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elasticitymudflap · 8 months

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hey I know the whole 'I did not care for winter king' thing pretty much summed it up but i'd LOVE to hear what you thought of that whole fucking episode.

IT IS SO FASCINATING TO MEEEEEEE, i mean obviously a 'role swap' universe would be regardless, but beyond the surface lies a lot of hints towards reasons why this world was so different and fucked up fundamentally!! again, my big theory is that no matter what happens our simon is not going to be able to access the crown again in any universe they visit as an extension of betty's wish, so yeah winter king's ass was probably doomed the second they set their sights on duplicating the crown but also, good , because fuck that guy

one thing that stands out to me is how our simon's morals are very different and a lot stronger than wk's, especially how he very clearly doesn't wish the madness of the crown on anyone but himself, but he can empathize with other victims of the crown. throughout the entire episode he's desperately trying to get the others to empathize with candy queen's situation as someone who knows what the madness of the crown feels like and how it warps you. but also, his approach to her is so...

like he actually vibes along to her song, compliments her "metaphor", and above all BEGS fionna and wk to see her as a person who deserves compassion, patience, and understanding... something he seemingly doesn't seem to extend to himself as ice king.

but even her madness seems somewhat suspect to him - just before her musical number he seems mystified as to why the crown's madness would make pb obsessed with him, when he knows from his reality that it's marceline that she's in love with. i'd actually argue that there is a hint of distrust towards winter king that he can't quite put into words at first, but simon's self-loathing at how "functional" his counterpart is seems to counteract his instinct and so he never pries too deeply into it.

there's this interesting reaction to pre-winter king ice king that stands out to me, almost like he's confused and doesn't recognize this specific anger and wrath to be a part of his own ice king experience. our ice king seemed to be much more of a depressed and ultimately harmless nuisance than the threatening figure he appears to be in that sequence. in fact, despite the madness, our ice king is actually quite consistent in there being a line not to cross with violence: he saves finn and jake from the hitman he accidentally hired, he refuses to kill marceline and finn when the empress commands him, he's even horrified at himself in 'I Remember You' when he pushes marceline. our ice king cares infinitely more about having friends and for people to love him and understand him than he is to actively "fix" or change himself, and in the short-circuit that is his mind he always seems to find a way to redirect his 'bad feelings' into doing something fun or impulsive than to stew in anger.

and simon isn't exactly taken in by the splendor of winter king's whole thing the way everyone else is, he doesn't stop questioning how he did it. how did he supposedly "conquer" the crown through "sheer force of will", how did he manage to get the 'best of both worlds'?

except we know it's not. and the mask-slip starts pretty ominously with his insistence that candy queen's kingdom is "forbidden". he slips up just for a moment and then returns to his whimsical wizard of oz-ass persona, and he looks almost guilty for letting on that there's something wrong here that should be avoided

which is something else i'm very fascinated by: winter king's obvious hypocrisy and the awareness of his unethical behaviour. he's quite callous in performatively pretending not to remember who betty is, and then only referring to her as "the dead one". he also seems confused by simon's heartbroken reaction to this callousness, but even more so to his characterization of her as "the great love of (his) life". he obviously has some of our simon's attachments to the past and memories of people he loved, he definitely knows and loved marceline, so why is she the only person he cares about enough to make an "ice person" of? he doesn't recall betty as someone he had a great love with - though he obviously knew who she was, so does that mean he still had some kind of relationship with her?

remember, the mere notion of finding betty so he could apologize to her literally meant so much to our simon that he was able to hide his surviving research on time portals from himself inside the ice castle, long after she would have died naturally had she even survived the mushroom war. and during the bellanoche fiasco he literally staved off death from losing his magic through sheer force of will; the intense motivation to see her kept him going in a decaying 1000 year old human body long enough for him to jump right back into his research and create a time portal to her to say goodbye. that's how much she means to him.

winter king doesn't know that betty is technically still alive, or how our simon was freed from the crown's curse. he simply offers simon a solution to reuniting with someone who he loved who is dead, without knowing how very different our betty's situation is. and that solution is to make an ice-person of that person from the time you loved them, even though you know it's "unethical".

... but betty being "dead" was always the case to our simon, he knew that she was dead because of course she was, it was hundreds of years in the future! but there was always a way back to her, and it was because of his relationship with one miss betty "ancient magic was my major" grof that he had this plan ready at his fingertips

so i think maybe either this world's simon didn't have a very strong relationship with betty, or he did but he had some reason to write her off as 'dead forever' and throw away the prospect of ever seeing her again. it's interesting that despite writing betty off, ice king's obsession with bubblegum persisted as a point of his madness and transferred to her, when even our ice king still cared a lot about "weird lady", though he didn't know who betty was.

in any case, he dismisses the subject very quickly with "jokes" that creating an ice person of someone you cared about, who died, would be unethical. and yet...

this, too, is very interesting to me. little ice marcy has marceline's actual axe bass, the axe which hunson brought with him to ooo after simon summoned him to take care of marceline when he had to leave her - marcy converted it into a bass herself of course. and the two definitely met and stayed alive together when marcy was a child

i've seen people theorize that marcy died in this memory here, but considering the presence of the axe i'm honestly not so sure. i mean, she grew up enough to gain and convert the axe to a bass, maybe she died of old age as a half-demon and never turned into a vampire? except that non-vamp marceline from farmworld seemed to still be kicking, what would an extra 12 years be to someone like her?

despite simon's pleas for fionna not to hurt candy queen and for them to help her, winter king INSISTS that she can't be helped, and that the only solution is for fionna to "knock her out", not kill her, because he would lose his conduit for the crown's madness and so this cycle will continue forever. winter king seemed committed to keeping the secret of how he "conquered" the crown, and who he hurt to manifest this reality of his, only to reveal it supposedly when simon was infected with the crown's madness again.

so why did no one stop winter king for 100 years? finn wouldn't have been born yet, but surely marceline, if she were vamped up and aware of what winter king had done, would try to stop him? but there's no sign of her in this world... save for her one possession we know she had later in her life, in the hands of an ice clone of her, frozen at a time in her life when she still loved simon unconditionally.

... i'll leave you with one VERY interesting production note steve wolfhard posted today about the blade he gave fionna, because it implies that even beyond this simon lacking some integral part of what makes him himself, the madness of the crown wasn't completely absent the way he'd thought it had been, so even in the end it wasn't a "perfect" solution to the madness.

#fionna and cake spoilers

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queerponcho · 3 months

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Transfixed | part 3

previous part | part 4

collage made by me with pictures from pinterest

moonknight!system x female!reader

a/n: AHHH- Thank you all so much for reblogging, liking and commenting on my past chapters!!! I just reached 50 reblogs and it honestly means the world that people are embracing a newbie like me (✿◠‿◠)

Warnings: no use of Y/N, fluff, NOT beta read, gushing about the moonboys, flustered awkward dorks, plot-twists, Jake being a menace, (eventual smut, the chapters will be marked individually), inaccurate depictions of DID, egyptian mythology and religion (although I did extensive research I took liberty in changing some things to adhere to my plot...), if I missed anything or made any spelling mistakes pls don't hesitate to tell me!

Summary: Steven and Marc have a little...carfuffle when Jake finally lets them front again, after days of taking over. The date plans are set and both parties eager to meet soon but are we surprised when things don't go as planned..?

2,200 words

Steven at home

‘I can’t believe this- how does this even happen Steven?’

‘Mate, I don't know! You were there weren’t you? You know how it happened…’

‘So you’re tellin’ me that any pretty girl can just sit there and you will literally tell them all about our personal business???'

‘How else was I supposed to find out about Jake huh?? Say that he’s my identical twin brother and then have to explain myself-'

‘Steven you would never have had to explain anything! Because this was supposed to be ONE conversation over a non-committal coffee- not a damn first date.’ Marc replies sternly. He looks at Steven in the glass of the fishtank and notices him looking deflated and guilty. Great- now he feels guilty for making Steven feel guilty. ‘I-I am sorry man, I shouldn't've gotten this mad, you know how I am about…personal stuff.’ Marc says sincerely. He really has been trying to be better at communicating, it’s been a feat to get here but he would do anything to make Steven's life easier. ‘It’s alright Marc..you’re right I should call off the date’ Steven says while looking at his hands, remembering your touch on his shoulder. The way you made him trust you so easily, even though he barely knew you. How desperately he wanted to get to know you an- ‘Steven, you know we share a brain right?’ Marc says trying to stop Steven from swooning any further. ‘Look- clearly you like her and she seems to like you as well, so who says this won’t turn out well?’ ‘well- you know: “we share a brain”’ Steven says, mocking Marc's previous comment. ‘Okay okay I get it- I messed up. I’m sorry. There, will you let me help you now?’ Marc looks at Steven expectantly.

Days passed since they had returned home after you left them in the cafe. Steven was pretty sure Jake had taken over after leaving the coffee-shop but he was finally fronting again after a few days. Steven squints his eyes at Marc but relents ‘alright fine, I don’t know what to text her…I think she might be waiting for me to initiate conversation…’ ‘You realise we wouldn't have this issue if I had fronted and you wouldn't have had the chance to fall in love like a desperate teen-boy’ ‘I thought you said you lay off with the mean comments! And i am NOT in love-’

‘yeahyeah, you’ve never had a girlfriend have you? You must be reeaaally nervous…’ he adds in a singsong voice. Marc won’t let up, he’s being dragged into this mess so he might as well have a bit of fun. ‘Okay now I know you’re just takin’ the piss- are you gonna help me or not?’ Steven says fully aware of his embarrassing situation. ‘Alright, you text and I tell ya how to start, alright?’

‘Oh bollocks- uum okok I-I can do this..’ Steven is fronting now sitting on the office-chair and stares at his phone screen, starting with a simple introduction.

steven is typing...

‘Hiya- it’s me Steven!’

He had written, deleted and rewritten the message about six times before finally sending it.

You answered very quickly, you’d been waiting for him to text since you got home a few days ago. Processing everything that happened between you and steven- and well, Jake.

‘hi:) glad to hear from you. I wanted to apologise for leaving so abruptly, but it was all a bit much to process and i was running super late for work haha…i hope you understand’

‘Of course luv. If you’ve got any questions you can always ask, I hope you know that.’

‘i do’

‘i was actually hoping to ask you some questions on that date you promised me;)’

You seemed a bit more forward over text and Steven did not mind it one bit, since it was just the push he needed.

‘Right! I thought we could meet friday? There's this great vegan restaurant, I'd love to take you there?’

‘sounds great! could you pass me the address of the place?’

‘No need luv- I’ll pick you up.’

‘oh!’

‘that works too’

You hadn’t realised the age gap until this moment. They were probably around 10 years older than you with you being in your mid-twenties. You did notice the wrinkles and silver strands when you first saw Jake but hadn’t really thought about the fact that he was about a decade older than you. Just now as he offered to pick you up did you realise the generational difference. You didn’t have an issue with it, you’ve always liked your partners to be a bit older so this definitely wasn’t a turnoff. If anything it only amplified your attraction.

‘I’d love your address’

‘Whenever you get the chance to send it:)’

‘right! sending it now…’

You send him your address.

‘Thanks luv. Alright, I’ll see you Friday at 7pm then?’

‘yes! see you tomorrow steven<3’

He sat back, setting his phone on the sink. ‘Alright there's your date’

‘Thanks for taking over, Marc- couldn’t have done it alone’

‘Relax Steven- this was just texting. But you realise I can’t just take over during the date, right?’

‘Of course I know that…doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stand by just in case…’

‘So- wait, what are we gonna do with Jake's notebook?’

‘I uuhm couldn't find anything besides drawings and sketches of her…I mean at least we had those, otherwise we would’ve never found out about him loaning that book.’

‘By the way…we know Jake likes her as well, by getting to know her better, we have a chance of actually luring Jake out-’

‘That might be true but that's not our goal! I- I actually like her…she might become my first proper girlfriend, I don't wanna mess this up.’ Steven is adamant on getting to know you, very hopeful of the connection he feels towards you. An almost magnetic pull he felt between you, one he has never felt with anyone before.

Marc chuckles at the reminder but reassures Steven, ‘And we won't, I promise, you will do fine Steven’

Friday

It’s 4 am. You’ve been trying to sleep for the past four hours but the thought of getting to see Steven and possibly Jake later today was not letting you relax. If anything it was causing a very persistent tension…in places you really dont wanna delve into. In fact, you’re trying really hard not to think about that tension, which might be the exact reason as to why you can’t seem to find your way to a peaceful slumber. You try to distract yourself by thinking of how this all even started. The way Jake intrigued you since the beginning and had you speechless every time he appeared. And you think about steven- steven who's the polar opposite to jake and is this shy sweetheart that can’t seem to even look you in the eyes but somehow managed to bluntly ask you out on a date. You keep thinking about them and their differences and analyse them, not noticing your eyes slowly shutting closed and your thoughts slowly forming into vivid dreams based on your memories with the boys…you sit up in your bed abruptly remembering your texts with steven. Realising you had shared your private address with a fucking stranger…you hold your head in your hands and push your palms into your eye-sockets trying to calm down. You don't actually know shit about these men…you really should’ve told your friends about them cuz literally no one knows about these encounters. But truly it was all so bizarre and absurd that you really didn’t want your friends to spoil it for you by using anything close to logic or realism. To maybe argue that they could have anything untoward in mind with you.

You lay back down and finally feel a wave of exhaustion hit you. You want to believe that they actually maybe even like you…of course there is a possibility that Steven only asked you out to find out more about Jake. oh and marc, was it? You wonder what he might be like and if he's anything like his alters. You turn from your clock having hit 5am and finally force yourself into sleep.

You wake up to your alarm blaring and prepare yourself for work. You start the day groggy and tired due to only sleeping four hours. But just the thought of your date tonight has you motivated enough to hurry up and catch the next bus.

Moonboys POV

Marc woke up around noonish since Steven took forever to finally fall asleep. Lately he’d been better but last night he was as jittery as a six year old the night before christmas. Currently standing in the kitchen brewing himself a cup of black coffee and prepping his mug with two brown sugars. ‘So loverboy, what are you planning for tonight?’ He says while wearing an amused smirk on his face.

‘Okay well first off, cool it with the nicknames yeah? And secondly you literally texted it for me yesterday. We are goin’ to my favourite restaurant.’ Steven replies proudly while also ashamed for not even having the balls to text you himself. ‘About that…I don’t think that place is open right now- in fact I think all the restaurants are closed today, no?’ Marc remarks and pours himself the long awaited bitter brew. ‘Wha-Whatareyousayin mate??’

‘Well’ He clears his throat ‘when I woke up I saw today's date and remembered that today is that weird holiday, the only thing open are convenience stores and the 24-hour Tesco’ he says, his voice laced in an amused tone and takes a slow sip of his sweetened coffee. ‘Bollocks- what am I gonna do?...I could cook?’ ‘Steven’ ‘No, I-i can't even make a- a salad! How the hell am i supposed to cook for her if I can't cook marc?!’ he says panicked ‘Steven’ marc sternly interrupts, carefully putting his half empty mug on the counter

‘I can help you. I may not be amazing at it but I can remember a few things from- from what our dad taught us.’ Marc and Steven rarely talked about their past but recently they were kinda forced to deal with it. Just the fact that they, let alone Marc, can mention anything from that time so casually is kind of a huge step for them.

Marc and Steven spend the rest of the day planning, buying and preparing the food for the date. The time comes when Steven has to take over the body to get ready to pick you up. He finds a shirt in the back of his closet- same oversized cut as his others but a bit less casual and more sleek looking than the usual shirts he wears. His hair is as unruly and fluffy as usual despite Marc insisting on sleeking it back. He convinces him to use some curling cream he had found in the back of the bathroom drawer.

Steven applies it sceptically, coming to the conclusion that it does look pretty good. He makes his way to your address making sure to ring on the right door. Basically buzzing from anxiety, Marc is doing everything to keep him calm and rehearse with him what he was gonna do and say when you ringed him in and opened your door, knowing full well, that all the preparation would fly out the window when he actually met you…Jake is silently watching this all transpire and cant help but be amused at all this, not admitting that he was actually a bit nervous himself.

You came back from work tired BUT extremely excited to get ready. You had to stay a bit longer than anticipated and thus only had about one hour to get ready. Hopping in the shower as quickly as possible you try to calm down under the warm streams of water hitting your body, melting all the tension out of your back, shoulders and sore legs. Work had been exhausting and this shower was proving to get difficult to leave. But the alarm you had set to remind yourself of the time, successfully cut your relaxation short. You quickly exited your shower wrapping your body in a fluffy white towel. Wiping the steamy mirror to see your reflection more clearly, you start getting ready. Adding whatever products you use to your hair and applying sweet smelling lotion to your body, basically doing any- and everything to make you feel as confident and ready as possible for your date, who was supposed to arrive iiiin…twenty minutes?!

You hurried your makeup routine and rushed to your room quickly picking out an outfit you felt sexy in but also had a grounding and comfy vibe. You threw on a beige knitted sweater, which had an oversized fit with a mini-jean skirt. Paired with sheer brown tights, thigh-high beige cashmere socks and brown leather knee-high, high-heeled boots. Finishing off the look with your favourite jewellery and accessories, you look over at the clock. It's 6.50pm and you are just adding the last finishing touches to your look and making sure you've moved all the important things from your ‘work-bag’ to your ‘going out purse’ when the door rings. ‘He's here’ you mutter to yourself, running to the door making sure it's him and pushing the button to the intercom. ‘Yes, hello?’

a/n: hope yall liked this chapterrr- in the next chapter you'll be able to read all about the date and i am SO excited for yall to read about it *squeals* don't mean to toot my own horn but GURL it's so good i already wanna post it ♪(´▽｀)

The lovely people in my taglist: @lilladyblink14 @lemongirl5910

please notify me if you want to be added/ removed from the Taglist<3

#ponchosworks<3 #moon knight #steven grant #marc spector #jake lockley #steven grant x reader #marc spector x reader #jake lockley x reader #transfixedseries

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orowyrm · 4 months

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i still haven’t unlocked all of the grimoire lore pages because RNG hates me but i’ve read them (or rather. vik read them to me over call while i was doing tank maintenance. hehe) and ohhhh the implications are all so compelling but what gets me the most off the top of my head:

- tales of duviri was based on stories albrecht used to make up for euleria as a young child, complete with goofy character voices. he also somehow considers himself a complete failure of a father, despite all evidence pointing to the contrary.

- loid was not only fully aware of exactly what albrecht was trying to accomplish the whole time, but very much an active participant. he was the one who gave al the idea for the vessels. he knows exactly what was happening and was in fact an active enabler in most of his crazy science shenanigans

- albrecht came FRUSTRATINGLY CLOSE to actually finding the ‘correct’ answer to beating back the indifference when he was in duviri but basically ‘this sign won’t stop me because i can’t read’-ed right back out of it and decided that he alone was uniquely irredeemable and deserved to suffer for his mistakes and needed to continue digging this hole even deeper

- the reason bird 3 doesn’t have a proper name like fibonacci tagfer and minn is because he was literally just picked at random as an ‘expendable’ animal to balance out the diversity of the test subjects. he also considered kalymos a viable test animal, but couldn’t bring himself to potentially cause her any harm. he somehow finds a way to feel just as guilty about not potentially killing an animal as he is about killing countless other animals. this guy has ISSUES

- the vessels are made in part from tissue samples from arthur and aoi that he brought back to deimos

- he has been to 1999 and back several times before and interacted with arthur and aoi seemingly fairly extensively. they believe him to be a doctor trying to protect people from the technocyte plague, and he used this as a front to secretly start turning them into partial warframes.

- he basically became so consumed by the guilt of his cavia experiment being a failure that he decided his only option to redeem himself was to graduate to unwilling/unknowing human test subjects instead. 10/10 no notes keep up the good work 👍 this will only go well

#warframe #albrecht entrati #witw spoilers #i want to grab him by the shoulders and shake him til his teeth rattle. BESTIE YOU ARE SO STUPID

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good-beanswrites · 9 months

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I talked about my Milgram actors theory earlier, but @amugoffandoms reminded me I also have a little emotional support au version of the idea I’ve been meaning to chat about! It's actually not a typical actors au -- the canon events still happen, but are staged by the in-universe Milgram organization.

(Edit, now with a fic!)

Just like in canon, the organization has a mysterious/supernatural ability to identify and track down ten specific people at their breaking point. In this au, though, it's ten people who could have committed crimes soon. They discreetly reach out to these individuals, requesting for them to be actors in their experiment. They say there will be someone playing a prison guard, and explain the premise. With a bit of coaxing or bribing for a few, they all accept.

Milgram ensures these newfound “prisoners” don’t need to change many details about their lives – the less lies to keep track of, the easier it would be for these ordinary people to pull off such an extensive con.

Some of them are exactly as they were right before their murders, such as Yuno, Fuuta, Muu, and Kotoko. Haruka, his sister, and Amane did go through traumatic abuse, but it was Milgram that pulled them out of the situation before they resorted to murder. Mikoto is/has been aware of his alters for a while at this point.

Some of the others are taken from their lives after things that could have ended fatally turned out alright: Shidou’s family got into an accident but all recovered; Milgram picked up on his private realization that he would have done anything to save them, were the damage worse. Mahiru and Kazui’s partners attempted/considered suicide, but did not succeed. In Mahiru’s case, they reached a friendship despite breaking up. I still don’t know enough about Kazui’s wife, but I like to think they’re pretty separate now.

The ten prisoners weren’t allowed to meet beforehand, but they individually collaborated with the Milgram team to write the lyrics for their t1 songs and film their videos. I'll mention more about the other actors later, but the filming process is a lot of fun. Though the topics confront them with some unsavory thoughts about themselves, it's a good time singing and acting and getting the giggles on set and everything.

Milgram pulls Es from wherever they were for whatever reason, wipes their memory, and drops them into the prison. The prisoners are unaware that Es didn't come willingly, as they all did.

Once the experiment begins, everyone’s interactions that we’ve seen to this point are genuine. The prisoners get to know each other, while they come to terms with the fact that themselves and these others all had murderous potential. Their personalities, behaviors, and stories from their lives are all true. In the interrogations, they speak honestly to Es about their values and choices. The only faked things are the actual references to the murders, and the “invisible force” that they pretend to hit when acting in violence. Mikoto is instructed to use a bit of violence during his interrogation, though Kotoko sneaking in wasn’t scripted – she genuinely had her concerns about his character and acted accordingly.

While Es sleeps after T1, the prisoners are treated the same regardless of verdict. They provide the team with their genuine thoughts about one another to decide what the staged incidents should be. Kotoko doesn’t actually hate the guilty prisoners, but she recognizes she would’ve wanted to take justice into her own hands in a real situation. Amane is very upset but Es' verdict, but the team helps her dramatize her transformation a bit. Haruka and Muu genuinely get that close. Yuno does wish to be left alone.

They film their second trial videos, now allowed to be around the other prisoners as they do so. They also invite people in their life to come in and play their victims. Yes, it’s just as awkward as it sounds. This is where the prisoners do their real reflection – they think about Es’ verdict for them and what they could have been capable of. There’s a bit of relief from both parties knowing that things will turn out alright now that Milgram intervened (ironic, I know, but this is my fix-it hehe). Shidou’s kids are excited to be filmed, not really understanding the context. Haruka once again works with an actor playing his younger self, a bit put off by how similar they look and the memories he bring back. Haruka’s mother, Rei, and Amane’s cult members (if they appear) are some of the only characters played by strangers, though they do look strikingly similar to the real people. Fuuta’s victim is also played by a stranger. Things are still tense with Hinako, but she agrees to appear.

The team helps the prisoners fake injuries with lots bandages and slings. Then they wake Es. The same is repeated for T2/T3.

Now, I’ve played out a few different paths depending on my angst tolerance at the moment – sometimes Es goes through with the third trial verdicts and is forced to watch the executions (not realizing they're cleverly staged). Sometimes they refuse, finding a way to stop the whole experiment. Sometimes the prisoners realize that Es has been an unwilling participant, and bring the experiment to a stop themselves. Sometimes someone jams a wrench in the mv machine and try to blow it up in order for everything to end before final verdicts.

Because of limited details, the ending can play out however one wants. But my go-to is that Es wake up sometime afterwards in a clean facility filled with scientists. They’re brought to an interrogation room – this time on the other side of the questioning. They’re asked about their motivations, actions, emotions, choices, verdicts (or the reason they rebelled at the very end). A few doors down, the prisoners are being asked similar questions of self-reflection and morality.

Es demands to know what’s going on, while the team tries to assure them that the prisoners are all fine. Es doesn’t buy this, though. They know what kind of mind games the experiment has tried to pull, and can’t tell what’s truth or lie anymore. Things get heated as they demand to see the prisoners. Meanwhile, the prisoners are getting worked up asking about Es. If they haven't already, this is when they learn that Es was an actual prisoner there the whole time. The last time they were together the situation was very intense, and they’re all incredibly worried about them.

In the end, they manage to break out of their rooms and reunite in the middle of the facility, and Es is shocked. All ten are alive and well, even those they may have seen die. No eyes or limbs are missing. They’re all laughing and getting along, no matter what kinds of fights they got into between trials. Even more shocking is when the victims join them later – also all alive and happy.

The ending has a bit of unavoidable angst since Es would be pretty fucked up by the whole experiment. They’d struggle with trust issues and knowing what’s reality. However, it’s still an overwhelmingly happy ending. They get to befriend the prisoners and their families outside of the painful context they met in. Regretting their ignorance of the situation, the prisoners decide to make up for lost time and spend a lot of positive, quality time with Es. The kids are finally allowed to play, and the they finally let the adults act a bit protective over them. This is when the found family completely kicks in lol. Es gets to sleep easy knowing they are all alive and happy, they receive all their memories again, and they get to return home to their own family.

I added it to a reblog but editing with @/qrevo's tags because this is what I was looking for but couldn't quite pin down to make it healing for Es too:

#milgram #haruka sakurai #yuno kashiki #fuuta kajiyama #muu kusunoki #shidou kirisaki #mahiru shiina #kazui mukuhara #amane momose #mikoto kayano #kotoko yuzuriha #es #its not 'the prisoners leave milgram and get therapy' its 'milgram itself is the therapy for the prisoners'#i know the typical actors au would be more of a fix-it but i liked still having a small taste of the canon drama and interactions #its also nice to relate to es' relief -- after ive gone through the angst of canon its nice to imagine everything is okay #so in the au they also go through the angst of canon only to be relieved finding out it was fake and everyone is okay #it also keeps the prisoners lives/personalities the same!#as fun as it is to see actors aus give them whole new personalities offscreen im incredibly attached to these characters and this let me #keep them exactly the same lmao #on days i need the most fluff i picture the prisoners all together filming the t2 mvs -- getting giggly and silly on set #making bloopers and cheering each other on and interacting happily with their 'victims'#when i want intense but good emotions i love thinking of that reunion scene. es exclaiming that fuutas eye is okay and theyre all alright #lots of hugs and tears #(the only details i cant quite work out is how jackalope can talk in this fairly-realistic setting asdfd #that and the undercover mv wouldnt make any sense because es wouldnt have filmed it but ah well)#anyway if anyone has any thoughts or anything lmk! ive been really vibin with this au #analysis/thoughts #lights camera sing your sins

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tiredly101 · 1 year

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Villains still need grocery too, y'know?

Pairing: Howdy Pillar x Villain!Male reader

Illustrated Au, this post was adopted from another account because they are deleting it soo I adopted it with permission of the original author, I did make some changes to adapt it to my writing style! Picture done by @clownsuu

Eggs. M/n needed eggs, badly. He had a brilliant idea to egg Home, that house had been getting on his nerves for a while now. Home had caused a ruckus whenever he’d spot M/n causing mayhem thus ruining some of his incredibly thought out pranks and so he decided to egg him.

Sure it may be unoriginal but sometimes the classics work the best and egging Home seemed like the perfect way to get him back for ruining such beautiful prank. The only problems is, the only way to get eggs is from Howdy. This would normally be no problem if one, Howdy didn’t know your very, very, extensive history of causing trouble and buying 50 eggs in one trip would definitely ring some alarm bells and two asking Howdy for that many eggs would be so embarrassing.

He would think you were a weirdo or maybe he didn’t have enough eggs and it would inconvenience him or perhaps M/n drops the eggs on the way out causing a mess. The idea of M/n making a fool of himself in front of Howdy was out of the question.

M/! was suffering until a brilliant idea popped in his head, he would send a letter to Howdy saying that one of the villagers overheard you wanted to bake a giant cake but didn’t have enough eggs so they wanted to deliver them to you, it was honestly a flawless plan.

That was until when M/n sent said anonymous letter to Eddie Dear for him to send off to Howdy, he decided to open it the second he got it. Which lead to a lot of confusion when the Wally Darling stood in his store buying a single apple seemed to request 50 eggs in his letter. Why wouldn’t Wally just ask while he was there?

"Hey Wally, do you just want your eggs now since your here?," Asked Howdy earning confused look from Wally.

"Eggs? What eggs, neighbour?," Wally asked with a dopey but perplexed look. "How odd...," Howdy thought.

If this letter wasn’t from Wally who could it be from? As the cogs in his brain started turning he came up with a solution, he’ll just come and give M/n the eggs himself! He had a bit of spare time and the shop was pretty quiet today so he decided he would grabs the eggs and bring them over to M/n house as a special delivery.

Howdy then started to make his way over with many crates in hands and he decided to peek through the window to see if M/n was at home. Instead he looked straight in to see a drawing pinned to the wall of a very familiar house with very obvious eggs covering it for head to toe or more specifically roof to floor and then it clicked. M/n wasn't making a cake, he wanted to egg Home and now he was very aware of your many pranks and mischievous deeds but actually seeing your plan he let out a sigh, he was looking forward to try your baking, he was sure it was great.

Although he had never been victim of one of your pranks, surprisingly may he add, he had seen and heard the results of many of them with the village constantly making a fuss and deciding that the prime gossip place was in his store. Howdy couldn’t stay mad at M/n though, although some pranks were more annoying than others he knew M/n never took it to far and quite frankly he found you rather sweet, always being on your best behaviour in his store.

Not to mention M/n was the most beautiful guy he ever encountered him but he couldn't be thinking of that right now, he should be telling M/n off for his evil plotting and as if by magic, sensing he was there, M/n opened the door.

Both, equally as shocked babbled messy excuses of what they were doing here although there was perfectly good reason for M/n to be in his house he still felt the need to tell him that he were plotting. Quickly realising his mistake M/n shut his mouth looking rather guilty until Howdy chuckled letting him know he knew what you were up to.

Shocked, mostly embarrassed, and guilty M/n profoundly apologised to him and instead Howdy just shushed you.

"It’s okay silly, just maybe instead of egging home make that cake? I’ll even help you with it," said Howdy and without hesitation M/n agreed leading Howdy into his house blushing as red as an apple and bringing out all you cake ingredients.

Part of M/n wanted this moment to last forever and the other part desperately wishing it would hurry up and end. The embarrassment was killing him but soon your worries melted away since as the cake was baking he took your hands in his and started swaying with M/n to music he had playing.

"Why do you never do any pranks in my shop?," Asked Howdy curiously while dancing softly with M/n and he smiled while looking up at him.

"Villains still need grocery too, y'know?," Said M/n which made Howdy smile softly and chuckle which made M/n's face be overtakes with a shy smile.

"Haha.. I think I prefer it when your not causing mayhem around the village, but then again it’s very endearing how silly you look when you do it," Howdy mumbled out catching both of them guard as if he didn’t mean to say it out loud. Howdy apologised quickly not wanting to offend M/n but he quickly reassured him with a soft kiss in his lips that you feel the same way.

"Perhaps villainy and entropy could wait if the alternative is happy moment like this with him"

#welcome home #Howdy Pillar x male reader #Howdy Pillar x reader #Tiredly Jackie writes #Tiredly Jackie adopt

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chickenstrangers · 11 months

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I knew Our Skyy was gonna give us something to chew on with the architecture/engineering plays plot but this was so good!

I have talked extensively (too much?) about the Romeo and Juliet/Kwan and Riam framework in Bad Buddy, but the new plays fit really well into the themes I explored there. Bad Buddy uses two literary tragedies to explicitly create an optimistic and revisionist story of queer possibility and queer futurity.

The original show follows the story of Romeo and Juliet and Kwan and Riam (Plae Kao). As I wrote before, Bad Buddy uses multiple moments of crises (the outing, the gun shot, and the fake breakup) that specifically emulate these stories but subverts them so that tragedy is averted.

Most relevant for Our Skyy 2, the time jump between episodes 11 and 12, reflects a revised version of Juliet's faked death. While in the play, Juliet fakes her own death and Romeo is deceived, in Bad Buddy, Pat and Pran are both in on the trick, pretending to be dead (broken up) to the outside world while continuing to be together. So this is the moment in time where we find ourselves now.

But now we bring in two additional literary references (yes, one of them is P'Aof's own show, but I am treating it as a literary text in its own right). Both of these texts nuance the original Romeo and Juliet story line.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is a fairy tale. Unlike Romeo and Juliet, it has a happy ending, even in the Grimm version. But just like in Romeo and Juliet, it has a false death when Snow White eats the poisoned apple. Just as in Shakespeare's play, people believe her to be dead, putting her in a coffin.

If we take the time gap in episode 11 and 12 as the scene when Juliet has taken the poison and appears dead, these two episodes take place in a very liminal moment between life and death. Like Juliet, Pat and Pran give the appearance of death (that they have broken up), but they are both in on the deception.

The death motif continues into the Snow White allusions as well. They explicitly discuss Snow White's coffin, with Pran playacting as dead. The show is deliberately bringing focus to this part of the story. The four year gap takes place during both Juliet and Snow White's false deaths.

It's also significant how Snow White is buried. She still looks so alive that the dwarves cannot bear to bury her in the earth; instead they put her in a glass coffin. Here she can be seen in her state of death. The glass coffin is analogous to the glass closet that Pran and Pat are in. Many people know or at least strongly suspect that they're in a relationship. Even in the Bad Buddy finale, we see that the parents know even if they're not ready to acknowledge it yet. Pat and Pran are both Snow White, pretending to be dead, their false death on display.

And then we have the A Tale of a Thousand Stars play, which we learn is based on a true story and written by Tian, so presumably it follows the events of the show.

ATOTS is also not a tragedy, but it too inhabits a liminal space, playing with the idea of life and death. Tian nearly dies at the beginning of the series due to heart failure, but like Juliet and Snow White's, it is a false death.

Tian's story is about learning to live again, learning to not feel guilty for his life. He gets a second chance at life, but in his chest beats the heart of a dead girl. Throughout ATOTS, Tian's mortality is a looming question, as he keeps pushing himself harder than someone who just had a heart transplant really should. But being in the mountains is the first time Tian gets to really feel alive.

All of these stories are about death to an extent. Romeo and Juliet and Plae Kao end in both the lovers' deaths. Bad Buddy the series subverts these deaths, refusing to end in tragedy. Now in Our Skyy, we see Bad Buddy specifically aligning itself with stories that have happy endings. Even in this illusion of death, Pat and Pran are living.

I talked before about genre awareness in Bad Buddy, and especially episode 12 is about Pat and Pran taking control of their own narrative, choosing to not become Romeo and Juliet or Kwan and Riam. They break the fourth wall when they narrate in voiceover how they have been dating in secret. This is the exact same voiceover that is used at the start of Our Skyy! Pat and Pran get to tell their own story, subvert the genre conventions of tragedy and romance, and live their life as they want to.

And now we have Tian and Phupha telling their own story as well. Tian apparently wrote it down, and a central tension surrounds whether or not to give away the rights to their narrative, wanting whoever else tells it to tell it with care. Both these shows are about the characters taking control of their own stories, queering the narrative.

When given the choice about which stories to tell, which plays to put on, this time Pat and Pran don't want to tell a tragedy. They want to tell a romance.

#bad buddy #our skyy 2 #bad buddy meta #a tale of a thousand stars #our skyy 2 x bad buddy #thinking thoughts #a tale of thousand stars

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fishytoxicologist · 10 months

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Hey everyone!! Work has kept me extremely busy lately, plus I had major surgery in the beginning of May so I haven’t had time for much. But….I decided to finally started writing a multi-chapter Rivamika fanfic. I’ve had this idea in my head for a while, and I think I’m finally somewhat happy with Chapter 1. I need to join AO3 so I can share it there, but for now here it is. I might modify it slightly before I share on AO3.

Brief summary….first of all, it’s an AU. the idea is that Levi, a successful and wealthy New York lawyer, and Mikasa, an up and coming fashion photographer also from NY, end up staying *very* close to each other while vacationing in a small town in Maryland.

Also, keep in mind I am a scientist. I enjoy writing and reading, but I am not a skilled creative writer like some fanfic authors are. I try!

Title: A Week in Oxford

Chapter 1: Much Needed Break

Levi - Lower Manhattan, New York

Exhausted but finally feeling at ease, Levi began to pack his documents from the trial into his sleek, black leather briefcase. After a long and extensive jury trial, his client, Dimo Reeves, was found not guilty for the crimes of securities fraud and embezzlement, but was found guilty of the misdemeanor of obstruction of justice. The client was more than pleased with the outcome, since the obstruction of justice charge was fairly minor and resulted in simply year one of supervised probation. The evidence against his client for the other two charges was overwhelming, but Mr. Reeves, a prominent Wall Street trader, hired Levi as his lawyer due to Levi’s impressive track record and tenacity for casting doubt on minute aspects of the crime and evidence. The prosecutors were pushing for 10-15 years of incarceration if he were to be found guilty by the jury. But, Levi had won, yet again. He was able to discover small details in the evidence and slight loopholes in the wording of the law to cast just enough doubt in the juror’s minds, and so they found Mr. Reeve’s not guilty. This is where Levi excelled. Over the last decade, he had proven himself to be a highly sought after attorney throughout New York. He had a mind that could easily find these small inconsistencies in both the evidence and the laws, and his skills in arguing and persuasion were second to no one. For all he lacked in stature, he made up for in his tenacity and cutthroat methods in the courtroom, willing to push the comfort level of the judge but knowing when to stop. To put it simply, in the courtroom Levi Ackerman was an imposing threat to the prosecutors that worked against him. This track record skyrocketed Levi as one of the partners of a now top legal group in New York, Smith and Ackerman. His partner and long time best friend, Erwin, glanced at Levi with a wicked smile on his face.

“What? I know that look. It’s usually never good.”

“Am I not allowed to smile? I am well aware of your amazing career history, but even I am impressed with how you managed this case, Levi. Two years and too many sleepless nights for you, my friend. This decision today was solely based on your impressive mind and work ethic. Choosing you as my partner four years ago is a gamble that has paid off well.”

“Tsk, what gamble? You act as if you haven’t been my closest friend for the last 12 years.”

“Even if you were my enemy, I would have chosen you. No one else can command a courtroom the way you can, Levi,” Erwin replied with a smirk. “Now that this case is finally over, I do believe you owe me a promise.”

Levi rolled his eyes, knowing that Erwin would not be one to easily let this go.

“Erwin, I’m fine. I don’t need to go on a shitty break to a shitty small town. Work keeps my mind occupied and you know how much I hate leaving the city.”

“Levi, you can’t continue to live like this. Trust me, your work ethic is above and beyond anything I could have imagined. But, you haven’t taken a day off of work in four years… and that was only because you had to attend your uncle's funeral. I’m convinced if I don’t force this, you would work everyday until you die a crippled, elderly man in a sterile apartment with nothing but career accomplishments to your name. You need a break. You need to interact with people, make friends and connections other than myself or Hange. It’s healthy to take a break and meet people. And you and I both know how much a change of atmosphere might help with your ongoing sleep problems -“

“What sleep problems? I sleep like a baby.”

Rolling his eyes, Erwin knew better. “ Hange says she has to know by this evening. Apparently someone has expressed an interest in renting the cottage during the same week as you.”

“Fine. I’ll think about it while I drive home and give Hange a call either way.”

Knowing that was as good as he was going to get from his cranky, small friend….Erwin nodded.

“Thank you.. Now, I need to get home and take a shower. This courtroom is stifling and I’m fairly certain it hasn’t been dusted properly in over a week.”

Erwin simply chuckled at his friend's quirks, knowing virtually all there was to know about the man who could intimidate an entire courtroom with just his glare, but who was equally as petrified of dust and dirt.

“Levi, as much as I would love to return home myself, there is a rather large crowd of members of the press waiting to speak to us. But, I know your distaste for them, so I will take the lead. The only thing I ask of you is to please behave and mind your temper.”

With another roll of his eyes, Levi began to walk toward the exit of the courtroom. He knew they meant well, but Erwin and Hange could be, well, imposing. They constantly nagged Levi about his workaholic tendencies and urged him to “get out there and meet people.” They asked about Levi’s sleep habits, knowing he suffered from insomnia, although Levi himself has never disclosed to his two closest friends the exact reasons why. The three of them met while attending Cornell University, although Levi was a freshman during the time Erwin and Hange were already juniors despite being the same age. Regardless, sharing an off-campus apartment together brought them close, and the three of them have remained friends since. While Erwin and Levi both attended law school and passed the New York State Bar exam, Hange received her phD in microbiology and works at New York-Presbyterian Hospital as a microbiologist.

Levi felt somewhat refreshed by the cool October air that encompassed him as he stepped outside of the courtroom, with Erwin and Mr. Reeves’s not far behind him. However, it didn’t take long for the hordes of journalists and cameras to force their way into his personal space, immediately agitating Levi and putting him on edge. He didn’t even do well with people he liked invading his space, let alone complete strangers. .

“Mr. Ackerman, how does it feel to be one of the top bachelor’s in New York City?”

“Mr. Ackerman, can you give us a statement on the jury’s decision today? What are your feelings right now?”

While Levi hated the press and attention, he knew this was part of his job. However, Erwin was much more cordial and well spoken, which made him better equipped to handle the PR aspects of their position, so Levi usually left this part to him. Levi’s temper flared though, when one particularly sleezy duo of journalist and cameraman would not relent, and asked Levi a question that went too far.

“Mr. Ackerman, do you feel guilty for willingly representing someone who scammed his clients out of millions? Especially given your own personal history of criminal acts?”

As soon as Erwin heard the question, he tensed. Before he could even react further, Levi had grabbed the camera from the man and slammed it toward the ground, smashing it into pieces. The crowd silenced, and Levi immediately felt every eye on him.

Without missing a beat, and with a broad smile reaching across his photogenic face, Erwin began, “Well then, with that I am glad to take any questions you have for my partner and I regarding the court’s decision in our case today.”

As Levi started to walk away, head down, he thought to himself perhaps he did need a break.

Mikasa - Murray Hill, New York

Mikasa was browsing through the results of her photo shoot today in Murray Hill. Graduating from Columbia University four years ago with a degree in photography, she quickly made a name for herself as a sought after fashion photographer in the city. Not only is it impressive that she was accepted into Columbia, with only a 4% acceptance rate, she was also offered a full scholarship. Of course, being named as the Valedictorian of her graduating high school class helped quite a bit. Mikasa had always been naturally smart, but when paired with her outstanding work ethic and participation in a variety of extracurriculars, she was a perfect candidate for selection for the highly prestigious scholarship Columbia offered her.

After chatting with her client for a bit letting them know when they would be receiving an email of edited proofs, Mikasa packed up her laptop and made the short walk from the studio to the parking garage. Unlike most New Yorkers, Mikasa insisted on bringing her car when she moved into her one-bedroom apartment in the neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen, New York. There was just too much to explore; too much to see. She usually spent weekends taking long drives outside of the city in search of any and everything she could photograph. Sure, she paid a pretty penny for the parking spot in her neighborhood, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Besides, her monthly rent of $2,500 was actually quite a steal for the modern, light-filled apartment that she always kept clean and organized. It had all of the necessities….a nice sized bedroom with surprisingly large closet space, a small but full kitchen, even a washer and dryer combo. The money she was making as a fashion photographer certainly didn’t make her rich, but she was more comfortable than she anticipated being at only 25. Plus, she was happy…at least as far as her career was concerned.

It was the middle of October, and the cool breeze and vibrant shades of leaves on the small trees dotting the sidewalks indicated fall had finally arrived. Mikasa loved this time of year, and it reminded her of growing up with the Yeager family in a suburb about an hour outside of the city. Although she suffered from an unimaginable loss as a young child, her years with the Yeager family were filled with love and support. Her second set of parents enrolled her in photography classes, supported her when she felt overwhelmed from her studies and duties as class president, and never missed a single one of her high school soccer games.

Her adoptive brother, Eren, was like a real brother to her in many ways, and she always found herself watching out for him due to his reckless ways. They were the same age, same year in school, and even went to college close to each other. Eren majored in software development and was now working in Philadelphia as a video game designer. He was never as studious as Mikasa was in high school, but he seemed to blossom in his college classes and seemed very happy with his career choice. Their close childhood friend Armin, who graduated as salutatorian right behind Mikasa, also attended Columbia and received his MBA. He also worked in Philadelphia and he and Eren were currently sharing a two bedroom apartment together as roommates.

The relationship between Mikasa and Eren wasn’t always healthy though, and she fears that her co-dependency on him has made it difficult for her to form bonds and friendships with others. One of the reasons Eren repeatedly pushed her away is her tendency to mother those she holds close. Even Armin had mentioned it from time to time. She was well aware of this, but why should she change who she is to please others? So what if she cared too much for people she felt close to? It was a part of who she was, and she didn’t see any need to change that fact.

Aside from Eren, Armin, and her college best friend Sasha, Mikasa didn’t really have anyone else she would consider as more than an acquaintance. Sasha often urged her to meet people and do things other than solitary drives to take photographs. At first, Mikasa dismissed those thoughts. Lately though, she has found herself feeling somewhat lonely, and aching for a connection and companionship. Part of her decision to work in New York and not follow Eren and Armin to Philadelphia was so she could give herself physical distance from the unhealthy relationship that developed between her and Eren over the years. Mikasa knew it was better for her to move on, to find someone who would dedicate their entire self to her and not just lure her in when it was convenient for them. Mikasa truly did want a companion and love, but with such a busy schedule and a small handful of friends, she had no idea how to go about meeting anyone. Plus, she craved for someone who accepted her, flaws and all.

About halfway through her drive home, her phone rang. She pressed the button on her vehicle’s control center to answer via Bluetooth.

“Hey Mikasa! Just wanted to call to check in, see how things went with your big photoshoot this week.”

“Oh hey Sasha! It went really well, the photos turned out amazing… I think the clients are going to be very happy with the finished product.”

“Mika that’s so great! I’m so proud of you! Wanna head out tonight to celebrate? There’s this new restaurant I’ve been dying to try, plus I hear the drinks are amazing too!”

“Actually, I decided I need to get away for a bit. I know it’s last minute, but I think I’m gonna book that AirBnB I was checking out in Maryland the other day.”’

“Seriously Mika? Wow that’s so awesome….damn I wish I could take off a few days and go with! You have to let me know how all of the yummy seafood is down there!!!”

Rolling her eyes, yet smiling, because Mikasa knew how food obsessed her best friend was, she replied, “You know I will Sasha…I always take pics for you too.”

“Yay! Mikasa I’m so happy for you. And who knows? Maybe you’ll meet someone while you’re there,” Sasha said with a wink.

“Sasha….the town has a population of 600 people. I highly doubt there would be someone there I could meet.”

“You never know Mikasa! Okay be safe, love ya!”

With a smile, Mikasa replied “You know it. Love you too.”

The cottage was located in a town called Oxford, which had a population of only 600 people. Being a photographer, she was immediately impressed by the contrast of the red park bench which sat just in front of the grey cottage with its dark green shutters. Near the winding brick sidewalk, tulips bloomed in reds, yellows, and whites. She longed to take more photographs of it, and could only imagine how beautiful the entire town must be as well. The cottage had an open floor plan with only one bed and one couch, but this was more than adequate for her needs. Last week, Mikasa had sent a brief email to the host, someone by the name of Hange, and Mikasa was pleased to see that the cottage was available during the week she had in mind. However, due to work demands, Mikasa never had a chance to follow up on the email.

Upon entering her apartment, she decided to open her laptop and view the cottage again, as well as do some research on the surrounding area. She was excited to see that the small town of Oxford and surrounding area provided numerous opportunities for her photography hobby. Sitting along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, the area offered opportunities for her to photograph not only the nature of the area, but also take photos of the hard working local people, known as waterman, who made their living fishing and crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay. There were gorgeous Civil-War era estates to explore, state parks to hike, rivers to kayak, and top-rated seafood restaurants to indulge in. Nearby towns like Easton and St. Michael’s offered boutiques, coffee shops, and local artisan crafts.

Upon checking the website calendar, Mikasa saw that the week she wanted, which started the next day, was still available. Without thinking it over too much, Mikasa clicked on the tab to book her one week stay at the small cottage. Within minutes of making her payment, she received an automatic email from the host. She quickly opened her email app and read that the key would be left under the doormat, and it also provided the exact address. Under the doormat? Didn’t these rentals usually have lockboxes with access codes? Then again, she was going to a very rural place. Maybe things there were just done differently than they were in the city? She pulled her suitcase from her closet and began to pack, excited for her last minute decision to make something happen in her life. The next morning, she would make the drive from New York to the town of Oxford, Maryland.

While Mikasa was excited for the chance to relax and explore a new area, she knew better than to get her hopes up about meeting new people. The town she was traveling to had such a small population, and even the surrounding area was mostly rural. However, the possibility still existed, right? Surely there was someone for her out there, somewhere. Someone who accepted her for who she was….someone who wanted all of her. Maybe she would meet someone special on this trip?

Levi - That evening, Tribeca

Levi pulled his sleek, black Audi into the parking garage under his apartment building. He knew he had royally messed up today, and he knew a lecture from Erwin was forthcoming. But, for now; all he desired was some calming music, a soothing cup of tea, and the view and ambience of his 20th floor apartment. He entered the elevator, hit the floor for 20, and exhaled loudly as he leaned back against the elevator wall. The elevator door opened, and he made the short walk to his door. He immediately felt a sense of calm wash over him when he entered his home. The sleek, grey and black modern furniture he selected contrasted beautifully with the exposed brick walls left after renovations. His kitchen had top of the line, chef grade appliances he loved using while creating new culinary dishes. He had a vast collection of various, rare tea leaves stored in metal tins in a cabinet which took up nearly an entire wall. Windows reaching from floor to ceiling provided a gorgeous view of the city skyline from the 20th floor. Levi wasn’t always fortunate enough to live this way, and while he did appreciate the finer things that his new life could afford, he never forgot his roots and where he came from. Perhaps that’s why he holds himself to such high standards in every aspect of his life now. He knows what it feels like to have nothing, and the fear of people seeing beyond the mask he has created for himself was always lurking. Even that sleezy journalist from earlier today took a low jab at Levi’s past, reminding him that he could never truly escape from who he once was.

While the material things were nice, Levi knew they didn’t make him truly happy. Sure, he had a successful career. He had two close friends. He was well known throughout the city as a tenacious lawyer. He had a gorgeous apartment, a shiny new car, and money to spare. But he wasn’t happy. Not the kind of happy he longed for….a romantic companion. Maybe even love. But, he knew he had a pretty shitty personality, and it was nearly impossible for him to open up to new people. He had no clue how he could find something as elusive as love when he could barely tolerate most people. Still, deep down, Levi craved the feeling of someone who he could call his. Someone who supported him, wasn’t after his money, and who loved him for him. Erwin and Hange were good to Levi, he knew that. He appreciated their friendship. But Levi had never truly experienced love before, in any capacity. Not any he could remember at least. Maybe that’s why he craved for it so badly? Levi didn’t even know where to start though. Hell, he had never even been in a real relationship. His experiences with women were limited to one-night stands and flings, and even those ended years ago as his career began to take up more and more of his time. He knew he had impossibly high standards, and he always seemed to find something wrong with women who were interested in him. Erwin and Hange encouraged him to try to have a more open mind, but when it came to something as important as a relationship, Levi didn’t want to settle. But, Levi was nearly 37 years old. It was high time he took steps to make this happen. Someone was out there, someone made just for him. Someone who wasn’t perfect, but who was perfect for him. Someone like that had to exist? Right?

For now, Levi thought he would start with baby steps. Getting away for a week seemed like a good place to start. His friend, Hange, inherited a cottage in a small town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She had been begging him incessantly to take her up on the offer to stay there for a week, knowing how badly her friend needed time to relax and decompress from his career. He didn’t even know much about the area, only that it was about a 5 hour drive away and was quite rural. As he pondered, Levi thought this was a healthy first step toward exiting his comfort zone, which was basically staying exclusively in the city, and addicting himself with work. Without thinking about it too much, Levi grabbed his cell and hit the contact button for Hange. She answered nearly immediately.

“Levi! To what do I owe the pleasure? Also, I saw that slight mishap on the news earlier….don’t worry, I think he totally deserved it!”

Grumbling, Levi decided that maybe calling Hange was a bad idea after all. The last thing he needed right now was to be reminded of his poor decision making skills earlier in the day. Hange never was one who fully understood boundaries, though. He decided to look past it for now.

“While I appreciate the sentiment, I’m actually calling to see if your offer to stay in the cottage is still good for the week..”

“What? Is this my friend Levi? Levi Ackerman? Willingly asking about taking a week off of work? Are you being held at gunpoint? Is there someone coercing you right now?”

“I’m serious, four-eyes. After today, I decided maybe I really do need this break. I know it’s last minute, but can I stay there or what?”

Without even checking her app, Hange excitedly exclaimed “Of course you can! Well, I did have someone ask about it last week for the same time slot, but I never heard back from her so it’s definitely available. And you know you don’t need to book through the website….this is on me!”

“Hange, I’m only taking you up on this if you accept payment. We’ve been over this before. And for the love of God, I’m only staying there if someone other than you has been cleaning it. Oh…and make sure you mark it as booked on the Airbnb site….last thing I need is some random showing up because you forgot to update the calendar.”

“Of course I’ll update it, I. I’m not an idiot. Yes, my friend Nanaba lives in the area and she cleans and maintains it for me. Well, the key for the cottage is under the doormat. I’ll send you the address. Bye!”

Under the doormat? Didn’t most people have lockboxes with access codes for these rentals? Levi thought his strange friend was a little too trusting at times, but he dismissed it. All he knew is he would be leaving the next morning, to make the drive from New York to the small town of Oxford, Maryland. Levi pulled his suitcases from his closet and started the process of meticulously packing his things.

Little did Levi know that his friend Hange went to sleep peacefully that night, never once updating the Airbnb calendar, never checking her email or app, and not noticing whatsoever how royally she herself had fucked up.

#rivamika fanfic #rivamika #levimika #levimikasa #mikasa x levi #levi and mikasa

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fenicenera83 · 4 months

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- De Romanus Coven Event- Saturnalia event day 6. -Prompt:Fur -Marius/Armand - Era of Venice

That was one of the nights when I could not sleep. It was not because of my memories chasing me like demons and dark shadows, somehow, I knew those were just flashes of my past and silent pain of my heart finding no rest. Until I had found Him, or perhaps it was He who found me, the memory of that day blurs, sometimes, I cannot see clearly beyond His beauty and the name whispered gently from the Master's lips, which I now wear with pride, Amadeo. I cannot say whether it was I who called Him or He who found me, perhaps both, I am so presumptuous as to want to think that we found each other in the middle, that I can be an extension of His being, of His love, as the Master is an extension of this wounded boy who could paint with God's eyes. In my Master I had found that rest and salvation that I had not found even in my prayers, those prayers that as I had been taught should have accurd me and set me free. I wandered around the palace alone, barefoot, my feet cold and my hands just as cold, my hair tousled, desperate and on the verge of a pain to which I could give no meaning but a name, remoteness, lack, absence ...where are You Master? My bare feet against the gleaming marble of the floor made no sound, the white robe of a soft, warm cloth, caressing my thighs and arms up to my elbow.

The sound of the wind from the icy, ever-shining Venice, whispered distant stories, among the wonderful chandeliers where the candle fires wavered, and the sound of the waters of the canals below caressed the stone of that palace, I knew it was cold, I could feel it, but the cold inside me was more stinging and wearing than that of Venice. I knew it had been hours since the palace was shrouded in sleep, everyone was warm, protected and loved, happy, probably dreaming of their shining victories as young boys full of life. Under the benevolence of the Master everything in their eyes seemed possible and within reach. I cannot be like my brothers, they do not doubt, they are not afraid, they with unwavering confidence wait for the Master to return. I am afraid. I am afraid because the Master is not here, and I don't know where He is or when He will return. And my heart falters and my tears are an indelible testament on my skin to my cowardice, why can't I have the trust of my brothers? I am afraid, that You will never come back.

I'm afraid I can't see You anymore, why do You disappear? why do You never tell me anything? and why do You leave me? Standing still in front of this staircase, eyes closed and afraid, devoured by fear, I hate these tears and hate these moments that keep us apart. Yet I don't know how to fight them, except by walking and looking for my beloved Master, all over the palace, even though I know very well that He is not here…. You are not here. I resume walking with more eagerness, as if that might magically bring me before the Master. I imagine I look like one of those little fauns, running through the forest, heedless of what's around them, just running, as if that's the only way they can live. And so will I, and finally all that silence that reigned around me is torn away by my quick, heavy steps on the worked marbles. Only when I realize that I cannot continue that furious run have I stopped.

And something inside me stopped, as if something I had been waiting for had finally arrived. The labored breathing and closed eyes do not change my awareness of Him. I know before I hear His footsteps behind me, and I know I can only hear them because He wants to, but already I had smelled His scent, already I had heard my heartbeat change.

When I turn around I would like to shout at Him.I wish to accuse Him, I wish He felt guilty because He deprived me of His presence. That desire grows in me, and vanishes with a smile from Him. I look at him and know that He knows, the Master always knows everything. " Amadeo." That's all Master needs to say, and every motion of rebellion is defeated in me. " Master… Where have you been? Why have you been away for so long? What place are you going to that is so secret that you cannot take me with you?" and I know I come across as almost disrespectful, but I know my tone is sweet despite the accusation.

The concern on his face left a bitter taste in my mouth, but when the Master removed from his shoulders the thick dark fur he wore over his sumptuous red and gold velvet robes, I understood why he was so upset. The Master leaned over me and wrapped me in the fur, and with gentle and harmonious gestures but full of delicate passion, he fixed my hair, which had curled on my neck and clung to my mottled forehead. "Amadeo, why aren't you asleep?" His cold hands caressed my cheeks, which were as cold as He was, He seemed deeply troubled by this, so much so that His cobalt blue eyes darkened and His handsome face was run through with a motion akin to dismay. " Master…. I was looking for you…but I could not find you.You were not here, and you were never gone so long. I was afraid … that you would never come back." my words must have sounded to Him like those of a madman, I thought, but how could I explain to Him the bewilderment of my soul when He was not there with me? How could I speak of the love I felt for Him? The Master's face softened, and I realized that as always somehow He knew. He lowered himself, after kissing my forehead, and inspected my feet, shook His head, and only then did I realize that they were bruised. The Master looked at me seriously in a way that made me feel small and foolish. He caressed my hands and laid them together on his chest on the soft red velvet of his bodice. Then in a moment, He lifted me up as if I were but a small boy, when instead I was a firm and full young man, and He clasped me in His fur, the fur in which He had wrapped me just before. I felt His hands settle it around me, and in His arms, with my head on his chest, I felt at last at peace.

The fur enveloped me completely, even my feet were covered, with care and patience the Master arranged it around me. I clung to Him, my arms around His neck and my face in His hair, I heard him sigh, but it was because with that gesture I had again exposed my hands and arms to the cold. A laugh escaped me, and He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I didn't mind, but I clung more resolutely to Him, and covered His blond hair with kisses. It was then that He rested his forehead on mine with a smile. And when He kissed me there, His kiss was warm and full of love, the same warmth that flowed through my body now that He was there with me, the same love that beat in my heart now that Master held me close.

END

#de romanus coven event #Saturnalia event day 6 #Saturnalia event prompt Fur #Marius/Armand #Venice era #Me vs writing #VC

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cosmic-herbal-tea · 2 years

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Batman vs Robin #1 Proves Why The General DCU Needs To Distance Itself From The World Of Batman

Its been a while since i’ve ever posted any kind of content relating directly to comic books but today’s issue of Batman vs Robin just was too much to be kept in silence. As much of a Batman fan I am, there’s also many things I favor in the DC Universe and its very irritating to be reminded of DC’s self-fulfilling prophecy.

(Spoilers ahead)

I'm just going to say it; Damian Wayne's issues with Batman are not compelling enough to have a possession storyline with him that includes wrecking up the entire mythos of the mystic side of DC Universe as a way to showcase the stakes involved with him being possessed and on the side of the Devil Nezha.

Firstly, I find it ridiculous there’s another storyline with Damian acting as an antagonist. Never mind the fact his heritage makes re-treading this murky territory and his fans are tired of it (some even find it racist) but my problem with him is that he’s Batman’s biological son so he’s gonna be pushing the bar. Of course he’s empowered far above Jakeem Thunder & Tim Hunter. Of course he thinks the literal most powerful mystic objects in DC are insufficient to taking down Batman. Of course Batman finds Damian to be a credible threat and not a 15 year old he can put in his place. Im tired of Damian (and by extension, Batman characters) getting into situations that narratively props their conflicts far moreso than general DCU character that hardly get to do shit.

Secondly, Nezha and Damian's actions (possessed or otherwise) having this wide of a effect on the DC Universe's magical verse is precisely the reason why Batman's world needs to stay in it's own corner. You have Justice League Dark and God's former agent of vegance all compromised and incapactiated to showcase the stakes Damian is involved in with Nezha. Why is this important you may ask?

If your defense for this is because Batman sells, well you're right. You want a cookie for an obvious answer? But here's the dealio: it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Batman's stories are the only time where DC has any REAL stakes on par with actual events like Dark Crisis. The mere fact that this story is taking place at the same time as Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths should tell you something. How can anything else sell if nothing really matters or Batman matters more? Thanks to a empowered/possessed Damian, the world of magic is turned upside down. It's one of the selling points of it being a big stake event for Batman. Now what is the Justice League Dark title having going on in their own corner? NOTHING BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE A TITLE. IT GOT REGULATED TO A BACKUP BEFORE JUSTICE LEAGUE GOT CANCELLED.

One also has to ask WHY the magic characters and Justice League Dark in particular? The answer is pretty simple: it's a easy way to make the event look large AND make people look good. Dark Crisis did the same thing where all the magic characters are already aware the Great Darkness was up to some shit and just hid away. Part of their role is to showcase the continually larger stake at hand while also hinting towards said Darkness perhaps being manipulated. Just like Dark Crisis, Batman vs Robin uses magic characters to show off just how powerful Nezha is and how much more powerful he has/can make Damian. Just look at how the Justice League Dark is incapacitated. Look at how Nezha resides in the Tower of Fate, implied to have beaten Doctor Fate in his own place of power and uses it as a makeshift base of operations and can offer artifacts that ordinarly serve as plot mcguffins themselves. Even titles like Flash are guilty of doing this, as there was a JLD crossover with them fighting Eclipso. Wally got to save the day after finding out the bad guy's plan because of SCIENCE (the current Doctor Fate literally had to get a bachelor of science but I guess magic characters are stupid outside magic), saved the JLD from possession, and was immune to Eclipso because God loved him and is proud of him (nevermind the fact a Muslim character was involved in the plot heavily).

It's writing and portrayals like this that gives Marvel Comics an edge. While I'm not saying they're not above pulling this off themselves, it's pretty notable that Marvel has various books covering different characters potentially getting coverage that can impact their future on the big screen that may not inheretly step on other character(s) while DC/Warner Bros have to rely on Batman-centric books and events to sell things because they find it difficult to capitalize on their own comic book characters for anything. My Flash example also showcases this idea that in order to elevate something, someone has to be pushed down is a common thought process and it seems the JLD are contendable targets for years to come.

You'll notice that in all this, I didn't focus on Damian much or Alfred or any of the plot-relevant details. That is the case because I'm not wanting to put full care into that even though I read this to see Alfred's return. Not everyone wants to care about what's happening in Batman's world. There are people yhat like to see other aspects of DC be respected and treated with care and some don't even want to be involved in Batman's stuff. But books like this is what we get when those who want to follow magical-related characters are somewhat interested in a crossover; disrespected.

I wrote this because despite this happening, people are praising the issue because Damian/Bruce conflict and Alfred and I'll be damned if I can't raise awareness on the nonsense happening in this book. It is things like this that has significant limited my purhcase of ongoing series. The only Bat-related book I support is Sword of Azrael. It is sad that my favorite titles like Aquaman and Justice League Dark no longer gets ongoings while Batman's stuff can keep going even in it's medicority to bad stories phase. I think DC Comics, as a whole, needs to start seriously respecting their non-Batman titles if they hope to captialize on anything else not Batman.

#justice leauge dark #damian wayne #robin #batman #zatanna #john constantine #doctor fate #swamp thing #etrigan #jason blood #khalid nassour

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leviathiane · 1 year

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I just devoured both PLA Wingfics of yours and now I cannot stop thinking about Calaba and Irida watching Ingo fall full force into Birb Instincts because Akari decided to do something dangerous-

So here I am, asking that question-

How do you think Calaba and/or Irida would react to that?

and thank you VERY MUCH SO FOR ASKING THIS, bc i do absolutely plan to (eventually) write 1 or more fics under this EXACT premise--

THE ANSWER: WITH GENTLE CAUTION.

Calaba as a medicine woman would have asked to examine Ingo immediately. She likely already has EXTENSIVE records of him, complete with both notes, drawings, and a few feathers taken from different parts of the wing. I bet you she learned how to fix injured wings solely because of Ingo, before Akari came, and was the actual expert for handling feather-type wings. Laventon has approached her over this more than once, in my head. I bet she would have seen Ingo acting funky and assumed it was a spiritual thing, and he is being "taken over" by his "animal side"–– although its not explicitly mentioned (yet) in the series, winged-folk (aka ingo) were considered an anomaly transformed by passage through the wormhole over the highlands. That wings are not a natural progression of future human evolution, but instead some sort of godly gift or curse–– which is not helped when kari comes, arguably even MORE cursed than ingo, with wings of her own. Calaba probably see him begin to fall into brooding instincts and is like "Hm, hm! Time to get the incense. Sit down." She's very practical. It is an unnatural ailment, but an ailment nonetheless, so there must be a cure! Surely this will help.

Irida is a bit more... hm. She would probably be wary, above even concern. This is a member of her clan, yes, but despite Ingo's acceptance into the Pearl clan he is still unerringly an outsider. He's literally built different... and now he's acting different, too. She would think, above all, about the safety of her people. If this new emerging behavior a threat to her clan? and then, should that be settled, is this a threat to Ingo? I don't think she would actively do much, honestly, but he would be VERY alert about it. Ingo isn't some stranger to her. He is a warden and a clanmate and a friend. She would not kick him out or something over it... she would just be aware. And maybe set out an order clan-wide not to approach either Akari OR Ingo, for a while, until this is all solved. He might get low-key asked to remain in the Highlands and not come visit, too, though she would feel immensely guilty about it immediately-- and send him to Calaba for good measure, to check him over thoroughly.

One thing they would Both consider, definitely, would be whether... Ingo is going to be Frenzied. While neither of them will say it, Ingo and Akari aren't very human. Not to them. Humans don't have wings. But Pokemon do. Several of them do. Nobles have become frenzied. Wardens hold close contact to their nobles. The frenzy spread from Liligant to Ursaluna, before. If Lady Sneasler was to become Frrenzied... could it be passed to Ingo, who theoretically might be part pokemon? Could be be frenzied alone?

(They stockpile little stores of Ingo's favorite foods, just in case.)

#depths' ask #pkmn #PLA #THANK you for asking this #sorry for the very long answer i Have in fact been thinking about this extensively ajksbjdhdas #the people f hisui are very superstitious people. i dont think they would react too well; at first

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beardedmrbean · 5 months

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Young children were hired as extras for a public film shoot starring a paedophile, the BBC has learned.

About 200 children and young women played fans alongside Jacky Jhaj, 38, who is on the sex offenders register, in London's Leicester Square.

In 2016 he was jailed for four years, having been found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds after posing as a film producer.

Casting agencies say actors were kept safe and children had chaperones.

The BBC has been told by two cast members that they were not made aware of the real identity of Jhaj, of west London.

Filming was held on 17 October outside the Odeon Luxe cinema, where a red carpet was set up with barricades resembling a movie premiere.

Mr Jhaj can be seen repeatedly parading up and down in different outfits and then greeting some of the extras, in videos and photographs seen by the BBC.

The footage shows the cast in close proximity to Mr Jhaj, with some touching his hands and back.

The BBC has learned that the organiser of the event - known only as "Project BRT" - hired 90 children aged six to 14 from one agency, Jam 2000.

The production also booked about 100 young women between the ages of 16-24 from another company, Uni-versal Extras.

It is not clear who else was involved in the production or what plans there are to release any footage.

The BBC has been provided with the names of people said to have helped organise the filming. All denied involvement or declined to respond - and it is unclear if anyone working as part of a film crew was aware of Mr Jhaj's criminal conviction.

Letters and calls made to Jhaj and the production company were not returned.

The BBC has seen text messages and correspondence sent by Uni-versal Extras when recruiting the older cast - and also following the event.

They show:

Actors were paid £85 to pose as "die-hard" fans who "cry, far-reach and faint"

The cast was requested to wear a range of costumes which included "Clubbing High School Uniform", a "Harry Potter type look (came straight from school)" and "PJs"

"You could very-well [sic] be dressed as if you are to be scouted and requested to join the guests on the red carpet", read the text message

Following the event, Uni-versal Extras emailed its actors to say it had only been made aware after the event that a cast member may have had a criminal conviction. A second email warned them that speaking to the media would be in breach of their contracts.

On 2 November, the agency sent a third email which sought to reassure the cast. It said it had conducted an "extensive investigation" and reported concerns to the police.

"[The Metropolitan Police] assured us that there is no cause for concern in relation to Artiste safety and there were no restrictions placed on this individual preventing him working with, or being near, any of our Artistes, including those under 18," it said.

The BBC approached the Met Police and was told that Jhaj has been charged with two counts of failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders' register - failure to comply with the registration of a new passport and provide notification of travel seven days prior to departure.

He has also been charged with breaching his sexual harm prevention order by failing to supply a mobile phone for inspection, the Met added. He has not yet been required to provide a plea.

The BBC has also spoken to two young adults who attended the Leicester Square event. Both say they were left "clueless" over the exact nature of the production and given no information about the star's identity or criminal record.

One said she assumed that the lack of information meant it was possibly "a high-profile" production that required secrecy and feels it's "dangerous" how little information is shared about such filming.

The second said that on learning of Jhaj's criminal conviction she had been left feeling "sickened" and "scared" - and was having nightmares about it.

Uni-versal Extras' director Liana Berko said she was "horrified" to learn of Jhaj's involvement - and his criminal history - but the company does not have the authority to ask for a cast list.

She said all actors were aged over 16-and-a-half. They do not legally require chaperones, she added.

The agency had told the production that its terms and conditions had been broken and all footage of the event should be destroyed, she said.

None of the extras were prevented from reporting their concerns, she said, but the company had "sought to limit" the sharing of inaccurate claims made online.

Jam 2000, the agency which booked 90 children aged between six and 14 years old, also said they were unaware of Jhaj's identity.

It said its cast were kept safe at all times, licensed to attend and looked after by 20 chaperones. The company added that the children had no contact with Mr Jhaj, were kept away from the barriers where he greeted some actors - and were able to use an auditorium inside the Odeon as a holding area, which he did not have access to.

The NSPCC told the BBC that children working in the entertainment industry can be "particularly vulnerable".

A spokesperson said it was "fundamental" that those making arrangements in which children come into contact with adults "take full responsibility for keeping the children safe".

The Odeon says it entered into a contract with a legitimate UK company for the event - and has now terminated this agreement. It added that no filming took place within the auditorium and it is reviewing its event-booking process.

The staged red carpet event was also held on public land outside the cinema's entrance. Westminster City Council says it did not receive a "full" filming application and that it was the responsibility of the event organiser, not the local authority, to check the criminal background of anyone attending.

#nunyas news #why is the slime still working #in that industry #not that I don't actually already know

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heqrts4chuuya · 6 months

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Random post about the Asahina family (PJSK)

I haven't really posted about project sekai here before but I'm going to now.

Anyways this is mostly about Mafuyu's parents and recent events (everything after the event that came with Zamuza) so spoiler alert!!

Also please look at the trigger warnings before reading (in tags)

I've seen a lot of people saying that he's so nice and a wonderful father and basically acting like he didn't at all participate in the situation that led to Mafuyu's deteriorating mental state but if you really think about it, while he might not have played an active role like Mafumom doesn't the fact the he was so absent that he wasn't even aware of the situation make him a part of the problem as well?

I don't think he's an awful person or anything but I do think he's a bad father. Sure he was away because of work but as her father he still had a responsibility to be there for her. And he wasn't he was emotionally negligent and overall very absent.

I do think that it's good he's trying to make a change now and genuinely wants what's best for Mafuyu but I do think that it's important to remember that he is also guilty for letting things get this bad.

Anyways overall I do find the Asahina family very interesting just because of how realistic and well-written they all are.

Mafumom is also very interesting to me. She tells herself that Mafuyu she does is for her and because she loves her and only wants what's best for her and I think she really does believe that as well to an extent. I think that she's convinced herself that everything she does is beneficial to Mafuyu a "I ignored your tears because I knew that you'd thank me one day" type of mindset. She genuinely believes that her way of loving Mafuyu is the "proper" way of loving. Except it isn't cause if a mother's love is supposed to be unconditional her love was conditional. She loved her version of her daughter more than Mafuyu herself, she loved the idea of her daughter as an extension of herself almost but not Mafuyu as her own person. I think that mindset is why it was so easy for her to emotionally manipulate Mafuyu. It also might be why it took her so long to show any form of remorse. Cause now that she's realised that she's not just losing her "perfect daughter" but any chance she had of having a daughter in general, she's starting to show regret. Not guilt, but regret.

Disclaimer I'm not an expert on anything nor do I claim to be one I just had thoughts!

Anyways thx if you read my long nonsensical ramblings <3

Hope this made sense

#project sekai #pjsk #mafuyu asahina #tw neglect #cw neglect #im not good at tagging triggers #i just wanted to be safe #if I missed anything please let me know #sometimes i have thoughts #tw manipulation #tw emotional manipulation #ramblings

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sketching-shark · 10 months

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Is it just me, but mk being the “chaos incarnate” frels out of place???

Like of all characters he gets to called that? Seriously?!

Like not even sun wukong the og anomaly in the entire existence of all celestial bodies combined who caused chaos in his wake before mk existence—and doesnt get that title??

It feels so much like lore Olympus except without the weird things that it has.

I feel so guilty but so much of the writer decision makes me hate mk existence especially w portrayal of his powers.(i was the same anon that went off about the portrayal of cultivation in lmk)

So many ppl stated it was there in the beginning but i just thought he was going to be the third celestial monkey not another stone monkey. I just dont think it was a good decision to have mk specifically be a stone monkey considering the questionability of swk involvement.

Plus it make mk be the “chosen one” status that take away who he was at the beginning. Im starting to think we should have not gotten a s4 bc of the headache it gives me.

Monkie Kid spoilers and general complaining below, so remember that "don't like don't read" goes both ways & feel free to skip.

Hmmm yeah I can see where you're coming from anon, although for me it goes a bit deeper in that I'm feeling pretty peeved that Flying Bark seems to be more and more leaning into the "uwu stupid chaos monkey" characterization for Sun Wukong. Like yeah yeah I know people balk at the mention of Journey to the West when it comes to Monkie Kid, and on a certain level I understand the changes since this is after all a cartoon for children, but one of the things that I love about og classic Sun Wukong that a lot of retellings including Monkie Kid just flat-out won't work with is the way that a lot--perhaps even the majority--of his acts of violence are very deliberate and even done for understandable reasons. Even the havoc in heaven, which seems to be the thing many people point to as an example of the Monkey King's chaotic nature, comes right after he spent almost fifty days roasting in the Eight Trigram Furnace and for him soon after being captured by a heaven that he refused to go to war with until the deities were literally breaking down his door and saying unless he surrendered for ruining one(1) festival and stealing immortality-granting treats then they were going to slaughter his entire family. So you can definitely see why, especially given Sun Wukong's awareness of his own power, he'd decide his conflict with heaven would only end, that he'd finally get respect from everyone and his family would finally be safe from everything, if he deposed the Jade Emperor and made himself the ruler of heaven. Obviously this backfires catastrophically thanks to the Buddha, but you can definitely see how this is less a case of Sun Wukong doing things because he's a chaotic monkey who loves to break stuff for shits and giggles and more because he's a ruthless warlord who cares about a select few & lives in a world where many others in positions of power act like ruthless warlords as well. It can't be forgotten, after all, that even the beloved Tang emperor is also specifically said to be someone who had countless people killed while he was forging his empire!

But going then to the massive rewrite of Xiyouji inherent in Monkie Kid, the whole "chaos!" thing just feels like yet another way for Sun Wukong & it seems MK by extension to be handed a massive L in terms of what their stories are. Like Flying Bark radically changed the havoc in heaven from SWK raging through the heavenly palace as part of a (gasp!) understandable wartime power struggle to him just stealing a bunch of stuff for himself before him & his former bros attack heaven, rather than heaven attacking them, which Macaque told him not to do but he did anyway because he was just that much of a uwu chaos monkey/thoughtless a-hole. And while I actually do like the idea of the stone SWK came from regenerating and creating even more stone monkeys, the way things have been set up it does seem to be working as another example of how Flying Bark keeps making SWK worse to make MK better in comparison, as well as likely lying the grounds for a massive confrontation between the two because yeah with his truth-seeing eyes how tf did SWK NOT know that MK was someone like him. As is, you can add that to the ever-growing pile of questions that FB refuses to answer, such as what exactly happened to the og pilgrims, why did SWK & the Demon Bull King have their battle, what happened between SWK and LEMH, why are LEMH & the Demon Bull King suddenly okay with SWK when he's the guy who they pretty clearly thought ruined their lives, how did MK go this long thinking he was just some guy instead of an ultra-powerful and destructive stone monkey, why did SWK exile himself for so long, why did the Monkey King even take on a tudi in the first place, if he did know MK was a stone monkey why didn't he say anything, etc. etc. etc. And yeah yeah I know the nature of storytelling is that information isn't revealed all the way at once, but it's been 4 entire seasons of just piling on the questions with the added bonus of everyone screaming about how much SWK sucks & is going to destroy everything (& the plot going out of it's way to prove that sentiment somewhat correct lol) so that now it feels a lot more like mystery mongering than revealing information in good time. Honestly it does put MK in this pretty sucky position too of both getting brutalized and traumatized over and over again specifically because of his connection to SWK, but also being used as this cudgel in the story to further beat in what a cringefail loser SWK is. Which is another thing that sucks, because MK is at his core a genuinely delightful and good-hearted protagonist. idk, kind of feels like he was meant to be the main character in a light-hearted show about doing your best & going on sillytime adventures with the Monkey King and is now forced to be the protagonist in an increasingly grimdark show where he routinely has to deal with the potential end of the entire world all while getting screamed at for inevitably being just as destructive as his terrible mentor :(

#anon answered #monkey critical

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topconfessions · 2 months

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Ok I can understand if you don’t want to answer this question as it’s very loaded but I feel you’d be the type to have a mature opinion on it. So it’s completely unrelated to kpop but anyway what’s your opinion on the allegations against MJ? As a longtime fan I always assumed he was innocent but recently I’ve been reading about the accusations and I’m starting to think there may be some truth to it, I hope I’m wrong though.

He was innocent but had an undiagnosed chronic psychiatric illness. He was severely mentally ill and because he came up in a time where mental health resources didnt exist nor was respected, promoted or shared, if you had mental issues to the point to the point where it manifests like Michael, you were held accountable in a henious manner for it. I think people today want to blindly rewrite history or forget (unless you're young) that bring mentally ill was a death sentence up till 2010.

Someone like Michael today couldn't get far in the industry being this different and off putting cause his oddities would've been presented to him in his face excessively in both positive and negative manners. He was clearly in frueds adolescent stage of development mentally and his mental illness is just as severe as schizophrenia. I'm sorry but that's just the truth.

There Is no truth to it. Michael was physically abused by the FBI agents and he was investigated rigorously for 17 years and his entire home was raided with extensive files kept on every aspect of his life, he was monitored as well. He did have an inappropriate socializing relationship with children in terms of boundaries but again this is because he had a severe mental illness and I put his illness up there with Disassociative identity disorder or schizophrenia.

No one confronted Michael about being this mentally warped and unwell cause he was too powerful and beneficial in his ill state to people who needed money from him to do it. If beyonce had this same sort of issue or oddity, everyone would be rushing to tell her to face at some point that they think she needs to get diagnosed and she would be shipped off to get psychiatric treatment with it framed as "rehab".

Also please research again cause he was lied on and the story was a lie, the details changed several times and Chris tucker warned Michael to leave certain families alone cause of family that targeted Michael tried to target him and he got used by them himself. Michael was a people pleaser and couldn't say no so that one kid who accused him, Michael befriended him in the first place cause his mother kept calling him blowing him up during the bad tour begging Michael to take her son and let him go on the tour with him after they filmed a commercial project together. Michael tried to ignore the calls several times but let the kid come along.

Michael lacked professional boundaries and was too personable with people. That could never happen today cause you need to go through publicists, PR team, lawyers, representatives and the such. Michael had deep rooted issues that would've taken his whole life up to his 70s heal if he lived. A long term work in progress.

Also please understand that Michael was statically the most famous person on earth after Jesus christ, princess Diana, and Elvis. In that order. He had a rare freedom to live the way he wanted to to the point that it defied logic cause he was a billionaire and at the top plus he was extremely mentally ill with no treatment or awareness of it so he lacked the ability to have mature social and self awareness of how he differed from others.

As far as the literal big question of if he did it or not, no. He didn't. he wouldn't have made it past 40 if he did. That's just a fact. Also I always got the impression from him he would commit suicide in some way or pay for voluntarily suicide and have it marked off as a plastic surgery related death if he was guilty. I'm still amazed he lived till 50 with his type of life cause anyone else wouldn't be able to make it to that age.

He is innocent but his extreme poor decisions and extreme way of living and mental illness illicit feelings of him being guilty cause people can't stomach how he got away with living in such a unique circumstance and not caring enough to conform to the expectations or society.

Michael having this issue kept a lot of people safe. Jay Z and Beyonce wouldn't have half the assets and businesses they have and Sony would just be broken up into a cluster of shares if Michael had the normal intellect of a regular grown man. Deep down I can feel everyone knows they're lucky Michael was mentally stunted and difficult.

He didn't do it.

He really didn't.

Also I'd like to know how old you are and how much you know about MJ cause I notice people under 27-30 usually have this consensus about him.

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