brow. “I’m guessing there was something else you needed from me, Agent Fraser, if you chose to come here in the first place. What brought you around, before I volunteered the information that I knew two of the victims?”

“I’m the one who should ask the questions here, Miss Beauchamp.” He clenched his jaw and, before he could continue, his pen – which had been innocently resting on the table, after a stalled first attempt at escaping his possession – slid from the edge of the table and rolled happily away.

“Must be an air draft. Edinburgh and old buildings, you know?” Claire sipped another generous gulp of her tea, her grin barely hidden behind the cup. “Ask away, Agent Fraser. I’ll be on my very best behaviour.”

Before Jamie could explain the mysterious symbols that had led him to her door, and show her some of the illustrating crime scene photos, his phone vibrated inside his pocket.

“Fraser.” John said, with a hint of excitement and consternation in his voice. “We have a fifth victim. Uniforms responded to a call from neighbours complaining of a dog who wouldn’t stop barking, and found another atrocious scene. Meet me there?”

“Aye. Text me the location.” Jamie said shortly and ended the call, when in all truth he wanted to yell a wholehearted “Fuck!”. “Miss Beauchamp, I’m afraid our interview will have to be postponed. I might come by tomorrow for some further inquiries.”

“Of course.” She raised from her chair, the dove around her neck seemingly flapping her wings for a short fraction of time, that left Jamie wondering about the true contents of his afternoon tea. “I’m not always here, so I’ll give you my home’s address in case you need to reach me.” She politely walked him to the door, the very impersonation of an impeccably mannered hostess.

“I’ll be in touch.” Jamie said; it was meant as a farewell, but somehow it sounded like a threat. Claire shrugged and waved him off as he closed the door behind him with more firmness than usual.

Only when the young, yet seasoned, criminal profiler reached his car did he realize that he couldn’t really remember the details of Claire Beauchamp’s face – only her striking eyes. It was as if she had hidden herself behind a curtain of undisturbed mist.

***

The scene in front of them was oddly, but not at all reassuringly, similar to the ones they had witnessed, either in first-hand or by way of photographs.

“Another woman. But I guess that’s not surprising.” John said in a murmur, shaking his blonde head. He was paler than usual, and a few wrinkles in his usually impeccable shirt denounced a bone-deep tiredness. “So far the forensic team couldn’t find any signs of forced entry. Again.”

Jamie nodded in agreement, their train of thought synchronized like a flock of birds during murmuration. “These women know the unsub. There’s no way around it, really. They willingly opened the door to let him in, probably entertained him for a while before things took a verra gruesome turn. They didn’t foresee any danger coming from that person.”

“But while they seem to know him, he doesn’t show any classical signs of regret or guilt, does he?” John pursed his lips in concentration. “The unsub didn’t cover her bodies or place them in any comfortable or nurturing position. Didn’t leave any tokens to show respect, as well.”

“Aye.” Jamie sighed and crouched down, his eyes slowly trailing down the cold body of the most recent victim, as if her skin could whisper the name of the perpetrator through its pores. “But this also isna sexual. He doesn’t engage in sexual intercourse with them perimortem, even if all of them were young and bonny. No evidence that he wanks in the scene or that he takes anything other than the forefinger to fantasize later.” His eyes searched for his companion’s. “This doesn’t seem like a true-born serial killer to me, to be honest. More like a hitman, eliminating specific targets for a very earthily reason.”

“I don’t know many hitmen that make such a spectacle of their killings, though.” They walked to the threshold of the room, watching as Denzel gave instructions to some uniformed officers to collect statements with the neighbours. “Usually a revolver or a good piece of sturdy nylon around the neck. This scene took time and intention.”

“Maybe all the production around the murder is the most important part of why he does it.” The redheaded profiler theorized. “It can all be about the ritual.”

“We’re still waiting on her ID.” John brushed his forehead. “But plenty of pictures around.” He pointed towards a large frame with his pen, where a photo of the victim surrounded by other women dwelled. She was abundantly black-haired, with a unique white streak in her bangs, and warm and sapient brown eyes. All the faces depicted were either smiling broadly or making funny faces, as they sat around a presumable beach bonfire.

“A mhic an diabhoil!” Jamie’s jaw dropped, as he slowly approached the image and almost touched one of the women’s faces. “I think that’s the woman I’ve just met at the teashop.”

[terramythos]

TerraMythos' 2020 Reading Challenge - Book 21 of 26

Title: Blood for Blood (Wolf by Wolf #2) (2016)

Author: Ryan Graudin

Genre/Tags: Alternate History, Historical Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Third Person, Female Protagonist, Duology

Rating: 7/10

Date Began: 7/20/2020

Date Finished: 7/27/2020

Yael, a death camp survivor with the ability to skinshift, has fulfilled her mission -- impersonate Axis Tour contender Adele Wolfe and assassinate Hitler on live TV. But something has gone terribly wrong, and Yael is on the run from the SS. She finds herself in an uneasy alliance with Luka Lowe and Felix Wolfe, the two people she tricked the most by pretending to be Adele. Now, as war and rebellion escalate worldwide against the Reich, the three have to find a way back to Germania and the heart of the resistance. 

“Mark my words, Herr Wolfe.” Baasch’s voice swelled over the Führer’s speech. He watched the television, a half smile breaking his face. “There will be blood. There will be more than enough. The world is about to drown in it.” 

Major spoilers for Wolf by Wolf and minor spoilers for Blood for Blood under the cut.

I have mixed feelings about this book, and while there's a lot of specific reasons I will go into, I think it can be summed up in one statement: Blood for Blood is a completely different animal than Wolf by Wolf (pun intended). Logically, yes, no two books in a series will be or should be the same, but this duology takes it to the next level. Blood for Blood's style, tone, and pacing often feel like it's from a totally different series. Whether that's a good or a bad thing varies throughout the novel, but I enjoyed Wolf by Wolf more. The first and most obvious difference between the two is structure. Wolf by Wolf has a very concise and deliberate story, focusing on Yael. Sections of the plot are organized by legs of the Axis Tour race. Flashbacks are also sprinkled throughout to give the reader a sense of Yael's backstory and motivations-- but they're executed in a way that feels organic. The slick format is one of the best parts of Wolf by Wolf, and unfortunately is pretty much absent in Blood for Blood. Instead, Blood for Blood features a split perspective between Yael and two of the leads from the first book, Felix and Luka. In some ways I really like this change, as it allows the latter two to become much more interesting and fleshed out characters. On the other hand, it also takes away from the focus inherent in the first book, and as a result the narrative feels disorganized. Without the Axis Tour, the series loses a lot of the glue keeping things together. It’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s difficult not to compare it to the previous entry. Flashbacks still exist, albeit changed. Each character periodically gets a perspective flashback that takes place on the same day in history. From a characterization perspective, it's an interesting way to show how their histories and motivations compare and contrast. However, in practice these scenes don't appear with any consistency, so when they show up it feels random rather than deliberate. I wish this technique had been presented in a more straightforward manner, possibly with more scenes than the handful we actually get. 

The change I like the most is the tonal shift. Blood for Blood is darker than Wolf by Wolf, being much more explicit about the horrors of war and Nazi atrocities, torture, and war crimes. Wolf by Wolf wasn't lighthearted by any means, but the kid gloves come off completely with this one. I think it's an important change to highlight just how insidious and evil Nazism is, especially in an age with increasing pro-Nazi and far right sentiment. I also LOVE that Luka and Felix both have to come to terms with the evils of the regime and change as a result. The part where they both realize the atrocities of the death camps and medical experiments is probably one of my favorite parts in the book; their sheer horror and visceral disgust is satisfying and redemptive. This darker tone really ramps up the stakes, and I think makes the book much more exciting and emotionally charged.  For me the characterization is a mixed bag. Luka is much more likable in this entry. In Wolf by Wolf he’s a generic “jerk LI character with Hidden Depths”, but learning his backstory and motivations in Blood for Blood helps a lot. Maybe I’m a sap, but I actually like his relationship with Yael in this one, since it’s built on genuine admiration and respect rather than the antagonistic sniping of the previous book. There is less laser focus on Yael in Blood for Blood, but I think the continuation of her identity arc is well executed. When she finds the old photograph of herself? BRUH. I was skeptical about *SPOILER CHARACTER* showing up out of nowhere, but ultimately I like her role in the story, and there’s subtle foreshadowing in Wolf by Wolf, making it one of the few twists in this series I didn’t see coming. 

Unfortunately I feel the opposite about Felix. To be clear, I have no problem with a main character regressing and making poor choices like Felix does, and I think it can be interesting if done right. But Felix’s arc is based around a whole lot of misunderstandings, and even when the misunderstandings get resolved, he just... stubbornly keeps being a selfish idiot. There’s very little nuance or development on this front until the very end. While objectively his choices are understandable with context, it doesn’t make them any less grating to read about. Ultimately, he pays for his decisions big time and THAT is satisfying, but I don’t know if it makes up for gritting my teeth for a good third of the novel. 

There’s also some details that just make me scratch my head. Like, what happened to the skinshifting? It’s not totally absent in this story, but it serves very little role in the first half. The inciting premise of this book is that there’s more skinshifters than just Yael, and the Nazis are using them to imitate Hitler and protect him from assassination attempts. But that thread doesn’t really pay off until the climax? Yael and *SPOILER CHARACTER* doing it feels like an afterthought, with the exception of one scene. I just feel like there’s so much one can do re: subterfuge and sabotage when one’s enemies can literally change faces and imitate people. There is a sabotage subplot... but it’s with Felix, who can’t skinshift! I don’t know, it just feels like a huge missed opportunity. Also, Japan is a pretty major Thing in the first book and it’s barely relevant in Blood for Blood. It feels like Graudin genuinely forgot about it other than a token mention at the end. 

If I'm being honest, this book was hovering right at a 6/10, but I think the ending bumps it up to a 7. It’s very intense with excellent tension and pacing. Predictable, sure-- it’s pretty easy to pin down (1) who dies and (2) the final twist at the end-- but I don’t mind some predictability if it’s well executed. The easiest way to my heart is a real emotional gutpunch, and boy the ending delivers.  

It’s hard for me to recommend this book unless you liked Wolf by Wolf and really want to see what happens to the characters. It’s much different from the previous volume, for better and worse. Blood for Blood is good, but it wasn’t what I expected in a followup and suffers in its inherent comparison to Wolf by Wolf.