#honestly not sure what is the conclusion of this

[toffee4you]

Honestly I'm surprised at how much actual hate I've seen towards the Dawn Armor announcement (mostly Twitter). Just because he's wearing the armor doesn't mean he has to slay/harm Malleus.

Reasoning and anticipated outcome below cut

The reasons:

Already, Silver and Dawn have shown parallels. While they both wish for the unity of fae, humans, etc., Dawn followed any order despite knowing it was wrong because he didn't want to betray Heinrick (and by extension, his family). Meanwhile, Silver was already shown to go against Malleus's order for the greater good (early book 7 in Sebek's dream, when he refused to fall asleep even after being bashed for his disobedience, and fled from Malleus to save him and everyone else). There's also things like rabbitfest where he was completely warranted to dust those delinquents, especially since everyone else initially wanted to do that too, but he immediately went for a passive approach. That's not as strong of an example because there's no lives on the line, though.

Another thing we're forgetting is that Silver and Dawn likely had vastly different environments growing up. Silver was raised by Lilia, a fae who advocated for peace between all species. He also has peers who don't harbor any particular hate towards fae because the modern world is more tolerant. Meanwhile, Dawn might have had good intentions, but from what we see, at least some of the humans he grew up with had little regard for fae (Heinrick). And, judging by lines about their greed and lack of care for the environment, it's highly probable that most others had the same lack of regard. It's a little hard to follow your beliefs when it'll seem like betraying everyone else who you want to protect, ESPECIALLY your family. This leads to what I believe is one of the key differences.

Heinrick manipulated Dawn by telling him it was for Leah's happiness and her father's health. Maleanor is not someone Dawn has personally known, making it less of a loss to slay her in order to save what's important to him (as terrible as it is, and undoubtedly, it was a hard but wrong decision imo). On the contrary, Malleus is a part of Silver's family + his liege, and that's important to him. He's doing this to save Malleus and everyone else, not just to save one side like Dawn was.

Also, Malleus is doing this with misplaced intentions to make everyone happy, and the others seem somewhat aware of this (most definitely Silver, who saw his reasoning from beginning to end). Meanwhile, humans back then probably tried to dehumanize fae (especially Maleanor) by labeling them as the evil ones. No one is actively advocating for Malleus actually be slayed, giving Silver more room to follow his own will, unlike Dawn. So, not only was he raised to follow his will, but his environment is a lot more forgiving. As a matter of fact, if the others also advocate for not harming Malleus, there's really no reason AT ALL for Silver to hurt him.

Besides, it seems like TWST has been trying to represent a theme that the world is slowly changing, and issues do get resolved after overblots. Think of fairy gala. When Dawn said the line praying for all intelligent beings to live in harmony, he was about to slay Maleanor. When Silver said the line, it was because they actually SUCCEEDED at bringing the species together. History did not repeat itself, and I think it would be counterintuitive/more difficult for book 7 to end if they tried making Silver harm Malleus.

Also, did we forget how shaken Silver was when he realized he was related to Dawn? And how he had a whole character development realizing that even though he shared genetics with Dawn, he was still different and he was loved? Then vowed to save everyone? Super counterintuitive to go back on all of that for the sake of angst.

The conclusion:

In my opinion, I think the Dawn Armor has potential to be the opposite of "traumatizing" for Lilia. Sure, at first, he'll probably get a spook seeing that armor come out, but I think he trusts Silver enough to take the right route. I think it might finally give Lilia some internal peace when he sees Silver wield the same armor to save Malleus instead of slaying him, like a good ending version of what happened years ago. I also think Dawn Knight himself would be proud of Silver for doing what he failed at, assuming he's watching over Sil from the ring. At least, that's what I'm personally hoping for.

Feel free to throw tomatoes at me like a medieval villager if I'm wrong tho 🫡

[sgiandubh]

As somebody working in the diplomatic profession, what's your take on the White House kerfuffle yesterday between Trump and Selensky?

Dear What's Your Take Anon,

I have never seen anything of the sort, during my twenty-two year career (and counting) and I honestly hope to never see something remotely resembling it, as long as I shall breathe on Earth. Same goes for the tons of verbatim transcripts I have always read and analyzed with pleasure, and still do.

There is a reason why negotiations take place behind closed doors. When people are out and talking to the press, stiff upper lips and more or less relaxed smiles are de rigueur. To some, this is hypocrisy. To me, this means at least a modicum of agreement has been reached, for continuing to see each other and talk to each other is still some sort of agreement. There is reassuring elegance in this traditional choreography that is/should be second nature to any professional.

Yesterday, I have watched live on CNN something very closely resembling a Tumblr flame war comment thread. You draw your own conclusions, Anon.

This is Her Excellency, Mrs. Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Washington DC. And this is her reaction to what happened in that room, as I am sure you know, by now:

I saw myself in that picture, Anon.

[wordsofwhimsy]

𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚎𝚜 & 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎 - 𝙿𝚝. 2

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

【ＰＡＩＲＩＮＧ】 ⦂ Mark Grayson x Reader

【ＧＥＮＲＥ】 ⦂ Fluff, romance, & slight!tragedy

【ＷＡＲＮＩＮＧＳ】 ⦂ None

【ＩＮＳＰＩＲＡＴＩＯＮ】 ⦂ “Forrest Gump” by Frank Ocean

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

♫♪ This is love, I know it’s true… ♫♪

Mornings had always been hard for you.  Most days you struggled to even open your eyes, let alone get out of bed.  As a young teenager you mother had told you this was a sign of depression.  You of course, being a teenager, brushed off her concern.  It took several years for you to come to the same conclusion on your own.

Mornings with Mark were different.

The sun seemed softer, warmer, dripping through the blinds like honey.  The songbirds were a melodious symphony that gave you a sense of peace.  Your mind was blank as you slowly blinked into consciousness.  Mark’s sleeping form was the first thing you clearly saw as your vision came to focus.  He was laid on his side turned towards you, lips slightly parted, and his face completely relaxed.  He was beautiful, and you were in love.  Unable to help yourself, and perhaps even unaware of your own actions, your fingers reached out to trace slowly over his shirtless chest.  They moved gingerly over the plains of his abdomen, dipping into the valley between his pecks, and skirting along his defined collarbones.  In synch with your fingers finding his jaw, you leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips.

Mark’s arms snaked around you in response, pulling you into a languid yet strong embrace.  His mouth moved against yours, melting you into a puddle on his bed.  “I hope I didn’t wake you up,” you murmured against his lips.

“No, no,” he assured between quick, soft kisses.  Then he paused and added, “Well, maybe.”  You rolled your eyes and pushed playfully away from him.  Chuckling he and pulled you back in, keeping you close. “Wait no I’m kidding, come back.”  You immediately gave up the fight and settled comfortably back into his arms.  He placed a kiss to the top of your head, and in that quiet moment you wished it could last forever.  That was until you felt a pang of hunger curdle in your stomach.  Knowing that an embarrassing growl was just around the corner, you asked,

“Would you want to go get breakfast?”

“That sounds good,” he responded, burying another kiss into your messy bedhead. “Get ready.  I know the perfect place.” 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

“Konnichiwa!” A woman of small frame and jet black hair stood at your table side, a toothy grin painting her face.

“Konnichiwa,” you greet back with a small awkward chuckle.

“Are you Americans?” the woman asked, head slightly cocked to the side. 

“We are—sorry, we don’t know Japanese.”  You threw a quick glance to Mark whose eyes were fixed on you. 

“That’s okay~” the waitress responded promptly in a singsong tone. “What can I get for you?”

“I’ll have the pancakes.”

“I’ll do the tamagoyaki [a/n: this is a “sweet and savory omelette” that is a traditional breakfast option in Japan], please,” Mark added, his stare only now moving to look at the waitress. 

“Hai!” She gave a slight bow before heading off to presumably ring in your order.  Waiting to be sure the waitress was out of earshot you finally looked to Mark with an incredulous expression.

“Y’know, this is definitely not what I had in mind when I suggested breakfast.”  He flashed his pearly whites at you, apparently pleased with his choice.

“Trust me, Japan really has breakfast figured out.”  You chuckled before taking a sip of your water. “My mom and I come here sometimes.”  The unspoken question on your mind: did your father come too?  Instead, you say,

“Debbie makes some of the best pancakes, I’ll have to see if this place can stack up.”

“Pun intended?” Mark laughed.

“In all seriousness, I’ve never been to Japan before.  Tokyo is gorgeous!”  He hummed in agreeance.

“You should see the countryside.”

“If it’s anything like it is in anime’s I can only imagine.” 

“Honestly? It’s pretty close.” Your foot bounced under the table, still shaking off the jitters from the flight here.  You took another sip of water, dehydrated from the adrenaline rush.  Mark’s broken face came into view as you put the glass back down.  He tried to hide it, but you knew him well, and his pain spoke to you even in the silence.  Uncrossing your legs you slipped your foot from the sandal you were wearing and reached out to rub your toes over calf.  This seemed to bring him back to you, his body tensing for a moment then relaxing.  “I’m excited for you to try these hotcakes.  I’m telling you they are kind of ridiculously fluffy.  It’s like eating a cloud.”

You laughed, eliciting a grin from him. “Well now I’m really excited.”  Your morning continued on in this fashion, conversation staying to lighthearted subjects and an obvious all together avoidance of what happened yesterday.  A part of you wondered if he chose to eat on the opposite side of the planet in an attempt to avoid hearing any news stories or strangers’ conversations relating to the matter.  The thought alone left your heart burning in your chest.  As desperately as you wanted to talk to him and find out the details of the event, you would leave the ball in his court and wait patiently for him to be ready to open up.

Instead, you offered him wordless comfort in the small gestures of connection as you sat there together.  Rubbing your foot against his leg under the table, reaching over with your hand to rest on top of his, placing a kiss to the top of his head when coming back from the restroom.  It was the best you could give him, and though they seemed insignificant to you, they meant the world to Mark.  They were all he needed in that moment.

“Okay, don’t tell Debbie, but that might have been the best pancake I’ve ever had,” you confessed, leaning back in your seat with your hands placed on your stomach in dramatic effect.  Mark’s face lit up.

“I told you!  It doesn’t even make sense how good they are.”  You laughed at his excitement.

“Speaking of Debbie, is she working today?”  The joy melted quickly from his face, and yours mirrored the same emotion.

“I doubt it.  I should probably go see how she’s doing…”  You stayed silent but nodded your head in agreement.  Having paid the tab a few minutes prior, you both stood from the table and headed back to the small alley you’d landed in.  “Ready?” he asked, you now cradled in his arms with your arms wrapped around his neck. 

“Mhmm.”  You both move in synch towards each other, kissing slowly and deeply.  The feeling of his lips against yours never ceased to put butterflies in your chest, your toes coming to a point in pure bliss.  Your mouths moved together, complimenting one another effortlessly.  His tongue skimmed along your bottom lip but then pulled away shyly, sending chills down your spin.  By the time you broke away for air you were already high above the ground and moving just below the clouds.  You buried your face into the crook of his neck, still unable to handle the height after all this time.

Instead of thinking of how far up you were, you focused on the feeling of weightlessness you had when held in his arms.  For all his strength and otherworldly capabilities, he treated you like a delicate flower.  Doing his best to offer you the world while forever being mindful of your fragility.  He always kept you so secure, and flying like this in his arms left you with a feeling of almost ethereality.

Unknown to you, this feeling was requited in Mark – only he felt the weightlessness in his mind and heart.  He could never let you go, and had resolved long ago that you would be apart of his life forever.  Even in the centuries to come where you were dead and gone, you would live on eternally in his heart.

♫♪ I won’t forget you. ♫♪

[theamityelf]

How are Makoto's ships (your favs) yanderes with him? What are their dynamics? How do they act with the "romantic rivals"? Whether jealousy, possessiveness or obsession are Makoto's friends and family affected?(Thanks for making Yandere dynamics so interesting I'm your fan!)

Thank you for giving me a yandere question, lol!

Okay, so you said to write my favs, but as I started this I realized that I have many favs, so this post is just going to be my THH favs (for Makoto ships) and later I'll do an SDR2 one with Hajime, Nagito, Izuru, etc.

Besides the examples of yandere behavior I already have them exhibiting in my fics, I'm thinking the paremeters of this post will just be them under 100% normal circumstances. So, pre-Tragedy or No Tragedy, standard life stuff.

Kyoko (Naegiri)

She isn't hiding that she's a yandere, but she also isn't open about it. Her attitude toward it is basically, "If you can figure it out yourself, I don't mind if you know."

She's an extremely effective stalker. She knows everything about Makoto. She has samples of his hair. His fingerprints. She can replicate his handwriting. She knows where he goes and with who and when.

She usually doesn't kill rivals. She'll get them arrested for a crime they've done or frame them for a crime they haven't done. She won't hesitate to kill in self-defense or to protect Makoto, but as far as jealousy is concerned, murder is just too messy for her, when it's so convenient to be the Ultimate Detective.

Even if someone 100% figures out what she's doing and successfully convinces the authorities of it, the most she can get in trouble for is being wrong about a case. Which honestly probably won't even particularly harm her reputation. I guess in a world where Hope's Peak is a thing, maybe people are really keeping track of how well this detective is finding the right criminal, but really the only stakes there are how much people believe in her talent. She's fine.

Since she's still occasionally brought Makoto along on cases and generally used him for her detective work, in this timeline (without the killing game), there's a chance that he might one day come across the right information to realize that she's been framing people.

If he confronts her about this, she would honestly be flattered that he's been looking over her work and proud that he reached the right conclusion. (I'm picturing her hand-to-face slightly-smiling sprite.)

If he continues to press her about it, she'll go serious and basically ask him what he's going to do about it.

Most likely they can talk through the fact that she's a yandere and figure out next steps from there, but there's a non-zero chance that they break up over this and she frames him for something. The idea isn't to send him to jail; it's a fear tactic. Basically, she's made him a suspect. If they don't work out their couple drama, she'll accuse him of the crime. If they do work out their couple drama, she'll remove the suspicion from him.

It's like a game of chicken, where Makoto wants to stand his ground but doesn't want to go to jail and Kyoko wants to make him give in but doesn't want to send him to jail. Either she bends, he bends, or (theoretically) he goes to jail. (He's not going to jail.)

Byakuya (Naegami)

(Full disclosure, having just finished typing this section, I'm not 100% proud of it, so I might revisit this idea later.)

He's rich, so there's already an entitlement to him. I think his initial plans for how to deal with his yandere feelings (and honestly most subsequent plans) get derailed by Makoto. Initially, he wants to make Makoto his personal assistant, so he can be completely in control of Makoto's life. He plans it all out: where and how Makoto will live, what his schedule will be, how he'll make sure he never dates or marries.

Instead, Makoto turns down the job offer. Fine, he'll just make sure no other companies hire him, and then he'll have to accept, right?

Actually, Makoto befriends him. They start dating. Byakuya...didn't plan for that.

(And he's trying to hide that he's a yandere. Any desires or impulses that come from a yandere place, he expresses them as "I just have very high standards." He'd hate to come across as needy or sentimental.)

But he still wants to control where and how Makoto lives and who he's allowed to talk to. Makoto opposes this, but Byakuya is underhanded. If he insists on chatting with the waitstaff when they go out to eat, that waiter is getting fired later. Byakuya will hire hitmen, he'll manipulate the stock market, he has nothing but resources at his disposal to get rid of annoying people.

However, Makoto holds a lot of emotional power over Byakuya. Byakuya is not able to lord over Makoto his ability to do these things, because if he did, Makoto would look at him with those eyes, and he can't handle that. The truly toxic behavior happens either in secret or as petty lashing-out when his awareness of how down-bad he is makes him feel too vulnerable.

All of that said, he likes to show Makoto off. He likes for people to see that Makoto is his. He just doesn't want people to see how thoroughly he is Makoto's.

Kyoko and Byakuya (Naegamigiri/Tonaegiri)

The vibe here is that either Kyoko slid effortlessly into the Naegami scenario or Byakuya did a hostile takeover of the Naegiri scenario. Byakuya is amenable to letting Kyoko into the Naegami scenario because she knows how to Info-chan her way in; Kyoko is trying to block Byakuya out of the Naegiri situation (not because she isn't into him, but because the dynamic there is a lot of belligerent sexual tension where it's enriching for both of them if he's The Villain) until he manipulates the situation using his resources.

They balance each other in a fun way. They don't get to be toxic toward Makoto, in this scenario, because the day Byakuya is a petty jerk is the day Kyoko gets to be Makoto's favorite (at least in their eyes) and vice versa. They only act out when they're in agreement about it. In which case, they will make people disappear.

"Hey," Makoto says, walking in with his arms crossed. (Kyoko and Byakuya are in the kitchen, having a weirdly sexually-charged debate about a historical cold case.) "Is there something you guys want to tell me?"

Byakuya and Kyoko both look at him warily, trying to figure out what he's figured out. There are a lot of things they've done that he could have found out about.

"This is entrapment," Byakuya says, raising an eyebrow.

"Legally speaking, no it isn't," Kyoko says, because the solidarity goes out the window so fast with these two. "Not even close."

(Byakuya glares at her, about to start a whole new argument.)

"Guys?" Makoto probes.

"We haven't done anything major in at least a week," Kyoko says, sipping a drink calmly.

"I was just on the phone with Sayaka," he helps them out. "Are you sure there's nothing you want to tell me?"

"That your ex's foray into dark pop was an even worse career move than her foray into psychedelic pop?" Byakuya says.

Kyoko smirks into her drink.

(Long story short, they may have perhaps caused Sayaka to reroute her world tour so she can't be in town to meet up with Makoto.)

Sayaka (Naezono)

Sayaka is super open about it and seamlessly adopts it into her brand. She's posting pictures of Makoto on her social media with captions like "Love my bf 🥰 #yandere #killforhim #doneitbefore" and "He got me a big teddy bear! 🧸😍 #minenotyours #yandere".

Because she's so open about it, she'll sometimes get troll comments saying, "Sayaka, I want to date your boyfriend." She replies like, "You can try. 😇🔪". All her fans think it's adorable.

She brings him along to every event she attends. When bad luck stuff happens, she just giggles about it.

Makoto is kind of uneasy about all the attention, but he takes Sayaka's behavior mostly in stride. She's just quirky. And super affectionate.

One toxic trait is that she does not let him listen to anyone else's music. She doesn't express it as a rule; she'll just be like, "Oh, you wanted that old CD? I'm so sorry! I threw it out. I thought it was trash. 🥺" Casually replaces his radio with a CD player. Casually replaces every CD in his CD player with one of hers.

She makes posts like, "He only listens to my music. 🥹🥰 He's my biggest fan! ❤️‍🔥😭 #loml #yandere #blessed"

She's always singing to him. It makes him blush.

She doxes anyone who flirts with him, but in a "plausible deniability" way where she can be like, "What?! They got hurt?! Oh no!" if her fans attack or poison someone in her name.

She's willing to murder, but only in clever ways she'll definitely get away with. She'll murder one rival and frame another rival. Then she'll cry about the death so Makoto will comfort her.

Chihiro (Naehiro)

I just like the idea of the canon interactions where Chihiro is like, "I want to get stronger. Makoto, you seem strong. Can you help me?" and Makoto is like, "Actually, I'm not all that strong. Maybe ask Mondo?" still playing out and resulting in Chihiro getting so weird about it, potentially under Mondo's influence.

(While there are a lot of Free Time Events that I imagine happened the same way during the characters' Hope's Peak days, I think the Chihiro Free Time Events, minus the Alter Ego stuff, feel pretty killing game specific. Like, the immediate desire to get stronger feels pretty caused-by-the-motive. Just a headcanon, and I'm only bringing it up now to say that I'll be ignoring it for this post, lol. This post assumes that same interaction still happens without the killing game.)

Chihiro hears Makoto's "I'm not really all that strong" thing, and their reaction is basically, "Cool. Then I'm going to be the strong one in this relationship."

Byakuya says something rude to Makoto, and Chihiro gathers their resolve and says, "That's not nice, Togami. You need to apologize."

And if he doesn't, Chihiro hacks Togami Corp, resulting in a significant drop in stock value.

Chihiro is super excited about standing up for Makoto. It's pretty directly propping up their self-esteem.

And they very casually have him under constant surveillance. They conceal this fact from him, but not really because they think he'd be mad. (If they thought he'd be mad, they'd feel really bad about doing it!) It's just because they're shy. To them, watching him through security cameras as he walks through town is like writing "Makoto Fujisaki" and "Chihiro Naegi" all over a notebook. It's embarrassing.

They might kill for him, if someone tries to hurt him. Picture Chihiro covered in blood, with a corpse at their feet and a switchblade in their hand (Mondo gave it to them a long time ago, as a gift). They're kind of freaking out at first, but Makoto is there, too, also freaking out, so they have to be calm, they have to be calm for him. So they call Mondo to help them get rid of the body, and they take Makoto home to unpack what just happened.

Taka (Naeishi)

Honestly, I feel like this fic captures the whole vibe.

Mondo (Naemondo)

Oh boy. I like to think this one has some internal struggle to it. Like, Mondo falls for Makoto, and he's all shy about wooing him. He's bringing Makoto flowers, inviting him places. He tells Makoto, "I'm trying to clean up my act for ya..." Fewer fights, fewer crimes.

(I maintain that the Naemondo vibe where Mondo completely misreads Makoto as someone who can easily keep up with his gang shenanigans is very fun, but Yandere Mondo is different. Yandere Mondo is trying to shield Makoto from his lifestyle.)

He still has his temper, though, and he often goes behind Makoto's back to kill people who have been mean or relentlessly flirtatious. He's not killing anyone who likes Makoto. He's trying to be normal. But if someone can't take a hint, there's no telling what he'll do.

Basically, Yandere Mondo is in a gas station bathroom scrubbing blood out of his shirt so he can get back before Makoto notices he's gone.

When Makoto finds out what he's done, Mondo is crying apologizing, and Makoto calms him down and has to make peace with helping his boyfriend cover up a murder.

Taka, Mondo, and Chihiro (Naechishimondo)

You know, this one feels like it could be platonic.

Like, I could see that post where they realize they all have a crush on Makoto happening and then they unanimously decide that they'll be shovel-talking anyone who tries to woo him.

They all still have a crush on Makoto, but they approach it in kind of like he's an endangered bird who they've tagged to study. When they, as a throuple, gather for dates or events or just to hang out, they'll often be talking about things they've observed about Makoto's life through stalking and other means.

At dinner, Chihiro might say, "Makoto recently started using two-factor authentication for his email account. I'm so proud."

"Sh!t, does that make it hard for you to read his emails?" Mondo asks.

("Language, bro; we're at dinner," Taka interjects.)

"Nope," Chihiro says proudly. "It might make it hard for other people, though."

"I've noticed that Makoto tends to stay over too long when he studies in Sayaka's room," Taka says, "so I taught him how to set a timer on his phone."

(Chihiro smiles. Almost laughs.)

"Also, I got a wedge that he can use to keep the door open, so I won't have to keep chastising him for visiting a girl's room with the door closed. I plan to give it to him tomorrow."

"I'm sure he'll love it," Chihiro says.

"Doesn't Hiri already watch those sessions through Makoto's laptop camera anyway?" Mondo points out.

(Chihiro blushes modestly.)

"Yes, but Makoto doesn't know that," Taka says.

Honorable Mention:

Yandere Naekusaba

[bcrtiesjr]

a slow sigh escaped his lips, his gaze still resting on the crowd as it shifted. some were leaving in horror, others were beginning to search for their companions, and some, like them, were watching from a distance. he wasn’t sure what kind of performance was expected of him in a setting like this. fortunately, his father was too distracted to pay him any attention. (as always, really). “ i'm rather of used to it, ” he murmured, his voice striking the perfect balance between resignation and anger. it was impossible to tell which one took the lead. “ apparently, a mark on my arm isn’t enough to rid me of my surname, so… ” but he knew he had to summon the unwavering confidence he so desperately sought. the illusion of belonging to something where his talents would be truly valued. he exhaled sharply, furrowing his brow just slightly. “ yeah, i’d agree. we can’t be rushing to conclusions. but—honestly, it was pretty obvious something like this was bound to happen ” if not from their side, perhaps from someone in the order. he nodded silently, following lucius’s lead. his eyes scanning the mixed expressions of the guests. as they drew closer, barty's gaze sharpened, and he examined the scene more closely. he curled his lips into a sneer and shot the other wizard a knowing look. of course it had been from their side. “ oh. my father will be absolutely furious tomorrow. ” he said softly, the trademark irony lacing his words, a small, almost amused smile playing on his lips. “ what exactly does this mean? ” he asked, feigning inexperience, his gaze returning to the scene of the crime.

lucius’  expression  barely  shifts,  save  for  the  slight  narrowing  of  his  eyes  as  he  takes  in  the  scene  before  them.  he  lets  the  screams  hang  in  the  air  for  a  moment  longer  before  finally  exhaling and  setting  his  drink  down.  ❝  if  we  did,  i  was  not  informed,  ❞  he  murmurs,  his  tone  more  intrigued  and  vaguely  annoyed  rather  than  alarmed.  his  gaze  flicks  toward  barty,  catching  the  subtle  way  the  other  wix  positions  himself  —  ready,  but  not  yet  committed  to  action.  good.  barty  has  always  been  quick  to  react,  but  lucius  prefers  to  practice  patience. he  turns  back  to  the  growing  disturbance,  watching  as  the  crowd  moves,  the  shift  in  the  room  unmistakable.  ❝  though  i  suppose  it’s  not  outside  the  realm  of  possibility,  ❞  he  adds,  his  voice  lower  now,  just  for  barty.  ❝  but  if  this  was  orchestrated  by  someone  on  our  side,  i’d  be  rather  insulted  to  have  been  left  out  of  the  know.  ❞ ❝  the  real  question,  ❞  he  says,  voice  measured,  ❝  is  whether  this  is  a  carefully  laid  plan  or  an  unfortunate  accident.  ❞  he  makes  no  move  to  intervene,  instead  observing  the  reactions  of  those  closest  to  the  source  —  who  tenses,  who  reaches  for  their  wand,  who  looks  away  too  quickly.  ❝  either  way,  it  would  be  foolish  to  act  without  first  understanding  what  we’re  dealing  with.  shall  we  ?  ❞  he  motions  forward.

[dreamsuvivor]

I decided to share my 2 cents about the BO situation.

Let me preface this by saying that I never send/commented or expressed any abuse toward the band and it’s members and I don't condone any hate being send their way by anyone.

I fully respect their decision to cancel the European festivals/gigs and I know that as a person who struggles with their mental health, how important it is to look after yourself when you’re not feeling well. However I also understand why many ppl are really sad/upset about the US dates not being canceled (and even adding more now). And pls don’t come at me in the comments with “it’s different to play 2 gigs which are few hours away and go to a whole different continent for a month” I KNOW IT IS.

However, a lot of people (me included) spent a lot of money for plane/train/ferry tickets, hotels and festival tickets, which are mostly non refundable just to see them, (for many it was for the first time), so I think we have a right to be a little frustrated about the situation and especially about how it was handeled by the band itself.

And to add insult to injury there are Americans, many of which have seen them several times already this year and will see them again at those not canceled festivals, being rude to europeans who are hurt that they weren’t able to see them.

Bad omens had only 2 headline tours in europe, the last one being only 11 tour dates for a continent that has almost twice the population size of the US which usually gets 30+ tour dates. I know they are an american band, but ppl in europe love them too and deserve better.

Lastly, someone had an argument of “but they are a headliner /second after headliner at those festivals in the US” well so were they at those festival in europe and they were suppose to perform at the biggest rock/metal festivals there are.

Honestly at the end of the day, I’m sad that I wasn’t able to see them, but I’m also sad that they weren’t able to perform at those festivals. The European crowds are incredible and I know they would get so many new fans bc their songs and stage presence is so freaking incredible. I also worry whether the european festivals will want to book them again in the future, bc they tend to be wary of bands that cancel on them in the past. However, health comes first and I really hope that Noah was able do get some rest and mental peace and that playing those US festivals is really their choice and not due to pressure from their label.

[ley-med]

Something that's been on my mind for a while now

Very early on, sometime during med school (then doubling down on it when I started residency) I accepted and found utmost comfort in the fact that being a doctor isn't about being a "hero", but being the tiniest drop in the ocean. I sure make differences in people's lives, but when I'm not there, someone else does just the same, and medicine is the epitome of teamwork. And it's easy to get lost in this comfort.

Then there comes a case, maybe in the middle of the night, maybe sometime else, when no-one else is around, your colleagues do their part in a different OR, so it's just you and your assistant in this OR. And you oh so want to be anywhere else because the patient is dying and you aren't sure you are going to pull them through this darkest time of their life, and it's hard and you and your assistant don't have time to breath and both of you want to leave this mess, but there is no one else to take your place. So you grit your teeth and work and realise... You don't have to be someone big to matter. Every fucking drop matters.

It's exhilarating and also damn terrifying. And I don't know, kind of validating after all those years of medical school where I was made to feel I worth less than a dead frog.

[just-someone-online]

I know a lot of us joke about how everyone at Verone assumes Nagisa and Honoka are dating because of how close they are and how often they disappear, but I'm curious as to where they would think Hikari fits into the equation.

Cos from their perspective, here comes this random first year (Maybe not random per se. It probably wasn't long before they found out she was Akane's cousin) with a bag charm similar to Nagisa and Honoka's and she suddenly starts hanging out with them, and it isn't long before she starts disappearing alongside them.

And after a couple months of this, this first year runs away from home and goes all the way to Kyoto, where Nagisa and Honoka are for a field trip. I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe that anybody bought the excuse that Hikari was bringing Honoka her house keys for a second. What in god's name did everybody think was going on between them?

[doncherrycola]

I know this is very controversial to say but the jennifer aniston article listed zendaya as the closest thing our generation has to a movie star but isnt she exactly what they are talking about like isnt she the sophie turner? This isnt to hate on her or sophie but like closest thing to a movie star … what movies has she starred in? hasnt it only been the sam levinson movie that was badly received and didnt have a theatrical release even. Like isnt she the sophie turner bc shes a wildly popular celebrity and tv actress and now with millions of follows is about to start starring in movies. Idk just losing my mind a bit at the idea that someone who hasnt starred in movies plural is the closest thing our generation has to a movie star

[vulpinesaint]

i love to turn in papers without proofreading them it is one of my favorite things to do actually

[acesammy]

can i say something?

The fact that sam is not focused on in the later seasons is actually fucking amazing if we consider the alternative to be what happened to dean.. which was character assassination if anything.

[sp1resong]

now that i'm done having an identity crisis i've gotta say i'm kind of amused by how many times it just entirely lost the plot. like. i went from 'okay but like what is my personality. who am i just as a person' to 'genuinely how would i know if i'm plural i dont think i am but How Would I Know' to 'WHAT IS THE FUNDAMENTAL NATURE OF THE (alter)HUMAN SOUL. &WHAT IS MINE'. like. girl

[orcelito]

I've largely sorted out my thoughts for the wolfwood & eye of Michael analysis post, tho I can't write it yet bc I have to go to fucking Work >:/

Homophobic

[tothesolarium]

Avoiding finals by reading philosophy books instead of drawings - what kind of nerd am I?

[marxalittle]

a funny thing happened during the week I spent being mildly inconvenienced as a result of a horrific accident and the grief of several people connected to me at varying degrees

apparently, a person currently proximal (like, living in their house) to someone close to me (my bestie, actually), who has seen me a grand total of maybe four times totaling rather less than eight hours, had been up until like four days ago operating under the assumption that I'm trans*femme and literally learned last week that they were in fact reading that backwards

this didn't come up to me, either, this happened because my bestie keeps an old pic of me on the sideboard and through some means or other the connection between "shaggy tomboy in the button down and docs" and "sleepy-headed faggy artpunk sleeping on the couch" arose in a conversation between the two of them

that's the funniest thing that happened last week, runner goes up to Comrade Mom's new dog who crunches landscaping pumice for enrichment

[orbitganymede]

baby daddy simon who dated you for a year before you got pregnant, you’d gone through most of the pregnancy alone, him being deployed 3 weeks after you found out and gone until the very last month of it. the both of you had tried at keeping the relationship together, but the distance and loneliness got to you, you’d been fine when it was just you but now with baby, you can’t let the father go in and out of their life. he wasn’t very happy with the decision to end your relationship, in his mind you were together forever now, tied together by this beautiful thing you two created, he didn’t even want children before you told him you were expecting but his whole world view changed when he realized that he not only had you to protect but a baby as well.

but you’d moved out against his wishes, finding a small flat you like and making it home for you and baby. he would come over sometimes, when he could, and spend some time with baby but honestly he felt more like some glorified uncle, would be convinced he was nothing to this child until he saw those brown eyes staring back at him, the ones that are so completely his, and he comes to the conclusion that this isn’t gonna work.

he starts small, coming over once a week instead of every other weekend, takes the two of you out for dinner instead of letting you cook or ordering in. stays late enough that you offer him the spare bed in the guest room, even with the distance you’ve put between yourselves, you can’t help but care for him, knowing nobody else will.

then he puts more pressure on you, making sure you see just how valuable he is, taking night shift feedings and waking up early with baby when they’re fussy. he offers to take baby for the night so you can go out with your friends, do things you haven’t been able to since baby’s arrival, even pays for a spa day for you to really relax. he stocks your fridge, full of the snacks you love and a bottle of wine for the hard nights. he buys and sets up new decor in the house, finally gets you the pretty white vanity and a new washing machine that doesn’t squeak. he really just does what he considers ‘husband duties’, things that he should have been doing this whole time.

and when you don’t budge on the separation, he goes nuclear, “no, love, i haven’t seen your birth control pills”, “look how cute this baby is, remember when ours was that small, sweetheart”, “you’re so stressed darling, let me help you” which basically means you end up getting rawdogged within an inch of your life, condom long forgotten, one of simons hands held over your mouth to muffle the sounds you’re making. he just hopes he’d tracked your cycle right, that you’re actually ovulating, because you can’t possible refuse his ring after having two of his babies right? you wouldn’t do that to him, would you pet?