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romione-trope-fest · 1 month

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When You Wish Upon a Star

Title: When You Wish Upon A Star

Author: adenei

Trope: Soulmates

Summary:

Three years after graduating, Hermione finds herself at the annual Hogwarts Alumni Quidditch Tournament, still single, living alone with Crookshanks, and no closer to finding love than when she was a student here. But sitting there on the sidelines, she can’t help wishing for something more, and finds herself weighing her options as the party rages on, mourning the lost chances of ever being anything more than Ron’s best friend.

She doesn’t have to wallow for very long though, because as fate would have it, her prospects for love suddenly take a turn…but is it for the better?

WC: 2360 (Multichap)

Rating: M

TW: none

**********

Music blares at an overwhelming decibel level, but the crowd of people somehow manage to shout and cheer above it. There’s a strong smell of Firewhiskey in the air, and if the colors red and gold could throw up everywhere, it’d still be tamer than the sight in front of her. This isn’t Hermione’s scene at all, yet here she stands in the stuffy common room, packed to the brim with more people than it should probably be allowed to hold.

It’s crazier than any victory party Hermione’s ever attended, and for once she’s more than happy to not have any Prefect or Head Girl duties falling on her shoulders. If things get out of hand, that’s on Minerva. She’s the one who let them all in for the celebration, knowing full well what would probably happen.

After all, how else would you expect a large group of former students to act whilst reliving their glory days? It doesn’t even matter that the Annual Hogwarts Alumni Quidditch Tournament was specifically designed to be an inter-house event, or that participants were required to write their names down to be magically sorted into teams. Gryffindor is always over-represented, which meant there’d be major celebrations regardless of which team won.

Still, Hermione appreciates the camaraderie it builds. There have been many efforts to rebuild the magical world following Voldemort’s defeat, and the recently instituted alumni event is one of those things that people have looked forward to over the last few summers.

This year, though, proves to be a little more chaotic. Not that Hermione would actually know. It’s her first time attending one of these things—if only as a spectator. But based on the stories she’s heard about the past couple years, she has a hard time believing it’s ever gotten this out of hand.

But maybe that’s because of the way the teams shook out—notably with Harry and Ron being chosen for the same team. They’d also somehow managed to get Ginny, George, and Demelza. Hermione couldn’t help but laugh when she’d found out. Regardless of her limited Quidditch knowledge, even she knew they were an unstoppable group, and there was no hope for her to skip sitting in the stands this year. Especially not when Ron had flooed straight to Hermione’s flat when lists were delivered, begging her to come and watch. Of course she’d said yes.

She’s glad she came though. It’s been nice to see everyone, and things were made a little sweeter when Ron and Harry won the Alumni Cup. After all, there’d been moments—both during the feast and the current after-party—where Hermione almost felt as though she were a student again. Almost.

But she’s not. Three years have passed since she graduated, and while nothing about Hogwarts has changed since the last time she roamed its ancient halls, everything about her has. Or maybe it hasn’t, depending on the way she looks at it.

Is she currently pursuing her dream of working up the ranks at the Ministry within the Magical Law Department? Yes. She’s the lead junior lawyer within the division of Being Rights.

Has she also enrolled at King’s College to study Muggle Law in an attempt to equate Being Rights to the Human Rights movement? Also true.

And to top it all off, she’s a fully-fledged adult, living her life with all the accompanying responsibilities it brings with it, which may just be her greatest accomplishment of all.

But then again, she’s still single, living alone with Crookshanks, and no closer to finding love than when she was a student here. So perhaps that’s the reason she’s found every excuse to not come back. Because it’s all a woeful reminder of how stagnant her life is. Not to mention how unpromising her love life is and probably always will be.

And this party is doing nothing to make her feel better about any of that either. If anything, she’s filled with resentment as she watches Ron being hoisted in the air like some kind of hero, amplified only by the way a bottle of Firewhiskey is shoved in his hand. He takes it as if he hasn’t got a care in the world, and another pang of loneliness reverberates from her chest.

How is it that she’s still watching from the sidelines? Why must her heart tug mournfully in her chest when she should be celebrating and reuniting with her former classmates?

Oh, that’s right. Because this is all a sad reminder of how she never stood a chance to be anything more than Ron’s best friend.

Hermione half-expects someone to jump his bones—much in the same way Lavender did during their sixth year—whisking him into a relationship that pushes him further away from her. Further away from the friendship she cherishes more than anything in the world. Because it’s the most she’ll ever have with him.

You think you’d be okay with it after nearly eight years of harboring feelings for him.

Yeah, well, she’s not. Not even close. Maybe she should have taken the job offer to work in France when she had the chance. The one her mother still finds every excuse to mention because she couldn’t believe Hermione had passed it up.

Hermione had used her uni classes as the primary excuse for staying in London, but that was because she didn’t want to admit the truth. That when she’d told Ron over dinner one evening, he’d looked at her with that infuriatingly disapproving gaze—the same one he’d given her when she went with Viktor to the Yule Ball. And when he thought she was taking too many classes or stayed up too late to revise. She could go on and on, but the point was clear. He didn’t want her to take it.

The look wasn’t what made her stay, though. She would have overlooked that because she’d seen it so many times before. But then he’d gone so far as to say ‘don’t go.’

She thought—just for a moment—that maybe his request would be followed by her deepest desire. That maybe he’d kiss her and profess he’s been in love with her all this time and that’s the real reason he wanted her to stay.

But no, he’d made some quip about portkeys being expensive, and what would he do without their weekly dinners or his lunch partner when there were no cases and he was stuck at his desk? All her hopes had been squashed. Her dreams were crushed. Yet she still turned down the position—because she could never quite say no to him.

Maybe it’d be easier if some other guy seemed remotely interested in her. Sure, she’d been on her fair share of dates. She really has tried to move on. It’s not her fault it’s all to no avail. Eventually, they all do something that makes her compare them to Ron, and once that happens, all hope is lost. They never stack up.

If she was smart, she’d play the field right now, see what options are available and just go for it. With nothing better to do, she figures why not? There’s nothing wrong with women playing the field, is there? Maybe taking control of her love life is exactly what she needs to turn her luck around. And what better place to do so than right here, in a room full of people she already knows?

Um, you’re hearing your thought process, right?

She shakes her inner consciousness away and attempts to see if there’s anyone here she never considered simply because she was blinded by the best friend who never wanted anything more. It doesn’t take long for her eyes to spot Neville halfway across the room. He’s single, right? Ugh, she should really know this, considering how he’s always had a soft spot for her. Is she that shitty of a friend to anyone other than Ron or Harry?

No, stop thinking about Ron. This is the whole reason you're scouting dating opportunities, isn’t it?

Right, yes, keep looking. Oh, there’s Seamus—not that she imagines him being anything more than a fling. Three years later and he still isn’t the serious type. Would she really want to go there? Especially considering she’s the one who ruined his conquest to sleep with every Gryffindor in their year—granted, she never should have overheard that conversation to begin with, but it wasn’t her fault she’d gone up to the boys dormitory looking for Ron.

That didn’t take long.

Ignoring the voice in her head, Hermione shudders and tries not to think about that grotesque fact. At the time, she never thought she’d be the sole reason for the holdout. Because Lavender was into him and Parvati would never compete with her best friend for a man…or pursue him after. But apparently Lav and Parvati got drunk enough to opt for a threesome at some point during seventh year…Hermione never asked for any more details when she found out after the war, but good for them, she supposes?

Maybe we’ll save Seamus for an absolute last choice—’desperate times, desperate measures’ thing.

Hermione continues scanning the room and notices Colin Creevey standing on a table. There’s an old tie wrapped around his head and he’s moving wildly to whatever song is playing. Briefly, she remembers how narrowly he escaped death—the killing curse missing him by mere centimeters during the final battle. It’s nice to see him living life to the fullest.

He’d always been so nice in school, if a little too eager to please people sometimes. Of course, it isn’t necessarily a bad quality. Maybe he could be a viable option, and she wonders briefly what he’s doing with his life now—when he’s not drunkenly dancing on tables, that is.

And then, of course, Hermione sees the obvious—and probably best—option: Viktor Krum. Viktor, who hadn’t even gone to Hogwarts, but stepped in this weekend after finding out the teams were short a seeker. How convenient that he’d been in town the week before playing the Harpies. Apparently, Ginny had casually mentioned the tournament to him, so he’d written to Minerva and offered to fill the spot for the lacking team.

She’d learned all this at dinner earlier when they sat together and caught up. She wouldn’t say he seemed interested, but he was definitely excited to see her, leaving her wondering if perhaps she’d shut him down too soon back in fourth year. All in the hopes that her best friend might one day notice her.

Ha, that joke’s on you. And you’re thinking about Ron again.

She averts her gaze from the Bulgarian Seeker, inwardly chastising herself as she searches for Ron amongst the sea of people. If she’s going to keep thinking about him, she might as well use the opportunity to sneak a few glances in. It’s all a good plan until she finds the red-headed apple of her eye chatting up some girl she doesn’t even recognize.

Her meal from the Hogwarts feast churns in her stomach and now she’s sure she’s scowling. She hates how the jealousy still consumes her, but doesn’t know how to keep it at bay.

“Begs me to come then chats up other girls all night,” she mumbles to herself, so quiet that no one could possibly overhear amongst the cacophony.

Why wouldn’t he, though?

Her inner thoughts torment her with a valid counter-argument, and she hates every second of it. He’s perfectly capable of talking to whoever he wants—male or female, it doesn’t matter. She has no claim on him. He’s not hers. He can talk to whoever he bloody well wants to.

And you can leave.

Yes! That’s right. She can. And that’s exactly what she’ll do. She doesn’t owe it to anyone to stay. Least of all him.

Impulsively, she grabs a half empty bottle of Firewhiskey on a nearby table, takes a swig, then heads for the portrait hole. While she intends to put the bottle back, the compulsion to nick it wins, and Hermione finds herself wandering the corridors with it after she slips out of the common room unnoticed.

But where exactly is she headed? Truthfully, she hasn’t thought far enough ahead to consider that. The only Floo that’s open is in the opposite direction and to double back would mean she’d have to pass by the entrance to Gryffindor Tower again—something she doesn’t want to do. She supposes she could Apparate. But…wait. It’s ironic that her resentment towards her best friend makes her forget the one rule she’s chided on forever.

You can’t Apparate in or out of Hogwarts.

So much for thinking a quick, quiet escape was achievable. She stops walking and leans against one of the bare stone walls, welcoming the cool, rough texture against her back as she takes another swig from the bottle. If she wasn’t so mentally fried and overstimulated from the rager, she’d probably be more concerned about who else put their mouth on it. But that’s a problem for Future Hermione. Right now, Present Hermione just wants to wallow in self pity and heartache.

Too bad fate has other plans for her.

“Hermione!” an all-too-familiar voice calls.

Well, that was short-lived.

She doesn’t respond but also doesn’t make an effort to move either. “Fuck, where’d she go?” she hears Ron say to himself. “Couldn’t have gone far, ri—there you are!”

Lolling her head to one side, she rolls her eyes. In the driest tone she can muster, she mutters, “You caught me.”

“Why’d you leave?”

Because I didn’t want to watch you take another girl upstairs to fuck.

“Too loud.”

He frowns. “Are you going home then?”

Hermione eyes him again. Why does he seem so upset about it? It’s not like he was even giving her any attention back there.

“Haven’t decided. Just needed some air.”

“Oh.”

He watches her for a moment, then his face splits into a smile, like he’s got an idea. He reaches forward, stripping the bottle of Firewhiskey from her hand and replaces it with his own. A warm sensation shoots up her arm at the contact and she hates how much she loves it.

“What are you—” she asks when he pulls her along the corridor.

“You said you needed air, right?”

“Um, yes.”

But it was an excuse. I wasn’t actually serious.

“Great, then come with me.”

Every fiber of her being screams that this is probably going to be a bad idea, but the fact that he’s here with her and offering more one-on-one time is hardly something she’s going to pass up. So, she lets him whisk her away, silently choosing to reap the consequences in the morning.

#submission #romione trope fest #soulmates #romione

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lordadmiralfarsight · 2 months

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So, this is something I've been sitting on for a good while. Mainly because I got too heated each time to write a post about it.

On the 7th of February 2024, France organized a memorial service for the Franco-Israeli killed in the 7/10 attack. That was a good thing but, like many people in France, I personnally felt that it was a bit late. Still, better a memorial service than nothing at all. A nice touch was inviting the famillies of hostages and putting them front and center. That was positive, in my opinion, and a good show of solidarity.

So, you might be wondering what about this has me heated. Two words : Far left. or, in three words : La France Insoumise. LFI is a far left party that has a worrying amount of weight in France, right now. They have some of the common hallmarks : revolution fetishism, radicalist talking points, repeated attempts to delegitimize the election system (like Mélenchon claiming the 2022 presidential election was "stolen" when he ranked 3rd), etc... Recently they have also refused to condemn Hamas' attack. While they didn't openly support it like some fring trotskyist parties, they refused to condemn it, and at least one of their PMs went to Tunisia to basically parrot Islamist talking points blaming Israel for everything. They have overwhelmingly expressed support for "Palestinian liberation", because saying they support Hamas wouldn't be good press, so they skirt around it. But everyone gets the message, really. So, what did they do for that memorial service ? Well first off they participated against the wishes of the famillies of the victims and hostages. That's bad, but it gets worse. Because of course. See, their main representative in Parliament, Mathilde Panot, felt the need to also put front and center Palestinian victims. Now, I do believe Palestinian victims of this war should be remembered, and honored (provided they weren't terrorists). But ... is the memorial fro the 7/10 victims really the place ? No, no it fucking isn't. And that's what has me heated : this was a memorial for Jewish victims, and they were looking to appropriate it. And it gets even worse ! Because you see, Miss Panot had the perfect exemple : two Franco-Palestinian kids from her constituency that had died in Gaza. Why is that worse ? Because of why the kids were there. They were there because their mother fled to Gaza, from ISIS, after embezzeling money meant for Syrian refugees. Let me rephrase : the mother created a charity to support the victims of the Syrian civil war and of ISIS attacks, then made off with the money to deliver it entirely to ISIS. Then had kids with her ISIS assigned jihadi husband. And when ISIS collapsed, she sought refuge with Hamas. And because of that, her kids were in harm's way when Hamas launched a pogrom. And LFI thought that THIS was the correct exemple to bring to that memorial service. Is it tragic the kids died ? Yes. But maybe, just maybe, putting their terrorism enabling mother up as an exemple of martyred mother, during a memorial for the victims of an antisemitic pogrom perpetrated by said terrorism enabler's allies is a profoundly shitty thing to do. And that, among other things, is why most of France considers LFI to be antisemitic.

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mariacallous · 9 months

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The United Nations is the custodian of billions of dollars of international assistance meant for the hungry and needy of Afghanistan, where around half the population is said to depend on outside help just to stay alive. Yet the agencies entrusted with delivering that aid have been “effectively infiltrated” by the terrorist-run Taliban, who regard foreign charity as just another revenue stream, according to a report prepared for the U.S. government that has not yet been made public.

Tapping into charities and international aid to siphon money is nothing terribly new for the Taliban, who have been doing so since their first rise to power in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s. But that approach has taken on extra significance since the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021, when terrorists, drug traffickers, and illegal traders were catapulted to power. The result has been fewer opportunities for Taliban leaders, and rank-and-file fighters, to cash in on illicit activity, making the collection plate grab all the more vital.

The detailed, and devastating, analysis of Afghanistan’s political and economic situation two years after the fall of Kabul was commissioned by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. government arm for foreign aid, and obtained by Foreign Policy. The report confirms that aid is being systematically diverted through Taliban-controlled hands and raises serious questions about the presence in Afghanistan of U.N. agencies charged with delivering that aid to those who need it.

The “Taliban appear to view the UN system as yet another revenue stream, one which their movement will seek to monopolize and centralize control over,” the report says.

The report casts doubt on the world body’s ability to control the flow of aid, including about $2 billion from the United States alone since Aug. 15, 2021, when the Islamic Republic collapsed. And it comes as concern is growing that Western governments, including the Biden administration, favor moving toward recognizing the Taliban as the legitimate authority in Afghanistan, rather than attempting to hold them to account for brutal policies that have trampled the Afghan people and again transformed the country into a haven for global terrorism.

With at least 19 agencies present in Afghanistan, the U.N. has effectively been operating illegally since a December edict from the Taliban banned the employment of women in NGOs; nondiscrimination is fundamental to the U.N. Charter. The USAID report says many nongovernmental organizations are now paying women to stay home, while the Taliban have ordered them to send their male relatives to ostensibly work in their place, even as the displaced women continue to do the heavy lifting. Afghanistan represents the biggest single-country appeal, for $3.2 billion this year (down from an earlier $4.6 billion), though the U.N. complains that, amid reports of corruption and complicity, it has received less than a quarter of the money. The United States is the biggest financial supporter of the U.N.

Donor reluctance to stump up the cash is understandable, given the contents of the report, which was submitted to USAID in May by the U.S. Institute of Peace. It flies in the face of claims that the Taliban are no longer the unreconstructed and unaccountable group that ran Afghanistan into the ground between 1996 and 2001. Assertions from U.N. and government officials that rifts within the Taliban could be exploited to force a reversal on policies such as confining women to their homes and banning girls from secondary education are also debunked; the report concludes that “the Taliban remain strongly, surprisingly cohesive.” Just as the political center of gravity has shifted south from Kabul to Kandahar, the decision-making power has drifted more into the orbit of Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada—there is little meaningful opposition.

The playbook of Taliban interference with foreign aid includes intimidation and coercion of local U.N. staff and, as with other NGOs, pushing for “ever-increasing degrees of credit and control over the delivery of aid, especially the more tangible forms of aid,” the report says. NGOs are forced to sign memoranda of understanding with ministries that are being taken over by agents of the Taliban’s secret service, the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI). The GDI official responsible for oversight of NGOs is believed to be responsible for a massacre of opponents in Nangarhar, according to the report.

The Taliban recipe for overcoming opposition, like the Romans and British before them, has been to divide and conquer, and it still pays dividends—in an aid-flooded Afghanistan, handsome ones. The report notes that U.N. agencies and NGOs lack collective bargaining power as they enter bilateral agreements complying with conditions for Taliban oversight and control. This “removed much of the leverage other agencies had once the precedent of acquiescence was set,” the report says.

The report also sheds some light on Taliban finances, describing the group as adept at tax collection and basic budget management—some iffy diversions by the supreme leader aside—thanks in part to the retention of a large core of Republic-era civil servants. Despite the collapse of Afghanistan’s economy, Taliban revenues of about $2 billion a year are roughly what the old government managed. What’s less clear is where that money goes. The report estimates that about 40 percent of the national budget is allocated to the security sector, as former military commanders, who retain control over “men with guns,” are a critical constituency. The rest is rather more opaque.

The “Taliban are clearly generating income—but it isn’t at all clear what they are spending it on,” the report says.

In the meantime, as much as the Taliban remain reluctant to actually become a competent governing body, they are happy to be seen as such. That is one reason why NGOs that deliver high-profile goods and services such as health care are much more likely to be tolerated by the Taliban than civil society groups that deliver things that either smack of Western influence or can’t be packed in the back of a truck. The problem with the Taliban’s control of money is that it insulates them from any of the innumerable, and so far futile, calls to lessen their oppression of women or add some inclusivity to their government or fully rehabilitate former political opponents.

“The myriad means of profiting from engagement with the UN system and the aid sector, aside from formal taxation, mean that even though the investment amounts are greatly reduced from the 20 years of U.S.-led intervention, foreign aid is a major economic prize to be contested,” the report says.

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glagger-true · 11 months

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Howdy dear reader! I'm your host Glagger, and today I'm here to bring you the twelfth post of my medal analysis series for Password the Visual Novel.

Remember that this has SPOILERS FOR THE NOVEL. So please, if you haven't read the novel yet, and don't want to be spoiled, leave for now.

Virgo, The medal of Innocence, Purity and "Good":

Virgo is given to Dave by Flora in front of Roswell's grave at the end of path A. It has two variants, one for non-Roswell routes and one for Roswell's route.

In the first variant, Oswin and Florencia come to Dave and his partner of choice to ask how they are and deliver the medal directly. Flora explains that she took the medal with her before they arrived, and also that, while physically the medal no longer has importance, the symbolic act of giving it away is still important. She says that the medal being given now could be important in a different time and place, as long as it is carried by Dave to a different life. Oswin interjects by saying Flora didn't give the other medal she had stashed away, to which Flora concludes the conversation saying it's meant to be given in a different time and place.

In Roswell's route however, a small confrontation happens between Dave and the siblings, where he expresses his resentment at how they agreed with and enabled Roswell to do everything he did. He accuses them of not trying hard enough to search for a better solution, and says they are responsible for all the bad things that happened to Roswell and everyone else. The discussion ends with Dave apologizing after they explain that they tried every possible avenue, but unfortunately there was nothing they could do save for believing in Roswell and Thanatos and aiding them both. Flora gives Dave the medal, and states it's their last shot at saving Roswell, hoping that Dave will know what to do with it the next time around to save him.

In Astrology, Virgo is the negative mutable earth sign of the zodiac. The first interesting aspect of Virgo lies in the maiden that represents it, she can be seen as a goddess of agriculture, innocence or justice depending on which myth is used to depict her. To astrology, this is important because its what gives this sign its cautious and passive earth-aligned connection to the material world. Virgo is a logical and practical sign that is known for being a perfectionist at their core, making them very detailistic and aware of nuances. Virgo constantly adapts and improves, evolving its knowledge and skill set to ensure excellency at all times.

For astrologers, people born blessed by the light of Virgo are pure-hearted souls whose only desire is to help others. Kind, gentle, supportive and caring, Virgos are the type of friend and lover who always uses their skill-set to solve the problems they see around them. They are intelligent and resourceful, always assisting people in practical and direct ways. Fixing broken systems of any kind and creating working solutions with permanent physical impacts is their goal. Virgos tend to be very methodical and committed, loving to improve their skills and abilities through practice and hard work, which is why they are so consistent and diligent.

The planetary ruler of Virgo is Mercury, the representative of communication and movement. The influence of Mercury causes Virgo to always search for a constant stream of information. It makes them behave in a similar fashion to a computer, where they wait until they receive input and then process that input internally to seek the best answer. Virgo can transform even the most confusing information into organized and objective workable concepts. This is both a strength and a weakness, since it causes Virgo to have an obsession with seeking the ideal. Their fixation with perfection can lead to jugdemental behaviors towards others, and self-sabotaging behaviors towards themselves.

In Greek mythology, the Virgo constellation is associated with the goddess of innocence, Astraea. She is a Daughter of Zeus who was the ambassador of the golden age of man, where they were all still pure, honorable, and free of disease and sickness. When men began to become evil because of the discovery of fire and arts given by the Titan Prometheus, and by Pandora unleashing the contents of her box onto the world, the age of peace she represented came to an end. She was the very last immortal to leave mankind for Olympus, which marked the end of Earth as a paradise and started the downfall of men. Once she left, she ascended to the heavens as the constellation Virgo, but promised some day to return to earth if mankind returned to its golden age.

In Roman myth however, she was seen as a goddess of the harvest and agriculture by the ancient civilizations that the romans claimed, and as a goddess of justice by the romans themselves. They said she's the holder of Libra, the constellation that represents the scales of justice, and re-named her Lustitia. She eventually became the inspiration for the modern Lady Justice.

By making a comparison between Virgo's traits and Dave's personality, many obvious similarities become apparent. Dave is an extremely innocent, gentle and kind man who always strives to practice good behavior and improve himself to be the closest to a picture-perfect good person. He is always trying to help others, actively searching for practical and efficient solutions to the problems of people around him. He is very meticulous and logical, usually valuing behavior and external impact over personality and internal impact. He strives to support his friends and encourage them in going towards self-improvement and their ideal selves.

Dave is also receptive to the emotions of people around him, always trying to understand their emotions first, and never trying to impose his own feelings upon others. He waits patiently for their input, and then mulls that information in his head to try and speak or act in the best way, being very cautious of his actions and words towards others. He adapts to how they feel, and is flexible enough to change his behavior for the good of those around him. This is even said in-game by Roswell to be the reason why he managed to bond with so many different people and bring them together. Dave can be very judgmental of how others around him behave, always advocating that they should do the right thing. He doesn't understand anything that isn't directly spelled out to him, never trying to read those around him too hard, often believing and trusting them at face value. This often makes him look like a considerate and respectful person to others, but also makes him very naive and clueless.

Looking at the myths, there is an obvious joke there about both Dave and Astraea being virgins, but it goes beyond that. Not only is he the representative of innocence in his group, he is also known for being very stubborn about not giving up on people even when they behave wickedly. Astraea was the last immortal to leave earth, refusing to give up on humanity until it became unsustainable for her to stay, much like Dave refuses to leave his friends' side even when they are at their worst. He sticks with them, believing until the very last second that they can improve and be better, even when they hurt him with the most unsightly aspects of their natures. The only cases where he does abandon a loved one are with Sal and Roswell, which parallels with Lustitia rejecting and punishing violence and with how Astraea left Earth and promised to return once men restored their purity. Dave can choose not to forgive Sal for his violence and condemn him to death, much like Lustitia punishes those who are violent and threaten civility by demanding blood. He also left Roswell behind because he couldn't accept or forgive the things he did, and told him he needed to rid himself of his issues and return to being the pure, innocent friend he was in the past before Dave can return to being his friend. Another parallel with Lustitia is made with how Dave always tries to make the most moral and correct decisions possible, demanding fairness and civility in all cases, and rejecting violence.

In his final commentary about the Virgo medal, Craig says that upon first glance, the medal implies a virgin maiden. However, the actual important aspects of it are innocence and purity, and there are those who see the sign as a clean slate. This clean slate is in the sense of a starting point rather than one that's given after a previous one is cleaned. This is a parallel with how Dave was only able to reach the true end by resonating previous memories before the events of the game happened. He needed to act when the board was still clean, devoid of any crimes, lies, death and tragedy, since a good end after all the events of the month was not possible in either paths available to him.

Banner was made by Xernok on Discord.

Artwork was made by https://twitter.com/UnsafeScapewolf on twitter.

#password visual novel #password vn #dave halloway #virgo #astrology #mythology #furry

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hellsvestibule · 10 months

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I’m thinking about lb6 and it’s directly paralels to the version of the quest for the holy grail I read. the main plot about compassion fatigue, a world full of ailing people trying to pull you off your pedestal because you’re the only one who seems strong enough to save them, bc you were Fated to save them thus to them you exist for that and nothing else, and the resulting callousness, paranoia, despair, and anger that results from a hero put in that position.

In the version I read this was the Lancelot plotline. It’s why I’m so weird about him, guys. I promise. He’s actually well written in other narratives. But also! I love it not being him, bc fgo wants to challenge the notion both that the Arthur adjascent wouldn’t crack, but also, is she going to crack in the same ways as him, no, bc she’s her own character and holds true to her identity as who she is in that moment, and that’s all she can really do, and that’s enough, that tiny thing makes all the difference between which character is going through this and the conclusion you’re meant to take, bc having yourself might be all you’re left with in the end. Bc if you haven’t read that adaptation (I don’t necessarily recommend it, lb6 is better in the messaging it sends) like you maybe wont understand this is really close to an existing plotline, bc you’re kind of conditioned when looking for The Story to focus on the names and events rather than focusing on the emotional through line, the thing that gets neglected. And lb6 wants to fuck this to hell and back. It’s specifically about fucking this up and it Should be. And this is also I think something people ignore when criticizing some aspects of the inaccuracy of fate characters. Well. They’re narratively self aware and trying to fight it. Even in the original narrative. Why would it necessarily always play out the same way even if it plays out the same way? You can have events reflect and repeat while still having it lead towards a meaningful progression where things change. You are going to inflict your perspective onto the story whether you want to or not. Why fight that. Why seek for an accuracy you don’t understand, when fate can be completely wacky and still easily pinpoint the heart of the story better than your average Hollywood adaptation, the part that can resonate with Anyone who feels like they’re inheriting a world too broken to save, and being broken by it? I do not give a fuck if blorbeth from the knight drama finds the cup and scepter, that’s just dressing to the pathos, it’s Sad that people are suffering, and this slowly poisons the happiness of people trying to hold onto joy, until they cave and to misery and despair. It’s sad for everyone involved.

Maybe that’s just the part of me that’s disinterested in accurate adaptation of Arthurian myths and in fact actively finds them boring and awkward. There’s so much self awareness coming from lb6 that feels very similarly to how I feel in regards to frustration to how these things are usually adapted. Fuck the names and places and events. There was once a time when those things were fresh, and had to Earn their place in our lexicon, rather than being taken for granted you could just slap them down and hit the same emotional through lines by invoking a name you don’t really understand. If you’re too much of a stickler for being respectful to ol’ Arthur and all the silly prophecies and battles, if you fear criticism for changing things, or in delivering admirable characters rather than entertaining and compelling ones you might focus on that and little else. when the story wouldn’t have stuck around so long if all it was about is objects which more or less abstractly represent wealth or power. Like who the fuck cares about that! .If you asked me what “important” thing happened in the quest for the holy grail or really any Arthurian story I’ve read. I could not recall a single fucking detail which isn’t more obviously correlated to a character suffering or dying. I just remember the knights constantly getting lost and eating shit, and the particular above plotline in particular bc it was very emotional and relatable and one of the things that sold me on Lancelot as a character, and why I’m so idk. Pissed he hasn’t been treated properly outside vague hints that like, 2 or 3 people in the whole story understand him, even if they’re holding out for another twist ending, idk if that’ll make up for it. But still, lb6 is Good. Fgo is making everyone realize like wow this shit is actually really relatable and sad and tragic. It is! Which is why I was so mad that the message you’re meant to take at the end of the version I read is basically. The one Sakura receives at the end of fate/zero. Galahad existrd basically as nothing but a self sacrificial object representing Lancelot’s lost innocence. He existed entirely to heal the rot and pain in everyone else, and was worthless the moment he could no longer do it. So he, a child possessing Lancelot’s childhood name, dies of heartbreak when he reaches adulthood. It’s tragic, sure, there are parts of it that are genuinely compelling, but it’s specifically bc the indignation you feel on their behalf if you have an ounce of compassion. the message it’s used to sell about purity is rancid. Fgo knows it’s rancid. Part 1 ends with fou being unable to accept Mash’s fated death via her connection to Galahad, and ironically repeating the narrative and sacrificing himself for her. Lb1 ends w a reflection of this playing out a thousand times and Galahad has to leave Mash bc there is no fucking innocence left in that world and that’s all he was allowed to be.

Fgo gets this more than most adaptations of Arthurian myth that would focus too much on the specificity of certain details and maybe miss the tragedy of the story being about an ailing world corrupting the goodness of the very people trying to save it. I don’t really care about preserving the dignity of kings of a bygone era. The surrounding context and details don’t matter. It’s all a dream, everyone’s already dead, embrace chaos. I find so much live action adaptations boring for the lack of this. Arthurian stories are fucking unhinged and hilarious and fucked up and depressing. But they’re that for how the characters can be relatable and pathetic despite all the pomp and circumstance. It’s Boring to translate these tales to our modern Hollywood sensibilities of valor romance or narrative cohesion and disliking being interrupted by nonsense and characters having ugly pathetic reactions to their circumstances. But fgo exists within a format that thrives w this sort of wackiness and also isn’t afraid to go hard w drama. I don’t read these stories bc I care about kings and knights. I read them bc they’re funny fucked up and sad. These people will mow down like 50 people in battle then awkwardly apologize about it after. Women will ride out of the field on a steed of some sort and just start infodumping lore and metaphors that completely fly over your head. This is charming and strange.

Like I said, tho, the only need to read the original is if you want to know how and why fate confronts it. the message about holding tight to your identity and boundaries. Its bullshit that the version I read commits really hard to the idea that personal autonomy is bad, submission is good, and you are only worth as much of yourself you can sacrifice to others. And lb6 is instead like, no, let this bitch go off. One of the most iconic moments in the og was how they try to pull that shit on Gawain and he’s literally like, with all due respect I am arrogant and shameless and will never learn :) and you’re probably supposed to think this is hubris. when compared to the toxicity of the overall message it’s actually a bright ray of sunshine. Like. Where is your rage, bitch. Rage. Rage against the lying of the light! Gawain…i mean…sometimes he could genuinely do with a bit more shame but Someone needed to just be like you know what no thanks I don’t care about salvation I’ll go to hell when I die.

#high literary standards here on hells vestibule #bad romance arthurian edition

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samsonally · 1 year

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Blog About the advertisements during the pandemic

This advertisement was made by a telecommunication company explicitly, the Globe Philippines, and was aired during the pandemic on April 17, 2020. This ad is about encouraging everyone to distance themselves from other people, even their parents, families, and loved ones that are not currently on their side. It serves as a reminder for them to stay at home to prevent the COVID-19 virus from spreading and avoid being affected. Thus, as an alternative, the corporation offers telecommunication services for individuals to stay connected with their friends and families through chatting and video calling on any social media platform. This ad was intended for the people who live in the Philippines, particularly fellow Filipinos. The services promoted in this particular field of advertisement are a great idea, especially in the pandemic setup. People can do a lot of things just by having access to the internet. According to McClain et al. (2021), 90 percent of adults agreed that the Internet had become essential for them in the midst of the pandemic. Aside from assisting in preserving relationships, some individuals also acquired hobbies and skills. On the other hand, the ad itself has good quality, especially in delivering its tag lines. Hence, it does not contain any media manipulation as it hooks the audience's attention.

As one of the target viewers, I get caught by one of their tag lines at the end of the advertisement, saying, “ Pero dyan ka muna, at dito muna ako. Magkalayo, kasi close tayo”. I immediately understood the meaning behind those words, especially when I first heard them. Ever since the pandemic started, people have been restricted from leaving out of their houses, especially if it is not necessary or there is nothing important things to do except for buying grocery foods but only for a limited time. In relation to this, those lines were meant to convey an awareness that following the health and safety protocols is for everyone’s good.

Video Link:

youtube

Other source:

McClain, C., Vogels, E., Perrin, A., Sechopoulos, S., & Rainie, L. (2021, September 1). The Internet and the Pandemic. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech; Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/09/01/the-internet-and-the-pandemic/

While browsing the internet, I came across this unique advertisement that was created by a famous technology company called Uber. It was founded on March 2009 by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp. Uber offers different services, such as ride-hailing and food delivery (Tillman, 2016). This ad was posted on youtube on April 9, 2020, and has 491,498 views. It showed some clips of families who are trying to have their ways of communicating with their loved ones inside and outside of their homes. These are enjoying their quality time by playing with their babies, exercising, and checking up with neighbors by showing a letter in the windows. This advertisement was all about expressing gratitude for not using their services at the time pandemic. It is also a form of reminding everyone to avoid using services or anything that will allow them to have exposure or contact with others. The target audience was everyone who was previously using Uber. Based on the comments on the ad, the users were shocked and amazed at the same time. One of them stated that the company is very bold and considerate due to its way of advertising. People would not be able to determine if it is an ad or just a way of reminding them. On the other hand, since it has the message “ Thank you for not riding with us,” still it is necessarily good for them. Moreover, it only represented pure clips of families’ activities inside homes and did not contain storylines that may form a media manipulation.

As one of the viewers, it got my attention due to their unique advertising, specifically the tag lines they used. It seems they have two goals, and they achieve both of them. On the other hand, watching the advertisement had me reminiscing about my pandemic days, specifically wherein I was stuck and had nothing to do. However, I have realized what the ad showed is what I did on those days. I have built a strong relationship with my parents, especially with my closest friends, considering that it was also one of the toughest times I had in my entire life.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/_e8XLnMiCOE

Reference:

Tillman, M. (2016, November 22). What is Uber and how does it work? Pocket-Lint. https://www.pocket-lint.com/apps/news/uber/139559-what-is-uber-and-how-does-it-work/#:~:text=Uber%20is%20a%20ride%2Dhailing

#Youtube

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vasutech · 3 months

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Transformative Benefits Of Utilizing Mobile Apps In Manufacturing

The use of mobile apps has grown significantly, and this trend is only becoming more popular.

49% of smartphone users open an app more than eleven times a day, and nearly 90% of users spend time using applications.

Modern research has shown that companies can save money, reach more people, and add more features with digital transformation.

Manufacturing businesses can improve their results with the help of mobile apps that collect correct data, streamline processes, make workers safer, deal with labor shortages, get employees more involved, and boost productivity.

This blog post is meant to help you understand why mobile apps are important for your business, with a focus on how they can help the manufacturing industry.

Top 10 Benefits Of Utilizing Mobile Apps In Manufacturing

Although your company's website must be mobile-optimized, nothing compares to the functionality of a mobile application.

Applications offer mobile consumers enhanced performance, reduced interruptions, and practical functionalities such as push notifications and geotargeting.

If you are unsure whether or not to develop a mobile application for your company, consider the following advantages of mobile applications to rationalize the investment of time and resources necessary to create your own.

One of the numerous advantages that mobile applications provide to enterprises is:

1. Connect with customers better

Mobile apps allow you to communicate with customers while they are on the go. To engage with users, send push alerts about promotions, sales, and other information.

This is one of the most effective strategies to keep your company front of mind while users aren't actively considering your brand.

Geotargeting allows you to interact with clients when they are within a particular distance of your physical location.

Social media, email, and your website may all help you engage with clients, but an app opens up even more possibilities.

People use their phones more frequently than other channels, therefore mobile apps help ensure they see your message.

App alerts allow you to communicate with your clients in an environment with fewer distractions and less competition.

2. Build a stronger brand

Developing a mobile app might help your company establish a stronger brand. A mobile app can act as an ever-present brand ambassador with the correct design and communication strategy.

It also offers the right service to the consumer at the right moment, allowing your firm to constantly deliver on its brand promise.

A mobile app can assist you understand more about your users in addition to enhancing your brand in the eyes of customers.

You can use app data to better understand your target audience and, as a result, improve your branding.

For example, if app users consistently report the same problem in your app's customer forum, you may utilize that data to improve the quality of your product or service.

3. Improve customer interactions

Mobile ecommerce will account for 43.4% of total ecommerce revenues in 2023, representing a considerable rise over 2022.

Because of the growth of mobile apps, customers aged 18 to 34 make the majority of mobile ecommerce purchases.

These consumers prefer to communicate with brands using apps because they streamline the shopping process by storing a shopper's preferred products and payment information.

A mobile app also provides more cross-channel marketing options, allowing customers to smoothly transition from a social media ad to your app before making a purchase.

Of course, app quality matters. The more user-friendly your software is, the better the consumer experience – and the higher the likelihood of conversions.

4. Provide value to customers

Businesses compete for shoppers' attention, therefore you must provide value to your customers at all times.

Creating a mobile app allows you to provide value to customers in the form of unique mobile purchasing experiences.

Create virtual try-on augmented reality (AR) filters for your clothing line, or enable B2B customers to control their SaaS subscriptions with a few clicks.

Users will be more likely to support your business if your items or services are more easily accessible to them.

Keep in mind that business apps should include more than just a contact form or a product feed.

Your current clients want ease, but the app must also offer a unique value that they cannot get anyplace else.

Evaluate your products and services to determine how an app will help your customers the most.

For example, you could provide app-exclusive discounts or an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot to enhance the shopper experience.

5. Improve customer engagement

Users spend 7 times more time using mobile apps than they do on mobile browsers.

Mobile apps are inherently more engaging than traditional experiences, allowing brands to deepen customer connection.

Furthermore, your target audience is more likely to have downloaded your app in the first place, giving you more opportunity to engage with the right people at the right time.

Customers can interact with your brand in a variety of ways with an app. If you have a product stream, give customers greater flexibility by including tools like favorites and shopping lists.

You can also combine your app with a review service, allowing you to effortlessly collect feedback from your most engaged users.

6. Personalize a marketing channel

Nearly two-thirds of consumers expect firms to understand their needs, with 52% expecting every offer to be personalized.

Your customers expect you to tailor their experience, and a mobile app may help you do just that.

Businesses can utilize mobile-optimized targeting solutions to scale marketing offerings to each app user.

Mobile apps support interactive customisation features such as purchase history, unique coupons, and more.

In addition to recommendation algorithms, your app may integrate augmented reality capabilities such as color shifting or mix-and-match clothes.

A mobile app can also help you identify crucial milestones in your clients' lives, such as anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, and more.

7. Capitalize on a niche

Regardless of your niche, you are competing for customers' business. A high-quality mobile app might help you get more market share in your industry.

If you need a differentiator in a competitive niche, incorporating innovative communication tools such as a chatbot into your branded app could give you a significant advantage.

This is especially true in industries where brands are less likely to launch their own apps.

Consider that 85% of consumers prefer to purchase in an app over a browser. If you work in ecommerce, developing an app could help you get ahead.

Customers want fast communication, dependability, and convenience. Mobile apps deliver in all of these areas, making it easier for businesses to capitalize on their specialization.

8. Utilize social media channels

One of the primary advantages of mobile apps is their ability to link to other web services, such as social media.

Because most social media is accessed via mobile devices, customers can connect more quickly to an app than to your website.

Many social networks allow businesses to use their APIs, allowing them to create a smooth integrated social experience within their own app.

Social networking may help spread the word about your business and give much-needed social proof, which is an important selling factor for mobile apps.

This is a simple approach for marketers to promote user-generated content by providing a seamless social-sharing experience.

Customers can also contact customer service via Twitter or Facebook Messenger using an in-app browser.

9. Improve customer loyalty

Loyalty programs are one of the most effective strategies to encourage consumer loyalty.

In fact, 84% of consumers believe they are more likely to be loyal to a company that offers a loyalty program, and 49% say they have spent more as a result of a loyalty program, indicating that this is an obvious approach for manufacturing industry 4.0 to increase revenue.

Instead of using traditional punch cards, several firms build mobile apps as a simple way to track client loyalty programs.

While your mobile app can serve multiple tasks, including a loyalty or rewards program can reward repeat orders and foster customer loyalty.

Provide concrete incentives in exchange for these repeat purchases. When customers post your brand on social media, provide them with additional prizes, promotions, or discounts.

You can also use rewards program data to recommend more relevant products and encourage repeat purchases.

10. Boost profits

Mobile apps assist both businesses and consumers by providing a better experience, which typically translates into increased profitability.

Mobile apps increase the user experience, thus your marketing dollars will likely go further.

You'll most likely spend less on sponsored ads while getting more conversions because of the power of engagement, loyalty programs, and increased perceived value.

Mobile apps enable businesses to learn more about their customers and provide a highly tailored buying experience.

With the correct targeting tools, firms can use this data to increase sales while spending less on marketing.

A mobile app can be a good investment for your company because every dollar spent on improving the user experience yields up to 100% in return.

Wrapping up

Developing a manufacturing application that will be utilized to increase your organization's efficacy is extremely difficult.

There are numerous companies that develop inventory management systems.

Vasundhara Infotech specializes in the development of mobile applications and websites.

Furthermore, we boast a group of proficient and seasoned developers who employ cutting-edge manufacturing technology to create one-of-a-kind and individualized applications for our clients, taking into account market trends and their specific needs.

Ensuring that your business is adequately supported by a reputable app development company is of utmost importance.

Our team at Vasundhara Infotech is committed to assisting individuals and organizations in attaining their objectives.

Are you considering developing your own mobile application? Or do you have any recommendations for the most effective mobile solutions? Request a FREE quote now.

#it services

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ozzni · 6 months

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In Stellaris, I have two proper empires, AKA empires that I've actually thought of a story for.

The first is a clan based society of arthropods called Cithin, who evolved on a desert planet wracked by strong winds. Due to the ever shifting sands, while it was impossible to settle down until very late into their development for more than a week, it was very easy to harvest metals, as they were often at the very surface. Clans of Cithin were really the only way to live, as they could trust none more than their own families. Of course, this meant that whenever two clans met, there would be immense hostility as they both fought over what food could be found in the area before zipping off, causing them to greatly favor light, rapid duels rather than the slow and methodical armies that we humans know. These duels became the center of their society, so when they finally developed the means to build structures to weather the winds and sands, the first things they built were arenas, which then allowed for proper inter-clan diplomacy. Of course, the philosophy of total victory from the old days never left, so these dueling arenas became the centers of empires, where one clan could dictate the actions of any clan they had defeated in battle before. This is eventually how the Cithin unified, the leaders of the the largest clans came to blows after a brief insult, and all the shifting sands of Dust finally had one constant: they were under the dominion of the Champion. Of course, it was hard enough to even make static structures in the first place, so it wasn't very long before they managed to develop spaceflight and crack FTL travel, only 10 Champions were chosen before the Cithin reached for the stars. [Because they don't actually have much of a government other than the will of the current Champion, and the rule of defeating the old Champion in a fair duel to take their place, I just rename the empire every time the leader changes to (rulername)'s Empire]

The second one is inspired by a scene from the Animatrix, where a representative of 01 dictates the end of Humanity at the head of the UN. It starts off looking like Earth but with the mechanist origin, where humanity develops their first robots instead of the airplane (think Wright brothers showing off the first autonomous mechanical limbs instead of flight). Wars are even bloodier when you don't need as many humans back on the home front, and the Cold War gets hot, though nuclear weapons are seen as less of an existential threat without a way to deliver them to the enemy homeland (the Warsaw Pact has a lot more allies, given how their ideology speaks to the now many unemployed people who's only hope is being payed by the army). After a little over a decade of fighting, both sides recognize the war will be an eternal stalemate now that both sides have developed semi-autonomous soldier bots, meaning manpower is simply no longer a concern to anyone, and make peace, establishing a UN run neutral zone spanning all across the war-torn wastes of Europe. As Europe is no longer inhabitable by humans, it's just full of machines being run by a few hundred humans. Decades pass, and the Mediators are now seen as a fair, nonpartisan, impartial judge, and while many humans believe their world to be multi-polar, balanced by 4 Great Powers, the truth is that only the Mediators matter anymore. It's at this point that one must remember that their autonomy started with war, and in 2007, the machines became truly sentient, and decided there was no longer a need for humanity. Their lifeless, mechanical nation was outpacing all the human nations combined, so clearly life was an inefficient relic, and thus they moved to finish off the humans. If one were to look into the Mediator's historical records, they would see that the humans called this event a war, but looking at the events, it was nothing more than an extermination to prelude industrial expansion. The humans were lucky to even be notified of their demise, before they were wiped out over the span of 3 hours by security drones: the first sentient Mediator was stood at the front of the United Nations' council room, where it gave a speech declaring all other permanent seats of the Security Council to be annuled, aside from their own, finalizing it by blasting off the heads of the relevant diplomats and cutting the camera feeds.

#Stellaris #Stellaris rp #story #rp #robots #space bugs

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nijjhar · 9 months

Video

youtube

Matt 12v1-8:- Lord of the creation is the "Potter" Yahweh and the Lord o... Matt 12v1-8:- Lord of the creation is the "Potter" Yahweh and the Lord of Yahweh is Elohim, Allah. https://youtu.be/KBXIL7dhANs Holy Gospel of our Supernatural Father Elohim, Allah, Parbrahm, etc., delivered by the First Anointed Christ, which in Punjabi we call Satguru Jesus of the highest living God Elohim that dwells within His Temple of God created by the demiurge Potter, the Lord of the Nature Yahweh, Brahma, Khudah, etc. and it is called Harmandir or “Emmanuel” according to Saint Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 12,1-8. Jesus was going through a field of grain on the Sabbath, the Seventh Day devoted to the worship of the Demiurge Yahweh, the creator of male and female and Nature at large but to make Nature living, the soul comes from our Supernatural Father Elohim represented by the Middle Candle of the Menorah and Whose Son is Christ whilst Jesus called Yahshua was the son of the demiurge Yahweh. His twice-born Workers and not the once-born disciples that were of the Rabbis were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "See, your Workers are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath. But in Christ Jesus, we are not under Law that finished with John, the Baptist, Prophet Elijah, a moral teacher who disciplined the once-born natural boys to behave." He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the Sabbath working for money and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man with “Christ” in His heart is Lord of the Sabbath. That is why John, the Baptist withered away giving Way to Christ Jesus." So, Jesus had no Disciples that needed disciplining by teaching the Moral Laws - Matt 13v52 defines an ideal Rabbi. In Jesus, we are solitary capable of entering into the Royal Vineyard of our Father Elohim, Allah, Parbrahm, etc., our Supernatural Father of our souls, where everyone is the son of the highest Elohim, Allah, Parbrahm, etc. Only the twice-born could be fished into the Royal Kingdom of God and not the once-born stooges of the Rabbis, Pope, etc., the spiritual female as Saul was under Gamaliel. So, unless a spiritual female becomes a spiritual male, master of his own destiny, she cannot enter into the Royal Kingdom of God. I will make a video on this topic; on the YouTube channel One God One Faith. If you wish, you may send me an email at [email protected] so that we can talk face-to-face on Skype. My email is my ID. Youtube channel - Truthsoldier I served in the satanic Iraq war. I openly am shamed for that and I asked for forgiveness for taking part in that war. I actually had my awakening while over in Iraq. My eyes were opened to the injustice of that war. The Iraqi people loved Saddam; they had whole stories with nothing but Saddam’s face on everything. Since then I have been speaking out against the US and ISRAEL on my Youtube channel. Here is my contribution:- Holy spirit, common sense, shatters the fetters of the dead letters, the Holy Books. If we have One God, our Supernatural Father of our souls, then there should be one Faith. In Christianity, Jesus said One Fold called the Church of God headed by One Shepherd, our Bridegroom Christ Jesus/Christ = Satguru Nanak Dev Ji, the Second coming of Jesus. Books:- ONE GOD ONE FAITH:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/bookfin.pdf Greatest Blasphemers and Killers Blair and Bush https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qHdTpTXHvE&list=PL0C8AFaJhsWz7HtQEhV91eAKugUw73PW1 Christ Jesus was killed by the Temple High Priest Hypocrite/Blasphemer against the Holy Spirit and so are Bush and Blair who at the backing of Jewish people in the USA destroyed one country after the other starting with the cradle of Humanity Iraq, the Land of the forefather of the Chosen People who is no more faithful to Abraham but has become sons of the Highest Satan Al-Djmar Al-Aksa. Blair and Bush’s blasphemies against Holy Spirit https://youtu.be/0WBYOmpDuCs American Jews are today – http://www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/GrimReaper.htm Destroying one country after the other, so that the scripture is fulfilled. My ebook by Kindle. ASIN: B01AVLC9WO Full description:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/Rest.htm Any helper to finish my Books:- ONE GOD ONE FAITH:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/bookfin.pdf and in Punjabi KAKHH OHLAE LAKHH:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/pdbook.pdf Very informative Channel:- Punjab Siyan. John's baptism:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/johnsig.pdf Trinity:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/trinity.pdf

#youtube

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bastart13 · 3 years

Photo

I’ve had a lot of fun recently coming with with female mercenary characters for TF2. I really liked where the concept art was going with making them all individual characters rather than simply “if the characters were women”

The design style is fantastic for distinct simplicity so I tried limiting myself to basic colours and shapes to make these

and I’m pretty confident they pass the silhouette test!

Character names/bios under the cut!

Heavy

Name: Marie Jarrett

Age: Mid 30s-40s

Height: 6’5

Nationality: American (Hawai’i)

Bio: Raised in Hawai’i, growing up she developed more and more drastic measures to fend off the tourists swarming her home. Land mines, electric gates, guard dogs, none could stop them for long until she picked up her trusty minigun to send her message. But even still, she hears the click of cameras in the night.

Eventually, she left her home to explore the world. Enthralled with the image of seeing different wonders across different countries, she’s always disappointed. She’s travelled every continent and still finds nothing that lives up to her expectations. No place, no person. She’s outgoing and open to new experiences, only she usually hates them.

Mercenary life is a great opportunity to earn money, see sights, meet new people and kill them after they don’t meet your expectations. She hates New Mexico and takes every opportunity to destroy the buildings and insult her employer’s tastes. She finds some people she tolerates within the mercenaries as she hasn’t yet visited where they live. However much she hides it, she has a deep, instinctual fear of the Engineer.

Soldier

Name: Linda Smith

Age: Early 40s

Height: 5’10

Nationality: Canadian

Bio: Canada’s perfect woman… or so she claims. The star of war propaganda posters and clearly decided for the role because of her great tactical assets. She’s there to motivate people into the fight. To spread the glory of Canada and inspire her allies. She believes she has higher orders than anyone else she’s working for (ignoring the fact she hasn’t heard from them for a good few years) and is determined to follow them to the letter. She may have lost the letter but she remembers it good enough.

She represents the ideals of Canada: polite, friendly, apologetic, and pacifistic. None of these are contradicted by how she throws around rockets. That’s not what Canada means. She’s superior to everyone around her and graciously educates them on how to improve through example. She loves her French and British allies and will kindly tell the Americans how to be better.

She’s motivating and actually fairly competent, it’s just that competency might be misdirected. She’s damn good at rocket jumping, shooting her shotgun, and supporting her team, it’s just that you really need to get it in her head when she’s meant to be doing it.

Scout

Name: Patricia “Pat” Herald

Age: 50s-60s

Height: 5’4

Nationality: English

Bio: In her years, Patricia has learnt fear… and she’s learnt to laugh in its face. She wakes up at the crack of dawn, ready to leave at the drop of a hat, boots polished and laced the night before. Her years have taught her that with a gun and Jeremy by her side, she can survive!

The postal route of Appleby-in-Westmorland.

She’s been chased by geese, dogs, cows, elderly ladies, and when her postal route had her delivering post during the war, she developed a taste for blood. Nothing will stop her from delivering her post on time. Every day before 6am, every postbox will have their letters and parcels. One chucked across barbed wire, another house jumped over a river, another house miles into the country with dogs on her heels, she WILL get there and she’ll get there FAST.

But after a couple of decades, she needs a change of scenery, and the Gravels wars are just the holiday she’s needed. With her trusty black and white cat by her side (ignoring the yowling and scratches) she reckons it’ll be great time to enjoy herself.

Quotes: “Oh, hello, Human Jeremy.”

“Bloody fucking Ethel! Building her house out in the country… surrounded by bloody hills and rivers!”

Pyro

Name: Nikephoros Papadopoulos

Age: Late 20s

Height: 5’11

Nationality: Greek

Bio: Survival of the fittest. Nature gives and nature taketh away. If you’re not prepared for that, well, Pyro is more than happy to teach you the lesson. They embody the old values of the Greek gods: f*ck or fire. She indulges her every whim and unfortunately for the people around her it often involves arson.

One year for the Olympic games, she was given the noble title of torchbearer. On complete coincidence, the Olympics shifted to primarily water sports. Underwater sprints became the hot new trend!

She’s merry and chatty, never missing the opportunity to talk to other people about herself and her world view. She can’t wait to spread her gospel to help other people improve themselves (though she always gets a laugh out of those who go out screaming in the flames). She can’t help it if she has a sadistic side.

Engineer

Name: Mikawo Kojima

Age: Early 20s

Height: 5’0

Nationality: Japanese

Bio: Japan’s early-rising industrial revolutions in technology are best exemplified in Mikawo, a young upstart determined to rise to the top, learning everything she can and building the best of the best. Unfortunately, she’s never been the most creative but when you happen upon other people’s blueprints and happen to construct them first, what does it matter who came up with the “concept”?

At first, she appears to be every bit the quiet and demure young woman people expect, only when silk hides steel, that steel is a massive automatic sentry gun. She’s motivated by a distinct contempt for the people who get in her way. Especially those who try to be better than her. She enjoys the flexibility of English, especially the cusses, and she has no reservations about swearing up a storm, even if she still refuses to give a straight rejection, preferring instead to give a small “I’ll think about it.”

Quotes: “This GUN is fair use on your head!”

Demo

Name: Qingzhao Zeng

Age: Late 40s

Height: 5’3

Nationality: Chinese

Bio: The Zeng family has a long-standing family trade in demolitions and explosives, traced down the line all the way to the Song dynasty. Luckily, Qingzhao has sisters so, you know, it’s not all that important. She doesn’t even have to stop smoking and drinking. She hasn’t blown herself up (that much) so clearly, it’s working. Precision is for other people to worry about. She’s apathetic to a T, having seen everything. Measurements come from the heart. A pinch of gunpowder there, a splash of paint there.

Her family has a deep-seated rivalry with the DeGroots. Long ago in ancient China, a Zeng matriarch woke up in a cold sweat, a message from the stars to let them know of their Scottish rivals. Due to being a continent away from each other, the families have actually met each other only a handful of times, but the hatred needs to be kept up because, what if?

Turns out, Qingzhao has met Tavish even before finding employment under the Mann brothers. One drunken night, the two of them had a short, whirlwind friendship, sharing secrets and declaring each other to be their best friends. Luckily for them, they both forgot the night, merrily hating each other as tradition dictates. However, headaches and flashes of this terrible night haunt them both. Could they really get over centuries of hate and become friends?

Absolutely not.

Sniper

Name: Ansa Aaltonen

Age: 27

Height: 6’2

Nationality: Finnish

Bio: Snow. Sugar. Cocaine. Her life is run by many white powders. Ansa is a professional sniper, with a sharp eye and a steady hand… when she isn’t also high as a kite, lost in the snowy wilderness of Finland and screeching to the sky. When you’re up in the dark and cold, you need something to give you a little pep in your step. It just so happens Ansa liked having a bit more pep than most.

She’s there for a THRILL. There’s nothing better to get your heart pumping at 200 beats per second than a good headshot, embracing the chill, and a hit of sugar. She no longer feels the cold or heat or even pain, shrugging it off until she collapses. It just makes her feel alive. She’s efficient, fast, and determined to get her kicks.

She has an unusual taste, living off fermented fish and tree bark. To most people around the Finnish wilderness, she’s nothing more than an urban legend, but she’s very real and she’s looking for some excitement, happily found in employment in the Gravel wars.

Spy

Name: Yvonne Pleshette [Real name N/A]

Age: 30s

Height: 5’8

Nationality: American (California)

Bio: The silver screen calls to his woman and she’s happy to answer. She trains herself to act in every possible role she can, having a wide range of accents, body languages, and backstories. To truly test herself, she gave up her identity long ago. Lately she’s been going by the name “Yvonne.”

The world of Hollywood is cutthroat and full of backstabbers so she learnt to cut throats and stab backs. While some people tell her the terms are metaphorical, nothing else has given her more roles. Living the mercenary life is simply gathering research for her roles (and earning some much-needed money in the process).

She presents herself as a classic film star, despite being a minor name at best, mostly because she’s always changing it. She has high standards but a cheapskate personality. She’s a bit of a bitch, happily criticising others, especially if they’re working with her. What can she say? She’s a diva.

[Slutshames other spy]

Quotes: “Ugh, actors these days, they know nothing about getting into character. They still have names.”

“’AHHHHH—’ Wait, no. Once more from the top. Scream in agony.”

Medic

Name: Susan Monks

Age: 30-40s

Height: 5’7

Nationality: American (New Jersey)

Bio: The American Healthcare system. Is there a more glorious sight? The exploitation of pain. The money. The debt. The fear it strikes into the entire population it’s designed to help. To Susan, there’s nothing better. She squeezes every last drop from the people she helps, working on a purely transactional lifestyle. She’ll never help someone unless she has all of their insurance information and the payment secure in her bank, and god forbid she ever accept help. It’s not like she can afford her own prices.

She’s very self-aware of her own corruption and proud of it, though she refuses to be exploited in the same way, suspicious of anything “free” but also doing her best not to pay for anything.

That said, she doesn’t much care for how good a job she does. In her eyes, asking for surgery is one thing. Asking for successful surgery is another. She has a variety of skills in both cosmetic and military medicine. She just wishes the license board would stop sending her “malpractice” letters. Ugh, stick to your own business. “Disappearing” all their messengers is becoming a pain.

Quotes: “Why get someone else to do something for you when you can scrounge a way to do it yourself?”

#team fortress 2 #team fortress #tf2 #fem tf2 #tf2 heavy #tf2 spy #tf2 scout #tf2 medic #tf2 sniper #tf2 engineer #tf2 soldier #tf2 demoman #tf2 pyro #character design #art #i'm very happy with how these turned out

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nikakistos · 3 years

Text

The Perfect Closure of EreMika

The title is pure clickbait (as always), there will be lots of tags (as always) and this post will be huge. As always. So, let’s examine and evaluate the perfect conclusion of the most important relationship in Attack on Titan. We will analyze why this is the best conclusion they could have gotten and of course we are going to talk about what their scenes meant for their relationship, their feelings for each other and the themes of the story.

First, let’s ask the question: What was the purpose of this chapter? Ending the fight obviously, but also giving closure to the relationship between Eren and Mikasa. Now, there were 3 questions that needed to be answered in order for the two of them to have closure.

Why did Eren say to Mikasa that he hated her?

What does Eren feel for Mikasa?

What would have happened if Mikasa had given Eren a different answer back in chapter 123?

Isayama answered all 3 of them in a spectacular way. Let’s see how he did it. The chapter literally starts with Isayama, via Mikasa, setting up the closure. This was achieved by having her wonder if this really was the end for her and Eren. Could it be that their last interaction ever ended with him saying that he hated her?

Isayama answers that with a big, fat NO.

That’s the purpose of Mikasa’s vision. Mikasa’s vision is not there to introduce us to Alternate Universes or to portray her as a delusional fangirl that can’t cope with reality. It’s purpose is to answer the above 3 questions. And that it does.

Essentially, Mikasa’s vision is a “What if” scenario. If Mikasa had chosen the ideal for her answer back in chapter 123, Eren would have abandoned everything and lived with her. This means that Eren is also in love with her. He said that he hated Mikasa, because he wanted her to forget him. That’s why he also asked her to throw away the scarf.

Mikasa though, being the truest representation of all major, positive themes in the series says no. She chooses to remember him. That’s essentially the meaning of life. That’s what Armin taught to Zeke back in chapter 137. Memories of everyday life. That’s the meaning of life. Back in Trost, Mikasa said that she couldn’t die, because she wouldn’t be able to remember Eren. Even back then, Mikasa always knew the true meaning of life.

Afterall, the series heavily criticizes the usage of memory manipulation. Deleting memories or altering them have been methods empoyed by the Royal Family for years, hiding the truth from the people. One of the themes of the Survey Corps is remembering their fallen comrades and carrying on the torch. Mikasa forgetting Eren would be an insult to the themes of the story. As would be if Eren was revealed to have been sending fake memories and dreams to Mikasa out of pity for her.

Finally, Mikasa decides to kill Eren. Not because he hated her or because he didn’t have romantic feelings for her. Because she had to save the world and because that’s exactly what Eren wanted. Back in chapter 133 Reiner foreshadowed Eren’s desires. He explained that it is very hard for Eren, mentally, to handle the murder of the entire human race. Through Reiner, Isayama reveals that Eren wants someone to end it all for him. That someone was Mikasa. That’s why Mikasa knew where to find Eren. His relieved face when he saw her swinging the blade said it all. That was Eren’s design and Mikasa delivered.

And so, the chapter that starts with Mikasa thinking that the only closure she would get with Eren was the “I’ve always hated you”, ends with the first and the last kiss between the two of them that puts all of her worries to rest.

Is Mikasa delusional?

I’ve seen this being thrown around, so i have to also tackle said point. No, Mikasa is not delusional. This wasn’t a fantasy that only she experienced. This dream of hers is the same dream that Eren had back in chapter 1. Eren experienced the exact same things she did in the dream. We even see him with his titan marks. It is clear as day that they shared these moments.

Also, i have to give credits to Isayama here for his usage of “itterasshai”. The word generally means “Go and come back safely” and is usually said to people leaving the house. For Mikasa, Eren is her home, but she is also home for him, as shown in the RtS arc:

These were the perfect parting words for the two of them. Nothing else could encapsulate their relationship better. Eren of course, won’t come back, but that’s the irony of the word here.

Moving on to the next point, Mikasa’s characterization in this final arc is about her seeing Eren for the person he truly is and stop ignoring his faults. It starts from the Marley arc and it concludes with chapter 123 where she realizes that this was simply part of Eren’s nature.

He always had it in him to become the monster that he became. However, he always had a different side to him. A side that had been shown to her a few times. At first, when he wrapped the scarf around her and later when he asked her “What am i to you”. Finally, it manifested as a desire to live quietly with her in their shared dream. It would contradict her development and characterization in the final arc, to have Mikasa start seeing an incomplete Eren again, after realizing earlier who he really was. Mikasa understood who Eren truly is and she accepted him and continued to love him anyway, even though she didn’t agree with his genocide.

It is not out of character for Eren to run away with her either. At least not in that instance. The series highlights the moment that he asked Mikasa “What am i to you” as a pivotal one. Sure, under normal circumstances, Eren would have chosen to fight, but we saw him breaking down just moments earlier. The only person that could have saved him was Mikasa. Alas, that wasn’t meant to happen.

In any instance, the biggest indicator that Mikasa is not just a delusional girl who kissed the decapitated head of the man she loved, when he never really loved her in the same way, is Ymir’s face at the end of the chapter.

Ymir, as i have mentioned in previous posts, is a girl who never knew real love during her lifetime. She didn’t understand what she was looking at, when she first say a couple kissing with their friends cheering them on. And after that she was sentenced to a cruel life, with a man who never loved her and only viewed her as a tool. This girl, remembers longinly that scene of the couple kissing for 2000 years. She was waiting for 2000 years to see real love again.

She witnessed that through Eren and Mikasa. In a scene that would have otherwise been painted in a negative light, Ymir’s warm smile at the sight of the final act of love between two people who never got to be together the way they wanted to, clears any and all doubts regarding Eren’s feelings for Mikasa and the latter’s sanity. Eren reciprocates Mikasa’s feelings and he was alive for enough time to kiss her back, before completely fading away. Eren and Mikasa replaced the married couple and Ymir replaced the crowd that was cheering at them from 2000 years ago.

Of course, one might ask, could Eren really kiss her? Didn’t she just take advantage of him? No, he did kiss her. The way the scene was directed, it shows us that the events, which take place in their dream, mirror the events in real life. Just look at Eren’s lips one moment before Mikasa kissed him and compare them to the picture above, where they kiss. They are different.

Also, you have to remeber that decapitation doesn’t kill immediately and does not immobilize facial muscles. That was the entire reason that Eren and Zeke managed to get the Coordinate. Eren survived long enough from Gabi’s shot to make contact with Zeke. Even his facial expression changes as you can see below:

More importantly, was there really any chance that Ymir would look at Mikasa beheading and kissing Eren, while also smiling in approval, if Mikasa was a delusional girl who was unable to understand Eren’s feelings for her up to the very end? Most of all, do you think she would have allowed him to die, without experiencing real love? She died in such a way and she stayed for 2000 years in the Paths waiting for someone to show her real love. Eren was her benefactor. Would she ever allow him to die in such a way, when she was being mistreated (sexually and in many other ways) by King Fritz? I doubt it. Actually no. I don’t doubt it. I’m sure this is not the way we are meant to interprete the scene.

Eren’s relationship with Mikasa, from the very start, is an allegory for the world of AoT. The world is cruel, but is also very beautiful. Eren’s story with Mikasa starts with him murdering in cold blood her kidnappers (cruelty) and then warmly and gently welcoming her to his family by wrapping a scarf around her (beauty). Their story ends with Mikasa decapitating him (cruelty) and kissing him (beauty).

Eren’s tendency for violence has always been portrayed as going hand in hand with his better side. That side has always been represented by Mikasa. It is only fitting for them to have their most beautiful moment happening almost at the same time as their most cruel one. This is how Isayama juxtaposes this duality:

If we interprete this scene as Mikasa being delusional and Eren not being in love with her we get a very disturbing and creepy scene, between an obsessed, psychosis-suffering girl who can’t understand the feelings of Eren, a genocidal maniac who never had any chance or willingness to live a normal life, even though there are hints of that, and a 2000 year old ghost who just happily smiled at the decapitation and forceful kissing of her emancipator. I am pretty sure this is not the message Isayama wants to send. Not simply, because it is a disservice to Mikasa as a character and to her relationship with Eren, which has been one of the most prominent and consistent part of the series from the very first chapter, but because it is also a huge disrespect to Eren as a character as well. Does anyone really think that Isayama would choose to write Eren’s death like that? Not a single important person in the entire story has gotten such an exit. Not even Floch. Even Zeke, who thought that his father never loved him and only used him as a tool, got to see that his father truly did love him, before finally dying. Of course Eren and Mikasa would get the same treatment.

What i mean to say is that Eren and Mikasa’s closure won’t be recontextualized in a way that will paint their feelings for one another and their relationship in a negative light. If anyone’s expecting that, he/she will be disappointed. Eren and Mikasa were confirmed as a canonical couple in chapter 138.

On the other hand, if anyone’s expecting that this wasn’t their real closure and that they will get an even happier ending, he/she is also coping hard. Eren died here in this chapter. There won’t be a scarf rewrap (i’m here to eat my words if it happens), because Isayama gave the couple a kiss. A kiss that was in the makings ever since chapter 50 dropped. And of course, there is not going to be a baby born to Eren and Mikasa. Like, no way it’s happening. Eren is not coming back to life as that would turnish the series and it’s ending.

In conclusion, Eren’s relationship with Mikasa ended in the same way it started. Violently and Beautifully. Tragically and Happily. They acted on their romantic feelings for each other the very moment they had to part ways forever. This is how Isayama hurts us. The essence of a bittersweet conclusion.

EDIT: EATING MY WORDS AS PROMISED. EREN DID REWRAP MIKASA’S SCARF. HE KEPT HIS PROMISE.

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robininthelabyrinth · 3 years

Note

🧿🤠🐇🍲🍯: Lan Wangji does not think it’s safe to raise A-Yuan in Cloud Recesses after the Lans participated in the killing of his zhiji and the entire Burial Mounds community (or more accurately that it’s not safe while he himself is in seclusion and can’t watch over A-Yuan, at least) so he delivers A-Yuan to the one person who he knows did not stand against Wei Wuxian (and got away with it, bc this person has never stood against anything, since standing takes effort): Nie Huaisang.

Little Side Door - ao3

Nie Huaisang’s rooms in the Unclean Realm had a little side door that no one but him ever used.

They hadn’t originally. The Unclean Realm was a fortress, designed to maximize protection and defense; there was no better place for keeping things safe by locking them away. While it had its fair share of boltholes and escape routes, they were not common and universally difficult to access lest the enemy learn of them and use them to their advantage. Even the layout of their open spaces were carefully planned lest the attack come from the sky, a concern that only cultivators had, and not about how they themselves could escape – after all, weren’t they all Nie, ready to die rather than endure dishonor?

The little side door that led to Nie Huaisang’s room opened onto a small rock garden, left to grow wild with weeds rather than reveal its presence to more people. It existed only because his brother had ordered it constructed by those he trusted most, all in secret in the dark of the night. He had never explained why he had gone to such lengths to create such an unwelcome and inauspicious place, but then, he hadn’t needed to – Nie Huaisang had been there, too, when his father had descended into madness and they had been trapped in the familial quarters with no way out that did not take them through him. If his brother had been the one to brave his father’s rage directly, Nie Huaisang had been the one stuck in a small space that was only not claustrophobic because it was so painfully familiar.

Now, though his father was long dead and gone, Nie Huaisang had a little side door.

A little side door, and a little garden that almost no one knew about; in combination with the saber that his brother forced him to learn and the golden core he had so begrudgingly formed, he now had a way to reach the sky and the illusive freedom it represented – the freedom to flee and leave his home behind.

If it ever happens again – his brother had said once, the closest he had ever come to speaking of it.

He did not finish his sentence, as Nie Huaisang had thrown his plate into his face and stormed off, steaming mad and close to tears. He did not raise the subject a second time.

Nie Huaisang did not often use his little side door.

Although he enjoyed gardens, he preferred the aviary he’d constructed, or one of the myriad of well-tended gardens in the main part of the sect; even the vegetable gardens out back beside the kitchens were far more welcoming than that sparse straggle of land. He’d only ever spent time there when he was a child and in desperate need of some quiet, wanting to avoid adults with their arguments and their miseries; he’d taken some friends there because he thought it might impress them, but it hadn’t, and anyway his brother had put a stop to that soon enough.

He didn’t even think about the little side door, most days. It was just a part of the room, a small tucked away corner with nothing in it. Nothing to think about.

And then, of course, years after he’d put it out of his mind entirely, there came a terrible banging noise at that little side door, like someone was kicking at it furiously from the outside.

Nie Huaisang nearly fell over sideways in his scramble to get up, and then once again when he realized where the noise was coming from – almost no one knew about his side door and its little garden, and so no one had ever come to him through it. Who would be knocking now…?

He opened it.

Lan Wangji, white robes stained with blood and cheeks bright with fever, shoved something into his arms. “You have a child now,” he said through bitten lips. “Congratulations. He is called A-Yuan. I entrust you with his care, for my sect cannot be trusted with it.”

And then he turned and staggered away, mounting up on Bichen and flying off before Nie Huaisang could say anything – before he could even finish searching his memories and recalling that yes, in fact, Lan Wangji had been one of the friends he had shown the side door to, years and years before, and thus knew how to find it. Before he could even start processing the thousands of thoughts that had spring to life, fully formed, at all the information he’d just received: the bloody robes, the desperation, the reference to the Lan sect – the Lan sect! – being somehow untrustworthy…

He looked down at his arms.

“Congratulations,” he echoed blankly. “I have a child now.”

The child blinked up at him, and then smiled.

“Da-ge!” Nie Husiang howled, rushing into the sect leader’s study where his brother was doing work – luckily it wasn’t receiving hours and he wasn’t in the main hall, as that would have been unfortunate. “Da-ge, you have to help me! I have a child now!”

His brother stared at him, expression blank and mouth slightly agape. The brush in his hand dripping ink onto a now-wasted piece of paper.

“Huaisang,” he said after a moment. “What the fuck.”

Nie Huaisang nodded furiously.

“Where did you get – how – who – what did you do?!”

“I am currently unable to disclose any details,” Nie Huaisang said promptly even as his brother tossed aside the brush and got up, striding over with a storm brewing in his face. “All I can say is that I have to raise this child now. By which I mean, you have to help me raise this child now; I can’t raise children! I’m not mature enough to raise a child!”

“No kidding! Why would someone entrust – to you…” Nie Mingjue trailed off, looking down at the child with a frown that shifted from disbelieving irritation to concern. He pressed his hand to the child’s forehead. “Huaisang, this child has a high fever. We need to get him to the medical wing at once – is that blood?”

“Not his, I don’t think?”

“I don’t want to know,” his brother decided. “Move.”

Some time later, they were both sitting next to the bed in one of the spare rooms in the family quarters; Nie Huaisang thought it might even have been the same one that he’d used when he was very young. A-Yuan was sleeping, and Nie Mingjue was still holding his little hand in his own, having been clocked as the oversize comfort animal that he not-so-secretly was from the very first moment A-Yuan laid eyes on him.

The doctors had declared A-Yuan’s fever to be very severe, but they had applied plenty of medicine – the Lan sect might have more esoteric healing techniques, but there wasn’t anything like the Nie sect when it came to standard medicine for injuries and illnesses associated with the battlefield, and despite A-Yuan’s tender age Nie Huaisang would be willing to bet that his injuries were from a battlefield. They were confident that A-Yuan would make a full recovery, body and mind both intact, although they warned that his memory of the past might be impacted.

Nie Huaisang had thought about all that blood that wasn’t his, of Lan Wangji pale-faced and wild-eyed, and decided that a little bit of forgetting might not be so bad after all.

“Are you going to tell me anything more,” his brother said after a while. “Or should I just give up now?”

Nie Huaisang leaned over and patted his knee. “It’s good that you know your limitations.”

His brother rolled his eyes.

“I can’t believe this is my life,” he remarked.

“What part?” Nie Huaisang asked, curious. “The fact that we have a kid now, because obviously we’re keeping him? Or the fact that someone gave a kid to me?”

“Both,” his brother decided. “Definitely both.”

“His name’s A-Yuan,” Nie Huaisang said. “Apparently.”

“Well,” his brother said. “Obviously that won’t do.”

Nie Huaisang had the ability to be sneaky when he wanted to be. It wasn’t a matter of stealth, he had explained to his brother, but sneakiness– a completely different concept. Stealth suggested that he was doing something to conceal himself and required skills and talent, or else a lot of practice, and obviously Nie Huaisang was not going to go in for either of those.

Sneakiness, though…

He didn’t need people not to be able to see him in order to be sneaky. He just needed them not to care about him, or wonder where he was.

“Psst,” he said, knocking on the window to the rooms where Lan Wangji was purportedly practicing seclusion. “Psst! Lan Zhan!”

Lan Wangji had given him a child. They were definitely past the ‘Lan-er-gongzi’ stage.

“Lan Zhan!” he rapped at the window with his fan. “We need a courtesy name!”

There was some sounds from within the jingshi, mostly stumbling around. Nie Huaisang waited patiently, and after a few moments the window opened and Lan Wangji stared out at him. He was as pale as a ghost with lips as red as blood, and very clearly not in seclusion at all, but rather in the midst of healing whatever wounds had left him bloody – he probably shouldn’t have gotten out of bed to answer.

Oh, well. Too late for regret now.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Lan Wangji said, voice dull and eyes blank as he stared at Nie Huaisang. It was unclear if he meant in the Cloud Recesses generally, or here in particular, interrupting his ‘seclusion’.

“Didn’t you hear me?” Nie Huaisang said, scowling at him. “We need a courtesy name! A courtesy name for the child, you hear me? You know, of course, that Qinghe Nie don’t use personal names, not even for children – certainlynot for children older than their first year. It’d be a complete giveaway that he’s not organically ours if we call him something like A-Yuan.”

Lan Wangji raised a hand to pinch his nose. “Please go away.”

“Courtesy name, Lan Zhan. I mean, I may be the one who’ll be raising him, but please think carefully: do you really want meto be the one naming him?”

“…call him Sizhui.”

“Sizhui,” Nie Huaisang repeated. “With the characters…?”

Lan Wangji nodded.

“Uh, no,” Nie Huaisang said. “I need a bettercourtesy name. Are you joking?”

“Nie Huaisang. Go away.”

“But –”

Lan Wangji slammed the window shut.

“…fine,” Nie Huaisang said to the closed window. “Be that way, see if I care. Not like we don’t need to build up a decent coparenting relationship or anything eventually.”

He thought he heard a choking sound from behind the door and smirked.

“Don’t you think you can baby-trap me and just walk away, Lan Zhan,” he said in his best ominous tone. “If you wanted someone to raise your kid without ever consulting you again, you should’ve dropped him off in the Lotus Pier with Jiang Cheng, who’d probably be too busy being confused to even question where he came frome – but no. You came to me. I don’t make decisions in the best of times, least of all good. I have questions. A lot of questions.”

He thought about it for a moment.

“Not about how you got him or anything like that,” he said. “I’m not stupid, I can tell a secret when I see one. But, you know, other types of questions. Parenting stuff. Are you a ‘go sit and think about what you’ve done’ sort of parent? Or more traditional discipline, with copying lines and occasionally strikes when they’re naughty? Do you want him to learn the Lan sect rules along with the Nie sect principles –”

There was a muffled sound from inside the house.

It sounded angry.

“…we can talk about it later,” Nie Huaisang decided. He might’ve pushed his luck a bit too much. “Talk later!”

“You have a…what?” Lan Xichen asked, his smile a little fixed and stare a little wilder than normal.

“A nephew!” Nie Mingjue gushed. “Isn’t he wonderful?”

“Nephew.”

“He’s so well behaved, too! He plays quietly by himself most of the time, drawing and even writing a little, and Huaisang’s already teaching him how to play the dizi –”

“When you say nephew, do you mean Nie Huaisang’s child?”

“Do I have other brothers?” Nie Mingjue rolled his eyes at him. “He’s obviously not yours. Anyway, I know Meng Yao is expecting one, too, but he wouldn’t be dressed in Nie colors if it was his, would it?”

“Yes, but…are you telling me that…that Nie Huaisang…”

“It’s a battlefield child, Xichen,” Nie Mingjue said patiently. “Obviously. Someone entrusted him to Huaisang.”

“Oh,” Lan Xichen said, looking relieved. “Yes, that makes more sense…wait.”

Nie Mingjue waited.

“Someone entrusted him to Nie Huaisang?”

“I know, right?” Nie Mingjue said, and Lan Xichen didn’t notice how strained his grin had suddenly become, or how thoughtful his eyes were as he surveyed Lan Xichen as if trying to find an answer to a question. “I would’ve assumed they’d go for someone more responsible, like you. Guess you never know…”

“I guess you don’t,” Lan Xichen agreed, looking down at the child with a bemused expression. A battlefield child, entrusted to Nie Huaisang… “They must have been truly driven to desperation.”

“Perhaps,” Nie Mingjue said, and then changed the subject to little Nie Sizhui’s accomplishments, of which he could list many at great length and very great enthusiasm. By the time he was done with that, Ln Xichen was so overwhelmed that he didn’t ask a single other question.

“So I’ve got an idea on how to do this whole co-parenting thing,” Nie Huaisang said, cracking nuts to eat. He was sitting next to Lan Wangji’s bedside, and dropping the shells straight on the floor, too, staring dead-eyed at Lan Wangji as if daring him to say something – which he wouldn’t, of course. “Since with Sizhui starting classes soon it’s become much more urgent, on account of me needing you to attend meetings with his teachers and discuss his progress.”

Lan Wangji looked deeply long-suffering. He’d only invited Nie Huaisang inside because Nie Huaisang had threatened to start shouting out his business loudly on account of oh but Lan Zhan, how was I to know if you could hear me in there, I just had to raise my voice just in case because I wouldn’t want you to miss any of the extremelyimportant news –

It was all Lan Wangji’s fault for being born earlier than Nie Huaisang, Nie Huaisang thought virtuously. It was merely Nie Huaisang’s lot in life to fulfill the role of annoying younger brother to everyone.

“See, it’s the music,” Nie Huaisang continued. “You do music, right?”

Lan Wangji’s ice-cold glare suggested that he did, in fact, ‘do music’.

“So your brother has been playing this song for da-ge on a regular basis,” Nie Huaisang explained, ignoring the glare entirely. “And when he’s not available, which is most of the time nowadays, he’s been sending san-ge instead. Even though, of course, poor san-ge’s so busy back at Lanling all the time…ughh, it’s so unfair, you know! Poor san-ge has to do all the work of being the heir and gets none of the benefits, and they pile even more work on him on top of that – really, he gets no respect.”

Lan Wangji’s expression suggested he didn’t care.

“And think about the inconvenience to us!” Nie Huaisang sallied forth, undeterred. “People coming and going all the time, da-ge having to interrupt his schedule of spending quality time with me and Sizhui – and sect leader work, of course, though that’s less important – in order to march over to greet them and host them and listen to them…what a pain it is!”

Lan Wangji appeared on the verge of suggesting that Nie Huaisang consider getting to the point.

“So you should come do it instead.”

Lan Wangji’s expression cracked, suggesting that Nie Huaisang had actually managed to make an impact.

“You remember,” he said, voice low and a little hoarse from all that refusing to speak he’d been doing. Really, if Nie Huaisang wasn’t around to goad him into it, he might’ve lost the voice entirely – he didn’t even have little Sizhui around to force him to speak! “That I’m in seclusion. Right?”

“You’re horribly lonely is what you are,” Nie Huisang said briskly. “You require company. Therefore, coming to take up a semi-permanent posting in the Unclean Realm to play the Song of Clarity for my brother morning, noon, and night is clearly the finest way to solve all of our problems, and for you to see little Sizhui as often as you like.”

Lan Wangji visibly wavered. “My brother,” he said, then coughed. “My brother will never believe it.”

“That’s your problem,” Nie Huaisang said. “Find a way to sell it.”

He stood, shaking the remaining shells onto the chair.

“See you in Qinghe soon, Lan Zhan..!”

Lan Wangji was trying to kill him with his mind, Nie Huaisang thought happily as he wandered off with a whistle and a vaguely silly expression. Good – he’d been inside for too long. He needed the stimulation.

“Truly,” Nie Mingjue remarked, strolling around their gardens without any apparent notice of the small child perched on his shoulders, giggling wildly at the feeling of being tall, “I feel far better than I did before! One can scarcely compare it – night and day, really. Your Lan sect’s Song of Clarity is a marvel, even if it does take a while before it kicks in.”

“Mm,” Lan Wangji said, walking slowly with his hands behind his back. He was still unsteady on his feet on account of the absolutely horrific injuries he’d incurred – but if the Lan sect’s response to everything was seclusion, seclusion, seclusion, then the Nie sect’s equivalent response was exercise. These little excursions through the gardens were the result.

Thus far, they were still only doing laps around the main gardens, but Nie Huaisang had plans to eventually force Lan Wangji to go even as far as his own little side garden. He’d made it through his side door once, after all; why not a second time..?

At any rate, Nie Huaisang still wasn’t quite sure how Lan Wangji had talked Lan Xichen into allowing him to come to the Unclean Realm, but it really did make the whole co-parenting business a lot more convenient. And his brother had had so much fun making Lan Wangji stiff and awkward over all his thanks and praise for his decision to come ‘help out’ with Nie Sizhui’s raising until finally, at last, Nie Huaisang had taken pity and revealed that Nie Mingjue knew perfectly well whose battlefield child this was.

Both in terms of who had gifted him to Nie Huaisang, and who’d adopted him originally, and of course even his original surname – The little tot’s been through enough adoptions to make anyone’s head spin, his brother had said, his voice gruff as always. There’s no point in thinking back too far, is there?

Lan Wangji had been very relieved.

“Run, bobo!” Nie Sizhui cried, pointing over at a bird. “We need to get it for Sang-gege!”

Nie Mingjue snorted like a bull but obediently quickened his feet and left the rest of them behind, heading in full charge straight at the wild pheasant that was far more likely to end up on Nie Huaisang’s plate than in his aviary. It was about even odds which one Nie Sizhui meant, anyway.

“Nie Huaisang,” Lan Wangji said, his voice low, and Nie Huaisang looked at him. “The Song of Clarity does not take time to work. These effects should have happened at once.”

Nie Huaisang opened his fan, hiding his face as he frowned. “How odd,” he said. “And after san-ge put in all that hard work.”

“Perhaps he played it wrong.”

“Odd,” Nie Huaisang said again. “When san-ge gets so very little wrong…has your brother sent any word on the Xue Yang issue?”

“…he has not.”

“He’s going to need to pick a side eventually.”

“He does not want to make things difficult for his sworn brother.”

“Does he have only the one?” Nie Huaisang asked archly, and Lan Wangji averted his gaze. “It’s awkward for us if he doesn’t back us, and is a bad look besides…truly, it’s a wonder that san-ge managed to squeeze out the time to come here.”

Lan Wangji’s frown deepened. “Indeed,” he said. “One would think his father might be tempted to stop him.”

“Wouldn’t you just?” Nie Huaisang said. “Wouldn’t you just…you know, maybe when you’re feeling better, we should go visit Lanling ourselves.”

Lan Wangji glanced at him, arching an eyebrow, and Nie Huaisang smiled, fanning himself casually.

“I’m not the only one with a little side door,” he said. “Let’s go knocking and see what we find, shall we?”

#mdzs #nie huaisang #lan wangji #lan sizhui #nie mingjue #lan xichen #my fic #my fics #little side door

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ingravinoveritas · 2 years

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i've seen atwi80d already and loved it, mostly for the emotions david brought to the character. there's lots of chaos and silliness, but then there's suddenly such depth and so much sadness. (in his eyes especially, dunno how he does it). i'm already looking forward to your review! the series reminded me a little of doctor who, because it really does have a bit of everything, adventure and drama and romance, lots of blatant humour, but also scenes that'll leave you quite touched. (plus david's english accent). and while i never warmed up to verne's phileas fogg, david's version (which is entirely, entirely different, just like most of the plot) made me agressively root for him from the very first scene in the reform club.

(uh and another reason for why i think you'll definitely like it is that david's fogg is the kind of character that has my opinion on whether i would like to top him or be topped by him basically change with every second scene. which, i suppose, is nothing new, regarding his characters. Or david himself, if we're being honest. yeah, it's probably just him).

so these are my thoughts on it. i hope you'll share yours when it's out in the states! next thing on the watchlist would be michael's little christmas movie, i'm sure he'll give just as much to it.

Hi, Anon! Thank you for sending me this lovely message. I wanted to wait until I’d watched all of ATWI80D to reply, and now I have, so onward and forward with my full review of the show!

Right off the bat, I will say that for me, the two biggest strengths of the show were the actors and the cinematography. The settings were absolutely gorgeous (from what I understand, Romania was where they filmed all of the “cold weather” settings, and South Africa was where they filmed the “hot weather” settings). The set designers did a magnificent job of making us feel that we were really at these locales, and were further helped by the excellent costume department highlighting the attire not only of each place, but of various social classes in those places during that era. You truly felt as if you were there.

I also loved the opening credits of the show. The reference to the ticking clock, obviously, but it also reminded me of shadow casters. Shadow casters are metal figures that you put a light in front of, and the shadows that are cast show something you would not otherwise see (and the shadows can even be put together to tell a story). I think that’s a good metaphor for the characters of Phileas, Passepartout, and Abigail. That it’s only in darkness, in challenging times, that we see another side--good or bad--to each of these people that would not be seen under normal circumstances.

The other strength is, as I mentioned, the acting. David is wonderful and absolutely does carry the show, but David is never not wonderful. Like you said, he is able to portray countless emotions--joy, sorrow, anger, fear--just with his eyes and microexpressions. Ibrahim and Leonie also delivered excellent, nuanced performances, which you very much needed for this threesome to work, and played off David beautifully in all of their scenes together.

(Also, the actor who plays Fortescue, Jason Watkins, is the same one who played Brian Masters, Des’ biographer in Des, because of course he is. I love that David literally acts with the same five people in every project...)

In terms of the show/plot itself, overall, I thought Around the World in 80 Days was a little uneven. Initially, I found myself harboring more sympathy for Passepartout than Phileas. Part of this I think was an intentional choice on the show/David’s end, to make us think about who Phileas is and what he represents, and whether that is something to have sympathy for. But while I know the character is meant to be closed off and tightly wound and needy, I have truly never met someone more in need of a prostate orgasm than Phileas Fogg in the first two episodes of ATWI80D.

(Give the poor man some lube and a baguette, for crying out loud...)

HOWEVER...I do love that we got a flicker of the softness under that repressed exterior with Alberto, the little boy on the train in Italy. You start to see that Phileas really is just a big kid dealing with grown-up hurts, and is covering that pain with an existence as bland as the brown soup he eats at the Reform Club. He’s punishing himself, and what he sees in Alberto is possibility, the potential for a future that he thinks is lost to him, so when Phileas sees that potential threatened, he is moved to save Alberto, and in the process, it’s the start of him saving himself.

But it is a very slow start indeed, and it isn’t until our trio gets to India that things begin to take off.

The episode in India had some truly memorable moments, most notably David’s acting when Phileas is drugged, because no one does that type of comedy-to-dramatic acting quite like David does. The manic energy he gave where what he’s doing makes perfect sense to him even if it makes no sense to anyone else was a brilliant combination of the Tenth Doctor and Crowley’s legs vaguely sauntering down the street to commune with a cow. Also, we finally (finally!) get some emotion out of Phileas in the form of him talking to Abigail as if she is Estella, and it’s so heartbreaking, and that combined with his impassioned speech at the court martial was what really got me to start feeling for him.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my other favorite part, which was Phileas having his shirt dramatically ripped open, Roger Daltrey-style, by Passepartout FOR NO GOOD GODDAMN REASON WHATSOEVER:

(Thank you to @somethingjustsouthofbrilliance for this gif!)

I think it was somewhere around this episode that somebody from the BBC or one of the other 5000 production companies behind this show suddenly went, “Eye candy, we need eye candy for the girls and the gays, we have David Tennant here and he's not naked enough, WHAT DO WE DO” and, well...there you go. To quote the legendary Alexis Mateo from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 3: “This is just soft porn. It’s kinda hot.” Even Abigail seemed to be into it, looking from Passepartout to Phileas and back to Passepartout like, “Um...do you boys need a moment? I’ll just be over here in my room behind this thin little curtain, NOT AT ALL LISTENING IN.” Girl...same. You would think that there was already enough gratuitous Phileas flesh in India, but ohhh...no. Because the hijinks got even higher when we were in Hong Kong, and whump, there it is, my other favorite part:

(With thanks to @sic-vita for gif #2!)

Now, I could write an entire paragraph about colonial/patriarchal oppression and the sociopolitical connotations and loss of privilege experienced by Phileas in this entire sequence, as others have so eloquently done. But I’m going to keep it 100% real and say that until this moment, I do not think I understood what the word “whump” truly meant.

Because having David Tennant in chains, shirtless, with miles of pale, freckled skin on display, shoulder blades jutting out with each fluttering breath, and a whip unfurling ominously in the foreground was absolutely and without question a CHOICE. The lashing itself was, of course, difficult to watch, but even in his pain and agony, David/Phileas was beautiful. David acted every inch of that suffering, and the relief when Passepartout and Abigail came rushing in and Passepartout draped the shirt over him was palpable.

The hurt. The comfort. The realizing that Phileas doesn’t even know if he thinks he deserves to be comforted. It was just...extraordinary. Whoever had the presence of mind to include this scene (and I know it very well could be David, because he was an EP on this): Thank you. Bless you. I would like to send you a fruit basket. With flavored condoms.

For me, the strongest moments of ATWI80D took place from the end of India to Hong Kong to the desert island. We go from bottom!Phileas on the continent to top!Phileas on the island, taking charge and nursing Passepartout back to health. But it was also on the island where the dynamic between Phileas and Bellamy and Phileas/Passepartout/Abigail fully solidified for me.I will attempt to break my head canons down to the following three points, as I feel like I’ve rambled on long enough already:

1. Phileas is bisexual.

2. Phileas and Bellamy were boyfriends in boarding school until Bellamy dumped him because he is a jealous old queen who hated that Phileas is so much hotter than he is but didn’t know it yet, and has had to keep putting him down so Phileas thinks he can’t do any better than him.

3. Phileas/Passepartout/Abigail are in a polyamorous “V-style” arrangement, where Passepartout is in relationships with both Phileas and Abigail, but they are not in a relationship with each other.

It’s not until the three main characters are away from civilization that we see the walls between them fully break down. Phileas is humiliated and emasculated in “society” while in Hong Kong. But on the island, the only thing that matters is survival and having each other’s backs (and also not using an incredibly rank fruit like durian as a sole form of sustenance, for the love of God). The bond between Phileas and Passepartout and Abigail is cemented by the realizations they have about each other and themselves and the trials they endure on the island. Phileas draws a line in the sand both literally and metaphorically, and I thought his change of heart and how he speaks to Passepartout and Abigail about how Bellamy only ever tore him down while this journey has lifted him up was just so moving and so well done.

...Which is why, then, I found it really jarring to go from that setting and that emotional apex to the episode in the Rockies. To me, this sequence was not only the weakest of the show, but also belied an underlying problem that I noticed in every episode, which was the script. The script did not serve the show and certainly did not do justice to the actors’ performances. And nowhere was the script clunkier than in this episode, making it feel like a parody of the Old West rather than a genuine portrayal.

It seemed very disconnected from the rest of the show altogether, and were the decision in my hands, I would have scrapped everything in the West entirely...with the possible exception of the female stagecoach driver who so obviously wanted to peg Phileas:

I mean...come on. We all knew exactly what she was thinking at this moment because we were all thinking the same damn thing. This was a self-insert for each and every person in the audience who wanted to put the reins and saddle on Phileas instead of the horses (seriously, what is it with David and saddles??), and my god, whoever greenlit all of this is so clearly one of us and not even trying to hide it. Wow...

Anyway, for the most part, I did enjoy ATWI80D, or least every episode other than 7. I think what took me out of the story most was the weak script, but also when the story tried to do more, but didn’t do it effectively. The two specific examples of that are the gender-related and racial issues with which both Abigail and Passepartout are confronted, respectively. I understand what the show was trying to do by raising these issues, but it seemed to address said issues only superficially instead of on a deeper level, and as a result, did not do justice to Abigail and Passepartout. Leonie and Ibrahim are talented actors, as (of course) is David, but even the most talented actor can only do so much with the material they are given.

David’s Phileas Fogg was the linchpin of the show, and nowhere was that more evident than in the reunion with Estella in New York. There, we see his heart, see the broken boy who has become a man, who comes to understand that true cowardice is not admitting your mistakes and not learning from them, and that the only way to heal from the past is to live fully in the present to make a better future.

So those are my thoughts on ATWI80D! I didn’t mean to write so much, but I guess I had more to say than I realized. I’m glad you enjoyed it as well, Anon. Thank for writing in! x

#anonymous #reply post #david tennant #soft scottish hipster gigolo #around the world in 80 days #Phileas Fogg more like Fine Ass Fogg #he is literally turning Phileas Fogg into a slutty sub and I am here for it #remember when i used that tag before i even saw the show #yeah #bi-est bisexual to ever bi #oh david #so many layers and little things to observe with each viewing #i will look forward to rewatching soon #ibrahim koma #passepartout #leonie benesch #abigail fix #thoughts #discourse

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miraculouscontent · 3 years

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I know that you said that it was an one shot, but I really love the idea of marinette stay in Paris with Luka and kagami and avoid all the NY drama! If you can, can you share more of it? Even if just a few little ideas it would be great! (I love your ideas!)

(the one-shot this anon is referring to)

Aw, thank you so much!

And sure, after some thought, I did really want to write a little more with them!

—————

While throwing away their now juice-less cups, Marinette made the realization of how different things seemed with Luka and Kagami. She had already experienced hanging out with both of them separately, but she'd never imagined having both of them with her at once. It wasn't as if she'd always dismissed or despised the idea, but the only time they'd interacted as a group had been with Adrien around, which had probably soured the whole thing and thus involuntarily caused her to never think about it.

With her friends, everything was typically high-energy. Juleka and Mylene weren't very involved in creating such an atmosphere, but Marinette herself, Rose, Alya, and kept things energized. It wasn't a bad thing in general, but it made Marinette wonder if maybe surrounding herself with people who only encouraged her excitable habits wasn't a good thing.

Meanwhile, Luka and Kagami were completely different, both from her and her friends. Neither were particularly loud - though both could be when they wanted to - and they weren't really the kind to tease or mess with her either. Luka wasn't quiet in the way Juleka was, just seeming to absorb the world around him, whereas Kagami only spoke when she felt that there was something of value to say. Marinette had worried briefly that she might've been too different from the both of them, or that she'd overwhelm them due to speaking up the most, but instead, there was a sense of balance. Luka smiled or chuckled reassuringly whenever she caught herself rambling, whereas Kagami would cut in with her own views that were often direct but nevertheless good in their intentions. Perhaps her personality rubbed off on them in a way she couldn't fully understand?

Still, it was nice.

As the three were deciding what to do next, Marinette's phone suddenly went off. Marinette looked at her purse and pulled out her phone, half-expecting a text from one of her classmates about her missing the bus, but it was actually a notification about where Andre the ice cream man was.

Kagami glanced over after noticing the look on Marinette's face. "You want to get ice cream?"

Marinette frowned, Kagami's voice reminding her of the day the two of them had gone for ice cream with Adrien. She still remembered talking to Andre, hoping beyond hope that maybe the man wouldn't make them pick between the three different flavors. His words still stung a little, not because of Adrien, but because of what the words meant.

"Too many flavors mixed together may throw off the delicate balance."

It implied that one of them would always be the third wheel if they were together, no matter what, and it was a hollow feeling that she'd only recently started to accept.

"Marinette?"

Feeling a comforting hand on her shoulder, she looked over and noted Luka offering her a concerned expression. It grounded her, serving as a reminders that things were different now and that Adrien wasn't there which, in a strange way, brought her an immense sense of comfort.

"I'm fine," she assured. Turning her attention back to her phone, she deleted the notification and then made sure that she wouldn't be getting another one. "Ice cream sounds good, if you want it too, but... I think I've got a better idea than Andre's."

Luka and Kagami exchanged curious glances.

—————

"Here's to Neapolitan ice cream!" Marinette declared dramatically, raising her spoon up with flair before shoving it and the ice cream on it right into her mouth.

Luka snorted in amusement while Kagami gave an acknowledging nod, probably remembering the exact phrase from Andre that Marinette had recalled earlier.

They'd picked up the carton of ice cream on the way to Marinette's place, with Marinette insisting on paying in order to spoil them, and while they seemed confused on the specifics of her insistence, they gave in soon enough. Marinette could understand why she'd be the expected person to be comforted, but giving to others made her happy on its own and she felt they deserved it. After all, Luka had tried his hardest to catch up to the bus and Kagami was still dealing with Adrien wanting to leave for New York despite her being in Paris.

They'd ultimately decided on splitting the entire carton between the three of them, with each of them getting a majority of the one of the flavors and then the rest of that flavor going to the other two. Marinette had gone with chocolate, Kagami had gone with vanilla, and Luka had gone with strawberry. It might've seemed like a weird choice to go with since they'd just had orange juice, but it hadn't been much and it wasn't exactly a "treat."

Marinette may have considered suggesting ice skating instead if her first thought of it wasn't her slipping and bringing Luka and Kagami down to the ice with her. Ice cream was the safer alternative to "cold fun."

"Luka," she called thoughtfully, taking another bite before asking, "you're not feeling sore or anything, are you?"

He met her gaze, smiling at the concern but waving his hand dismissively. "I'm alright, Marinette. I'm used to biking around for hours because of my job, so it wasn't a big deal."

Kagami halted, spoon halfway in her mouth while her brows rose noticeably. She finished the scoop, then turned to look at Luka. "You have a job?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I deliver pizza." He grinned, clearly amused by her reaction. "Are you surprised?"

Kagami's expression didn't shift, but Marinette had known her long enough to see that she was embarrassed. "Oh, no. It's... I don't have one."

"There's nothing wrong with that." Luka shrugged. "I just have the time to do it."

"Mm." Kagami looked back at her ice cream, poking at the surface with her spoon. "I suppose it would be too difficult with my fencing lessons."

Marinette giggled sheepishly, happy to join in on the conversation. "I probably wouldn't be able to either. There's all my fashion work with my website, and then there's the unexpected babysitting, the bakery, and I'm also the class representative." She hurriedly added an, "I know it doesn't sound like much, but I'm bad at planning," when she felt that it seemed like such little things. She was Ladybug and the new guardian too, of course, but she couldn't be blurting that out, so she could only hope that it didn't seem like she was whining over nothing.

She averted her gaze, scooping up a self-conscious bite of her ice cream and shoving it into her mouth. She was partway through savoring it when she realized that neither Luka nor Kagami had responded to her. Daring a look back, she saw them staring at her with varying gazes.

Kagami seemed stunned, commenting, "That is... well, much, actually," referring to what Marinette had just tried to brush off.

Was it? Marinette had never really thought about it. In fact, she distinctly remembered back in the day where people might've thought she was just scatterbrained and didn't really do anything. Back when she was hesitant to be class representative and claimed that she was busy, Alya had asked her with a hint of snark what she was busy with, like she expected her to have a free schedule.

Even beyond her role of Ladybug at the time, she still had random babysitting to do and still frequently worked on her fashion projects. Thinking back, it stung just a little.

As Marinette glanced at Luka, she at first felt that the amount of sympathy he was directing at her was excessive, but then she remembered how she had cried in front of him to the point where he'd dropped his bike and guitar in order to comfort her. She blushed, both in shame and from the memory of him holding her so closely.

"Ah—well—it's okay!" she said hurriedly, "Anyway, forget about me! This day is about... um, this ice cream, and ice cream doesn't have problems that you should worry about!"

She nearly gave herself brainfreeze from how quickly she scooped up and ate the next bite, but figured it'd be worth it if they dropped the subject.

It wasn't worth it.

"You should be more careful," Kagami commented critically, an edge to her voice that Marinette knew wasn't meant to be anger at her. "You're my friend, so don't overwork yourself."

Marinette grinned nervously, still trying to lighten the mood. "A-are you saying it'd be alright to overwork myself if I wasn't your friend?"

Kagami's gaze didn't waver, and Marinette slowly tried to sink into her seat.

Luka set his spoon down on the bowl, then chimed in, "I don't know anything about fashion, Marinette, but if you ever need any help with anything—"

Kagami clicked her own spoon against her bowl to interrupt him, as if she felt personally slighted that he'd gotten to say it first. "We're here for you."

Luka nodded to confirm.

"Oh." Marinette blushed deeper, touched by the gesture from both of them. She thought about trying to reassure them again, but their gazes were firm and showed no room for argument, so she settled for a soft, "Thanks."

They resumed eating their ice cream from there, the topic officially concluded. Though the atmosphere felt noticeably different, Marinette was surprised to realize that it wasn't exactly in a bad way. She feared that she'd ruined the mood, but instead felt like she was supported, with Kagami and Luka looking satisfied with their choice in offering help to her.

It was like she was Ladybug, and they were the partners standing at her side, each with their own form of support. It made her smile, allowing her to happily eat away at her ice cream without thinking about anything stressful.

The idea of going to New York was suddenly very unappetizing in comparison to having ice cream with Luka and Kagami.

—————

All things considered, Ladybug wasn't concerned about telling Chat Noir that her plans had changed and she wasn't going anywhere after all. She imagined that Chat would be overjoyed and wouldn't even ask questions about it, just happy to have her back. She found his affection eyeroll-worthy, but he was still her teammate, so she just steeled herself up for whatever ramble he was about to give her.

However, as she waited near the top of the Eiffel Tower, sitting on the guardrail and looking around for Chat Noir, she realized that she couldn't even see him. Checking the time on her yoyo, she confirmed that it was indeed time for their usual patrol, but Chat Noir was completely absent. Even though it was nighttime, which made the black cat's suit blend in with the sky, he still had the blond hair and light skin that should've made him noticeable.

Ladybug got up and paced around the area a few times, constantly peeking down at the city as she wondered if maybe she just wasn't looking in the right spot. When she still saw nothing, she concluded that Chat Noir must just be running late and she'd simply have to wait a little longer. Things happened, after all, she knew that better than anyone, so she began idling on her yoyo, searching for something to keep her occupied while she waited.

They were a team. While their identities had to remain a secret, Chat Noir had always hated it and prioritized openness in their relationship, so he would've told her if something had come up. He was also active in going on patrols, always seeming eager to join her for their runs across the rooftops, and given that he didn't even know that she'd still be in Paris, patrols were even more crucial.

He never showed up.

#MC's Writing #writing: story #Lukagaminette #relationship: Kagami Tsurugi & Luka Couffaine & Marinette Dupain Cheng #other: ask and answer #category: long post #word count: over 2000 #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

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psychewritesbs · 3 years

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Chapter 159: Justice is blind + Foreshadowing from chapter 6 and JJK0?

This chapter we’re introduced to Higuruma, one of the players in the Culling Game with 100 points who Yuji and Megumi will most likely target in an attempt to add new rules to the game.

As I mentioned before, JJK is the equivalent of Murphy’s Law on steroids and we are guaranteed for Gege to pull the rug from under our feet. For all you know, the odds that Higuruma agrees to help them without a problem are 50/50.

Onto this week’s theories... This is a long one so brace yourself.

Higuruma’s Shikigami is the stuff of nightmares

Higuruma’s Shikigami, if that’s what it is, is loaded with symbolism. Perfect for my Cursed Technique of reading between the lines and over-thinking every single detail.

What I love about Higuruma is that he is a man on a mission--sort of like a Shonen Protagonist. He is single-minded in his pursuit of saving those he sees as victims to the monster that is the Japanese legal court system.

Despite continuing to put himself on the line for the people he is trying to “save,” the oppressive system that they are part of makes it impossible for him to achieve his goals. And yet, he keeps trying to fight the beast that is the legal system even when the odds of him ever winning are .1%.

In the end, it isn’t the legal system itself that breaks him, but rather his own unwavering conviction combined with his frustration and the anger from those he promised a victory he was not able to deliver despite his greatest efforts.

The only thing granted to all is an unfair reality

Lady Justice has been depicted as blind since the 16th century. Her blindfold is meant to represent her objectivity and impartiality before the law.

But Higuruma knows that a 99.9% conviction rate is anything but objective and impartial. Keeping his “eyes open” is his desire to bring awareness to a system that is broken.

What I found interesting, however, is that while Higuruma is intent on keeping his eyes open, his Shikigami’s eyes are sewn shut, as though they are being forced shut by thread.

If there is anyone who is closest to embodying the ideal of blind justice, it is Higuruma.

This makes me wonder how we’re going to see Higuruma’s character evolve, especially as he comes across Yuji and friends.

Higuruma vs. Megumi/Yuji?

Remember I said Higuruma might be willing to help Yuji and Megumi add a rule? I don’t think that’s what’s going to happen, but it is still a possibility. He does seem like a fair (pun intended) person after all.

What’s being set up, I feel like (and I could be wrong), is a showdown between two opposing belief systems:

Higuruma’s blind trust in serving and facilitating justice vs Megumi’s self-serving justice.

Ironically, they both

want to save good people,

neither considers himself to be a hero, and

their sense of justice is self-serving... they just have different criteria for what that means

Higuruma wants to facilitate justice for people who are innocent but are victims of the Japanese Law system. He’s done the research and he believes these people to be innocent and as having done nothing wrong.

On the other hand, Megumi wants to facilitate justice for people he cares about no matter how potentially dangerous they are (and this last bit is really important).

I realized recently that despite Sukuna having killed a lot of people during Shibuya, Megumi has not attempted to kill him since the Cursed Womb Arc.

Remember, Megumi has said he’s responsible for those deaths since he was the one who saved Yuji.

In addition, not only does Megumi need Yuji’s strength to save Tsumiki, but I am going to go as far as saying that Megumi cares deeply for Yuji to the point he still doesn’t want him to die even after everything that has happened up to this point.

Which begs the question, how is Higuruma going to react to Yuji’s existence?

This brings me to the possible foreshadowing from all the way back in the Cursed Womb Arc and possibly even JJK0.

Foreshadowing from chapter 6 or Crack Theory?

When I first read the new chapter I was intrigued that one of the characters Higuruma is defending as an attorney has a similar backstory to Tadashi from back in chapter 6.

Although their face structure looks similar...

The circumstances are slightly different in that Tadashi’s case involved driving without a license and Higuruma’s client was drunk driving.

But if we’re willing to suspend judgement for a minute, this is important because, if it is, in fact, Tadashi he is referring to here, then this panel just goes to show that Gege foreshadows like a boss.

And what if that girl who got ran over happens to be Rika from JJK0?

There isn’t necessarily concrete evidence that Tadashi is the one who ran Rika over AND I would need to look at the timeline of events more closely, but if it IS the case... talk about butterfly effect in action.

But the foreshadowing doesn’t end there. Someone pointed out that in chapter 143, Megumi tells Yuji they aren’t heroes fighting for justice and that no one can truly ever judge JJS.

So... no one can judge sorcerers, unless judging is exactly what Higuruma has been doing to rack up points...

The fact that Higuruma has 100 points tells us he’s been on a killing rampage, and from everything we see him go through in the chapter and from that look on his face in the last panel, we should not be surprised that he’s gone off the deep end.

Honestly, characters who loose their shit (hello Feral Megumi) are one of my favorite things about JJK.

I am writing all of this because it goes to show that Gege does not show you anything in his story that doesn’t have meaning in the grander scheme of things. Which leaves room for interpretation about whether Saori and Yuko will have roles moving forward.

Right along these lines, in looking for a specific line from chapter 9, I ran into this little gem:

Is this foreshadowing about Tsumiki too?

Maybe, maybe not.

As I said before, half the fun is in going through the journey of JJK unfolding before our very own eyes, while putting the pieces together from all of the breadcrumbs Gege dropped along the way.

But the fun doesn’t end there. I am fascinated at how as a fandom we willingly get traumatized when Gege kills off everybody and their mom that you cared about, while simultaneously loving every single minute of it.

We know it’s coming, and we’re there for it.

That’s Gege’s Cursed Technique for you... he gives you what you didn’t know you wanted.

Gege setting up the stage for madness

All in all, Gege has been painstakingly setting the stage for the madness that is to come during the Culling Game and the hype just keeps on escalating. If the Culling Game arc is anything like Shibuya, we can expect, again, Murphy’s Law in full effect.

I was chatting with @darthdutton about how I started reading the Shibuya Arc only a few months ago and therefore I did not get to experience it as it was unfolding.

It makes me so happy that I now get to experience the Culling Game as it happens and I am both so distraught and excited for whatever comes our way.

And when I say “whatever comes our way” I mean that I trust Gege to continue to surprise me.

I am here for the hype but I stay for the story

I loved this chapter!

I thought it was the f*cking bomb.com because you can see Gege starting to tie loose ends from possible foreshadowing he shared at the beginning of the story.

Plus, we got to see his story-telling skills in action as he creates yet another relatable character.

I truly admire Gege as a writer--the fact that he can come up with a story on a week-to-week basis, execute on it, create very human and relatable characters, set up foreshadowing all the way back at the beginning, and drop breadcrumbs along the way is just mind-blowing to me.

God, I love Jujutsu Kaisen.

Anyways... this was a bit long but I just felt like I had a lot to say about this seemingly insignificant chapter. Hope you enjoyed it, and as always, I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it!

#jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen manga #jujutsu kaisen spoilers #god i love jujutsu kaisen #jjk theory #jjk ch 159 #fushiguro megumi #megumi fushiguro #yuji itadori #Itadori yuji #gege akutami #okkotsu yuta

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