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threeacttragedy · 7 months ago

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Entry 15 – The One Where I Try to Convince You of Just About Anything

“Don’t compromise yourself. Wait for the right person because you’re worth it.”

These were Nicola’s words the night of the London premiere when she was asked what dating advice she had for viewers. This quote has always stuck with me. Not because it’s actually great advice or emits wisdom well beyond Nicola’s years but because I can still remember the odd sense of foreboding that I felt as I listened to her words. They were just as poignant, if not more so, than the words that first invited me aboard this ship (Luke’s comments in Australia about friends-to-lovers).

And, although Luke “agree[d] with all of the above,” Nicola’s comment always struck me as making Luke uncomfortable. That interaction seemed off somehow. Awkward and strange in a way I wasn’t used to after two months of watching a rom-com style World Tour. In hindsight, and in a rather ominous way, the discomfort I felt alluded to what would happen later that evening – Luke “hard launching” Antonia.

As I was scribbling out today’s post and, honestly, struggling with how I wanted to structure it, I realized that it was not necessarily post-Papsmear (a/k/a Hot Boy Summer) people had an issue with. Instead, it seemed many people were having a hard time understanding – and accepting – Antonia’s existence in the Lukola-verse. This confusion, of course, led many to their own internal battlefield of trying to rationalize Luke’s behavior during that relatively short seven-week period. The reality is no one wants Luke to be the “Bad Guy;” therefore, people struggle to look at Hot Boy Summer with neutrality.

Don’t worry, I’m guilty, too.

I mean, Papsmear went down like a guillotine on a French – uh, well, nevermind that part. Let’s just say it did not go over well with the fandom. After months of “Romancing Mr. Bridgerton,” Luke was photographed walking into a hotel with Antonia snapping at his heels, sending the Lukola fandom into convulsions. What made it worse was that this was the night of the London premiere, the last leg of the World Tour. So long, motherfucking London!

The dark side of the fandom painted Luke as a monster – a man who, in less than three minutes, pissed on the Season 3 World Tour and broke Lukola hearts all over the world by seemingly choosing Antonia over Nicola. And, not only choosing Antonia, but flaunting her. People felt betrayed, shadowed by the possibility that Luke and Nicola had hoodwinked them with a fake PR romance and dumbfounded that Mr. I’m-Publicly-Single had a “girlfriend” (yes, that word is always up for speculation in this fandom). But, as with every dismal situation, you had the light bringers – the true-to-heart Lukolas – firing up on all cylinders and calling, “Foul!” in the direction of Antonia. A few of the less classy ones even picked up bits of old salad they’d found in a dumpster and tossed it in her direction (heehee, did you get my Dad Joke?).

And so Hot Boy Summer began…as did the confusion surrounding it.

In the beginning, I absolutely wanted Antonia to be the villain. But I’ve found that the more I write, the more indifferent I have become on the subject. Of course, that didn’t stop me from theorizing with friends. In fact, at one point, I had so many thoughts on the matter, if I had mapped them out on paper, they’d have resembled a spider’s web, with the hub being Papsmear. However, what I’ve discovered is that each of those theories, regardless of how simple or convoluted they were, took root in one of three central ideas.

That’s what I want to discuss today – those three central ideas from which every one of your sub-theories likely takes root (unless, of course, you’re the conspiracy theorist that believes Antonia is AI generated…). I want to lay out why I believe these theories are plausible (yes, prepare yourself to read some shit you almost certainly won’t find entertaining) countered by why I believe they may be out in left field. Maybe, just maybe, they will shed some light on Hot Boy Summer. But, also, maybe they won’t.

Okay, our three central theories are:

A) Luke and Nicola were simply PR-ing the fuck out of Polin.

B) Luke and Nicola were legit in their feels and Antonia became the jilted girlfriend.

C) Antonia was a PR girlfriend because [feel free to insert any reason you please].

We’re going to get the one nobody wants to consider out of the way first.

THEORY A: Nicola and Luke had a PR card up their sleeve the entire time.

I don’t like this theory any more than you do – the idea that Luke and Nicola were merely playing the part of two infatuated costars during the World Tour. However, this theory does exist, so there is no point in pretending that it doesn’t.

The backbone of this theory is that Luke and Nicola came to some kind of agreement to behave in a certain flirtatious manner during the World Tour to promote viewership of the show. As annoying as this theory is to the Lukolas, it is not unrealistic. For example, Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney recently admitted to using the dating rumors that began while they were filming to build buzz around their movie, “Anyone But You.” Regardless of how reckless I find this behavior to be, I don’t doubt that we will start seeing it utilized more and more because it does help build interest in a project. That said, and although she admittedly leaned into the Powell romance rumors, Sweeney had an easy out once their press tour ended – she was (and still is) engaged to her long-time partner.

Now, let’s apply this PR romance to Luke and Nicola. It is entirely possible that these two simply played into their natural chemistry and allowed the romance rumors to fuel Polin. We could even go as far as to suggest that Netflix & Co. supported this PR romance because more viewers equaled more money. This, to some degree, also fits with the narrative that Luke seemingly kept Antonia out of the spotlight during the World Tour and, although it was terrible timing, launched her at the London premiere because he was tired of the fake PR. We could also make a convincing argument that this theory aligns with Luke and Nicola never addressing the status of their relationship (i.e., by never openly admitting they were “just friends,” they leave room for speculation and shipping).

To be honest, this would be a nice and tidy answer for how the World Tour went down, with Luke stepping in an elephant-sized pile of dog shit on his way out of the London afterparty and Nicola swooping into to play PR Hero by promoting Season 3 throughout the summer. Meaning, Hot Boy Summer was simply what it appeared to be at surface level – Luke running off with his girlfriend while Nicola continued promoting Season 3 on her own. Sure, this theory would leave us all feeling like we had just been kicked in the teeth, but we could absolutely package it up quite nicely and tie it with a little pink bow. However – nothing is ever that simple, is it?

There are some things that make me question the plausibility of this Luke-and-Nicola-PR-Romance theory, namely, (a) Luke and Nicola’s World Tour behavior, (b) comments made by interviewers, (c) the Claddagh ring, (d) the side trip to Galway, and (e) Chaos Week.

Regarding Luke and Nicola’s behavior towards each other during the World Tour, I don’t believe I need to go into too much detail here. Again, we all watched the same World Tour, and we all had the same reaction to their chemistry. Hell, the Jakolas started out on this side of the fandom because they also saw something between Luke and Nicola. However, to play Devil’s advocate, I will suggest that Luke and Nicola could absolutely be the next Daniel Day Lewis and Meryl Streep, method acting their way through the World Tour. But, in my honest opinion, they’re not. They’re both lovely actors but they don’t compare to the two I just named (sorry, but also not sorry).

I honestly debated with myself as to whether I wanted to include interviewer comments under this section. I finally relented and decided to do so because, for me, it was one of those things that made me question the plausibility of Luke and Nicola being strictly PR during the World Tour – because, yes, I did consider that back in May. For example, in response to Luke drinking from Nicola’s tea cup in Australia, when asked about it, the interviewer, Rachael Evren, responded, “They’re in[ ]love it’s fine.” Also in Australia, we listened to the back and forth between podcasters, Laura Brodnik and Em Vernem, debate Luke and Nicola’s real-life relationship:

Em: “I can’t believe you got her to say such juicy things about their chemistry.”

Laura: “They’re best friends and stuff, yeah, people think they’re together. They’re not, they’re just best friends.”

Em: “No, but they are.”

Laura: “Oh, don’t start that rumor. I want it on the record I’m not saying that.”

Em: “Well, I feel like after you watch Bridgerton Season 3 you would be like, ‘Oh yeah, they’re definitely dating.’”

By the time Luke and Nicola reached Canada, you had interviewers being quite obviously taken with their chemistry. For example, The Morning Show in Canada – have you ever watched Carolyn Mackenzie’s face when Luke and Nicola get into that Ryan Gosling discussion? Or, have you listened to the surprise in Karen Koster’s voice (“it’s like the carriage scene”) after witnessing Nicola touch Luke’s forehead on Ireland AM? Then you had Meredith Shaw from BT Canada and Ciara Kelly from Newstalk boldly asking Luke and Nicola about their real-life relationship, and Ben Shepherd from This Morning calling them out about the Carriage Scene (“you’re blaming the soundproof carriage, not the fact you got lost in the moment”).

And, then we had the written print:

On May 16, 2024, Shondaland’s Valentina Valentini wrote: “But throughout the past three seasons, it’s been a slow-burn anticipation for Newton and Coughlan, who have genuinely become real-life best friends in that span of time. Parallel to that, their on-screen characters have given us such a perfect crescendo of what it’s like to fall in love over decades that I’m not entirely convinced that the real-life people sitting in front of me are not actually in love. ‘Yeah! We’ve kept that one really secret!’ Coughlan jests when I hint at the possibility.”

And, in her June 14, 2024 publication, Fashion’s Annika Lautens wrote: “Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton can’t stop looking at each other. I mean, they really can’t. As I enter their suite in the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto to interview the Bridgerton stars, all I can hear is laughter. Coughlan is leaning over to show Newton something on her phone. He throws his head back, giggling. It feels extremely intimate but, as the world has seen through countless clips on TikTok and on the third season of Bridgerton…this is just your average Tuesday for the two co-stars.”

These third-party reactions alone – in my opinion – debunk the Luke-and-Nicola-PR-Romance theory, but we will keep moving along.

I am not going to reexamine the Claddagh ring or Chaos Week in this entry as I have already gone into extensive detail of both in my blog Entries 6 and 14, respectively. If you’re behind on the significance of the Claddagh ring or Chaos Week, please take a moment and read those for more context. However, I will briefly discuss that special trip to Galway.

I’ve never quite followed why Nicola and Luke took that side trip to Galway. There was no special visit to Brighton – or wherever Luke’s family lives – so why Galway? I often find myself straddling the line between logic and delulu when I put my thoughts about Lukola on paper. I mean, from a logical standpoint, they were in Dublin so visiting Nicola’s hometown while they were on the island isn’t that farfetched. But to film it? Okay, yeah sure, Nicola is Shonda’s alleged favorite child, so I suppose it’s possible Shonda granted Nicola’s wish to flaunt Bridgerton in her hometown. I can honestly see this fitting into the Luke-and-Nicola-PR-Romance narrative. But –

It also doesn’t fit.

Sending Luke and Nicola to Galway was too close to home. It crossed the line between what could be excused as PR and what was clearly personal.

Not only did we have Nicola wearing her Claddagh ring in Galway in a manner that suggested she was in a relationship, but we also had her introducing Luke to her mother for the first time in what appeared to be an emotional moment. I have tried to convince myself this Mother-Meets-Luke thing was perfectly normal costar behavior. I have tried to convince myself that her sister-in-law’s reaction to Mother-Meets-Luke didn’t make me side-eye the entire situation. I have tried to convince myself that the Irish folks I’ve spoken with are exaggerating the significance of the Mother-Meets-Luke moment. I have also tried to convince myself there isn’t additional footage out there of this Galway Gathering just waiting to surface.

But, ugh, I just cannot convince myself that Luke and Nicola were strictly PR. This theory is as confusing as Sanrio telling us that Hello Kitty is really a human girl.

Verdict: NOT GUILTY.

Yes, we are marking this one as debunked.

THEORY B: Antonia became Luke’s jilted ex-girlfriend.

Hey, hey, USS Lutonia! I’ve got your flank.

No, actually I don’t. If the USS Lutonia was ever afloat, it sank somewhere off the coast of Italy. Sorry, but not really because I didn’t mourn you even a teensy bit.

I will preface this section by asserting my opinion that Luke and Antonia are not currently in a romantic relationship. Outside of “insinuation” posts made by Antonia, there is no evidence directly linking Luke to Antonia after July 30. Feel free to try to convince me otherwise but, when you do, make sure to include at least one photograph of Luke and Antonia in the same place at the same time with convincing evidence that it is current and that they are a couple (and, no, I will not accept blurry or Photoshopped images or metadata pulled from Instagram as evidence). That said, I will not argue with the idea that Luke and Antonia could have dated at one time. In fact, for this theory to play out, we have to agree that Luke and Antonia dated at some point.

Let’s pretend for a moment that Luke and Antonia dated before, during, and for a period after the World Tour. In this theory, the chemistry between Luke and Nicola was real (seriously, I think we’ve debunked that PR theory). The Claddagh ring and the side trip to Galway both suggested a romantic relationship between Luke and Nicola. Regardless of how real things were between Luke and Nicola, Luke still had Antonia lurking in the background. Perhaps Luke didn’t know how to break things off with her; maybe his friends and/or family made it difficult; maybe Antonia made things difficult. Everything came to a head at the London premiere, with Luke stepping on a landmine with Papsmear. But, because they can’t help but gravitate towards each other, Luke and Nicola found themselves back together – either immediately after Papsmear or, at the latest, by early August – and have continued their affair since. Oh, and Luke finally got around to breaking things off with Antonia on or after July 30.

This would – in a scorned woman kind of way – explain the “trolling” behavior Antonia was accused of during and after the World Tour. Those random posts that insinuated she was “with Luke,” even though the only evidence that directly linked her to Luke were (1) leaked and/or since-deleted pictures and videos from sources other than Luke, or (2) pictures of Luke’s friend group, which included Antonia, that, from time-to-time, alluded to Luke’s presence. Speaking of the friend group, the fact that Antonia appeared to be part of that group would support the idea that it was difficult for Luke to completely shake Antonia. This theory would also support the cat-and-mouse game played out on social media between Antonia and Nicola, which seemed heightened during and after Hot Boy Summer. Surely, you noticed that pattern by now. At the end of July, Luke’s friend group suffered some kind of catastrophic blow and Luke abandoned ship, officially breaking things off with Antonia as he went. This would explain the continued trolling for which Antonia has been accused; she hates Luke and is jealous of Nicola. Yeah, I can see this theory working. In fact, this is my preferred theory because it is the simplest. However –

For this theory to work, you must accept that Luke and Nicola are not perfect. That the two of them started an affair behind Antonia’s back. That “Nice Guy” Luke isn’t quite as sweet and kind as you have been led to believe; perhaps he’s even a bit of a fool. That “Good Girl” Nicola intervened in someone else’s relationship, making her the “other woman” and a tad disingenuous. Does this make Luke and Nicola horrible people? No, it makes them two people who found themselves in a situation they didn’t know how to handle properly.

That said, this theory has its flaws.

For starters, it does not explain Luke’s apathy towards Antonia during and after the World Tour. I am not going to deep dive into my thoughts on this as I have already outlined them in “Entry 1: The One About That Weird Ass Cressida Post” and “Entry 13: The One Where the Ashes Blew Towards Us with the Salt Wind from the Sea.” But, I will reiterate that, to date, Luke has never acknowledged a relationship with Antonia, and he has never made an effort to rescue her from the fandom’s jaws of death. The only consistent link between the two of them was the friend group (that seems to have disbanded) and “insinuation” posts made by Antonia. I am sure there are people out there who will disagree with my next statement, but I don’t consider a New Year’s Eve kiss or a date to a tennis match a “relationship.” That would be like saying “I love you” on your first date (I know, I’ve offended at least one person with this remark – I apologize but I’m still leaving it in). It’s the lack of interaction between Luke and Antonia that makes me question whether they were ever in a real relationship; and therefore, I must question the validity of this theory.

And, because I know some of you will bring up those goddamn Instagram likes, the only comment I have is, “Get the fuck over it.” For real, it is far more fun to sit back and laugh at the “obligatory likes” than it is to freak out about them. Those likes are the only visible interaction between Luke and Antonia, and it’s becoming less and less frequent. The sad reality is, when Luke stops throwing a like in Antonia’s direction or unfollows her, she may lose the followers she gained after being linked to him. But, honestly, at this point – almost half a year later! – Antonia losing followers is her problem. And as much as I hate to admit it – this whole “like business” suggests some sort of arrangement was put in place post-breakup.

Verdict: HUNG JURY.

It’s a plausible theory – if I could be convinced Luke and Antonia were ever in a real relationship.

THEORY C: Antonia was the Real PR this whole time.

I hope you’ve read “Entry 1: The One About That Weird Ass Cressida Post” and, at a minimum, the “Mrs. Danvers” section of “Entry 13: The One Where the Ashes Blew Towards Us with the Salt Wind from the Sea” because they both detail my blubbering bullshit thoughts on Luke and Antonia’s “relationship.” I’m not going to rehash them here because I’m confident most of you also find this “relationship” suspicious for the exact same reasons I do.

For the longest time, I believed the absurdly popular “Antonia was the Real PR” [conspiracy] theory to be the fandom’s excuse for not wanting to believe Luke could ever be in a real relationship with Antonia, and that (gasp!) he could have chosen Antonia over Nicola (I mean, what a prick!). In truth, I refused to give this theory much weight until my dad – yes, that guy – said to me, “Sounds like PR,” during one of our fireside Lukola chats. My father has a whole sub-theory on this, actually, and yes, I will explain it momentarily.

Honestly, I hate this theory because it’s complicated. And, damn straight, I’m going to throw some Benjamin Franklin at you and say, “Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead.” This theory takes things beyond two celebrities playing into romance rumors to boost interest in their project, and brings in a third wheel, Antonia, to – fuck, I have no idea – blur the lines a bit?!

Alright, time for Dad’s theory…

Per my father, this was not just any PR deal; it was an arrangement struck with a “friend of a friend.” No need for an actual third wheel; just someone who was already part of the friend group that could provide the illusion that Luke might have a girlfriend. All they had to do was plant the seed and let the rumor grow, all while never outwardly confirming or denying it; that way the PR relationship could disappear as easily as it was planted.

I allowed my dad to carry on with his theory because, as he pointed out, Antonia being part of the friend group explained why (1) Luke didn’t mind her being around over the summer (it wasn’t personal, it was business), and (2) Luke had no romantic interest in Antonia (she was simply a “friend of a friend”). The fact that my father picked up on this “fandom dilemma” intrigued me.

After listening to my dad’s theory (there’s more, I promise), I spent an afternoon researching “PR relationships” and whether they existed or not. Turns out, they do. Well, they do, if we trust Mr. Google’s search results. It’s a bit of a quid pro quo thing. For example, one, usually more famous person, strikes up a “relationship” with a lesser-known person. The lesser-known person receives exposure while the more famous person receives [fill in the blank]; both gain some kind of benefit from the arrangement.

Now, the question of why Luke would need a PR relationship is – seriously – “fill in the blank” material. Some people have suggested it was to keep Luke and Nicola’s real-life relationship private; some have suggested it was Netflix stepping in to protect Polin if Lukola went south; others have suggested it was to bolster Luke’s image. I find the latter reason offensive because it assumes that having Nicola by his side wouldn’t help his image. But the other two sub-theories are reasonable to me (but also don’t really matter in the scheme of things).

The problem with the Luke-and-Antonia-PR-Romance is that it seems to have gone terribly wrong. What very possibly started out as an “illusion” became “real” with Papsmear. What I find interesting is, like the New York City premiere, Antonia was only seen in the background of the London premiere. Even as Luke was leaving the London afterparty, she went to the car while he met with fans. It wasn’t until they were papped at the hotel, that Antonia was suddenly “next to” Luke grabbing at his hand, thus “launching their relationship.”

Ruh-roh.

My dad’s theory goes on to assume that – after Papsmear – whatever “deal” Antonia was given (for example, Luke’s online support of her Instagram page or invitations to attend certain events over the summer) would be carried out as agreed. However, during that time, Antonia would return to her place in the shadows. I will confess that this is what seemed to happen – Luke never acknowledged a relationship with Antonia and evidence of their relationship seemed virtually non-existent. To the general audience, Antonia was simply a “woman in the background,” unrecognizable by most.

Assuming this PR theory is true, I’d like to believe Antonia was simply doing what she had agreed to do – feed into the illusion of a relationship with “insinuation” posts, for which she could later claim plausible deniability. However, I find this hard to believe when leaked photographs and videos started to surface in July and they were always preceded by DeuxMoi (see, I’m starting to support this theory).

At this point in his theory, my dad quoted a line by Paul McCartney, “You took your lucky break and broke it in two.” What he was saying was Antonia was given an opportunity and, due to her own actions, she mucked it up. She became fame hungry and the insinuations of her being in a relationship with Luke became harder to dispel when they were being leaked online by third party sources. However, as I reminded my father, we cannot prove Antonia was involved with any of the pap pictures. We can speculate, sure, but please keep in mind we cannot prove it.

Did I warn you my dad deep dived into this? Because, haha, he sure did.

By mid-July, per my father’s theory, Nicola was fully aware of the game Antonia was playing and recruited (not the right word, but we’ll go with it) JVN to fire subtle insults into Antonia’s camp with the intent of discrediting her.

The game ended after the Italy pap pictures were published, with Luke seemingly cutting ties with his entire friend group, which included Antonia. However, the game didn’t actually end there, at least not for Antonia. Due to whatever agreement Luke and Antonia had in place before Italy, Luke was still obligated to fulfill his part of the deal. We’re just going to speculate here that part of that included those “obligatory likes” of Antonia’s Instagram posts.

Thank you, Dear Dad, for that rather practical theory.

My issue with this is that Antonia’s antics repeatedly bring hate to Luke’s doorstep. Every time Antonia posts something on Instagram and Luke likes the post, the fandom – namely, the Sincerely Ignorant – get riled up and start slinging hate missiles at Luke (at this point, Luke can’t have nice things). And Antonia slipping things in like that balcony from the Spanish resort doesn’t help to dissuade the fandom from believing her to be a petty bitch.

My initial reaction to this theory was, no way, because at this point Antonia would have breached her contract and Luke wouldn’t still be bound by it. But then I realized, in order to breach it, one had to prove Antonia violated it. Okay, fine. But why not negotiate terminating the agreement early? Oh, well, yes, I suppose it is possible that the cost to do that outweighed the benefit. And, since those “obligatory likes” still seem to be in place – even when they bring Luke hate – I’m going to make a wild guess the agreement remains. For now.

In closing, and since I mentioned that Spanish resort nonsense, the fact that Antonia only ever posts things that insinuate she may have been in the same location as Luke supports the idea that Antonia is simply doing what she agreed to do – create an illusion. So, before anyone starts bashing Antonia, recognize she may simply be complying with her end of the arrangement. She may be just as ready to get out of that agreement as we imagine Luke to be. You know what I’d love to see? Antonia unfollow Luke and be like, “I’m out, bitches!” Honestly, I’d probably give her an “atta girl,” if she did that.

Verdict: HUNG JURY BUT WILLING TO CONSIDER A RETRIAL.

I hate to admit it, but I think this is a plausible theory. Not full proof, but strangely (and annoyingly) credible.

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Alright, so there you have it. The three central theories that act as the spider web’s hub to all your sub-theories – because I’m certain you have them. You’re welcome to spin off in whatever direction you please, and no, you don’t need to loop me in – because, in truth, I don’t care that much anymore. And that’s not in any way meant to be negative.

For the longest time, trying to rationalize how Hot Boy Summer played out was the missing piece of my Lukola puzzle. I mean, I needed the answer. I needed it so badly; I practically presented an entire Lukola documentary to the wisest person I know – my dad – so he could solve it for me.

Dad: “Why does this matter?”

Me: “I don’t know, it just does. I just want to know what happened.”

Dad: “Will it change your opinion about whether Luke and Nicola are together?”

Me: “No.”

Dad: “Then why does it matter?”

Me: “I don’t know. It just does.”

Dad: “But you’re never going to know, are you?”

Goddammit, no, I’m never going to fucking know.

And, that is the reality of this situation. No matter how many hypotheticals we present, no matter how many sub-theories we create, we will never know what happened over Hot Boy Summer. We will never be able to justify Luke’s behavior during that time. We will never be able to explain with certainty Antonia’s role in this whole shebang.

You may not like that answer. In fact, the theories I presented today may have fueled your ambition to continue trying to solve Hot Boy Summer on your own, or with your friends. I admire that determination. But I also admire those who can let go and accept that it is what it is.

And what it is – and what it will almost certainly always be – is unknown.

#lukola #luke newton #nicola coughlan #my thoughts #my opinion #speculation only

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officialstrawhat · 8 months ago

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The Hate We Love To Make

Roronoa Zoro x Fem!Strawhat!Reader

Summary: You and Zoro hate each other but feelings start to change when the captain of the Barto pirates points out what a great couple you two make.

Word Count: 1.3K

Note: Not Edited!

Masterlist

The grand Colosseum of Dressrosa buzzed with the roars of the crowd. Fighters from all across the grand line had gathered, their minds filled with ambition. Among them stood Bartolomeo, nearly vibrating with excitement. He had just met his hero, Monkey D. Luffy, the future king of the pirates. But now, his attention was completely captivated by the scene unfolding before him. He couldn’t believe it! You and Roronoa Zoro were there standing right there!

Since Bartolomeo’s obsession with the Straw Hats began, he’d held the utmost respect and admiration for each crew member. But your relationship with Zoro held a special place in his heart. He’d heard tales of your synchronized battles, of how you two took down foes with perfect timing, always watching each other’s backs. Now, he watched as the two of you stood so close to each other, sharing what looked like an intimate conversation.

Oh, how he wished he could hear every word you two were saying to one another…

OoOoOo

“IDIOT!” you hiss as Zoro walks away from you. “You’re going the wrong way!”

Kin’emon, dressed in his disguise, stood nearby with an exasperated look. In his short time knowing you he’d grown accustomed to the daily verbal sparring matches between you two.

Zoro spun around, eye narrowed. Your eyes locked with his, a storm brewing between you. “How would you know that? You’ve never been here either!”

“Because I’m not a moron!” You jabbed a finger in his direction, inching closer. It was infuriating how much Zoro seemed to get under your skin.

Ever since you joined the crew, Zoro had an uncanny knack for getting in your way. You tried not to let it bother you but every time you were about to defeat an opponent, Zoro would swoop in and take them down first. It drove you insane. So you started doing the same to him, knowing it drove him mad with similar fury. Since then, you’d made it a habit to pick on him with Sanji, drink his alcohol, and “accidentally” wake him up from naps.

“If you’re so concerned about which way we’re going, then leave.” He pointed in the opposite direction with a sharp flick of his wrist. “Go that way.”

Kin’emon’s voice cut through the tension. “Please, there’s no need to argue—”

But neither of you heard him as you stepped forward. Your fists clenched as heat surged through your veins. Your face was now very close to his, “I hate you. I hope you get lost and don’t come back.”

Zoro’s lip curled, his head tilting in a mocking grin. “Big words coming from a meek woman!”

“Meek?” you repeated, eyes blazing. “You son of a b—”

A loud, high-pitched squeal erupted nearby. “Oh. My. God. It’s Mister Roronoa Zoro and Miss Y/N!” Bartolomeo’s eyes were wide with admiration, his hands clutched to his chest as if his heart might burst.

Your scowl turned to panic. “Um—no, no. I think you have us confused,” you blurted out, shifting awkwardly as Zoro gave you a look.

“Yeah, we’re just regular citizens of Dressrosa,” he added, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Bartolomeo was undeterred, bouncing with excitement. “May I just say you two are so cute together! The power couple of the Pirate Era!”

The world seemed to pause as you and Zoro exchanged glances, the fierce tension shifting to something strange and unspoken. You watched his eyes soften, only for a moment before hardening again.

“Oh- No, we’re not a couple,” you protested.

“But you two are my OTP!” Bartolomeo exclaimed, looking devastated.

“Listen, pal, I don’t know what that means, but she hates me,” Zoro huffed, gesturing toward you.”

“But… you defend each other in battle! Finish off each other’s foes!” Bartolomeo exclaimed. “And according to the Straw Hat fan club newsletter, it says and I quote: Zoro and Y/N’s secret love is a thing of beauty in this rough worl—”

“Yeah, hate to break it to you,” you interrupted, “but we have not, nor will we ever, be a thing.”

Bartolomeo’s face fell, and he broke out into exaggerated tears. “Oh, this is a tragedy! How could I be so wrong!”

Zoro exhaled, breaking eye contact. “Come on. We don’t have time for this.”

A small smile crept onto your lips as you followed him, muttering, “You’re still going the wrong way.”

OoOoOo

Kin’emon directed the two of you to a narrow alley, muttering something about searching for his friend and promising to return soon. As the sounds of the bustling street faded, silence settled between you and Zoro, thick with an awkward tension neither of you knew how to break. You found yourself overthinking the fanatics' odd assumption—why would he (and others apparently) think that you and the green-haired swordsman made a good match? You stole a glance at him. Sure, you didn’t want to admit it, but the scarred man was ruggedly handsome. But he had such an infuriating personality. With his brooding silences, those ridiculous earrings, and his rippling muscles—wait, what!?

The silence dragged on until, finally, Zoro broke it, pulling you out of your spiraling thoughts. “Tch, don’t listen to that weird guy. He’s got no clue what he’s saying.”

You let out a dry chuckle, “Yeah, seriously. I mean, can you imagine? You and me?”

Zoro smirked, his sharp gaze flicking over to you. “Yeah, right. Total disaster.”

“One of epic proportions,” you agreed, crossing your arms and leaning back against the wall. You turned your head, pretending to be absorbed by the junk lying around, “The world couldn’t handle it.”

A glint of something unguarded flickered in Zoro’s eyes as he stepped closer, his presence shifting from casual to something more intense. “And yet,” he said, his voice a low, teasing rumble, “you’re still here. You haven’t walked away.”

You raised an eyebrow, turning to meet his gaze. “Maybe I just don’t trust you not to get yourself into trouble the second I turn my back.”

He huffed a short laugh, taking another step that brought him close enough for you to feel the heat radiating off his body. “You think I need you to babysit me?”

“Need? No.” Your voice dropped, matching his tone. “But I know for a fact if it wasn’t for me you’d be neck-deep in trouble twice as often.”

A grin curled at the edge of his lips, his eyes flicking down to your lips and then back to your eyes, lingering for just a second too long. “Guess I’d better keep you close then, huh?” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

Your heart skipped a beat, the atmosphere between you shifting, the sharp tension morphing into something far more dangerous. The unspoken heat you’d tried so hard to ignore suddenly flared, like a fuse catching fire. For a moment, neither of you moved, as if testing how far this would go. But then, something snapped—years of friction, half-buried glances, and barely-concealed bickering finally erupted. He surged forward, and before you could second-guess it, your lips crashed into his.

The kiss was intense, more battle than embrace, a raw clash of defiance and need. Your hands found his broad shoulders, fingers digging into them as his calloused hands cupped the back of your neck, then tangling in your hair. Everything else faded: the noise of the marketplace, the distant shouts of vendors, even the thought of Kin’emon returning. For this moment, it was just the two of you, like fire meeting spilled oil—volatile, explosive, and inevitable.

When you broke apart, both of you were panting, your breaths mingling in the space between you. Zoro’s lips curved into a smirk, his eyes darkened with something that made your pulse race. “You still hate me?” he asked, his voice a husky drawl.

“With a passion,” you growled, trying to steady your breathing.

“Good.” He chuckled, his hand sliding down to grip your ass possessively. With a rough shove, he pinned you harder against the wall, his lips ghosting the shell of your ear. “Wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Your retort was lost as his lips found yours again, the world outside that narrow alley slipping into oblivion.

#one piece x reader #romance #one piece x you #fem!reader #one piece fanfiction #roronoa zoro x y/n #roronoa zoro x reader #roronoa zoro x you #roronoa zoro #roronoa zoro x fem!reader #strawhat!reader

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100gayicons · 2 months ago

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James Dean may be the most iconic actor of the 20th century. With only three films and a handful of TV roles, he cemented himself as a Hollywood legend. And his early death in a car accident at the age of 24 frozen his image as a troubled teenager in the minds of his fans. You could fill a library with books and articles about 1950s icon James Dean. He is still talked about today— and gossiped about. Was Dean straight? Was he gay? Was he gay-for-pay? Was he bisexual?

Homosexuals in the 1950s rarely revealed their secret to the public— especially young actors who were just starting their careers. So we can’t expect to discover the truth in his own words. Instead, we can get the answers to the question from Dean’s friends and contemporaries.

William Bast

James Dean attended a summer session at UCLA in 1950. He became friends with fellow student William Bast and they became roommates. In 1956, after Dean’s death, Bast wrote a book about their friendship.

In 2006 Bast revised the book and revealed the true nature of his relationship with Dean. They were lovers, something he couldn’t reveal in the 1950s. (Bast became a screenwriter and producer for films & television.)

James Bellah

Bellah was a friend of Dean from his days at UCLA. He also helped Dean get his first agent.

“Dean was a user. I don't think he was homosexual. But if he could get something by performing an act....Once, when I ran into him in New York City at an agent's office, Dean told me that he had spent the summer as a "professional house guest" on Fire Island—which was a big gay hangout. Dean said this in a loud voice—he wanted people to hear. He was crazy.”

Mark Rydell

Rydell was a close friend of Dean’s. The two studied together at Actors Studio in Manhattan in the early 1950s. He also directed a film about Dean’s life in 2001. Mark Rydell has been quoted saying:

"I don't think he was essentially homosexual. I think that he had very big appetites, and I think he exercised them."

Nicholas Ray

Nicholas Ray directed James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955).

“James Dean was not straight, he was not gay, he was bisexual... Jimmy himself said more than once that he swung both ways, so why all the mystery or confusion?"

Elizabeth Taylor

Taylor co-starred with James Dean in “Giant”. In 2000, Elizabeth Taylor accepted an award for her work raising awareness of the AIDS crisis (and helping to raise lots of money for research). In her speech, she says:

“All of my life I’ve spent a lot of time with gay men... Montgomery Clift, Jimmy Dean, Rock Hudson … (they) were my colleagues, coworkers, my confidants, my closest friends but I never thought of who they slept with. They were just the people I love!”

James Dean

When he was asked by a reporter:

“I’m not a homosexual, but I’m not going through life with one hand tied behind my back.”

Jack Simmons

Here’s a GIF of Dean with Broadway actor Jack Simmons, another of his reported lovers . The placement of Simmons’ fingers on Dean’s thigh indicates an affectionate bond between the two men.

Perhaps the bigger question is - is this James Dean masturbating in a tree?!?

#gay icons #homos in Hollywood #James Dean #rebel without a cause #Marlon Brando #naked in a tree #elizabeth taylor #giant movie #rock Hudson

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hematomes · 6 months ago

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EDIT: please check the reblogs, im backtracking on nanook specifically and instead think phainon could be terminus the finality. oki bye <3

okay early amphoreus allows me to be a little insane because the lore isn't overwhelming yet so let's try a semi-crack theory (crack because it's insane, semi because im actually serious about it!)

disclaimer: im still digesting hsr lore so there's probably a shit ton of plotholes in this, but it's kind of funny

phainon is nanook the destruction, and amphoreus is the story of how they ascended to aeonhood

what we know:

there are 3 distinct aeons in/around amphoreus. fuli the remembrance, nous the erudition, and a mysterious 3rd one. i don't have the specific screenshots but this is an almost direct quote from black swan (although this is her own speculation- welt's being "three entities comparable to emanators").

the heroes have golden blood, a wink to greek deities' ichor but also possibly a reference to nanook themself, as they're the only aeon with gold blood.

nanook's home planet was destroyed, and amphoreus is visibly on the brink of destruction as well. it is worth noting that nanook's ascension may have caused said destruction of their home planet.

kevin kaslana, of whom phainon is an expy, has a similar storyline of starting off as a hero and ending up as a "villain".

finally, in the amphoreus trailer, when phainon oils himself up (erm), the scars that appear kind of resemble nanook's ones

amphoreus itself seems to be a memory preserved by fuli the remembrance; my theory is that it's one of nanook's memory.

ill add that phaenon, in greek mythology, was a human turned into a god. he was created by prometheus, and was so beautiful that prometheus tried to not introduce him to zeus; eros, the god of romance and sex (aglaea/mnestia?) snitched on prometheus to zeus, and hermes was sent to phaenon to convince him to become immortal.

so at the very least i believe phainon will ascend aeonhood or emanator level- in hsr so far it points to nanook, but i also believe he could become kephale's replacement. i suspect his coreflame will be that of kephale, in all honesty (everything regarding nodikar is setting him up for failure, i don't think he'll win that trial).

adding less convincing bits (= me reaching a LOT) under the cut because why not. warning this might as well be shitposting but you need to see the vision. thank you and good night

we know that nanook comes from a planet called "adlivun", which is the underworld in inuit mythology. it is described as a frozen wasteland, and nanook in inuit mythology is a polar bear. both kevin and phainon seem to be using ice-related powers in their animations, and phainon is nicknamed snowy by tribbie in the english localisation.

phainon has the same chinese voice actor as caelus, who is tightly linked to nanook.

he also has the same chinese, japanese AND korean voice actor as hakuhatsu ki, the wielder of the edict edge "end" in izumo. end = destruction lol!!! (im sorry). more seriously acheron confirms the overlap between her story with hakuhatsu ki and kevin's story as told by welt. and hakuhatsu ki means white-haired oni in japanese, so...

phainon is presumed to be on the destruction path :). i warned you that this category is me reaching a lot

kafka has told the TB that they'll eventually face nanook, and that it's when destiny ends. coincidentally, fuli gazing at the TB led to confusing memories about their shared past with the stellaron hunters.

#honkai star rail #hsr #phainon #phainon hsr #honkai star rail theory #hsr theory #amphoreus #amphoreus theory #hsr 3.0 spoilers #< barely #nanook the destruction

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xreaderdumpster · 4 months ago

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Hi!

I find the ficosphere woefully lacking Hank McCoy/Beast content - could you help in remedying that?

Looking for a little mutual pining - angst - to - confession/love situation

Thank you!!!

Hello friend, thank you for your patience! I see your blog says you’re female so used she/her pronouns for the reader! I hope you’ve seen X-Men ‘97!

Content warning: Spoilers for X-Men 97, AFAB! Reader so she/her pronouns but no mention of y/n, no specific mutant powers for reader, potential inaccuracies for classic quotes, mentions of ruin, blood and death; fluff to angst to comfort.

Word count: 1,165

Fear is excitement without breath- Hank McCoy x AFAB!Reader

You’d always been at Hank’s side, helping him with his experiments, almost playing a secretariat role to the esteemed doctor. At first, you genuinely wanted to help him.But it was the subtle things that started seeding themselves in your heart. The coffee being made just right when you got to the labs, the chuckles at your cheesy jokes, the little mannerisms that rubbed off onto one another. That was when you recognised the stirring feelings. Alongside Gambit, Rogue and Magneto, you were invited to Genosha when they received UN member status. A revolution for the mutant kind!

“There’s a ball kinda thing happening when we get there. I’ve never been to something so fancy!” You exclaimed excitedly. It was nothing new for Hank to be in your bedroom, helping you choose an outfit. You held up a sleek black dress in one hand and an equally flattering suit in the other. Hank chuckled fondly at your confused expression as you internally debated.

“My dear, I will never understand why you ask for my opinion when it comes to your fashion. I believe you will look marvelous in anything.” He replied with a warm smile. You purse your lips as you continue to debate the two outfits in your head before glancing back to Hank.

“You’re sure about not coming with us?” You asked. Beast frowned with a small nod.

“Scott wants some of us to stay behind for the interviews with Patricia Tilby. Having a renowned doctor in the midst seems like the best step forward.” He explained. A heavy sigh escaped him. Deep down, he wanted to go with you. To experience the vibrant culture of the new mutant nation. To ensure you’re safe. To have just one dance with you. You nodded, having the same desires as he did bubbling under the surface.

All that want burst into flames the moment the news came on.

“The images you are about to see may be… Disturbing.” Patricia’s voice croaked with emotion as the images of Genosha in ruin flashed on screen. The once proud and tall statues of Charles Xavier and Erik Lenshar were broken, heads looking off into the distance from the ground. Rubble and collapsed buildings flashed on screen as did body after body being carried away. Some of the rescuers glancing under blankets, faces contorting in anguish and heartbreak. He could hear the commotion of the mansion but felt as if it was far away. Jubilee’s muffled sobs into Roberto’s arms. Logan and Scott devising their next moves and getting on the phone for survivors. Hank’s eyes pricked with tears. Not just from the horrific destruction. Not from the fear of his friends being hurt. But for you. Fear that you had been lost before he could tell you…

“Teams haven’t risked clearing the citadel. Too unstable. Jean and I can handle it. Rest of you, go show humanity that the X-Men are here to stay.” Scott ordered as he walked towards the citadel.

“Me and Roberto will help hand out food and water.” Jubilee chimed in as the two youngest X-Men wandered in another direction. Hank stood, almost frozen in place for a brief moment. Logan glanced, noting his hesitation. He wasn’t an affectionate man by any means but Logan could sense things. Sniffing the air, he could pinpoint the unmistakable scent of you amongst the destruction and injury. He placed a hand on Hank’s shoulder, squeezing it briefly.

“She’s in the tent, fur ball. Go see her and the other injured survivors. They’ll need a doc.” Logan grumbled roughly. It seemed to snap Hank out of his thoughts as he turned to Logan, brown eyes meeting blue. A short nod was exchanged before Hank walked towards the first aid tent.

Inside was a hustle and bustle, injured mutants receiving medical treatment. Some were far worse for wear than others. Amelia glanced back from her patient, her facial expression relaxing just slightly at the sight of Hank. She stood up and walked towards him, leaving him a clear view of you lying in the makeshift cot. He felt his breathing hitch as he saw you. Bright eyes closed, dried blood gathered around your lips and forehead that had been attempted to be cleaned off. Bandages and gauze wrapped around your limbs. Hank felt his heart break.

“I’m glad to see you, Dr. McCoy.” Amelia said with a half hearted smile.

“And… And I you, Amelia. Apologies for the delay.” He mumbled, uncharacteristic of the normally eloquent blue doctor. He hesitantly walked closer, examining each bruise and cut on the face he admires. Hank has seen you like this. Injured, bloodied. But now it is different. It wasn’t some training simulator gone wrong or a fight with the FOH. This was due to the fall of the first ever mutant nation. In the same dress you were debating wearing back at the mansion.

“They’ve all been saying how brave she was. Getting people out of the citadel and to the garden. Protecting life after life. But one of the sentinel’s blasts hit a falling boulder into her. She’s sustained serious injuries and hasn’t woken up since last night.” Amelia explained. Hank gently took your hand, almost engulfing it in his own. He was a man of science, a man known for being calm. But now, he couldn’t keep calm, a mixture of emotions brewing inside of him. Amelia frowned, patting his shoulder gently before walking off. A silent agreement to leave him with you a moment.

A twitch of your hand caused him to be pulled from the torrent of emotions. Groaning, your eyes fluttered open as he uttered your name. A smile crossed your lips.

“Knew it was you, Hank. Your cologne is unmistakable.” You croaked before coughing. Hank felt a nervous laugh bubble in his throat.

“You are not the first person to tell me that, my dear.” He finally choked out as tears began falling. You raised the hand that once found safety in his and cupped his cheek. Stroking his tears away, his face nuzzled into your palm, seeking further comfort from the gesture.

“I… I know this isn’t exactly the appropriate time but… I love you, Hank. Being in the carnage made me want to survive to tell you that.” You said weakly. His heart skipped a beat.

“I… Have fallen for you too, my dear. In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine.”

“Maya Angelou?” You asked. Hank confirmed this with a nod.

“I… Am beyond glad to know you are alive. Whatever I can do to get you better, I will.” He replied, determination hidden behind the loving look in his eyes.

“I know, love. Now go on, help the others. I’ll be here.” The smile on your face grew as he planted a delicate kiss on your forehead before hurrying to the other patients. You knew you’d be under the best care in the world. You’d fallen for Dr. Hank McCoy afterall.

#x reader #x men #x men x reader #beast x reader #x men beast #hank mccoy x reader #hank mccoy #beast x you #beast xmen #Xmen #Dr Hank McCoy

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canonical-transformation · 1 month ago

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Genshin ships: 5.6 stock market update

(Warning: May contain spoilers for character appearances and dynamics in Paralogism, Whirling Waltz, Escoffier's SQ, and other content up to 5.6. Previous entries here. This is for entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice: consult with your ship financial advisor before you invest.)

Venti/Dahlia — BUY. The medium male rig yaoi market ("short king market", not to be confused with "shorting the king market" #liloupar) has been basically unchallenged since Xingyun, with the occasional 4nemo 5wirl Kazuha ship, so it's ripe for #disruption. Were the writers pushing this a little hard in a very small amount of shared screentime? Absolutely. But "I am your mortal mouthpiece and confidant" is a setup with potential.

Escoffier/Traveller — HOLD OR SELL. For a classic tsundere, the protagonist ship is barely pushed at all.

Albedo/Kaeya — HOLD. Surprisingly few dividends considering the defence lawyer angle, and a lot of their shared conversations were dedicated to plot exposition. That said, the fundamentals are good.

Mondstadt

Kaeya/Diluc¹ — BUY OR HOLD. Once again HYV can't make up their mind about whether those two have reconciled, but they've picked the more stilted awkward 'oh, it's you' direction this time (v1.0 throwback!) and our analysts believe that's the most profitable direction for Kaeluc as a ship.

Jean/Barbara¹ — BUY BUY BUY they interacted on screen do you know how rare that is BUY BUY this ship is so starved for content you could 10x your money on the ensuing spike BUY BUY and they referenced her "I'll protect you!" line; adorable

Jean/Lisa — HOLD. Tragically absent.

sadist dommy-mommy Lisa content in general — HOLD OR BUY. Well at least that bluechip stock is paying dividends.

Fischl/clear communication — SELL. The safest short position on the market.

Albedo/Sucrose — BUY. That missing library scene can fit so many smut and alchemy infodump fics. Maybe even nonsmut alchemy infodumps or non alchemy infodump smut.

Albedo/Mona — BUY. Barbeloth: "Well if the fear of me isn't motivating her, maybe she'll do it to one-up a handsome young man."

Venti/Barbara — HOLD OR SELL. The god/priest market doesn't presently have much room for expansion, so this is now fighting for market share with Dahlia.

Fontaine and Natlan

Neuvillette/Wriothesley — BUY. This blue chip Fontaine stock paid out huge dividends with Whirling Waltz. Bright days lie ahead!

Ororon/Ifa — BUY. Since when did this kid have game?!? Since when was he this much of a little shit?

Mavuika/Xilonen — BUY. That scene during the Tournament could have ended Xilonen kicking Mavuika off a cliff and everyone would still take her side. Like yessss girl call her out on her bullshit

Ajaw/Neuvillette — SELL. Distressingly little screen time means that this ship, while solid on fundamentals, is currently overpriced.

Navia/Escoffier — HOLD. The pieces are there but very much underutilised. (It's always tough retconning in a childhood friend, unless you're giving the friend to a character as repressed as Miko.)

Furina/Escoffier — BUY. There is absolutely some kind of mutual celebrity crush happening here.

Varesa/Iansan — SELL. Quoting our analysts: “The frisson of trainer/client is undercut by them both being boringly well-adjusted. Iansan could be between Varesa's thighs admiring adductor tone and they'd still probably find a way to make it too safe too sane too consensual.”

Varesa/Escoffier — HOLD OR SELL. Varesa cares deeply about what she eats but she's not a gourmet. The main thing keeping this back from a hard sell is Escoffier's habit of [taste testing] the [fruits] of Varesa's [family orchard].

Xiangling/Escoffier — HOLD. Rivals to enemies with benefits could be workable, but the personality clash presents issues. Our analysts advise waiting until further canon interactions land.

Small caps (NPCs and "rarepairs")

Beatrice/Quinn — HOLD. I know it looks shaky but have faith. Ignore the part where Quinn thinks they're platonic BFFs. What am I saying, this has always been a SELL.

Monica/Savanna — BUY OR HOLD. Incredibly gaslight gatekeep girlboss, or at least the first two.

Charlotte/truth — BUY BUY BUY. Her excitedly snapping pics through the middle of an active crime scene is just perfection.

Ningguang/Lepine-Pauline — BUY. Hear me out. "Inventor with a proven market record and next to zero business sense" has got to be a reasonable side piece right? >_>

Lynette/watching people squirm — BUY. Like father like daughter.

Jala/Hanniyah — SELL. Our analysts acknowledge the interesting interplay of arcs around animal rights and conservation, but, quote: “zero chemistry. also Hanniyah is taken and does not give poly energy”.

Bifrons/Marchosias — VORE.

---

¹ as always, stocks with a history of short-selling are considered high volatility and should always be part of a diversified portfolio.

#genshin ship market update #genshin impact #doylist shipping #silly headcanons #shitpost #paralogism #treasured above all #whirling waltz #tournament of glory in bloom #meta: pinned posts

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cherryrikis · 9 months ago

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BETTER LUCK TOMORROW - introduction ! senior project

pairing : nishimura riki x reader

synopsis : after being in the wrong place at the wrong time, you (as well as your friends), were framed for the death of your brother and disappearance of your boyfriend. you all had no hope. no job, no money, none of you were even allowed to graduate. at least, until a stubborn kid on a dance scholarship suddenly acts as your savior, riki helps clear your name all for the sake of a school project.

this episode contains the following : 1.3k wc, brief swearing, mentions of death & mentions of murder/killing, lots of dialogue

previous | masterlist | next

“as you all know, you have a major senior project due by the end of the year for part of your college interviews. this will be worth 90% of your grade and is not optional. any questions to far?” riki’s english teacher read off the whiteboard, before turning to face the class.

she cleared her throat loudly before continuing.

“late work will not be accepted, because you have until may 25 to get this project submitted. everyone should know which college they plan on attending, or applying to by now. a google slides format must be be at least 25 slides, and a word doc should be at least 10 pages.”

jungwon quoted the teacher, explaining to riki what’s expected of them after he realized riki hadn’t been paying attention.

“how the hell did you remember all she said? and- why are you even here.. you’re like, a freshman in college.” riki noticed, with a visible look of confusion on his face.

“sophomore, actually. and i’m here for volunteer work! we have finals too you know. i was telling you and sunoo about this last week, but it’s for my social thought class!-” jungwon explained with a smile, only for it to drop as he was cut off .“yeah yeah okay. so what kind of topic am i supposed to pick?” riki asked before crumpling up a random paper into a ball, tossing it in jungwons direction.

jungwon let out a sigh. “riki, you really need to do better. if you can’t improve how you act, that impact will show on my grade as well. and that won’t be good for either of us.” he said as he took the paper ball, unfolding it to reveal riki’s report card from last quarter. it wasn’t too bad really, mainly straight a and b minuses. but the biggest issue, was behavior and participation.

“how would your grade tanking be bad on me? i still have until fall before i start going to ucla.”

“i really don’t know how you got in.” jungwon shook his head.

“dance scholarship. duh.” “nishimura riki! you have 7 more minutes to determine your main topic. i recommend that you use your time more wisely.” the teacher called out from her desk.

“okay seriously, now we have to focus. what topics are you interested in?” jungwon asked, as he pulled his notebook out.

“well, i like dancing. i can research the history on different dance styles.” riki shrugged, loosely putting an idea out there.

“that’s actually not that bad, especially as a dance major. let’s sit on that idea for a bit in case anything else comes up. what else do you like?” jungwon hummed while briefly scribbling a few notes in.

“i don’t even get why i still have to do this stupid assignment when i already heard back from ucla. if anything it’s a waste of my time, because this only benefits the kids who haven’t heard back yet.” riki complained.

“well,” jungwon chuckled. “the start of the fall semester is still a while from now, anything can change by then. they’re still gonna be looking at your final report card and all that. this is just to determine that your slot in that school is ensured. i think the you from freshman year would be proud to see you improve.”

but of course, he wasn’t listening. riki was hyper focused on his computer. at least until the last sentence stuck out to him.

��say that again?” riki questioned, making sure he heard jungwon right.

“the you from three years ago would be proud if you improved?” he repeated an improvised version, with a raised brow.

riki chewed on the bottom of his pen, before hastily writing something down on jungwon’s notebook.

“you.. you want to solve heeseung and jay’s case..?” jungwon stuttered as he read the notes. “how is this even related to what i said? is it because you were a freshman when it happened?”

“do you really believe yn was capable of killing them? i mean honestly, won. we grew up with her. she was heeseung’s little sister.” riki insisted, ignoring jungwon’s previous questions.

“i couldn’t believe it either, because there was no way it could’ve been her. but there was a lot of evidence that said otherwise.” jungwon informed, moving the notebook back onto his desk.

“also, don’t get mad when i say this. but, do you think the reason why you’ve been so fixated on yn being innocent is because you never got over your crush on her from middle school?”

“hey! shut the fuck up dude.” riki hissed, slapping the older boy on the back of his head. “and she was someone we were close to, a 17 year old at the time. it just isn’t likely.”

“age doesn’t mean anything. 35% of murders in america were committed by people ranging between 17 and 21. and, 28% of murders are committed by a relative or acquaintance. chances are low but not zero.” a girl butt in from behind the them. riki whipped his head back to see who it was, only to wish he never turned around.

minji kim. a pain in the original friend groups ass since elementary school.

the two stared at her with two completely different expressions. riki looked minji up and down with a frown, while jungwon just blinked slowly with wide eyes.

“what? do you seriously not remember me?” she scoffed.

“no trust me, we do, minji.” riki huffed before turning back around.

“we’re just wondering how you know that, is all.” jungwon hummed.

“my brother is a police officer now. i’m sure if you didn’t know who he was, one of your other friends might.” she snickered.

minjae kim. he is minji’s brother and one of the officers who handled the heeseung-jay case, aka one of the officers responsible for the arrests of yn and a few others. riki would know, because he attended the court hearing.

“minji, what topic have you selected?” the teacher asked as she briefly looked up from the computer screen.

“i will be making a slideshow on the history of ballet.” she answered with a proud smile. oh how riki just wanted to wipe that look off her face.

“and.. finally. riki and jungwon?”

"me and jungwon will investigate the lee siblings case, from 3 years ago." and the teachers face fell.

"riki, i don't know if this is a good topic write on. you still have time to change your mind-"

"no. this is what i want to do. i want to solve the murder of heeseung lee, and the disappearance of jay park." riki cut off the teacher with determination.

and the class went silent.

"there's nothing to solve! yn lee killed her own brother, and her own boyfriend. case closed." minji said. but remember, her brother was one of the officers who testified against yn. of course, her opinion on the topic was just as biased as riki’s or jungwon’s could be.

"shut up minji, your brother got demoted for a reason. and, you didn't know yn." jungwon waved off.

"you may have known heeseung but that doesn't mean you know her. and i know enough about yn lee to see that shes a cold hearted killer." "enough!" the teacher interrupted.

"fine. riki and jungwon, you may pursue this case. but we have to set some boundaries. first off, you may use any public sources or personal connections. secondly, when contacting any sources like publishers or officers, do not push the limit. if they say certain answers to questions are confidential, then respect that. third and foremost, absolutely do NOT contact the lees or the parks. leave any involved families out of this, especially now that miss yn lee is out of juvie."

she teacher sighed in slight relief as she saw jungwon and riki nodding in agreement.

but what she didn’t see, was how their fingers were crossed behind their backs.

taglist ! @jiiyen @prettiestgirlontheplanet @hannicorpse @wonsboo @murazbae @stilesks @soobinbunnie5 @blvengene @r1kification @gyuvision @goldenmellow @ariluvssssss100 @who-tf-soddhi @mmurazz @jaemified @strawberrieswithchocolateo3o @heartheejake @hoonsdrnkdzd

not proofread

#k-films #en-diaries #enhypen x reader #enhypen #niki smau #niki x reader #enhypen imagines #enhypen smau #enhypen scenarios #enhypen niki #nishimura riki #riki x reader

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justiceamberheard · 18 days ago

Text

''Hollywood Vampires'' book about JD and AH relationship, a short summary:

Kelly Loudenberg and Makiko Wholey started to write a book (at first it was supposed to be a documentary) in March 2021. Their resources: JD legal team, Bianca Butti footage of the UK trial, close friends, fans, transcripts both UK and US trials, social media platforms etc (author's note). So, they mostly talked to Johnny Depp's team, friends and fans. AH team also took part in it but after they were told it will be a book, they dropped out.

Chapter 1.

It is mainly about JD career and relationships; how JD and AH met; the many gifts he gave her: a dress from the set, bicycle, expensive collectible books, a guitar, built a beach cafe for her, a horse, flowers every month, poems.

Chapter 2.

Hicksville Trailer incident (March 2013).

Chapter 3.

AH background story. Here writers painted her as an angry, drug addict woman who would do anything to be famous. JD violent tendencies.

Chapter 4.

Their engagement. AH spent the whole night with guests downstairs meanwhile JD was upstairs doing drugs with her dad and other people.

Chapter 5.

Boston plane incident (May 2014). JD went to Bahamas to detox from all the drugs and pills he was taking before. Prenup.

Chapter 6.

Wedding. According to Malcolm, JD didn't want to get married. More drugs, fights, they keep on painting Amber as a manipulative person while JD was a confused, under influence guy.

Chapter 7.

Australia incident. (2015) I'll just leave a direct quote for you: “She cut my finger clean off . . .” Johnny said. “She slapped me with a vodka bottle.” (?????) The story about the dogs being smuggled to Australia.

Chapter 8.

It is called ''poopgate'', enough said.

Birthday incident and May incident (2016).

Chapter 9.

Divorce, TRO. The alleged incident between Amber and Tasya in the airport, in this book it says that AH tried to choke Tasya. Chapter 10.

AH and Elon Musk relationship after TRO. A witness saw bruises and marks on Amber in June (2016). Arranged meeting between AH and JD in July(2016) + recording: “Want to cut me somewhere?” Johnny asked Amber.“Please do not cut yourself,” she pleaded, begging him to “put the knife down.”

Chapter 11.

AH deposition in August, 2016 + the cabinet video.

Chapter 12.

The events from 2017( AH/ Elon Musk relationship). #MeToo movement.

Chapter 13.

The story of how JD met Adam Waldman. AH career in 2018.

Chapter 14.

AH Washington Post op-ed. JD lawsuit, AH countersuit.

Chapter 15.

The beginning of one of the worst smear campaigns: audio recordings leaks to the press.

Chapter 16.

Bianca Butti's recordings before, during the UK trial:

In one of Bianca’s recordings, Amber sat in front of the camera while Bianca interviewed her about the online harassment she was receiving, and how estranged she’d become from her friends and support network. Amber was convinced the negative attention online was being secretly coordinated by Johnny and his powerful political connections, aka Adam Waldman.

Amber spoke emphatically about her theory that Adam Waldman had hired bots to harass not just her, but also her friends and witnesses, as well as journalists covering her story. “I mean, the amount of witnesses I have lost along the way . . . As soon as I came forward in public and said something, all of them, one by one, disappeared. They told me they’re worried about their career, they’re worried about their livelihood, they can’t make it in this industry because of what they’re facing.”

“I just have seen the worst of how . . . readily accepting the public is and how easy it is for our society to absorb that information and process it in that way. And I am so, so conditioned to appreciate that because I have witnesses from the time I filed for a restraining order with a black eye, and people were already asking me what I wanted. And yet no one doubted his credibility or his stance when he said, ‘She wants something.’ No one said, Is that true? . . . It didn’t really stop him from getting booked on things.”

Chapter 17.

More of Bianca's footage:

“He cannot look at me . . . look at me look at me . . . you shoved a bottle in me while I cried. I’m right here,” Amber said one night after trial, her toes pedaling the hotel carpet. Whitney agreed, holding back tears. “. . . When anybody is speaking the truth, like, there is a conviction, you look that person in the eyes like, NO fucker, you know what you did is wrong, NO fucker. And there’s an understanding when you lock eyes . . . And I’ve had all those conversations with him when he was looping, fucking spiraling out, bending whatever, like, no, Johnny, look at me. Johnny, look at me. And he knew, he knows that that’s a moment, right, as any human does, like when you actually have a conversation with somebody, and you’re looking at them, you’re seeing them.

“Not one person, not one headline points out—not one today—seems to highlight what I think is super fucking important in this #MeToo/Post–#MeToo world we live in, which is that Johnny Depp tried to get me fired from my franchise movies for no reason other than having dumped him,” Amber said as the camera rolled.

Chapter 18.

Bianca Butti talking about how Amber dissociated during the trial and showed sign of being a victim of abuse during their relationship:

“She had nowhere to put everything,” Bianca said. “She didn’t know how to cry. She didn’t know how to freak out. She didn’t know how to break down. She just knew how to keep going. She was completely detached . . . She was shut down.”

Amber, her friends and team talk about the UK win.

“We won,” he said through a muffled connection. Amber and Whitney were stunned. “We won? . . . WE WON!!” Screaming erupted, followed by sobs. “I never thought I’d see him be held accountable,” Amber said through tears.

Chapter 19.

The US trial. Just here to remind again that it was JD idea to televise the trial. Amber tried to dismiss and settle three times but JD was against it. Even the judge said: “You will lose this case, you should settle it,” the judge said, looking Johnny squarely in the face.

A lot of AH evidence wasn't submitted because of the hearsay objections.

Chapter 20.

JD testimony. You all can read it in my pinned masterpost.

Chapter 21.

This one is about JD fans and supporters.

Chapter 22.

AH testimony.

Bianca Butti, who was no longer dating Amber but still a close friend, was by Amber’s side for the entire ordeal. She watched Amber testify and could tell that she was in a total PTSD disconnect. “It almost sounded like someone else was talking,” she said. Amber had reviewed her case over and over again, told her story to lawyers multiple times, made timelines and witness statements, and had already testified in another trial. “By the time you tell it a million times you remove yourself from emotional content . . . I believe all of it,” Bianca said. “Especially as someone who was her intimate partner. If I made a sudden move during an argument, she would recoil. It was clear to me that she was in a very violent relationship.”

Chapter 23.

The US trial verdict.

One of the jurors talked to the writers:

Tom said when it came to deliberating the verdict, the jurors were all pretty much on the same page. They didn’t believe Amber. They also couldn’t rely on her photos of the abuse, which they said varied drastically depending on the lighting and angle of the photo. Also, they liked watching Johnny testify. “For me, I enjoyed his testimony,” Tom said. “He was pretty entertaining going back and forth with Heard’s lawyers. We were sitting there for eight hours a day, and having him on the stand was a breath of fresh air.”

Amber’s account of the sexual-assault allegations from Australia were difficult for Tom and the other jurors to listen to. “But at the end of the day we looked at it like this: if you are beaten that badly, why didn’t you go to the emergency room? If you were cut up, you’re barefoot, walking on glass, bleeding all over the place. You didn’t go to the doctor, you actually got on the plane the next day to go home?”

He hung on Amber’s own words that she wanted the allegations to stay private to protect Johnny, whom she loved, and that she wasn’t in it for any financial gain. “Then why all the circus?” The courthouse appearance seemed like a “setup” to make Johnny seem like the monster in the divorce. “This was what put the proverbial nail in the coffin,” Tom stated. (MY NOTE: the jurors are so dumb! It was really hard to read this part. Did they forget that JD was the one sued AH...).

Chapter 24. (the last one, at last)

JD life after the the US verdict (couldn't care less tbh).

I actually hoped that there will be a bibliography of everything they used: interviews etc but there isn't one. Hence, it shows how stupid and useless this book is. The only things I believed are: chapters about Bianca's footage, trial testimonies from both UK and US trials, the jurors thoughts on why they believed JD because no one in their mind would share those stupid reasonings with someone. All in all, do not waste your time or money on this book.

#amber heard #i stand with amber heard #anti johnny depp #johnny depp #hollywood vampires book

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whencyclopedia · 20 days ago

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Battle of New Orleans: The American Agincourt

The Battle of New Orleans (8 January 1815) was the final major battle of the War of 1812, in which a ragtag American army under Major General Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) beat back a superior British force under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham (1778-1815). The battle was incredibly lopsided – the Americans suffered 71 casualties while the British suffered over 2,000 – and was fought after the peace had been signed. But despite its needlessness, the battle gave the fledgling United States a new self-confidence in its sovereignty and set its victor, Jackson, on the path to the presidency.

Pakenham & the British Invasion

The events that would lead to the bloodshed at New Orleans were set into motion three months before when, on a cool October evening, Sir Edward Pakenham received a letter from Lord Bathurst, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. It informed him that the Prince Regent had been "pleased to confer upon you the Command of all the Troops operating with His Majesty's Fleets upon the Coasts of the United States" and directed him to conduct operations against New Orleans, a city strategically situated at the mouth of the Mississippi River (quoted in Napoleon Series). Bathurst hoped that by striking this vulnerable underbelly, the British could draw American attention away from Canada, where most of the fighting had been taking place; if the British could then push into the lands of the Louisiana Purchase to use as a bargaining chip for peace negotiations, all the better. Indeed, American and British diplomats were currently negotiating peace at Ghent in the United Netherlands (modern Belgium). However, Bathurst told Pakenham to disregard any rumors of peace he may hear and proceed with the campaign no matter what.

A dutiful and ambitious man, Pakenham threw himself into preparations for the campaign. Since the age of 16, when his family had bought him a lieutenant's commission in the British Army, Pakenham had known nothing but a soldier's life. He had most recently fought against the armies of Napoleonic France in the Peninsular War (1808-1814), serving under the command of his famous brother-in-law, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852). Pakenham had distinguished himself at the Battle of Salamanca (22 July 1812), where he led his 3rd Division in a bayonet charge that drove the French soldiers back in a state of 'irremediable confusion'. For such actions, he had been knighted and promoted to the rank of major general. Having spent years fighting Napoleon's veteran soldiers, Pakenham felt he had no reason to worry about the backcountry militias of Louisiana and Tennessee. In November, Pakenham set out from London to join his army, which was already en route to New Orleans – having assembled in Jamaica, the British troops had boarded 50 Royal Navy ships under Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane and sailed into the Gulf of Mexico, anchoring just east of Lake Borgne, Louisiana, on 14 December 1814.

Access to Lake Borgne was blocked by five American gunboats under Lt. Thomas ap Catesby Jones. In the evening, 980 British sailors and Royal Marines got into 42 rowboats and silently rowed out to dislodge Jones' small force. After a brief engagement, the British succeeded in capturing the gunboats at the cost of 17 dead and 77 wounded (the Americans lost 6 dead and 35 wounded). The British then began to disembark; over the next six days, 1,600 soldiers under Maj. Gen. John Keane rowed out to Pea Island, about 30 miles (48 km) east of the city. They advanced overland until, on the morning of 23 December, they reached the east bank of the Mississippi River, 9 miles (14 km) south of New Orleans. Keane stopped there to await reinforcements. As his soldiers set up camp, some of them broke into the home of Major Gabriel Villeré, who leapt out a window and ran all the way to the American lines outside New Orleans. The soldiers he found there were a ragged hodgepodge of 4,000 men: French-speaking Louisiana militia and crude-talking Tennessee frontiersmen, mounted Mississippi dragoons, and undersupplied Irish immigrants, two battalions of Black men, some enslaved and some free, as well as Choctaw Indians, pirates, and privateers. But perhaps the most striking figure of them all was their commander, a tall, thin frontiersman with piercing blue eyes and a fiery temper named Andrew Jackson.

⇒ Battle of New Orleans: The American Agincourt

#History #WarOf1812 #AndrewJackson #USHistory #WHE

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yourstrulynobody · 2 months ago

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Questions, a lot of them

Idk if someone already did ask or if these were already explained

BUT

How does death work in your SAMS human version AU thingie?

Like for example did solar still die cause ruin and his stuff?

Or how did nathan (nexus) get in the story?

Ik there is something with entity's going on in this AU/version (IDK HOW TO CALL IT TvT)

Also how did elias (eclipse)[ i tjikk that was his name?] come to be?

So yeh thats kinda the things that are in the top

Also I love your artstyle so much TvT

THANK YOUU❤‼️ Ik really glad some people like my artstyle Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ !!!

also: YESSS I GOOD EXCUSE TO YAP!!! Im not good at explaining so feel free to ask abt some things you may have gotten confused on :)

Anyway (I'll be using their actual names instead of their human names for less confusion :3) yap session under cut

Question 1.

Honestly, death works mostly the same still! Every event thats happened in the SAMS/LAES/EAPS universe still very much proceeds the same way, just smaller aspects like revival thats changed.

-(1.1) Yes, Solar still did die because of Ruin! His revival was much harder due to him being from another dimension, but Eclipse has knowledge of different kinds of revival spells and all he had to do was gain the materials—the one Eclipse used contained using his very blood which tied Solar to the new dimension :)

-(1.2) Same procedure with the whole "New Moon" thing, but slightly altered; Moon sacrificed himself for Killcode which broke the bond they had (aka what ties an Entity like Killcode to a host like Max) in a safer manner because Entities tend to die when their host dies (something I forgot to mention in this post)... but since a new consciousness developed in Moon's place (aka New Moon/Nexus), Killcode did not die. After Solar dies, the same events happened with New Moon becoming Nexus, but instead of a chip that contained Moon, Moon was instead a consciousness that Nexus pushed out of his head that Monty quickly worked to restore since the consciousness was very much fading; Monty used a revival spell that made a new body (similar to Moon's) so Moon's consciousness could transfer there.

–(1.3) Bonus: Now that Nexus is technically alive via Witherstorm (which makes Nexus a Ghost-Entity of sorts), no revival spell was ever actually used on him. Instead, the Witherstorm forcibly revived him by using him as a vessel which is why Nexus's consciousness is fading.

There are many revival spells that may be used such as:

•Body Revival= the one used for Moon; revives ones body but with no consciousness. Very much not known.

•Consciousness Revival= allows to make a consciousness of someone who passed (with or without their memories intact) or a new being (no memories). More known but hard to do.

•Full revival= the one used for Eclipse and Bloodmoon (+Solar Flare); revives both body and consciousness with most of their memories intact. This one takes a lot of time... for most, Ruin does it with ease.

•Power Revival= Similar to how the Creator was revived, people can also be revived via simple magic or Negative Star Power (NSP), that is if strong enough—sometimes, the one who revived them may make them connect them to be a servant (like Rez and the Creator, or maybe even Servant Sun and Lord Eclipse).

Books about reviving someone is not a known one—in fact, theres barely any, but Moon managed to "inherit" one from the Creator's old office that the Creator thought was useless, and Moon merely told it to Monty just in case. Ruin, however, had to go through trial and error to manually learn how to do a Full Revival which was what he tested in his old dimension in secret, and he eventually mastered that which is why Solar Flare and the other two (three?) were easily revived.

Question 2.

Heres some direct quotes from my notes:

–..."At the age of 16 Y/O, Moon eventually argues with Killcode, and says in the heat of the moment: "Just go to Sun! Youll have more luck making him submit!" (Moon was angry and confused; he hadnt meant to drag Sun into the argument). Now, Entities dont like being challenged... but Killcode didnt wanna leave Moon either since Moon's body is strong, so Killcode puts a part of himself into Sun's head instead." <–(How Eclipse was made)

–..."Thats why Eclipse knows a lot about Sun and Moon because he has Killcode's memories on the twins's upbringing."

–..."Anyway, Eclipse doesnt fully develop until a few months in where Sun meets him. Sun mistakes Eclipse as just "the friend/older brother figure in my dreams" (since Eclipse only appeared dream-wise to Sun back then)—they got closer this way which is what I meant by saying "My human version of Sun and Eclipse being closer" or smth like that. At this stage, Eclipse doesnt have a form, so he looks like Sun but just older in a sense—he never spoke a lot, too (+no introduction at all), as he only did actions and all."

To summarize: Killcode put a part of himself in Sun's head which resulted in Eclipse. Eclipse wasnt exactly known until months later when he appeared to Sun in his dreams which then formed a bond.

Something I hadnt mentioned was that: Entities need to form a bond with their host to intertwine their lives and so the Entity grows stronger—their core (the very thing that causes their lives to intertwine which is what I meant by "Entities tend to die when their host dies".

Basically: the reason why Eclipse keeps reviving or having the ability to be revived is because Sun hasnt died yet, but their connection has weakened the more Eclipse has been revived—especially now with Eclipse being on his 4th revival. So now if Sun were to ever die, Eclipse wouldnt die as well due his more humane nature now.

Again: I am horrible at explaining, so if this is still confusing I do apologize! :'D

#sams #sams au #human au #human sun and moon #human solar #human eclipse #human killcode #human bloodmoon #human ruin #human solar flare #“Max's Rant about Entities”#ask answered

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miicycle · 2 years ago

Text

The Kung Fu Panda Movies have always had Mr. Ping give the moral of the story, and I think about that a lot. Yes, Po is usually out fighting bad guys when realizing where he should be mentally and skillfully, on his own when he gets the point of teachings. Ping is such an important person in Po's life, just as much as Shifu is needed to help Po learn Kung Fu.

Way more under the cut!!!

Kung Fu Panda 1: "You are almost ready to be entrusted with the secret ingredient of my secret ingredient soup. And then you will fulfill your destiny and take over the restaurant [...]" - Ping

"Secret Ingredient of my secret ingredient soup" being an allegory for Dragon scroll and "destiny" being Po becoming the Dragon warrior and "take over the restaurant" as being Oogway's successor.

Then it turns out the scroll is blank. And Ping feels its a good place to tell Po about the secret ingredient. NOTHING. For something to be special, you just have to BELIEVE it's special.

So Po, not needing any secret scroll or any cool powerup, wins against Tai Lung by believeing in himself.

Ping made him believe in himself. And when Po fulfills his destiny of defeating Tai Lung, he's PROUD!

Kung Fu Panda 2: "Po, your life may not have such a happy beginning, but look at how it turned out! You got me, you got kung fu! And you got noodles!" - Ping (and almsot identical quote said by Soothsayer)

And

Po: "I gotta go. I'm the Dragon Warrior, it's kinda my job to save Kung Fu. And if I don't, what am I?"

Ping: "You're my son! ... Right?"

The message is pretty clearcut, but it's repeated very heavily in the movie. Mr Ping may not be his father, but he is his dad. No matter where he came from, Po is Mr Pings son through and through and he very much loves him.

The scene where Po has been knocked into a river and saved by the Soothsayer, she says the same thing that Ping does. He didn't have a happy beginning, but what matters is who he is, and what he chooses to do now.

And the montage plays everything hes done up until now, but also empathizes the moments between Ping and Po. The last thing he sees in his mind is Ping being a dad, because he is Po's dad! Whatever happened before doesn't have bearing for who Po chooses to be. So when he chooses to be the son of a goose and the Dragon Warrior, nothing he finds out can change that.

Because Dragon Warrior or not, Po is Ping's son! Right?

Kung Fu Panda 3: "He's hurt. He's confused. And he still has to save the World! He needs both his dads." - Ping

"I realized that having you in his life doesn't mean less for me. It means more for Po." - Ping

And

"I'm not trying to turn you into me. I'm trying to turn you into you!" - Shifu

(Love how often Shifu and Ping mirror each other's roles btw they're both so important)

So these are a little less on the nose, but again super important. No matter what Po is going through, he still has to fulfill his destiny, and giving him support while he does so is the best they can do. Ping was initially worried of Li Shan stealing Po away, but realizes that bonding with his biological father doesn't take him away from Ping, just more love and support for Po.

But also, Po learning that he doesn't have to change drastically to reach his true potential. When Ping and Li Shan stand on the small platform and tell Po that they can help, along with all other pandas, Po has the realization that he can't turn them into him, just as Shifu can't turn him into Shifu, or Li Shan can't turn him into a typical panda.

Ping doesn't say a direct quote to mirror Shifu's, but he did initiate talking to Li Shan after Po and Li Shan had the liar reveal. Li never had the experience of having an arguement with his child, but Ping obviously does. So he takes it upon himself to keep being the rock that Po can lean on by talking to Li Shan and helping him realize that they have to be there for Po, no matter what happens.

Because again. Po is hurt. Po is confused. But he still has to save the world. He needs both his dads.

I love Ping so much for being a good dad in this way. He really plays well as a support character and is such a good parent. Yeah, Po may not fit the mold the way Ping expected (taking over the noodle shop etc) but hes still so proud!!!

#kung fu panda #kung fu panda 2 #kung fu panda 3 #kung fu panda trilogy #kfp #kfp2 #kfp3 #kfp po #kfp ping #kfp li shan #Long post #text post #mii talks #kfp character study i guess #kung fu panda character talk #mr ping

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delighteddistractions555 · 4 months ago

Text

LMK Incorrect Quotes 3#

The last of the series until the month of April or May. Enjoy the usual insanity!

(MK is yet again hosting another party and is the DJ.)

MK: NEVER GOING TO GIVE YOU UP!!! NEVER GOING TO LET YOU DOWN-

Erlang Shen: Hold it!! Pause right there MK!

(MK is confused but pauses the song anyway.)

Erlang Shen: (Turns to the others.) Alright, raise your hand if, A. Someone has let you down. B. You have let someone down. Or C. Both.

(Mei, Red Son, Nezha, Pigsy, Macaque, Chang’e, DBK, Princess Iron Fan, and Sun Wukong raise their hands.)

MK: …….*SCREAMS BLOODY MURDER.* (Before smashing the DJ station and running off still screaming.)

Nezha: ……I think MK chose C…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(Red Son walks in to see MK and Mei hiding behind the couch.)

Red Son: So what are you pathetic peasants doing-

MK: SSSSSSSHHHH!!!

Mei: *Whispering* He could move any minute now!!

(Red Son looks in their direction to see a motionless cowboy rag doll on the floor.)

Red Son: HA!! You stupid peasants know that’s just a dumb idea from that idiotic foreigner movie-

(Nezha walks in and sees the doll.)

Nezha: -_-…….. Really Wooster?! You get LOST again?!?!

(Woody stands up and places his hands on his hips.)

Woody: Well to be fair-I DIDN’T EXACTLY ASK TO GET SOLD ONLINE AGAIN!!!

Red Son: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! (Runs to Nezha and jumps into the latter’s arms.) GET THAT HIDEOUS HEATHEN AWAY FROM ME!!

Nezha: Little Bull, it’s just Woody!!

Red Son: AND WHATEVER ITS NAME IS IT'S STILL DOWNRIGHT TERRIFYING!!! MAKE IT GO AWAY!!!

Woody: (Places a hand on his forehead.) Why do I have a gut feeling this kid never had a proper childhood….

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Erlang Shen: You’re my favorite little one Nezzie~ (Hugs Nezha as he ruffles the younger god’s hair.)

Nezha: *Happy to receive the attention.* Erlang, stooop!

Chenxiang: Ooooooh, then I guess I’m just chopped liver to you eh, uncle?!

(Erlang and Nezha freeze, turning their heads to see the newcomer.)

Nezha: Erlang, WHO is that?!?!

Erlang Shen: Uuuuuuhhhhh, hey Nezha, I want you to try not to panic as I- (Yeets a smoke bomb and zooms off with Nezha in tow.)

Nezha: YOU DIDN’T TELL ME YOU HAD A NEPHEW!!!

Erlang Shen: WELL I DIDN’T ASK FOR ONE!!!

(Meanwhile, back on Mount Hua.)

Chenxiang: Mom, let me take the axe, I’m hunting revenge for dinner tonight.

Holy Mother of Mount Hua: *Tired of dealing with her estranged brother.* Sweetheart, what did your uncle do this time?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(Wukong sneaks into Macaque’s private garden to see his shadowy counterpart ticked off.)

Sun Wukong: What’s up Mac?

Macaque: Oh I’ll tell you what’s up. Just as think you put up enough bird feeders for all these blasted birds-

(Cue a flock of hummingbirds alighting onto their feeders. Only for the birds to start dive bombing and squabbling over one feeder instead of going to another.)

Macaque: AND IT HAPPENS EVERY DAMN TIME!!! It doesn’t matter how much I give these little bastards-they all keep fighting over a few feeders and ignoring the rest!!

Sun Wukong: Ha! What a bunch of birdbrains, wait a minute. This region of the world isn’t native to hummingbirds…

Macaque: ……

Sun Wukong: ……. Mac, put 'em back.

Macaque: And leave them to starve?! No.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Li Jing: I hereby decree you remain on the moon forevermore.

Chang’e: Hey! That’s what the last emperor said!!

Pigsy: Now wait a piping hot minute Mr. High-N-Mighty!!! Why don’t we bring some democracy into this instead of just straight up punishing her AGAIN for one stupid little mistake?!

Li Jing: *Scoffs* Following that blasted America’s example? Now that is the most ridiculous-

Erlang Shen: No, no, no, wait. The chef has a point.

Gold Star of Venus: Voting can actually be good for diplomacy.

Jinzha: That’s not a bad idea!

Li Jing: You are seriously not considering-

Ao Guang: Actually, a decision made by the majority instead of just one seems to be more sound.

Queen Mother of the West: I say we give the poor dearie a chance. She suffered enough already.

Nuwa: Let’s take a vote then!

Li Jing: WHERE DID YOU THREE COME FROM-

Erlang Shen: All in favor of lifting Chang'e banishment, raise your hands!

(The Heavenly Court, the Monkie Kid Crew, the DBK Family, the Ao Dragon Clan, and Nuwa raise their hands except for Li Jing.)

Li Jing: I am NOT going to let this pass-

Gold Star of Venus: What’s that you’re majesty? You wish for a vote to decide whether or not you should be the emperor?

(Li Jing clamps his mouth shut.)

Queen Mother of the West: Well it appears the majority wishes for your freedom, welcome back Chang’e!

Chang’e: My hero!! (Runs to Pigsy.)

Pigsy: As you say Chang’e, Cooking is Life, and it’s a life best shared with others!

#lmk nezha #lmk erlang #lmk wukong #lmk mk #lmk macaque #lmk li jing #lmk tang #lmk chang'e #lmk pigsy #lmk pif #lmk traffic light trio #lmk red son #lmk mei #lmk monkey king

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pocket-jack · 2 years ago

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Love Mail

Luffy climbing up to Victoria Punk: Love mail!

Killer playing along: Love mail? Oh! It must be a letter for you, Kid!

Kid: You're two are a dorks. The hell is love mail?

Luffy: It's a news report. Did you know that the sunflowers on the whole island are looking at the same direction? They're looking at you, sunshine! Get it? Because sunflowers are always facing the sun, and when there isn't any, they're facing each other. I guess they confused you with the sun, Juggy!

Kid, all red: "Drops his instrument kit" Ahhh... What a bullshit...

Killer: Aww, that's sweet

Kid: Shut up...

Luffy: I'll go spread the Love Mail to Traffy! Enjoy your day!

Kid: Mggghghhh....

Killer: I'll translate that: you too, Straw Hat!

Luffy, climbing in the Polar Tang: Love Mail!

Shachi: AAAH! Straw Hat! You scared me! Don't sneak up on us so suddenly! And what the hell is a Love Mail?

Luffy: Can't tell you! It's for Traffy!

Shachi: Ah-... Ooooh! I get it! Ooooooi! Captain! There's a letter for you!!

Law coming from the operating room cleaning his instruments: A letter? From who?

Luffy: From me :))

Law: "Smiling warmly" What is it?

Luffy: A love mail! S' a fact actually!

Law: A fact? A fun one?

Luffy: A really fun one! Did you know that I have a disease?

Law: Wha-? A disease? What is it? Why didn't you tell me? You know that your and Kids health are important to me! What are the symptoms?

Luffy: I know how it's called and I've had it for a while know... And the symptoms are... "Pressed his hand to his chest" Whenever I'm around Traffy my heart keeps beating faster and I may die if I stop looking at him! You know how it's called?

Law completely oblivious: I... Such a strange and vague symptoms... Are you sure there's nothing else? It can't be that I don't know it!..

Luffy: Te-he! The disease that I have is called... 'Traffy is so attractive that I can't look away from him"!

Law: ...

Law: "Turns red, but also sighs in relief" Oh... Oh! Straw Hat-ya, don't scare me like that! I thought you had something serious!

Luffy: It is serious! There is also a newpaper in the love mail! It's states that Trafalgar Law is the handsomest doctor in the world! And do you know who wrote the report? The future Pirate King Monkey D. Luffy! Can you imagine!?

Law: "Flatters" Aw! Stop! I need to work! Did you send the love mail to Eustass too?

Luffy: Of course! I'm the best love mail man in the world!

Luffy: "Leaves" Byee! Hope the love letter made your day!

Law: It sure did...

Shachi: Awww! Captain is smiling! This is the best day of my life!

Law: Shachi, I will split you in half.

Shachi: Got it! I'll shut up!

Robin: Hello, Luffy! How was your love mail plan?

Luffy: It's good! Traffy and jaggy were so red and happy when I told them about it! Thank you for helping with the quotes! And thanks to you too, Sanji!

Sanji: Repay me with stopping trying to break into the refrigerator. I know you tried to bite off the code lock

Luffy: But I'm hungry at night! How can I eat if the refrigerator looked?

Robin: "Spots Kid, climbing onto the ship" Oh, hello Kid

Luffy: Jaggy! Do you need something?

Kid: Yeah, just wanted to pass you the mail

Luffy: The mail?

Kid: Yes. It's the trinket. I know, you love them

Luffy: Wha- For me???

Kid: Yep! I can't do quotes, but I'd do anything to see you happy

Luffy: "Processing" ...

Luffy: "Covers his red face with a hat" Nishishishi! Thank you!..

Kid: "Rises Luffy's chin with his hand to see his red face" No prob! That's what the Love Mail means, right?

Luffy: "Got shy" Ahh!.. Y-yeah!...

Robin and Sanji: Aaawww

Law: "Teleports to them with a box" Hey

Luffy: Traffy? Why are you here?

Law: Don't act like I can't see my partner whenever I want. About the Love Mail thing

Luffy: Oh? "Hides his eyes with a hat" You too???..

Kid: I was first! Did he get you too?

Law: I just want to talk about his... 'Disease'. Not compete for his attention with you, Eustass

Luffy: What do you wanna talk about?

Law: Your diagnosis. First time I thought I don't know anything about it, but know that you named a disease, I think that I know exactly what too prescribe you

Luffy: Wha?..

Law: "Gives him a box" It may ease the symptoms a little bit. But the kisses and hugs will do the trick as well

Luffy: "Opens it" What's inside? A medicine?

Law: The best that I have

Luffy sees the inside full of chocolate that he loves: Oh!?.. OOOOH?????

Kid: Don't tell me he won! What about my trinket to you? It can be used as a fidget toy, puzzle, even self defens-.. Agh... Forget it. You already ate the chocolate... I'm glad you happy, monkey

Luffy: It was SO delicious! It had my favorite flavor and all! Oh!.. Wait... Was I suppose... To eat all of it in one go.

Law: You can eat as much as you want. That's kind of the thing. You can't get overdose. Truly a beautiful medicine for a beautiful patient

Luffy: Eh... Stop... That's not...

Kid: It is! You're beautiful! The prettiest out of the world! And also you, hot doc

Law: Hot doc? Did you receive the news as well?

Kid: I've figured you'd be! And you too! So adorable when you shy "Smooches Luffy"

Luffy: ..aaw.. "Covers his whole face with hat"

Kid and Law got K.O-ed momentetaly: Oh-...

Kid and Law proceeds to hug and kiss completely shy Luffy: Love Mail - the best thing in the world!

Straw Hats: AWWWWWW

#one piece #monkey d. luffy #trafalgar law #lawlu #eustass kid #kidlawlu #kidlu

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lair-of-the-white-worm · 4 months ago

Note

Returned to the Oddworld tag after awhile away and saw your post about the "Abe is a pacifist he doesn't like using violence" take and-

(this ain't anon hate promise I know you've had some problems with that so let's get that out the way rn immediately)

That take is so utterly fascinating to me because I think what's happening here is a misunderstanding surrounding a trait of his he indisputably does have.

Namely- how much he hates this role destiny has chosen for him and how fucking stressed and anxious it makes him.

Every moment this guy is on screen doing hero stuff he's miserable about it. The original 1990s games had a bit more of a comical slant to it, but it was very much there. Soulstorm pulls no punches that he's freaking tf out and only holding it together because the lives of everyone he's ever loved depends on him pulling this wild shit off.

Now, because their captors won't just let 'em walk off, violence comes mandatory with the territory of being the promised hero. I think technically you can beat Soulstorm without killing, but there's no narrative consequence in either direction so I assume Abe did indeed kill people to manage what he did.

I don't think Abe hates killing people, necessarily. I mean like you said. Man LAUGHS. It's quiet but very much audible.

I think people assume that since figuring all this out is such a miserable experience for him, therefore, he must hate the dirtiest part of it- killing people. A thing that, to be fair, is not easy on the psyche. No matter how angry a person is, actually taking a life is A Lot. I can see where the logic train follows, even if I don't wholly subscribe to it. It doesn't help that he seems like a pretty kind, selfless person- yeah, he doesn't want to be doing any of this, but he genuinely cares about the others. He runs to comfort a dying stranger despite having only just gotten a bit of a lead in his frantic run through a BURNING CAVE from PEOPLE SHOOTING AT HIM. And apologies for not being able to save him! So much of Soulstorm is him worrying about other people. Folks don't tend to associate that kind of person with gleeful violence.

So, what exactly is Abe's relationship with violence? Hard to say! We get the quiet little laugh and that's it- could be anything from a stress response, the brain violently going WHAT THE FUCK UHHHHH MAKE NOISE, I GUESS in response to not knowing how to respond to watching a guy explode into meat nuggets. Could be a well I have to do this anyway so fuck it, I may as well enjoy what I can from this shitty experience and I'm not sorry about killing people that have abused and murdered us for years response.

The game makes it pretty clear he cares about what really matters, regardless, so it's fun seeing what particular characterization other people assume of him for this specific aspect of his personality, and how they make it fit with how we've seen him behave.

Anyway thank you for the opportunity to think on this aspect of him for a bit. I am very normal and sane about one (1) very anxious, tired blue man who needs a hug and a nap.

I don't even remember what post you're talking about anon lol but I appreciate the infodump! It's nice to hear other ppls takes. I'm assuming this was something I said offhandedly criticizing the old 2005 character bio for Abe, because that quote sounds like something from it.

Before I say anything further you have to keep in mind that Abes personality is staunchly different in Soulstorm. While he is still a reluctant hero, he's far from apathetic about it in Soulstorm. He's more confused and unsure than anything else, and the amount of times in that game where Toby and Alf, or the Keeper, need to step in and give him some insight kinda drills that home. Abe isn't really on his own anymore in Soulstorm. The pressure is very much still on, but he's not like, complaining about it? I don't know the right words to use. He's a lot more curious and actively wanting to be a savior figure, he's just so confused and unsure as to how.

In the original timeline, Abe is on his own for the most part. Yeah Alf and co help him cross the desert, but after that, Abe is back to doing everything on his own. He's angry. He's stressed out. And in Oddysee as well, he just learned that he's gonna be chopped up and sold as are his kin. Then he escapes and gets bombarded with the truth about his race. It's a lot at once. Like, in all honesty? Abe went postal. He's hucking literal grenades at sligs. He's lost it. He was just a janitor a day ago and now he's being told he's the goddamn messiah and if he doesn't follow his fate he and all his buddies are gonna die. Like, if I was him I wouldn't even take a MOMENT to consider the most nonviolent option. I'd consider the easiest. And I'd have no problem with a few casualties of the motherfuckers who have been beating the shit out of me and being racist to me my entire life. Abe has had enough and he has every right to be pissed.

Pacifist was never the right word to describe Abe. More like. An insurrectionist maybe, but he's far from organized. He wants a reform but also he wants a revolt. I mean, to be honest we don't really know much about what Abe wants. He's being told what his fate is and he's doing his best to follow it. If I were in his position, I'd be at a loss when it comes to rational descision making.

You have to remember as well, pacifism means non-violent. Even if Abe isn't killing, even if you were to somehow minimize any harm done to the sligs, Abe is still not a pacifist. In Oddysee, In Exoddus, in Munch, even in Soulstorm, he doesn't just harm people. He blows up buildings. He kills slogs that are in his way. He destroyes major structures. He is still going crazy with destruction even if he isn't doing any killing. And that's probably because he's scared! He's stressed! He's freaking the hell out! You stop caring about a lot of safety protocol when you're freaking the hell out.

Not to mention, Shrykull. While Shrykull is not Abe, it is still using Abe as a vessel, and its important to note that Shrykull is a god of balance. A god of creation and destruction. Just noting that there. While Abe may not have control of Shrykull, his body is still a vessel for a god that Breaks Shit.

Is abe a pacifist? Absolutely not. Does abe wish he was a pacifist? Also no. Abe wishes he didn't have to do any of this. Not because it involves violence but because his fellow Mudokon's lives are on the line. Abe is a wanted Mud. If he doesn't do any of this he's going to get killed. And then because he's been forced into the position he's in, his brothers will get killed. Its not that abes stressed out because he's having to enact violence. He's stressed out because if he doesn't act he and his brothers are Literally Going To Fucking Die. There's a lot on the line. And every tiny act of violence he does Increases My Chances Of Getting Killed. I'd be at my breaking point too. And I'd be getting rid of anybody in my way, and laughing to myself to cope with how much worse my life is becoming because of it and overwhelmingly traumatic the whole thing is.

Sorry I went off on a tangent there LOL. But yeah.

TL;DR: Abe is not a pacifist or an anarchist. He is a paranoid, vulnerable dude who was thrust into the shoes of "Saviour" and simply went postal because he didn't know what the hell else to do.

#oddworld #abe oddworld #i do be ramblin

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