#Suspicious Circus Troupe | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

o7k5a8m9i · 3 months

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♠️🌸💖Queen of the Circus💖🌸♠️ Hisomachi Fanfiction🌹🌙💮

~| This is a Hisomachi oneshot (This is NOT cannon but this DOES include some cannon things if you wanna know what's cannon and not go look it up or ask me 🥰🌸💖🎐🍡✨💮 PS I know this story's really cheesy dumb and wholesome it's only cuz their kids when their older it's a completely different story lol🌹💘🌙🦋) [PG-13 ✨Backstory AU✨ again not really cannon ok enjoy💖🌹🎐🌸]

______________________________________________________________Machi POV: I was out on my nightly walk when I heard there was a circus in town (city it's meteor city) so me being the interested, little, 9 year old, girl I was. I decided to go take a SMALL look so no one would see me.

(She then hid behind a old car and watched the show. as much as she wanted to go home and sleep because she's a LITTLE kid she didn't she was hooked it was so Interesting to her🌹 the show was almost over the last act was on! it was a...... red haired little boy!?)

Machi POV: oh a little boy what can he do?

(The boy then performed a lot of AMAZING magic tricks)

[Ok I actually don't know what kinda stuff he could do back then so let's just say magic for fun ok?😅💖🌸] {PS it looks like this art NOT mine ⬇️⬇️💖🌸🌹}

(After the show little Machi was tired because it was 11:00pm that was late for her and her friends might get suspicious so she decided to take the short cut home)

[BTW her "Friends" is the phantom troupe they just did call themselves that yet]

(The short cut led her behind the tent/caravan or whatever the circus was performing/traveling in. she was doing good on her way till she saw something...)

Machi POV: huh oh it's that boy.... I'll just sneak past him..oh a apple yum I'm hungry....==.... maybe I'll steal his another apple....

(She saw the boy with red hair sitting in the back looking at the stars eating a apple there was one more apple beside him and she was gonna steal it because she was hungry. she sneaked up and hid behind some trash she was about to grab it when she heard a voice)

Boy: hey do you want this apple?

Machi: ahhhh!!!! w...w...who are you!?!

Boy: my name is Hisoka^^ what's yours?

Machi: m...m..Machi...

Hisoka: so do you want this apple?

Machi: uhhh......I...I..(she never took things that were offered to her she felt it was a sign of weakness but this time was different)

Machi: oh ok sure (*grabs and sits down next to him*)

Hisoka: Machi was it? nice to meet you^^ (*she just looks at him*)

Hisoka: so how old are you?

Machi: I'm 9 you?

Hisoka: ohh nice I'm 12^^.... so did you like my show? I saw you in the back behind the car^^

Machi: oh uhh.. (she thought she was hiding good and no one saw her)

Machi: yeah you're impressive...

Hisoka: your not to friendly are you? it's not your fault though you don't know how to be~

Machi: Hey don't jump to conclusions!! (he was right though)

Hisoka: oh sorry...I just don't get the chance to meet people...

Machi: I... it's ok...I really liked your tricks..///(*she was embarrassed*)

Hisoka: really thanks!!^^✨

Machi: no prob..///

Hisoka: Hey wanna be friends?^^

Machi: uhh...ok sure==////...

Hisoka: ohhh thank you!!^^~

Machi: but wait don't you live in this traveling circus you'll just have to move again besides I never really had a friend before....///

(the troupe is like family not friends)

Hisoka: well true but we'll be in town for two more days and we'll come back!^^ don't worry meteor city is one of our top places to visit~

Machi: I wasn't worried!!/// and ok we'll be friends.... I guess...

(*they ended up talking for awhile about all kinds of stuff*)

Machi: oh heck it's 1:00am!!! I gotta go!!

Hisoka: oh uhh ok..hey can you come back here tomorrow at 10:00?Machi: ok I will...bye... Hisoka..///

Hisoka POV: she said my name!^^~///

(and just like that Machi ran home as fast as she could. but little did she know he was forming a crush on the beautiful pink haired girl he just met and even she Machi Komacine was forming a small crush on the clown boy she just met although she'd never say it)

{Art NOT mine ☁️}

{|♠️🌸🌹TIME SKIP🌹🌸♠️|} ××× Tomorrow Morning ×××

Feitan: hey Machi wake up..

(*Sleepy Machi raisins her tired hard of her ripped up pillow*)

Machi: huh...Oh Fei hi what's up...==..

Feitan: Where were you? you were gone all night...what were you up to?

Phinks: yeah what were you doing?

Machi: uhh I....uhh......///..

(*she didn't want to say she spent the night with a clown boy she met From the circus it was embarrassing*)

Chrollo: come on guys don't push her she'll tell us when she's ready^^

Machi: thanks Chrollo///

Chrollo: no problem^^

[×× Later that night ××]

Machi: ok I'm off on my walk bye.

Pakunoda: bye Machi^^💖

(*Little Machi ran to the Circus and watched the show till the end*)

Hisoka: Oh Machi!!~^^//

Machi: hi clown boy

Hisoka: clown boy....////Cute I like it~^^ oh I got you something!

Machi: huh what is it?/// (*Hisoka hands her a caramel apple*)

{🎐Just a cute drawing NOT mine 🎐}

Hisoka: it's a caramel apple^^ I've been saving it since I was in the last town but I wanna give it to you^^~

(*Her eyes lit up like they never have before as she held the apple she said Something she DID NOT say often in the happiest tone*)

Machi: Thank You it's so beautiful I've heard about them but I've never actually seen one thank you!!^^💖 (*but honestly she's still a child*)

(*They spent the rest of the night talking eating and having fun*)

Machi: oh it's getting late a gotta go!

Hisoka: ok take care dear Machi^^~

Machi: ok I will (*then she stopped walking and froze*) tomorrow is your last day here isn't it?///....

Hisoka: uhhh yeah it is....but we'll come back!💖

Machi: ok see you tomorrow I wanna show you my favorite spot's!^^

Hisoka: ok I'm excited to see them^^~

{|♠️🌸🌹TIME SKIP🌹🌸♠️|} ××× Tomorrow Afternoon ×××

(*Machi was heading out on her walk early because she wanted to show Hisoka her favorite spot's to play hang out and look at she doesn't have belongs so showing him her favorite places is her way of thanking him for the yummy caramel apple*)

Shalnark: Machi where are you going?^^

Machi: uhhh no where.......///...///

Chrollo: uhh Machi I need you to help me do some stuff sorry^^

Machi: oh uhh ok no prob^^

(*Btw by "STUFF" he means VHS stuff you know. read the manga^^*)

(She helped Chrollo but it took longer then she expected it was now 11:00 she was LATE even though she knew she couldn't show him her spots she could at least see him one last time. after a lot of running she got there and saw him standing in the back where she first met him it made her sad to think this was.....the end)

Hisoka: huh? oh Machi!!!💖 I thought you weren't coming!?^^~

Machi: yeah I was busy....///.....sorry..

Hisoka: it's ok I just appreciate you coming at all everyone always thinks I'm just a freak like a toy or something...

Machi: well....I don't think you're a freak infact I think you're really cool!

(*These words made Hisoka smile a small but beautiful smile*)

Machi: so tonight is it you'll be gone tomorrow...

Hisoka: yeah but and even if it takes YEAR'S I'll come back to you!^^

(*Machi blushed and sat beside him*)

Machi: t.. thank you...///...sorry I couldn't show you my spot's..///

Hisoka: aww it's ok maybe next time^^~

Machi: yeah...so what time do you leave?

Hisoka: uhhh 8:00am

Machi: ok wait for me I'll come tell you goodbye!

Hisoka: aww it's ok you don't have to do th-

Machi: No I'm gonna do it!

(Machi had never been wanted before everyone left her she was alone)

[Not the troupe they're family]

Hisoka: well ok then^^~

{|♠️🌸🌹TIME SKIP🌹🌸♠️|} ××× Tomorrow Early Morning ×××

(*Machi was woken up by Pakunoda*)

Machi: huh... what's wrong Paku?==

Pakunoda: well you were crying in your sleep are you ok?

(*Machi just realized she was crying she wasn't sad but tears fell from her eyes then she remembered her dream it was about her Mother she didn't wanna remember anymore besides she had to go say goodbye)

Machi: oh yeah I'm fine thanks Paku^^

Pakunoda: well if you're sure...

(*then Machi looked at the time 7:30am*)

Machi POV: oh no I'm gonna be late!! all I want is to say goodbye!(*Machi got up and ran as fast as she could she ran faster and faster and finally she saw the caravan leaving she looked around but didn't see him then she looked to her left and saw him sitting looking at the rising sun and for the first time in her life she felt this feeling like her heart was being squeezed*)

Hisoka: oh Mac-(*he was cut off by her hugging him*)

Machi: Bye clown boy^^

Hisoka: bye little Machi I can't wait to see you again^^

______________________________________________________________

[And as they parted ways they both found something they never felt Love and it was a beautiful and sad thing but they had hope even if they had NO idea that they and feelings for one another. but the question is would they meet again?🌹♠️🌸]

{If y'all like this I'll continue the story!💖☺️ actually I'm gonna anyway because I have plans!!✨🎐 anyway if you have any questions let me know no hate please!🥰💮 ok bye bye I hope you continue reading my cheesing story's 😅🌙🌹till we meet again!🌸}

Thank you💖💜♠️

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dulcemaiden · 1 year

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The coming conflict between O!Ciel and Snake

In the recent events of Doll coming back to the manga and diverse opinions about which side Snake will choose, there is something I haven't seen anyone consider that can become crucial to this dilemma: The mysterious incident of Snake keeping silent about OCiel sneaking into the tents of the first strings in Noah’s ark circus. Why he did?

The anime played for laughs that it was Wordsworth the one who didn't tell and Emily scolded him.

But in the manga is different, because it was Snake himself. Smile was caught up by Wordsworth, and we all know the rest: Doll found him, grabbed Wordsworth and gave it to Snake telling him to keep the snakes inside his tent (curiously, it's the same snake that Doll caught in F.O.L.)

Actually, Wordsworth told him that precise moment what was really happening, and Snake seemed nervous and trembling, not knowing what to do: Doll was hiding Smile, who had sneaked into the tents of the first strings. He would have done something about the intruder inmediatly, but this time it was Doll who intervined. Unsure of what to do, he walked away and kept silent about the situation.

But when Snake got in his tent, his snakes must have told him how they were tied up in knots by Black, and that Smile went to investigate the tents. Given how alarmingly suspicious the situation was, and how all the first strings could be in a potential danger, he finally decided to tell Joker. When he was asked why he took his time to tell them, he couldn't give a proper answer.

So he only kept silent because of Doll.

If this assumption is correct, the whole dilemma between Snake and OCiel worsens. Unlike the rest of the circus members who irrumpted in Ciel's manor, and Joker who was with Kelvin, Doll was alone at that time, and she was actually the only one who died under OCiel’s command. Snake has seen how skilled is Sebastian when it comes to kill...

So he won't believe that Doll was a real threat to them. Snake is also aware that she hid Smile from him and his snakes, and from the others first strings in an attempt to protect him, but OCiel still took her life, and that won't be a forgivable thing for Snake.

I've read opinions that in hopes that Snake will keep loyal to OCiel and the servants, expects that he will prefer them because unlike the circus troupe who kept him in the dark, he is one of them now. But maybe that would be underestimating how deep Snake's love for Doll might actually be.

She was the first one who reached a hand out to him, and she took care for him back then. His first reaction to see her again was to effusively tackle hug her while crying. We still have to see Snake's flashbacks, but from the little we have seen, Doll is practically the main one in his memories when it comes to the circus troupe.

Maybe there is the possibility that if OCiel explain to Snake about the children's abduction for Kelvin, and how the servants protected themselves and Lizzie, with time Snake will comprehend it, but he still won't comprehend why OCiel spared his life and not Doll's, not after she went out of her way to protect him, because even if Doll tried to kill OCiel later, Snake tried to kill him too.

Even more so, I don't think OCiel will try to justify himself, since he feels guilty about Doll's death.

Back then, when Snake tried to avenge the circus troupe, OCiel had every reason to kill him: Snake had tried to kill OCiel and killed a guest by mistake, he was not innocent and he was a danger. It is hinted that he let Snake live mainly because he reminded him of Doll.

I would like to point out that OCiel is a more empathetic person than most fans give credit for. He is aware that Doll trusted him and genuinely cared for him back then.

And he had to got rid of her, seeing her as a sacrifice. Doll's death was one that deeply traumatized OCiel as we see in his nightmare in ch95.

He probably don't even judge her, as he didn't judge Joker back then, as Yana mentioned in her blog years ago. You can read it in this post traslated by @akumadeenglish.

No matter which way it goes, this conflict will be inevitable, which is really sad for both OCiel and Snake, because they have grown to genuinely care about each other.

And to finish this post, I personally think that out of all the circus troupe, the fact that it was Doll the one who has returned makes sense from a narrative perspective; because she is the central character between Snake and OCiel: Snake let OCiel had his way in the circus because of Doll, and OCiel let Snake live because of Doll.

#I praise yana's writing skills #this will be a very angsty arc #even though I don't want to see snake suffer #I hope the plot finally moves #I don't have my hopes high in regard to snake keeping loyal to ociel #especially after yana's ominous tweet #kuroshitsuji #black butler #blue revenge arc #character analysis #ciel phantomhive #snake #doll

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plague-of-insomnia · 1 year

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Ch 194: A Dance Between Life and Death

This chapter is short, but ominous. Finny clearly is suspicious of Doll—and Snake notices but doesn’t understand it. Initially, they’re told they can’t stay, but Doll convinces the matron to allow them to.

The Orphange looks suspiciously like the manor (don’t have the spoons to confirm this rn, though, sorry), and many of the orphans are dressed in Ciel’s style of clothes, playing chess and reading The Finnian Cycle, the book that Ciel named Finny after. It’s super creepy.

Snake asks Doll if they know anything about what happened to the circus troupe, recalling what Ciel had told him back in the murder arc.

Doll doesn’t outright say they’re all dead, but does say that they’re “gone.”

Rough translation of the last few pages of the chapter, what Doll tells Snake:

I don’t know where Joker and the rest of our family is.

I don’t know where they are.

They didn’t tell me (where they were going)

They’re gone.

The night they disappeared, I was asked to deliver something to Father [Kelvin], so I didn’t go with them.

Now that I think about it, it was an excuse to leave me behind.

Maybe that’s what they were trying to do, (protect me). I don’t know.

And I…

That night,…

I lost everything.

I don’t think this arc will end without a big mess at this point… 😬🫤

Please don’t disrespect me by using my screenshots or translations without credit. Thank you.

Also, as always, I’m human and make mistakes. Apologies if there are any errors.

#black butler #kuro spoilers #ch 194 #黒執事 #doll #poi translation #english translation #finny #snake #poi og

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mubthemoff · 3 months

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I repurposed an old transformers oc into a tadc oc because I've had a consistent interest in the g1 toys so I focused on a mix of that and cartoon stylization.

Her name is Pi, she's 37 and a sarcastic nerd. Awkwardly laughing as her jokes fall flat to half the people she's stuck with. Still new to the circus, her intuition is a strength when problem solving but a weakness when it leads her to be suspicious of those who have been in the circus longer, isolating her socially while having to stand by these people she cannot bring herself to trust.

She can transform as a gimmick like Zooble's interchangeable body parts, this doesn't lend her much though as her altmode is a dinky lil clowncar.

Her old concept art from 2022(r.i.p the mini troupe):

#mubart #oc time #Pi #tadc oc

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asordinaryppl · 29 days

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A3! Seasonal Event - The GRIM REAPER CIRCUS: Episode 8

Chikage: The venue’s packed.

Muku: I’m a little nervous, but I’m also very excited!

Omi: Alright, let’s keep this momentum!

Izumi: Break a leg, everyone!

Suspicious man (Tsumugi): “Oh, what do we have here?”

Suspicious man: “You got lost and found yourself in this amusement park, you say…”

Suspicious man: “I see... As you can see, this is the amusement park’s circus. I’m this circus troupe’s Ringmaster, Lunadi.”

Lunadi: “Some sort of fate must have led you here.”

Lunadi: “If you’d like, please watch our performance.”

Abyss (Tasuku): “Oof…!”

Abyss: “Excuse me, did I surprise you by appearing out of the blue? I’m Abyss, the Magician. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Abyss: “To celebrate our meeting, I will present you all with a bit of my magic. …Hah!”

Audience member A: Ah, a bouquet of flowers! So colorful and pretty… Huh!?

Audience member B: The flowers suddenly changed to black and purple…!?

Abyss: “Oh, those flowers’ color… is rather strange, isn’t it? But flowers covered in darkness are also beautiful, isn’t that right?”

Chaos (Omi): “Hey, hey, come on, let us greet them too.”

Melancholy (Muku): ♪~♪~♪~~

Chaos: “Hey, everyone. I’m Chaos the Clown, this over here is Melancholy the Soloist.”

Melancholy: “Nice to meet you all. I’ll play a melody that will make everyone’s hearts shiver. … Now, listen.”

Melancholy: ♪~♪~

Chaos: “Look at my tricks as you listen to this song. Hup… Hup…!”

Audience member C: Juggling to such a strange song, so cool…!

Audience member D: The way he pantomimes really makes it look like there’s a transparent wall!

Chaos: “There’s a transparent wall, you say? But am I the one trapped within the wall, or maybe…”

Melancholy: “Shhh, that’s still a secret, you know?”

Chaos: “That’s true. My bad, my bad.”

Ranoia (Chikage): “I’m Ranoia, the Tamer. I do tricks with the circus animals. Come on, you lot… Say hi.”

Ranoia: “Oh my, these kids are troublesome… Looks like they don’t want to come out today.”

Ranoia: “Then instead… I’ll have to discipline you with this whip.”

Audience member E: Eh!?

Necro (Citron): “Now, now, You’re scaring everybody~! That’s no good at all, don’t fool around with them.”

Necro: “I’m Necro, the Puppeteer, let’s get along! Come on, let’s dance with everyone~♪”

Necro: “Runrunruntata ♪ Ratatta ♪”

Necro: “Look, aren’t all the dolls so cute? … What do you think? Would you all like to be controlled by me and dance like this?”

Ranoia: “You’re one to talk about scaring everyone.”

Necro: “Oh, Oh? Ahaha, you’re right.”

Izumi: (Everyone is doing a great job delivering their cheerful yet eerie roles. All their performances are perfect!)

Izumi: (Each one of them worked hard, and their results are showing.)

Lunadi: “Did you enjoy everyone’s performances? Then it’s time for you to start going home…”

Lunadi: “Is what I would like to say, but unfortunately that won’t be happening.”

Lunadi: “We are the Grim Reaper Circus. You could say that this is the afterlife.”

Lunadi: “There is no way for you guys to get out of this place and go back home.”

Lunadi: “... You want to go home? Well, if you really have to–”

Lunadi: “Then you have no choice but to gather the clues scattered throughout the amusement park and figure out a way to escape.”

Lunadi: “I will pray for everyone’s success.”

Izumi: Everyone, your first stage was really good!

Muku: I’m glad everything went well.

Chikage: But we can’t relax just yet.

Izumi: Yes! Next, you’ll go to the checkpoints in pairs, from where you’ll instruct the guests.

Izumi: In addition to giving instructions, don’t forget to perform to scare them. Let’s make sure everyone enjoys the event to the fullest.

Omi: Got it.

Citron: We’re running out of time! Let’s hurry and take off!

Tsumugi: We should go too.

Tasuku: …

Tsumugi: What’s wrong?

Tasuku: … Sorry, I forgot my props in the dressing room. I’ll be right back, so leave without me.

[Tasuku leaves]

Tsumugi: Ah, Tasuku–

Tsumugi: (He’s gone. But he’ll be back soon, so I guess I’ll wait here…)

???: …

Tsumugi: ?

Clown: …

Tsumugi: (This is–)

Tsumugi: (There’s no mistaking it, this is the clown I saw the other day.)

Clown: …

Tsumugi: — — !

Tsumugi: (I wonder where he’s going… I have to go after him!)

previous episode | masterpost | next episode

NOTES:

(1) while everyone else was rather straightforward to translate, i named chikage's character ラノイア ranoia in an attempt to match it to paranoia

(2) i took the roles everyone gives themselves (eg abyss the magician) from their cards' borders, even though they don't all call themselves that, mostly because i thought it'd be cool to reference the cards; chaos's literal introduction of melancholy is 'melancholy, the music player', rather than soloist

(3) lunadi doesn't call the troupe the grim reaper circus in all uppercase, so i thought doing that too would be excessive, despite the event title, probably a bit contradictory considering the previous note, lol. (what lunadi actually calls the troupe is 死神サーカス団 (shinigami circus troupe), but we've got grim reaper circus right there, so)

#a3!#translation #a3! translation #citron #chikage utsuki #muku sakisaka #omi fushimi #tsumugi tsukioka #tasuku takato #izumi tachibana #ps if someone would rather i use grim reaper circus in uppercase for what lunadi uses in the story you can ummm tell me your reasoning

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definitelynotthedarklord · 1 month

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DnD Idea

In order for the party to get to the next location on their quest they join a troupe of traveling circus clowns, only to discover the clowns are mimics who wander the land, eating children where they go.

And if this sounds suspiciously familiar to a certain book/movie, you're absolutely correct.

#dnd #dungeons and dragons #dnd mimic #clowns are f**king terrifying

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ingek73 · 2 years

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Harry and Meghan baby-photo fallout shows they were right to leave Britain and the royals

Jennifer O’Connell: Lilibet’s birthday portrait was met with instant approval and, in some quarters, barely concealed relief

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor: 'That red hair gene is strong ... love to see it,' said one commenter on Instagram. Photograph: Archewell/PA

By Jennifer O'Connell

Tue Jun 7 2022 - 17:54

If Meghan Markle and Prince Harry harbour any doubts about their decision to hand their notice in to the deranged circus troupe that is the British royal family—they have made it quite clear they don’t, but let’s indulge in a thought experiment—the response to their brief trip home at the weekend will surely have assuaged them.

The couple returned to the UK for Queen Elizabeth’s platinum-jubilee celebrations, a frenzied double-bank-holiday festival involving smug pageantry and bottomless Pimm’s, furious speculation about who would be on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour, and the alarming sight of the queen’s face projected on to Stonehenge.

In keeping with the posh person’s penchant for an unbearably cutesy nickname, the celebrations were alternatively referred to as platty jubes, or platinum jubbly in honour of the 10,000 pieces of specially commissioned memorabilia that someone forgot to run through a spellchecker.

People counted the baby’s teeth (eight!), wondered why she had no legs (which certainly is a tad suspicious), demanded her birth cert, and scrutinised the photo in an effort to prove she doesn’t exist

Platty jubes also coincided with the first birthday of Lilibet, the youngest child of Harry and Meghan. The couple stepped away from the formal celebrations to mark the occasion with a low-key garden party at Frogmore Cottage, their home in the grounds of Windor Castle. They released a photo of the cute one-year-old sitting on the lawn. The image was met with instant approval and, in entirely predictable quarters, barely concealed relief—because the portrait confirms what was already suspected.

Lilibet is indeed a pale-skinned redhead. “Daddy’s little cutie!” trumpeted the Daily Mail. “That red hair gene is strong ... love to see it,” said one commenter on Instagram. “Meghan was a mere vessel! Totally Harry,” went another. (Not to let Junior Cert science get in the way of a satisfying dose of unconscious bias, but the redhead gene is recessive, which means that it comes from both sides.)

This reaction should not be mistaken for innocent commentary on the child’s appearance—not in the context of Meghan’s claim that a senior royal once worried aloud about “how dark” the skin of Lilibet’s older brother, Archie, might be, or her account of being subjected to relentless racially motivated bullying by the media, to the point where she had thoughts of suicide.

Still, these were some of the saner reactions to the couple’s return to England. In the battier corners of the internet, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor appears to have inspired a nascent birther movement. People counted the baby’s teeth (eight!), wondered why she apparently had no legs (admittedly, that is a tad suspicious), demanded her birth cert, and forensically examined the photo in an effort to prove that she doesn’t exist, or that she does exist but isn’t actually Meghan’s child, or that she is a hologram created by Bill Gates, or ... well, insert the crackpot theory of your choice. You might as well. Everybody else did.

No bank-holiday weekend would be complete without a bit of sporting action, and the couple’s return to Britain also gave the media a chance to launch a fresh round of their favourite game, Kate vs Meghan. This is exactly like Spider-Man vs Superman, Thanos vs Darkseid or Russia vs Nato, except there is only ever one winner. It is always Kate.

Why would Harry and Meghan choose to put their family through more curtain-twitching, tight-lipped vitriol and barely disguised racism—and all because they knew what they’d like to do with their own lives?

Every aspect of Meghan’s brief public appearance was subjected to tedious comparative analysis: the kind of vehicle she and Harry took to St Paul’s Cathedral (a car, which according to the London Times “gave them a greater status than some minor royals, including Mike and Zara Tindall, who arrived for the service in a bus”, but obviously a much lower status than Kate and William, who arrived in a royal procession); the row in which they were seated (second, meaning they had to squeeze past not just Beatrice and Eugenie, but—oh, the indignity—the princesses’ husbands too); what they wore (him: medals; her: Dior, the shameless try-hard), how frequently she smiled, or made outrageous demands on the poor ailing queen, or was rebuffed by the Cambridges, and so on.

“Meghan must have been furious when she heard that photographs of their Windsor meeting were forbidden. Banned from the balcony for Trooping the Colour, no shot of her with the Queen in St Paul’s and then the final blow was no shot of Lilibet with her great-grandmother. Finally, the Palace is playing a good hand,” came one fairly typical piece of analysis by Tom Bower, Prince Charles’s biographer and renowned expert in what Meghan and Harry must be feeling.

Having all but hunted them on to the tarmac and into their private plane—or the “Russian Oligarch-style private jet” as the Mail, naturally, couldn’t resist putting it—before the celebrations were even over, the UK media promptly turned their attention to the question of when they’ll be back for more.

“Never again” will be the answer if the Markle-Mountbatten-Windsors have any sense. The platinum-jubilee weekend inspired an orgy of Meghan-baiting. Why would Harry and Meghan choose to put themselves and their children through further rounds of this curtain-twitching, tight-lipped vitriol and barely disguised racism—and all because they committed the apparently unspeakable crime of having had a few ideas about what they’d like to do with their own lives?

Prince Andrew—who was accused, by comparison, of the crime of sexually assaulting and battering a sex-trafficked teenager, although it’s not regarded as polite to mention that, nor the rumoured €14.3 million settlement he paid her, despite being practically almost fully positive he had never met her—escaped the weekend almost entirely unscrutinised, due to having had the foresight to contract Covid and stay well away. More importantly, perhaps, the unctuous toad also had the foresight to be the queen’s son rather than, say, a self-confident Californian divorcee, so there is that too.

Part of Queen Elizabeth’s personal brand is her reputation for being a steadying and cohesive force in British life at a time of deep division, a symbol of endurance and unity. Like the images of her projected on to Stonehenge, or the hologram paraded through the streets in a golden carriage, it’s perhaps best not to look too closely at what the royal family actually stands for in modern Britain.

Jennifer O'Connell

Jennifer O’Connell is a feature writer and opinion columnist with The Irish Times

#meghan markle #prince harry #duke of sussex #duchess of sussex #royals #brf #british royal family #lili diana mountbatten windsor

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blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk · 2 years

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Hiiii. Can I get a request for Jumbo slowly becoming friends with a “normal” affectionate person who’s determined to be friends and is patient in earning his trust after seeing one of their shows or they could be a new member of the troupe itself? Whichever sounds better to you or would make a bigger impact on/suit jumbo better. HCs if possible!

Welcome back!! It’s good to see you again!!

HE’S BABY YOUR HONOR!!! <3

At first… it might sound bad to say, but he doesn’t trust them. Anyone outside their little circus family is immediately suspicious anyway, and he especially doesn’t trust what he thinks is fake kindness. They’ve all been tricked before, so he’s determined not to let it happen again. Personally he’s had people do that while he was on the streets; they’d lure him somewhere by acting sweet to him, only for it to turn out they were either taking advantage of his height/strength/etc., or they were just aiming to mock him more. (Name) is no different.

… They are different, though. They don’t seem to want anything other than company from him, huh? It looks like they’re content to come to shows and talk to him afterwards. They don’t want him to go anywhere with them, or ‘show him off’ to their friends just to laugh at him. It’s kind of confusing, because he’s not really used to kindness being genuine.

God. He wants to trust them so badly. When they take his hand and smile at him, he wants to think that it’s real. It’s not as if he enjoys second-guessing people’s intentions. Especially people like (Name), who he slowly starts to think might actually be one of the good ones.

Whenever they visit after a show, he always plays his harmonica for them. The first few times he started out as usual, playing “Tom the Piper’s Son” ― after he gets a bit more comfortable with this person, though, he’s happy to take requests if there’s something they want to hear. It makes him feel quite special that their eyes are glued to him the whole time he plays, as if he’s doing something incredible.

Sometimes he asks if they really want to just… be his friend. It’s just, why would they want to hang around people like him, when they have a choice? Much as he loves his family, he also knows they all came together because of less than ideal circumstances. The rest of society didn’t want them. (Name) has no such problems. They could find friends among the rest of the people who aren’t too big, too small, or missing parts. It maybe makes him blush a little, the way he admits that he doesn’t really know why they would ‘settle’ for a friend like him. He really doesn’t think anyone would choose him, if they had a choice, and when they do, he doesn’t understand why.

After so long, he starts to be grateful for their presence. They start to greet him with a hug and a shout of his name, and he can’t stop himself from smiling just a little bit in return. He begins to look forward to find their face in the crowd after shows… and, well. Maybe just once or twice, he might see if Joker can bring them into the show when he asks for volunteers from the audience. (Name)… might like that, right? He thinks it’d be fun, anyway, and all the better if it turns out he was right and they do enjoy it.

Offhand he may probe to see if perhaps they have some kind of special talent…? The more he gets used to their presence and starts to want to have them around, the more he wonders if they’d like to join the circus. They probably have a great life elsewhere and, like many people, ‘running away to join the circus’ is just a childish fantasy… but if they want, he’s sure there’s enough room for them. And it would mean they’d get to see each other every day. If not, that’s fine; he’ll just keep taking any time they’re willing to spend with him.

Definitely carries them on his back if they want it! Being as touchy-feely as they are, he can’t imagine they wouldn’t like being so close to him.

#thatswhatiamlovernotafighter #Black Butler #Kuroshitsuji #Jumbo #headcanons #platonic #fluff #drama #UGH MY SWEET BOY HE DESERVES THE WORLD #one hell of a queue

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aqp799 · 1 year

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Segawatober 2022 Day 11 - Balloons

I'm skipping Day 10 for rn, I will do so tomorrow. I will finish these prompts before Monday, mark my words. Anyway, take this offering!

TW: Mention of murder and desecration of dead bodies? Also clowns

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The Grudge Circus, besides Tofu Town, was the only place that the Owul siblings were actually fully welcomed. Among the terrifying tunes of the circus, the tents made of wanderers, and souls with anger too great to let go, the aliens were accepted. It felt…. off. To look at the green balloons of a circus made of the dead, and know that it was a place they could sit and not feel judged. Not be looked at suspiciously for being foreign. They couldn’t blame the Calpuccans, it’s understandable why they were so hesitant. But still. It was nice to have a place where they could come in and be met with more than tolerance. The clowns loved hearing about their travels, asking the hows and whys and wheres til the siblings could barely speak anymore. The young girl they brought was especially attached, looking so happy to be among spirits like her. The ringleader told them it was a miracle she didn’t become haunted, so consumed by anger like that all alone. For all the Grudge Circus did that was plain creepy and wrong, it was a safe place for spirits to not turn fully evil. It was a place of rest for the souls that can’t. Though they still were a bit strange, seen when the siblings gathered the courage to look into their eyes. They were always bloodshot, and slightly strained, but still coherent. Consumed by hatred but still in some ways happy. The circus had horrific beginnings, formed from a murdered troupe, but it made itself into something somewhat amazing. So even though their skin crawled, they couldn’t look at the balloons without knowing how they came to be, how they couldn’t really settle, the circus was one of the places the aliens felt safe. And so they came back, one final time to say goodbye. And they were greeted with smiles and cheers and well wishes.

It was heartwarming.

#segawatober2022 #walking on a star unknown #grudgecircus #eddie #fukuro

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themadauthorshatter · 2 years

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Heya, for the trope ask game. Maybe 18 & 23? For StickVin, please? Only if you want to though. Thank you.

No problem!!👍

18: Circus AU

SO!

In the traveling Sticks and Stones Circus, ironically run by ex-military men Hubert Galeforce and H.J. Canterbury, Henry is something of aman on the run that needs a job, any job. While Galforce is suspicious, Canterbury goes right to interviews because they need two things: a man who's good with money, and an extra set of hands for when the circus ends, and to help woth confetti canons.

Henry, happy for the opportunity, hops right on board and meets the crew:

Rupert, their 'lion tamer'(all the animals are holograms)

Burt, their technician FOR the holograms

Victoria, their strong lady

Dave, Sven, Calvin, and Konrad, their clowns

The crew from Master Bounty hunty(I forgot their names, please don't be mad at me!!!) are their 'areal troupe' and acrobats

And, last but not least, Charles, their trapeze artist, areal silk dancer, and tightrope walker

And Henry is HEAD OVER HEELS for this guy, but Rupert tells him to back off, not because Rupert saw him first but because Charles is Galeforce's kid and is crazy protective of who's around him because hus parents were killed when Charles was a teenager.

Well, Galeforce can try all he likes, but Charles is still drawn to the new guy and gets friendly, asking him who he is, where he's been, all that good jazz, and even says that he's in the circus because he wants to help Galeforce from the army PTSD he has, as he saw his parents die and did nothing, so he's got some survivor's guilt.

The two warm up to each other, but it's revealed that Henry was a part of the group that killed Charles's parents, and that same group is heading towards the circus to grab Henry and bring him back.

This obviously results in a fight that gets Charles injured, but he's in love with Henry and says that it's good to know that he's not like them and that he's happy to have saved someone from dying.

He lives, don't worry, ans he and Henry continue being in the circus, where Henry is promoted to the circus's contortionist

23: Performer AU

For this, Henry is visual performer, like a moominshantz, because he was injured in an 'accident,' and looking for work. Charles is a theater performer also looking for work.

They're meeting is a complete accident, as they were at an audtion for different roles, but Henry offers Charles a meal after because bith are very small and have no money.

From here, we learn that Charles is actually trying to get away from being under the eyes of a helicopter parent(I wonder who?) and is just trying to find his place in the world.

Henry is just trying to live life to the fullest because you only get one chance and being a performer for him achieves that.

Charles does ask about his accident, and all you readers need to know is that accidents happen. Sometimes they're just called accidents because it's easier to accept, sometimes they were actually caused by other people or forces, so accident

Either way, the two grow closer and fall in love and have a show together, one observered by some people who don't like seeing Henry with Charles because Henry is a renegade delinquent and Charles isn't ready for the real world, as he has ADD and needs supervision because he's also CRAZY emotional at times.

Crazy enough to have a panic attack and run into a subway.

He doesn't die, he just gets his arm broken.

People still don't approve, but too bad because they fall for each other, move in, get an apartment and are ready to face the world together

#the henry stickmin collection #henry stickmin #charles calvin #stickvin #'long post'#ask post #thanks for asking!#implied self harm tw #injury tw

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nerice · 2 years

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1 and 3 for reina, 9 and 10 for kizuna, 12 and 16 for sky!

reina

what do they carry on them at all times? no specific item but on one hand there's the always-ready gilgamesh type arsenal of weapons she can pull from the power mark on her on her stomach, or for a more tangible answer: assorted bracelets that serve to cover the tracker scar around her right wrist but never stand out bc she makes sure to balance her overall looks jewelry-wise so it doesn't come of as suspicious or like she's trying to hide something tm :>

what kinds of things do they like receiving as gifts? a lot of people try to curry favor with reina and while she does adore her ever-growing collection of luxuries in her own ex-spurned-god-complex way, none of them hold particularly special emotional value for her. the truly meaningful gifts are people sharing time, intimacy and affection with her. big softie goddess<3

kizuna

what color dominates their wardrobe, if any? team happens to go naked a lot bc Oops Human Form Need Clothes is a concept that never really sticks. for court artemis+sol provide her with a fully kitted lavender-adjacent wardrobe that matches her eyes and hair. back when she was with the circus troupe she was more conscientious abt the whole deal bc she kept her beast form a secret and tended to dress in all white or all black for performances !! madness spiral era is mostly tattered capes and cowls due to not staying in any one body for long :(

what types of clothes are they most comfortable in? (either physical comfort or emotional) most comfy is ofc natural beast form, but for human form as long as it doesn't restrict movement she doesn't care!! there is a special place of hell in wearing sol's skin though & desperately trying to match her clothing to the blurry memory of her. ;;__;;

sky

do they hang on to things for sentimental reasons? if so, what? YES EXTREMELY YES. most messy room u can imagine all assorted trinkets from decades of travelling around. keeps everything anyone has ever given her as small thank you for helping out w/ heavy lifting & tends to take keys to the places she's stayed in as a memento despite the inconvenience it causes (oops) as for heavy-hitting examples there's. one of arianna's earrings that she never resolves to actually wear bc she's categorically anti needle-type objects or drawing her own blood in any sort of way even for just a short second. + ofc worst offender is the empty eternal soul necklace pendant faye leaves behind, that once belonged to gray. that one she does wear :)🔪

what scents do they enjoy? (either to wear or for things like candles or incense) nothing in particular as far as candles or perfumes go but very much drawn to the smells of nature (double-edged sword as the damp humidity of the palace greenhouse becomes synonymous with home to her and she enjoys sweltering summer days for similar reasons. the dark stale air of its underground passages however.... reminiscent of a different home. h) also extreme shoutout to the smell of wet earth during heavy downpours...... probably her strongest scent association that can swing either way depending on the day.

#everytime u ask me abt kizuna i am. *pulls down shades* BUNY TIME B)#also as always love doing asks fr her and sky as a set. mwah <3 #got cryptic towards the end sorry bad habit in this plot corner.#oc asks #xivu-arath #askbox #long post /#these seem so easy to answer but i still can't help but text dump aaaaaaa #thank u for asking as always <333333

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azikarue · 2 years

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MayBlade 2022 : Day 25 : Colorful

Tala/Julia | FFN Rating: K+ | FFN Link ❖ Sometimes Julia sat back and marveled at her life, amazed by the capacity it had to take her by complete and total surprise. Today was one of those days. She was in a field somewhere in Denmark with the circus setting up in the background, clothes that needed dying in front of her, and a stoic Russian watching her intently. The first two weren’t a shock, but the third…

Never in a million years would she have imagined a few conversations during the World Championships would end in Tala spending the summer in her and Raul’s trailer, touring Europe with the circus as her own personal roadie. She’d been joking when she suggested it. She couldn’t tell if this was his elaborate way of calling her on her bluff or if he had other motives.

The majority of their troupe thought he was interested in Julia romantically. A few of them even thought she was secretly dating him and too shy to say anything, which was ridiculous because she wasn’t Raul. They liked making it awkward, regardless of her protests; whenever Tala joined her at meal times, they would get up just to leave her alone with him.

During the day she kept busy so she didn’t notice their behavior as much. Between practicing her act and the fact that she and Raul were still the errand-runners and odd-job-doers to their circus family despite aging out of the role years ago, she didn’t have time to entertain Tala.

That didn’t stop him from being entertained. The veteran members of the circus weren’t shy about asking him to lend a hand here and there as needed. She’d gotten used to traipsing through the grounds and seeing him nodding politely along to whatever gossip they were filling the silence with. She didn’t want to think about all of her embarrassing childhood stories that had probably already been passed on.

Early in the morning and late at night when they reconvened in the trailer, she should have had a break. Instead she had to deal with Raul staring between them suspiciously, as if he didn’t quite believe Tala slept scrunched up on their couch all night and not in her bunk with an arm around her waist. At least he was too intimidated by Tala to try giving him the shovel talk.

The whole thing was a little maddening, but admitting it bothered her would be worse. She’d tried bringing it up to Tala once, just to see if they were on the same page, and gotten absolutely nowhere.

“Why did you come this summer, anyway?” She punctuated her question with a vigorous sweep of the stable floor. She was trying to make it look like her job was just as taxing and gross as Tala’s, but they both knew shoveling the manure was the worst part. Normally she handed that off to Raul, but he wasn’t the one helping her muck out stalls today.

“You invited me,” Tala answered, looking at her like she’d lost her mind. His nose was only wrinkling a little bit at the smell as he shoveled more droppings into a nearby wheelbarrow. “Remember?”

Julia flushed. Hopefully he thought it was from exertion and not embarrassment.

“You don’t seem like the type to run away with the circus, that’s all,” she retorted and redoubled her sweeping efforts to avoid looking at him. She only lifted her head again when the sound of the shovel stopped.

“What type am I, then?” Tala asked. He was staring at her with a searching look in those bright, blue eyes. Not for the first time, she felt like he could see straight through her. It was unnerving.

Julia decided it was best if she didn’t answer.

“What’s all this?”

She shook her head and let Tala’s question ground her in the present. He was awfully curious for someone who’d toted half a dozen boxes into the field for her without asking why first. All she’d had to do was point him in the right direction and she was free to get everything set up while he did the grunt work. Handy.

“The Jubilee shows kick off this weekend,” Julia answered as she finished wrapping the last bundle of fabric in rubber bands. With a glance to make sure it was secure, she tossed it into a box with the rest. “Since Raul and I have our routine down, I’ve been nominated to tie-dye the commemorative t-shirts.”

Tala arched one eyebrow and surveyed the contents of the boxes she’d begun unpacking when her fingers needed a break from twisting shirts.

“Are they going to be rainbow?” he asked, eyes skimming the plethora of dye bottles lined up in the grass.

“What else?” Julia laughed at the barely-concealed distaste in his expression and used a spare rubber band to tie her hair back. “Don’t tell me you’re too afraid of color to help, Mr. Orange-and-Blue-Jumpsuit.” Tala’s scowl deepened and Julia relished in it for a moment before adding, “I’m putting you in charge of bagging each one when I’m done dying them. They can’t dry out.”

“I thought I was just the muscle because the strongman was busy,” Tala retorted, but didn’t argue when she shoved a box of gallon size bags into his arms and motioned for him to sit down next to her.

“Just be glad I’m not making you help me with the actual dying,” she said as she began saturating the first of many shirts with color. “Raul and I tie-dyed some of our first costumes. He didn’t listen to me about color placement and his turned out ugly and splotched with brown.”

“So, to be clear,” Tala replied, holding open a bag obediently for the first shirt, “Raul won’t help because you’re a control freak?”

Julia’s glare was met with a smirk.

“For your information, he got wrangled into helping bedazzle the show outfits,” Julia shot back. There was never enough sparkle, especially when it came to the circus’s seventieth anniversary – he’d probably be stuck with the seamstresses for a while. “I thought you’d rather do this, but if I was wrong I’m sure Raul would swap you. I never took you for a rhinestone person, but…” She trailed off with a shrug.

Tala squeezed the air out of the bag and sealed it shut without another word.

They continued on like that, exchanging short snatches of conversation once in a while, but mostly working in silence. They got a system down relatively quickly where Julia would slap color on, Tala would bag and stack and keep her stocked up with full bottles of dye.

Without discussing it, they decided to work through their normal lunchtime. The sun had peaked and begun its summertime-slow descent into the afternoon by the time they finished.

“Finally,” Julia groaned and stretched the kinks out of her back. “I thought we’d never be done.”

“I didn’t realize how many people there are in the troupe,” Tala commented, placing the last bag on top of the ones already overflowing out of their box. He stretched his long legs out on the grass in front of him, leaned back on his hands, and asked, “What now?”

“Now they sit,” Julia answered, cracking her knuckles one by one to release some of the tension buildup. She frowned when it didn’t make a huge difference. “We’ll rinse them out and hang them to dry tomorrow.”

That would, at least, be less physically taxing, especially if she borrowed a hose from someone. She wanted to be able to launch her beyblade for the Jubilee’s opening night, after all. Poor Raul was probably in the same boat – if he was still elbows deep in tulle and glitter, his fingers had to be sore. She tried to rub some of the ache out of her hands, but with both of them hurting, it didn’t do much good.

“Right now I say we find something to eat,” she said, making to get to her feet. “I’m starving.”

Tala caught her wrist before she could get very far. Forced to decide between hovering awkwardly in a half-standing position or sitting back down, Julia let herself fall to the ground.

“What are you doing?” she asked when he adjusted his grasp to hold her hand gingerly in his.

He glanced at her face, as if asking permission.

She rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to find out what his problem was, but when he began pinching and massaging each of her fingers individually, it snapped shut. Instead she breathed in deep through her nose and watched with wide eyes as he worked.

Tala generously ignored how stunned she was and continued until he finished with her fingers. Then he moved on to her hand, working the tension up and out from her palm to her wrist in a series of firm whorls.

Julia caught herself staring at his hands, thinking about how big and strong they were and what it might be like to curl her fingers up through his just once. What would his long, pale fingers look like intertwined with her own, stained multicolored from hours of tie-dying? With an alarmed inhale, she flinched back.

“Did I hurt you?” Tala asked, brows knit together in concern. His reflexes were fast enough to catch the tips of her fingers, preventing her from pulling away entirely. He palmed her hand again and ran his free one down over the back of it in a soothing motion.

“No,” she exhaled and immediately blushed when his eyebrow arched up. “It’s just sensitive or something.”

It was the lamest excuse, but Tala pet her hand one more time like it was a skittish animal instead of commenting. There was no way she was saving face, so when he gestured for the other hand, she let him take it.

“You do this a lot?” she asked to fill the silence. He had to – her hand didn’t cramp at all when she wiggled and flexed her fingers to test out his handiwork.

He nodded without looking up and said, “We used to practice our launches for hours.” The ‘in the Abbey’ was implied and made Julia pay rapt attention. It was rare for anyone to get insight into his past, and she was always dumbfounded that he decided to share even the slightest mention of it with her, of all people. “When you grip a launcher for that long on a daily basis, you find ways to help the pain.”

Julia stayed quiet while he finished. It was probably her imagination, but she thought he stroked this hand for longer than the last one.

“Thanks,” she said, when he finally let it go. “I was afraid I was going to have to ask you to be my stand-in for the show.” She smiled mischievously at the bolt of terror that shot through his eyes. Back on even ground. “How are you with streamers?”

“I’m better with a beyblade,” he deadpanned, getting to his feet, “and I don’t think your costume would suit me.”

“Aww, Tala,” she teased and picked up the box of dying shirts, “you need some more color in your life.”

He grunted when she hoisted the box into his arms, once again her replacement strongman, and said, “I think I have all the color I can handle.”

The way he looked at her when he said it would be all she thought about through lunch, dinner, and as she waited to fall asleep that night. With all the surprises life threw her way, she got the feeling there was at least one more involving Tala on the horizon.

#said I was going to finish and I'm definitely going to finish #don't mind me being the one person AFTER-after-party #definitely experienced some burnout between finishing these prompts and work being crazy #not to mention my personal life being busier than usual but what are you gonna do?#beyblade #will still tag #mayblade 2022 #for the sake of blog organization #talajulia #azikarue #azikarue394 #azrfic

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