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the-red-mafia · 1 year

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The Swap

When Zaeor messes up a protection spell for the mansion, the Red Mafia's souls end up getting mixed up. Shenanigans ensue, but will they be able to return to normal? And what will they find out about each other?

A/N: Our schedule got messed up, so we'll be posting a story next Saturday, 12/17, to get back on track.

MAJOR TW FOR SELF-HARM FOR THIS STORY

Also available on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/TheRedMafia

Next Update: [Updated] Word Count: 3804

2 weeks after “The Reunion”

“Ok so explain to me one more time what happened Zaeor?” The god sighed, looking around the living room at the three red mafia members in front of him.

“My spell went wrong and instead of improving the mansion's defenses, it caused your souls to switch bodies. There’s not much more to explain.” Thorn’s body narrowed its eyes at him.

“How exactly do you mess up a spell that badly?”

“I don’t know Solana, I don’t know.”

“Well, I hope you have some way to fix it,” Maroon’s body chimed in, crossing their arms.

“What Maroon- no, what Thorn said. Fuck, this is so confusing!” Thorn’s body, being controlled by Solana, yelled out, throwing its arms up in the air.

“Careful Solana, don’t hurt my body,” Thorn scolded in Maroon’s voice.

“I, for one, am very uncomfortable with this situation,” Velvet’s voice chimed in from on the couch, the slightest inkling of a British accent being heard.

“We all are Maroon, we all are,” Zaeor muttered. Thorn stifled a laugh.

“I gotta admit, I’m glad Maroon’s accent translated to Velvet’s voice. British Velvet is very amusing,” they said, smirking.

“Oh, don’t like the idea of Maroon smirking,” Solana muttered. Zaeor sighed and shook his head slightly.

“I understand this situation is very stressful. I’m going back to my home to work on a solution, but I need you three to find Mad and Sol- Mad and Velvet and explain to them what’s going on.” The trio nodded and Zaeor waved his hand, disappearing into a cloud of shadows.

“Solana, where were you headed?” Thorn asked.

“To my room, I had just opened the door.”

“So that means Mad’s in Solana’s body?” Maroon began, “And Velvet’s in Mad?” Thorn’s body nodded.

“I’m headed up to my room to get Mad, you two should go find Velvet. Gods know what chaos they’ll get into.”

“It is so weird to see myself talk,” Thorn muttered, shuddering. Solana rolled his eyes.

“I have to go see Mad, the robot, in my body. You’ll get over it.”

Solana walked up the stairs and turned towards the West wing.

“Mad?” They called out in Thorn’s voice, “You over here?” They quickly looked around the small indent in the wall where their door was and saw their body sitting on the floor in front of the door. As soon as they stopped their body looked up at them and let out a small shriek, causing Solana to jump a little as well.

“Woah-”

“Who are you?!” Their voice demanded, sounding somewhat different than normal. Solana tipped her head, well, Thorn’s head in confusion.

“Huh? It’s me, Solana. Well- I’m in Thorn’s body but that’s a whole different story.”

“What?!”

“Look Mad, I understand that this has to be insanely disorientating-”

“Mad? Who’s Mad?” Solana’s eyes widened and they looked down at their body for multiple minutes.

“If you’re not Mad, who are you?”

“My name is Dr. Eleanor Valentine, who are you?”

Velvet was not enjoying their current experience.

Trust me, I’m not either, a voice, from what seemed to be the back of Velvet’s mind, replied. They groaned.

“Shut up Mad!” Velvet shouted, the sound becoming slightly distorted due to Mad’s speakers. Velvet groaned again.

This fucking sucks, she thought, I can’t feel any part of my body, my voice sounds like stupid fucking Mad’s, and the stupid robot can hear my fucking thoughts!

I’m not stupid, the voice answered, I’m a robot, that’s not possible.

Shut up!

“Velvet?” the faint voice of a non-British Maroon called out from down the hallway, “Are you over here?”

“I don’t know, am I?” They shouted back sarcastically.

“They’re over here Maroon!”

Wait, wasn’t that Maroon speaking? Velvet thought, sitting Mad’s robot body down on the floor of the hall.

If your soul got switched here it makes sense that everyone else's would've too, that’s probably someone else in Maroon’s body.

You are so annoying, oh my gods. I can figure shit out on my own.

` If you insist. Maroon quickly popped their head around the corner.

“Hey Velvie,” they said, smirking.

“Shut up. Since when did you call me that?”

“Oh, it’s Thorn. Everyone’s souls have been swapped.”

“How the fuck-” Velvet’s body quickly joined Maroon’s and smiled at her.

“Hey Velvet!” a slightly-British sounding Velvet said cheerfully.

“That’s Maroon by the way,” Thorn clarified.

“Yeah, I guessed that. Don’t do that with my body, that looks so fucking weird.”

“Do what?”

“Smile.”

“Calm down emo,” Thorn joked, “Why’s the screen acting like that?” Velvet tilted the T.V. head slightly.

“What’s it doing? I can’t see it.”

“It’s like…glitching. Almost like one of those old static TVs,” Maroon chimed in.

What? It’s never done that before… Velvet cringed inside their mind.

“Ok Maroon, I’m gonna need you to just. Stop talking.”

“Sorry.”

“Stop.”

“Ah! Sorry-”

“Maroon!” Thorn let out a sigh.

“Velvet, can you walk?” they asked, turning to look at the body of Mad.

“I make no promises. Mad’s limbs are so…lanky.”

My limbs are tactically designed, not “lanky”.

“Shut up!” Velvet yelled, placing the robotic hands on the TV. Thorn raised an eyebrow.

“Nobody said anything?” Velvet sighed and shook the TV.

“Not you, Mad. They’re being fucking annoying.” Maroon and Thorn looked at each other and then back at Velvet.

“Mad’s…still there?” Thorn said cautiously.

“Depressingly.”

I apologize.

“But how’s that possible?” Maroon began, making Velvet cringe once more, “Mad’s supposed to be in Solana’s body?”

“I can guarantee they are not,” Velvet muttered. Thorn narrowed Maroon’s eyes.

“Then who’s in Solana’s body?”

“You’re…who?” Solana watched as their body narrowed its eyes at them.

“Dr. Eleanor Valentine, Head of the AET Rescue and Reconnaissance Department.”

“Wait, what?”

“Answer my question.” Solana stared blankly at their body, blinking a few times before speaking.

“Uhm,” they began, “My name is Solana Roison.”

“Where am I?”

“The Red Mafia’s HQ.”

“What is this ‘Red Mafia’ and why do I look like this? What happened to my ears?”

“Solana!” Velvet’s voice called out. Maroon quickly appeared in the hallway, panting.

“That’s not…they’re not…” Solana rolled her eyes.

“That’s not them? Yeah, I’m well aware.”

“What is going on?” Solana’s voice yelled, scooting back even more so their back was pushed against a wall, “Who’s that?” Solana sighed and turned back to face the scientist.

“Dr. Valentine, everything is going to be ok. Please take a deep breath and calm down.”

“I am calm!”

“Wait,” Maroon mumbled, “Dr. Valentine, like-”

“Yes,” Solana whispered, “Doctor, there are a few things you should know. Firstly, you are in the year 2364.” Elanor’s eyes widened.

“That’s…that’s not possible! Just this morning it was 2052!”

“What exactly do you remember?” Elanor appeared deep in thought for a few moments.

“I was on a rescue mission with my rescue bot, M.M.A.D. or Mad for short. We were headed to investigate a spaceship crash and…” Solana’s face scrunched up and their body grabbed at its stomach, “I’m dead! Is this the afterlife? I-I-”

“Dr. Valentine, please take a deep breath,” Solana said, placing a reassuring hand on their shoulder. Elanor took a few deep breaths and placed his hands on his head.

“I-I don’t understand,” The scientist mumbled. Maroon knelt down and looked at Elanor.

“It’s a bit complicated, but I’ll try to explain it. Your physical body did die, but your soul remained and combined with Mad’s AI. This allowed them to gain sentience and live on. Now, all the souls in our group have been mixed up, which is why you’re an elf.”

“Mad…it has my soul?” Elanor mumbled, placing their hand over their chest. Maroon nodded, a slight smile on their face.

“...Can I see them?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Solana chimed in, “Due to the soul swap, Mad’s body is inhabited by Velvet, one of our teammates. She can be a bit…difficult at times.” Elanor looked sad but nodded.

“Ok, I understand.” Solana looked down at his body sympathetically.

“I could show you some photos of them on my cell phone? Their room is also nearby, would you like to walk over there?” Elanor’s face lit up and they quickly stood.

“I’d love to!” the doctor said, before looking up at Solana, “...this body is quite short.”

“Hey!” Maroon also stood and smiled.

“Well, I should go back to Thorn and Velvet,” they said, turning to leave. Solana grabbed their hand and spun Maroon back around.

“Wait, give me a sec,” they said, “Dr. Valentine, could you hand me the cell phone in the left pocket of that coat you’re wearing?” Elanor slipped Solana’s hand into the pocket and quickly gave it over.

“Here, and please, call me Eleanor.” Thorn’s head nodded and they turned back to Maroon, opening their phone.

“Ok, do that again.”

“Do what?”

“Smile, I want a picture.” Maroon tilted Velvet’s head in confusion.

“Why?”

“Blackmail.” Maroon sighed.

“Velvet will kill me.”

“I’ll protect you, now smile.” Maroon rolled their eyes and smiled. Solana quickly snapped a photo and chuckled evilly.

“Thank you for your assistance Maroon,” she said before turning back to Elanor, “Now, follow me…”

Thorn quickly glanced towards the sound of crashing. Mad’s body remained seated on the floor near the Madbay, but also turning towards the noise.

“Maroon?” Thorn called out, “Is that you? You ok?” Ae heard a faint “Yeah” from the direction of the staircase. A few moments later, Velvet’s body popped up in the corridor.

“What the fuck did you do to my shirt?” The robotic voice demanded. Maroon jumped a bit then looked down at Velvet’s outfit. The left arm of the turtleneck had been torn in half and a bruise had begun to form on Velvet’s left knee. The tear was on the top part of the sleeve, causing the fabric to droop down from about halfway up the forearm.

“I fell down the stairs and the shirt got stuck on one of the banisters, sorry.”

“It’s always my orange turtlenecks…” Velvet muttered, “Whatever, go change it.”

“Uhm-”

“There’s a shirt underneath the turtleneck, gods. Just grab the black hoodie off my bed and use that.”

“Can’t I just keep it on? It’s not that bad-”

“No!” Velvet shouted hastily, earning confused looks from her teammates, “Just go change it, Maroon.”

“Before you go,” Thorn chimed in, “What’s up with Mad?”

“Oh, that. When Mad’s soul went to Solana’s body their creator seemingly regained consciousness? I’m not sure.”

Does that mean-

Mad. Shut.

“How is that possible?” Thorn asked. Maroon shrugged.

“No idea.”

Elanor is upstairs?

Mad if you don’t shut the fuck up I will shut this body down.

That would turn you off too.

So be it, if it shuts you up.

“So where are they now?” Thorn asked, leaning maroon’s body against a wall.

“Going to Mad’s room so Elanor can look at some of Mad’s stuff.”

Tell them to look in the drawers, Elanor’s old journals are in there.

“Mad said to tell them to look in some drawers, something something old notebooks,” Velvet relayed. Maroon nodded and gave them a thumbs-up, which caused Velvet to cringe once more.

“Can Mad not speak?” Thorn asked. Velvet shrugged.

“I’m sure they could, but I’m not letting them”

“Ah.”

Can you ask them why they didn’t bring Elanor here? Velvet mentally groaned, but repeated the question.

“With Velvet in control of Mad’s body, Solana decided that it wasn’t the best idea.”

“Hey!” Velvet protested, “I’m not that bad!” Thorn laughed.

“You are that bad, Velvie.” Velvet kicked one of Mad's legs forward, connecting with the feet of Maroon’s body and causing Thorn to fall to the ground.

“Velvet!” Maroon called out, extending a hand to help Thorn up.

“What? He deserved it.”

You’re hurting Maroon’s body, not Thorn’s. Don’t hurt Maroon just because you’re mad at Thorn. Velvet paused for a second as Maroon helped their body stand once more.

“...Sorry.” Thorn smirked.

“Did Velvet Bolton just apologize to me?”

“Don’t get used to it, frūx.”

“I’m honored.”

“Shut up.”

Maroon slowly opened the door to Velvet’s bedroom and walked inside. The teen shut the door and looked around for the black hoodie Velvet had instructed them to retrieve. Maroon walked over to the bed and picked up the fabric, smiling. In one swift motion, they began to pull the orange top off of the body. Maroon felt a slight pain in their left forearm as they threw the turtleneck onto Velvet’s bed. They looked down to see various red, irritated cuts in Velvet’s skin. Their eyes widened as they sat down on Velvet’s bed, placing the arm on their lap.

“What the…” Maroon mumbled, looking down at the wounds. There seemed to be various specks of dirt in and around the cuts. Maroon wiped some of it away, wincing in pain. There were other ones too, although they seemed to be healed.

Where did Velvet get these wounds? Maroon thought, staring at the arm, And why are they so dirty? The teen winced in pain again as they moved the arm.

“Ow,” they said quietly, looking at the cuts again, “Is Velvet in this pain all the time? Why haven’t they said anything?” It took them a couple of minutes to get the black hoodie onto their lap with the on-and-off pain from the wounds. They closed their eyes for a moment. When they opened them, however, they were no longer in Velvet’s grayed-out room. Instead, they were seated on the floor of the West corridor, where they had found Mad’s body. Zaeor was standing in front of them, smiling warmly.

“Welcome back, Maroon,” the god said happily, holding a hand out to them. Maroon jumped slightly, but eventually took his hand and stood up.

“So you found a way to switch us back? That was fast.” Zaeor laughed as the sounds of Mad booting up echoed around them.

“We got lucky that the spellbook holding the original spell was aware of its similarity to another and took the proper precautions. There was a counterspell in the back of the book that I missed on my first read-through.”

“Ah.”

“Oh thank god,” Mad’s voice exclaimed. Zaeor and Maroon both turned to the robot, who was still sitting on the floor against the wall. Zaeor chuckled and extended a hand to them as well.

“Hello Mad, how are you feeling?” Mad’s screen went blank and it slowly stood, avoiding Zaeor’s hand. The god frowned.

“Mad, listen-”

“I don’t want to talk to you right now, Zaeor,” they said in a monotone voice before turning to Maroon, “Are you ok, Maroon?”

“Mhm, I’m fine. Are you alright?” A smiling emoticon overtook their screen.

“I’m fine! Sharing a body with Velvet is just…a bit jarring, that’s all. Especially when they’re freaked out, apparently.” Maroon gave them a confused look, which they responded to with a laugh.

“Velvet may try to appear stone-cold and such, but they got really freaked out by the body swap.”

“What about me?” Velvet’s voice called from the end of the hallway. The three people jumped slightly before turning to look at her. She had finished putting on the black hoodie and walked down the corridor towards them.

“Jeez, Velvet,” Zaeor muttered, “Didn’t even hear you come down the stairs.” They scoffed.

“You’d think you of all people would be used to this by now.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.” Velvet looked at their teammates, locking eyes with Maroon. Their expression remained blank, but it sent a chill down Maroon’s spine. The younger teen stared at her for a few seconds before smiling nervously.

“H-how are you feeling, Velvet?”

“Fine. I have to talk to you.”

“A-alright.” A question mark appeared on Mad’s screen.

“About what?” it asked.

“None of your business, Mad,” Velvet replied, not breaking eye contact with Maroon, “By the way, you’re a snarky bastard when you don’t have your soul.” Mad laughed, the smiling emoticon returning to the screen.

“I was told that a few times during my development.”

“Snarky Mad?” Zaeor joked, “That I would like to see.” Mad shook their T.V. head at the god.

“Unfortunately for you, Zaeor, I don’t plan on losing my soul anytime soon.”

“Right, of course.”

“If you two are done,” Velvet interjected, stepping forward and grabbing Maroon’s wrist, “We’re leaving. Mad, can you check on the others?”

“Woah, wait, are you sho-”

“Shut it. And tell Thorn to leave us alone and not immediately come to find Maroon like a lost puppy. We’re gonna be a bit.” Mad let out a sigh and turned to watch the two of them walk in the opposite direction.

“I don’t think comparing Thorn to a puppy is fair.”

“Woah, that’s crazy ‘cause I didn’t ask.” Zaeor stifled a laugh as the two teens disappeared. Mad turned on their heels and walked towards the stairs, ignoring him. Zaeor watched it leave before sighing.

That’s going to be an issue.

Solana quickly blinked and looked down to see their own body below them.

“Oh thank gods,” The elf muttered, sighing. Thorn’s body quickly opened its own eyes as well and smiled.

“It worked!” ae said, looking at Solana.

“Zaeor figured it out then?”

“Mhm, how’d things go with Dr. Valentine?” Solana sighed again and picked a book up from beside Thorn.

“I didn’t think a single human being could be that passionate about science but here we are.” Thorn laughed.

“That bad huh?”

“It’s clear where Mad’s personality comes from now, that’s for sure.” Thorn stood up and held their hand out to Solana.

“I suppose we should go meet up with the others then?” The elf groaned, taking his hand.

“And deal with the tirade of Mad’s questions? No thanks, I’ll go hide outside.”

Velvet and Maroon slowed near the fence that surrounded the mansion’s grounds. Not that it had anything to keep out, considering the planet was completely barren aside from the building. A few pieces of red dirt flew into the air when they stopped, swirling around them before settling back down. Velvet looked around them before crossing their arms and looking at Maroon. The younger teen grabbed the cuffs of their sweater sleeves, avoiding Velvet’s gaze. She raised an eyebrow.

“Well? I know you saw them.” Maroon let out a nervous chuckle, still staring at the ground.

“Y-yeah, I did.” Velvet sighed, dropping their arms.

“I’m not mad, Maroon. I told you to go change anyways, I knew what I was risking.” Maroon finally looked at them.

“I get why you wanted me to now,” they muttered. Velvet laughed and leaned against the white fence.

“Yea, it was my only option. Didn’t want Mad to see them.” Maroon joined them at the fence. The two of them sat in silence for a minute or so before Maroon dared to speak up again.

“S-so,” they stuttered out, “Where did they come from?” Velvet looked up at them.

“You couldn’t tell?” Maroon shook their head.

“Was I supposed to be able to?” Velvet stared at them for a few seconds before laughing again.

“I should’ve guessed,” they mumbled, slightly shaking their head, “In that case, they’re just battle scars. A few of them reopened this morning and I haven’t had the time to patch them up yet, with the mission and then the swap and all.” Maroon looked towards the ground and held their breath.

“But there were so many on just your arm,” they said quietly, “Who attacked your arm that much?” Velvet was quiet for a moment, looking back at the ground. Maroon turned their head towards them, watching. After a minute or so, Velvet sighed.

“...myself?” she muttered quietly. Maroon’s eyes widened.

“...what do you mean?”

“Listen, Maroon,” Velvet stated, pushing herself off of the fence, “You can’t tell anyone. Not Mad, not Thorn, no one.”

“When you said yourself, you didn’t mean-”

“Maroon.” The two made eye contact again. Velvet stared down at Maroon since they were still leaning on the fence. After a few seconds, Maroon blinked and looked away.

“This really isn’t any of your business,” Velvet began, crossing their arms, “If I had my way, you wouldn’t even know and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“Does anyone else know?” Maroon asked, still looking away. Velvet paused for a moment.

“Zaeor does, technically. Although he thinks it's not a problem anymore.”

“But it is,” the younger teen mumbled, standing up. Velvet narrowed her eyes at them.

“I guess. I don’t consider it a problem, but sure.”

“Velvet-”

“This isn’t something you have to fix, Maroon,” Velvet stated coldly, “I don't want you to get it into your head that you have to help, like you do with other people. Just…forget you ever saw them. It’ll be easier for both of us that way.” Maroon looked at them. On the surface, their expression was still blank. However, their eyes were softer than they had been before, in an almost pleading manner. Maroon was quiet for a moment before sighing.

“Alright, I understand.”

“Hey, you two!” a voice shouted from the door into the mansion. Velvet groaned and spun around, a glare on their face.

“Gods, you just don’t know how to listen to instructions!” Thorn laughed as he walked up.

“No, I just don’t care about yours.” Maroon smiled at Thorn when they stopped in front of them.

“How are you doing, mushroom?” they asked, grabbing their hand.

“I’m good.”

“What were you two talking about, anyways?”

“None of your business, Thorn,” Velvet snapped, “Which is why I told you to wait. Not everything concerns you, asshole.”

“Well, considering this involves leaving Maroon alone with you,” Thorn hissed, “I couldn’t, in my good conscience, let that stand.”

“Whatever, we’re basically done anyway,” Velvet turned back to make eye contact with Maroon, “This stays between us.”

“I know.”

“I mean it.”

“So do I.” After a few seconds of silence, Velvet sighed.

“Okay, have fun doing whatever it is you two do,” she said, “I’m going to try and catch Zaeor before he leaves.”

“Oh yeah, he told me to tell you to find him after you were done,” Thorn called out as they began to walk away, “Guess that works out.” Velvet turned so that they were walking backward, facing the duo.

“He let you interrupt us?”

“He couldn’t really stop me, to be honest.”

“Of course,” she said through gritted teeth, turning back around, “Whatever, I’ll go talk to him.” Maroon watched as they slightly adjusted their left sleeve and walked into the house. Thorn looked at them, a frown on aer face.

“What was that all about?” it asked, grabbing Maroon’s other hand. Maroon made eye contact with them before letting out a small chuckle.

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

#/the red mafia #/trm part 2 #/chapter 023 #/zaeor #/solana roison #/thorn alviar #/maroon #/maroon pembrooke #/velvet #/velvet bolton #/mad valentine #/elanor valentine #tw self harm #/the swap

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cayenne-twilight · 3 years

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Professor Layton Iceberg Explanation

As I said in the tags of the original, the iceberg I made was a meme consisting of both real theories and satire/parodies/fandom memes. If anyone is interested, I can work on an unironic version that only has real theories.

Buckle in because this post is LONG and heavily saturated with lore and information.

Actual theories

Parallel universe 1960s where the world wars didn’t happen. There’s an unused file in Curious Village that shows the year as 1960 and the time machine from UF is set to 1973, ten years into the future. The series canonically takes place in an undefined time period (hence the technological inaccuracies and fantasy elements), but it’s based off the 60s. There’s more evidence but we don’t have time to go over every little thing. I linked my “no wars” theory below but TL;DR the outdated airplanes and underdeveloped medicine in the Layton series imply that the world wars may never have happened. https://cayenne-twilight.tumblr.com/post/632205992162099200/outofcontextdiscord-timegearremix-zonosils-war

The real meaning behind the statue in Future London. In UF, the purpose of the statue is to spark Layton and Luke’s conversation about their friendship. Luke is stressing out about moving overseas and sees himself and the professor in the story behind the statue, but in the bigger picture, Clive must have been the one to commission it. Some theorize that the little boy is Clive and the man is either his father or the professor. One idea I’ve seen is that Clive wishes he could be Luke for real, while another is that he wishes he died ten years ago, and another is that he’s literally terminally ill explaining why he doesn’t care about consequence. Personally, I think “the boy succumbed to his illness” refers to his mental illness seeing as he wanted the professor to save him from his madness as he saved him all those years ago.

True location of Monte D’Or. there are no deserts on the British isles to my knowledge, so it makes the most sense for Monte D’Or to be in Southwest USA where English is the default language, they have a desert, and there exists a city famous for flashy hotels, casinos, and entertainment. What makes it odd is that nobody ever mentions overseas travel, and all the major characters are from England.

Loosha’s origins are not explicitly explained if I remember correctly, but the implication was that her prehistoric (supposedly) species was sealed away along with the garden, allowing them to survive all the way to the time of LS until Loosha was the only one left. The garden provided a good habitat and protection from predators, and it’s logical that they’d slowly die out anyways, but there’s no explanation of any specific factors that led to Loosha being the last.

Beasley is not a bee I wrote a post about this one as well, but TL;DR Beasly lacks several defining bee traits whilst having several human ones. He is not human, yet, by definition, not a bee. It’s possible that he is the result of Dimitri’s testing, but whatever his untold story is, he remains an enigma of nature. https://cayenne-twilight.tumblr.com/post/632381715250282496/theory-beasly-isnt-a-bee

Subject 2’s identity is currently unknown. There is a subject one (parrot) and subject 3 (rabbit) so there has to be a second. For a long time, people suspected Beasly to be him seeing as he’s a bit of an amalgamation and definitely not a regular bee (see above). After the release of LMJ, though, people began to suspect Sherl, the intelligent hound who could speak to certain people but not others. That being said, it’s possible for one to be subject 4. Sherl’s memory of a bright flash matches up with subject 3’s memory of being electrocuted. They never explain why the animals were being experimented on, but it was probably Dimitri making sure the conditions of his machine were safe for humans before reliving the incident from ten years ago.

Lady Violet died from the plague from DB. There’s no evidence for this or anything, it’s just an idea. People say she died from the flu but I don’t remember them saying that in the game, at least the US version. Extending off my “no war” theory: it’s theorized that the Spanish Flu was spread by the travlelling soldiers, so if that’s true, it’s possible for the epidemic to have been averted for some decades. Maybe the Spanish Flu reached England later than in real life. The hole in this is that DB’s plague must’ve been close in time to 1918 while Violet’s death was much later, so it would’ve had to stick around.

Bill Hawks is working with Targent and Arthur Cantabella. There was a force in the shadows buying the time machine technology from Bill. Someone with a ton of money who helped him cover up a freak accident and get away with it completely, a feat that involved shady means like violence by hired thugs. Some theorize that it was Targent, seeking power over time in exchange for a little mafia magic. The Labarynthia project was sponsored by the UK government, so as the PM, Bill must’ve known about it. He probably supported dubiously ethical, high stakes (witch pun) psychological experiments like Cantabella’s and helped him stay in the shadows.

All the NPCs in St. Mystere and Folsense are dead. I make fun of this type of theory later, but they’re admittedly captivating. I’m pretty sure the canon in CV is that the villagers are Bruno and Augustus’s OCs that they made robots of and built a town around, but it’s more interesting to think that the village was there before, and the townspeople died of a plague and were replaced like Lady Violet. In Folsense, there really was a plague and they never explain the NPCs there. They’re either real people who appear way younger than they are due to hallucinations (even the ones who already look old ?), or they don’t exist at all, which is pretty spooky. This part of the story is a gaping plot hole. In a similar vein to CV, the edgy yet plausible theory is that they used to live in Folsense but died of the plague and now live on as hallucinations.

Hershel seeing everything as a puzzle is a coping mechanism for all his trauma. This was a joke but I thought about it for more than five seconds and it makes way too much sense.

Plot holes and unexplained questions that we like to overthink because it’s fun

The downfall of the Azran was vaguely explained in canon by people being so greedy that it lead to the civilization collapsing. It’s not a stretch to imagine that happening, but it would’ve been more interesting with a little more detail.

Layton and Luke are programmed to routinely forget how to walk. I didn’t know whether to list this in the joke section or not, but it’s odd that the characters actively participate in the walking tutorial (as opposed to showing a little memo to the player) as if they didn’t know how to before, especially when they go through this several times a year.

The truth behind Pavel. He’s simply a joke character who teleports, is a polyglot (sort of, at least he wants us to think he is) and is mega confused all the time. He’s a fun character to make crack theories about because of his cryptic nature that even he doesn’t seem to understand.

Miracle Mask deleted scenes. The first trailer for MM featured animations that were not in the final game. One was the Randall falling scene, except in a slightly different style than the one we know. Others were completely foreign, like Layton and Luke pacing across a theatre stage as if Layton’s about to expose someone with a dramatic point. Cut content and “could’ve beens” are always curious to think about.

Evan Barde: secret mastermind. Arianna and Tony’s dad is a mysterious character who died under mysterious circumstances. I think the canon is that his death was a genuine accident, but concept art of him making a creepy evil face suggests that maybe he originally had a larger role in the first drafts of LS than the finished game.

The secret to how Paul and Des pull off their disguises is unclear and will remain unclear. There is no plausible explanation for their shape shifting. Unless Paul is just a little dude wearing a human suit like that one Wizard of Oz species and Des is the best quick-changer ever and hides his naturally feminine legs under his cloak.

Alfendi’s mom. When LBMR came out people scrambled to piece together who Hershel had a kid with, but there’s no way alfendi is his biological son. This happened with Kat as well and her biological parents turned out to be brand new characters, so I’m sure Al will get an adoption backstory if his arc continues, be his parents old major characters or nameless, faceless NPCs.

Granny Riddleton and Stachenscarfen are omnipotent deities. Idk which section this fits best under, but these two characters have some serious power. At first introduction, they’re implied to be robots, but they appear everywhere in later games. They follow the Professor wherever he goes and assist him on his adventures, GR collecting puzzles and housing them by some odd magic, and Stachen teaches you how to walk. They both introduce and supervise the gameplay. By extension, I guess this idea could apply to Albus as well in the prequels. GR and Stachen even had the power to appear in LMJ, something no major character could do. I consider them akin to the velvet room attendants from the Persona games.

Clive’s kill count is a vague subject in the game for the sake of keeping it PG. I don’t know if anyone’s ever mathematically estimated the damage he caused, and I sure don’t want to try, but the game appears to push the idea that he didn’t kill anyone at all, saying they stopped him in the nick of time and things like that, even though we watch him raze the city. If they ever want to bring him back post-time skip, I can see them twisting it so that the mobile fortress cutscene wasn’t a linear sequence of events, but instead a compilation of scenes over the course of hours so that London neighborhoods around him could be evacuated and have it make sense. Knowing Level-5, it’s more likely that they wouldn’t think this deep and do something more lazy, though.

Memes and references

Post-time skip Flora is real references the famous L is real theory from Super Mario 64. Like Luigi in SM64, Flora was also a highly anticipated character who didn’t appear in a new game, in this case LMJ or LMDA. In the end, Luigi did become real in the DS port so hopefully Flora is real will be realized as well.

Hershel can’t read is a veteran fandom meme referring to how in the first few games, especially Curious Village, Layton asks Luke to read every document out loud for him. Perhaps this was an exercise to improve Luke’s reading skills and independent thinking, or perhaps he was just too lazy or preoccupied to do it himself, but this grew into the joke that our genius Professor was actually illiterate this whole time.

Layton’s smash invitation is hidden in PLvsAA. It’s no secret that the fandom would kill a man to get the Professor into the smash brothers franchise. In PLvsAA one of the puzzle artworks features a goat eating a familiar white envelope with a red stamp, sparking the joke that either Layton or Wright got the invitation their respective fans desired, but it got lost along the way.

The science board is the mysteriously vague organization Don Paolo got kicked out of for the crime of being evil. It’s the epitome of liberal arts majors and art school graduates trying to bs their way around not knowing any science and failing miserably. “He was very good at all the sciences, but then the CEO of science told him to stop because he was using the power of science for evil science”. They do this again when “Dr. Stahngun” describes his time machine what with the soolha coils and whatnot.

Hoogland is death cult initiation is a parody of “Mario 64 is Freemason initiation” which is ridiculous, just like the creepy human sacrifice subplot of AL.

You can see the reflection of someone watching you in Aurora’s eye references the famous, creepy Talking Angela theory. In retrospect it would’ve been funnier if I said Angela instead of Aurora.

Every copy of Professor Layton is personalized references the famous “every copy of Super Mario 64 is personalized”

Clive’s fat ass in HD is a meme that originated from the announcement of UFHD, saying that half of the excited fans wanted to cry again while the other half were simply attracted to Clive. If we want to enter real bottom-section-of-the-iceberg-chart territory then let’s say Clive’s character has some sort of psychological siren properties that draw people to him like a magnet and/or Harry Styles.

Things I pulled out of my ass for shits and giggles

Infinite hint coin hack: I’m sure a tech savvy cheater could hack the game for infinite hint coins, but there’s no easy or interesting way. I don’t know why someone would do that though, considering a lot of the hints suck and there are puzzle guides on the internet.

Cringy, unused Randall villain monologue. This joke is derived from the actual scrapped MM content as well as deleted content being a popular element of iceberg charts, but it’s sadly not real. Would’ve been hilarious, though.

Last Specter Puzzle 031: Light Height tracks and records children’s intelligence level. It doesn’t, but it’s always fun to make fun of arguably THE most ridiculously difficult puzzle in the franchise. (Seriously, do they expect 7+ year olds to know trigonometry???)

Hershel struggles with tea addiction. Hershel from the games drinks tea in moderation, but the manga begs to differ. He has a tea set in the Laytonmobile, and an attempt at teatime while driving causes him to crash.

Folsense is a metaphor for Alzheimer’s. This is inspired by those edgy kids’ show theories where everyone’s in hell or something, but nobody has ever said this.

London Life is reality and the plot of the games is all in Luke’s head. That’s one way to fill every plot hole. How funny would it be if Luke made up crazy characters and stories based off his fellow townspeople Sharkboy and Lavagirl style. “This dude who lives in a castle and asks people to give him all their money for nothing in return is a vampire from 50 years ago involved in a tragic love story”.

Secret ending encoded into Tago’s Head Gymnastics. It’d be crazy if there was, and Dimitri would hound Tago for the secret to time travel. If you didn’t know, the Layton games started as an adaption of Akira Tago’s puzzle series, except they decided to add a story to make it more interesting and marketable.

Daily puzzles datamine your DS. I’m bad with technology but is it even possible to datamine a DS??? Idk, but I think my DS lite from 2008 is safe.

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womenofwonder · 3 years

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RWBY characters races for AUs set in our world.

How I’m going to do this: three things. The first, the city they live in Remnant. This is the least important because that leaves us with only five…maybe six places compared to our world’s hundreds of countries.

The second will be the original of their names, which they’ll have to keep in the AUs, meaning that they need some culture background for them.

The third will be their fairy tale origins.

So to start, Ruby Rose:

She lives in Vale, which is similar to France (I’ll explain why in another post maybe), but technically grew up in patch, a small island off the coast of Vale. I have no idea about Patch’s culture as we hardly ever see it, so I’m going to skip this one. We also don’t know if either Summer or Taiyang was originally from Vale.

We know Taiyang is Chinese from his name, so I’m going to say she’s half Chinese. I also wrote a western au once and really love the idea of Taiyang being an Asian Redneck…so I think I’m going to say Ruby is very, very southern just because that would be adorable.

But if you don’t want that idea I generally see Taiyang being either Asian-American or Asian-French, or Asian-British if your doing a HP AU. Summer is harder to pin down, but Red Riding Hood was originally an Italian fable, so I’m going to have her be Italian or Italian-American.

Weiss:

Weiss is German, although making her simply white America/British would work. I could see her being Russian too in some AU because Atlas fits well as Russia. For American works, Pennsylvania has quite the German population and coal mines, so that works pretty well for her.

Blake is really complicated. From Remment Australia which is culturally SEA (south East Asian), has an English name but parents with a Hindu-inspired names, but neither looking vaguely Indian. I’m going to assume her family are immigrants (as they are in cannon I think) to Australia, maybe even changed their name to help them fit in. Immigrants from where? Well, India is an option, but I like to think Malaysia. They have a large Indian and Chinese population, and I like to think Blake is a mixture of Chinese, Malay, and Indian ethnicities, from Malaysia and immigrated to Australia. And if you think this is crazy or unrealistic, you haven’t seen anything yet. The sheer mix of cultures I’ve seen growing up as an ex-pat is insane. This isn’t too crazy.

For Yang, we already have Taiyang as an Asian red-neck. Or at least I do. Raven and Qrow are going to be a little harder to pin down, but I’m think bandits getting replaced by mafia. Which mafia? I don’t know, take you’re pick. Branwen is Welsh, but I can’t think of a Welsh mafia. Coming from Mistral I would see them as being Triad, not Yakuza because Raven’s gang is famous for being less than coordinated.

If you need a logical reason for Yang having blonde hair, Taiyang could be only half Chinese, half blonde (blonde is race right?).

Either way I see Raven operating in an American city like New York or Detroit.

This would mean Yang is fully Chinese ethnically.

JNPR:

Jaune’s name and inspiration are all French. However his mother does come from Mistral (I think), so I do see him being half Chinese, but nationally French. It’s also funny to imagine him with a French accent.

Pyrrha: she’s Greek or maybe Greek-American with her parents being recent immigrants. Argus seems to Remnent-Greece and her name and fairy tale are greek.

Nora: she should be Scandinavian. I feel like in a MCU AU she’s Thor’s daughter. But she also grew up as a street rat in Mistral, which is hard to fit in our world. Therefore I’m going to have her in America, the great melting pot (and also America seems to be more like Mistral than any other Remnent king with our state system), and she going to ethically Scandinavian but knowing nothing of her culture due to her upbringing.

Ren: obviously Chinese, but I might have him be American-Chinese to fit his story nicely in with Nora’s.

Others:

Coco: we’re all ignoring that she’s based off Coco Channel, so let’s make her a LA girl

Velvet: Australia, because of the accent. Or maybe English because that is her story origin

Fox: he’s difficult, because tribes are pretty rare in modern AUs. But his story could work for various things. He’s one of the few black characters so he could come from practically any African tribe (I’m currently going with Hausa because it’s one of the few I know anything about). His name is based off ‘the fox and the hound’ which is a rare American story, so he could also be from a Native American tribe if you want the AU to be more American-based.

Yatsuhashi: Japanese, this one is thankfully easy.

Sun: Chinese. He comes from a tribe as well, but I can’t think of any nomadic Chinese tribes except the Uyghurs. Making Sun a Uyghur doesn’t make much sense but it will serve to piss off certain people on the internet. And now this is going to be taken down, isn’t it? Oh wait, this is tumbrl. This is anarchy. It won’t. Forgot why I liked this place for a second.

Scarlet: sorry for the rambling there. Anyway, Scarlet is definitely English. “I hope I don’t get sand in my shoes.”

Sage: well, he’s black, but other then that we have nothing to go one. He’s also from Mistral but that doesn’t really work? If Mistral is America as well as China I guess we can make him African American. Or whatever else works best for the AU. He might be Indian too now that I think of it. Or even Maori. Really options are limitless here.

Neptune: Yeah, so probably just American, but does have both a French last name and an Italian first name. So probably ethically American (aka white mutt). Also he lives near a port, I think I’m gonna gone with him being from Tacoma Washington because I am.

Flynt: African American

Neon: Japanese-American because of her meme (it started as part of Japanese pop song on YouTube, the latter of which is America summed up in one invention)

Oscar: Hispanic-American, he just looks it. And I’m guessing he lives in Kansas for obvious reasons. His last name isn’t Hispanic but their could be a lot of reasons for that. Or he could be Native American (Pawnee, Cheyenne, and Osage are all Native American tribes in Kansas).

Penny: well if she’s still a robot she probably stays white, but if you want her human in this AU she might end up being half black as Pietro is, although she also could just be adopted. I guess the later makes more sense, huh? I figure she’s American, with her dad working with a ‘well meaning’ but ultimately corrupt government. Probably living in DC, as that has both the government and the poverty issues.

Emerald: oohh, boy. This is hard. Sustrai is Basque, and Aladdin is a French addition to an Arabian story, she herself is dark skinned with anime features that are super unhelpful for this sorta thing.

I have three ideas. Brazilian, mostly as there’s no South American themed RWBY characters I can think of, and it’s diverse enough that someone looking like Emerald would fit. Secondly, for American centered stories she’s just an orphan with no idea of her ethnicity. Or she could be African, Indian, Pacific Islander, or Hispanic or some mixture between those four. It’s honestly really hard to tell. In my fanfic she’s from Suriname and ethnically 1/4 Indian, 1/2 Creole, and 1/4 Javanese.

Ilia: Sioux (Native American). Ilia means a lot of things in a lot of different languages, and Amitola mean rainbow in Sioux, so I decided to just stick with that.

Mercury: American, white mutt American. I’m guessing New York or Philli for where he grew up, it seems like a place where he’d be comfortable

Neo: the new novel reveals her father lived in vale (btw I haven’t read it, I’m just getting this off the internet) and her mother was a assassin who’s origins aren’t known. She doesn’t really have a fairy tale. So I’m going to go with British or French (thank RWBY thoughts for the first one) although in an American AU she works as just a white American.

Robyn: depends on what Atlas is in this AU, but probably German or American.

Qrow: I already mentioned he’s probably Chinese due to being from Mistral. It’s a bit weird to think of him as Asian, but not as weird as it to think of Raven as white, so I’ll take it. Although I do like the idea of him being American Irish, that’s fun.

Winter: whatever Atlas is in this AU, German or American, although British and Russian would work well too.

Maria: Mexican

Salem: If you want a AU where she’s just a normal person then New England or Italian for her story origin

Watts: British

Tyrian: uh…I have no idea, but he looks white. And he kinda has a British accent? I want him to be southern for the accent tho. Probably just another crazy American

Cinder: her fairy tale is French but her origin is Chinese. Also, Cinderella doesn’t really have an origin, it’s an ancient story with every culture having at least one Cinderella story. So I’m going to say Chinese.

Hazel: American, from the Midwest. He’s darkish so maybe he’s a POC? Part Native American or Hispanic? Idk or really care I can’t stand Hazel

Roman Torchwick: American-Italian, he runs/works for the mafia

Ozpin: American because of the whole wizard-of-Oz-thing or French, because he seems to have come from Vale.

Glynda: American or French for the same reasons Ozpin is

Oobleck: Jewish American (because Dr. Seuss was)

Professor Port: Russian, due to his fairy tale, or English, due to his style

Taiyang: already said he’s a red-neck Asian.

Raven: depending on whether you want her to be white or not, either Chinese or Irish American, like I already said.

Cordovin: Karen

Ironwood: again, depends on Atlas in the AU. Either American or German…maybe Russian

Clover: Irish-American (or German, obviously the ace-ops depend on where Atlas is. I’m just going to do the rest of them assuming Atlas is American because Germany isn’t that diverse)

Harriet: African-American, I guess. It kinda messes with the story because Harriet is supposed to be privileged, which doesn’t really work in this AU, but she’s also obviously black.

Elm: Just normal American, maybe greek-American because of the Aesop fable themes

Vine: Tibetan based on his design

Marrow: either African-American or Pakistani/Indian-American. (I’m personally going for Pakistani)

Klein: english. All butlers are English. It’s a rule.

Pietro: African-American

Johanna: Pakistani or Indian American

Fiona: Jewish-American (kinda random but while she’s obviously white she also needs to be a minority for the Faunus thing to work)

May: normal upper glass American/German

Ghira: Half Malay, Half Indian, from Malaysia but immigrated to Australia later in life

Kali: half Chinese, half Indian, but also from Malaysia

Adam: much like Fiona I’m going to assume he’s Jewish due to him being white but still needing to be a minority. German or American, again, depending on where Atlas is. Or he could be Chinese, even though it doesn’t work with his name, due to the theory that he was trafficked much like Cinder. I’m going with ethically Jewish though

Sienna Khan: Indian

Huh, I actually finished that. I’m pretty sure I was accidentally racist multiple times and apologize in advance,

I’m exhausted and starving and not thinking straight. But anyway, here it is. Your very messy guide to modern RWBY AUs. I swear this was insane to sort out.

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puzzling-choerry · 3 years

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About Me!

Hello! I am Eve! I am a Minor. I am a Non-Binary and Lesbian. I have borderline Autism. I suffer from anxiety.

Fandoms: K-Pop, Alice Oseman, Harry Potter, books

K-Pop groups I stan: Blackpink, Twice, Mamamoo, IZ*ONE (I miss you 😭), Red Velvet, Treasure, TRI.BE, LOONA, æspa, Weeekly, ITZY, Everglow, Stray Kids, Dreamcatcher, Kip1er

Bias from each group: Jisoo (Blackpink), Jeongyeon (Twice), Moonbyul (Mamamoo), Sakura (IZ*ONE), Joy (Red Velvet), Haruto (Treasure), Mire (TRI.BE), Vivi (LOONA), Winter (æspa), Soeun (Weeekly), Chaeryeong (ITZY), Aisha (Everglow), Felix (Stray Kids), Dami (Dreamcatcher), Yujin (Kip1er)

Top 10 fav songs:

1. Money (Lisa of Blackpink)

2. Lalisa (Lisa of Blackpink)

3. BOM BI DI BOM (Lunarsolar)

4. Mafia In The Morning (ITZY)

5. Wings (PIXY)

6. Zombie (Purple Kiss)

7. Fiesta (IZ*ONE)

8. Save Me (BTS)

9. MMM (Treasure)

10. Rhythm Ta (IKON)

Trivia:

- I suffer from Trypanophobia (The fear of needles)

- I know a bit of BSL (British Sign Langauge)

- I am attemting to learn Japanese and Scottish Gaelic

- I have a Youtube Channel in which I make Gacha content (NOT NSFW CONTENT)

- I am questioning my gender ;-;

#Spotify

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jamesginortonblog · 4 years

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No one could accuse James Norton of allowing himself to be typecast. The 34-year-old has played a vicar-turned-sleuth in Grantchester, a violent rapist in Happy Valley, and the aristocratic hero of War & Peace. He’s also number three in the betting to be the new James Bond. And he’s just about to add to his library of opposites with two new roles: the staid tutor John Brooke, who marries Emma Watson’s Meg March, in the star-studded new film adaptation of Little Women; and the flamboyant real-life figure at the centre of the Profumo scandal – Stephen Ward – in BBC One’s The Trial of Christine Keeler.

“Ward was 100 per cent the fall guy,” says Norton, sporting a dark-blue crushed velvet jacket and settling in on a chaise longue in an upmarket London hotel. The actor looks every bit as debonair as you’d expect for a man playing the high-society osteopath with connections that ran from Soho to the aristocracy. “The government needed to clear their own name by tarnishing someone else’s.”

It was Ward who introduced the 46-year-old Secretary of State for War John Profumo (Ben Miles) to 19-year-old model and showgirl Christine Keeler (Sophie Cookson) at a party at Lord Astor’s country house estate of Cliveden in 1961. It led to an affair that exposed Profumo as a security threat – thanks to Keeler’s simultaneous relationship with a Russian naval attaché.

Keeler and her friend Mandy Rice-Davies (Ellie Bamber) often stayed at Ward’s London mews flat, and the 50-year-old former public schoolboy would later be prosecuted for living off immoral earnings in a dubious case of establishment revenge. The two had contributed small amounts to household expenses. Ward committed suicide after the judge’s summing up amounted to a direction to the jury to find him guilty.

Amanda Coe’s stylish, evocative drama establishes Keeler and Rice-Davies as sexually liberated young women for their time. Does Norton think they were victims? “Ward definitely used certain relationships he had with young, beautiful women to ingratiate himself with the wealthy elite,” he says. “He also groomed them to a point… but it’s too simplistic to say he was a man who groomed young women. His relationship with these young girls was often a very positive one, he would enable them, take them out of poverty.” Keeler was from a disadvantaged background and fitted the mould of the “alley cats” Ward liked to befriend. Norton gives a terrific performance as the sleazy Pygmalion.

“I really warmed to him… you fall in love with these characters, and Stephen Ward was way ahead of his time, so brave in how he lived his life and expressed himself, his sexual tastes, his flirting with cross-dressing, in a world that was still incredibly repressed.

“And the final reckoning was that Stephen Ward had somehow corrupted these Tory ministers and it was all his fault, which is absurd.”

I wonder if Norton, the son of a retired college lecturer and a mother who taught medical ethics, is as dazzled by the truly posh as Ward was.

“Wealth or class are not things that I’m particularly dazzled by,” he says. “I am by talent.” He cites Little Women director Greta Gerwig and her partner Noah Baumbach, who made Netflix’s Marriage Story, as an example.

Norton himself is part of a powerhouse acting couple, with British star Imogen Poots, whom he became close to when they starred together in a play in 2017. They seem very happy. “It’s good,” he says, but adds, “my personal life is very normal, I have a house in Peckham, my [parents] live in Yorkshire. There's very little glamour and scandal.”

There was a little bit of the latter when his previous girlfriend, actress Jessie Buckley, said their break-up had been “acrimonious”, but Norton is far too canny to add fuel to that particular fire.

Similarly, he won’t comment on the rumours linking him to James Bond, insisting they are “based on nothing”. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have strong opinions on the series in general.

“We all know that with James Bond, large parts of it, and all the versions of it in the past, are now antiquated and it needs to be updated,” he says. “And I think that Barbara Broccoli and the producers are very aware of that. Bringing in people like Phoebe Waller-Bridge can only help.”

Might the spy be a little too one-dimensional for someone who has taken on so many interesting parts? Daniel Craig, who is stepping aside after the latest film No Time To Die comes out in April, has often seemed unhappy with the role.

“If I was to take on a franchise,” Norton says, “I would always want to complement it with something completely different.”

He has just taken on a big HBO sci-fi series, The Nevers, he says, and is in negotiations with the BBC about doing a second series of McMafia. We chat about the fact that the first series attracted a measure of criticism, including some for his own performance as Alex Godman, the scion of a Russian mafia family drawn reluctantly into the underworld. “There was an article about the three wooden faces of James Norton,” he says with a laugh.

How did he take it?

“It’s a rite of passage that you have [bad reviews],” he replies. “Ultimately, it’s an art form which is deeply subjective and you’re never going to please everyone.” The character was intended to be “inscrutable and calcified”, he adds. Nevertheless, he admits he might play it slightly differently second time around.

“Yeah, possibly,” he says. “But, then again, you don’t want to pander to the people who didn’t like it. There's so much content out there that people who don't like it can go and find something else.”

One of the factors that Norton and director James Watkins agreed upon when sketching out Godman’s background was his public school education. Norton is a public school boy too; a former pupil of Ampleforth, the leading Catholic boarding school which was found to have covered up the sexual abuse of scores of children in a devastating report in 2018.

Norton never saw any wrongdoing during his time there, but does admit to being “quite badly bullied” and credits one of the monks - a Father Peter - with helping him get through it. “I was able to go and just talk to him and he basically became my therapist,” says Norton. “I just sort of sobbed my eyes out.”

Has it left a mark? “It probably has a bit,” he says. “It’s not defined me, but it has informed who I am. I’m hyper aware if someone is being in any way ostracised on a film set, for example.”

On Little Women, he found himself on set with some of the industry’s biggest names, including Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep and Laura Dern. The film’s a deliriously romantic and sentimental take on the novel’s sibling rivalries, but it takes its duty to Louisa May Alcott’s study of the economic subjection of women seriously. “It's important for us to go back to those punctuation marks in the struggle towards equality and recognise how far we've come, but also how we're not quite there yet,” Norton says.

He and Watson were given the task of writing their own marriage vows for the film, which he says he laboured over but arrived with them unfinished to discover that Watson had already written hers and they were beautiful. He was just young enough to read the early Harry Potter books, he notes, but has only seen a couple of the films – “Don’t tell Emma.”

He plays Chalamet’s tutor – did he fancy the 23-year-old as everyone else seems to right now? He smiles. “He’s a beguiling and bizarre, unique force of nature,” he says. Norton had been wondering about wearing a suit to today’s photoshoot, but is glad he didn’t as he’s just bumped into the younger man in a Gorillaz tee-shirt and sunglasses. “Whenever he’s around, I feel about 10 years older than I am.”

Among all its bold women, I wonder if his own character – John Brooke – is just a teeny bit dull. He laughs. “He’s a little quieter than some of the other characters, but that allowed me to just witness all these great women actors. It was incredible.”

There’s certainly nothing dull or quiet about the character he plays in the film Mr Jones, which is released in February. It’s the surprisingly little-known story of Gareth Jones, the journalist who uncovered the Holodomor – the man-made famine genocide inflicted by the Soviet Union upon Ukraine in 1932-33, which is estimated to have killed up to 7.5 million people. “He blew the whistle on the Soviet Union,” says Norton. “He was the first person to go [to Ukraine], and come back and tell the world.”

In the West, the economic crash of 1929 had led to the Great Depression. “Everyone was looking at the Soviet experiment thinking, ‘Oh, it's working’,” Norton says. “They were getting into bed with Stalin and trade deals were being made. And no one was calling them out. Until this one serious, bespectacled, earnest Welsh journalist got on a train and risked his life to blow the whistle.”

I wonder if those types of films can command a big enough audience to keep getting made? He accepts that independent cinema is in a period of shrinkage, but says, “while the audience for this type of film might not be as big as a Marvel movie, we have to protect those stories because film isn't just about escapism. It's also about education.”

#james norton #little women #the trial of christine keeler #mr jones #interviews

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hermionefae · 5 years

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Surrender and Kneel Part 1 James Conrad x Fem!Reader

Requested by @cynic-spirit Captain Conrad as Christian grey for the reader he loves so obsessively and possessively. Please?

“I don’t understand why I need protection” I moaned as my father turned the car sharply around the corner.

“Because there are some dangerous people out there honey, some of them want my guts and I don’t want you getting mixed up with them. Not after what happened to your mother.”

I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest, my mum had been dead six months. The official coroner's report said that the car crash had been an accident but my father knew better. Prior to that he had been hired to work for London’s answer to the mafia but he made certain mistakes which threw us under the bus and got my mother killed.

“Fine” I conceded “but I still don’t know why I have to stay with him.”

“Don’t argue with me Y/N. It’s the safest place for you. End of discussion.”

We slowed down as we approached a gated driveway. I watched as dad leapt out of our black Vauxhall Viva and opened up the gate. He drove up the drive and I continued to look out of the window. All I could see were trees, how could there be a house out here?

Finally, a house emerged from the gloom of the deep woodland. It was a large log cabin, built in an almost triangular shape that kind of resembled the bow of a boat, with big windows and a staircase that lead up to the first-floor deck. The place was deceptively large “what did you say this guy used to do?” I asked as dad pulled up outside.

“British SAS officer, specialised in tracking. The perfect person to protect my baby girl.”

“Dad, I’m twenty-six, I’m not a child” I called out as he walked around to my door and opened it for me.

“You’ll always be my child” Dad said soppily. I rolled my eyes and followed my father towards the front door which was underneath the stairs. Dad knocked on the door and eventually it opened to reveal a tall, breathtakingly handsome man with short blond hair, blue eyes and slightly tanned skin, like he had been in the jungle for a long period of time. He held himself like a solider and gave me a strange look that I couldn’t quite read.

“Captain Conrad” began my father but the man held up his hand to interrupt him.

“Just James Conrad, please Mr Y/LN. I’ve been decommissioned for a while”

My father cleared his throat and began again “James Conrad, please allow me to introduce you to my daughter, Y/N. Y/N this is James Conrad. He's in charge of your protection.” I held out my hand to James which he took, his hand was strong and warm. I could see light scars on the back, what kind of action had this man seen, I wondered.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr Conrad.” I stuttered out.

“Likewise, Miss Y/LN. Shall I give you a tour of my home?”

“I’ll get the bags out of the car” Dad volunteered and he scuttled off.

I followed James through the hallway and up the stairs into a big open plan living area, with a light wooden panelled kitchen in the far corner, two big cosy looking sofas which looked out through the windows and onto the decking at the front of the house and a large fireplace with a roaring fire already lit in the grate. Above the mantelpiece was a gorgeous landscape of a foreign land that I had never seen before.

“That’s beautiful” I commented pointing to the photograph “Who’s the photographer?”

“Mason Weaver?”

“Oh, I’ve heard of her. The war photographer, I didn’t know she did other works other than war photos.”

“She’s a friend” He said bluntly “Shall we move on?”

He took me into the library and then showed me my bedroom and bathroom. I was delighted to see that my room also had amazing views of the surrounding forest. Just as we were about to turn back, I noticed the door at the far end of the corridor. It was black and looked out of place with the rest of the house.

“What’s in there?” I asked.

“My study, you should never go in there unless I’m with you. You got that Y/N?” He responded sternly. Even though his voice carried a warning and was vaguely threatening, it still sounded like velvet to me. I wasn’t sure how I was going to last these next couple of months without having some crazy fantasies about James

My father met us back in the living room and I felt a little ashamed at how many bags I had brought. Luckily James found it funny and said with a smile “I’ll make a start with these whilst you two say your goodbyes.” He picked up two suitcases and sauntered back down the hallway.

“Take care of yourself” I said to dad, enveloping him into a tight hug, something he wasn’t really used to. “You too Y/N, listen to Conrad. Do as he tells you. I don’t want a call from him in a week saying that he wants you to leave. Got it?”

I gave him a sweet smile “anything you say daddy. I’ll see you after the court case.”

Dad kissed my forehead quickly and then left me alone in the strange house, in the middle of the woods, with an ex SAS soldier who I had only just met. Suddenly I had the suspicious feeling that was going to be the last I would see of my father. I waved to him from the window and watched him drive back to civilisation.

Part 2 coming soon!

#tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston x reader #james conrad #james conrad x reader #female reader #reader insert #kong skull island #Christian Grey #50 shades of grey

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msclaritea · 9 months

Text

Bullshit this ugly bastard is a front runner. Translation: Leo has pissed somebody off and the fucking Velvet Mafia is planning to buy B list actor, Cillian Murphy his prize, to please their greasy counterparts in the British Lavender Mafia. Penske Media can fuck off.

#Oppenheimer #Anti-Anerican Propaganda celebrated by AMPTP #Florence Pugh #Robert Downey Jr #Gay Mafia Steals Awards Every Time #Gary Oldman #Japan #Hiroshima

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rpgadverts · 4 years

Photo

megan fox/open ~ boss having affair with personal assistant ~ 30’s-40’s

The first person in the request is Velvet’s boss, we’re gonna call her Mila. So this woman is a professional millionaire matchmaker. She works with people from around the world but is obviously based in LA. Velvet is her personal assistant and has been so for about a year now. I imagine the beginning of their relationship was kind of devil wears prada-ish. Mila really put Velvet through the ringer and was kind of a terrible person. I guess you can call it a test to see if Velvet was really worth keeping around. Now, their relationship is much more friendly…maybe a little too friendly.

Mila is a very married woman who is now having an affair with her personal assistant. For Velvet, it would be hard to describe how it all happened or why. What she does know is that it feels good. Perhaps for Mila, their taboo relationship is a bit of excitement. A break from her marriage to her husband. For Velvet it’s a chance to feel like somebody wants to be with her. For Velvet it’s emotional, physical sure but completely emotional.

isabella peschardt ~ bandmate ~ future love interest

I would like this girl to be the one that catches Velvet when she falls. We’ll call her Isabella for the moment. They would already be very close friends. Ideally they would be band mates.

So Isabella probably would have been one, if not the only, people that knew about the affair that Velvet was having with her boss. I’m kind of grappling with two different ideas here. 1) Maybe they have a history of hooking up a kind of friends with benefits situation. Where Isabella ends up with feelings for Velvet but is unable to tell her because Velvet ends up in a relationship with her boss or for any number of reasons tbh. With Velvet heartbroken she’s driven right into Isabella’s arms. 2) I was thinking that maybe they have an on again/off again relationship. After everything goes down with the boss, it really opens Velvet’s eyes up to what’s important in her life. She comes to term with the fact that Isabella is who she needs. She’s the person that has always been there for Velvet and that really comes into perspective for her. Again this leads Velvet right into Isabella’s arms.

tyler posey/open ~ older brother ~ rebuilding relationship

So a little bit of background on their family. The Riveras are originally from Cuba. Their father and younger brothers still live there. Though I am thinking that I may be making an ad for them later to come to the states to join their older siblings. But anyway their mother passed when they were all very young and their father is a pretty famous musician (but only famous in Cuba) so he wasn’t able to be around for them as much as he probably should have been. Growing up their were pretty much raised by nannies until they were old enough to take care of themselves. He would have moved to California probably to attend college and she moved with him while she was still in high school.

They would have probably shared an apartment until she was maybe nineteen or twenty. Tbh I think that since she moved out they haven't really been that close. They tend to think of themselves as too busy to send a quick text or even call each other once a week. I imagine that he’s either a business owner of some kind or at least had a fairly high stress job. While Velvet has kind of a stressful job but is also working on trying to generate a music career. But basically for this ad I would really like for Velvet’s soon to be kind of heart break to be a reason for her to really reach out to her brother and confide in him and seek his comfort. Because it’s not that they don’t love each other, of course they do, it’s more like time has gotten away from them. I really want her heart break to really be a big factor in them essentially rebuilding their relationship and their bond. Maybe there is something going on in his own life that he would also need the support of his sister for? That’s really up to you.

dacre montgomery/open ~ mafia kingpin ~ former partner

this is an ad for bethan's ex betrothed, almost baby daddy, james huxley. i've named him temporarily for plotting purposes, but you're mooore than welcome to re-name him, just as well as you are to select a fc!

alright so, principally, the only things non-negotiable about james are his roots and his history with bethan. the huxley family is mafia royalty in britain— and james here, is heir to his father's syndicate enterprise. bethan met james whilst studying abroad and like him, hails from a mob family— the two immediately hit it off, and thus, a powerhouse union began.

business wise, they were an incredibly smart match. the joining of family forces, establishing a stronghold in the british market, strengthening of mafia ties.. you name it. bethan's father, and james's father, were elated by the prospect. only a year after their initial meeting, these two little lovedumplings were engaged.

sickly sweet, right? wrong. bethan fell pregnant, unexpectedly, shortly thereafter. a few months into her pregnancy (and just as soon as they'd started to cope with the news) a miscarriage took place. bethan was in all sorts of chaos emotionally, and i'm sure like her, james grieved exponentially. long story short, their relationship was sent on a downwards spiral, resulting in the dissolution of their engagement. bethan returned to the united states and for the better part of two years, they've not seen one another.

#jcink #wanted ad #city rp #original rp #submission

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dailyjcink · 4 years

Photo

megan fox/open ~ boss having affair with personal assistant ~ 30’s-40’s

isabella peschardt ~ bandmate ~ future love interest

I would like this girl to be the one that catches Velvet when she falls. We’ll call her Isabella for the moment. They would already be very close friends. Ideally they would be band mates.

tyler posey/open ~ older brother ~ rebuilding relationship

dacre montgomery/open ~ mafia kingpin ~ former partner

#jcink #jcink ad #jcink site #jcink rp #wanted-ad #real life #1 year #submission

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the-red-mafia · 2 years

Text

The Failed Heist

The Red Mafia has infiltrated a high-end gala in order to steal a powerful stone, the Custodio power gem. What will happen when a strange man decides that the Red Mafia is their perfect target? Also available on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/TheRedMafia Note: We will be updating the story every two weeks here and on our Wattpad! Next Update: [Updated] Word Count: 2252 Edited 3/13/2024 TW: Body Gore

2 weeks after the "The Outage"

“Velvet Bolton?”

The assassin quickly turned around, her hand falling near the hilt of the dagger hidden underneath their black skirt. There stood a boy, his brown eyes as wide as saucers. Velvet looked him up and down, narrowing her eyes on the small name tag with ‘Jonathan Furgleson’ scrawled on it in dark marker. He seemed about her age, but the name didn’t ring any bells inside her head.

“Who are you?”

The boy frowned before motioning to the tag. “It’s me, Jonathan. Our parents work together.”

“Your…parents.”

“Mhm, Rebecca and Liam Furgleson. We run the Star Hospital on Pilax. Do you really not remember?”

Now that name caused Velvet to groan internally.

“I’m sorry-”

“Oh, it’s okay! After…Caran, I didn’t think you would ever return to your dad’s place. But it’s great seeing you! I’m just surprised the media hasn’t reported it at all.”

“Velvet, is…is everything alright?” Maroon’s quiet voice came through the small earpiece in her ear. Their British accent, which sounded genuine yet annoying at the same time, caused her to groan internally. Velvet glanced to where they were across the hall, dressed in a white, long-sleeve button-up and black slacks. They gave her a worried look but she just shook her head before turning back to Jonathan.

“No, I’m sorry. My name’s not Velvet, sir.”

Jonathan’s eyes widened again as he looked at them.

“Oh- no I’m sorry! I should’ve let you speak! I’m sorry for bothering you, ma’am,” he quickly stuttered. Velvet plastered on a smile and held out the tray of muffins they were carrying to him.

“Chocolate chip muffin?”

The boy met her eyes again and smiled.

“I’d love one, thanks.”

Velvet handed one of the small plates to him and watched him scurry away before letting their smile fade. They set the tray down on a table, drawing the attention of several small children who pounced on them as soon as they were in reach. The assassin took a few steps back, stepping lightly to avoid noise coming from the black heels on their feet, and slipped into a small closet behind them.

“Who’s Caran?” Mad asked. Velvet groaned as they adjusted their hair to sit in front of their face.

“None of your fucking business, cōnfectus.”

“Alright…why’d you lie about the muffins?”

The assassin let out a small chuckle.

“Keeping my cover. Jonathan is deathly allergic to blueberries. One bite should take care of him.” The other side of the line was silent for a few seconds, causing Velvet to roll their eyes.

“Really, Mad? You need to get over this whole thing.” The robot didn’t respond. Instead, the sound of it muting its mic echoed through the communications channel.

“Meus deōs, this is stupid. Maroon, any sign of the gem?”

Nothing. A chill went down her spine. They quickly peeked their head out of the door and scanned the hall. Maroon had completely vanished from the party, their tray of appetisers now in the hands of another waiter.

“Shit,” they mumbled, “Mad, stop sulking and get into the security system.” A loud beep played in the teen’s ear.

“I’m not sulking.”

“You are. Find Maroon.” Velvet slipped back out of the closet. The swarm of kids had dispersed and they quickly picked up the gold tray again. They made their way toward the stairs at the end of the hall, dodging a few running children and patrons.

“It looks like their beacon is in the…west corridor?”

Velvet frowned.

But that’s on the opposite end of the venue from the gala, they thought, stepping up the first step, “...can you access the cameras there?”

“Already done. It…that’s not good.”

“What’s not good?”

“Take a look at your phone.”

Velvet reached the top of the steps and quickly took a left. She held the tray in one hand and quickly pulled out the small device from their skirt’s pocket. A video played on the screen, displaying an unconscious Maroon being thrown over the shoulder of a man and dragged out of the area.

“Oh you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” she muttered. Tossing the phone back in their pocket, they took off sprinting down the hall.

“I’m relying on you to guide me, Mad.”

“Okay, take a left here soon. But there are two guards down the hall, so be careful. I’m not sure I’d be able to shut off an alarm with my current access.”

“No alarm, got it.” Velvet slowed, glancing around the corner. Sure enough, two guards stood in the middle of the walkway, chatting. Velvet paused for a moment and drew their dagger. They tossed the tray onto the ground in front of them, forcing the guards to turn toward the noise.

Velvet threw the blade forward, watching as it embedded its point in the throat of the first guard. The other guard watched their friend fall to the ground, shock on their face. The assassin picked up the tray again and hurled it at the second guard’s head. It collided, causing them to stagger to the side. Velvet jumped forward but the guard quickly recovered and swung a punch at them. It hit Velvet’s arm and they stumbled away from the first guard’s now-unconscious body.

The guard glared at her, reaching their arms out to pin their arms to their sides. Velvet barely stepped out of the way, forced to roll backwards. The assassin scanned the room before letting out a groan. The guard steadied themself again, but Velvet was already on their feet again. They jumped to the left and ripped one of the heels off of their foot, swinging the point straight into the guard’s temple. They crumbled to the ground, blood slowly seeping out of the puncture wound. Velvet ripped the heel out of their skull, sliding it onto their foot as they grabbed their blade as well.

“What the hell?” Mad exclaimed through their earpiece. Velvet rubbed the now-bruised area of their right arm.

“What is it now?”

“You didn’t have to kill them!”

Velvet slid their dagger back into its sheath on their left leg.

“What is with you and this anti-murder bullshit?”

“Anti-murder-” Mad mumbled angrily, “What is with you and murder?”

“Really? That’s what you choose to ask?”

“Yes!”

“Gods, you’re annoying,” the teen breathed, “Where are they now?”

“I’m…not seeing them on the cameras anymore. There must be a blind spot or something.”

“What about Maroon’s beacon?”

Keyboard clicks echoed through the microphone as Velvet started down the hallway once again.

“It’s turned off.”

“It’s what?”

“It’s-”

A fist slammed into Velvet’s right temple, knocking the earpiece out of their ear and forcing them to the ground. The world spun but Velvet attempted to stand up again. She made it to her feet before nearly falling down again. Someone quickly grabbed them and pressed a hand to their mouth. The teen attempted to thrash out of their grip but their vision slowly faded to black.

Velvet groaned as she opened her eyes to a pitch-black room. They blinked awake to the large man staring into their eyes from point-blank range. Velvet jumped a little.

“Velvet Bolton. Daughter of Unor Bolton. Heir to the Bol-” The large man was cut off when Velvet attempted to kick his legs. The man backed away out of Velvet’s reach.

“I am Large Man.”

“...what?” Velvet questioned, looking him up and down. The man remained still, eyes locked on Velvet.

“I am Large Man.”

“Well, I can see that, but what’s your name?”

“Large Man.”

“No, like your actual name.”

“Large Man.”

“...How do you spell it?”

“L-apostrophe-A-R-J-space-M-A-H-N-N-N-H.”

“...your parents must hate you.”

“My father’s name was L’Arjre Mahnnnh. It's Guh’Okkian.”

“I- of course. How silly of me.”

The man nodded. “Correct.”

“Alright, get on with it. What do you want?”

L’arj Mahnnnh cleared his throat and crossed his arms.

“You are Velvet Bolton. Daughter of Unor Bolton. Heir-”

“Yeah yeah, I got it. You don't have to go through the whole spiel.”

“Understood.”

“So, uh,” the teen muttered, “What’s with the restraints?”

“You’re a hostage.”

Velvet glared at him. “No, really? I never would’ve guessed.”

“That’s why I told you.”

“Oh my gods,” Velvet breathed, rolling her eyes, “Alright L’arj Mahnnnh, why are you holding me hostage?”

“At first I had just come for the Custodio power gem but after realising you were here as well, I changed my plan to capture you along with the gem. The reward for your return is quite plentiful, you know.”

“There’s a reward now?”

“Yes.”

“Of course- whatever. So where’s your boss?” Velvet looked around the dark room but could see no one else. L’arj Mahnnnh frowned.

“I have no boss. Why do you assume L’arj Mahnnnh has a boss? Is it unreasonable for a strong man to be the boss? You are perpetuating the stereotypes that have plagued my people for years.”

Velvet blinked a few times. “...Sorry?”

“You should be. Now stay here while I get Margaret Pembrooke, Daughter of Maximillian Buysse from the broom closet I hid them in.”

Velvet watched him walk out of the dark room before quickly turning their attention to the ropes tied around their wrists and legs. They were attached to a few hooks that seemed to be glued to the brick wall.

Margaret? They thought, Who- oh. I get it now. With one tug, the hooks were ripped off and sitting uselessly on the floor. Velvet unwrapped her wrists before sliding the rope off of her ankles. They quickly jumped to their feet.

The room was nearly empty, except for metal racks lining the walls and two large machines. L’arj Mahnnnh had shut the door behind him, presumably locking it as the knob refused to budge. Velvet glared at the metal handle before turning around again. Nothing was on the wall where they had been tied up and their dagger was nowhere to be found.

If I’m right, he should be bringing Maroon right to me. Makes my job easier, Velvet thought, sitting back down near the fallen ropes. They slowly wrapped them around themself again, looser this time, before placing their hands behind their back. The door slammed open, causing the assassin to jump slightly. L’arj Mahnnnh shoved someone forward and they fell to the ground a few centimetres in front of Velvet. A certain red-and-black-haired teenager looked up at her, tears running down their face. Maroon’s eyes widened when they locked eyes with Velvet but L’arj Mahnnnh quickly pushed them against the wall next to her.

“Quit your crying Margaret Pembrooke, Daughter of Maximillian Buysse.” L’Arj Mahnnnh commanded. Maroon took a deep breath before looking up at him.

“That is not my name.”

L’arj Mahnnnh kneeled down and grabbed the rope wrapped around Maroon’s legs and stomach. Maroon choked back a sob as he raised them so their eyes were level with each other. Velvet quickly ripped their arms out of the ropes again.

“Put them do-” They were cut off by a sudden scream of pain erupting from L’arj Mahnnnh. Velvet sat frozen as thousands of small mushrooms burst out of his skin and covered the floor of the room. Blood splattered and pooled beneath him, painting the black room red. He tried to scream but his airways were soon clogged by the fungi that Maroon had summoned. He clawed at his throat as he began to lose consciousness from lack of air.

Maroon had been flung to the ground in L’arj Mahnnnh’s panic, banging their head on the cold concrete and quickly losing consciousness. L’arj Mahnnnh collapsed and squirmed near the door before his body grew limp. Velvet sat there for nearly half a minute before quickly shaking their head.

I…am starting to understand Zaeor’s logic now, she thought, slowly standing, Maybe that crazy son of a bitch is on to something. They slowly hoisted their teammate onto their back before stepping over L’arj Mahnnnh. His eyes were open still and he twitched a bit, but Velvet just chuckled.

“Painful. Have fun, L’arj Mahnnnh.”

Mad paced anxiously around the cockpit of their ship, the Umbrella. With nearly half an hour of radio silence from their teammates, the assistance droid had begun to assume the worst. That was until a loud banging came from the door.

“Mad, open the fucking door!” Velvet called out. It jumped up and quickly slammed the button to open the door. It swung open, revealing a bruised Velvet with an unconscious Maroon draped across their back.

“Holy-” they mumbled, quickly grabbing the younger teen in their arms, “What happened?” Velvet cracked their neck before shutting the door behind them.

“L’arj Mahnnnh attacked us. Apparently, he was also after the gem and got the jump on us.”

“Don’t you mean ‘a’ large man?”

“If I did, I would’ve said it,” they muttered, “He’s some kind of bounty hunter. I’m going back in to get the gem, watch-”

“No, you’re not.”

Velvet glared at the robot in front of them.

“What?”

“You’re in no state to go back in there. We’ll go back to the mansion and regroup.”

The assassin let out a strained laugh before putting a hand in front of the door’s sensor.

“And you’re in no state to stop me.” Velvet waved her hand but nothing happened. After trying it a few more times, she looked up at Mad and their T.V. displayed a green smirking emoticon.

“You fucking-”

“Let’s go, I’ll grab some ice for your arm and you can tell me about this…large man.”

Latin Translations: cōnfectus - worn out, exhausted meus deōs - my gods

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park-chan-yall · 6 years

Text

Kpop Moodboards Masterlist UPDATED 10/17/2018

A.C.E.-

Jun-Boyfriend

ASTRO-

Eunwoo- Horror Boyfriend

Eunwoo- Purple

Eunwoo-Vaporwave

B.A.P.-

Banghim- Soft

Yongguk- Orange

Daejae- Jealous

Daehyun- Fuckboy

Yongguk- Boyfriend

Yongguk- Mafia Smut

Yongguk- Bad Boy

Jongup- Vaporwave

BLACKPINK-

Jennie-Red & Yellow

Jisoo- Arcade Date

BLOCK B-

U-Bomb

Bastarz- Apocalypse

BTS-

Taegi- Witches

Taegi- Demon Taehyung/Human Yoongi

Vmon- Vampire Namjoon/Human Taehyung

Vmon- Stoners

Yoonmin- “Temptation”

Namgi- “Objects in Mirror are Closer Than They Appear”

Taekook- Competitive Roommates

Taegi- “Where the Heart Is”

Taegi- Artist Yoongi/Muse Taehyung

Taejin “Try a Little Tenderness”

Taegi- “White Chalk”

Taegi- Hockey Rivals

Yoonseok- “The Boys of Erinn”

Hoseok- Green

Taekook- Daddy Kink

Yoonmin- Daddy Kink

Sugakookie- Rapper Yoongi/Fanboy Jungkook

Jinmin- Rival Serial Killers

Taegi- Pining Yoongi

Namjoon- Baby Boy

Hoseok- Daddy Kink

Seokjin- Pastel Pink

Namjoon- Golden Hour

Jikook- Soft

Taehyung- Late Night Out

Yoonmin- Pastel

Namjoon- 4 Horsemen-Death

Hoseok- 4 Horsemen- Pestilence

Yoongi- 4 Horsemen- Famine

Seokjin- 4 Horsemen- War

Taegi- Yellow Comic

Taehyung- Neon Night Out

Hoseok- Coffe Date

Yoongi- Purple

Seokjin- Religious Assassin

Seokjin- Arcade Date

Namjoon- Pastel

Kookminjoon- “Protege”

Seokjin- Apocalypse

Taehyung- Night Out (and In)

Taegi- “Stuck On You (and I’m Still Here)”

Minjoon- “Instigate”

Taekook- Idol/Model

Jimin- African American Girlfriend

Vmin-Soft Idiots

Taehyung- Pink and Yellow

Taekook- “Comeback Kids”

Jikook- Roadtrip

Jungkook- 90′s

DAY6-

Dohyun

Jae-Picnic

Dowoon- Jealous

EXID-

Hani-Arcade Date

LE- Neon

EXO-

Chanbaek-When I’m With You (I Have Fun)

Chansoo-Roommatess to lovers

Boyfriend Junmyeon

Chanyeol as Fire

Xiumin as Frost

Opposites Attract Kaisoo

Chanbaek- It’s All in the Timing

Baekhyun and his Brazilian gf

Xiumin and his British gf

Chanbaek- Biker Chanyeol and Innocent Baekhyun

Chanyeol- Playing video games together

Chanbaek Smut

Sehun- A Night Out Together

Chanbaek- One Night Stand

Chanyeol- Christmas

Chanbaek- Roommmates to Lovers

Suho- Neon

Chanbaek- Enemies to Lovers

Xiumin- Neon at the Club

Sehun- Beach Picnic

Suho- Green Date

Chanyeol-Breakfast

Chanbaek- Basketball Rivals

Chanbaek- Married/ Expecting Twins

Jongdae- Bad Boy

Chenyeol- Roommates

Chenchan- Hockey Rivals

Chansoo- Demon Chanyeol/ Human Kyungsoo

Chanbaek- “A Little Like Love”

GIRIBOY-

Boyfriend

GOT7-

BamBam- Shopping Date

Jackson- Light in the Dark

HEIZE-

Blue and Yellow

HI5HLI5HT-

Junhyung-Neon

HYUNA-

Orange

Magenta

90’s Red

Girlfriend

IKON-

Yunhyeong-Late Night

Chanwoo- Night Out

Bobby- Red Relationship

Junhoe- Apocalypse

Hanbin- Apocalypse

Donghyuk- Apocalypse

Chanwoo- Apocalypse

Yunhyeong- Apocalypse

Jinhwan- Apocalypse

Bobby- Apocalypse

Jinhwan- The Lost Boys

IMFACT-

Jeup-Blue and Yellow

JBJ-

Hyunbin- Dark Boyfriend

Hyunbin- Baby Blue

Hyunhyun

Hyunbin- Yellow

Taehyun- Cyberpunk Hooligans

Donghan- Cyberpunk Hooligans

Longguo- Cyberpunk Hooligans

Kenta- Cyberpunk Hooligans

Sanggyun- Cyberpunk Hooligans

Hyunbin- Cyberpunk Hooligans

Donghan- Sexy Red

Donghan- Soft

Donghan- NSFW

MISS A-

Jia- Sexy Red

Jia- Dark

MOMOLAND-

Yeonwoo- Pink

JooE- Purple

MONSTA X-

Showhyuk-Artists

Jookyun- Hackers

Kiho- Nerd Kihyun/Bad Boy Wonho

Wonho- Reckless

Kihyuk- Breakup/Makeup

Kihyun- Late Night

Jooheon- Apocalypse

Jooheon- Mall Date

Kihyuk

NCT-

Yukhei- Carnival Date

Renjun- Boyfriend

Luwin- Domestic

Yuta- Date

Jaeyong- Blue

Jaewin- Beige

Jaehyun- Nighttime Pink

Mark- Roommates

Doyoung- Park Date

Jaehyun- Crush

Mark- College Freshman

Lucas- Boyfriend

Haechan- Red

Jeno-Blue

PENTAGON-

Jinho- Date

Hyojong

Shinwon- Day In

Hyojong- Bad Boy

Yuto- Late Night

Jinho- Beige

Hui- Rain

Yan An- Heat

Wooseok- Bad Boy

Hyojong- Rich Bad Boy

Yuto- Bad Boy

Yuto- Vaporwave

Yuto- Bad Boy

Yuyeo- Boyfriends

PRISTIN-

Kyla- Winter

Roa- Pastel

Roa-Soft

RED VELVET -

Seulgi- Trans Boyfriend

Wendy- African American Bf

Wendy- Slayer Series

Joy-Slayer Series

Yeri- Slayer Series

Irene- Slayer Series

Seulgi- Slayer Series

SEVENTEEN-

Junhao- Serial Killer

Seungcheol- Boyfriend

Wonhao- Rich Boyfriends

Seokwoo- Pining Roommates

Seungcheol- Fuckboy

Seokgyu- Fight Club

Minghao- Scifi Assassin

Seoksoon- One Night Stand

Soonchan- Opposites Attract

Seokmin- Fuckboy

Jigyu

Vernon- Yellow

Gyuhao-Smut

Seoksoon- Carnival Date

Soonyoung- Nature Artist

Jun- Red Aesthetic

Booseoksoon- Childhood Friends

Minghao- Blue Artist

Jun- Date Night

Jun- Bad Boy

JiCheol- “Flicker”

Soonchan- UFO Hunters

Jisol- “The Boy Least Likely To”

Junhao- Roommates

Seokmin- Dance Studio

Wonhao- Crushes Won’t Cooperate

Wonwoo- Artist

Seoksoon- Roommates

Jeongcheol- Soft

Soonwoo- Punk Hoshi/Nerd Wonwoo

Soonwoo- Soft Domestic

Seokmin- Smut

Booseoksoon- Roadtrip

Gyuhao

Seuncheol- Enemy with Benefits

Seokmin- Night Walk

Seoksoon- Poly

Seokmin- Nature Dates

Soonyoung-Witches Familiar

Seokmin-Dark Witch

Seokmin- Pastel Witch

Soonhoon- Soft Jihoon

Verkwon

Jeongcheol-Hitchhiker

Seoksoon- Camboy Seokmin/Pizza Guy Soonyoung

Seokmin- Cafe Date

Soonyoung- Cheery Girlfriend

Soonyoung- Teal and Yellow

Meanie- “A Plug and His GDI”

Seoksoon- Bros

Meanie- Drunken Encounter

Soonwoo- Friends to Lovers

Soogyu

Seoksoon- Horror Movie

Seoksoon- “I Thought You’d Never Ask”

Seoksoon- “Fool’s Gold”

Cheolsoo- Protective Seungcheol

Jicheol-Reluctantly soft Jihoon

Jisol- Blasphemous

Seokmin- Sunshine

Wonhao- Enemies to Lovers

Seoksoon- Band

Mingyu- Domestic

Seoksoon- “Wrong Number”

Seoksoon

Meanie- “Waiting and Waiting For You to Make a Move”

Soonwoo- “You Don’t Have to Go Home but You Can’t Stay Here”

Wonwoo- Bad Boy

Jihoon- Beach Date

Soonwoo- “Our House (Is a Very Very Very Fine House)”

Wonwoo- Assassin

Seuncheol- Tutor

Wonwoo- Roommates to Lovers

Minghao- Love at First Sight

Junhao- Road Trip

Jihoon- Crush

Soonyoung- Purple Crush

Mingyu- Pink Plus Size

Jihoon- Neon Green

Meanie-Road Trip

Jihoon- Pink Performer

Junhao- Best Friends

Cheolsoo- Baker and Gym Rat

Gyuhao- Dark Minghao/ Pastel Gyu

Seokmin- Strawberry Picking

Vernon- College

Minghao- Gang

Wonwoo- Otaku

Seokcheol- College Idiots

Jigyu- Detroit Become Human

Vernon- Alien and Cryptid Fan

Gyuhao- FWB/Lovers

Seoksoon- Bank Robbing Boyfriends

Soonchan- Musician/Fan

Mingyu- Dom

Mingsol- Skater!Minghao/Basketball Player!Vernon

Mingsol- Opposites Attract Roomates

2Seung- Thot!Seungkwan/Soft!Seungcheol

Woncheol-Cool!Seungcheol/Awestruck!Wonwoo

Chancheol- Thirsty College student!Chan

Meanie- “Crystal Balling”

Mingyu- Hip Hop Team Apocalypse

Wonwoo- Hip Hop Team Apocalypse

Vernon- Hip Hop Team Apocalypse

Seungcheol- Hip Hop Team Apocalypse

Minghao- Performance Witches

Junhui- Performance Witches

Soonyoung- Performance Witches

Chan- Performance Witches

Jeonghan- Vocal Team Slashers

Jihoon- Vocal Team Slashers

Joshua- Vocal Team Slashers

Seokwoo- Roommates

SF9-

Rowoon- Greaser

Hwiyoung- Mamma Mia

SHINEE-

Minho- 80’s Camp Counselor

Taemin- SciFi

STRAY KIDS-

Felix- Video Games

Chan- Dystopian

Hyunjin- Dystopian

Seungmin- Dystopian

Jeongin- Dystopian

Woojin- Dystopian

Felix- Dystopian

Jisung- Dystopian

Minho- Dystopian

Changbin- Dystopian

TWICE-

Nayeon- Pastel Girlfriend

Nayeon- Soft Girlfriend

Chaeyoung

UP10TION-

Kuhn- Purple & Pink

Wei- Pink

VICTON-

Seungwoo- Rose

VIXX-

Hongbin-Soft Pink

ACTORS & ACTRESSES

Ahn Jae Hyun- Vampire

~REQUESTS OPEN~

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noona-clock · 6 years

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Reaction Masterlist

First Time at Disney World

When They’re Still in Love with You

Pet Gets Excited to See You

Girlfriend Can’t Help Herself - He’s Just Too Cute!

Idol Girlfriend is Expecting

Babying You

When You’re A Guest on Return of Superman

Sleepover with BAP

When You Get a Side-Shave Haircut

When They Come Home in the Mood but You’re Like..... No

A Chill Day With B.A.P

When You Climb Onto Their Lap

When You Kiss Them to Share Your Lip Balm

When They Come Home From Tour and You’ve Changed Your Appearance

When They’re Upset and You Tell Them You Love Them

When You Accidentally Fall Asleep at Their Place

When You Sleep in One of their T-Shirts

When Your Most Prized Possession is Ruined

When They’re Comforting You and You Confess Your Love

When You Drag Your Feet As You Walk

When Carolers Come to Their House

When You Buy Couple’s Christmas Sweaters

Babysitting with You

When Another Idol Flirts With You

When You Tell Them You Love Them For the First Time

An Argument with BigBang

When You’re a Foreigner and You Meet Their Parents

When They See You With a Guy... But It’s Your Brother

Being Clingy With You

When You Get Pregnant by Accident

When Their Ex Performs a Song About Them

When Their S/O and Kid Visit Them On Set

When You Get an Ultrasound

BigBang Sending Their Kid Off to College

BigBang on Their Wedding Day

When They Hear You Scream While You’re Reading a Good Book

When You Surprise Them With a Romantic Date After a Long Day

Trying Your Baking for the First Time

When They Find Out You’re a Vampire

When You Fangirl Over an Actor in a K-Drama

When Their BFF Has a Crush on Another Member

When They See You at Their Concert

When You’re Afraid of Birds

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When You Stay Up Late Reading

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When They Find Out You Write KPOP FanFiction

When Their Kid Tries to Play Their Instrument

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When You Tell Them You’re Pregnant

When You’re a Blanket Hog

FaceTiming with Day6

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Finds Out You’re Filipino

When They Miss You

at Sephora with their S/O

at the Club

When You Cover Up Your Birthmark

Reacting to You Reacting to Electric Kiss

Walking in on You Working Out

When They Realize They Love You

When They See That You Don’t Have a Good Relationship with Your Parents

Seeing Their Ex-Girlfriend In A Revealing Outfit at an Awards Show

When You’re Dating Got7

When You’re Insecure About Your Chubby Cheeks

When They Find Out Their Girlfriend Has a Terminal Disease

When They Want to Learn Your Language and Culture

When You’re Sick

Finds Out You’re British

When They Watch Their Ex’s Award Show Performance on YouTube

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When They See You Using Skin Whitener

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When You Always Eat

When You’re A Foreigner and You Meet Their Parents

When Everyone Knows You’re In Love with Chanyeol and Kai

When They Find Their S/O Asleep from Overworking

When Their Partner Likes Heavy Metal

When Their Partner Tries to Dance The Eve Choreography

When They See Their S/O Twerking

When They See You Annoyed by Your Curly Hair

When You Tell Them That You Love Them But They Don’t Feel the Same Way

When Their Girlfriend Is A Popular YouTuber

When They See You Crying Because You Miss Your Family & Hometown

When Their Partner Surprises Them at the Studio With Food

When They See You Enjoying Their Music When They Come Home from Touring

When Their Girlfriend is Shorter Than Them

When You Climb Onto Their Lap to Sleep

When They Find Out You’re Brazilian

When Their Partner Has a Heavy British Accent

When You Kiss Them to Shut Them Up

When Their Partner is Scary When Angry

When Their Partner Does Makeup For The First Time

When You Have a Wet Dream

When You’re On Your Period

When You’re Always Tired Because Of Sports

When They Hear You Moaning and Misunderstand The Situation

When You Get Emotional Reading A Book

Girlfriend Can’t Handle the Hate

An Argument with Got7

Watching Their Idol Girlfriend Perform Their Song

Watching Their Idol Girlfriend Play Random Play Dance

When You Casually Walk Around Naked

When You Don’t Share Your Food

When You Send Them a Finger Heart

When It’s Your First Time Seeing Snow

When You Shower Them With Kisses

When You Refuse to Wake Up in the Morning

Accidentally Walking in on You Changing into Lingerie

When You Accidentally Headbutt Them Instead of Kiss Them

When You Tease Them With Pictures of Food

When You’ve Had Your Wisdom Teeth Taken Out

When Your Comeback Song Is About Your Breakup…

When You’re a Foreigner But You Try to Ask Them Out Anyway

When They Find Out You’re Leading a Double Life

When You’re a Super Nerd

When They Find Out You’re Half-American/Half-Thai

When You’re Latina and Have a Crush on Prince Royce

When You Give Them an Expensive Gift... And You See Another Member With It.

When They Learn Spanish for You... But You Speak Portuguese. Whoops.

When You Have a History of Fighting

Collabing With You on a YouTube Video

When They See Their Idol Partner Fall and Hurt Themselves

When You Fall Asleep in Their T-shirt

When You Stub Your Toe

When You’re in a Coma After a Fight

When Their Black Girlfriend is Insecure

When They Come Home to You Cleaning in Barely There Clothing

When Your Dog Interrupts Your Cuddles

When You Tease Them in Front of the Other Members

When You Play a Board Game Together

When You Name Your Hairless Cat After Them

When You Wake Up to Their Hands on Your Boobs

When They Have... *ahem* ~Technical Difficulties~

When You’ve Got Crazy PMS and Mood Swings

When The Other Members Tease You About You Hickeys

When Their Prank Goes Too Far

When They Meet Your Gay BFF And He Says They’re Attractive

When You Wear Their Picture on Your Ugly Christmas Sweater

When They Come Home for Christmas After a Long Tour

When You Show Up at a Fansign and They Already Follow You on SNS

When They Take Their Kid Trick-or-Treating for the First Time

When You Bring Their Child to See Them at Work

When You’re Heavily Tattooed

When They’re Asked About You During an Interview

When You Wake Up From a Nightmare

Seeing Their Ex-Girlfriend in a Revealing Outfit at an Awards Show

When Their Black Girlfriend is Insecure

When You’re an Idol and Their Crush on You is Revealed

When You Play an April Fool’s Joke on Them

When They Find Out You Voted for Team A

When You Go To a Fansign and They Think You’re Attractive

When Their S/O is a Tease During the Holidays

When They Come Home Late on Christmas Eve

When They Realize How Much They Love You

When You’re Sick

Wife is Shy Seeing Them Shirtless

When You Hurt Your Ankle During Dance Practice

Waking Up to your Daughter on Christmas

Being Monsta X’s English Tutor

Skating with Monsta X

When You’re Stressed Out!!!

When You’re Shy About Singing

When Their Partner Wants to be Turned (Vampire!AU)

When They Find Out You Have Diabetes

When You Name Your Hairless Cat After Them

When You Wear Something Different

Date Night with Monsta X

When They’re Comforting You and You Confess Your Love

When They Come Back From Tour and Their Baby Doesn’t Remember Them

When You’re Drooling Over the Jealousy MV

When You Don’t Want to Go Home for Christmas

When You Obsess Over Shownu and Wonho’s Bodies

When They Find Out You’re into Stripping

Coming Home to a Warm Meal in the Winter

When they Walk in on Their S/O in the Shower

When You Complain About the Heat

When They Find Out You’re Obsessed with Disney

Spending New Year’s Eve with Monsta X

When You Give Them the Silent Treatment

*note: this blog no longer writes for Red Velvet

Surprise Kiss in front of their Members

Fanmeeting Love at First Sight

Boyfriend Pinning Them to the Wall

*note: this blog no longer writes for Seventeen

Meeting Mafia!Seventeen For The First Time

When You’re Awkward At Social Gatherings

When They Find Out You’re A Princess

HipHop Unit When You Are Exhausted and Hungry

When You Say I Love You For The First Time

When They Find Out You Have Powers

at a Holiday Party!

Pet Names for You

When You Have to Take Care of Your Younger Siblings

Meeting Your Parents for the First Time

When You Tell Them You Love Them for the First Time

in a Haunted House

When You Get a Haircut and Hate it

When They Find Out You’re a Gaming YouTuber

*note: this blog no longer writes for Super Junior

When They Find Out You’re 10+ Years Younger Than Them

When They Find Out You Voted for Team B

When You Bring Lunch to Their Practice

When They Find Out They Aren’t Your Bias

When You Fall Asleep on Their Chest

When You Get Home After a Long Day

Master list // RULES // Read About the Admins

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lirlovesfic · 6 years

Text

The Choice

A Doctor Who fanfic

Summary: After GitF, the TARDIS brings the Doctor, Rose, and Mickey back to the estate to solve a problem involving the TARDIS herself. But when they see a familiar face, the face of someone who should not exist, they realize the problem is deeper than they thought and could endanger the Doctor’s very existence. Primary characters: Ninth Doctor, Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Jackie Tyler. Genres: Romance, mystery, adventure, drama, character study, HN AU, fobbed!Nine, sick TARDIS. Pairings: Nine/Rose, Ten/Rose Rating: Adult

Warning: None for this chapter

a/n: I am currently working on editing this chapter-by-chapter, with the hopes of completing a chapter a day until I catch up with myself. As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m doing it to try to get back into the swing of writing and to build some momentum in order to finish this. Also, there have been some tiny things nagging at me for a while (grammar, punctuation, etc.) so I’ll be correcting as many of them as I can find as I go. The story will not change. In fact, most of the changes are going to be so minor that I doubt anyone (besides myself) will notice. But to keep me on target, I’ll be posting it all here as I go, with links to the other websites it’s on. I hope you enjoy it.

Catch up: on AO3, on TSP, on ffnet

This chapter: on AO3, on TSP, on ffnet

Chapter Ten—The Time Vortex, one hour after leaving the Powell Estate, and Dallas, Texas, 22 November, 1963

As he adjusted his dark grey silk tie, Mickey examined himself in the full-length mirror in the corner of the wardrobe.

The Doctor had told him that, although jeans and T-shirts were becoming common in the era, in order to be close to the route the presidential motorcade would take, they needed to be dressed conservatively enough that they wouldn’t stand out in the crowd lining the streets. Mickey needed to change.

Mickey hadn’t known what to expect when he’d been sent to the Wardrobe Room, perhaps a cupboard with an outfit or two, or perhaps something like the Menswear Department at Marks and Spencer, but whatever he’d expected, this wasn’t it. The TARDIS wardrobe was a cavernous space, absolutely massive, several stories tall and easily rivaling a football pitch in area, with spiral staircases strategically placed every twenty feet or so that led to the upper floors. It was jam packed with clothing—and their coordinating accessories—from what looked like, to Mickey’s untutored eyes, every culture and every era of human history (both past and future, based on silvery, space age jumpsuits he saw) and probably hundreds of other planets as well, given the jackets with far too many sleeves than necessary. It also seemed to be less organized than a church jumble sale. Cricket whites, miniskirts, Indian saris, and Japanese kimonos competed for space with velvet frock coats and silk evening gowns. There was even a short blue dress that looked like it was made of bubble wrap. Mickey, who had volunteered on occasion at the British Museum and had been privy to the massive storerooms there, had never seen anything like it.

Lucky for him, this suit was located near the front of the room, hanging from one of the staircases, otherwise he never would have spotted it. He still would have missed it, in fact, if a spotlight, emanating from somewhere above, hadn’t turned on, illuminating it just as he’d begun to walk past it.

He had never been one for suits. He did own one, of course, which he usually only wore to weddings, but the last time he had worn it had been to his grandmother’s funeral several years earlier. Afterwards he had shoved it in the back of his cupboard, intending to never wear it again.

But this suit was as different from that one as a Rolls Royce was from a Mini Cooper. It was made of fine grey wool lined with satin, the cut of the jacket and trousers were in a timeless style, the cotton shirt was crisp and pure white, and the tie was neither too narrow nor too wide.

He had slipped the clothes on and discovered that not only was everything his size, it all fit him like a glove. After admiring himself in the mirror once more, he placed a felt fedora on his head and adjusted it to a jaunty angle.

Mickey grinned. “I should definitely wear a suit more often, because I look good.”

Several minutes later, minus the hat, Mickey returned to the console room to find the Doctor standing at the console, staring into the monitor and frowning.

“Is this all right?” he asked.

The Doctor barely spared him a glance. “It’s fine.”

“Because there was a hat there too. I can go back and get it…”

The Doctor didn’t answer. Instead he began to flip a switch back and forth over and over again so hard he looked like he was going to break it.

“What’s wrong?” Mickey asked.

“The TARDIS doesn’t want to land,” he answered. “I’m going to have to force her to. Hang on!”

The mere fact that the Doctor was warning him of a rough landing, when he had never given him a warning before, made Mickey grab onto the nearest coral strut and hang on for dear life. The Doctor rushed around the console, flipping switches, pressing buttons and spinning dials. Last, he yanked on a large lever. The TARDIS evidently wasn’t responding the way the Doctor wanted it to, because he grabbed a mallet hanging off the edge of the console and began hitting the controls.

With that, the TARDIS console room rocked violently back and forth and began to echo with the sounds of materialization. Despite his best efforts to hang on, Mickey was thrown to the floor. He landed hard on the metal mesh grating.

“Ow,” he complained. Wincing, he stood and rubbed his bum.

The Doctor ignored the complaint as he stared into the monitor again. “I’m already here,” he said.

“Well, that’s why we came, yeah? Because he’s here?”

“Yes, but I was hoping to arrive before he did. If we had arrived first, we’d have been able to track him from the moment he left his TARDIS.”

Mickey yanked on his collar in a futile attempt to make it more comfortable. Although the suit fit perfectly, he’d never get used to wearing a tie. “Didn’t you say you could sense him?” he asked. “In your head or somethin’?”

“If I can sense him, he can sense me, and that’s the last thing we want.” The Doctor let out a huff of irritation. “Now we’ll have to do this the hard way. We’ll just have to look for him.” He picked up his long brown overcoat and pulled it on. Mickey frowned.

“Aren’t you gonna change?” he asked.

“Why bother? Pinstriped suit? It’s a classic,” the Doctor informed him. “Wearing this I fit in anywhere. Well, almost anywhere. I did have to change into a toga while we were in ancient Rome. And then there’s this little planet named Xerbet in the galaxy Andromeda where all forms of clothing are absolutely forbidden. Against the law, in fact. See, the Xerbetians value honesty above all other virtues, and they see clothing as a form of deception. They consider the hiding of one’s body to be the hiding of one’s true self. Quite liberating, actually, albeit a bit chilly.”

“You didn’t take Rose there, did you?” Mickey asked.

The Doctor didn’t answer, but a smirk spread across his face. He headed towards the TARDIS exit and Mickey quickly followed.

“Seriously, you didn’t take Rose there? You’re just windin’ me up again, yeah?”

Ignoring the question, the Doctor flung open the doors of the TARDIS. “Mickey Smith, welcome to Dallas, Texas, 22 November, 1963.”

The TARDIS had landed in a narrow alley between two tall brick buildings. Thankfully, the alley was deserted. Because of his own experiences having seen it appear and disappear and even plummet from the sky, Mickey didn’t know how strangers would react to what looked like a British police box suddenly appearing, seemingly out of nowhere, on a city street in America, but he assumed it wouldn’t be good.

“Looks a bit boring,” he answered, looking up at the metal fire escapes that clung to the walls of the building. “Could be any alley anywhere. You sure we’re in Dallas?”

The Doctor gave him a look before heading out of the alley.

Mickey followed him out to the street. His jaw dropped. He stared around himself in amazement. The storefronts looked like many of the older shops on the Estate, with old fashioned cafés replacing modern takeaways, but the street...

The street was filled with Packards and Plymouths, Buicks and Chevys, some of which he had only seen in photographs before. All were ancient vehicles to him, but they weren’t ancient here. They were new, brand new in some cases.

And the people also seemed to come from another era. Which they did, he reminded himself. The women all wore dresses that fell below the knee, and the men all either wore suits or trousers paired with collared shirts or jumpers. Mickey suddenly understood why the Doctor had insisted he change out of his T-shirt and jeans. He would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Unreal,” he said. “Looks like a movie set. But it’s real. It’s really, actually real. We’re really in the past.” He grinned. “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! And Dallas, 1963! History in the makin’!” he said excitedly. A couple of passersby stared at him, and he lowered his voice. “The grassy knoll, the second gunman…”

“Ah, so you’re a conspiracy buff?” the Doctor asked.

“A little,” he answered. “So, what was it? Did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone or was there a second gunman? Was he hired by the KGB or in league with the Mafia? Did the CIA order the hit?”

The Doctor chucked. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I try to stay away from fixed points. Too easy to muck things up.”

Mickey shook his head in disbelief. “Wow, we’re really here. We’re actually here.” When he saw the Doctor smirking at him again, his smile disappeared. “This doesn’t change anything.”

“Oh, no, of course not.”

“I’m still angry, yeah?”

“Of course.”

“I mean, just because we ended up where we meant to go this time doesn’t mean you aren’t still a bloody wanker.”

Again the Doctor shot him a look. “Well, there we are then.”

“Right. Just so long as we’re clear about that.” Mickey looked around. “So which way do we go?”

The Doctor pointed directly in front of them. “About three blocks that way is Dealey Plaza and the Texas Schoolbook Depository. If I’m here, that’s where we’ll find me.”

“How do you know?”

“Because that’s where I’d go,” the Doctor said simply. He took two steps forward and then stopped short. “Almost forgot,” he said. He rummaged deep in one of the pockets of his trousers. After a moment he pulled out what looked like two tiny hearing aids which he pushed into his ears.

“Telepathic dampers,” he said, answering Mickey’s unasked question. “Don’t want him to sense that we’re here. Of course, the downside is that I won’t be able to sense him either. We’ll just have to look for him.”

“If you had those, why didn’t you wear them before, when we were lookin’ for him on the Estate?”

“Didn’t have them before. I made them while you were getting changed. It’s not as if I didn’t have enough time. You took longer to get ready than Rose does.”

“Oi, I’m not the one who gave me the wrong directions to the Wardrobe Room! I got lost three times on the way there.”

The Doctor ignored the accusation. Instead he began to lecture as they headed in the direction of the Plaza. “The ‘60s were an age of enormous turmoil and massive contradictions in America. The Cold War, race riots, the Vietnam War, the space race… Just a few months ago, Martin Luther King gave his iconic ‘I have a Dream’ speech, spurring on the peace movement.” He came to a stop and paused for a moment. “And in an hour’s time, an assassin’s bullet will end the life of President Kennedy, leaving behind a widow, two small children, and a nation in mourning.”

They were both silent for a moment before they continued on down the street. They passed a variety of shops: a butcher’s, a bakery, a tobacconist, a bookstore. All were common to Mickey’s home and era, but somehow they looked different in a way he couldn’t put his finger on. Ahead he heard the strains of music. Next to him the Doctor grinned.

“Ah, a record store. And playing the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley! I bet Rose would love to meet him! Maybe after this is all over…”

As they walked down Main Street, they joined the crowd that already begun to form. There were people from all walks of life lining the street. Young and old, rich and poor, all races and creeds, all were gathering to catch a glimpse of the presidential motorcade.

Despite himself, Mickey caught the excitement of the festive atmosphere. Red, white, and blue banners fluttered overhead, suspended on wires that crisscrossed the road. Children darted back and forth, weaving in and out of the crowd while their parents scolded them. Older men congregated in groups smoking cigarettes and cigars, while older women stood apart and gossiped. Police officers wandered up and down the street, while photographers snapped photos of the crowd.

Mickey stopped and looked around, taking in the surroundings. He’d never been to America, never been back in time, and he wanted to memorize all of it if this was going to be his last trip with the Doctor.

Beside him he heard someone giggle. He turned to see a group of girls looking at him. One, a pretty young woman in a yellow dress and white cardigan, smiled shyly at him. He smiled back.

“Come on, Mickey,” the Doctor snapped. “You can flirt later. We’ve got a job to do. We’ve got to find me before I get myself into trouble.” He strode quickly down the street, his coat flapping behind him. Mickey had to jog to catch up.

“Why don’t you use your sonic screwdriver to track down your TARDIS like you did last time?” he asked breathlessly.

“Because I don’t want to find the TARDIS, I want to find me.” The Doctor stopped short and scanned the crowd on the other side of the street. “The photo of me here, do you know from what vantage point it was taken?”

Mickey shook his head. “I didn’t see it. Rose did.”

“Hmm. If you were me, Mickey, where would you stand?”

“I dunno. I guess as close to the street as I could.”

“But that’s assuming that the reason I came was to see the motorcade. If I just wanted to see President Kennedy, I’d have gone to his inauguration. No, there’s something else going on here.” He closed his eyes. After several long moments his brow furrowed. “I don’t understand,” he muttered. “This is a fixed point.”

The Doctor opened his eyes and jerked his head towards a building. Mickey nodded and they left the crowd.

“What’s goin’ on?” Mickey asked.

“I told you about fixed points,” the Doctor said quietly. “The Kennedy assassination is a fixed point. It has to happen. But something’s wrong. Something here is in flux. Something could change. And I don’t know what it is.” He looked around. “Just our being here, our very presence here could change something. And since I’m here twice… We have to find me. And fast. Before I change history.”

If Mickey had thought Main Street had been crowded, that was nothing compared to Dealey Plaza. It was wall to wall people on either side of the road. The Doctor led the way as they fought their way through the crowd, searching for the younger Doctor.

“I don’t see him. You. Whatever.”

“Neither do I,” the Doctor said. “And it’s almost time. The motorcade will be here within minutes.”

“Which one’s the Depository?”

The Doctor pointed to a tall building about a block back the way they came before returning to scanning the crowd.

“He’s there right now, isn’t he?” Mickey meant Oswald, rather than the younger Doctor, but the Doctor understood what he meant.

“He works there. By now he’s been in the building for hours, biding his time, waiting for everyone to leave so he could set up his rifle.” He huffed in frustration. “There’s too many people. We need to be higher up.”

“How ‘bout over there?”

They fought their way across the street to a sloping grassy area that was high enough to see most of the crowd. The Doctor pulled a pair of opera glasses out of his pocket.

“Much better.”

“Got another pair of those?”

“Yep.”

With the aid of a second pair of opera glasses, Mickey scanned the crowd. “I don’t see… Got ‘im. There he is. Behind that fat guy over there.” The younger Doctor was at street level near the Depository, waving something back and forth. “Looks like he’s looking for something with his sonic screwdriver.”

“What?”

The Doctor turned and looked where Mickey had indicated. “What? What am I…”

In the distance, the crowd began to cheer, and Mickey turned back to looking at the street. “Doctor! Doctor! I think the President’s here!”

As a plain, white Ford, the beginning of the motorcade, turned the corner onto Elm Street, Mickey’s heart began to pound. The excitement that he had felt earlier had disappeared, and now he felt sick. This was history for him, he knew what was going to happen, but somehow knowing and doing nothing made it worse.

The next few moments seemed to be in slow motion. As he watched, the white car pulled ahead while a midnight blue convertible, President Kennedy’s car, moved at a crawl around the corner, followed by police escort. Just as Mickey spotted the President and First Lady in the back of the car, he heard the sound of a car backfiring. The President slumped forward. As the First Lady tried to aid her husband, several people in the crowd began screaming.

Eyes wide with shock, Mickey gasped for air, sickened by the realization that what he had heard was the shot of a sniper’s rifle rather than a backfire, and that he had just witnessed President Kennedy’s assassination.

He had just seen someone murdered. He fought down the urge to vomit.

But it wasn’t over. As confusion reigned, Mickey turned back to look at the younger, leather wearing Doctor. Another shot rang out, and then possibly a third. At the same time, he saw the Doctor lunge to the side, knocking a young woman to the ground.

As time returned to normal, police began to swarm over the hill.

“Doctor!”

The Doctor stood next to him, still staring through the opera glasses, seemingly frozen in shock. Mickey shook his shoulder.

“Doctor! We’ve got to go! Now!” He yanked on his arm. “Run!”

They ran in the opposite direction of the crowd, making a large loop around the Plaza before heading back the way they came. When they reached the TARDIS, the Doctor fumbled with his key before letting them inside.

“I really need to make an electronic key for the TARDIS,” the Doctor said.

Beside him, Mickey wheezed for air. “I really, really need to work out more.”

The Doctor circled the console, setting the controls. The Time Rotor began to move up and down and the sound of dematerialization echoed through the room.

“Where are we goin’? Aren’t we gonna go back and try to find him again?”

“No need,” the Doctor answered. “Whatever injured both the TARDIS and me didn’t happen here.”

“What did happen?”

“He saved someone’s life. Someone, a young woman who originally died from the ricochet of a bullet fragment, didn’t die now.”

“Didn’t you say that this was a fixed point?”

“The Kennedy assassination was a fixed point,” the Doctor told him. “Her death wasn’t.”

“So you saved someone’s life.”

“It appears so.”

“Is that why you went there, to save her life?”

“I honestly don’t know. I still don’t remember any of this, and that worries me. Really, really worries me.” At Mickey’s questioning look, the Doctor continued. “If I was involved with this situation, if I had somehow met him, to maintain the timelines my younger self would have had to forget this happened until it happened to me, this me. If that had happened, if my involvement here had caused him to force himself to forget this had happened, then the memories of today should be returning to me now. And they’re not. Which means that my memory loss has been caused by something else, something that affected both me and the TARDIS.”

“Which means we’re back to square one.”

“Which means we’re back to square one,” the Doctor agreed.

“So now what?”

“Now we go on to the next place I know I was, and we look for something that could have affected both me and the TARDIS.”

The Doctor moved around the console, setting the next coordinates.

“How do you do it?” Mickey said quietly. “How can you go someplace like that and not do something? I mean, a man was shot, murdered, right in front of us. How can you just watch that happen and not let it affect you?”

“Who says it doesn’t affect me?” the Doctor said in a low voice. “This is why I don’t go to fixed points. The temptation to do something is too great.” He turned to face him. “This is how I see the world, Mickey. Every second of every day of my life, I see what is, what could be, and what can’t. I know what’s right, what has to happen, and more importantly, what’s wrong and mustn’t happen.”

“Is that what happened with Madame de Pompadour?”

“Yes. Her death at the hands of futuristic robots was wrong. It couldn’t be allowed to happen. I had to stop it. I’m just sorry that you and Rose were hurt by it.”

They both fell silent for a moment, and Mickey was overwhelmed by a glimpse of what it meant to be a Time Lord and by a new sense of what life was like for the Doctor, how he must be filled with agonizing choices every day. He didn’t know how the other man could handle it, day after day, year after year, and if what Rose said was right, century after century. If it was him, he’d want to escape it. Run away, as far away from all of it as he could.

But the Doctor didn’t have that choice.

Finally the silence between them became oppressive.

“We never found out, did we?” Mickey said, mostly to lighten the mood.

“Found out what?”

“What happened. Whether there was a conspiracy. Whether there was a second gunman. We didn’t even see who was on the grassy knoll.”

The Doctor chuckled. “No, as far as whether there was a conspiracy, whether Oswald acted alone or not, that will have to remain a mystery. But as far as who was on the grassy knoll, I would have thought you’d have figured that out.”

“Who?” Mickey asked. And then the penny dropped. “Us?” The Doctor gave him a nod. “But if we changed time by being there, how could it have been us?”

“There may not have been anyone there before,” the Doctor told him. “Witnesses were divided about that. Or maybe two other people had been there before who weren’t there now because we were. Or perhaps there was a ripple effect from our being there. Who knows? Most people consider time to be a straight line, a strict progression of cause to effect, but really it twists and bends, curves and circles upon itself. You can wake up in London in the year 2007 and spend the day creating the seeds of a conspiracy theory in Dallas in 1963.”

Mickey shook his head in disbelief.

The Doctor gave him a rueful grin. “Mickey Smith, welcome to time travel.”

#the choice #ficandchips #tenth doctor #mickey smith #revised chapter

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