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thenightling · 4 years

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The Dodged Bullet

Warning: This is deliberately bad!

The dodged bullet:

The following is the horrific notion of what would have happened if The CW, Fox, or Syfy adapted Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman instead of Netflix. This is going to poke fun of common tropes of Fox and CW shows. See if you can spot them all.

I am going to deliberately write this very, very badly.

The generically attractive young man in his early-twenties walked toward the crime scene. He wore a long leather jacket, designer sneakers, expensive brand-name jeans, and a stylish and perfectly fitted black polo style shirt under the jacket. It was rumpled but just so as to hint at what a great body he had under it. He had thick, dark brown hair. Brown eyes, a smoldering gaze and a dazzling smile. He’s Caucasian and generically attractive. He’s thin but not rake thin, more like sexy male model thin. He’s got muscle tone.

At the moment he looked stoic, hands resting in his pockets. He crosses the yellow crime scene tape without anyone stopping him. No one questions his presence but he is not invisible. This is “grounded” in reality, folks.

The Sandman solves crimes! The Sandman is a private investigator with a secret. He is a real Sandman! Hidden in his jacket is a leather pouch which will probably get used maybe once or twice an episode (budgetary reasons). And he gets confused by certain social cues and pop culture references but otherwise he’s just a generic hot guy.

He’s probably portrayed by a Tom Mison type. He might be American. There’s an English accent but it’s so slight (so hidden by Americanisms) that it’s almost undetectable. He approaches the pretty, ninety-pound, college age female detective with perfect, blond hair. She looks up at him.

“Hey, Murphy.” She says in a friendly tone. Yes, Murphy is his alias. She thinks he’s just eccentric and thinks he’s The Sandman but he gets results!

“Detective Walker.” He smiled with obvious affection. He crushes on her, pines for her. But she mustn’t ever know the truth. It is forbidden for one of his kind to be with a mortal. Even if she is a Vortex. And her great power may one day destroy the world… or save it! That’s the real reason he was here, to watch her. He had never expected to fall in love with her…

The show has almost no scenes in The Dreaming and when there are it’s about 90% CG over green screen, like the Enchanted Forest sets of Once Upon a Time, or the under-whelming Hell of Lucifer. There’s probably a throne room with a starry night sky behind it, and an under-whelming “vast” library on par with Belle’s library in Once Upon a Time that will be shown very rarely.

“We’ve got another one.” She said gravely. “Eyes torn out. Pretty girl. Whoever this creep is- this predator must be stopped!” The implication here is the victims are all damsels who have been targeted by an evil man targeting them for misogynistic reasons. But don’t worry! The show is totally not sexist! Detective Rose Walker kicks ass! And in season four she’ll be raising her own long-lost little brother! Even though it’ll take her at least five seasons to learn Murphy’s secret (if she ever does).

“I thought the ‘me too’ movement would have at least reduced some of this.” She said with a shake of her head in disappointment at the world.

The line of dialogue doesn’t actually really make sense under easy scrutiny. Why would “Me too” actually make a serial killer reconsider his life choices? Oh, well, the audience doesn’t have enough time to question it.

“Me too?” The adorable, awkward, pretty “Murphy” questions.

“Boy! Where have you been? In a cave?” “Actually I was trapped inside a prison cell for a hundred and five years and before that I resided in another dimension.”

She rolls her eyes. “Not this again. Tell me you can at least figure something out with your ‘Dream powers’” she said cynically. He might have been insane and socially inept but he got results!

Morpheus knelt down next to the body and placed his hands on the corpse. There isn’t even any SFX for this. He’s just sensing something. He grunts in a sexy portrayal of sexy CW level pain.

“What? What is it?”

“I think I know who did this…”

“Who?”

“Corinthian…”

(Opening credits here. Maybe the opening riff of Enter Sandman by Metallica. No, wait, Fox and CW can’t afford that. It’s Mr. Sandman by the Charlottes! It kills the mood but everyone knows the song. You’ll be sick of it by episode five if you weren’t already. And it will get a LOT of use since the song is cheap / practically public domain.)

The next scene is not present day. It’s a flashback. And by flashback I mean a hastily put together set in Vancouver Canada. It’s probably someone’s private stables being passed off as a medieval village. No, wait. Its eighteenth century. There’s a sexy other character wearing slightly anachronistic style sunglasses hiding his eyes (No CG here, the production team figures the glasses are enough). In fact his eyes might not even be weird at all. He just likes sunglasses! There, that’s better, no wasted money here. He’s wearing a badly fitted white wig over white hair.

“My king,” the sunglassed man says with a bow. We have to be blunt for our easily distracted audience, so there’s the reminder that this is the dream king. “Thank you for letting me accompany you to the waking world. There are such delicious things here.”

“Yes, the food is rather pleasant.” Morpheus replies. His costume is decently fitted but obviously borrowed from another show, possibly a left over from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Those props and some period costumes still get use. Isn’t Morpheus adorably oblivious, though?

Morpheus is wearing a dark blue frock coat and lace. His trousers are exceptionally tight to show off the actor’s perfect ass.

The Corinthian’s costume is cream colored. There was a behind the scenes fight and as small victory for the one crew member who actually read Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman in getting the cream outfit. Others working on the show wanted the costume to be black to make it more obvious he was the bad guy.

An attractive, tall, black man (probably American), under the age of thirty, is behind Morpheus. This is his loyal manservant, Lucien. But it’s totally not racist making the dreaming librarian / butler black when the show hasn’t had any black characters yet. No, it’s inclusive!

The attractive black man speaks. “My Lord, I think he intends to do harm to the mortals here.”

“Nonsense, Lucien. I’m certain it’s fine.”

The Corinthian wandered away from his master and he soon drags off attractive young female into an alley, hand over her mouth. No, The Corinthian isn’t gay anymore in this version. But it’s okay. Hob Gadling, Morpheus’ immortal friend (who now runs a bar for some reason) is gay! He’s very gay. In fact that’s the extent of his entire personality. But isn’t this diverse and inclusive?! And there’s no more problematic gay nightmare, even though in the original comics The Corinthian gets uncreated and the second Corinthian is a relatively decent guy for a nightmare.

After some persuasion Morpheus finally listens to Lucien and walks down into the alley. He stops in his tracks when he sees The Corinthian has killed the girl and his licking his fingers, having obviously already eaten her eyeballs (gotta keep that TV-14 rating!) He lets out a gasp. “Corinthian, what have you done?”

We cut back to present day and “Murphy” is walking into the bar owned by his friend, Hob Gadling . Hob sees him and smiles. “Murph, oh, honey, you look like Hell! Come sit down and tell me all about it. You know I love juicy gossip.” He says in a naisly, lisping voice.

Imagine this scene was written by some very straight guy whose only exposure to gay people were 1990s Will and Grace reruns.

Hob places a shot glass in front of Morpheus and Morpheus downs it quickly. “Have you seen Matthew?”

Matthew was Morpheus’ straight human friend and roommate. He had learned Morpheus’ secret in the pilot episode when Morpheus rescued him from a car accident using his dream magick. Ha! And you thought we’d have talking birds in this thing. Lol! No! Grounded, remember?

“Matt? Oh, sweetie, you can do better than him. I keep telling you, he’s just not your type.”

Morpheus raises an eyebrow but says nothing about the implication about his sexual identity. There will be a LOT of queer baiting on this show without confirmation in regard to his sexuality.

“I need to talk to him. One of my nightmares is loose in the city.” You can tell this was written by a New Yorker because they take for granted “The City” to mean New York.

“One of your Nightmares? Why couldn’t it be one of those sexy wet dreams?” Get it? Because if the character’s gay he has to always be horny!!! Ha-freakin’ –ha.

(Please know I don’t actually feel this way. I’m mocking bad TV writing. This whole thing is a spoof.)

There’s an awkward pause intended for the viewers to laugh.

“I don’t believe any water nymphs have escaped The Dream dimension.” Morpheus replied in confusion.

He calls it The Dream Dimension in the show because “The Dreaming” didn’t sound hip enough according to some executive.

“I’m afraid it’s The Corinthian. So now I have two problems.”

Hob nodded sympathetically. “The detective you might have to kill…”

“And now this.” This is an idiot proofed recap for people turning on the show late or just watching it in passing while doing other things or playing on their phone. CW does this sort of in-story forced, shoe-horned exposition all the time.

The episode plays out a little bit like an episode of Lucifer mashed into an episode of True Blood.

While they’re trying to find the killer, Detective Rose Walker meets Murphy’s roommate, Matthew, and the two hit it off while chatting about Murphy’s weirdness. They decide to start to date. As Morpheus has feelings for Rose that he won’t admit to this causes a strain between him and Matthew Raven (There’s that bird reference! What? That should be Lucien’s last name? Naw!) And between him and Rose Walker.

Morpheus lashes out rather than admit to what he is truly angry at and he and Matthew argue over something petty and this leads to recovering alcoholic Matthew to start drinking again as sad music begins to play.

Morpheus eventually finds The Corinthian and is forced to destroy him. He had to kill his own creation so he is kneeling in angst crying prettily while the sand left over from the uncreation slides through his fingers. Some new female cover of Queen’s Who Wants to live Forever? Is playing in the background. The original version is “too old” and too expensive for use. So here’s a very generic sounding cover done in a style that makes it blend in with every other pop song played during the forty five minute mark of a CW show’s run time (including commercial breaks).

The song plays as we cut to Matthew drinking alone sexily in an alley. He’s sweaty and wet, but he just looks like a wet fashion model. Morpheus is sexy crying over the sand that was the Corinthian, and Rose going to sleep prettily in her bed, no bed head here. Oh, and she sleeps in perfect makeup! There’s no scene where she even remotely looks like she’s out of makeup.

She’s having strange dreams but they look pretty mundane. Like real-world mundane. It’s her living room set that we probably saw a few minutes ago, just dimmer lighting and some haze to make it clear this is a dream. Because even with a show about The Dream Lord, dreams have to have an old fashioned camera fringe haze. Murphy is there with his back to her. He looks sad. He turns to look at her and she gasps. She sees a star (lense flare) from Murphy’s eyes in the dream as he looks at her in surprise like he wasn’t expecting her to see him. She wakes up with a gasp, and everyone in her apartment building also wakes up at the same time, signifying that their dreams were connected.

And so ends what was probably the third episode of CW (or Fox’s) The Sandman.

And that is pretty much how CW or Fox would have done The Sandman.

#The Sandman fan fiction #The Dodged Bullet

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agritecture · 6 years

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Urban Life Aquatic: A Discovery In Paris Reveals A Huge Ecosystem Hidden In Plain Sight

CONTENT SOURCED FROM FORBES

For 12 days in June 2015, something rather unusual took place in Paris. Under clear skies, a team of scientists armed with toothbrushes, methodically passed through each of the city’s 20 districts searching for signs of life.

You can find many things in a busy European metropolis, but an aquatic ecology expedition isn’t usually one of them. Nevertheless, researchers from the Biology of Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems research unit (BOREA) (CNRS / MNHN / IRD / UPMC / University of Caen / Université des Antilles) in Paris and the Max Plank Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology were on to something. They had noticed that the gutter water in Paris not only had the characteristic green and brown shades reminiscent of microbial matts, but they had also observed bubbles in the water — not the kind you get from detergent runoff, but the tiny spheres of pure oxygen that are formed during photosynthesis.

From these little bubbles came the discovery of an enormous ecosystem hidden in plain sight.

The urban biome

Understanding the ecology of cities has become increasingly important over the past few decades. Together with their associated urban sprawl, cities have essentially become the primary human habitat. More than half the global population now lives in urban areas, and by 2050 that number will increase to two-thirds.

Unsurprisingly, this comes with unprecedented environmental stresses. As major cities try to contend with air pollution, reduce carbon emissions and water use, and counteract urban heat, there has been an increasing interest in the role biology might play. This is because, despite all that steel and concrete, urban centers are also vast biomes. New York City, for example is home to more than 5.2 million trees and thousands of animal species. There are screech owls in Central Park, coyotes in the Bronx andfireflies in the West Village.

Urban ecological studies are showing how tree canopies can have a substantial impact on street temperature, water evaporation, and even flood mitigation. Other research is revealing how our highly curated urban biomes – with all their introduced plant and animal species — cause dramatic declines in local biodiversity. Only around 25% of native plant species and just 8% of native bird species manage to adapt to cosmopolitan life. As urbanization expands around many existing cities, and dramatically increases in some extremely biologically diverse areas of the world, it’s important to understand why certain plant, bird and mammal species are quite successful in cities, and others struggle to survive in the face of habitat loss.

But this isn’t the whole story. As we go smaller, the urban biome gets a lot bigger.

Under the microscope

Microbes are critical to the function of any ecosystem, and cities are no exception. Yet the extent to which urbanization stresses and distorts microbial diversity isn’t fully understood, which is kind of a problem because the microbial health of the urban biome strongly influences ecological health at the larger scale, including the health of its human inhabitants.

For example, changes in the microbe content of floral nectar can alter pollination patterns, affecting plant reproduction. Soil microbe diversity affects nutrient cycles. Meanwhile, changes in soil microbe diversity in turf grass can alter how your favorite park contributes to atmospheric nitrogen cycling.

Other microbes can corrode entire networks of concrete structures by producing tiny amounts of acid that break down calcium carbonate in cement. Even stone and granite must contend with microscopic interlopers that wear them down over time.

And there are, of course, microbes that interact directly with humans, some affecting health for the better and some for worse. As humans gather densely into urban centres, so to do our microbes. A unique ‘biogeography’ of human-associated microbes spans every city, and because urban areas tend to be highly partitioned, this can change from building to building, and even room to room.

Yet, while microbes seem to be everywhere in the urban biome, we only know about a tiny fraction of them. Which is why some urban ecologists have headed straight for the gutter.

Life Aquatic

It turns out that, in the search for microscopic urbanites, gutters have been largely overlooked even though they represent a huge surface area of the biome. In New York City, gutters line the better part of more than 6,000 miles of road, conveying water runoff from surfaces that cover around 72% of the city, such as roofs, sidewalks, and streets (the Amazon river, for loose comparison, is around 4,000 miles).

Paris might be smaller, but with 6,100 streets, the gutter network is substantial and pervades the majority of the Parisian urban biome. So during those dozen rain-free days in early June 2015, the research team set out to explore the Parisian life aquatic.

“We collected water and biofilms from 90 street gutters (GMs) that cover all of the twenty districts of Paris,” they explain in their paper, published this month in the International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME) Journal.

And the toothbrushes? Those were used for scrubbing the microbial mats that covered the gutter surfaces. If you happened to have been in Paris at the time and witnessed this, you now finally have an explanation.

(Image: Collection Sites)

The samples were geotagged and quickly sent back to the lab where they underwent genetic analysis. The researchers identified 5,782 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs).

(A group within the same OTU share around 99% genetic similarity, so they’re very closely related. Given that there may be as many as 1 trillion microbe species in the world, with more than 99% of them yet to be discovered, an OTU is a kind of proxy for species without actually being too prescriptive.)

The discovery of nearly this many distinct OTUs indicates a significant amount of biodiversity in Parisian gutters. Remarkably, the majority of these were not found in the non-potable water sources derived from local rivers, which are usually used for street cleaning. This suggests that most gutters had established a unique ecosystem of their own. The researchers were able to classify most of the microbes and found that the majority were diatoms, photosynthetic single-celled algae.

Diatoms first showed up around 200 million years ago (and perhaps earlier), and currently they are a critical part of the global food web, and account for 20% to 25% of total global photosynthesis. Those brownish films you see in wet gutters are most likely mats of algal diatoms, quietly fixing CO2.

The researchers also found that the gutters were teeming with a large number of other algal species, as well as other unicellular organisms, like alveolates. They also found fungi, and even a freshwater sponge species and a species of mollusk. While many of these are benign and downright fascinating, some of the organisms discovered were a concern.

While most of the fungi they found have no interest bothering humans, one of the OTUs identified may correspond to a genus of fungi that does include a human pathogen: C. neoformans, which can cause infections in immunocompromised people. While this particular species wasn’t found in the gutter study, the discovery of a close relation suggests that regular monitoring of the gutter microbiome is a good idea. So too does the discovery of an OTU that points to the presence of the Hartmannellidaefamily of amoebae. Amoebae are no strangers to natural or urban environments, the problem is that Hartmannellidae amoebae can act as hosts for some human pathogenic bacteria, including Legionella pneumophila which causes Legionnaire's disease. The amoeba-bacteria tenancy arrangement has probably been going on for around a billion and a half years, give or take. Bacteria find a way to evade an amoeba’s defenses and gain the advantage of its protective covering while hiding out. It lends further weight to the idea that monitoring gutter biodiversity could serve as an early warning system for public health hazards.

However, as the researchers point out in their paper, the gutter microbiome also has an important upside, “Understanding Street gutter communities’ composition and dynamic is an exciting new topic that might concern most of the urban and peri-urban areas worldwide.”

They propose that the gutter microbiome is likely to be beneficial in the treatment of water run-off, by breaking down human waste and vehicle pollutants. Given its substantial surface area in every city, it could also play a significant role in the global carbon cycle.

With this new insight into the biodiversity and structure of an often hidden layer of the urban biome, expect to see more urban ecology expeditions on a street corner near you.

CONTENT SOURCED FROM FORBES

#cities #biology #microbes #algae #urban biome #urban ecology #ecosystem #biodiversity #paris #nyc

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ocbungou · 7 years

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Thank you, Sunflower, for submitting your application! Both mods have gone over it and accepted it for approval into the ring. Please have your blog ready by October 5th.

COUNTRY. MOSCOW, RUSSIA

NAME. LYOV ARON [ no need for formalities - just call him lyov ] PRONOUNS. HE/HIM AGE. TWENTY-SEVEN

ALIGNMENT. THE MAFIA

APPEARANCE. HE MIGHT AS WELL BE A VAMPIRE. HE’S NOT BUT THE POINTING AND THE LOUD ‘VAMPIRE’ FROM RUDE LITTLE BRATS PASSING BY DOES GET ON HIS NERVES. AND WORSE, HE KNOWS THE ADULTS THINK THE SAME THING. THEY’RE JUST NOT IDIOTIC ENOUGH TO VOICE IT [ well, most of them aren’t ]. BECAUSE SERIOUSLY, HE REALLY DOES LOOK LIKE A VAMPIRE. HE SUSPECTS IT’S HIS UNNATURALLY PALE SKIN. OR MAYBE HIS EYES ARE TO BLAME. ITS WORSE AT NIGHT WHEN SOME BRILLIANT ASS THINKS IT’S FUNNY TO SHINE A LIGHT IN HIS FACE. HIS GOLDEN EYES APPARENTLY GLOW BRIGHTLY AND COUPLE THAT WITH HIS PALE WHITE SKIN, HE LOOKS LIKE SOME SORT OF SUPERNATURAL BEING. AN ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS SUPERNATURAL BEING [ because let’s face it, he’s ridiculously beautiful - and his vampire-like appearance has at least half to do with it ] BUT A SUPERNATURAL BEING NONETHELESS. SO NO HE CAN’T SPARKLE [ stupid tourists asking him stupid questions ]. GOD, WHAT RIDICULOUS ASSHOLE EVEN CAME UP WITH THE IDEA THAT BLOOD-SUCKINGCREATURES SPARKLE? [ of course he knew who’s fault it all was, but he feels like being acidic about it all, so there. ] DENYING OTHERWISE WOULD BE JUST PLAIN SILLY. THE TRUTH IS, HE’S A GORGEOUS MAN WITH LOOKS THAT COULD KILL, AND HE KNOWS IT. IT IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE ONLY BENEFICIAL THING ABOUT HIS APPEARANCE. AND SURE, IT TAKES A CRAP TON OF TIME AND WORK AND MONEY TO KEEP UP HIS FANTASTIC LOOKS, BUT IT’S WELL WORTH IT. PRYING SECRETS OUT OF OTHERS IS RIDICULOUSLY EASY AND HE HAS HIS APPEARANCE TO THANK PLENTIFULLY FOR THAT. THERE’S REALLY ONLY ONE DOWNSIDE AND IT’S SUCH AN INSIGNIFICANT DOWNSIDE IT DOESN’T EVEN MATTE- OF COURSE IT MATTERS! GETTING HIT ON EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN DAY IS NOTHING MINOR! TOURISTS. TOURISTS HIT ON HIM. SHALLOW WOMEN HIT ON HIM. EVEN SLEAZY MEN HIT ON HIM. AND HE IS MOST DEFINITELY NOT GAY ( a/n: go keep telling yourself that, my lovely lyov ). IT’S LIKE HE CAN’T GO TWO METERS FROM HIS HOUSE WITHOUT BEING FLOCKED BY ENTRANCED ONLOOKERS. [ even if maybe a little tiny piece of enjoys the attention- like hell he did! ] HIS LOOKS MIGHT AS WELL BE AN ABILITY OF ITS OWN [ although he wouldn’t mind if it were his only ability ]… OKAY, SO HE MIGHT BE EXAGGERATING A TAD BIT - BUT STILL, HE MIGHT BE A GOD AMONG MEN, BUT WHY COULDN’T ANYONE EVER TAKE A HINT AND LEAVE HIM ALONE. HUMANS ARE SO STUPID.

PERSONALITY. EVER HEARD OF ‘BISHIE SPARKLES’? WELL, HECERTAINLY KNEW NOTHING OF IT UNTIL HE FOUND HIMSELF IN THE ANIME-LOVING COUNTRY THAT IS AMERICA. HE SUSPECTS IF HE WAS IN AN ANIME, HE WOULD BE ADORNED BY THESE ‘BISHIE SPARKLES’.AND NOT JUST BECAUSE OF HIS LOOKS. HE CONSIDERED HIMSELF A GENTLEMAN OF THE HIGHEST ORDER. [ oh how ironic it was. a gentleman’s whose job is to threaten/torture idiots who managed to somehow stumble in between the mafia and its goals. it truly is quite the twist to the story. except it’s not part of a fairytale where things are all black and white. he’s a captive of reality and reality sucks. ] HE’S A CHARMING MAN WITH A KIND SMILE. HE’S THE SORT OF PERSON NO ONE EXPECTS THE MAFIA WOULD EMPLOY. IT’S BOTH TRUE AND UNTRUE. HE’S NOT THE LOST, FOREIGN CHILD HE WAS FOURTEEN YEARS AGO. BECAUSE BACK THEN HE WAS DESPERATE TO LIVE [ and angry too ]. HE VIEWED THE BOSS AS HIS SAVIOR. BACK THEN HE WAS NOT AFRAID OF HIS ABILITY. NOW, HE’S CALMER AND HATES USING HIS ABILITY. THE ONLY THING PROPELLING HIM FORWARD - KEEPING HIM FROM COMPLETELY DESERTING THE MAFIA - IS HIS FEAR OF DYING. BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW MANY YEARS PASS BY, HE STILL RETAINS HIS STRONG DESIRE TO LIVE EVEN IF HE HATES HOW GODDAMN SELFISH IT IS.

too tired/lazy to continue writing + elaborating so here ya go – > charismatic/charming with all the lovely sparkling of your typical shoujo love interest > efficient/hardworking soul who undertakes responsibilities without complaint (mostly b/c he’s utterly terrified of the mafia) > kind outside of his job > ruthless is a quality which serves him well in the mafia > distant/secretive though he presents himself as a kind-hearted individual, he is distant all the same > selfish he lives life without any loyalties to force him down

ABILITY. FOR REDEMPTION OF SCARLET SNOW | RUSSIA’S REVOLUTION [ by leon aron ] WHILE HE MAY NOT BE A VAMPIRE, THE UNIVERSE SEEMS TO BE CONSPIRING AGAINST HIM TO MAKE HIM SEEM LIKE HE’S A VAMPIRE. TAKE FOR EXAMPLE HIS GOD AWFUL ABILITY, FOR REDEMPTION OF SCARLET SNOW. LONG ASS NAME. YEAH, HE KNOWS. IT’S NOT LIKE HE CHOSE THAT NAME [ because if it were up to him it wouldn’t be so long and stupid ] BUT HE HASN’T EXACTLY CHANGED YET. HIS REASON? WELL- ( a/n: carry on mr. bowditch, your answers are at the end ) IT DOESN’T MATTER WHETHER HE WANTS TO CALL IT SOMETHING OTHER THAN FOR REDEMPTION OF SCARLET SNOW, EVERYONE ELSE CALLS IT FOR REDEMPTION OF SCARLET SNOW. AND DESPITE ITS UTTER RIDICULOUSNESS, IT SEEMS TO HAVE STUCK IN THE MINDS OF EVERYONE ELSE. WHO IS HE TO DENY EVERYONE ELSE OF THE PLEASURE OF RATTLING OFF A FRUSTRATINGLY LONG NAME? THE RIDICULOUS NAME OF HIS ABILITY MIGHT BE LAUGHABLE TO HIM, BUT NOTHING ELSE ABOUT IT COULD EVEN BE CALLED REMOTELY FUNNY. NOT WHEN HIS ABILITY MIGHT AS WELL BE A TORTURE DEVICE. IT’S NOTHING TO LAUGH AT. IT’S DOWNRIGHT SCARY. AND THAT’S A MEMBER OF A RUTHLESS ORGANIZATION SAYING THAT. AND IT IS LYOV ARON OF ALL PEOPLE SAYING IT. SCARY ISN’T SOMETHING HE ADMITS TO EVERY DAY. HELL, HIS ABILITY IS PROBABLY THE ONLY THING HE CONSIDERS SCARY [ that and the mafia itself ]. AND REALLY, WHO WOULDN’T BE AT LEAST A LITTLE SCARED OF AN ABILITY THAT COULD SNATCH AWAY THE PRECIOUS LIFE SOURCE AND CONVERT A BODY INTO A LITERAL BURNING INFERNO? THERE IS A REASON HE SPECIALIZES IN TORTURING STUBBORN CAPTIVES. AFTER ALL, THERE’S ONLY SO MANY PEOPLE WHO CAN HOLD UP AFTER EXPERIENCING THE SORT OF HELLISH PAIN HIS ABILITY DELIVERS. IT’S SUCH AN IRONIC NAME, REALLY. THAT ABILITY OF HIS REDEEMS NO ONE. RATHER, IT PUTS OTHERS [ and him ] THROUGH HELL AND BACK. BACK FOR OTHER PEOPLE. FOR HIM? IT SUFFOCATES HIM IN HELL AND REFUSES TO LET HIM UP FOR EVEN A SHORT GASP OF AIR. HE HATES IT. BUT IT IS UNDOUBTEDLY A USEFUL TOOL FOR THE MAFIA. IT’S THE REASON THEY INDUCTED HIM INTO THE MAFIA AFTER ALL. ONE TOUCH IS ENOUGH TO SEND SOMEONE HISSING IN PAIN. AND APPARENTLY, CLOTHES AND GLOVES AREN’T ENOUGH TO STOP HIS ABILITY. ALTHOUGH IT DOES INTERFERE SLIGHTLY. DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT HE HATES TOUCHING BLOOD, OR BLEEDING FOR THAT MATTER. NOT WHEN IT BURNS HIM EVERY SINGLE DAMN TIME HE TOUCHES IT [ his ability lets him convert blood into heat because of that one law which states matter can neither be destroyed nor created - gotta turn that blood into something ]. HE HATES TOUCHING ANY PART OF HIMSELF FOR THAT MATTER. THE PAIN IS JUST NOT WORTH IT [ because unfortunately, his ability will target anyone, including himself ]. A SIMPLE TOUCH WON’T KILL A PERSON - OTHERWISE HE WOULD ALREADY BE DEAD. IT ONLY AFFECTS A TIGHT RADIUS OF A FEW INCHES AROUND EACH INDIVIDUAL FINGER. IT’S LIKE GETTING A PAPER CUT - ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THE PAIN LEVEL. WHEREAS A PAPER CUT HURTS FOR A MILLISECOND AND CAN BE EASILY CURED BY LICKING THE CUT, A LIGHT TOUCH FROM HIM IS LIKE A MINOR BURN [ ie, spilling seconds after heating ramen noodles all over, thereby creating a minor burn and a strong desire for an ice pack ]. THE BLOOD LOSS IS NO DIFFERENT, HOWEVER. THAT DOESN’T MAKE HIS ABILITY ANY LESS BEARABLE WHEN HE ACCIDENTALLY TOUCHES HIS SKIN OR CLOSES HIS FINGERS TOGETHER. IT’S PAINFUL BUT IT’S NOT THE REASON HE FINDS HIS ABILITY SUCH A SCARY THING. THEN WHAT IS? THAT’S THE QUESTION IDIOTIC AND NOSY MEMBERS OF THE MAFIA SOMETIMES PRESS FOR ANSWERS. WHY IS HE SO SCARED OF HIS ABILITY WHEN, COME TO THINK OF IT, HE MARKED HIS FIRST ARRIVAL WITH A BRAWL THAT RESULTED IN ONE SORRY MESS OF A MAFIA MEMBER DELIVERED TO THEIR DOORSTEP. AS MADE QUITE CLEAR BY HIS ENTRANCE TO THE PORT CITY, DIRTY TEEN LYOV HAD ABSOLUTELY ZERO INHIBITORS USING HIS ABILITY. SO WHAT IN WORLD PUNCHED HIM IN THE GUT, STABBED HIS EYE OUT, KICKED HIM IN THE HEAD FOR GOOD MEASURES, AND UTTERLY DESTROYED THE [ scary ] PERSON HE ONCE WAS? OF COURSE, THEY DON’T PUT IT IN EXACTLY THOSE WORDS BUT THE MEANING IS STILL BEHIND THE WORDS. AND IT IS EASY ENOUGH TO SMILE CHEERFUL AND QUICKLY REDIRECT THE TOPIC TO SOMETHING OTHER THAN THAT [ because he’d be damned before he ever revealed the reasons behind his fear - it wasn’t an answer prying minds deserved to know ]. …HE REALLY DOES SOUND LIKE A VAMPIRE, HUH? HE BASICALLY CAN SUCK THE LIFE OUT OF OTHERS. SOUNDS PRETTY VAMPIRE-Y, SURE. BUT HE’S NOT THE LITERAL VAMPIRE AMONG THE MAFIA! THAT BLESSED ROLE AND TITLE GOES TO ANOTHER PERSON THAT ISN’T HIM. HE’S NOT SOME SORT OF WEAKLING WHO DROPS THE BALL EVERY TIME PEOPLE START GIVING HIM FROGS TO COUNT OUT. [ he won’t admit to his weakness, however, because he might as well sign his death on the dotted line if he does that. after all, the mafia is not tolerable of any sort of weakness existing within. ] notes on his ability – > touching skin/clothes even with gloves on do not completely stop his ability. however, they do hinder the rate which he can kill someone. direct contact with blood allows him to dissolve a body’s worth of blood in about 2~5 minutes, obviously depending since not all people have the same blood pressure. skin hinders him by about 2~3 minutes. > he can control how quickly or slowly he dissolves blood into heat to a certain extent. the numbers above are his limits under the circumstances that he has a tight grip on the target and using both hands. > contact with his fingers + palm. no other body part works. > he is exceptionally nimble and fast. not so far as being supernatural, but his athletic abilities do seem to push the limits of human capacities.

BACKGROUND.

( “HM? WHO PUT YOU IN CHARGE OF DECIDING THOSE THINGS!? WHY FOR REDEMPTION OF SCARLET SNOW ANYWAY? IT’S SUCH A MOUTHFUL.” )

IT IS 1999. THE SOVIET UNION HAS BEEN DEAD FOR ALMOST A DECADE. BUT DON’T BE FOOLED TO THINK THAT ACTUALLY HELPED ANYTHING. LIFE IS STILL CRAP. SURE, HE WAS FAR TOO YOUNG TO REMEMBER THE SOVIET UNION [ he was only a year old when it collapsed after all ] BUT EVEN WITH THE FALL OF THE SOVIET UNION, ONE THING STAYED TRUE: POVERTY. AS IT WERE, RUSSIA IS SADDLED WITH AN ECONOMY SINKING SINKING DOWNWARD. AND UNLIKE ALL THE BIGSHOTS IN THEIR COZY OFFICES, LYOV GETS THE SINCERE OPPORTUNITY TO FEEL THE FULL BRUNT OF THE AFTERMATH OF THE SOVIET UNION. ESPECIALLY AS AN ORPHAN WITH THE STREETS AS HIS HOME. HIS LIFE ISN’T EASY - HE SURVIVES ON SCRAPS AND WHAT LITTLE FOOD SYMPATHETIC PASSERBYERS OFFER HIM. IT’S NOT MUCH BUT HE’S ALIVE AND KICKING - SOMETHING HE DOUBTS HIS PARENTS WOULD HAVE EVER EXPECTED WHEN THEY ABANDONED HIM ON THE STREETS OF GRIMY OL’ MOSCOW.

( “IT’S TO COMPENSATE FOR YOUR SHORT NAME. I CAN’T EVEN FORM A CUTE NICKNAME BECAUSE IT’S SO SHORT!” )

HE HAS NO FUTURE IN RUSSIA. IT IS LEAVE OR DIE AND HE KNOWS IT ALL TOO WELL. MOSCOW IS FULL OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, AND WHILE HIS ABILITY IS QUITE EFFECTIVE ON THIEVES, IT CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH AGAINST A GUN. AND HE’S NIMBLE ALRIGHT BUT DODGING THE BULLETS OF A GUN DO GET A BIT TIRESOME AFTER A WHILE. SO WITH ONLY BROKEN SENTENCES OF ENGLISH ON HIS TONGUE, HE WEARS THE SOLES OF HIS SHOES WALKING, HITCHHIKING, AND DOING WHATEVER NECESSARY TO REACH WESTERN EUROPE IN THE QUICKEST AMOUNT OF TIME. HE LOOKS ALMOST TWELVE WHEN HE FINALLY MAKES IT TO ENGLAND. FROM THERE HE SNEAKS INTO A CARGO SHIP DESTINED FOR THE UNITED STATES. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. HE BARELY SLIPS BY UNDETECTED. HE’S A MINIMAL EATER, SO THE CREW DON’T NOTICE THE SLIGHT DECREASE OF FOOD UNTIL MUCH LATER. HE’S HONESTLY SURPRISED THEY EVER NOTICED AT ALL. HE’S SOMEWHERE AROUND TWELVE WHEN HE FINALLY REACHES THE PORT MAFIA.

( “THE NAME STILL DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, DON’T YOU THINK IT’S A BIT IRONIC EVEN?” )

HE’S ALMOST DEAD FROM STARVATION WHEN HIS LIFE CHANGES DRASTICALLY. HE’S SUFFERING ALL OVER WHEN HE STUMBLES UPON THE SCENE OF A CRIME. NOW HE’S NO STRANGER TO CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. MOSCOW WAS A HUB OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AFTER ALL. IF HE WERE ANYONE ELSE HE SURELY WOULD HAVE RUN. ONLY AN IDIOT WOULD HAVE STAYED. AS IT WERE, HE WAS AN IDIOT. HE STOOD BARELY MOVING, ONCE LIVELY GOLDEN EYES STARING AT THE SCENE WITH A BLANK LOOK. IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG FOR THE KILLER TO NOTICE HIM. A GUN IS RAISED AT THE CHILD. BANG. IT ENTIRELY MISSES AND THE CHILD IS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN. THE KILLER CAUTIOUSLY MOVES FORWARD. INCHING SLOWLY, GUN OUTSTRETCHED. HE REALLY SHOULD HAVE RUN, ESPECIALLY THE MOMENT, HE SPOTTED THE WHITE BLUR. OH WELL. EASY TARGET FOR HIM.

( “NO, I THINK IT SUITS IT PERFECTLY.” )

THE WHITE-HAIRED BOY HOLDS A GUN IN HIS LEFT HAND A SMILE FLICKERING ON AND OFF HIS FACE. THOUGH NON-THREATENING IN BUILD, HIS EYES GLEAM THREATENINGLY. HE STRETCHES OUT WITH HIS RIGHT HAND AND LIGHTLY STROKES THE MAN’S FACE. THE ASSASSIN’S EYES BULGE AND HE JERKS BACK HISSING IN PAIN. “WHO ARE YOU?” THE BOY WHISPERS IN A FOREIGN ACCENT. HE STEPS FORWARD THREATENINGLY. “D-DO YOU MEAN WHO DO I WORK FOR? A-AH, THE P-PORT MAFIA.” “TAKE ME TO YOUR BOSS.” IT’S TRULY A WONDER HOW A THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD BOY WITH A PAINFULLY DIRTY LOOK CAN IMPOSE SO MUCH FEAR IN A MAN WORKING FOR THE CITY’S RUTHLESS CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION. AT LEAST HE’S NOT STUPID, LYOV MUSES. HE UNDERSTANDS HIS CIRCUMSTANCES. GOOD. AS THE GUN DISAPPEARS SOMEWHERE UNDER HIS CLOTHES, HE SHAKES HIS RIGHT HAND WITH A MENACING SMILE. “MOVE.” HE NODS. THE MAN WALKS STIFFLY WITH LYOV FOLLOWING BEHIND. THE ODD PAIR GARNER THE ATTENTION OF PASSING BY PEOPLE, BUT LYOV DEFTLY IGNORES THE CURIOUS LOOKS. THEIR FINAL DESTINATION IS A CORPORATE BUILDING. WHY IS HE NOT SURPRISED. “THIS IS IT,” HIS CAPTIVE SAYS, “DON’T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF. TAKE ME TO YOUR BOSS. THE MAN WHO RUNS EVERYTHING. NOW.” HE FLICKS HIS FINGERS AGAINST THE MAFIOSO MEMBER. HE MOVES FORWARD HESITANTLY. “Y-YOU SURE THAT’S A GOOD IDEA? THE BOSS ISN’T-” HE MUMBLES. “FORWARD.” A MOMENT PASSES BEFORE THEY BEGIN MOVING AGAIN. UP, UP, UP, AND UP. THE MAN BESIDE HIM FIDGETS, PERTURBED BY THE PROXIMITY OF THE BOY’S HAND WITH HIS SKIN. TOO BAD FOR HIM. THEY DON’T KNOCK. LYOV DOESN’T LET HIM. HE TAKES IN THE BOSS OF THE MAFIA WITH A QUICK GLANCE OVER. THIS MAN IS RUTHLESS. HE LIKES RUTHLESS PEOPLE. IT IS WRITTEN ON HIS FACE. SO LYOV KICKS HIS CAPTIVE IN THE SHIN AND A MOMENT LATER, THE MAN SCREECHES WITH A PAINED EXPRESSION. LYOV FEELS THE HEAT RISING FROM THE MAN’S BODY AT A RAPID RATE. HE MOVES HIS HANDS TO GRIP AT THE ASSASSIN’S NECK, HE WATCHES PASSIVELY AS ALL THE COLOR DRAINS FROM THE MAN’S BODY. “…RETRIBUTION,” HE SAYS. “FOR WHAT?” “BEING ANNOYING.” “YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY. YOU’VE TAKEN A SERVICE AWAY FROM ME. NOW YOU MUST GIVE ME YOUR SERVICES IN RETURN.” “OF COURSE.”

( “HM? HOW’S THAT?” )

HIS LIFE DRASTICALLY CHANGES AGAIN WHEN HE MEETS A CURIOUS, GRAY-EYED BOY, THOUGH AT THE TIME HE IS NOT AWARE OF JUST HOW SPECIAL THEIR MEETING IS. ONE DAY, A CHEERFUL BOY COMES UP TO LYOV AND COMPLIMENTS HIS EYE COLOR. “YOU’VE GOT PRETTY EYES,” HE SAYS. AFTER THAT, HE APPROACHES LYOV EVERY DAY, COMPLIMENTING HIM ABOUT SOMETHING. IT WAS STRANGE AND CERTAINLY ANNOYING, BUT IT WAS ALSO HARMLESS SO LYOV DID NOT PAY THE BOY ANY MIND. HE IGNORED THE WEIRD BOY FOR THE MOST PART. UNTIL ONE DAY HE SAID SOMETHING DIFFERENT. “WHY ARE YOU SO LONELY?” A QUESTION, NOT A COMPLIMENT. HE NEVER ANSWERED. NOT THEN, AND NOT EVEN AS THE BOY DIED MANY YEARS LATER. IT’S NOT LIKE HE EVER NEEDED TO SAY ANYTHING. THAT BOY… HE ALWAYS KNEW. IT WAS ALMOST CREEPY HOW PERCEPTIVE THAT BOY WAS. AND FOR A TIME LYOV TRIED TO AVOID HIM. IT DIDN’T LAST LONG. THE SILVER-EYED BOY WAS BACK AT HIS SIDE BEFORE HE KNEW IT. AND HE DIDN’T JUST COMPLIMENT LYOV ANYMORE. HE TALKED. CONVERSED. IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE HE FOUND HIMSELF QUIETLY AGREEING HERE AND THERE.

( “WELL… DIDN’T YOU SAY YOU WERE ABLE TO SURVIVE SO LONG BECAUSE OF IT?” )

THE GRAY-EYED BOY TRULY WAS BOTH A BLESSING AND A CURSE FROM THE HEAVENS. IT WAS THE BOY WHO LURED LYOV OUT OF HIS SHELL. SURELY, HE WOULD HAVE NEVER BECOME SUCH A LIVELY FIGURE HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE BOY. HE DOESN’T THINK HE WOULD HAVE EVER ALLOWED HIMSELF TO LIVE SO MUCH HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE BOY. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THE BOY CRUELLY GAVE HIM A TASTE OF NORMALCY. NORMALCY HE COULD NEVER TRULY OBTAIN. MANY NIGHTS HE AGONIZED OVER HOW HIS LIFE MIGHT HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT IF HE HAD NOT JOINED THE MAFIA. IF HE HAD STAYED HIS HAND THAT DAY. IF HE HAD RUN. IT SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SUCH A SURPRISE THEN, WHEN THE MAFIA ORDERED THE BOY’S EXECUTION. AFTER ALL, IF THERE WAS EVER ANYONE NEARLY AS PERCEPTIVE AS THE BOY, IT WAS THE BOSS.

( “WELL YEAH, BUT… DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT MY ABILITY IS?” )

IT’S NOT EASY TO IGNORE THE SCREAMING. THE SCREAMING SO LOUDLY. IT ALMOST BREAKS HIS CONCENTRATION. HIS HANDS ARE PLANTED TIGHTLY AROUND HIS HANDS AS HE TRIES SO DESPERATELYTO FORGET JUST WHO HE IS USING HIS ABILITY ON. IRONICALLY, THE ONE WHO NAMED HIS ABILITY, FOR REDEMPTION OF SCARLET SNOW. ARGH! HE’S REALLY TRYING TO FORGET BUT HE DOESN’T WANT TO, DAMMIT! BUT HE HAS NO CHOICE. THERE’S NEVER A CHOICE, HE REALIZES. THE MAFIA DOES NOT PROVIDE CHOICES. ONLY ORDERS TO FOLLOW OUT LIKE A ROBOT. AND OF COURSE, IF A MALFUNCTION OCCURS, THERE IS ONLY ONE THING TO DO: ERADICATE IT. AND AS IT WERE, THE BOY SCREAMING IN FRONT OF HIM IS HIS MALFUNCTION. THE BUG TEARING DOWN THE SYSTEM.

( “YOU REFUSE TO TELL ME! OOH, IS THIS WHERE YOU’RE GONNA ADMIT YOUR DEEPEST DARKEST SECRETS? LIKE IN THE MOVIES?” )

HE REFUSES TO LOOK UP. HE DOESN’T THINK HE COULD BEAR THE DISGUST AND PAIN ETCHED ON HIS FACE IF HE LOOKED UP. AND GOD, HE WISHES THE SCREAMING WOULD JUST STOP ALREADY. BUT HE KNOWS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN STOP IT IS HIM, AND HE KNOWS HE WON’T STOP IT. SO HE IS QUIETLY PRAYING - PRAYING FOR A MIRACLE. PRAYING FOR SOMEONE TO SAVE HIM FROM HIS FATE. BECAUSE HE SURE AS HELL CAN’T. HE KNOWS HE’S BEEN AT THIS FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR. IT COULD BE DONE FASTER - JUST UNDER NINE MINUTES IS HIS RECORD AFTER ALL. BUT HE’S NOT SUPPOSED TO KILL HIM QUICKLY. HE’S SUPPOSED TO PROLONG IT. TO DRAW IT OUT. AND THEY DON’T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IF HE DOESN’T. BUT HE KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN. AND YEAH, HE’S A SELFISH COWARD, BUT HE DOESN’T WANT TO DIE, DAMMIT! HE- HE STILL HAD THINGS HE WANTED TO DO!

( “WHA- HEY! DON’T RUN AWAY- COME BACK, LYOV! YOU GOT TO ANSWER THE QUESTION!” )

HE FORCES HIMSELF TO MOVE ON [ but he never does ]. HE FORCES HIMSELF TO FORGET [ but he never does ]. HE TRIES TO MOVE ON. HE TRIES TO FORGET. EVERY DAY HE TRIES, BUT HE CAN’T. HE’S STUCK IN LIMBO. HE CAN’T FORGET. HE CAN NEVER FORGET.

( HE COULD NEVER FORGET HIS ONLY FRIEND, GRAY OWENS. )

HE’S ONLY NINETEEN.

SAMPLE WRITING. ( prompt: “on a scale from one to ten, how bad do you want to kill me right now?” - “i’m hovering somewhere in the high thirties.” – thefakeredhead, no 331 )

His heart beats loudly against his chest. It bangs and bounces without the same gentle touch it treated him just over an hour ago when he still thought the gray-eyed boy died fourteen years ago. He desperately smiles, fighting the urge to run. He’s an expert at hiding his fear, so his fingers do not curl (which would hurt, by the way) and his shoulders shrug back casually. But the gray-eyed boy glares at him unimpressed and he immediately knows Gr-Owens can see right through his carefully practiced mask. It is unfair, really. The gray-eyed boy has always possessed the uncanny ability to read his mind like an open book. It was never the other way, and more so today as he stares at the gray-eyed boy (well, perhaps not a boy anymore, but he still clings on to those sweet memories). The only emotion he can discern is understandable disgust. Disgust he completely deserves for abandoning his only friend. He does not quite know how to respond to the gray-eyed boy. Not when his only expression is cold disgust mixed with a load of anger. But he does know Owens awaits his answer vindictively if his crosses arms are anything to go by. That leaves him with only one option left: to bullshit his way through. So he adorns the most annoying smirk he can muster and says smoothly, “But you won’t anyway.” He’d be shocked if Owens refuted him. The gray-eyed boy had every right to kill him. Nothing held him back. Especially not after the pain he put him through. Besides, a coward like him did not deserve to live. Yet as he admitted it to himself, a large piece of him refused to die. He would fight and scratch and claw even the gray-eyed boy if need be. He’s already killed (or at least he thought he killed) him once - what’s a second time to him? ‘Everything,’ a sad and quiet voice that definitely was not his whispers. Everything, yes. But he’s willing to sacrifice everything if it means surviving.

( a/n: he’s hallucination owens - owens is most definitely dead and this is just him guilt-tripping himself and coming to the conclusion that he’s an immoral man who will do pretty much anything to survive )

(OC. SHOGO MAKISHIMA, psycho path)

#accepted

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wikidz-blog · 7 years

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Fandom

We see the word ‘fandom’ often. To some people a fandom is merely an attraction to something or someone – but there is a far deeper meaning of fandom than meets the eye. To some people, fandom is a beautiful thing – they are given the opportunity to express themselves freely in communities formed of similar and the same interests.

To me, fandom does not necessarily mean an obsession. Everything has a fandom and there are many different interpretations to it. Jensen argue that “these respectable social types could also be defined as ‘fans,’ in that they display interest, affection and attachment, especially for figures in, or aspects of, their chosen field.” (Jensen, J 1992).

Raves and good music play a big part in my life – it is not a cliché when I say you could not ask for a better community to be a part of, the vibes and the people make your experiences a million times better than they would be in an ordinary top 40, disorderly environment.

It’s more than just the top tracks of the month, it’s about the togetherness music instills on someone. Not only shared between friends but extends to strangers brought together through mutual appreciation, therefore to some extent extending friendships that you never previously had. “Rave culture intensified the commitment to an underground ideology in dance music.” (Bennett, Shank and Toynbee, 2006) there is a shared mentality of positive energy amongst everyone involved – usually.

The scene which I can call home is dominated by males without a doubt and this is an issue, when female producers are constantly accused on social media and in real life of not producing their own music.

Jackmaster who is a highly recognisable name in the industry even recently picked up on the misogyny and addressed it on Twitter – “Tonight was the 1st time that the plight and/or prejudice surrounding females in the music industry truly hit home and resonated with me” (Source: twitter.com/Jackmaster, 5 February)

He continues with a series of tweets and one of them stating that ‘’some of the things (he) I heard tonight about women in industry are fucking unacceptable” (Source: twitter.com/Jackmaster, 5 February)

Even though nightlife and raves have the mentality to unify people, there are subtle ways which oppose that idea – and it is no secret that the scene is still male ruled. Festival line ups recently and previously can only verify that fact, which is the sad truth.

Although this particular fandom has some flaws, it is only natural that as someone who loves the scene would want to continue to spread awareness and instead of tarnishing it educate others and work for a better future for everyone.

Bibliography:

Bennett, A., Shank, B. and Toynbee, J. (2006). The popular music studies reader. London: Routledge.

Jensen, J. (1992) ‘Fandom as Pathology: The Consequences of Characterisation’. In Lewis, L. A. (Ed.) The Adoring Audience. London, Routledge, pp9-15.

Exploring subcultures

The word culture is something often related to ‘higher’ culture – for example the theatre, classical music and literature etc. and can also be interpreted as the idea of certain behaviours and patterns amongst a community. Another word to describe culture would be something of a tradition which continues to pass through generations as part of their upbringing.

Subcultures are easiest defined when taken away from the bigger picture of culture. In short terms, subculture is a more in depth version of the generalized idea of culture, often not as widely recognized or accepted by what society sees as the ‘norm’ in cultural behaviours and events. Fischer defines subcultures as ‘relatively distinct social subsystem[s] within a larger social system and culture’ (Fischer 1975, 1323)

The first time I had an experience with subculture was when I discovered Tumblr as an early teen. My interest only grew closer to it the more I felt isolated from certain situations and people at school – it was almost like a getaway.

I have never felt compelled to follow the lead of people in school, therefore having been introduced more closely to Tumblr, I started discovering new music, different fashion and I started developing interests. This was the gateway to my adventure with social media and discovering the different sides to the internet.

Like with all social media, Tumblr’s popularity grew and then plummeted, leaving some people remembered as almost celebrities of the internet. Having the largest social following they were seen as the ‘leaders’ who would organize meet ups in different cities.

There would many friendships and relationships formed just through that community and it felt almost as though if you knew about it and you had something in common with it, there was a sense of relief that there was far more to do and see than be stuck in the boring reality of school.

A lot of the Tumblr famous, despite being loved by some, there was a lot of bullying involved towards them by those who felt almost offended by the way they acted and were portraying themselves on social media.

A lot of people did not accept it but as an early teenager sometimes you are more attracted to things that are out of the norm, as it you a platform to express yourself in different ways, albeit through clothing, music, hair styles etc. It felt almost ‘cool’ to have it, to the point where almost everybody even those who hated the idea at the beginning, would turn up to school wearing what I would now call them ‘edgy, Tumblr’ outfits – the Primark vest top and cardigan style was no more.

Communication amongst subcultures particularly through style allows them to form and display an identity (Hebdige, 1979) Some people opted for bright hair, different styles – some went more urban some went more ‘scene’ and people received a lot of backlash.

Subcultures are often targeted negatively by outsiders because they are something new and others perhaps don’t understand it.

In every generation there are emerging subcultures, like for example when Acid House first emerged into mainstream media and was seen as an enormous threat, whereas now that environment is very much socially accepted.

Bibliography:

Fischer, Claude S. 1975. ‘Towards a Subcultural Theory of Urbanism.’ American Journal of Sociology 80: 1319–41

Hebdige, D (1979). Subculture: The Meaning of Style. London: Routledge

Researching cult media and cult fandom

Cult media in film and cult fandom are what can be described as more ‘hardcore’. According to Austin “Cult films may be uniquely characterized by the repeated attendance of a group of individuals” (Austin, B 2008). However Hills talks about the dangerously close perceptions of those who in a fan cult are to those in a religious one and states that “disparate fan cultures may well use religious metaphors and devotional discourses…but all these fan cultures nevertheless deny their ‘religious’ status in order to avoid a stigmatization” (Hills, M 2002) suggesting that some could depict cults as a negative thing.

Austin uses the example of The Rocky Horror Picture show, and he talks about the “its generation of a cult phenomenon” (Austin B).

I chose Dirty Dancing to as a topic of discussion, with this dominating in the 80’s, as someone who is part of the female however not original fan base.

The film is a classic and one of the reason why it became such a hit is because of how relatable Baby was to everyone. It was a film which any girl could relate to and therefore made you feel a connection to the characters and storyline.

Having watched this film when I was younger, it made me almost feel like I wanted a similar thing to happen to me when I grew up. The passion and empathy you are able to feel whilst watching this film is the reason it became so infatuating for many. The different social situations of the characters and the social hierarchy portrayed in the film (when the famous quote “Some people matter, some people don’t” came from) seemed to be relevant then and still is to this day.

What made the film ‘cult’ is the response it received and the longevity of this response which has carried out over many years and still in current day and age ceases to amaze people if they are first time viewers.

At the time of its release, the film could have come across as quite exciting and naughty, having displayed an obvious sexual chemistry at a time when people were only just getting used to the idea of sex as before it appears to have been quite a taboo subject for many years prior. The idea of falling pregnant at a young age, pre-marital could have also been frowned upon.

Based on this, I believe that it is hard for a film to actually qualify for its cult status. Many productions in the past have aspired to match the standard and at the time, innovatively. “Cult status can be defined by the ways in which texts are classified in consumption” (Jancovich et al, 2003: p.509) which again examines the challenging criteria such as public responses and the aftermath of the release and what effect it has had on audiences, before the film can get the cult title.

Hills argues that “Cult fandom is a project of the self which is primarily and significantly emotional; cult fans create cultural identities out of the significance which certain texts assume for them, rather than out of textual signification and hence out of rationalist or cognitive mechanisms of interpretation.” (Hills, M 2000)

Bibliography:

Austin, B. (2008) ‘Portrait of a cult film audience: The Rocky Horror Picture Show’. In Mathijs, E. and Mendik, X. The Cult Film Reader. Berkshire: Open University Press.

Hills, Matthew. "Media fandom, neoreligiosity, and cult(ural) studies." Velvet Light Trap, 2000,

Hills, Matt “Fan Cultures” 2002, Routledge [Electronic book]

Taste, Capital and Fan Identity

Bourdieus belief in social identification and what ones status could gain them in terms of power and wealth is very good food for thought. (Jenkins, 2002).

Normally I would be against into segregating people into social hierarchies in order to draw conclusions from them as a person, however in working and everyday life, the status which a person holds can actually influence many situations and can impact what for one person could go well, for the other wouldn’t.

Thornton argues that it is impossible to avoid getting caught up in judgement and ideologies when analyzing the way social groups are formed “it is important to maintain analytical distinctions between: empirical social groups, representations of these people and estimations of their cultural worth. (Thornton, 1996).

However, there is always going to be a sense of superiority, when a fan has been invested in something for a while over someone who has just ‘arrived. It is almost a sense of protection away from what would be described as ‘mainstream’ although Thornton highlights the fact that there is no way of defining mainstream, because mainstream has different meanings to different social groups.

“Hebdige’s multiple opposition of avant-garde-versus-bourgeois, 146 subordinate-versus-dominant, subculture-versus-mainstream is an orderly ideal which crumbles when applied to historically specific groups of youth” (Thornton, 1996)

For me, there always is and will be a sense of hierarchy in any fandom. To those who belong to a fandom, the knowledge and desire to keep their interest close to them can cause negativity towards someone who has only just discovered a given fandom.

A good example to back Bourdieu’s theory would be the sudden fascination with dance music. The annoyance of fans who identify themselves within the scene, when someone who would have squealed at the sound of an old school funky disco song - because they were too invested in The Kooks and The Arctic Monkeys (because that is what was ‘cool’ before) - suddenly Snapchats every single song on a night out, played by a DJ who has a ghost producer, showing their lack of knowledge in the field where it is important.

When certain fandoms have something they are so invested and interested in Fiske states “the distinction between acquired and inherited cultural capital becomes more important as we move northwards in the social space” (Fiske, 1992)

With this scene it is also hard to tell what people are in there for – “music and drugs are two products which by their very success, indicate the spread of behaviour previously reserved for the elites: the right to explore one’s interior or social space. They are tied to the growth of the industries of dream and relaxation” (Mignon, Redhead p176, 2000)

Bibliography:

Exploring the meaning of the mainstream (or why Sharon and Tracy dance around their handbags)” in Thornton, S. (1996) Club Cultures: Music, Media, and Subcultural Capital. Cambridge: Polity Press

Fiske, J. (1992) ‘The Cultural Economy of Fandom’. In Lewis, L. A. (Ed.) the Adoring Audience. London, Routledge, pp30-49.

Redhead, S (1993). Rave Off: Politics and Deviance in contemporary youth culture. Aldershot: Avebury 176.

Gender in subcultures and fandom

According to Lawrence Grossberg (199, 52) “fans have ‘a different sensibility’ and relationship with their favourite media products. For Grossberg the fan relationship is positive, immediate and based on an emotional process of identifying or investing. (Duffett, 2013).

This is a very interesting way of looking at how I became almost addicted to ITV’s ‘Love Island’ after swearing to myself that I would never watch any shows like that because they are a waste of time.

I am a girl who is massively into house and techno, I cannot relate to the girls in shows like Love Island in terms of music taste, fashion or even outlook on life so at the time it seemed extremely pointless to get into. (Gramsci 1971:324) argues that “in acquiring ones conception of the world one always belongs to a particular grouping which is that of all the social elements which share the same mode of thinking and acting.” This would suggest that I already in a sense belonged to this fandom in some way.

After such a long process of putting it off my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to see what the hype and fuss was all about. I am still of the same opinion, that the show is just another way of getting people glued to the TV and brainwashed into buying personalised Love Island bottles however I can 100% understand how people get so addicted.

The contestants on the show are of similar age to the target audience meaning they are going to be able to relate and empathise with the characters. Camilla who was renowned the nation’s sweetheart got into a situation with Johnny who was always going to be worlds apart from her.

I felt the backlash Jonny received for simply telling her how he feels truthfully was out of order and unfair. It is as if suddenly as soon as there is a favourite, it does not matter what the situation is as I am sure if tables were to turn the reaction would not have been the same and all the people who were in favour of the two completely switched against him.

As an audience who watch reality television we are still slightly limited to the full information we are getting – of course things are going to get manipulated in order to make the show more interesting, but it really struck me when another pair Olivia and Chris called it quits.

Every human has a right to feel confused. It appears that when a female on the show has an outburst of emotions, she’s automatically a ‘bitch’ and becomes disliked almost instantly. These expectations and interpretations of gender norms are something many people seem to share, which is an issue because it creates tension inside these fandoms when equal and non-biased analysis is required. Women should not be portrayed negatively merely for showing emotions and men should not be bullied for being upfront about their feelings.

Bibliography:

Hills, M (2002) Fan Cultures. Taylor & Francis

Mark Duffett (2013) Understanding Fandom: An Introduction to the Study of Media Fan Culture. Bloomsbury

http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2007/07/h3introduction_kristina_i_have.html

Researching digital fandom

Before the digitalization of media, fandoms remained much more private and much less accessible in terms of meeting people who are within your fandom and also enabling others to discover it. In current day and age, the internet allows almost everybody to be able to see, comment and interact on the majority of social media platforms.

The internet has given me the ability to meet new people, discover new events, artists and become a part of a nice community. For many people, the era of digital fandom has opened many doors and opportunities, like for myself, to become a part of that community in more than just a fan sense, but also in terms of getting involved in helping out at events and assisting with promotion, almost like a family except everyone is essentially strangers to an extent.

To carry out ethnographical research (Cooper et al. 1995) suggests the ability to “use active engagement with the internet as a reflexive tool to a deeper understanding of the medium.” (Hine, C 2000).

Digitalization of media has also allowed me to stay in touch with people who I met prior to any sort of social media interaction. I am able to share videos which I think are good and I know there will be other people who will enjoy them as well. Generally, for me personally digital fandom is a great thing however I can also distinguish how it could be stressful for some people.

There are people who get anxious about even potentially seeing somebody they befriended online in real life. The problem is that people are not always themselves and social media allows them to be someone they want to be but maybe not. That can become very unhealthy and it is almost a trap because on one hand there are lots of people to interact with, but interaction with others in real life is far more important than behind the screen. This is also an issue to concern when researching digital fandoms – there is not really an accurate answer all the time. Hine suggests that reflexivity can be a “strategic response to the silence of web surfers and newsgroup lurkers.” (Hine, C 2000). This essentially suggesting that the fan identity portrayed online is not necessarily the true identity.

I personally can talk about festivals, events and music to anyone, at any point. I feel that the environment which I am in is generally a very positive one, there is not a lot of room for negativity so in that sense it has made me open to conversations with new people. This fandom also makes it easy for those involved to share their music, fan art, experiences etc. with artists as well as other fans.

Bibliography:

Hine, Christine (2000) Virtual Ethnography pp53 -55

https://fanlore.org/wiki/Fandom_and_the_Internet

Crowd funding

Crowd funding is a the process of gathering small donations from large numbers of people (who of course belong to the fandom of which the crowd funding is organized by). It is a “participatory culture is one where ‘members believe their contributions matter, and feel some degree of social connection with one another’” (Jenkins 2009:7). It is a way for fans and organisers to come together in order to create something beneficial for both sides.

Indiegogo is one of the most known crowdfunding organisations. They allow the majority forms of crowdfunding, from music to personal and charity with the exception of investement. There are some risks associated with crowd funding and it all depends on the cause.

For example, YouTube personalities could use crowd funding as a way and plea to sponsor something like them going travelling – and the idea of fans is that they want to see more of this person, and will therefore go forward with helping this personality out.

Crowd funding is all about the campaigning and by directing fans and involving certain people it will become easier for them to receive that funding and eventually reach the set goals. The Guardian released an article regarding crowd funding however and warned charities that it may not be the quickest way of raising money as it requires a lot of preparation and a lot of issues need to be considered.

In ‘Crowdfunding: A Spimatic application of digital fandom’

Paul Booth talks about “The successful Kickstarter campaigns for Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell’s Veronica Mars film and Zach Braff’s film Wish I Was Here, and the failed Kickstarter campaign for Melissa Joan Hart’s film Darci’s Walk of Shame” (Booth, P 2014)

The investigation of both of these depict how the organisers did or did not fail in terms of acquiring the support they reached out for, in their own fan base publicity.” These campaigns ultimately illustrate the consequential powers of the fan at multiple nodes within the production process.” (Booth, P 2014)

Further into his research Booth goes on to say “Crowdfunding campaigns that successfully engage their fans in a more participatory manner – acknowledging previous fan work, noting the saliency of fan activities in the past, appealing to fan attention in the future – highlight the temporal existence of a fandom.”

From this we can learn that it is important to make sure that the fan base who is being involved, actually exists and is reliable enough otherwise it is simply a set up for failure. I feel like for crowdfunding to completely work there needs to be a really good fan to artist interaction.

A duo like Solardo for example, would have a really good fan base to start up crowdfunding. They are always interacting with fans on social media and at their shows whereas I feel someone who does not really engage with social media that much, who is a TV personality and does not have that direct contact with audiences, would have to work a lot harder to get the funding in place.

Bibliography:

Booth, P. 2015, "Crowdfunding: A Spimatic application of digital fandom", New Media & Society, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 149-166.

Hills, M. (2014) “Veronica Mars, fandom, and the ‘Affective Economics’ of crowdfunding poachers”. New Media & Society (OnlineFirst)

https://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2014/sep/17/crowdfunding-charities-essential-advice-fundraising

http://www.tradecraftfilms.com/TCFDocuments/Top_10_crowdfunding_sites_May_2013.pdf

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ocbungou · 6 years

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Thank you, Sunflower, for submitting your application! Mod Dazai has gone over it and accepted it for approval into the ring. Please have your blog ready by March 6th. There is no deadline for your revised application.

COUNTRY. MOSCOW, RUSSIA

NAME. LYOV ARON [ no need for formalities - just call him lyov ] PRONOUNS. HE/HIM AGE. TWENTY-SEVEN

ALIGNMENT. THE MAFIA

APPEARANCE. HE MIGHT AS WELL BE A VAMPIRE. HE’S NOT BUT THE POINTING AND THE LOUD ‘VAMPIRE’ FROM RUDE LITTLE BRATS PASSING BY DOES GET ON HIS NERVES. AND WORSE, HE KNOWS THE ADULTS THINK THE SAME THING. THEY’RE JUST NOT IDIOTIC ENOUGH TO VOICE IT [ well, most of them aren’t ]. BECAUSE SERIOUSLY, HE REALLY DOES LOOK LIKE A VAMPIRE. HE SUSPECTS IT’S HIS UNNATURALLY PALE SKIN. OR MAYBE HIS EYES ARE TO BLAME. ITS WORSE AT NIGHT WHEN SOME BRILLIANT ASS THINKS IT’S FUNNY TO SHINE A LIGHT IN HIS FACE. HIS GOLDEN EYES APPARENTLY GLOW BRIGHTLY AND COUPLE THAT WITH HIS PALE WHITE SKIN, HE LOOKS LIKE SOME SORT OF SUPERNATURAL BEING. AN ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS SUPERNATURAL BEING [ because let’s face it, he’s ridiculously beautiful - and his vampire-like appearance has at least half to do with it ] BUT A SUPERNATURAL BEING NONETHELESS. SO NO HE CAN’T SPARKLE [ stupid tourists asking him stupid questions ]. GOD, WHAT RIDICULOUS ASSHOLE EVEN CAME UP WITH THE IDEA THAT BLOOD-SUCKING CREATURES SPARKLE? [ of course he knew who’s fault it all was, but he feels like being acidic about it all, so there. ] DENYING OTHERWISE WOULD BE JUST PLAIN SILLY. THE TRUTH IS, HE’S A GORGEOUS MAN WITH LOOKS THAT COULD KILL, AND HE KNOWS IT. IT IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE ONLY BENEFICIAL THING ABOUT HIS APPEARANCE. AND SURE, IT TAKES A CRAP TON OF TIME AND WORK AND MONEY TO KEEP UP HIS FANTASTIC LOOKS, BUT IT’S WELL WORTH IT. PRYING SECRETS OUT OF OTHERS IS RIDICULOUSLY EASY AND HE HAS HIS APPEARANCE TO THANK PLENTIFULLY FOR THAT. THERE’S REALLY ONLY ONE DOWNSIDE AND IT’S SUCH AN INSIGNIFICANT DOWNSIDE IT DOESN’T EVEN MATTE- OF COURSE IT MATTERS! GETTING HIT ON EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN DAY IS NOTHING MINOR! TOURISTS. TOURISTS HIT ON HIM. SHALLOW WOMEN HIT ON HIM. EVEN SLEAZY MEN HIT ON HIM. AND HE IS MOST DEFINITELY NOT GAY ( a/n: go keep telling yourself that, my lovely lyov ). IT’S LIKE HE CAN’T GO TWO METERS FROM HIS HOUSE WITHOUT BEING FLOCKED BY ENTRANCED ONLOOKERS. [ even if maybe a little tiny piece of enjoys the attention- like hell he did! ] HIS LOOKS MIGHT AS WELL BE AN ABILITY OF ITS OWN [ although he wouldn’t mind if it were his only ability ]… OKAY, SO HE MIGHT BE EXAGGERATING A TAD BIT - BUT STILL, HE MIGHT BE A GOD AMONG MEN, BUT WHY COULDN’T ANYONE EVER TAKE A HINT AND LEAVE HIM ALONE. HUMANS ARE SO STUPID.

PERSONALITY. EVER HEARD OF ‘BISHIE SPARKLES’? WELL, HE CERTAINLY KNEW NOTHING OF IT UNTIL HE FOUND HIMSELF IN THE ANIME-LOVING COUNTRY THAT IS AMERICA. HE SUSPECTS IF HE WAS IN AN ANIME, HE WOULD BE ADORNED BY THESE ‘BISHIE SPARKLES’.AND NOT JUST BECAUSE OF HIS LOOKS. HE CONSIDERED HIMSELF A GENTLEMAN OF THE HIGHEST ORDER. [ oh how ironic it was. a gentleman’s whose job is to threaten/torture idiots who managed to somehow stumble in between the mafia and its goals. it truly is quite the twist to the story. except it’s not part of a fairytale where things are all black and white. he’s a captive of reality and reality sucks. ] HE’S A CHARMING MAN WITH A KIND SMILE. HE’S THE SORT OF PERSON NO ONE EXPECTS THE MAFIA WOULD EMPLOY. IT’S BOTH TRUE AND UNTRUE. HE’S NOT THE LOST, FOREIGN CHILD HE WAS FOURTEEN YEARS AGO. BECAUSE BACK THEN HE WAS DESPERATE TO LIVE [ and angry too ]. HE VIEWED THE BOSS AS HIS SAVIOR. BACK THEN HE WAS NOT AFRAID OF HIS ABILITY. NOW, HE’S CALMER AND HATES USING HIS ABILITY. THE ONLY THING PROPELLING HIM FORWARD - KEEPING HIM FROM COMPLETELY DESERTING THE MAFIA - IS HIS FEAR OF DYING. BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW MANY YEARS PASS BY, HE STILL RETAINS HIS STRONG DESIRE TO LIVE EVEN IF HE HATES HOW GODDAMN SELFISH IT IS.

BACKGROUND.

( “HM? WHO PUT YOU IN CHARGE OF DECIDING THOSE THINGS!? WHY FOR REDEMPTION OF SCARLET SNOW ANYWAY? IT’S SUCH A MOUTHFUL.” )

( “IT’S TO COMPENSATE FOR YOUR SHORT NAME. I CAN’T EVEN FORM A CUTE NICKNAME BECAUSE IT’S SO SHORT!” )

( “THE NAME STILL DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, DON’T YOU THINK IT’S A BIT IRONIC EVEN?” )

( “NO, I THINK IT SUITS IT PERFECTLY.” )

( “HM? HOW’S THAT?” )

( “WELL… DIDN’T YOU SAY YOU WERE ABLE TO SURVIVE SO LONG BECAUSE OF IT?” )

( “WELL YEAH, BUT… DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT MY ABILITY IS?” )

IT’S NOT EASY TO IGNORE THE SCREAMING. THE SCREAMING SO LOUDLY. IT ALMOST BREAKS HIS CONCENTRATION. HIS HANDS ARE PLANTED TIGHTLY AROUND HIS HANDS AS HE TRIES SO DESPERATELY TO FORGET JUST WHO HE IS USING HIS ABILITY ON. IRONICALLY, THE ONE WHO NAMED HIS ABILITY, FOR REDEMPTION OF SCARLET SNOW. ARGH! HE’S REALLY TRYING TO FORGET BUT HE DOESN’T WANT TO, DAMMIT! BUT HE HAS NO CHOICE. THERE’S NEVER A CHOICE, HE REALIZES. THE MAFIA DOES NOT PROVIDE CHOICES. ONLY ORDERS TO FOLLOW OUT LIKE A ROBOT. AND OF COURSE, IF A MALFUNCTION OCCURS, THERE IS ONLY ONE THING TO DO: ERADICATE IT. AND AS IT WERE, THE BOY SCREAMING IN FRONT OF HIM IS HIS MALFUNCTION. THE BUG TEARING DOWN THE SYSTEM.

( “YOU REFUSE TO TELL ME! OOH, IS THIS WHERE YOU’RE GONNA ADMIT YOUR DEEPEST DARKEST SECRETS? LIKE IN THE MOVIES?” )

( “WHA- HEY! DON’T RUN AWAY- COME BACK, LYOV! YOU GOT TO ANSWER THE QUESTION!” )

( HE COULD NEVER FORGET HIS ONLY FRIEND, GRAY OWENS. )

HE IS NINETEEN.

SAMPLE WRITING. ( prompt: “on a scale from one to ten, how bad do you want to kill me right now?” - “i’m hovering somewhere in the high thirties.” – thefakeredhead, no 331 )

(OC. SHOGO MAKISHIMA, psycho path)

#Accepted #hetalia #aph #aph rp #hetalia rp

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