#The Forthright: Iris | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-judicial-assistants-notebook · 1 year

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*KICKS THE DOOR DOWN* WWWAIT FREYA I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ON FANDOMS VIEW OF THIS SHIP I NEED TO KNOW UR OPINION. HOMUMIKU???

WKSHJSHJDBJHAHAHAH HIIIII, GRACE!!!! ❤️💕💞💝💗💖💘💓💕💞💖💞💘

Homumiko (HUGE spoilers for DGS after the bingo sheet):

I have been waiting to get into this ship properly, because I have THOUGHTS and I need to be forced to get them out coherently.

Let's get into the basic ship itself. Honestly? No comment. I think hmmk cheats a bit by relying on the literal decades people have spent shipping Holmes and Watson together, and I doubt that they would be half as popular without this history; but, as someone who has never had strong feelings about HolmesWatson either way, I don't have that bias! Even if we're just going off of DGS and looking at how they complement and trust each other, and are obviously more comfortable around one another than most other people, I don't really have a strong opinion on them. I do think they're close, but whether that bond is platonic, romantic, sexual or some mix of the two is just not something I particularly care about. You know who I do care about, though?

Susato-san.

OKAY, SIT DOWN, EVERYONE BECAUSE THE SHIP BINGO PART OF THIS IS OVER, AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE PARTS OF HMMK I DO CARE ABOUT AND WHY THAT ACTUALLY HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH THEM AND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH HER.

Let's get this out of the way first. Based on my very modern sensibilities, I take a rather harsh stance on Mikotoba's parenting.

Do I think he loves his daughter? Sure. But which parts of his daughter? Because it's very easy to love a child who is always obedient, elegant and the literal embodiment of idealised Japanese womanhood without knowing or truly even looking at her. I think Susato made it easy for him to love her, because she believed she had to earn it. Her father left when she was born, consumed by grief over her mother's death -- her mother, whom she killed. I know the game tries to justify this by saying it was Jigoku who dragged him away (and I do think him leaving was good for him, because I doubt he would have been a good father even if he'd stayed due to his grief), but the point is that he still left. For six years. And when he returned, he didn't even return because of her (whether she knew that from the moment she met him or not is debatable, but I think, at least on a subconscious level, she knew. And, of course, it's also debatable whether he could have returned sooner because of his commitment as a transfer student, but the Mikotobas are a powerful family, and, if Soseki could return before his period of learning was fully up, I think he would have been able to pull strings to return home if he wanted to).

This falls under speculation, so I understand not agreeing with it, but I don't think Mikotoba ever properly spoke to Susato when she was a child, especially not about what he did in England. I believe that a part of the reason why Susato started reading the Sherlock Holmes stories to begin with was because they featured a doctor in London, like her father had been, and she wanted to feel closer to him through those stories. And it probably worked! Her father probably did start engaging with her more after after she picked them up, because it was an easy way to connect with her. That's why I believe she was so insistent on the existence of John H. Watson, as a doctor, when she met Iris and learnt the truth.

There's this distance between Susato and her father which glimpse in moments in the game, like how he remarks on her lack of composure in court (suggesting that he isn't used to seeing her yamato nadeshiko mask slip), how he less requests her trust and more orders or expects it forthright, and how he seems reluctant to face the parts of her that inconvenience him (like how he asks her to play the koto when he isn't home and how, when faced by her real anger, he looks to Holmes to explain the situation rather than actually attempt to himself).

HOWEVER, in the setting of the game (Meiji-era Japan), I will concede that Mikotoba is a fantastic father. He may not have been very present in her life growing up, but men largely weren't expected to be. Their jobs were to provide for their children, not nurture them. And Mikotoba went well beyond his duty in that regard. Add to that the fact that he had her properly educated, ensured she knew how to defend herself, and allowed her to pursue her studies overseas at a level that was on par with any man, and you can see that he's really quite a great father; which is why I don't think he sees his absence as a flaw or even notices he was absent. Susato, though, does.

Now, Susato is obviously a product of her time, too, so I believe she'd be insulted if anyone was to suggest that her father or childhood was lacking in some way. That being said, I do believe she is aware of the distance between them in a way he is not. I think her affection for him is founded on a sense of duty and filial piety rather than pure love (although, obviously, she does love him), and, as she grew older, she stopped vying for his affection; hence why she's obsessed with the Great Detective more so than anyone else when we meet her. I also think that this distance contributed to her becoming so attached to Kazuma, in spite of the fact that he kept her at arm's length, too; he may not have allowed her very close, but he was always there, and he saw her for who she truly was. When she leaves at the end of the first game, Susato is not so much anxious that her father is ill as she is shaken -- she seems more upset that she's leaving her Baker Street family rather than that her actual father might be dying, and I think that's because she knows how to live without him. This distance between them, I believe, becomes all the more apparent to her when she goes to London and sees the deep bond held between Iris and Holmes.

And, speaking of, you know who else I think is aware of the distance between them and the part he played in creating that distance? The Great Detective himself, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

See, I think Holmes has always known about Susato. I'm quite sure that, from the moment they met, he knew that Mikotoba was running away from something and that he had left an infant daughter back home. He just didn't care.

We don't know what Holmes was like when he was younger, but I believe he was a lot closer to how he appears in a lot of modern adaptations and how Watson describes him in some of the Sherlock Holmes stories: the 'cold, calculating computer' character. I don't think it's a stretch to think that Holmes viewed marriage and children as mere distractions and interferences to the mind; and Mikotoba was, presumably, his first real friend. He wasn't going to let something pesky like a baby back home detract from his friend's obviously sterling character and brain! After all, it's a lot easier to ignore this nebulous, abstract entity when you simply consider its existence, and thus its abandonment, unimportant. It's a lot easier when you don't know what it's like to be a father yourself. It's a lot easier when you don't know her.

Here's the thing: I believe Holmes's image of and relation to Mikotoba began changing from the time he started raising Iris. Suddenly, that inconsequential baby seemed to bear quite a bit of consequence, actually. But it was still all right to keep dismissing her, because maybe Mikotoba's baby wasn't special the way Iris was. Maybe she was a brat or an idiot, and really not worth much time at all! Maybe she could've lived without him and been perfectly fine, regardless...? As time went on, I believe the excuses he made for Mikotoba's decision all those years ago became increasingly flimsy, but he was still able to hold onto them because The Daughter was still an indistinct figure in his mind. She wasn't quite real.

That is, until he met her.

In the game, Holmes tends to keep a certain width between himself and Susato. He very rarely initiates conversation with her the way he does Ryuunosuke, and from a Doylist (ha) perspective, this is obviously because Ryuunosuke is... the main character. Looking at it from a narrative perspective, though, I think he was afraid of hurting more than he already has and must.

Holmes is a very resolute man. He sticks by his decisions regardless of what anyone else thinks, so I don't think he ever regretted what he did. However, I do think he felt guilty. Certainly, he didn't quite take her father away from her, but he did play a role in keeping him from her for so long. I think there was a part of him that consciously guided Mikotoba away from thinking about Japan while they lived together, because, well... he didn't want him to leave.

There's an interesting layer to the separation that Holmes creates with Susato, because, beyond the distance he maintains between her and himself, he also keeps her identity separate from her father's. Contrary to how he refers to Ryuunosuke by his last name, Holmes only ever calls Susato "Miss Susato" or "my dear (madame)", and never "Miss Mikotoba". I view this is his way of, perhaps subconsciously, dividing from that little girl he once decided did not matter. And it's interesting because, to an extent, he tries to do with her and Kazuma, too.

In the SS Burya case, despite meeting Susato first and seeing how affected she is by Kazuma's "death", Holmes largely ignores her in favour of focusing on Ryuunosuke and his bond with Kazuma. He calls Kazuma Ryuunosuke's "dear companion" and pretty much only interacts with Susato when he has little other choice... until he sees her cry.

See, I believe that when Holmes found out Susato was going to England and was about to be wrapped up in the whole messy affair, he was fully committed to Not Giving a Damn about Her. Sure, he would let her and Kazuma live with him, but by no means was he going to allow himself to grow attached to her because, again, he values his relationship and history with Mikotoba too much for it to get complicated in this way. Susato's relative composure throughout the case helps him hold on to this resolution; however, when he catches that final conversation between her and Ryuunosuke in the cabin, he is finally forced to see and acknowledge the amount of pain she is truly in. It forces him to at last face the fact that he can't avoid or fake aloofness around her any longer, because she is not some nebulous, distant entity he can continue to ignore. She is an actual girl with a fiercely strong spirit, a brilliant mind and real, human emotions. A girl whom he's hurt twice-over now and must continue hurting until all his lies finally come to light.

When he makes that decision to enter the cabin and console her the only way he knows how, he throws away any hope he had of feeling anything but apathy towards her. In truth, he probably didn't have much hope of that to begin with, because at his core, Sherlock Holmes is a good man, and he cares.

He cares for her, too, even though he may have no right to. How could he not, when she loves him so openly, trusts him so readily, saves his life? How could he not, when she comes to him in the middle of the night with a secret she can't tell anyone else because his judgement is the only one she wholly trusts and believes in? How could he not, when she refuses to accept he lied despite the living, breathing evidence he did until he admits it himself? How could he not, when after everything he has done, she still looks at him the way she always has and says that she's proud that her father is the assistant of "the Great Detective"?

How could anyone not? How could Mikotoba not... love her the second he laid eyes on her?

And of course this doesn't shatter his love for Mikotoba -- he has no right to these feelings in the first place: no matter how indignant or guilty he may feel, it doesn't change the fact that he has been lying to and manipulating her the entire time they've known one another. He can't even bring himself to tell her that he's been lying; he has to go through Ryuunosuke instead, because, even after all this time, he still can't face the woman whom he's done nothing but cause pain for from the moment she was born. When he can't even give her that ounce of respect, who is he to judge Mikotoba?

So he doesn't. Till the end of the game, he keeps Susato at a distance and pretends that everything between him and Mikotoba is as it was from the start. But, inside, I think he knows it isn't. Because I think Holmes can see that Mikotoba doesn't feel half as guilty about what they've done as he does, and that he doesn't view the fact that he left Susato 16 years ago as a real problem. And while he doesn't judge Mikotoba for that, I don't think he can look past it anymore. That final investigation and dance of deduction, to me, is less an assurance that they are still the same partners they were before, and more a final farewell to their old, uncomplicated bond -- the one that did exist before they grew to love other people and understand what love truly meant to both of them.

Going back to the ship itself, I think shipping them pre-DGS works perfectly well. They both had a huge impact on each other's life and changed one another for the better; Holmes by drawing Mikotoba out from his grief, and Mikotoba by pulling Holmes from his life of solitude and loneliness. They needed each other, but it is also because of these reasons that I think there was an issue of codependency between them, hence the semi-horrible for each other box I gave them. With Mikotoba, it's clear cut. Holmes helped him run away from his very real issues at home and allowed him to live like he was a bachelor with zero familial obligations again. With Holmes, it gets a bit more foggy, but I believe that Mikotoba basically allowed him to live believing he was the only person Holmes would ever truly connect with and properly befriend. Holmes is obviously his own person and whatnot, but I do think there was a bit of unhealthy attachment there on his end if not both.

During DGS and post-DGS is where their ship gets more complicated for me, because, while Susato is still very much there at the beginning of their relationship, her role in their lives and what they did to her becomes impossible to ignore once she and Holmes actually meet. I don't believe that they can just pick up from where they left off because there is now (imo) a fundamental disagreement in how they view their actions and how it affected her. So, even if they do go back to being lovers or whatever afterwards, I feel that there should be this chasm or weight between them that they simply don't talk about or acknowledge in any way. Because I don't think they'd discuss it. Holmes because it isn't his place, Mikotoba because he sees it as a non-issue (maybe he doesnt even notice this distance), and both because sweeping unpleasantness under the rug is so ingrained into their cultures.

My main issue with the way this ship is often portrayed post-DGS (why they got a 50-50 on the I would erase them from existence box) is that it ignores what happened with Susato. The few times I've seen the concern that she might have an issue with their relationship even brought up in hmmk works is always because they're gay. Which, like!! Fair!!! It's the 1800s, I get it, but!!!! You're ignoring the actual, very big issue for why she might be hurt and that's because DGS ends with her finding out that three of the men she's closest to have been lying and using her for their own means her entire life!!!!!!!! And she just has to take it!!!!!!!

Which brings me to the second most popular interpretation of this ship which doesn't just put Iris and Susato in a box somewhere unseen, and that's the one where all four of them are a peaceful happy family with 0 issues! And this one bothers me because it seems like it's taking what Susato said at the end of the reveal as what she 100% sincerely meant down to her core, rather than something she had to say because (1) it is her duty to honour her father no matter what, and (2) because Iris was there. When she learns the entire truth, I don't think Susato knows what she truly thinks or feels about any of it; but she sees Iris, and she sees this little girl who was abandoned through her circumstances as a baby, named after her mother, and forced to grow up much sooner than she should have been, and she sees a girl who is more her sister than anyone else. So she does what she always has and tucks away her own emotions so she might tend to someone else's. She has been the perfect daughter her whole life; she can be the perfect sister.

Even if you don't subscribe to the, admittedly, harsh view of Mikotoba's parenting that I do, I don't see how you can get away from the fact that they still lied to her for a significant portion of time. Especially from Holmes, whom she trusted and believed in more than anyone else! In the face of his shoddy deductions, she still held onto her unwavering belief that he was a genius and a good man, and then it comes out that he's just been lying to her from the first day he met her. I just can't extract the ship from their treatment of Susato, so when I say that I would erase the ship from existence, it's mainly about these two bits. As with Asoryuu, the primary reason why I don't ship them personally is because I can't do that to her.

And, obviously, it's just shipping and fun and games, and everyone should feel free to ship whoever in whatever way they want bUT IN A SPECIAL WORLD MADE PERFECTLY FOR ME. iris would be perfectly oblivious, and susato would have tossed both holmes and mikotoba into the thames and left them to figure it out. In a world that must still vaguely make sense with the canon of the game, though, then Holmes would have given Mikotoba the boot and taken the kids; because he may be a coward, but at least I can see that he knows he fucked up, and he allows Susato to set the terms of their relationship, just like he does Iris.

Anyway, I'm so sorry for how long, convoluted and only tangentially-related to the ask this is, but thank you so much for it, Grace!!!! I don't think I quite got down what I meant precisely, but it's the closest to coherency I've ever gotten so. Thank you 💖💕💗💓💕💘💕

#this one's getting TAGGED bc i spent TIME on it & bc ive been trying to articulate my thoughts on holmes & susato for ages #homumiko #susato mikotoba #dgs sherlock holmes #yujin mikotoba #dai gyakuten saiban #the great ace attorney #dgs #tgaa #honestly i feel like i still didnt quite say what i wanted to but this is the best ive got so far. i like the way their relationships are #handled and depicted in canon but the fanon ones just never sat right with me #i feel like i came across as very harsh to yuujin here wjsjdgak i think he's a good man and he did his best!! grief gets the best of us #sometimes. but i cant get over how he seems to show 0 compunction for leaving susato behind as a baby and openly saying without a hint of #'oh i was also ready to be with my daughter finally' that he was FORCED out of london. like???? ALSO the way he says he wants ryuu to go #back with him & leaves susato out to dry??? i know he says it's respecting her freedom and whatnot but doesnt that seem a LITTLE neglectful #in a way? like it can very easily be read as 'oh i dont need you with me' or 'i cant be bothered to worry about you right now' especially #when he's already abandoned her once like. !!!!! and even if you dont view it that way doesnt it seem a bit dismissive of her role in those #cases? susato was crucial to all the cases ryuunosuke won (and he would attest to that) but yuujin makes it seem like it was all ryuu and #just disregards how important susato was there and i. i dont like that.#some might say that i am unfairly biased towards holmes and that's fair. i kind of am wjsdh but the reason why i dont bash on his parenting #as much is because he never pushes iris to love or respect him as her father. he very much leaves that up to her so when iris asserts at #the end that holmes IS her father you know that there is a real sense of love between them. that's why that scene is so important and #that's what validates their father-daughter relationship #ofc u could still argue im biased bc he did leave a 10 y/o to go on a cruise for who knows how long so. yea. valid WKASGAKSH #anyway. thank you SO much and im so sorry i completely went off the rails there. i hope anyone who read everything got... something from it #💕💘💓💖💖💘💖💕❤️💝💞💗💘💞💞💕💓💞💕💖💖💖💖💖💕#sorrry again grace 😔 i hope i came a little close to giving you what you wanted #mikotoba susato #mikotoba yuujin #dgs spoilers

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rinbowaman · 10 months

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A Tale of Yuan

Mermaids Tale AU Storyline

Part 1

Authors note:

So this is a small series that I wrote and am dedicating to fellow content creator @talesofyuan

Her work has truly inspired me, and one of her stories, in fact, has deeply moved me and I was truly inspired by her creativity. This was originally supposed to feature a male lead that is her bias, but I changed it up last minute.

And if you guys haven't or aren't familiar with Mermaids Tale, this story takes place in the same universe and storyline, just a different male lead. So if you haven't caught up with the recent chapter of MT, i would suggest reading that first otherwise this might confuse you. There is just a tad bit of spoiler as there will be a very quick appearance of two MT characters, regardless that MT is not at all finished just yet, but will be after i complete SE7EN. Enjoy.

Warnings: This is a yandere fic, so just like the other series ive drafted, to include MT, there is going to be a wave of unhealthy obsession, possessiveness, aggressive and sexual tension, imbalance of power in a relationship, possibly smut in the future parts, still working on that part, but if there is, it's going to be only suggestive, non descriptive, non-con turned (slightly) con smut. Male lead will be violent, sadistic.....veeeery intimidating in the near future. so be forwarned, theres going to be some twisted and dark stuff ahead....But so far for part 1, since it's the beginning, there's not a whole lot of warnings in this one.

MERMAIDS TALE <- Click, recommend you read first.

“Hey man, how are you? It’s been a while.”

With a wide-eyed stare, and a tight lip, the young man responds as the glare in his eye took on a shrink in his iris.

“…………I’ve been good…how have you been?”

“O-oh…okay. I've been good. I heard you got married? Congrats.”

“Ahh…yeah…yeah I did…. We’re both very happy.”

“Oh…that’s so good. I have a steady girlfriend right now….maybe if things go well, after college I’ll get married. Hey! Maybe one of these days we can do a double date, and introduce my girlfriend to your wife? They might become friends.”

“Yeah……maybe…..we’ll see….anyhow, take care.”

Grinning, a glint of malice in his expression grows, bidding the former acquaintance goodbye, the young man continues to make his way back home….twirling a chain around his finger that contained only a single key.

…………………………………..

10 months ago…..

“Kei!”

Turning around, the tall young man watches as one of his female peers, Sooha, calls out to him.

“Hey what’s up?”

“Nothing, I just wanted to give you these….”

Taking the box, the young man smiled softly in receiving a small gift of chocolates from the young woman.

“Well thanks.”

Blushing at the sight of his handsome and youthful face, his fierce eyes, and those fiery, dark beaded eyes, her breath hitches at the smell and sight of him, especially being so close as she watches him receiving her gift.

“I was wondering….if you wanted to go see the new Little Mermaid movie with me? Maybe after I graduate next week?”

He smiles and grows slightly wide eyed, “The Little Mermaid? I’m not sure if I’ll be into that movie…I’m kind of more into the adult stuff. Action adventure or thrillers.”

“Oh….”

Taking note of her tone, it reflected a hint of disappointment. Even though Kei was a man considered to be honest and forthright, he was somewhat of a softy, especially when it came to women. He just couldn’t bring himself to make them upset or see them cry.

“Okay fine let’s go watch the movie together. You wanna go next weekend?”

Eyes lighting up, her happiness was restored as she commenced tiny claps and smiled brightly.

“Yes! I’m so excited!”

He bids her goodbye after confirming the details of the date. How lucky of her to be going out with Kei, the dashing and handsome young college student, who frequented the school grounds at her high school.

Kei was good looking and mature, yet the one thing that stood out most about him was his natural born leadership skills. He had a soft face and bubbly personality, yet he was fierce and protective of those he cared about, and he led life by example, always standing up for what was morally ethical.

A prime example of his leading nature was the entire reason why he was always seen at the high school, he led and assisted in coaching for the school's rugby team. The man was fit, built with lean muscle and had a staggering height.

With a heart of steel, he was admired and respected, even by the elder students and the staff members of the school.

The weekend came around, and just as he promised, he attended the movies with Sooha. The adorable pair refreshed themselves with confectionaries and soft drinks, fully focused on enjoying the movie now that they graduated school.

In all honesty, much to his surprise, the movie wasn’t half bad. The actors and actresses did a phenomenal job, the CG effects were outstanding, and the music was quite good. It was all in all, a well-done flick.

“I love mermaids! I wish I was one.” Sooha exclaims as the duo made their way back home.

“You want to be half fish?” Kei teases. Laughing as the girl slaps his arm playfully.

Walking up to her front door, she thanks him for walking her home.

The biting of her lower lip indicated for him to make the first move, and so he did. Not shy at all, he smirks a soft smile and leans into her. Reaching up, he sets aside some pieces of her hair, exposing her ear, in which he gently whispers before placing a soft and tender kiss on her lips.

“I had a good time…”

Just a small kiss, nothing too exaggerated since they were outside of her home, yet the girl felt herself rushing with the heat of passion as he stood and peeled his head back, looking at her as he smirked softly. His smooth face reflected a more mature tone to his youthful countenance.

Watching her blush, he thought she looked so adorable the way she hid her face beneath her hand as she giggled.

“Well…I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” his tone was soft and teasing as he continued to smile while raising his brows slightly, peering his head around to make direct eye contact with her as she hid her face away.

Keiwas very big on eye contact, to him, it was not only a sign of high respect but also a way for him to take in the details of someone’s features, particularly the girls who were constantly going for him.

Laughing with her, he pulls her in gently, trapping her into a tight hug against his mighty frame, all the while he kisses the top of her head, and waves goodbye.

On his walk back home, he took a shortcut through the city’s main outlet strip.

Lined with a myriad of boutiques and small shops, the pleasant and clean view of the path was clear of any vehicles or bustling traffic; it was peaceful and lacked anything that would cause a disruption to its tranquility. Passing by one boutique after another, he noticed a particular shop, one with large, paned windows, displayed a miraculous art piece. It was a painting of a mermaid.

“Huh…how interesting.” He chuckles to himself. With Sooha in mind and her love for mermaids, he decides to make a quick visit inside to inquire of the displayed piece.

Upon walking in, he noticed how the boutique was stark empty in regards to staff members, it appeared that no one was in, yet the door was open and the sign indicated that they were still in business.

There were no immediate sightings of clerks or commissioners to offer their greetings, just an empty wide-open floor concept of a large space, with a decorated chandelier at the center that hung above a round seating lounge. The space was elegant but also crafty, as the walls were paneled and flared a vintage, antique design, yet some of the decorations were traditionally modern. It was both fancy and cozy. There were floral plants that decorated the area along with stands that displayed more pieces of art, stationed sporadically in every corner.

As he merges closer towards the center of the shop, he hears an instrument playing towards the back. Intrigued by the unique sound of the mellow tune, he initially couldn’t pinpoint the type of instrument that was playing, until he reached the back door that was left cracked open, it was that moment he realized…

‘A harp…?’

Gently pushing the cracked, open door wider, he hears the music playing through an old record machine that continued to elude the sounds of the sea.

Next to the machine, was a young woman, he couldn’t see her face as she was seated with her back side facing him, he could tell just by her frame that she was not much younger than him, more than likely she had to have been Sooha's age.

She was seated in front of a creative space, the entire room was filled with assorted paint accessories, and antiques. Peeking over her shoulder from where he stood, he could see that she was engrossed in calligraphy, as she applied fine strokes on old rice paper, writing out the various and assorted Chinese characters. The windows in front of her faced the back side of the outlet, which featured a decent and upper view of the recreational park next to the shop. The park was lavished with the beauty of nature as he could see through the tall windows that it was adorned with trees, fountains, and common wildlife.

Without startling her, he gently knocks on the door panel that remained wide open, propped up against the wall.

"Yes?" the young woman turns her face to view the young man behind.

"Sorry....didn't mean to interrupt....are you the owner of this store?"

Shaking her head just slightly as she subtly tucks her lips in, she remained seated with crossed arms as she shifts her eyesight around, giving them a break from the imminent focus that they rendered to the translucent white paper that contained her brush strokes.

"No, my parents are the owners. I just help out. Can I help you with something?"

Her voice was soothing and tender, and it tingled like the ringing of bells or wind chimes.

"Just.....wanted to see if you could help me out....was curious about a painting out in front."

"Oh, yeah sure. I can help you with that."

She stretches in her seat, preparing to stand and assist with the male customer.

"You like to listen to musical instruments?" He asks.

"Yeah....it's calming."

"Her voice....it's so.....calming......and her eyes...."

"Ah....yeah. What is your name by the way?" he inquires subtly.

With a faint smirk, she looks down on the ground as she issues her warming response. "Yuan..."

Touched and enamored by her appeal, he chuckles at the stunning girl speaking out her name in a shy manner.

"Thats a nice name..." he smiles. "I"m Kei."

Nodding her head faintly she maintains politeness out of the courtesy of the potential customer. "Nice to meet you."

'...........you too.........'

“You’re not from around here, are you?” His voice grew a tinge deeper in tone as he inquires more about the pretty store owner's daughter.

“What makes you ask?”

“Just….your face…you look unique and somewhat foreign.”

She chuckles at his awkward sense of flattery.

“Well, I’m usually a very private person but if you’re asking if I currently live here, then yes, I do.”

Leaning against the door frame, he crosses his arms as he shifts his hips against the wooden panel, tilting his head back, his beaded eyes continued to study at her and relishing to the sound of her delicate voice, though she took a vague notice as she prepared to lead him out to the front.

“So…you paint all of these works yourself? He inquires after noticing the amount of paint supplies scattered around the open shelving units.

“Not all….just some. I mainly like to write and doodle.”

“Oh yeah? Are you writing a book or something?”

She chuckles softly. “A children’s book, yes.”

“Neat.” He flirts a toothy grin as he admiringly stares at her, studying every detailed trait that was in plain view.

“Which painting were you wanting to look at?” She asks, raising her brows out of sincere curiosity.

“Um….yeah…the one out in the front... of the mermaid…”

“Oh yeah, that’s one of my favorites.” Getting up, she walks over in his direction as he shifts over and allows her to exit, brushing right past him in the process.

Inhaling her scent as she closed the distance, he was surprised at how unique her scent was. It smelled of the sea, yet there was a tinge of wild orchid and a sweet citrus dew that accompanied it, it was pleasantly soft and subtly sweet, not at all overpowering like most of the fragrances he’s used to smelling from the girls from his college, or the seniors at the high school he volunteered at.

Leading him back into the entry foyer of the boutique, she examines the painting; taking the tag, she displays it for him to see as it rests in her palm.

“I can give you a discount if you decide you want it.” She issues.

“No it’s fine, I have no problem with the price as is.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

Ringing him up, she delicately wraps the painting with a protective cover. All the while she had dedicated her focus onto the adorning piece, Kei caught himself meticulously studying her once more, he couldn’t bring himself to stop. His eyes gradually loses luster as the matte black coloration stains over his iris, crating a zoned gaze with enhanced depth. Had she noticed, she would have found that the look he had in his eye was nearly....

The moment she spoke out as she raised her head to look him in the eyes, he shifts back into a pleasant facade while receiving the painting.

‘Odd…his eyes just now…they had looked a bit…..different….maybe it’s the lighting.’

"Thank you. Have a nice day." She softly issues as she hands him the canvas.

"Yeah......you too.....do you often help your parents out with the store?"

Nodding she gives her non-verbal response as she shifts her eyes back up to make eye contact with him.

'....her eyes.....her hair....her scent....her voice....'

"Well....that's really dutiful of you as a daughter." he scoffs out with a smirk and a teasing chuckle. Tilting his head, he shifts his eyes to view the ground beneath his feet before looking back up with a subtly but shy grin, faintly biting down his lip.

She chuckles back, semi nervously as she wasn't quite used to random strangers, regardless if they were of similar age, coming in and issue her flattering remarks.

"I do what I can..." she merely states.

"...Yeah.....well then. Take care." with the last bit, he leaves.

..............................

As days passed, Kei started out by visiting the store in moderation, all to see the lovely and delicate features of the store owners daughter. Normally he expressed that he was in passing, stating that the path he took was on his way to his college, and that he passes by the store every day. He wasn't lying at all, but of course, he never once did pop in until just recently....only after meeting with her.

"Hey there, Ying-Yang-Yuan. Whatchya doing?"

He would speak in high familiarity, even after just only meeting her days prior. Yet the way the warm tone of his voice and his soft handsome smile greeted her, it made her feel less anxious as she merely just thought he was being friendly.

Keeping to herself, she only interacted with him from a distance, occasionally chit chatting with him in the store while she committed to her tasks and responsibilities in the shop. He was kind and thoughtful, yet she felt overwhelmed by the sense of kindness and immense urge to always helping her...

.............................

"Let me get that for you. "

"I can help."

"I know you've got it but let me, I don't want you to hurt yourself."

............................

While she didn't see the harm of him visiting the store to see her, there was a line that she knew to never cross, with any man, all due to a deep secret that she and her mother held away from the world.

It permanently was stationed in her mind as the words of her mother's tone echoed in her brain.....

"Yuan...you must never.....never tell anyone of our ancestry.....and if you ever meet a man.....who you're able to feel upon touch.....RUN."

The distant memory of when she was in the years of her early childhood, when she received an explanation of her strange abnormality, which was stained over by a false diagnosis, yet her mother eventually told her the truth...acknowledging that the false diagnosis was for her protection. It was on one of her birthdays, when her family and a small group of friends went to go celebrate at a nearby beach, that she found out the truth...

Taking a stroll and skipping through the sand, her bare feet hits the water, when something occurred that shocked her to a drastic fall as she became coated with saltwater and sand....

the sand.....

".....I can......feel........my God.....I can feel....the sand.....the rocks...the water....the temperature......."

Thus started the truthful conversation that her mother revealed...which in all honesty, she still had a hard time believing...yet nothing else made sense as to how she could not gain the sense of physical touch or feeling, unless she was in the saltwater. But then as she grew older, there were other factors that was left unexplainable.

....................

"My...what a very pretty girl."

"So alluring..."

"I can't stop staring...."

"Why do these men act like they're hypnotized everytime she's humming to a song??"

.....................

As she grew, her appearance earned the prolonged stares of the public, especially men. Her voice, which she refrained from humming out in the privacy of her own seclusion, would bring men to their knees, crawling and begging for more. She had an effect....she and her mother, and it was evident yet everyone assumed that the mother and daughter pair were just truly blessed with great genetics.

But she knew, deep down, by the look in the eyes of these men that stared, that they were feeling something....and while she never tested it she knew that had she issued out any command....any demand for their affection, loyalty, and love, they would have given it. They would have given it while abandoning their homes, their wives, and their children. Fortunately, she was so far from the likes of her early ancestors, that her temperament was far from sadistic and cruel, yet she did find comfort in solace and being away from the world and it's shenanigans. She embraced her freedom to be independent and free to roam wherever she decides to go. It was something she truly treasured, especially upon receiving the guiding aspect of her future from her mother once more...

"Someday.....should you ever follow my path.....you'll need to cut ties with the world and travel to the Adriatic sea, the birthplace of our ancestors....there.....is where you will go.....to disappear like the rest of us....into the sea."

She knew her mother meant well, however, a life aimlessly roaming in the ocean didn't sound appealing to her one bit. Fortunately, she wouldn't have to worry about following that path.....as long as she never falls in love and marries. That was the key. For each descendant who displayed the curse of their bloodline, they are left with a choice.....either live an eternal life of lies and hidden identities......or marry and love a man.....and disappear without a trace so as to not be found out.

And then there was of course....

"If you ever run into an Adam.....you must run....hide....escape....never let him catch you......"

She was briefly explained on the history between Adams and Sirens, yet she never thought too in depth of it. Her mother, on the other hand, always eluded a fearful expression whenever she spoke of an Adam descendent.

Yet as time went by, Yuan never found herself at risk, she kept to herself, hardly interacted with people, especially men, and generally was keeping herself busy with aiding her parents in the store, conducting school, and perfecting her crafts in regards to literature and art.

But one day....

Reaching up for the blank canvases on the top shelf, she extends her grip and was able to grab the tail end of the one that laid on the bottom. Pulling it slightly, the items that were loosely tucked away on the shelving unit, which was all out of her sight, began to crumble as the items were drawn to a falling state.

A large box, shifts and begins to tilt. Had it fallen completely, the heavy contents within it would have produced severe trauma to her head, however, it never fell out of the shelving unit, even though she braced herself for impact.

...................

Shocked at the sudden view of a hand plastered onto the front of the large box, with a strong arm fully extended, highlighting the muscle definition of his frame, she slightly turns her head to see his face next to hers. He was close......very close. Shifting his face from frontal view, right over to meet with hers, all the while keeping the box steady with his hand, he displayed abnormal strength as he softly asks her....

"Are you okay?"

"...uhh...yeah...thanks..."

"Good..."

Shifting his face back to the box, he takes a step closer towards the shelving unit, pushing the box back in place. While doing so, he places a hand on the lower end of her back.

At that very moment, her world collapsed and flipped upside down.....

"....his hand......."

She could feel him....she could feel the touch of his hand......

"Yuan...you must never.....never tell anyone of our ancestry.....and if you ever meet a man.....who you're able to feel upon touch.....RUN."

........

Looking back up at him, her eyes widened with the shocking look of fear that was developing in her eyes, she slightly gasped out her breathes as her mouth faintly opens. Looking back down at her, he smirks slightly...it was sly.....it was devilish.....

With a calm tone, he asks her, "You okay?"

"....y-yeah....fine...."

"Hmm....good." he scoffs out as he firmly pushes the box back into place, his hand still resting on her lower back.

Shifting away rather suddenly, her heart was beating faster than it ever had.

".....i....i felt his hand......does....does that mean?....."

Towering above her, he looks down and tilts his head with slight amusement.

"Something the matter?....Ying-Yang-Yuan?" he smirks a dashing smile, while admitting a slow and deep chuckle.

"Um...yeah....everything is good i was just....i was scared for a second that the box was going to fall on my head. that's all."

"Mmm...yeah....you should be more careful."

Looking over in her direction, he smiles softly as he leans in. Regardless of his soft nature, it didn't deter away from a sense...an aura....a persona that he was eluding...it was quite different from when she had first met him, though he seemed to be unaware that he was drafting it off at all.

"You still look shaken up. Maybe you should take a break, if you need help, I can help out." he offers.

Leaning in, noticing her flustered expression, her eyes staring at the ground as she questions what she should do at that very moment. She can't run away, she couldn't possibly think about leaving her parents behind....if she told her mother, how would she react if she mentioned that she came across a young man, whose touch is felt even without being present in the saltwater....how would her mother react if she told her that she may have possibly come across an....

"Adam...."

He develops a peculiar look as he notices how overwhelmed she appeared to be. It slightly concerned him, yet he figured that she was genuinely scared from nearly gaining a concussion.

Leaning in without saying a word, he slightly bends inward with his chest caving in towards her, she slightly gasps at his sudden notion.

"wh...what are you-"

Reaching a hand, he takes a piece of her hair that laid against her cheek, shifting it aside, he tucks it behind her ear, while slowly, without even touching her, pinning her backside against the shelving units as she took her steps back while he kept leaning and stepping forward.

".......you gotta be more careful....hmm?" he softly speaks, his breath grazing over her forehead.

"......uh...mmhmm...yeah.."

chuckling, he pulls back and smiles as he picks up the fallen items off the floor. Removing his jacket, he picks up the heavier items off the ground and lifts them above as he secures them to the shelves.

"i-its okay...i got it." she softly states, hoping that he would be on his way.

He suddenly shoots his head up, "I know you do....but it's good to receive some help, yeah?" he smiles as he picks up the bulk of items and, all thanks to his height, was able to easily reach up and place them neatly back on the top shelf.

............................

"Well.....i'll catch you later then." he softly exclaims after spending quite a bit of time in the shop, regardless that she wasn't speaking to him a whole lot. Still, it didn't seem like he minded.

Taking his leave, he heads back home.

He couldn't pin it down, but he felt some type of way being around her. He couldn't get enough, she was on his mind nearly every second of the day. Taking every opportunity he could to visit her at the store, he couldn't help but always smile whenever he knew he was about to see her. He couldn't piece it together, but there was something about her that gave him a feeling of peaked joy....a rush of happiness.

Instantly, from the moment he met her...saw her...heard her....and smelled her.....it was as if he.....

"Kei!"

Turning around, he sees Sooha running after him.

"Oh....hey..."

"Hey....I haven't seen you around lately, how you been?"

He slightly nods his head as his smile fades and his sight shifts to the ground. Almost as if he looked disappointed.

"Been good....."

"oh...." The young girl notes his lack of enthusiasm. She hadn't seen him since their date in seeing the movie, yet she didnt know why.

"Um....i was thinking...if you're free this weekend...did you want to go see another movie?"

Sighing out slightly, he looks up at her with a slight smile. Noticing that her hair was plastered to her face from running after him, he reaches up and moves a piece of the hair away from her face.

"....I think.....I'm going to have to take a rain check....I've got a lot going on at the moment....."

"Oh.....okay then...." the look of sadness and disappointment takes over her elated expression.

"Take it easy, alright?" he softly claims as he turns back and makes his way back home, leaving the girl feeling empty without reason or explanation. His demeanor had changed. He was still kind and soft, yet there was a nature within him that was developing to something more deep.

Walking the path, the smile on his face once again reappears at the thought of her....the pretty girl named Yuan.

Not able to contain his smile, he starts to chuckle lowly as he bears teeth with his grin.

Upon breaching the intersection of the crosswalk, he spots someone...a familiar face.

Noticing Kei, the longtime friend nods over to his direction, slowly migrating his way over while holding the hand of a young woman, it was a strong hold and rather firm, yet he displayed himself ever so lovingly as he gently tags her along behind him.

"Kei, its been a while. How are things?" Heeseung speaks with a very faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Been good. You?" Kei issues as he slightly glances and takes notice of the woman standing behind his friend. She was quiet, and looked to be rather timid as she kept her gaze on the ground. Her face was expressionless, despite being dressed nicely. She was pretty....very pretty, one of the prettiest girls Kei's ever seen....very much like.....

"Yuan....."

Being reminded of the store owner's daughter at the sight of the young woman that was with Heeseung, Kei looks back and smirks a soft smile to the man of equal height.

"I've been good. I heard you no longer are in the force."

"Thats right. I moved on to bigger and better things, to have more time off."

"Gotcha."

Taking another notice of the woman who remained still and emotionless, Kei nudges his chin towards her direction as he sends his inquiry to Heeseung.

"You got a new girlfriend?"

Heeseung develops a wide eye'd expression, with a slight smirk of amusement with a hint of malice in its form.

"....Wife actually..."

"Oh you got married? Congratulations. I didnt hear."

"yeah...its recent."

Pulling the woman around to his front, he leads her by the strong grip he had and cradles her form by wrapping his arms around her waist, and resting his chin on her shoulder. A soft and joyful smile appears on his mouth as he nuzzles his face against her ear and whispers....

"Say hi.....baby girl."

"........Hello...."

Crossing his arms with a raised brow, a slight look of confusion with a smirk accompanying it forms on Kei's face. Chuckling, he returns the greeting.

"Hi. I"m Kei.....and you aaaaare?" he raises a brow as he tilts his face.

"her name is h/n....she's a bit shy. Dont mind it."

Kei nods his head as he shifts his gaze on the ground.

"Well then man, lets catch up sometime. It's been too long."

"Yeah. Sure." Heeseung merely responds as he nods his farewell and takes the woman, H/n, and leaves.

"Huh.....interesting." Key remarks. Yet it was strange, despite the sense of the young woman being closed in and shutting out, he couldn't get passed the similar aura of her appeal that was so much like Yuan's. He knew they couldn't have been related, yet there was something about these two particular women that exhibited such alluring and dazzling features in their gaze, and their smile. Maybe they were of the same ethnic background?

Looking back as he watches the pair leaving, another smirk forms as he slightly shakes his head to shift the front pieces of his hair away from his eyes.

Walking back, his mind drifts off to his own tale.....

"Wonder what she's doing right now.....my girl...."

Authors Note: and yes, that picture of the arm is indeed Kei's arm. Man is a beast i swear. Part 2 will be coming probably next weekend. If you guys like &team and Kei, then check back every weekend.

#&team x reader #&team fanfic #&team k #&team #&team hard hours #&team imagines #yandere #Spotify

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irisopranta · 1 year

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The Hero’s Aspect: Iris.

(( BOLD always or almost always applies | | italics are situational or occasional ))

(Not too surprised about the amount here for Iris.)

Tagged by: @mimble-sparklepudding

tagging: @pangolinheart, @janzoo, @ainyan, and @spotofmummery

#oc: iris opranta #tag meme

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gorogues · 1 year

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Spoilers for Flash #790!

You can see the first few pages here.

I eventually decided that the blond guy at the barbecue might be Barry, but it probably really is Hartley because Barry's having lunch with Iris at the same moment as the BBQ. Plus the guy at the barbecue doesn't sense the alien distortions and isn't able to act when time slows down like the speedsters do. So it likely is Hartley and it's nice to see him socializing with the Wests and their friends, but he doesn't do much since the issue is about the aliens' arrival and the destruction they cause.

(The aliens' ship looks remarkably like a giant top when it lands, which will undoubtedly thrill someone in town.)

Jesse, Max, Jay, Bart, and Wallace also appear doing various things, but the main event of the issue is the meal between Barry and Iris. Iris is somewhat exasperated with Barry's dithering and wants to know the status of their relationship, hinting that she might be asking him to marry her. That's when the aliens arrive, and Barry tries to carry her to safety as the shockwave hits, but she's still killed or seriously injured by the impact.

I figured something would happen to Iris after seeing one of the covers in March's solicits, but who knows how this is going to play out. Her apparent death was leaked online on Monday and some people were already speculating that Barry or Wally will go back in time to save her, but this is all just guessing. Maybe even the aliens can fix it if they're forced to by the heroes. It feels unlikely to me that she'd die in her first appearance of Adams' run, so I don't think she's truly dead-dead (but would be angry if she is). That said, I'm a little unhappy about how cold she is here, as it's reminiscent of Silver Age Iris' characterization and that's not an era I'd like to return to. She can be forthright and direct about their relationship without coming across like an emotionless jerk.

To sum up, it's nice to see some infrequently-used members of the Flash Family and Hartley here (does Hart count as a member of the Family?), but I'm not terribly invested in the alien war yet. It's early, obviously, and the arc has just begun, so hopefully things will heat up, especially as Iris' fate trickles out to the other members of the family and that raises the stakes. We'll have to see where this goes.

#Pied Piper #the Flash #Linda Park #Jai #Irey #Iris #Mr Terrific #Arsenal #Jesse Quick #Kid Flash #Impulse #Max Mercury #spoilers: comics #reviews #death

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winterfable · 3 months

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Introduction: Frog Conjunctions

The Pregnant Virgin is a study in process. In its conception, it was called Chrysalis. By the time it was born, the baby had outgrown its chosen name. Its skeleton—the process of metamorphosis from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly—was intact. The whole, however, had become more than the sum of its parts. The parts concentrate on the periods in the chrysalis when life as we have known it is over. No longer who we were, we know not who we may become. We experience ourselves as living mush, fearful of the journey down the birth canal. The whole has to do with the process of psychological pregnancy—the virgin forever a virgin, forever pregnant, forever open to possibilities.

The analogy between the virgin with child and the chrysalis with butterfly does not originate with me. In ancient Greece, the word for soul was psyche, often imaged as a butterfly. The emergence of the butterfly from the chrysalis was analogous to the birth of the soul from matter, a birth commonly identified with release, hence a symbol of immortality. The Divine Child, the Redeemer, the child of the spirit shaping in the womb of the virgin, finds a natural image in the winged butterfly transforming in the chrysalis, preparing to be free of the creature that crawls on its belly. This book does not, however, make the traditional body/soul distinction between caterpillar and butterfly, mortal and immortal life. Rather it explores the presence of the one in the other, suggesting that immortality is a reality contained within mortality and, in this life, dependent upon it. The Pregnant Virgin, that is, looks at ways of restoring the unity of body and soul.

Flora, one of the figures in Botticelli's Primavera, captures the paradoxical external stillness and internal kindling of pregnancy. She embodies the evanescent beauty of the maiden blossoming into womanhood. As the shy earthnymph Chloris, she has surrendered to the breath of Zephyr, and is now being awakened into the calm, luxuriant Flora. Like Mary, impregnated by the Holy Spirit, she stands radiant and full of grace, her femininity forthright and lyrically tender as she looks the beholder straight in the eye.

Writing The Pregnant Virgin has been a nine months' pregnancy. The book rejected its preconceived pattern; it evolved in its own metamorphic process. Last August in my second month, I suffered severe morning sickness. One look at an expanse of white paper made me ill. I feared a miscarriage. Then, as usually happens when I am conscious enough to ask the right question, the answer came in a dream:

I am sitting on steps near the waters of Georgian Bay. I am attempting to roll a big lily pad into the shape of a cylinder. It won't do what I want it to do. One end keeps falling open as I hold the other end rolled. Behind me is an old hotel. Two men are fighting on the balcony. I can feel their blows in my bones. I think I should try to do something about that, but a voice says, "Fashion your pipe."

I continue with the lily pad, and suddenly one man throws the other off the balcony, right over my head. Now I really must do something. I am about to rise when the voice commands again, "Fashion your pipe."

Now I understand—I am creating an instrument. I see beside me and a little behind, a huge smiling frog sitting in a po of green eggs, immensely proud of herself and waiting for me to finish the piccolo-pipe so the eggs can go through and be played into meaningful sounds.

I woke up knowing what the problem was. Instead of putting my full concentration into making the "pipe," I was allowing my energy to be drained by the blows of the two men on the balcony. Their voices I knew well enough: "Forget writing. Live your life as you always have. You can't write anyway." But there was another voice, a submerged feminine voice, tenacious and proud: "I want to write, but I don't want to write essays. I want to write my way." There was the impasse.

I walked through the bush to Iris Bay. I thought about the water lily—the Canadian lotus, whose blossom carries much the same symbolism as the rose. Its roots grow deep in the life-bestowing mud, sending nourishment up the sturdy stem to the leaves and flowers. Serene in its creamy white simplicity, the blossom opens petal by petal to the sun, symbolic of the Goddess—Prajnaparamita, Tara, Sophia—Creation opening herself to Consciousness. She is the blossom in the heart, the knowing, the dawning of God in the soul. Her divine wisdom brings release from the passion and pain of ego desire.

I picked a lily pad. I concentrated on fashioning my pipe. I remembered my grinning frog. Surely the lotus leaf was the right instrument to pipe her eggs. But how? How does one put psychological concepts through a lotus leaf? What would frog syntax sound like? How would it conjunct? Certainly not with "and," "but," and "for." It would have much more to do with leaping through the air from lily pad to lily pad, leaping intuitively with the imagination, or swimming through water. Leap—leap—out of sheer faith in my froggy instincts. Leap—trusting in another lily pad. Leap—knowing that other frogs would understand. Leap—leap—remembering my journal that looks like a Beethoven manuscript—blots, blue ink, red, yellow and green, pages torn by an angry pen, smudged with tears, leaping with joy from exclamation marks to dashes that speak more than the words between, my journal that dances with the heartbeat of a process in motion. How does one fashion a pipe that can contain that honesty, and be at the same time professionally credible? How can a woman write from her authentic center without being labeled "histrionic" or ''hysterical"? Splat! Long Pause!

And then my frog spoke from the mud.

"Why don't you write as you feel? Be a virgin. Surrender to the whirlwind and see what happens."

"Impossible!" I replied. "I'm not going to make a fool of myself. I'm not going to set myself up to be shot down. I know the guns too well."

That conversation put Chrysalis into a cocoon. For weeks I tried to find a syntax that could simultaneously contain the passion of my heart and the analytic detachment of my mind.

I was encouraged by a picture of an Indian Goddess holding her hands in a gesture that would contain the lily pad. Known as "link of increase," meaning "marriage" or "coronation," its highly differentiated fingers seem to cradle a pearl or flower. The tips of the two middle fingers, gently brought together, symbolize a coincidence of opposites. Some firm, gentle, androgynous style seemed to be indicated.

Further enlightenment came with Nietzsche's essay "Truth and Falsity," in which he writes, "I'm afraid we are not rid of God because we still have faith in grammar." Yes, I did feel answerable to that hatchet god—Jehovah, by whatever name—that god who stares down with his "thou shalts" writ in stone, a demonic parody of the creative imagination. Unaware of leaping, he keeps everything concrete and literal.

And then I read Carolyn Heilbrun's review of Lyndall Gordon's biography of Virginia Woolf. Heilbrun points out that Woolf was, like all women, trained to silence, that "the unlovable woman was always the woman who used words to effect. She was caricatured as a tattle, a scold, a shrew, a witch." Women felt "the pressure to relinquish language, and 'nice' women" were quiet. She concludes that "muted by centuries of training, women writers especially have found that when they attempted truthfully to record their own lives, language failed."

If that is true of the artist, it is no less true of any woman attempting to speak with her own voice. It is also true of the man who dares to articulate his soul process. The word "feminine," as I understand it, has very little to do with gender, nor is woman the custodian of femininity. Both men and women are searching for their pregnant virgin. She is the part of us who is outcast, the part who comes to consciousness through going into darkness, mining our leaden darkness, until we bring her silver out.

Anyone who tries to work creatively understands this. I remember, for example, when I was directing creative theater with high school students. We worked without a script for months before the show. Students who were trained to "give a good performance" found the process intolerable. Their rigidity, their fear of being "the hole in the program" blocked their creativity. They waited to be told what their lines were, what their moves had to be, what their attitudes should be. The quiet introverts who were accustomed to dropping into their own space had no difficulty concentrating until the images that sprang from their own bodies came alive. They loved being free. They loved to play. They loved to be challenged to go deeper into the darkness, to allow whatever wanted to happen to happen.

And things did happen. The whole theater came alive with roars, tears, laughter, movements of poignant beauty and hilarious irony. The curious visitors who ventured through the theater door shook their heads and fled from the chaos. But for those of us inside, it was contained chaos. We were used to the intensity. Two months before the show, the students, the dance director, the music director and I decided what movements we wanted to explore further, what poems, what music. This basic skeleton was added to and subtracted from until the very last performance.

All of us involved, whether actors, directors or stagehands, were responsible for our own process. As our confidence grew, for example, our energies increased, and our student stage manager had to look within himself to find new ways of keeping discipline backstage without destroying the fire. At the time, I had no conceptualized idea of what was going on. In retrospect, however, I see our theater as the womb of the Great Mother in which the virgin souls of the students came to birth in their own bodies and emerged to a level of psychological consciousness, confident enough and flexible enough to allow the wind of the spirit to blow through. Part of their process was to recognize in themselves and in each other whether their poem or dance was being allowed to live its own life or whether they were obstructing it with "a good performance."

What we were interested in was individual process, group process and eventually process between the audience and the cast. Since it was theater-in-the round, the students usually seated their parents so that at some point in the program they would kneel two feet away and look them straight in the eye. More than one parent found the naked encounter with their own adult-child overwhelming, and struggled to choke back the unexpected tears.

What we were not interested in was product or external performance. In the Tostal, the theater, there was no examination, no predetermined goal, no such thing as failure except betrayal of the process. In other areas of the school we might undergo dismemberment—history student in Room, poor athlete in the gym, excellent flutist in the music room. Culturally, we might also be dismembered—smelly feet in the shoe store, myopic eyes at the optometrist's, armpits in the drugstore, acne at the doctor's. In that room, we took our bodies out of the culture that tinkered with its parts. There we could be whole. We came from our own place of vulnerability, and by staying with that vulnerability we perceived our own strength and our own wounds.

The Pregnant Virgin is coming from that same place. All my analysands are a part of this book. Together we have experienced death and rebirth, together we have analyzed hundreds of dreams. Many of the repetitive motifs introduced in my two earlier books are further developed here. While many of my analysands have eating disorders and hence struggle with some form of food addiction, their psychological framework has much in common with those who are addicted in other ways—to work, alcohol, drugs, sleep, futile relationships, etc. The soul material presented here, my analysands have generously agreed to share, in the hope that it will shed some light on emerging feminine consciousness. Knowing that others are on the same demanding journey seems to ease the load.

I, too, am on the journey. The process that goes on in the kitchen in chapter I is the same process that goes on in India in chapter 7, with one crucial difference. The butterfly on the curtain (page 13) is transforming according to the laws of nature; the butterfly on the ceiling (page 178) is transforming through the fire of conscious choice. And this book too is on the journey. Two of the chapters were originally written for lectures, two for journals, and the others are attempts to wrestle light out of darkness. Each one is a prism through which the difficulties of Becoming and Being may be looked at from different angles.

I have not yet solved the problem of frog conjunctions, but my frog is still laying eggs. I think she enjoys my syntactical pregnancy. Meanwhile, this is not an apology for a polliwog. It is a challenge to myself and my readers to listen with the heart, to hear the language that lives in the Silence as surely as it lives in the Word.

--Marion Woodman en "The pregnant Virgin"

#Marion Woodman #The pregnant virgin #Nietzsche #Carolyn Heilbrun #Lyndall Gordon #Virginia Woolf

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welcometomy20s · 1 year

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November 26, 2022

Huh. I am so out of the Weekly Thread this week. Lots of ‘huh, interesting’, and then there is this whole Gura thing, which I am very much out of since I always think of Gura having a spotty schedule and therefore a week or so break shouldn’t be controversial?!?!

I’m starting to feel that Gura is slowly becoming the EN Ayame, and I do not like that at all. Honestly, Gura would likely snap this off the bud considering her demeanor. Cover freshman recruits are interesting… There’s something similar in the US, but it’s just not as widely practiced… which is a shame. Quick job opportunities are one of my few Japan pros.

Oh yeah, someone made a false rumor about IRyS 2.0 design comments? Wonder if they ‘mourn’ the design controversy. That’s the thing about most controversies, they end or people get tired about it. They don’t last very long and they are not good either.

VShojo JP expansion is another silly idea… I’m not really sure VShojo is much of a thing anymore. I mean there is something, but it’s not very much. Quite a lot of EN agencies operate on a light touch, which is a bit frustrating. While Idol Corp had me skeptical, the Israel members are okay, I like Nikki and Sparkles, and EN members are solid. VReverie is doing okay as well. And AkioAIR is still chugging along, of course. Any mid-small EN agency I missed?

I don’t know why people want to be in VShojo. Oh, talent freedom. I get the marketing, but it just feels so freaking empty. It’s the American version of Freedom, it’s a nothing burger! It’s freedom due to laziness and apathy rather than true proactive freedom, which is rarely needed in entertainment, well other than your typical labor stuff.

I guess I will talk about this a bit, I’m confused about KSon and the Nijisanji blacklist, not of its existence, that’s pretty obvious, but KSon being forthright about the situation, rather than leaving it as implied, as most won’t be too surprised. As a comment said, this expression is rather odd, one wouldn’t talk except if they think they can turn the tide… I mean, go ahead, but it seems out of place and contrary to the cool and calm nature of her previous stances.

#vtuber #web talk #society

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bnss4419 · 2 years

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Read This Controversial Article and Find Out More About BSN Mobile Surveillance Services

At the point when you introduce or utilize an observation framework there are different practices that you can do to assist with keeping your hardware working appropriately and to its full capacity. A large portion of this guidance will seem like sound judgment to some, however helping the less innovatively proficient or first time observation users is mostly planned. All things considered it is a speedy reference article to ensure you don't ignore straightforward responses and basic arrangements.

BSN Mobile Surveillance Services

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This grievance is an exceptionally normal and fairly irritating event. The apparently straightforward truth is that regardless of whether your camera framework is remote IT STILL NEEDS POWER! This implies that you must have some type of force source at your surveillance camera.

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enterfurore · 2 years

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* 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐃 : welcome to l'academiae furorum , LINDSAY ADAIRE , BRIAR JOHNSONN & APOLLONIA LIM . please submit your account within twenty - four hours . archie renaux . ryan destiny & kim yerim are now taken !

◜ * : archie renaux . cis man & he/him . tumbling lights by the acid . ━━ the legend surrounding london’s l’academiae furorum would not be complete without LINDSAY ADAIRE . the academy's THIRTY year old ASSISTANT DIRECTOR has been with furore for TWELVE YEARS , oft described as ENERVATED , MAGNETIC , IRREVERENT , RESOLUTE & has proved utterly indispensable to the company. in passing , they’ve come to be associated with SOAKED ORANGE BLOSSOMS INTERTWINING WITH SALTY SWEAT & fracture patterns in porcelain exposed knuckles , calmness of a blue dawn sunrise , tendrils of cigarette smoke catching glimpses of stage lights , bruised skin like the flesh of a peach , champagne shared on a park bench beneath the warmth of a street light . whether this will be their final curtain call is anyone's guess & the company’s worst nightmare . ( as portrayed by chester , 25 , they/them , & gmt+10 . n/a . )

◜ * : ryan destiny . cis female & she/her . fade into you by mazzy star . ━━ the legend surrounding london’s l’academiae furorum would not be complete without BRIAR JOHNSONN . the academy's TWENTY SEVEN year old SCENERY PAINTER has been with furore for FIVE YEARS , oft described as EMPATHETIC , SCORNFUL , PROLIFIC , NEBULOSE & has proved utterly indispensable to the company. in passing , they’ve come to be associated with VERT DE MANDARINE , IRIS AND BLUE SEQUOIA. & crystalline accents on freshly - manicured nails , an itch you can’t quite scratch , watercolor paintings perfectly aligned in a row, and marvelous nights spent with good friends . whether this will be their final curtain call is anyone's guess & the company’s worst nightmare . ( as portrayed by jade , 24 , she/her , & est . eating disorders . )

◜ * : kim yerim . demigirl & she/they . don’t worry baby by the beach boys . ━━ the legend surrounding london’s l’academiae furorum would not be complete without APOLLONIA LIM . the academy's TWENTY THREE year old CORPS DANCER has been with furore for TWO YEARS , oft described as SANGUINE , DISINTERESTED , FORTHRIGHT , DISPUTATIOUS & has proved utterly indispensable to the company. in passing , they’ve come to be associated with VIOLET LEAF , GARDENIA AND JASMINE . & one of the loudest laughs you’ve ever heard , the space between a dream and reality and walls of books that are color - coordinated. whether this will be their final curtain call is anyone's guess & the company’s worst nightmare . ( as portrayed by jade , 24 , she/her , & est . eating disorders . )

#accepted.#OMGGGG STUNNING APPS B4 MY EYES..... SMIELS SO BIG #appless rp #dance rp #mumu rp #dark academia rp #rich kids rp

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magicianapprenticelyra · 2 years

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The Kind of Queers Are My Arcana OCs?

Glad You Asked, Happy Pride!

Please note: some OCs mentioned below have either yet to be (re)written about—in length—or will feature more in my MC’s backstory and/or her LI timeline.

The Aster-Nguyen Family: Lyra Nguyen: Nonbinary Femme; Biromantic Demisexual Bảo Nguyen: Cisgender Male; Bisexual Walterine Aster: Cisgender Female; Polyamorous Bisexual James Aster: Cisgender Male; Biromantic Asexual Neha Aster: Cisgender Female; Aromantic Asexual

Fan Kids/Next Gen OCs: Noor Nguyen Alnazar: Cisgender Female; Bisexual Hai Nguyen Alnazar: Genderfluid; Aromantic Asexual Shiloh Devorak: Nonbinary Masc; Aromantic Bisexual Iris Nguyen: Cisgender Female; Pansexual Junior Nguyen: Transmasc; Bisexual Avery Webber: Cisgender Female; Lesbian/WLW

[more under the cut]

Miscellaneous OCs: Nhung Wén: Cisgender Male; (Closeted) Bisexual Mai Nguyen: Cisgender Female; Heterosexual Raj Theodore [name to be updated]: Cisgender Male; Demiromantic Heterosexual Alex(andria)/Alexander: Genderfluid; Bisexual Diệp “Leaf” Huỳnh: Nonbinary Masc; Bisexual Regulus Salvius/Valentine “Reggie” Salvius [modern au]: Cisgender Male; Bisexual Fiore Salvius: Nonbinary Masc; Demiromantic Demisexual

#The Arcana #magicianapprenticelyra #fan apprentice #OCs #OC x OC #OC x OC x OC #The Heart: Noor #The Mind: Hải #The Fighter: Shiloh #The Forthright: Iris #The Singer: Thomas #The Lioness: Avery #The Seeker: Junior #the scribe writes

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thedailydetective · 3 years

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The #DailyDetective for 18 June 2021. Julie Graham, Olivia Vinall, Siobhan Redmond and Sarah Woodward, the four stars of Queens of Mystery.

The opening voiceover for Amelie, as per the English subtitles on my disc, begins "On September 3rd 1973 at 6:28pm and 32 seconds..."

The pilot episode of Pushing Daisies starts with a voiceover saying "At this very moment in the town of Couer d'Couers, young Ned was 9 years, 27 weeks, 6 days and 3 minutes old."

Queens of Mystery opens with Juliet Stevenson's narrator explaining "Although not officially declared an orphan until her tenth birthday, Matilda Stone lost her mother 3 days, 3 hours and 3 minutes into her third year."

Julian Unthank, the creator of Queens of Mystery, has specifically named both Amelie and Pushing Daisies as influences on the show, declaring an ambition to be "fun, joyous and quirky and unusual... the exact opposite of Scandi Noir."

The pop-up book opening titles of the show bring the message home just as clearly. Queens of Mystery isn't set in the real world, it's set inside a genre.

youtube

Each of the three Queens is a mystery novelist, and represents a different crime-solving archetype. Siobhan Redmond plays Aunt Jane, the rationalist. She's the author of the Henry Lambert iDI books, about a detective who is "essentially a computer."

Julie Graham plays Aunt Cat, the interventionist. She's the creator of the Roxanne Parker comics. Cat is hard-boiled, always forthright and ready to get stuck in.

Sarah Woodward plays Aunt Beth, the people-person with a strong streak of sleuth's intuition. She's the author of the ironically very gritty, but no doubt empathetic and warm, Reverend Iris Freeman books.

The fourth member of the Stone family is Matilda, our protagonist. Raised by three crime-writing aunts she, of course, joined the police force. Matilda is played by Olivia Vinall.

You may have noticed that the character names are all queens, or queens consort, of England. Eliza(Beth), Jane (Seymour), Cat(herine of Aragon), (Empress) Matilda. Matilda's mother is even named Eleanor (of Aquitaine). They're working the 'English' angle hard.

There's a strong sense that this show is reflecting its core audience back at themselves, perhaps in an idealised, certainly a stylised form, through the four lead characters.

I expect that most would-be Queens of Mystery fans have yet to find the show. When they do (like lots of #DailyDetective fare, it's on Acorn) I think they'll find it pleasingly detailed with an irresistible, eccentric cast. Series 2 is in production now.

youtube

#queens of mystery #julie graham #olivia vinall #mystery #daily detective #acorn tv #murder mysteries #sarah woodward #siobhan redmond #julian unthank #amelie #pushing daisies #Youtube

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words-writ-in-starlight · 4 years

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Do you have any podcast recommendations?

I listen to a lot of hours of podcasts but not a ton of new podcasts, but some of my favorite narrative-style podcasts are:

The Magnus Archives, if you like horror, queer characters, slow-build plots, or The Inherent Sexiness Of Monsters! Handle with care. Long as fuck.

The Adventure Zone, if you like DnD or a good balance of humor and angst! The podcast is long but the campaigns are more manageable.

The Strange Case of Starship Iris, if you like scifi, queer characters, aliens, or The Inherent Sexiness Of Rebelling Against The Man! Short! Could be listened to over, say, one afternoon of making chili with your mom, just as a completely random example!

Morph Club, if you like the Animorphs! They’ve finished the series and the podcast is over, but it’s delightful!

Obligate self-plug for The Podcast Bound In Pale Leather, which is about the Chronicles of the Kencyrath--it’s a good series and I like talking about it and it’s apparently very listenable even if you haven’t read the books, so!

And the non-narrative favorites:

Sawbones, if you like medical history, vaccines, or Gross Facts! This is my One True Favorite Podcast because I, personally, as a human, love those three things more than almost any other thing I might get out of a podcast.

True Crime Obsessed, if you like, you know, true crime, which I started listening to because one of my girlfriends is really into it! I am not especially into true crime as a genre but the hosts of TCO are extremely fun!

Gaslit Nation, which I do not listen to very often these days for my own health and wellbeing, but if you’re looking for an informative breakdown of the sins of the current administration, this is the podcast for you! Handle with care.

Wonderful!, which I mostly listen to when I’m going to sleep, if you just need something pleasant in your life to offset listening to the latest episode of Gaslit Nation/reading the news/existing in the world! Also sometimes I listen to old episodes of Rose Buddies which have a similar vibe of “this is a thing I enjoy and I’m going to tell you about it, pre-existing knowledge not required”!

Now if I’m being totally honest and forthright, which you know I love to be, I am actually not someone who gets a plurality of podcasts because I have to be debuffed by a task in order to listen to a podcast. Especially of late, since I live in virtual quarantine with three other adults who all like to feel useful, and therefore I have not had enough tasks to get in podcast listening time. But anything listed above is stuff I’ve listened through multiple times and really enjoy!

#podcast recs #i'm not tagging all of these i won't do it you can't make me #oh i want chili. i want to make chili but it's like 85 degrees and that's just Not Chili Weather.#i also want to see my mom and make her try my cooking or get a hug or something but #yanno #pandemic #my girlfriend and i have been discussing doing a podcast about the captive prince!#because i'm actually good at audio editing now and i have the power of medication to let me make regular progress #and i like my gf and want to hang out with her in a semi-structured format #get in touch with our liberal arts college roommate roots and talk about color theory in literature #shit like that #god i'm tired #sorry this is short i'm going to bed #a queue we will keep and our honor someday avenge #Anonymous #asked and answered

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tvandenneagram · 4 years

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Dynasty (2019): Celia “Cristal” Carrington - Type 2w3

Celia is driven, hardworking and secretive. She is running from her past and seeks a new identity and life in Atlanta and later with Blake.

At her best, she is supportive of others and becomes more honest and forthright. She wants people to like her and begins to do things because she thinks it is right and not based on how people will react to her. She wants to expose the wrongdoings of Carrington Atlantic and tries to convince Blake that it is necessary to come clean about the land that they had contaminated. She thinks it is right to help Culhane and his family.

At her worst, she is reactive and retaliates against perceived slights. She begins to have conflicting feelings for Blake and their marriage and begins going behind his back to bring him down. When she feels pushed, she hides the truth and continues putting up facades and schemes to further her agendas.

Celia escaped Venezuela and a very traumatic experience there. She thought the only way she would be safe would be to go as far away from Alejandro and his connections. She becomes very caring and protective of Sammy Jo and treats him like her own son. She allows him to stay in the manor and be a part of her life as long as he doesn’t reveal any of her secrets. When Alejandro is later revealed to be alive she is still concerned with keeping her family and the Carringtons safe. So, she is willing to let her sister Iris escape even though she was working with Alejandro.

Celia desperately wants to be seen an capable on her own and resents the feeling that she was promoted due to her relationship with Blake. She butts heads with Fallon and wants to prove to her that she is worthy of the job and will be a good step mother. Deep down Celia wants people to like her and when she has resistance, she tries harder to ingratiate herself to them. In the workplace she has the same battle but is able to show that she is knowledgeable about her career.

Celia has a wing 3 as she is more people oriented and concerned with her image than a wing 1 might be.

Tri-type: 2w3 - 6w7 - 9w1

Some quotes to describe Celia’s motivations:

“It's a big company, people talk. And women will never break through the glass ceiling if they're always looking for a shard to stab each other with.”

“If only diamonds could buy class.”

“Blackmail shouldn't be the foundation of a working relationship. We're supposed to be partners. This is supposed to be a marriage.”

“The one percent is good for some things at least one percent of the time.”

“He was essentially asking me to whore myself out.”

“Maybe you deserved a trip to hell.”

“I called her to change the prenup so you keep everything. All I want to keep is you.”

Cristal: “I'm not angry Blake. I'm scared. Scared of you.” Blake: “Well, you should be.”

Cristal: “You're right. I shouldn't be asking you to kill the story. I should be asking your boss, Bob Channing. He's a friend of the family, and I could have him end your career just as fast as I started it.” Rick: “It's not just your husband who's one of them. It's you too.”

#enneagram #enneatypes #personality types #personality #tv #2w3 #2w1 #ennea 2 #enneagram 2 #type 2 #nathalie kelley #celia machado #cw dynasty #dynasty cw #dynasty reboot #dynasty

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Zack Snyder’s Original Vision for Justice League Faded Long Before His Exit

https://ift.tt/3buaKS6

As Zack Snyder’s Justice League prepares to showcase the director’s true vision of the 2017 film long-sought by a vocal segment of the fandom, behind-the-scenes details have emerged about the director’s exit from the theatrical film, providing interesting context to its upcoming debut as an HBO Max miniseries. It seems that the official—devastatingly heartbreaking—explanation for Snyder’s departure from the film actually overshadowed some behind-the-scenes strife.

Picture this for a Justice League plotline: Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) falls in love with a recently widowed Lois Lane (Amy Adams). While the notion of a Batman/Lois Lane romance is not entirely unheard of in the annals of DC Comics, it might seem awkward for a film franchise that was still taking its first steps. Nevertheless, this was a major angle that Snyder intended to inject into the film, as revealed in a lengthy Vanity Fair exposé. Of course, the romance, which would have directly followed the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, obviously didn’t make the film, and—barring some secretly-shot scenes for the Snyder Cut—it is unlikely to ever happen. However, it was apparently typical of the now-revealed clashes that Snyder had with Warner Bros. in the lead-up to his 2017 exit.

“The intention was that Bruce fell in love with Lois and then realized that the only way to save the world was to bring Superman back to life,” Snyder explains of the idea that Warner nixed. “So, he had this insane conflict, because Lois, of course, was still in love with Superman. We had this beautiful speech where [Bruce] said to Alfred: ‘I never had a life outside the cave. I never imagined a world for me beyond this. But this woman makes me think that if I can get this group of gods together, then my job is done. I can quit. I can stop.’ And, of course, that doesn’t work out for him.”

Backtracking a bit, Snyder—having come off hits like Dawn of the Dead, 300 and Watchmen—was auspiciously tapped to shepherd Warner’s wider aspirations for DC Comics films starting with 2013’s Man of Steel, which debuted Henry Cavill’s impressive iteration of the Blue Bomber. However, the film was a winding rollercoaster of dark drama that stood in stark contrast to the Marvel Comics movies against which it was designed to compete. Thusly, it banked $668 million worldwide—by no means a flop, but well short of Warner’s expectations, especially against the film’s $225 million budget. Regardless, the studio gave Snyder a mulligan and allowed his vision to further manifest mostly unfettered with 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which introduced Ben Affleck’s Batman, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Ray Fisher’s Cyborg and—in a bizarre, context-deprived cameo—Ezra Miller’s The Flash.

Dawn of Justice would go on to gross $873.6 million worldwide—once again, not a flop, but nevertheless disappointing for Warner, who had maintained faith and even upped the budget for Snyder’s sophomore DCEU effort to $250 million. “When Batman v Superman came out and we did get a negative reaction from the fans, it was disheartening for all of us,” laments production head Greg Silverman. “Zack had made these movies, like 300, that were such crowd-pleasers. And that was our job—to make crowd-pleasers. And here, we have made a movie together, and it didn’t really please the audience.”

Movies

Justice League: How Christopher Nolan Helped Prevent Zack Snyder from Seeing the Whedon Cut

By David Crow

Movies

Martian Manhunter in Zack Snyder’s Justice League Details and Look Revealed

By Mike Cecchini

Indeed, Batman v Superman was not generally regarded as a crowd-pleaser, and was instead widely lambasted by both critics and audiences alike, manifesting as a marathon of moroseness passing for poignancy, showcasing a titular conflict between the two heroes held together by flimsy load-bearing motivations, weighed down further with unexplained Justice League-foreshadowing scenes (notably the aforementioned Flash cameo and the “Knightmare” sequence,) referencing an imminent invasion from planet Apokolips. More importantly, it didn’t create the watershed cultural moment that Warner needed to effectively whet audience appetites for the Justice League team-up, which was clearly its main purpose. Thus, while Marvel continued to bask in billions with likeable icons—and even made icons of non-mainstream titles like Guardians of the Galaxy—Warner was stuck with DC movies permeating with unrelatable angry gods who hate each other.

Consequently, while the studio soured on Snyder by the time production for Justice League had commenced, there was an unfortunate fatalism, since the die had been cast on where the story was headed. After all, Snyder came into the film with a vision that was far too lofty even for a director who was still in the studio’s good graces, much less one perceived as having led it down the primrose path. Further tinder for this proverbial fire was scattered with a top-down edict from Warner chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara, who mandated that the picture would be only two hours in length, and that DC Entertainment creative chief Geoff Johns and Warner Bros. co-production head Jon Berg were to be on-set every day to, as Snyder puts it, “babysit” him.

“It was really tricky and not a position that I loved, to be honest,” Berg says. “I tried to be forthright about what I thought creatively. My job was to try to mediate between a creator whose vision is instinctually dark and a studio that perceived, rightly or wrong, that the fans wanted something lighter. I was respectful of the director and didn’t pursue things that were coming at me from the corporate side that I thought weren’t in line with what would make the best movie.”

Snyder maintains that having Johns and Berg watching over his shoulder didn’t bother him, and that “they weren’t that threatening.” Yet, they constantly pressed him to inject humor into his otherwise-serious content. “It wasn’t anything that was too outrageous,” says Snyder, but it nevertheless created a contradiction, especially as the ambitious designs Snyder teased in Dawn of Justice—many of which sidetracked that film—were being systematically erased. Thus, Justice League seemed to be a tug-of-war production, as Snyder moved ahead with his vision, only to see concepts nixed outright (like the Batman/Lois romance,) and even lose produced ideas like the spinoff-teasing romantic subplot between Ezra Miller’s Flash and Kiersey Clemons’s Iris West (the latter of whom was cut from the film altogether,) and a proposed return of Harry Lennix’s Man of Steel character, General Swanwick, who was to be revealed as a disguised J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter; concepts that, for those in the know, represented the intended heart of the film.

The laborious process continued even after Snyder and wife Deborah (who serves as a producer,) were dealing with the passing of their daughter. Yet, Snyder officially exited Justice League in May 2017—two months after the tragedy, which was initially cited as the primary reason. “It’s such a lightning strike in the center of this whole saga,” says Snyder. “And in a lot of ways it has informed everything we’ve done since.” However, it was clear that the escalating acrimony between Snyder and Warner Bros. was the heretofore unspoken other reason behind the split, after which the studio tapped Joss Whedon—fresh from his own acrimonious exit from Marvel Studios—to pinch-direct the picture and have it ready for theaters by November. Of course, as Ray Fisher, and an increasing number of personnel now allege, that tenure led to a different—inherently toxic—problem.

Regardless of where one stands on the perpetually polarizing topic of Zack Snyder, his exit from the ambitious crossover film was undeniably one of the saddest stories to hit the industry in quite some time. However, its tragic aspect turned out to be the emotionally heavy straw that broke the back of Snyder’s rapidly weakening relationship with studio Warner Bros. Thus, with most of those studio restraints now shed, it makes the upcoming arrival of the labor of love that is the “Snyder Cut” even more intriguing.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Zack Snyder’s Justice League hits HBO Max on Thursday, March 18.

The post Zack Snyder’s Original Vision for Justice League Faded Long Before His Exit appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2NLuzvY

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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dylinski · 5 years

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Wasting Time

Request from Anon: How about #1 I love you, please dont go for sterek

Warnings: language, angst, little make out sesh

Relationships: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale

Word Count: 2079

Author: @dylan-obrien-fanblog

A/N: Sorry this took me so long, I just couldn’t find the inspiration but I found it!!!! this is also what ignited my little sterek rant post I posted yesterday. i hope ya’ll like it.

Listen to THIS. It was my inspiration and is now my new favorite Sterek song.

Derek grunted as he turned in his bed for the hundredth time that night. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get comfortable and fall asleep despite being exhausted. Sleeping in a shitty motel bed didn’t help much either. He had been on the run for almost a year with the FBI chasing after him. Being framed for mass murder sucked, but thankfully Stiles intervened when they were just about to catch him. That was a couple months ago, so Stiles has had time to recover from his ‘injury’. He was still a wanted man, but Stiles was using all the power he had with the FBI to throw them off his tracks or to find evidence that proved Derek’s innocence. There have been a few leads, but none of them ever panned out and only led to dead ends.

In order to stay under the radar, Derek would move around to different motels every couple nights, but never too far from where Stiles was. At first, he only stuck around to make sure he was okay and recovered from the botched field op, which was mostly Stiles fault, but it was for Derek. He knew that it was a risk for him to save his ass, especially with only being an intern. He still couldn’t believe that he somehow convinced them to take an intern with little to no experience on a field op, he was also surprised he didn’t sway them to let him lead the damn thing. That was Stiles though, a relentless little bastard. After Stiles got better though, they had spent so much time together that it reminded Derek of the old days in Beacon Hills, fighting the bad guys and saving the world. Stiles begged him to stay and let him help to clear Hale name, and Derek just couldn’t say no to those whiskey eyes.

That wasn’t how things stayed though, tonight was terrible. Derek replayed the memory in his mind, going back to every word that was said and how each one cut him like a knife.

“Stiles, we haven’t had a new lead in weeks. This is getting ridiculous.”

“I know. I’m checking a few other things out, but it will take a while for my sources to get back to me.” Stiles rummaged through some papers that were laying on the bed, trying to make a connection between something, anything.

Derek sat at the small square table in the corner of the room, scanning his own pile of papers, but gave up on them a while ago. After some tense silence, Derek finally spoke. “I’m leaving in the morning Stiles.”

Stiles froze and slowly looked up from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed, his face laced with anger and confusion. “What the fuck do you mean you’re leaving in the morning?”

“I mean exactly what is sounds like. How is that confusing?” Derek was befuddled as to why Stiles didn't understand him.

“I know what you said asshat! I just don’t believe it!” Stiles was now standing as he shouted at the raven haired man from across the room. He started pacing as Derek leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “You can’t leave, we said we were going to figure this out together.” Stiles started biting his thumb as he stared at his feet, continuing to tread back and forth. He suddenly stopped and looked up at Derek with weepy eyes. “You said you would let me help you.”

“You tried helping and we’ve gotten nowhere. It’s time for me to move on and search for other solutions.” Derek spoke calmly with a-matter-of- fact tone, hiding his own despair behind his stolid mug.

Stiles eyes dried quickly and his tears were replaced with rage. He scrunched up his nose in the way he does when he’s trying to stop himself from lashing out, which was evident by his clenched fist at his side. “Move on from Virginia or move on from me?” He couldn’t look Derek in the eyes when he asked his question through gritted teeth and found himself fixed on a point somewhere beyond the careless man.

Derek subtly flinched at Stiles’ last few words and his heart skipped. He kept his forthright features, despite everything he was feeling. His words were caught in his throat, so he spoke as few as possible fearing they would betray his composure. “Both.” He swallowed the lump in his throat as he heard Stiles whine in his throat, like a cry for help, he wouldn’t had heard it if it weren't for his wolf hearing.

“FINE! THEN FUCKING LEAVE!” Stiles grabbed his suit coat and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. His absence was felt and the room became silent and cold. Derek could feel the sorrow brimming at his eyes. He never wanted to hurt the boy, but that was all he knew how to do. Everyone he ever loved got hurt because of him, he was just better off on his own. There was no point in him dragging Stiles down with him, possibly ruining his career and reputation and even the smallest possibility of getting him killed. It was a stretch for him to even accept his help in the first place, but he had been here too long and it was time to press on, leaving Stiles behind...again.

Derek just laid there, staring at the ceiling repeating Stiles’ words in his head only hours after he spoke them. He hated that he left things that way, but there was no point in bothering the brunette when he was angry and had his mind set on something. He had no intention of seeing him again before he left at dawn, unable to deal with confrontation and emotions. He shifted in his bed, yet again, and closed his eyes trying to push out the sound of pain in his friend’s voice. Lost in thought, a knock at the door drowned out all the noise in his head. He sat up and immediately knew it was Stiles from his scent and the sound of his heartbeat, which was racing. He got up and opened the door, leaning against it wearing only sweatpants.

Stiles was soaked from the rain, still wearing his suit which meant he never went home after their argument. He looked up at Derek, his hair matted to his forehead and eyes full of tears that were indistinguishable from the droplets of rain that rested on his cheeks. Neither of them needed to speak, and Derek let him into the small room as he went to the bathroom to get him a towel. He grabbed an extra pair of sweatpants and a shirt from his already packed bag and handed them to the wet man while he was roughly scrubbing his head. The towel left his hair sticking up in all directions and Derek couldn’t hold back a smile as he remembered the young boy who used to wear his hair spiked up all the time. Stiles didn’t bother with his hair anymore and he wasn’t that young boy anymore either. Stiles peeled off the damp clothes and changed into the dry ones, causing Derek to blush. He had never even seen him shirtless before, but it was different than seeing another man topless...it was Stiles. It was always Stiles. He always did something to him that no one else did, something he couldn’t explain or begin to understand.

Once the spiky haired boy was settled, he sat down at the foot of the bed and let his head fall. He gulped, like he was nervous and preparing to make a speech which was not unforeseen for him. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and then looked up to Derek standing in front of him, looming with his arms crossed. Most people had resting bitch face, Derek had resting bitch arms.

“Derek...:” His voice croaked and sounded raw, like he had been crying and screaming for an unreasonable amount of time. Derek could see the pain in his eyes when the dark chestnut orbs took him in. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but the thing I regret the most is that I didn’t ask you to stay after Mexico. I know we’re both different people now and we’ve changed since you left, but I still feel like we haven’t.” He was crying again, avoiding eye contact as he stared at his feet. Derek had let his arms fall to his sides and his face more empathetic. He kneeled down to meet the boys face and squeezed his arm.

Stiles still didn’t look up, but continued on his monologue. “I’ve wasted so much time...spent countless nights trying to push you down, ignoring this hole in my chest that manifested the second you walked away. You said you’d be back, but I knew in my heart you wouldn’t. It was just by chance that the FBI was hunting you and I got on the team. If that hadn’t happened, would I have ever seen you again?” The question was rhetorical, but Derek didn’t have an answer either way. He hooded his eyes in disappointment in himself as Stiles wiped his nose on the sleeve of the borrowed shirt. He held it under his nose for a minute, inhaling the smell of Derek that clung to the fabric.

“I know this a lot, Derek, and I don’t understand much of it myself, but I can’t keep pretending I don’t have these emotions and I can’t go through this again. I can’t watch you leave, not knowing if I’ll ever see you again, not when I feel this way.” Stiles finally looked up, staring into Derek’s eyes with a longing he had never seen in those honey iris’ before. “I’m not going to let you leave again, at least not without trying. So Derek...I love you and I’m begging you, please don’t go.”

Derek couldn’t hold back his tears or his own emotions anymore, he cupped Stiles cheek and searched his eyes for answers or some kind of sign that this wasn’t all just a dream. He could feel everything he was feeling by looking at his face and he wanted to take all the pain away, let him know that he wasn’t crazy, that this wasn’t stupid, that he loved him too. Derek leaned in and pressed his lips to Stiles’, leaving him awestruck as his eyes widened. Once it kicked in what was happening, he screwed his eyes shut and kissed him back passionately, turning the kiss into more than just that, but something fueled with desire and longing that had been begging to escape for years. Derek pressed against Stiles, causing him to crawl backwards up the bed, refusing to break the unrelenting kiss. Derek straddled Stiles as his tongue dug into his mouth, searching it’s depths and creating a dance between their lips.

Hearts were racing and chests were heaving as Derek pulled back for air, placing his forehead against Stiles’. Their breaths mingled as their lips brushed, still processing what was actually happening. Stiles pulled his head back and ran his fingers through the black hair of the man staring back at him, giving him a crooked smile that made Derek blush.

He pulled his leg over so that he could settle down next to the brunette and draped his arm around his shoulders. Stiles turned into his firm body and nuzzled his nose into the crevice of his arm, wrapping his arms in an enclosed circle around his waist. He could hear Derek’s heart through his chest, strong and rapid. Derek rested his head on top of Stiles’ spiky hair and whispered, “I’ll stay.” He could feel Stiles smile against his chest eliciting a smile of his own.

“Good, now I don’t have to resort to plan B.”

“Plan B?” Derek leaned back so he could see Stiles.

Stiles just giggled into his chest, “Yeah, I was going to break in and circle the room in mountain ash.” Stiles looked straight at Derek with a serious expression as if it was the most logical solution.

Stiles couldn’t help but smile again as he thought back to Derek’s words. It meant more than what laid at the surface. In his own way when he said ‘I’ll stay’, he was actually saying ‘I love you too’.

Taglist: @bitch-banshee

#sterek #eternalsterek #sterek fanfiction #stiles stilinski #derek hale #mostly fluff #wasting time #post season 6A #pre season 6B #my writing

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