#united place theatre

[appareils-futiles]

A little late but I went to see Black Panther (my fave MCU movie) at United Palace Theater and it was my first time there. I was surprised at how beautiful the Theater was! After the movie there was a talk-back with Lin Manuel Miranda & Danai Gurira.

A wonderful time was had by all and as its common knowledge, Chadwick's death hit me pretty hard, it was beautiful to hear Danai talk about him and watch the entire place honour him as well.

Tumblr is ofcourse super weird, so there's more on my instagram.

Instagram.com/LeniiNero

#me myself i and yours truly #appareils-futiles #lin manuel miranda #danai gurira #black panther #marvel #chadwick boseman #wakanda forever #movies at the palace #united place theatre

[unproduciblesmackdown]

i do keep laughing at the particular in-characterness manifestation of their starting every answer with "i am illiterate,"

#another soph nothingunrealistic find & their highlighting akd's especial in character approach more so than other actors' responses #definite shoutout to albert's passion out here for shooting tf out of people. right on #supposing that scene of him seeming to help w/another character's shooting takes place in gettysburg #the premise / inspiration being that the writer learned that amongst like hundreds / over a thousand people regarded as women who were #enlisted in the civil war; there were these Five Known Ones who were in gettysburg. who naturally hadn't Only enlisted 5 min prior nor had #just so happened to all be in the same unit the whole time or anything....so although it seems like the characters will often be onstage at #the same time that's probably more so moments placed in parallel that; naturally; aren't literally in the same place or necessarily the #exact same absolute time....theatre #but since those two characters Do seem to actually be on a battlefield together & i'm sure that the gettysburg scenes are a prominent part #of the whole show....probably literally helping the other be a damn good soldier. get musketed #looked it up like did they use rifles by that point....apparently most common were. rifle-muskets. get rifled-musketed #i'll give this all the tags too: #asia kate dillon #good men wanted #albert cashier

[mightyflamethrower]

15 Facts About E. Jean Carroll’s Allegations Against Trump the Media Don’t Want You to Know

1.  Bergdorf Goodman has no surveillance video of the alleged incident.

2.  There are zero witnesses to the alleged sexual attack.

3.  Carroll first came forward — conveniently — with the allegations while promoting her book What Do We Need Men For? in 2019, which featured a list of “The Most Hideous Men of My Life.”

4.  Carroll was unable to remember when this alleged attack even occurred. She told her lawyer in 2023, “This question, the when, the when, the date, has been something I’ve [been] constantly trying to pin down.” She has jumped years — originally beginning with 1994, then moving to 1995, and even floating to 1996. She cannot remember the season in which the alleged attack occurred either.

5.  The Donna Karan blazer dress she claims to have worn during the alleged incident was not even available at the time of her claims. Trump Attorney Boris Epshteyn told reporters, “She said, ‘This is the dress I wore in 1994.’ They went back, they checked. The dress wasn’t even made in 1994.”

“And that’s why the date’s moved around. This is the 80s. Is it the 90s? Is it the 2000s? President Trump has consistently stated that he was falsely accused, and he has the right to defend himself,” he added.

6.  She never came forward with these allegations over the years despite constantly being open about sexuality, posting things that were very sexual in nature on social media — many of which Trump has shared. They include remarks such as “How do you know your ‘unwanted sexual advance’ is unwanted, until you advance it?” and “Sex Tip I Learned From My Dog: When in heat, chase the male until he collapses with exhaustion … then jump him!”

7.  She said she was never raped, telling the New York Times’ podcast, The Daily,“Every woman gets to choose her word. Every woman gets to choose how she describes it. This is my way of saying it. This is my word. My word is ‘fight.’ My word is not the ‘victim’ word. I have not — I have not been raped,” she continued. “I have — something has not been done to me. I fought. That’s the thing.”

8.  She named her cat “Vagina.” “Her dog, or her cat, was named ‘Vagina.’ The judge wouldn’t allow us to put that in — all of these things — but with her, they could put in anything: Access Hollywood,” Trump told CNN.

9.  Joe Tacopina, an attorney for Trump, pointed out in May 2023 that Carroll’s entire story has incredible similarities to a 2012 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In that episode, titled “Theatre and Tricks,” an individual talks about a rape fantasy in Bergdorf Goodman — the same department store where Carroll claims the incident took place.

10.  Speaking of shows, Carroll loved Trump’s show The Apprentice.

“I was a big fan of the show. Very impressed by it,” Carroll said on the witness stand, adding that she “had never seen such a witty competition on TV, and it was about something worthwhile, competing.”

11.  Carroll made a joke associating sex with Bergdorf Goodman in a November 1993 edition of Elle, which was before the alleged Trump attack took place. As Breitbart News detailed:

Carroll was responding to a letter from a female reader concerned that she was having trouble achieving orgasm through sexual intercourse alone while the reader said that she could climax through foreplay. “Is there any way I could learn to reach orgasm through sex?” asked the reader in the November 1993 edition. “Maybe books I could read?” Carroll replied with the following advice (emphasis added): Dear Snowed Under: Stop flagellating yourself. Gadzooks! At least you have orgasms. And if that isn’t spontaneous sex I don’t know what is. Most women (about 70 percent) experience difficulties climaxing through intercourse alone. So you’re perfectly normal. Begin by reading For Yourself by Dr. Lonnie Barbach. She’ll give you excellent instructions on how to have an orgasm during intercourse. Then after 313 queenhell love-wiggles, move on to Gretta Garbo’s favorite love position – the top. (In erotic scenes, Garbo is always above the man. So are Sharon Stone, Bette Midler and Katherine Hepburn). Indeed, this location works better for women than the fourth floor of Bergdorf’s.

12.  Carroll is financially backed by anti-Trump Democrat megadonor Reid Hoffman, who has openly admitted to visiting convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private island.

13.  Democrat party activists back her as well, as Breitbart News detailed:

Indeed, one of Carroll’s attorneys is Roberta Kaplan — a Democrat Party activist who led the group Time’s Up. She left the activist group after it was revealed she was aiding former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in attempting to discredit the Democrat’s accusers. It served as a great irony as Time’s Up seeks to defend women from what it claims is discrimination and harassment. This fact has led to mounting speculation that Kaplan only gets involved in cases that she views as politically expedient. Further, Federal District Judge Lewis Kaplan is overseeing the process and has connections to Carroll’s other attorney, Shawn Crowley. She was actually a law clerk for Judge Kaplan, and he officiated her wedding. That aside, Trump has denied knowing the left-wing activist as the only evidence of any contact is a single picture with Carroll greeting Trump and his ex-wife Ivana at an event greeting line over 35 years ago. Carroll has yet to provide solid evidence of this alleged encounter and will not use the dress that she claims had DNA on it from this alleged incident. Even Trump publicly said the dress should be part of the case. Further, there are no eyewitnesses of this alleged incident, which supposedly occurred at the popular New York City department store.

14.  The lawsuit was only able to proceed after Democrats created the Adult Survivors Act in 2022. She conveniently pursued this suit in November following the law going into effect, which allowed her to avoid the statute of limitations for this case.

15.  Carroll once said, “Most people think of rape as sexy.”

Donald Trump Jr. also retweeted a list of facts about Carroll, urging others to take a look:

- She couldn't recall the date, month, season, or year the incident happened -

She never told anyone about it, despite being publicly obsessed with her own sexuality -

The dress she claims to have been wearing didn't exist at the time -

Her description of the dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman was inaccurate, making her sequence of events impossible -

Her lawsuit was bankrolled by Jeffrey Epstein pal and Democrat (and Nikki Haley) mega-donor Reid Hoffman -

Democrats created a law (The Adult Survivors Act in 2022) to enable her lawsuit to proceed - Her accusation is the exact plotline of an episode of Law & Order (one of her "favorite shows") -

Trump's Apprentice was also one of her favorite shows -

She has a history of falsely accusing men of r*pe, including Les Moonves - She told Anderson Cooper, "most people think of r*pe as being sexy. Think of the fantasies." -

She made a career promoting promiscuity, even writing glowingly of sexual assault and naming her cat Vagina

We owe Stalin and Hitler a huge apology. We are ever so bad as they ever were. This isn't Justice. Its punishment for for disobeying the deep state elites.

[the-offside-rule]

Mason Mount (Manchester United) - Theatre of Dreams

Requested: yes

Prompt: 10) Baby's first game

Warnings: none

The sun hung low in the sky as Mason, his wife Y/n, and their son Joshua approached the iconic Old Trafford stadium for Joshua's first ever football match. Excitement buzzed in the air, and little Joshua, donned in a mini version of his dad's jersey, couldn't contain his giggles. "Daddy, are we going to see you play?" Joshua asked, his eyes wide with anticipation. Mason chuckled, holding onto his son's tiny hands, carefully leading him into the stadium. "Yes we are, bossman." He replied, lifting him up as he spotted the few reporters and photographers, not wanting to reveal his son, nevermind startle him. Whilst everyone knew the couple had a child, they didn't know what he looked like or anything about him. "Can you score? You haven't scored in ages." Mason looked over to Y/n who attempted to hide a grin. "Yeah, I'll try."

Mason showed Y/n and Joshua up to the box where most of the WAGs stayed, telling them about where everything is and how to leave after the final whistle blew. "So I'll wait for you in the car park?" Y/n asked. Mason nodded. "Yeah, just-" He was cut from his wrds as he felt a small tug at his trousers. The couple looked down to see Joshua pointing out the window. "Daddy, it's so big!" Joshua exclaimed, his voice filled with awe. Mason grinned, sharing a look with Y/n and once again lifting Joshua up. "Yep, it's one of the biggest stadiums, buddy. You're going to have a great time." Mason placed a gentle kiss onto his son's cheek. "Now, you sit with Mummy and I'll see you after the game, yeah?" He suggested, handing him over to Y/n.

"Bye, Daddy!" Joshua smiled, pulling at his mother's jacket. "Oh, before I leave-" He paused and reached for a black Manchester United bag, pulling out a small box and handing it to Joshua. "I got you a quick pressie." Joshua examined the box carefully before pulling the lid off and being confronted with a bright red jersey. He lifted it and looked at the back, his father's number staring back. "What do you think?" Mason asked gently. "It's not blue." Joshua replied. Mason couldn't help but feel his heart drop a little bit, the thought of his son not supporting him lingering in the back of his mind. "But red is my favourite."

Mason beamed with joy and ruffled his hair. "Good man." He grinned. "I'll see you after the game." He stood up and leaned over to Y/n. "Love you." He whispered. "Love you too."

As the players took to the pitch, Y/n and Joshua cheered with unbridled enthusiasm, their voices merging with the chorus of supporters around them. "I see daddy!" Joshua exclaimed, clapping his hands. "No, baby. Daddy is number 7, not 19." She explained calmly. "Oh. Okay." He searched the pitch again before turning back to his Mum. "What number is 7 again?"

As Mason walked back to the car, he smiled gently upon seeing Y/n leaning against the car. "Missed you." He said with a tender smile, grateful for her unwavering support. She giggled as he practically fell into her arms. "Ot has been 2 hours." He shrugged. "I dom't care. Couldn't wait to get off the pitch for once." He said, pulling away and looking behind her. "Was he okay?" He asked, referring to Joshua who was asleep. "He was fine. He's just a bit sleepy now." Mason nodded. "We should get home and get him to bed."

As the couple reached home, they stopped in silence for a moment. "This is mad, you know." Mason arched a brow. "I mean, I remember my first match as your girlfriend and now we have our son coming with us. That's all I mean." Mason smiled sleepily. "It is mad when you put it that way." Mason undid his seatbelt and hopped out of the car. "Would you mind bringing in my kitbag and I'll bring Joshua to bed?" Y/n agreed before grabbing his bag and heading inside.

With tender care, Mason unbuckled Joshua's seatbelt, his movements slow and deliberate so as not to disturb the tranquility of sleep. He marveled at the innocence that radiated from his son's peaceful countenance, a sight that never failed to fill his heart with a sense of warmth and pride. Gently cradling Joshua in his arms, Mason stepped out of the car, the cool night air washing over him like a soothing balm. As Mason made his way towards the house, his footsteps were soft and deliberate, each one a testament to the love that guided his every move. He savored the weight of Joshua in his arms, the bond between them forged in the quiet moments of tenderness and affection.

Mason kicked off his shoes upon reaching the front door. He loved home. The warmth of the house enveloped them like a comforting embrace and each step on the soft carpet adding to the comfort. Mason tiptoed up the stairs, his movements fluid and effortless as he navigated the familiar terrain of their home.

Mason opened the nursery door, hushing Joshua as he stirred in his sleep. Mason gently laid his sleeping son down in his crib, tucking the blankets around him with infinite care. He lingered for a moment, his gaze lingering on Joshua's innocent face. "You doing alright?" He turned to see Y/n leaning by the door. "Just fine. I'll be right back to you in a minute and we can go watch a film or something." He replied. "Or try for baby number 2." He almost jumped at the suggestion. "Do you mean it?" Y/n chuckled softly at her husband's reaction. "Maybe. Don't leave me waiting too long." She said before heading away downstairs.

"Goodnight, Joshua." Mason said as he brushed a gentle kiss against Joshua's forehead. With a final glance, Mason tiptoed out of the room, the door closing softly behind him, and for his son to sleep after spending his evening in the Theatre of Dreams.

#football #football imagines #football blurbs #mason mount x oc #mason mount x you #mason mount x reader #mason mount x y/n #mason mount imagines #mason mount imagine #mason mount blurb #mason mount fic #mason mount fanfic #mason mount fanfiction #mason mount

[ranna-alga]

I admittedly got into RDR2 five years late and I remember being confused seeing older comments of fans completely dogpiling on Mary Linton (née Gillis - a character who I interpreted much differently than these users did), but assumed maybe people would have grown up a bit since then and understand Mary better. Unfortunately, I still see so many people completely misunderstand and shit on Mary's character and I want to talk about it (this meta will be my opinion AND biased as a Mary defender, but idc)

I cannot stand it when people, particularly male fans, call Mary "manipulative" or someone who just "uses Arthur when it's convenient to her" because that just isn't true, and it really shows that a lot of the people who just trash on her have no idea what they are actually talking about.

Labelling her as someone who uses Arthur just for her own personal conveniences makes no sense when you consider the fact that so many other characters, including members of the Van der Linde gang, have also asked Arthur to do things for them, including requests that are much worse than anything Mary could have asked for (you know, like Strauss for example?). Not only that, but if Arthur rejects Mary's help, she doesn't get angry - if anything, she understands why he may be reluctant to help her. If Mary truly only wanted to use Arthur, she wouldn't have shown how grateful she was for his help and how much she truly did miss spending time with him by asking him out on a date to the theatre.

And to those who criticise her for not being able to leave her family sooner: do you... not remember the time period this story is set in? All of RDR2 (1899 - 1907) takes place before women got electoral equality with men (1928) and during the main story's time, women were very much under the control of their husbands - or their fathers if they were not married. A big reason as to why Arthur wasn't able to marry Mary in the first place when they were courting each other was because her father didn't approve of his outlaw lifestyle (also, I am unsure if Mary ever alluded to her marriage with Barry Linton being an arranged one, but I lowkey got that impression - perhaps her father wanted to severe the relationship between Mary and Arthur completely by arranging a marriage for her with another man who was also from a seemingly middle-class background/very much not an outlaw and ensure the relationship between her and Arthur would end).

Even if she had more of her own autonomy, we must remember that Mary is part of an abusive family unit. She often tries to excuse her father's terrible actions even though she knows how awful of a man he has become over the years. She is isolated and is hopping from one temporary shelter to another (Valentine, Saint Denis, etc) - she is a widow, she cannot depend on her father obviously, she cannot depend on her mother since she died, nor could she depend on her brother Jamie since perhaps she thought that she was meant to be the source of dependency as the older sibling. Mary said it herself in her goodbye letter (if Arthur rejects to help her) that she truly had no one else to turn to. Arthur was literally the only other person she could ask help from and even then, it seemed like a last resort after not interacting with each other for many years before her first mission and her being apologetic for taking up his time.

Mary holds a lot of regret and remorse for how things ended and it is clear she still thinks about what could have been between her and Arthur. When she fully accepts that she doesn't want to continue living such a miserable life because of her family, she makes a big leap in suggesting she and Arthur run away together, a parallel to Arthur's proposal years before, showing that she has grown and no longer wants to accept a life she feels trapped in.

People who criticise Mary for not being able to leave her family + the life she has always known behind should also consider how Arthur is the exact same. He is as much of a victim of this unfair circumstance as Mary is, but we have seen how he couldn't leave the gang life behind. It was what he died for, after all. He failed to meet the promise he made to Mary that he would run away with her after getting some money and ensuring the gang members' safety - which technically isn't his fault since this was pre-Guarma, but Mary couldn't have known about that. To her, he kept making promises he couldn't keep/getting dragged into violent crime life and she couldn't bear to continue having false hope anymore.

It's a shame that Mary has been given such a bad rap by certain fans who have mischaracterised her. Her story is a sad one and so is her love story with Arthur. I will always love and defend Mary (+ the other main female characters of RDR2) and I truly wonder how different her and Arthur's lives would have been if they managed to run away and get married (TB ideally excluded) and how happy they would have been.

#ranna word dumping #i love them #in my head arthur never got tb and he ran away with mary #they live happily together #they make me so sad #arthur oh arthur!! :( #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption #rdr #arthur morgan #rdr2 arthur morgan #arthur morgan rdr2 #rdr2 mary linton #mary linton #mary gillis #john marston #abigail roberts #dutch van der linde #hosea matthews #meta #rdr2 meta #meta post #infodump #info dumping #hot take

[allophonicmess]

Past's Lilac Haze

Chapter 1

Masterlist

You only wanted to help you niece with her theatre project. And it got you and your Timelord husband involved in an alien attack on one of London's most famous theatres.

So much for his retirement plans.

14th Doctor x Timelord!Wife! Reader

"Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue,

Of colour like the red rose on triumphant brier,

Most brisky juvenal and eke most lovely Jew,

As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire.

I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb."

You read with your best olden accent and high-pitched tone, imitating a squeaky girl's voice as the play asks you to. No reaction. You looked up from your script, expecting Rose to, in turn, answer with her line.

"Ninny's tomb." You repeated, nodding expectantly towards the crumpled printout in her hands. It was covered in annotations and highlighting, making it somewhat hard to read the actual text.

"You have to correct me now. Because I said Ninny's tomb." You explained, moving onto your knees to lean over and point her to the correct line. But she just stared at the text, trying to figure out what to do.

"Uh, but why do I need to correct you?" She suddenly started flipping through the pages, trying to find some context that seemed to be missing. She sighed, shaking her head in frustration.

"You need to correct me. Flute says it wrong. It needs to be Ninus tomb." You explained, showing her your own less annotated but aged copy. 

"But you just said that! Ninus tomb-"She felt irritated. It was a mistake to even enter the theatre club. She wasn't made for the stage, as learning text was way too hard. And she knew her acting wasn't much better; her mum noticed it too, cringing during the open rehearsals but always pretending to love it.

"No, that's the joke. Flute says Ninny's tomb so that Quince can correct him- "You stopped, setting down your text." We'll take a break. I can see that you are losing concentration." 

You got up, placing your booklet on the wooden coffee table that sat in front of the red satin two-seater. Rose had asked you to help her with her theatre role, much to the dismay of the Doctor (who bragged that he once was a Shakespearean actor, but Rose didn't care too much). So you offered her the chance to choose your study environment from any place she could think of. But instead of using the room emulator, she decided the Tardis library, which now came in a gorgeous dark wood and deep red satin theme, was the perfect environment. And you had to agree; It was a great choice.

"I'm going to get us some drinks, and then we can continue. You want tea or hot chocolate?" you asked, gently rubbing her shoulder. You loved your new role as her magic alien auntie, or so she coined the term. 

"Go back to your texts? I thought you two were done." The Doctor called as he entered the room. He had taken the day to set some things with Unit. They called in multiple crisis meetings to ensure that another incident like the Toymaker would not be possible. He hated the politics of it. So boring. But he saw the action plan as a positive initiative to prevent further harm to Earth or its citizens, so it was worth the effort. 

He confidently walked over to you, catching you by the waist to pull you into a hug. He hugged a lot. It was as if his body felt the need to compensate for the hug-free dry stretch during number 12. Not that you minded; his clinginess was somewhat cute.

"There is no need to get back to the text. I'll just text my theatre teacher and tell her I quit." Rose sighed, dropping her script next to your booklet on the table and sinking into her seat.

"No, you can't!" The Doctor whined, but he quickly whispered into your ear. "She that bad?" He cringed, hoping that Donna had been exaggerating. 

You rolled your eyes, thinking of a good answer. "Not bad, just… slow of study." You laughed softly at your own joke. But you quickly regretted it when you saw that twinkle in the Doctor's eyes. He had caught on. Oh no.

"Slow of study, you say?" He spoke with a booming theatre voice. 

"Oh no, please." You shook your head at him, hoping to make him stop. But it wasn't any good as, with starting his fourteenth life cycle, he had reached his Dad-joke era.

"Please don't" You pleaded softly.

"Have you the lion's part written?" He continued, moving away from you to kneel down at the side of the sofa. He was going all in, hiding behind the sofa's armrest only to slowly come up behind it. He looked at Rose with a playful expression, which shifted into a mix of shyness and embarrassment. The young woman tried to look away, to keep the frown on her face. But she couldn't fight the smile that spread over her face caused by the Doctor's shenanigans.

"Pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am slow of study" he asked in a pinched voice. He stayed low, looking between Rose and the texts on the table.

A moment of silence as the Doctor stayed true to his role, and Rose's attitude began to crumble. You watched with a smile on your face. You believed him about having been a Shakespearean actor. He had talent.

"You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring," Rose answered in a small voice. She crossed her arms, trying to appear uninterested as the Doctor began to cheer.

 "Ha! See, you do know the text!" He laughed, quickly getting up and moving around the sofa to stand behind it. He laughed, shaking Rose by her scrunched-up shoulders. She tried very hard to keep quiet but stood no chance against the Doctor's infectious laughter.

"You will give the best Peter Quince performance there ever was. I just know it!" He turned, looking at your reaction. But you simply stood in the doorway, grinning softly at him. 

You loved to see him at ease in his new life; just see him be happy. 

He loved to make you happy; be the cause of that radiant smile. 

"Okay, then. You help her study since you seem to know the text by heart." You crossed your arms in a challenging manner. 

"I'll go get some drinks." You turned into the hallway to get to the kitchen, but Rose stopped you, calling your name.

"It would be really helpful to go and see a performance, no? For uhh... Artistic inspiration." She suggested but continued before you had the chance to comment. "And I don't mean the recordings. They are nice, sure, but-" 

"It's not the same as live theatre." The Doctor continued, nodding in agreement. He had settled down on the other seat next to his niece, casually leaning back, arms crossed over his chest and nodding slowly. 

"Exactly!" Rose swiftly turned around in her seat, looking at you with expectation. She knew that she didn't need to persuade the Doctor. He was ready and excited for any type of trip despite his retirement. You were the one she needed to convince.

"No." You stated simply. "We can go to the theatre like regular people. You know, take the bus, pay for tickets and so on. But we are not travelling." You shook your head. The term holds a much more significant meaning to the three of you than to the ordinary person. But Rose was all too aware that she had the two of you wrapped around her finger.

"Oh, c'mon! We don't have to travel far. It was on at the Globe this summer. What's a few months, eh?" The Doctor argued, his legs now kicked up onto the table.

You huffed a laugh. "Just a few months? Funny coming from the man that is still having difficulties with precision landing." 

"Oh, no, not this again." He sighed, "I land where I need to go; the Tardis works in mysterious ways. It knows when I need to be off by a few days… or years…" 

Right. You felt no need to comment on what could only be a joke. 

"Besides, I spent the last years always on the go. Been able to practice a lot, you know? I mean, compared to you-"

 "We don't talk about that now." You warned him gently yet firmly. 

He turned around to face you, genuinely sorry about bringing the topic up. 

"Talk about what?" Rose picked up on the tense situation. This was precisely what you tried to avoid. 

"I'll explain it to you eventually, but not now. It's a bit touchy." You told her, hopefully stopping her from asking any further. And she understood, nodding with empathy and then turning back to her text, thinking that any talk about travelling was over.

 For a moment, the library got very quiet. Only the soft cracking of wood and the rustlings of paper could be heard.

You were going to be strict, just once. Only this one time.

…

…

…

To hell with it.

You sighed deeply: "I love the Globe, I really do. But this year's version wasn't any good." 

Your comment made Rose set down her notes and turn in your direction slowly. She was about to activate her puppy-dog look, but you already gave in.

"1598-"You couldn't finish your sentence in time as she had already gotten up to wrap you up in a big hug.

 "But! My rules." You hugged her with a soft smile. The Doctor watched you two with amusement.

"We go there, we watch the play, and we leave. No prancing around and no adventuring." 

Rose let go of you, nodding very quickly and waiting for further instructions. You huffed a laugh at her giddy expression, nodding towards the hallway to notion her to get to the console room.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She called, running towards the console room. 

The Doctor also got up, watching after and chucking softly at her. "She is making you go soft." He noted, pushing up the sleeves of his dress shirt. "Soon she will be unstoppable, spoilt rotten and hijacking the Tardis", He joked, moving in slow, languid steps towards you. You were still leaning against the wall by the door.

"Nah, not on my watch." You pushed yourself off the wall to exit the room. But the Doctor quickly caught your wrist, holding it gently. He looked at you apologetically.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up. That wasn't appropriate nor funny." He looked at you sadly, trying to let you feel his honesty. You nodded, turning your hand in his hold to his hand. 

"It's okay. She'll have to know eventually. Keeping a tragic backstory hidden from that one? You wish." You joked, squeezing the Doctor's hand and leading him outside. He quickly moved to kiss your temple. It made you pause, taking him in momentarily and appreciating how your story had turned out.

"But- "You spoke into the moment of silence.

 He huffed a laugh: "But?... You fly?" 

You grinned, keeping yourself steady on his shoulders as you reached up to peck a kiss on his lips.

"You know it, Darling."

#doctor who #doctor who x reader #fourteenth doctor #the doctor x reader #reader insert #dw #14th doctor x reader #14th doctor #rose temple noble #dw specials #x reader #timelord!reader #timelord #dw spoilers

[oneatlatime]

The Crossroads of Destiny

Strap in folks it's finally finale time!

I'm getting a bad feeling from the 'previously on' segment.

*gasp* Song's bird horse!?!?!

Toph gets some serious speed with that earth tongue walking.

Ty Lee's flattery gets less and less subtle. I get the feeling that a lot of Azula's more worrying tendencies could have been curtailed if someone had stuck her on stage as a child.

Is Zuko taller?

The cuts between these scenes are getting ridiculous. Some of these scenes are maybe 15 seconds long.

Zuko knows what's up. He and Iroh have teamed up on that particular fire breathing party trick before.

"It's time I face Azula." Buddy. No.

"You're so dramatic." POT. KETTLE. BLACK.

The last time Iroh and the Aang Gang teamed up, it was also against Azula. She has a way of uniting enemies.

The longer I stare at this the more I giggle.

"Good inside him isn't enough. Why don't you come back when it's outside him too, ok?" Congratulations to Sokka for articulating one of the fundamental human truths. Intentions can go take a hike when all that's visible are actions.

I love that! Iroh says he brought someone along in a tone that very much implies that he asked for help from a friend! Then you go outside and see he kidnapped a dude! And then they just leave him there!

I see your fake meditation. No one as rotten inside as this guy actually meditates properly.

The Dai Li be like

Katara? Why are you ripping into Zuko? Why is Season one bitchy Katara back? I don't want season 1 bitchy Katara to come back.

"No offence." "None taken." Iroh loves his nephew, but Iroh knows his nephew.

The one time Iroh's advice is explicitly solicited is the one time his advice is corny crap. That sucks.

Ba Sing Se is a tel? That's neat.

Hey Toph? Now would be a great time for that new metal bending trick of yours.

Avatar inadvertently validating my fear of subway grates.

I know this is life or death serious and all, but isn't the Sokka and Ty Lee dynamic cute?

MOMO!

This episode's thesis statement boils down to "what happens when you cancel arts programs and theatre kids don't get a chance to monologue in controlled conditions."

Honest question: Is Azula actually so deluded to believe that Divine Right of Kings crap she just spouted, or is she saying what the Dai Li needs to hear to side with her? Usually I think everything out of Azula's mouth is a calculated statement for manipulating others, but the way the show framed that monologue makes me think she actually believes what she's saying.

This conversation between Katara and Zuko, aside from showing that Katara is as capable as Sokka at sticking her foot in her mouth, is actually showing Zuko's growth well. So many of the things that he waves away with an "it's ok" are things that would have made him explode back in season one. It's about time he redefined that scar of his too.

"Aang! I knew you'd come!" "Uncle! The fuck?" Zuko truly has a way with words.

Hey Iroh maybe save your heart to heart until after you've exited the prison?

Wait so this episode is named after Zuko's arc? It's Zuko's destiny this finale is dealing with? Poor Aang's not even the main character in his eponymous show's season finale? Dang.

What was I saying about waiting to chat until you're outside the prison?

So every word out of Azula's mouth here is definitely a lie. She doesn't need Zuko at all. She's got a whole army and already has possession of the throne. What does she need with someone she considers to be an inferior firebender?

Father's love? That guy who burns off faces? The audacity.

"You are free to choose." Is it really freedom of choice if choosing the answer Azula doesn't want to hear ends with Zuko in a crystal cage?

Gotta say I'm intrigued by how quiet Zuko's being for this whole episode. Compare it to the volume of his confrontation with Azula at the Spa place at the beginning of the season.

This is so awful. This is so skin crawly. This is so going to end badly.

Toph can turn doors into ping pong balls. I like that. And what does she need Sokka scouting for Dai Li agents for? She can sense people for miles.

I love the line read on the "I'm not leaving without Bosco!" But does this guy really think he's in a position to make demands, after all the stuff he's ruined in the last, what, two days?

This is a cool move. Full body air bitchslap.

Katara cut her hair! That's kind of like what she did to Pakku with the ice disks.

How has no one been knocked out yet? Everyone in this fight should have at least 5 concussions by now.

I don't know what to make of it, but when Zuko says "I have changed" he sounds more calm and confident than he has all season.

I love the dynamic between Sokka & Toph and Mai & Ty Lee. Everyone involved knows they're second string and no one's really that invested. So they're all kind of chill.

I don't know what's going on in this fight, but Zuko is far too talented and Katara and Aang are both going down too easily.

And this right here is why this fight is only going to end badly for Aang. As soon as Azula's tired of playing, she'll call in reinforcements. Aang doesn't have those.

I hate Azula so much, which means I'm very annoyed to say that she and Zuko actually make a good fighting team. Did they practice drills together or something back in the day? They way they tag out and back in, and exchange fights, flows so well.

Jesus

Crap ok

She nerfed him in the power up sequence! That's not allowed!

So help me god if the writers hook these two up after pulling this crap I will riot.

Iroh could have been helpful if he'd been there earlier. Guess it takes a while to break out of crystals. Although I do like the detail that he stops fighting as soon as Aang and Katara are out & safe.

I was wondering why the magic water was randomly brought up earlier after disappearing for the entire season. I figured it had been lost in the desert with the rest of the stuff on Appa's saddle.

I'm so sorry, but the way Aang's arrow flashes once to confirm that Katara's saved him makes him look like an external USB device confirming successful connection.

I'm loving how immediate the regret from Zuko is. Proof that he has learned over the last two seasons.

"The Earth Kingdom... has fallen." AND WHOSE FAULT IS THAT? This King rubs me the wrong way. Consistently.

I'm fascinated by the fact that they managed to securely transport a bear on Appa's back.

Final Thoughts

Poor Aang has been demoted to secondary character in his own show. This finale was all Fire Nation.

Well done Azula. No matter which way you look at it, she won. If Azula was the main character, this episode would be the crowning glory series finale.

Sokka and Toph spent the whole episode running around putting out fires, only for five more to spring up in their place. I honestly don't know how they and Appa reconnected with the rest of the Gaang to fly out at the end. There's this feeling the whole episode of being consistently one too many steps behind, and I think it's most obvious in their incessant side quests.

Poor Katara went through about seventy billion emotions this episode. I take back my anger at her bitchiness. She deserved a vent session, although I don't think Zuko quite deserved to be the recipient of it. But he took it well.

Congratulations to Zuko for falling backwards into the only right choice for all the wrong reasons. This episode was only going to end with Azula victorious. She recruited an army and successfully executed a coup without breaking a sweat - that is not a level of enemy that Aang and friends has ever faced before, and not one they can realistically win against. Like with Long Feng, this is not a threat you can hit. You can't bend at ideologies and loyalties.

Zuko was going to end this episode siding with the Fire Nation as a free man, or in Fire Nation custody. This way, someone with an actual semi-functioning conscience now has access to the upper levels of the Fire Nation. This could be really interesting.

To be clear, I fully believe that Zuko chose to side with Azula because he swallowed her offer hook, line & sinker. For the guy who invented "Azula always lies" he sure does fall for her lies a lot, especially when she's saying exactly what he wants to hear. I believe Zuko believed her about getting his honour back bla bla bla, chose to follow her because of that belief, and has already realised at least some of what she said was lies by the end of the episode. Which is promising! It looks like there's potential for a Zuko mole next season!

I'm worried for Iroh. Firelords who burn their children's faces off with no shame don't strike me as the type to shy away from executing their brothers.

The Aang fakeout death at the end was not remotely believable unfortunately, mostly because kids' cartoons don't ever pull a Psycho and kill the nominal main character half way through. It probably would have freaked me out if I'd seen this episode as a kid though.

Azula hitting Aang during his power up sequence was inspired. A very well done subversion of expectations, which finally validates my frustrations with the concept of power up sequences in general. Few things bug me more than the mooks politely waiting their turn while the good guy does a quick wardrobe change.

So... is the war over? The Earth Kingdom's fallen, the Southern Water Tribe have been functionally out of the game for a while now. There's only the Northern Water Tribe left, which are only still standing because of a Hail Mary that I very much doubt Aang can pull off twice. So is next season's focus going to be defending the Northern Water Tribe from a final Fire Nation push? I think that's the only place that isn't conquered by the Fire Nation in name at least. On the bright side, this means the Gaang won't be returning to Ba Sing Se. Good riddance. I hate that place.

I've never seen a show with a finale that focuses so intensely on the conflict of someone other than the main character. I don't really know what to make of this episode. I think I liked the one before it better. To be clear, everything that happened made sense - characters were in character, events unfolded as expected (if you handwave an elite force of earthbenders preferring a 14 year old over their seasoned leader), but something about this episode is just a bit boring to me. Maybe they telegraphed it too hard in the previous episodes? I don't know. I'll have to chew on this one a bit.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #the crossroads of destiny #a resounding meh

[lackadaisicallizard]

Monologues

James didn’t choose to do Drama.

He got put into it because he missed the deadline for subject selection and so he basically treats it as an excuse to muck around and mess with the props he’s been told time and time again to leave alone.

So actually, he spends a large majority of his time not in Drama class, but standing outside it because “if you aren’t going to respect the space then you won’t be in it.”

James doesn’t see the problem in his actions. What’s the point in doing Drama if he can’t have any fun?

That question results in a stern glare from his teacher. Apparently James’ commitment to the character born from the clown mask he found in the costume cupboard ‘wasn’t appropriate for their unit on post-war German theatre’ and had ‘ruined the entire exercise’.

The lesson following that one starts with a serious talk from his teacher about being on his best behaviour because they are being joined by the Drama class from the year below for a workshop with an industry professional and it is not an excuse for him to ‘act the clown’.

“I thought you liked my performance yesterday, Miss.”

“Do you want to spend the lesson in the front office?”

“Not particularly.”

“Then pack it in.”

And while he tells his teacher that he will sit quietly and pay attention, not one person in the room believes him, including James himself. He is not at all invested in the workshop because he is not at all invested in the subject.

“Is anyone feeling brave enough to have a go at the monologue we just broke down?” The guy running the workshop asks about twenty minutes in. James is on his third and final warning.

“No.” James knows who his teacher’s comment is directed at even without her having to look at him. He settles back down in his chair with a huff.

There’s silence from the room as they wait for an alternative volunteer. Eventually a voice speaks up. “I’ll do it.”

James watches as a figure stands up and makes his way to the front.

Regulus Black.

He had no idea that Sirius’ brother was in this class, had no idea that he had any interest in Drama, even, and James doesn’t at all know what to expect from the boy who was similar and yet vastly different from his best friend.

And then he begins.

“That day we walked right through town. Past the donut shop, past the miniature gold course, past the Chevron station. And he opened the bottle up and offered it to me.”

And James watches.

Oh, he watches.

“We walked until we drank the whole thing dry. And we never said a word the whole time.”

Regulus doesn’t rush the words. He takes his time, like he knows every person in that room will hang on to every single one.

He’s right.

“We walked right up to the front porch and he rang the bell and I remember getting real nervous because I wasn’t expecting to visit anybody.”

His tone is natural and his facial expressions soft. James’ mind captures each one as he talks, Regulus’ eyes flickering from one person to the next, like he’s having a conversation.

It’s beautiful. He’s beautiful.

“And then through the doorway, behind them both, I see this girl.”

His eyes still. They happen to be on James. James is fairly sure this is the longest he’s ever gone without talking. His teacher must be very suspicious.

Regulus pauses. “She just appears. She’s just standing there, staring at me and we can’t take our eyes off each other.”

James knows the feeling.

“It was like we knew each other from somewhere but we couldn’t place where. But the second we saw each other, that very second, we knew we’d never stop being in love.”

The final word falls into the silence of the room. A pin drop could be heard.

And just like that James is invested in Drama. He finally sees the purpose.

It’s for moments like this.

And for the moment that he fell in love.

#marauders #james potter #jegulus #regulus black #I’m really in my theatre era #James would be a pain to have in class #regulus would slay dramatic monologues #the play it’s from is fools for love by sam shepard

[otomefiend]

Story Event: Dark (What) If ~ Who are you in this twisted fairytale world? ~

Prologue

Kate is a very dutiful girl. Isekai'd into into a twisted reality, and all she thinks about is doing her job. 😂🤧

~~~

London, the glittering and prosperous capital of the United Kingdom under the reign of Her Majesty the Queen Victoria.

I was an ordinary citizen working to deliver mail in this city.

As such, I struggled to support my favourite past-time, a theatre, and afford tickets to plays I wanted to see.

(All right, all deliveries are done for today)

(A little more, and I can finally buy tickets for the next show...)

Kate: "I'm back."

Director: "Kate! Just when I need you... or maybe not, the streets are too dangerous at night..."

Kate: "What's going on?"

Director: "Well, there's an opening for nighttime deliveries, with us being short-staffed and all."

(That's it!)

Kate: "Please, allow me to take them."

~~~

After accepting the task, I found myself walking through the dimly lit residential areas.

(All that's left to do is delivering a letter to the bookshop manager)

(Oh, 'Kingsley Books'... here it is!)

Kate: "Excuse me, I'm working for the post office. I'm looking for the manager..."

(There's no one here. I guess I'll have to come back tomorrow... huh, what a place 👀)

I picked up a book that casually landed at my feet.

As if drawn to it, I opened the untitled tome.

Kate: "Gah...!"

The sudden gust of wind, then a blinding light enveloped me...

~~~

Beautiful longhaired man: "Welcome to the twisted fairytale world..."

Beautiful longhaired man: "A visitor... how marvellous!"

Ahead of me, a beautiful, long-haired figure awaited.

Kate: "...I was at the bookstore just now... and then..."

I had no idea where I was, nor who was the person in front of me.

All I knew was that this was not the bookshop I stepped into, and I still had work left to do.

Kate: "Umm, I'm in the middle of a delivery, so I'd like to go back to 'Kingsley Books' if possible."

Beautiful longhaired man: "That might be a smidge difficult."

Kate: "Eh?"

Beautiful longhaired man: "More precisely, I have no clue how to send you back."

The man, who introduced himself as Victor, smiled and proceeded with an explanation, trying to soothe my confused mind.

It transpired that the place I found myself in existed between two worlds, the world of the living and the fairytale world.

Kate: "......a fairytale world?"

Victor: "You must have been led here by the untitled tome. Don't you remember?"

Kate: "Indeed I was. Does this mean I got lost in a book?"

Victor: "That's right. You're a smart girl, quick on the uptake."

(I never thought that the adaptability I developed working for the post would be put to use in a place like this)

Kate: "But you... Victor, you mentioned earlier a 'twisted fairytale world'."

Victor: "Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty..."

Victor: "Most fairy tales in the world have a fixed plot and normally lead to a happy ending."*

Victor: "However, the fairy tale world is currently in a state where the plot of the story has gone awry, chaos has reached its peak, and the endings are far from happy."

Kate: "...... How is that possible?"

Victor: "That's because... each fairytale is missing something."

Kate: "Missing something... What might it be?"

Victor: "I don't know that either."

Victor: "I suspect you've been brought here to find out."

(......... huh, then)

Kate: "When the missing piece is found, the distortion of the fairy tale world should be fixed, and the story will lead to a happy ending."

Kate: "My job in here will be done..."

Victor: "And you might be able to go back to your world, to reality."

(If that's my only chance, I might as well try)

(I'll find what's missing in this twisted fairytale world and correct the distortion. Then lead it to a happy ending with my own hands)

I was going to go back to my world and continue my delivery.

As I made up my mind, I could hear bells ringing in the distance.

Victor: "Ah, looks like it's time to wake up."

Victor: "Kate, reaching the best ending is now in your hands."

Victor: "...... come, let's send you to the twisted fairytale world."

~~~

*lies 😏 Original (pre disney) fairytales are anything but. Common folk loved dark stuff.

#ikemen villains #ikevil #ikevil story event #prologue #fan translation

[zeldasnotes]

THE FIRST CHILD ACTRESS: Shirley Temple

Birth Chart Analysis🧸

WHO IS SHIRLEY TEMPLE? Shirley Temple was born in April 1928 and is said to be the first big child actress. She appeared in 29 films from the ages of 3 to 10. She later wrote book on her experienced called Child Star: An Autobiography. In a lot of her movies she could be seen doing scenes surrounded by a lot of men. She was totally exploited by Hollywood. One of her first movies was even called ”Baby Burlesks”. When she reached her teenage years she endured a lot of abuse from big names in Hollywood and was outcasted. She was later told that she wasnt talented anymore because she was starting to come forward and people were obviously threathened by this. She did interviews about all of this. She was made to leave the industry for good and started studying. She was later named United States ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia, and also served as Chief of Protocol of the United States.

⚠️TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of harrassment.

Ascendant at Sagittarius 5°:

The 5° is a Leo degree and Leo is the sign of theatre and drama. Her Ascendant is also in Sagittarius which makes someone naturally funny. This is said about the symbolic degree 5° Sagittarius: ”Inventive, hard-working, and selfless character endowed with exceptional intellectual capacities. Many resounding successes are achieved, and one enjoys worldwide fame in medicine, scientific research, literature, or the arts. However, owing to excessive leniency and a complete lack of interest in making money, one lets other people reap the financial rewards of one's work.” Which is true since she didnt get all the money she was supposed to get from her movies.

Saturn in the 1st house:

She had to grow up extremely early in her life. She didnt have a lot of time to play or do normal kids stuff since she had to work. Constantly being made to act in a way that was not her natural personality. She was also constantly spending time with adults, especially men and took on the behaviour of an adult.

Sun conjunct Chiron :

Wounded by men from an early age. And later suffered in a very abusive relationship with her first husband. She was met down by her father early in life because he was her manager and mismanaged her wealth by spending a lot of money on himself. Even when she was Chief of Protocol she was in a male dominant field.

Venus Square Pluto:

A Plutonian Venus is common in the charts of people who were expected to be beautiful from and early age. Its a common aspect in people who are made to compete in child beauty pageants. Too much focus on the appearance from others at an early age. She was even teached to hide when she lost her teeth which should be considered normal for a child of 5 to do. ”Temple was actually losing her primary teeth regularly through her days with Fox, for example during the sidewalk ceremony in front of Grauman's Theatre, where she took off her shoes and placed her bare feet in the cement, taking attention away from her face. ” When acting, she wore dental plates and caps to hide the gaps in her teeth. She was idealized by girls much older than her all over United States and dolls were made resembling her. These dolls became the most sold dolls during this era.

Mars at 12° Pisces:

The year she turned 12 was the year she started to say ”hell no” and started to get tired of the bullcrap in Hollywood. She was still doing movies but people said she started to ”rebel” here. Rebel is what men called it when she was starting to come forward with stuff they wanted her to keep quiet about. She also said in an interview that she remembers the age of 12 because that was the year an old male producer exposed himself to her. Since she was a child she was shocked and started laughing, and that was when she was thrown out of there.

Destinn(6583) in the 10th house:

She was destined to be in the public eye and to later in her adult life become someone of high status. Not only as the first child actress but also her adult career as Chief of Protocol. She was destined to live a life in the public eye. And Im so glad she got a good career in the end where she was in charge.

Asteroid Child(4580) conjunct Asteroid Actor(12238):

This is self explanatory. The first child actor. So ofc she would have this aspect. We can also see that asteroid actor is in a very wide conjunction to the North Node.

Talent(33154) conjunct Mars in Pisces:

Her talent was her naturally funny expression and her looks. Talent is also in the sign of Pisces that rules movies.

Thalia(23) conjunct Mars in Pisces:

Thalia is the Muse of comedy. She was said to be a comedic genius. She was naturally funny and made mostly comedy movies.

Dejanira(157) conjunct Eros(433):

Dejanira is the asteroid of abuse and victims. She was abused and sexualized in a time of her life where she was supposed to just be a child. She experienced a lot of sexual harrassment in her life. She was a victim of the sick men in Hollywood. At 4 years old she played a role that insinuated a prostitue…

Midheaven ruler conjunct Nessus(7066) and Jupiter:

The ruler of her Virgo Midheaven is Mercury, which is conjunct both Nessus and Jupiter. She was treated poorly by high status people which explains the Nessus conjunction. Jupiter expands and blesses what it touches and she was one of the biggest stars in her time. Jupiter aspecting MC ruler makes her fame huge. Jupiter also rules comedy and she was known for her comedy movies.

ASTEROIDS: 6583, 4580, 33154, 23, 157, 433, 12238, 7066

©️ 2023 Zeldas Notes

#astro notes #astrology #astro observations #astronotes #birth chart readings #sun conjunct chiron

[haggishlyhagging]

Photo source

On September 7, 1968 the public was enlightened as to the presence of a new feminist movement in the United States. The protest of the Miss America pageant, engineered by sixty New York Radical Women, was symbolic, threatening, theatrical and above all, eye-opening. Although the publication of Betty Friedan's book, The Feminine Mystique in 1963 may have suggested symptoms of female unrest and served to precipitate the foundation of N.O.W., the Miss America protest thrust an immediate, non-verbal impression of female dissent on an unsuspecting nation.

. . .

Described as a "day long boardwalk theatre event," the Miss America contest was a logical primary target because of the ideal of American womanhood that it extolled. Carol Hanisch in her "Critique of the Miss America Protest" summarized the basic intent of this first zap action:

At this point in our struggle, our actions should be aimed primarily at doing two inter-related things: (1) awakening the latent consciousness of women about their own oppression and (2) building sisterhood.

In this analysis of the Miss America protest, the two major agitational elements of the zap action emerge: (1) promulgation and (2) solidification, i.e., the media is exploited to awaken consciousness and simultaneously, to reinforce the sisterhood motif. When the N.Y. Radical Women crowned a live sheep "Miss America 1968" and deposited the trappings of traditional womanhood such as bras, girdles, false eyelashes and issues of Cosmopolitan in the Freedom Trash Can, they were noticed. Participants in this zap action were severely criticized for their use of lateral deviance (a pattern of agitation which occurs when the agitators dispute the existent value system and reject the values of the non-deviants). These agitators with their anti-women, anti-beauty stances, signs and slogans such as "Miss American Sells It" and 'Miss American Is Big Falsie" were both rejecting the social values of the establishment as well as presenting a complex, ambiguous image to the public. Vertical deviance, the other pattern of agitation, was not employed in the Miss American protest because this pattern entails the acceptance of the establishment’s value system while merely disputing the distribution of power within that system. The N.Y. Radical Women did not wish to judge the beauty pageant; they wished to undermine it.

Although the negative image projected by this first zap action and numerous future zap actions was sharply censured by less militant feminists as well as the general public, the impact of lateral deviance placed the feminist concerns in the limelight and served to educate the layperson as to the existence of women's liberation.

-Sally J. Cloninger, A Rhetorical Analysis of Feminist Agitation

#feminist history #miss America protest #american history #womens history #feminist protest #Michigan feminist studies

[sonobeunitsarecool]

Sakurai Haruka: An idea (pt. 1)

Okay, dramatic title, but this is just about the information we have that points to Haruka having spent a decent amount of time in a psych ward. ...it's more long-winded than this needs to be, my English teachers (and all my other ones) keep saying I need to be more concise. Can't be bothered. Part 1: Haruka, language, and education. Starting with the character description, we get that he initially only responds to Es's questions with "a word or two", though once he's used to being around someone he becomes "talkative". He likes to talk with the others, even saying that it's his "hobby" in his T1 Q12 response. However, "since his communication skills are poor, he is unable to hold a proper conversation".

Across the whole project, particularly in the first trial, he's hesitant to interact, but he keeps on trying. He seems to stutter a lot, many of his int. answers are written with basic kanji, same with the Japanese subtitles for Weakness and AKAA. Haruka's unused to talking unless the expectations for him are clear (a common theme for him), he's not got a lot of practice with social situations, and his behaviour is notably anxious. It's likely that, so far in his life, he hasn't actually needed any language skills more complex than that. His vocab and character recognition/writing should be better than they are, if only by necessity. It's clear that he's capable of learning the language, as he does know some kanji and his hiragana, and he's adept in using what he does know to fill in the gaps (i.e, in the VDs). ...if he went to school, which he should have, then he'd be more proficient in Japanese. I'm not sure what Haruka's approximate proficiency level is, but it's probably about junior high level (12-15 yrs old, Mu is 16 and in her first year of high school). But he's made very little mention of school in general, if any. Mu's entire MVs are in a school setting, and Yuno at least talks about it (saying she's a high school third year and mentioning theatre club). I don't think Haruka's attended high school, at least. Junior high, maybe, but definitely not high school. He says that knowing another language is "impossible", even if English is mandatory in most Japanese schools. He's not working, either (most expensive thing he's bought was candy floss), or finding education in other areas like a trade or art. He's, technically, a NEET. But he wants to talk to the others. He actively enjoys it. He's responsive. He isn't a hikikomori, really, since between talking to another of the prisoners and being on his own, he'd choose to talk.

It's a conclusion most of us have come to. The neglect and abuse of Haruka, from his mother (he considers his father to be part of his family, but he only really talks about his mother, and his father "wasn't particularly interested" in him. Probably left in his childhood). He wants to be noticed. He wants people to like him. He was jealous of the person he killed. But... why keep him from school? Because of shame (of having a neurodiverse child)? Japan finds it very important to attend school, it's a big thing. Many would find it more shameful not to go. It's not an issue of cost, Haruka's had several pets and those can be expensive to care for. Time? The drain of being a caretaker? Better to send the kid to school, get them doing lots of clubs. But what if, logistically and practically, there wasn't much point to sending Haruka to high school in the first place? If Haruka had spent a significant amount of time on an inpatient unit, then it makes sense. Especially if he has been readmitted on multiple occasions, not far apart (which would be more realistic than one long admission spanning years, I think), then he'd miss too much school to justify enrolling him. He'd miss too many classes, be too far behind, and it would overall be worse for his mental wellbeing to switch between psych care and rigorous education, instead of going between psych care and home. It does actually make sense, to focus on Haruka's mental health instead of attempting schoolwork. ...Not to say that the whole situation was handled well, ahaha no. It explains:

his apparent lack of high school education

why we see the inside of his home prominently in his MVs

why he uses Japanese that's below his expected proficiency level (he's trying to get better, and he's probably been infantilised a bit by professionals and his mother, so there was never a "need" to work on his vocab)

a good part of why Haruka's mother seemingly has never gotten into trouble in regards to her care of Haruka (because, in some ways, she's actually doing the right thing, somehow)

why Haruka doesn't quite know how to talk to people

Okay too long, going to make a part 2 later. More about the evidence pointing to a psych ward specifically, and how that puts much of his behaviour into context beyond "oh he never grew up".

#milgram #haruka sakurai #sakurai haruka #milgram theory #milgram thoughts

[shikishake]

today in "shiki finds something neat and proceeds to obsess over it for weeks or months", I started playing Project Sekai. y'know, the hatsune miku gacha game about lesbians and gays. that's what it's about, I promise.

that is, until I started fucking thinking about it more, and now I... well it's still about lesbians and gays, but also I think it's saying something about music. maybe. or maybe I'm projecting my own ideas about music onto a story, that could be it too. I did that with bandori but it was less comprehensive so I didn't post it.

so like. there's 5 units, each of 4 people, right? and they're like, entirely different groups, both in how they formed, what the dynamic is between them and what kind of music they make. leo/need is a group of childhood friends making a band, more more jump is an up and coming idol group headed by a newbie who re-ignited the passions of three retired/disillusioned veterans, vivid bad squad is a community-focused street group, wonderlandsxshowtime is a theme park musical theatre group, and nightcord at 25:00 is a group of depressed teenagers who met online coming together to make music about how depressed they are. that last one sounds negative but I don't know how else to describe it. they're my favorite though, so y'know. no hate.

but like. that's surface level stuff, obviously. and when you dig a little deeper, I think each of these units has a theme, more specifically a way to "use" music to express certain ideas.

leo/need is music as a way of connecting, and of staying connected, with the people you care about. it's a group of friends who had drifted apart, finding each other again through music. it's using music to take hold of the things that matter to you, the people you love, and keeping them tight against you. it's music as a way to stay grounded and aware of the people around you.

more more jump is music as a way of reaching for your dreams, of shooting for the stars. it's music as a way of igniting passions and inspiring hope. it's music as a goal, it's music as a goalpost to run toward, and it's music as a way to give others a reason to run with you. it's music as something that you give yourself to more and more and more.

vivid bad squad is music as community, as a way of reaching out and meeting new people, making new connections, finding new experiences, chasing new dreams. it's music as something that matters only in the moment it's made, it's music as something that doesn't need to be bought or sold, it's music as a group of people coming together to MAKE something. it's music that defines itself by the people who listen to it, not just the people who make it.

those three are kind of a trifecta of... not quite foils, but something close. they play off each other. leo/need's music as a way of staying connected with what you have vs vivid bad squads' music as a way of reaching out for something new. vivid bad squads' music as something home-grown and home-bound, something that reaches out NEAR to you, something for a community and by a community, for the people you know vs more more jump's music as something for the world, something kind of corporate but more than that something that reaches out FAR, made for the people that DON'T know you for anything except the image you put out. leo/need's passion for music as an end goal and more more jump's passion for music as a means TO an end, where leo/need strives to perform better because they want to have their music hit harder (aka for the sake of making better music) where more more jump strives to perform better because they want to reach more people.

and like. I KNOW what niigo, nightcord at 25:00, is. it's music as a way to heal, it's music as a way to preserve, it's music as a way to face the hardships of the past and keep going. it's music as life, as something that GRANTS life. it's music as a way to say "hey. life sucks. but it won't always." it's music as a way to save, as a way to find the light in a place that feels so so so dark, it's music as something that expresses the darkness, indulges in it, but at the end of the day it gives you a warm hug and says "it's dark and scary and painful, but we'll get out of here together." it's music that provides comfort specifically BY facing the dark head on.

but I struggled to figure out exactly what wonderlandsxshowtime was. there's the surface level answer, of music as a way to make people smile, but that's... like, have you read the lyrics to their commissioned songs? it's dark. the peppy tone and upbeat voices mask it well, but the things they're talking about aren't JUST about making you smile. but it's also not about masking pain WITH a smile, because they're too genuine. tsukasa, emu, rui and nene aren't hiding pain. they're not faking it. even when the stories show that they had troubles in the past or even still have troubles now, they're not a secret that has been uncovered, they're explanations and explorations of WHY they are who they are. tsukasa isn't faking his enthusiasm, his passion for acting and performing. his wish to become a star isn't FAKE, even through the loneliness of the past. emu isn't hiding some dark past, she's genuinely just like this, even during the more serious moments with her family. nene is shy, sure, but it's not like it took digging or even a lot of time for her to start being her true sassy self towards the rest. rui's lonely because him being himself scared people away, but it's not like he's NOT himself because of that. he's completely and fully his genuine self, and if people don't like that then so be it. he's the lonely alchemist, sure, but he never pretended to NOT be the alchemist.

so I struggled a little. until I realized that wxs and niigo are foils, too, in a very unexpected way.

wxs is death. it's endings. it's music as a way to acknowledge the inevitable end, and face that with a smile. it's music as the realization that everything you know, everything you love, will someday stop, and how to keep going despite that. it's music that looks at the hardships of the future and says "but even so, we'll smile". it's seeing the end of the ride coming into view but screaming and cheering even as it starts to reach the final descent. it's the merry-go-round that keeps spinning and spinning and spinning until it can't anymore, until it ALL stops.

niigo is life, the darkness surrounding you and the fire in the distance. wxs is death, fanning the flames with a smile as the dark encroaches.

niigo finds the light in the dark, wxs does its damnedest to keep hold of it.

niigo faces the massive road ahead and whispers "we haven't even started yet."

wxs approaches the end of the road and screams "we haven't even started yet".

#project sekai #proseka #leo/need #vivid bad squad #more more jump #nightcord at 25:00 #wonderlands x showtime #music #discussion #analysis? I guess? #or maybe I just spend too much time thinking about this stuff and it's not any of this #I dunno #I just live here #and by 'here' I mean constantly searching for meaning even in things that I should probably not be searching for meaning in

[madameaug]

LEAK?! || JK x OC

Pairing: Celebrity Jungkook x Non-celebrity Jennette

*note* this is not a cont of "Meet the Mod". I'm just writing ideas as they come to me (carry on :)

WC: 1.4k >

Warning: implied sexual encounter

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Jennette patted herself on her back, proud that she stepped out of her apartment in a public space with the current shit show her relationship was in. Four months ago, the couple celebrated their second anniversary. Jennette made it a habit to have more intimate plans for their anniversaries as her boyfriend was one of the most popular male celebrities in the world. Fighting the swarm of fans and paparazzi would zap any romance the couple would try to keep. However, Jungkook was adamant this year, to do something outside of his luxurious apartment. He wanted to treat his lovebug.

And with genuine intention, he wanted their anniversary to be special. Jennette fondly remembered the day. They had a couple's massage, and Jungkook rented out a movie theatre so they could watch the Blockbuster hit 'Barbie'. A movie that Jennette was really looking forward to see, since the trailer dropped on YouTube. To end the night the pair ate at a five-star Brazillian steakhouse and filled their bellies with tender, well-seasoned poultry. For dessert, they took that back to the hotel room that Jennette happened to be staying at. In the room, the couple engaged in the most passionate, face-fanning, toe-curling rounds of sex.

Jennette saw stars that night. Their bodies molded into one. Jungkook centered on Jennette's pleasure, and Jennette did the same. The day was perfect. Til it wasn't.

Jennette had to leave South Korea to return to her work obligations in the United States. Her phone delivered a heart-dropping notification as she got off her connecting flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta. One that sourced anxiety in Jennette for the next four months. The hotel they were in for their anniversary placed a hidden camera in their hotel room. The camera recorded the intimate moment shared between the couple.

Clicking on the video, Jennette realized that only her voice and moans could be picked up on the video. She wanted to dig a hole and lay there for the rest of her life. Her gasps of pleasure were not available for the public domain to laugh and critique. Words only meant for Jungkook were now, being flipped to mock her. To make matters worse the leak occurred right as Jungkook was in the middle of promoting his single 'Seven'. He couldn't fly to Atlanta to comfort and soothe his girlfriend, as he would be in legal trouble for breaking those contracts.

Leaving Jennette alone to cope with the unwanted attention. She can't lie and say that breaking up with Jungkook didn't cross her mind. But she knew that was a cowardly approach to dealing with the situation. She loved him and would only be punishing herself with a breakup. Plus, it's not like Jungkook knew about the camera; she just wanted to lean on his shoulder for support.

"Jeanie!" Jungkook rushed over to his girlfriend, engulfing her in a hug. His outfit was so casual and baggy. A white tank top with a zip-up jacket. A gold chain that Jennette bought him for his birthday laid against his skin.

"I'm so sorry baby." Jungkook kissed her lips repeatedly expressing his feelings through his affection. His hands pulled her hips towards his pelvis wanting no space between them. Jennette slipped her hand around Jungkook's lips to stop the kisses.

"We need to talk." Jennette took Jungkook into her office building. Her job working within the capitol building in Georgia meant that this was the secured building she had access to. Cameras were not allowed within a 5-mile radius of the building or in each employee's cubicle. Meaning there was total privacy.

Jungkook took a seat in the small chair across from Jennette's desk. He took note of the framed picture of the two on her desk. It was a picture from Jennette's birthday party. Since her birthday was a few days before Christmas, Jennette chose the theme of her birthday to be the North Pole. Obviously, she and Jungkook were Mrs. & Mr. Claus. Jungkook was dressed like Santa with a fake white puffy beard and a fake belly. Jennette looked like Mrs.Claus. She wore a velvet red down with white cuffs. In the photo, Jennette and Jungkook are biting into a shared chocolate cookie. They were so cute.

"I can't believe this happened." Jennette paced in her office. Both her hands wrapped around the back of her neck. She rotated her neck in both directions, trying to relieve some tension in her body.

"I called Bang PD and he's got his best lawyers drafting paperwork to sue the hotel for everything. They won't get away with this."

Jungkook reached out to hold Jennette's hand. It was clear that Jennette was reluctant to accept Jungkook's affection. Her hand was limp within his. Eyes steady at the ground.

"Baby?"

It was hard for Jungkook to imagine how Jennette would respond to the leak. He wanted to call her several times over the four months they were physically apart. He wanted to get in her head, as it was rare for her to be so quiet about something like this. With this new attitude, he couldn't help but notice at the shorter text messages he was receiving. The lack of emojis in her text messages, and the increased grammatical typing in their text messages. It was like to she backtracking in the relationship. Speaking so formally to him, one time addressing him as his full name 'Jungkook'.

"Don't let this get you down, baby. We can come up from this." Jungkook so optimistically. A trait that Jennette genuinely loved about him, but now it seemed to annoy her.

"It's easy for you to say that, Jungkook, it's not your voice they hear. It's me." Jennette vented. While she didn't want Jungkook to necessarily be heard on the video, she just wished that she didn't have her entire look being picked through with a fine tooth comb. Before she deleted her social media pages, men sent her the most inappropriate messages, trying to learn more about her sexual desires. Some even outright sent videos of them pleasuring themselves to her moans. She felt dirty.

"Uh-uh. Don't call me that." Jungkook spoke.

"Jungkook I'm serious."

"Ow!" Jennette rubbed her bottom. Jungkook was quick with the heavy-handed tap he gave her bottom. She cut her eyes at Jungkook.

"Come here." Jungkook motioned to Jennette with his arms wide open. With a gentle tug, Jungkook wrapped his arms around her. His chin rested on her forehead. Jennette wrapped her arms around Jungkook, taking note of the wider shoulders he now has. Her fingers could feel the muscles on his back.

"I'm sorry. I've just been dealing with a lot." Jennette looked up at Jungkook.

"And I missed you."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there four months ago. But I'm here now, and I don't plan on leavin' either."

Jennette leaned in closer and kissed Jungkook. The kiss was slow and tender. They took their time catching up with each other. Nothing seemed as important as them re-establishing that connection. The connection that got them through so much in the past. The same connection that would get them through this seemingly small hiccup.

"Why couldn't the video pick up you moaning." Jennette playfully rolled her eyes.

"I don't make noise baby that's why."

"Pfft. Please. 'Baby yes, yes. Do that again." Jennette deepened her voice trying to sound like Jungkook during the night in question. Both of them were quite vocal in the bedroom. That was how comfortable they were with each other.

"You gonna do me like that." Jungkook nuzzled his forehead against Jennette's. "If I recall, I was instructed to 'beat it up'. So I was just following your lead, baby."

Jungkook laughed when Jennette shoved his chest. She scoffed at his accurate account. She grumbled, 'whatever'.

"But on a serious note, don't stress anymore. I'm gonna handle this. I promise." Jungkook extended his pinky finger.

With a smile on her face, Jennette intertwined her pinky with his. If Jungkook said he was going to do something, Jennette believed it. Never once had he let her down.

"I know you will." Jennette waved their connected hands for a second, letting out a deep breath.

"And who told you to come out of the house looking this good?" Jennette joked. Jungkook smiled, feeling good, feeling the wall between them crumble down. While the leak wasn't under wraps yet, he still felt good. Things with Jennette were good. And in the moment, that was all that mattered.

A/N: Those who are in the path of the hurricane- pls stay safe !!!

A/N: Yall see JK's new cut, I'm kinda digging it

#black writers #jungkook x blackreader #x black reader #jeon jugnkook #established relationship #black oc #kpop x black reader #black fem reader