#this was written at 2 am

[sakurasfallingstar]

ShiSaku Week: Day 7

Shisui is an idiot.

The biggest idiot I ever met.

Ever since Danzo had raged war against my shishō with root, nothing had been the same. My once peaceful home became a battle field. Children were constantly being left orphaned left and right from families crossfire, and parents would often be loosing their own children as well.

Bodies and kunai were often scattered left and right. Most of us had to stoop low and steal supplies from fallen comrades and enemies. We just had to survive.

My team are stationed I'm the front lines along with the majority of Konoha 11. We used to be 12, but we lost Neji a while back.

Turns out he'd do anything to ensure Hinata's survival.

Anyways, with so many people with kekkei genkai dying, Danzo would have his ninjas prioritize on steeling them. Be it from their their DNA to their eyes. The Uchiha's where especially targeted.

There was one time, Shisui held a dying 12 year old clan member in his arms. You could tell that the kid, was in pain from not just the fatal spinal wound, but from the fact that their eye sockets were empty. Shisui did his best to comfort and get information from the preteen.

'Who did this to you," he asked, gently.

" Danzo. Ambush. My team... dead," the child said.

That would be the last thing they ever said.

Shisui was never the same after that. He's always had a soft spot for kids, alway trying to lead fights away from civilian shelters or districts. When he worked with genius he'd often have them doing something away from the battle, like evacuation.

Now that a family member, who still had so much in life to experience, died in his arms: I could see that he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.

I tried to reach out to him calm him down before he did something that would endanger not just himself but those who care for him. He ran off before I could do anything.

Now I'm here, running through the trees as fast as I could. I may not be the best sensor, but I am moderately good enough. It helps that I've worked closely with him, that I've grown familiar with his chakra.

It was easy to pinpoint at this point.

But by the time I had reached his location, his left eye had been bleeding, and was shut. Meanwhile, across the battle field was Danzo. Let's just say what lies under his bandages is no longer a secret.

Just as Danzo ran to deliver the finishing blow, likely wanting to get his hands on Shisui's right eye, I shunshined toward him. With my arms wrapping around his shoulders, I once more flicking away as far as I could. Once we were safe, I began the healing process of his eye.

"You do know what you just did was stupid, right," I informed him.

He said nothing in reply. I get he's probably feeling like shit right now, but he need to understand what his actions caused. What his actions cause me to feel in that time span.

"Shisui-,"

"I get it Sakura! I messed. I shouldn't have gone alone, but you don't get it. That was a family member, and tou saw what Danzo did with those eyes," he yelled, and honestly as much a I am sympathizing him, I am also slightly infuriated.

How dare he assume I don't know what it was like to loose someone I cared for deeply. Especially, since he knows what happened to my mother in the beginning of the war. Know how many patients I couldn't same after getting close to the.

My silence must of been enough for him to realize what he implied. I finished up healing the eye tissue, and covered it up as quickly as I could. I did not want to explode and say something that could ruin what ever our relationship is called.

"Sakura, I- I'm sorry I didn't mean for it to come out that way. I just," he said tailing off at the end, my was already to him at this point.

"Please, say something Sakura."

"You can be such a hero, you know that. You not only put yourself in danger, but you disregarded how it'd affect those around you.

How'd it affect me.

You could have died. You could have broken your promise you made me after my mom died. Do you know what that would have done to me," I informed him, finally turning back to look at him.

To hell with the fact that my eyes are tearing up. He needed to see what he caused me to feel.

Suddenly his arms where around me, in a tight hug. Wrapping my arms around his wait,I buried my face in the the crook of his neck.

"I am so sorry, Sakura. I promised I'd never leave you, and your right. I did almost break it, but it was thanks to you that I'm here. That danzo does not have my other eye,' he said, as he pulled away.

Hie gave me a smile, and placed two fingers against my forehead.

Maybe. Maybe I could not be angry with him right now. Perhaps, I should be happy that I can still hold him in my arms.

No matter how stupid he is, or how big of a jerk he is; he'll also be my stupid jerk that I love.

Plus, he'll be the one filling in Tsunade shishō on today's events. Not me.

@shisakuweek

[obsob]

oooooooooough i love you i love you i love you!!!! hand in loving hand !!!!!!

[dunmeshistash]

How do you feel about Milsiril? Like what do you think of her interactions between the canaries, her goals, her intentions and morality? I keep seeing people with mixed feelings about her, some saying she's just toxic or morally grey or doing bad but with good intentions or that she's just a mentally ill and literally so much more, also with the comic about Otta calling Milsiril love for her children/Kabru as just love for a pet, I always saw people take it at face value and say yes, Milsiril did love them more as pets instead of children, did she take up raising/adopting non-elf children because she felt like none of them could ridicule her like the elves did because they didn't know what an elf was supposed to be like (and also because they were children) or did she inherently view them as less? I mean the canaries and I'm pretty sure almost all of the cast in dungeon meshi have some sort perspective on different races especially because how they were taught about them, i just think it was interesting to finally see someone interpret it as Otta just misinterpreting Milsiril, I'm just really interested in her, i think shes neat, sorry for the rant!

Ooh, well to preface this, I hadn't really realized Milsiril was such a controversial character before my last post, I kinda live under a rock. She's really not a character I had given much thought besides what I wrote there before it, but I can do my best to express what I have thought since, with sources for it. I'm not sure what order to go thru so I'll just go by manga appearances and then extras, this will probably be quite a long post

This is the first time she shows up in the manga (ch55) Kabru is wondering about what future they might have if the elves take them into custody because of the ancient magic, he thinks about Milsiril as a get out of jail card, and mentions "There's a chance they would make us become permanent resident of the elven lands." with the image of Milsiril holding him. I don't think that means she would be the one to not let them leave, since this would probably be an legal issue, and the fact Milsiril lives away from other Elves. It does set up that Milsiril is quite overprotective tho, with Kabru's reaction to her teary hug. (rest is under a cut)

The next time she shows up is in ch61 right after Kabru falls down the dungeon along with Mithrun, he faints and has this flashback

She's being her overbearing self treating Kabru's small injury as if its something you need to be in bed for, hand feeding him like he's a toddler, and when he insists he wants to learn how to fight and be strong like her, she hugs him revealing to us for the first time her arm scars, she's cleary in distress too, so you wonder "what has happened to her?"

It continues in the next pages, as she tells him to stay there, where it's safe and there's cake, and describes the bad things he might encounter. Until he tells her he will go with or without her help

Honestly this is a Kabru we don't see often, this is the version of him that is usually in thought bubbles, he's blowing out in frustation over being smothered and demanding straight up what he wants, instead of trying to manipulate Milsiril, very blunt for him. Milsiril seems to flip a switch into battle mode, when she decides to train him for real.

I really thought this was funny, the visual of these cuddly toys and this Mom that was being so soft just a second ago completely flipping into something menacing is very amusing to me. She says "I'll give you an exhaustive, thorough training in how to use a sword... until you finally decide that you're ready to give up." although it sounds cruel, it seems she really trained him as best she could to make sure he would survive the dungeon. If he couldn't take the training with her there was no way he would be able to take on the dungeon, but he could, so much so that he managed to make her let him go. I can see this being seen as her trying to prevent him from going but to me it seems more like some tough love from a traumatized war veteran in this case.

The last thoughts he has is admitting his Mom was right, "Not only were there plenty of traps, monsters, and malice... but there were times when I felt so hungry and cold that I couldn't stand it."

And he concludes with "I never once thought that I wanted to go back there. That room where I could eat all the cake that I wanted..." While I can understand the interpretation that he means he would rather go thru all this than go back, perhaps cause he hated it there, I think it's rather a statement to how committed he is to defeating the dungeon, the visuals show him in rubble vs him in a soft big bed, the rough reality he fought to be able to face and the comfyness of what his life could be. Plus is mirroring exactly what Milsiril said to him. Admitting she was right about the bad things but that he won't give up for the safe easy life he had.

After that visuals of Milsiril are used while Kabru tries to sus out Mithrun but she shows up again in Mithrun's backstory.

Here she's straight up called Gloomy, which wasn't really the version of her we saw so far, gotta remember this is also how Mithrun saw her and that she was called gloomy as a way of bullying. Kabru mostly cuts off her part in the story until the end, when she's the one to find Mithrun after he was eaten by the demon

She doesn't really care much for Mithrun as we see in some extras, and she was ready to mercy kill him, but she is also the one to spare his life. This could be seen as her thinking he can still be of use, and it's how it sounds with how Kabru tells the story, but I do think this was also a merciful act, Mithrun was in rehabilitation for 20 years after being saved, by the time he was actually useful for anything Milsiril had already left the canaries and adopted Kabru.

Now for extras... About Mithrun/The Canaries, Milsiril was cleary someone that hated the people around her. This is her extra in the Adventurer's Bible

Milsiril seems to be the type that hates "popular kids" so to say, her description says she was bullied by other elves for being so introverted so I believe she holds a grudge against people like Mithrun that seem to have succeeded where she failed. But realizing he was a twisted person like her seemed to make her feel more sympathetic towards him, that's why I think she really did act with mercy when she saves Mithrun, he's now someone she sees as similar to her, she sees he also suffered like her

Her decription also mentions she left the canaries specifically because she was disgusted with how the Utaya situation was dealt with. Yet it seems like she came back to help Mithrun with his rehabilitation once she quits.

There's an interpretation to be made that she did this only to get "revenge" on the demon since she just saw the destruction of Utaya, and that she's using him. On the other hand maybe she wants to help him find a motivation to live, she's no longer a canary and she has time to actually help him now. I don't know which one is the truth but it's not obviously something self-serving if you ask me. Especially in the context that right before this scene Milsiril admits she wishes they could have talked before.

My interpretation of her relationship with the canaries and other elves is that she's someone depressed that was mistreat for her 'quirky' side, the dolls are clearly one of the ways she used to cope with anxiety/depression but it only caused her to be bullied by her own kin, she's the daughter of an important family and it's shown in other extras, including one about Mithrun, that nobles often send out the kids they don't want around to become canaries. It's an easy way to get rid of someone undesirable and I think it was the case for Milsiril. (Pattadol even assumes her parents love her less than her sisters for sending her to join the canaries).

No wonder than that now that she's finally free from the canaries she chose to seek her own happiness away from the society she felt she could never fit into, she clearly likes to take care of children too, I think it's mean to assume she only likes them because she feels superior to them when there's no indication that this is the case.

And I don't think it's a coincidence she's so overprotective of Kabru after Utaya, it's literally the tragedy that was the breaking point for her, and he's a surviving small child from that tragedy, Milsiril cares about Kabru and wanted him to have a comfortable safe life after everything he went thru...

This ended up getting way too long so I'll make second part tomorrow about the rest of the extras and Kabru, and some other things I've seen said about Milsiril, but to answer the questions...

I don't think she treats her children as pets, Otta is just salty she was called out for dating like Leo Dicaprio.

Every single dungeon meshi character can be called morally grey because they all have flaws that in our world can be considered unforgivable, but they don't live in our world. To me Milsiril is doing her best in the context she lives in.

Who even is neurotypical in dungeon meshi, Milsiril is yet another flavour of a neurodivergent traumatized character among so many.

I believe she thought of the other canaries, especially Mithrun, as the same type of people that were cruel to her, probably because some of them really were, but that she generalized it to the point she thinks of all of them as bad by default. You can only get hurt so many times before you assume everyone will hurt you.

Part 2

[djotime-allthetime]

Freaky Redheads

synopsis: interactions between you and fred hechinger at a red carpet event for gladiator ii.

wc: 2.5k+

rpf!!! don't like, don't read!!!

a/n: i love that soft, sweet, adorable man with all of my heart. my inspiration is how fred talks about sherry. the monkey. i'm down bad bro.

italics are supposed to be comments under tiktok clips of these interviews. i definitely have more in mind for these two, but we'll see how this goes. feedback is writer's fuel!

cross posted on AO3

next part>>

The flashing cameras and yelling reporters have started to become the new normal, which was so not normal for you. You couldn't believe how far you'd come.

Granted, your role in the movie was definitely more in the supporting cast territory, but you couldn't deny how massive the production was. But even as a supporting actress, you still had quite a bit of screen time as the unnamed favorite concubine to Emperor Caracalla.

The fans who knew you called out your name from behind the velvet ropes and you smiled and waved as you walked by.

"y/n! y/n! Over here!" A reporter called out. You nodded and smiled as you approached, indicating your acceptance of the carpet-side interview. Your agent had warned you that not every journalist might want to speak with you and that you should accept any interview you came by. Thankfully, as the start of your night would show, that wasn't the case.

"Hello!" You beamed, coming to a stop in front of the camera. The reporter greeted you back and handed you a microphone glued to a mini Romanesque column. "Oh, wow. I love the microphone!"

"Thank you," She smiled. With a quick glance at her blouse, you saw a name tag that said 'MTV UK: Claire'. "It was my idea, actually."

"Incredibly creative! They should give you a raise, Claire."

"If you wouldn't mind saying that directly into the camera..." Claire trailed off with a chuckle and a mischievous glint to her eye.

You shot the camera as serious a look as you could muster. "MTV, if you do not give this woman a raise, I will riot in the streets."

"Alright alright, enough of that." Claire laughed out loud with a few shakes of her head. "You look absolutely stunning!"

"Oh, this old thing?" You smiled bashfully, grabbing at your skirt to twirl it around. The styling department had made sure that all the gowns worn during press had some Roman inspiration behind them. The piece you were wearing was off white in color, representing your character's position in society. Even with your character in mind, your dress was still breathtaking. The gown was composed of yards and yards of fabric, giving it this dreamy, flowy silhouette. The neckline was so beautiful, in the cowl style and draped ever so slightly off your shoulders. To say that you loved it would be an understatement. "Thank you very much, you look amazing yourself."

"But you are on a different level!" Claire gasped, no doubt to return the topic to you. Just like you were media trained, the reporters were too. "What was the thought process behind your look tonight?"

Your eyes lit up as this was something you had wanted to talk about. "Well, the styling department and I actually workshopped this look together. Of course we wanted it to be glamorous, this is the red carpet after all. But we also wanted to show the character through the outfits, you know?" She nodded along.

"Right, your character was quite impactful even with the few lines you had." Claire added, and you smiled in thanks.

"Yeah, thank you." You felt your face heat up at the compliment. "We wanted to still be true to her, under all the glitz and glamour. So that's why we went with the understated color, to not only show her position in society but also her demeanor throughout the film."

"But your jewellery is anything but understated." She laughed.

"Yeah, I couldn't help myself." You laughed with her.

"Give us a quick tour."

You were almost dripping in gold, from your head to your toes. "We've got the hair piece." You brought a hand up to show the gold pins connected with chains littering your up-do. "Earrings upon earrings, all hoops." You pulled a strand back to show off your right ear clearly. Some were clip on earrings as you didn't have quite enough piercings to get them all. "The necklaces, of course. Some bracelets, some rings. But I think this cuff on my upper arm is my favorite."

"And these are all borrowed pieces from different brands?"

"Most of them are, yes." You confirmed with a nod. "But some are from my private collection. And some I might steal." You joked, getting a laugh out of Claire.

"Well, you really knocked it out of the park." Claire smiled, a tone of finality in her voice that showed you the interview was coming to a close. "And before we let you go, we've got one question we're asking everyone tonight. I think we can all agree that the cast of this movie is full of beautiful men." You giggled, a bit surprised at the turn in topic. "But people on the internet have separated them into two categories."

"Oh, have they now?" You asked, unaware of what she was talking about.

"Yes, they have. Gen Z has divided them into the brooding brunets and the freaky redheads." She explained, pulling up two little hand held signs. One with Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal, the brooding brunets, and the other with Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, the freaky redheads.

You couldn't contain the surprised laugh that escaped you at the sight of their little printed faces. "Oh my goodness!"

"So, as the resident Gen Z-er on the cast, who is your pick?"

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm the only representation of Gen Z here." You mused as you grabbed both the signs from Claire. You lifted up the 'freaky redheads' sign and pointed to Fred. "My friend is right there with me in the Gen Z territory."

"Alright, as the representation of Gen Z women, which team is more your style?" Claire asked as you studied the signs. "People are saying they went into the movie for the brunets and came out converted to team redheads."

"That's actually really funny," You chuckled as you looked down at both signs. "This is hard." You mumbled. A small smirk found itself on your lips as you thought of Fred seeing this clip later. Someone no doubt showing it to him, as he wouldn't find it on his own. "I feel like- yeah." You nodded with determination. "I'm gonna have to go with Fred- I'm going with team freaky redheads." You nodded. "I think it would be treacherous otherwise."

"Good choice. You'd break Emperor Caracalla's heart."

"And then he'd have my head." You laughed, stepping back. "Thank you for your great questions."

"Thank you for your time." Claire waved as you walked away. "We're gonna have a tally going throughout the night, and we'll see who wins. Team brooding brunets, or team freaky redheads." You heard her say to the camera as you moved further down the carpet.

'She looks so pretty!!'

'i love the thought process behind the outfit, you can tell she really loved her character'

'the reporter asked y/n if she prefers lucius and acacius or geta and caracalla and this girl really said FRED 💀'

'i love seeing new faces in hollywood, give young new actors a chance!!' ↳ 'right?? im so sick of them recycling the same actors for every big budget movie'

'she mentioned fred, not caracalla, twice, unprompted. i see you, y/n. you're just like us.' ↳ 'have you seen his interviews? he's literally the cutest i cant blame her 🥺'

A few steps down, another reporter flagged you down. This time, the questions were more centered around the acting itself.

"And was it difficult? In a previous interview, you've said that your character's growth was significant, but she had almost no lines in the movie."

"Yeah, I think in the final cut she only has... three lines?" You winced, looking upwards as you tried to recall what was and wasn't cut. "Though I'm not sure."

"So there were scenes where she could've said more?"

"Oh yeah, for sure! There was a lot of experimentation with my character throughout filming. Ridley's a genius and he was kind enough to truly take in my suggestions. There were times where I felt like she would actually stay quiet during a scene, whereas other times I felt like she would speak up. But yeah," You breathed in and furrowed your brows in thought as you tried to focus your answer back to the original question. "It was definitely a challenge. I had to really work on my micro-expressions. Lots of research, lots of practice. And lots of trust, too. With a character like mine, I really relied on Fr- on my fellow actors in those scenes. So yeah, definitely challenging. But who doesn’t love a good challenge?"

"And did you take any inspiration from other people's work? Any source material that helped you out as you built your character?"

"Of course!" You smiled, a hint of humor in your tone as you thought of your response. "Yeah, I did. Actually, one of the biggest inspirations for my role, believe it or not, was Ferb. From 'Phineas and Ferb'."

"The- The children's show?" The interviewer questioned with a grin.

"Yeah, Ridley thought it was brilliant!" You laughed. "We watched compilations of Ferb scenes on youtube together. And I know that Fred- Fred Hechinger, who plays Emperor Caracalla-, he also brought up Sid Vicious with Ridley, as well as other sources like that. Sir Ridley Scott has great taste, there's no denying that."

'ferb as inspiration for a movie like this,,, gen z in the film industry really are the gift that keeps on giving'

'im just imagining y/n and ridley scott curled up on the couch watching phineas and ferb reruns. that man is 86 years old. this is brilliant.'

'bro didn't even have to say anything and y/n still brought up fred 💀'

'the gen z cast members making ridley scott watch cartoons is sending me'

'not her pretending she didn't mean to say fred when she talked about trust, we all heard you y/n'

Unbeknownst to you, Fred's interviews were going much like yours, only a few feet behind you on the carpet.

"You look amazing today!" Claire, the same reporter you spoke to, told Fred during his first interview on the carpet.

"Thank you, thank you." He replied bashfully as he tried to subtly look around for you, but he couldn't see you just yet. "Everyone looks so great, everyone."

She asked him a few questions and then came time for her ending segment.

"Alright, to close off, we've got a little game here."

"A game?" Fred smiled with raised brows. "I love games." He said softly, not realizing that the microphone would pick it up.

"Yes, a quick one. You just have to choose between team brooding brunets and team freaky redheads. We've asking everyone to join."

"Woah!" Fred exclaimed as he received the signs. "That's me." He pointed out his own face in the picture of him and Joseph. "What are we basing our choice on here?"

"Well, the internet is battling on who is more attractive."

"Oh my god." Fred chortled, not expecting that answer. "Who's played the game?" He asked, still examining the hand held signs.

"As of now, we've spoken to Joseph Quinn, Connie Nielsen, and y/n l/n." Claire recounted.

Fred's eyes lit up and his cheeks reddened at the mention of your name. "And what's the- what's the consensus so far?"

"It's two to one. Can you guess who's in the lead?" Claire asked.

"Let me think... Well, Joseph -my brother-, he definitely voted for us." He pondered aloud as he counted the votes off on his fingers. "Connie... I think Connie went for team brunets. I mean, it's her husband. She's gotta." He grinned when it came to you. "y/n chose me, right? We're in the lead?"

"Yeah, you're right on all counts! You really know your cast members." Claire laughed. "y/n didn't want to anger Emperor Caracalla."

"Oh, she couldn't. I’ve got too much of a soft spot for her." Fred shook his head emphatically.

"So, are you keeping team redheads in the lead? Or will you give us a tie?"

"No, I'm going team redheads!" Fred exclaimed. "I'm not helping out my competition, no way!"

'this man has bewitched me with his beautiful eyes and calming demeanor'

'he always calls joe his brother im CRYINGGG'

'did you see his face when they mention y/n, this man can't hide his crush for the life of him 🥺' ↳ 'neither can she lol'

'what do yall know about fred hechinger 🗣️🗣️🗣️'

'fred immediately knowing that y/n chose him, kill me right now.' ↳ 'mind you the choice was caracalla. she still said 'fred' and he said 'me'. can they be more obvious?'

'the way this man said 'i love games' protect him at all costs'

‘he said ‘i’ve got a soft spot for her’ is this the year of men yearning?’ ↳ ‘it’s just the paul mescal effect’

It was during his next interview that he saw you. He was talking about his experience building the character of Emperor Caracalla with Sir Ridley Scott as well as Joseph Quinn when he finally caught sight of you. You had spent a bit longer with a specific reporter down the carpet, causing Fred to catch up to you. 

“Of course, y/n was a great help as well.” He smiled, reaching over to brush against your elbow to catch your attention. At the perfect time, too, because you had just finished talking to the reporter in front of you.

“Oh, Fred!” You beamed, coming over to give him a hug. 

“Look at you.” Fred spoke against your shoulder. He pulled away from the hug and brought you into his side in front of the camera, almost like he was showing you off. “Look at her, isn’t she stunning.”

“Stop it,” you rolled your eyes as you tried your best not to show how his compliment affected you. “I’m sorry for interrupting, I just had to say hello.”

“No worries,” the reporter reassured you. “Fred was actually saying how you helped with the building of his character.”

“Yeah, we worked really closely during pre-production actually.” You nodded, acutely aware of Fred’s hands on you. He had one hand casually tucked into his pocket while his other arm draped across your waist, his hand resting against your hip. “My character was almost like Caracalla’s sidekick, so the motives for all her actions are really based around him.”

“I’d argue that she was more of a mirror, actually.” You turned to look at Fred, never passing up an opportunity to hear his view on these things. “She’s the complete opposite of Caracalla, but in a way she represents who he truly is under all the pressure of being in Geta’s shadow.”

“And under all the syphilis, of course.” You added, causing Fred to giggle.

“Yeah, and under the syphilis.”

‘he seems like such a sweet guy 🥺’

‘did you see his face when he saw her???  😫😫😫 theyre in love, your honor’

‘him showing her off like that is peak soft boyfriend behavior’

‘they just called me single in seven different languages’

‘his laugh is actually so cute, who is this man and why am i in love with him? 😍’ ↳ 'get in line' ↳'behind y/n, you mean?'

‘the way he’s touching her???? im just gonna go take a nap in front of an oncoming train’

‘im calling it, new hollywood it couple’

‘look at how he looks at her!!! may this love find me 🙏’

[consultingfujoshi]

some thoughts wrt the two established "romances" in severance so far (burt/irving and helly/mark) inspired by @figmentof who pointed out how irving had to find out mark and helly kissed from the corporate video in s2 e1 and how he must have felt seeing his co-workers' love affair like portrayed like that, and how it ties into the queer narrative at play here which uses workplace dynamics and policies as very clear analogues for real-life prejudice against queer couples. I mean, just look at this:

it's not just documented, but celebrated. used as propaganda for how the conditions on the severance floor have improved. proof that the severed workers are happy. and how even though he is unaware of the sociopolitical meaning of all this, lumon is very not-subtly telling him that what he had with burt is inherently lower and less valuable than this.

irving doesn't even know homophobia exists and yet he is still affected by it, it still seeps into every corner of the way his and burt's romance progresses. burt is positioned as an unacceptable love interest from the jump. irv is actively discouraged at every turn from pursuing it. their friendship is viewed with disgust and apprehension from their coworkers. burt working in a different department that's hated by MDR. dylan himself not being homophobic in the sense he opposes their relationship because they're both men but his attempts to keep them apart still has a parallel sort of prejudice behind it and still ultimately has the same effect as if it WERE driven by homophobia. irving is made to feel perverse for wanting contact with burt. he's told this is for his own good.

and then, just as they manage to overcome that immediate resistance from their peers and escape to a place where they can explore this blossoming romance on their own terms, burt retires. for all it matters to irv, he's dead. and then irving is given the option to live the rest of his life with grief that will never heal, or kill himself too, because there is no reality where they get to be together. that's just the way things are. of course they wouldn't get to be together. he was unreasonable and childish for ever hoping that could happen. this is just the way it goes for innies. he's told to get ahold of himself and not make a scene.

but the thing is, the standards are not the same for all. a heterosexual romance gets upheld as the shining example of success and fulfilment for the severed employees, whilst a homosexual romance is ridiculed and invalidated, and written off as something that was simply never meant to be. and even more importantly to irving, a heterosexual romance is APPROVED OF by lumon, and by extension, by kier. irv held back from allowing himself to even call his and burt's relationship a romance, because his god had told him it was wrong, he followed the handbook, thinking this was what kier wanted, and then finding out after suffering the worst heartbreak imaginable because of it, that this WASN'T EVEN TRUE. it's simply just that someone like HIM doesn't get to have something like this. his love is not the kind of love god wants. he does not approve of irv's love. cynical and manipulative though that approval may be (even within the context of the corporate video, the helly/mark romance is only being celebrated to further the narrative that lumon care for their workers, but the point still remains that it was THEIR romance specifically used to suit this end), when your entire life has been in pursuit of that approval, it must be devastating to learn it was never on the cards for you.

he and burt even used the fact kier met and fell in love with his wife in the same circumstances as them to justify this to each other - and they were RIGHT, god does approve of falling in love with your coworkers - this simply just doesn't apply to them specifically. and if irving needed any more proof that he no longer has a place at lumon, that he's better off not existing at all than existing with this pain that cannot be remedied, pain that won't even be acknowledged for what it is, a symptom of a sickness which plagues the entire severance system, pain that he is simply expected to choke down and get over - this is that proof.

and that's the POINT. they're TELLING us that this is unjust, and there's a double standard. they're using the ways the innies experience romance and the difference in lumon's reaction (lumon being the collective of all the management we've seen, lumon as a singular entity) to burt/irving vs helly/mark to comment on how queer people are not afforded the same level of respect or validation IN REAL LIFE, for their attachments, their love, their pain, their suffering. it is NOT just incidental that irving's romance is with a man. it would not WORK if his love interest was a woman. the POINT is that they are both men and how that puts them at a disadvantage, even if they aren't aware of the prejudices of the outside world, even if they don't TECHNICALLY apply on the severance floor, there are very clear analogues which still end up oppressing them in equivalent ways that they would be suffering if this were a normal workplace in the outside world.

it genuinely sickens me to my stomach that even in a world so divorced from reality and the sensibilities of regular society, a queer couple is still made to suffer and feel inferior in a way that perfectly mirrors their real-life counterparts. how they will never, EVER be allowed to exist in a world where their love could thrive freely and uninhibited - they never get to taste the joy our world has to offer people like them, but they are still somehow subjected to all the pain it has to offer them regardless. it's such horrifically devastating writing. it makes my skin crawl. I can't stop thinking about it

[itslilacokay]

this happens at the end of the influencer arc. im alan becker trust me/JJJJJ

seperate image vers/closeups?

[bedazzlecunt]

i really do have to emphasize that like. horny tumblr is a fucking horrible place to learn about kink. at least half the people here have never had sex (or done kink without sex) beyond sexting on omegle, and even the ones who do have any experience with sex and and kink and IRL kink spaces (including myself!) are mostly engaging in fantasy and theatre and performance. that's fine! that's fun! there's nothing wrong with that. but i do worry so much about all the 18 yr olds i see on here who've never had sex, many of whom have never been in a relationship, and who are building ideas about kink and sex and health based on the most deranged fantasy-of-the-sort-you-literally-cannot-do-safely-irl tumblr posts. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not take any tumblr posts as actual kink education, including and sometimes especially the ones claiming to be actual kink education. there are actual books and groups and dungeons for that.

[marcell-arts]

doodles of viago de riva and his little protegee, Rookie!

i just finished veilguard and i am obsessed with the crows. you can check out my fic on this duo, focusing on pre-game events and what it was like for my crow!Rook to grow up in House de Riva!

[frieria]

Jimmy's hiding places in build and seek are genuinely psychological torture. Not because they are particularly hard, people don't spend a lot more time looking for him compared to the others, but because his builds are so empty.

At least when you can't find the others it's easy to explain. Their builds are so full of hiding places, of course it's going to take some time to find the specific one they're hiding in.

This is not something you can think in a Jimmy build. His build has so few places to hide that you can search them all pretty quickly.

But you still haven't found him. There are no obvious places to hide. You go over the whole build again. It takes a short amount of time. You still haven't found him.

Well it can't be that hard. This is a simple build. There's not a lot of places to hide. You have just missed a place. Just pay a bit more attention to your surroundings and you should find it easy enough.

Still you don't find him.

You search in the tall grass and on the bottom of the pool of water. You find another hidey hole but he's not there.

You don't find him.

Maybe one of the holes in the ground lead to a secret passage. You drop into every hole and get stuck in every one.

You don't find him.

His walls are one block wide he can't hide in there but there's nowhere else to hide. There is no way up on the roof. You search behind a trap door and get stuck.

You don't find him.

You drop into the holes again. There could be one you missed with a passage in it. Trying the same thing again will surely yield different results this time.

You don't find him.

He has to be here somewhere. You can hear his voice. It is taunting you. There is nowhere to hide.

There is still nowhere to hide. Perhaps he's not here. Perhaps he's not real. Perhaps none of this is real and this is just purgatory and you're forced to traverse the same small area over and over Sisyphys pushing his boulder

You find him.

He was hele the whole time. His hiding place was in plain view.

Six minutes has passed.

[sakurasfallingstar]

ShiSaku Week: Day 5

The fourth prince's face was always something he was self-conscious about. It didn't take a genius to figure that out, considering the mask that hid the left side.

A curse was all the people of the kingdom considered it. As for those I'm the palace, unfortunate event.

Now it is because of this mask, or more like what hid beneath it, that made the rain ritual hard to perform.

As soon as he stepped out of the litter transport, the people were not pleased to see him.

He did his best to perform the ritual, with the vase tucked under his arm and the branch held in the other having swisher. It ignored their whispers of displeasure. He just wanted to get this over with. To prove to the king and the crown prince that he could be relied on.

"The king has forsaken us! We suffer from a drought, and they send us this beast! Go back and bring us someone who will please the Gods," a man shouted from within the crowds, being sure to throw a tomato at him.

Then a woman joined in, yelling, "He's not even human. Rather, he is a monster only here to bring bad luck!"

That was only the beginning. One by one, everyone began to throw whatever they could at him. They made him small as to protect himself from the objects being thrown at him.

By the time the fourth prince arrived at the ritual ground, he was a mess and exhausted. His long, wavy hair was disheveled, and his white ceremonial yakuta was stained. Looking around, he looked at his father and mother's, staring down at him to his siblings, who all but one seemed concerned. But it was the pink hair servant, the one person who he'd come to care for in this lonely palace, who turned her head away from his for, did he feel hurt.

It was the sound of the vase dropping that brought the servant's attention back to him. She watched as he helplessly stumbled backward for a few steps before running into the palace.

The fourth prince was only able to find peace within the palaces study. It was there he felt the safest to let out his rage, as he remembers to people's words and treatment throughout the rituals walk through the village to the ritual grounds.

He felt that no matter how hard he tried, he'd never be able to win the affection of anybody. No matter how hard he tried. No matter how hard he changed.

Meanwhile with the pink hair servant girl. She worked hard and diligently to make sure that the fourth prince, Shisui, could perform the ritual rights the followingday.

"Come on, Sakura. It's time to put those licenses you got in the future to use," she muttered, as to began to mix powders and liquids to make a concealer for the fourth prince.

After many failed attempts, she was finally able to get the correct color and consistency she needed. Proud of her accomplishment, she allowed the biggest grin to spread across her face.

Carefully, she packed the products away for the next day. The day when her friend would have his second chance.

Suisui found himself once again in the study.  He sat at one of the tables, flipping through a book without really reading it. It was obvious that the previous day's events were still going through his mind.

'At least today, Sasuke will be the one to perform the ritual. He was the one mother had wanted to perform it to begin with,' he thought.

It was nearly time for the ritual, and honestly, Shisui did not want to anywhere near it. He had begun to take his leave when spring personified stopped him in his tracks.

"Fallow me," she said, and she dragged him  to a well lit area.

Shisui kept his eyes fixated on her as she pinned his bangs back and carefully took off his mask.

To think, months earlier, he had threatened to kill her for seeing his face in the royal bathing chamber.

The first thing she did was run her finger along the scared tissue. Before she could even reach the end of the scar, Shisui caught her wrist and removed her hand away from his face.

"You... it doesn't bother you to see such an ugly face? Do you feel sorry for me?," he questioned.

Ok, after everything they've gone through, this boy is really gonna test her. Nah bitch. She's done with his edgelord, self pity bullshit.

"How can I feel sorry for someone who's always uttering death threats to me," she said, exasperated while slightly rolling her eyes.

Shisui said nothing. He just continued to state into her emerald eyes. If you asked Sakura, she'd say that it was like he was searching for something. What that something was, she couldn't be too sure.

Taking a deep breath, she continued saying, "Whether you have a scar or not, no matter how people see you, the fact that you're a good person is more important to me."

Shisui didn't know what to think after hearing that. It was the first time someone other than his brothers Itachi or Izuna had acknowledged him as good. Someone who shines so bright and holds so much warth and love had directed some of it toward him.

In that one moment, his heart skipped a beat.

When he let go of Sakura's wrist, it allowed her to continue to trace his scar.

"In the end, it's only a single hand span. You're having a long, dark life because of this one hand span. Doesn't it seem a bit unfair, " she muttered before turning to gathering all the tools she needed.

"Can I trust you."

This sentence caused Sakura to stop in her tracks. She stayed silent, patiently waiting for him to continue what he needed to say.

"I've always wondered and doubted."

With a sigh, she figured she'd dump some of her baggage onto him.

"In the past, I always trusted people and was always betrayed by them. That's when I learned that it is difficult for someone to trust another. Therefore, I intend not to change.

If you trust me your highness, I won't change first. I promise," she reassured, with a smile.

Shisui couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips. In that moment, he decided that he'd fight to be worthy of being the object of her affection.

"Perhaps, if it's you," he paused for a moment before continuing,"I can put myself in your hands. Do whatever you want. As from now on, I'm yours."

He leaned forward slightly and closed his eyes. This was his way of showing he'd trust her. That he'd be willing to let his guard down. Something he'd never do had it been anyone else.

Lifting her makeup brush, Sakura quickly got to work.

Shisui sensed that she was close by her soft exhales on his face. But he didn't realize how close, until he opened his eyes. Their eyes locked, and they both couldn't help but shyly look away.

Just one bump is all it would take, and their lips would meet, is what Shisui thought. He didn't want to dwell on it for too long, so he closed his eyes once more to allow her to work without hesitancy.

Sakura got back into the zone, and she used the makeup brush and finger to evenly spread concealer. Then, taking a pad, she gathered some powder to set the concealer. After carefully dusting away the excess away, she carefully began to pat it around his scar.

Taking a slight step back, she admired her work. In a way, it was like the scar was never there to begin with. In order to see it, you had to be within kissing distance. Which, by the way, nobody's ever dared to be with him. Well, nobody except Sakura herself.

Grabing the mirror, she held it right in front of him so he'd see the results.

With a smile, she said, "You can open your eyes now."

He sat there, stating at his reflect.

To think this girl he had frown to care for has dared to not only show no fear around him but has touched his face. She has taken away his biggest insecurity, freeing him from the chain that held him back.

The drums began to beat, signaling the statt of the ritual. When she excitedly turned to hurry to her post, he grabbed her arm, turning her to face him. Shock was evident on Sakura's face as he held her in place. For a moment, she thought he was going to threaten her again. It was alway hard to tell what Shisui was thinking whenever they held each other's gaze.

"Do you remember," he began, with a small quirk of his lips, "I said this to you once. That you were mine. Even then, and now... even when you touched my face. I've decided I'll make you one of my people. So prepare yourself from this moment on. I won't ever let you go."

As he began to lean in, shisui took note of her stiffness. His smile got bigger as he pulled back and let her go.

With a final loving gaze, he left her there. Left her with the makeup still spread across the table, and the sun still shining through the windows.

This was not the outcome Sakura had been expecting. Especially, after Shisui said he'd make her one of his people.

Yes, it made her heart futter, but that was not important. She needed to get a grip. What mattered right now was the success of the rain ritual. The ritual that could free her from her servant hood if all went well.

Whatever Shisui had meant could wait until after the ritual.

@shisakuweek

[madaqueue]

OH that self ship poll had me wondering …

[pinksilvace]

Inspired by And Through You I Feel Respite Yet Rest Alludes Me Still by @pepsiiwho

[ikeasharksss]

hey im curious

feel free to rb & explain your answer in the tags!

[chiropteracupola]

there's no rule saying you can't turn medieval kings into magical girls.

[myokk]

She hears him calling her name as she flees down the spiral staircase, almost tripping over her feet in her rush to get away from him, but he catches up quickly, reaching out to grab her arm in an attempt to slow her down. She stops running immediately - she supposes her traitorous body wants to see what he has to say, or maybe it just wants to bask in his intoxicating proximity. He crowds her space, and she sees that unfamiliar look in his eyes again. So very different from the cold disdain she had seen the last time she had been this close to him, during the argument that had ended their friendship.

Oh, Merlin, he's getting closer to her, and she can now clearly see the freckles dusting his cheeks and nose and forehead and then before she knows it, his hand is sliding up her arm, leaving goosebumps everywhere he touches and then he's caressing her jaw with his rough thumb and he pauses. Her eyelids flutter closed as her head tilts towards him - she couldn't stop herself even if she wanted to (what does she want?). She can feel his warm breath ghosting over her lips and she has the improbable, ridiculous thought - how is he remembering to breathe? - before he speaks. His lips brush against hers with every soft word and a deep shiver runs through her body.

"I," she hears him say, his voice so, so low, "haven't been able to think since last week."

That's all she needs to hear, the brush of his bottom lip against hers all she needs to feel, to push her into closing what minuscule distance there is between them and then his lips are on hers and it's better than anything she's been imagining. His mouth is soft against hers, insistent, and her hands go up to grip the collar of his plaid jacket to make sure he doesn't go away or disappear on her.

from my oneshot💘

[pepperpixel]

Initial drawings of that old man… I literally, I haven’t finished reading the book of bill yet!!! I had to stop and take a break for a week to feverishly draw fanart of myself petting fords floofy hair and giving him attention and shit…!!!! The urge was too great….!! I’ve literally. I had a crush on this guy the instant he was first REVEALED in the show, but I did not have the artistic prowess to draw good looking old men back then… but I do now… thank god… thank fucking god