#ill show yous when we get the third member

[hearties-circus]

:[ greenthorne team... but now we've got a bus driver and a cabbie and I do love them

[qqtxt]

[🌸] no hand? we got a problem. w/ txt

✿ pairing: ot5 x reader / minor cursing (none with ill-intention!) / fluff, crack (maybe LOL) ✿ mini-fics with each member for the same situation / less than 500 words for each member / altogether, word count: 1,902 words ✿ in which you playfully try to not let him hold your hand and...

✿ just a quick note of thank you for all the love and support! during the 500 followers mini fics, there’s plenty of people who came on board and i’m so grateful! i have loads planned for this blog but i figured i’d start off with something cute and silly 😛

[masterlist 🌸] / other members under the cut! / @kflixnet​​ 💞

[🐰] soobin it was a simple stroll out today and everything would’ve been perfect if you hadn’t kept pulling your hand from his grasp every five god damn seconds. he knows you’re doing this to tick him off, as a way to be playful and he would’ve let it slide if it wasn’t for the fiery pit in his gut trying to get even, choi soobin!

his attempt is... weak, to say the least. just as you two pass by a café, it was his turn to whip his hand from your grasp. it seems like it catches you by surprise and it makes you giggle. so much that he forgets he’s supposed to get back at you but with the way you’re smiling at him, eyes locked with his has him in a trance. he gapes at the way you pull your hands back to yourself, crossing your arms in front of your chest with a cheeky grin.

he juts out his bottom lip out of habit; feeling the tinge in his chest as he catches up to your stride with a huff. his demeanour earlier crumbles to a helpless putty in your hand. he hooks an arm to yours, shoving his way through and anchoring his feet to the ground so that you’ll follow him to stop walking. at the side of the sidewalk, he blinks down at you with this frown on his face. the creases line his forehead, his dimples nearly showing with the way his face muscles are triggered and... okay, fine. of course you cave in.

unfolding your arms, you shake soobin’s arm away so that you can gently hold his hand in yours. you lace your fingers with his and he tests the waters by gripping back. raising his brows at you, a quick check of no more funny games? you give him a kiss on the hand you’re holding before nudging him to follow you to continue walking. the moment of excitement and playfulness earlier is something you two enjoy but... soobin enjoys this peace of being able to hold you close to him as you walk through the world together.

tl;dr: introducing, offended™️. initially, he would try to be petty with fine, i didn’t want to hold your hand either but... would crack when he sees you’re reeling your hands back. puppy eyes, dimples, anything to make you feel bad for him because get back here! long story short; he’ll try to get back at you but wouldn’t be able to pull through because he’d want to hold your hand :”) don’t be mean, hold soobin’s hand, you monster.

[🦊] yeonjun the clothing store that you and yeonjun frequented every now and then was surprisingly quiet (mainly for yeonjun’s wardrobe sake; his infamous have you seen this new (insert product name) that just came out?!) it wasn’t unusual for you to follow him around as he browsed through what he wanted to get or sometimes just for outfit inspiration.

yeonjun’s grip on your hand is loose but it still firmly lures you around to follow his lead. sometimes when you have something you want to see, you’d peel away from his hand and he’ll mindlessly follow you until he has your hand in his again. once... twice... you can tell if you do what you had done twice in a row, yeonjun will cause a ruckus.

you’re proven correct when you yank your hand from his grasp for the third time. his eyes shut momentarily, his free hand shoving the hanger of a jacket he was about to take a look and his other hand that was once holding yours is now empty, again. when his eyes open after a deep breath, you try to test the waters by smiling at him, hands behind your back.

you can tell he’s about to yell but it’s taking everything in his being to control himself considering you two were in public. he extends his hand out and uses his eyes to point at it. the piercing looks in his eyes that cross between being annoyed and just wanting to hold onto your hand gets you every time. you snicker and slip your hand in his, then effectively tugging him to follow you to where you’ve spotted a cute jumper. he yelps as he struggles to not trip over his own foot but when he sees how widely you’re smiling, with the way you’re squeezing his hand, he already forgot your little fiasco early on.

tl;dr: get ready for aggressive!jun because if he wants to hold your hand, he is going to hold your hand. if you two were alone, at the comfort of your own home, he’s going to yell because you play too damn much! he knows that you know he’s an affectionate being through and through so if you keep teasing him, he’ll either crack with overflowing aggressiveness or pettiness (usually a mix of both, making you cave to stop because of how adorable he’s acting).

[🐯] beomgyu  beomgyu has tolerated the previous times you’ve done it; when you two left the café, when you two entered the clothing store and now again when he’s trying to look at a shirt? he’s losing it. you’ve broken him. the second you yeet your hand away from him, he gasps so loud it nearly echoes in the store you two were in. half-embarrassed, you lower your head and glance around to make sure no one was looking as you take a couple of steps away from him.

his face morphs into one that looks like a hopeless puppy. wide eyes, a small pout lining his lips, brows lightly furrowed as he shamelessly holds his hand out despite being a distance away from you.

“come here and i’ll hold your hand,” you half-whisper, half-yell, hiding behind a mannequin in case anyone was watching, extending your hand out. he remains firm at where he is, shaking his head and keeps his hand out. 

“come back here and get me or i’m screaming so loud they’re gonna call the police.”

“that would ruin your reputation, not mine.”

“i’ll mention your name at every single given moment so either get back here or–”beomgyu’s words get all garbled up when you stride back to where he is and grab him by the hand. he snickers the moment he processes what’s happening, but more so when he feels your palm against his palm and he’s able to giddily slip his fingers between your own as a security measure so you can’t pull away as easily this time. (and you don’t. maybe it’s enough teasing for the day but you’d want to hold his hand just as much as he wants to)

tl;dr: drama bitch activated. if he’s feeling playful, he’ll say something like it’s a scheme that you no longer love him or find him attractive which is why you have resorted to banishing him like this. to shut him up for your sake, you’ll have to take his hand back willingly. (and never let go, you demon, how could you do that to sweet beoms who only wants to hold your hand and never let go?)

[🐿] taehyun taehyun doesn’t mind following you wherever you wanted to go when it came to spending the day at the mall. whether it’s a bookstore or a clothing store you’d wanted to frequent, he’ll be right by your side. so when it’s his turn of wanting to look at the sports department for some gear he’s been eyeing, he’s constantly grabbing your hand every time you try that little trick of trying to not hold his hand.

five, six, seven... by the eighth time is when taehyun calls it quits when you remove your hand from his. after mindlessly grabbing it back each time, he lifts his head up to eye you this time. with a deep breath, he puts back whatever he was looking at with his free hand. turning to face you, he grabs your wrist with one hand, placing it in his other hand so he can hold it properly.

“if you let go of my hand again this time, i’m not holding your hand for the rest of the week.”

as much as you like to play around with taehyun, you also know when he’s reaching the point he’s starting to get annoyed. although taehyun was a fairly patient person to begin with, you figured it’s time to actually stop. with a small smile and a nod, you sway his hand in yours back and forth that it easily melt his nerves just like that. what a simp i’ve become, his mind sighs. the previous times you’ve done it easily dissolves to nothing when you giddily clutch onto his hand and get him to follow you to where you’re fascinated to look at next. (just like that, he forgot everything)

tl;dr: unbothered at first but the more it continues on, he’ll just tell you straight that either you hold my hand now or not at all for the rest of the week. he’ll know how to turn your game back on you and get you to comply, so when it happens just... surrender and stop the games. he’s fine with the teasing once in a while but when it continues on too much, he’ll know how to put a stop to it in a way you’ll listen (and you do, because kang taehyun doesn’t play around and you two know this).

[🐧] kai kai knew that you were doing it as a joke but he still, still gives you the kind of reaction that makes it all the more hilarious to begin with. in the midst of movie night with the boys, the two of you occupy one of the beanbags on the floor, snuggled up together with you resting in his embrace, arms banded around your waist as he plays with your fingers on your lap.

it was an animation film–soobin’s choice–and a lighthearted one, too. seeing the main character pulling the hand away from the other makes you grin, playfully doing the same when kai’s trying to draw circles on the back of your hands. a gasp nearly snaps through the entire living room and you’re surprised it drew a bigger reaction than you had intended.

now with yeonjun and taehyun watching, you’re watching as kai’s brows knit the centre of his forehead, a frown dragging his features down. when you keep your hands away from his reach, he starts to whine quietly that it elicits chuckles from the sofa behind the pair of you.

“just hold his hand, please? before soobs gets mad that we’re not paying attention.” yeonjun nudges the beanbag with a foot. you scoff a laugh and nod, already soothing your hands into kai’s grasp. it’s like giving candy back to a baby when he’s all smiles again, kissing your shoulder and squeezing your fingers between his own.

tl;dr: dramatic and petty king activated... except it doesn’t actually stay on. he thought he’ll be dramatic or petty but the reality is he’ll be more fixated on wanting to hold your hand again that he doesn’t really remember what his intentions were. would already look helpless and sad when you pull your hands away that it makes you feel guilty that you’ll hold his hands again. (yes, you monster, don’t do that to huening)

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Question: why do people refer to Tobias in Megamorphs 4 as a "quasi-voluntary" controller? I don't have access to my copy right now but I don't recall anything that would imply he had any knowledge of what he was joining/cooperated in any way? Did I miss something?

So I call Tobias quasi-voluntary, because I think — from my read of MM4 — that Tobias is about as voluntary as any "voluntary controller" ever gets. Which is not that voluntary. Tobias goes to a Sharing meeting because Jake's there, but pretty soon he gets sucked into the cycle of love-bombing: "When you attend your second meeting of The Sharing they assign you a guide" (MM4). In Tobias's case it's a guy named Bill, a few years older, who spends every meeting praising Tobias, and talking up how the Sharing cured his depression and being a full member changed his life.

Bill waits for Tobias to say "I want to be a full member." And then he asks if Tobias is sure, and Tobias says "Yes." Bill presses all the way to "You trade a little bit of freedom for a lot of belonging" and gets Tobias to agree a third time. When the time comes for the "ceremony" (infestation), Chapman makes Tobias explain why he's joining, and Tobias does. Three more times Chapman asks, and three more times Tobias says, out loud, that he wants what's going to happen next. Chapman explains why they want Tobias's consent: "We only have problems in twenty-one percent of willing members. And there are... fewer incidents of contested control." Tobias withdraws consent when he realizes they're about to put a slug in his brain, but by then it's too late.

Later Tobias says "Most painful of all was the image of myself swallowing everything the Sharing told me. I had walked, willingly, to my own destruction. At the time I'd seen no alternatives." So is Tobias voluntary? Well, is Chapman voluntary? He agrees not to resist in exchange for Melissa not being recruited, and he keeps his end of the bargain (#2). Not only does he not fight back while there's a yeerk in his brain, but there's every possibility he's one of the people allowing the yeerk to slip out of their brain and then quietly walking to go wait in the break room without supervision.

Okay, but surely the taxxons are voluntary. They chose to ally with the yeerks... Only it turns out their options were ally with the yeerks or starve to death (#53), and just because their leaders chose the yeerks doesn't mean individual taxxons were okay with it (Andalite Chronicles).

But then, we all know Taylor is voluntary. Because she gave up her freedom for little old things like... relief from pain. And escape from discrimination. And basic health care that didn't cost her family their life savings (#33). And she could never change her mind, because she got punished by Sub-Visser Fifty-One for misbehaving (#43).

But Mr. Tidwell's definitely voluntary. He chooses to have a yeerk in his brain even after joining the YPM. Only he was so depressed he couldn't take care of himself when he joined (#29), and probably would have literally died without the yeerks.

Hang on, is Tom voluntary? He spontaneously offers to "be quiet" and "never trouble you again" when Temrash 114 starts trying to recruit Jake (#6). We don't know for sure that Tom isn't hanging out in that same break room after the events of #1, in exchange for Jake not being recruited.

So on. We know the Sharing targets people who are unhoused and/or mentally ill, and that the ones with happy, stable home lives (Tom, later Jake) tend to go unconvinced. You have to be vulnerable to end up voluntary, the series shows, so vulnerable that your whole ability to consent is seriously called into question.

[foressfaction]

Don’t send hate or harass ANYONE in these pictures on ANY side or for ANY reasons.

THIS IS A REPOST OF MY STATEMENT REGARDING THE BLOOD.PLAGUE ALLEGATIONS. It wasn’t being seen through my reblog.

Also please stop DMing Seirei, me, and my friend mentioned in this post. We’re all stressed and just trying to understand things as so much is being spread right now.

Simply, the only reason for this being the screenshots of stuff I have personal experience with. And some stuff he has said about it. I believe Plague has explained himself enough multiple times. It’s all the same story and same defense. So I can’t-declare if any of it is straight excuses or actually what happened. He knows what goes on more in his server and behind the scenes if anything so if it is all a lie. He’s the only one who will know that.

I’m gonna mainly talk about my experience now? It’s not too bad as not gonna lie we barely talked and I think I just might know why. I heavily enjoy ticcijack and he very openly does not. As you can probably see in the message showing how he spoke about me. He didn’t follow back cause of that and chose to overall avoid me at first which COMPLETELY VALID!! If you don’t like content someone posts then you don’t have to follow or like them!! So this was all fine. However during DMS with him he was thankful that I wasn’t “toxic” when I said it was okay that he didn’t like the ship. And I find how ironic that he would still go and talk crap about it to his friends in a private GC. I never hated on his OC X canon ship in fact I thought it was cute and I was interested in the book he was writing and his content. But after that blatant disrespect I lost all respect for him as a person. That was just the starting point as the whole server I was in (I’ll get more into that) was slowly becoming filled FILLED with KIDS! like it’s okay to be a minor and join someone you enjoy’s server and have fun but some stuff being said in there belonged in an 18+ channel ATLEAST.

Plague as already explained this and well I can’t argue with that as it is HIS side and HIS defense so it’s all up to how he takes this. I don’t have personal experience with what he did with others or if any minors were dmed (comfortable or not I don’t think an adult should speak that way to a minor even if that minor says it’s okay…that’s still not right and will forever be on the ADULT if anything comes out)

About Plague: I don’t hate him, I think he just has a lot of learning to do. He makes dark humor jokes and that’s alright but in the end some people will not be alright with that. It should be more clear in your server who is and who isn’t a KID. For some reason I don’t remember the age roles being a thing when I was in the server but I could be wrong.. and despite that there’s almost 1k members in that server.. 500 are minors and a whopping 100!!! Are adults. WOAH. that means a whole third of the server don’t even have an age role. Basing if it’s anything like my community on tiktok it can range from 10-16 year olds! It’s not okay. I’m not saying he’s a pedo as I think that’s pushing it and there’s no active evidence that he sexted or was being very vulgar with a minor just yet and I hope there won’t be. As everyone else was sharing their experience I would as well. Plague has problems that stretch beyond the surface and he’s said this. Mental health can make u not think, can make u do stuff you’ll regret and be held against for. I’m taking that into consideration too when reading everything. I used that excuse to wash what he said about me under the rug cause let’s be real it wasn’t that bad I’ve heard worse.

Plague shares almost the same authority as me however. And people need to be aware on what he’s currently doing that can potentially be bad or upsetting. The way he talked alone made me feel very weird. He was kind to me, helped me with my server, answered questions. We had small talk and overall my personal experience with him wasn’t ill intentioned, but later down the road when I met a good friend once again through his server that I have been on and off with since 2020 is when he started to suddenly not like me.

Not gonna name drop due to them not wanting their name in it more than it already is but I already knew them since again, 2020. Met them again through his server and we sorta just clicked again and we made gcs and played Roblox, mindless friendly things. Apparently this bothered Plague to the point of straight up malice. They were also good friends with Plague, being a mod. They told him about the SA and yes, called themselves a wh*re as a joke but they told me plague knew about the SA and proceeded to joke about it and started to make my friend VERY uncomfortable. They have bad confrontational issues and don’t know how to say no and set clear boundaries. Which is why they stayed friends with him for longer than they felt comfortable with. He was sexual towards them (both adults thankfully) They were worried that he was spreading that they “slept with a lot of people” to others when they indeed never did any of that and that the fact that Plague even thought that was very scary. Plague treated them like a toy, didn’t want anyone else talking to them but wouldn’t even really talk to them himself. Due to this my friend was very upset and didn’t know where the relationship stood. Plague actually asked them out while drunk one night and made them spiral due to not knowing what to say or feel. He offered to fake date and they agreed. This whole time he blew off calls, didn’t respond to messages. And when they did call it was all flirty small talk or questions that they didn’t know the answer to yet. I was there being their backbone for all of it, me and another friend who sent that anonymous post that’s in one of the screenshots mentioning them being called a wh*ore and the SA stuff.

My friend never could get their side out cause they’re scared and I don’t blame them. They don’t like drama. I don’t like drama. But sadly we are part of this and it’s important to share the sides.

The whole thing is, we know how Plague speaks about people when he doesn’t like them. It’s bad, but we can blame it on anger at the end of the day anyways right? There’s always something we can blame it on other than ourselves. It’s okay to learn and grow. No one should HATE Plague. It’s all about personal preference on who to believe or on who to understand better. His explanations so far are explained. I don’t know the other end of those. I only know what I and a friend have experienced. I KNOW there’s more I just cannot think straight to remember it all.

I strongly agree that this is what started it all, this screenshot was sent anonymously to the server I’m still not sure who. But it’s about me. (Shocker) did it hurt my feelings? Sorta. But I got over it quick. I have 40k followers I’m used to far worse. But this wasn’t the first time he’s spoken of me. Again i was friends with a mod who’s mentioned to me that he would very subtly hate. Talked about the ship I enjoyed in such a nasty way. Said how it wasn’t accurate. He would assume I’m not who I say I am for how I portray i am. I obviously know I’m not the character but I’m comfortable identifying as it online as that’s what I prefer. The immediate ick I got after reading that was indescribable. Again, I still don’t blame him as you can straight up not like someone, I don’t expect everyone to swoon over me/lh but I was indeed caught off guard.

I saw plague as another adult role model for the fandom and of course wanted to see what his fan base was like and join it as another content creator. Other very popular artists and content creators are in his server too. Doing this kind of stuff while having such a big influence is so low. He said he stopped with the alcohol flaunting when more minors joined but in the end he shouldn’t have done it at all. Minors or not, he has a big platform with so many younger and older followers. Some of which probably romanticize drinking cause their role model cosplayer adult friend does it and it looks cool in videos. Which he drinks in videos too by the way. (Not sure if he does anymore as I haven’t seen a video from him since the discord incident) Like we get it. He’s an alcoholic but even I thought and assumed he was romanticizing it.

Plague did apologize to me. He apologized about what he said and I accepted it. Now I don’t forgive him. But I forget. It’s not that serious to me as I’ve been through worse IRL. a victim of severe bullying. It hurt my feelings but only cause I saw him as an influencer. I mean who knows how the other people in that GC thought about me as well? I’m not sure how much shit he talked about me or anyone else. I was assured by him that it wasn’t more than that and that no one else really cared but I have anxiety and that shit bothers me. This whole situation only reminded me and I wasn’t gonna say anything till my friend was brought up again. I don’t want any misinformation to be spread .

Also for more proof I can make and provide posts with pictures too about the apology and stuff but I didn’t wanna clog up my blog with more than it already is. If people won’t take my word then I will but I won’t at the moment.

About the server: Everyone in there were so sweet and welcoming. I would post my cosplays and art in there. I never posted ticcijack art or mentioned it at all yet “ I talked about it all the time” I was already mutuals with a lot of people in there as well share fan bases for similar content. There were alot of minors and jokes were still being made. I didn’t read much but even other members who were adults would crack odd jokes. Not just Plague. I don’t know who I just remember them all collectively matching Plagues personality and energy which is so worrying. It’s okay to have a role model and someone you look up to but the influence you have Plague is too big for what you accidentally encourage intentional or not. I even saw it.

I left the server shortly after that screenshot was sent cause I was immediately thrown into a bad light and I felt so unbelievably unwelcome as I started to feel that way the more my friend told me about what plague says sometimes. Part of me believes it’s cause I’m another Toby fict kin/cosplayer and that sorta hurts as I used to have a problem with doubles as well till I got over it quickly. I’m friends with systems and other fict kins and IRL safe spaces. I felt the vibe was completely off and after I started to talk to my friend that was also his friend I feel that “jealousy” only got worse. I don’t blame him. I used to be the same way. I didn’t handle it like he did nor did any of the other stuff.

I said if anyone wanted to still talk to me that they can dm. I did not want to support a server that inhabits everything that can hurt me. As for my overall experience there. It was chill. I didn’t chat much if at all. Only dropped in to shit out some art or something cause I’m horrible at small talk and chatting. EVEYRONE was sweet and nice and I kinda miss that experience but the vibe was just off ever since the second week. especially the minor thing.

I joined his server cause I had recently went through a break up and wanted to actually make friends now since I was able to and not feel guilty. I joined through his tumblr post about it and was immediately overwhelmed with the channels but it was for his book so I brushed that off. One of the rules was that you weren’t allowed to ship anything other than what was in his book which it’s his server, that’s fine. But he directly said that to me, knowing I draw ticcijack. To be fair I wasn’t gonna send any of that art to the server regardless as that ship is more of a personal comfort to me and I keep it in my own server where IK people will be okay with it or on my own personal pages like this one or tiktok. I don’t spam others servers with ship art cause I’m aware of others possibly not liking it. I just felt he was secretly annoyed with me from the start, and with that feeling I didn’t feel welcome in that server.

Anyways. Sorry for that essay. It’s long cause I like to yap. Especially if I have a lot of information on a topic. This isn’t hate to anyone even Plague. I think some of it was misunderstood and taken in the wrong way. This is just my personal take and experience with him and his server. Again I can provide screenshots but I don’t think it’s necessary. I hate drama and chose to mostly stay neutral. I’m not defending him or his alleged actions but I’m defending a friend and stating what I know.

:ENDING STATEMENT:

Doxxing is never okay, I don’t believe any of the people mentioned deserved to be bashed or bullied even though the allegations are pretty bad. I saw the explanation posts obviously but that’s about it. Again I don’t support that type of childish behavior. Yeah he’s done some shit but doxxing is seriously dangerous and is not necessary.

If you’re on Plagues side or not, do not dm me or send anon asks I will ignore you. This isn’t a post defending him obviously nor is it bashing him. It’s simply stating the truth and I’m sorry if that’s painful. It was brought up by someone and now I’m just pulled into it. I apologize for clogging up anyone’s feed with this bullshit.

[lemonnsss]

Moral of the Story: Chapter 7

Warnings: None, I think... (slight coercion?? maybe??)

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Taglist: @vicmc624 , @mostlymarvelgirl , @yvonneeeee, @beetlejuicesupremacy , @moonlightreader649 , @whattheduckisupkyle , @chrisevans-realwife, @nekoannie-chan , @mrsbarnes32557038 , @imyourbratzdoll , @weallhaveadestiny

Word Count: 1.1k

“My name is Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. a secret division of the U.S. government. And around this time last year, someone hacked our system. The only person with the capability to do that is Mr. Stark here. There were a few search queries we were able to recover. They were all related to superhuman abilities that can heal or transfer physical harm. Around then, the ‘X-Men' vigilante team started slowing down, switching out their strongest members with a noticeable lack of two of their constants, Cyclops and Lifemender.” Director Fury remained still, arms crossed.

Crap. He knows everything, down to the name I was given, “I-I’m sorry, I don't believe I follow.”

“You are Lifemender, Mx.-”

“Kyrie. Call me Kyrie. Just, please, stop butchering my last name.”

“My apologies, Mx. Kyrie.” His voice rang with sarcasm, intentional or not. He walked about a third of the distance between where he stood initially and where I stood while extending his arm gesturing to me, “We at S.H.I.E.L.D. need your, unique abilities. We recently found an operative who has been missing for quite some time. We recovered him about a month ago, but he’s still unconscious. That is where you come to play.” 

“Let me guess, you want me to what- make him conscious?”

“Basically.”

“I can’t do that.”

“I’m sorry, this isn’t a request.”

“No. As in I physically cannot bring him back into consciousness. I can heal physical injuries and illnesses, but what you’re asking of me isn’t something my powers can do.”

“Well, if that’s all you came to ask- leave.” Tony piped up, moving from behind his desk to his mini bar, drink in hand.

“Unfortunately, due to your past helping a vigilante organization I’m afraid it’s between this and prison.” Tony choked on his drink, “You don’t need to wake up the agent. All you have to do is one- sign an NDA and two- show up and do what you can. If things don’t work out the way the science geeks want I won’t hold you accountable but your participation is required.”

“Okay.” I breathed heavily, fidgeting with my hands, “If this doesn't work none of the fire will be blown back my way?”

“Everyone involved has already signed an NDA regarding what happens while on site. I know what happened in Milan, if someone has loose lips they will be taken care of. You will be as safe as I can promise.” I was trembling, on one hand, this could lead to another purge of mutants, I could be tested on again, or maybe I could just go to prison, “I know damn well your shoes are not that interesting.”

“The last time I was involved with the U.S. Government I was tested on and treated with less dignity than a sewer rat. How am I supposed to know that it won’t happen again? That all of this isn’t just an elaborate path to resume your testing?”

“I’m sorry, testing-” Tony tried to speak.

“Trask, his associates, and all personnel who supported Trask’s actions have been terminated and replaced.”

I couldn't help but chuckle, he must be used to having the information that when there’s a gap he doesn’t even know to fill, “I’m aware. Are you aware that I’m twenty-six?”

Silence filled the room, I couldn’t tell if the director was trying to piece together this puzzle or do the mental math.

“Can someone explain what is happening?” Tony spoke, finally getting a full sentence, “Trask was a businessman in the late sixties-early seventies before he was found selling national secrets to foreign offices. What does he have to do with- well, whatever this is?”

Fury and I both shifted to face Tony, “Mr. Stark, that is the public reason for his removal and imprisonment. Not to say they were false accusations, but he was far more involved with the Government than most know. Bolivar Trask was conducting highly-illegal experiments for the U.S., of which all subjects were of the genetic group known as ‘mutants’. He was ousted after a mutant saved the president’s life.”

“Okay, but then Kyrie was born a decade and a half after Trask got-“

“I understand that. But if it wasn’t Trask then who”

“Does it matter now?”

“It does, but not as much as getting you to the triskelion.”

“Then let’s go.”

After spending the rest of the day packing, then on a five-hour flight, topped with a thirty-minute drive, I stood in front of a behemoth of a building. Three concrete columns, joined together by a central cylinder in what must look like a radiation symbol from above.

The three of us, and the redoubtable presence of the two men’s security teams. As we crossed the bridge over the river leading into the facility the Director spoke, “This is the triskelion. You’ll be working in one of the secure underground levels. If that's alright?”

“I’ll be fine, I think. Probably…”

Tony practically huffed behind me, followed by a noticeable uptick in his pace to walk in front of the director and me, “Well then, if you’re fine with it, I’d like to hurry this along. I will need my secretary for a fair bit of work.”

“Calm your shit, Stark. My business with Mx. Eirsson.”

 “Then let’s get this over with.” I walked past Tony and towards the lobby.

From even a few yards off I could see the inside of the building, the first visible story was somewhere between millennial gray and beige, but as soon as the front doors I saw the second story was painted black with natural wood accents- the opposite wall an off-white painted brick- sleek and withdrawn.

After all my ogling Tony nudged me with his shoe to let me know I was falling behind. I followed him and the director towards an elevator that, apparently, had a keycard reader. The heavy metal doors opened with pristine smoothness Tony and the director stepped in after a moment I stepped into the elevator with them, two MIB-looking men stepping in with us, and watched the director as he pressed the button labeled B3.

The descent was silk-smooth, the stop slight and subtle before the doors opened into a sterile, metal corridor. Director Fury walked through the twists and turns of the passage with efficiency- I struggled to keep up with him, almost hitting a few corners along the way- before he opened a door and motioned for me.

I walked through the doorframe into a flat, white room. There was a medical bed in the middle of the room, surrounded by hospital machines, occupied by an almost-too-tall blonde man I recognized from Logan's lectures.

"Director?"

"Yes? Is there a problem?"

I turned to face him, "You never said my 'patient' was Steve Rogers, Captain Rogers, Captain America..."

[raspberrydraws]

pls pls tell me about your hcs for the first members of the crew fitting the elements of harmony, i very much wanna hear 👀👀👀

Thanks for asking I love u very much allow me to bring a chair so you can sit down and read all my rambling 🪑

some notes about this absolute madness:

I feel like they fit the element but also some traits of the mlp characters too so I will add that when it's necessary

When I talk about the mugiwara's dreams I assume they've already reached them bc the story is not finished yet like mlp and I KNOW THEY WILL ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS anyways

Please don't have high expectations ahhh I don't wanna end up feeling like I thought something cool and it ended up being lame, I'm not used to writing or explaining stuff this way (and in english tho oof double brain work)

I'll put a everything under a read more bc it ended up being long and also uhh CW: spoilers for both series yeah

✦ Magic: First of all and obvious reason, main character lol.

Character who gathered the group in the first place

Royalty !!! King of the Pirates!!! Princess of Friendship!!! besides the fact that Luffy's dream is becoming the king and Twilight just had to do it etc etc

Very powerful mentor who's far away but encouraged them to start their journey and find their friends

They're not similar in personality at all I get it lmao

✦ Kindness: oof do I need to say anything

Sanji is kind, that's like one of the traits that made him one of my fav characters (more than his totally badass habilities).

and of course that's one of his most important traits

His mother sacrificed everything and celebrated everytime he showed his kindness, he was a sweet child, he's soft with children and helps anyone who's in need.

He's so full of emotion and can go from the softest to the meanest in a second if he needs to (flashbacks to fluttershy literally confronting a bigass dragon, making him cry and leave bc he was mean to her friends)

Also both characters are certified Friends of the Little Critters ™ and can't fly very well

Special mention to Pinkie Pie here, since she shares the "Third child who stands out like a sore thumb from his other siblings because she's weird to her family standards" backstory with Sanji

✦ Loyalty: That's like one of Zoro's main character traits right? He's in the air before Luffy says jump

Cool, they're just cool and probably the most liked characters + the ones who sell more merch for sure lol

Both have a childhood dream, becoming the best swordsman/wonderbolt, but that doesn't push them to leave their friends to achieve it alone + having friends actually helps them reach their goals

hot headed kids + dumbass sometimes

✦ Honesty: The group's voice of reason

Character that pretends to be okay but hell naw she's not ok (AJ harvesting sweet apple acres and almost dying / Nami Pretending to be Arlong's little trustworthy human so she can save her village) until their friends help them to be honest and ask for help

Also they have similar lifes cultivating apples/tangerines with their families and I thought that was cute hehe

✦ Generosity: SCREAMS Chopper my little chop chop I love u my sweet child

The way that Rarity shows her element is usually by giving away something important to her (her time, her talent with fashion, HER FRIGGIN' TAIL) so she can help other people (creatures?) feel better, and there's no signs of repentance after that, she does it with her heart (and sometimes to show that she can make things fabulous)

This brings me to Chopper looking for the mushroom to cure Dr. Hiriluk's illness and showing up at his door all hurt but he's like heyy I got the thing. I understand that's another kind of "sacrifice" The way he showed his thankfulness to his mentor by risking his life looking for the mushroom and trying to prove that he's a good doctor too (even tho uhh we know how that ended)

This was a little bit more difficult to connect with his element and that's why I was in between choosing kindness and generosity for him, but

kindness had to be sanji's element for suree

Dr Kureha specifically told him that "kindness wasn't enough to save lives" and I won't contradict her she scares me so much

AND I feel like Chopper's generosity it's shown all along the show just by treating all those injured pirates over and over again for free lmao

My overall feeling when giving him the element was "He's a little doctor, of course he's generous, doctors are generous enough to learn how to save lives! so we don't like.. die! next question"

✦ Laughter:

This one was pretty simple too, I love Usopp bc he makes me laugh a lot, he's such a comedic relief for the story and also: my best friend in the whole wide world, yes *gives him a lil kiss*

Of course he's not just a comedic relief, he tries to make things easier trying to solve conflicts (sometimes) or joining the sillyness (most of times)

Also they like to tell stories! I feel like that's a cute trait that makes both characters more interesting, even when someone's stories are lies *eyes emoji* I like storyteller characters a lot !!

they're good with kids + tell them stories too !!

also the whole.. alter ego thing, yeah

AND THE PUFFY HAIR ♥

AIGHT

Hope you enjoyed my TED talk, thaks for giving me the strenght to be a little unhinged, I don't talk too much here but this whole mlp au has people coming and encouraging me to talk/write and I have a problem, once I start talking about something I like I can't shut up

And I like MLP since I was 12 years old, i started drawing because of it and I'm currently rewatching the whole series with my bf so if I see anything else I'll come back and add stuff for sure ♥

[yukirayu]

Taku and Madarame: To Heal and To Hurt

Before we get to anything, please know that I am not reading anyone for filth here. Everything I wrote for this meta is based on what the visual novel showed us and what I have observed from the visual novel, but it’s still difficult to talk about anything involving a certain character without it sounding like I’m bashing them.

Now, to start, I want to show you all this fanart (source here), which I find fascinating.

(Note: I highly recommend that you check out the rest of this artist’s work. Plenty of great TakuTowa fanart for all lovers of the pairing.)

I am promoting the fanart above because it effectively shows how Taku and Madarame are effective foils of each other. I already made a similar post before about Taku also serving as a good foil to another character (Sakaki). This post is going to be like that one, but this one is explained in greater detail; though both posts have the same goal: to compare and contrast. 

Of course, be warned of the following: 

Before you read any further, there will be spoilers, and I mean plenty of them, so I advise you not to read this if you haven’t completed the visual novel and want to complete it whilst blind. 

What you will see under the “Read More” will be long, and I mean really long and possibly incomprehensible with all my rambling, so brace yourselves. 

Every narration from the game is rephrased so that it reads in third-person, which is how it’s supposed to read in the original version. This is done to help with maintaining objectivity as I explain and point out things.

If you want to read this in a different platform, the meta is also available for reading on Google docs. 

How Long They’ve Known Towa

To start with something simple: out of Towa’s four love interests, Taku and Madarame are the only ones who personally knew Towa for a long time. Sure, Rei may technically count as well since he knew Towa since middle school, but he and Towa never interacted until they were already full-fledged adults. Towa didn’t even realize that he and Rei attended the same school until Rei pointed it out in his route.  

Taku knew Towa since he was a child, since he was assigned as Towa’s physician. As such, he was the one who would patch up Towa’s wounds or check on him when he falls ill (both of which are thanks to Maya’s “loving” care). After Maya’s death, although Taku is not legally assigned as Towa’s guardian, he still helped look after Towa for the longest time, which they both acknowledge. 

Towa and Madarame were also joined at the hip when Towa was in his teenage years and was still an active member of the Takasato-gumi. The two were basically friends with benefits, though the ‘friends’ part in the term is questionable. They often slept together because they gave each other the violence and pleasure the other wanted, and they often hung out (with Kaga) but that’s about it.  

Relationship with Towa 

(as established by the beginning of the common route)

In the common route, in what seems like a simple scene where people are having lunch at Yanagawa Café, we are already given an idea of what kind of relationship Towa has with both Taku and Madarame at present.

Taku is the very first love interest to show up. How is he introduced? Fussing over Towa and getting exasperated with him, while also subtly showing concern for him. They also occasionally hang out together outside work hours, which establishes that they’re on friendly terms. Even then, there’s the kind of distance between them where while they get along, they’re not so close that they share all their secrets. 

Towa would never know the real Taku, nor would Taku ever know the real Towa. Even though they had known each other for years, it didn’t mean they understood everything about each other. 

As for Madarame, as far as Towa knows, the man died years ago. If Madarame’s route isn’t taken, Towa will keep thinking that, especially since he no longer has any positive feelings for Madarame and would prefer to forget about him entirely. We don’t know why yet, since until after his route is unlocked, Madarame remains shrouded in mystery. Nevertheless, Towa’s disdain for him is made clear. 

As it happened, Towa knew the person they were gossiping about. A lot about him, in fact. […] But Towa would rather not remember him, and thus avoided thinking about his name or his face.

Conflict with Toono 

Until Fujieda’s route proved otherwise, the fact that Toono actively plays the role of the villain in both Taku and Madarame’s routes baited us all into thinking that he’s the only one who’s really out to give the cast trouble, and it’s not hard to see why. 

Taku owes Toono a great debt because it’s only due to the latter’s financial assistance (even though it was provided to Taku with an ulterior motive) that Taku was able to become a doctor. Even though he despises Toono and hates doing the jobs assigned to him by the Takasato-gumi because it goes against his morals, the fact that Toono aided him is something he cannot deny. Of course, Toono takes advantage of this, and even deliberately adds fuel to the fire by getting Towa involved when he notices that Taku is getting increasingly reluctant to make the drugs that Toono wants to distribute around Shinkoumi. This is what sets up the conflict and the main plot for Taku’s route. 

This aside, Toono is also the reason why Kaga died and why Towa lost his right eye, even though in the latter case, the bullet was meant for Madarame. Even then, Madarame still got wounded, yet the entire night was chaotic enough for the Takasato-gumi to give up on looking for his corpse and just claim that Madarame was dead. Madarame may deny that he’s out for revenge, but this is contradicted by him saying that “[Kaga] didn’t have to die.” This means that Madarame is out to settle the score with the syndicate, especially with Toono, and the climax of Madarame’s route even covers his blood debt finally being repaid. 

Another obvious point of comparison is how they deal with Toono. Both are given the opportunity to point a gun right at Toono and end him then and there. Both wouldn’t have hesitated to pull the trigger. Except that while Madarame - dead-set in his revenge - aims straight for the heart, Taku changes his aim at the last minute. Not because he hesitated, but because he - in his words - refuses to play by the other’s games and stoop down to man’s level for another second. 

This alone shows how Taku and Madarame are fundamentally different people. 

Personality (Indetermination vs. Certainty)

How different Taku and Madarame are is reflected in both how they’re introduced and what the player learns about them in full by the end of their respective routes. And in both cases, they’re always like yin and yang.

At the start of the game, Taku is established as someone who looks out for Towa’s well-being. While he’s exasperated with some of Towa’s tendencies (like being late for work and preferring to ingest nicotine and alcohol over actual food and water), he never tries to outright interfere…. unless you play his route, where his protectiveness starts to really rear its head, which puts him and Towa at odds with each other. 

As you progress further into Taku’s story, both you and Towa realize that Taku is far more fractured than he appears, and this can be traced to his mother’s death, something Taku has been beating himself up for to this very day. What doesn’t help as of late is his debt to Toono, which starts to actively threaten his day-to-day life; and it even gets Towa endangered due to the latter’s association with Taku. 

It’s then that as Towa tries to figure out what’s going on in Taku’s mind, he starts to realize the man’s greatest flaw. What is that? Taku always wavers, no matter the kind of decision and no matter who it involves, be it something about himself or about someone else. Because he always fears the worst-case scenario and is never sure whether he’s truly doing the right thing. More often than not, he’s not even certain of his own intentions. This has something to do with the guilt he harbors towards his mother’s demise. He fears that even if he does everything, it won’t be enough, and that holds him back. Even after he finally makes his resolve about his situation with Toono, he hasn’t completely gotten rid of his flaw in the drama CD, and Towa has to force him to make up his mind once and for all after confronting him about how he’s at it again. 

From what is heard of Madarame, almost everyone just talks about how freakishly strong he is or how he’s supposed to be dead. While we can only guess what kind of person he may be (at the time), those conversations alone are enough to tell us that he carries a very imposing presence. 

Once we finally see him, you realize that - besides the part where he supposedly died - everything else the others say about him aren’t an exaggeration. The man really is imposing, and his strength may as well be inhuman. He possesses an indomitable will and is the kind of person who will do what he wants to do, wherever and whenever he wants, and however he wants.

And remember the title of his chapter: Immutable. Never yielding, never changing– which is Madarame’s character in a nutshell. How can he be like this? Because Madarame doesn’t have any mental or emotional burdens. There’s no deep-seated scar that Towa has to find, and this is reflected in the Interrogation since Madarame is the only one where the opposite approach has to be taken to get the good ending.  

Taku and Rei are able to grow and heal if the right choices are made, and while Fujieda never gets subjected to an Interrogation since he’s able to resolve his issues by himself, he undergoes a development nevertheless and still reflects on himself. But as Towa observes, Madarame has never changed since years ago, and even at the end of the route, he’s still the same person that we saw him as from the start. He had not changed, and he never will change; hence why immutability is rooted into his very being. 

Violence (Avoidance vs. Gratification) 

Taku is a doctor and he pursued such a profession because he wants to save lives, as compensation for the life he wanted to save most yet was ultimately unable to. Naturally, he regards both life and death with grave seriousness and never regards it in a flippant manner, which makes him worry often for Towa, who couldn’t care less what happens to him. 

On the other hand, Madarame may as well be violence incarnate—he lives and breathes to fight and carries a lust for blood. If he faces an obstacle, he’ll metaphorically and literally punch his way through said obstacle. And to him, life and death is nothing more than a game, a gamble, and he finds more fun in the challenge than in the outcome.  

Now as for how this affects their approach with Towa…

Taku never does much to protest Towa’s stints whenever the latter pursues his artistic hobbies, but it doesn’t mean he likes seeing Towa either hurting himself or getting himself hurt, and he does make his displeasure known every once in a while by commenting on Towa’s wounds. Towa even remembers one time from some years ago, when Taku was absolutely furious after seeing Towa at the brink of death when an encounter with a potential model went awry.

Not to mention, there’s the way Taku treats Towa during sex. No matter what, Taku refuses to give Towa the rough treatment. At most, he will kiss and caress Towa’s scars, but no more than that. He even tells Towa that he knows his masochism is no more than a means to castigate himself. As such, Taku refuses to indulge in that, because he wants Towa to know that he’s worthy of being loved and cherished in a healthy way and that he can still feel pleasure through gentle and affectionate touches.

On the other hand, Madarame wants Towa to embrace the violence inside him and to live for violence, whether Towa inflicts it or receives it. He doesn’t mind Towa’s masochism and even seeks to indulge in it and to even amplify it, if possible. Though one can only wonder if Madarame ever saw the connection between Towa’s penchant for self-harm and the trauma of his childhood, the latter of which he’s hinted to be aware of to some degree, especially since he noticed Towa’s disdain for complete silence.

It also goes without saying that Madarame is the love interest who engages in the roughest and most violent sex with Towa. When Towa was still kept in chains as the other’s captive, Madarame showed his special brand of affection by making Towa bruise and bleed, and even after they properly rekindle their relationship later on, they still enjoy roughing each other up as part of their foreplay.  

Unconditional Love vs. Conditional Love

Since he knows enough about what Towa’s childhood was really like, Taku also knows why Towa is the way he is. He knows why Towa indulges in self-destructive habits and why he’s almost completely apathetic to the motions of life. Taku doesn’t like it and the only reason he doesn’t protest too much is because he’s held back by the fear that he may end up accidentally giving away the truth, so he plays it safe by protesting on occasion but never actively trying to interfere (except when he’s certain that Towa may get himself killed).

Even then, in the event that he falls for Towa, all the negatives that he has observed from Towa doesn’t prevent him from having feelings for the other man. In spite of how flawed Towa is, Taku loves him all the same, especially since he understands why Towa is like that. Of course, he wants to help Towa heal (as much as he can at least) and grow out of his love for pain. But this aside, plus the fairly understandable request for Towa to stop sleeping with other men, Taku accepts Towa the way he is now and never asks Towa to conform to an image he has of him. This makes his love qualify more as an unconditional one. 

As unorthodox as it is, Madarame’s love for Towa is sincere nonetheless. After all, for the longest time, he thought Towa died the same night Kaga did, and it’s hinted that this did affect Madarame to a degree, especially when he took a close look at Towa’s missing eye. Part of the reason Madarame even came back to Shinkoumi was to reunite with Towa. Madarame may like to make sardonic statements, but it’s obvious when he’s being upfront about his thoughts and feelings without the usual barb. When he tells Towa that he’s all he needs and asks him to not leave again, he meant it. 

That being said, he’ll only reach out to Towa if he sees a chance that Towa can return to being the person Madarame last remembered him being. If Madarame thinks that Towa is, in his own words, “too far gone”, he won’t bother anymore and will leave Towa alone. This is why his love still counts as the conditional kind of love. He only loves the Towa that he once knew, but not the Towa that he sees now– which is ironic since Madarame is supposed to be a man who focuses only on the present, not the past.

Towa’s Visage

The only thing that really changes with Towa’s appearance in Rei and Fujieda’s good endings is his attire. On the other hand, in Taku and Madarame's good endings, Towa doesn’t undergo only a wardrobe switch; even the color of his hair changes as well.

Taku’s default appearance has his hair being mostly black in color, though the edges still have traces of the blonde dye that he would put on when he was still a teenager.

In Taku’s Euphoria ending, Towa grows out his hair such that it goes way past his shoulders. The blonde streaks are gone and his hair color is now a full raven black. This represents how his mental state has (even if not completely) gotten better, with his appearance being reminiscent of his younger and more innocent self. He even casts aside his black attire for a white shirt and a blue cardigan, which encapsulates how he’s become more at peace and put-together, and is now able to find contentment with the simple things. While he’s still the same person overall, he no longer seeks out violence nor does he want or need it just to feel something. 

Towa also grows out his hair in Madarame’s Euphoria ending, but here, his hair is now blonde once more. Besides that, he also wears a hoodie with a design that makes it obvious to anyone who sees him that he’s feisty and rebellious, there are also the bandages on his lower torso. This reflects how he has become his younger and hotblooded self once more, with his propensity for violence now more active than passive. But since he’s no longer bound to Shinkoumi and his memories in it, he has remodeled both his identity and his love for pain, and he has become someone who always seeks to feel excitement and the rush and thrill of a fight or a beating. 

Towa’s Past, and What They Know

Taku knows plenty of sordid details about Towa’s past, but just to be clear, he doesn’t know everything. He has no idea that Sakaki is complicit in Maya’s dastardly plans. Sure, he gets wary whenever Towa gets involved with the Takasato-gumi, but his suspicions are always focused on Toono, in particular. If he even had an inkling about Sakaki, a lot of things would have turned out differently.

If one pays attention to the dialogue in his route, Taku only found out the truth about what Maya was doing to Towa after the “accident” where Maya fell down the stairs. We don’t know how he found out, but it is important to remember that it’s only then that Taku discovered what Towa had actually gone through, and it’s exactly because Taku knows how horrifying Towa’s childhood was, that he does everything he can to keep it hidden from Towa. 

If he gets caught in the lie, the most he can do is keep Towa from finding out more. Where Fujieda holds the key that allows Towa to finally unlock the doors where his memories stay hidden and repressed, it’s Taku who tries to keep every other key away from notice and from reach. 

While he accuses Taku of being dishonest and secretive, Madarame is the pot calling the kettle black. As revealed in Fujieda’s route, Madarame also knows a lot about Towa’s past, and knows enough that he can even pinpoint to Towa where Euphoria was, so it’s safe to assume that he also knows what happened to Towa during his time in that wretched mansion. 

However, what’s interesting with Madarame is that in his own route, he doesn’t tell Towa what he knows; but in Fujieda’s route, he gives Towa a hint.

We already know why Taku opted to not tell Towa anything, On the other hand, we’re left to guess why Madarame changes his gears from saying nothing to dropping some clues. It’s at least obvious that he didn’t do it out of altruism, so that makes it highly likely that he either withdraws or reveals the truth only because he felt he had something to gain from it.

Now, this is just my speculation, but I think he did either with the same goal in mind: to distress Towa in such a way that it will drive a wedge between him and the others.  I’ll expound on this later on in another topic.

Taku and Madarame, Mei and Maya

Because I was apprehensive about saying or even analyzing any more about Madarame due to the thought that I might end up coming across as if I’m dragging him, it took until buzzin_buzzard’s tweet for me to fully acknowledge the similarities that could be found between Madarame and Maya, of all people. I summed it up in TV Tropes, but I’ll go into more detail for this meta. 

I made a meta from before where I briefly likened Taku to Mei, since they’re both the only figures from Towa’s childhood who showed him kindness and made him feel safe, even if only for a short while. The key difference between Taku and Mei was that Mei knew exactly what Towa was going through (since she was in a similar situation herself) whereas Taku had no idea what was happening at the time. Nevertheless, they were the only two people who were not out to harm Towa, because everyone else hurt him, whether it was intentional or whether it was because they were coerced into the act (i.e. Ikuina and Asakura). 

Both also helped throw a wrench in Maya’s plans. Mei told Towa that he had to get away from his mother. Their attempt to escape may have ultimately failed, but that event still left an impact on him because that small taste of freedom allowed him to realize what could be waiting for him beyond the opulent halls of the mansion, and especially because of what he would eventually find out with regards to what Maya did to Mei in retaliation. When Towa learned exactly why Mei died, he summoned the will to defy Maya for the very first (and only) time, and it led to what would eventually be Maya’s demise.

However, just because she died doesn’t mean she’s gone, not with her final order to Sakaki. Unfortunately for both the mastermind and the adjutant, the trauma of the incident stripped Towa of his memories, which waylays their plans. And Taku (unwittingly) makes sure it stays that way by never letting Towa remember his childhood and letting him live in ignorant bliss. Of course, it’s not all good; the damaging trauma of Towa’s childhood had already left his mark, resulting in his hedonistic and masochistic tendencies. Still, without the recollection of his childhood, Maya’s plan is left at an impasse, and it will stay that way in Taku, Rei and Madarame’s routes. 

Now, this is the part that I was afraid of talking about the most, but if you take a moment to think about it, Madarame and Maya mirror each other to some degree. Madarame is so physically strong that nothing and no one can beat him, but that’s why he gets bored so easily. Maya was a master manipulator and can control anyone she set her sights on, but deep down, she felt isolated and her psychopathy did nothing to sate her loneliness. 

This is where Towa/Haruto steps in.

As Madarame states outright in his route, he feels that only Towa can give him the exhilaration he wants yet can’t find with anything and anyone else, and that only Towa can understand his bloodlust and his love for pain. 

You are the only person in the world who I consider my match. You want what I want. You feel what I feel. With you, I'll never be bored. And you feel the same way, don’t you?

With Maya, there is the very fact that she wanted Towa to follow in her footsteps both literally and figuratively. One likely reason is that this is also her way of ensuring that her legacy will go on. Another possible explanation is that Maya believed if there was one other person who acts and thinks the way she did, life won’t be so forlorn anymore.  

In her last recorded message: I asked Sakaki to fulfill one last request for me. I asked him to help you find true happiness in my place, and to make sure that you’d become my successor.  

Madarame isn’t the most expressive kind of person, but it doesn’t automatically mean he’s as emotionally stunted as Maya was. He just has a very good rein on his emotions, and even if he’s very unconventional about it, his love for Towa (even if it’s only to a certain kind of Towa) is sincere. Maya - even if she could perfectly emulate both affection and tenderness - felt that she could never love, yet believed that she loved Towa as best (worst) as she could. Her brain is undoubtedly wired wrong (and really, really wrong), but her admission is also undoubtedly a genuine one. 

And they both express their love in the only way they knew how: violence. Madarame inflicts it directly by making Towa bruise and bleed whether it’s consensual, nonconsensual, or a bit of both, whereas Maya does it indirectly, letting her clients have their way with Towa, regardless of what they would do to her son. They both think that it’s because Towa/Haruto enjoys it and that it makes him look even more beautiful. Of course, we know that Towa finding arousal in the rough treatment that Madarame gives him reflects how he made himself love pain as a subconscious coping mechanism for all the torture he suffered at Maya’s hands.  In Fujieda’s words:

By accepting the trauma others would inflict on you, you desperately cling to the last shreds of your personal autonomy. Cutting yourself was a self-destructive impulse— a punishment for being worthless.

With this, there is the main reason why Taku and Madarame are bound to always be at odds with each other whenever Towa is involved. The reasons are, in essence, similar to the reasons which explain how Mei and Maya contrast each other, especially with regards to Towa. 

In Towa’s childhood, Mei was the light in Towa’s life, where Maya was the darkness. Mei was a symbol of purity, hope and innocence, and Maya was essentially corruption in human form, luring and poisoning everyone around her. Because of this, Maya saw Mei as a “toxic influence”  in Towa’s life and had her killed. This is hugely ironic since it’s obvious who the real toxic influence is, but anyhow…

Similarly, though it never escalates to murder (if only because Madarame is someone who prefers to beat up someone instead of killing them outright), Madarame still kidnapped Taku, held him hostage, and also threatened him. And if you remember, there is a brief moment in Madarame’s route where he questions why Towa feels the need to cover his eye with a patch, and one should keep in mind that it’s Taku who takes care of Towa’s injuries. This scene alone already sums up their opposing viewpoints to both Towa and to violence. In this case, it’s easy to put Taku in Mei’s position, and Madarame in Maya’s. 

This consequently shows the difference in how they’d react if - in a route where neither is the chosen love interest - Towa figures out his past with someone else’s assistance, and what kind of person he could become once he learned enough.

Reaction to Towa’s Growth (in Fujieda’s Route)

Madarame’s presence in Fujieda’s route is very brief, but a lot could be drawn from it nonetheless. Just like in his own route, he holds Taku hostage to draw out Towa. However, the circumstances and the venue are different from before. 

Instead of the back of the clinic, they now meet at the outskirts of the Deathmatch Area. Instead of being forced to meet with Madarame in private to ensure Taku’s safety, the entire gang has gathered, all wide awake and conscious with varying awareness of what’s going on. And instead of Madarame telling Towa that Taku is lying to him, Madarame points Towa to his mother’s mansion. 

This all culminates in Fujieda and Madarame exchanging blows, and right as the latter is about to land a crippling hit, Towa intervenes halfway to take a hit for Fujieda… which immediately ends the fight since Madarame loses interest then and there. 

Why? Let’s recall how the entire scene was narrated.

As Fujieda doubled over, Madarame began to launch another attack. 

“Madarame!” Towa rushed over and jumped in between them. 

Madarame’s fist grazed Towa’s head as the latter hit the ground, landing on his stomach.

Taku dashed over to Towa’s side. Meanwhile, Rei slowly pushed himself up while gritting his teeth in pain. Fujieda frowned at Towa, then turned his head and glared at Madarame. 

However, Madarame seemed to have lost all interest. His arms hung limply at his sides. His self-assured grin was gone, replaced by a pair of cold eyes that stared down at Towa.

“I never knew that you were such a drag.” (Note: Based on the context and the tone that was used, the original JP text of the line「･･････つまらないことをするな、お前」 could also translate to “I never thought you would do something so absurd,” since the word ‘tsumaranai’ can be used to describe something that’s either boring, trivial or foolish.)

Enduring the pain, Towa glared back up at Madarame as he continued kneeling on the ground.

Contrast this to Towa’s reaction in Madarame’s route after he gets confirmation that Taku is keeping secrets from him, just like Madarame warned. This lands the final nail in the coffin for Towa’s belief that he can never return to his old life, which leads him to do this:

Rei, “You’re heading towards the Deathmatch Area! You hate Deathmatches, right? So why are you going there? …To see Madarame?” 

Towa remained silent, causing Rei’s brow to furrow deeply. Towa glanced at them, then turned and started walking.

Rei, “Don’t do this, Towa! Why?! Why are you going to him? Don’t go!

Taku, “Towa!”

Towa could hear their anguished screams. But as he kept walking, their voices faded into the distance. Their desperation could no longer reach him.

Towa had realized who he truly was, and he was not the kind of person who belonged with them.

He belonged somewhere else. 

So back to our original question: why did Madarame suddenly lose interest in the fight? Why did he suddenly decide to not bother with Towa anymore? Because to him, seeing Towa rush in and defend someone else is a sign that Towa had changed too much for his own liking. Sure, Towa showed some spunk in that act, but it was not the kind of spunk he wanted.

Not only that, but the act also indicated that by that point, even the threat of learning more about his past won’t sever any bonds that Towa shares with the other three (Taku, Rei and Fujieda). In other words, Towa will continue to have attachments to his home, or at least some of the people in it. No chance of burning bridges for good and leaving with him. And so, Madarame exits the scene.

Madarame – much like a ghost – completely fades away from Towa’s life. After he’s informed by Kotarou about what the man is up to next after ambushing the Takasato-gumi, Towa doesn’t bother thinking about him for another second.

And now, let’s talk about Taku. For almost the entire first half of Fujieda’s route, Taku was obstructive and unhelpful because he also feared that Towa would change. But in his case, “change” means the possibility that Towa could never recover from learning the truth—which does happen and nearly ends in the worst-case scenario. Taku had nothing to gain from keeping anything, yet he was willing to risk earning Towa’s anger and resentment by staying silent even as Towa attacked him, chewed him out, and pressed him for answers.  And Towa has a very good reason to be pissed at Taku, even if you can see things from the older man’s point of view. 

However, it should be made clear that while Taku’s actions were questionable, they were never once done out of malice or selfishness, which is saying something compared to say, Sakaki. Towa even comes to understand this, which is shown in two instances. One is in this dialogue from when Taku and Rei got patched up after their scuffle with Madarame.

“....Towa?” Taku mumbled. “Are you mad at me?”

Towa looked at him in silence. “Why would I be mad at you?”

“For hiding [the truth] from you.”

“But you only did it because you thought it was for the best, right?” 

The other instance is the update in Taku’s entry (from the codex): 

I’m sure Taku had his reasons 

When Towa manages to conquer his trauma in the good ending, Taku expresses relief and is even proud of Towa for it, acknowledging that Towa has truly matured and changed for the better with a smile on his face. In turn, Towa expresses his appreciation towards Taku, and it’s clear by then that their relationship has completely mended. 

Taku: All this time, I was scared of you getting hurt. So instead, I figured you were better off not knowing anything at all. But you were stronger than that. You remembered your past, overcame it, and then you came back. It's clear to me now... You just aren't the same little kid you used to be. 

Towa: Well, obviously. But I couldn't have done it alone... Turns out, there is value in connecting with people. I just could never see it. 

Taku: What do you mean? 

Towa: What I mean is... I wouldn't be standing here today without every single person in my life.

Taku: … I’m amazed you just said that. Now I can see for myself– you’ve actually overcome it. I can’t describe how relieved I am. 

With this, in contrast to Madarame, Taku remains an important figure in Towa’s life. In Volume 4 of the AfterStory drama CD, Towa takes the initiative to thank Fujieda for getting Taku exonerated and released early. In another scene, Taku confides to Fujieda about everything that happened before capping off by saying that he trusts Fujieda to look after Towa. Even when the story takes another path such that their relationship remains platonic, it nevertheless is a deep and important one for them both.  

Closing Remarks

Now that I think about it, the only reason the Taku vs. Sakaki meta is a bit shorter than I expected is because I had to make it fit into Twitter’s format. Had it occurred to me back then to just upload it all on Google Docs, I would have gone all out with comparing those two (note to revamp that meta later on, R.I.P. me). 

I admit that I’m biased towards Taku because he’s just one fascinating character all around, combined with the fact that he can serve as a foil or a mirror character two at least three other people who are connected to Towa’s past for a multitude of reasons– which fortifies my opinion that Taku would also make for an excellent “true” love interest besides Fujieda. 

At the same time, it’s also fun to try and analyze Madarame even if, at the end of the day, many things about him remain an enigma despite the fact that everything about him is supposed to be already on the surface. And without a translation of his AfterStory drama CD, a lot of things about him will remain a myth for me. 

Once again, if it sounds like I was insulting Madarame in this meta, I was not. Either way, sorry in advance and please don’t kill me. ^^; 

[thelampisaflashlight]

Everything Goes On Pt. 6

[Ritual night preparations. Not suitable for younger audiences. Previous part here.] Below the cut.

The shift in the air is palpable as the raging sun of summer draws ever closer to the cloudy gloom of fall.

Not yet here, though already on the minds of so many.

Mountain can feel the shift in his bones, bonded to the Earth as he is, but as he looks to the heavens, he cannot but feel a great sense of unease.

The sky is overcast, heavy storm clouds move at a snail's pace overhead.

An ill omen for a night already destined to be touched by the light of a rare blue moon.

Worse yet...

Mountain watches as the siblings gather for mass, their usual uniforms or casual clothes cast aside in favor of the traditional robes of their forbearers.

...there is to be a summoning tonight.

Turning his gaze to the lake, barely a puddle in his vision, he can already see the groundskeepers placing the lanterns to mark the path to the sunken chapel.

Three ghouls stand guard as they work, wearing the silver masks of a now bygone era, sentinels sent by Sister Imperator to ensure no ill business takes place on this most sacred of occasions.

The guards eye him from a distance, one of them, a smaller, slighter figure than the rest, swishes their tail -a threatening crackle of green energy sparking from the spade- at him irritably, and all Mountain can do is hold up his hands and return to his own duties to show he isn't a threat.

"Everyone's so worked up today..." Swiss comments, striding out of the courtyard holding a rake and a compost bag full of dead leaves, "What do I do with these, big guy?"

Mountain gestures towards a small pile between the greenhouses.

"It's because of the summoning tonight."

"I almost forgot about that." Swiss hums, tossing the bag, "I guess since Sunny's summoning was the only one I've ever gone to, I didn't think, ya know, it was a big deal?"

"Sunny's summoning was kind of an outlier, since it was not safe for the clergy to attend en masse." Mountain says, "Tonight's summoning is also special, because we not only have to contend with the weather, but the moon as well... Papa has already ordered several members of the clergy into seclusion to avoid, uh, unwanted side effects."

"What's the moon got to do with it?" Swiss asks, coming back to stand beside Mountain, looking out over the valley.

"You can't feel it?" Mountain questions, placing a hand over the middle of his chest, "Here?"

"Nope, aside from how warm your hand is." Swiss shakes his head, "I mean, I am half human, so it's probably another one of those things that doesn't affect me the same way it does you guys."

"I suppose so." Mountain nods, "But, to explain it a bit, the moon tugs."

"Tugs?"

"It pulls at us like the tides. Water ghouls are especially effected by it, hence why they make themselves scarce during the full moon, as do members of the clergy afflicted with moon based curses such as lycanthropy." he says, "Hence why Rain isn't able to attend the summoning tonight."

"Cause he'll go feral or something?" Swiss asks.

Mountain thinks back to earlier this morning when he'd encountered the ghoul in question rolling around in a pile of spilled laundry when he came to retrieve his clothes from the dryer, thoroughly out of his gourd, tail slapping on the ground like a pleased puppy.

"...Yes... feral..."

Swiss blinks at him.

"What about Dew? Since he's a hybrid?"

"Dew has a remarkably firm grasp on his water side, so he'll still be in attendance." Mountain says, "He'd likely have to attend in some capacity regardless though."

"Why's that?"

Mountain stares down at Swiss.

"What? What, is there something on my face?" the multi-ghoul questions, patting his cheeks.

"...You really don't know?"

"Know what??"

"Satanas... Well, I won't ruin the surprise."

.

.

.

"Ugh, these robes are so fucking heavy..." Dew grimaces, readjusting his vestments for a third time, "This is such a pain in the ass..."

"You do not get to complain." Copia sighs, coating his face in powder, "Mine are twice as heavy, and I don't have any of your unnatural ghoulish strength to help carry the weight."

Dew's tail swishes trapped between two layers of fabric.

"If I knew becoming a bishop would mean wearing so much clothing, I wouldn't have studied so hard."

"You had your entire deaconship and stint as a priest to consider that, now didn't you?" Copia points out, "Having to dress the part of your role only happens once in a..."

"Don't."

"Once in a blue moon." he chuckles, eliciting a groan from the already agitated ghoul, "Ah, lighten up, once the ceremony is over, you can go back to wearing what you want or nothing at all. Hell, you could even strip naked as soon as the rites are done, but, for now, you need to look presentable for the clergy."

"Half the siblings have seen my bare ass-"

"Sister will be in attendance tonight." Copia says, eyeing him from the mirror, laughing once more seeing the ghoul's conflicted expression.

"-which I will keep covered at all times this evening."

"Very good."

Copia stands back to admire his handiwork, checking his make-up for imperfections, "...Ghoul?"

"Yes, Papa?"

"I've been meaning to ask... How have you been since your packmates' departures?"

Dew clicks his tongue.

"I miss Sunny, it was fun having her around while it lasted." he says, "But I know you're not really asking about her."

"Things are still... complicated." he continues, "But Aether is the furthest thing from my mind tonight."

"That is... good." Copia says, "There's a high likelihood that something may go array during tonight's ritual, so I need you focused to ensure that if things do get out of hand, we can put a stop to it as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Papa."

.

.

.

Cirrus sits in her room getting ready for the evening, she doesn't really need to get too dressed up for the event, after all she'll be sitting amongst the siblings along with the rest of the ghouls.

...Save for Cumulus and Dewdrop that is.

And maybe that's why she's putting the extra effort in to look nice even though it will be impossible to really pick her out of the crowd, it's more so for after the rites are spoken.

After Cumulus is freed of her obligations as a sister of sin and they can fuck off while the actual summoning takes place to have a little fun.

At least, that had been the plan...

"Since Aether left, I have to stay as a witness." the smaller ghoulette had informed Cirrus earlier during breakfast, "You know how it is..."

"I don't, actually." Cirrus had grumbled around her pancakes, "You don't tell me anything about your duties as a sister, or why it's so different from being, I dunno, like the rest of us."

"I have though, Cir, I explained what my role is when I took my oath." Cumulus had frowned, patting her hand, "This is one of my duties as a sister, to attend these summonings and bless the new ghouls in the name of the lord below."

"Yeah, but why does it have to be you?" Cirrus groused, letting her fork drop onto her plate.

"I was requested personally, and you have to understand what an honor it is to be chosen for something like this..." Cumulus said, "I'll be standing beside Papa..."

"We hang out with Copia all the time, Lus, it's not that special."

"...Well it is to me." Cumulus whispered, "Plus, Dew could use the support right now. You know him and Aeth-"

"Oh, so it was Dew who asked." she'd scoffed, "Of course it was."

"Cir... what's that supposed to mean?"

"Ever since Aether left, you've been babying Dew." Cirrus hissed, "You even disagreed with me when I said our relationship wasn't like theirs, but it's not. You and I have been together since the pit, those two were just fucking around the way humans do, it wasn't even serious!"

"Wasn't even... Cir, they were engaged!"

"Engaged, but not bonded!"

"Cir..."

Cirrus looks at herself in the small vanity atop her dresser and frowns.

"It's not the same." she tells herself, "Our relationship isn't..."

"Dew could use the support right now."

Cirrus grabs her mascara and uncaps it.

"I hope he fucking trips and falls in his stupid robes tonight..."

[hpowellsmith]

Hello there! I've been wanting to replay the older Baldur's Gate games, and was searching around for mlm NPC romance mods. I saw yours mentioned and found your site with some googling, but it seems the place they were hosted at is gone now (Spellhold Studios). I was wondering if you still have the mods available somewhere? Either way, I hope you have a great day!

OK, this has made go down a modding-community rabbit hole! I hadn't done anything with our Baldur's Gate 2 mods, or looked at them really, since 2015 and I really appreciate it because they're something that brought my wife and I a ton of joy, and they were the first interactive narratives I made.

Links, descriptions, and comments below because it is Long:

I got in touch with folks on the Gibberlings3 forum which is, wonderfully, still going strong, and have given permission for Faren and Nathaniel to be uploaded to the Spellhold Studios GitHub (which has a bunch of other mods too - do check out Adrian, Isra, and Ninde in particular!) to the team maintaining it. That may be a little while as some of the team are ill right now, but once I hear that it's done, I'll post about it here; I've also been pointed to some links where the mods were mirrored. Note that I haven't tested these myself on a current BG2 install, but it is easy to uninstall WeiDU mods if there's a problem.

Faren is a bisexual True Neutral fighter/thief (I can't remember if he's dual-classed or multi-classed) who's easygoing, down-to-earth, and up for partying, with a bit of a checkered past - his adventuring party died in one of the dungeons you can visit in BG2, and since then he's been picking up dodgy jobs, feeling a bit adrift, and trying to get his life back on track. That's where the PC comes in! You can befriend him or romance him (starting with either a casual or more committed tone, then committing further if you want to), and he has a personal quest in which a shady figure from his past wants him to do one last job. He was our third mod, and we'd developed our skills with writing and scope a lot by then. When I play BG2, I play with Faren! You can currently download Faren here. It's the version updated in 2015 with more banters with modded NPCs and the Enhanced Edition characters; there may be compatibility issues installing it with other newer mods but do give it a try.

I found The Luxley Family, which was our second mod, on the GitHub here. From a cursory (rusty) glance it looks like it should be compatible with Enhanced Edition, but the storyline is only for Shadows of Amn and doesn't continue into Throne of Bhaal. Sebastian and Andrei (Chaotic Neutral bard with a custom kit and Lawful Neutral monk respectively) are members of a mysterious, reclusive family who are under a curse. Sebastian's a worldly playwright who's showing his polite but moody teenage cousin Andrei the sights when they bump into the PC. They aren't romanceable, but you can have a fling with Sebastian, who's bisexual, if you let/help him mess up his life sufficiently.

Nathaniel is a Lawful Good gay fighter with a lot of feelings. He was our first mod and I am really proud of the impact he had on a lot of people and even other games back in the day, but if you play, go in expecting a LOT of feelings good and bad, relationship drama, and angst! (There's something very sad about the fact that as teens we could not imagine a D&D setting without homophobia back then; the idea of a knightly order thinking well of gay people just didn't cross our minds. it's extraordinary how much better a lot of things are now, including the queerness in D&D streams, books, and of course Baldur's Gate 3. Interestingly, we didn't include homophobia in the Luxley Family or Faren and I don't remember how conscious that was; maybe we'd become more hopeful by then.) You can download an outdated version of Nathaniel here but I don't think it will be compatible with Enhanced Edition.

Thank you so much for messaging! I didn't realise they weren't able to be downloaded anymore and I am really keen for digital art to be preserved (as well as players getting to smooch hot guys, of course).

(Digression - my wife and I have a couple of almost-finished mods on our computer: a lesbian cleric of Talos which she wrote, and a bi Valygar romance that I wrote. And, if it's among two computers' ago worth of external hard drive storage, the ending for the Luxley Family story. Who knows, maybe one day...)

[good-beanswrites]

sorryf im being mentally ill about hallucination event right now SO in the LCSyS au, would there be something like it :o? Like after all of it's over or something, how crazy would it be if Jackalope tried to get them all together just to do one last concert?

Never apologize for being mentally ill about Milgram content 😌👍 We are all in it together 😔👍I'm combining this answer with a reply to @kikithedeceiver (and spiraling out of control from both)

I've had a lot of ideas about the project being public in LCSyS, but was holding off including it for few reasons – the audience’s voices would conflict with Es as their own character. Knowing the public was watching would change the way the prisoners acted (even if they thought they were acting natural). It’s a long time that the families would have to deal with the public knowing about their loved one’s almost-crime. I also like the idea of this au ending with the prisoners returning to very normal lives. 

Buuuuut it is such a fun idea, and popularity seems an essential part of an actors au. So, I’m not naming this as canon, but here’s a pitch if you liked that idea and wanted to run with it :3

The team doesn’t tell the participants that they’ve been recording/collecting certain material to release. If a translation is left out by accident, the prisoners just assume it’s for a foreign team member – they have no idea how close/far Milgram reaches. 

The third trial begins. The prisoners are inside the prison, and on the final stretch of the trials. On the outside, Jackalope contacts families for signatures to release the material publicly. The team thought about censoring names and things, but seeing current fans’ investigation skills, they knew it was a matter of time before they put pieces together anyway. This may be super illegal but for the sake of the story I’ll say that family consent is enough lmao.

Some of them are easy to convince to sign off on everything, since it can raise awareness for their loved one’s struggles. Muu’s family takes the longest, as it would risk ruining their reputation. (They’re only swayed because it truly is a great opportunity to show off Muu’s talents for those modeling scouts, and she didn’t actually kill anyone in the end.) Kazui’s family refuses to release his info, but Hinako uses sway with her marital status to sign off instead (I pictured things happening fast enough where she hasn’t gotten an official divorce yet). Hinako still struggles with what he did, but she thinks he’s doing something incredibly brave now. I’m not 100% sure what’s going through Amane’s father’s mind, but if the murder really was in line with the cult’s beliefs, maybe he believes that Amane will be be a shining representation of their religion. He wants to show her off as their little golden child.

The experiment is published in its current form: music videos, voice dramas, timeline conversations, interrogation questions, etc. It’s brought to more than just science/psychology circles, though. Jackalope has no shame in marketing it as entertainment, hence the stockholders mentioned. He assures the sociologists that this will be a major breakthrough for them. He tells music labels he's got the new hit thing for them. He leans into the excitement of releases and merchandise in the hopes of gaining attention for the experiment. Needless to say, it works. Even though the audience has no sway over Es’ decisions, they are encouraged to make decisions for themselves on what they would judge each prisoner. There’s the same types of theory/analysis/discourse posts passed around. 

When the trials end, the prisoners are released into the world to find they’re famous. Instead of trudging back to their lives feeling that society hates them, they find tons of adoring fans telling them how much they understand and forgive them. Even if their final verdict was guilty, they have hundreds of voices assuring them that they are loved. That they are not alone. This attention really helps Haruka, Amane, (and maybe Es) who don’t have a good home to go back to. Not only can they reenter society, they are welcomed with open arms. They are looked after and showered in love. Some of the adults realize they want to use this popularity to lead the charge of social change. They create/support projects meant to help people who are facing their struggles.

And of course, there’s the other type of fame as well. Yuno loves answering fanmail and turning her karaoke hobby into a music career. Kazui goes from a life of feeling rejected and disgusting to scrolling through comments upon comments of men oogling him. Mahiru gets offers from fashion magazines and blogs to write up sections about self-love. Amane gets to live out her dream of being a performer, hinted at in her first two mvs. Fuuta is flustered by all the positive attention his appearance/voice is getting. Mikoto… well, I just wish him luck when he opens tiktok…

Which brings us to the live event! The prisoners have tried to keep in touch while adjusting to their new lives as almost-murderers-turned-idols. They’re amazed at how well-recieved the trial songs were. Those were some of their most personal, shameful secrets, and people relate to them? People love singing them?? People want a concert featuring them??? Jackalope encourages them to get together for one last encore. Some are thrilled with the opportunity, others are still nervous about the whole thing. Some think it’s in poor taste, that Jackalope is milking them for entertainment. But with a bit of conversing amongst themselves, they realize they all want a chance to sing like that again, and see each other in one place again. (It’s ironic because in my head Mahiru is the one to convince everyone to come ;--;) 

It’s strange putting on the uniforms again. Es is unsure about putting on their guard’s cloak. But the minute they stop onstage, they’re met with wild applause. They can sing their fears and dreams to a huge crowd and see in real time how it’s reaching others. They hear the cheers after each song. They hear that it’s streamed all over the world. All of them have an absolute blast, and pour their heart and soul into their performances.

[lildashofheaven1]

‘Dancing Queen’

Jamie Campbell Bower x Dancer Reader

Reader is a dancer and Jamie is there for her when she gets injured

“Y/n we’re ready for your tech run in 5!’ I hear getting yelled outside my dressing room

Before i left the room i sat on my chair and got my pointe shoes on.

I heard a knock on my door

“Ill be out in a second!” I reply

The door opened to see my blonde,blue eyed boyfriend smiling at me

“Oh hi love” i smiled as i tied up my second shoe

“Hi darling, you okay?” I stood next to him

“Yeah just kind of nervous, havent properly performed in months” i say as i stroke my leotard ridding it of any fluff etc.

Jamie noticed me looking in the mirror anxiously, fixing my hair and make up etc.

He gently grabbed my hands and said

“Your going to do amazing my love, you always do, your a beautiful dancer and i cant wait to see you in the actual show tonight, now go out there and show everyone what you do best” he said quietly down my ear and he walked me to the door

“Ill be sat in the audience watching my love, break a leg” he smiled as i walked to backstage.

“Jamie took his seat in the audience, he was here because i was only needed to run through my performance and then he’s driving me back to our house.

Tech days simply weren’t fun, i’ve been here for hours just waiting for my turn to run through my performance making sure the lights and music are correct.

As i was stood in the wings, i looked out to see family members and partners sat waiting for my cast mates to be done here.I saw Jamie sat on the third row from the front waiting for me to get on stage, he looked around and saw me in the wings.He smiled and waved at me, i waved back and he blew me a kiss.I heard the performer before me’s music end so it was my turn to go on stage.

I walked on confidently and waited for my music to start

Come on, skinny love, just last the year

Pour a little salt, we were never here

For the first two lines of the song, i start centre stage on my knees with my head in my hands, i raise one arm at a time and lift myself up onto my pointe shoes and begin travelling the stage with grace, i begin my sequence of 6 pirouette’s

My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my

After the pirhouettes i got to downstage left and do an arabesque and the run into my Jeté leap across the stage and end the leap with 2 pirouettes.

Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer I tell my love to wreck it all

Cut out all the ropes and let me fall

On these three lines i travel across downstage spinning and when i reach centre stage, i perform a Sauté.

My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my

On this line i repeat the 6 pirouettes.

Right in this moment, this order's tall

For this line i run upstage onto the raised segment of the stage and prepare to do the biggest trick in my performance. A double pirouette on the small platform and then leap off of it and land into a split.

While in the air i was supposed to raise my leg above my head and land on my hands and then get into the split.

And I told you to be patient

And I told you to be fine

And I told you to be balanced.

On these lines i started the pirouettes and go to do the leap off of the platform. While im mid air, i try to raise my leg above my head however i underestimated how little amount of time i would have and didn’t raise it high enough in time and landed on my knee fully shattering it on the floor.

3rd person Pov

As y/n landed on her knee on stage, the scream of pain the followed alerted everyone in the theatre that the leap had gone terribly wrong.

Jamie leaped out of his seat at the immediate sign of his lover in pain.

“Y/n!” He yelled out as he jumped over the two rows of seats in front of him and threw himself on the stage with a jump to be with her.

“Y/n my love, where does it hurt?” He said as he moved a few strands of hair from her face.

“My k-knee” she replied in floods of tears.

Both of them knew how bad an injury can be for a dancer, both of them silently praying this wasnt serious.

“Y/n we’ve got medics on the way!” Anthony (the choreographer) said as he walked over and knelt next the girl who was writhing in pain with her head resting on Jamie’s lap.

A few minutes later, we were informed that the medics wouldn’t be able to get into the theatre, so they were going to have to get y/n to the ambulance another way.

“Y/n your gonna have to stand up darling, now if you stand on your other leg ill pick you up okay?” Jamie said to the terrified girl, to which she nodded silently, eyes wide with pain.

Y/n struggled to stand on her other leg while using Jamies arm to steady herself. As soon as they both were up, Jamie lifted her up and carried her bridal style into the ambulance.

“Your gonna be okay my love, you did so well, your gonna be okay” Jamie said as he planted gentle kisses on her knuckles as they drove to the hospital.

[tenderlady]

I feel morally obliged, after seeing your tags on this post, to ask you for your Beatles-adjacent casting and re-telling to THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS!

I'll kick things off by proposing John as Eli Cash? "Wild...cat..."

I am, as always, obsessed with your mind and am a big fan of putting Beatles places they were not intended to be. I definitely could see John-as-Eli (writerly, self-constructed, aggressive, insecure), and by that logic I think that probably Paul would be Chas (rigid, overachieving, trying to hold the family together despite not particularly liking any of them) and George would be Richie (wounded, overshadowed, best hair in the family). By default this means that Ringo would be Margot, which, uh.....fascinating.

I think the general conceit of The Royal Tenenbaums, of "getting the band back together" (ba dum tss) because of a family member dying (sorta) could really work, which I suppose would leave Royal as Brian?? Honestly, I couldn't blame him if he wanted to fake a life threatening illness to get all the boys in the same room and to put all their differences aside for five minutes. Also the idea of the Tenenbaums being a family of child prodigies who are all trying, with various degrees of success, to cling to that prestige into adulthood is Very Beatles.

Will be rotating this in my mind for the rest of the day, but I welcome your insights as well, O wise crepesuzette2023...

Other semi-related ramblings under the cut.

As much as I love and am obsessed with this idea, I was actually referring to the copyright boondoggles around the soundtrack when I reblogged that picture. The opening includes a choral cover of Hey Jude, but was originally supposed to be the actual song. I've also heard (although I can't find the original article I read now) there was a semi-illegal showing of it once that had the soundtrack replaced by all Beatles songs. The only information I can find on that now is that the original version of the film included both Hey Jude and the Anthology version of I'm Looking Through You, but George's illness at the time of filming got in the way of securing the rights.

I actually kind of love how difficult it is to secure the rights to Beatles songs, because it often forces filmmakers to make interesting choices to get around it. Another one that I can't find the receipts to prove now but love the idea of is that Hideaki Anno wanted to use Hey Jude to score Third Impact in End of Evangelion. I can kind of see it, but either way we got Komm Susser Tod instead, which is like Hey Jude if it hated you.

[speaktoitproductions]

We’re Alive!

TL;DR: Verdant Heart editing is back underway, and you can check out the casting call for Goldenrod right now!

our carrd with links for everything

The long update under the break.

Hey, everybody. It’s been a while, but I’m absolutely thrilled to be getting back on the creative horse.

Speak to It HQ has moved *again* (though thankfully just a couple of neighborhoods over, rather than across the country). Our life is still in boxes and poorly arranged furniture, but Ariel and I have a bit more space to stretch and work now that we’re in a larger apartment. That being said — moving is stressful as many of you may know, and I’m far from finished in getting the space to a place wherein we can feel relaxed and productive. Nevertheless, I’ve had a steady job for over six months now, and an actually good therapist for longer than that, so despite the mental illness dragging me down, it’s nowhere near the burden it has been previously in the course of the last four years.

So, what’s up with my unfinished show? The simplest answer is: We’re gonna finish it! As for *when*, well… I’m not so sure. That depends on a lot of factors that I simply cannot predict, though I have tried in the past with poor results. This project has taught me a lot over the past few years about what works for my creative process and leadership, and what really doesn’t. The thing that matters most right now to me is that I am as patient with myself as I am the other collaborators that make this production possible, as I learn to find a sustainable creative pace. This patience is something I want to be part of the core philosophies of what Speak To It is trying to accomplish as a production company. I will complete the other four episodes of Verdant Heart, and begin to publish them over some interval once all four are completed. At this time, I have no intention of re-recording or re-editing the original two episodes. When the remainder of the show is released, you will notice some differences: slight changes in style of writing, music, editing, and even some of the voices of the actors themselves (though no characters have been recast, the entire voice cast has been a crew of absolute angels). I hope your suspension of disbelief will allow you to continue the show as if there was no break, or at the very least, you may enjoy how I hope to make Verdant Heart’s final product somewhat emblematic of the entire journey it took to make it. Please watch this space, as I will try to offer some glimpses of our work as we put this wonderful thing together.

Now for the other important news: we’ve started casting for our next project! Goldenrod is a horror drama limited series created by Speak To Its third major member, Lauren Tucker. The script they have written is nothing short of dazzling, and I couldn’t be happier to help Lauren make it the next show on our lineup as a team. The production road ahead is long and I have my work cut out for me, but the wisdom we have gained as a group over the last few years leaves me confident that we can only get better from here.

If you have any questions, please don’t be afraid to reach out. I am so excited to return to the audio drama space, and am looking forward to interacting with folks outside of my immediate little team once again.

~ Jules <3

[flatland-a-2024-translation]

Section 02. Of the Climate and Houses in Flatland

[Table of Contents]

Like in your world, we also have four points on our compass: North, South, East, and West.

Since we have no sun or other celestial bodies like you do, we can’t tell where North is in the way you do, but we have our own way.

Similar to your birds, we always know where South is, because for us, we are constantly being pulled in that direction. This pull is very light in our most northern countries, so light that even a reasonably healthy Woman can travel for several hundred yards Northward without difficulty.

But even at its lightest, we can still feel it, and can use this to tell which way is South. As an added bonus, the rain, which always falls on a predictable schedule, always comes from the North.

Because of this, when we are in a town or city, we can tell the direction from the way the houses are built – because the rain comes from the north, the solid roof faces north, so that the water can safely run off and down the sides without getting inside.

When you’re out in the countryside where there are no houses, you can use the trunks of the trees instead.

As you can see, it’s usually pretty easy for us to get our bearings.

But one problem is that when you are so far North that you can barely feel this pull, if you are walking in a deserted plain with no trees or houses in sight, I’ve sometimes gotten so turned around that I had to stand in place for hours straight, waiting for the rain to come so I’d know which way to go.

If you are ill or old, or a delicate Female, this pull to the South weighs heavier than on the healthy members of the Male Sex, so it’s considered polite that, if you meet a Lady in the street, you will move to the South and give her the North side to walk on.

This can be easier said than done in such short notice, if you are in a northern climate where it’s hard to tell which way is south, or if you’re feeling sick yourself.

Unlike your buildings, ours have no windows, because light comes to us everywhere equally, whether you’re inside or out, during the day or night, and where this light comes from, we don’t know.

A long time ago, philosophers and scholars used to ask each other “What is the origin of Light?” and debate the possible answers. Many people have tried to find the answer to this question, and the only result is that our lunatic asylums have precious space taken up by the people who’ve claimed to have solved it.

Our Government tried to persuade people to stop trying to solve this problem by forcing anyone who worked on it to pay heavy taxes, but when it kept being a problem, the Law Makers, not so long ago comparatively speaking, finally made it completely illegal to talk about.

And here I am, the only one in Flatland who knows the truth to where Light comes from. But I can’t explain it to my countrymen, and when I try, they just laugh at me – me! The only one in this World who understands that Light comes from the Third Dimension! They laugh at me like I’m the maddest of the mad.

But I’ve gotten off track and this is a painful topic, so let’s get back to talking about houses.

Most of our houses are five-sided shapes, or as they are commonly called, Pentagons.

Here is an illustration to help you understand:

[Image description start: A black and white digital illustration with the compass in the upper left corner, showing a pentagonal house in Flatland. Each of the five points of the pentagon are with a different letter, with “A” and “B” going left to right on the bottom line, and “R”, “O”, and “F” left to right on the top, with the two diagonal lines marked with their combined points, so that the top two diagonal lines spell out, “roof”. On the Western diagonal side is a large gap marked by a grey line labled, “Men’s door”. On the east is a much smaller gap labled, “Women’s door”. Image description end.]

The two Northern sides of a Pentagon house form the roof, and these normally don’t have any doors. On the eastern side, there is a small door for Women, and across from it on the Western side is a much larger door for Men. The Southern side, or floor, usually doesn’t have any doors.

Square and Triangular houses aren’t allowed, because their angles are much sharper than those of a Pentagon, and since the lines of inanimate objects, like houses, are dimmer than the lines of Men and Women, they are harder to see, so if someone wasn’t paying attention, they could get seriously hurt if they accidentally ran into the corner of a Square or Triangle shaped house.

As far back as the eleventh century of our era, Triangular houses have been illegal to build, with the only exceptions being for military structures like forts, ammunition stores, barracks, or other state buildings that most people aren't allowed to enter without special permission.

At that point in time, you were still allowed to build Square houses, but they were subject to special taxes to discourage people from building more of them.

Three hundred years after Triangular houses were outlawed, the Law finally decided that if a town’s population was above ten thousand, then the angle of a Pentagon was the smallest house-angle allowed to be built, in the interest of public safety.

The general community has common sense, and has agreed with this new law, so now, even out in the country on farms, almost all houses you can find will be pentagons. Now and then, though, in some very remote and poor farming district, an antiquarian might still find an ancient Square house.

[Table of Contents]

[nikkiruncks]

Est: 1972/1973

Members:

First Generation: Eric Forman Steven Hyde Michael Kelso Fez Donna Pinciotti Jackie Burkhart Kitty Forman (kitchen) Red Forman (kitchen)

Second Generation: Leia Forman Gwen Runck Jay Kelso Nate Runck Nikki Velasco Ozzie Takada

Third Generation:

Anne-Marie Kelso Jonah Shaland-Mitchell Martin Martin Kira Kwan June Guzman-Queimada Lois Clarkson Cleo Joy-Martelli

Visitors:

Laurie Forman Mitch Miller Schatzi Mr. Wilkinson Etienne Marshall Leo Chingkwake Andrew Jill Alice Cooper Steven Tyler (cutout) Joe Perry (cutout) Bob Pinciotti Midge Pinciotti Mrs. McGee Jackie's plush unicorn Coach Ferguson Jerry Thunder The Station Manager Waitress Sarah Mitchell Fatso The Clown Schatzi Mitch Miller Delilah Reed Kristie Forman Darline Joy Kelly Shaland Serena Marotti Betsy Kelso

About

The Circle is a way for the creators to showcase a vital component of the '70s – smoking weed. According to the show creators, the blunt or joint is passed around ahead of the person speaking on camera, thus never shown. The circle usually takes place in the basement and features four people, though these rules are bent on occasion. On special occasions, the circle has been used to show the characters partaking in consuming other things than weed, such as dinner, alcohol, ice cream, cigars, hash brownies (accidentally) or nothing at all. During such scenes, adults also participate.

On occasion, the circle scenes are followed by scenes where the characters act sober while being still high, but more often that not, no one seems to suffer any ill effects after the fact. A notable case was the second-to-last episode where a particularly potent "stash" was acquired by the gang when Fez's friend from his homeland visited. Hyde, who was unquestionably the most frequent pot smoker in The Circle, actually quit smoking for a period of time because he got too high.

The Circle also remained in the '90s and '2000s, where the gang would still smoke and occasionally drink.

Rules

The circle is not:

An area where people can talk about their feelings.

A place where people can cry.

For the faint of heart.

A place where people can grope each other.

But it is:

Where laughing occurs.

Where random stuff is discussed.

Where some of the dumbest decisions are made.

Very candid.

One of the most well-known elements of the show.

A place to sing random songs.

Quotes

That '70s Show

Hyde – I would be so pissed at you if I had the ability to feel anger right now...thank God I don't!

Fez – You know guys, sometimes I wish we were cartoon teenagers

Hyde – Zoinks. That'd be super, Fez

Kelso – Alright, guys...I have a confession...I do shave my legs. I just love the way it feels!

Hyde – Man, when two people break up, it's the saddest thing...except for right now, when it's funny!

Hyde – Dude, I can't close my mouth...This is freakin' me out, man!

Hyde – Hahahaa, ohh weather kicks ass

Hyde – No way is Samantha hotter than Jeannie! Hey, I heard there was an episode they never aired.. where Jeannie gets totally naked! The government banned it.

Kelso – You know what's a funny word? Pickle-Weasel!

Kelso – You guys are never gonna believe this. Jackie cheated on me. With the cheese guy!!

Hyde - (dramatically pretends to be shocked) No!

That '90s Show

Gwen - "You're fun!"

Nikki - "You're fun! Should we be funyuns?"

Gwen - "Funyuns!"

That '2000s Show

Anne-Marie - “Oh my god. I just got stoned. Did I get stoned because I feel like I got stoned?

Cleo - Try this leafy mint. It tastes like Fruit Loops

[anthonybialy]

Iran As Bad At Attacking Israel As Anything Else

Iran just sent its economy to be destroyed.  They didn’t set anything aside to have their twisted version of fun next weekend.  The living medieval museum spent 87 percent of its GDP on drones that turned into an Israeli fireworks show.  The one Middle Eastern country you’d choose to live in is resented by everyone around it for ruining the grade curve.

The Persian Empire’s remnants still have their weeds.  But they won’t sell for much.  Geopolitical experts debate whether brilliant mullahs knew their allegedly noble flying armada would be destroyed or thought they’d destroy what they aimed to hit, which you may recognize as the Middle East’s only functioning spot.  Israel sighs as it defends the neighborhood’s societal outpost yet again.

Iran is a Batman villain without the character.  Caricatured reprobates can’t even seem compelling as they spread chaos.  A rabid all-time dastard certainly isn’t going to generate something useful.  But they sure will try to wreck the output of those not residing in the Third or Fourth World.  True professional deadbeats are so jealous of the productive that they will set out to destroy them so everyone’s equally miserable.  At least we know why liberals sympathize with them.  

Even remedial countries know Israel makes sure attacks more than even out.  

So, who would be dim enough to strike first?  Iran raises its hand.  A place which hasn’t discovered civilization lacks the impulse control to foresee consequences.  It’s easy to see why they’re on eternal probation unless you’re them.  The Carl Showalters of the world don’t think ahead about their assaults.  If they did, they’d be able to create a nation that offered more than sand and terror as exports.

Ungrateful Westerners who romanticize brutes enable gall.  A nation that’s primitive for the ninth century didn’t learn their lesson.  Or, they did in the same sense that unpunished bullies continue to operate wedgie rackets.  Moronic hooligans still possess the instinct to learn they can get away with lashing out if teachers are negligent.

The UN is rushing to vote to blame Israel for getting in the way of Iran’s drones.  Our globe features a forum for recognizing commonalities.  Unfortunately, that often means anti-Semitism given the frequent appalling tendencies of many members of our species.  Gathering everyone together to talk out problems is counterproductive when there are so many awful idiots.

An assembly of Borats knows who’s the cause of every planetary ill.  They just know that there would be no more warfare, poverty, or mosquito bites if a sliver of a country with a legislature and pride parades no longer had the nerve to guard from bloodthirsty pillagers.

Losers blaming Jews for their failures is not just for disheartening Twitter replies.  The oldest prejudice is popular amongst shrieking hateful lunatics who run entire countries.  To be fair, they’re not good countries.  Iran is Earth’s Limp Bizkit.

The barbarian state’s enablers enjoy a weekend packed with even more fun than class warfare.  Iran’s BFF Barack Obama struggles to not refer to Iran’s meagerly diabolical barrage as second Christmas.  Ben Rhodes thinks missile footage is NSFW.  And Tommy Vietor has never been happier to have gotten the most undeserving promotion from van driver.

Humans who aren’t arrogant in decline are left pondering how life got this dangerous while ducking for cover.  The question of whether the Party of Biden enabled Iran deliberately out of contempt for all things decent or were legitimately daft remains unanswered.  As is often the case with Democratic devastation, the rotten result of believing they could befriend an asylum with an Olympic team is the same either way.

Flaccid appeasement doesn’t stop unprovoked attacks as well as expected.  Fake tough guys are truly easy to spot.  Look at this dump since this White House strolled into power for countless examples of disregarded orders.  Iran stopped listening to Joe Biden commanding “Don’t” halfway through the word.  Edgar Wright knew it was a joke.

The incumbent laments not increasing Iran’s allowance.  Stingy American taxpayers could’ve turned Iran into New Eden if they allowed Obama to send a second pallet of cash, but they were such babies about dropping off one.  The Islamic Republic’s centrifuges would be used as ice cream churns today if we had just heeded the gentle wisdom of Marie Harf.

Bribery always works, according to those who dole it without funding it.  The same people who think printing money is about to make everyone rich believe hush money will turn goons into pals.  The good news about inflation is that it devalued Iran’s kitty.

It’s easy to guess who started this again.  Craven fiends who attacked a music festival have an ideological ally in a nation sending missiles at the not very precise target of a whole country.  The intended ground zero will righteously preserve itself for the crime of existing even as they’re condemned for it.

The good guys have never been easier to identify, which confuses those who claim they’re anti-fascist because they torched cities with their faces concealed.  Comparing themselves to D-Day liberators is a typically pompous notion by those condemning Israel for responding.  Getting attacked by the wicked for the being decent is as predictable as anti-Semitism.  There’s no greater test of faith than doing what’s right in a very wrong world.