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princess-of-the-corner · 7 months ago

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Amnesia!Dabi

Ok, so like, I am going to preemptively apologize for how long this will probably be. I will be skipping around the timeline a bit, so if you see any plot holes, imagine that they happened off screen, or make up your own version of events! Cause I don’t know how likely this is, but it won’t leave my head till I write it down and share it!

(if brevity is the source of wit, then i am seriously short changed)

AHYWHO

(Okay this is a LOT so I’m gonna add my comments in parentasis and italics instead of at the end. Would love to color code it but for some reason I can’t do that rip)

a couple general ideas, so we know where everyone is.

The trial wraps up in Himiko’s favour. The Togas are arrested. Himiko (now a Todoroki) is technically going to U.A.. Really, she’s being tutored through U.A., as she’s still a bit “fragile” to be going into a regular school, and everyone is still a bit concerned about the LoV coming after her (I mean, not really, but any reason they can use is a brick in the wall that keep the HPSC FAR AWAY from Himiko). U.A. is also giving Himiko Quirk Training (something her parents never bothered with), and as Himiko improves, she’s spending a lot of time with Recovery Girl. Partly because using her Quirk, at the moment, can cause dizzy spells, partly because Himiko is seriously thinking about being a doctor at this point, and wants to use her Quirk to help people. RG has agreed to give her some pointers, and Himiko is basically interning with the woman now (calls her “Granny Chiyo”, & thinks she’s amazing). Himiko is also tentatively friends with a few U.A. students now - besides Shoto.

(She’s doing great! Get this girl some friends!! I think most of 1-A would jump immediately to friendship by now (both from Shoto’s talking and Katsuki being like ‘yeah she’s chill’ and seeing her parents) even if she’s just like ?????. Ya girl has a gameplan and she’s getting better!!!)

Dabi is … well, he now responds to Toya when people call him that. He mostly feels like Toya, too. Like, he, for the most part, feels “yes, that’s my name”. He doesn’t remember EVERYTHING (and being honest, probably never will) but he remembers enough that he’s getting bits and pieces of his old life back. He remembers his school friends, his teachers. His siblings. His parents … well, he remembers Rei. Enji … I headcanon any memories about Enji are the last things Dabi gets back. If he ever does. Most things he currently remembers about Enji aren’t so much about him, but about his absence. An empty training room. A spot at the dining table set up, but never filled. A feeling of heat, but Dabi can’t remember the source.

(SIDE TANGENT: part of my theory for all this is Dabi’s memories of Enji have gotten caught up in Dabi’s memories of the forest fire where he “died”, and his brain is still repressing that HARD. Basically until Dabi remembers any part of his “death”, his Enji related memories are going to be mostly out of reach.)

But, ya know, otherwise Dabi’s doing ok. He’s managing.

(So I said before but I think one of the things that’s hindering Dabi remembering Enji is how /different/ Enji is. Because the man got himself some help and his own mental health is better so he’s just. He’s there and encouraging and admits his faults. And that’s good! But it’s not triggering the memories of what he was like for a good chunk of time.)

Jin is … well, honestly, Jin’s probably the worst off right now. Like, he’s mostly healed at this point - physically. He’s walking around. He’s working with U.A. to figure out some things, LoV and otherwise. He’s, weirdly, made friends with Lunch Rush, and spends a few days a week helping out at the school cafeteria. Also made buddies with Hound Dog, they like shooting the shit together.

But Jin’s also having lots of nightmares. He’s basically insomniac. He catnaps, and wakes up screaming more often than not. His Quirk being stolen has really messed him up. Like, you’d think it would AT LEAST help with his identity problems. Which, if you want to get EXTREMELY TECHNICAL, it has! By kicking his old identity problems to the curb in exchange for brand new ones! So, Jin is having a ROUGH GO OF IT right now. However, he isn’t being left to drown. He has friends. Nezu himself managed to find the guy a therapist. He’s trying some medication that seems to be helping. He is coping and getting better.

(oof. Yeah no it. I talked on it before but being without your Quirk absolutely fucks you up. He’s getting help but that’s gonna leave a mark.)

Magne, by contrast, is doing GREAT. Leaving the LoV when she did basically started a domino chain effect that’s set her up to be in a pretty great place. She’s working at a small, underground clinic that caters to people who, for whatever reason, don’t feel comfortable going to regular hospitals. Quirk status, prejudice, possible crimes, lack of money. It’s run by an old couple with some fairly balanced healing Quirks, and their apprentices. Magne works the front, as both receptionist and security. The Doctors are both kind, compassionate people - if a bit grumpy - and while they can’t pay Magne a lot of money, they CAN get her any medicines or drugs she needs free of charge, which means Magne is doing fairly well for herself. She has her own apartment, but visits the Todoroki’s fairly often, where she has a standing invitation to stay over whenever she needs to. Enji is also helping cover certain “expenses” to help Magne out.

(Note: I remember what you said about the HPSC being transphobic, and that’s why they can’t get Magne - “Oh, you’re looking for a man? Well, we just had this lovely lady over for tea!” - but I kind of ran with that, so Magne is in the middle of medically transitioning. Enji has helped set her up with records, so she’s officially “Magne Smith” or similar, and has basically gaslit the HPSC that Magne’s deadname is a completely different person who’s run off to Tibet or something.)

(Honestly? Good for her! I love this.)

Now, let’s jump over to the League for a hot second.

The League is doing … not great. They have, at this point, figured out Jin didn’t just run off, but they are extremely confused and wary. Compress managed to contact Magne, and while she was reluctant, she’s given them a VERY basic run down - how Himiko’s doing, Dabi’s status … and the fact that Jin doesn’t have his Quirk anymore.

The League knows there’s basically only one way that could have happened. But none of them really know what to do. Compress has nowhere else to go at the moment. Spinner and Kurogiri refuse to leave Tomura behind. And Tomura couldn’t leave, even if he wanted too. (And at this point, he’s beginning to …)

So that’s the general state of things, when Overhaul comes calling. At first, the meeting seems like it will go the same … except no one gets torn apart, cause Tomura says “yes” to joining up right away. So, when the Raid happens, the LoV are all there. It both changes things, and nothing at all. The Raid happens mostly the same. Overhaul goes nuts, Deku straps Eri to his back and fights him one on one. However, at the end, when Eri’s losing control, before Aizawa gets there, Compress gets there first. He manages to get Eri off Deku, and traps her in one of his spheres, which apparently negates her Quirk briefly … though not before Compress himself is de-aged (his bio says he’s 32, so let’s say … cut his age in half, he’s now physically 16. Congrats, you get to relive puberty).

See, I like to imagine this was Compress’s turning point. While working with Overhaul, Compress gets drafted to work with Eri for a bit. And Compress is horrified by the state this poor kid is in. Like, they all are, but for Compress, it hits him HARD. I imagine his own childhood wasn’t great, and he’s getting hit with “Similar situation, but this is SO MUCH WORSE”. And now not a single one of them trust AfO even REMOTELY, so Compress is struggling to think of a way to help Eri without causing all of them to go down in a fiery blaze. When the Raid happens, Compress basically goes “Welp, this is my best shot!”, and does his best to help the heroes. He makes sure Nighteye doesn’t die, and keeps a couple of the kids from being shot (though not Mirio, unfortunately). When Compress sees Eri losing control at the end, he doesn’t even think. He just moves.

When Aizawa shows up, Compress releases Eri, and her Quirk is nullified. Compress then surrenders to Aizawa, and U.A. (somewhere, a HPSC Agent feels a sense of dread). After some time, U.A. decides to release Compress into Endeavour’s custody (the Agent wonders why they want to bash their head against a wall), and Enji decides hosting them ALL at his house might not be the best, so Magne offers her spare room. Compress starts adjusting to the fact he’s physically a teenager again - someone jokes about him signing up for U.A..

(Oh fucking RIP to getting de-aged he absolutely hates it but hey /technically/ he’s now underage which means getting him protected from the Commission is easier.)

Now, jumping around a bit, why does Tomura join up with Overhaul? Well, this time? He had orders. When the Heroes look through the base, they can’t find ANY of the Quirk Cancelling bullets. They find the research, and a few samples, but all of the PRODUCT is gone. Then, on the way to Tartarus, Overhaul’s transport is attacked … and Overhaul is taken. The Public is told minimal information. The Heroes are told he escaped.

(AfO smiles. He has another part of his plan.)

[Note: my general idea at this point is AfO is realizing his plan for Tomura is kind of falling apart. So, he’s thinking of backups. By utilizing Jin’s Quirk, and Overhauls, plus a few others, he’s hoping to make himself a new, back up body, up in case Tomura doesn’t work out. As Mimi pointed out, he doesn’t technically NEED Tomura for his plan. Using Tomura was more about the style points, with the kid being Nana’s grandson.]

(You’re absolutely right about the style points thing like I went on a tangent either here or in discord on how I kinda questioned AfO’s choices in backup bodies because Tomura was his first choice and then supposedly Toya was a backup if Tomura didn’t work out but like. Other than style points neither of them are really /good/ for this whole thing because he should really be going after someone whose body is capable of handling multiple Quirks due to his own Quirk’s nonsense. But also like. No way in hell is AfO going to just let Tomura leave at this point, even if he’s no longer useful as a new body.)

#submission #amnesia!dabi

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valandhirwriter · 5 months ago

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This ask game: https://www.tumblr.com/insomniac-arrest/172010772777/writing-asks?source=share

for A reason to live. I read that one again yesterday and I still love it. So my questions are:

💎- What was your favorite part? (Mine is certainly when Emhyr decides he rather dies with Geralt than to go on alone)

🗝️-What were you thinking when you wrote it?

☠️- Did you consider killing off any of the characters?

🎁- Any writing advice for people who want to write something like this?

Thanks to @do-androids-dream-ao3acc for asking me.

💎- What was your favorite part? (Mine is certainly when Emhyr decides he rather dies with Geralt than to go on alone)

My favourite parts where those with Adan, honestly. I had super-fun writing him.

Triss had gone deadly pale. “That should not have happened,” she said softly. “This should have put him to sleep. I have never seen anything like it before.”

“I have,” Adan said his voice having a very strange tone.

Emhyr arched an eyebrow. The cat witcher was paranoid bordering on crazy at times, and he certainly was feared by the assassin’s guild. Healing was usually not his providence. “You have seen this before?” he asked to clarify. “Where?” He prayed it had not been a substance or means Adan had once used in a successful kill, some murderous substance out of the cat’s cookbook.

Adan looked at him, his eyes strangely wide, making his youthful face appear strangely younger still. “The grasses,” he said, his voice without tone or inflexion. “They do have the same effect. Cedric… he once told me that exotic creature poisons can - in rare cases - trigger a spontaneous mutagenic reaction, much like the grasses do. It has been lethal in ninety per cent of all cases.”

🗝️-What were you thinking when you wrote it?

I honestly was inspired by your story "Across the waves" where Emhyr is worried greatly about Geralt, and I thought it might be interessting to push him to the very real chance of losing Geralt.

☠️- Did you consider killing off any of the characters?

Yes, I had first considered on going through with it, and let Geralt die of the poison, and either show Emhyr's heartbreak at his husband's death or show Emhyr taking his own life in consequence. But as it was a birthday gift, I decided a happy end would be much better.

🎁- Any writing advice for people who want to write something like this?

If it hurts you, it will affect others. Go in deep, allow your characters to feel, and allow yourself to feel what they feel, and then allow that to become words. It's straining and not healthy all the time but in moderate doses it is fun.

#ask game #fun game #writer asks #tell us about your stories

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sparkedblaze · 1 year ago

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Have you seen the 1992 newsies movie and if so what are your kid blink thoughts?

Yes I have. Not as much as I’ve seen Livesies (I saw Livesies first) but I’ve still seen it way too many times

(Idk if this is the same anon, but someone asked about Elmer earlier, and I must also direct you to @newsie-collective because the hcs are p rad)

Kid Blink 🥰🥰🥰

His real name is Louis Balett or Ballat or Baletti (depending on sources. I think the widely accepted version is Baletti)

He was an actual newsie!! He was the face of the strike, and gave many speeches, some of which he earned awards for ‘best speech of the evening’ and stuff. He was very charismatic and was good at moving crowds with said speeches.

He had red hair irl, and he went by other names like ‘Red Blink’, ‘Blind Diamond’, and ‘Muggsy McGee’

He was accused of betraying the strike (and is probably the reason Jack betrays them and takes the bribe and such), of which some sources say he was acquitted, though he still stepped down

He was arrested during the strike

That’s all I know about the real Kid Blink

Now for the fun stuff 🥰

Kid Blink, the Newsies newsie, is quick to anger, and can hold a grudge for ages

He is still good at rallying the others, but in more of a Chad Danforth way rather than a Troy Bolton way.

He and Mush are definitely together, though Blink struggles to come to terms with the fact that he’s gay.

It’s my personal hc that he opened the bar that would eventually become Stonewall Inn (because the real Louis Baletti was a saloon keeper, and was rumored to have worked with the mafia)

He’s def got a crush on Specs and Tommy, but isn’t sure how to approach that fact

And then Skittery comes and he’s not only got a crush but has an insane urge to protect (which Skit does not appreciate)

In public he’s very charismatic, easily tricks people into buying papes that they def don’t need, and almost definitely don’t want to read.

Rarely uses his blindness as a crutch for selling, can and will soak anyone that insinuates that it’s the only reason he sells so well.

Is actually Jack’s right hand, not Mush (like he claims to be)

Isn’t good with kids, so he tends to stay away from the littles

Unless they’re building with Specs. He always likes seeing what they build.

Insomniac. Always tired. Rarely sleeps. Has to have weight on him, which Mush is happy to provide.

If he gets arrested, he gives the cops a different fake name so it can’t be on his rap sheet.

They know it’s the same kid, but they can’t prove it, so they write whatever name he gives them (but file it in the same folder. He has to give them his real name eventually)

Smokes to take the edge off, especially after a rough day

Lmk if you have any more questions!!

#newsies #livesies #92sies #kid blink #anon asks #thanks anon!

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bi-spy-who-might-be-high · 2 years ago

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Source: i got them all from quiz quotev but the first one im not sure where it actually came from and tried to use google to find but that didnt work. The second one is from insomniac-arrest on Tumblr?? And lastly diabetic deity on twitter

#lgbtq #lgbtq pride #encouragement #nonbinary pride #trans pride #wlw pride #bi pride #lesbian pride #pan pride #asexual pride

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stxphxn-strange · 4 years ago

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Tony: If you want the rewards of being my lover you have to submit to the mortifying ordeal of zigazig ah.

Stephen: What does this mean.

#tony stark #stephen strange #ironstrange #incorrect ironstrange #source: tumblr #source: insomniac-arrest #source: some-in-a-million #the spice girls

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incorrect-promare-quotes · 5 years ago

Conversation

Kray: I’ve decided to stop ‘getting in touch with my emotions’ and instead focus on being sexy and cool like God intended.

#promare #kray foresight #promare spoilers #if we're going to talk abt how promare can be analogous to being out of the closet #then kray's character is abt repression and internalized homophobia send tweet #source: tumblr #source: insomniac-arrest

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totallylegit-sixofcrows · 7 years ago

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here’s our take

#soc #six of crows #not isoc born and raised #alignment chart #grid meme #source of grid: insomniac-arrest #inspired by alphacrone #art is the official six of crows art by kevin wada #400+

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blueberry-sleight · 1 year ago

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you know what sure. not even in a kink way like, you know that post about giving your faves disabilities/disorders/ect. and not-romantizing it? this is that for med

Edit: found it: https://www.tumblr.com/genderdoe-sly/695595325832970240/insomniac-arrest-wizardlyghost-insomniac-arrest?source=share

Annie Edison from Community has vaginismus

#annie edison #tw medical disorder

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woo-tori · 1 year ago

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forgot to put the inspiration here my bad https://www.tumblr.com/goatposter/733615567876112384/insomniac-arrest-satisfactoryanswer123?source=share

back with milk woo

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softcvres · 5 years ago

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this is 49803 years late because i’ve just been a busy bee this whole weekend ! but it’s here now ! if you’ve missed my intro @ my minjun account do not worry ! but !! it’s me andy , back again with my second chara ( whom ive already plotted with several people uhfj ) i’m twenty one years old , living in the pst tz & i go by she / her pronouns ! & without further adieu , introducing my second child ! seo taejoon !!

TW : mentions of drugs , drug overdose , mentions of suicide , drug abuse , adhd , insomnia ( please tell me if i’ve missed anything )

「 jung jaewon. ’95 liner. agender. they/them & he/him. 」 ✧ don’t look now, but i’m pretty sure that’s seo taejoon ( june ). you know, the soloist who debuted in 2016 and remind me of dean. they’re originally from seoul, south korea and have been under marathon entertainment for ten years. they’re known to be benevolent and incisive but are often criticized for being aloof and enigmatic.

wikipedia....

name : seo taejoon . stage name : june . age : twenty four . gender : agender . pronouns : he / him ( publicly & to people they aren’t out to ) , they / them ( close friends & people they’re out to ) date of birth : august 28, 1995 . place of birth : seoul , south korea . star sign : virgo . occupation : soloist at marathon entertainment . status : on hiatus .

biography

early life

june was born seo taejoon on august 28 , 1995 in seoul , south korea , but grew up in seattle , washington . he is the youngest of two children , with an older sister . june first aspired to be a singer in middle school after being forced to join show choir for extracurricular credits , he eventually started perfecting his craft after feeling the energy , adrenaline rush with performing . june then joins marathon entertainment after being recruited off the streets of myeongdong whilst shopping with his parents .

personal life

little is known about the up and coming rnb artist , except for the fact that his social media has been a hotspot for numerous debacle within the community .

a memoir

noun noun: memoir; plural noun: memoirs 1. a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or special sources.

✧ a child with a penchant for adrenaline , for the rush . a child that crashes and burns more often than not . a child too jittery , too restless . it’s adhd , the doctors said without a thought , without considering that taejoon was just a growing boy . then a few years later they’ll change their mind and say it’s anxiety . ✧ yet the itch , the need to feel the adrenaline pumping in their blood never stopped , never wavered , it only continued to grow as the years go by , subdued for a short amount of time when taejoon finds a new interest , a new hobby ✧ a kid with a lot of potential and a lot of talent , only wasted away by taking dangerous amounts narcotics , because of course the doctor said they’re insomniac because they don’t sleep often ✧ few years later , their psychologists gets arrested for being part of a kickback scam , for accepting bribes from up and coming pharmaceutical companies that’s looking to sell their hazardous products ✧ but they don’t stop taking them , they don’t stop sleeping because they don’t know who they are without them , without their help . ✧ they were thirteen when they saw a glimpse of the gates of heaven , they were thirteen when they found out what fear and anxiety really felt like , they were thirteen when they found out what death felt like . a void , a nothing . ✧ the next year , the whole family moves back to seoul , wanting nothing but to bury the past and never look back . but this time , there were no pills to help , there were no doctors to see . ✧ the same year , found the family being chased down by a recruiter of sorts because taejoon had the face the whole world would love , a voice the whole world would melt over for ✧ but what was the point of recruiting someone only to put them in the back burner for a while , what was the point of promising them bigger things if they were going to be pushed aside for a while ✧ seven years . it took seven years before they finally released them from the dungeon , seven years before they were finally standing on the stage ✧ and it took two years before the adrenaline wore off and they were back to nothing , to looking for themselves

career

2018 - present : HIATUS

in late 2018 , following the release of his single “ generation why , “ june had taken an indefinite hiatus for health reasons . in an instagram posts , june had apologize to his fans for this sudden hiatus and for having to make them wait for a while for his full album that should’ve been released along with his single .

#ment.intro #002 .　　DEMEANOR　　/　　 ❛ 　 i left myself behind on that lake .#tw : long post #tw : adhd #tw : drugs #tw : suicide #tw : insomnia

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sunsetcento · 5 years ago

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Poet in Digital Residence Diary 14.11.19

Early this morning, around 1 AM (IST), I had the urge to write a poem. I was sleepless and overwrought -- am sure you know how I feel when I write that I had some emotion brewing in me that I felt should come out, yet I couldn’t articulate it; didn’t have the words; although Kaveh Akbar’s ‘I won’t lie this plague of gratitude’ has been running through my head for days and still is, I knew I couldn’t top it; I wanted to write something like that, or make something like that, but not quite that; it was in the field of my feeling; wanting to be more content and yes, grateful, than what I am; the idea of learning how to love one at a time arrests me. At this, I have failed.

It’s crass of me now to link an insomniac morning, the dead of night if you like, with no sun to be seen or remembered, to this project, but they’re not unconnected. There’s a whisper of continuity in my tired thoughts today.

The poems I will be making are not about me, not sourced from inside myself -- this is my shift in focus from my practice of solo-authored text poetry (excluding influences). What I find is that digital poetry needs painstaking composition and can’t just be blurted out in a ragged draft of confessional blather. This I comprehend at a regular hour, but this morning, from too much of a self-centric position. Akbar’s poem I wanted entirely, not in fragments, not to grow something from. My recollection of it, even in pleasure at Akbar’s words, was an indulgence in envy.

I return now at 5 PM (IST), about fifty minutes before sunset in Hyderabad, to the relief of late afternoon, when everything seems more manageable to me, even though no progress has perhaps been made (that’s worthwhile too). Concepts are clarified: I am not the focus. I have made another call out to people for their sunset fragments. This is a community project and my plague of gratitude concentrates on having such a community to reach towards -- a community that responds generously, as fulsome as the light before the sun sets.

From about May this year, I was planning for this residency and knew that come the northern hemisphere’s fall, it I would be living in a country not my home. I hurriedly transcribed excerpts from The Milkman by Anna Burns (London: Faber & Faber, 2018), knowing that I would be leaving my copy behind me. Burns’ last question does indeed make me wonder how unsettling sunset might be; or to what part of it (and part of this project), we might respond to, capture, compass, understand. Attempting to make sense of the subject through others’ interpretations is surely one part of this, even if the contexts keep changing and a conclusion is never met. Night follows sunset, but the earth, like perspective, keeps rotating.

‘ ...I wasn't confident that sunset was acceptable as a topic to mention to anybody’ (p46).

Sunset in Begumpet, Hyderabad (submitted by Vishal).

‘It wasn't just sunsets I didn't understand. I didn't understand stars or moons or breezes or dew or flowers or the weather or the avidity some people took -- older people took -- in what time they were going to bed at, and what time the following day they were going to get up at, also what Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature it was outside, and what Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature it was inside...Same too, with sunsets because it was not being labelled a beyond-the-pale young person and maybe-boyfriend, who was young himself -- only two years older than me -- shouldn’t be understanding and appreciating either, what nobody our age would be odd enough to notice was there. Faced with his behaviour, and with this skyscape in front of me, and with the expectation I was supposed to observe it, witness it, attend in some way and have an appropriate reaction to it, I stood beside him and looked and nodded even though I didn’t understand what it was I was looking and nodding at’ (p75).

Sunset in Manila, Philippines

‘...but two sunsets in a week when before that there hadn't been any sunsets -- that must mean something. Question was, was it a safe something or a threatening something? What was it, really, I was responding to here?’ (p77)

Sunset in Adelaide, Australia

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bluebuzzmusic · 5 years ago

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Man Caught Stealing 30+ Phones at Electric Daisy Carnival Orlando

An Orlando man has been charged with grand theft after being accused of stealing more than 30 phones at a music festival.

Police arrested Carlos Perez-Hernandez, 34, as the culprit. He allegedly jacked the phones from people attending Electric Daisy Carnival Orlando over the weekend.

An eye-witness spotted a man pickpocketing in the crowd near the kineticFIELD stage. Investigators soon caught up with Perez-Hernandez and found 34 phones in his backpack.

Authorities said all the devices — some the latest iPhone and Samsung models — were set to airplane mode to prevent victims from tracking their phones.

Unfortunately, we’ve heard of similar cases like this, including the time a man was caught with over 100 phones at Coachella.

Source: Click Orlando | Photo via Ivan Meneses for Insomniac Events

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Man Caught Stealing 30+ Phones at Electric Daisy Carnival Orlando

source https://www.youredm.com/2019/11/12/man-steals-over-30-phones-edc-orlando/

#edm #music #music production #music news #edm news

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kat-luv · 3 years ago

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Source- @insomniac-arrest

getting over the fear of being bad is so fucking hard… like, it’s literally a super power if you can start something and say ‘it doesn’t matter if it’s bad, it just matters that it exists’

‘bad’ is so terrifying, ‘bad’ is wrecking, and the ability to apply self-compassion to things deemed ‘bad’ is beyond amazing, to understand not everything in life will be ‘good’ and that’s okay

essays, art, novels, school, relationships, anyone out there starting things when they are terrified of the arbitrary metric of the result… I am so fucking proud of you, you are so brave and strong

keep starting new things, even if ‘bad’ is a possibility

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filmforager · 2 years ago

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Decision to Leave: Review

Widow’s Peak

Look beyond the brutal violence and octopus eating, and there’s always been an undercurrent of romance to the films of Park Chan-wook. But while he flirted with themes of forbidden love in The Handmaiden and yes, even Oldboy, his latest film is probably the closest we’ll ever get to a Park Chan-wook rom-com. Well, a rom-com with an artful shot of an ant-ridden eyeball, that is.

This being Chan-wook, Decision to Leave is a romance story embedded in moral murkiness. Set in Busan, South Korea, we follow Hae-jun (Park Hae-il), an insomniac detective who puts more passion into his job than his joyless marriage. But Hae-jun’s usually upright moral code is put to the test when he becomes increasingly drawn to Seo-rae (Tang Wei), a Chinese caregiver who may or may not be responsible for the murder of her husband.

As Hae-jun is pulled closer and closer to the prime suspect of his murder case, so too are we the viewers. While Chan-wook tones down the violence compared to his other works, watching Hae-jun and Seo-rae simply share words is no less magnetic, especially as mounting evidence - her husband was abusive, she doesn’t grieve - give their conversations an added edge. To emphasize the intensity of Hae-jun’s obsession, there are tantalizing sequences where he imagines himself next to Seo-rae during his illicit late-night stakeouts, so close yet so far.

Chan-wook shows a masterful grasp of the murder mystery format, while adding his own stylistic visual flourishes. Aided by the immersive cinematography of Ji-yong Jim, one dazzling, vertigo-inducing scene sees Hae-jun experience a real-time reconstruction of the murder on the mountain where it took place. At other times, he injects this detective story with the comedy of a buddy cop film, with Hae-jun’s hapless sidekicks (Go Kyung-pyo and Kim Shin-young) proving a reliable source of laughs.

If the twists and turns lack the impact of Oldboy or The Handmaiden, this compensates with the searing chemistry of its central pairing. To their credit, you’re much more interested in how the relationship will develop than you are to any supposed whodunnit. While Hae-jun is compelling as a tormented man conflicted between duty and his attraction, Seo-rae is a charming and mercurial presence as the widow who may be hiding something beneath the surface. With close-ups and terrific sound design intensifying every breath and physical touch, you can cut the sexual tension with a knife - right up to it’s stunning ending. You’ll never look at lip balm the same way again!

A beguiling, visually arresting and utterly stylish romantic thriller, powered by assured direction and the palpable chemistry of Hae-il and Wei.

★★★★

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