#and the other person was like well *i* think they shouldn't be forgiven

[allbuthuman]

it's insane that people online want to dictate even what someone is allowed to forgive. as if a stranger's personal relations have to fit their own theoretical narrative and if you dare try to heal or help others in a way that goes against that you're problematic and perpetuate abuse. shut up we can choose to forgive or not forgive whatever and whoever we want and people's lives are infinity more nuanced than whatever you decided is true in every situation ever

[chaotic-archaeologist]

https://nypost.com/2024/08/28/world-news/boy-4-accidentally-smashes-bronze-age-jar-that-was-at-least-3500-years-old/

Your thoughts?

Personally, I'm kinda sick of museums being required to cater to kids so much. If you're going to do this open air exhibit, kids who don't know how to keep their hands to themselves just shouldn't be allowed in. The glass is there for this very reason.

Actually, I'm with the museum on this one. Is it unfortunate that the vase was broken? Yes. Was the vase a valuable piece of the past? Also yes. But I think the museum did something very cool by not having the artifacts behind glass and are handling this with good grace and the sense to make this a learning opportunity.

Sometimes we overlook the fact that museums often attempt to arrest or freeze artifacts in time. They are kept in controlled conditions to prevent them from deteriorating and even treated to reverse damage. Many things on display on museums are elevated beyond their original value, alienated from their original purpose, and closed off from interaction.

It's incredible that this jar survived as long as it did—and its age is what makes it special—but at the end of the day, it is still a jar. It has now experienced the thing that happens to pretty much every jar that has been or will be. After all, decay is an extant form of life. (If you want to read a very well written and interesting take on decay and archaeology, check out this article by Caitlin DeSilvey.)

The article I linked above provides some important context and the update that the museum is planning on using this as an opportunity to teach about the conservation process. The jar's story is not over; it is being pieced back together and in this next chapter in its life it will be able to tell two stories: one of its life and the other of its rebirth. The museum's approach embraces that, exactly like the Japanese art of Kintsugi.

I also agree with the museum's decision not to punish the child or his family. Things go wrong in museums all the time despite their highly controlled environments, and this is why they have artifacts insured. Sometimes the thing that happens is a child, and by and large museums do not seek damages.

I would encourage you to rethink your stance on museums and children. Museums are for everyone. Children have a right to experience museums and what they have to offer just like anyone else. There are also many studies that discuss how going to museums benefits children.

In this case, perhaps the exhibit design was slightly flawed, but the four year old boy accidentally knocked the jar over because he was curious about what was inside and wanted to investigate. Curiosity is exactly what museums should be encouraging. In an ideal world that curiosity would have been channeled into some other kind of engagement, but the folks who work in museums have a lot on their plates and cannot plan everything perfectly all the time. Even if they could, they often do not have the resources to do so.

Finally, the AP article mentions that the boy and his family were visiting the museum to get away from Hezbollah rocket fire. Regardless of your opinions on the current conflict, everyone deserves to have a safe place to exist. That museums can serve as those spaces is an honor.

I commend the Hecht Museum and the people working there. They 1) successfully provided a place of learning and refuge, 2) opted not for a punitive approach—which is often the default Western model for justice—but a compassionate one, and 3) are using this twist of fate to create programming that will further engage the public.

@museeeuuuum and @museum-spaces would you care to comment?

-Reid

[fallingdownhell]

Omg pls a part two for Kaeya and Diluc forgetting your birthday it’s so good I LOVE ANGST <3

Alrighty, fine. Since so many more people asked for a part 2, here it is.But I can't promise that everything goes fine..

Characters Included: Diluc; Kaeya

Content: gender neutral reader; hurt/comfort; angst; hurt/no comfort; one is gonna be forgiven, the other one not

Word count: 1,9k words

Please enjoy reading!

Diluc

Gods, he was so exhausted.

He wished for nothing more than to just walk over to his bedroom and fall asleep on the bed, but he couldn't. He had some important matters he still had to attend to before he could go do that.

He was currently hunched over his desk, scanning over some documents that needed his attention. It was late at night, yet there was still light shining from under the door, as well as footsteps coming from the mansion.

Diluc paid that no mind however, trying to focus back on his work. However, when he heard a pair of footsteps walk up the staircase, he put his pen down, listening to them.

He was fairly sure that it was you, so he listened to it, hoping that you would come inside to check on him. He knew he shouldn't have lashed out at you like that earlier and he wanted to apologize to you for it.

However, the person outside kept walking, past the door to his office and instead went into the next room, which was the bedroom that belonged to the both of you.

At first, he didn't think too much of it, maybe you were just really tired and going to bed now. But, as he continued to listen, it got more and more strange to him. Your footsteps hadn't quietet down at all. You were apparently still walking around the room, he could hear the opening and closing of drawers and closets.

He had half a mind to walk over there and ask you what you're doing in the middle of the night. Then again, he wasn't really any better and he really had to finish this, but when suddenly a second pair of footsteps climbed up the stairs, his attention was taken to them.

A few seconds latter, soft knocking was heard on the wodden door, followed by Adelinde's voice asking to enter the study. Diluc allowed her inside but turned his attention finally back to his work.

He noticed her approaching the table and putting a plate down in front of him. He glanced at it, laying his eyes upon a nice looking piece of cake.

"Did you bake that, Adelinde? It looks delicious. I'll eat it once I'm done here."

He was about to dismiss her, but the fact that she hadn't said a word made him look at her with his full attention now.

"Master Diluc.. do you really not remember?"

"Remember what, Adelinde? You'll have to be more specific than that."

She looked at him for a few more seconds, it almost seemed to him like her eyes were boring into his very soul. Then, she turned around and approached the door again. She stepped out into the hallway, moving to close the door but before she did so, she said one last thing to him.

"Today was their birthday."

Then Adelinde closed the door, leaving Diluc in the room all by himself.

Hearing those words put him into a shock. No.. this couldn't be..

He...forgot?

Suddenly, thousands of times and situations played in his head where you tried to grab his attention and he had dismissed you every single time.. how long had he been treating you like this?

Then, a loud sound rang from the bedroom next door, and Diluc suddenly got ahold of himself again.

He immediately shot up and ran outside, bursting through the door to your shared room, startling you in the process. But the sight before him made his heart clench like never before.

The sight of you, stuffing some of your clothes and other belongings into a bag, your eyes red and swollen, probably from crying.

"D-Diluc? What are you... why are you here?"

You asked him, but he didn't answer. Instead, he walked over to you, steps quick, and pulled you into his arms, hugging you tightly.

"D-diluc? What-!"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, (Name)."

Suddenly understanding what this was about, you relaxed a bit, but didn't do anything else. You didn't reciprocate the hug, either, and no words left your lips..

"I'm so sorry.. for everything. I didn't even realize how badly I was treating you." He fell on his knees in front of you, taking your hands into his, holding them tightly.

"Please, believe when I say that this was never my intention. I love you very dearly, (Name). I know I didn't show it for some time, but I do. Nothing can ever change how I feel about you. So please... don't leave.."

By the end of it, his voice sounded broken, silent cries leaving him as tears streamed down his face. You looked down on him, seeing him all broken down in front of you, and you feel your resolve begin to waver.

Maybe.. maybe you could try again with him..

But then you remembered the last few months, how he pushed you away every single time you tried to adress something with him... how he pushed you away on your own birhtday...

Gently, you pull your hands out of his grip. Diluc immediately understood what this gesture meant, yet he wasn't willing to accept this.

"(Name), please-!"

"No, Diluc. I can't anymore. Who's to tell me that you won't go back to treating me like this after a few weeks again? I tried it. I tried to deal with it and I tried to talk to you, but you never wanted to. You always shut me down. Well, I hope you're happy because I am done. I can't keep feeling like I'm worth nothing to you.

Thank you, for all the time I had with you, but it's over now."

You gave him one last, mournful look, then grabbed your bag and walked past him.

He let you... there was nothing else he could do..

He listened to you walking down the stairs, listened to the heavy front door open, and then.. It feel closed again.

And just like that.. you were out of his life..

He lost you and this time, he had noone else to blame but himself and his own stupid decisions..

He broke down again, crying so hard like he hadn't done in years. If only he wouldn't have been so stupid..

Kaeya

Tired and still angry from the events that had happened yesterday, Kaeya was sitting in his office again, stationed at the Knights of Favonius headquarters.

He was looking through files and documents he didn't get to finish yesterday because he suddenly had the workload of four other people pushed onto him.

He was still angrily mumbling to himself when a knock on the door resonated within his office. He didn't bother giving an answer, yet the other person took that as permission to enter, pushing the door open to reveal Lisa to the stressed out Kavalry captain.

"Kaeya, there you are! We were missing you at (Name's) party yesterday. Why weren't you there?"

Oh, now that pissed him off even more. He put his utensiles down, trying to control his emotions and actions. He looked at Lisa, smiling at her, yet it was obvious how faked and forced it was.

"Well, I think the bigger question here is, why were you at a party during work hours in the first place. I wouldn't mind you going, but why convince everyone else along, leaving all of the work for me alone to handle?"

"..Why wouldn't I go to the party I, myself, organized?", she questioned, looking at him confused. Like she was trying to figure something out.

"You were organizing that atrocious thing? Well, in that case that begs even more questions. Again, why pull everyone else along except me? Also, why plan it in my and (name's) shared house, of all places?"

She didn't answer immediately like the times before. Instead, she was still looking at Kaeya, until a few seconds later, her entire face lit up in realization.

"Oh, you idiot..", she mumbled, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Excuse me? I do think it's not-!"

"Kaeya, you idiot! You really forgot?"

"...Forgot what?", he asked, now being confused himself. Why was she reacting this way?

"You really did... it was their birthday yesterday! That's what the party was for! Also, wasn't this whole thing your idea in the first place?"

At her words, his eyes widened in shock, realization hitting him now as well. He did.. He forgot your birthday.

Immediately after that, he thought back to yesterday.. the words he spat in your mouth.. the way your eyes teared up in front of him.. and he just ignored it, walked away like the entire world just revolved around him alone..

He took one look at Lisa, who was just nodding at him. He did so as well, grabbing his coat and then he started running.

Kaeya ran out the headquarters through the streets of Mondstadt, only having one destination in mind. He never slowed down, not even for a second to catch his breath. Only when he was finally standing in front of his own door did he do so as he was trying to fish the keys out of his pocket.

He unlocked the door and immediately entered.

"(Name)?", he shouted as soon as he closed the door behind him. He listened for a few seconds, but... nothing. No answer, no sounds.

He panicked a bit as he began to search the place. The house was still a mess from yesterday, but he didn't care for that right now.

Kaeya searched through every room, shouting your name to try and grab your attention.

The panic began to settle a bit as he opened the bedroom door, seeing you still asleep on the bed.

He approached you, finding you clutching his own pillow close to you, like you have been searching for some comfort. Your eyes were all red and swollen up, because of your crying.

'The crying that you, yourself, caused..', he thought, feeling sorry for what he had said to you.

He went on his knees on the floor, next to the bed. He inspected your, now peaceful looking face, for a few more seconds.

"(Name), wake up, please.", he said gently, stroking some stray hair out of your face.

You began shifting in your sleep and soon enough, you opened your eyes.

Seeing Kaeya, you remember his hurtful words from yesterday night right away, so you were trying to create some space between the both of you.

"No, no!", he exclaimed, getting up from his knees and putting his arms around you, hugging you close to him.

"I am so sorry about yesterday, (name). I don't know how it could have possibly slipped my mind, but it did. Words can't describe how awful I feel about the things I said, but please know that I meant none of them.

I love you, and I'll do anything for you. You have every right to be angry with me and never forgive me for what I said and did, but.. please.."

After he finished, you stayed silent, not knowing how to respond to this. Then, you felt something wet against your shoulder. First it was only one time, then it got more and more and you knew that Kaeya was crying against your shoulder right now.

You then, finally, hugged him back.

He was so relieved that you did this, hoping that this meant one step into the right direction.

Maybe.. someday in the future, you can forgive Kaeya for this...

[live-fast-pet-frogs]

HOT TAKE on the episode 6 conflict

I see posts about how Blitz and Fizz making up was too rushed and how Fizz shouldn't have forgiven Blitz because he "made him lose his limbs and burn alive" etc. and. Like, don't get me wrong, valid points, but.

1. It's been 15 years

2. It's been confirmed to have been an accident

3. It was obvious Blitz still feels guilty and super bad about it (those lines from Brandon Rogers were just *chefs kiss*)

Like, I think the main reason why Fizz was upset with Blitz in the first place was because he thought what was done to him was on purpose and maliciously. But after seeing Blitz in distress and actually apologising for it, that was cleared up. Maybe if Fizz's life wasn't good he would hold more resentment but like he said, he's doing pretty well overall and makes the most out of his situation. And he isn't alone, that's very important!! He managed to move past his trauma enough to be able to have a healthy relationship with Ozzie who "understands him". The same cannot be said about Blitz who is pretty much alone in his suffering.

I'm not saying that if someone fucked you over you need to forgive them if the person is super pitiful, but if that's the one thing that keeps you both from moving past the trauma and deciding to close that chapter? Maybe it's for the best. It's been 15 years, yo. And the conflict was based largely on a misunderstanding. Yeah maybe it was underwhelming that the feud that's been presented from the beginning of the series could have been solved by one single conversation, but that's kind of life.

Personally I have a shit ton of conflicts that could be solved if me and the other person just sat down and heard eachother out, but it's just not happening. It's realistic. Just because you technically CAN solve the problem by talking doesnt mean you will actually talk. Both people need to be in the right headspace.

So I think based on all the facts we got it's not surprising Blitz and Fizz made up. This doesn't mean they will be besties or anything, but it's a start. They can let go of the resentment and steess and guilt over the broken relationship and start moving forwards. It was incredibly mature of Fizz, and hopefully it's gonna help Blitz get more in touch with his feelings and maybe get a bit of courage in trying to keep others in his life (*cough cough* Stolas *cough cough*)

I'm prepared to get mixed feedback on this and if you disagree thats fine! Let's have a convo if you're up for it, I don't have that many people in my life who I can discuss HB with :D

[fridgrave2-0]

Do you think Calhoun and Felix are endgame or Felix and Turbo? For example, if there was any kind of possibility Turbo could come back, would they get back together because of unresolved feelings or would or be an aggressive side eye situation? lol

if we take a situation where turbo is mostly forgiven by others and goes through his therapy arc, then actually think of poly

turbo would hate the idea of being around felix 'cause he still has to process the whole "he turned me into a boogeyman" thing, so he always reminds himself that he shouldn't be jealous bc of calhoun, he doesn't want this fixing piece of shit anymore (he does, but he lived with this anger on felix for 25 years so he can't just let go). turbo actually tries to interact with calhoun when felix isn't around and very soon he understands that she's actually very cool. he's been through some shit between roadblasters and sugar rush period, still feels a lot of regret and pain about turbo twins and can relate to calhoun's loss more than anyone else in the group. and, well, the whole cybug thing also adds to it. as much candybug felt excited about becoming this mutant, it was a lot from the bug perspective, and when turbo got the full control over his mind and body the terror did hit him like a bus. tamora was able to give him the understanding of cybugs, and he shared how he felt when he was eaten. "it wasn't painful or anything, at least i don't remember the pain. but i didn't feel like myself anymore, like i was under players control again, and any attempt of taking the control back just felt so wrong." it was something tamora needed, many years she lived with doubt. did her fiance even had a chance of being the man she loved after being eaten, or it would just be a monster with a familiar face. now this burden fell off her shoulders. she wasn't the one who killed him, the cybug was

turbo saw a lot of himself in calhoun. this need to keep the front all the time, to stay in control, to hide most of the emotions and do not look weak. and just like with him, she began to open up because of felix. turbo wanted to warn her, say that he already got burned by felix's light, got too close and paid for it. but keeping the distance with fix-it actually helped turbo see the whole picture, and felix seemed different now. and it shouldn't be surprising, people can change in 15 years of which he didn't see felix. maybe it was calhoun's job, or an experience of almost being unplugged, but fix-it looked almost sad everytime turbo was coming up with an excuse to avoid him. turbo learned his lesson. why did he felt so bad seeing an unspoken remorse in felix's eyes?

tamora was the one, who made them talk after too much time of walking around and playing hide and seek. in last months turbo taught himself to apologize and be genuine about it, and he was ready to do it, but with felix everything goes wrong, as always. this was exactly what fix-it wanted, it has always been like this. when turbo apologized, that was making felix in the right, no matter what was the reason. he knew felix saw the world in black in white, and that means always there's the one who's right, and the one who's wrong. and my any means turbo never was a perfect or even a decent person before, and he doesn't think so of himself now just because he realized his bad actions and said sorry couple of hundreds times. being eaten by a bug and burn in lava makes you reconsider a lot of things. but he knew he wasn't the only one who was wrong, and the idea hearing it again from felix was the worst. so turbo bit his tongue and kept his apologies

...only to hear felix saying "i'm sorry" for the first time in 30 long years. turbo didn't think it was possible, but here he was, sitting in niceland with silent but proud looking calhoun by his side while felix was pouring out his soul. apologies mixed up with tears - turbo knew that felix always cries when he gets too emotional - and felix just talked and talked for ten minutes straight, not seeing how the tension was leaving turbo's body. he relaxed, listening to felix not with a sense of triumph, but with a bit of fun. couple of times he turned to look at tamora only to see her sharing this look with him, and suddenly everything just became so simple and trivial that turbo made felix stop talking by pulling him into a hug. he wished for his apologies for 30 years, and now when he got them he didn't want to listen to it. because what was the point? turbo got the point in first two minutes, he knew felix was feeling sorry, and to list all their mistakes and bad choices would take too much of the time they had already lost

"i got the jist, big idiot, you didn't have to write a whole essay about how sorry you are", turbo said with a grin and heard felix chuckle. then he sighed and hid his face in felix's shoulder, still uncomfortable with being so open. "but thanks... i'm sorry too, y'know?"

turbo felt how felix relaxed in his arms

"yeah, i know, little idiot", felix replied, and for the first time in decades turbo felt like home. while he was keeping his face in felix's shoulder and breathing the familiar smell of pie and brick dust, felix looked at his wife, who seemed unusually soft, and uttered without a sound small "thank you". after all, without her they wouldn't ever try

[heavenlymorals]

Biblical References in the RDR Games: Part 2

You guys seemed to LOVE my original biblical references post for Red Dead so I am here to post some more because there are SO MANY. And like before, I am aware that some of these may be complete reaches, but it's my blog and I do what I want 🙃

Enjoy babes ❤️

@headersandheelers @secretcheesecakenacho Since you guys wanted to get tagged ❤️🤭

Arthur and Dutch mirror Moses and Pharaoh in chapter six. Arthur begs Dutch to let his "chosen" go, who are the people who he believes have a chance in living without the baggage of the gang (the women and John and his family). Dutch refuses to let them go, which creates the biggest conflict in chapter 6.

Arthur kicking out Strauss gives me heavy Matthew 21:12-14. Basically, Jesus kicks out loan sharks and sellers from a temple designated as a house of worship where people can be helped. Their presence destroyed the sanctity and the purity of the temple. Both the gang and the temple existed originally to help folks, but the presence of people like loan sharks destroy that original mission. So yes, Arthur kicking out Strauss is a parallel to Jesus kicking out the loan sharks from the temple.

The color for high honor is blue while the color for low honor is red. Blue in the bible is very often associated with heaven and God. Red in the bible represents the flesh that humans are trapped in during their time on earth, which can then correlate back to sin and violent.

Micah was a prophet in the bible who is most known for predicting the fall Jerusalem. Micah in the game also predicts the fall of the gang in the sense that he was the one who caused it. The name Micah also means he who is like God, so the irony is kinda funny.

John being able to see the cracks in the gang before many of the other characters could very well be a reference to this passage: "For you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you Free" - John 8:32. Abigail in RDR also says this which is a reference to this passage: "You knew the truth, John. And they hated you for it."

Just another passage that reminds of Arthur's redemption and the whole searching for peace thing: "Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it" Psalm 34:14

The mission "A Fisher of Men" is a reference to Matthew 4:18-20. "While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him." Of course, beyond just the action of fishing with Jack, this is also a parallel to Arthur's empathetic yet still firm style of talking to Jack. "It's about time you earned your keep." "You got to stick at things, Jack."

The mission "The Sheep and the Goats." In Matthew 25:31-46, it describes how God will separate people in two groups. The "sheep" will inherit heaven and the "goats" will be damned. You can connect that to the gang as well. The sheep are the ones who leave Dutch while the goats stay with him and become damned or a shameful version of who they once were.

Also note in the epilogue how John says he doesn't like goats and chooses sheep as the first animals to raise on his ranch. That could also connect to Matthew 25:31-46.

The mission name "Do Not Seek Absolution" is really interesting to me because it's the first biblical mission name that could either be a reference to scripture, which I'm thinking Deuteronomy 12:13 in the sense that one shouldn't offer their praise or worship to false gods who won't answer prayers (think Arthur and Dutch and how Arthur was still following Dutch after the gang lost it's original image) or a rejection ofa the Christian mindset of the time. Absolution is the idea of the promise of having your sins forgiven by God. It might be saying that Arthur should try to redeem himself by his action towards the person rather than his guilt towards a higher power.

Molly getting burnt rather than having a funeral is less a biblical detail but more a cultural detail. Though cremation wasn't really condemned in the Bible, the passages about being buried in the ground or in tombs was the people's standards in how they wanted their dead body to be handled due to religious reasoning. Whether or not Molly is Protestant or culturally Catholic (I lean the latter), the fact that Grimshaw asks for her body to be burnt just adds so much more weight to how cruelly traitors of the gang were dealt with

Love this stuff sm

[malk1ns]

Yesterday I came across the 5 on 3 video and since then I have been thinking about baby sid being infatuated by baby geno. Maybe one of them having a crush on the other and just being so not normal when around their crush.

so i had a little bit of a conversation with @plethoriall along these lines earlier today that is helping inform this; i hope you don't mind third party POV!

Mario has rarely regretted offering to have Sid stay with him.

Sid's rookie year he'd been a breeze; compared to most 18-year-old hockey players Mario's known, rear-ending the nanny's car was small potatoes. Sid was respectful of their home, didn't mind when the kids demanded his time and attention, and never put Mario in the awkward position of having to talk to him about not bringing hookups back. He'd expected much of the same when Sid called to let him know when he'd be returning for camp before his sophomore year.

That was before Malkin arrived.

Mario's memories of being a lovesick teenager are pretty dim at this point. He'd had his fair share of ill-advised crushes, more than one person he'd hooked up with that he probably shouldn't have, and Nathalie had forgiven more indiscretions than she should ever have tolerated, but being a 19-year-old with a world-ending crush is foreign to him.

He's doing his best to be empathetic, really he is. But there are really only so many stories one man can be expected to sit through while still pretending that his prodigy isn't head-over-heels for a teammate.

(He'd tried to broach that topic once, when Sid had come home from a night out inconsolable about Geno taking a girl back to the hotel room he still had rented in his name even though he'd essentially moved in with Sarge. Sid had locked himself in his room for three days, only coming out for practice. Austin had been devastated.)

"—and then Geno said the funniest thing," Sid is saying, and all Mario can do is grunt and listen, because Sid had followed him down to the gym and Mario figured he could put him to use as a spotter. He should have known better. "He said that Ovi's last name was...well, I don't remember exactly, but he basically called Ovi a sheep. Isn't that funny?"

"Hilarious," Mario gasps, and luckily Sid notices and grabs the bar before Mario drops it onto his chest. "Okay, I think that's enough for today."

Sid frowns, looking at the clock on the wall. "You've only been down here for twenty minutes, though."

"I have a phone call, just wanted to get a quick set in," Mario says, clapping Sid on the shoulder and making for the stairs. "Thanks, kid."

He manages to lock himself into his office before Sid can come find him with another story about Malkin, dialing Sarge's number and pouring a glass of whiskey as the phone rings.

"What," Sarge snaps as he picks up, and Mario laughs.

"Long day?" he asks, taking a sip.

Sarge's sigh is noisy over the line. "Jesus, Lem, you'd think nobody in the world has ever had a crush before," he complains. "I swear to god, If I have to listen to Sidney this or Sidney that one more time, I'm kicking him back to that hotel. It's ridiculous."

"Not much better over here," Mario murmurs, flicking through his daybook. The younger players have a PR event at Dicks tomorrow; maybe if he makes a few calls he can get Sid and Geno paired up. The cameras can't be on them the whole time. "He almost let me drop the barbell on myself just now."

Sarge snorts. "And somehow they both think the other one couldn't possibly feel the same way, even though they spend half their time making cow eyes at each other. I swear I was never this stupid."

Mario thinks back to the 90-91 season and winces. "I'm sure I came close a few times," he allows.

He has to pull the phone away when Sarge guffaws loudly in his ear. "Oh, I've heard stories," he says, and Mario wrinkles his nose. "But I don't think anything either you or I have ever done could hold a candle to this. And Zhenya won't hear a word from me about it, he acts like the world is ending whenever I try to bring it up."

"Sid's still pretending that he's just a big fan of Malkin's hockey," Mario sighs. "I'm thinking of telling comms to put them together for that event tomorrow and distract the cameras for an hour."

"We could lock them in the equipment room?" Sarge suggests. "Not for too long, of course, but..."

Mario thinks back to dinner the night before, when Sid had chattered on and on about Malkin for so long that even Nathalie's patient smile had started to fray. "I think you're on to something," he says. "Sid always stays late to talk to people—when is Malkin due for a trainer appointment? I'm sure Dana will help us out."

[milgram-tournament]

MILGRAM Best Song Tournament, Round 2, Match 5 I LOVE YOU vs. CAT

Propaganda for both options under the cut!

Propaganda for I LOVE YOU:

mappi’s spitting bars 🔥🔥🔥🗣️🗣️🗣️

ok but i, as the iloveyoucountdown person before it released, waited 89 days for ily and SHE DID NOT DISAPPOINT‼️‼️‼️🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥 go vote ily now bc its peak music

---

the acoustic section where it just feels so raw and emotional it's crazy also we love to see mappi/miho okasaki rapping again and good lord mahiru delivered hadauwd, like you think about it a lot? like "Ishokujuu plus ai Miss you Raishuu aemasuka no Cadence Yurusarenai ikigai mou iki mo dekinai" it's also so catchy just "Dai- dai- dai- datte suki suki! Dai- dai- dai- datte daisuki."

it's such a quick song but it delivers and it DELIVERS WELL there's so much in the instrumental you can also miss, like sirens and such! again guitar section it's crazy!! i didn't even touch on the visuals, like the visuals are absolutely amazing and really touch on the toxic cycle of mahiru's relationship for example, the carousel turning into a forest! and also they were still able to implement some of tihtbilwy in the beginning of the song! we got to see mahiru's boyfriend as well!! additionally, RATS AND CAKE. HOLY SHIT we all know the absolute shock that appeared on everyone's faces the second that cake turned into a rat (to be honest, I was absolutely sick with shock for the rest of the day) It's really amazing as a song and MV, plus it did help give some more information on Mahiru!

---

miho okasaki's vocals are so powerful. it sounds like mahiru is screaming because of not being forgiven and because of what happened to her boyfriend and because "she can't just do it right".

THE LYRICS ARE SO. "clothes food shelter + love and miss you"?? "my lethal weapon is how to be in love with you"?? "kiss goodbye to this feeling cuz it's too heavy"?? again, the "why can't i just do it right" line?? SO GOOD.

MAHIRU RAPPING. THIS SONG STARTS WITH HER RAPPING. LITERAL CHILLS

i've heard the i love you chorus once and now it's in my head forever. i wake up, i sing the i love you chorus. i go to sleep, i sing the i love you chorus.

the lyrics are so sad when you start thinking about them more. "saying i love you but doing what i did, i know i have no right, crossed and covered in sin"?? please, don't you want to give mappi a hug. please she deserves it. she needs it

the "DIE-suki" pun.

the mv is so. i can talk about it for hours. it literally starts with showing us what happened to her bf. i've watched it live, i knew about this part and i still was shocked. mahiru's boyfriend is dead. mahiru is also rapping. also, the lyrics. this scene is terrifying to me and i mean it in the best way possible.

the cake symbolism. mahiru refusing to accept her reality and the true nature of her relationship with her bf and still seeing everything around her as cute and soft and pink. her feeling guilty and not knowing how to express love properly and still choosing to continue to love in this way. i don't know, something about it is so.. it's so sad and so realistic and so heartbreaking

i love how we can say so much about her relationship with her boyfriend based on mv and the lyrics. this is more of a theory and i probably shouldn't talk about it but i like the fact that mappi and her bf's relationship wasn't just abusive or one-sided love or anything like that. it's like they loved each other, they just.. didn't know how to show it or express it in a healthy way (or maybe mahiru's bf did know, but he was okay with going through all of this for her). like this scene when they're both riding the carousel and looking happy at first and even when both of them look like a mess, mahiru's face expression is still pretty much the same while her boyfriend looks much more tired, but he's still smiling. something about that part breaks me.

the instrumental is so fun and chaotic and creepy please listen to it. all milgram instrumentals are great but ily instrumental is definitely one of my fav ones.

Propaganda for CAT:

"You like jazz? Jazz is chaos within order. Got to love the whole band. Vibraphone, saxophone, trumpet, flute, piano, guitar, drums, bass… Go, rhythm section, go! The song sounds tender at times and aggressive at others as different instruments pop up at different times. Sometimes they follow Kazui’s voice (“follow the king of the masquerade”). Sometimes they get to be the focus. You have the chill piano one moment and the screaming guitar in the next.

You’ve got a lovely “jingle” (“Lie until it gets better…”) which occurs at the beginning, middle, and end. It fits the “newspaper ad” style of the video really well. Also at the very end, there’s one more line that gives the jingle an upward contour, giving a sense of finality. “Until you can meet the king of the masquerade.” You’re there now.

The two verses start off differently before they take on a similar melody. It feels like Kazui is talking to a different person in each verse.

The chorus is a beautiful façade the first time and a sinister truth the second time.

The opening for solos shows that this jazz song means business. I love how the saxophone and trumpet especially get in your face. And with the tacet on vocals, the walking bass really shines if you lend it your ear.

And the smoke break! Silence is golden. Glass click. Lighter. Huff.

As always, Kazui’s voice is super deep. He hits even lower notes this time around. He’s a fifth lower than the next lowest singers (Haruka and Shidou)."

---

-Great instrumental choice. Kazui and jazz is *chefs kiss*

-Symbolism. THE SYMBOLISM. I can’t type out all my thoughts but ifykyk

-The almost comic like style of the MV is really appealing.

-Lyrics!! There is so much to unpack but it’s really cool.

-Kazui eating the dove… fricken iconic.

---

FIRST OF ALL the vocals????? BEAUTIFUL. His va put his whole pussy into this song and you can tell!! The way he sings the chorus is so damn addicting I'm so in love with him. His voice is more or less stable throughout the entire thing until the final chorus but you can hear the emotion peaking out which fits perfectly with Kazui keeping everything hidden. The way his voice turns into a sort of whisper during "all the things I wanna do that I can't say outloud"??? The way his voice starts trembling during "this feeling it's yearning to be satisfied"???? The way his voice turns into a sort of whisper AND starts trembling during "hey, if I said I liked-liked you, what would you?"?????? HEAVENLY! You can really feel how afraid Kazui is under his disguise and my heart breaks a little everytime I listen. Not to mention how absolutely powerful his voice gets at the climax!!!!!! It's insane!!!!!!! It's genius!!!!!! It makes me wild makes me crazy makes me eat my walls!!!!!!!!!!

THE SMOKE BREAK?????? What other song has something as powerful as that huh???? This isn't just a song produced by the milgram machine using his memories, this is HIS song and he is OWNING IT! The music builds up so much and gets so intense right before it, I can literally feel myself get tense and starting holding my breath right before he takes the break and everything relaxs… it's not just a break for him, but a break for the viewer. The song is spiralling out of control just like his life and his lies and he has no choice but to put it to a quick stop before its too much to handle.

THE IMAGERY IS WILD!!!!! He's a magician!!! Little magic guy!!!! Using tricks and lies to amaze and captivate the people around him! Trying desperately to magic his own feelings into something else! But it's all fake! It's all tricks and no matter how hard he tries he can never actually change himself into what he wants! But he's trying to convince himself the same way he's convinced his audience!! And when you're watching a magic act, are you there for the magician themself or are you there to watch the show?? The people in his life only cared for him when he performed for them, but they didn't give a drop of love to who he was a person! ALSO the transformation of the wedding ring to a cigarette to the dove at the end??? Makes me wild every single time! Right infront of his wife, he showed her that their marriage was something unhealthy for him that was slowly killing him from the inside. AND THEN he uses it to harm himself???? And then he turns that cigarette into a dove- a representation of love and literally TEARS INTO IT. He tears his marriage apart with his mouth!!! AKA HIS WORDS. makes me wild. Also fun fact Kazui says he started smoking because when he was younger it was "just natural for everyone to smoke" and that lines up with his reasons for marriage perfectly.

Kazui looks really hot in it. You should vote for Cat because Kazui is insanely attractive. What other reason do you need huh? Hot gay middle aged man.

[universaln0b0dy]

A dozen Roses. (Some Twist housewardens) x reader)

《Characters》 Riddle, Vil, Azul, Leona and Malleus

《Summary》: You and him had a fight. For whatever reason and the other would only be forgiven if they would be brought a dozen Roses, handpicked. Though it was only said out of anger the next week they hold said roses.

《Note》: established relationship. Also some parts will be cringe and sappy!

Riddle Rosehearts:

Riddle and you had fought about something stupid and he felt horrible. He was annoyed at the fact that you had again broken rule and even came late to the five last dates. You slightly snarky: "Well calm down it's not that bad." You had muttered had thrown him over the edge. The fight became even bigger ending with you yelling:

"MAYBE IF YOU GOT THAT STICK OUT OF YOU A-- YOU WOULD BE A GOOD PERSON!" Before you had slapped your hand over your mouth. He could see it in your eyes, you were so terribly sorry, but he was so angry at you.

"GET OUT AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT COMING BACK WITHOUT A PROPER APOLOGY WITH A DOZEN HAND PICKED ROSES!" He had yelled the out watching your face go from shocked to... sad. Tears were in your eyes and you had run out of the room, leaving Riddle with an incredible guilt.

He was feeling incredibly horrible for the whole week, collaring students left and right while nervously fidgeting. He was scared of the fact he might had lost you forever, simply because he wasn't able to control his anger.

You had also felt terrible. Crowley had been giving you more work than usual, causing you to neglect your boyfriend and on top of that you even managed to dump all of your anger on him. You felt so bad and the fact you saw collared Heartslabyul students everywhere made it seem like Riddle was still incredibly angry.

You think about what to do for 5 days, before you remember what he had said right before you left and an idea forms in your head...

Riddle sighs, it's been a whole week since you talked to him and he was truly anxious. His anger and snapping on the other students being the only thing keeping him from going insane.

Until you hold a bouquet of exactly a dozen roses in front of him, your hands covered in small cuts from the thorns. You head hung to the side.

You bite your lip slowly chewing on it before you look at Riddle. "I apologise for letting my anger out on you. I was really behaving like a prick that day..." before you can say anything else Riddle does something very out of character for himself. He hugs you, starting to sob slightly.

You were really taken aback by this. You thought he would slap the roses out of your hand out of anger but maybe he was just as scared of having ruined the relationship as you were....

Leona Kingscholar:

Leona felt like the shittiest person alive and that was rare, like really rare. But your tear stained face after he and you had a fight about his lazy behaviour something moved in him. You said that you didn't want to see him again unless he would be willing to bring you a dozen handpicked roses.

He sighed, it had already been almost a week and you hadn't talked to him and for the first time in his life, he actually took his time to reflect on his actions, unlike his usual demeanor of just sleeping his problems and insecurities away.

He sighs sitting up, realising he wasn't able to sleep. He walked around, before noticing a rose bush with the most prettiest red roses in the world. He remembered that you only wanted to see him again if he brought you a dozen of them. How hard could that be? It's just a few Roses!

You on the other hand were the spending the whole week thinking about how you might have managed to break whatever relationship you had with Leona, spending your time chewing on your nails.

Were you to harsh on the lion? You didn't know. Maybe you shouldn't have said all those things, what if he decided your relationship wasn't worth it and would break up with you if you tried talking to him?

You drowned in guilt in doubt, nothing not even the help of your friends being able to cheer you up.

This goes that way for the whole week, until Leona stands in front of you holding a bouquet of exactly a dozen roses in his hands, wich look slightly pricked. You look at the bouquet in confusion.

"Leona? Why-" He shushes you with a slight smile. "You said I shouldn't show my face unless I would be willing to also do stuff for you, like picking a dozen roses." He looks at you sighing.

"I am really sorry herbivore, your right i should maybe show a bit more care for our relationship." This time you shush him by giving him a quick kiss on the lips and softly prying the flowers from his grip, careful not to prick your hand on the thorns before you look at him.

"We can work together to make sure that you get more active!" You giggle slightly and Leona softly wraps his tail around your waist. "And we work on your confidence, don't think I didn't notice!" He says nuzzling his cheek on yours.

Azul Ashengrotto:

Azul feared he scared you away. You had been trying to get his attention of as late and he was nothing but cold to you. Maybe this was the reason you snapped and he had the nerve to snap back at you. Maybe that caused you to finally yell what you had thought of him this whole time. "WELL YOU ARE JUST AN INSECURE OCTOPUS!" And he was so hurt he yelled that you should get out.

Anxiously walking around Azul looked around fumbling with his hat. He hadn't seen you for a week and he wanted nothing more to than to crawl into his octo pot and cry. But he had a facade to keep up, at least for now.

Maybe you had told him the truth about what you thought about him, that you only thought ov him as a insecure person. He didn't like that, it was like an arrow pierced right through his heart, the worst kind of betrayal always came from those close to you.

You on the other hand really hated yourself over this, you were just so angry at the fact he had refused to spend time with you for the last three weeks, cancelling dates last minute or just ignoring you when you asked why he didn't tell you earlier.

But what you said that day was really unacceptable. Even if you were just trying to let the anger gloss over the fact that you were scared that he maybe had gotten bored of you and didn't want to tell you.

You sigh letting your head hang low, you were really an asshole. Maybe you complaining was justified but picking on his insecurities was a no go and a good enough reason to break up with someone.

You pass a pretty rose Bush with nasty lot of thorns, but the Rose's were such a pretty shade you just needed to try something......

"I am really sorry Azul. I was very frustrated that day and let my anger out on you, that was wrong and unacceptable. I apologise for the things I have said, because they're not true! You aren't just an insecure octopus. You are a wonderful person, with a pretty smile, beautiful eyes and a personality that makes it impossible to resist you!"

Azul looks at you his glasses slightly crooked and foggy, almost as if he didn't want anyone to see just how moved he was by what you said. He spent all of his time thinking of if he had been to harsh and if he should make the first step, but it looks like you beat him to it.

"Its alright I forgive you. I should have also thought about about what you needed instead of simply neglecting you. I am sorry, how about we go on a date this week and I promise I won cancel it, I'll even sign it on a contract!

Vil Schoenheit:

Who would have thought that Vil would ever get so riled up about a fight! The way you had looked at him in sheer disappointment as he had pointed out that your clothes didn't look good, or your hair was messy. You had tried to give thought into your appearance just for Vil, but what had he done for you?

Vil sighed remembering just how often hs had turned out dates simply because he wanted to keep your relationship a secret for the sake of his reputation. You had understood and after you made it official together you accepted to look more up to what Vil said you should.

Rook comes back holding the flowers he had been told to deliver and Vil perks up. "Monsior/Mademoiselle trickster has said that they will only accept a dozen of hand picked roses, handpicked by you as an apology." Vil scoffed but at the same time he understood.

Vil decides that if a dozen of handpicked roses is what you wanted, you would get them. He walks outside of this dorm, with a strange determination on his face, that caused Epel to hide away in fear.

You on the over hand try your best to not run over to Vil and ask how he was doing. Rook should of course have delivered the massage to Vil already. You have the feeling you should talk to him, but you are tired of doing everything in this relationship.

After a week you think that he has officially given up on you and you feel like crying. Did Vil really didn't care? You scream into your pillow until you hear a loud knock. Wiping her puffy eyes you walk down the stairs and open the door, only to be greeted by a bouquet of a dozen roses.

"Hey my love..." he mutters holding the roses out to you and you feel incredibly touched. "I know I haven't been the best boyfriend I could have been and I feel incredibly sorry about that. I do love you and I am sorry I haven't been able to show you that probably, please let me make it up to you!" He asks and you swear you see a small tear in his eyes.

"Of course Vil!" You yell loudly hugging him. Vil sighed relieved burying his head in the crock of your neck and you can't help but giggle.

Malleus Draconia:

Oh dear, what had you done! You had forgotten to invite him to a small party, it was no big deal but the dragon fae was incredibly angry at you and told you that you shouldn't talk to him unless you bring him a proper apology.

You sighed asking Lilia what would be a proper apology and surprised he lifts both of his eyebrows. He didn't expect you to actually want to apologise, not like many people did that, but it warmed his heart to see you try. Enough to make sure you would stay hidden from Sebek.

Now with a new mission you decide that it's time for you to apologise properly though it would take some time to pick all the roses you needed.

A whole week passes and Malleus mood drops lower each day. It has no probably landed at the earth's core. Maybe it was because his significant other had forgotten to invite him to a party, or that they took this long to apologise, but the most significant reason might be that he felt like you would leave him.

You decide that you have now picked enough roses, exactly a dozen beautiful grand roses all hand picked just for him. Your hands had small bruises all over them but you really didn't care, you really wanted to apologise.

You enter the Diasomnia dorm, wich is surrounded by a green thunder storm. Carefully you walk after Lillia, who leads you to Malleus.

Malleus sees you entering with the roses and his mood immediately lifts up. You hold the roses up to him with a grand smile before you hand him an invitation.

"I really wanted to apologise for not having invited to the party, so I thought it was only appropriate for me to celebrate a party with you!" You exclaim holding the Rose's towards Malleus.

The dragon stands up and carefully takes the roses before taking the invitation with a grand smile.

"I accept child of man."

(Here take the fluff! Also request are open^^)

[ninjastormhawkkat]

Questions plagued Carl's mind. Was Matthew going to be okay? Were they going to stop Atomic in time? What if they didn't? Was Atomic connected to the B.E.A.W Labs? "It'll be okay." Carl was brought out of his anxiety filled thoughts. Constance was looking at him with a sympathetic look. "It'll be alright Woody. Look. He's like a cockroach." Carl narrowed his eyes at her. She placed her hands up. "I'm not trying to insult him. This time. I'm just saying that he's like a cockroach because he's so damn hard to get rid of." She didn't like seeing him like this. Especially knowing exactly what he's been through. "He's so extremely difficult to get rid of. He's resilient. Though he did allow himself to be taken away. I don't think he'd be easy to get rid of. Besides. You shouldn't be underestimating that woman and your kids. They'll get to him in time. Have trust in them Woody." Carl sighed. "I suppose you're right but it's hard not to worry. He almost died once before. His life is at risk once again. I can't help it." Tears began to well up. Constance frowned at that. "Hey. It'll be alright. I promise. Besides, I don't think the kid would have it in him if they don't arrive in time." Carl was silent for a moment. "I can't help help. I'm scared Constance. Losing him. The thought tore my heart out. I know I shouldn't feel this way but I can't help it. I-" He was interrupted by her. "Hey now. It's okay. You don't need a reason to justify how you feel. You just feel the way you feel. That's all to it. " Carl was surprised at her words. Constance rolled her eyes. "You don't need to look so surprised. I can be wise and knowledgeable too." That earned a genuine laugh out of him. That was better. She didn't want to leave him in his anxiety ridden thoughts. Seeing him like that hurt. "If he does get roughed up. You can be his nurse. I'd be he'd love that. You tending to his wounds." Carl went tomato red. Sputtering her name. "Constance! You're terrible!" She cackled at his reaction. The ride to Dr.Two-Brains wad quiet. Until Maddrix spoke up, he didn't care that it was tense. He needed to speak his mind before they continued. "Atomic. I don't think he is behind anything with the B.E.A.W. Labs." Dr.Two-Brains looked at him. Raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean Matthew?" Margret wanted to make a wisecrack but remained silent. Looking at him as well. "He only went after me. If he was truly with them, he would've took Becky and I back. He would've killed you and the others. But he just wanted to go after me." Margret blinked. "Go on." Matthew was surprised they were willing to hear him out but he continued. "He didn't want to hurt anyone but me. Those who stood in the way. He may have forcefully put them out of the way but his intent with them wasn't malicious. It was personal he went after me. I don't think he knows much about the ray he had." Margret was about to put in her opinion and thoughts about it but they had already arrived at Dr.Two-Brains house. Alex landed next to them. Matthew attempted to walk into the house but he didn't make it far so Alex had to carry him in. Becky was happy to see him. Chirping happily. "Hey Becky. I'm sorry about scaring you earlier." He apologized but she had pong forgiven the man. Only caring if he was okay. Carl got up immediately and ran over to Matthew. Looking up at him with tear filled eyes. Without much thought, Carl placed his hands to Matthew's face and pulled him down into a deep kiss. Allowing it to linger for a moment before pulling away. Leaving Matthew breathless and flushed red. "Oh thank goodness! I was so scared! Don't you ever scare me like that again! I thought you were...I thought you were..."

Noticing how distressed Carl was acting, Matthew snapped into focus and cupped Carl's face. He gently brushed away the man's tears. "I know love. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that." Matthew spoke in a gentle tone, interrupting Carl's ramblings. Carl just sighed and stared back at Matthew with intense eyes. "I know you believe you deserve death and suffering after what happened all those years ago," Carl began to speak as tears filled his eyes. "But please! Please don't ever sacrificed your life like that ever again! Don't let yourself be taken or defeated so easily like that ever again! Seeing you dragged away without a fight..it was terrifying and painful to see you give up so easily like that. You may not believe it anymore, but you aren't capable of never being loved again. The thought of losing you again brought me more pain and suffering than what you did nearly 20 years ago. You are not a monster Matthew! Monsters don't feel regret, they don't apologize or feel remorse for their actions. You did that." Matthew stared silently at Carl. Neither man said nothing as they gently placed their foreheads against each other. Tears streaming from both of their eyes now. "I'm...sorry. I'm so sorry. Carl I..." Matthew tried to speak through his tears. "I know. I know." Carl only replied. Matthew didn't have to say anything. He knew what he was thinking. The others remained silent as they watched. None of them really saying anything and giving these two a moment, but also none of them having any negative reactions towards Matthew. Alex looked towards Victor and Two Brains. Both of them were having solemn but also bittersweet reactions. Alex wasn't sure what Victor was thinking, but he highly suspected what Two Brains was. Alex always figured, deep down, Two Brains could never fully hate his father. Whenever he was mentioned before, Two Brains would always have a solemn look, but never a hateful one. Alex figured Two Brains still loved the father that raised and cared for him and his siblings so well, he just hated the killer the man had become. Alex didn't hold it against him. He knew that if his parents and Rebecca were still alive, they wouldn't hold it against him either. Everyone was soon startled by Becky suddenly growling even as Tristan held her. They turned around and saw Atomic was beginning to wake up from the back of Victor's car. Carl, Tristan, Constance, the Chaotic four, Joe, Alan, Agent AA, and the Henchmen begin to tense up. Some of them were looking ready for an attack. Dr. Two Brains raised up his hands to halt them. "Hang on a second everyone. Atomic may be conscious but trust me. He doesn't have access to his powers right now." Dr. Two Brains tried reassuring them. Victor then spoke up. "He's right. Two Brains took his powers. He is out of the game but only temporarily." Atomic began to become lucid and tried to get out of the car. "How did you do that?" Jenkins asked as he still took on a defensive stance. Dr. Two Brains shrugged. "I went Professor Terror on him and shot him with a device from my staff that not only inhibited his powers, but also knocked him out pretty good. I originally designed the device in case Miss Power ever came back but I figured this was still a good time to use it." Two Brains casually explained. As Atomic got to his feet and his mind became more clear, his eyes soon landed on the group. His expression instantly morphed from puzzlement to fury when he spotted Maddrix standing near them still alive. "YOU ARE DEAD MADDRIX!" Atomic yelled before jumping into the air...and later falling back down flat on his face. It was a comedic sight. "Hey Matthew is stubbornness reacting out of emotion an inherited trait from your side of the family?" Two Brains asked in a sarcastic tone as he stared at the fallen Atomic with an annoyed deadpan expression. Matthew shrugged. "Um' shouldn't we still tie him up even though he doesn't have any powers?" Sunshine suggested. "I got this. Fluffy please wrap up the crazy hero." Archie requested his pet spider. @dualnaturedscientist

[daytaker]

Belphie's most redeeming personality trait is that he loves Beel so much.

Actually, the fact that Beel loves Belphie so much might be even more redeeming than the other way around.

Joking. Joking. I actually enjoy Belphie a lot, but he is such a little shit. I don't even really care that he murdered me, like, we all have our issues, but he's so jealous and petty sometimes and he wants you to do shit for him because he's so lazy and he does not do a whole lot of self-reflection to understand why what he did to MC was bad and how genocide is never the answer.

That said, he is SUCH a youngest child. I'm the eldest of five siblings and I can totally see my youngest sister in Belphie. Entitled, bratty, but also able to get away with it because, well... I mean, she's the baby.

I see a lot of people either defending Belphie against all attacks or complaining that Belphie gets forgiven by the story and by other players way too easily, and I wanna make it clear I don't fall into either camp. He's just a fun little guy to me. In this game about befriending/almost romancing a bunch of demon boys and a human and an angel I think that things remain a lot more enjoyable when keeping in mind that the game doesn't take itself too seriously and maybe we shouldn't either.

Kumbaya, and all that. He's a little shit but he's a cute little shit, and they're all kind of little shits. Except Simeon. Simeon has never done anything wrong in his entire life.

[blueberrypancakesworld]

Between the books is love

Prince/Archmaster Vaegon Targaryen x fem!reader

warning : mentioned children death, alcohol (drinking wine), fluff, comfort, holding hands, no use of Y/n

Summary : Jahaerys and Alysanne had many children princes and princesses but the seventh would go down as Archmaster Vaegon and early prince. A young man who favours books over others, but is that true? Is it true that he cannot love or is the young prince hiding something like everyone else at court?

Info : I wanted to write for Vaemond for a long time and I thought he needs some fluffy in his life have fun reading ;)

cover by me (again I really like it)

masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

King Jahaerys the first of his name, the old king, the wise a man, a king and a father of thirteen children princes and princesses born to his beloved sister queen Alysanne Targaryen.

A royal couple who were probably among the most loved in history, rightly and wrongly, as duty, marriage and honour were something that would haunt the royal family, causing the deaths of many princes and princesses and rumoured to be a companion to the Dance of the Dragons.

But above all, the family was meant for the many different personalities of the children from the sweet little princesses who loved to have dolls and cats, the older sister who was a better fighter than some knights, the kind and respectful princes who could make it to king and the little runaways who caused trouble to the gentle simple ones.

Or the seventh son Vaegon Targaryen the only one of his family and one of the few with the blood of the dragon who neither had one nor was and would become king or prince for life.

The middle-born prince who never seemed to smile, who spent his silver-gold head behind books day in and day out seemed inquisitive, polite when it mattered and yet never did his duty again.

You never saw him fighting with his brothers, playing the harp or even in the dragon pit he was almost an oddity as if he was a shadow of his parents whose grief and emotions had turned away from him due to the many losses of his siblings. ,,An eccentric through and through who can't even fight properly...pathetic for a prince," she heard Alyssa say, sitting with her ladies in waiting in the garden under the white boy with the blood-like red leaves.

The princess and her high-born friends were surrounded by sweet food and bitter wine on a sunny day that had not started well. Taking a sip of the wine to stifle her words, she looked around.

She loved days like this when the sun was warm and she could just sit here with her friends and the princess, but thinking about tomorrow made her sad.

A kind of royal breakfast had been arranged in the great hall and the court had been invited to celebrate the alliance with a house, but there was an argument between Vaemond and her friend Alyssa.

The two-eyed woman had still not forgiven her younger brother for insulting his former fiancée and sister Daella as stupid. He shouldn't have said something like that back then, it was rude…but Alyssa is so mean, she thought, not realising how one of her friends was now trying to speak to her for the third time.

,,By the fire breath of Meyleys, where are your thoughts?" she finally heard the question and winced as the wine in her silver cup almost dripped onto the book on her lap and she quickly put the cup down.

,,Nowhere-nowhere, I'm just enjoying the day," she assured, but saw that her friends had seen through her and smiled. They all knew who each other fancied, some fancied a knight, others a lord, a merchant's son or Alyssa her brother, but they also knew that one of them fancied someone in particular.

,,Just enjoying the day? Or the thought of Vaegon giving you a look at breakfast today?" Lady Velaryon asked, her seahorse necklace moving slightly as she came closer, her eyes twinkling to depict the scene. While Alyssa put on an offended expression and mumbled about buffalo while making a grumpy expression.

Shaking her head slightly but not finding it funny, she rolled her eyes, ,,He doesn't like to smile and he's not always nice when he needs to be but he's a prince with a sense of duty and…well, pretty eyes," she defended herself and moments later was enveloped in a group hug by Alyssa and the others who all laughed together.

She appreciated her friends for that, they all supported each other and had even managed to have several meetings in the gardens and the courtyard, it was only a matter of time before they would all find a husband, the laughing flowers as they are sometimes called because of their different colour dresses and their hearty laughter.

The meeting that took place in the garden slowly came to an end in the afternoon as the princess had to go to Valyrian lessons and the others went about their own business. She, on the other hand, almost ran into the library where she had volunteered to dust books and refill candles.

A task she was quickly assigned by the servants who were happy not to do this as it was considered boring but not for her she liked reading love stories and dragons in addition to the ancient knowledge of the Archmasters. It was simply soothing and, above all, she could always see Vaegon sitting at a table with a pile of books next to him.

Opening the wooden door and going inside, it didn't take her long to grab the bucket of new white kezrne and a feather duster next to it and start crawling up the stairs into the upper, narrower and not insignificantly high compartment.

,,You always look like a spider," Alyssa had once said, removing spider threads from her hair as they only cleaned softly up there, but she didn't mind. It was a place where she could see everything and enjoyed reading alone or watching the prince in an almost forbidden way.

Time passed as she removed some of the cobwebs that almost enveloped the books, dusted them off and left them in there for a while before sorting them and replacing the candles in the shelves.

Some time passed and she heard the door open again, but a glance told her that it was neither one of the servants nor the castle's own master, it was her favourite Vaegon.

Just as she thought, he went to the shelves to get his books but she felt nervous when she saw him suddenly take the stairs up here.

looking down and smiling at him, ,,Good day my Prince Vaegon a pleasure to see you" she greeted him and felt the warmth on her cheeks as she looked into the violet eyes. Saw that he looked a little surprised when he saw her and looked at the books as he seemed to have found one. ,,My lady, could you give me the book on the ancient ores of Valyria, second shelf, third row?" he asked, pointing to the row in question.

Nodding hastily, she turned round and looked for it, feeling her heart beat faster as he called her My Lady and heard his quieter, ,,Thank you for making the effort" as he slowly descended the stairs again and waited for her.

She took the book he had meant to find and decided to fetch the ores and the dust mop later. Descending the stairs with the book in her hand, she had her eyes on Vaegon rather than her feet, which caused her to let out a startled cry as she stepped next to a ladder rung and lost her footing.

She clutched the book as if it would give her support, closing her eyes in fear of the pain as if that would make it any better. But instead of hitting the ground with a thud, she felt someone pulling her close.

Someone was holding her just too tightly, their fingers closed around her body and a smell of leather, wax and wine was coming towards her. ,,Are you all right?" was the first thing she heard as she looked into the completely worried face of Vaegon, who had slowly sat down on the floor while her body lay in his arms. His violet eyes showed life, emotion and concern for someone who was not himself for the first time.

He could feel some care that came from something deeper, otherwise she was sure he would have just let everyone else go down. His fingers holding her arms still didn't let her go and she just nodded slowly, ,,Yes-yes I'm fine thank you Vaegon" she replied, almost whispering, the shock and fear making her slightly fuzzy, her hands still closed tightly around the book and she held it out to him appathetically as if it was her life's work.

But then she heard something she had never heard before his laughter he laughed and laughed he thought it was hilarious that she was holding the book out to him and hugged her even closer. ,,Oh my lady you're ready for anything sweet and amusing" he said and she saw the surprised sparkle in his violet eyes as he slowly rose and pulled her to her feet.

His hand still gripped hers as he gave her another thank you and led her to his table, ,,Please take care lady and join me," he said, pointing to the chair next to him where he helped her up and slid one of his books over to her which contained Royal Houses of the First Men.

,,Light reading to ease your mind and distract you I wouldn't want anything to happen to you" he said and squeezed her hand lightly before opening his book and staying with her talking to her about books, wine and the citadel, his house, her house but above all he didn't let go of her hand and kept stroking and squeezing it to signal to her that he was there.

A prince would protect her whether with a smile or without one Vaegon was there for her he could very well feel something and it was a love hidden between two bookworms who saw each other more than once in the library and not just to read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[welovelouisandbucky]

Peter Parker Headcanon

Summary:This is how I think Peter Parker would be with artist!reader

A/n: heyya guys!!! I just wanna apologize and thank everyone who showed support to few of my series that I started but did not post anything after first chapter, I started those series when I was feeling very motivated and was full of ideas but in excitement I didn't planned them out properly and it backfired. I wasn't feeling like it anymore but I knew I have to post and I did write chapters for all of them but I wasn't happy with my work so I never posted them, and it's my fault because I shouldn't have posted them online before planning them out properly, but I promise I will complete them but not anytime soon because I just don't feel like writing them any more. for now I just want to write small one shots and headcanons so I would really appreciate if you guys show these ideas support too, thank you!!

S/n: you can imagine any Peter Parker but I personally had Andrew!Peter in mind when writing this so yeah, likes and reblogs are appreciated and as well as positive criticism, pls don't hate on me 😭 thank you!

T/w: just fluff!! One swear word? none I guess other than my writing lol

I think he really enjoys drawing because it's one of the things he finds calming. 

He usually prefers to watch you draw/sketch, because he thinks you look super cute while you're concentrating on a certain detail or drawing the outline of the figure.

When you guys are drawing together, he'd try to draw you, so he can show you how beautiful you truly are. He just loves you so much he can't help it. 

Gets distracted easily, and blames it on you, and when you ask what you did he'll say something like "stop being so goddamn cute!" or like "you're looking too cozy and cute, makes me wanna cuddle the life out of you!" 

He absolutely LOVES painting with you because then he gets to start a paint war with you. In two or less minutes you guys would be covered in 50 shades of grey🤭😉

And let me tell you, the way he drew you is *chef's kiss* so good. The boy literally put his heart out on this drawing.

When he finally shows you the drawing he'd say something like "I'm sorry if it's not good. And please be honest if it's shit, okay?" "Peter, what are you talking about?! This is beautiful! I look so pretty!! You made me so beautiful in this!" " Well that's because YOU are BEAUTIFUL!" 

He'll most definitely take you to picnic dates, somewhere far and beautiful. He'd lay there next to you while you draw in silence. Those kinds of dates are his favorite; super relaxing and peaceful.

Would model for you if you ask him to, but the poor boy can't sit still. He needs to move or else he'll go crazy, but will apologize every time he moves, you're quick to tell him it's fine and that you don't expect him to become a statue.

Would buy you art supplies but will be too scared to give you because he knows you don't like it  when he spends his money on you. So he'll sneakingly leave it at your desk thinking you won't notice, but of course you did. Will get scolding from you afterwards. 

Let's be honest, you love it when he buys you art supplies, it makes you happy to know that he actually cares enough to got you those, but the thing is art supplies are expensive as fuck! He works really hard for what he earns, and you don't want him to waste it on you. You get scolded in return when you tell him this.

"Nonsense! I'm not wasting anything, you should know that, Y/n! You know, it actually hurts me to think you'd even think something like that." "I'm sorry, Peter." "You're forgiven, but only because I need my cuddles and kisses," "and because you love me?" "yeah that too, but mostly my cuddles."

Definitely, will take (swing) you to different places he thought was worthy enough to be drawn. Or when you're not feeling motivated, or when the art block is just too strong; because he understands how tough it can get for you.

He's always there for you no matter what. He truly understands you, and helps you out when you have no motivation or ideas to create anything. Calms you down when you're frustrated because the drawing you finished is not looking the way you wanted it to be. Always tells you how talented you are and how much he's proud of you and everything you create

Always reminds you to take care of yourself and asks you if you have eaten anything yet? Because when you're drawing you always lose track of time and forget to eat. 

Definitely finds it funny when you rant about how drawing hands is an absolute nightmare, but agrees with you nonetheless. 

100% had said "draw me like one of your French girls" at some point with a dramatic gesture. 

Shows you off to everyone he meets like, " have you met my girlfriend? She's so talented like ohmygod, here look at this" proceeds to show the person your artwork while you stand there embarrassed but so in love

Definitely has hung up your drawings in his room

He's your number one supporter, but does points out mistakes if he sees one (we love honest feedbacks)

So in conclusion Peter Parker is absolutely whipped for you

Thank you so much for reading this I hope you enjoyed this!!

[talistheintrovert]

the urge to compare Dangerous Romance to Bad Buddy is strong, because there ARE parallels, but I would argue that those parallels actually do a really good job of highlighting the differences.

On the surface, they're both enemies-to-friends-to-lovers stories, where one half is a loud, brash, emotionally illiterate idiot (who isn't as much of an idiot as he pretends to be) and the other half is a reserved, bitchy, intelligent person who starts pining first and keeps it to himself.

but that's about where the similarities end. Because Kang is not Pat. And I mean that both (affectionate) and (derogatory). Affectionately because Kang is his own person with his own characteristics, he's not just a copy of a different character. And Derogatorily because, well. Kang was a BULLY three episodes ago. Pat could be a dick, sure, Pat picked on Wai, absolutely, but Pat would never bully somebody below him. He picked on Wai because he figured it was fair game. Kang pretty much EXCLUSIVELY picked fights with people lower than him, people he thought as lesser. He exerted power over them. And just because he seems to have stopped doing that now doesn't mean that didn't happen, and it especially doesn't mean that Sailom has forgotten it. Because SAILOM WAS ONE OF HIS VICTIMS.

which brings me to my next point - Sailom is not Pran. Sailom isn't just a rival, he was BULLIED by Kang, and he might have forgiven him for that now that they're friends but he can't *forget it*. You see it in that scene where he flashes back to the bullying when Kang offers him a lift on the back of his bike. That power imbalance plays a large part in making their relationship speed up and then slow right back down in these last few episodes.

But that isn't the only thing holding Sailom back, it's also their complete economic disparity. Kang is wealthy and Sailom is poor and in danger of being hurt because of debts he shouldn't have to be responsible for and every episode goes through great pains to remind not just us but THEM of the massive gap between them. Sailom is hyperaware that he can't think of anything except earning money, he doesn't have the time or energy to waste on somebody who doesn't like him back, so you see him, over and over again, shutting down any feelings he might have for Kang. Unlike Pran, who lets himself pine because it's the only thing he CAN do. Pran doesn't think he has a chance with Pat but he's allowed to love him in private, so he does. He yearns and he cries and he resigns himself to that fate. But Sailom can't even do that. He won't let himself.

People keep saying that Chimon isn't selling their chemistry as much as Perth but honestly I think that's INTENTIONAL. Sailom can't have what he wants and he KNOWS this. He's ALWAYS known this, it's just the reality of his life, and it's obvious in the way he talks. Even when Kang asks him what career he wants, he says engineering, but only a full half-episode later does he reveal that that isn't really true. But it's true to him, it has to be, because it's his only option. So even if he likes Kang he has to tamp it down constantly to avoid falling into the trap of having hope that Kang could ever like him back. He's always making a conscious effort NOT to be too affectionate.

The only times you can see him wearing his emotions on his face are when Kang opens up about something and you can see Sailom forget himself and just sort of LOOK at him, all open and emotional, and then it disappears right after.

gif from this post by @moonjisung because it's too early to find it in the tag lol

Meanwhile Kang doesn't overthink anything like that. So he can be overly affectionate and gaze at Sailom lovingly and not even question it. Because he likes Pimfah!! he's just being goofy with a new guy friend!! it's normal!! he doesn't like Sailom, that would be ridiculous, it's totally normal to be lost in your platonic bro's eyes!! he's obtuse, blind to his own feelings, and that's kind of to his own advantage because he'll continue to flirt without worrying about it. He'll continue to get distracted by Sailom because he hasn't worked out WHY Sailom is so distracting yet.

But Sailom knows exactly how he feels and that's exactly WHY he's always pulling back and not lingering in those moments as much as Kang. It's not that he doesn't have the ability to flirt or the chemistry either - if you think back to the first couple of episodes, Sailom has this flirtatious confidence when he hates Kang that just oozes out of him in every confrontational scene they have.

but he can't have that confidence with something he *actually wants.*

[jane-john-doe-tournament]

Jane Doe (Ride the Cyclone) Propaganda:

Great singing, also she’s literally wearing a doll‘s head bc she lost hers

do they have their soul or is it rotting somewhere with their head?

BALLAD OF JANE DOE IS SO SAD AND SHE IS GREAT AND I ONLY WATCH RTC ONCE BUT SHES NY FAVE OK

cool asf

She forgets her name after her death and has no story told in the production

She's so sweet and deserves the world. Her song (The Ballad of Jane Doe) is great.

the song goes so hard just listen to her song guys please

she literally died and her head was cut off so nobody could tell who she was PLEASE let her take one (1) W

BECAUSE SHE IS AMAZING. First she already won the tournament in the musical to regain life, as she won them over with her sad wet cat energy because she did not have a head and feared that she lost her soul. Second, she died on a roller coaster and lost her head, but stole her doll's head and thats very gender. Third, throughout the musical she is used as a vessel for religious allegory, she is an angel, she is jesus, she is a demon, she is forsaken but she is purity itself. Fourthly, she is is given the identity of Savannah with the greenest eyes after the other characters who died with her hold her a birthday party, and I think thats sweet because its probably some kind of meaning I cant see but auughfhfhh shes so cool

i mean her name isn't TECHNICALLY jane doe but we refer to her as such. she's so silly!! autism powers! i don't have a lot of propaganda tbh. i would've just been surprised had she NOT been submitted

She lost her head literally when the rollercoaster derailed. She wasn't able to be identified apart from the school uniform she was wearing.

Her name is forgotten, and so is everything about her. So she’s called Jane Doe. She’s very sweet and very creepy, but she doesn’t mean it

and im asking WHYYYYY LORRRRRDDD

I LOVE HER! she died in a roller coaster accident and was decapitated, her body not being found. in the show, her head is actually just her doll’s head. the coroners couldn’t identify her, so she was dubbed a jane doe. in the game to be alive again, she ends up being voted, her name being revealed to be penny lamb. anyways she’s a little creepy and also quite silly and she does her funny little waddle like a porcelain doll (or corpse).

She deserves it! She lost her head she shouldn't lose this too.

Not convinced you didn’t start this tournament just for her tbh

They have a great song and a true air of mystery to them. They also have arguably the best song in the musical, The Ballad of Jane Doe! I would definitely recommend listening to it >:)

—She LOST her HEAD and had it replaced with a PORCELAIN DOLL —In all seriousness her story is really poignant. No one could identify her body so she arrives in the afterlife not knowing her identity and she spends the show vacillating between depressed and angry at her situation, leading to… —“The Ballad of Jane Doe”, specifically Emily Rohm’s version, might be the most haunting solo in musical theatre history.

John Doe (Milgram) Propaganda:

well atp hes prolly not gonna be forgiven in the trials so hopefully he can at least get farther in this

in a supernatural prison full of sympathetic murderers, john just so happened to be the one corner case. neither a prisoner nor a warden, he's just kinda there! the one being officially (if not legally.) prosecuted for the crime is his alter, kayano mikoto, although it's unclear which one of them actually killed someone. after getting the verdict of "unforgiven" in the first trial of three for their crime, john is certainly being insistent on the fact that he's an entirely horrible person who killed without measure; all for the sake of becoming the scapegoat and diverting the negative attention from mikoto. he's just a little shit who would do anything for the person he cares about the most in the world and who hates himself so so bad. deep devotion? he has that. grey morals? absolutely. homoeroticism? you tell me. mainstream tumblr you would love him. also his name is like that because a fifteen-year-old amnesiac called es named him (while the events take place in japan) so do with that what you will

[beevean]

A more fleshed out idea of how I would have ended the Lenector story in the most balanced way I can think of.

Lenore is Hector's prisoner, as per canon. He still treats her as nothing happened, like a good friend, but Lenore is sulking and angry and not even bothering to keep up the façade like Hector used to do in her position. It's unfair, after she treated him as her only confidant, and she couldn't care less, that's what the traitor gets. Hector thinks he should be happy, to have reversed the roles on her... but he isn't. Unlike Lenore, power over another person doesn't satisfy him. He can't help but see her as a depressed animal in a cage... much like he used to be.

He wanted to protect her, he really did, but only now he's seeing how much hurt he caused her. Much like she said she meant to do with the ring, although to this day he doesn't know if it was a lie or the truth. There is no joy in inflicting her the same fate she inflicted upon him, even if it comes from a place of well-meaning and not selfishness. He has seen what that kind of "eye for an eye" mentality brings to the world, and he wants none of it.

So, he finally takes a decision for himself, and repays the one debt he has with her. He helps her flee from the castle. He is, for the first time, showing empathy to a person and not an animal.

(I don't even think Isaac needs to be kept in the dark. Lenore on her own is harmless, nothing like Carmilla who became a danger to the world. Hector and Lenore are dangerous tools in the wrong hands, but they lack the ambition that makes them solid threats, as they are mostly concerned with feeling safe. If Isaac truly wants to do good to everyone, he has no reason to keep Lenore as a prisoner, not even to force her to work for him. Same for Hector, since the two might have "forgiven" each other, but they have no relationship whatsoever. Perhaps him heeding Hector's request could show more how compassionate he has truly grown.)

Lenore is confused as to why, and Hector more or less explains that he couldn't bear watching her drinking herself into a stupor. Lenore snaps, and yells at him that he has no right to feeling sorry for her after what he has done, after going behind her back, after ruining her life... and is promptly shot down by Hector flashing his mutilated hand. Every ounce of ire Lenore directs at Hector is actually directed at herself, and they both know it. She is deeply regretting everything she did for the sake of people that didn't even respect her, she is just too proud to apologize. And her pride, her insecurity, her need to be the one in control, was what prevented her from truly being the good person she wanted to be. The very reason Hector wasn't happy with her despite her best efforts, and destroyed her life.

She really thought something so paltry as a slave ring would tame the human spirit. She really thought humans, like vampires, would care more about safety than freedom. For a diplomat who set herself to bridge humankind and vampirekind, she let her basic instincts get the better of her.

"Why didn't you just kill me back then?" she yells, attacks, it feels so good to blame Hector rather than herself. "At least I wouldn't have known how little I matter to you!"

"I'm no longer that child," Hector responds. "I'm no longer the boy who believes to have the right to punish others. Besides, shouldn't you know the desire to spare someone's life no matter what?"

They had never breached that subject again, not after Lenore dismissed it in a fit of denial. It still weighs on her. He can no longer care.

"All this time," Hector says at last, "I expected an apology, but I think I don't need it anymore. As much as I don't need you anymore. I'm grateful for your efforts to protect me from your sisters' ire, so now I'll use them to live for myself. I'm sorry it had to be this way."

He holds no grudges anymore, and he has genuinely come to appreciate the real Lenore behind her masks and the way she took care of him during the previous six weeks, when the world would have chewed him and spit him out; but at the same time, he can't bear staying with her. She makes him too sad. It reminds him of how low he allowed himself to be brought for the sake of some scraps of love. She reminds him too much of a version of him he doesn't want to be. There are too many conflicting feelings in him. He can't help but think that, in another life, the two could have been genuine friends, if not more... but not this one. Too much baggage, too much shared misery. He is done with it. No more will he seek safety and love in other people, as if he wasn't strong enough. He deserves better.

Lenore doesn't know what to think anymore. She wants to die so badly, she is almost tempted to not hide herself from the sun: she can't concieve her existence as nothing more than a black hole, unworthy of living. She is nothing more than a disgusting monster doomed to spread misery to the world, she thinks, and she should die like one. She has nothing left, no allies, no home, and the one person she fell in love with is pulling away from her, and she can't bear being abandoned, and she completely understands why he's doing so. At the same time, however... Hector too has nothing left, and yet he wants to live. After everything he went through, after himself desiring death at Isaac's hand, he wants to experience real life, not survival like he has done since he was born. Lenore pretended to praise his strength when she was manipulating him, but now she has come to genuinely admire that trait. Can she, a vampire used to nothing but comfort, be as strong as a human being?

She wants to ask Hector if he thinks she's a good person. A glance at his mutilated hand answers her more than any word could. Lenore, all this time, had no idea what being "good" meant, she was only good at putting up a façade of gentleness, and she thought it was enough. All this time, she behaved like a vampire pretending to be human... so now, she will learn from the best human she has ever met. The best person. The only one who saw her as a person as well, behind her masks, behind her usefulness.

Even if Hector is now walking towards the dawn, with nothing but his resolution. For the first time, he will live for him, for himself.

They will never meet again, but in a twisted way, they gave each other what they needed to grow.