#002. i never knew my way / verse . | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chingonaclawsarchive · 4 years

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* Note: Since LOGAN takes place in a dystopian world set in the 20th Century Fox world of their ‘XMEN’ in 2029 -- I’ve had to tweak Laura’s canon timeline to fit in with the MCU. These are my compiled ideas/notes for where Laura would/might fit in, according to the MCU timeline. This can also be amended/altered depending upon who I am writing with & whatever stories we come up with on the sides. I will update/list those verses within this list as well. XO. - Betty.

2012. AVENGERS. ✗ verse: ( mcu 001. avengers. ) i am not my enemy.

2002, Alkali-Transigen aka ‘Essex Corp’ ) conducts it’s second round of the Weapon-X program utilizing children ‘perfected’ in a lab/facility. Laura Howlett ( known as X23 amid the program ) was ‘born’ into the program, the daughter of an unknown Latina woman ( who is more than likely murdered by the company shortly after Laura’s birth ) & James Howlett aka The Wolverine. 2012, a 7 year-old ‘killing dream’ begins her hardcore training under the Transigen umbrella, having grown up within their cage and knowing nothing but life within ‘The Facility’. During the events of ‘The Avengers’, Transigen ( more than likely a subsidiary or sister-company to HYDRA ) attempts to gather knowledge/the power of the alien forces that attack Earth. It is quite possible during this attack, the Xmen join the Avengers. - Transigen utilizes newer technology to harness a killing serum that triggers and strengthens the children’s mutant abilities. Through the years they continue to medicate and test the formula out on the children, including Laura; to which they discover if they choose a specific target, she will stop at nothing until said target is vanquished.

2015. AGE OF ULTRON. ✗ verse: ( mcu 002. ultron. ) i can do anything.

2013, 8-year-old Laura, along with her ‘brothers and sisters’ attempt to escape from the underground jail in Mexico ( where she was ‘born’ ) when given word/hope of a safe haven full of mutant-kind. The children are provided stories with the help of comic books smuggled into the facility. Some of which include stories of The Avengers, while others house a storyline shadowing the truth about the XMEN. Upon their first attempt of escape, the children are unsuccessful, and Essex Corp demands that they relocate to a ‘more secure’ unit in New York City. In 2015, the attack of ULTRON commences, more or less rocking the hard walls of the New York facility to rubble. For the most part, with the help of HYDRA, Transigen is able to gather up their little ‘test subjects’, some having successfully gotten away, sadly Laura not being among them. 2016, an 11-year-old Laura with the help of the nurses, including Gabby, leads the pack to escape once more. It’s here Laura encounters her father ( Wolverine/James LOGAN Howlett ), Xavier & Caliban by psionic-ally following Charles’ guidance. During this timeline she goes on the wild chase, running from Transigen and relying on what remains of Logan’s strength. The climax ends with Xavier’s passing and Logan’s sacrifice, and the children successfully fleeing for the Canadian border to ‘Eden’ aka the safe haven which turns out to be a new school for the gifted, headlined by a group of vigilante mutants ( aka, the plotline of Mangold’s LOGAN. ) It should also be noted that during this time period, the X-men are dwindling/dying out, and going into hiding due to many people either wanting to lock them up out of fear or provide them ID badges and what not ( similar to the plot of the ‘Civil War’ in the comics. )

2017. CIVIL WAR. ✗ verse: ( mcu 003. civil war. ) my choice mine.

At 12, Laura quietly slips from the safe haven ( headmistress at this time being Emma Frost ) , feeling as though she’s really more of a danger than anything else, specifically due to the ‘death’ serum. Laura cannot control herself when injected with it, especially if she’s provided a ‘target’. To think she could end up killing one of her own terrifies her, not to mention the more she keeps running the less likely Transigen is to discover her. During the time of the Avengers’ ‘Civil War’ ( between Tony & Steve ), Laura is only a child but spotted through the streets of New York. A time or two, Tony witnesses the feral child having pick-pocketing or slyly stealing a thing or two of necessity. Unable to confine the child or discover her whereabouts, he becomes aware of the ‘mutant strain’ in DNA, now knowing there is far more to this life than other worlds, planets, Norse gods and experimental projects gone wrong like Banner -- Hydra’s been hiding the secret unit to which not only have they began to suppress the X-gene that creates the ‘mutants’ but that they’ve been testing the effects of their serums and juices and what have you on children more-or-less created in a lab with the specific function of utilizing them as some ultimate mutant army. It is a terrible and harsh reality and one he does not take to lightly. Contrary to the comics’ canon ( & the Xmen’s Civil War ) when Tony discovers she is a mutant child born and raised the way she was, he almost feels an obligation to protect her from others who felt mutants ought to be branded or ID’d and what not. ( A bit contradictory to the Xmen comics, I know, but it makes sense when you think of Steve/Capt America in the comics and how against Laura he was in the beginning, I feel he’d be a little apprehensive in the MCU as well. This could change depending upon whom I’m writing with. ) On the search for a place to help her ‘lay low’, Tony keeps her at the compound, until Pepper insists she just come on home with her. ( Again, this can be adapted depending upon the individual story. )

2018. HOMECOMING. ✗ verse: ( mcu 004. homecoming. ) are you sure i deserve salvation?

At age 13, since Pepper thinks it best that the pre-teenage girl get used to a ‘normal’ life, Laura begins attending public school, where she continues to attempt to ‘lay low’. Of course she does her very best to fit in, though there are many ‘human’ things she’s unaware of such as personal space and certain topics of speech. She basically follows the lead of people she feels she can trust like Peter Parker. Technically since Laura also ages much slower than most everyone, she will be a teenager for a longer period in her life. It is within these confines that she learns more about humanity, her compassion for the human race quite evident and her curiosity ever the more present. She spends a lot of time making up for lost time in her childhood, things she’s never discovered, places she’s never been -- a life she never knew she could have. 2019/2023. ENDGAME. ✗ verse: ( mcu 005. endgame. ) i’m f*cking wolverine.

During INFINITY WAR ( obviously just prior to this timeline ) Laura of course fights along side the team sustaining little to no injury even though she could’ve severed a limb or two, due to her mutation, she recovers rather quickly. Upon the realization that she could lose her family of mutants with Thanos’ plan, she scurries to get back to the school, begging many of the others to fight along side the Avengers. She succeeds in convincing several of the XMEN, including but not limited to Emma Frost, to take part in the battle... but it is only to their demise as her healing is too rapid for his ‘curse’ and rather than fluttering into ash, she witnesses all those she holds dear dissipate having to see, once again, the utter destruction of those she holds dear. It tears her apart from the inside. In 2023, Laura is just about to turn 17. -- Upon Tony’s return from space (2019), and the realization that Pepper hadn’t been taken away, Laura barricades herself within the hope she can have a somewhat normal family. She stays with Pepper and Tony, far away from the compound. She takes up her roll as a sister-figure to Morgan, something she absolutely takes seriously. She’d give it all up for this little girl -- hell, for this family. Tony stands in as an unlikely father-figure, but even moreso, Pepper as her mother. ( Again, these choices can be adapted/tweaked depending upon the storyline/plot we have -- maybe Laura grew up at the compound, or with someone else or with Aunt May... the possibilities/ what-ifs are endless... She could’ve also gone off on her feral way, etc etc. )

When the final battle hits, and those who were taken away appear within the portals, a sudden relief washes over her. She has much more to fight for, and she gives it her all. But it is at the loss of Tony where she feels her world crumble once more, wondering if she should go off on her own and call it good, because it seems no matter where she attempts to land, there is far more loss to be had. She contemplates whether or not Logan had it correct when he was always insistent they stay far away from people, isolate and keep to themselves. Of course that was a much different time in the world and Transigen/Hydra has/have more things to worry about than hunting her down lately -- still, it’s a threat. With Peter Parker’s ( and possibly others ) insistence, she remains close by. 2023/24. FAR FROM HOME. ✗ verse: ( mcu 006. far from home. ) el que con lobos anda a aullar se enseña.

Basically, Laura ( now, tech, post-snap almost 18 ) is hanging out with SHIELD, there to aid Peter where needed, more or less helping to keep an eye on him, along with Happy doing her best to stay out of trouble.

#ooc.#✗ soy yo. ╱ lil messican girl is ooooouuuttt.#( mcu timeline. )#✗ verse: ( mcu ) como se cura una herida.#✗ verse: ( mcu 001. avengers. ) i am not my enemy.#✗ verse: ( mcu 002. ultron. ) i can do anything.#✗ verse: ( mcu 003. civil war. ) my choice mine.#✗ verse: ( mcu 004. homecoming. ) are you sure i deserve salvation?#✗ verse: ( mcu 005. endgame. ) i’m f*cking wolverine.#✗ verse: ( mcu 006. far from home. ) el que con lobos anda a aullar se enseña.#long post #long post for ts #* i cannot express enough how laura is a MINOR in most if not ALL of these verses !!!!! k thank bye. xx #✗ ¿merezco la salvación? ╱ headcanon.

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pomeqraniqht · 4 years

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Random Character Development Questions meme: ALL OF THEM for Sofia (revenge!!)

001. When is their birthday? June 5th. 002. Do they do anything to celebrate their birthday? Depending on the verse she’ll go out with her friends or her Aunt will take her on a vacation or something. 003. Does your character like coffee better, or tea? Sofia likes both equally, tea more in Autumn though for some odd reason. 004. Do they prefer being alone or with others? Sofia does NOT do well on her own AT ALL. She definitely needs a healthy ecosystem of people to survive. 005. Are they in good health? Sofia under-eats at times and others she starves herself to fill her mother’s outlandish ideas for body image. So no, she isn’t. 006. What sense do they most rely on? People’s approval.. whether it is at work or in relationships. 007. Is your character an optimist or a pessimist? Both at times it depends on which mind-set she is in. 008. What is their favorite fairy tale? Cinderella. 009. Do they believe in happy endings? Yes even if time and again she’s been proven they aren’t real. 010. Do they believe in love at first sight? Yes and no. Sofia’s so hateful to herself she believes in it for everyone else EXCEPT herself. 011. How would your character court the person of their dreams? Carefully and with love, Sofia would honestly do anything and be anything for them. 012. What makes your character embarrassed? LITERALLY EVERYTHING! 013. Have they ever been bullied or teased? Too many times in her life. 014. Detail one secret shame your character feels. Sofia hates her stretch marks and wishes she could have them removed forever. 015. Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue? Fists. She’s tiny but mighty! 016. What is their choice of weapon? Whatever is the closest option? 017. When does your character think that violence is justified or deserved? When someone is trying to hurt someone they love/robbery/self defense. 018. Your character wakes up to find that war has been declared. What do they do? Cry. 019. If they could have a superpower, what would they choose? Invisibility. 020. What are their hobbies? Sofia enjoys reading, listening to music, baking/cooking, swimming, and buying face masks. 021. How do they display affection? Cooking food and sweets for the ones she loves. 022. What is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen? Verse dependent as par usual but for this one I would say: the forest they got married, Roman, Stella, and Rusty the day he was discharged 90 days sober. 023. What do they consider beautiful in others physically? Eyes...and tattoos. 024. What do they consider ugly in others physically? Nothing! Sofia finds everyone beautiful (but honestly it’s dental hygiene.) 025. What do they consider beautiful in others personality-wise? Kindness and understanding. 026. What do they consider ugly in others personality-wise? Hatred. 027. What is their idea of perfect happiness? Eating sweets without gaining weight with the person she loves. 028. What makes them laugh out loud? Tickles. She’s extremely ticklish. 029. What sort of sense of humor does your character have? Sweet and dark. 030. Do they believe in the afterlife? Yes, she visits her father’s grave often and speaks to him. 031. Are they superstitious about anything? Breaking mirrors and Friday the 13th. 032. Does your character believe in ghosts? Yes. 033. Do they keep their promises? Yes. 034. What’s their view of lying? Death penalty. 035. What is the most important rule your character lives by? Treat others how you wish to be treated. 036. How honorable is your character? Extremely unless she’s in the shower or bathtub with a certain someone. 037. If your character saw someone drop a large sum of money and knew that they could probably take it without anyone noticing, what would they do? Absolutely not! 038. What bad habits do they have? Weighing herself constantly and hiding beneath baggy clothes. 039. What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person? Cheating. 040. What is their obsession? Face skin care. 041. Are they comfortable with technology? Yes. 042. What is their greatest achievement? Graduating college with a teaching degree. 043. What will they stand up for? Justice for abuse victims. 044. What disgusts them? Worms. 045. Does your character have any chronic medical conditions? No. 046. How do they handle getting sick? Not well, she’s a little bit of a baby. 047. What was the last medical problem your character had? On record/cannon it was a car accident while she was about 7 months pregnant with her second child. 048. Do they have any allergies? Yes, to Bullshit. 049. How does your character feel about growing old? Indifferent. 050. How does your character feel about their own mortality? Everyday is a blessing. 051. If they knew they would die tomorrow, what would they do today? Go find Rusty Parker and spend every minute with him telling him to be happy, to stay away from drugs, and to be strong for their kids. 052. What is your character’s worst flaw? Her insecurities. 053. What is your character’s greatest strength? Her cooking skill. 054. Does your character want power or authority of any kind? No. 055. Is your character an introvert or an extrovert? She’s an introvert but with her friends she’s a happy medium. 056. Has your character ever struck someone in anger? Yes. 057. Has your character ever killed anyone? Not yet. 058. What is your character’s idea of a perfect day? Pancakes and sex. 059. List several phrases your character is fond of uttering. Where did they pick them up? ‘Goodness me, oh my god, are you serious? Baby...and c’mere’ - several places. 060. What is your character’s attitude toward education and learning? If you want a better life a degree certainly helps but education should NOT cost you your life to be able to afford it. 061. Does your character prefer adventure or safety and security? A healthy dosage of both. 062. What sort of legacy does your character wish to leave behind? A kind one. 063. How well does your character handle difficult people? Not well. 064. In what ways does your character annoy others? Constantly needing he be reassured she’s wanted. 065. Is your character better at leading or following? Which do they prefer? Neither? She just wants to let someone else handle it all. 066. Does your character prefer city life or being out in nature? Out in nature. 067. Does your character believe in fate or destiny? Both, extremely so. 068. How strong is your character’s sense of responsibility? What kinds of things trigger it? Sofia is extremely responsible, she loves kids and wants a big family some day. Her job, her aunt, her relationships. 069. What about your character is heroic? She’s a survivor of mental and physical abuse. 070. What about your character is cowardly? She won’t acknowledge her eating problems. 071. How kind is your character? Would rip her heart out and give it to someone if they needed it. 072. In a Dungeons & Dragons game, which class would your character be? (wizard, fighter, bard, priest, ranger, etc.) A wizard, duh. She’s magic. 073. In a novel, what plot role would your character fill? (hero, anti-hero, sidekick, villain, etc.) The main character. 074. What is your character’s favorite game? Monopoly. 075. Is your character ticklish? EXTREMELY! 076. How do they express anger? Tears and yelling. 077. How often do they cry? Over what? 1 week out of the month and literally anything. 078. How emotionally stable is your character? Depends on the day, we’re either 2009 Britney or Kamala Harris.. it’s never in the middle. 079. How easy is it for them to read the emotions of others? Good and bad sometimes. 080. How easy is it for others to read your character’s emotions? It’s like a two way mirror. 081. Is your character religious? No. 082. What are your character’s sleeping preferences? All the time. 083. What is the first thing they say and/or do when they wake up? Go potty and brush their teeth. 084. Describe your character in one word. sunshine. 085. Describe your character in three words. Sweet, soft, adorable. 086. How would your character describe themself in one word? Ugly. 087. How would your character describe themself in three words? Smart, fat, awkward. 088. Is your character quiet or loud? Yes. 089. How vocally expressive is your character? Very. 090. How bodily expressive is your character? Not at all. 091. What type of music does your character like? Literally anything. 092. What emotion does your character evoke in others? Happiness? I think? 093. What is your character’s goal in life? To be a professor at a college. 094. Name three things most would not expect your character to be able to know. How to deliver a baby, how to do stitches, and how to bake a turkey. 095. Name three things most would not expect your character to be able to do. Fix a broken boy, kill her mother, and have a baby without pain medicine. 096. How do they move and carry themselves? What energy do they project? Sofia’s a shy little bean who honestly just walks around smiling even when she’s broken inside. 097. How well do they adapt to change? It takes her a long time to get used to somethings but others its easy. 098. Does your character like animals? Yes! 099. Do they talk to inanimate objects? Absolutely. 100. Does your character dream? If so, what do they dream about? the happily ever after.

#about; Sofia #mal0dramatic

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bonepranks-a · 6 years

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* verses

aight so since i put most interactions into their own verses, i have like a million, and oftentimes certain interactions will sorta create new ones. so i’m going to attempt to list all the verses i have. i will specify if they’re with specific people. (i may use the word timeline instead, they are generally the same thing, but sans will always refer to it as a timeline whereas i will usually call it a verse.) also, as you know, i don’t tag my verses -- but it’s helpful to know.

this is well over 1500 words so i’m gonna just stick it under a cut. i listed the people who have specific verses in the tags so u can read it if you want??? i mean everyone is encouraged to read it but yKNOW. up to you guys <3

GENERIC VERSES

pre-undertale sans and papyrus grow up in hotland with gaster. sans works as his lab assistant/apprentice. gaster falls into the core, “dies”, the boys leave hotland and move to snowdin.

neutral/post-neutral in the flawed pacifist ending (aka the one that allows you to load from your last save and do the pacifist stuff), sans continues living in snowdin, life continues as normal until a reset happens. for all other neutral variants, see this post.

genocide for obvious reasons, stuff in this verse will only take place during the events of a genocide run, as sans dies. however, in a verse where this is not the first genocide run, certain events may change, including but not limited to an aborted genocide where frisk doesn’t come back after sans kills them, and life continues. this will look a lot like any other neutral run where papyrus is dead, but he’s more fucked up probably.

pacifist/post-pacifist the pacifist route goes as it does in canon. afterward, sans goes to the surface with everyone else. however, he makes frequent trips back underground, both to help other people move, and to visit those who decided to stay behind.

abandoned pacifist/deltarune in a pacifist ending that occurs after many different routes and countless resets (many of which sans remembers), sans accepts the futility of seeking a real ending of any sort of happiness. he manages to find a way to leave his timeline. he does not believe that this is the end, and is afraid of what will happen if frisk resets again. he has never tried it before, and his method is purely theoretical, but he manages to take papyrus and escape the timeline before anything bad can happen. he leaves a seemingly peaceful and happy life on the surface, and ends up in the deltarune world. papyrus’ memories of their past life have somehow been erased (perhaps for the best), and sans is torn between relief that they seem to be safe now, and guilt for leaving everyone else behind without a word. he actually fakes his and papyrus’ deaths simply so that no one worries about them or tries to come looking. he’s not particularly happy, but he can’t find a way to go back either. he buys the grocery store and tries to find answers about why he ended up in this specific world that is so unlike the one he knows, and yet eerily familiar at the same time.

CHARACTER-SPECIFIC VERSES

vertebralheights 001 bo and sans meet as children when her father and gaster worked together. they hit it off, but after all the other skeletons leave hotland, she and sans lose contact. it’s only many years later that they reconnect quite by accident, and they don’t even recognize/remember each other until they find old notes and photos that jog their memories. they meet pre-undertale, and their relationship continues long into a positive neutral ending. as sans learns more about resets and their circumstances, he begins to do research, and bo helps him out. if this is a situation where alphys has disappeared, they move back to hotland and continue work there. eventually, pacifist happens or whatever, maybe they go to the surface, we haven’t really gotten that far.

vertebralheights 002 the origin is the same as in 001. however, it diverges into any ending where papyrus is dead. sans runs away to vertebral heights and stays with bo -- they come to the same conclusions about how they used to know each other. sans is determined to find a way to stop the resets - but only once papyrus is back alive. if this is also an ending where alphys is gone, they eventually go to the lab in this verse too.

vertebralheights 003 after bo’s parents die, she contacts sans and comes back to hotland. she stays with the bros and gaster up until gaster’s “death”, and when they do eventually part ways, they slowly lose touch but don’t forget about each other. they probably reconnect again post-pacifist when sans stumbles across VH.

cynicalborne 001 ( paired with mercy-heart 001 ) post-pacifist, sans and papyrus choose not to stay in the town the monsters have set up (though he and papyrus pay frequent visits), and move to nyc. sans buys a closed down bodega and runs it, living in the apartment above. sans also somewhat accidentally befriends a human named os. they somehow hit it off, and when he loses his job and apartment, papyrus invites him to stay with him and sans. as time goes on, sans and os completely fall in love. other than cryptic warnings from gaster that they should not be together and that sans needs to focus on finding a way to prevent further fresets, life is pretty good.

cynicalborne 002 sans and os still know each other - they’re even friends, but their lives are very separate. os is still working more or less as an arson for hire, and he attacks the monster town that’s popped up. sans finds out, and shit goes down.

mercy-heart 001 post-pacifist, sans visits frisk frequently, though he does not live in the monster town on the surface. one day, chara manages to take control of frisk’s body and gives sans a cryptic warning about how this happiness won’t last. he laters finds out through them and through dream messages from gaster that the only way to prevent further resets is to take away the vessel the player is using -- aka destroy frisk beyond saving. make it so that they cannot reset or reload at all, by literally erasing them from existence. sans refuses to do this however, and tries to find a way to simply disconnect the player from frisk’s soul, or removing only the ability to save and reset.

mercy-heart 002 more or less the same, it’s post-pacifist, except sans does stay in the monster town and probably ends up getting together with toriel because his love for her knows no bounds. life is good, there’s no players interfering, they can just be a happy family, and sans can just help frisk cope with their own depression without worrying about everything else.

we-believe-in-you-crew 001 sans meets bonny when she arrives in snowdin -- due to his promise to toriel he decides not to hurt her. instead, he helps her as best he can, encouraging her to stay in snowdin with him and papyrus and not to venture too far away for fear she might be killed. they eventually catch feelings for each other, and while they both know it, they never do much about it. everything is very subtle with them - mainly because sans knows they’re living on borrowed time. when she eventually makes it to new home, sans mercy kills her in the judgement hall because he can’t stand the thought of her being killed by asgore.

primaautomaworld / qvietstcrm 001 (these are just getting lumped together because they happen in the same verse.) sans and mettaton used to be childhood friends, back when alphys worked under gaster and mettaton visited frequently as a lil ghostie. he would often play with sans and papyrus, and he and sans even had lil crushes on each other, not that anything ever came of it. however, once mettaton became corporeal and moved on to becoming a star (and after gaster’s disappearance as well), they completely lost touch. it’s only much later that sans calls up mettaton and invites him to stop by snowdin. the reunion between all three of them is really really good, and mtt and sans start up the flirting hardcore until they finally do just get together. MEANWHILE IN PAPYRUS LAND, he starts going out with a siren from waterfall named storm. sans meets them one day during work, invites them back for dinner, storm and papyrus hit it off really well, and the rest is history. it’s really cute uwu

fluersamour 001 sans and chara.... knew each other before she died. they would play together along with papyrus and asriel when gaster had meetings with asgore and brought the kiddos. they weren’t necessarily close friends, but they were pleasant. good companions. over the course of genocide routes, they’re constantly fighting and she’s killed sans multiple times. it’s a thing. but eventually, it stops. they reach a stalemate. they don’t want to kill each other anymore. and eventually, they start talking again. about the past. about her time in the void, and meeting gaster. it’s not exactly normal friendship but it’s.... something.

#uhh people who have verses in here... bo; os; mettaton; storm; beth's frisk; saturn's chara; bonny #this will be updated and more will be added as i develop more detailed and specific relationships that fall outside a generic verse!!!#* you will determine the future of this world . OUT #verses #* massive anomalies . HEADCANON

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salixj · 6 years

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“Please explain, I don’t understand how you are all so happy and singing and dancing when you are here and not at your home. Please can you tell me why?”

It was 18:05, minutes after Shabbat had gone out in Athens, in the Sofitel Hotel in Athens International Airport. The conversation was between me and Sophia, a puzzled but very courteous front desk manager at the hotel. The reason had been havdallah, the culmination of the singing throughout Shabbat tefillot and meals.

I will get to my answer to her…Yet I first want to backtrack.

So much has been written about the LY 002 Shabbat Athens landing, that I was on. Articles have been published, many of them scathing, attacking someone or some entity. Many written out of justified anger, like mine that I wrote on my phone in the airport after Shabbat, when reading what had been posted against us.

I want to tell a different side of this, now that I am – finally – home, having arrived at 3:15 a.m. I am calmer, and able to see the entire incident, understand the passions on all sides, and reflect, and reach a slightly different conclusion.

Firstly, I feel very bad for the crew of stewards and stewardesses, who were just trying to do their job, and had been brought late to the plane waiting in traffic for hours through no fault of their own, but due to a poor decision by their managers not to leave early due to the weather. They were bearing the brunt of the shouts of anger from all sides — religious and irreligious — over a decision that hadn’t been theirs. I told them this as I got off the plane, as I saw their pain and frustration and knew they were not in the wrong and had had a really bad day — I hope I managed to comfort them somehow. Maybe they should have reacted better, but then again none of us is perfect.

I feel bad for the irreligious people, who had to wait a further three hours to get a plane home, and who missed out on the special Shabbat experience that I will never forget.

I feel bad that so many accusations continue to fly as I type this. I still feel El Al was in the wrong, but the airline, too, can make mistakes.

However, the aspect I keep coming back to, aside from the accusations of violence that I really, really hope were not true — if there is one thing we must learn it is that dialogue is the only way to resolve our disputes — is the above conversation.

To recap the situation: some 40 minutes before Shabbat was to come in, a swarm of about 180 religious Jews (maybe a quarter of whom would be classified as “Haredi”), most of us talking on the phone or texting with our families in Israel or the USA, descended on the Athens hotel. Clutching our hand luggage, and for many of us a portion of the meal we had been served earlier, saved in case we had no food for Shabbat (I saved my omelet and roll; they were never eaten), and stealing glances at our watches as Shabbat crept ever closer, we were led into the lobby. The hotel and El Al representatives calmed us down by explaining that meals were taken care of, and that we should pair up in s twos or threes for rooms, and that we had nothing to worry about. There was not enough room for all of us, so approximately 30 people were taken to another hotel.

We found partners (mine were nice, though both snored), formed lines, received our keycards, and exchanged ideas on how to avoid using them on Shabbat (electronics are a problem for those who observe Shabbat). I am a seasoned traveler, who has guided on numerous occasions for Ramah Israel in Poland, Prague, and Morocco, as well as having been in many a US hotel room for Shabbat, and shared my personal favorites: tape over or put toilet paper in the tab that the latch of the door fits into, or put a towel over the door, and make sure your valuables are in the safe.

Not that many of us had much to put there: I am sure you have heard the oft-used expression, especially before Shabbat, “I have literally nothing to wear”? This time, it was true – all I had were the clothes on my back, some food, and my tallit and tefillin – all the rest of my emergency clothes that I always take with me in case of such a situation had been checked in when the nice operator at the El Al counter in JFK offered to check my rolling hand luggage for free. Kicking myself for doing that, I sprinted back to the airport and found a store selling white Athens souvenir t-shirts, and socks with for some unknown reason, San Francisco emblazoned on them. Once the t-shirt was turned inside out, I had my Shabbat shirt.

Thus bedecked in splendor, I went to Kabbalat Shabbat, missing my family, and with some trepidation over the upcoming Shabbat.

Most of my new comrades were similarly dressed. The lifelike statue at the top of the stairs, that seemed to be a distortion of Michelangelo’s David (made from fake granite, facing the other way and with hand outstretched, but still totally nude), that many were avoiding looking at, seemed to reinforce my fears that this was going to be a strange Shabbat.

Yet, it was strange, but in a wonderful, marvelous, unifying spiritual manner. One of my new friends, Ben Chafetz, wrote a beautiful piece describing Shabbat that I encourage you to read. It was truly remarkable what Chabad in Athens had done at the last minute, in terms of warm hospitality, abundance of food, a Sefer Torah, and other logistical preparations – many of us gave a donation after Shabbat for a mikveh that doesn’t exist there by way of thanking them. Equally remarkable was the hotel staff and management, who went out of their way to help us. Despite my criticism of El Al in my first piece on this that I stand by, they did their best to provide for us once the decisions had been made and the mistakes by others left in the past, and that is worthy of praise as well.

Everyone there had their own sob story of what they were missing in Israel – I hadn’t seen my wife and kids in two weeks, but there were worse stories: a few bar mitzvahs that people were missing, an aufruf, the family gathering at a yahrtzeit, and sadly, one woman who told me that the body of her mother had been in the belly of flight LY002, on its way to burial in Israel, and she had no idea what had happened with it over Shabbat. Perspective can be a wonderful thing.

Yet: we all breathed deeply and let Shabbat work its magic. The most remarkable thing was the atmosphere, that 150 Jews from all walks of life, wearing the strangest Shabbat outfits and bringing a vast plethora of Shabbat traditions to the shul and table, created, without a decision-making process on behalf of anyone.

The Kiddush Hashem was awesome — singing in the different accents, dancing with strangers, divrei torah and shiurim — the atmosphere we created together was one of Simchat Shabbat. The heat-warming breaking down of any barriers due to the circumstances was invigorating, caused many unexpected friendships, and broke stereotypes for us all that hopefully will not be rebuilt. Seeing all these Jews who would probably never have said anything to each other simply because of what the other was wearing, in conversations around tables or in the lobby, was inspiring. How beautifully ironic that none of this atmosphere was captured to show, because all those creating it were religious and could not use cameras or phones.

There is a saying: You don’t control the situations you are in, but you do control how you react to them” – and that was demonstrated perfectly. None of us chose to be there, yet we made the best of the situation, and kept a Shabbat that none of us will ever forget.

In the afternoon I went for a walk — sadly the airport is too far from the real sites, so that will have to wait for the next time I am there — ending up on the top floor of the airport where there is a small, free museum that I highly recommend if you are ever there — a collection of what had been found while building the airport. Similar to Israel, Greece has a vast amount of archaeology and immense finds in every nook and cranny, and it was very special looking at coins and pottery made in the second century BCE — as in, exactly the Chanukah time period. I even found myself getting emotional when I realized that here was an Israeli, a tour guide who teaches about Jewish values — then and now, stuck in Greece because he insisted on keeping Shabbat, looking at coins minted during the time that the Ancient Greeks tried to crush Ancient Israel for the “crime” of doing exactly that, and in a few days will be celebrating that holiday back in Israel.

One of the divrei Torah that was given in the shul was a thought I have given many times myself to students. Briefly, the parshat hashavua (Torah portion) we read — Vayetzei — has in it the verse where our Matriarch Leah named her fourth son Judah, meaning “I will thank G-d”; the root “odeh” being the same as “todah,” meaning thanks. If you follow that thought, our name, Jews, means thank you. That, too was a key element of Shabbat — thanking everyone who had made it.

So: after Havdallah, I made it my business to thank every one of the hotel workers that I saw, as did many of us. As I was doing that, Sophia, the desk manager, asked me in her broken English, what I wrote above:

“Please explain, I don’t understand how you are all so happy and singing and dancing when you are here and not at your home. Please can you tell me why?”

The conversation is too long to write in full, but I explained to her what Shabbat was, and told her a bit about the rituals and theology, answered her follow up questions, quoted to her Asher Ginsburg’s famous saying, “More than the Jewish people have kept the Shabbat, the Shabbat has kept the Jewish people,” and she was nodding politely, but clearly not getting it.

So I added one more thought, that I think she liked, and it is a thought that I am taking with me as this saga continues to swirl: Shabbat is, amongst other values, about Kehilla, community, togetherness, about taking time to be with one’s family and friends, and about creating and strengthening community. (As was put to me by my new friend Mitch – who lives 5 minutes from me, but whom I had to come to Athens to meet — Shabbat is the time for shmoozing, so let’s schmooze!)

This week, I told Sophia, you saw a new Jewish community create itself under conditions that were beyond its control to alter, but were within its control to use and benefit from. The singing and dancing came from that yearning to strengthen our bonds to our belief and our community, in the same way that Shabbat has done for so many centuries in other conditions. I have made many friends that I hope I will stay in touch with, and hopefully allowed one desk manager named Sophia to get an inkling into Shabbat in Judaism.

One final thought. Community, like family, is close enough that arguments and disagreements are inevitable from time to time — that is the nature of the beast. Our task, like in the conversation over our flight, is to combat that inclination to let our arguing overtake us and the poison continue to flow, and to end the arguing by listening to the other and understanding them.

I, for one, am done with blame. We were in Athens for a reason, I will always remember that Shabbat, and life is now continuing.

#Israel #Shabbat #Athens #Chabad

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fcxxes · 6 years

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002 | any of my two kids!

002 | give me a character & I will tell you

for emme -

how I feel about this character: listen u bEEN KNEW that emme is the Soft Girl that i will forever cry over?? ever since suspiria she’s had my heart - there’s always something so airy and dreamy about her - and in menagerie, haunted - and i love her for all the softness & hope she holds in a way that isn’t overly adamant?? the way she pushes for good without being blind to the bad is something i’ve loved seeing in this verse, and you’ve done such an incredible job writing it in a way that both dull aches and feels like post-rain sunshine, maggie. i’m cry foREVER

all the people I ship romantically with this character: marci x emme and shazi x emme for the Girl Crushes, emme x theo

a headcanon with my character: give me a Cake Thread redemption where they’re both baking in jess’ kitchen and they’re trying to make a double-fudge chocolate brownie cake and they get chocolate smeared everywhere and soren ends up licking his fingers then putting it in the batter and emme scolds him but lets him anyways and emme shows up the next day in the oracle tent with chocolate still in her hair and soren’s got a smudge of chocolate on his ear that no one tells him is there?? also soren helping emme bleach her blonde for the Rapunzel looks, A Concept??

my OTP: theo x emme bc i believe in good things for my gIRL

my OT3: emme x carter x soren !!

for malachi -

how I feel about this character: i love me a Morally Grey boi and mal is my questionable boi??? there’s this layer of complexity in his struggle towards what is right and wrong - and i love how he really embodies the whole morally grey struggle (and boi is he sTRUGGLIN) with his humanity and his monstrosity??? u know i’m always a sucker for those Hard Choices he has to make?? as much as i yell abt mal getting that downwards spiral, u know i’m a closet soft and i would weep real tears of blood if he got that Good Boi arc that we all know he’s capable of getting (and probably deserves more wjegkwjeg)

all the people I ship romantically with this character: mal x negative arc, mal x lenny

a headcanon with my character: ok but i just love awkward theo and Done With This Boy mal, literally theo trying to flirt and somewhere mal is internally screaming?? give me theo afraid of needles and mal forever sighing, theo telling mal one day that elias is still alive & that he knows this for a fact, that death has never touched his child?? all that strange almost-soft between these two and mal getting theo out of his shell (painstakingly) and theo as mal’s listening ear with those big eyes??

my OTP: lenny x mal bc again, i ain’t no fOOL

my OT3: mal x rafa x soren, mal as the unwilling father to two cannibals on the loose - a roadtrip au on crack and then some

#anoracle #malachileclair #you're saying any but all i hear is the sound of my lOVE BLOSSOMING FOR YOUR TWO CHILDREN AND SUDDENLY I HAVE TO WRITE POEMS OF THEM BOTH BY #BYE EJGKWJEG YOU CAN'T S T O P ME #ooc opinion meme

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snowinabottlearchived · 7 years

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🎊🎊🎊🎊

For every 🎊 I get I'll recommend a blog.

001 @darktcrn / KYLO REN / STAR WARSi didn’t knew which of her blogs to tag, because i ADORE every single one of them. so i decided to take the one the DISASTER started with. where should i start ? krissy is a true gem and one of the nicest and kindest people i met over here. i count her as a close friend and she really means a lot to me, so i will forever appreciate and love all of the things she does. she is an amazing, gifted writer who puts SO MUCH EFFORT in every character she portrays and hits me right in the feelings with all of her things. kylo will always be my favorite of them, because the chemistry between him and my amelia is breathtaking and . . krissy comes up with so many great ideas ? so if you are searching for 101 % corn quality, you should GO AND FOLLOW her, because . . everyone who does not is stupid. 002 @rebelsouled / CASSIAN ANDOR / ROGUE ONEanother huge favorite of mine. i adored this blog from the very first moment i found it by accident and now i can’t but stalk it EVERY DAY ( not in a creepy way ). here you can find a super nice and friendly mun who i love and enjoy to talk to and who seems to be the MOTHER OF ANGST and all my fears. please ? if you think a rogue one verse where cassian survived is without pain, you are DEAD WRONG. eitherway. this portrayal of one of my most beloved characters out there is PERFECTLY on point and so breathtaking, you constantly feel like reading through one of the star wars books or the script. i can really recommend everyone following her, because ? this is my one and forever cassian. PERIOD. 003 @starxbcrn / JIM KIRK / STAR TREK please. have a heart for one of the best star trek blogs out there and show this beautiful written jim kirk some LOVE. if you are searching for quality, astonishing good graphics and frequent positivity, you are on the right way to HEAVEN. i love this blog and the mun with all of my heart, so i would never dare to forget mentioning her on such a list. and. WHO WOULDNT FALL FOR CAPTAIN GORGEOUS HAIR ? 004 @amerougc / MICHELLE CURIER / MUTANT OCFINALLY some love and admiration for an OC. this mun isn’t only able to write PERFECTLY in a language that isnt her first, but only to create such an exciting and interesting character you could swear she is canon. she makes beautiful edits and is able to make you believe that this red skinned girl is the only one you will EVER need in your life, because ? because she is. honestly. michelle gives me goosebumps every time i see something from her on my dash, considering that i mostly interact with canon characters. you should really go and follow her, since there aren’t enough of her kind out there.

#Anonymous #╰ ☆ welcome to the jungle ╱ answered asks

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fmdyeoreum · 7 years

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♡ ━━━ ❛ i’m ready to love. ; self para !

location: seoul arts center ; seoul, south korea. date: january 3rd, 2017. setting: on-stage in death note: the musical. word count: 752 words. references: link 001. — english ver. ; link 002. — korean ver.

with her heart slamming against her chest with the strength of a HEAVYWEIGHT BOXER, and her stomach twisted up in knots, yeoreum waited to make her entrance backstage —— having had no idea that she’d feel this burdened on the opening night of the musical she'd given her heart and soul to over the passed few months. after all, she was often the person who gave everyone else pep talks when their confidence dropped low, so why on earth she felt an overwhelming pressure surface in her soul was beyond her. what she pinpointed to be the most daunting thing, though, was that all of the precious hours of sleep she’d missed out on going through the motions of recording for WISH, as well as promoting, then heading into tons, upon tons, of rehearsals were all going to be utilized in a matter of moments, so if she somehow made any mistakes on the show’s maiden voyage, she would practically drown in articles claiming that she was THE MOST UNTALENTED MEMBER OF WISH the very next day.

all of those pessimistic wonderings stormed about in her mind, and no matter how hard she tried to rid them from her train of thought, it seemed almost IMPOSSIBLE. however, the gracious applause given to the actor playing ryuk as he finished one of his solo songs made her feel more comfortable ; the audience clearly a generously active one that were only there to give each performer the energy to carry on despite all of their tiredness. ❝ breathe, yeo... BREATHE... ❞ she whispered to herself, planting her feet steady on the ground below her so she could feel better grounded. ❝ you’ve practiced all of these songs a million times, your voice is prepped, and your limbs you loose... you’re going to be okay. ❞ small hands reached out to straighten the ruffles on her gradient white-to-pink tutu, then afterwards, her fingertips aimed upwards to make sure her wig sat tight on her head —— her microphone hidden within it.

it was in that moment when she heard her cue and exuberantly shot out into the luminescence ; the spotlight fixated on her drowning her petite physique in sheer radiance, her personal struggles no longer present as she wasn’t YEO YEOREUM anymore: she was MISA-MISA. as her first lines chimed like a high-pitched bell out of her mouth, she became almost possessed with the spirit of the character from the exceptionally popular anime. it was a sensation she’d never felt before, but it helped propel her forward when she felt STUCK. before she knew it, the opening chords to the song began and she stared upwards towards the lighting booth ( where she was told to in their latest dress-rehearsal ) in a trance-like state. ❝ well, they say i’m too young, and they call me a fool who can’t possibly know my own heart... ❞ each note sounded like HONEY ON WARM TOAST, resonating from her chest throughout the intro, and the instant that the first verse kicked in, she snapped her fingers and the backup dancers filtered in behind her —— the light choreography she was given following suit to mimic theirs.

as the chorus approached, yeoreum made sure to utilize her mix-voice so her throat wouldn’t become tense, but instead, remain wide open the entire time. ❝ I’M READY ! YES, I’M READY ! AND I HOPE THAT YOU’RE READY, TOO. ❞ the amount of power she felt was gargantuan, and she used it to her advantage throughout the second part of the melody. from here on out, she knew that she would be one hundred percent perfect... at least in her eyes. when the climax of the song reached, she belted to the best of her abilities —— adding some more top notes that weren’t necessarily written into the vocal score, and she hoped that the music director wouldn’t be angry with her for that, but either way, in the blink of an eye, she struck her finishing pose and there was a BLACKOUT from above ; signaling that she had successfully put a cap on her introductory piece for the show. filled with endless adrenaline, she rushed off-stage and almost couldn’t contain her excitement ; silently congratulating those that were behind her as she was guided by stagehands to her dressing room. from that moment on, she would be proud of herself more than anything in the world, no matter what critics had to say about her performance, AND THAT’S WHAT WAS MOST IMPORTANT IN THE END.

#⌈ ❀ ⌉ » SELF PARA.┊♡ ━━━ ❛ SNEAK US THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. SIT ON YOUR ROOF HAVE SOME BEERS BENEATH THE STARS.

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gutspilt · 6 years

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❛ she wrote me a letter, you wanna read it? ❜ it’s an invasive question, procured by a sheet flung unceremoniously against countertop. sockets bear fatigue, all ounce of syrupy goodness implored by previous encounters suffocated in his frustrations. regality crumbled beneath him, the stitches of mindset unravelled & spencer was a glassy lens to the destruction of melancholia, depicted in all it’s debilitating glory. the depth of irises declare fate to ghost, docile body obliged. ❛ it says --- i still know my way. how little she knew me. i don’t know where the hell i’m going, never have. ❜

@ofsalvos.

#ofsalvos #002. i never knew my way / verse .#our threads have been wholesome recently #here's some Pain

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phantomled-blog · 7 years

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002.

Now it has often been discussed that Beneath the Mask is from the protagonist’s point of view. And I wholly support that. Considering it plays when Akira is alone at night ( and a few other times; I’ve just only noticed it at night ) , it has to be. In this headcanon post, I will be going line by line, or verse by verse to determine the meaning behind the lyrics, what it means for Akira, and how it ties into his character. Personally, I think it confirms quite a few things for how I portray him.

Where have you been? Been searching all along Came facing twilight on and on Without a clue Without a sign Without grasping yet The real question to be asked Where have I been?

Forced into this way of life, Akira temporarily lost a sense of self. He was in a new place, and the idea he had of the world---that heroes never fail---had been turned on its head. He lost who he truly was, not that he ever knew what that was in the first place until Arsene awakened within him. It felt to him as if he were wandering through the darkness without a way to know where he was. He thought he was searching for someone when he should’ve realized that he should’ve been trying to figure out where he was. He shouldn’t have been suppressing part of himself, he should’ve been allowing it to flourish just as it does in Kamoshida’s Palace when he becomes Joker.

I'm a shapeshifter At Poe's masquerade Hiding both face and mind All free for you to draw

Akira Kurusu has never shown who he was. He has always reflected whatever others need him to be. He is a shapeshifter in every sense of the word. He started off as shy, innocent, and kind, before becoming the rebellious boy who wanted to get his parents’ attention, and lastly he became a leader for the Phantom Thieves. With his wildcard ability, metaphorically, he changes Personas often. He is always what he needs to be in any given situation.

Now on the topic of “Poe’s masquerade”---this line likely refers to The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe. To summarize the story quickly, a disease known as the Red Death sweeps through the land. Prince Prospero ( like prosperous, referring to life---ironic ) attempts to avoid this plague by hiding within his abbey. He later holds a masquerade within its seven rooms ( each being a different color: blue, purple, green, orange, white, violet, and lastly a black room illuminated with scarlet light making it seem as if the walls are dripping with blood ) and invites nobles from throughout the land.

In addition to them, a mysterious figure clothed in a funeral shroud enters the abbey and goes from room to room. It, for it is not truly a person, eventually reaches Prince Prospero whom it’s challenged by. One look at the creature causes him to die from the Red Death. When the other nobles rip off its clothes, they find nothing there. They soon realize that it was the disease personified and that they cannot escape it---they even die from it just like Poe described ( sharp pains, dizziness, sweating blood ) within half an hour.

He hides his face and mind just as this Red Death did. He wears a mask and navigates palaces, demolishing Shadows in his wake. When he reaches the end of them, he “meets with the prince” who challenges him. He defeats them in the refuge they created with their desires. But another thing that can be said is this: beneath his “funeral shroud” he must believe there to be nothing, or at least emptiness---which I will get back to later when we reach another few lines in the song.

The short story ends with this phrase: And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all. Meaning---you can’t run from death or the end. Considering the context of Persona 5, no one can escape the Phantom Thieves.

The final line of that group can easily be misinterpreted. All free for you to draw but what sort of draw could they possibly mean? We’re not physically drawing Akira, nor are we drawing him to a close. In this context, I think it would be safe to say that they’re referring to draw in the sense of using. This sort of draw means to use someone’s experience, talents, or skills, and is most definitely synonymous with exploit. If this is from Akira’s point of view as we’ve believed up until now, he is saying that he is free for people to use.

I'm a shape shifter What else should I be? Please don't take off my mask Revealing dark

This one is simple. He’s a shapeshifter and believes that there’s nothing else he should be. He doesn’t want people to take off the mask that he’s so carefully crafted for people to see. He doesn’t want people to take it off and realize the darkness and emptiness within him.

Moments of calm Nothing left to be found A mirror right in front of me That's where I find An empty glass Reflecting the sad truth It's telling words not to be told I need the mask

When the fighting has died down, Akira sometimes looks into the mirror. Of course, he does see his reflection. It’s impossible to not have one. When he the fighting is done and he doesn’t need to keep up appearances, he takes off his mask. And so when looking into the mirror, he doesn’t “see” the person beneath the mask---or perhaps...understand them. Another way to use the word see is in the phrase “I see”, as in you understand. He doesn’t understand who he is beneath the mask. He finds an empty glass---an empty mirror. The mirror “reflects” the truth which is the fact that he’s nothing---or believes the person to be worth that much---beneath his mask. He needs his mask.

I'm a shape shifter Chained down to my core Please don't take off my mask My place to hide

Akira feels like a prisoner within himself. So he wears a mask to pretend that that is not so. He is a prisoner in every sense of the word. He’s a prisoner of fate, a prisoner to adults in society, and a prisoner to his own nature. He has these chains that he cannot escape. And so he hides. Don’t take away his mask, the only way that he can hide himself.

I can't tell you How to see me Just a cage of bones There's nothing inside Will it unleash me? Burning down the walls Is there a way For me to break?

He can’t tell anyone who he is because he’s just a person who’s an empty shell. Or so he believes. He doesn’t know who he is, so he can’t tell you how to see him. He can only become what you need to see. There is “nothing inside” of him. He wonders if there is a way for him to be unleashed. The prisoner within him to be released and realize who it is he truly is.

I'm a shape shifter Have no face to show Please don't take off my mask My disguise

Similarly to other lines in the song, please don’t take off his mask. It’s his disguise. This mask of his is his way of protecting himself from the world, as well as making him seem normal. He is not normal. And it is likely that he never will be. He doesn’t need people to believe that either---he just needs them to see what they want to see so he doesn’t get hurt.

All in all, Akira Kurusu has worn so many masks that he is unsure of who he really is anymore.

#♠┆ooc. → off duty.#♠┆headcanons. → quirks that even he can't deny.#[ OH GOD THIS TOOK A LONG TIME TO TYPE??? ]#[ a little over 2 1/2 hours... ]

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