#Extremely immersive and extremely accurate

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

I watched a short for the third time and I always joke (to myself because it’s extremely disturbing and I do not recommend it to people in mixed company) that the MC is “my poor little Italian man” because he is absolutely miserable and his entire voiceover role is just “AAAAAAUUUGH AAAAIIIEE OH NOOO AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH” [agonized wailing] and I never noticed it before but I actually caught him saying “mama mia!” at one point 💀💀💀💀

[bybdolan]

i love ted lasso to pieces i do but i also think it wouldn't have hurt to have Richmond play in a lower league or to completely restructure the show and instead make it about a low-league football team where people come to play in their free time.

[hyperactively-me]

ask from @redzscare

(king!ghost x princess!reader au) -- anger

i just wanna say oh my god, thank you for your inbox message with those two amazing and well thought out ideas!!!! i would also love to know your other ideas if you still have any :) and i know its been over a month since you requested, but i wanted to do your ideas justice! i decided to split them up into two separate pieces so that it can flow better in the story, but i have your first request in my "to be written" notes, and it will be posted in the future!!!! i hope you like it! the angst is immaculate and heart-wrenching. anyway, here is #2!!!

word count: ~3.6k

warnings: fighting/yelling, angst lots of angst/hurt (like A LOT, A TON, he's so mean, you've been warned), hurt/comfort, happy ending!!!

The past few weeks have been nothing but stressful for Kastron. A southern kingdom, for no clear reason, has been trying to infiltrate the borders of Kastron. As the tension between the two realms escalated, King Simon found himself ensnared in the web of political turmoil and military strategies, his every waking moment consumed by the threat looming at the kingdom's doorstep.

As the southern kingdom persisted in its attempts to breach Kastron’s defenses, Simon’s frustration grew. Kastron’s forces have been able to hold off the enemy for the past few weeks, but the battle was proving to get more difficult by the day. His days were spent in council meetings, devising counterstrategies, and restless nights plagued by the knowledge of impending conflict.

Throughout the past few weeks as Simon was extremely busy, you had taken to caring for more things around the castle. By no means was it an easy task. Your already busy schedules were now packed with more mundane, tedious tasks. You had to step into a few roles that Simon usually took care of, thrown into uncharted territory that you now had to know like the back of your hand. 

To say you were stressed was an understatement. To say that you felt secure in this new position would be a lie. Hell, even with your lessons, you were still slightly insecure about helping run a whole kingdom. The lessons were truly helpful, and you really were learning useful information, but to actually put this knowledge into practice proved to be more difficult than you thought; a learning curve, if you will. 

Every evening before you went to bed, you watched Simon with a heavy heart. Stress etched lines on his face, and the once affectionate bond between you strained under the weight of your responsibilities. 

The command room now had countless maps, scrolls, and military reports scattered across the tables, and you found yourself poring over them, trying to decipher strategies that seemed more like cryptic codes than plans for defense. The language of war was harsh, and its intricacies were not easily grasped. You also had to take care of more civilian matters, tending to disputes and other technicalities that arose when handling such matters. Managing the palace as well proved to be more difficult, although it was not as prioritized as other duties you had to upkeep. 

Simon, in his stress and preoccupation, had not noticed the added weight on your shoulders. The castle, usually filled with warmth, now echoed with the sounds of strategizing military personnel and the tension that gripped every corner.

One day, as you were immersed in the endless paperwork, a knock on the chamber door interrupted your thoughts. Simon, looking more fatigued than ever, stood at the threshold.

“I need these reports on the southern borders done by tomorrow morning. Make sure they’re accurate,” he said, his voice clipped and devoid of the usual tenderness. It echoed the commanding voice he reserved for his soldiers.

You take a breath. “I’m not sure I can have those ready for you by tomorrow Simon. Can’t you ask someone else to do them for me? I’m sure Price can—”

“Price is extremely busy devising strategies. He doesn’t have time for paperwork.” 

Simon's curt response echoed through the room, leaving you with a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. The weight of the responsibilities, the unrelenting pressure, and now Simon's growing impatience were pushing you to the brink.

“Simon, I'm doing my best,” you pleaded, looking up from the parchment strewn across the table. “I'm still learning, and there's just so much to handle.”

Simon's eyes flashed with frustration. “We don't have the luxury of time for you to ‘learn.’ We need results, and we need them now.”

The exhaustion etched on his face mirrored your own weariness. The kingdom's issues had taken its toll on both of you, driving a wedge between you.

“I’m just asking for your patience,” you implored, hoping for a flicker of understanding in his eyes.

His gaze remained unyielding. “I ask you to take care of things in my absence, to support me. And it seems even that is too much.”

“I'm sorry, but I'm trying my best,” you scoff.

Simon scoffs back, his expression a stern resolve. 

“I don't have time for apologies. I need solutions. Figure it out,” he said, turning on his heel and leaving the room without a backward glance.

Left alone, burdened by the weight of your responsibilities, an angry tear escapes the corner of your eye. The castle walls seem to close in on you, and with a swift motion, you brush the tear away, forcing your attention back to the task at hand.

. . .

It was an innocent mistake, a forgotten task that finally ignited Simon's brewing anger like a firecracker on the brink of explosion. 

As you stood before him, explaining the oversight, his eyes darkened with frustration.

“Are you even paying attention?" Simon's voice rose with frustration.

The storm within him erupted, and hurtful words spilled from his lips like daggers. "How could you be so careless?" he bellowed. "This is important, and you can't even handle the simplest tasks!"

"I'm sorry, Simon. I’ve been busy, but I'll fix it," you pleaded, trying to diffuse the growing storm.

"Fix it?" Simon scoffed, his anger unabated. "You're always making mistakes, aren't you? I don't know why I expected anything different from you. You’re just a fuckin’ spoiled little princess, just complaining about all the work she has to do. You’ve never seen a day of real work in your whole life, and the moment you have to do anything remotely helpful, you become useless.” 

You’re stunned into silence. It feels like your heart has fallen out of your chest, your throat constricting with anxiety. This isn’t the Simon you knew. 

"You can't possibly understand the pressure I'm under!” Simon's voice carried a harsh edge as he spoke, the strain evident in every word.

"I tried my best, Simon. I'm not used to this," you replied, hurt laced through your voice. The word useless echoes through your mind. How could he? 

"Your best isn't good enough. We can't afford mistakes," he snapped.

“We’re supposed to be a team," you responded gently, trying to bridge the growing chasm between you.

But Simon's patience had worn thin. “You can't even manage the affairs within the castle! How am I supposed to rely on you when you can't even handle the simplest tasks?”

"I'm sorry, Simon. I never wanted to let you down," you whispered, your voice barely audible amidst the tension.

"Let me down?" Simon laughed bitterly. "You were never lifting me up in the first place. Just a burden I have to carry alongside everythin’ else I have to worry about."

His words pierced through you like a million iron swords. The once warm and loving connection between you and Simon now felt frayed, hanging by the thinnest of threads. Your attempts to support him had become ammunition for his anger.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm not cut out for this,” you admitted shortly, your shoulders slumping under the weight of defeat.

Simon's expression twisted with a mixture of frustration and exasperation. “That's the first sensible thing you've said.”

His cruel words struck a nerve, tearing down the foundations of trust and understanding that had defined your relationship. His words hung in the air like a bitter aftertaste. Hurt and frustration welled up within you, but you swallowed them and bottled them up, unwilling to add to Simon's burden.

The pain in your eyes did not escape Simon, but his frustration blinded him to the depth of his own words. In that moment, the man you loved seemed like a stranger, his anger, frustrations, and impatience casting a shadow over you.

With a heavy heart, you walk away, desperately holding back tears. It took everything within you to not let out an audible sob, clasping your hand over your mouth. You push open the door hastily, stumbling out into the hallway. You wipe your now falling tears off your cheeks with the back of your hand as you make your way to your old bedroom. 

The echoes of Simon's bitter words lingered in the corridor as you escaped into the dimly lit hallway. Desperation clawed at your chest, and with each step, the weight of his accusations pressed harder. Holding back sobs, you fumbled your way to the shared bedroom, seeking solace in the sanctuary you once knew.

Once inside, the room felt emptier than before, its warmth replaced by an icy chill. Closing the door behind you, you allowed a few silent tears to fall, the pain of Simon's harsh words cutting deep. As you glanced around the room, the memories of happier times haunted the corners. A sense of isolation settled in, and you felt like a stranger in the very place that used to bring comfort. Swallowing hard, you allow yourself to let it all out, crying into the empty bedroom. The resilient facade you had built over the weeks seemed to crumble in the face of his words.

The weight of the crown, both figuratively and literally, felt heavier than ever. With a shudder, you begin to remove the regalia that symbolized your responsibility as queen, a responsibility that had become increasingly difficult.

The empty now seemed like a cold, unwelcoming space. You curled up, hugging a pillow close to your chest, seeking any source of comfort. The room held a somber silence, a silence you haven’t heard since you were last in this room, before you had fallen in love with Simon. 

As sleep finally overcame you, the hope for a better tomorrow mingled with the ache of your strained relationship. 

. . .

Sleep had been elusive, and the echoes of Simon's bitter words reverberated in your mind. With a sigh, you rose from the solitude of your old bedroom, still haunted by the sense of isolation that clung to you.

He hadn’t even come looking for you. 

You had called a maid to help you get dressed in your room, but made her swear to not say anything about you being back in this room to the rest of the staff. You purposefully waited until after your usual breakfast time with Simon to get something to eat, strolling into the kitchen to request a small breakfast. 

After breakfast, you read through your schedule for the day. Today you were supposed to have defense lessons with Simon. Not going to happen. Taking a pen, you scratch it off your to-do list. 

With a sigh, you run through the rest of your plan for the day, mostly consisting of busy work and advising. 

The day unfolded in a haze of responsibilities, each task demanding your focus. Advising on matters of governance and managing the affairs of the kingdom became a refuge, a temporary escape from the emotional turmoil that threatened to swallow you whole.

Dinner that night came and went, and again you had refused to sit at the table with him. Instead, you chose to wait until after he was gone to eat. Sitting at the expansive table, you picked around at your food, taking small bites before you became nauseous with unease. 

This was the longest you’ve gone without Simon the whole time you’ve proclaimed your love for him, and it’s only been a day. After finishing your solitary meal, you made your way to your old bedroom yet again. The night pressed on, silent and unwavering, wrapping the castle in a cocoon of quiet melancholy. And so, you retired to your old bedroom, bracing yourself for another night of sleepless contemplation in the face of a relationship that seemed to be slipping through your fingers.

. . . 

Another agonizingly painful day had gone by of you avoiding Simon. The same evening, he had come to knock on your door.

He called your name from behind the door. His voice sounded gentle, yet strained. 

You stayed silent, unmoving from your curled up position on the bed. 

He persisted, knocking louder this time. 

“Go away,” you yell, fighting back more tears as your heartstrings were being tugged with every time he called your name. 

“‘M not going away until you come out,” his muffled voice filtered through from under the door.

“Yeah, well, I may as well rot away in here. Leave me alone, Ghost.” 

That shut him up immediately. You could hear his footsteps fade away in the distance. 

You sob into your pillow, burying your face in the fabric to muffle your cries. 

. . .

The next morning was rough. You were groggy, two nights of restless sleep taking a toll on you. Right before you entered the kitchen for breakfast you were stopped by Ghost. He had jumped in front of you out of nowhere, blocking you from entering the kitchen. 

“Dove, please—” he began. 

“Don’t call me that, get away from me–”

You try to sidestep him, looking at the ground as you attempt to move past him. 

“Just listen to me–” he grabs your shoulders firmly, forcing you to stay in place.

“Let go of me–” you shrug his hands off, yanking his wrists off your shoulders with a vice grip. He lets you shake him off you, but still moves to block you from entering the kitchen.

You sigh angrily, finally looking up at him with a death glare. 

“Oh, you finally need me for something, right? Is this what this is all about?” 

Simon's eyes held a mixture of concern and frustration. “I need to talk to you. Please, just listen to me.”

The coldness in your expression didn't waver. “Talk? Is this about another mistake I made, or perhaps you've found another fault in your ‘spoiled princess’?”

Simon winced at the reference to his hurtful words. “No, it's not about that. It's about us. I... I overreacted, and I said things I shouldn't have. I need you to understand the pressure I'm under.”

A bitter laugh escaped your lips. “Pressure? Yes, I understand. I've been picking up work and dealing with responsibilities I’m not prepared for. I understand pressure very well.”

Simon's jaw tightened, regret flashing in his eyes. "I know I've been distant, and I've let this problem consume me for the past few weeks. But, dove, we can work through this. I need you.”

Your anger flared. “Now you need me? When everything is falling apart? What about when I needed you? You were too busy berating me.” 

The word berating came out stressed, and a flare of emotions bubbled in your chest. You fought against tears threatening to spring from your eyes. 

Simon's expression softened, nothing but remorse in his eyes. "I fucked up. I should’ve never said those things to you. I was wrong, and I’m sorry. Please, let me make it right.”

You shake your head, taking a step back. 

“You can't just apologize and expect everything to go back to normal. Words have consequences.” A fat tear rolls down your cheek. “I’m not one of your soldiers you can order around.” 

The moment Simon sees the tear, knowing that he’s the cause of it, he comes crashing down. 

He drops to his knees in front of you, his eyes pleading with a desperate intensity. “I never meant to hurt you. I can't bear to see you cry, especially because of me. Please, give me a chance to make things right.”

You sniffle, wiping the tear away quickly. The raw vulnerability in his voice tugged at your heart, but you held onto the shards of your wounded pride. 

He reaches for you, holding your hips tightly in his grasp as he looks up at you from the floor. His hands on your hips sought reassurance, his eyes pleading for a chance at redemption. You fold your arms over your chest, hugging yourself tightly. 

“Please, love, please, I will do anything, I’ll prove to you every single day for the rest of my life that I can treat you the way you deserve. I don’t want to turn into my father.” 

His thumbs press into the flesh of your hips, his usual stoic demeanor crumbles, and in this moment of vulnerability, he’s laying bare his regrets. 

His father. His terrible, disgusting, abusive father. 

"You’re not turning into your father, Simon," you whispered, your voice carrying reassurance. "But you also can't treat me like that ever again. We're a team. But it's also not just about the words. It's about trust and understanding.”

He nods, swallowing thickly. 

"Please, dove," he implored, his voice choking with emotion. “I never meant to hurt you like this. I'm begging you, give me a chance to make things right. I can't stand to see you in pain.”

“I miss you,” he whispers, and you spot a few tears in the corners of his eyes. You’ve never seen him cry before. “I miss you, and I don’t deserve you. Not after what I did to you.” 

Your heart wavered, torn between the hurt he caused and the raw vulnerability he now displayed. The sight of Simon, a powerful and composed ruler, reduced to tears, spoke volumes about the depth of his regret.

As you looked down at him, a swirl of conflicting emotions clouded you. Part of you wanted to pull him into an embrace, to reassure him that things could get better. Yet, the wounds were still fresh, and trust can’t be easily mended. You swipe his tears away with the pad of your thumb. 

“Simon,” you began, your voice gentle but firm, "this isn't something that can be fixed overnight. It's going to take time."

He nodded vigorously, his tear-streaked face desperate for any glimmer of hope. "I'll do anything, dove. Anything to make it right.”

The sincerity in his voice resonated, and for a moment, you softened. “Simon, I need you to understand that we're in this together. We need to communicate and support each other.”

Simon nodded, a genuine determination in his eyes. "I promise you, I'll be there for you. No more takin’ out my frustrations on you, it will never happen again, so long as I live.” 

You sighed, the weight of the situation still heavy on your shoulders. “Actions speak louder than words.”

He nodded again, his gaze unwavering. "I'll prove it to you, every day."

Releasing your hips, Simon stood up, his eyes never leaving yours. The air between you held a mix of tension and tentative hope. 

“I love you, dove. I love you.”

He wipes his face clear of the tears, and you stand there, twisting your hands together. His hands brush over your upper arms, causing you to shiver slightly, but this time you don’t back away. You let him ever so slowly pull you in for a hug, and you reluctantly grasp on to his tunic. His arms pull you in tighter now, and he strokes your hair in reassurance. 

You breathe out the quietest, “I love you.”

. . .

A few weeks passed, and the castle, once shrouded in tension, began to regain its warmth. The scars of those horrendous three days were healing, and your relationship with Simon has strengthened more than ever. The air was lighter and you felt like a significant change had occurred between you and Simon. 

Simon had indeed lived up to his promise. He consistently showed effort in rebuilding trust. Small, thoughtful gestures became the norm—unexpected flowers, shared quiet moments, and the tenderness in his voice returned. The voice he has reserved only for you. You had moved back into his room after a while, sharing a bed again has never felt so good for you. Honestly, you were relieved. You didn’t have any doubt that Simon wouldn’t live up to his promises. 

The castle had transformed back into a sanctuary. The sounds of strategizing military personnel were replaced with the hum of everyday life. The warmth returned, and the tension that once gripped every corner dissipated like a distant memory.

The conflict in the south had been resolved after Kastron’s forces were successfully able to defend the border. Their motives were still unclear, but Simon had put it behind him. 

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, you found yourself in the garden. The air was crisp, and the fragrance of blooming flowers filled the space. Simon joined you, and together you strolled through the gardens, hand in hand.

“I missed this,” you smile, leaning into Simon’s side. 

Simon tightened his grip around you, his eyes softening as he looked at the vibrant hues of the sunset. "I missed this too."

The weight that once burdened your relationship had lifted, replaced by a renewed sense of connection and trust. The garden echoed with the shared laughter and whispered promises of your love, and it always will. 

Simon glanced down at you, a hint of playfulness in his eyes. “Do you remember the first time we walked through these gardens together?” he asked, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

You giggled, the memory surfacing in your mind. "How could I forget? You were trying to plant the most random assortment of seeds during the off-season.”

Simon laughed, a genuine sound that warmed your heart. “I was nervous. I wanted everything to be perfect.”

“And look at us now,” you said, gazing up at him. “Perfectly imperfect.”

He pressed a tender kiss to your forehead. “I love you, darlin.’”

The sincerity in his words made your heart flutter. “I promise to always be with you.”

The sun dipped lower, casting a warm glow over the castle and the garden. As you continued your leisurely stroll, the castle loomed in the distance, its turrets illuminated by the fading sunlight. 

The stars began to twinkle in the evening sky, and Simon pulled you closer. “Let's stay out a bit longer, yeah?”

“Mhm,” you nod, nuzzling against him. 

You take a beat.

“I love you, too,” you whisper. 

He strokes your waist, squeezing your flesh in his grip.

“I love you.”

- - - - -

(masterlist)

[transmutationisms]

extremely funny that you describe psychedelics as kinda navel gazey.

i mean if you want to get technical about it i guess what bores me is less the substances themselves and more the current popular discourses structuring how we interpret our experiences with them but im literally not wrong lmao. like insane level of guerilla marketing that psychedelics are considered to, like, 'expand' yr perception or consciousness or whatever. going to start talking about snorting oxy that way. i don't even think that like, 'ego death' is an accurate concept here it's more like complete ego immersion. which is fine tbc and would be unremarkable except that for some reason psychedelics have attained this bizarre mythologised status where like, obsessively detailing your every thought and perception on them is conflated with some kind of outward-facing activity. it's like people who get really into dream analysis and think it's telling them anything about the world beyond their own psyche. like that's all you.

[altocat]

I have this headcanon (but probably might as well be canon 😂) that Genesis in pure dramatic, theatrical Genesis fashion just kinda drapes himself in all sorts of positions across random objects around the house and the office etc. where he might as well become one with the furniture. Whether he's invested in a book or just sighing and waxing poetic nonsense to noone in particular, yes he definitely does this home alone too

The world is quite literally his stage. Good for him 🫡

That's adorable. And extremely accurate! He should be allowed to lounge to his heart's content on his little set pieces. Everyone knows HE'S the main character after all!

I'd like to think that it's when he's just basking there distracted by his books, he looks so innocently engrossed that Seph and Angeal sorta just drop whatever the hell they're doing to privately gush over how precious he looks. Gen's Loveless obsession CAN be annoying. But seeing him fully immersed in his surroundings, reading away reminds them both of just how much they do adore him. He's so emphatically, naturally himself. And they wouldn't change a thing.

[elf-osamu]

“AZUL, JADE AND FLOYD WITH A S/O WHO IS SCARED OF THE SEA”

[ masterlist ] [ reblogs are very appreciated ]

hurt/comfort ig, romantic, azul ashengrotto, jade leech, floyd leech (separately) x gn!reader

warning(s) : slight book 3 spoilers in azul’s (only in the first paragraph) !!!!, the reader has an anxiety attack but in floyd’s it’s not described with many details, perhaps a bit ooc but honestly i’m not really sure abt it, not proofread

word count : 1411 words

plot : “you’re scared of the sea, but you haven’t said anything about it to your boyfriend because you don’t want him to take it personally. how does he discover it? how does he support and reassure you?”

a/n : very self-indulgent prompt because i get very scared when i see/think about the marine depths for various reasons, so here you go :) <3. i just wanna remind y’all that everyone’s experience can be different, this is mostly inspired by mine !!

AZUL ASHENGROTTO

[ ☆ ] he has come to terms with his past self, but his insecurities still linger to his mind from time to time — he only brings up some aspects of his previous way of living, usually things that have to do with business.

[ ☆ ] so i’d say he wouldn’t talk about it as much as the other two do !

[ ☆ ] still, since he’s the housewarden of octavinelle, everything is very much sea-related in his dorm.

[ ☆ ] rooms, hallways, the mostro lounge… everything.

[ ☆ ] and, since you’re azul’s partner, he trusts you with some of his projects. certain people are fascinated by marine depths, so he would probably host events or re-arrange the mostro lounge with decorations inspired by those.

[ ☆ ] although he could be quite busy because of his schedule and complicated matters, azul is an extremely observant person, no detail escapes him.

[ ☆ ] he would notice quite rapidly if something bothers you, unless you hide it pretty well. but, even in that case, something would give it away, from a worried expression to slight trembling to just not communicate much when he or someone is talking about said topic.

[ ☆ ] azul is probably suggesting a new idea for octavinelle’s restaurant, about the darkest places you could find in the ocean — he’s thinking about changing the walls decor with posters of mysterious creatures and frightening images — when you just start to space out, blocking outside’s noises and his voice.

[ ☆ ] you’re not particularly aware of this action of yours, you don’t mean to ignore him, but the fear has set in and you can’t focus on something except depths and depths of dark water.

[ ☆ ] azul would immediately notice how your body is stiff and your mind seems to be elsewhere; he would waste no time in taking you to a quiet place.

[ ☆ ] when you feel better and explain why it happened, he’s

[ ☆ ] he’s very mindful about this topic with you around! after all, he remembers all the secrets, weaknesses and strenghts of his clients, so it’s not a problem for him to keep your needs in mind, it’s quite the opposite.

[ ☆ ] he would stop holding events with things related to your fear, or he would warn you beforehand.

[ ☆ ] he isn’t fond of swimming, but he would make sure to be by your side if you want to see ocean documentaries or read about sea depths.

JADE LEECH

[ ☆ ] he loves to learn about the customs people follow on land or about nature, especially mushrooms, as we are aware of. so, since your world has piqued his interest, he doesn’t bring up his life in the deep waters on a daily basis.

[ ☆ ] however, with jade the problem rises when he makes comparisons between twisted wonderland’s customs and the ones in the dark depths of the sea.

[ ☆ ] he can be extremely accurate when it comes to describing his experiences and the creatures he met when he was younger, making you shiver in fear when he explains the darkness of some places.

[ ☆ ] at first he is too immersed in his story-telling to see your reaction.

[ ☆ ] but after you two enter a new stage of your relationship, being used to floyd’s frequent mood changes (he’s very perceptive after all), it doesn’t go unnoticed when you hold your breath, shake your head or close your eyes to not think about those scenarios.

[ ☆ ] he would ask you if there’s something wrong and, since you deny it, he doesn’t say anything else on the matter.

[ ☆ ] however, he’ll observe you more than usual and wonder what you’re hiding from him.

[ ☆ ] it doesn’t take him long before he grasps the reality of the situation — he prefers not to say anything though, because he wants you to feel comfortable enough to share it with him.

[ ☆ ] he proceeds to talk about how his life was before he was chosen to be a student of NRC less and less in detail, and he notices the way you see, more relaxed.

[ ☆ ] until one day, you’re in your biology class with jade and the professor chooses to talk about marine life, showing pictures and accurate descriptions of certain places.

[ ☆ ] upon noticing your discomfort, he’ll excuse you and himself, taking you outside the classroom because “[name] needs to go to the infirmary and it’s necessary to accompany them there”.

[ ☆ ] once you tell jade about your fear and the reason you hid it, he listens very attentively and gets it.

[ ☆ ] “dear, you have nothing to worry about; in the sea there are many creatures that are terrified of what could possibly be waiting for them on land, so i don’t find it hard to understand where you’re coming from”, he smiles fondly. “next time, would you mind telling me about something that bothers you straight away? so i could better prevent anything which may trigger you?”

[ ☆ ] he’s very gentle about it!! he’ll ask you what exactly he has to avoid and if he can do anything to better support you.

[ ☆ ] if, after a while, you want to “test” yourself and try to swim in the sea/watch something related to sea life, he’ll be there for you! <3.

FLOYD LEECH

[ ☆ ] among the octavinelle trio, he would be the most blunt about it.

[ ☆ ] no waiting, no schemes, he would go directly to you and ask if something is wrong.

[ ☆ ] how would he notice it?

[ ☆ ] well, when floyd is interested in someone or something, he’s very loud and open about it; with you being his significant other, he spends a big amount of time with you.

[ ☆ ] he easily catches up on some of your habits and little facts about yourself just by watching what you do, he’s very attentive when he’s motivated to do so.

[ ☆ ] he adores to swim when he’s in the mood to do so. it can be both relaxing and exciting: it’s something that often vitalizes him, making him think more clearly and calm him down when he’s upset.

[ ☆ ] if you refuse to go in the sea with him, he would slightly complain the first times, as he usually does when he doesn’t obtain what he wants.

[ ☆ ] it’s only a bit of whining though, floyd would never force you into doing something you’d rather not.

[ ☆ ] when people around him and he’s bored, he passionately tells scary stories about his childhood and the creatures he has met during that time; he mostly entertains himself by exaggerating and adding unnecessary details, but he’s always satisfied with himself when he manages to scare someone.

[ ☆ ] but if that someone is you? things are a bit different.

[ ☆ ] he becomes aware of your fear almost immediately after noticing how you’re quiet when he’s in the middle of explaining how a huge monster tried to attack him once and he couldn’t see anything since it was quite dark there; you haven’t said anything in a while and you look bothered but also… truly frightened.

[ ☆ ] floyd has demonstrated multiple times how he’s quick-witted; thinking about all the times he was storytelling or just suggested to go in the dark marine depths, he has no doubts about it.

[ ☆ ] “[name]”, he says in a slurred tone, his eyes are looking for yours. “you’re scared of the sea, aren’t you?”.

[ ☆ ] when you admit your fear, explaining why you thought it was better to keep it a secret, he frowns. then he proceeds to gently hold your jaw in one hand and place the other on your shoulder.

[ ☆ ] “i don’t judge [name]. has someone done it? who are they? should i squeeze them?”.

[ ☆ ] he’s really caring when it comes to people who are close to him! so you can feel totally safe with him on your side.

[ ☆ ] if you ever wanna try to do something related to your fear, he’d be 100% excited and supportive about it.

[ do not copy, translate, repost, etc. | by @ elf-osamu ]

[otakusparkle]

The Shadow (Ivy) Background Story

Almost all the residents of the town know the Lawson family, the "back-to-back sisters". From the moment they were born, they were determined to die soon. Fortunately, their father and mother refused to give up on them out of their devout faith and gave them names - Ivy and Edith. Young Ivy still remembers how the laughter and joy at home melted into silence, and how the "well-intentioned" temptations from outside the wall turned into malicious temptations.

The resistance to the surroundings and a decision took root in Ivy's heart - her stubbornness did not lead to the ideal result. Severe wound infection took away Edith on the sixth day after the separation operation, and also gave her a disability that could kill her at any time. Looking directly at Edith's face for the first time, young Ivy felt a huge absurdity: when the soul left Edith's body, she almost felt her own death.

"Freshmen" have always been prepared for desperate people. During the few years that Ivy traveled across the ocean and came to a new school, she showed amazing academic talent and made friends with similar fates to herself. Unlike her friends who are obsessed with the field of spiritual healing, Ivey has shown an extraordinary interest in soul science, and then believes that once the soul and spirit can be accurately described, measured and studied, this transcendent and ultimate knowledge will, will be able to fill the deepest void in her heart. Perhaps moved by her obsession, her friends' initial confusion about her research gradually turned into encouragement, and they even provided some pharmacological technical support from the perspective of spiritual research.

However, as the research deepened, Ivy discovered that she suffered from intermittent amnesia and was always immersed in some dreams that gave people a weird feeling. But this was not entirely a bad thing. In that short memory gap, Ivy experienced the feeling of leaping across time, from a moment in eternity, to jumping lightly and flexibly to the "now". The ancient earth, the huge and lush primitive vegetation, and the smell of minerals in the water seemed to have dissipated from us not long ago. Unfortunately, this situation did not last long. After completing hee studies, her friend left, and the feeling became increasingly dilute, until Ivy received some fragments of literature and a diary, the contents of which could provide a complete explanation for his bizarre symptoms. Explanation of. Even though the recorder has quite professional academic qualifications, these words still seem like the crazy words of a mentally abnormal person: an extremely ancient existence that travels freely through different spaces and times and firmly occupies the captive's mind. Brain and mind.

Ivy took the initiative to grasp this fragile straw. When she was conscious, she felt that she had transformed into some kind of indescribable alien, with three huge eyes unnaturally embedded in the eye sockets, and her human throat uttered some incomprehensible and wild syllables, but she Believe that this is a "gift".

Gradually, Ivy stopped showing up in school. No one knew whether she locked herself in her room again or went away.

[fruitviking]

Fic ending tag game

Rules: post the last sentence/s from your 10 most recently posted fics (less if you don't have 10 is also fine)!

1. Nothing Without My Boswell

He closed the door behind us, and there was peace.

2. The Hound of Baskerville

Either way, you’ll hear from me again in the next few days.

John.

3. Sherlock Holmes and the Musgrave Crown

In that perfectly ordinary, ordinarily perfect moment, far from magical crowns or secret riddles or anything else, I was content.

4. Up In Our Bedroom After The War

“I did.” The song pauses while Holmes shifts beneath him. “I felt it was all I could offer.”

“You didn’t have to offer anything.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” says Holmes, holding him tighter.

5. The Case of the Feline Incursion

Holmes looked up. “What is it?”

“Nothing, my dear fellow. I was only thinking that we may no longer be able to accurately call ourselves bachelors.”

6. Watson is a Time Lord

I spent the day out and about on various errands, knowing Holmes required seclusion and solitude in his hours of intense mental concentration, and returned that evening to a sitting room immersed in a thick miasma of tobacco smoke.

Thankfully, not being human, I can avoid having to breathe when absolutely necessary.

7. In Another Life

“I would hardly call this imprisonment!” I am laughing now, too. “But if that is so, how long is my sentence? How many years do I have left?”

Holmes leans down to murmur in my ear. “How many would you like, dear fellow?”

I turn my head so I can look him in the eye. “As many as we have, I think.”

8. Scenes from a Sussex Garden

Reverently, Watson folded back the veil of the beekeeping hat and leaned in for a soft kiss. Somewhere overhead a blackbird trilled. He clasped both Holmes’s hands in his, their fingers intertwined, their new wedding bands clinking together gently.

They were made of gold, but there were sparks.

9. Another Day

If all Holmes wants to do is sit quietly and listen to the bees at the windows and the cows in the distant fields, well. Watson is only too happy to oblige him.

It certainly beats running for their lives. This is a beautiful place to be.

10. Across the Watsonverse

“Right you are.” Watson nodded, all business once again, and began to follow me out of the tent. On the way we met with the extremely confused man who ran the shooting gallery game, but neither of us hung about very long to answer his questions. I expect he thought the machinery had exploded; it certainly appeared that way.

- - -

Tagging @blistering-typhoons, @amypihcs, @rudbeckiasunflower, @jeremys-come-to-bed-eyes, @teaspoonnebula, and whoever else wants to take part!

[xotaemintol]

Hello, can u do a headcanon: Relationship habits with Taemin

thanks<3

OFC!!

Now, all of this is really just based off of very small things I’ve seen him do in lives and stuff and also his MBTI (we’re both INFP’s btw lolololol) so if it doesn’t feel very accurate then I’ll be pleased to make changes and make it however you want or feel would be more accurate to the unhinged man himself, anywaaaays here you go!!

FLUFFY FLUFF no pronouns used, no gender implied!!

!!SFW!!

Taemin has a habit of making you try anything he's eating, even if it's bad.

-He's the type to try new things often, and he wants you to try them too so he'll literally force you to eat it even if he knows you won't like it

-"Just try it!" "C'mon! Just a little bite!"

-eventually you'll give in and try it after five minutes of him prying, and just when you think he won't do it again, he asks you to try the drink too

-he accidentally bought a veggie smoothie when he was out and when he tasted it he literally gagged and was like "baby, try this!" You said no but he literally whined and kept asking until you finally drank it, and surprisingly it was delicious

-when he cooks he always waits for you to try it first, he loves seeing your reactions when he makes something that tastes good

He says things that sound questionable all the time and you think he does it just because he finds it funny

-Minho once came over without a warning before and you had both just woken up, he saw you both coming out of Taemin's room looking like you got hit by a tornado and when he asked what happened, Taemin said: "we had a long night."

-When you were celebrating your anniversary he gave a small speech and in it he said: "I'm so happy to spend my life with you, even after everything you have done, I couldn't be happier with everyone else." Needless to say, it raised a few brows and he had to explain that he just meant all the good things you've done for him

-he accidentally made it seem like you were getting married once when he was trying to explain that you were moving in with him and Minho (not knowing) sent a four thousand dollar engagement gift to congratulate you

He does this thing where he'll pet your head but super aggressively

-he usually does this to Kkoong and Ddaeng, but he also does it to you now too

-he'll randomly pet the two adorable cats and then he'll turn to you and basically tackle you to aggressively pet your head while calling you cute over and over again and kissing your entire face

-you had to run from him once because he was trying to pet your head after you had just got your hair done, he caught you anyways and made sure to be extra aggressive and really hammer in just how adorable you are

-to put it simply, he has extreme cuteness aggression towards you so he squeezes you face often, pinches your cheeks, hugs you so tight you might pop, and will straight up tackle you because he thinks you are just so cute

He takes ages to respond to messages when he's out, even if he's not busy, he can take hours to respond

-once you texted him asking if he was eating dinner before coming back home so you'd know if you needed to cook for two or not but he never answered and because you didn't know if he was eating already or not, you cooked two full meals...he had already eaten...

-he may take hours to respond but when he does text you he'll send like 50 texts and when you don't respond right away he'll get offended

-'why aren't you responding to my texts? Are you busy?' 'Didn't you miss me??? What's taking you so long?? Helllooooooo???'

-he'll get super clingy when you take too long to respond to him, and if he gets home before you do he'll be upset the rest of the night until you spoil him with attention

He stays up late and watches Kdramas or Anime for hours and will get so immersed in it that he'll forget you went to bed and will yell and scream when he gets excited

-you catch him almost every night watching something different and have to remind him to go to bed so he isn't tired in the morning

-when he watched Tokyo Ghoul he screamed during the last episode because he was so excited and woke you up, you told him to at least be quieter and expected him to come to bed soon, but instead, he stayed up till morning and then passed out on the couch with a blanket 

-once you fell asleep on the couch with him while watching a movie and he accidentally woke you up with his cheering

You don't argue often, but when you do he can't be serious

-he smiles and laughs in the middle of small arguments, he'll be grinning the entire time and it's not because he doesn't take the situation serious, it's just because he doesn't even get why you're fighting anyways

-he laughed when you were arguing about getting a third cat and you couldn't even take the argument serious anymore

-even when arguing he finds you so cute, he'll literally drop the whole conversation to attack you with affection

Is such a cat and plant dad that when he's upset with you he'll go and talk to them about what made him upset

-he sits in the living room sometimes and talks to them about you in general, but when he's upset he'll sulk and grumble to the plants about you

-'can you believe that? I can't either'

-even when he's not upset he still talks to them about you

-he's so dramatic he once cried to the plants saying that you were going to divorce him and take the kids, this happens whenever he has to suddenly cancel dinner plans or whenever you get upset at him for keeping you up or for buying expensive cat toys

He may take hours to respond but he'll send long video logs of his day to show you how his day has been going

-when he's filming or traveling he makes super long videos in that hour long wait of a response, he'll talk to you through the videos and ask you about your day and ask if you missed him or what you ate

[queen-dahlia]

𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓

Note: Translation is not 100% accurate. Expect grammatical errors.

// : alternate translation

It is extremely difficult to predict Gilbert's actions and thoughts.

Gilbert: "You want to be trampled on with only me in sight the whole time, don't you?"   //   "You always want me to be the only one in your sight, and you want to be trampled on, right?"

Emma: "What happened all of a sudden...?"

A refreshing smile tells me that the words are far from refreshing, and my head is in turmoil.

(I was reading a romance novel until a while ago, so maybe I'm even more confused...)

The book in my hand was taken away by Gilbert, who was sitting next to me, and placed on the bed.

As I was glued to his red eye, the distance between us grew shorter and shorter.

Gilbert: "You're thinking about it, aren't you?"

Emma: "I think so."

I answered as if it were a reflex, but it is not a lie.

(Gilbert must know that too.)

Emma: "Um, what kind of situation is this...?"

Gilbert: "A situation where I'm the only one in your sight?"   //   "A situation where only me is in sight?"

(I guess I should keep staring too...)

Gilbert: ". . . . . ."

Emma: ". . . . . ."

Gilbert: ". . . . . . . . . . . ."

Emma: "…… Uh."

(H-Hey, when you stare at me like this, I'm really embarrassed...)

Partly because he has such a well-defined face that one can't help but admire it,

If the person you love is staring at you for a few seconds, your heart will race with happiness and embarrassment.

I couldn't stand it anymore and turned my gaze away, but it was immediately returned by cold fingertips.

Gilbert: "No. You're only looking at me, right?"

As my fingertips caress his cheek, Gilbert's face comes closer, and he slowly devours it as if he were tasting my lips.   //   As his fingertips caress my cheek, Gilbert's face comes closer, and he slowly grazes my lips as if he is tasting me. **

His mouth, with a distant charm, draws a beautiful arc.

Gilbert: "Punishment."

Emma: "… It's too sweet to call it a punishment."

Gilbert: "Really? That's a problem."

Gilbert still stares at me while saying words that are completely heartless.

But my heart was not strong enough to withstand that condition.

Gilbert: "There you go again."

Emma: "Ah..."

Gilbert's lips brushed against my cheek and left my skin as it was, and then he moved down to my neck and brushed his teeth against me.   //   Gilbert's lips touched my cheek, and he left my cheek and moved back to my neck, his teeth brushing against my neck.

(I really don't know how this happened...)

I tried to back away from Gilbert, but he held me easily.

In the middle of it, a book touched my hand.

(Come to think of it, the story had just reached a climax before the book was taken away.)

The book was a gift from Gilbert, and I planned to spend the day immersed in the story.

(I was engrossed in reading at the time, so...)

Gilbert: "You have a lot of leeway to do your thinking in front of me."

Emma: "I've been doing some thinking, but it's about you, Gilbert."

Emma: "I was trying to figure out why you suddenly said, "You want to be the only one in my sight, and I want to be trampled."

Gilbert: "Now change "just me" to "just me" and say it again."

Emma: "? I only want to be trampled in sight, but I won't be trampled!"   //   "? I don't want to be trampled. I'm not going to be trampled!"

Gilbert: "Aww, we were already halfway there."

Gilbert: "So, have you got an answer?"

Emma: "It's just a guess."

Emma: "I was so engrossed in the book that I didn't notice Gilbert's call, I guess."

Emma: "一Oww."

Instead of answering, Gilbert set his teeth on my shoulder.

Gilbert: "You finally realized that."

Gilbert: "You're the only person I've ever met who's so absorbed in reading a book that you leave me standing right next to you?"

(Jealous as always...)

Gilbert's jealousy is continental, and at the same time, I find my own mouth relaxing.

(But I'm quite happy about it...)

Emma: "I'm sorry, I got carried away."

Emma: "I'll read your book some other time."

Gilbert: ". . . . . ."

Gilbert smiles with satisfaction, and I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Emma: "Let me do something to make up for being too absorbed in my book."

Emma: "Right, let me make you some sweets. I have time now, and I can make a whole cake一"

Gilbert: "I won't let you go."

Emma: "…!"

I tried to look away, but Gilbert's hands cupped my cheeks.

Gilbert: "If you start making sweets, you won't be able to look at them, will you?"

Gilbert: "You answered that you wanted to be trampled, and now you're lying to me?"

Gilbert hugged me and put his arms around me so tightly that it was painful.

(You mean you won't let me go until you've explored me completely...?)

Gilbert: "Sounds like it's going to be a fun day."   //   "It's going to be a fun day."

I can't help but brace myself and wonder what awaits me in the future.

(But I guess it's too late for that, because I don't hate it either.)

My mind was so caught up in Gilbert that I didn't realize that my plans for the day had already been ruined.

[throwing-in-the-towel]

you are actually a hero lol. All us people who can’t see the show are desperate for info. I’ve gotten lucky in that I got a playbill sent to me, scoured the internet until I found a copy of the script, and finally got a full audio recording of the show but no videos. It’s unhealthy the amount of times I’ve listened to it 😬 I know you said there’s no reunion scene between the brothers, but in the script is says during Hoods Turned Hero’s Soda runs to Pony and hugs him, then Darry kneels down next to him, clearly apologizing, and they hug. Did they cut that or is it just lost in the chaos of the song/ acting out the fire. Can you tell us more about how the fountain scene plays out?

thanks again for being so kind and taking the time to share! I’m glad that there are other Brent Comer/ Darry fans too. I ADORE him, but may be a little biased since we actually went to college together!! Sadly never met as he was 2 years older but I’m pretty sure I saw him in a school production of Parade, I lost my playbills though so can’t quite remember!

of course! i try my best to describe things as accurately as i can for you guys but it still doesn’t do justice to how amazing the production is!

for the “hoods turned heroes” bit that you’re referring to, that may have been part of the la jolla production from last spring. that was not in the broadway previews version of the show or the current broadway product.

the fountain scene is some of the most awesome staging i’ve ever seen. it’s done very well. the socs come on stage in the corvette right after “far away from tulsa” ends. they confront pony & johnny and bob slams pony’s head against the hood of the car, which gives him a concussion. the sound design for this is amazing, everything starts to move in slow motion and the sound goes muffled in the theater to simulate pony’s head trauma for the audience. they take pony’s head and dunk it into the tire (which has a pool of water in the middle of it) and again the sound in the theater makes it sound like the audience is underwater, it’s amazing. during that johnny moves in slow motion, beating up the soc that’s holding him back, then moves to stab bob. we see johnny stick the knife into bob’s side. then a white light flashes and the entire theater goes dark. after a few seconds, the lights come back on and you see bob bleeding out reaching for help. then the light flashes, goes dark again. then the lights come back again and bob is hanging over the side of the tire, dead. it’s extremely immersive.

and im more than happy to share this info! i acknowledge how lucky i am to be able to experience the show as often as i am and that is not lost on me. i want everyone to be able to enjoy the show in any capacity possible! :)

[scorchedthesnake]

Life and Trust and Plausible Deniability

A simple image can do a lot of the work, can’t it?

There’s perhaps a hypothetical universe where one could assess Life and Trust in a vacuum, a show with no lineage or heritage, that is not opening at the close of a beloved predecessor and step-parent, and not appearing around a year after the closure of its nearest sibling.

But as Vice President Harris might say, Life and Trust did not just fall out of the coconut tree, it exists in the context of all in which it lives and all that came before it. If The Burnt City and its subsequent fate tell us a tale of what Punchdrunk took away from Sleep No More and where they wanted to go next (and how that worked out), then Life and Trust is a parallel tale of the lessons Emursive has taken from their long, successful production of Punchdrunk’s smash hit, and what they viewed as elements that might put lightning in a bottle once again. 

(Significant spoilers to follow).

I start with a couple of provisos. As of this writing, I’ve only seen Life and Trust once, and I know that’s far too little time to have a deep familiarity with everything happening in the building. I have other visits planned still, and look forward to those, because the production is on a massive scale and I know there are some major elements I did not see with my own eyes. I find myself, uncharacteristically for someone who mostly writes about Sleep No More or newer Punchdrunk productions I prebook extensive visits to, in the shoes of an average theatergoer whom Life and Trust has so far had just once opportunity to ensnare, the way Sleep No More lodged itself in my soul in March 2011 and never let me go.

But I also want to note that the last year of loving Sleep No More has been a tumultuous one and I am very eager for it to go away. The news of its intended closure hit like a ton of bricks and the farewell has been long. The repeated extensions have long since expended the good will last November’s news awoke, and I am now, even as one of the original superfans of the New York production, extremely eager to move on. I have said my goodbyes, had one last Porter 1:1 with Paul Zivkovich, I have grown more and more irritated at the lack of a solid end date while my $500 in final weekend tickets loiters in the ether somewhere, bankrolling Emursive’s new venture, I suppose. Like I said a long time ago when I first thought I was done with SNM, my heart now longs for something new.

Nor did I find that at The Burnt City. Punchdrunk’s latest solo offering had many things going for it, but it unfortunately failed to find its audience and failed to establish itself as a long-term lifestyle and entertainment feature. The expertise in doing that, it would seem, lies more with the Emursive side of the house, and left to their own path, Punchdrunk opted for a show that was, as I wrote in my review earlier: 

brooding, sad and full of unceasing lamentation – fitting, perhaps, to our terrible moment in history, and probably edifying – but a night at this museum will never occupy the sort of lifestyle position a night at the McKittrick Hotel continues to be

I am sad that I was correct in that prediction. I love large-format immersive work, and I want it to succeed, even when it’s not exactly my own personal jam. 

So this brings us to Life and Trust, an Emursive production with an entirely different creative team – and including a significant number of notable Punchdrunk performance alumni. Promotion for this new production highlights this lineage: “the producers of Sleep No More bring to you a new theatrical experience of money, power, and desire.” It’s an accurate statement, and Emursive are right to claim a share of the success Sleep No More enjoyed. But you can also imagine the kind of transference that follows: comments on the ads are full of people tagging friends and saying, “new from the Sleep No More people” – unaware that the Sleep No More creative team have nothing to do with this. Punchdrunk themselves have had no hand in this new production, and yet their reputation, by way of the legacy of their previous work, are deeply bound up in it. So there’s inevitably a delicate and potentially uncomfortable intertwining of the two companies even after their partnership ends when Sleep No More finally closes.

To be absolutely clear: I don’t know if that delicate balance involves conflict. I have few sources either way, and because this is to a certain degree an internal family affair, those sources I do have are reluctant to share a view. Further, there’s certainly non-disclosure and non-disparagement terms in place that mean we’ll probably never get an unvarnished view of how the descent and birth of Life and Trust has been received particularly on the Punchdrunk side. For all I know, it has either explicit or implicit blessing to take elements of the Sleep No More format and apply them to an entirely different intellectual property and be used by an entirely different creative team. 

But, and I am merely speculating here, imagine what it might feel like, if you were a long-time Punchdrunk person, whose career had been built in developing and refining a certain theatrical practice and methodology, and gaining widespread acclaim for it. From Faust to several versions of Sleep No More to The Drowned Man and The Burnt City. Imagine what it might feel like to watch that fall into others’ hands – the hope you would have for gentle care for it, the anxiety you would have for its future stewardship and success. Would you wish the hallmarks of your previous work could be, quite literally, trademarks instead, with legal protections and real ownership? Or would you be pleased to see that way of storytelling proliferate well beyond your own limits, and for that matter, beyond your control? In any case, it is surely not just simple and straightforward.

And so one cannot come to Life and Trust without wondering how much it relies on its predecessor, and asking how carefully those methods have been applied.

---

It would be deeply, grossly unfair to say Life and Trust is a “rip-off” of Sleep No More – that implies theft that hasn’t happened, and a direct imitation that isn’t intended, desired or even possible given that the material is different. Instead, what we encounter is a network of numerous elements that are structurally analogous, as exactingly as they can be to emulate another, previous mode of experience and calculatedly divergent to deflect critique of that similarity. The experience is very deliberately meant to feel familiar to a Sleep No More audience. There are also layers of variation to ensure you know it is not the same; the differences ought, putatively, to be indicative of what Life and Trust’s creators think you will want more of; and what you will want less of. It is very plainly a response to and mutation of its predecessor.

The masks, as I intimated before, tell a lot of this story. They are larger – as is this show. They are more ornate, in a kind of hellenistic way, and you will indeed enter spaces that are glitzier and glossier than anything you’ve seen before. They are also unnecessarily complicated, with horns that catch on the set and obscure already difficult sightlines; they are black for contradistinction with ‘the other mask show,’ but that choice has significant consequences for the effect they create in the space and what that implies about the meaning of audienceship here. But they do effectively communicate to you: you know how this works, you’ve done this before, you will don this and be silent, clasp your hands behind you and follow the loops.

Familiarity is everywhere when you enter at 69 Beaver Street, but maybe not with what you’re expecting. It’s not the entryway into Sleep No More; it’s the entry landing at Gallow Green. There’s jazz playing and posters (far too few in variety, and not printed full bleed, sadly) advertising the bank. You check in, you wind through recursive hallways (not a dark maze, but) to coat check and phone check, before you head up to Conwell Coffee House. I am a very big fan of Conwell Coffee House, it’s a gorgeous space and a clever daytime front for the show. It is also quite bright, which is helpful because there’s active food and beverage service but also quite a few more sharp edges than Manderley has. It does, however, contrast tonally with what comes later and the divide between the two feels jarringly abrupt. You are issued not a playing card room key but an investor-type classification card. I wish this were some kind of real world object connected to other networks of meaning, rather than these more blunt, functional hermeneutics. Like a lot of features, it was made-for-show, and the artifice requires your buy-in.

From here, a staff member will bring you to a briefing room where you await the arrival of Mr. Conwell. After an introductory narrative, one of his assistants gives pre-flight and distributes masks, then off you go. Pre-flight, you’ll note it’s the same but with different words and some nice period touches.

The framing narrative is, if I have followed this correctly: you’re meeting with bank magnate Conwell on the eve of the stock market crash of 1929. He reveals that yes, 40 years ago he did make a deal with a servant of the devil, an illusionist passing through who gives him a recipe for a general analgesic to help his sister with a bone condition, which becomes the foundation of Conwell’s fortune. The devil’s agents now return to collect his prize but first he will get one night of revisiting the events of 40 years previous, which were, I guess, “revelries.” 

This isn’t strictly how Goethe’s Faust unfolds in any sense, particularly not in that what Faust stood to gain from Mephistopheles was wealth. Faust lends a number of elements to whatever story is being told here, and I admit, I am going to need a few more visits to gather it all up, but from what I did see, a lot of the major plot points are here and are neatly and clearly presented: infatuation with Gretchen, a fight with her brother (as a boxing match, rather than a duel, but an excellent scene nevertheless), Gretchen’s arrest (if there’s infanticide I didn’t see it yet) and eventual condemnation. 

As a quick aside: yes, I am trained as a Germanist, but not specialized in this period. I’ve read Faust a a few times as well as most of Goethe’s other plays; The Elective Affinities, and some essays, but my training is late 19th and early 20th century. So I come at this as someone who knows Faust reasonably well, but not in extreme detail. Instead, I am better equipped to view this through a lens tinted by more recent Faust adaptations, notably Thomas Mann’s Doktor Faustus, and his son Klaus Mann’s Mephisto – both of which could be interesting intersections with this version, and I can’t rule out that they aren’t – but haven’t seen sufficient signs so far. But believe me I was looking for hetaera esmeralda references and will be delighted should I ever find any.

Life and Trust is certainly more of a, let’s say, nominal Faust adaptation. Gone is the prologue in the theater, or the prologue in heaven. We’ve got Faust’s wager with Mephisto, but I’ve seen no signs yet of the parallel wager between Mephisto and God that gives the play its philosophical, theological, and intellectual direction and significance. As we gather from the finale, Mephistopheles collects Faust’s soul, dons him in a straightjacket and puts him on an elevator to hell – which isn’t even how Faust I ends, let alone Faust II. I don’t think it’s a strike against the show to have taken these liberties with material an audience does not know well. The Drowned Man struggled with the unfamiliarity of Woyzeck to such a degree that they distributed handbills with a plot summary at entry. And since we’re not getting to warp across time and space in Part II in this show, it’s a fair if crude conclusion (but I’ll return to the finale later).

Alongside this is what I began to call the immigration subplot - some number of characters, especially down in the industrial and carnival levels, are plainly immigrants of various origin and under surveillance and persecution by something called the American Protection Association, or similar, which keeps extremely spotty files on some of them. Gretchen’s case file indicates her name is Gretchen and her alias Margaret – they don’t seem to know how German diminutives work, and neither do you. I encountered one character in the furnace or mine area who eventually took me up to his room, danced with some clowns, then pulled me for a 1:1. I am going to have to guess it is a placeholder and not yet complete, because it mostly consisted of instructions to not hit my head when leaning back to see a photo he showed me. This sent me on a quest which does not, evidently, lead to his Sicilian mother, much to my disappointment. 

Something that stood out to me in many scenes is that they felt rushed for exposition. Which is to say – a performer would arrive in a space with another and immediately enter dance choreography with them. Accordingly, I found myself having a hard time ascertaining the nature of their relationships and the intention of their interactions. Characterization on the whole – and there are *a lot* of characters, does not yet feel particularly strong, either. I was glad to have just enough anchors in my knowledge of Faust to glean who was Gretchen, who was Valentine, and I knew the always-brilliant Parker Murphy was Conwell / Faust. Mephisto, well, I gathered that from his corset, because as Hamilton taught us, villainy and faggotry are a good pairing. When I saw about ten other people at the finale I hadn’t seen before, I thought: I don’t even know who the people I followed are, who are all of you? I don’t say this to slight the performances of these roles – which are energetic and engaging. Jake Warren, an extremely tall, handsome and wet man, was outstanding as Valentine (mostly I stumbled on him by luck, in a bathtub, but then went with my follow-whoever-is-cutest approach that utterly ruined my first time at The Burnt City – Zagreus, whose loop had not yet been written, alas). Instead, I had the impression the performers have not yet had much time to settle into the space and learn how to best relate to and use it to tell their stories. So, there’s a lot of reason to expect this is something that’s going to improve dramatically as the run goes on. 

The space. My god, the sets. I cannot fathom how much money has been poured into making some of these rooms. Well, I can, as a good chunk of it was my money once. There are some absurdly gorgeous and impressive places and as you descend further and further you wonder, how is this in a 4th level subbasement? Why is this basement nicer than my apartment? What is that glowing obelisk? Am I going to die when I slip on this tile and hit my head on that concrete dais (I almost did)? Is this Poodle Room going to get use? Do Fraggles live in the LED forest? Seriously, I loved that LED forest so much, until I took note of the floor material which jolted me right out of feeling like I was in it. And then I turned the corner and saw more of the tragically ubiquitous MEPHISTO posters that coat – and I absolutely mean coat – many of the transitional hallways. I hope this is just a temporary measure, and judging how the posters are just inkjet printouts, they’re almost doomed to be in the humidity - but it is stunning how some rooms have a degree of finish and opulence that boggles the mind, and others look like a middle school drama club production step and repeat. The set is absolutely the star of this show, except for when it’s not, and when it’s not it’s downright embarrassing. What isn’t there (yet) is the kind of object depth that we’re used to from a Punchdrunk set, where there’s enough detritus of actual life that you’re able to believe people use the space for whatever its fictive intention is. I have heard the set was the cause of a delay in the opening of previews, so perhaps there’s plenty more furnishing still to come. 

Choreographically, don’t expect anything to break your brain or be outside the conventions of contemporary dance. There are only so many ways to roll onto a couch or writhe on a table, we can probably all do it ourselves, laying an inverted arm on a surface and pulling ourselves over it. You know the move, Banquo does it, Boy Witch does it, everybody does it, it must mean something! There are several fight scenes though, and the big Valentine / Mephisto / Conwell boxing match is absolutely spectacular; Dorian Gray and Tall Hot Man in a horse mask was also gorgeously rendered and full of tension (and ‘the gay shit’, which is what we were all searching for). Speaking of which – I also saw a scene of two lesbian lovers divided by a jail cell gate – no idea who the characters are, but their scene together was powerful and gut-wrenching as they were split apart and a guard came and exerted state violence.

Which brings us to the soundscape. I had been spoiled early on that a significant amount of the score is new original composition, and this has been polarizing. For my part, as a bass clarinetist, I actually enjoyed much of what I heard and presumed to be composed for the show. It also needs to be said: bravo for hiring a composer to take on such a task, we need more of that. I think the vibe it created was effective - pressing and a bit frenetic. It did not, unfortunately, feel cinematic in the way we are accustomed to when Stephen Dobbie draws on his vast encyclopedic knowledge of film scores to find utterly perfect cues. I couldn’t help but wonder if this choice was partly about risk mitigation, given that we’ve never had a good conclusive answer as to how thorough a Punchdrunk show is with its licensing arrangements, but in lieu of that unique talent, I actually thought the new music was a good alternative. The unfortunate part is that I can barely remember any of it. 

Where I was disappointed, actually, was in uses of familiar material to score scenes. Erik Satie with dejected vaudevillians? Groundbreaking. Bach for a fight scene with the fascist cop? Instantly evoked Kristallnacht in Schindler’s List and its not especially well-received pairing with English Suite No. 2. I have been thinking about the music of Punchdrunk working in a kind of inverted Verfremdungseffekt – the use of familiar sound and potentially text to establish dramatic context when the theatrical modality itself is paradoxically alienating but also operating to create the impression of intimacy. I have also been thinking about what a powerful intertextual indicator soundtrack choices can be – having finally watched Dark City and seeing where the cue that was used for The Burnt City’s loop reset was used in the film, and wow – what an intelligent and meaningful choice. I feel like these are missed opportunities to build a network of meaning around the space and the performances to heighten their impact and broaden their interpretative potential.

Gradually, events culminate and the audience conducts upward to a ballroom sequence, which gradually conducts out a door into an extremely impressive stairway upwards that you have not seen before this point. And *then* it conducts further upward into the actual finale space, which is dark and full of various platforms. The finale then winds on and on and on, nearly interminably, in what I can only describe as a “Banker’s Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation” number. The demonic helpers toss the blood-signed contract between them. The rest of the cast don trenchcoats and bowlers. Dollar bills rain from the sky and money is shredded as Conwell is laced into a straitjacket and disapparated by magic trick into the elevator to hell. For a show that so insisted on punching you in the face about being Faust that they bolded those letters in the logo, the gruesomely literal representation here shouldn’t be surprising, but if you come away from it not feeling talked down to, consider yourself in luck. Disastrous finales aren’t doom – I despised the finale of The Drowned Man, the show I otherwise consider to be the absolute finest in this format, because it massively broke the engagement mode with the performers (and the Riverdance line was just too silly for the tone of the show otherwise, and not in that great haunting A Chorus Line finale kind of way either). They’ll obviously work to refine it, but it’s a place where the big Broadway lineage of the show’s direction becomes very evident. It concludes with applause and an effective curtain call for the cast – I appreciate the chance to recognize them, but when you’re accustomed to the spell not lifting until you’re all the way out, it also feels like a cold shower.

On the way out, I had to speak with a staff member about a bad fall I had taken – backing away from performers who suddenly started to move quickly, I collided with another audience member, tried to move the other direction and tripped over a set feature, narrowly missing its sharp edge with my head as I fell onto my wrist. They took all the details – I assured them this wasn’t about liability but just a note that that fight scene needs a steward since the room has so many hazards – and they listened intently. Customer care at Life and Trust so far has been absolutely excellent, particularly in the wake of my cancelled first performance. This is something where Emursive’s long-term experience on their side of Sleep No More is a tremendous asset. These shows are, after all, mass entertainment. We get so enamored of the art side, and it flatters ourselves to focus on that, that we forget this is entertainment on a vast industrial scale and it takes a particular expertise to make that work effectively. Punchdrunk did not really have it down when Peep opened at The Burnt City, and things had only somewhat improved when I went back at the end. For institutions that need to build a loyal returner audience and good word-of-mouth, it’s indispensable.

---

For a show in its absolute infancy, Life and Trust is quite an achievement: it is operating at a vast and complicated scale relatively smoothly, and with a high level of technical achievement. Emursive’s focus is plainly on impressive scenic engineering and some high-flash spectacular set pieces. The finer details, thus far, are lacking. I think we can grant some grace to a show that has been running a couple of weeks in previews when compared with something that is in the fourteenth year of its third iteration. But if I think to another vast show I spent a lot of time at recently, also when it was in its early previews, I’m struck by a particular hollowness at Life and Trust that I hope my next visit or two will help to cure, but worry is out of its scope. That’s an intellectual and conceptual depth, ambition and vision that I am hoping to see from someone but haven’t got to yet. It’s gorgeous in many ways, but does not advance the state of the immersive art. It echoes and reiterates the state of the immersive art circa 2011 with a patina of more recent aesthetic trends.

For Punchdrunk’s part, Felix Barrett has indicated they intend to do no more new mask shows. I wonder if they watched brand new audience pile into The Burnt City and instantly queue for 1:1s and thought, this isn’t doing it anymore, our audience knows this game all too well. As a company, their DNA is to innovate and defy expectations, and achieve emotional response from their audience with some element of thoughtful, novel intervention. I did not detect any desire for that at Life and Trust, where the idea was plainly, do everything we did before but bigger, in black and with horns on top that you just don’t know why they’re even there. In fact they are counting on their audience knowing this game too well, and seem quite content to keep playing it.

—

The short version:

Should you go? Yes, absolutely. The set alone is worth a visit of its own.

Am I going back? At least once, because it’s being comped, and we’ll see after that.

Is it better than Sleep No More? No, but that might not matter to you, and if you like it more, great! Different tastes are good.

Will it succeed? I hope so, even if I won’t be its biggest cheerleader. It employs a lot of wonderful people and I want big, lavish productions to do well enough that more of them continue to be planned.

Will you start a new Tumblr? I’d call it Too Faust Too Furious and no, it is not 2011 anymore, and never will be again. That’s a good thing.

[seo-julie]

Natsu Kanna - The Child Mechanical God Ep 1

Characters: Kanna, Makoto, Keito Release: 25/7/2024 Proofreading: leen Translation: seo-julie

Season: Spring Location: Seisoukan courtyard

[Two years since ES was established. In mid-April, in the courtyard of Seisoukan]

Keito: …

Makoto: Hmm? Oh, Hasumi-senpai!

Good evening~.... Um, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?

Keito: That's my line. Don't look so embarrassed, I don't blame you for staying up late.

In that sense, I'm also on the same boat.

Hmm. Do you feel like you have plenty of things to do but don't have the time to sleep, since you've just switched to a new fiscal year¹?

Makoto: (I can't say it! I can't believe I missed my chance to go to bed when I was downloading and playing new spring titles!)

(I can't believe I was so immersed in the game that I neglected my work…!)

Ahaha. Well, I've just graduated from Yumenosaki and things have been hectic for me I guess~? Maybe that's why I couldn't sleep~?

Keito: Hmm. You, you're as delicate as you look.

If you're okay with it, I'd like to teach you how to prepare for your new life.

Makoto: Eh, like the New Life Fair? That's right, it's so troubling! Rare games with a premium price are on sale at a great discount!²

Keito: What are you talking about? Hmm… I'm not very familiar with the games you love, but–

Makoto: (Ah, have I been exposed? Will he get angry?)

Keito: So, that's why I'm asking for your help.

Here, what do you think of this?

Makoto: ? This is…?

Huh, what is this? There's a strange machine in the shadow of a tree.

Hm, is that a UFO or something that crash-landed?

Keito: I don't know. I couldn't sleep so I was on night patrol as I'm the dorm supervisor, and then I found this suspicious thing.

I couldn't ignore it and wondered what to do. How incorrigible.

Makoto: W-what is this? I can hear a beeping sound. It's so futuristic-like~. It's so sci-fi-like~.

Keito: Hey, don't touch it so carelessly. It might explode.

Makoto: I don't think it will explode though…

Ah, just as I expected. I reckon it's a style I have seen before. I'm sure there's a control panel here–

Yeah. Alright, it seems like I can move it.

Keito: M-move it? Is this a giant robot that merges and transforms, or something?

Makoto: I don't think it will merge, but maybe it can transform?

Look! Look, Hasumi-senpai, open~sesame~♪

Keito: Why do you seem so excited? You're just a "Trickstar" after all.

Kanna: …

Keito: Hm, the lid (?) has opened and the inside is exposed! This is…

Kanna: Good morning.

Keito: Uh, a-ah… morning.

Is this a great time to greet someone in a carefree manner? You were inside a machine!? Are you an alien? Tsukinaga would be overjoyed if he found out!

Kanna: I'm not an alien.

Sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you.

I'm sleepy right now so it's a pain to explain but… In this case; it can't be helped, I guess.

The greeting I said earlier wasn't accurate, wasn't it? For me it's “good morning” but, for you guys it's “good evening”.

Keito: No, what are you talking about?

Makoto: He's a child who goes at his own pace, don't you think?

Kanna: In short, I was sleeping here.

The bed I was given with in the room was extremely uncomfortable to sleep on.

Keito: Hmm, you also had so many worries that you couldn't sleep at night, right?

Kanna: I don't have any particular problems. I just couldn't sleep, so I brought my bed I use at home.

Keito: B-bed? That strange thing is your bed?

Kanna: Yes. I checked the dormitory rules, and I don't think it prohibited bringing furniture into Seisoukan.

However, its size was too large to bring into the room… That's why I decided to sleep here; outside. 

If you are on the premises, there shouldn't be any problem with sleeping outside in the courtyard using tents or sleeping bags, right?

Keito: It's not recommended though. I mean, I think I'm going to be fooled by the fact he talks about it so bluntly but, I think it's a bit of a stretch to call this strange machine a sleeping bag– I think it looks pretty painful...

¹ In Japan, the government's fiscal year is from 1 April to 31 March. ² He’s probably talking to himself in this line. Even I couldn't understand him.

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[a-araiguma-a]

Between the serving and Her smile

Chapter 5. Muggle Studies

Fandom: Harry Potter Pairing: Oliver Wood x fem!reader, Charlie Weasley x f!reader, <?> Warning: fluff, mutual pining, friends-to-lovers, drama, first love, jealous

Summary: He was the captain and keeper of the Gryffindor team, and his quest to win the Quidditch Cup became an obsessive goal. All his thoughts revolved around tactics, training and strategies, but sometimes his own heart reminded him of another, equally important side of life. He believed that love and Quidditch could coexist in his life. He swore to himself that he would do everything possible to preserve these two treasures, even if it required the impossible from him.

Start - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

At this time, Margaret decided to immerse herself in less emotional pursuits—her studies. In her third year, she was introduced to additional subjects, and out of the entire list, she found herself particularly interested in Numerology, Divination, and the Study of Ancient Runes. She found solace in studying magical symbols, ancient languages, and numerical prophecies.

Numerology is one of the divinatory sciences, claiming that each letter corresponds to a specific number and that the sum of the numbers in each word has its own meaning. The roots of this science stretch back into deep antiquity; many ancient teachings employed the so-called "magic of numbers." Given Margaret’s inclination toward analysis and logical thinking, she eagerly delved into the world of numbers, attempting to decipher the hidden messages within them.

Divination represented another aspect of magical science, exploring various forms of fortune-telling and methods for interpreting different phenomena. Initially skeptical, Margaret gradually began to see something more in it. Tarot cards and palmistry particularly piqued her interest.

"I’m not sure it’s always possible to accurately predict the future," she once told Emma, sharing her thoughts. "But sometimes I think that intuition and symbols can help us better understand ourselves."

"And you know what’s most interesting?" she added. "Certain numbers have started to repeat themselves in my life since I began studying them, and I’m starting to realize they hold a deeper meaning for me."

Ancient runes, on the other hand, were a form of writing that witches and wizards had used hundreds of years ago. By studying them, one could gain insight into the magic of the ancestors. Margaret was drawn to the depth and mystery of the runes; they demanded not only knowledge but also intuitive understanding, as if they were speaking to her, revealing their secrets. She attended the classes together with Percy Weasley, who was extremely ambitious and eager to work at the Ministry of Magic, for which he needed to study everything possible.

These subjects required great concentration and perseverance, but Margaret enjoyed immersing herself in the mysteries of magical symbols, ancient languages, and numerical prophecies.

Another subject worth highlighting is Muggle Studies, where the behavior and everyday life of Muggles are studied from a wizard’s perspective. This elective was not mandatory and was intended for those who grew up in magical families and knew little about the ordinary world.

Muggle Studies was considered one of the easiest subjects, and many students chose it to lighten their academic load. But not Margaret, who had grown up in the Muggle world and knew their lifestyle and daily life well. Unlike her, her friends Sophie and Emma decided to take Muggle Studies. Sophie had grown up near Muggle villages and had some idea about the lives of ordinary people, but her knowledge was superficial. Emma, on the other hand, had lived exclusively in magical lands and had practically no contact with the Muggle world. Both were pure-blood witches and were eager to learn how people live without magic.

The girls never talked about their backgrounds—it didn’t seem necessary and never came up. Having met on September 1st after their sorting, they had always stuck together and continued to get along. But Margaret’s surprising background was accidentally revealed when Sophie and Emma once again struggled with their Muggle Studies homework.

“I don’t understand why Muggles are so fascinated by these… what do they call them… movies?” Sophie complained, pondering the latest assignment. “And what is a television? Is it like a magical mirror?”

“I thought it was some sort of device that lets you see over long distances,” added Emma, looking a bit confused. “But these instructions in the textbook are so confusing.”

Margaret, sitting with her friends in the library, noticed their confusion and decided to help. She had already explained basic things to them several times, such as how a telephone works or the significance of money in the Muggle world. But this time, her explanation truly shocked them.

“A television isn’t a magical mirror,” she began with a slight smile. “It’s a device that shows moving pictures and sounds. Muggles use it for entertainment, education, and news. Movies are stories filmed with cameras and actors. It’s like a play, but recorded on film so it can be watched anytime.”

Emma and Sophie looked at her in surprise.

“How do you know all this, Margaret?” Sophie asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Even without attending the classes, you explain things better than Professor Quirrell.”

“Well…,” Margaret replied, realizing that she would now have to tell the truth. “I grew up in the Muggle world until I was eleven and didn’t know anything about my magical heritage. My mother was a witch, but she never revealed it to anyone, and after her death… her family didn’t stay in touch with us. I was like a normal child, growing up and going to a regular school, never suspecting that one day I’d receive a letter from Hogwarts and everything would become a bit complicated.”

Her friends froze, processing what they had just heard.

“You’re… a half-blood?” Emma asked, wide-eyed with disbelief.

“You could say that,” Margaret nodded. “But when I found out about my heritage, everything changed—an intensive course on the magical world, learning all the details, and this school.”

Margaret felt the silence hanging in the air. Emma sat motionless, her gaze fixed somewhere in the distance, as if trying to comprehend something important. Margaret felt a slight unease, but still decided to ask the question that had been on her mind:

“Does it matter if I’m pure-blood, half-blood, or Muggle-born?” Her voice was calm, but a note of uncertainty crept in.

Sophie immediately perked up, her eyes lighting up warmly.

“Of course not! You’re my best friend, and that doesn’t affect how I feel about you at all.” She looked at Margaret with such sincerity that Margaret immediately felt relieved.

Emma was still silent, lost in her thoughts. Her face showed concentration but not hostility.

“But how did you become the top student in our house if you didn’t know anything before?” she asked, her voice full of genuine curiosity. “You always seem to understand everything in class right away, and you have excellent grades.”

“It’s all thanks to my grandfather. He helped me adapt and understand what magic is,” Margaret explained, smiling, though her voice held a hint of sadness. “He knows a lot and loves sharing his knowledge. In the beginning, I often consulted with him, and then I grew to love reading books about magic and studying them on my own. I was very motivated to live up to his expectations and become as smart as he is.”

“That’s amazing,” Sophie finally said, her voice full of admiration. “So much has happened, yet it made you one of the strongest witches in our year.”

Sophie glanced at Emma, expecting her support, but Emma was slow to respond. Margaret began to doubt whether it was wise to continue the conversation, but when Emma finally noticed that both her friends were looking at her, she sighed and raised her eyes.

“It’s… it’s just unexpected,” she began, searching for the right words. “I never really thought about it. I knew there were many mixed-blood students, but I didn’t think it was so close. You never seemed like one of them. For me, everything related to the Muggle world seems so distant… unfamiliar.”

Emma paused as if still considering what to say next. Margaret felt her heart pound harder, fearing that this revelation might strain their friendship. But then Emma looked at her and smiled, albeit a bit tensely.

“But, if you think about it, it doesn’t change anything, right?” she said, as if convincing herself. “You’re still the same Margaret as before. We’ve already been through a lot together, and what’s the point of dwelling on where you were born or who your parents were?”

Margaret sighed in relief, feeling the tension inside her ease.

“Thank you, Emma,” she replied quietly, with sincere gratitude. “I’m glad you think that way. I don’t want this to change anything between us either.”

Sophie, always more straightforward, added, “Of course, nothing will change! We’re here to learn magic and support each other, not to discuss someone’s background. What matters is who you are, not where you came from.”

Emma nodded, her smile becoming more natural. They had always known her as a smart and determined girl, but now they understood the challenges she had faced to become that way.

Margaret felt her heart warm with gratitude. She knew there would be difficulties related to her background, especially given how some pure-blood wizards viewed Muggle-borns, so she tried not to dwell on it. But she was fortunate to have met people who would support her no matter what, and that gave her confidence in herself and her abilities. Her past was not something to be ashamed of, but a part of her life that had helped shape who she was today.

“Let’s get back to our studies,” Margaret suggested, wanting to change the subject and finally dispel the remnants of awkwardness. “You still have a lot to learn for your essays.”

“Great idea,” Sophie agreed, once again bending over her book.

A few days had passed since that conversation, but Sophie couldn’t shake the moment when Emma hesitated to respond. It left an unpleasant feeling in her heart, and something inside Sophie urged her to figure out what had happened. She felt it was important to understand why Emma had taken so long to support their friend, and whether she really wanted to.

One day, as the three of them sat by the pond, Sophie decided to take advantage of the opportunity when Margaret stepped away, leaving them alone. Emma was lying on a blanket, thoughtfully flipping through the Monster Book of Monsters, when Sophie, gathering her courage, quietly said:

“Emma, can I ask you something? It’s about that conversation in the library about Margaret’s background.”

Emma looked up, her face tensing slightly, but she nodded nonetheless.

“Of course, Sophie. Go ahead.”

Sophie hesitated, searching for the right words.

“You… you hesitated a bit when you found out Margaret is a half-blood. Why did it shake you so much? I understand it was unexpected, but it seemed to me that there was something more. Am I right?”

Emma sighed heavily and set the book aside. She knew this conversation was inevitable, and maybe it really did need to be discussed.

“Yes, you’re right,” she began quietly. “It wasn’t just a surprise. In my family, and in the society I grew up in, we were always taught that half-bloods and especially Muggle-borns were something inferior. Since childhood, I was told that Muggle-borns are almost like Muggles, and Muggles…” She paused, clenching her fists. “Muggles are stupid, disgusting creatures, unworthy of even our attention. All of this was so deeply ingrained in me that I never questioned how unfair it was and just kept carrying on with my parents’ teachings.”

Sophie listened carefully, not interrupting, but a sense of bitterness was growing in her heart. She knew prejudice was a part of the magical world, but hearing it from a close friend was painful.

Emma continued, her voice trembling slightly:

“When I found out Margaret was a half-blood, it was like a slap in the face. I couldn’t understand how someone so close to me could be someone I was taught to hate and despise. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how absurd it all was. Margaret is one of the smartest, kindest, and most talented people I know. How could I have believed, even for a moment, in the nonsense that was drilled into me from childhood?”

Sophie saw Emma’s eyes fill with tears. She realized that for Emma, this was as difficult a revelation as it had been for Margaret.

“You know,” Emma said, swallowing her tears, “this friendship with Margaret really opened my eyes to the fact that the prejudices of my elders are just lies meant to divide us. But I’m so ashamed that I could even doubt Margaret in that moment, doubt us and our friendship… I’m ashamed to admit it now.”

Sophie gently placed her hand over Emma’s, her voice full of compassion and understanding:

“Emma, I know how hard it is to overcome what’s been instilled in you since childhood. But what’s important is that you were able to recognize it and change your attitude. We all grow and learn. Now you understand that Margaret is no less than us, despite her background. That’s what true friendship is—seeing a person for who they really are, not through the lens of someone else’s prejudices.”

Emma gratefully squeezed Sophie’s hand, feeling the tension slowly dissipate.

“Thank you, Sophie. I promise I’ll fight these prejudices within myself—I truly value our friendship.”

“We all do,” Sophie said softly, smiling. “Let’s just keep supporting each other and not let these prejudices drive us apart. We’re stronger together.”

Emma nodded, feeling her heart fill with warmth and confidence. They fell silent, but the silence held no tension—only the sense that they had grown even closer.

At that moment, they had no idea that their candid conversations had sparked a new wave of trouble. The Slytherins, raised in families where only pure-bloods were valued, had found in Margaret a new target for their bullying. These students, brought up to believe that only pure-blood wizards were worthy of studying magic, saw Margaret as just another confirmation of their biased views.

“Guys, you won’t believe what I just found out,” one of them said to his group of friends, his voice hushed as if he couldn’t contain his excitement. “The Gryffindor know-it-all who’s in my History of Magic class is a half-blood.”

“Well, now that’s interesting,” sneered a tall Slytherin whom the others considered their leader, his eyes lighting up with a dangerous gleam and his lips curling into a malicious smile. “Looks like we’ve got a new target. Let’s give her a warm welcome.”

The others murmured in approval, already anticipating the trouble they would cause. Plans were already forming in their minds—from simple nasty pranks to more serious mischief. They felt that by punishing people like Margaret, they were restoring justice and defending the honor and traditions of their house.

“Just remember, everything needs to look like it’s her own fault,” the leader added, his voice low and venomous in every word.

Meanwhile, Margaret remained unaware, continuing with her usual activities.

[duckieberry]

General base for my Classification Au’s

—- DISCLAIMER: Please note two things before I get into this. One- a lot of the things I have here are direct copy and pastes from my Genshin Classification AU (with some tweaks, adjustments and new additions) as what I’m putting here is the much more refined version of the basis I used to make that AU. Others can use this as a reference to make their own but I mainly posted this so I don’t have to reiterate all this when I inevitably make another classification AU. Two- while I worked on this AU with the intention of higher levels of realism it still isn’t 100% accurate as I am not a professional in anything biology related nor do I claim to be.

—-

Classification AUs you’ve either read them, know of them or have no idea what I’m on about. I personally really enjoy this type of AU but I found that it lacks many things, mainly coherent world building. So I’ve taken it upon myself to try and make a decent generalized base to make the AU a bit more immersive and give it a believable feel (in my opinion). I will not go into my personal gripes with how these AUs are typically handled as I know some people who enjoy them the way they are and don’t mind the things I find immersion breaking.

So here is a quick rundown on what this is for those who are unfamiliar with what this kind of Au is. A’ littles are known’ classification AU, is a type of alternate universe in which individuals take a test or examination of some sort which figures out the type of headspace/behaviours the person being tested will develop and display throughout their life, in other words their classification. 

There are many different versions of classification AU’s that focus on different dynamics. This version is specifically based around and is for age regressors so this ISN’T a k*nk based AU and is ENTIRELY sfw.

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How does it work:

A person's classification is based on their hormones. The hormones that dictate a person's classification start to be produced when that individual is in the latter stages of puberty. Upon reaching the age when their classification starts to take effect they will experience small bouts of headspace/instincts. A caregiver might find themself starting to fawn over animals or a friend that’s gotten hurt, littles might find themself sucking their thumb or being drawn to toys.

Headspace isn’t on a set timer. It happens for various reasons, for example: when a little enters headspace it could be because of their biological clock (they regress at similar times every week), random hormone influx (like a mood swing), negative or positive external stimulus, etc. A caregiver might enter their headspace because they heard someone crying, someone needed help with a task, in close proximity to a regressed little, etc.

On extremely rare occasions a person's classification can change. A neutral can gain a classification, a little might turn into a caregiver and a caregiver into a flip; there's no limit to which classification can shift into another. Reason for these classification shifts is unknown as the causes vary wildly from trauma, stress, to pure chance.

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Testing:

Depending on the setting the tests go a little differently and their accuracy may fluctuate. Best way for these tests to work is through blood samples as a classification is based on hormones.

When it comes to littles the concentration of hormones helps dictate the age range. Higher concentration means younger age range while lower concentration means older age range.

Most people from the settings country/city/nation etc, get tested at 15-16 years old, the actual behaviours/habits won’t start to show up until at least 18 which is when it starts to manifest. It takes about a year for the behaviours/habits of a classification to form completely.

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Classifications explained:

Littles/Regressors - those who regress into a childlike mindset with mental ages ranging from a few months old to 14 depending on the individual.

A healthy Regressor will typically regress 1-3 times per week. They can be in headspace for as little as a few hours to as long as a few days depending on their age range. The younger a Regressor is the longer they tend to stay regressed for at a given time. 

Caregivers - those who care for Littles and help keep them safe like a parent or guardian. They exhibit above average strength which allows them to carry Regressors with ease.

Flips - those who don’t fall perfectly into Little or Caregiver but instead swap between the two. People with these split classifications are rather uncommon. Flips need to work to find a balance between regressing and caretaking to stay healthy. Most Flips lean more towards one side of their dual class than the other which can make balancing their classification more difficult. Everything that can happen to littles and caregivers also applies to flips. They are more prone to the behaviours/afflictions of the class they lean more towards.

Neutral - those who are neutral don’t fall into any of the above classifications and experience no changes in behaviour.

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Risks:

Like all things related to our bodies and minds, there are health risks. If someone does not maintain their classification properly then there are significant drawbacks

Littles/Regressors who refrain from regressing for too long begin to develop a condition known as regression sickness. It starts out like the common cold but progressively gets more severe the longer the Regressor refuses their headspace. Symptoms like dizziness, nausea, mood swings, intensified emotions, lethargy and weakness may occur as the sickness progresses.

The only way to recover from regression sickness is to regress. Littles/Regressors who are affected by the condition will inevitably drop into their headspace. Upon doing so they will be unable to surface from their headspace until they have fully recovered which can take upwards of a week depending on the extent of the headspace repression.

Caregivers who do not have a Little are far more likely to develop mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Most Caregivers are recommended to buy a plant or a pet to look after to help mitigate the chances of such a thing happening.

Flips have the task of learning to balance their dual classification. Failure to find a semblance of balance can result in more minor forms of the above conditions 

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Headspace management:

It’s not uncommon for Regressors to regress spontaneously. These sudden regressions can be at very inconvenient times or put the Little in danger. Depending on the setting the country/city/nation etc, either make their own or import medications to sell to the citizens to help them manage their headspace and allow them to be functioning members of society without putting themselves in danger.

The medication is a mild hormone blocker that wears off within 8-10 hours. It is incapable of fully holding back headspace unless multiple pills are taken (which isn’t recommended nor is it healthy). It’s purely for management not for full suppression despite what the name ‘headspace suppressant’ might imply.

Headspace suppressant medication can also reduce the symptoms of regression sickness but it won’t cure the condition and in fact makes it worse. Doctors will tell Littles to stop taking headspace management medication if they’re showing symptoms of regression sickness.

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Autonomy:

Littles have their own autonomy like any other person and are completely independent. Through a mixture of headspace management and local daycare businesses, littles are fully capable of getting a job, owning a house, and overall being independent without neglecting their headspace or having a caregiver. 

Some settings may be more overbearing and discriminatory to their littles but despite what the settings views may be, littles are still capable individuals despite their classification and aren’t helpless.

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Extra notes:

When regressed, littles may have issues with certain kinds of foods. Depending on their age range they might struggle to eat more solid foods or just generally gain a dislike for certain textures even though they can manage them just fine while big.

Caregivers may enter a protective rage if they feel a little in their care is under major threat either emotionally or physically. Caregivers in this state often become very defensive until the perceived threat is dealt with.

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I wish to share this basis with others in the hopes that they use it as inspiration for their own fics. This Au was created mainly for fluff but with potential for angst in mind (hurt/comfort) so some things are open for change and interpretation, mainly: how testing is done for that specific world/fandom, treatment of littles (I do not condone them being treated like helpless pets or dolls), what exactly the headspace management medication is (pills, potion, herbs, etc), additional causes for why a classification might change (the change should never leave the person affected helpless or unable to decide for themself).

[ahhhsami]

AO3 Writer 20 Questions

Saw @thatonebirdwrites answer these questions focused on AO3 writers and thought it'd be fun to answer them too!

1) How do you keep getting ideas for your ship/fandom?

Day dreaming, music, and other media (books, movies, TV series).

2) Which authors inspire you in your fandom, and why are they so freakishly good?

This is the main question I wanted to answer because I wanted to just praise people and share their works!

A_M_Nicholson since I really adore their AUs and amazing vibes you get from their settings. The characters are always so interesting and they're able to maintain the characters' personalities and traits even though they are in an AU.

RaeDMagdon since her stories introduced me to omegaverse. She also cranks out solid works consistently and it's extremely impressive and admirable.

Xaibaugrove's writing makes you feel things through her words. Each chapter, paragraph, and even sentence is so well thought out and her story telling is to die for. Plus the depth and details she goes into for the surroundings is beautiful and immersive.

Tabsbee writes for Genshin Impact and I adore her style of writing and the modern AU settings she uses. Everything she posts is a banger. Plus they feed my need for more JeanLisa stories!

AnotherShotofBourbon was one of the first fic writers I ever read in the korrasami fandom. They started a series of soulmate AUs and I adore them so much! Their new works are also just as exciting!

Velvet95 has super unique and fun AUs. They're working on their sequel to a galactic sci-fi story that they had created a while ago and just as the first part, it's super enjoyable and creative!

AsamiOnTop has a behemoth of a fic (I think almost 300k words) and it's such a fun read. I loved seeing her growth from chapter 1 to the ending and it's always so admirable seeing people wrap up long fics like hers!

kittymannequin is another OG korrasami writer that inspired me to write fics myself. Whether her stories are for TLOK or Arcane or another fandom, it's always a delight to read.

tumblr blogs: @raedmagdon @xaibaugrove @tabsbee @abronzeagegod @kittymannequin @asamiontop

3) Aside from the characters of your main ship, who are the characters you love to write?

There's a handful but here are the ones that come to mind; Vi & Caitlyn from Arcane, Jean & Lisa & Beidou & Clorinde from Genshin Impact.

4) Are there pairings or tropes you know for sure you'd never write about? Which ones?

I lean away from tropes that delve into Family dynamics. Mainly pregnancy since I actually don't like babies...

5) What is your writing process and why is it cursed?

Get an idea

Jot down a rough plan

Start writing and stray instantly from the plan

Get a new plot bunny and fight with myself whether to continue what I've written or scrap it for a new shiny story

Obviously the 4th step is where things become truly cursed.

6) What is your favorite part of your writing process?

Since I write so many AUs, the world building aspects are my favorite.

7) What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had to research for a fic?

I've had to research a lot of things... but the weirdest usually revolve around bodily injuries or time period research to keep things as accurate as possible when needed. If you need to know how to prepare opium like they did in the 1800s... I got you.

8) Is there a particular writing rule you struggle with (grammar, spelling, tense, reality in general)?

Grammar 100%. But I also think breaking grammar rules are okay for vibes, bruh.

9) What was your hardest scene to write so far and why?

It's one I'm currently working on and have been for years. It's the next chapter of Start Again and I'm struggling to progress the story in a way that I like. I've written and scrapped it so many times that I've lost count at this point.

10) Have your characters ever done something you didn’t expect, changing your plot completely?

All the time...

11) If you could converse with any of the characters, who would it be and why?

It'd have to be Korra. She's got such a special spot in my heart that I don't think I could choose anyone else.

12) What are some of the tropes or themes that you find yourself returning to in your writing?

College AUs just keep coming back even when I think I've had enough of them.

13) What's your most important resource as a writer?

Other books. I don't have a book in particular, but just reading other books and fics is helpful. I've also joined a local writer's guild that has been helpful too!

14) Can you share some of your strategies for editing and revising your work?

I read/mumble my stories aloud to myself to see if things come out clunky. I also have a wonderful partner that betas the majority of my stories and I couldn't be more grateful for her.

15) Which is worse: making the summary, picking the tags, or the anxiety when you post your fic?

SUMMARY. God damn, I will spend more time on a fucking summary than the story. I will also be lazy at times and just copy and paste an excerpt if I'm at a real loss.

16) How do you define success for your fanfic - hits? Kudos? Comments? Bookmarks? Or just if you like it?

A huge factor for me is if I personally like it, BUT hits/kudos/comments are always appreciated. The goal is to share my stories with people and for them to enjoy their time reading, so it's always nice to receive all of those. I don't gauge much off of bookmarks since I often write explicit fics, which tend to be privately bookmarked or not bookmarked at all.

17) Do you have a playlist for your favorite character/ship?

I make playlists for stories/chapters. I don't do them individually for characters. I wouldn't be surprised if I have 50 or so playlists for my writing though.

18) If fan art was going to be made from your work, which fic would you pick and which fan artist would you like to create it?

When it comes to the story, I'd want the artist to do art for one that resonates with them. One that somehow inspires them. And oh man, when it comes to specific artists, I'm not sure since there are so many amazing ones. I've recently been inspired by @seijousai and am writing a story inspired by their Clorivia art. @ppyuuingles art is super wholesome and adorable. I love their JeanLisa stuff. I also have always adored @persnickety-doodles style of drawing when it comes to Korrasami. In the past I had the pleasure to collaborate with @unii-outlawed and later commissioned her. If you don't know her, then definitely check out her stunning artwork! Other amazing artists that deserve a follow are @ttanaart, @kf1n3, and @mimiendos (follow their twitter).

19) How many WIPs do you currently have?

Erm... posted on AO3 there's 20 unfinished stories BUT I also have over 100 completed ones. As for the WIPs that are written and not posted... that's also probably in the 20s. It goes back to all of the plot bunnies that I get and the battles I lose which results in partially written stories.

20) What's your advice to new fanfic writers?

Write what you want. Even if you feel that it may be niche there'll definitely be people out there that will read and enjoy it!