#so during intermission she said to me 'i don't know what but i feel like something bad is going to happen. this is too happy'

[you-are-constance]

how was the great gatsby musical?

overall, one of my favorite theatre experiences. to the level that i have been looping the cast recording nonstop since it came out last week

i do have a lot of specific points that i could talk So Long about with this show, most of which i'll put under a read more, but first: casting

anyway. spoilers for the great gatsby musical (things that were changed from the book for the production)

the 'main four' being Jeremy Jordan, Noah J Ricketts, Eva Noblezada, and Samantha Pauly, were all absolutely incredible. show stopping in their own ways. i was genuinely so scared that when i saw it that any of these 4 wouldn't be on, but i got so lucky and all of them were!! i am 100% convinced that many of the songs were written just to showcase certain actors voices (jeremy jordan).

let me tell you. getting to see jeremy jordan and eva noblezada live was unlike anything i've ever seen before. i was like. genuinely honored to be there. their stage presence, their voices, their acting ability, oh man... and Samantha Pauly was just incredible, and her big number was so. show stopping. Noah J. Ricketts was amazing the whole time, but his emotion in finale as he was saying the lines that are basically quoted exactly from the book... yeah i cried.

but so many other actors were also so amazing! John Zdrojeski as Tom was so good at the role, because Tom really was genuinely awful, but not in like an evil villain way, because he's much more realistic than that. i also find that a lot of times Tom is kinda seen as stupid or whatever for not noticing a lot of things going around him but in the musical he really like. could tell what was going on. and he worked his way into finding out secrets (kinda more on this later bc of my favorite song)

another main this was just. the design. Linda Cho costumes MY BELOVED im so glad she won the tony because this show DESERVED IT. it was definitely a glorified image of what those 1920s outfits would actually be, but most musical theatre isn't meant to be an exact replica of history, it's meant to dramatize it, and Linda Cho understands the assignment when it comes to costumes. the lighting and scenic design were also just incredible, especially their use of the green light shining from across the bay...

the show started out with Gatsby onstage, reaching for the green light. a set piece is moved across the stage, passing in front of him, Nick standing where Gatsby was. within that moment i was like "if they don't end the show with Nick standing there, the set piece passing in front, and leaving Gatsby behind, reaching for the green light, then what is the POINT" and then they DID and it was just as great as i'd imagined.

there were definitely changes to the story to adapt it to the stage, which i actually enjoyed (i've read the book, but didn't love it mostly due to a bad experience with reading it in school so. yeah). it is kinda more romance-centric in the first act, which i have heard people complain about, but i kinda see reasoning for it. yes, the first act is very much centered around the various relationships (especially the romantic ones), and in the second act, while certain characters (mostly gatsby) try to keep it centered on the romance, there is a much bigger, darker story going on all around them. so i really liked that meta perspective of it.

they also gave a lot more character to mr wilson (idr his first name), effectively intertwining him with both Gatsby and Wolfsheim as he, from the very beginning, plans to move him and Myrtle away from the city (its been a hot sec since i read the book, so idr if that's there but i don't think it is).

the relationship between Nick and Jordan is also taken a lot further in the musical, to the point where they are engaged, but after Myrtle's death, it gets broken off. this is because, in this version, Jordan ends up lumped in with both Tom and Daisy, in with the old money. throughout most of the show she is much more aware of society and doesn't want any part of what her role 'should' be, but when things go south, she is just as quick as the others to abandon what's 'right' in favor of what's better for her. and ik some people might not like that change but i actually did.

Myrtles character is also taken a lot further in this, which i find really fascinating. she is given her own big number right before her death as she tried to go after Tom, saying that he'll leave Daisy and marry her instead, but then she realizes she'll become just like Daisy in that situation, and the only choice is 'love or money.' she eventually decides that she wants to go back to her husband, and the moment she turns back, she is killed. this was Such a big number and, looking back, might be one of my favorites story-wise.

while i absolutely adored most everything, genuinely, the music was by far my favorite part (besides maybe jeremy jordan and eva noblezada...) a personal thing for me was that Every. Single. Song. has SUCH a good bassline. man i need the sheet music for this show. (side note: i got to talk to the show's bass player for a few minutes after the show! i was super nervous about it but im glad i did. he was super nice)

there's def a mix of more modern showtune styles, along with bringing in a lot of jazzy elements, which was GREAT. i love jazz. like i mentioned before, certain songs were definitely written for actor's voices (Past is Catching Up to Me) which is absolutely not a bad thing because they were AMAZING

two of my favorite songs were 'Only Tea' and 'Made to Last.'

only tea is when Gatsby is stressing about Daisy coming over for tea. this was hilarious. I kid you not jeremy jordan jumped a fence at the end. it was iconic. (you can Feel the nerves in just the cast recording alone).

made to last takes place in the scene in the Plaza. it's mostly Tom, revealing the secrets he learned about how Gatsby got his fortune, then Gatsby trying to get Daisy to tell Tom she doesn't love him. there are So Many Good lines in this song (everyone kinda drags Tom a lot its great) but this is where the characterization of Tom was really just. top notch. because he really is freaking Awful. but he's also smart and not going to let go of what he owns (not good that he considers Daisy a possession though...), and he knows exactly what is going to happen to Gatsby--he's not Made to Last.

(also the song Shady is iconic. spinny tailcoats)

another just. singular line that i need to draw attention to, sung by mr wilson (he has multiple songs directed to the Eyes of God), and this line is right when he decides to go after Gatsby. "God sees everything but he's slow on his commands/You've got the eyes of God, Doc/Who's gonna be his hands?"

(this line is reprised in the middle of Gatsby's song right before the gun goes off. fun fact)

i'm sure there are So Many Other Things i could talk about (i s2g i could write 13 essays about this show) but in general like. while it wasn't groundbreaking to the theatre, it was still Such a good show and absolutely deserves better yknow. attention then it's getting. like jeremy jordan is here for a Reason this is a Good show. and mostly this is my begging people to listen to the cast recoding because its SO GOOD.

anyway. if anyone has questions about specific things i am So Happy to talk but here's a lot of my more general thoughts... (god i haven't even Talked about Eric Anderson as Wolfsheim...)

[morimakesfanart]

Sindria's Prophet #40

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [Intermission] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39]

[AO3] [wattpad]

*Sinbad goes yandere off and on *Sinbad goes to horny jail *Major spoilers for the Adventures manga ~POV Mori~ The King left with the first few fate scrolls and I dropped onto my new sofa. Even after the curtain covering my doorway stopped moving I couldn't look away. 'Does he mean it? ...Actually, what was "it" in that question? His willingness to change his path, or what he pressed me on before that? ... But Sinbad never falls in love or gets married.' I could try to deny which part was hitting harder all I wanted until those feelings made themselves into words I couldn't look away from.

There was no way I was going to get any meaningful progress done for the rest of the day, but I also couldn't bring myself to move. Only the ringing of the Great Bell was able to break the looping conversation in my head. ---

During the meeting the next morning I couldn't stop myself from watching Sinbad. 'How much of the scrolls did he read?' There wouldn't be anything actually useful for him for a few scrolls so that could be why he looked the same. Regardless, my heart couldn't stop racing every time I remember everything else that happened around his request to take the scrolls.

Eventually I couldn't hold back my curiosity and a few days later I asked him what he thought of the scrolls at lunch. He got a nostalgic expression, and put down his food. "I was surprised to see you wrote that much about my parents. I don't have many memories of my father so it was... nice to read about him."

"I see." I wasn't sure how else to respond.

The nostalgic look in his eyes left but I couldn't tell what it was replaced with. It reminded me of when he was analyzing new information to make some type of plan. He moved the conversation along the timeline and eventually asked, "Is what you wrote about Yunan true? He really has the memories of multiple lifetimes?"

I nodded with my answer, "Yes. Having to experience the continuous ups and downs of history first hand is what made him so jaded."

"I see." Sinbad immediately switched topics to the adventures recorded in the scrolls and talked of feeling nostalgic but it didn't touch his features like it did earlier. At least his laugh seemed genuine. "Reading about how I handled Sassan and Artemyra made me realize just how little I cared about the basic rules of nobility. It's no wonder Ja'far was always so stressed."

I almost had a spit take. "That's putting it lightly." He used force to back their leaders into a corner and then said 'Join me in the name of peace.' --- ~POV Sinbad~ The King had hoped for more detailed answers. It was clear that the section about Yunan had been rewritten to remove something important. But that wasn't the only reason. In a later scroll, he read about his own experience in learning what Magi are. When he realized Yunan, a Magi, had chosen him it only made him more certain that he was chosen by Fate, and his gift of the waves was undeniable proof that he was special. His Beautiful Prophet did not hold back when she wrote: 'his illusions of grandeur reached a new height and were undeniably why he would fall into traps made by his own greed just as much as by those wishing for his downfall.' Knowing what would be covered in the next few scrolls made those words hit harder. It also made him hesitate to retrieve them from the Prophet.

Mori was getting better at hiding the aspects of Fate she didn't want anyone to know. If he pushed, it would become obvious what he was actually looking for: clues about the 2nd Calamity as well as his own death. At least Mori's answers confirmed the thoughts he had reading the scrolls. As soon as lunch was over, Sinbad instructed Ja'far to gather as much information as possible on Yunan and, more importantly, any information about the past Kings chosen by magi. There was an important clue there; he could feel it. ---

~POV Sharrkan~ The King dismissed all but the first generation of Household Members from the meeting room. Spartos dutifully left to return to his post, and Yam returned to the Magician's Tower with Mori. Meanwhile, Sharrkan and Pisti roped Masrur into staying back with them to eavesdrop. Ja'far was the first to speak. "We've narrowed down the options to 3 rooms for Mori," he sighed, "but I have a feeling you won't pick any of them." A pit formed in Shar's stomach, 'Wait. Doesn't Mori already had an office?' Their King laughed. "I'm sure they're all good options, but I still say the rooms next to mine would be the best." "Right." Hina teased, "Because Mori's going to be real happy when they realize you put them in the Queen's Suite after they rejected you." 'Nonononono!' Pisti and Masrur both gave Sharrkon pity pats. The shorter of the 2 struggled to suppress her giggles.

When the Palace was made, Sinbad said he didn't want a Queen's Tower or Harem built because he'd never want either. The lack of a Harem was eventually accepted, but Sin couldn't deny that the Kingdom would someday need an official heir so the Queen's Suite was made to placate the voices he couldn't convince. However, nothing short of the threat of war had a chance of putting someone in those rooms, until now. "They confessed their feelings for me first. It'll be fine." Sinbad defended his decision. "In time, Mori will realize that my feelings aren't going to change and all of this will be a thing of the past, won't it? I just want to make sure they're safe and comfortable while I'm out of the country." 'Damnit! If Mori actually likes Sin, then repeatedly coming on to her would definitely prove that his feelings weren't changing.' ((Boy no... (⁠ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ⁠)⁠>⁠⌐⁠■⁠-⁠■)) Shar was about to lose the last bet and there was nothing he could do about it. The only bright side was that this could give him the answer of how to finally get Yamuraiha to turn his way. Drakon countered Sinbad's enthusiasm. "While constancy is important, so is respecting consent." The Generals hiding outside pictured his serious expression in their heads. "Forcing them to fill the position in all but name will only make them hate you." "Augh." Sinbad groaned in time with Sharrkon. "I know, but what am I suppose to do then?" The Womanizer of the Seven Seas asked with not even a fraction of the despair his protegee was feeling. "Well, for one thing," Ja'far gave the first recommendation, "you really need to stop asking for call girls and flirting all the time." "I know. That's-" Sinbad started. "A decade and a half of cleaning up your messes is reason enough, Sin." Ja'far continued. "I don't know what Mori told you, but did you forget what they said back in Balbadd? How they'd never fall in love with a womanizer? They might not care while they're just flirting with you, but that's very different from being in a relationship." No wonder the Prophet had brought up Yam saying the same thing to Sharrkan... Sin tried again. "I know. That's-" Drakon agreed with his fellow General. "For a man to prove his character, he must show what type of partner he will be before he ever enters a relationship." "Which is why I-" Hinahoho added for good measure, "Think of it this way Sin: which of us here have actually had happy marriages?" "JUST WHAT TYPE OF MAN DO YoU TaKe Me for?!" Sinbad's voice booming was followed by a thump of him crashing back into his chair. "Don't answer that!" He paused. "I never wanted to get married before so it wasn't a problem until now!" He sighed loud enough to be heard outside the room. "Mori told me directly that they don't believe my advances because of reading my Fate, so I've already been working on it! Ja'far!" He was probably pointing at him. "How many complaints have you gotten about me in the weeks since the Announcement? I know I haven't been requesting any call girls recently either." There was a short silence. "Now that you mention it..." Ja'far mumbled something that Masrur explained was counting under his breath. "There were a few in the days right after, but those were about things that happen at or before the Announcement." Sharrkon wanted to cry. Or at least get a drink. Hina and Rurumu were really happy together while she was alive, and Drakon and Sahel are really happy now. Sin had gotten married by accident a few times and would always flee the morning after, but now that he wanted to get married for real, the object of his affections repeatedly turned him down. Womanizing was the problem all along. This was all Sinbad's fault! ---

~POV Sinbad~ Sinbad talked a big game to his Generals, and he meant every word. He had to completely shake those habits if he really wanted Mori to view him as an option. His original plan was to ween himself off of that vice by the time he came back from the Kou Empire. However, Fate had other plans and made him quit cold turkey early. ~flashback~ After seeing Mori recovered, the King struggled with his new intense emotions. He drank himself into a stupor, and only sobered up when the woman leaving his room said, "So... 'Mori' is the Prophet, right? You seemed really close during the festival." She giggled. "Will you just be calling us when she's on her period from now on?" The memory of his actions attacked him viciously. He had called out Mori's name multiple times. In fact, his memory told him that he thought it was his Beautiful Prophet under him in those moments thanks to the alcohol. "N-no." He shrugged her off with a smile. "This will be the last time actually." Why hadn't anyone warned him that this could happen?? "Aw~ that's a shame. I'll let the others know." Sinbad sighed in relief when she left. He knew the fear of death and injury from his adventures. He had even experienced guilt, and regret due to the weight of others' lives on his shoulders. But love was teaching him the hell of humiliation and shame. He knew that his thoughts were turning to Mori more and more at the mere idea of satisfying his libido no matter how he got there, but how could he call out their name when they weren't the one with him? Even worse, how could he mistaken anyone else for his Beautiful Prophet??? Between alcohol and sex, he knew which would be easier to quit -especially since the later would only be until he got his partner of choice to join him.

~flashback over~ At least he had the Fate scrolls to fill his suddenly empty nights for the time being. They weren't nearly as fun, but he'd rather think about the scrolls than why he had more free time. The King cleared his throat. "There shouldn't be any problem with preparing the Queen's Suite for Mori. But if you really think it will be a problem, prepare one of the rooms you've picked as a back up as well." All 3 Generals showed their disappointment, but this was one decision Sinbad wouldn't back down from. He didn't want Mori questioning the sincerity of his feelings if they were given anything less than the Queen's Suite. They were already insecure because of their ex fiancé and Sinbad's own reputation, so he would do whatever he could to remove any shadow of doubt in their mind. ---

~POV Sharrkan~ Sharrkan hit the Prophet's desk and the sound echoed in her office. She looked up shaken and stirred.

"I'll take you!" Sinbad sabotaged Sharrkan's relationship, so fuck 'im! "But I want you to fix something for me in return." If Sinbad does anything because of this it will only drive a wedge between him and 'his Beautiful Prophet.' "You gotta clear up this thing between Yam and me!" She blinked up at him a few times before jumping up. "What- Is this about the- Can we go right now??" "Yeah! Let's go!" ---

~POV Ja'far~ The General walked towards the Prophet's office only to catch a glimpse of them passing between a few book shelves in the opposite direction. "Mori! Do you have a minute?"

"Ah! Um." Mori's voice called back. They mumbled something and then appeared before him. "Yeah. What's up?"

"I wanted to read the Fate scrolls. It seems like they have been enlightening to Sin so far."

"Of course! They're your Fate too." They started to turn away. "Feel free to take them from my office. I'm on my way to a meeting, so I'm sorry I can't show you this time."

Ja'far thanked them before parting ways. It was actually better that the Prophet couldn't be there. Sinbad had mentioned that the scrolls he grabbed went up to their return to Riem which meant that the ones that remained might include the secret Sinbad was hiding -how he truly knew the risks of siding with Parthevia but agreed but agreed to buy the island anyway. The King might have admitted to that mistake, but he still refused to give details.

The scrolls had notes on the outside to explained what they covered, so Ja'far was easily able to find what he was looking for. He brought them to the guest table to unroll.

Before reading, the illustrations caught his attention. The first was of a teen Sinbad standing in front of a cage full of monsters that Ja'far recognized as victims of Parthavia's experiments. In the second, Sinbad was shocked with drawings behind him -they seemed to be depicting what Sinbad was thinking about in that moment. The biggest showed Ja'far beating sense into Sinbad under him. It looked to be around the time Sinbad was freed from slavery. Even before reading, Ja'far was getting an idea of what this was about.

What was written confirmed what Sinbad had admitted that night a month ago. He knew full well what type of person Barbarossa was, and how he treated his own people. But there was one thing Sinbad was very wrong about: his ability to read the waves had nothing to do with his decision to side with Barbarossa.

...Sinbad was desperate to reach the next step towards his dream after all of his recent failures, but he couldn't ignore the horrible truth starring him in the face. If he denied this opportunity to become King there was no telling if he'd ever get another. But if he accepted, he'd be putting everyone that trusted him at risk to the same treatment as the villagers he had left behind when he was 14. In that moment his mind was sent to the only other time he faced something similar. That time he had made the decision to accept the opportunity -risking the lives of the slave children. When he was freed before his plan even finished, he was finally safe enough to be able to see how needless their sacrifice was. There was only so much he could do to make up for his mistake though. While he struggled with the guilt of that decision he was told "Did you think you could realize your dream while keeping your hands completely clean? This is the path you chose." Ja'far had said more in the moment, but that was the line that stuck with Sinbad. If the avoidable deaths of children were something he needed to accept, than surely siding with a violent fascist was also necessary even if it would definitely lead to more victims...

"What is this??" Ja'far was shaken. He grabbed the scroll that would have the full version of the memory that apparently haunted Sinbad. The illustration that had been behind Sinbad in the previous scroll was drawn bigger in this one. He skimmed the surrounding text until he found what he was looking for.

...Sinbad had done all he could to correct his mistake. Making Madaar sign the agreement she had already promised to the Sindria Company only saved the few slaves that somehow survived the massacre. He turned to the one person present that he could rely on. Ja'far looked at him with obvious disdain. The guilt poured over into Sinbad's words, "I knew this would happen if I caused a rebellion..."

Mori wrote out Sinbad's whole self deprecating rant. He struggled to cope with the guilt that he learned from watching Madaar manipulate the vulnerable and became willing to use the exact same techniques. He lamented the irony of his actions and his goals for the future. The rant ended with Sinbad quoting to Ja'far the exact thing he said when he swore his loyalty to him.

"'If you disappoint me, I'll kill you'... I guess it'll turn out like that, huh? As I am now, I have nothing to say about it..." Ja'far had had enough of Sinbad's pitty party and punched him in the face as hard as he could (which was actually kinda impressive with their height difference at the time). "NO... THIS ISN'T A FUCKING JOKE!! SINBAD!!" It wasn't punishment enough to quell his guilt. "But I disappointed you, didn't I?" The person Sinbad disappointed the most was himself. Ja'far beat him until he lay on the ground bloodied and bruised. "What a fucking joke. Disappointed me? Yeah, you disappointed me. You'll take responsibility for everything? You're not taking responsibility for anything are you? You're letting yourself sink into despair, giving up, and, on top of that, having the nerve to act like it's all over..." Ja'far called out his bullshit. "Listen up!! IT'S YOUR NAIVETY THAT DISAPPOINTED ME THE MOST!!"

This was more like what the present Ja'far remembered. Mori wrote his full rant back at Sinbad. Why didn't Sin understand that his point was that he needed to be responsible for the survivors? Ja'far was what? 13 at the time. His wording of things wasn't great, but he had to pull Sinbad back together -Sin could have his breakdown later. Of course dirtying his hands is unavoidable sometimes. But that-

...Sinbad relented and apologized, and would never admit to the pain and guilt he held from this event ever again. He couldn't afford to disappoint everyone relying on him. He was the one chosen by 'the Magi' to become King. Sinbad grew up having to be the rock of his small village since all the men died in war, and the remaining adults were too sickly or burdened. He had long forgotten how to ask for emotional support and the the first person he tried opening up to shut down his expressions of guilt. Sinbad was unable to understand that the timing and choice of person was the problem. Those feelings would fester every time he made another mistake until he was able to fully replace his guilt with the acceptance of 'Fate' as inevitable. He wouldn't be able to acknowledge his own potential for evil for another 15~ years... If Sinbad hadn't admitted to struggling with this directly then Ja'far wouldn't have believed the opinionated portions of what the Prophet wrote. This was what Sinbad was hiding. This was why he refused to explain anything that had happened back then in detail. That last line hinted at the future they were afraid of. If Sinbad was unable to view himself as human until 15 years after that incident, it would line up perfectly with when the 2nd Calamity happens and he dies. These 2 scrolls gave more credibility to that dreaded theory. It would also explain why Mori would agree to be Sindria's Prophet and help Sinbad. Because he refused to ask for help. Because he hid his pain from the very people that swore to support him. Mori offered the help Sinbad no longer knew how to ask for because she already knew he needed it. Mori was the only one able to get Sinbad to defend that he wanted to change a part of how he did things because she was the only one that knew what parts he meant and what not changing would lead to. He needed to talk to Sinbad. Ja'far grabbed all of the remaining Fate scrolls and headed to out to have a very important conversation with the man he had sworn his life to. ((HiHi!! This past round was pretty okay for me :D I only had a small disability ep! Here's hoping this stays the pattern for a while :3 But even better than that is: While working on the next arc (specifically ch42) I hit a new level of healing from my PTSD with my ex. :D I literally felt my brain rewiring when it happened and recognized it from past times it's happened. For the week afterward I was unable to stop being stupid levels of happy. And now I'm frustrate with Mori because they aren't past it yet XD At least I know what I needed so I can write it))

[oboetemasuka]

Order of Attack, part 17

If all goes according to plan, there's one part left after this.

But since when do things ever go according to plan?

Watch me finally write a Normal Conversation between Mahiru and Amane after writing a ton of angsty comfort conversations behind closed doors.

-

“Amane-chan, what brings you here?” Mahiru asked as the little figure peeked out from the opening door.

“Nothing special. I just wanted to talk,” Amane responded. She stepped out of the door’s path, letting it close behind her.

“So this is an ordinary visit?”

“Yes. What else would it be?”

“You usually don't seek me out just to hang out…”

“That is true. But even if I do not have important words to impart to you…”

As Amane tried to find the right words, Mahiru chuckled.

“Is something funny?”

“Oh, it's just… I miss seeing this side of you.”

Amane smiled and swiped at her bangs with her sleeve. “As I was saying, I do enjoy your company even if I do not have anything meaningful to say.”

“I’m glad you do.” Mahiru’s gaze was focused on the sleeves. “Mind if I fix those for you?” she asked, gesturing at them.

Amane paused in contemplation.

“I just wanted to offer,” Mahiru added quickly. “It's fine if you-”

Amane nodded. “Okay.”

Mahiru began to roll up one of Amane's sleeves. “You know, you were so eager to return to your cell when everything calmed down…”

“That does not mean it is the end of us spending time together.”

“I thought you'd gotten tired of us.”

“A little.” The room was quiet for a moment. “More than a little.”

“Well, I'm glad you came back.” Mahiru arranged the sleeve strap like a bow.

“I was not going to leave forever. I just… needed some time to myself. Some time to breathe.”

“And how has that been?”

“It has been much calmer. My neighbor is not keeping me up as much these days.”

Mahiru put a pin on Amane's sleeve. “Well, I'm glad Mikoto-kun is feeling better. I feel bad for not reaching out to him more.”

“Don't be. He was not so keen on accepting help in the first place.”

“Hmm, that reminds me of someone.”

“No, it does not.”

“For someone so eager to give out help, you're so unwilling to accept it in turn.”

“I do not know what you are talking about.”

“Back during the intermission, you wouldn't have accepted my help with the sleeves. You would have made a show of pulling them up yourself instead.” Mahiru got to work on the other sleeve.

“…I admit that is true.”

“So what changed?”

“Mobility has its perks.”

“Did Yuno-chan tell you that?”

“Yes. And… I realized that sometimes…” Amane looked up pensively. “We get more things done as a team.”

Maybe I should have gone to Mahiru-san instead of trying to help on my own when things with Fuuta-san got worse.

“Is there something you wish you had done differently?” Mahiru asked, snapping her out of her contemplation.

“N-no… All of my actions were my own… I wouldn't have them any other way.”

Amane’s recurring nightmares told a different story, but Mahiru knew not to press the issue.

“Anything we could have done differently…?”

Of course, the guilt seemed to get to Mahiru more than anyone else. But Amane never blamed her.

“What is done is done. I think you did well, considering how alarming the circumstances were.”

“Oh? That means a lot.” Mahiru finished the other sleeve and gave it a gentle pat. “There you go. Wow, this fabric is really tough.”

“Indeed. Every night, it manages to patch itself over.”

Amane ran her now-free hand through her bangs.

“Would you like me to do your hair too?”

“…Sure. Why not?”

While Mahiru went to get a comb from the vanity, Amane held her eyepatch in place with one hand and carefully pulled the elastic off from around her head.

“Maybe we could stand to be more persistent,” Mahiru said as she started combing Amane’s hair. “Enough force seems to work against the fabric.”

“But it is quite exhausting. Not worth the effort.”

“Well, as long as we have other ways to deal with the sleeves…” After Mahiru finished clipping Amane's bangs to the side, she paused to admire the hairstyle. “Say, this suits you. How about some pigtails?”

Amane nodded, and Mahiru moved behind her to brush the rest of her hair.

“And your outfit…” The black skirt falling to Amane’s knees was hard to miss, and Mahiru could surely see the scrunched collar of her blouse from that angle. “You picked it yourself? You have good taste.”

“Thank you. I figured I deserve a treat for being a good girl.”

“You have always been a good girl. Don't let anyone say otherwise.”

“…It is not that easy.”

“Then big sis Mahiru will stand by you and tell anyone who dares disagree that Amane-chan is the sweetest and most kind-hearted person I have ever met.” Mahiru patted her shoulder.

Amane chuckled, but then her breath caught on her ribs.

“Oh, sorry! I didn't mean-”

“It is fine. …It means a lot. Perhaps they will see reason in such a good-natured person as yourself.”

“I'm flattered.” Mahiru added one last clip. “All done! What do you think?” She picked up a mirror from the vanity and handed it to Amane.

As Amane examined her reflection, she made a wide grin. “I… I like it. It is very much my style. You are very talented, Mahiru-san.”

“Thank you! Say, why don't we take a walk around the panopticon? Show everyone that you're in high spirits. Maybe even pay a visit to Muu-chan to cheer her up.”

“I would love to do that.”

[sixofseagulls]

My *updated* theories on whose going to die in CoT

Henry: Genuinely think he might die, don't ask why, but I do.

Sona: I think she'll die during childbirth.

Inquisitor Bridgestock: I don't like him, he can die.

Tatiana: I think she'll die, probably by Belial

Christopher: If you're going to reply with "Christopher could die" don't. Because even if it's true, I'm going to pretend it isn't. Long live Christopher Lightwood.

Anna: I think she might die because of unidentified snippet 6. I know people think it's Alastair, but Alastair didn't try to convince Thomas he didn't love him in CoI, he just said they couldn't be together. Anna does try to convince Ariadne that she doesn't love her even though she does. She also isn't a main character so Cassie is more likely to kill her off.

Alexander: Who tf actually knows, not me and I don't want to

Thomas: I actually don't know, considering Cassie has already killed of Barbara, I don't think so.

Eugenia: I don't think she'll die since Cassie's already killed off Barbara. I hope she doesn't die

Matthew: I have a feeling he might get turned into a vampire, partly because of "She was the wielder of Cortana, and she was not here to mourn, she was here to avenge." though that works for him and Alastair.

Charles: I don't think he's going to die. He'll hopefully have a redemption arc.

Cordelia: Won't die, books mainly her POV

Alastair: He might die, not actually sure about. Because the intermission is called Grief and the snippet that says "She was the wielder of Cortana, and she was not here to mourn, she was here to avenge." That could work for him or Matthew. The problem is it isn't possible to tell it all really depends on what happens to Sona's baby, but since there is only two Carstairs children on the family tree (which isn't super accurate, but has all living characters *I think*) the baby might die. There's also the possibility that Alastair and Sona's baby live but Sona dies so Alastair has to raise the baby.

Sona's baby: Will probably die.

James: He can't die, he is Will and Tessa's only son so for Jace to have the last name Herondale he has to survive, he's also one of the main POV's

Lucie: I don't think she'll die, again the Blackthorns have to be related to someone (wait that means Kitty are related, ew.) Also has the possibility of runes being stripped

Ariadne: I don't think she will die since she picks a new name by the end of the book

Grace: I think she might get her ruins stripped, because of teaser #49

Jesse: Poor man's already died, just let him live. The Blackthorn family has to be related to someone

[archivalofsins]

Weird question, but what do you think would of happened if Kotoko was voted guilty in T1?

Not a weird question at all. I've thought about it a lot and I believe if Kotoko was guilty with the other prisoners from trial one than Mahiru would have ended up supporting her in the same way that Amane did Futa. I think Mahiru stating that she doesn't hold any animosity towards Kotoko is meant to subtly highlight that.

She even goes as far as to say that Kotoko has something that she can't let go of just like she can't. A value or an ideal. So, if Kotoko were guilty she probably would have ended up having a better relationship with Mahiru.

Because Mahiru seeks out Kazui to confide in very similarly to how Mikoto confides in Futa on his birthday-

21/10/06 (Mikoto’s Birthday)

Mikoto: ……ah, Futa? What’s up? Did you come to celebrate my birthday? Futa: Hah!? Like I care about your birthday. ……what’s up with you, though, you’re usually a lot more excited. I thought you were the sort of idiot who’d make a big deal over your birthday. Mikoto: Yeah, usually that’d be the case. ……I think I must be getting tired. It’s like I’m anxious over something but I can’t really explain what it is…… Like, the feeling that I’ve been totally wrong about something. Haha, but it’s not like talking to you about it is gonna do anything. Futa: Yeah, yeah, just like you say. Talking to me about it isn’t gonna help. ……but, it’s not like I don’t get what you’re saying. Or rather, I understand exactly what you mean. And if it’s the same thing as I’ve been feeling, then it will just get stronger as time goes on…… probably. But anyway, rather than talking to someone like me you should go and bother the others. Go and get showered with their stupid birthday wishes.

21/08/05 (Kazui’s Birthday)

Kazui: Oh, Shina-chan? How scandalous, coming to a man’s room in the middle of the night like this. Well, not that it’s really a room, just a cell. ……just kidding, since you brought some drinks with you, I’m assuming you’ve come to wish me a happy birthday, right? Thank you. Mahiru: Yep! Happy birthday Kazui-san~ Clap clap clap! But as well as that~ ……I also just maybe wanted to use it as an excuse so I could ask you for some advice over drinks, I suppose? Kazui: Advice, huh. Well, you’re more than welcome, but I don’t really know what advice an old man like me could give you. I haven’t got the first clue about what love is like for a young girl nowadays. Mahiru: Ahaha…… Don’t worry, much as I’d love to talk about that too, um…… er, Kazui-san. You know, recently I’ve been having the same dream every day. Lots of people were denying my actions...... Denying my thoughts…… that sort of dream.

So, Mahiru was looking for someone to rely and confide in during the intermission. Kotoko states that she wants others to rely on her and has no issue admitting her similarities with Futa-

Q.09 Which of the other prisoners do you think resembles you the most?

Kotoko: That’s a hard one. I’m only able to answer based on my guess on what they did. But I think the one that probably resembles me the most is Futa? Though he’s also the person who resembles me the least.

Mahiru would fit her definition of a weakling. Plus since she said from the beginning that she believed what she did was right-

Q.03 Do you think any other prisoners who committed the same sin as you deserve to be forgiven?

Kotoko: Of course. Haven’t I already said that I believe my actions have been correct?

If she was found Guilty she would more than likely think that Es' judgment was wrong not Milgram. This could either lead to her alligning herself with the other guilty prisoners or going completely rogue. Though Es would no longer be filling the role of the weakling she swore to protect but a villain someone who persecutes the weak and innocent.

Kotoko states that she's low on the heiarchy within Milgram,

"Sigh... "A murderer". Is that so? Trying to remind me of my low position in the hierarchy of this place? Don't disappoint me. Well, maybe it doesn't matter."

Along with the fact that that she views herself as innocent and in the right. So I don't believe it's a stretch to think that if Es were to find her guilty off the bat i that would make them the evil one in her eyes. Just like how Haruka easily said that Es wasn't his mom when and went to Mu. Kotoko would probably due the same thing with Es saying they weren't the weakling she thought they were and finding someone else.

She hates Mikoto but Mahiru is weak and helpless she almost died because of being jumped and the guilty verdict hit her hard emotionally. Kotoko even recognizes that from her innocent position and weeaponizes that against Es.

So I think given all that she'd end up latching to Mahiru to get the vindication she needs. This might ultimately begrudgingly lead to her working alongside Mikoto in some way and probably not being as blatant with her actions. Since the only reason she was probably so out in the open with her behavior was due to being found innocent. Considering she very actively disguised herself and snuck around before being brought into Milgram.

So that's what I think Kotoko would have been like if she was innocent and why.

[dreamyfanfix]

Chapter 3: Now What's Next?

Past (2 Years Ago):

As soon as Kate stepped through the bathroom doors, she felt a momentary solace. She hoped that Anthony would not follow her into the bathroom and she thought for a moment she would be able to gather herself before going back out to watch some more performances. The last thing she needed was to be distracted during her sister's performance after intermission.

When the recital began Kate found it difficult to focus on the singers. All she could feel was Anthony's eyes on her, a penetrating intensity that stirred a deep sensation within her. She hadn't even glanced to see if he was watching but she could feel it. It was the same gaze he had been directing towards her ever since she left him standing there to fetch Mary from the entrance, after his confession.

Mary must have seen him staring because she waved him over. There was a stilted conversation until Daphne found Anthony and told them all they should probably take their seats.

Kate slightly shifted in her seat as she tried to adjust to a more comfortable position. 

"Honey, you should just go to the bathroom with all of that squirming," Mary whispered to Kate "It's not like Edwina is going to be performing any time soon," "I don't need to pee, Mary," Kate whispered. "Really? I can't tell due to your behaviour. Are you on edge about something?" Mary asked "Does it have anything to do with the Bridgerton boy and his puppy dog eyes," "Shhh Mary," Kate hushed Mary as she looked around "If you must know I am a little on edge after the conversation I had with Anthony earlier," "Ahh so he finally told you about his feelings," Mary said. "You knew" Kate turned to Mary and the woman next to her shushed her. "Honey, he was quite obvious. I just thought you were not ready to deal with it because of all that business with Tom," Mary shrugged. "It is not about Tom. Not all the way at least," "Then what is it about?" Mary asked. Kate did not have an answer.

Kate was snapped back into the present when Anthony barged into the bathroom. "What the hell are you doing?" Kate exclaimed. Anthony visibly winced at her tone but shook it off "Are you well?" Kate recognised the concern etched on his face and softened "I am well," she replied. There was no denying it, Anthony's proximity to her in such a private space had a profound effect on her. She struggled to comprehend the whirlwind of emotions he brought out in her. She wanted to say something to him but for the first time in a long time, Kate Sharma had no words.

Anthony sighed "Kate... I feel I should apologise," "It's fine Anthony there is nothing to apologise for," Kate did want him to take back what he had confessed to her earlier. "And yet I must. I made a mistake-" "Don't Anthony. Don't say anything about what you said earlier 'being a mistake'," she hung her head. "I do not think what I said earlier was a mistake," Anthony said matter-of-factly. Kate's head shot up to look at him and he sighed "I just wish I had held on a little longer. I definitely did not wish for you to be so uncomfortable during the recital. Tonight is supposed to be about our sisters," "Anthony it's fine, really, I-" "Kate I must get this out," he took a breath and said "These feelings I have for you, I thought they would pass. I thought they would lessen but they haven't. I know you are spoken for and I know you despise me but I only wished for you to know. Mostly I wanted you to hear it from me. In my own words. I love you Kate Sharma and I am not hiding it anymore,"

Kate had been holding her breath. She wasn't sure for how long but as Anthony finished his speech she let out a long-awaited breath. For a while, there was nothing in the room but silence and Anthony must have taken Kate's silence as an answer because he made to leave. Kate had a burst of courage when she said "Anthony wait," He turned to look at her "I'm not spoken for," Kate internally kicked herself for focusing on that particular part of his speech "I mean. Me and Tom broke up... And I don't hate you," Anthony looked like he was holding his breath "I don't hate you so much I'm purposely late so we can get into spats about our differences in modes of travel. I don't hate you so much I have put far too much investment in my appearance these days. I don't hate you so much that I broke up with my very safe boyfriend because I would rather have your attention than his," Kate said with tears welling in her eyes.

Anthony walked up to her. He moved a loose curl from her eyes and Kate's breathing sped up "You broke up with Tom because of me?" She was too afraid about what her voice would sound like at the moment so she just nodded "Why didn't you say anything?" "Why didn't you?" Kate asked suddenly shy "I am not the one with a long romantic track record," Anthony lifted her face and Kate got a look into his eyes as he said "Kate, what I feel for you is otherwordly compared to what I have felt for other women," Kate scoffed and he said "I'm not exaggerating here. I talk about you all the time, I look for you in all rooms, Mary caught me sniffing you the other day," "What?" Kate giggled. Anthony leaned in and sniffed her. Kate held her breath "The scent that lingers on you. I don't know what is but it has been driving me nuts for months," Anthony leaned out and they were nose to nose when the bathroom door swung open, startling them both. It was Edwina who stood in the doorway, her gaze shifting between the two of them. "There's a key on the inside if you want privacy. I'll use the other loo," Edwina offered, her voice filled with a mix of amusement and understanding, before retreating.

Kate's senses snapped back to reality, and she quickly stepped backwards, creating a physical and metaphorical distance between herself and Anthony. She shook her head, attempting to dispel the intense thoughts that consumed her mind. In that fleeting moment, the potential for something electrifying had hung in the air.

"When did you break up with Tom?" Anthony asked. "Last month," Kate replied. "Good. He wasn't right for you," Anthony replied. "What gives you the right to decide who is and isn't right for me?" Kate asked with little to no bite in her tone. "It's not about him. It's about me. I think I'm the right one for you," Anthony replied as Kate locked eyes with him and he entered her space again. Anthony took hold of her neck and brought their foreheads together. "These feelings. I have been plagued by them for months now," she whispered. "We should do something about it," he whispered near her ear.

Anthony pulled Kate's head to his and their lips met softly.

The world around Kate faded into the background as their kissing intensified. Their bodies pressed against each other, the heat between them rising with every passing second. Anthony's hands roamed her back, sending shivers down her spine. She let out a soft moan, giving Anthony's tongue entrance. Her fingers threaded through the soft locks of his hair, pulling him even closer. He groaned as his tongue danced with hers, exploring her mouth and igniting a fire within her that he had never experienced before.

It was then that a person burst through the door. It was Daphne.

Kate and Anthony startled apart but Anthony held onto Kate's waist "I knew I was forgetting something," Anthony said. "Your sister's recital?" Daphne asked with a smile and a quirked eyebrow. "To lock the door," Anthony said with a bit of a growl that caused a shiver through Kate.

Daphne turned her shit-eating grin from Anthony to Kate and softened "Kate, Mary is looking for you. Intermission is almost over and Edwina's set is up next,"

Kate nodded and made her way to leave. She was going to miss the warmth of Anthony's body but she would hate herself if she missed Edwina's performance. Anthony grabbed a hold of her hand and Kate looked at him "I know. Later," she said.

"Later," Anthony said in confirmation.

Kate left the bathroom.

----

It had been a week since the recital and Kate was finally going on a date with Anthony. A proper first date. Anthony was going to be picking her up from Mary's place and Kate tried not to act nervous.

"Oooooh I'm so excited for you, didi" Edwina said as she floated around the room with barrels of excitement. "Thanks, bon," Kate said smiling at her sister. "Kate there is nothing to be nervous about. Anthony is in love with you already. All of this date stuff is merely a formality," Mary said as she rubbed soothing circles on Kate's back. "I know. I know. I just really want this to be good," Kate said. "I mean I'm sure you guys will end up making out again," Edwina said. "Edwina!" "Ed!" Kate and Mary both exclaimed. "What do you know about making out?" Kate asked. "Well, not a lot really. Only what I've read from books but Franny said that her sister caught you and Anthony making out in the bathroom at the recital," Edwina said shrugging. "So that's where you disappeared off to," Mary said giving Kate a curious gaze. Anthony was right she definitely got her discerning gaze from Mary. "You knew I went to the bathroom," Kate said shyly. "To calm down not to lock lips with a Viscount," Mary. "Please do not say 'lock lips'," Edwina said with a grossed-out look on her face. Mary ignored Edwina's remark and asked "Was it good?" Kate stood up "Okay we are not discussing this,"

The doorbell then rang.

----

"I'm really sorry Kate," Anthony said as he squeezed her hand. "It's fine Ant, I have family too, I understand," Kate answered. "It's just going to be a quick stop at the family house and then we can get back to our date," He said.

Anthony and Kate were on the way to the restaurant when he got a call from his mother, Violet, about a mess at home with his youngest sister, Hyacinth. Kate knew how much of a soft spot Anthony had for his youngest sister because he had basically raised her. Kate always thought she and Edwina were close so it was a relationship she understood. Kate in a lot of ways also replaced her father, he was the one who put on his fighting face for his girls and Kate was glad that she could fill that space for Edwina and Mary in his absence.

When Anthony's car pulled up into the driveway of his family home, Kate audibly gasped. She smacked Anthony's arm and said "You told me it was a house, not a mansion," "It's not a mansion... It's an estate," Anthony said and Kate rolled her eyes. "Oh my apologies, my lord," Kate said giggling. Anthony stopped the car and turned to her "Please don't call me that," "Does it bother you, my lord?" Kate said in a soft whisper causing Anthony's eyes to darken. "Nevermind I like it," He leaned over the gap to get closer to her and they kissed. It was soft not as lustful as the previous kiss they shared but Kate liked it, Anthony smelled good.

It was then that Anthony's mother, Violet knocked on the window of the driver's side.

"Oh, Anthony thank you for coming. Hyacinth is bouncing off the walls and refuses to bathe or sleep without you," Violet said as Kate and Anthony got out of the car "Oh Miss Sharma, I did not know you would be here too," "I told you about my date with Kate tonight, Mother," Anthony said exasperated. "Well, I am not sure about that but all the while it is nice to see you again dear," Violet said smiling in her direction. Kate would never admit it but the smiles Violet Bridgerton gave her always put her on edge. The smiles although polite made Kate feel like Violet was faking it, especially with her. "It's nice to see you again Lady Bridgerton," Kate said as she walked up to Anthony. "Oh please call me Violet," she said. Kate smiled and nodded "Mother where is Hyacinth now?" Anthony asked. "She's upstairs. In the playroom. Don't worry I will organise a car for Miss Sharma to get home," Violet said. Kate and Anthony looked at each other awkwardly. Anthony tightened his hold on Kate's waist and said "Kate and I are actually only here for a quick stop mother. Hyacinth is not as troublesome as you make her seem. We will be returning to our date afterwards," "Oh. Well, that is fine dear, go on up and see Hyacinth and I will tend to Miss Sharma," Violet said as she gestured them into the house.

Kate had never felt more awkward a day in her life. Violet kept sipping her tea and giving Kate weak smiles while Kate sipped at the bland English tea provided. Considering Kate was a first-time guest she did not dare to ask if there was any other tea available so she just tried not to make a face after every sip.

Kate did not know what she would talk about with a rich titled housewife. This was not her expertise, in fact, Kate spent most of her time on the antagonist end of people like her.

Just when Kate thought she should break the silence Eloise and Francesca walked into the drawing room.

"Mother, Hy is being a right old pain. Is there any way I could go to Pen's to study?" Eloise asked as she walked. She and Franny saw Kate sitting there so Kate waved. She felt silly. "Hi," Kate said softer than her usual tone. "Hi," Eloise said with her eyes narrowing "What are you doing here?" Eloise asked and Francesca bumped her with her elbow "What? It's not like Kate is the normal mid-week company," "Uh, your brother and I were actually on our way out actually," Kate said. "Like a date?" Francesca asked eyes wide. "No dear," "Yeah kind of," Violet and Kate both spoke at the same time and Kate looked at Violet and then looked away. Eloise looked from her mother to Kate and then her eyes narrowed at her mother "I'm surprised you would actually give someone like my brother the time of day. Considering your little lawsuit and endeavours go against everything he is," Kate could see Francesca stiffen and Kate chuckled "You are right about that but we don't have a lot of influence over who we like and I like to think my activities and endeavours have influenced your brother into making better decisions," "I mean isn't it exhausting having to explain your experience to someone like him. Wouldn't you feel better dating someone from your own background?" Kate stiffened at Eloise's question. This is not an uncommon thought that has plagued Kate's mind for a while but all she had to do was think about her stepmother and then she spoke "Explaining your existence to someone who is not willing to hear you is exhausting. But at the end of the day, that is what dating is, laying yourself bare to someone and them doing the same..." Kate took a breath "Would it be easier to date someone of my own race or social class? Yes but unless they too have two dead biological parents and were raised by their stepmother and were immigrants and solicitors then I would still be explaining myself in some ways. At least this way I'm doing it with someone who I-" 'want to kiss badly? want to stay in bed with all day?' Kate did not know how to answer. "I get it," Francesca said. Everyone turned to her "You and Anthony seemed to get on well and he is a lot harder on us to do well in school now, like those normally involved parents you see on TV," "Yeah," Eloise agreed. "I used to think that stuff didn't matter because we had money but as I've been around you and your sister, Edwina, I have realised that having ambition is not a bad thing," Francesca said strongly. "I'm glad. If there is one thing your brother prides himself on is his siblings' abilities. He thinks you are all so capable and he has giant dreams for you," Kate said getting a bit emotional because she understands that love Anthony has for his siblings but unlike Kate, Anthony was never good at expressing it out loud. "He said that?" Eloise asked eyes wide. "Yes. Last month he swallowed his pride and had to admit I was a good solicitor so he asked me all the things that it would take to be a good one, all the societies I was a part of, the grades I maintained and how I applied to universities and law school. I'm pretty sure he did that for you," Kate said to Eloise. Eloise visibly swallowed "Thanks for telling me that," "Of course," Kate said.

Violet got up at that moment in an effort to get Francesca and Eloise back into their rooms.

Just as Kate settled alone in the drawing room, Eloise walked back in.

"If my mother asks, I just came back to fetch this book," Eloise said as she picked up a random book off the table. "Sure," Kate said. "Kate, I want to be honest with you. My mother put me up to it," "Put you up to what?" Kate asked cautiously. "The blunt questions I asked you earlier. I was curious myself that's why I went along with her but she wanted me to ask. I don't think she likes the idea of you and Anthony dating," Eloise said not being able to meet Kate's eye. "Oh," Kate said. I guess her uneasiness around the matriarch was warranted.

Eloise and Kate's heads turned to the door when they heard Eloise's name being called.

"For what it's worth, I think you are good for him. I mean you make him sickenly happy but you also make him a better person. I think our family has gotten so used to complacency that we forgot what fun it can be to try," Eloise said. "Thank you," Kate said and she made to hug Eloise who returned it, although not as enthusiastically.

It was all Kate could think about once she and Anthony left his family home. Violet may not have been jumping for joy to see Anthony dating Kate, maybe it was because of the suit she brought to the school, but it did put Eloise and Francesca's admissions on probation. Although Anthony was able to move on from it, in fact, it got both girls to work harder and were in a better place in school than they had ever been. Kate wondered if Violet actually did know she and Anthony were going on a date today. Did Violet put Hyacinth up to her tantrum like she did Eloise and her probing questions? Maybe it was not such a big deal, Violet had every right to test the strength of Kate and Anthony's connection right? She was doing what any mother would do, right? Kate wondered if she actually met Violet's standards.

That being said it was hard to linger on feelings of inadequacy as Anthony grabbed and kissed her hand throughout dinner. As he whispered funny dad jokes in her ear. His hand on her thigh worked itself higher and higher until he had his hand basically on the apex of her thighs. He squeezed and Kate had to stifle a moan. Now she knew why he insisted on them sitting side by side at the table.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Kate whispered.

"Uh," Anthony blushed.

Kate chuckled "Don't tell me you are shy now, my lord?"

Anthony growled at the use of his title and Kate felt her temperature rising "I don't know Kate. This is our first date, I want to do the proper thing here," Anthony said.

"Well, you should have thought of that before you used my thigh as a stress ball," Kate said and sighed "Anthony, do you want to sleep with me?" she asked. "Yes. Of course, yes," Anthony said. "Then let's not make it any more complicated than necessary. We care for each other and are both super fit so what's the issue?" Kate asked. "Nothing. Not really," Anthony said "I just want you to know that I am serious about this. About us," He leaned his forehead to hers. "Are you serious about us? About me?" Kate asked with a quirked eyebrow. "Deadly," Anthony responded with a smile. Kate chuckled and then sighed "Anthony I don't want to wait. I want to be with you. All of you," "Me too. I feel like I have been waiting forever for you," Anthony said. "You don't have to wait any longer, love," Kate said.

Anthony lifted his hand to get the attention of the wait staff. After paying the bill and getting into Anthony's car. Kate laughed to herself "You know this is the first time I've had to convince a man to sleep with me," Anthony who was driving faster than necessary said "Trust me, Kate, your legs are all a man needs as evidence," "Well, what about my face?" Kate said in a pretend pout. "Perfect," Anthony said as an admission. Kate reached over to give Anthony a kiss on the cheek and he jeered off a bit "Anthony watch the road," "I'm trying everything I can to just watch the road here," he groaned. "Maybe I should just stick to my side of the car," "Maybe you should, temptress," Anthony said.

----

Present:

Anthony was not a religious guy. In fact, most people he knew only maintained religious mirages for appearances. Easter and Christmas churchgoers but Anthony was not raised super religious. You see his grandfather, the Seventh Viscount Bridgerton, was not exactly the nicest man. He was awful to his father and uncle because of their supposed bad behaviour, which coupled with his overly religious beliefs made him quite the beloved patriarch of the peerage. So when Edmund Bridgerton welcomed his first son, he vowed to never force them to be anything but themselves. Of course, it made it tough for him to be a disciplinarian but the Eighth Viscount had something his predecessor never had: his children's respect. None of the children did anything too bad because they feared their father's disapproval and they loved and respected their father, they would never want to disappoint him.

Yes, Edmund Bridgerton was a hard man to disappoint, that was until he died. 

And Anthony thinks he has been disappointing him ever since. Lately, he has been feeling like it might be a good thing his father was not here to see him now.

So why was he in one of the chapels in the hospital? Avoiding his mother of course. She refused to talk about what he had overheard between her and Siena and Anthony had ordered her out. She refused to leave and for the first time in his life, he threatened his mother. It did not feel good and as she left he thought he would feel triumph but...

His mother was not his favourite parent, she never was. He knew she loved him and he loved her but Anthony valued his father more. There was a genuine nature in the way Edmund conducted his life. He apologised when he was wrong even to his youngest of children, he spoke politely and gently with everyone of every background and he never cared if the things his children did were embarrassing or out of the norm.

15-year-old Benedict coming out as Bisexual? Easy. 11-year-old Daphne wanting to commit to ballet? Sure. 6-year-old Eloise declaring herself a vegetarian? Sure. He even joined her. For a week.

His mother, on the other hand, was the opposite of genuine. Where her father was open and honest, his mother was secretive and cunning. Her kindness was only offered to those she knew, everyone else got a strained sort of politeness. He noticed with random people but it only came to the foreground of his mind when Kate came into the picture. She would be slow to smile, warn him more about appearances and stare at Kate which often made him want to ask what her problem was. But he never did. In a lot of ways, those first few moments of Violet disrespecting not just Kate but their relationship should have been a sign and he should have stopped his mother then and there.

He never did because he always thought if Kate had a real problem she would come to him but also Anthony thought his mother would see how happy he was and back off. She was always pestering him about getting into a relationship anyway.

If Anthony was honest with himself it made sense as to why he ended up in the chapel. Literally, he asked the nurse for a private place to think and they gave him the keys to the chapel, he was a high-profile patient so he really could do whatever but figuratively, Anthony needed divine intervention.

He had to switch psychiatrists because the first one was Kate's recommendation and she reminded him too much of Kate after their breakup. The second one was prominent amongst the peerage but then he got his license revoked after it was discovered he was basically running a pill mill for the wealthy. The third one was too invested in Anthony letting go of some of his family responsibilities and the last one was a good fit but she was young and after she texted him a little too flirtatiously Anthony gave up. If he was back in his twenties he would have stayed with the last one and crossed a line with her that he would have regretted later on because he regretted every girl he had been with back then. The only two women he didn't regret... Well, one probably hated him and the other well she had to hate him too despite his undying devotion to her.

He still had full prescriptions from each of the previous doctors and he figured it wasn't a big deal. He didn't do therapy before so he would be good now right? And if he was having trouble sleeping then he could take one of the sleeping pills from his prescription.

He told Siena he was going to sessions when really he was either at the gym or having a drink at the club. Well, one bad month turned into another and Anthony started popping sleeping pills to even take naps and when that stopped working he moved over to a different prescription. He thought it was harmless, he thought all sleeping pills were alike. Well, he now knows that not all pills gel well and he ended up face down, alone, in his apartment for hours until his mother found him. 

He felt bad for scaring his family and his mother said with his permission they would be able to visit him but he did not think he could deal with their emotions on top of his own so he told his mother, Simon and anyone else who checked in on the family group chat that they can see him when he gets discharged.

He heard a knock on the door. That was either a nurse, his mother or the person he texted to save him from this hell and there she was his saviour... Eloise.

[walkingaftermidnight07]

Chain of Thorns: all my main thoughts

yes hello, i wanna make a large post abt this bc i just need to list everything out since i have A LOT of thoughts

MAJOR SPOILER WARNING

SERIOUSLY

DONT READ FURTHER UNLESS YOUVE READ THE BOOK

Things I Liked:

basically every moment where we got to see Will. I was laughing at so many things that Will said and I missed having that, since I will never get enough of Will's humor.

Seeing Jesse interact with the Merry Thieves. It made me so happy and I love seeing Jesse's dry humor mixed in with the Merry Thieves; he fits in with them so well.

Just human Jesse in general. Everything about him made me so happy. He was so kind and brave and quite funny.

Getting to see more of Anna/Ari. During the first book we got almost nothing of them, partially because of Ari being poisoned but also because Anna was kind of not in the main circle yet.

Christopher visiting Grace and them getting to know each other. It made me so happy that there was someone who could see past what Grace had done and could give her a second chance, and their bond over science was so sweet.

Thomastair. That's it. No explanation needed.

Ghostwriter I thought was pretty well done, but the whole "them kissing would cause Lucie to see demon stuff" was kind of unnecessary.

Jem being there for Grace and talking to her to help her through

The Watchers were a really cool plot twist I wasn't expecting

honestly the james turning on the lamp on pg 127 caused a lot of pterodactyl screeching which was fun

the Herondaisy scene in chapter 23 hehe

Effie every time she opens her mouth

Also Bridget who is my queen. she is my love, my life, my star.

Eugenia Lightwood just existing was fabulous.

Esme being the most random plot thread ever which caused a lot of unexpected laughter

"Alastair why are you so stupid I brush my teeth dont tell anyone" LMAO

Alastair with the baby

Again, Thomastair.

Matthew's eventual acceptance of Alastair into the group

Cordelia outsmarting Lilith with her deal

Belial having a weird obsession with being crowned prince of London or whatever

Also Belial's weird bird demon friend made me CACKLE

Bridgestock blackmailing Charles. if i'm honest, i think it was a great part of the plot bc it did kind of give Charles a slight redemption (but also him being kind of outted is also really bad) but i think it was great in kind of allowing Flora be able to accept Ari without fear of Maurice

Lucie and Cordelia talking abt Cordelia's boobs lmaooo/The Wicked Queen Cordelia

Grace's entire arc through this book

the different meanings behind "cordelia ran"

Things that made me sobbbb:

Will becoming a sort of father figure to Jesse

The Merry Thieves helping Matthew with his drinking

Cordelia and James when they finally confessed for real

Matthew's entire arc with his drinking and telling the truth

Christopher's death

"you are my unfinished business" IM SOBBING STILL

Christopher's death

The scene where they see that Kit's dead

Kit being dead

Intermission: Grief

the fact that kit was in fact dead and not going to come back at the end (i was in denial for the entire second half)

Matthew and James while in Edom

Thomas coming out to his family

Alastair telling Cordelia that he's always afraid for her with her being the wielder of Cortana

Again. Kit's death. (i cried a lot ok its been an emotional couple of days)

Things I didn't like:

The whole love triangle. I still don't think that Matthew truly loved Cordelia and i never believed it would be an actual love triangle

the fact that the truth about the bracelet had to be kept secret for so long. it felt kind of unnecessary. there were other ways to draw out the plot than that.

the fact that tatiana exists

Kit's death. I feel like it's so unfair that of all people, he's the one to die. it didn't feel well written, it felt like it had to happen bc she couldn't kill the queer characters and Kit was the only main character left that she COULD kill.

Grace's entire plot being kind of left without an ending.

The lack of mourning/a funeral for kit. (since we didnt get enough mourning, i think im going to write it bc i want to suffer for the purpose of completing the loose ends)

the pacing. the entire plot felt so oddly paced, and it wasn't as much of a mystery like choi or chog.

again, why christopher? i feel like matthew would've been a better choice, or perhaps sona.

magnus kind of getting written out so early

though i love our gay couples and their accepting families, it is a little bit unrealistic. i get that the point is that this particular batch of the families are very kind people in comparison to what their families become a little farther down the road(ie Robert, maryse, etc), but it still feels a little bit unrealistic.

i felt like the whole lucie and cordelia struggling with their friendship thing was a little bit too much to add into this already very full book. (although i loved the wicked cordelia reveal that was fun)

i feel like we didn't fully get the wrap up at the end that we needed. we didn't see enough of them after the battle, as they came to terms with their losses and their wins and how they would continue their lives.

also we never really got to see jesse meeting his cousins/aunts and uncles and i wish we'd gotten that.

Questions I still have:

bridget? whats going on with her? theres a throwaway line in the coda mentioning something is odd abt her, but thats it??

grace. what is going to happen to grace? i wish we could perhaps see her and figure out if she's alright.

im still confused abt the lightwood line. i guess they're trying to say that alexander is going to continue it? (that actually kind of makes sense, genetics wise tho, cuz alexander looks like cecily and alec and izzy are supposed to inherit that)

will we ever get a revised family tree?

blackthorn line???

Rupert's ghost?

fairchild line? am i correct to assume that its going to tie into charlotte's pregnancy reveal at the end?

I'm sure I have more thoughts but I can't remember them at this present moment and I didn't write them down but these are all the ones I wrote down.

lmk what y'all think abt this book

[milarqui]

Scarlet Lady: Silencer

Directory | Intermission 2

Tikki watched the encounter from one of the flowerpots nearby: since Chloé wasn't carrying a bag with her now, this was the best way she could stick close to Chloé in case there was an Akuma.

Unfortunately, that still meant having to deal with Chloé's issues and her father's. Such as today.

“How good to see you, Bob!” the Mayor said, greeting a rotund man with sunglasses over his bald head she knew was Bob Roth. “And little Xavier–”

“Ah! XY!” Oh yeah, this was the boy Chloé liked for some reason. His music was decent, but nothing to write home about.

“Of course!” M. Bourgeois apologized. “You remember my princess?”

“How could I forget,” Roth said neutrally. Not that Chloé seemed to care, as she was making eyes at the singer.

“Hello XY! I got you Daddy's best table!” Chloé said.

“Thanks, Clarice,” XY said in a bored tone.

“Uh, it's Chloé,” her wielder corrected, not that the singer seemed to care. “Daddy, don't forget to comp XY's meal!”

M. Bourgeois was clearly not as enthusiastic about the idea as his daughter.

“Ma chérie, that's a little–”

“Don't worry, you can still charge M. Bob.”

“Ha. Ha,” the older man laughed humorlessly.

“Thanks, Cassie.”

“Chloé.”

Once more, XY didn't seem to care much about the correction, as he pulled out a laptop.

“Alright, let's hear what you cop– uh, created,” M. Roth said, as XY pressed a key, and music came out of the laptop's speakers. Chloé sighed in pleasure, but Tikki sighed in boredom. All of that boy's music always sounded the same to her ears.

“It's so cool, like you~” Chloé said. Tikki wondered if her wielder had an ear defect or if she was just blinded by her celebrity crush.

“It's the same as last year,” M. Roth stated. Tikki would have said that it was the same as everything else XY had ever made, but she had to stay hidden.

“Eh?”

“Oh, so it is,” XY blandly replied. “My bad.”

“No big deal. As for visuals...”

“Visu-what?”

Tikki blinked.

“Don't worry, we'll use my usual method,” M. Roth continued. “If you're short on new ideas, borrow someone else's.”

As if the manager couldn't fall lower...

And yet, as the two men laughed, she could see Chloé smiling.

Given her attempt to steal Marinette's design for the hat contest, Tikki could tell Chloé just felt like at home amidst her fellow plagiarists.

----

“We're looking for visually and musically creative talent! You have two weeks to send in your videos!” Bob Roth, the well-known manager, announced in his usual hammy style, from Marinette's phone as she showed it to his friends.

“It's the perfect chance to showcase Kitty Section!” Marinette suggested.

“And your designs!” Luka added with a smile.

“You guys will make something awesome for sure!”

Everyone in the group turned to Adrien.

“Huh?” Rose mumbled in shock.

“Adrien, you're not joining us?” Marinette asked, worried.

“It goes against my dad's contract, but it's okay! It doesn't bother me!”

“Sure looks like it bothers you,” Marinette replied, taking in on her friend's tense smile and shadowed features.

----

During the next two weeks, both Kitty Section and worked hard in everything to be made. Rehearsals, choreography, fittings, brainstormings, designings... a lot of work went into a music video, particularly one that had to be thrown together in such a short time, but the five teenagers rose to the occasion with greatness.

It was during one of the rehearsals that Marinette had the perfect idea for the designs.

“You know I love unicorns~ And nothing makes me feel better~”

Quickly, she began to put her idea down to pencil and paper, letting her prodigious mind become awash in patterns and designs... unaware of the fond looks the group's lead guitarist was giving her.

“I see their faces everywhere I go~ Dreaming about them in the night!”

----

“I only want them to be mine, mine, mine!”

And, of course, when the final product was finished, they sent it to their unofficial fifth member.

“THEY LOOK SO GOOOOOD!” Adrien cried out, tears waterfalling out of his eyes as Plagg patted his cheek.

“There, there,” the Kwami said, having expected this reaction. It wasn't as if he hadn't complained about it for the past two weeks.

“No fair~!” Adrien kept crying, even as the video kept playing.

“I dream about them every night!”

----

SUBMISSION ACCEPTED

“We did it!” Kitty Section and their costume designer cheerfully shouted.

Unaware of what was about to happen.

----

One week later, Marinette was at the Liberty, talking with her friends, slightly worried.

“They're sure taking their time...” she noted: despite the promises that they would get an answer soon, M. Roth's company had yet to send an answer on the video contest.

“They must've gotten a lot of videos and haven't chosen a winner yet,” Luka pointed out, knowing how things could be in the musical field–

“DUDE, WHAT THE FRIG?!”

Everyone turned to Ivan, who had just rushed into the room, clearly angry about something. Which was way out of character for the boy.

“Ivan, what–?”

“That dweeb XY ripped us off! Look at the TV station!”

Juleka quickly picked up the remote and turned on the TV, which showed the tail end of a music video.

One that all five people in the room were intimately familiar with, given that they had worked on it for two weeks. Hell, the singer's costume was almost identical to what Marinette had made for them!

Only, there were a few differences: every Kitty Section reference on the stage had been replaced with an XY monogram.

“XY is here to debut his new sound and style!” the announcer said. “A true original! You've outdone yourself, XY!”

It was only five seconds of video, but it was more than enough to suddenly turn the interior of the room into an atmosphere that promised both sides of hell for the singer and his manager.

“Oh, you hack frauds are dead,” Marinette declared, clearly ready to press her point straight into Roth's face – along with her fist. And the same for everyone else: for all that they were the nicest people around, Bob Roth had really managed to press their buttons.

----

Arriving to the studio where XY was showing off his 'new video' was easy.

Entering, however, became harder.

“No solicitors,” one of the men-in-black at the entrance stated.

“Hey! That's our music and our costumes!” Marinette yelled, filled with righteous anger at how her and her friends had been robbed of their work.

“And your problem,” the man-in-black replied, uncaring.

Kitty Section looked at each other. It was time to plan.

----

“ROOOOOAR!”

“Ahh!”

“Eek!”

“HELP!”

Ivan had grabbed his video's costume and was now running after Rose and Juleka, who were screaming in 'fear' as they attempted to stay ahead of Ivan.

“Our friend is akumatized!”

“There's no heroes to save us!”

The men-in-black rolled their eyes.

“Kids, c'mon.”

“That's not going to work on us.”

“Do you think we're that stupid?”

Behind them, Luka and Marinette struggled not to burst out laughing at the oblivious men-in-black, as they took advantage of their distraction to sneak inside without them noticing.

Yes, you are that stupid, Marinette thought as they made their way in.

----

Finding where the thief was showing off their ideas was somewhat complicated, mostly because they couldn't just stop someone and ask, but a few minutes later they found the studio behind one large door.

“Your new single is way better than your last one! It's your best hit!” they heard Alec Cataldi exclaim as they opened the door.

“There he is!” Marinette whispered.

“How can they praise him when he messed up the music?!” Luka asked, disgusted, while Marinette took in the decorations that were such a rip-off from the ones she had made.

“And he made such a cheap costume and set up!” she realized, offended that XY would so mess with her work. “Isn't he rich?!”

“And where'd you get this look?” Alec continued asking, not realizing what the singer and his manager had actually done.

“Oh, my personal designer, uh...” he said, nodding at a girl standing next to him.

“Chloé Bourgeois.”

“Right, Cleo.”

“Of course,” Marinette growled. She had already tried to steal her work once, who else would it be? The two of them angrily pushed open the door and walked up to the hack and the thief, who were accompanied by the manager. Marinette pulled up her phone.

“M. Roth, I sent you this video on the group you're blatantly copying!�� she shouted, queuing Kitty Section's music video.

“Oh, please, there's no similarity!” the manager blatantly lied.

“We were just... inspired!” XY had the guts to say.

“'Inspired'?!” Luka shouted, grabbing the cheap knock-off mask XY was wearing and ripping it off.

“OW!” Luka hadn't been gentle when he did it.

“You didn't create this mask, Marinette did!”

“Mon Chouka!” Chloé chimed in. “I worked so hard on that mask! Are you calling me a liar?”

Marinette felt like ripping off that false innocent face off her... face.

It looked like Luka would beat her off the punch.

“I'M NOT CALLING YOU A TRUTHER!”

----

“Fine, you won't admit the truth? Then I will! Right now, LIVE!” Marinette shouted, pointing at the manager in righteous anger – only for the manager to grab her by the arm.

“If you do that, I'll ruin you and your friend's careers by telling them you're the copycats!” Roth maliciously replied. “Who do you think they'll believe? A renowned producer, or some nobodies?”

“Wha–?!” Marinette exclaimed in shock.

“You won't make another costume ever again!” Roth threatened.

“Of course, I won't let that happen to you, mon Chouka!” Chloé said.

He liked to think he was a calm guy. But... that comment made something snap in him, and he turned to fire a glare that could have probably stripped the paint off the studio's walls.

“Uh, um...” Chloé babbled as she realized that maybe she had made a mistake. “W–What's that look for?! I did nothing wrong!”

She turned around, giving her back to him.

“I'm just saying, with your looks, you could go solo like XY! You just have to ditch your loser friends!”

Luka was so beyond rage, that when he saw the black butterfly fusing with the mask he had taken from XY, he didn't care.

“And forget about Dupain-Cheng, her designs are way too complicated! Do you know how hard it was to copy them?”

That did it. He put on the mask.

“And also–”

He flipped her off with both hands.

“Oh fuck.”

----

Luka quickly transformed, becoming covered in what looked like a motorcyclist body suit, complete with a helmet that only showed his eyes, and he reached out with his left hand.

“Uh, Luka, what are you–”

“Shhhh,” Luka – or, more like, Luka's Akuma – shushed, getting closer.

“Eek! Don't touch me!” Chloé shouted, and suddenly grabbed XY, who found himself with Luka's hand on his lips.

“Huh?” the singer mumbled.

“L–Luka?” Marinette said, shocked as she finally realized her friend had been Akumatized.

As Luka pulled away from XY, out of the singer's mouth came a wiggling blue jellyfish-like thing.

“Haha! I'm the best! I'm the richest! I'm famous!” the jellyfish said in XY's voice, before it was snatched by Luka.

“EEK! Akuma!” Chloé shrieked, before running off behind one door. “See you later, bye!”

Then Luka started to move his hand...

“Tsk, there goes my chance to silence her for good.”

… and somehow spoke with XY's voice.

“Luka, don't do this!” Marinette begged, approaching her friend. “It's not justice!”

“Marinette, I won't let anyone hurt you again,” Luka said, still with XY's voice. “You're an extraordinary girl. Clear as a music note, sincere as a melody.”

Marinette felt her cheeks starting to burn as she kept listening on Luka's words.

“You're the music that's been playing in my head since the day we met. I won't let anything happen to you.”

And, as Luka left, Marinette clenched her fists.

That was the most romantic thing I've ever heard... she thought, and you said it in XY's voice!

But, never mind that, she needed to hide and transform! So she quickly ran out the exit and into the first bathroom she could find.

“A love confession!” Pollen said as soon as she could come out of Marinette's bag. “I'm not surprised, my Queen commands attention!”

A blushing Marinette closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on the matter at hand.

“P–Pollen, he's an Akuma! Who knows if he meant it!”

“Hm, I don't know~” Pollen sing-sang, clearly enjoying the moment... even if it was not the moment.

“G-Geez, Buzz On!”

----

“You can't escape me, Bob Roth!” the Akumatized Luka said, still using XY's voice. “And I'll force you to tell the truth on live TV!”

“Eek!” the manager yipped, sounding almost like a little girl. “Don't touch me! I have influence!”

“I can't let you do that, Luka!” Marigold shouted, landing between the Akuma and the manager.

“About time!” Roth complained – and before she could react, he grabbed her by the shoulders and used her as a shield. “Stop standing around and protect me!”

Marigold didn't even have the time to get loose before the Akuma touched her lips with his fingers – and another jellyfish, this one with the same colors as her costume, flew out of her mouth.

“Venom! Bien Joué! Just use your Lucky Charm already!” she heard herself shout before the Akuma stole her voice.

WHY?! she silently cried out. The cowardly idiot not only had ruined her plan to protect his ass, he had taken advantage of the distraction to run away, taking a lift at the other side of the building.

“Byeeee!” the thief sang as he disappeared – and, to pile on Marigold's misery, the other idiot showed up.

“Marimold!” Scarlet shouted. “Hurry up and sting him!”

I can't use Venom without my voice! she thought, and tried to convey it with signs.

“You can't talk?!” Scarlet realized, and then (like the Chloé clone she seemed to be) started to laugh at her. “Hahaha! What a loser! I can't believe you let your voice get stolen–!”

“An opening.”

That was Marigold's voice.

And Luka's fingers on a shocked Scarlet's mouth.

Idiot, Marigold thought. Knowing that she'd be unable to bring her full power ahead, she pulled out her top and swung it to grab a higher point. Scarlet followed her, and as they climbed away from the Akuma, Marigold picked her top-phone.

Text Chat Noir, she sent to Scarlet.

You text Chat Noir! Scarlet replied.

“You can run, bugs, but you can't escape me for too long,” Akumatized Luka said. “I'll find you and Bob Roth!”

----

At the entrance of the studio, Ivan, Rose, and Juleka were still waiting for Luka and Marinette to come out... and they were getting worried.

“I hope everything's going okay...” Rose said, and Ivan nodded.

“The commercial break's been going for a while too...” Juleka answered, checking her phone.

The gate to the studio opened all of a sudden, and a large man ran out, clearly in a hurry.

“Wuh?! Is that Bob Roth?!” Juleka asked, shocked.

“Why's he running?” Ivan wondered.

They got the answer when someone walked out, following Bob Roth, wearing a full body leather suit and a helmet covering everything but his eyes.

“Who is that?!” Ivan shouted.

“You don't think...” Juleka could recognize who had passed by them... or, rather, who it was supposed to be.

Rose was just stunned at the sight of the obvious Akuma.

And then the three members of Kitty Section looked at each other with dread.

“Maybe we shouldn't have let them go alone,” they agreed.

----

Back at home, Adrien was showing Nathalie his friends' music video, pointing out the blatant thievery Bob Roth and XY had carried out.

“It's in Père's best interests to know his business partner's unethical practices,” he argued, “like plagiarism.”

Much to his relief, Nathalie nodded. Clearly, she could see that this was a serious matter.

“I'll pass on your concerns,” she said, and firmly walked out of his room, carefully closing the door behind herself.

“That's all I can do, though I don't have much confidence,” he said as Plagg came out of his hideaway. “Unless there's a public backlash...”

However, Plagg wasn't looking at him, but at the window.

“Hey, look.”

Adrien looked, and saw something unexpected.

“Marigold?” he realized.

“Scarlet Lady?” Plagg asked as well.

“That means...! My friends might've been Akumatized! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Adrien cried out, brandishing the Miraculous Ring. “Plagg, Claws Out!”

----

“I am here!” he announced, and was pleased to see Scar jumping in shock. “I checked your texts about the Akuma, what's the plan?”

Marigold put up an awkward face, while Scar made a lot of gestures while attempting to say... something.

“Wait, you lost your voice?!” he realized, and began to laugh. “Hahaha! Truly we've been blessed!”

Then he approached Marigold and gave her a playful nudge with his elbow.

“Goldie, we don't need to rush with this Akuma, right?” he said, winking at her.

But then, instead of speaking up, she moved her lips and made a wordless noise, similar to the one Scar had made.

“Oh no, my poor Honeybee!” he exclaimed, realizing she had suffered the same as Scar, and he hugged his fellow heroine. “We'll get your voice back right away!”

He could feel Scar's anger and what was likely her flipping him off, but he paid her no mind. He pulled his baton-phone, knowing that it was the best way for her to 'speak' now.

“So you can't use your powers... and you can't detransform,” he said, summarizing the situation. “So we're fucked."

Marigold quickly tapped away at her top-phone, sending a message.

“You want to make Silencer say 'Venom' or 'Lucky Charm' with your stolen voices?” he asked, and she nodded. “How?”

She sent him another message, and he quickly read it.

“Huh?! Would that work?”

She smiled as she sent another message.

“Well, you're right that we don't have much choice.”

He got another message... but this time it was worthless. Namely, Scar making a selfie.

“Thanks for the contribution, Scar,” he sarcastically said.

----

The phone rang at the Hôtel de Ville, and a hand pressed a button.

“André, it's me, Bob!” the manager screamed. “I need the police!”

“No problem, Bob,” Silencer said, using the voice of André Bourgeois, who was now voiceless and struggling against the tight ropes holding him in place. “Just tell me where you are.”

----

As soon as the lift doors opened, Silencer reached out and grabbed Bob Roth.

“Thank you for escorting my prisoner, Officer Roger,” he said with Andre Bourgeois' voice, shocking the poor police lieutenant.

“Who–?” he asked, shocked at being tricked by an Akuma, but he was drowned out.

“EEEEK!” Roth said, once more screaming like a little girl as Silencer pulled him and threw him on a chair.

“I could easily take your voice, Bob Roth,” the Akuma said with Marigold's voice. “But what I want is for you to admit what you did!”

“NEVER!” the manager shouted.

“You think I can't make you?”

He switched to Scarlet Lady's voice.

“I can ruin you like you threatened to ruin Marinette!”

Then to Andre Bourgeois'.

“I know everyone in showbiz, Bob!”

Then to XY's.

“I'll never sing for you again, Dad!”

“Fine, fine, I'll do it!” Roth begged. “Why couldn't you just threaten my son?”

“Like that would've worked,” Silencer said, giving the manager a deadpan look.

“Damn, you knew.”

----

As they entered the studio once more, the television stopped showing ads, which were replaced by Bob Roth's cringing mug.

“Dear viewers, we're back with an exclusive interview with Bob Roth~” the voice of Alec Cataldi sounded out, although Marigold knew it wasn't him: this had to be Silencer!

“Hey, maybe we should let this play out,” Chat Noir suggested, eager to see the man getting punished for stealing his friends' work, but Marigold sent him a message.

“'It would be revenge, not justice. He'd just take it back later,'” he read aloud before sighing. “Well, you're right. No fun, but right.”

Marigold playfully stuck her tongue at him. Then he got another message.

“'You better not let an Akuma make XY or Chloé Bourgeois look bad'...” he read, wondering how that could not happen, and looked at Scar, who was also sticking her tongue out at him. “Leave the convincing to Marigold.”

----

The heroes quickly bursted in the set, and Chat Noir tackled Silencer out of the way while Marigold took Roth away.

“Mind your business or I'll shut you up forever!” Silencer threatened with Scarlet Lady's voice.

“Aw, but I'm hilarious,” he said, grinning and fending off his stretched-out arm.

Marigold dragged Roth to the first room she could find that would be isolated enough, which, much to her joy, was a dressing room she could use to pull off her plan.

“See here, Marigold! You need to hurry up and get rid of this guy!” Roth ordered, but she paid him no mind as she began to put together what she needed.

“This is all those brats' fault anyway, kitty whatever. Should've just let me steal the idea,” the man kept talking, making her twitch in anger. “Are you seriously doing arts and crafts right now? And where's Scarlet Lady?!”

Alright, that did it. This wouldn't be heroic, but it would feel amazing.

----

Scarlet Lady cuddled up with the tied up XY, who was struggling to move away from the superpowered stalker.

----

With Silencer running to attempt to find Roth, Chat Noir knew it was time to find the enemy and see what Marigold had come up with to do her part. And he also knew how to trick the Akuma.

“Oh nooo, Marigold, where'd you go?” he shouted, knowing that Silencer would be unable to resist the chance.

“I'm here, Chat Noir!” the Akuma said with Marigold's voice. “I defeated Silencer, meet me at the film set!”

He struggled to avoid cracking up, and just barely kept his laughter out of his answer.

“Sure, you got it!”

As he began to run for his destination, he found Marigold in the same corridor, holding her top with a few additions.

“There you are!” Chat Noir happily exclaimed, and he eyed the top. “What is that, 'Venom'?”

Marigold nodded.

“Got held up?” he asked, and Marigold's smile told him there was a story there that he'd love to listen to.

----

In the same dressing room Marigold had taken him to, Bob Roth was currently (unwillingly) cooling his heels thanks to the judicious application of a full roll of duct tape, tying him up to a chair, and rolled out of the way like junk.

“DAMN YOU MARIGOLD!” Roth screamed.

----

As they entered the film set, they found Silencer there, alone, and Chat Noir smirked as he pointed at Marigold.

“Too bad, Silencer, Marigold still has her superpower!” he taunted.

“Impossible!” Silencer exclaimed with Marigold's voice, making Chat Noir grin even wider. “I stole your voice! How could you summon Venom!”

And then the tricked-out top began to shine and twirl, and Marigold stuck her tongue at the Akuma, who realized too late that he had been tricked by the heroes.

“Aw crap,” he said, still using Marigold's voice, but before he could attempt to run away, Kitty Section tackled him.

“Hold still and take it, Luka!” the three teens shouted, grabbing him by the arms and torso to keep him from moving.

“Wuh – guys! Let go!” Silencer said, still using Marigold's voice.

“Omigod is that how you talk?!” Ivan said, laughing at how ridiculous it looked.

“No! Snap out of it!” Juleka ordered, while Rose hugged him even tighter.

“You can't do this!” the blonde girl shouted. “This isn't what we or Marinette want!”

The words caused Silencer to stop struggling, as he pondered the truth of it... giving Marigold the time she needed.

“An opening!” Kitty Section announced as Silencer became paralyzed by Venom, finally allowing Chat Noir to grab the Akumatized object.

“Thanks for the help, Kitty Section!” he said, smiling.

“Juleka, he knows our name!” Rose whispered, excited, but her girlfriend was checking something else.

“Uh, where'd you get a net?” she asked, pointing at the object in Marigold's hand.

Amazing what you find in dressing rooms, she thought, as the jellyfishes flew away from Silencer and she caught them with the net, putting her voice back where it belonged. Picking the one she had seen coming out of Scarlet's mouth, she found her sitting next to XY, who clearly looked like he wanted to be anywhere else in the universe other than here (and who could fault him?).

“Here, Scarlet, we got your voice back,” she said, showing the red-with-black-spots jellyfish. “Just put it in your mouth.”

Scarlet made a disgusted sound and crossed her arms in front of her.

“What?”

Scarlet kept making similar wordless sounds and tried to push her back when she approached the voice.

“Just take it already! You have to fix things!” Marigold yelled, annoyed by Scarlet's skewed priorities. Then she looked down at it... and decided that, if Scarlet didn't want it, then she could probably use it.

But when she made to eat it, Scarlet changed her opinion. Clearly, a life without hearing herself talk was too hard for her to imagine.

----

As Scarlet cast the Miraculous Cure, Marigold rushed back to find Luka, who was finally recovering from the effects of Akumatization.

“Ugh,” he mumbled, still a bit disoriented. “What happened?”

“You were Akumatized, but it's fine now!” Marigold said.

“It's a scandal, Marigold!”

Everyone turned to the piece of junk Bob Roth, who had managed to drag himself to the film set along with the chair.

“Tying me up in a dressing room?! But at least you did one thing right!” he yelled, turning to Luka. “Serves you right, thinking you could make me tell the truth! Like I'd admit I stole Kitty Section's song and look for my son! HA!”

Then the man noticed how Marigold and Luka were smirking, and he felt dread going down his stomach.

“... uh, why're you smiling?”

“Because, Bob Roth,” Marigold said, before pointing to a camera... manned by Chat Noir, “you are on Candid Camera!”

“Smile!” Chat Noir added with a smile that wouldn't be out of place in the Cheshire Cat.

“GAH!” Bob Roth yelled, as he realized he had actually confessed the truth to all and sundry! He had to fix this quickly! “Ahahahaa! Obviously I was just joking! I love, uh, Kitty Section, which is why I'm signing them a record deal and having them finish the show!”

As he said this, he was sweating like it were midday in mid-summer, knowing that he was this close to getting his business ruined.

“Can we get that in writing, Bob Roth?” Luka imperiously asked.

----

As Kitty Section quickly went to pick up their things, Chat Noir had to leave, and Marigold hid away so she could undo her transformation, just as her hair comb beeped for the end of her transformation. Returning to the set, it was to see everyone getting ready for singing their song, and she walked up to Luka.

“Luka, um, did you mean what you said? As an Akuma?” she timidly asked, but he shook his head.

“I'm sorry, Marinette, I don't remember. I hope it wasn't mean.”

“Ah, no–” she said, but before she could add more, he spoke.

“You're an extraordinary girl, Marinette,” Luka said, and she felt her entire face burning. “Clear as a music note, sincere as a melody. You're the music that's been playing inside my head since the day we met.”

Marinette gave a silent nod, and as Luka walked to the scenario, she collapsed on the floor and against a wall.

THAT WAS SO MUCH BETTER IN HIS OWN VOICE! she yelled in her mind, even as the ghost she was giving up squeed in delight.

Poor Marinette was left K.O. by the sudden confession, and as she gathered her wits, things were not much better.

“T–That was a love confession, wasn't it, Pollen?” she asked.

“Sure sounded like one to me!” her Kwami teased her, as the music started.

“Aw, geez,” she muttered, as she noticed Luka's eyes zeroing in on her. “How am I supposed to act now...?”

----

After all the kerfuffle was finally sorted out, Adrien was in the middle of his piano practice, as he went over what had happened to his friends.

“Thank goodness things worked out for Kitty Section,” he said; not only did they get that record deal, they had also ensured that all of their work would never be associated to XY, who (along with his father) was very lucky had not been slapped with a demand for plagiarism. Even if Gabriel Agreste had threatened to make things worse for Bob Roth.

Someone knocked on the door as he talked to himself and Plagg.

“Adrien, delivery,” Nathalie announced, and he stepped off the piano to grab the rather large package she had brought to him.

Putting it on a low table, he ripped off the tape.

“Huh, wonder what–”

And then he opened the package and gasped.

“My own Kitty Section costume?!” he shouted in joy. This must have been sent before everything that had happened, which meant Marinette had taken the time to sew him up one in the middle of all the hard work she had done.

“Oooo,” Plagg said, somewhat amazed at how good it looked.

To hell with piano practice, this was super-cool! He quickly donned the entire costume – unicorn mask included! - and posted it on his social network accounts. He may not be an official member of the band, but he would gladly show his love of his friends' group!

----

He had learned many things about crocodiles while taking care of Fang, and one of them was that crocodiles liked to hunt by ambush.

“Alright, Jagged, why'd you call me over so late?” Bob said as he entered the room.

The crocodile was not an animal that liked to run on land. No, they would wait under water, near the surface, unmoving... until prey got close enough.

“I'm in a bad mood so you better have a good reason!” Bob continued to yell, unaware of what was about to happen to him.

Because, as far as Jagged had been concerned... this man was prey today. And he was about to make clear his displeasure about the rotten thing he had tried to do.

“Why's it so dark–”

What a perfect cue! He stepped on the light switch, and the spotlight flashed over him.

“Bob.”

“EEEEKK!”

Ah, the sound of prey that knew how utterly fucked it was. He glowered at the bastard that had tried to ruin several lives that were very important to him.

“Let's talk about you threatening my favorite designer. And my ki– uh, her friends.”

Whoops, nearly slipped out. He hoped Fang was having as much fun as he was.

----

CHEW CHEW CHEW

Tasty thing! Shiny, with color of meat like Father gives me! Feels good to rip!

“DADDYYYYY! JAGGED STONE'S STUPID LIZARD IS EATING MY SHOES!” Loud Human shouts.

Who cares? Father said to chew on these things Loud Human put on her legs, and that was what he was going to do!

----

Desperada

@zoe-oneesama I think Jagged would have learned stuff about crocodiles, even if Fang still behaves like a dog! (Also, can't wait for Crocoduel)

By the way, that's 441 pages, 176582 words, 951399 characters.

[kadebronson]

i don't feel like typing this up on my phone so I'm doing this and then gonna reblog it with the pics lol

but last night i went to banshee with my new roommate! he's queer and just moved to the city and was like i went thru boystown once when visiting but i like never go to gay bars and don't interact with the community as much as i would like to so i already had my ticket i was like would you like to join me and so he came along

and what a first drag show to see in chicago lol it has literally taken the spot for best drag show i've ever seen for real

maddelyn hatter? funny as fuck emcee and it was so beautiful to hear her talk about her transition even in jokes lol and her performances were great and then my fave local queen lucy stoole was amazing of course she's always amazing she did a beyonce song with a thelma and louise backdrop which was so fun

and louisana purchase did her burlesque and miss toto came out with literally the coolest top ever like new take on sea shell bra and just destroyed the floor dancing and evah destruction literally said "thank you baby" to everyone she took tips from and after doing so to me whipped around so fast her pigtail whipped me in my face and i was just.... a puddle

AND WE GOT TO SEE VANDER VON ODD STAPLE CUT OUT HEARTS TO THEIR FOREHEAD TO NEW WAVE

like what more could you ask for

i didn't get as many pics as i would have liked i only had a good spot for like three of the numbers and that was because i was struggling to hold my tip out for vander during their first number and this bear in front of me looks down and was like i'm here just because i love drag you look like you're here specifically for these spooky queens and i looked down at my texas chainsaw massacre shirt and was like uh yeah so he literally just like vaulted me to the front i wish i hadn't lost that space after the intermission lol

and chicago drag royalty just came out to support the show shea coulee was there and i was standing right next to tenderoni for most of the night and my roomie went out for a smoke break and just was smoking with sigourney beaver and fallon just was walking around doing their doom and gloom thing in drag the whole night even though they weren't performing INSANE LOVE IT

i haven't been up in boystown in awhile and i know it isn't always the best but damn it felt real good last night i fucking needed that like i feel restored

[inkofamethyst]

February 25, 2024

I met up with my family in NYC this weekend to explore and see Hadestown to celebrate my birthday and it was fantastic. I feel so rejuvenated after the quick jaunt (less than 24 hours in the city!). I'm not really a huge fan of NYC compared to my current city, but I can recognize its beauty and appeal (even though it gives me an awful experience of some sort every time I enter lol). We went to the New York Public Library and it was amazing. I wish we had hours to spend in there rather than minutes, but we had a show to get to.

Hadestown was... I don't really have words to express how much I enjoyed the show. I mean, it broke me, wrecked me, body mind and soul, but I'd see it again in a heartbeat. I'd heard about it from a friend of my dnd-friend way back in 2019 during or after a game of, you guessed it, DnD, and I'd wanted to see it ever since. I knew the story of Orpheus and Eurydice; one of my favorite tumblr posts of all time discusses the varied interpretations of the myth, and I honestly go back and read it once and a while because the story has always always always been beautifully tragic to me. So I knew how it ended (but I hadn't listened to the soundtrack--I'd refused all these years). And yet. I cried silently at intermission, knowing that Orpheus' quest would be in vain. I cried silently as Eurydice slowly dropped at the end. I cried during bows, I cried on the way out of the theater, I cried while expressing to my family how beautiful it all was. Why tell a story you know is doomed over and over and over again? And every single time, we hope they get it right, though we know they never will.

The music was excellent, the storytelling excellent, the actors (named and ensemble (even with just five they sounded so powerful)!!!!!), the choreography, the set design, the musicians, the lighting design (!!! (as a once-former lights person I'm keenly aware of the effect lighting can have on a story and whew they certainly used it))... All phenomenal. There was a choreographed bit in "Wait for me" with the lights swinging on beat and, just, wow. WOWWWWW. All involved should contribute to my next therapy bill lol.

My mother said she never realized I was such a romantic and, frankly, I didn't either. I mean I knew I was a crier. If there's one thing Imma do, it's cry. And cry ugly. But I think I'm drawn to stories about what love makes us do. Stories that show us how love can destroy, but we still do it anyway, again and again. We seek it out. We risk destruction for the chance at being known, truly and fully.* There was a line in act one from Eurydice, something like "All my life I've only held my own, now I just want you to hold me," and that knocked me out.

Y'all I think Hadestown might be my new favorite musical, surpassing Aida after, oh, six years?

I also had my first ever migraine during my trip lol. I'd braided my hair very very tightly, so it was pulling on my scalp, slowly forming a headache. That combined with the plethora of street smells, the greasy ham and pineapple pizza (which was so so so so good though, place called Carve), and two nights in a row of less than six hours of sleep (braiding lol) resulted in headache + nausea and I wanted to die. But it was nothing an Exedrin and some rest couldn't fix.

During my braiding marathon (a week and a half because I was so busy ugh (but they look gorgeous!!!!)) I watched Blue Beatle finally and thought it had a lot of heart. Regret not seeing it in theaters, but I think it came out during a period where I was just tired of it all ("it" being superhero movies). Also watched The Flash and thought it was very compelling. Flashpoint is not an uncommon means of exploration for the character, so I've seen at least a couple iterations of the same story, but I think this version was done quite well. It was interesting, well-paced, had a nice ending, and was a graceful way to get rid of Ben Affleck lol (also loved the old Batman theme <3 (ALSO also love Is She With You because that is a banger every single time)). I think Ezra Miller plays a really endearing Flash, shame he's crazy :/

Also watched a lot of animated movies on Max! I watched Belle (another with some "la-la-la"'s hehe) which was odd in many ways but was also cute and beautiful, compelling and full of heart. Then I did a bit of a Ghibli marathon of movies I'd never seen before: Tales of Earthsea, Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa, Arietty. All beautiful in their own ways. Very unique storytelling, gorgeous art, powerful messages. There are still several I want to see!

I finished Batman Beyond and the ending was dumb anticlimactic lol. The least they could've done was a two-parter that built to something satisfactory. Honestly the epilogue episode in JL (JLU?) was more compelling. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker was pretty solid though. I think I'm going to give the DCAU a rest now hehe. Gotta catch up on the MCU, frankly. They've got some interesting things coming up...

*ReesaTeesa's "Who tf did I marry" series was something else. That was another thing I watched while braiding. Finished in two days. Was watching while making figures in the office and someone recognized her face lol. Three things. 1. I did not know a person could be tortured in the way that she was. What happened to her was awful, and it was only because she put herself in the vulnerable position of seeking love. 2. I can't say I fear a pathological liar specifically, but one of my romantic fears is wanting someone's affection so badly that I overlook red flags. Wouldn't be the first time. 3. I know how the internet works, so I shouldn't be surprised, but imo finding her ex's facebook and flaunting it in her comments was a breach of the social contract between ReesaTeesa and her audience, and it should not have been done. She does not want to be associated with that man. I fear for her peace and hope that he does not attempt to make a single penny off her. Was I curious too? Yes. But a person's privacy is more important than my curiosity, always.

Today I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with my family. I'm so thankful to have a family I enjoy spending time with. Teared up while saying goodbye :') We're considering making this a yearly thing while I'm in school here. That would be lovely. Also thankful that things are looking up for my sister, it's been a rough school year so far, but things are shifting toward the positive rapidly! Lastly, lowkey thankful that the subway was out of order today on my way back to my apartment. Forced me to take a shuttle which drove through parts of the city I'd not been to yet. Excited for spring and summer treks there, though!

[hermes-whistle]

LES MISERABLES 22/23 CAST REVIEW

Wednesday, November 30th, 2022

ACT 2

Cast:

Nick carnell-Jean Valjean

Hayden Tee-Javert (temporary replacement)

Haley dortch- Fantine

Matt Crowle-Thénardier

Christina Rose Hall-Madame Thénardier

Hazel Vogel- little Cosette

Cora Jane Messer- Little Eponine

Christine Heesun Hwang- Eponine

Addie Morales- Cosette

Gregory Lee Rodriguez-Marius

Devin Archer-Enjorlas

Kyle Adams- Grantaire

Gavroche- Harrison Fox

Well uh, unfortunately my theater decided that they weren't gonna flicker the lights to let us know to go back to our seats so I missed all of building the barricade and eponine giving the letter

On my own

-"Now I can make believe he's here" that tone she had was gorgeous

- I couldn't focus on most of the number because some kids behind me decided to get chips during Intermission because they were bored

- the blocking feels a bit stiff

-the lights where pretty tho

-again unfortunately I couldn't pay attention due to the kids behind me

-bUT oh my God when that barricade comes out with all the fog, one of the best scenes ever

At the barricade

-seeing the boys climb over the barricade was funny ngl

-the barricade bits are blurry in my head sorry yall

Javerts return/little people

-it looked like javert picked up a stick and started drawing

- this is a Gavroche Stan page

- gav tried jumping off the barricade like enj does

-gav flipping javert off might be my favorite thing

-marius in the back literally went like :0

-meanwhile after that grant picked gav up for "your the top of the class" after enj had his whole speaking bit he came over and ruffled gavs hair

A little fall of rain/ night of anguish

-during the small battle scene or whatever happened (I'm sorry I'm writing this In a car and can't remember so) ep moved marius and got shot perusal, she had a very small scream but it was at the same time the gunshot went off so it wasn't as noticeable

-she basically stumbled off the barricade with marius

-the way he said "oh god it's everywhere" was chilling tbh, he sounded scared almost

-miss girl basically falls onto him and then he carefully lays her down

-towards the end Gav ran over, taking a few moments to realize what happened

-Enj and grant then walked in (more like enj strutting) gav then clung to grants leg once ep actual died

-rip bad bitch, you will be missed

-IM SO SORRY THE WAY THEY CARRY HER OFF IS SO FUNNY

- FELT LIKE I WAS WATCHING THE QUEENS FUNERAL OR SMTH

-"her name was eponine,," lawd that was a kick to the gut huh

Valjeans revenge

-wake up babes daddy is climbing

-javert is back on stage (I don't know if he left)

-the hesitant 'he belongs to you'

-jean pushes javert down onto his knees facing the audience

-javert stayed looking forward while Jean approached him from behind (📸)

- he kept shaking his head as Jean was talking, he then grabbed the gun and forcibly put it in his hands then made Jean angle it at him

-Jean seemed clearly upset about this and the way he says "you are wrong,," sounds like he was trying to remind himself that

- he then continued to grab onto his jacket while saying "clear out of here"

- the gunshot scared me and my mom, we knew it was coming but it's so loUD

Drink with me

-once Grant starts singing and goes to the middle, Enj now looks over and starts getting off the barricade

-"marius, rest please" was very gently said

-the boys gave a small cheer when grant started singing

-grant lightly shoves one of the boys

-once he sees enj his mood changed

- during "can it be your death means nothing at all?" Enj clearly tried to hug him and grant pushed him away then walked away

-gav was standing right by enj and then held onto his leg

-grant goes over where the sewer is and puts his head against it, enj looking down and told gav somthing

-gav then ran over and hugged grant for behind (more like his legs since grant was tall) and he then put his hand over gavs arm

Bring him home

-chills the whole song

-nick gave it all ON A RANDOM WEDNESDAY NIGHT

-he really does sound like he's begging for marius to be alright

-enj is at the left top of the barricade, has his head slightly tilted down watching (I can't blame him)

-grant and gav are still sitting against the sewers, it was dark where they where but I think grant was holding him while he was sleeping

-the way my soul actually left my body at his last note

-breath support is all I gotta say

Second battle/Gavroches death /Final battle

-I don't remember much pre gav dying sorry

-everyone is dead silent the second gavroche starts singing

-Enj holds out his arms for gav then puts his fist up for "you better run for cover when the pup grows u-" and then he's shot

-gav falls onto enjs shoulder, enj took a second to hold onto him and slowly turned around clearly looking upset before giving him to grant

-everyone looked horrified at what they just saw

-grant held him close to his shoulder

-eventually when the shooting did happen Jean ran over and took gavs body and took it off stage then returned

-Randy Jeter was really slaying for the loud hailer

- the "until the earth is free" note gets faded into the music

-I don't know if it was on purpose or not but when enj is supposed to be kicking people down from the other side he nearly fell off, thankfully one of the fake boards was there and he pulled himself back up

-enj waving the flag has got to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen omg, he was waving it very desperately

- the first one to go is Enj, before he starts falling grant starts trying to get up the barricade to grab him, only missing his hand by a little bit

-I'd like a moment to appreciate Jean basically t-posing while laying unconscious on the ground

-grant is the last one to die

-jean woke up then crawled over to marius whispering "shhh your okay please get up, get up" and then drags him off stage

-javert comes running over the barricade, the live fire torch looked so pretty for the scene

-when he got down he watched as the barricade opened

-Enj was vibing on the cart upside down per usual

-only one of his arms was hanging which is important in a second

-Javert walked over to Gavroche, prays over his body then lets the other dude pick him up

-gav gets thROWN in

-when the cart starts getting rolled off, enj was a little too far off the edge of the cart so it looked like he was gonna fall off, his other arm now fell off the cart

sewers/dog eat dog

-okay this scene deadass is my guiltly pleasure

-I got a tiny bit dizzy with the back screen visual

-the way Thénardier draggs one of the boys by the ankles💀

-I just love the song, it's so groovy

-valjean let go of marius and he just fell like the tower of terror

-when Thénardier goes over by marius he takes his hand like singing and puts it on his cheek acting as if it's his own hand

- "only the moon looks down" is still one of my favorite vocal moments, it scratches an itch in my brain

-"vALJEAN😧😧😧😧 AINT THE WORLD A REMARKABLE PLACE😧😃😧😃😧😃😧"

-marius seems to be like slightly awake

-I TRIED SO HARD NOT TO LAUGH WHEN IT CUTS 3 TIMES TO HIM CARRYING HIM DIFFERENT WAYS

- instrumental was such a bop

-javert is already waiting in the dark by the time Jean comes out

-once Jean looks over and sees him, javert points a gun at him (is this a new thing?? I don't remember seeing it before in boots)

-just gay old men arguing

-when Jean leaves with marius he looks back at him the same way javert did to him at the beginning, same places on the stage

Javerts suicide

-This is one of the scenes that is so so much better in person

-i personally think Hayden is one of the javerts that perform this scene best

-the stage is completely dark during the first Part

-but in the background you can see the bridge coming together on both sides which was so cool to see

-I definitely got more of a panic attack vibe from him instead of angry

-he kept on literally reaching out but his hands where extremely shakey

-javert was very slow about getting up on the bridge, he seemed hesitant

-"I am reaching but I fall" part was almost the exact same way nick as Jean performed it at the beginning with his hand reaching up

-once javert starts his final note I wasn't expecting the bridge to come out from Underhim and MANS WAS FLYING

-ofc he was up on wires but I never seen them and was shocked because I didn't know the scene is done like this (usually the bootlegs are taken from a weird angle for this scene)

-the visuals behind him are going down and eventually he gets pulled back into the darkness, the last thing you see is his hand reaching out

Turning

-interesting but sad scene transitions

-some of the women where dressed upperclass and half lower

-the little girl :((

-I'm not sure which actress is the one who says "what's the use of praying when nobody will hear??" But it was said very raw and emotional almost angry

-very beautiful song though

Empty chairs ar empty tables

-the tree is back

-yet another nice song transition

-love the performance but I don't have much to say???

-when le boys came in enj was the closest to him

-they pick up the candles, marius then waves his arm behind him like he was trying to make them go away during "don't ask me what your sacrifice was for"

-everyone blows their candles out except marius and enj

-enj is the last one to leave, marius looks over then enj blows his candle out then goes bye bye

-marius raises his candle at the end

Everyday/valjeans confession

-marius In his emo era then there's Cosette westing purple like hey lol

- cosette helps him walk over to the bench, once he sits down Cosette takes his cane and puts it behind the bench

- pretty vocals but everyday is kinda a basic song

-here comes the dilf, and he's got his limp again

-when he tells Cosette to go inside Cosette kinda looks between them like what's going onnnn and then leaves

-the change in tone when Jean talks to marius is interesting

-"who am i?" Idk man you tell me

-its 2:34 am when I'm writing this sorry I ain't remembering much

Wedding/beggers at a feast

-holy shit that is a very fast quick change for marius, I know he wears his coat over the wedding costume but sTILL

-again height difference between Cosette and him>>>

-Cosette's veil is gorgeous it's a shame it's only worn for like 5 minutes

- them dancing is the cutest thing ever and they kissed again before walking off the the side of the stage

- Marius introduces her to someone then goes over by the Thénardiers

-i was focusing on Cosette dancing

-the way the ensemble and cosette dance is interesting because they are clearly listening and moving to the tune

-Marius punching Thénardier was a slay per usual

-once they run off the plates drop ofc, overall the audience loved them

- the little hops during "among the elite"

- the line is back to "there goes a jew, this one's a queer but what can you do"

-the chaos that is the rest of the number>>>

Epilog

-Lmfao the change between songs

- he struggled for a sec to light the candles but got them eventually

-Nick made me appreciate jeans final solo part

-the chills I got when fantine comes out, I know she's an angel and she looked like one, she came out from stage right and had an orange haze casting over to her

-Jean looked relieved when he heard her, just ready to die

- Nick said a few times that his favorite line in the show is "she's the best of my life" and it shows 🥲🥲🥲

-Fantine got about 3 feet away, she was reaching out for him then Cosette comes running in

-this part is a bit of a blur since I was trying to get my phone out to get a small audio

- Marius comes in a few seconds after her, then he goes over behind the candles and looks at them until "you must forgive a thoughtless fool" then he sits by Cosette

- during the confession he slowly reached over and gave it to her, during "those who always loved you" He booped her nose again

- cosette is holding onto his hand until he gets up, more like he dies

-i wasn't paying attention to eponine I was trying to figure out why my camera didn't show the stage, turns out it was facing the wrong way

- "to love another person is to see the face of god" I'm not religious but that line always gets to me

-by the time Valjean gets up the chorus is starting, and the bishop comes out

-listen I know some people think it's stupid but I do like the Jean and bishop hug💔

-marius is holding Cosette and kissing her hair while rubbing her arm

-the ending just is so🤌🤌🤌 probably one of my favorite musical closers

Bonus if you made it this far

[vinkunwildflowerqueen]

are you worried about the Wicked movie? I am.

I am also really confused why Dorothy was in the trailer!

I'm going to answer the second part of this ask first with a quote:

"I didn't realise this was to do with The Wizard of Oz! It clicked like 40 minutes in, and after that, I really started to enjoy it."

-some guy behind me during intermission of Wicked in September of 2023.

And I've seen a few comments along these lines in the YouTube comments on the trailer in the past week.

There are absolutely people out there who have no idea what Wicked is; or who just would not connect the mental dots of "green witch- Wicked Witch of the West- Wizard of Oz". Maybe people out there who haven't even seen or really heard of The Wizard of Oz. Especially younger people- I teach high school. The number of times I mention a book/film that my students have no idea what it is... nothing makes me feel older than when I have to explain to a 15 year-old what The Lion King is (true story. But the kid knew Seinfeld??)

I don't remember if this was something I read or heard someone say once, but someone once said/wrote "movie studios assume audiences are stupid".

That, and the fact it is a teaser trailer and did not appear to be Act/movie 1 specific, is my guess as to why Dorothy and co are glimpsed in the trailer. To make it very obvious to people that yes, this is connected to The Wizard of Oz.

As to am I worried about the movie?

Not... not really? At least, not in the way some people may be. I'm not worried about if they're going to make it in a way that I love, because the odds of that are very low. Jon Chu and I, to the best of my knowlege, do not share a brain. And I'm pretty easily able to just set the movie aside if I dislike it that much and ignore it- like a certain season of Scrubs or any Pirates of the Caribbean movie past #3, or all of the MCU after Endgame (actually, often including Endgame and Infinity War).

I'm also really hoping/excited for the idea that the movies will bring new life into the fandom.

What I am worried about, I suppose (not sure if worried is the right word), is people seeing the film who haven't seen the show; and then reading my fanfiction and being like "you're doing it wrong because the movie did it like this".

I'm assuming Ao3 and FFnet will add a separate category once the films are out, so that we can easily sort bookverse vs musicalverse vs movieverse, and any combination thereof that people want to read/write.

And while I'm not sure about the FF world, I did see this happen with Percy Jackson when the TV show came out- people complaining about the TV show getting things "wrong" because they were different from the movie- because they hadn't read the books.

(storytime: I once showed a class The Lion King- the 1994 version- as an end of term treat, and after the lesson a girl came up and asked me where the 'Morning Report' song was. And I realised- in horror- that her copy of the movie she'd grown up with was the special edition DVD they'd released in the early 2000s with that song inserted back in. As far as she was concerned, that was how the movie went and what I'd shown them was WRONG.)

Rationally, I know that most people won't be an issue- they'll just filter accordingly and read what they want to read. But I'm fully expecting there to be at least drops of that, because I've already had bits of it over the years; of people commenting on my fics that something is "wrong" because it wasn't like the book- even if everything is clearly labelled as being based on the musical and not the book.

So I'm not really worried, I'm just... pre-emptively tired.

[linn-94]

Chapter 16: Don't be sorry

AARON POV:

I was heading into the theatre to do yet another show. This morning was the last time I saw Sophie. We texted a little, but that was everything. I couldn't help but miss her. It was stupid, we had known each other for a few days, but she was amazing, I felt comfortable and myself with her. It was not like any other relationship I've had.

Last evening when we slept together, not intentionally but still. I slept the best I did in weeks, maybe even months. We fell asleep hugging and it was the best thing. But we hadn't talked about it yet. I had said that I like her, but boy if she knew how I really felt about her.

In my mind I was also still thinking about our kiss and how it felt real. Not like a stage kiss, I didn't mean it to be a stage kiss.

I was lost in thoughts when Ricky knocked on my dressingroom door.

"Hey man, how was walking Sophie home yesterday?" He asked.

"It was amazing! She's so sweet and invited me in for a drink." I said casually.

"That's it? You brought her home and then got a drink? Why don't I believe you man."

"What's going on?" Ashley asked who was now passing Aaron's dressingroom and overheard the story.

"I don't believe that Aaron just brought Sophie home yesterday and the only thing they did was have a drink." Ricky said.

"Oh I don't believe that either." Ashley said now looking at me.

I blushed and tried to look away, because I didn't want to tell them everything.

"Your blushing, now tell us what really happened." Ashley said.

"You guys really want to know?" I asked.

They both nodded yes.

So I told Ricky and Ashley the whole story. About watching tv and her asking me to stay over. How I was gonna sleep on the couch. But then we both felt lonely and fell asleep hugging each other in her bed.

Ashley and Ricky looked at me with wide open eyes.

"You guys really do like each other! Did you talk about what happened with her? About your feelings?" Ashley asked.

I told her we didn't and that I was scared she didn't feel the same way as I did.

"That's ridiculous mate, she just as crazy about you." Ricky said sure of himself.

"Why don't you go to her apartment again tonight after the show? Tell her how you really feel?" Ashely suggested.

"I have to think about that." I responded.

Ricky and Ashley knew I was right and that I needed some time to think. So they left my dressingroom to get ready for the show.

I also got myself ready for the show. I got dressed, did my stage make up and decided to post a picture of it in my Instagram stories.

Not many minutes later I got the notification that Sophie had liked my Instagram story. I blushed and smiled at the same time.

The first act went by pretty quick. It was a friday night so the audience was wild! There was a good energy.

During intermission I just chilled a little bit in my dressingroom and scrolled through Instagram. There was nothing special to see.

I still thought about what Ricky and Ashley had said about visiting Sophie tonight and I decided to do it. The worst thing that could happen, was that she would say she didn't have the same feelings.

I decided that I would text her after the show to see if she was still awake.

The second act also went by very quickly. I couldn't help but thinking of Sophie during 'Come what may'. I kinda saw it as our song now, because of how we had sang together.

In my dressingroom I removed my make up and dressed myself in my everyday clothes. I texted Sophie to see if she was awake and then I headed out for stagedoor.

Outside were many girls waiting. So I started at the beginning of the line signing all the playbills. 15 minutes later I was done and all the fans left stagedoor. I checked my phone to see if Sophie texted me back yet. But she hadn't. I decided to text her again. Actually I texted her twice. After a while I still hadn't had a response.

I knew that if I would go home I would feel sad, so I just started walking towards Sophie's apartment. Maybe she was busy watching netflix and didn't see my texts.

After 15 minutes I arrived at Sophie's apartment. I knocked on her door. It took a while to see action in the apartment. But after a minute or so I saw her looking through the whole in the door. My heart raged in my chest. Oh how I liked her. Sophie opened the door, started talking, but before I even knew what I did.. I kissed her right on the mouth.

SOPHIE POV:

Inside I freaked out about Aaron kissing me. But before I knew I was kissing him back.

We kissed for what it felt like was an eternity. But it was amazing and everything I hoped for.

He let go of the kiss first. We just looked at each other.

"I.. I.. I'm so sorry." He said nervous.

"Don't be!" Was the only thing I could say.

We looked in each others eyes, deep and long.

"D.. do you want to come in?" I asked.

He nodded yes and I let him in. Closing the door behind him. He walked to the couch and sat down.

"Something to drink?" I then asked.

"No thank you." He said.

I walked to the couch and sat down next to him. There was a silence and the only thing we did was looking at each other.

I looked at his lips, they were gorgeous and I wanted to kiss them again, it felt so good. I looked back into his eyes and then decided to do it. So this time I started the kiss.

He cupped my face with both his hands and kissed me back. Then one of his hands moved to my back and he pushed us closer together. Not losing the touch of our lips. His lips were so soft. He was an amazing kisser.

I let go of the kiss and looked into his eyes.

"Thank you." I said.

He chuckled at what I said.

"No, thank you Sophie! That was amazing."

I blushed at what he said and then he blushed too.

I laid my head on his shoulder and he held me close to him. I could hear his heart beating in his chest.

We were quiet for a few minutes.

"Sophie?" He then asked.

"Yes Aaron?"

"I like you very very much, and I've missed you like crazy today!"

I looked at him, he had tears in his eyes saying these words. One tear fell down his cheek and I rubbed it away with my thumb.

I cupped his cheek in my hand and said: "I like you very very much too Aaron. There wasn't one moment where I didn't think about you today."

We kissed again not letting each other go.

[freebooter4ever]

As epic as the hockey was last night - and it WAS lol especially the last period, jeff and i were on the edge of our seats. The best part though was a realization i had about this world im trying to break into.

See, my friend "paul" told me something before he left the city (and then got a new job in Japan a month later and im so jealous, he left me here all alone and sad and now he's off having even cooler adventures) - he said that the only way he got his promotion at his old company was by befriending his boss and going out for drinks after work. Which floored me.

And then thinking about the sculptor at l*ght box who blatantly and without shame announced in his presentation that every job he got, he got through friends that he would go out with to build relationships.

And then listening to the Legend talk about back in the day how the more experienced animators used to take him out to lunch when he was still 18, 19 and get him drunk as kind of a hazing ritual. And while the Legend's stories about being so tipsy he had to crawl back to his desk and then try to sit up and draw were absolutely hilarious, the stories made me despair because in an environment like that im not going to cut it.

My closest friends dont care that i dont drink - they've seen me dance, they know that i can act plenty dumb without a drop of alcohol. But people who don't know me well tend to project their own insecurities about alcohol onto me - if they feel guilt over maybe drinking too much they are going to hate me for my seeming judgement of them. (meanwhile im like man, i had to learn to deal with my drunken mother at the age of 14 who honestly was better when she was drunk because it was when she was sober that she was mean. Dealing with drunken friends who giggle a lot, throw up a little, come find me for help because theyre so high theyve lost their shoes and walked two blocks barefoot, and friends who sometimes need to be coaxed into a shopping cart to wheel them back to the car is easy by comparison, i am having fun, this is endlessly entertaining, im saving up fun story fodder for decades to come, no judgement, trust me)

Anyway, i have spent the past two months utterly despairing over the fact that i will never be the type of person who can 'network' properly, and i will never be able to form those 'genuine' bonds that make people want to find you a job.

BUT but. As i was sitting there during intermissions chatting with jeff (who is essentially my boss if it wasnt a 'volunteer' gig lol) and finding out about when he used to coach college soccer and even won a national title, and chatting about the museum and the next couple of months agenda, and chatting about upcoming events we've both been invited to. And i was like holy shit. This is it. Im networking properly \o/ and not a drop of alcohol required, AND its genuinely just two friends hanging out.

anyway, tldr, people who have already found success are gonna try to tell you that there's only one way to do things, and that if you aren't doing it right you need to change what you are doing and maybe your entire personality and do it correctly. Listen to them with a smile, agree with them, and then go do it your own way anyway. Even if its a little slower and less glamerous

[elitehoe]

Full Gear Predictions

BUY IN

Best Friends vs The Factory. How many times I gotta say I'm not rooting for that man QT. Besties for the win.

Eddie Kingston vs Jun Akiyama. I'm here for a damn good time ok. Either winner will please me

Ricky Starks vs Brian Cage. Ricky Starks next question.

MAIN SHOW

Chris Jericho vs Bryan Danielson vs Claudio Castagnoli vs Sammy Guevara. First off it's diabolical I keep having to see Bryan wrestle Jericho and Sammy on aew television. With that being said if Bryan loses another ppv match I'm going to move into a cave and never talk to anyone again.

Wardlow vs Samoa Joe vs Powerhouse Hobbs. Bitch big beefy men slapping meat that's what I want and that's what I will be seeing. Fuck the result, I'm here for the tiddies.

Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal vs Sting and Darby Allin. It's really nice of TK to give me a 20 minute intermission like I know I'm going to be an anxious mess waiting for the Elite or completely ruined from the Elite match so this is just so sweet of TK to give me an intermission!!!!

Jade Cargill vs Nyla Rose. I've predicted this to be one of my favorites. I want to see murder mommy Jade go absolutely feral, but I want Nyla to come out with the win. My original pick to dethrone Jade was Kris Stat, but as there has been no news on her recovery, I'll take Nyla for the win. Nyla and Stat can run it back at I don't know, Revolution this time for the TBS title.

Elite vs Death Triangle. Welcome home my loves!!! I want to see pure disastrous fashion, I want you to be loud, flashy, annoying and obnoxious upon your return. I hope you lose tho, love you ❤️❤️ !!!

Toni Storm vs Jamie Hayter. Jamie deserves this win and her first feud should be Britt to finally solidify herself against Britt and Rebel. If Toni retains its for the simple fact that they want to pick up with Toni vs Thunder once she returns, which is fine, but Jamie really does deserve this win.

Jungle Boy vs Luchasaurus. Here for the violence, here for all of the violence. I want to see them go at it, I want to feel like I'm watching jurassic park.

Britt Baker vs Saraya. I know Britt will take care of Saraya, which does calm my nerves a little, but I am wishing Saraya all the best vibes and luck during this match. I'm rooting for a good healthy safe match for both women!

The Acclaimed vs Swerve In Our Glory. Swerve goes feral and ends up costing Keith the match, which can hopefully give me the Swerve vs Keith feud I've been craving. Billy's hands magical heal so he can scissor his boys and the crowd can sing my favorite song.

Jon Moxley vs MJF. Max is winning and it is a well deserved win, I always pictured Max as champ after Hangman's reign. There was lots of obstacles to this, but Max will finally be champ and thats all that matters. Mox has been on another level this year and I'm giving him all his flowers, but as much as I love champ Mox he doesn't need this win. He also deserves a long vacation with his girls!

[girltomboy]

This week has been better at taking my mind off the shit that was bothering me. My bf and I managed to work out the one thing that was on his mind and stressing me out, but I feel some type of way about the fact that I had to be upset about it and it had to waste our precious time. Also we've been having these mild and petty communication issues, like during our calls I barely get to talk about stuff cause he's either not paying attention or he's making these crude jokes that I've pointed out before. And he still makes them. And when I get visibly upset and tell him to stop he gets confused and doesn't even acknowledge what I'm saying. I don't like having to ask to be listened?? Especially when it comes to serious matters. Like maybe it's my fault for letting too much slide, but also common sense exists and he's familiar with it. I can't imagine he doesn't know that behaviour is icky. But anyway I'm gonna bring it up soon and repeat myself if I have to... But it's not that huge a deal, just stuff that piles up and builds resentment.

So this week I worked at the office again with my work bestie, and on Tuesday we went out for dinner and had the most amazing meal at this one really good high quality cheap place. And our ex coworker came to the city too and joined us to say hi and chat. It was a lot of fun and I missed him. On Wednesday we went to this pub for "a quick glass of wine" cause we had to meet our other friend at another pub and help her out with quiz night. So we ordered 2 Sambucas and 2 glasses of rosé. Sambuca was BAD I HATE IT but the wine was so delicious we ordered another one each 🤭 and there was this lady walking around, and my friend said she looks like this actress from my country, let's say Judy. Then the waiter comes to our table and asks if we want to have a free taste of some rosé wine, so we're like sure! In the meantime we were trying to have a serious conversation for once, and then my friend's labradorite bracelet snaps and breaks, sending labradorite balls everywhere. We never tried to talk seriously again after that. Lo and behold the lady from earlier comes over to our table, introduces herself as JUDY, and starts talking about wine. My friend and I could barely hold back from exploding into hollering laughter, so we went outside for a cigarette afterwards. That's where the waiter finds us again and gives us 2 shots on the house. At this point it's like the universe is conspiring to get us drunk. So we paid and left to meet our friend for her quiz night, but we were already quite tipsy so we could not stop laughing like hyenas during the quiz & intermission. But we did help our friend grade the papers and calculate total points. And we had 2 more glasses of rosé 💀 bold of us! Some ppl actually came up to us and were like "sorry we just wanna say we love your vibes and were hoping you'll stay for karaoke" my man I am focusing on putting one foot in front of the other! But thank you sincerely for the offer ❤️ and it was none other but the "eraserhead haircut" guy that my friend pointed out to me and made me slide under the table with laughter. Anyway, yesterday I was all hungover and could barely work but today I'm better and looking forward to resting and chilling during the weekend. And I might go visit my parents at their new house soon! So very excited about that 💜