#m&m7

[theauthorinblue]

I have had these characters for over three years now and only about five minutes ago did it occur to me I could put them in hogwarts houses. Literally one of the first things I did to help develop these characters was do MBTI tests and stuff like that but Harry Potter didn’t even cross my mind until just now

[theauthorinblue]

Individually?

Vega has murdered a law enforcement officer— the only crime in the state she lives in that carries the death penalty

Spencer has not yet done that, but he has committed first degree murder, and smuggled a bunch of cocaine in through a couple of Floridian ports.

Pepper really hasn’t done anything of note, they’ve sped, they’ve jaywalked, they’ve parked illegally and got their car towed once.

Helena forged her dad’s signature for a rent check once.

Chloe jaywalks constantly, and trespassed on the roof of a building for a stunt drive once.

Evelyn has done nothing. She’s gone the exact speed limit, which, with everyone speeding around her feels like a crime.

Avery hunted several invasive species without a license for six months after he moved up to Winchester.

Maya committed arson once to force the town to rebuild a train station that had been falling apart for the last five years with no action.

Charlie’s current record is six stolen cars in one police chase.

Mason has also killed a law enforcement officer, but at the time he lived in a state with no death penalty, so it was slightly less of an issue.

Robin’s maximum kills in one go is currently five, though most of those were not intended in her mission, there just happened to be more security than anyone expected

What is the most illegal thing your OC has done?

[theauthorinblue]

In other news, I drew Mason as an awkward teenager

[johnnymartyr]

Mail Bag: How Do I Protect My New-to-Me Leica M?

by Johnny Martyr Okay, so this isn’t a true “mail bag” question because the most recent iteration of it that I’ve answered was posted to a Facebook group. But I have gotten this question a few times as a DM over the years too. “I just got my first Leica, an M6, how do I keep it safe while still enjoying it?” The first time that someone wrote me this I was rather perplexed. Had this person…

[priivatelife]

tag dump pt 1...

[theauthorinblue]

“C’mon, c’mon, hurry up guy, I can’t stay this long tonight…” she muttered to herself, drumming her fingers on the edge of the roof she was perched on, the microphone in her mask letting me in on it too.

“You’re fine Typhoon. You’ve got two hours before you need to be back.”

“Yeah but if I’m slow there’s no way I’ll be able to make it back to Styx and clean up before I need to get back in time for Gabby to get back from work so she doesn’t worry about where I am.”

Gabby didn’t have to worry. She knew exactly where Aqua was, at the corner of 24th and Angel street. Waiting for her target on the roof of a museum. My fiancée was definitely not the most perceptive. There was a reason I was the brains in our team.

“You’ll make it. I’ve got a car arranged for you so you can just drop your stuff there and get back to the hotel. Which, I promise you, isn’t necessary, but you shoot better when you’re calmer.”

“Thanks? I really can’t be late again— not tonight— tonight especially. Could you imagine—? Being late to your own wedding…”

I could. I’d made sure everything else I needed to do was done so I could leave as soon as Aqua got this mission done too.

“Yeah, that would suck.”

“Gabby’d kill me I think. She’s really into timeliness.”

“I mean if it’s work, I’d bet she’d be a little lenient.”

Aqua laughed, more forced than her real laugh. “Oh buddy, you have not met Gabby.”

Was I really that bad? I needed to take it down a notch then.

“I really do wish you could come, I’d love for you to meet her. You two would get along great!”

I quickly switched my comm off so I could laugh without her hearing. Then I switched it back on. “Yeah, sorry. I would love to be there too, but my family’s been planning this thing for a year now, I’m committed to that.”

“What was that break for?”

“Ruffling papers, figured you didn’t want to hear that.”

She paused, but only for a second. “You’re lying.”

“Yes.”

She paused, but didn’t say anything else on it. “How long until the target’s supposed to be here?”

“One minute.”

“Good, good…”

She sighed. “Hey Const?”

Constellation. My code name. “Yeah?”

“You have a partner, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“How did you, um, break the news to them… that you’re… uh…”

The silence that followed echoed my shame. “I haven’t told her yet.”

“Oh.” I could practically see her deflate on the other side of the comms.

“I’m sorry.”

She broke out of her worry to huff out a laugh. “Why’re you apologizing to me?”

I forced a laugh to cover up the panic of my mistake. “I’ll tell you when you’re older.” A common enough joke she wouldn’t think farther on it.

“Alright.” Then she went quiet again. “I think I want to tell Gabby. It’s not fair to her to marry a murderer without her knowing.” She shifted position and took a deep breath. “I don’t want to lose her though. It’s not my choice, I get that… I guess it’s that old saying if you love them let them go.” She laughed, but I knew her well enough to know that was only to stave off tears.

“She won’t leave you.”

Her reply was immediate. “You don’t know that!”

Silence.

“You’re right,” I finally said. “But, if it’ll make you feel better about this, if you’re set on it, I’ll tell my partner too. Tonight.”

Aqua sniffed. “Yeah. Okay.”

“And I’ll make a bet. Loser pays for the other’s honeymoon. Gabby will stay with you regardless of what you tell her.”

Aqua laughed, just in time for a car to sound by. She immediately went into action, and both the target and their driver were dead in under two minutes. “There, done. But uh, if Gabby decides she doesn’t want to be with a murderer I won’t really need honeymoon money.”

Right. “Right. How about the other way ‘round then? If she doesn’t reject you, I’ll pay for your entire honeymoon. You don’t have to do anything. I imagine you’ll have enough on your plate.”

She chuckled, but her crying came through it. “Sure. Might as well maybe get a free vacation for Gabby and I.” She sniffed, then asked “You’re still going to tell your partner right?”

“Yeah. As soon as we both get home.”

She sniffed again. “Okay, okay. Hey uh, when’s that car coming?”

I checked my watch. “Two minutes. It’s supposed to meet you two blocks west so they don’t see you at the crime scene for deniability purposes.”

“Okay.” She took a breath and started walking. “Hey, what do you think your partner’s going to say when you tell them?”

That one was easy. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“And how are you going to handle that?”

I hesitated. “I guess I’ll just tell her the truth, that I was scared— of my boss retaliating, of that interfering with us here at work, of her reaction, and I guess, just, of what she’d say. And that was a stupid reason to not say anything and to make her worry all this time about me, and I’m sorry, and I’ll never do anything like that again.”

“Oh. Do you think she’ll take that?”

I shook my head, even though nobody else could hear me. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to find out.”

Another car sounded through the comm. “Okay. The car’s here. Wish me luck!”

I smiled. “Good luck Typhoon. But you’re as strong as your code name implies, and you won’t need it.”

She chuckled. “Thanks. And good luck to you too, you’re gonna do great!”

I chuckled myself at that, if only out of nervousness. “Thanks. I’ll need it.”

I took off my comm headset and cleaned up what little I had left to, dropping off the night’s paperwork on my way out. Then I took the train back to the hotel.

When I got back to the room, Aqua was already there, sitting on the bed, a nervous blush overtaking her face, save her bright smile. “Hey! How was work?”

I glanced back at the door. “It was okay.”

She nodded. “Yeah. Me too. Um—”

“There’s something I need to tell you,” I interrupted. If I went first, she wouldn’t have to freak out about telling me. She didn’t need any more stress. I could say it first.

Aqua immediately went quiet. “Okay. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Well— kinda fine. Well— nothing’s changed. I just— I don’t know how to say it.”

Her face was showing as much worry as I was feeling. “Is this about us?”

“Well— technically? I guess— I just— it’s about work. I— everything I have told you about what I do is a lie. I’m not a late-night security guard, I’m— god, I should’ve said something sooner, I’m sorry— I’m a handler at the Commission, and I would elaborate on what that is but I’m also very aware you already know exactly what that is, so I’m just going to stop talking here.”

Aqua stood up and stepped closer to me, then stopped. “Wait how would you— did Constellation tell you about me?”

I shrank, tears welling up in the corners of my eyes. “Uh— I— no? I— I’m sorry— I— am? Constellation?”

At first Aqua didn’t say anything. “Why didn’t you— oh. So that’s why you went all in depth. Cuz you knew—”

“I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner, I just— with even Grayhawk and Pennywise nearly getting killed for meeting on accident outside of work— and I had no idea how you’d react—”

Aqua pulled me into a tight hug before I could say another word. “It’s okay. I love you regardless.” She half-cried, half-laughed. “I guess I don’t have to explain about me then, I guess.”

I sniveled. “You said ‘I guess’ twice. But yeah, no. I already know that.”

“Okay. You’re okay though. I love you, and I forgive you. I don’t really like you reasoning, but I get it. And please— please don’t be scared to talk to me. I love you, and I’m willing to put aside any of our differences so you can talk to me. I’m here for you, and I’ll be here for you for as long as I live. I promise. Please just don’t be afraid to talk to me if you need to. I’m always here for you.”

If I hadn’t been crying before, I definitely was now. Sobbing uncontrollably in her arms. I hugged her as tight as I could.

Only after I’d worn myself out crying, maybe minutes, maybe hours later, did I let go. “I love you,” I finally said.

Aqua smiled, pressing her forehead against mine. “I love you too.”

Your spouse is leading a secret double life as an assassin, trying their best to keep it secret from you. This has never really worked, because, unbeknownst to them, you are actually their handler.

[ultralowoxygen]

Girona, 2022 by Sung-Min Kim Via Flickr: Girona, Spain December, 2022 ⓒ Sung-Min Kim

[xinfinityl0ve17]

MALICE MIZER - M-Gazette - November 1998 Vol.21

“Merveilles” Tour Final 98.7.22 Yokohama Arena

There was a castle, on stage, as if time was flowing backward only there… A scene encountered in the distant memories of a faraway past, evoking such an illusion… Is that place truly a part of the real world?

Does MALICE MIZER truly exist in reality?

In the world of collective imagination, where the unreliable five senses of humans mistakenly perceive, is it all a dream? Standing by the seaside where a gentle breeze flows or walking cautiously through a dark forest with no lights, always aware of what’s behind… In that instant a stage existed that could transform the scenery dramatically like the lighting that thundered fiercely in the dark night. And from above, no, as if sent from a different dimension their figures appeared in that space. And through sound, vibration, and light… everything about MALICE MIZER began to flow into our brains through every sensory organ.

“An integrated arts group,” MALICE MIZER.

Artists have their limits, musicians have their limits, directors have their limits. However, what need is there for “chic” in conveying things, events, emotions, and the world to people? “Is this a false space created by them? Are they false on stage?” Such trivial thoughts almost arise, but there is a world there. Yet, it is perhaps just showing what they can express. They have the authority over the “time” of this world.

And the lights in the castle began to fade, revealing a night sky adorned with countless stars… And the door to that space closed, while outside, the rain poured down heavily. Too many things unfolded in that brief moment and remained.

On the way back. “There’s no rain like this in a storm… maybe it’s still continuing from that place earlier.” I thought about such things as if I were running over a river in the car.

Text: Nobue Ishibashi

M GAZETTE Original MALICE MIZER Card-Type Calendar

50 readers will receive a gift.

50 readers will receive a 6-piece set of the M GAZETTE Original “MALICE MIZER Card-Type Calendar.” For details, please refer to the “Treasure Release” section on page 112.

“merveilles” — The End and Return ~TOUR-98 7.22 Yokohama Arena SET LIST

S.E. Bois de merveilles (instrumental)

M1. S-concious

M2. ILLUMINATI

M3. Np.s Ngs

M4. mana közi/Solo

M5. Gackt kami/Solo

M6. Syunikiss ~ The Second Mourning ~

M7. Nocturne Under the Moon

M8. Vel Air ~ In the Moment of Emptiness ~

M9. Dance of Death

M10. Aegean ~ With the Wind that Passed ~

M11. yu-ki/Solo

M12. Je te veux

M13. Madorigal

M14. Brise

M15. au revoir

M16. ma cherie

en. Le ciel

[postsofbabel]

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[theauthorinblue]

I originally was going to have a whole side(?) plot in Spring between when Maya sees her former kidnapper and his kids, whom she befriended during her time there, and when she goes and basically kidnaps them herself by holding her kidnapper at gunpoint to give them a chance to escape with her because both of them want him to not do exactly what he says he’s doing for them. One of the key chapters in that subplot was when Maya visits an assassin’s ball put on by Mr. Bennett, which she narrowly escapes from.

And then like two days ago my brain was just like “She should take them with her as she escapes.” And that not only sped up that part, which was necessary as it was pretty late in the story to be doing stuff like that, and it solved the plot problem of “if given the chance, Maya absolutely would’ve shot that guy and none of the rest of the plot would be necessary”. So yeah

I love that writing feeling where a story starts going in a very different direction than the one you initially intended, but somehow this new direction actually achieves your desired goals way better than the original plan would have done.

[theauthorinblue]

I wish I had the ability to make a tv show for the Monsters & Magic characters. Premise of somehow getting the Lagueux’s and the Bennett’s to live together in some pseudo-familial way, where nobody’s in danger but Maya and Vega still fucking hate Spencer and nobody will defend him, and an episode of them on a cruise with a B plot that is entirely on Robin debating whether or not she should steal that really cool sapphire necklace from the onboard jewelers store (she could pay for it but she read somewhere that a lot of mines use slave labor and she doesn’t want to support that but it could be lab-grown it doesn’t say but it doesn’t say if it’s not lab-grown either and she would ask the cashier but she doesn’t want to seem like she’s interested in it in case she does decide to steal it, which she totally could she brought her mask and uniform and everything just in case she needed to do crimes at sea but she also didn’t have anywhere to hide it if she stole it early and with the housekeeper coming in and redoing her room every day it would be hard to hide there and keeping it on her would be just as suspicious but— and this keeps going until the last night of the cruise where it gets stolen by someone else and she’s kinda bummed about it as she’s packing up but as soon as she gets off the cruise this cute redhead stuffs it into her hands with a grin and a rolled up piece of paper with a phone number in pink sharpie and disappears into the crowd before Robin can see her face and she just has to stand there for a moment and Vega asks her what’s wrong and she just shakes her head and smiles and says “…Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.” (Because this is clearly not going to follow book-canon because book-canon Spencer would be dead five times over within the first night with the book-canon Lagueux’s around so why not have Ivy around))

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for eating multiple jars of grass?

I (M7) am on a family vacation with my parents, my grandfather, and my sister M (F16-ish). We’re doing the trip on a budget (or thats what dad told the guy at the general store) so the ox we’re using to pull our wagon is kind of…weird. He can’t really chew, so we have to pre-chew his grass and spit it into his mouth hole…thing

I, being a very curious young boy, a mere child of 7, wanted to try some of the grass for myself! I literally ate everything we came across: rocks, dirt, even a scorpion. If it’s new to me, it’s going right in my mouth, and if it doesn’t try to get OUT of my mouth, it’s going down the hatch.

Anyway, I ended up eating ALL of the ox’s grass rations and we’re kinda in a desert. Mom’s upset at me, but in my defense, I’m just a kid! So AITA?

[johnnymartyr]

Q&A: Which Leica M Should I Buy?

by Johnny Martyr Here’s a DM from a reader in France: “Hi Johnny, how are you? My name is Victor and I live in Paris. I was intrigued by your article about camera shops in Paris. I am trying to start in the photography world, more as a hobby than anything else, and I wanted to get a first camera from one of these shops. My idea was to get an analog and a digital camera. Do you have any tips to…

[theauthorinblue]

“We both know you needed the sleep,” Mason said, shrugging. “And it wasn’t like you were gonna get it any other way.”

Maya sat up and threw her hands in the air, smacking the bag with her dress in it. “That doesn’t mean you should fucking sedate me! What if I was out for too long— what time is it? I’ve got— we’ve both got really fucking important shit to do today!”

Mason raised his hands over his head. “I know, trust me I know.” He chuckled. “That’s why I had Carrie do it. Hasn’t messed up a dose in ten years.”

“I hate you.” Maya rubbed her eyes and stood up, laughing. “What time is it? How’s Charlie?”

“She’s still asleep.” He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I had Carrie knock them out too.”

“Okay, you should not be allowed to made decisions involving sedating people. Especially on nights like that.” She glanced around, pulling a basic t-shirt over her PJs.

“You think you would’ve actually slept more than an hour and a half and not nearly fallen asleep at the altar without it?”

“Okay, I wouldn’t fall asleep at the altar. I would’ve had too much coffee for that. But seriously, what time is it?”

Mason glanced around, eventually picking up Maya’s phone from the nightstand next to the bed. “8:47.”

“Yes! Breakfast is still open!” She grinned, slipping on a pair of sandals and pulling her phone out of Mason’s hands. “I’m gonna go get breakfast. Give Charlie my love when you wake them up. God, I can hardly wait. I am so glad we scheduled this in the morning.”

“You’re not coming with?”

“It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. And God knows this family doesn’t need any bad luck.” She kicked on a pair of sandals and ducked into the bathroom. “��Scuse me.”

“I think between everyone we have here we could probably handle anyone or anything that came after us,” Mason replied through the door. You have what, how many knives in here?”

“Only five, and none of them will help when my grandmother needs to go to the bathroom in the middle of the ceremony or I panic and forget my lines. Or worse and I just straight-up have a panic attack during the ceremony.”

“Bold of you to assume Helena wouldn’t immediately give you a redo.”

“She won’t jump through time unless it’s an emergency. Nothing we do should be an emergency.”

“It’s a very special occasion though. Wouldn’t that count for something?”

“I highly doubt it.” She shrugged as she opened the bathroom door again. “Point is, I’ll see Charlie later. Now I’m gonna go get some food. Send Charlie my love, I’ll see you both in a few hours.” She lightly knocked her head against his, smiled and waved as she left the room. “See ya in a bit!”

Mason smiled. “See you then.” He waited until Maya was out of the hallway, then shut her door and opened Charlie’s across the hall. “Good morning dear sister. How’d you sleep?”

Person A: "Good morning! Did you sleep well?"

Person B: "....Did you fucking sedate me?!"

[boccher]

widefield of the milky way core, 1hr total exposure time from a Bortle 2 dark site at 24mm focal length

The photo contains a bunch of my other photos within it. I think its neat to see the context of all the nebulae

1:

2:

3:

4:

5:

A little ramble under the cut

The most common question astronomers get is "what does it look like to the naked eye?" Photos are usually much more detailed and colourful, since cameras can take long exposures while our eyes can't.

I was able to observe it from the Bortle 2 site with about 10 mins of dark adaptation (astronomers usually recommend at least 30 mins but I was busy at the time). I edited the photo to try to account for the level of details, colour, and stars that I was able to see with my eyes, here:

It was mostly colourless, but I think I was able to see a faint hint of golden brown colour right in the brightest part of the milky way core. The central bulge of the milky way extended just short of Antares (bright yellow star at the top), and I was just barely able to see the dark dust lanes extending to Antares. The Lagoon nebula was obviously visible as a small diffuse cloud, and the Omega nebula was also visible as a fuzzy looking "star" if you knew where to look.

Keep in mind though this is in the southern hemisphere, where the milky way core passes directly overhead. In the northern hemisphere, this region of the milky way is lower on the horizon, and is thus dimmed by the atmosphere. On the other hand, I didn't adapt my eyes to the darkness for very long, and I was in a Bortle 2 site (the darkest skies are rated Bortle 1), so even better views are definitely possible.

I think the biggest thing that photos can't capture is the sheer size of the milky way in the sky. It stretches across the entire sky from horizon to horizon, and at its thickest point it's wider than two outstretched hands at arms length. The sky is also dotted with stars covering your entire field of vision. As much as it's a cliché thing to say, you really do get a sense of yourself on earth floating through space. It's an insanely immersive experience

[sleepymccoy]

Okay, I'm considering getting a cat and would rename it, and it's past midnight so I'm thinking about good names

I like stupid long names with better nicknames built in. Tonights bullshit train is thinking of using star trek techno babble (from tos only, which severely limits us) as the name. So here's a poll

These were found by googling and reading other forums discussing tos technobabble. I have no proof there's are legit