#depending on the con I am realizing that they’re not always standing together

[independent-fics]

The Leverage OT3 in Every Episode

Leverage: 01x01 The Nigerian Job

[dnd-writes]

A Gift From Within

AO3

Tags: Non-con, yes, yet another non-con fic. Sex toy!Hyunjin, bondage, ruined orgasms, anal, cum in ass, anal, cum in ass, anal, cum in ass, you guessed it, anal, cum in ass, cockwarming, technically food play-ish, bowl, cum swallowing

A/N: Thanks to late night degen hours, Smite's fic idea that spawned that KIOF fic, and my inbox being flooded by you guys (@kaedespicelatte pinging for no reason at all) Happy birthday to Loossemble's commander, Hyunjin!!! For her birthday, I present to her... a non-con fic! Feeling very down bad lately so uhh, expect more of these short non-con quickies in the coming days. So I guess welcome to my new apparent series which we'll call... Non-con November (depending on how things go, likely it will continue into December, so the name is temporary (though not like it needs a name)) Also don't expect these to be logical or sensical, just lots of horny degen ramblings that I put together Also, this is admittedly 'sub-par' but I promise the next fics will be 'better'

You wake up next to Hyunjin’s drugged body, you get to your feet and grab the rope laying on the table beside you. You waste no time as you get to work. You start by taking her clothes off, just the prospect of seeing her naked body is getting you hard already. You grope Hyunjin’s chest for a bit before taking her shirt off, then you unclasp her yellow bra and all that’s left are her bare tits, not the biggest but they’re still cute little handfuls. They feel so soft as you touch them but you stop yourself before you get too carried away, you still have a plan to execute. All that’s left are her skirt and underwear but you take those off with ease, leaving Hyunjin fully nude on your bed. What Hyunjin lacks in the breasts department, she makes up for in ass and thighs, you give her asscheek a quick slap and watch as it ripples across her skin. You grab a whiff of her pussy, heavenly, you help yourself to a little meal but with Hyunjin drugged out, there’s not much for you to get, so you carry on with the next step, tying her up.

“There and there.” You tighten whatever knots still feel loose as you finish, you stand up to admire the work you’ve just spent about an hour doing, Hyunjin’s naked body tied up. Her body is bent in half, her ankles are tied behind her head while her hands are tied behind her back. It almost looks like a full nelson made even rougher than it already is, just without a cock spearing into her asshole from below, though you’re about to fix that soon enough. For now you caress Hyunjin’s delicate face, her sleeping look and the ropes tied around her body, each beauties in their own right.

It doesn’t take long until you hear Hyunjin groaning. “Ah, just in time.” You pick her up then put her down on the ground, you take your pants off then kneel down, raising her hips so that you’re at just the proper height for your cock to line up with Hyunjin’s asshole. You play around a bit as you wait for Hyunjin’s consciousness to fully recover. You graze your length along her slit, dry, as expected. But you can’t wait to have her squirt endlessly for hours on end. 

Hyunjin’s eyes flutter awake, she tries to stretch her body but she quickly realizes her limbs are stuck in place, she tries to struggle but finds her whole body tied up, only managing to move her head about her neck but nothing else. “W-Who are you?! Where the hell am I?! What the hell is this?!”

You simply close her mouth with your fingers, “Shh, shh, shh. Everything is going to be alright, Hyunjin. Just relax, it will be over before you know it.”

Even with your gentle instructions she still doesn’t listen, they never do, always wanting to do it the hard way. “No. No, no, no. Help! Someone HELPPPP!!!” she screams for help but you just sigh at her, you’ve sound-proofed the place long ago, yelling will just waste her angelic voice. You stand up and grab a pair of scissors, immediately Hyunjin shuts up but you just chuckle, the scissors aren’t for her, at least, not directly. In your other hand you hold a roll of duct tape, you close Hyunjin’s mouth and wrap about two rounds of tape around her head before cutting it off. “That should do it, now again, just relax, Hyunjin. It’s gonna be easier for both of us, I’m telling you.”

Now onto the next step. You take your cock and spit on it, jerking off a bit as you spread the saliva everywhere. Then you spit on Hyunjin’s asshole and immediately he begins to panic as she realizes what you’re about to do, thrashing with all her effort although her body barely even moves. She screams as best she can through her taped mouth while shaking her head but you remind her again. “Relax… or it’s gonna be painful.” 

You spread Hyunjin’s cheeks apart but her tense body is just clenching heavily causing her sphincter to blink at you. But you still carry on, you make one last attempt to spread her ass open but it barely seems to do anything. You spit on the tiny hole once again as you start to penetrate it, the saliva helps a little bit as you feel yourself ever so slightly sliding into Hyunjin’s asshole. Slowly but surely you push past the entrance and you find yourself sinking every inch deeper and deeper into her anal canal. Even with the gag, you can still hear Hyunjin’s cute little moans.

You finally hilt and you give Hyunjin some time to adjust to your size. In the meantime, you play with her pussy. You start simple, just the middle and pointer fingers, but as you make your way inside, Hyunjin reacts violently. “Sensitive, aren’t we?” It’s like she would much rather have a thick cock in her ass than two fingers in her pussy, though it’s not like you would care for that boundary, you’ve broken so many at this point, what’s another one?

You slowly curl your fingers inside of Hyunjin, prodding and exploring her vaginal walls as you maneuver your fingers in and out. You finally hit a spot that gets the most reaction out of her and you don’t hesitate to start attacking it. Hyunjin’s muffled moans fill the room as her breath gets more and more erratic.

Before Hyunjin can reach orgasm, you pull your fingers out, she looks extremely annoyed. Probably the only good thing she’ll ever be able to enjoy today and even that you stripped away from her. You make an audible sound of delight as you stick your soaked fingers in your mouth, you could have had more but you decided it’s been long enough since you penetrated Hyunjin’s ass.

You start to pull out then thrust deep inside again, your skin slaps hers and it causes her thighs to jiggle. You thrust again and again until you find a steady pace to fuck her ass at. Each slap onto her ass is accompanied by a mixture of hindered grunts and moans coming from Hyunjin. You lift Hyunjin’s ass into the air, bending her into an L-shape as you start slamming your hips into hers. You bend forward and meet her face, you could have kissed her but she was being too much of a loudmouth that you had to do something about it. Instead you attack her neck, sucking and biting on her exposed skin, repaying some of the pain you caused by giving her some hickeys.

You give one last slam as you feel your balls draining into Hyunjin’s ass. She expects you to be done, to do something else, but you don’t even pull out of her butt. “That’s one,” you say. You lift her off the ground while making sure your cock doesn’t leave the confines of her rear. As you press her up against the wall, Hyunjin realizes what your plan is, to fill her ass with cum. It’s simple, you fuck her ass and cum, then fuck her ass and cum, then fuck her ass and cum again, just that over and over until the day finishes.

You fuck her a couple more times in the bedroom, counting every load you dump deep into her. You fuck her against the wall, then you fuck her while holding her close and giving her more hickeys while sitting on your side of the bed, then you fuck her for the last time against a different wall. Now a total of four loads as you exit the bedroom.

You make your way to the kitchen. You fuck her on the table while waiting for your coffee, then you fuck her against the counter while waiting for your toast. You head back to the table where you start fucking her while sitting on a chair, after every orgasm you switch seats and take a bite of your toast, repeating it until you finish your meal. By now you’ve lost count of how much you’ve dumped and you couldn’t be bothered to recall it. 

You spent so much time that your coffee is now cold and it’s almost the afternoon. You head over to the living room and turn the TV on, with nothing to watch you just put Netflix on and play the next episode of your show. Though instead of focusing on the program, of course, you focus on Hyunjin’s ass. You fuck her missionary on the left side, then you fuck her cowgirl in the middle, then you fuck her while embracing her again on the right side, only except this time instead of biting her neck, you spray kisses along her face. After that you fuck her on the coffee table, then you fuck her on the floor, then you prone bone her along the length of the couch. You hear the TV stop making sound which is your signal to move elsewhere. 

You head upstairs and look for a new room to indulge in your depravity and your eyes set on your office. For once, you’re not here to work, but rather you’re here to stuff someone’s ass full of your cum. 

You barely make it inside and you’re already starting to fuck Hyunjin’s asshole again, you push her up against the door, you hold her in place as you piston your cock into her from below. You take this time as an opportunity to have a go at her chest. Due to her petite size, you’re able to almost swallow one whole breast into your mouth, it almost feels like jello the way it jiggles in your mouth. You latch onto her whole breast like a child and your tongue starts to play with her nipple, flicking it, licking around it, and just getting a taste of her whole boob. 

You move over to the other breast after lathering the other one in spit, only except now you become much rougher. You start sucking on the other tit but instead of playing and teasing, you start biting her skin and nibbling on her nipple. You can hear Hyunjin’s grunts of protest as you tug on her chest using just your teeth.

You pump another batch of cum into Hyunjin’s ass, you’ve lost count long ago but based on your rough estimate, you’re easily in the 20’s but it also feels like you’re in the 30’s already. 

You carry Hyunjin up to your desk and slam her down, she cries in discomfort as binder clips and pens dig into her skin. But instead of helping her out, you lean forward and press her further onto the table. You’ve never seen Hyunjin squirm so much before, you’ve been raping her ass all day long but only now has she complained the most. She cries even harder as the objects dig into her skin. If the table were any lower, you’d be able to get on top of Hyunjin easily. Though what’s stopping you from doing that anyway?

You carefully get on the table and kneel down, knocking away anything you might accidentally hit, can’t have that happen to you. You then press your entire weight onto Hyunjin and rejoice as you hear her cries through the tape. Every thrust paired with a pleading cry to get out. 

You cum in her ass and finally lift her off of the table, you hold Hyunjin in your arms as you look over her shoulder and assess the situation. You brush off the things sticking to her skin, only leaving behind the red marks of all those objects digging into her. You lean Hyunjin against your chair to put her somewhere comfortable after what you just put her through, but with the way her limbs are tied behind her and the way you angle her to fuck her ass, it’s not really much better.

After depositing another load of cum, you then fuck her under the desk, then you fuck her while you sit on your chair, then you fuck her one last time one the desk the same way you did earlier, using her cries as a driving force to keep going.

As your stomach grumbles, you head back down to the kitchen. You heat up some leftovers and while waiting, you fuck Hyunjin against the countertop again. Much like earlier, you spend the next couple of hours rotating around the table while fucking Hyunjin’s ass in various positions. Only except this time before you take a bite, you keep your chopsticks in Hyunjin’s pussy, just to give your food an extra little “flavor.”

Finally finished with your meal, you take the chopsticks out of her pussy and give it one final lick before tossing it into the sink. You head back to your bedroom, exhausted from a full day of doing nothing but cumming inside Hyunjin’s butt. You gently carry Hyunjin onto the bed and place her down on it. This being your last load of the night, you take it a little slow, some might say a little more passionate, though ultimately it doesn’t differ from the umpteenth other times you came in her ass. After delivering the final load of the night, you go to sleep on top of Hyunjin, your cock snug and warm in her asshole.

You wake up, still rock hard inside of Hyunjin’s ass, this is it, the final stretch. You shake yourself awake then lift Hyunjin up, still being careful to not accidentally pull out of her. You hold her by her ass, letting gravity do its thing, bouncing her along your length as you walk towards the kitchen. You take a bowl from the cupboard and set it down on the floor.

You set Hyunjin on the edge of the table, she grunts as she feels it dig into her back, you would have picked somewhere more comfortable for her but you’re in the final stretch, you can’t stop now. You hold onto Hyunjin’s hips as you thrust upwards into her, you can feel the stored cum sloshing against your dick with every thrust and it excites you, making you pound Hyunjin’s ass even harder.

Finally you dump your final load in her ass and now you know it’s time for the final step. You kneel down on the ground and for the first time in a whole day, you take your dick out of Hyunjin’s ass. Your cum leaks out like a waterfall and you hold Hyunjin’s cheeks apart to let everything flow out, you shake her body for good measure to really get every last drop out of there.

You prop Hyunjin against the wall to make sure she’s upright then you slowly peel the duck tape off of her face so as not to hurt her. The first thing she does as her mouth is freed is to spit on your face, “Fuck you, asshole.” You wipe the saliva into your hand. “When I g—” You slap the spit back on her face, which seems to be enough to get rid of her snarky attitude. “That’s not nice” Is all you have to say about what she just did.

“Here’s your present, Hyunjin. Happy birthday!!!” You grab the bowl off the floor and present it to her, a collection of all the cum that you dumped that lingered inside of her ass for a whole day. “Drink your gift, Hyunjin.” You press the bowl close to her lips and the first thing that hits her is the smell, she retches as she turns her head as far away as possible from it. “No, it’s fucking disgusting.”

You grip her chin and hold her steady, forcing her mouth open as you hold the bowl to her lips. “You have a choice: either you drink it, or I’ll make you drink it.” Hyunjin just nods her head as she chooses to go with the easier option, you can’t say that it doesn’t surprise you, all the others fought for the hard way, it puts a smile on your face seeing someone listen to you for a change.

You slowly tilt the bowl and the content slowly drips into Hyunjin’s waiting mouth, she immediately gags as it hits her tongue but regardless she forces herself to drink the cum. With the bowl now empty, you set it aside as you give Hyunjin a pat on the head. “For being so polite, here’s an extra gift, just for you.” You stand up and point your cock at Hyunjin’s face. “Open wide!”

[sluggybasson107]

Digimon Adventure 02 Appreciation Challenge Day 9 - Which Family Dynamic In 02 Do You Find The Most Interesting?

I can’t choose! It’s the same as asking which Chosen Child is my favorite!

Apparently, my brain thought that Day 6 wasn’t torturous enough, so I decided to talk about every single family dynamic/relationship within the Digimon Adventure series! (No Kizuna-Related content is in this post)

Let’s go!

First is the Yagami’s (Or Kamiya’s)!

Out of the Digimon Adventure series, this has to be one of the families that the parents don’t have much conflict/drama

But the siblings do.

Hikari and Taichi always see their self-worth through each other. If Taichi wasn’t taking care of Hikari properly, he was doing wrong. If Hikari wasn't like Taichi, she wasn’t trying her best.

I’ve always thought that Taichi always tried to hide his worry for Hikari, kind of like the opposite of Yamato in a way.

“You’re soft. Or maybe I should say, you’ve gotten soft. In the past, you would have made snap decisions. But the reason you can’t…” Yamato looked at Hikari. “Has gotta be because your sister’s here.”

“Wh–What are you talking about…” Taichi was at a loss for words.

He hadn’t gotten timid because Hikari was with them. But it was true that he had gotten more careful so that no one got hurt or pushed themselves.

He couldn’t call that a con as a leader.

By thinking about how Hikari would feel about it, it led to him guessing how the others felt. It made him think about how to speak so that the others would feel motivated, and how to ask things that made them feel enthused about doing. Was sympathizing with how others felt affecting his position as leader?

That was a problem that Taichi needed to agonize over and conquer from here on. He just needed some more time on it.

Digimon Adventure Novel Chapter 8: The Dark Masters Part 3: A Falling Out Among Friends (Source)

I’ve always found this particular scene interesting. It shows a certain scenario that could have possibly happened within the anime universe. The book is basically saying that Hikari can change Taichi’s full persona just by being in his presence, which I do think is the case in the anime.

When Hikari came along during the Dark Masters Arc, Taichi’s main concern changed. It is Hikari instead of the group.

I’m even going as far as to say that, because of Hikari being in danger, Taichi verbally/physically abused Koshriou.

But that doesn’t mean he didn’t get the same treatment.

When Hikari was sick, Yuuko ended up slapping Taichi in the face for his failure of taking care of Hikari. And if you hurt a kid because of an action, they’re going to avoid that outcome, especially Taichi during this time because he’s super young (I guess around the age 7, but it could be different).

I think that after Yuuko slapped Taichi, he learned that if he isn’t doing the best he can for Hikari, then he’s failing.

Taichi’s values have always been the group before himself. He wanted to make everyone feel as if they were in a good position and move forward. I do feel that in the beginning, Taichi was only caring about moving forward. But it soon became clear later on that he wanted everyone to be happy where they were. He willingly let Yamato, Mimi, and Jyou temporarily leave the group for personal reasons, even though the fate of the world was in their hands.

But when Hikari is involved, it’s different for him. He can lose control of himself without realizing it, and doing dense decisions in the process.

But for Hikari, it’s different.

I think through Hikari’s family being proud of Taichi, and him leading the Chosen Children, that Hikari looks up to him so much as a role model. 

Hikari: I... was at the ocean...

Takeru: The ocean?

Hikari: I... might be going away... I felt... someone calling me...

Takeru: Someone...? Who?

Hikari: I don't know... But... the next time they call me... I may end up there...

Takeru: But that's... Who would do something like that?

Hikari: My brother... always protected me during times like these...

Takeru: Taichi-san... Always Taichi-san, Taichi-san... You're always depending on him! You can't do that!

(Digimon Adventure 02 Episode 13, The Call of Dagomon)

She thought that she was useless on her own. Without Taichi, she is unable to support people around her.

Hikari also learned to handle herself. She found someone that she can rely on and help, so the relationship isn’t only one way. (I expand more on this with Day 1, so you can check that out if you want)

But both of them get through their issues.

Taichi learned to let Hikari be. That he couldn’t always protect her. And by 02, he was willing to let her fight without his supervision. He even didn’t go with the 02 kids when they went to fight the Digimon Kaiser (Yes, I am fully aware that the older kid’s Digimon couldn’t fight and that they needed to give the younger chosen children an alibi. But I think old Taichi still would have gone with them. Please take this with a grain of salt).

I’m not sorry I had to

Hikari and Taichi love each other, but as the series went on, they learned how to live without needing each other constantly. Tri ruined part of this but lets ignore that.

Next is the Takaishi’s and Ishida’s

Personally, I think the tension between the two families is super realistic and done so well. With Takeru being optimistic (His crest is hope for a reason) and Yamato being pessimistic, both kids view the divorce in a different way.

That’s the look of an innocent kid that just wants his family to love each other again and be happy.

While it’s never said, I do think in Digimon Adventure, Takeru thinks that his parents might come back together. During this whole scene, he drags everyone towards each other, not letting the chance of them realizing how much they miss and love each other pass up that sneaky kid.

And Takeru has a record of hiding his true emotions and putting on a façade or not acting like his true self (When he ‘plays’ with Pinochimon and when Yamato comes over to his apartment in Digimon Adventure Tri: Confession). So I do think he doesn’t express to anyone that he believes his family to still get back together in Digimon Adventure 02.

In Episode 49, The Last Armor Evolution, BelialVamdemon’s Mind Illusion shows that Takeru isn’t satisfied with the way his family is, and that he thinks there is a chance they can get back together.

(Right before this scene happened, and I watched as Takeru was getting hit by the attack, I legit yelled at the screen, “Don’t do it! You better not do it!!” and when it showed his family together I screamed “NOOOOOOOOO!!! WHY DID ARE YOU DOING THIS TO HIM!!!!!” Then I saw his Natsuko and Hiroaki talking and Yamato smiling and then mentally cried.)

I do think by Digimon Adventure Tri, Takeru has accepted that his family won’t get back together, but still tries to help them get along.

I would like to point out that after every kid realized what they were seeing was a vision, they made a comment how they were fine with the way things were (Miyako saying that she wants her siblings, Iori saying how he wants to tell his mother about the Digital World instead of his father [knowing and accepting that he’s dead], Hikari saying how she and Tailmon have to fight to achieve her dream of Digimon and humans living in harmony, Ken accepting that he can’t change his past and that he has to move forward), Takeru didn’t. He didn’t mention that he was fine with how things were with his family.

The way the divorce affected Yamato is way different than the way it affected Takeru. It ended up changing his whole personality, because he wanted to seem reliable to his brother during these times.

“Yamato-san, you’re unfit for leadership because you’re too emotional. If the leader lets his emotions get the better of him, then he loses his followers.”

Yamato hated to admit it, but he was right.

The people around Yamato may have thought that he was a cold, aloof person, but that was only because he didn’t show what he thought to other people.

When had he become like that? He hadn’t been like that when he was younger. But after his parents decided to divorce and his mom took Takeru by the hand and left home…

Don’t go! Please don’t go! Don’t leave me!

The truth was, he had wanted to plead with her and cry — but he couldn’t.

Part of it had to do with his father standing by his side.

Maybe his mother had secretly wished for Yamato to say that to her.

But at that moment, Yamato had thought that he would never show weakness in front of his mom, even if he died from it. It was his own decision to follow his dad.

Ever since coming to the Digital World, even Yamato was surprised by how much emotion he expressed. All of the emotion that he’d held back while at home, at school, had come bursting out without pause.

And this Yamato was the only one that Koushiro knew. That was why Koushiro’s view of Yamato was “an emotionally unstable upperclassman.”

Yamato took on a nasty attitude to hide that Koushiro’s words had ruffled him.

“I’ve known this for a long time now, but it looks like I can’t work together with you guys after all. I’m leaving. Let’s go, Takeru.”

Digimon Adventure Novel Chapter 8: The Dark Masters Part 3: A Falling Out Among Friends (Source) 

(I know that the novels aren’t anime-cannon, but they show perspectives of the characters that aren’t in the show. Also it shows the way I interpreted some of the scenes/characters.)

With the anime, I think that Yamato did show a lot of emotion in the Digital World that he buried long ago. That’s why some fans call him an emotional mess (which is true), but don’t see why he’s like that. It’s because he was forced under pressure to change the way he lives because of his parents divorcing. If you look at this part in the book, it says that “Yamato took on a nasty attitude” to hide the fact that he was hurt, which isn’t the only time he does that. If you look at some scenes with Yamato, it shows him hiding his emotions with different attitudes. 

Natsuko: Yamato... You’ve grown taller again.

Yamato: Yeah, a little.

Natsuko: You look good. That’s great.

Hiroaki: Natsuko... It’s been awhile

Natsuko: Yes it has...

Takeru: It’s been a long time since the entire family got together, isn’t it, Onii-chan?

Yamato: Yeah, I guess so.

(Digimon Adventure Episode 39, Two Great Ultimate Evolutions! Beat Down The Darkness!!)

Within the divorce scene, Yamato treats Natsuko in more of a “cold��� way, trying to avoid conversation and answering with short responses.

But later, we get an expression from Yamato that’s huge.

Did I just make a GIF for the first time???

You can interpret his expression however you want, but I always thought it showed that he was regretting the way his family is, and that he had to go through that. It also was that he regretted the way he handled that situation.

That was his true feelings. He did care about his mom, and how his family is. And he wanted to show that, but under the pressure of his father and his façade of ‘acting cool’, he didn’t do that.

The whole divorce in Digimon might seem minor at first, but the more you watch Takeru and Yamato’s behavior, the sadder the whole thing gets.

Now the Takenouchi’s!

Since Sora’s father, Haruhiko Takenouchi, doesn’t live with Sora and Toshiko, Sora is stuck with her mother for big part of her life.

Which is not a good thing for her around Adventure.

Sora’s mother is an ie-moto (A master at flower arrangement), and she wanted Sora to learn flower arrangement, and quit soccer in the process. Sora thought this showed that Toshiko did care about her and (quoted from Sora), “My mom doesn’t see me as anything beyond the daughter of a flower arrangement school!”

The book even implies that Sora usually insults her mother and her passion on a daily basis.

But her mother does care for her, and Sora realized that she and her mom have more in comment than she thought. Both of them care for their loved ones, but in different ways. (WATCH IT HERE)

And when Miyako mentions them to her Haruhiko, he responds with this:

Haruhiko: I do research like this, so I travel all over Japan. Sometimes I even go overseas, so I can't easily go home. For a while, it caused my daughter to rebel against her mother. But three years ago, my daughter suddenly changed. When we talked about it, she said it was thanks to something called Digimon.

Miyako: Thanks to the Digimon?

Haruhiko: How to put it... When she was with the Digimon, she experienced a lot and matured. She learned to view things with an open mind. I'm grateful to these Digimon.

Poromon: Ah, well...

Miyako: I don't understand all that much, but... I'm glad.

(Digimon Adventure 02 Episode 33, Miyako In Kyoto Today)

The English dub has Haruhiko say that he can’t let them go to the mall together, ‘cause they’ll spend all their money together (Something close to that).

I love this family so much, for no reason whatsoever. It might develop slowly, but it develops so much at the end, and it’s one of the scenarios that gets resolved, which Sora deserved.

The Izumi’s yay!!

I’m going to get this out of the way as soon as possible. I love with a fiery passion Kae Izumi.

The relationship between Koshirou and his parents is kind self explanatory. After he learned he was adopted at such a young age, he had to deal with the tough decision of what to do next. Does he still treat them the same? Confront them about it? In the end, he struggles trying to deal with this piece of information, and obsesses over his computer to take his mind off it.

To be completely honest (And this is my opinion) I wasn’t moved by the adoption-talk that much. I’m not saying it’s a bad scene, but between the Vamdemon fight, the other parents, Wizardmon’s sacrifice, it kinda got lost with everything going on. It is still a powerful scene, but I wished it was at a better time, and not in the middle of the chaos.

But even after they told him he was adopted, he still insists that they’re the ones that he loves the most.

Just look at the way Kae and Masami look at each other when he says that!

And Koshirou becomes very protective of them in Digimon Adventure 02.

When Kae comes to Koshirou, Jyou, Yamato, and the 02 kids while they’re watching the children with dark spores, she brings them Onigiri (Did I mention that Kae is the best???). Koshirou insists that she stays home because she could get hurt, but she decides to help them out by contacting their parents and Koshirou says that’s a great idea, though he seems as if he just wants her to leave so she will become safe. WATCH HERE

The way Koshirou forgives his parents and how he loves them more after their conflicts is so amazing, and I wish we saw more of it.

Make way for the Tachikawas!

Mimi’s family is so pure and amazing it’s just so beautiful.

I CAN WATCH THEM ALL DAY!

The fact that Keisuke will eat whatever Satoe makes is adorable, and the fact that Satoe and Mimi both have the same personalities is adorable, and the fact that Keisuke rammed himself into DarkTyrannomon with a golf cart to protect his wife and daughter is adorable.

They’re great! Is there really much else to say?

The Kido’s (kinda)!!!

Since the parents only show up in Digimon Adventure Tri and Digimon Armor Evolve into the Unknown, you would think that they had little effect within their sons, but they do.

I love the way they portray Jyou’s father as if he’s always there in the back of his son’s mind, watching over him. If he were to appear in Adventure/02, I think he would be a lot less intimidating.

Narrator: The Kido family, home to a line of prominent doctors hailing from the Edo period, is now having its midday meal with an extra-special sushi platter to congratulate their third child, Jou, for having finished his exams.

Jou’s mother: Here, Jou! Take anything you want! Even if it’s the tuna, or the sea urchin! Jou: Thanks, Mom. Shin: You worked hard, you know. Jou: Thanks, Shin-niisan. But the exams only just finished, so they haven’t announced the results yet… Shuu: Doesn’t matter, we’re still celebrating! If you don’t take it, we’re going to. Take it. Take it! Jou: O-Okay, okay, Shuu-niisan… Gomamon: I’m taking some, too!…So, Jou, what are you gonna do now? If you’re gonna be a doctor, are you planning on taking over your dad’s hospital?

(beat)

Jou: H-Hey, Gomamon! Why’d you have to say that? Gomamon: S-Sorry. Was I not supposed to? Ahaha… Jou’s father: Jou. Jou: Y-Yes, Dad? Jou’s father: You don’t have to push yourself so hard. I’m not going to force you. Jou: Ah, no, it’s more like, it just feels too early to talk about this… Jou’s father: Shin and Shuu have already decided to take their own paths, so you have the right to do the same. Don’t worry too much about it, and do what you want to do…hmph… Gomamon: (aside) …Ah, he really does want you to take it over, huh. Jou: (whispering) Well, yeah…

Digimon Adventure 02: Armor Evolution to the Unknown (Source)

This whole scene basically sums up how everyone feels about each other in the Kido’s family (Including Gomamon). 

Jyou doesn’t want to disappoint his father, but both of his brothers want him to do what he wants to do in life.

Shuu and Shin both support Jyou to do what he wants to do, encouraging him to make his own decisions with his life. While his father denies the fact that he’s pressuring Jyou to take over the hospital, he does want Jyou to become a doctor and take over the hospital. 

Shin trusts Jyou enough to tell him about his career path, which if it leaks to his father, it’ll probably make him very upset. And Jyou seems to know about Shuu’s career path, since Sora and Jyou both talk about it in Digimon Adventure: original story, 2-and-a-half year break. 

I do wish that we saw more of Jyou’s mom, Jyou’s father but once again, I think barely seeing Jyou’s parents gives a feeling of uncertainty to the audience, which is probably the same feeling that Jyou gets with his parents.

THE AMAZING MOTOMIYA’S!!!

I always thought that the relationship that Daisuke and Jun have is amazing. They always get into fights and tease each other, but you get the impression that if one of them were in danger, the other one would care a lot.

Takeru: Are you Daisuke-kun's sister, by any chance?

Jun: Yeah, but... who are you? 

Yamato: He's my younger brother, Takeru.

Takeru: Nice to meet you. Daisuke-kun is my classmate.

*Jun gives Takeru the pen*

Jun: Oh? Well, you're cute! Sign too! 

*Takeru signs the shirt*

Jun: Daisuke isn't cute at all...I wish I had a brother like you two...

Takeru: By the way, Daisuke-kun... I met your sister today.

Daisuke: Ah... so?

Takeru: So?

Daisuke: She bad-mouthed me, right?

Takeru: Not really.

Daisuke: Yeah, she did. She always has to talk bad about me to everyone. She doesn't like me... well, I don't like her either, so we're even.

*Yamato walks up to both of them*

Yamato: Hey! What are you talking about?

Daisuke: What?

Yamato: If you were my younger brother, I wouldn't forgive you for that. I'd beat you up.

Daisuke: Interesting. Bring it, then!

*Yamato starts heading over to Daisuke, Takeru holds him back*

Takeru: Stop! You won't hit him. You wouldn't do that, right?

Yamato: I wouldn't... but watch what you say.

*Takeru and Yamato walk away*

Daisuke: Why can't he just shut up? I can say whatever I want about that stupid girl.

(Digimon Adventure 02 Episode 4, Digimon Kaiser King Of The Darkness)

You could tell right off the bat that they did not have a good relationship.

The people behind the show started to make their relationship more comic relief (Really everything Jun-related is comic relief).

But they both have amazing interactions that many people could relate to.

In Episode 32, they both have a priceless interaction of them insulting one another. It’s great, and it’s better in English.

WATCH JAPANESE     WATCH ENGLISH

They’re both so precious.

Their family situation might not be as big as the Izumi’s, Takaishi/Ishida’s, or Kido’s but it’s something that I feel as if many can relate to. The feeling of not having a family (especially siblings) that doesn’t care for you is hard. I think this family dynamic doesn’t get as much attention as it should within the fandom, but that’s just my opinion.

The (many) Inoue’s!

The Inoue family is a great family for how it shows such a simple problem. 

Siblings not getting along/are annoyed with each other.

I’m sure many can relate to this (including me!). Some people with sisters/brothers say they always want to be the only child, but at the end of the say, many realize that they love their siblings and that they make a big impact on their lives (but not everybody).

In Sky Night, Aquilamon, Miyako has a conversation with her siblings after a conflict with Ken

Miyako: Anyway, I understand what Daisuke was trying to say.

Momeo: Miyako, what's wrong?

*Miyako explains to her siblings what happened*

Momeo: Well... I think he's serious.

Miyako: You think so?

Momeo: Yeah. But what really matters is what your feelings are.

Miyako: My feelings?

Momeo: Will you be able to forgive your boyfriend?

Chizuru: "This week, Geminis with AB blood will be lucky in love if you open up."

Miyako: Don't get any ideas! He's not my boyfriend!

Mantarou: Well, that doesn't matter. Just don't regret your decision.

Miyako: My feelings...

*Scene changes to Miyako lying on her bed with Poromon*

Miyako: My feelings, huh...?

Poromon: If it bothers you so much, why not ask Ichijouji Ken himself?

(Digimon Adventure 02 Episode 25, Sky Night, Aquilamon)

This scene shows that Miyako’s sisters love to pick on her, that her brother tries to keep them calm. Even though it seems as if Miyako’s sisters didn’t take that conversation seriously, they gave her really good advice and Miyako remembered what they said.

And also in Episode 49, The Last Armor Evolution, BelialVamdemon’s Mind Illusion shows that Miyako doesn’t want siblings, but she realizes that she does love her siblings, and that she wants them in her life.

The realization of Miyako missing her siblings is something that can be overlooked, but to me it’s a great message that many people can relate to.

It’s time for the Hida’s!

They lost an amazing father due to a shooting.

Shootings/assassinations are something very serious. Many people leave this world because of them. Iori’s father is no different. Everyone in the family is devastated because of the death of Hiroki Hida.

I think the death of Hiroki is what made Iori so mature at a young age. He had to deal with heavy topics while being so young, so he saw the world in a different way.

The way Iori treats Ken might have been affected by the death of his father. He learned very young what people could do, and saw what the consequences were to their actions. Iori growing up with this mindset made it difficult to become friends with Ken after what he has done.

Not only does the death of Hiroki affect his whole family on how they see what a good person is, it also makes them try to avoid doing any bad things.

Fumiko: Oh, Iori. You're home already? Good timing. I wanted you to go to Nobuzane-san's.

Iori: Ah, well, right now...

Fumiko: Do you have something to do?

Iori: Well...

Fumiko: What is it? Please tell me.

Iori: I'm sorry, I can't tell.

Fumiko: You can't...? What do you mean?

Chikara: Don't ask, Fumiko-san.

Fumiko: But...

Chikara: If you force him, Iori will have no choice but to lie. If you can't say, that's fine. Better than lying. Just don't lie, ever.

Iori: Thank you very much.

Takeru: Iori-kun!

Iori: What is it?

Daisuke: It's your Digimental!

Iori: My... Digimental?

Jyou: Ah! Isn't that the Crest of Faithfulness?

Tailmon: "Faithfulness" fits Iori well, doesn't it?

Iori: That's not true. 

Jyou: I think it fits you perfectly.

Daisuke: Come on, get down here!

Iori: N-no! All this was caused by that Digimental. That Digimental...

*Miyako starts coughing*

Iori: More importantly, we have to hurry and escape!

Daisuke: Yeah, we will! After you take the Digimental.

Iori: I said I don't want it!

Jyou: You have to be kidding... the Crest of Faithfulness will end up in the bottom of the ocean! Iori-kun... come on, let's go together!

*Scene changes to them standing around the Digimental*

Jyou: Come on, pick it up.

Daisuke: Pick it up already...

Iori: It's useless... I can't lift it.

Takeru: You won't know until you try, right?

Iori: But... but it's my fault that everyone was in trouble.

Daisuke: Eh? It is?

V-mon: If it's about that, we were the ones who closed the shutter...

Takeru: It's no one's fault.

Iori: And I... I lied. 

*Iori starts crying*

Iori: Grandfather said I should never lie... That's why... I don't deserve the Digimental of Faithfulness...

Jyou: Well, there are bad lies and good lies. Lies that hurt people and lies that save people.

Armadimon: Yup, yup, it was a justified lie, dagyaa!

Jyou: Exactly!

Iori: But...

Jyou: If anything, I'll talk to your grandfather when we get back. Your lie didn't hurt me at all, but if you hadn't lied, who knows what could have happened...

Iori: Jou-san...

Jyou: Do you understand now?

Iori: Yes. 

Armadimon: Okay, Iori, try to pick it up, dagyaa.

*Iori picks up the Digimental of Faithfulness*

Daisuke: See, I knew it was Iori's!

(Digimon Adventure Episode 16, Sabmarimon’s Escape from the Bottom of the Sea)

Sorry, that was a long quote.

Both scenes are amazing. It shows how high Iori’s standards are for a person whenever they’re “good” or not. He even is very critical of himself.

I was surprised as the series went on how big of a role Chikara was. Not only was his son one of the first people to know about Digimon, but he also befriended BlackWarGreymon and attempted to befriend Yukio Oikawa. He was always there for Iori and helped cover for him when he had to do anything related to Digimon and the Digital World. Not only is Chikara looking after Iori as a father helped Iori a lot with handling his father, but he’s looking after all the Chosen Children without realizing it.

Finally, the Ichijouji’s

Ken is a smart kid. And most parents are proud when their kids seem to have a talent that is better than other kids their age (“smarter”, “more athletic", “having better musical talents”, etc). Some tend to go beyond and have their pride in their children become a requirement for their kids.

The Ichijouji’s do have this problem.

First, it was Osamu.

Ken Narrating: The genius was big brother Osamu. He could do everything. Everything... I was so proud...

*Flashback to Ken and his mother*

Ken: It's our neighbour.

Neighbor 1: Osamu-chan is such a smart boy!

Neighbor 2: I'm so envious of you!

Neighbor 3: He's nothing like our son.

Neighbor 4: I wish my son became more like Osamu-chan!

Neighbor 5: What did you do to make him such a smart boy?

Neighbor 6: He's got so many good traits from both of you!

Neighbor 7: He's such a genius!

Ken Narrating: Mom loved hearing those words.

*Scene changes to Ken seeing his mother praising Osamu*

Ken: Mama?

Ken’s Mother: Osamu-chan, people praised me again saying you're such a good boy!

*She turns around*

Ken’s Mother: Ken-chan, you're a good boy, too!

Ken: I'm always just an addition...

Ken: Mama cares only about my brother because everyone praises him. It doesn't matter if I'm here or not. Would that be me if my brother wasn't around? If only he wasn't around... if only he... That's it... all he needs to do is disappear...

Ken [yelling]: Disappear, big brother!

*Ken has a flashback of Osamu hitting him and telling him he’s a bad person*

Ken: My brother hates me. Because I'm not a good boy. Because I'm the worst kind of people. But why? I'm sad...

*Ken sees his parents together with Osamu*

Ken: My brother has everything, and I have nothing. I wish my brother... 

Ken [yelling]: Just disappeared!

*Ken witnesses Osamu dying*

Ken: Big brother...? Is it because I wished you disappeared?

*Ken seeing his parents devastated*

Where do I go...? Where do I belong?

(Digimon Adventure 02, Episode 23 When the Digivice is Tainted by Darkness)

Ken’s parents took so much pride in their son, that they didn’t notice their other son. So after the death of Osamu, his parents were left with a child that doesn’t know who they are or what their purpose is. Since Ken had no passion, their parents raised him the same way they did with Osamu. That’s why Ken didn’t know who he was after he stopped being the Digimon Kaiser. He had nothing before he was the Digimon Kaiser. 

But during the time he was the Digimon Kaiser, he was famous for all of his skills in many different categories (like Osamu).

Even Iori and Takeru are very impressed.

I always tend to compare Ken and Koshirou together. They’re both very smart kids, but there’s one factor that sets them apart.

Koshirou isn’t open about his skills, not showing the public on TV or any other way. But he is working for people in Digimon Adventure Tri, which shows that he is utilizing his skills, but not in the way Ken is portrayed.

Ken is open about his talents. He does contests and shows off his skill to the public, which makes him have a huge following. Even though Ken was influenced by his dark spore, I do think his parents had a part of building up his confidence. They encouraged this behavior, trying to gain back their old son (Even though they might not have realized that).

After their parents realized what they had done, they began to treat him like Ken. A kid who is relatively smart who is kind and selfless at heart. And those are his best traits.

It’s really great to see this progression of Ken and his parents both realizing the mistakes they made, and starting over, being a family.

Thank you so much for reading! After 51k words and 500+ screenshots, I’m done! Even though it was time consuming, it was really fun and I hope you had fun reading it too

This took a long time, so now I’m really behind on the challenge. I’ll catch up the best I can!

[shawnpetermuffins]

Pictured with You (xii.)

A/n: wow, we only have 2 more chapters after This! This series has gone by way too quickly!

Summary: It's time you stop playing games. Brian and Connor are here to make sure it comes to an end.

Warnings: none? But it is told in both Brian's and Connor's POV, so like that's new.

Word count: 2k

***

Two confessions. I've got the two confessions that I needed - even though, let's be real, they didn't need to say it for me to know, but it helps. The only difficult thing now is getting them in the same room together so that they can admit to each other too. They're both so stubborn it's nearly impossible to get either of them to see that what they're doing is hurting them more than it is helping. But that's where I come in. But I'm gonna need a little help if I'm going to pull this off. So I'm in search of the one person that knows y/n better than Shawn does.

I text Connor after I leave y/n', informing him that I'm on my way to his room.

"What's so important that you couldn't just text me?" He asks, opening the door wide enough for me to slip through.

"I have a project for you."

"For me?" He crosses his arms over his chest and sits down on the arm rest of the couch.

"Yeah, I need you to take your footage from the last few months of tour and I need you to look for something in it."

"Okay… what am I looking for?"

"Anything and everything that has to do with Shawn and y/n."

"What?"

"We're getting them together," I say like it's the most obvious thing in the world, which it should be.

He doesn't say anything for a long while. Actually I start to doubt if he even heard that last part, but then he sighs heavily. "Brian, I can't help you."

"What? Why?"

"It's complicated," he answers, but I know it isn't. Because these are two people we care so much about, there shouldn't be anything complicated about it. "Please, Connor. You have to help me get them together. I can't stand seeing them pining for each other like this anymore."

He shakes his head, "I promised her that I'd stay out of their relationship, or whatever it is now. I just can't. It's not that I don't want to, but I can't betray her like that."

"Dude! You'd be helping her out!"

"You may see it that way, but-"

"No, listen." I sit on the edge of the table. "You film literally everything. I know you do. You have probably hours of footage of them just goofing around in the dressing room, and walking down the street holding hands, and leaning on each other in the restaurants. This is what we need to get them there. If you just compile it up, I'm sure it will get them to realize that they need each other."

"Okay," he nods. "Yes, I have all that, but she would kill me if she knew I was filming them all that time."

I sigh and run my hands roughly over my face, "Connor, for one second. Just one second, I need you to stop thinking about what she's going to feel towards you. I know she's your best friend, you don't want to betray her trust. I get that because I feel the same about Shawn. But we're hurting them more by not helping them. We're letting them be miserable when it's the most obvious thing in the world that they want to be together. That they need each other. Not pushing them is selfish."

"Okay, and what if this push isn't what they need? What if this push actually ruins them? What do we do then? Are we going to have to live with knowing that their downfall could have been avoided had we not inserted ourselves into their personal relationship. I don't want that to be on our shoulders. I don't want that on your shoulders."

"What is it that makes you so fucking sure that they'll break up?"

"Because they're just how she and I were!"

I stare at him for a minute, trying to figure out if he's for real or not. "So you did have a thing."

He just nods, "Yeah. We did."

"Is that why you won't help? Because you're still hung up on her? Because I swear to god, I will drop kick you so hard right now if that's the reason."

Connor holds his hands up, "No! Jesus, I really need to stop pausing before I continue talking. I don't want her back. I don't. She and I both know that us going out was a mistake." He runs his fingers through his hair, "I don't want her to experience that again. Because we didn't talk for months after we broke up, and it was a mural break up."

"She's twenty-one. Let her live a little, damn. You can't protect her from heartbreak, Con. If it happens, it happens. You're not her brother. You're not her father. You're not her protector. She's very capable of making her own decisions about a guy. And she wants him."

"How do you know she still does?"

"Because she told me literally two seconds ago. Just like she told me the only reason she won't get with him while We're on tour is because she doesn't want him to get too used to them being with each other all the time."

"What are you talking about?"

"Eventually Josiah is gonna come back for tour. And y/n is going to be back at home doing photoshoots there. She doesn't want him getting comfortable with that consistency."

"You see? That! That's why I'm scared for her! I'm worried that it's not going to be consistent. That he won't be consistent."

"He may not always be in the same place," I agree, "but he's never not been there when someone needed him. You know that. You know that he would drop everything if she needed him."

He sighs and looks down at his feet, his hands in his pockets. "I know."

"So are you gonna help me or not?"

---

So now I'm sitting here, going through my footage with Brian ghosting over my shoulder, watching me choppily put the snippets together just to have them saved.

"I like this one," he points to my screen where y/n and Shawn are trying and failing to copy Shakira's 'hips don't lie' choreography. The video is kinda shaky because I'm trying to get closer to them, but I'm laughing so hard that my body is shaking too. The video cuts out shortly after they land on the couch, y/n's body on top of Shawn's, her head resting on his fast beating chest while they remain cackling.

"Yeah, I like it too," I drag the video to my editor and we go through more.

"What's this one?" Brian's finger hovers over a snippet marked "Staying in Paris." I click on it, scrolling through until I find the part I know is there. They're in front of the lit up Eiffel tower, it's late. Her camera covers most of her face while she takes a picture of Zubin and Eddy back to back on the grass in front of her. She's focused on them, but his eyes don't stray from her. When she stands from her crouching position, his hand almost immediately finds the small of her back. When I played the footage back the first time, I brushed this off as him trying to steady her, but I see the pure longing in his eyes now, and when she very subtly falls into his touch, I know it was more than that.

Video after video I put them to edit, until I have nearly fifteen minutes of just them. Moments that I know they aren't aware I was filming. Like on the first night of tour. They're, for the most part, alone in his dressing room and she's fixing the shoulders of his shirt. You can barely hear them over the chaos down the hall, but you can just catch y/n say, "Trying to kill these girls with your chest hair, Mendes?"

"Only trying to get one girl's attention," his hands are on her arms, rubbing half circles on her skin with his thumbs.

Then there's one from the San Antonio show, we're at Starbucks and y/n is reaching into her bag for her money, but Shawn placed his hand over hers, ordering his drink and then handing the barista his card. Y/n tries to push his hand away but he chuckles and wraps his arm loosely around her waist, his hand on her thigh. He takes his card back and they move to the side so Mike can order his drink.

I find one that I know Brian will want for the video. The kiss from the dressing room. But the one we're watching now is horrible quality because it's from my phone, and it was that night at the bar. You can barely see because of the dark light in the room, but you see her lips touch Shawn's and the shot glass that was between his teeth just seconds before now slides between their close bodies.

"You got this one?" He asks, looking down at me and I just nod.

"I don't know why I thought to get it, I just did, I guess. I mean, we obviously don't have to use it, but-"

"No. No, use it. Use them all. This is - this is exactly what we need."

I close my computer and turn to face my red-headed friend. "So, we have a video. What are we gonna do to get them in the same place?"

"Well, first. How long is it going to take you to edit that?" He gestures toward the laptop and I shrug.

"I don't know. A week, maybe? It just depends on how much time I have when I'm not editing the behind the scenes stuff."

"Okay… I have a plan. It's gonna be tricky, but I think we can make it happen if we get a little more help."

I nod, "Lay it on me."

---

(Bold is Connor's POV, regular is Brian, bold italics is both)

This plan took nearly the rest of tour to execute, let me just tell you. It was nearly four months of planning and I'm still not even sure if we did everything we said we were going to. But Brian was convinced that we could pull this off and so far, so good. There were, of course, a couple of almost slip ups, but we were able to save ourselves from having to explain ourselves, and our plan to Andrew, who would no doubt throw a tantrum if he found out what we were up to. And it's both fortunate and not that y/n and Shawn still aren't talking to each other. They're much better at being around each other though. They can finally stand in the same room without one of them coming up with an excuse to leave. But I don't see that being the case tonight. One of them was bound to go into fight or flight mode when they saw what Brian and I had cooked up.

"Dude, what's the rush?"

"Why are you so eager to get to the roof?"

"The lighting is perfect. You'll get the best photos."

"It's nice outside. I just want to enjoy the fresh air. And since when do you have something against roofs?"

"I don't."

"Okay, but bouncing in place relentlessly isn't going to make me tie my shoes faster. If anything it'll only make me go slower."

"Please, y/n."

"Please, Shawn."

"Jesus, alright. I just need to get my camera and we can go."

"Okay, okay. Let me get my phone. Don't think I'll need it, but just in case."

I send a quick text to Brian when we leave her room.

We're in the elevator.

He's quick to reply.

Just about to head that way. Make sure she's not facing the door.

I know that what's about to happen doesn't necessarily have anything to do with me, but I can feel my stomach turning all the same. I'm scared something will go wrong. But I push the fear to the side when we reach the roof.

No turning back now.

***

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I hope you enjoyed!! Like, reblog, and leave feedback!! 💙

[nellie-elizabeth]

The Handmaid's Tale: Unfit (3x08)

Um. Well, that happened. That certainly was... something.

Cons:

Can we talk for a second about the utterly clumsy way this show deals with race? It makes me cringe every time. For the most part, they try to pretend this is a totally post-racial society, but obviously they can't pull that off. And then they have some casual moment where Aunt Lydia tells some other aunts that a certain couple doesn't want a "handmaid of color," so clearly casual racism is not only present here, but also condoned by the elite. Because, duh. Gender politics cannot exist separate from racial politics. And yet this show is not willing to grapple with what that means.

Especially considering June, who is the Whitest of White Feminists in this episode, and honestly, throughout the whole show. Her plot armor is seriously becoming a problem for me. June and the other Handmaids are open and unsubtle in their shunning of Ofmatthew, because they are all furious with her for turning in the Martha who was helping June. What happened to the first season, when the rebellion was deep, deep in the shadows? Now the majority of the Handmaids are allowed to be insolent. And then June is even more insolent, right to Aunt Lydia's face. She seems to think that her usefulness as publicity in the hunt for Nichole will protect her, and... that seems to be true, for some reason. But why? June could be flogged, or she could be castrated, or any other number of horrible things that would be invisible to a camera. June's cocky self-assured attitude is only made more frustrating by the fact that she seems to be right about being weirdly untouchable.

There were some things in this episode that I liked as individual pieces, but I'm still frustrated with these aspects as I look at the episode as a whole. For example, the idea of Ofmatthew cracking under the strain of her public shaming, in conjunction with her fear for her pregnancy, is a totally reasonable avenue to explore. But since we haven't spent any real time getting to know Ofmatthew, it feels instead like this big blow-out at the end of the episode is all just a part of June's story, instead of the story of a woman with her own story to tell. There was potential here, and there were moments that came close to tapping in to that potential, but the reality fell short. There are also two other reasons that the ending of this episode, particularly Ofmatthew's death, annoys me, and they are the two reasons discussed in earlier paragraphs.

1) We're seriously going to end two episodes in a row with the death of a black woman while June looks on, untouched by the physical consequences of her own actions? Yeesh. 2) She's pregnant. I give the show props for making me gasp when Ofmatthew got shot, because even as I critique this episode, I will acknowledge that I have very much bought in to the universe they've created. I was shocked that a pregnant Handmaid would be shot, because... it's shocking, and despite that moment of adrenaline, it's ultimately a stupid call for the writers to have made. Aunt Lydia is not as valuable as a pregnant Handmaid. Part of the visceral horror of Season One was the idea that the Handmaids would be punished physically and psychologically, but they never had to fear for their lives, because their bodies were far too valuable. There was something twisted and creative in how the system worked to break these women without ever being able to directly threaten them with death. And now, apparently we're just shooting pregnant Handmaids in the grocery store? That actually really broke me out of the moment.

Let's turn to the flashbacks for a moment. This is another instance where as a stand-alone thing, I quite liked learning about Aunt Lydia's past. I get the sense from other reviews that I'm in the minority on this, but I think Ann Dowd is so talented, and the story worked for me on the level of examining the early symptoms of Gilead, even before things had started in earnest. But on a macro level, these flashbacks still bothered me for a couple of reasons. For one, the themes explored in the flashbacks did not connect with the story in the present-day, other than that both were centered around Lydia. The flash-backs are about a woman who genuinely wanted to help people, turned bitter in part by her evangelical beliefs and in part by her loneliness. The present-day story is about June turning more and more ruthless, and Ofmatthew losing her grip on her sanity. What am I meant to understand by learning a bit more about Lydia's former life? And that's the second problem, honestly - from just this episode, I might get a good-ish understanding of who Aunt Lydia is meant to be as a character, but if you combine these flashbacks with what we've seen of her character so far, it doesn't really track. Aunt Lydia's characterization is all over the place. She seems to slide on the scale of devotion to Gilead depending on what the plot needs from her at any given moment. For a long time, I've held out hope that we would come to some sort of emotional core for this character and finally understand what makes her tick. But if these flashbacks were meant to provide that clarity, in my opinion they failed.

Pros:

Let's talk about June. Because on the one hand, I'm annoyed about the plot armor, as discussed above. And it's tempting to be upset and frustrated by how unlikable June is becoming. Last week, I certainly felt that way. But I'm trying to take the long view. Turning June into something of a villain is... well, it's not a totally crap idea. Maybe the final consequence of the torture she's been through is that there is no coming back for her. Maybe she'll keep being cruel and single-handed, focused on saving Hannah and nothing else. Maybe she'll nod sagely as Handmaids hold guns on her, and maybe we'll be hearing more voice-overs indicating that June is not only willing to inflict suffering on others... she's starting to enjoy it. I can't really sense what the endgame would be here, short of killing June off and letting the story continue without her. But that might not be as crazy an idea as it first sounds. This universe that they've created has legs. There are so many stories to tell. I'd be okay with telling those stories in a world where June is no longer at the center of them. Maybe that's not where this is going. Maybe I'll have to eat my words and be frustrated in the next couple of episodes at the direction the show turns. But for now, the idea of villainous June is kind of interesting!

One thing this show always does well is showing the creepiness of Gilead through the ceremonies. We have the birthing ceremony that ends in tragedy, as another Handmaid's child is stillborn. And then we have the shaming ceremony. It might be ridiculous to me that June doesn't suffer harsher consequences, but I do like the way Aunt Lydia's role in this shaming ceremony echoes her past as a teacher. The Handmaids are her students, parroting her words and internalizing the harsh messages they are forced to repeat, again and again. It's chilling, and it's meant to be, and it's a good scene, even with the flaws in the larger setup.

As I said, Ofmatthew unraveling and breaking down was actually an interesting idea, in and of itself. The acting and the pacing in that final scene was truly superb. At least in the moment, when I wasn't questioning the larger writing decisions going on, I was totally gripped. I thought Aunt Lydia might be about to die. I even thought Ofmatthew might actually shoot June, although I wasn't thinking June would actually die from it. And then when the shots rang out and Ofmatthew dropped, I literally flinched. I wish this story-line had explored more of its potential, but I did think this high-intensity scene worked really well on its own.

And again, I did enjoy the flashbacks for their own sake. I think it's interesting that Lydia was turned towards a darker, more cynical path because of her attempts to find love again. I read in another review that it seemed stupid to make Lydia evil because she was rejected by a man, but that's not the way I read the moment at all. She breaks so many of the rules she had set for herself on that New Year's Eve. She drinks, and she lets herself be comfortable, and she indulges her desires. Suddenly, she realizes that she's slipped away from the righteous path, and she over-corrects in a big way. That's interesting to me, and I hope that we can get some more clarity on Aunt Lydia's characterization moving forward.

I also like all the hints of the changing world. It reminds me of some of the Season One flashbacks. We learn that Child Protective Services has been replaced with privatized organizations, ones that ask questions like "do they go to Church?" in order to determine if a home is fit for a child. We see how Lydia is uncomfortable and judgmental of Noelle's behavior, and at first it seems perfectly reasonable, because she is neglecting her child. But there's something more dangerous underneath that, as Lydia is judging not only Noelle's parenting style, but her wearing of makeup, and use of profanity, and relationships with men. It all bleeds together, so you can see the sinister creep of Gilead's power beginning in these moments.

So... yeah. This is a very long review, and unfortunately a lot of it is less than positive. There are elements that have promise, and I'm giving this show the benefit of the doubt, because I believe it deserves that. But I'm also starting to feel like the writers need to re-evaluate some aspects of the story, and figure out how they're going to keep moving forward with June as a protagonist.

6/10

[unproduciblesmackdown]

How do u feel about Eno from MonsterKind?

closes book & spins around in chair—oh! didnt see you there. well i’m glad you asked. sets down cup i was drinking from.

tldr i quietly cherish him. i figure it is not exactly his best look right now but i would be surprised if it was to turn out he is/was secretly evil & trying to work against everybody the whole time lmao…..honestly i figured that things were doomed in this way when kip said he trusts eno the most…….that can’t go unpunished. rip

but it is also an endorsement that he must’ve been top quality all this time if kip trusts him that much. i doubt its as Misguided as just being taken advantage of. no idea what the broader con here needs to further take advantage of re: kip….the fact that ppl listen to him whether he likes it or not? or that he can probably survive mad low temps? if he was assumed to die back in the day then the latter seems somewhat relevant one way or another. but i am too dumbassed to make good guesses w/little info

anyways i’m kind of assuming…that eno does sort of have suspicions or straightforward knowledge abt what happened behind the scenes, & its being confirmed just by kip saying there’s some link b/w wallace & the investigation of yore…like, i know i just said im dumb as hell & my guesses are bad, but i’d guess eno thinks that their inside info getting out elsewhere was via himself, not yumi, despite what he said. or even technically if it couldve been yumi i think he thinks it was his own fault. and its not surprising he wouldnt bring up his own suspicious abt his self involvement because like after everything went to shit & the entire project seemingly destroyed, there’s not much relevance to investigating how it happened if nobody plans to be involved. and it would be a little awkward then & now for him to tell kip he thinks he may have been involved in the downfall, even if inadvertently…hm

like……it would be nice if he had secretly developed some kind of assassin level knife throwing skills in the past years. wouldnt it always be. but honestly kip was fuckt the whole time…….nobody seems to be threatening anyone else with knives but i guess if some shadow organization that murders at whim & unhindered shows up & makes threatening demands, the implication is that anyone could be killed, even if some people get to stay alive for the moment just for the sake of pushing them to do something or other thats convenient for whatever latest death plot is underway

e.g. i’m not sure what the point is of purposefully trying to put kip on alert besides having him fall back on eno even more than he would without bringing up that specific threat

but really besides the “well i’m already resigned to someone stabbing kip in the gut while killing everyone he knows in front of him w/promises to kill everybody else too” factor of it all (im not really but—) another reason i cant be that mad is b/c i am also resigned to the fact that wallace is basically in the same kind of position eno was, of an accidental accessory to secret murder

b/c it would truly be a twist if wallace WAS actually in on it the whole time lol….but i doubt it. but the fact remains that he is definitely unwittingly a pawn of the devil!! this wouldnt be a problem if, marxism. anyways the thing is that i really, really doubt that wallace will smoothly learn of whats actually going on before anyone else knows or anyone gets fucked over and be able to gently reveal this to everyone in ways that nobody feels betrayed or breaks their trust with him. i am not even sure how that would be possible…..it is basically inevitable that wallace will have to be exposed as connected to this whole secret society of nightmares, and nobody really knows wallace well enough to be certain that he actually didnt know. and really, the fact that he Doesn’t know doesnt change the fact that he is in fact a part of it and facilitating it, even tho arguably it isnt quite his fault

tbh im assuming that the reason he’s having to do all of this is that he was willing to be transplanted from a to c, and because of that he is like totally clueless about like….everything. he presumably has no idea the kinda shit everyone around him is worrying about like all the time lol & wouldnt know not to try to push past those boundaries. but he can’t exactly be asked to do anything that much different from what he’s doing now / anything too clearly Heinous…besides maybe getting Extra Info or simply making ppl nervous, like making kip think he’s endangered.

coz t.b.h……………i’m not sure that, between kip seeing wallace as harmless and well-intended vs dangerous & ill-intended, the latter is worse? because he is a mix of the two….he doesnt mean any harm but he IS dangerous, technically. not directly thru his own actions quite as much, but still, obviously……kips first impression was basically correct lol rip. i dont think there WAS a way for kip to ever not suspect wallace as being less than purehearted, and of course i also dont think he won’t have to find out that wallace doesn’t want to hurt everybody, but at least he’s a bit on guard about all this fuckery…..even if putting him more on guard is part of some evil plot, which also means its bad…….obviously ideally everyone gets to only ever be best friends and also all be kip’s boyfriends, but i don’t think i my wishes have a tendency to come true, so maybe wait on anticipating that one. in the meantime maybe the inevitable revelation that wallace may have been a double agent will be lessened if kip was holding out for it all along lol. i guess it depends on how much more inadvertent damages wallace’s role is intended to invoke. weird sentence there but i stand by it

basically like dude!! try Knowing Shit instead of not knowing shit!! he may only be an accidental hand of the devil but that doesnt mean he’s totally not working for satan here, so hopefully when he finally realizes the extent of it, he gets to help to right the situation. presumably. idk. but how would anyone know for sure that he never knew what was going on besides trusting that he is not just an excellent actor? i suppose we are in the same situation with eno, huh. despite being given kip’s endorsement, there is only a limited picture of him & then the knowledge that he probably played a part in all the bs w/all these ppl dying. i suppose you can guess that he knew all of what was going on or he didnt or somewhere in between….

basically w/wallace and eno i am assuming that with both itmd a case of well-meaning humans being taken advantage of and accidentally infiltrating these vulnerable circles and sending back information and oh oops, atrocities, and everyone’s dead. i cant imagine that at least kip is meant to survive, and not sure why eno would feel particularly safe on that front either, and clearly any casualties that seem even vaguely necessary can just be carried out at random so you know. bless wallace’s well meaning heart that doesnt know shit but like still, if ppl get fucked over they still have the right to be mad, and if theyre dead theyre still dead, and etc, and also try to learn shit even if it was just a regular, non Agent Of Evil job.

basically what i am trying to say is that im pulling up on my motorbike and telling people that if they’re going to be mad at eno, they ought to be equally condemning of wallace, or that is just inconsistent. like, feel free to either way surely…….i can’t guess that it’d be smooth sailing for eno either if he has to awkwardly divulge that maybe he knows stuff about the whole assassination backstory.

i do wish he had those knife throwing skills for sure…..wish he wasnt being gunpointed into pressuring kip into something or other that surely will endanger him & surely others….but i get why he doesnt exactly seem to have other options at the moment lol. this guy could have assassins all over the block if whatever godforsaken conspiracy is already underway and waistdeep. smh. as i have to assume that he would only endanger kip if he was basically being given a catch 22 of Endanger Kip or Endanger Kip. i suppose he could be doing it solely so he himself won’t be assassinated, but i am personally piecing together that he and kip Are Really in fact That Close & he hasn’t like, faked caring about him this whole time or something

uhhhh tldr i think of him as basically in the same position as wallace, tho to be fair i dont think of wallace as blameless part for not knowing whats going on (like im guessing eno didnt understand until it was too late) and in part because even without the devil he IS just barging in from a in the middle of c & also pursuing audiences w extra vulnerable ppl w/o knowing fuckall (unlike eno who i am also guessing is not from a…)

and perhaps the sole answer to your question as really i was only inferring the part abt asking if eno is suspicious and dubious or not: I Am Fond Of Him Like I Said

what an essay! as all my asks turn out to be!! but i can’t help but theorize. even though i am a dumbass. this is in part because i watched mh for years, and in part because i never assume i’ll still be alive to see any particular plot point in any ongoing media i consume, so i furiously speculate and create au’s in my head and all. for example if i die before its definitely revealed kip doesnt get twenty husbands—which, good luck proving that to me anyways—can anyone tell me he doesnt? no, because i died. so he definitely does. and thats all i have to say on the matter, thank you for tuning in to Milo’s Hour Of Speculation, And Knowing Everyone Is Kip’s Boyfriend

[backofthebookshelf]

WisCon Day Four

I always love Monday morning WisCon panels; everyone's so exhausted but so into what's going on, they get really exciting. So it's just as well that the only panel I thought was worth getting up for at 8:30 was on Monday morning - "Starting the Story," featuring Alexandra Erin, H.M. Bouwman, Megan Arkenberg, and Gary Kloster. There was so much good, practical writing advice in here I'm just going to bullet point the best parts:

you do not have to start writing at the start - you can start writing at whatever part is exciting to you

the only requirement is that the opening eventually has to match the rest of the story

a lot of times you think you're pantsing when in fact you're burning through prep work you never realized you were doing (so if it's suddenly hard when it wasn't before, maybe step back and do some prep work)

JDarkRoom is a fullscreen text editor that's high-contrast-on-black, for when the white screen is too much

ilys.com hides your writing as you write, to stop you from editing as you go

sometimes you need to try something that doesn't work to know it doesn't work: starts that don't go anywhere are not failures, they're progress

don't get too attached to how the last story's process went - every story is different

finding the voice makes it easier to get into flow - "not just you know what happens next, but you know what the story says next" - if you're having trouble with this, write down the plain sequence of events before you tell the story of what happened

the hook doesn't have to be action, it has to be interesting

to avoid over-description, you just have to trust that whatever the reader is seeing in their head is as cool as what you're seeing in your head

the idea for a short story is often the idea for the beginning or the end - and often the beginning and the end mirror each other

there are different kinds of openings - shock, seduction, fixed action, inciting incident - if one isn't working, try another one

there's a cartooning technique where you have two seemingly unrelated panels and a third one that ties them together: that can work with stories, too

3-6k words is a good, marketable length (and writing to length can sometimes be a useful technique, but it's not for everyone)

all writing advice is conditional; the longer you write the more fallacies you accumulate about what works and what doesn't

and finally, a quote that's lost all context in the intervening days but which still stands on its own: "Chuck Fight Club guy, not to be confused with Chuck Buttsex Guy."

After that I finished off my WisCon panels with "Canon vs Fanon," a discussion of the different ways people interact with both. There was more talk about canon than fanon, I think, but most of that focused on what parts of the canon we choose to throw out -- Harry Potter fans who kind of handwave everything after Book Four, Star Wars fans who cling to the EU, that weird time in Star Trek fandom where if you wrote fic and published it in the right zines and you were blessed by The Powers That Be your fic became canon. Comic book fandom, where there are literally numbered alternate universes that all coexist; video game fandom, where, depending on your character's choices, the game ends in very different ways. (Apparently all the tie-in books for Dragon Age: Origins feature King Alistair. Audience: "That's a terrible choice!" Moderator: "I married Alistair but I would not let him be king of anything." Me: started a new game of DA:O when I got home and goddammit I am going to finish it this time.) It was an awesome panel to finish on, full of fannish love and joy and also including a recommendation for some Arthuriana novels I have never heard of, which is an achievement in and of itself. Then there was a whole half hour before the art show closed, so I ran downstairs and bought two prints and a coloring book, all stunning, to add to my collection of things I really need to buy frames for one of these days. And that was WisCon, aside from some packing, some scrounging up coffee and lunch, and the long drive home with post-Memorial Day traffic. It was a slightly weird WisCon this year, for a number of reasons. I wasn't as prepared for it as I usually am. Partly that was intentional - I wanted to do more readings, more parties, more hanging out and talking to people, and less "I must go to every panel!!!" Which I did, and I'm glad I did. But partly it was just that everything has been so much lately. I usually try to read all of last year's purchased books before the new con; I didn't get anywhere close to half, this time. And partly, too, my day-to-day life has become a little more like WisCon than it has before. I'm spending more time thinking about social justice, about gender and race and identity. I'm seeing these conversations more, because I put them in front of my face more, but also because the world has changed some. I'm not complaining, but it's a little weird. Someone over at CleverManka's was talking last week about a time they stopped reading magazines with ads or watching TV, and how suddenly they looked around the bus one day and everyone was beautiful. I feel that way about WisCon, sort of. When I come back from WisCon, I see everyone, in all their glorious selves, and I make fewer assumptions and I am more generous with people and I love everyone a little more. That part is still different from normal life, and I am trying to hold on to that. comments from the wicked king of parody http://ift.tt/2rqTUMx via IFTTT

[themtmshow]

What are some of your favorite MTM episodes and why?

Thank you for the question! I’m sorry it took me so long to reply; I wanted to give you a decent answer but I haven’t had much free time this week. I was goingto give you a top 10 list and, after much deliberation, I ended up with a top15 list instead; I couldn’t narrow it down any further. And if anyone wants to reblog this with their own favourite episodes, or send me an ask about it, that would be very welcome.

I’m posting this under a cut because it got very long (sorry about that).

1x02 – Today I Am a Ma’am

This episode features the first of many disastrous Mary parties, and personally, I don’t think they got any better than this. “Allow me to introduce myself:I’m another person in the room” is one of my favourite lines of the wholeseries. And I love the part where Rhoda dumps food all over her lap and Marylooks over in horror. That is absolutely the kind of thing I would do at a party, if it didn’t violate every social rule in existence. (Also, Ilove any time Rhoda is in a scene with her real-life husband at the time, DickSchaal, aka Howard Arnell.)

2x21 – Where There’s Smoke, There’s Rhoda

This is the one where there’s a fire in Rhoda’s apartment, so she moves in with Mary for a few days. I thinkthis is one of my favourite Mary/Rhoda episodes, because it puts them inconflict with each other while still managing to reinforce how strong andbeautiful their friendship is. They end up fighting because they’re just sodifferent, not because they intentionally want to hurt eachother. They have each other’s best interests at heart the entire time. And theend where Rhoda agrees to go stay with Phyllis is fantastic. I love the look onPhyllis’ face that just screams “HELP ME.”

 3x06 – Rhoda the Beautiful

This, of course, is the episode where Rhoda won the Ms. Hempel Beauty Contest. I have alot of feelings about this episode. I really don’t like the implication that Rhoda wasn’t beautiful when she was fat, and that she only became beautiful after she lost weight. For one thing, Rhoda was neverall that fat, and for another thing, she was never not gorgeous. Also, weighthas absolutely nothing to do with beauty anyway. But I do think the episode madeit clear that the important thing wasn’t Rhoda’s weight at all. Her problem was that she didn’t feel good about the way shelooked. And even winning a beauty contest doesn’t solve that problem for her. Onanother show, that might have been the end of it, but for Rhoda, even that external validation isn’t enough to make her feel confident. Only after admitting her victory to Mary and receiving her support is Rhoda able to take some pride in her appearance.I love this episode because it doesn’t dismiss Rhoda’s self-image issues asunimportant. Instead, it gives them the emotional weight they deserve. Rhoda’s not sillyfor feeling bad about the way she looks. She’s not shallow for caring about herappearance. And she’s not vain for taking pride winning a beautycontest. The writing (and Valerie Harper’s Emmy-winning performance) reallyemphasize how hard it was for Rhoda to feel good about herself, and how braveshe is for gaining that confidence. I adore the scene where Rhoda tells Marythat she won. She looks down instead of meeting Mary’s eyes. Her voice shakes.She’s clearly terrified. And Mary’s reaction is so wonderful. Rhoda neededMary’s support here, and she absolutely got it. Although this episode dealtwith some really important subject matter, and it was definitely inspiring and poignant, it was ultimately a story about one woman earning some well-deserved confidence, and her best friend who helped her get to that point.

3x16 – Lou’s Place

This is theepisode where Lou tries to be the happy, welcoming bartender, but he can’t keepit up, so he ends up individually terrorizing his patrons. I always laughwatching him try to angrily force everyone to have a good time. “What thehell’s wrong with you, anyway? You just sit there like a bunch of clods… Nowthis is the Happy Hour.” I’m laughing out loud just thinking about it. I thinkit’s one of the funniest scenes in the whole show. And I cannot imagine how EdAsner kept a straight face through the whole scene. Or anyone else, for thatmatter. I also love the scene where Ted tries to arm-wrestle Lou while posing for the photographer. And Murray giving Ted change for $500 in nickels was a great ending.

4x17 – Cottage for Sale

This is the one where Lou almost sells his house but Mary changes his mind at the last minute. It’s just a nice, quiet episode that I’ve seen a million times and it always makesme smile. We see Lou give Mary a lot of helpful (and not-so-helpful) advice andguidance over the course of the series. I like this episode because it’s one ofthe times where Lou depends on Mary to be the voice of reason and help him realize that in some cases, his emotions are more important than logic. And I like thescene where Lou makes Mary breakfast: a scrambled omelet, with green pepper,green onion, and… beer. He’s just so pleased with himself for it. Phyllis is also very good in this episode, in her typical nails-on-a-chalkboard sort of way.

 4x20 – Better Late… That’s a Pun… Than Never

“Wee Willie Williams was the oldest living citizen in Minneapolis. There were other citizens in Minneapolis who are older; however, they happen to be dead.” Although the Wee Willie obituary scene is already enough tomake this episode legendary, this is also one of my favourite Mary and Lou episodes. I likethe part when Lou says that he missed Mary more than anyone else did, because that’s not the kind of thing he admits very often. Apart from that, I think it’s very sweet that Rhoda gave up a Robert Redford/Paul Newman movie to write obituaries with Mary until 4 in the morning. That’s quite a favour, even considering what happened as a result. And I would really love to know which character went into Lou’s office overnight and broke all his pencil points. (It was probably Murray.)

4x21 – Ted Baxter Meets Walter Cronkite

I love mostof the Teddy Awards episodes, and this is one of my favourites. This was a goodepisode for Ted. I love the look on his face when he realizes that he won. Forall his confidence before, he seems genuinely surprised, which suggests that much of his trademark overconfidence is actually fake. Ted had so few victories in the show, and his acceptance speech makes mesad for him almost as much as it makes me laugh. And his meeting with WalterCronkite was pure genius. (I wonder if Ted ever gave him his pipe back?)

 5x01 – Will Mary Richards Go to Jail?

I really admire Mary in this episode. She’s scared of going to jail, andshe even cries about it, but she does the right thing anyway, without really considering any other alternative. She’s not flawless, butshe’s brave and principled, which is something I love about her. This is alsoanother really good Mary and Lou episode. Lou’s ethics are such a fundamentalpart of his character, and he demonstrates many times over the course of theseries that he’s very rarely willing to back down on things he cares about. Butin this episode, he tells Mary that he doesn’t believe in the freedom of thepress - going against everything he believes in as a newsman - because he can’t handle her being in jail. That demonstrates just how much he cares about Mary,even more than the ensuing hug. And I always laugh when Sue Ann tells Mary, “Dear, when you get out, if you get out, I’ll beright there to help you find your way back into decent society.” (I’m curious as to howSue Ann got all those tin prison cups on such short notice. Does she just have themlying around in her studio at all times? Was she doing a special on prisonfood? Does she collect them? We’ll never know.)

5x19 – The Shame of the Cities

This is theepisode where Lou and Mary make a documentary on a politician that Lou thought was shady but who turned out to be incredibly boring. The “Thank you, Mr. Mugger” scene at the end is one of myfavourite scenes in the show. Mary Tyler Moore was so damn talented. I alsoreally like Charlene, and I like the part where she casually tells Mary thatshe dated Frank Sinatra and Mary can’t get over it. And I lovethe scene where the news team has a meeting in Lou’s office to work on the documentary and Ted listens in until Lou shuts the door on him (at which point you hear his offscreen cry of anguish).

5x23 – Ted Baxter’s Famous Broadcasters School

This is the one where Ted is tricked by a con man and he has to run a broadcasting school with just his colleagues for support. I don’tknow exactly why this episode is so funny to me, but I really enjoy it. I lovethat everyone pulls together, however reluctantly, to help solve Ted’s problem.And I like Ted’s school song: “We have no gym and we have no pool, but we haveheart at Ted Baxter’s Famous Broadcaster’s School!” Short, but catchy. I also love how Mary completely loses her patience by the end of it. (“Who IS this person? What are we DOING here?!”) Although, having watched “GetSmart,” I find it very confusing that Mary is on a date with Siegfried.

6x09 – Ted’s Wedding

I don’t knowwhy they didn’t call it “Ted and Georgette’s Wedding,” but anyway, this was a veryfunny episode. Ted and Georgette were adorable, of course. Sue Ann was brilliant as thefrilly, flower-toting task manager who magically had everything together at thedrop of a hat. And the tennis-playing priest was perfect. (“Bride on mybackhand, groom on my forehand!”) The wedding is sweet but still hilarious, andalthough this is a significant episode with two of the main characters getting married, it fits very neatly into theshow.

6x18 – Once I Had a Secret Love

I actuallyfeel weird about this episode because of the Lou/Sue Ann storyline. I find it disturbingthat Lou was made to feel guilty for having a drunk one-night stand. And Ithink that if Lou had been a woman and Sue Ann had been a man, that storylinemight have played differently.  But asidefrom that, this is a really emotionally heavy episode because of the Mary/Louconflict. It’s the first time we’ve ever seen Lou be really devastated bysomething Mary did. And I think it’s interesting that he just shuts down,instead of yelling or being sarcastic like he normally would after being hurt. It shows a side of him thatwe don’t normally get to see, and I have a lot of feelings about it. I also have a lot of feelings about the Mary andLou resolution scene, which is very sweet. And Ted is wonderful in thisepisode. “Mary, why are you weeping? Into a sock!” That part always makes melaugh. This was the episode that made me realize how much the show show relied on Ted to keep the show funny while they did heavy episodeslike this one. (I think the episode where Murray falls in love with Mary is another example.)

 6x22 – A Reliable Source

This is the episode where Mary quits her job after Lou insists on running a potentially incriminating story on her Congressman friend. The scenenear the end where Lou helps Mary type her resignation letter is another one of myfavourite scenes. I like any time Mary call Lou by his first name, because sheso rarely does. And although I think that Mary was wrong about wanting to keepthe story about the Congressman off the air, I admire her for sticking to herword anyway. I also think it’s sweet how Murray and Ted really try to supportMary in her fight against Lou, even though there isn’t much they can do. And it amuses me that Ted so readily assumes his friends are trying toget him a raise when they’re really talking about totally irrelevant things. “Thegood Lord has blessed me with many friends… And not a damn one of them’s gotany pull around here!”

 7x10 – Murray Can’t Lose

There are afew episodes during season 7 where you can tell that the writers and the castknew it was going to be their last season, and they just went all out with thesentiment. This is one of those episodes. There are a lot of good scenes inthis one, such as Mary singing in Lou’s office, Ted using Lou as aventriloquism dummy, and Georgette’s excellent dance sequence. But my favouritepart is the end scene where Murray gives his acceptance speech to all hisfriends, even though he didn’t win. I think what Murray says to Mary is lovely: “You do theimpossible every day. You make people forget how beautiful you look becausethey’re too busy realizing how beautiful you are.” It’s a perfect summary ofthe way Murray feels about Mary, and it’s also such a good way to describe her. And I love that Murray finallyadmits to Ted that he does actually like him. (Of course, Tedhad to ruin the moment.)

7x11 – Mary’s Insomnia

Apart fromthe highly inaccurate depiction of insomnia, I adore this episode. It wasdirected by James Burrows, who is one of the most legendary directors of alltime (he also did Cheers). Maybethat’s the reason why there is so much excellent physical comedy in thisepisode. Aside from that, and aside from this being such a nice Mary/Louepisode, I like that Ted actually got to get back at Murray for his years ofinsulting him. I also love the scene where everyone shows up in Mary’s bathroomwhile she’s taking a bath, and only Murray has the good sense to be embarrassedabout it. And Lou accidentally lapsing into “Up the Lazy River” while attempting to sing a lullaby is another one of my favourites.

I could absolutely go on and list another 15 episodes, and probably another 15 after that, but I think it’s in everyone’s best interest if I stop here. Thanks again for the question! And like I said above, people should feel free to reblog and add your own favourite episodes. I’d love to hear what everyone thinks.

[btsmutimagines]

Fourth Lesson (M)

Teacher! Taehyung 

Anon requested:  OMG SINFUL SUNDAY!! Ur the best. ㅠ.ㅠ How about a Tae smut where you go to a concert together (he's just attending with you). Hmmmm, n then spontaneous car sex? ^___________^ Ur a champ~ ;*

Lowkey a smut series ->  Lessons, First Lesson, Second Lesson, Third Lesson

Word Count: 3,385 words

god he’s so damn handsome

You woke up, looking at your alarm clock and sighing. It was time for school, the one place you wished to avoid. There was an error in your winter schedule, making you see Mr. Kim and Ms. Tight skirt at the beginning and end of your day.

Of course, your friends called it ‘destiny’ while you called ‘an error that is the school should take responsibility for’. As if the universe doesn't hate you enough, you couldn't pick an alternative. Even computer science was full and everyone knows Ms. Choi is a tyrant because of her divorce from her fourth husband. You were shocked that she still got dates.

You’ve seen her shamelessly flirt with the head janitor but you digress.

“Y/N, you’re going to be late.” Your brother’s voice ripped you from your thoughts, standing in your door frame as you still laid in bed. He was a year older but you refused to call him ‘oppa’, the last thing you needed to do was inflate his monstrous ego.

“Can't I stay home?”

“Y/N, you just had winter break. Two weeks where you holed up your room with snacks and your corny romance movies.”

“They're not corny, they're classic. Of course, you don't know the difference, you still play with dolls.”

“Action figures.”

“Hm, I wonder why my old Barbie was sitting with Batman.”

“They're working out their issues…”

“Whatever you say, Youngbae.” You shooed him, closing your door and getting dressed. Stupid school couldn't give you pants instead of this flimsy skirt. It was winter for fuck’s sake. You sucked it up, wearing tights under your knee highs and wore your long coat.

“Ready?” You went downstairs, seeing him lying down the couch and watching you going down the stairs. He drops you off now that it's winter but you were pretty sure he would leave you to walk to school if it wasn't for your dad. Your parents were out of town, making your brother stay home instead of living with his stupid friends.

Just thinking about those assholes made you feel dirty, you were sure they thought you were attainable. They obviously don't know that you have this little thing called standards. Their oblivion was taxing on you, making you overjoyed when your brother moved out.

“Take a guess.”

“For someone who's dependent on me, you’re pretty rude to me.”

“It's out of love.” You smiled at him, hearing him ‘some messed up kind of love, huh’ before grabbing his keys. He started his car, you skipping to the passenger side and enjoying your toasty seat.

“All I am to you is transportation.” He backed out of the driveway, taking his time to back into the mailbox. You could still remember when your parents bought him his first car. Your parents made you watch him drive it for the first time, annoying you at first until he backed right into the mailbox. Your mom got it on film and you play it once in a while to cheer yourself up.

“No, you’re more than that. You're excellent transportation. The bus can't replace you.”

“You’re a cruel little sister.”

“And your only sister.”

“To think I was excited to hear that I had a baby sister. Silly 1 year old me.”

“I am a blessing, oppa.” He snorted, you hitting his arm and he pulled into your school’s parking lot. You opened the door to get out, quickly walking off but your brother stopped you.

“Here,” he shoved some pocket change into your hands before slipping his hand into his pocket.

“Buy something to eat before class, Y/N.” He turned his heel before you could thank him, grinning as he left and entering the warm school. You immediately peeled off your coat, allowing the heating warm you up and going to your locker as usual. Your perky friends were nowhere to be found, not that it bugged you really. All they would do is take about college boys and your alleged crush on Mr. Kim.

He's been more experimental these days, making you give him blowjobs in the staff room, fucking you against the window. Your nipples pressed against the frosty glass as he whispered hotly in your ear how much he loved fucking your tight cunt. The thought of his vulgar language that came out of his pretty pink mouth was enough to get you wet. He would place a vibrator in your panties and watch you struggle to keep your legs closed. You would bite your lip, not wanting to give into his wicked pleasure but it would just feel too damn good to deny yourself of. From those experiences, you were pretty sure he had an exhibition kink.

“If it isn't my favorite student.”

“Kim.” He leaned against the lockers, standing in front of you with a cheesy grin on his face. Maybe he was just happy that he could relieve the two weeks break you two had. You really didn't want to explain to your brother why you could barely walk at the end of the day but having sex with him made it worth the embarrassment.

“Did you miss me, kitten?” He shut your locker, pulling you into his arms and you immediately squirm. Does he not realize that you're in public and anyone could see you two being friendly?

“What the hell are you doing?” You hissed and he smirked, his hand slipped between your thighs. His jade eyes met your eyes as he felt your wet cunt. This isn't exactly how you pictured greeting him.

“Already, kitten. Did you miss me that much, huh?” You placed your hand on his arm, wishing he would at least finger you to relieve the heat building in your core that started the minute you heard his voice.

“Please..”

“You haven't asked anything and you're begging?”

“I need you…” He pulled away from you, his finger glistening from the wetness of your folds and you almost cursed. Was he seriously going to tease you right now?

“Tsk tsk, you know better kitten. You know anyone could walk in and see you whimpering like you were.”

“And you still stuck your hand in my panties?”

“You looked fucked out and I barely touched you.”

“That's because…”

“Just admit you missed me, kitten.”

“I rather-” The sound of your stomach growling interrupted your thoughts, Taehyung stifling laughter and you wrapped your arms around your lower torso. After his little laughing fit, he took you to the cafeteria in your school. You got what you could afford with the pocket change your brother gave you but Taehyung pulled out his card with lightning reflexes.

“Mr. Kim, I was going to pay for that.”

“Consider it a treat for my favorite student.” He added with a wink before you grabbed the food from the kind lunch lady. You ate, Taehyung watching and stealing a few bites with you hitting him.

“So violent for such a little girl.”

“Keep talking like that and this little girl will fight you, sir.”

“It would be hard to fight with that soaking wet cunt of yours. I wouldn't mind if you wrap your legs around my shoulders, gives me a better taste of that cunt.”

“M-Mr. Kim.”

“Still haven't learned, kitten? It's Taehyung when we're alone.”

“We're not alone.”

“Practically alone. Nobody important is going to hear me talking about your pussy the way you want me to. Keep clenching your legs, kitten. You'll be spreading them soon enough.” He smirked as he placed a kiss behind your ear, leaving afterward and you glared at his retreating figure. Teasing jerk. You checked the time, seeing class was about to start and making your way to the classroom.

“How was your break?”

“It was amazing. A few of my girlfriends came up and we spent time going to clubs and having spa days.” You knew you weren't supposed to eavesdrop but the fact Ms. Lee is alone with Taehyung made your blood boil. Every conversation they had always had her trying to flirt with him.

“Clubbing? You still have time for that?”

“Maybe you should join me sometime.”

“Good morning.” You opened the sliding door, not wanting to hear his answer and taking a seat.

“Morning, Y/N.”

“Good morning, Y/N. How was your break?” As if her flirtatious behaviour didn't annoy you enough, she was always trying to be friendly with you. You’ve brushed her off on every attempt she made but she kept trying. Gotta admire her persistence.

“It was fine.” You looked at the clock, watching the seconds pass in silence and the class quickly starting to fill with students and your friend skipped to her seat next to you.

“It's freezing out there.” She said as she leaned against you.

“Did you walk?”

“Not all of us have an older brother that drops them off.”

“Maybe I can convince him to carpool with you.”

“What happened to you? Did you get abducted by aliens in the past two weeks?” You hit her side, making her wince while she laughed.

“I’m just being nice, maybe I should let you be an icicle this winter.”

“There's my Y/N.” You rolled your eyes, your friend smiling along with you. Taehyung cleared his throat, easily silencing the room with the simple sound.

“Morning, girls.”

“Good morning, Mr. Kim.” The class choruses and he smiled. He went on, asking a few girls how their break was and began assigning roles for Hamlet.

“Hello, Hamlet.” You glared at him while he playfully smiled. Hamlet was an arrogant maniac, obsessed with the idea of his uncle killing his father and drove himself mad thinking he was the one who could avenge his father’s angry spirit.

“Haha, very funny.” A few girls were giggling as he put the sash over your shoulders.

“Fine, I almost got you, didn't I?”

“Your friend here,” he gestured to your friend next to you and he gestured to you next, “will be Hamlet and you, my dear are my Ophelia.”

He sent you a quick wink before giving out other roles. Ms. Lee followed him around as he briefed everyone on their roles. You barely paid attention, just wanting to leave the classroom. The air was clouded with cheap perfume from Ms. Lee and your friend kept poking you with her foam sword.

“Now before you all go, the Arts department has decided to go to a winter concert from visiting art schools from Europe. Ms. Lee will give you all permission slips and I hope you all join this fun event.” He looked at you at the end, the sudden eye contact made you squirm in your seat. His eyes were so intense, it felt as if his eyes were undressing you and peering into your soul.

“Class dismissed.”

He sat in his chair as you packed your bag and sat on your desk.

“Come here, kitten. You can play with me now.”

“Why don't you come here and get me?” His eyes flickered to yours, his eyes burning you as if you touched an open flame. He walked over to you, his slender fingers pulling on his silk tie. His dress shirt came unbuttoned soon as after, his toned chest exposed to you. You missed his honey golden complexion, his skin radiating heat as his hand snake up your sides.

“I thought you were going to be a good girl for me?”

“I thought you knew better, Taehyung.” You said as his lips merely hovered over yours, his hand caressing your breast and the other resting on your cheek.

“Tsk. I was about to let you do whatever you want, kitten,” his finger ran over your bottom lip, pulling it out a little before he pulled off his tie.

“Follow my lead.” You could tell by the darkest of his eyes, he wasn't going to be easy on you anymore.

“Does it feel good? Tell me.”

“Y-Yes, so fucking good.” He tore up your tights, exposing your drenched underwear. He bent you over his table and began to spank you while he controlled a vibrator on your clit.

You had to keep your legs spread while he watched you try to control your orgasm. He smirked at your moans, you scratching the desk as you mindlessly try to grip anything.

“Do you want to cum, kitten?”

“Taehyung, please. Please let me cum, I need to-” He turned off the vibrator, you opening your mouth to curse him out before you felt his tongue press against you. He placed his hands on your ass, squeezing the flesh as he licked your cunt fervently.

“F-Fuck.” He ate you out until you came, your legs trembling and he hummed against your cunt.

He grabbed a cloth, cleaning you up before fixing your skirt. You dusted over it a little, fixing your sweater and he watched you. He moved away your hands, fixing the bow around your neck and helping you fix up your hair. Was he always this observant of you?

“Thank you.”

“Come to the music concert, Y/N.”

“It's not my type of thing.”

“Do you really want to leave me alone with Ms. Lee?”

“If you think you're just going to toy with me, I hope you know that our… interactions are purely sexual.”

“Our interactions, huh? Is that why you were jealous of Ms. Lee? Walking out the cafeteria when she put her hand on my chest?” He stepped closer to you as he spoke and you moved back with every step he took. “Tossing the script at me when we were reenacting that scene? I wrote those lines, they weren't part of the original script. And you fell into the trap.”

“I’m just a great actress, Mr. Kim. See you tomorrow.” You barely escaped, knowing he wasn't going to follow you when you saw the fox enter the classroom.

Am I really going leave him alone with her?

“I can't believe you dragged me here.” Your friend whined as you dragged her through the large hall. You tried to convince yourself you only showed up because it was free and you rather not stay home with your brother on Friday night.

“It’ll be fun. There could be cute band boys from France.”

“They're foreign? And cute? Count me in.” You were glad that rung her in and followed the theatre, a few girls already there and sure enough, Taehyung was talking to Ms. Lee. That bitch can't be away from him for more than 3 fucking seconds, can-

“Y/N, you made it. I’m really glad you decided to come.” Ms. Lee said to you but your eyes were on Taehyung. His smirk was evident, you fell for his trap on d again but this time you had a plan You sat down near a cute guy in the crowd and your friend finding her own. His face went blank, his eyes on you as you began to chat with the boy. Ms. Lee tried to distract him, you glancing at him trying to be immersed in whatever she was saying.

“You know you're really cute.” You would glad you decided to wear a dress to this event, teasing Taehyung and all the guys that were there. Maybe making him jealous would be an easy goal to accomplish.

“I could say the same about you.” He flirted with you, your comments just as flirtatious as the concert commenced. You touched the boy’s arm, smiling at him as he made a lame joke. He kept trying jokes of the same variety, eating up your fake laughs and you switched the topic.

“You know, you're the first girl that likes my jokes.” That's a shocker.

“I wonder what other things I could be your first for.”

“How about the first girl to make out with in public?”

“Lengthy but I like the idea.” He leaned in, you being yanked away from him and you looked at the one who dragged you.

“You two. You're in a ton of trouble young lady. Come on.” He pulled you by your arm and you read his body language. His jaw locked, his teeth slowly grinding and his tight grip on your wrist all meant one thing. He was jealous and angry.

“You think you're so smart, don't you kitten?”

“I do call myself a genius.” He pulled you outside, going to his car and pressed you against the hood of the car.

“Then try and talk yourself out of this one, genius.”  He turned you around, his hand roughly caressing your ass with a few slaps in between.

“I wanted to make you jealous.” He pulled up the skirt of your dress, disregarding your panties and directly smacking your ass. You felt his fingers rubbed against your clit before burying them into the pool of wetness and heat your count was producing.

“F-Fuck, I-I guess it worked.”

“You like this, kitten? You think you could make me mad and get what you want?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“On your knees” You obliged, his hand forcefully pulling your head close to his cock. He watched your hand palm over his hardening erection and you tested him a bit. You could tell from the growl that he made he wasn’t going to be patient with you anymore. You pulled out his cock, stroking him immediately and he scoffed at you.

“That’s cute, kitten. Open your fucking mouth.” He made you do it anyways, his hand squeezing your cheeks to open your mouth and sticking his dick into your mouth. You couldn’t control the pace of his thrusts, his cock ramming inside your mouth and he made you swallow him a few times as well. He chased his own pleasure, his cock beginning to twitch inside your mouth before he pulled out.

“Is that all you got?”

“Get into the fucking car and take that piece of fabric off before I tear it off that body of yours.” You got into his car, the backseat folded in and a space large enough for two bodies was made. Did he have a feeling that he would be doing this? You slipped out of your dress and looked out the windows. For a moment, you hadn’t realized how rough Taehyung could be with you. Especially a jealous version of himself.

“What? Are you looking for the fucking no name that touched your thigh, kitten?” He pulled you back into his chest, his hand roughly kneading your breast as his hand slipped between your legs and his lips left a trail of hickeys down your neck. You were hopeless, shamelessly moaning Taehyung’s name and begging him not to stop.

“I thought you knew that you were mine. These breasts, your sweet cunt, even this sassy mouth is all mine. Don’t you dare think that you can belong to anyone else but me, understood?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Good kitten.” You relaxed to the sound of your nickname, that moment short-lived as his cock entered you. A gasp escaped your lips as he waited for a moment before moving his hips. He kissed behind your ear before nibbling on the fleshy lobe. You were being held back by hands holding you up when he let you fall onto your hands and knees. He resumed his spanking, each slap only intensifying the pleasure that was coursing through your veins.

The sound of his groans overwhelmed your ability of coherent thought, the way his voice dropped an octave that was deeper than any of the baritones that were in the concert. His breathy cursing was mellifluous, his throaty groan was more beautiful than any piece of music you could ever listen to and no sound could never compare.

Your moans, whimpers and whines were all you could communicate, the sound of skin to skin a metronome in your head as his cock gave you euphoric pleasure that you couldn’t deny. A stutter was all you could muster before you came undone. You barely hold yourself up, Taehyung easing you up by your hips and you turned around to face him. He allowed you to plant a sloppy kiss on his lips, the presence of his teeth nibbling on your bottom lip almost made you go in for another kiss.

“Is this what you wanted, kitten?”  

[hitoritravels]

★Japan Trip 2018 Day 3: Peaceful Serendipity★

So remember when I said there was a surprise option in one of my previous posts in regards to breakfast?

They had orange marmalade. I have never had orange marmalade before. Where has this been all my life?

Also I noted that only on today did they ever chop the breakfast sausages and potatoes into cute little portions. They never did this for the remainder of my trip. Neat little tidbit I noticed.

But yes that orange marmalade was seriously great and I can’t believe I haven’t had it up until this point. So I want to take a moment and emphasize a mindset that I had on this trip: try new and different things! You might discover neat things like this and find more great things to possibly include in your life. Worst case scenario, you check it off as something ‘you tried at least once’. And that’s all that matters.

I also may or may not have been influenced to try it for arguably all the correct reasons but I stand behind it. May or may not have been reminded of certain nostalgic memories....

But at any rate, it’s time to spend my entire day getting my omiage/souvenir shopping out of the way in quite possibly the only appropriate place imaginable.

Akihabaraaaa

So right off the bat I noticed two things: the first being that they were fairly long lines lined up pretty much outside every notable building you could conceivably see (in other words, if you wanted to find the entrance of a building, just find a mass of bodies, you’re on the right track). They were even split into sections, as in there were lines that you had to line up in other to get into a different part of the line that would get you closer to eventually entering the building that you wanted to get into. Complete with crowd control officers. I know I shouldn’t be surprised given where I was but I only ever see this type of thing at conventions. And even then the lines here were far more organized than any con I’ve ever been too. sorry Anime North and Anime Expo

The second thing I noticed was that nothing was open. Nothing. Keep in mind that having done a bit of research, the average opening times for anything here was between 10 AM - 11 AM and I was here by about 9 AM. Mostly to gather my bearings, partially because there was a spot I wanted to visit before hitting up all the shops that interested me. So seeing the state of matters first-hand, I decide to deviate away from the crowds and visit some place a little more quiet.

Kanda Shrine!

A while back, I read a traveler’s online post sharing pictures of this shrine. I thought it looked nice and hearing that it was in Akihabara I figured I’d put it on my list of places to check out, because why not, I’m already headed there. I didn’t even put it together that it was the place that the Toujou Shrine in Love Live was based on until sometime after. So that only compounded my reasons to visit it. I also wanted to run up the stairs just because but there ended up being a steady enough stream of visitors that I couldn’t justify my nerd urges so I settled with walking up the stairs.

It was a really nice place to visit. Even though I haven’t been big on Love Live as of late, I still found it to be pretty cool to visit a place that was fairly central to the series. I know my past self would’ve been happily freaking out but alas I was content to take in the moment and leave with a gentle smile. I think I’m definitely visiting here on my return trip; I didn’t really get to spend as much time as I wanted to here (or pretty much anywhere that I visited today for that matter) so I intend to make up for that next time~

At any rate, after dropping by a FamiMart that I could never find again (very mysterious) and having a quick snack, I saw that the time was just past 10-ish and after making a quick initial list of places to visit, it was time to sortie!

I didn’t even see the no pictures sign until after I uploaded these pictures. Sorry > < ;

Oh...oh my God. Is...is that....

IT ISSSSS

So after doing a bit of quick shopping (and finding out the hard way that Vocaloid CDs are hard to find...that or I was looking in all the wrong places       x x;), I begin to peruse through one of the nearby arcade buildings. While I fully expected the usual suspects (floors upon floors dedicated to fighting games and a myriad of rhythm games, including Love Live), for some reason Aikatsu machines never crossed my mind. So needless to say that I was completely floored as I stood in the back watching presumably these pro players whip out deck boxes and binders filled with Aikatsu cards just going to town on these machines.

Needless to say I wanted to get in on the action but alas all the machines were taken and I had no cards on me at the time. However, they did have an unspoken line system, in the sense where they would always check and see if someone behind them was waiting to play next, and if so, they would get up and circle to the back of the line, rinse and repeat, so that made joining in easier. Now to solve the lack of cards problem.

I quickly look up a basic tutorial on how to start playing on the Aikatsu machines and the tutorial was kind enough to point out that some shops in Akihabara just sold individual cards and even complete sets. So I set out to see if I could find some starter sets so I can try out these machines (spoilers: mission failure)

While I did eventually find a shop that sold Aikatsu cards, it certainly wasn’t any of the ones near me at the time. Phooey. Alas, I cut my losses, picked up some Japanese cards for myself and friends because I was already here, why not. Plus it was cheap and interesting to figure out how to buy singles here because they had a whole system dedicated to it and it was so neat. I liked it.

Now torn between jumping between more shops to try to find some cards or just move on, I decided that I would do the unthinkable. I mean I’m already halfway across the world, I’m already within the realm of doing things I would normally never do, so why not continue that trend and see what happens?

I march towards a different building that was a bit quieter that also had an Aikatsu machine, sit down, and used whatever gaming logic I had to navigate the menu and dialogue, somehow end up with an account, aaaand....

WAHBAM, BEST GIRL, FIRST TRY! I RETIRE AIKATSU CHAMPION OF THE UNIVERSE.

Though all kidding aside, I get addicted pretty quickly. It was only 100¥ a try and I quickly find myself basically unable to get back into the subway station without having to first reload my card because you’re able to pay for these things with your PasMo. Boy do they know how to get you.

Anyway after a few more tries and realizing that I basically got super lucky getting an SPR right off the bat (man are SPRs/PRs hard to find), I realize that I’m not going to get anything done if I stay here forever. Plus I’m hungry. So that calls for a lunch break!

MOS Burger!

While a bit on the more expensive side, I was looking for something simple and despite how the portions appeared, it was surprisingly filling. As in I never actually felt truly hungry until...maybe six hours later. I don’t know exactly what they put in that meat, but it was delicious, filling, and despite the busy location, was fairly small and cozy. Pretty nice, I do want to explore more of their menu because their burgers actually made me not feel horrible after eating them (sorry NA franchises)

At any rate, after feeling pretty good about what’s happened so far, I decide to continue my shopping. I hit up a pretty big Anime store (I want to say it was either Animate or Gamers, please forgive my horrid memory x x) to shop for more souvenirs.

Instead I accidentally come across quite possibly the second biggest surprise I’ve had all day today: an entire section dedicated to Tokyo 7th Sisters, low-key probably one of my most favorite idol franchises because their music is so good >///<; Needless to say, I waltz out with some merch to represent my favorite idol brand (I GOT A SEVENTH HAVEN SHIRT DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HAPPY THAT MAKES ME >///<) and attempt to leave the building to check out other places.

Upon then I happen to see this

While it doesn’t show in the picture, at the bottom listed a date. That happened to be the day I happened to be in Akihabara. As in I happened to be standing in the very same building where a Princess Principal event was taking place right now

Only a single picture was taken because I was too busy screaming inside and deciding whether eating was necessary for the rest of this trip or not

After being effectively robbed, I took a look at the time and realized that I started to run out of time since there was one more place I wanted to visit to do more souvenir shopping and I had no clue how long it would take me to get there, let alone find the place. So I quickly hit up a few other places, miraculously find things for friends, have a quick snack to eat, and start to make my towards my next spot~

But first a celebratory caramel-filled taiyaki ♡

And now onto the ever-famous Yamanote line, from Akihabara to....

Ikebukuro! A place that is filled to brim with hustle and bustle!

Why Ikebukuro you ask? Well you see....

Really, what were you expecting?

So Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City was home to the larger, home base Pokemon Center. Yes it was much larger, but surprisingly yet unsurprisingly less crowded than its sister location at the Skytree. I also noticed a lot more people on their DS’ upon entry, which made me think something was up. So after finally picking up the last of my souvenirs, I decide to investigate.

I end up talking to one of the attendants and she explains to me that there’s an event taking place specifically right then and there where if you enter a code that they’re giving out, you get a shiny Legendary depending on which version of the game you’re playing (Kyogre if you have Ultra Sun, or in my case, Groudon since I had Ultra Moon). So I’m two for two in terms of serendipitous events today. Neato.

Sadly we find out that my version is incompatible with the code since I am an English player (works only on the Japanese versions of the games, makes sense). She then tells me not to worry because that’s not the only thing they’ve got going today!

Long story short, every day for the foreseeable future correlated to a different Rainbow Rocket boss, and depending on which day you visit, you get a Mystery Gift that nets you any one of the pictured Pokemon depending on whose day you visit on. I visited on Giovanni day, which meant that I netted myself a nifty Nidoking! Which is nice because you can’t get any of the Nidoran lines normally in Ultra Sun/Moon so that was nice!

I also want to take a moment here to specifically appreciate the girl that helped me. I initially expressed that I wasn’t very good at speaking Japanese so I apologized if I didn’t make myself clear. She totally understood and she herself also apologized because she herself wasn’t very good at understanding or speaking English and even admitted that she sort of stopped studying it. However, she expressed that she would like to learn it some more and I mirrored her enthusiasm by telling her that while my Japanese isn’t good now, I am still studying it and want to get better at it so I am better able to express myself to others. We both then nodded to each other, acknowledged that we will do our best, and I thanked her earnestly for all her help. So while it may have just been a small encounter, I just want to express that I still feel that thanks to that I want to do my best. And I am. And I will.

Alrighty, now that the night was basically over, I started to realize that I was exhausted. Initially I had planned to end my night at this nearby Sushi Conveyor belt place, but I dreaded the distance that I had to travel for it and I also was still not that hungry. So I wandered for a bit and found a small little joint where I could get my night fix.

Nice and simple tonkatsu ♡ 

Walking off the food in the nightly hustle and bustle of Ikebukuro....

Back to the nightly peaceful neighborhood of Nishiarai

On my way back I decide to grab a bit of a dessert and just take it easy, considering that minus my initial break at FamiMart and lunch at MOS, I...never really stopped moving. Since about 7 AM. And it was about 8-9 PM by this point. Whew, what a day.

Water, what we need to live, and melon pan!

I take it easy outside a nearby 7-11 and take in how nice the peace and quiet of Nishiarai is. Really I would not mind living here if I could. It’s just so...nice. Peaceful. Quiet. Homely. I loved the area and I want to be there again. I miss Nishiarai.

I slowly consume my night-time snack, just observing the daily life of those that were still up at this time. People biking in and out to grab snacks. A boy running in to fetch groceries. A family playing with jump rope, and eventually parting ways, wishing to see each other tomorrow.

Despite all the crazy things about Japan and how busy it can be, I personally really appreciate the quieter side of things. I loved how I spent those few moments just sitting and just taking in the quiet daily lives that I would normally never get to see. Because you don’t get this sort of peace and quiet back at home. Because I don’t normally ever feel this free and at peace when I’m at home. I honestly wish I would.

That’s not to say that I entirely dislike where I am or where I live. It’s just like I said in my monologue back at Kiyosumi Gardens: there’s just a lot of great things, feelings, and realizations that I’ve come to realize on this trip. That there’s a lot back home that I wish I could change to make myself happy. That I want to take as much of the positivity I’ve felt and realized in Japan and bring it back home.

Because it hurts to live in sadness all the time. Not just to myself but to those I love. And I don’t want to do that. I want to make you all happy because I genuinely love you. And I hope I’m able to express even a fraction of that with these posts.

But there’s definitely more of that where that came from. And that will all surely come true in the next day, the one day that mattered the most on this trip.

The day where a dream came true

But that’s a story for a different time

Until then

★To be continued!★

[sailourpastel]

Cold turkey in Kyrgyzstan. Facing Inner Demons: Stories of recovering drug addicts

Cold turkey in Kyrgyzstan. Facing Inner Demons: Stories of recovering drug addicts

Yes yeah your life flashes before your eyes Roslin and you start seeing connections between things yes good woman mine's a simple story wedding spielen started with a beer kissy girl that led to a joint NASA voice and then it got more serious thirty-three-year-old you've gained E is heroin dependent he's married with a child and has used drugs since he was 18 they're no good to you I've taken drugs since the early nineties but Abu Morton it was trendy then one and I was young and stupid war we thought it was something special and I wanted to stand out from the crowd Sergei is 37 with a wife and son he's been heroin-addicted for 16 years when I was 19 did it not yet Mitchell I started taking oxycontin then they went up to 120 dollars each instead of 60 lavazza and they weren't that easy to get anyway then a friend offered me some heroin to try gleb is 24 he lives in the USA with his parents he's been arrow independent for five years the Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan is a mountain country between the Tian Shan and pamir ranges with beautifully picturesque scenery of wide valleys and stunning lakes what you look like a lot of my patients are ordinary good well bred and educated people but because of different circumstances they found themselves in this position yep see society the government and the politicians generally have no idea cool the drug and its are young or what it means to have one in the family addicts from all over the world have been coming here for more than 20 years when they hit rock bottom they seek help in Kyrgyzstan when you have gained his life was in danger his family brought him to the clinic his wife Maria came with him soon we bought a new car yes yes and I really wanted to keep the sons I hoped I'd be able to drive myself but I just couldn't that's what made me realize that I really needed help the whole point is that he's come off his own free will I didn't want to force him it would be useless if it hadn't been his decisions I didn't want to come at first he has to really want to do it I didn't have enough willpower maria fell in love at her dream wedding and then the child she always wanted with her man at her side it was a shock to learn that her husband was a drug user his sister was the first to realize he had a problem lookin saying you I wouldn't really believe it she tried hard to open my eyes how can you not see it she asked but I just refused to believe I said it couldn't possibly be true suppose it's only natural a woman always thinks her man is the best in the world is the illusion of all the close friends I've ever had only one is still alive some overdosed others were killed or died in prison well well this isn't exactly what you'd call a safe way of life it's been a long road I should have come here way back in 93 but the truth is that I was sent to prison several times and so it wasn't something I could do once the body becomes accustomed to drugs it needs them all the time when addicts don't get the heroin they crave they experience withdrawal symptoms which often include acute pain so their patients are not subjected to that torture the doctors chemically induce a coma this who's his doctor I am his name's of Dar has 29 and at the moment he's going through his fourth blockade he's been taking drugs for five years from 2005 here occasionally used marijuana and then harun from 2007 to 2009 for the last six months has been on crystal meth he alternates between drugs and has taken heroin about once a month in the last six months now he says he's ready for the pilgrimage yellow yellow we give new patients a thorough examination first of all and carry out all the necessary tests after that we individually select the best treatment method for each of them what they think oh so for some patients as few as three or four sessions are enough while others may need five or six or even more comfort they are comfortable in this state cousin you see literally if their temperature rises or the pulse rate increases because of sympathy and renal attack or if the patient's life is in danger that we can bring them out of induced coma at any time there is an antidote drug addicts don't only endanger themselves but also the lives of their families and friends parents spouses and children always suffer as well relatives usually go with the patients to the clinic they take the long road to recovery together loomis today I think by now you all know that the treatment they go through is quite tough and it's easier for the patients when it's a family member who looks after them when a family first becomes aware of addiction the first reactions are often confusion panic and anger doctors describe close relatives of drug users as codependent well as in bloody man what are you feeling now just listen what are you thinking about my only thought is about how to get rid of it what to do right what to do yeah how to help yes what I can do to help haunts me what can be done what steps to take at the organ y NOS llamo the incredible sense of guilt is tearing us apart that make you it's haunting and depressing the birthday that's got that how could it have happened why did it happen to my child story unions what did I overlooked but it's gonna depend what did I do wrong cuz the richness that's what happens when a person's mind is consumed with thinking about someone else another Aquabat sir sometimes these thoughts just take up too much space in your brain it's like that that's what work so you don't have much time left to develop your mind and personality am i right the treatment is intended to help not just the patients but their families as well to ease their guilt pain and fear once a drug addict does give up heroin perseverance is vital for that they need to be calm and relaxed rock-hopper they are medicated so they can continue their psychotherapy treatment with a clear mind we'll work with them for at least a week but that varies for different patients in the con average the psychotherapy takes seven days we can predict quite accurately which of our patients is most likely to fight until the end and which will break what's the swing if they don't have the inner strength will power and an intense desire to overcome their addiction and then it is highly likely that one day maybe much later after a year or even ten they'll eventually started taking drugs again Gleb was always an adrenaline junkie and an extreme-sports enthusiasts he first tried heroin in his search for yet another high nips toy wake up clever clever time to get up brush knees he liked it and was hooked that's how he ended up here in the kyrgyz clinic you're beautiful what first interested me about him was the fact that he'd come from the USA at that time malev was the youngest of my patients that made him the most difficult he was 22 and wanted to see everything there is to see in the world he's full of illusions that's impossible to persuade him of anything he never listens to anyone klebs parents brought him to the clinic last year but he couldn't make it through the treatment he gave up and went home whatever we keep in touch with patients for six months after the treatment we learned that he was taking five pills instead of the one he was prescribed he knew what he was doing but he's a thrill seeker and he was but for a dhryn alene ah the medicine overdose was far too much for him he nearly died now Gleb is back at the clinic to complete his treatment to prove to himself and the doctors that he can do it even at the clinic there is still temptations after the coma stage you have gained II met a patient who invited him to smoke some weed well that's bullshit we had a huge row we have no secrets from each other so one day he just came out and said that he wanted to smoke marijuana I told her honestly that they had offered me some to smoke than I did he said I couldn't say no and then the doctors had to bring me around we use what's called the stress energetic psychotherapy method which first appeared in 1988 any mental disorder is linked to the soul especially we're talking about drug or alcohol addiction it's all rooted in our emotional experience on the shores of Lake is it cool the patients take a 24-hour vow of silence they live or stare lives and meditate in search of inner peace for this spiritual journey everyone chooses their own ritual stone they try to transfer all their fears pain and drug-filled past into their stones the UH LaBelle pass is about 3,000 meters above sea level and marks the starting point for each patient's final trial the pilgrimage 250 kilometers of rugged mountain terrain they'll have to negotiate it on foot and they're likely to suffer from heat cold sore feet and lack of oxygen gleb attempted the pilgrimage last year but failed the rough hike proves too much for him after 50 kilometers the young man could go no further nobody tell me I hurt my back badly either way you have to get out of  here look around and make a decision and just it's not that I didn't want to I did show up after all show me where it hurts was here I jumped onto a snowboard to put him about 30 meters and missed now every step I take hurts but it's tonight Gleb our first stop is in two and a half kilometers look what's the point I could go on but what for so you're not going I could go on but it's pointless well at least you'd get that far but I know that I won't get any further what if you really want to give up no but I already know I won't make it when it came to picking a stone I chose a huge one it must have been about eight kilos I think that she's doing I didn't know then that I'd have to carry it 250 kilometers that's why it ended up so badly I have problems with my back I nearly broke my spine when I was 15 so on the first day my back hurt like crazy but they even wanted to give up but decided against it I walked for three days but as my stone was too heavy I broke it into pieces to make it lighter and was disqualified yes now though I've come again to finish the whole 250 kilometers who's a good little glib a lot of people were against bringing you back to the clinic do you understand they still don't really want you here but we've decided to give you a second chance give gainey has also begun his pilgrimage which should take about a week one of the doctors accompanies him and an ambulance delivers everything he might need medicines water and attempt to sleep in this is the second day wow I've got four or five to go it all depends on how fast I can hike there isn't happen to be honest I thought it would be easier especially the first day I didn't think 60k a day would be too difficult I did 20 k and then another 10 and that's when it got really hard for the last 5 or 10 kilometers I haven't been walking as much as crawling yes with you bear Seattle while you're walking your life flashes before your eyes then you start seeing connections between things ok I think about my future about everything really Moisture mobile showroom where there's no one to talk to you so sometimes I hum tunes to myself yeah yellow suit I'm preparing a surprise for my dear husband I want to show him how much I love him of course he already knows good but I want him to read my banner from the mountain so you can see for himself it's stuff up there I want at least to make his last two kilometers a little easier so he'll hurry knowing i'm waiting for him there's no stable means we miss each other so much which Allah silber Maria stood by her husband at every stage of the treatment they cried argued and made up together hoping he'd recover was he a strong man probably if he can do it he hasn't yet he's only been walking for three days he can do it you're confident right I have no doubt at all I know he can make it to the end what will you do if he started taking drugs again again no he won't I'm sure I don't even want to think about it what if well I'd stand by him to the end if he breaks we'll try to cure him again well done what a woman not everyone can cope with the test of the pilgrimage some patients need to face emotional rather than physical trials I'm not well enough to go on the pilgrimage listen there's not the airport I'd like to but I know I'm just not strong enough to get through it what a confusion was it so if you think about it shock therapy seems to be quite a reasonable alternative doctors call this stress energetic psychotherapy but in layman's terms it's shock therapy he came to us was serious withdrawal symptoms and went through six black aids monkey are you sure in your own mind that you'd give up one hundred percent why do you think so many people say that I don't know you have some experience of the criminal world right sure I know it inside out many say they're one hundred percent sure and the next thing they're shooting up again I don't know about them but i can give you my word I'm a man and I always keep my promises that's how I was brought up the doctors have decided that after his induced coma and therapy sessions Sergei should now be given shock therapy at first he couldn't make up his mind he wanted to go on the pilgrimage she said I want to carry this stone with my past and my pain I can do it Sergei has survived severe trials before he was in solitary confinement in prison and I'm sure he can pass the test but the big question though is how important it is to him so I think that for him stress energetic psychotherapy is the best option the procedure takes half an hour the doctors think of it as a psychological reboot bright lights loud shouting and aggressive clapping help clear and reprogram the patient's mind the process induces a cathartic state ok that before it's a little like hypnosis thank you slowly we repeat you're strong you're powerful you can do it there's no need for drugs in your life anymore and these subliminal thoughts become imprinted in their minds the next day these ideas get stuck in their heads though they don't remember the actual words when you say gleb sets out on his pilgrimage again this time he's chosen a smaller stone which will be physically easier for him but psychologically much harder loving parents and a good career are waiting for him at home and he's promised to come back cured romola doom cocky I wanted him to remember the exact moment that he finished his journey Stephanie malish I wanted to make it special mr. i know it was quite a demanding experience for him and I'm so proud of him for proving he was able to do it a cleansing summer rain shower began just as you've gained he completed his week-long pilgrimage the treatment was over the patient's rid themselves of their negative past by discarding their stones and symbolically burning their troubles on the sacred touchdown at our Mountain the most important thing is that I've saved my marriage all this is thanks to my wife who's waited 16 years for me after the treatment Sergei kept in touch with the clinic for a month he claims to have stopped taking drugs now he's not answering his phone and no one knows where he is yo I've been going to university for five years and still have no degree but now i am going to graduate Gleb finished his pilgrimage and returned to the USA he doesn't take drugs and has taken up extreme sports again he is convinced he will never return to abusing drugs again shit up bullet though I flew a paraglider yesterday and I'm thinking of buying one the euros where I live a perfect for it you've gained Ian Maria have returned to their hometown and changed their social circle if gaining has found a new job now it has taken no drugs for six months he wants to give up smoking and hopes for a second child you

See more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD58-3aDgDg

drug rehabilitation centers

Source: http://eliterehaballiance.com/video-blog/cold-turkey-in-kyrgyzstan-facing-inner-demons-stories-of-recovering-drug-addicts

[sailourpastel]

Cold turkey in Kyrgyzstan. Facing Inner Demons: Stories of recovering drug addicts

Cold turkey in Kyrgyzstan. Facing Inner Demons: Stories of recovering drug addicts

Yes yeah your life flashes before your eyes Roslin and you start seeing connections between things yes good woman mine's a simple story wedding spielen started with a beer kissy girl that led to a joint NASA voice and then it got more serious thirty-three-year-old you've gained E is heroin dependent he's married with a child and has used drugs since he was 18 they're no good to you I've taken drugs since the early nineties but Abu Morton it was trendy then one and I was young and stupid war we thought it was something special and I wanted to stand out from the crowd Sergei is 37 with a wife and son he's been heroin-addicted for 16 years when I was 19 did it not yet Mitchell I started taking oxycontin then they went up to 120 dollars each instead of 60 lavazza and they weren't that easy to get anyway then a friend offered me some heroin to try gleb is 24 he lives in the USA with his parents he's been arrow independent for five years the Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan is a mountain country between the Tian Shan and pamir ranges with beautifully picturesque scenery of wide valleys and stunning lakes what you look like a lot of my patients are ordinary good well bred and educated people but because of different circumstances they found themselves in this position yep see society the government and the politicians generally have no idea cool the drug and its are young or what it means to have one in the family addicts from all over the world have been coming here for more than 20 years when they hit rock bottom they seek help in Kyrgyzstan when you have gained his life was in danger his family brought him to the clinic his wife Maria came with him soon we bought a new car yes yes and I really wanted to keep the sons I hoped I'd be able to drive myself but I just couldn't that's what made me realize that I really needed help the whole point is that he's come off his own free will I didn't want to force him it would be useless if it hadn't been his decisions I didn't want to come at first he has to really want to do it I didn't have enough willpower maria fell in love at her dream wedding and then the child she always wanted with her man at her side it was a shock to learn that her husband was a drug user his sister was the first to realize he had a problem lookin saying you I wouldn't really believe it she tried hard to open my eyes how can you not see it she asked but I just refused to believe I said it couldn't possibly be true suppose it's only natural a woman always thinks her man is the best in the world is the illusion of all the close friends I've ever had only one is still alive some overdosed others were killed or died in prison well well this isn't exactly what you'd call a safe way of life it's been a long road I should have come here way back in 93 but the truth is that I was sent to prison several times and so it wasn't something I could do once the body becomes accustomed to drugs it needs them all the time when addicts don't get the heroin they crave they experience withdrawal symptoms which often include acute pain so their patients are not subjected to that torture the doctors chemically induce a coma this who's his doctor I am his name's of Dar has 29 and at the moment he's going through his fourth blockade he's been taking drugs for five years from 2005 here occasionally used marijuana and then harun from 2007 to 2009 for the last six months has been on crystal meth he alternates between drugs and has taken heroin about once a month in the last six months now he says he's ready for the pilgrimage yellow yellow we give new patients a thorough examination first of all and carry out all the necessary tests after that we individually select the best treatment method for each of them what they think oh so for some patients as few as three or four sessions are enough while others may need five or six or even more comfort they are comfortable in this state cousin you see literally if their temperature rises or the pulse rate increases because of sympathy and renal attack or if the patient's life is in danger that we can bring them out of induced coma at any time there is an antidote drug addicts don't only endanger themselves but also the lives of their families and friends parents spouses and children always suffer as well relatives usually go with the patients to the clinic they take the long road to recovery together loomis today I think by now you all know that the treatment they go through is quite tough and it's easier for the patients when it's a family member who looks after them when a family first becomes aware of addiction the first reactions are often confusion panic and anger doctors describe close relatives of drug users as codependent well as in bloody man what are you feeling now just listen what are you thinking about my only thought is about how to get rid of it what to do right what to do yeah how to help yes what I can do to help haunts me what can be done what steps to take at the organ y NOS llamo the incredible sense of guilt is tearing us apart that make you it's haunting and depressing the birthday that's got that how could it have happened why did it happen to my child stroy unions what did I overlooked but it's gonna depend what did I do wrong cuz the richness that's what happens when a person's mind is consumed with thinking about someone else another Aquabat sir sometimes these thoughts just take up too much space in your brain it's like that that's what work so you don't have much time left to develop your mind and personality am i right the treatment is intended to help not just the patients but their families as well to ease their guilt pain and fear once a drug addict does give up heroin perseverance is vital for that they need to be calm and relaxed rockhopper they are medicated so they can continue their psychotherapy treatment with a clear mind we'll work with them for at least a week but that varies for different patients in the con average the psychotherapy takes seven days we can predict quite accurately which of our patients is most likely to fight until the end and which will break what's the swing if they don't have the inner strength will power and an intense desire to overcome their addiction and then it is highly likely that one day maybe much later after a year or even ten they'll eventually started taking drugs again Gleb was always an adrenaline junkie and an extreme-sports enthusiasts he first tried heroin in his search for yet another high nips toy wake up clever clever time to get up brush knees he liked it and was hooked that's how he ended up here in the kyrgyz clinic you're beautiful what first interested me about him was the fact that he'd come from the USA at that time malev was the youngest of my patients that made him the most difficult he was 22 and wanted to see everything there is to see in the world he's full of illusions that's impossible to persuade him of anything he never listens to anyone klebs parents brought him to the clinic last year but he couldn't make it through the treatment he gave up and went home whatever we keep in touch with patients for six months after the treatment we learned that he was taking five pills instead of the one he was prescribed he knew what he was doing but he's a thrill seeker and he was but for a dhryn alene ah the medicine overdose was far too much for him he nearly died now Gleb is back at the clinic to complete his treatment to prove to himself and the doctors that he can do it even at the clinic there is still temptations after the coma stage you have gained II met a patient who invited him to smoke some weed well that's bullshit we had a huge row we have no secrets from each other so one day he just came out and said that he wanted to smoke marijuana I told her honestly that they had offered me some to smoke than I did he said I couldn't say no and then the doctors had to bring me around we use what's called the stress energetic psychotherapy method which first appeared in 1988 any mental disorder is linked to the soul especially we're talking about drug or alcohol addiction it's all rooted in our emotional experience on the shores of Lake is it cool the patients take a 24-hour vow of silence they live or stare lives and meditate in search of inner peace for this spiritual journey everyone chooses their own ritual stone they try to transfer all their fears pain and drug-filled past into their stones the UH LaBelle pass is about 3,000 meters above sea level and marks the starting point for each patient's final trial the pilgrimage 250 kilometers of rugged mountain terrain they'll have to negotiate it on foot and they're likely to suffer from heat cold sore feet and lack of oxygen gleb attempted the pilgrimage last year but failed the rough hike proves too much for him after 50 kilometers the young man could go no further nobody tell me I hurt my back badly either way you have to get out of here look around and make a decision and just it's not that I didn't want to I did show up after all show me where it hurts was here I jumped onto a snowboard to put him about 30 meters and missed now every step I take hurts but it's tonight Gleb our first stop is in two and a half kilometers look what's the point I could go on but what for so you're not going I could go on but it's pointless well at least you'd get that far but I know that I won't get any further what if you really want to give up no but I already know I won't make it when it came to picking a stone I chose a huge one it must have been about eight kilos I think that she's doing I didn't know then that I'd have to carry it 250 kilometers that's why it ended up so badly I have problems with my back I nearly broke my spine when I was 15 so on the first day my back hurt like crazy but they even wanted to give up but decided against it I walked for three days but as my stone was too heavy I broke it into pieces to make it lighter and was disqualified yes now though I've come again to finish the whole 250 kilometers who's a good little glib a lot of people were against bringing you back to the clinic do you understand they still don't really want you here but we've decided to give you a second chance give gainey has also begun his pilgrimage which should take about a week one of the doctors accompanies him and an ambulance delivers everything he might need medicines water and attempt to sleep in this is the second day wow I've got four or five to go it all depends on how fast I can hike there isn't happen to be honest I thought it would be easier especially the first day I didn't think 60k a day would be too difficult I did 20 k and then another 10 and that's when it got really hard for the last 5 or 10 kilometers I haven't been walking as much as crawling yes with you bear Seattle while you're walking your life flashes before your eyes then you start seeing connections between things ok I think about my future about everything really Moisture mobile showroom where there's no one to talk to you so sometimes I hum tunes to myself yeah yellow suit I'm preparing a surprise for my dear husband I want to show him how much I love him of course he already knows good but I want him to read my banner from the mountain so you can see for himself it's stuff up there I want at least to make his last two kilometers a little easier so he'll hurry knowing i'm waiting for him there's no stable means we miss each other so much which Allah silber Maria stood by her husband at every stage of the treatment they cried argued and made up together hoping he'd recover was he a strong man probably if he can do it he hasn't yet he's only been walking for three days he can do it you're confident right I have no doubt at all I know he can make it to the end what will you do if he started taking drugs again again no he won't I'm sure I don't even want to think about it what if well I'd stand by him to the end if he breaks we'll try to cure him again well done what a woman not everyone can cope with the test of the pilgrimage some patients need to face emotional rather than physical trials I'm not well enough to go on the pilgrimage listen there's not the airport I'd like to but I know I'm just not strong enough to get through it what a confusion was it so if you think about it shock therapy seems to be quite a reasonable alternative doctors call this stress energetic psychotherapy but in layman's terms it's shock therapy he came to us was serious withdrawal symptoms and went through six black aids monkey are you sure in your own mind that you'd give up one hundred percent why do you think so many people say that I don't know you have some experience of the criminal world right sure I know it inside out many say they're one hundred percent sure and the next thing they're shooting up again I don't know about them but i can give you my word I'm a man and I always keep my promises that's how I was brought up the doctors have decided that after his induced coma and therapy sessions Sergei should now be given shock therapy at first he couldn't make up his mind he wanted to go on the pilgrimage she said I want to carry this stone with my past and my pain I can do it Sergei has survived severe trials before he was in solitary confinement in prison and I'm sure he can pass the test but the big question though is how important it is to him so I think that for him stress energetic psychotherapy is the best option the procedure takes half an hour the doctors think of it as a psychological reboot bright lights loud shouting and aggressive clapping help clear and reprogram the patient's mind the process induces a cathartic state ok that before it's a little like hypnosis thank you slowly we repeat you're strong you're powerful you can do it there's no need for drugs in your life anymore and these subliminal thoughts become imprinted in their minds the next day these ideas get stuck in their heads though they don't remember the actual words when you say gleb sets out on his pilgrimage again this time he's chosen a smaller stone which will be physically easier for him but psychologically much harder loving parents and a good career are waiting for him at home and he's promised to come back cured romola doom cocky I wanted him to remember the exact moment that he finished his journey Stephanie malish I wanted to make it special mr. i know it was quite a demanding experience for him and I'm so proud of him for proving he was able to do it a cleansing summer rain shower began just as you've gained he completed his week-long pilgrimage the treatment was over the patient's rid themselves of their negative past by discarding their stones and symbolically burning their troubles on the sacred touchdown at our Mountain the most important thing is that I've saved my marriage all this is thanks to my wife who's waited 16 years for me after the treatment Sergei kept in touch with the clinic for a month he claims to have stopped taking drugs now he's not answering his phone and no one knows where he is yo I've been going to university for five years and still have no degree but now i am going to graduate Gleb finished his pilgrimage and returned to the USA he doesn't take drugs and has taken up extreme sports again he is convinced he will never return to abusing drugs again shit up bullet though I flew a paraglider yesterday and I'm thinking of buying one the euros where I live a perfect for it you've gained Ian Maria have returned to their hometown and changed their social circle if gaining has found a new job now it has taken no drugs for six months he wants to give up smoking and hopes for a second child you

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drug rehabilitation requirement

Source: http://eliterehaballiance.com/video-blog/cold-turkey-in-kyrgyzstan-facing-inner-demons-stories-of-recovering-drug-addicts_1