#i imagine this is an area where people start families Very young and so even tho it wasnt happening yet scout knew they were

[royalwilmon]

this is a prequel of sorts to always on the tip of my tongue! a glimpse into wille and simon's very first taco tuesday. eventually (like, after all of tomt is published, so basically never) this will be one part in a series of mikael pov insights into wilmon's relationship, but i wanted to share this for now! enjoy!! <333

if he likes you, he'll smile

Mikael had been working at Geronimo’s for nearly two months the day that he met Wille and Simon. 

He didn’t even think he’d be in the job that long. He had just been laid off from another corporate bullshit position and had been enjoying a proper midlife crisis when another eviction notice forced him to resort to bartending again. Geronimo’s FGT was decidedly not his kind of place. He hated how touristy the area was, hated the shitty bands the owners constantly had in for live entertainment, and more than anything, hated how monotonous the job started feeling just after a couple of weeks. 

He wanted to quit. He was seriously considering giving his notice. He nearly did several times, but for whatever reason, he kept hesitating. It was good that he had a job for now, but he was already restless. Something was missing. Mikael didn’t know what he would do or where to go next, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was invisible here. Mikael couldn’t even remember the last time he had an honest-to-God conversation with someone. In this town, the idea of him disappearing forever without a soul noticing he was gone was more reality than fear. 

And then, one day, on a Tuesday in autumn just like any other Tuesday, Crown Prince Wilhelm sat at the bar right before him. 

Mikael didn’t give a shit about the royal family. He was surprised he even recognized him. He probably only did because Wilhelm was around the same age as Sanna, his daughter. Mikael remembered the headlines when Erik passed away. It was right after Mikael got into that last big argument with Nea before she packed everything they owned, left, and took Sanna with her. He remembered watching the videos of Erik’s funeral on the news, seeing pictures and closeups of Wilhelm, and just thinking about how young he looked. 

He still looked young now. His hair was shorter, his face more angular, and he didn’t look sad like he always did when he was on the news. Quite the opposite, really. He had another person with him tonight, a shorter boy who looked even younger, whose smile seemed so bright and genuine that Mikael almost felt blinded by it. As the two boys slid into their respective barstools, bright laughter filled the room, and Mikael thought that today would be different. He didn’t know how, and he didn’t know if the change he felt was necessarily a good one, but it was different. 

He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to address the prince in any sort of particular way. For a moment, he thought maybe the prince was trying to be discreet, and he shouldn’t address him at all, but the pair of security staff who followed the duo inside and positioned themselves nearby made it clear that Crown Prince Wilhelm was here. Plus, people around the restaurant noticed him and started staring. All eyes Mikael could see were on Wilhelm. 

If the attention bothered Wilhelm and the boy sitting beside him, they didn’t let it show. Mikael couldn’t imagine that it didn’t. He felt awful for the kids. As the stares turned into whispers turned into audible speculation, Mikael felt the urge to yell at everyone to shut the fuck up and leave them alone. But if he was going to quit this job, he at least wanted to do so on good terms so he could still have references. He did not need to have to explain the fact that he was fired because he lost his temper in front of a prince to his next employers. 

Realizing that he was staring, too, and was maybe now part of the problem, Mikael cleared his throat, leaning forward on the bar and raising his voice so Wilhelm and his friend could hear him. 

“Can I get you boys something to drink?” Mikael asked, trying his best to sound casual and uninterested.

“What do you have with tequila?” Wilhelm asked. His voice was teasing, his smile playful. Mikael was caught off-guard. He hadn’t spent any amount of time thinking about what the Crown Prince might be like, but this young, smiling boy was nothing like what he might have expected. 

Mikael didn’t say anything, just narrowed his eyes a little. He picked up a drink menu and placed it down in front of Wilhelm, dragging his finger around the portion of the menu that listed their cocktails and detailed which tequilas they had on the shelf. 

Mikael watched Wilhelm’s smile twist into an amused smirk before he looked down at where Mikael was pointing. 

“Mmm, I’ll take a ginger beer, please,” Wilhelm’s friend said, reading the drink menu over Wilhelm’s shoulder. Mikael nodded and reached under the bar, opening the cooler and pulling out a glass bottle. He placed it in front of the boy, who smiled at him brightly and thanked him. Exceedingly polite. 

Mikael took a moment to size up the prince’s companion. He certainly didn’t seem royal or even royal adjacent. He looked astoundingly normal. While Wilhelm was outfitted stylishly and professionally in a collared shirt and smart sweater, the other boy came simply dressed in jeans and an old hoodie with the drawstring missing. The two boys looked like they came from two different worlds, but at the same time, there was a sort of familiarity and ease between them that felt… right. 

“How spicy is the spicy margarita?” Wilhelm asked, looking up at Mikael with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes that Mikael didn’t quite know what to do with. 

“No. No, Wille,” the boy cut in before Mikael could even open his mouth to answer. “You can’t keep pretending you like spicy things. You’ll take two sips, spend the rest of dinner complaining about it, and end up wasting the entire drink.”

“You don’t know that,” Wilhelm grumbled, pouting dramatically as he looked back down at the menu. 

Mikael had to bite back a chuckle. It was amusing how comfortable the boys seemed with each other. The boy called the prince Wille and teased him knowingly. It was strange, seeing someone so famous casually sat in front of him, so strikingly human. Mikael felt drawn to the prince and his friend, almost like he was a part of their world. Or, maybe stranger, that they were a part of his. 

“I’ll order the House Margarita if you can tell me what’s in Geronimo’s Secret Margarita Mix,” Wilhelm said, looking at Mikael with that same playful smile that continued to catch him off guard. 

“It’s written in the employee handbook that if we tell someone, we have to kill them,” Mikael said, without thinking. He had a moment of doubt when he thought that maybe threatening violence against a prince might not be the smartest move, but at Wilhelm’s widening smile, he continued. “It also explicitly states that we do not grant exceptions regardless of rank. The only way one can learn the secret of the Margarita Mix is if they have concerns about allergens.” 

Wilhelm’s friend laughed at that, beaming at Mikael with a thousand-watt smile. 

“Oh, I like you already,” he said. The boy looked at Mikael closer now, considering him in the same careful way Mikael had just done with him. After so much thought about how working in this part of Stockholm made him seem invisible, in this moment, he felt almost unnervingly seen. “I’m Simon. Best friend of Wille. Official title. What’s your name?”

Still apprehensive, Mikael just pointed to his chest, where a nametag was pinned to his apron. 

“Mikael,” Wilhelm read, grinning wide.

“Good, he can read,” Mikael muttered to himself before he had a second to think better of it. 

His gaze flickered over to Simon, who looked like a kid at a candy store. Clearly, he was delighted that Mikael was instantly willing to poke fun at Wilhelm. Mikael didn’t know why he was chasing the approval of this… kid. Especially at the expense of the actual Crown Prince of their country. It was something to do with Simon’s smile, Mikael thought. It felt familiar. It reminded him of Sanna. 

Mikael knew his face fell at that realization. He also knew that Simon had caught it, and Mikael watched as his smile faltered, but only for a fraction of a second. 

“Literacy is one of his better qualities,” Simon said to Mikael, glancing over at Wilhelm with a fond roll of his eyes. 

“It’s ‘Gang Up on Wille’ day, huh?” Wilhelm muttered, looking up briefly to glare at Simon. Simon just laughed lightly, looking down at the food menu the hostess had given them when they first sat down. 

Someone in Mikael’s position would have to be blind not to notice the rush of pink on Simon’s cheeks. Mikael remembered what it was like to be that age, no older than nineteen or twenty if Mikael had to guess. He recognized Simon’s exact blush from his early memories of Nea. 

Mikael wasn’t ready to make any assumptions, but he was briefly curious. He thought he would have heard something if the prince was gay. Or bisexual or whatever, Mikael didn’t know. Then again, maybe they were trying to be discreet. But, Mikael thought, there were definitely places more discreet than a busy restaurant in the middle of Gamla stan, just minutes away from the royal palace. 

So, they were probably best friends. Still, Mikael noticed the way Simon looked at Wilhelm, like he had just hung the moon. It wasn’t nothing. 

None of his business, though. 

“I’ll have the House Margarita. Salted rim, please. For now, you can keep your secrets,” Wilhelm said, smiling at Mikael again. “But next time, I’ll find a way to get you to tell me while also sparing my precious life.”  

“Precious,” Mikael scoffed, causing Simon to let out another breath of laughter. 

Mikael opened his mouth to ask to see Wilhelm’s ID before he stopped short. Do members of the royal family even carry identification? Mikael knew Wilhelm was over eighteen, but he was still legally required to ask. Unless there was an exception for princes? He didn’t think there would be, but he also had no reason to know. Would Wilhelm get mad at him for asking? He couldn’t help but glance over to the security guards, who, admittedly, looked terrifying. 

Mikael thought back to how he wanted to quit this job before they fired him. He did not want to have to tell the story of how he was fired for not carding the Crown Prince. 

“Can I see your ID?” Mikael asked, keeping his expression as neutral as possible. 

Wilhelm looked surprised for a moment, but he instantly reached into his pocket to remove his wallet and his ID, which, apparently, he did carry with him. That was good to know. 

“I’ve never seen you get carded before,” Simon said to Wilhelm, beaming ear to ear. “This is the best day of my life. I hope the food is good, Wille. This might finally be our place. It feels right.” 

Mikael glanced down at Wilhelm’s ID (which was weird, so extremely weird. Wilhelm had so many names and probably the nicest picture Mikael had ever seen on an ID) before handing it back to him wordlessly. 

Mikael set to work making Wilhelm’s drink, thinking that their interaction was over for now, but Simon spoke up again, surprising him.

“So, Mikael,” Simon said, his voice curious and friendly. “Have you always lived in Stockholm?” 

The answer to the question was no, but Mikael was a very private guy. He didn’t want strangers asking him personal questions. It was none of their business. Especially not the prince’s. 

Mikael finished pouring the last of the ingredients into his cocktail shaker before answering Simon’s question with a frown and a shrug. It wasn’t a yes or a no—it was just an acknowledgment. Simon seemed to take the hint, and he just smiled at him with a nod. Understanding, gracious, unnervingly kind. 

Simon and Wilhelm were quiet while Mikael finished making the drink. They looked around, admiring the space. For all of its faults, Geronimo’s FGT was fun. Decked out in colorful textiles, weird bird taxidermy, and neon cacti, the place felt like a fever dream interpretation of the American Southwest. Mikael did love it, and so, as it would seem, did Simon and Wilhelm, who each wore small, pleased smiles on their faces as they took in the atmosphere of Geronimo’s. 

Giving the margarita a few good shakes, Mikael poured it into a mason jar with a salted rim and slid the drink over to Wilhelm, who thanked him profusely and wasted no time downing half the drink with one prolonged sip.  

“Nectar of the gods…” Wilhelm mused, putting the jar down with a satisfied sigh. Mikael still didn’t know quite what to make of Wilhelm, but he thought that he liked him. Or, at least, he was pleased that the prince seemed to approve of his bartending skills. 

“Anything to eat?” Mikael asked, using both his hands to point at the pair of menus in front of Wilhelm and Simon. 

“It’s Tuesday, so definitely tacos,” Wilhelm said, with so much enthusiasm. 

“Which tacos would you recommend?” Simon asked, looking up from his menu to Mikael. 

“They’re all fucking great,” Mikael said, truthfully. Since starting here, Mikael had tried and enjoyed pretty much the entire menu. “Birria are good. Fish, too.” 

Mikael watched Simon and Wilhelm exchange a look, wordlessly communicating before Simon nodded and grinned, turning back to Mikael. 

“Perfect, we’ll try those,” Simon said, before glancing back at Wilhelm. “And we’ll split them so we can both try both.” 

“And queso, too. Please. As much as you’re willing to give us,” Wilhelm added, before doing something weird with his eyes. Mikael thought Wilhelm might have been trying to wink, but he wasn’t sure. He might just have something really wrong with his vision. 

Mikael left to put in their food orders, and then, a little reluctantly, went back to work. As much as his curiosity made him want to linger by Wilhelm and Simon, there were other patrons sitting at his bar, and more drink orders coming in for him to work on. Even if he had literal royalty at his bar, Mikael couldn’t afford to give them all of his attention. He was cutting his rent a little too close as is. 

While Mikael was able to busy himself with the Taco Tuesday crowd, he did occasionally try to listen in to Simon and Wilhelm’s conversation, just to get a better idea as to what their deal was. He wanted to know why they were here, of all places.

It sounded like they were catching up on the past week or so of their lives. Simon must have been a student, probably here in Stockholm, as he spent most of his meal talking animatedly to Wilhelm about various classes and professors. Wilhelm was listening intently, nodding along and peppering in questions and comments throughout. 

Mikael realized that their appearance at Geronimo’s was really quite simple. Wilhelm and Simon were two friends, meeting for dinner to catch up on each other’s lives. There was nothing fancy, no royal banquets or expensive wines or anything. Just two friends sat at a bar, eating tacos and talking about their day. 

It was… endearing. 

When it was getting late, and their plates were all but licked clean, Mikael approached Wilhelm and Simon again, leaning against the bar opposite them. He offered them a sort of smile, a slight purse of his lips that was just about as friendly as his face could get. 

“Good?”

“Fucking great,” Wilhelm grinned, repeating Mikael’s praise from earlier. 

Giving the boys a satisfied nod, Mikael placed the bill between Simon and Wilhelm. Simon let out a loud bark of laughter before pushing the bill directly to Wilhelm. 

“Why do I always get stuck paying?” Wilhelm said, teasingly. Still, he didn’t hesitate to immediately take out his wallet and hand Mikael a card, smiling politely all the while. 

“Wilhelm, do not get me started today. You are already on such thin ice,” Simon said, his voice surprisingly serious. Simon must have had plenty of thoughts on the excessive amount of cash Wilhelm surely had at his disposal. It was surprising—in a good way, Mikael thought. Wilhelm seemed to have a friend with a good head on his shoulders. Polite, engaging, and willing to challenge him. 

Mikael really, really liked this Simon kid. 

He also really, really missed Sanna.

Mikael ran Wilhelm’s card and returned it to him. Wilhelm pocketed his wallet, thanked Mikael again, and then started to get up. 

“You’ll be working next week, right Mikael?” Simon asked as he stood. Mikael was surprised at the question and didn’t answer right away. He just stared at Simon for a prolonged moment, raising an eyebrow. “Next Taco Tuesday. We’ll see you here again. Next week?” 

Mikael shrugged and smiled a little. He supposed he would stick around until next week, at least, if that meant seeing Wilhelm and Simon again. He was still curious about them. He wanted to listen to them more and try to understand them better. 

“Next week, then,” Wilhelm smiled. He crinkled his eyes in that weird and awkward way again—probably a wink. Then, with a final wave, they left Geronimo’s, security detail in tow. 

Suddenly, Mikael’s monotonous job felt like the most interesting place in the entire country. Maybe Mikael would quit next week. 

But for now, he’d stay. Make a couple of margaritas. Eat a few more tacos. Have a fucking good time. 

#ally writes #tomt #i wasnt sure if i was gonna publish this anywhere but it turns out im too proud of it to gatekeep #oops #also me naming this after another jimmy song??? classic me #ok bye

[blues824]

Hey bestie can I please request the remarried empress meeting a female inosuke.

🐗Just imagine sovieshit finding her in another hunting trip and when they capture her are removed the bore mask they see the most beautiful woman ever.

✨So he desides to bring her the eastern empire to make her more normal and teach her how to be a lady because her beauty is enough for people to sometimes forget she grew up in the wild with a bore mother.

🐗Imagen them learning her family came from respected Nobels but after a atack her mother ran with her to protect her only for them to find her mother dead and her missing(they though she died to becous what child can survive in the wild ) .

✨How would navier react to her coming to the Palace and when the inosuke reader sees her she starts giving her shiny acorns (nobody knows wher she gets them) because she admires navier strength and powerful energy she has and admirering her when she thought it's going to be another rattrash .

🐗I see the inosuke reader and kosiar getting along in Spar matches after kosiar knows she won't try to hurt navier like rattrash and them getting along with calling rattrash weak and finding it refreshing to see a "lady" who can be more aggressive than him.

✨When she first met rattrash she straight up tells her she would not survive on day in the forest and then asks her to fight her because she is so weak it annoying her. All because rattrash ran up to her to become friends.

🐗Imagen after a few months she starts to become more lady like and when sovieshit wants to make her his second concubine she tells him even her bore mother stayed loyal to her bore father (I don't know if bors do that I tried looking it up but gave up ) and refuses and sees it as the greats insult and ask him to fight her to honour her bore mother and her real family and navier.

✨How would heinley and ergi react to the empress loyal bore and seeing her transform from wild person to a lady that they're famly is proud of.

🐗Heinley first met her in his bird form in the gardens getting captured by her thinking he is going to get eaten only for her to give him to navier because he was a shiny bird.

✨Imagen her real family being happy she is alive instead of being discussed how she grew up in the wild and take her back in their mansion and start teaching her to become a lady and how would they react to her lessons actually working.

🐗How would everyone react to finding out that she still won't give up her bore mask even though she doesn't wear it anymore only to find out it's the bore that took care of her and her family making her a place to put the mask.

✨because even though it was a bore that raised her she is alive and well thx to the bore they now can finally spend time with her after all the time they had lost with her.

Inosuke’s story is just so sad, bro.

Sovieshu

Upon taking off your mask to reveal your face, he knew he was smitten. He had helped you out of the trap he had set for hunting purposes. Hearing your rough way of speaking and very unladylike mannerisms, he set his mind on bringing you back to the palace and assigning a tutor for you to learn the Empire’s customs for young women.

As he was searching the hospital and such for any medical records of you or your family, he discovered that your family was actually a part of the noble scene within the Eastern Empire. When he investigated further, he learned that your mother was the body they had found deep in the woods when he was 11. You were presumed dead as a baby, but you told him that you were raised by the boars that inhabited the area.

You had even told him that the boar head you always wore was your boar-mother’s. To everyone else, that fact was very disturbing, but you seemed to have a very sentimental attachment to your mask. Thus, he allowed it to stay in your chambers. After all, he wants to be on your good side when he asks a very important question.

When you got to a certain point in your lessons where you were behaving like a typical lady, aside from when you were absolutely sure that someone was challenging you, he proposed the offer of you becoming his second concubine. You went silent for a few moments before you started shaking in anger as you told him that neither of your mothers were disloyal to either of your fathers and marched off.

Rashta

She was at the palace door, waiting for Sovieshu’s return from hunting. However, she did not expect to see a very beautiful woman, dressed rather indecently and ruggedly, to be at his side just like she was however many months ago. Maybe this situation was different, though, and the Emperor was just doing the right thing.

But, as you passed her, you whispered something about how the snow-woman would never survive in the wild. Rashta knew that you were talking about her, and it honestly didn’t surprise her at all. Ever since she became a concubine, people have been talking about her in very negative ways. However, she had never heard that before.

Because she was very curious as to why you were in the forest, she eavesdropped on any conversations Sovieshu and Navier had about you. From them, she learned that you were actually a noblewoman who was originally presumed dead when they found your mother’s body in the woods but there was no sign of you.

Fortunately, she was not aware of Sovieshu asking you to become his second concubine. Otherwise, she might have destroyed a certain mask that she knew you were very attached to out of pure anger. That would have resulted in a catastrophic battle as you still knew how to fight because of your boar family.

Navier

She was originally upset that her husband had brought another woman into the palace, but you were very different from Rashta. In a short amount of time, she saw that you held no romantic attraction towards Sovieshu but rather a desire to serve her instead. One example would be the many acorns and shiny rocks you had given her, a mannerism she knew was characteristic of boars.

Yeah, the Emperor had informed her of both your noble and animalistic background. She remembers being a young girl when she had learned of both ‘your’ and your mother’s death. But she wasn’t too sad then because she had never gotten to know you or your mother. She did get to know the rest of the Hashibira family.

Navier had also overseen your tutors and governesses to make sure that you were getting the best education you could. She would even allow you to copy her because she knew that you learned better that way. It took a while, but the lessons were working and you were becoming more ladylike. Your family had even commented that you were very polite, and she rewarded you by ordering some tempura for you.

When you showed up to your afternoon tea meetings with Queen in your hands, she let out a gasp of shock as she took the bird from you. He didn’t seem injured, but rather shaken up, so she was relieved. You explained that it was a shiny bird and thus you deemed it worthy for her, and she let out a giggle at your actions.

Heinrey

Seeing you for the first time was definitely an experience he never wanted to relive. You attacked him and carried him to the Empress. He only regained his breath once he was in the arms of his Beloved, but he saw how loyal you were to her and so the two of you understood each other on that particular level.

Navier, not knowing that he was Queen, had told him about you a few different times. You were a noblewoman who was taken to the forest by your mom in an attempt to flee an attack, but your mother had died and you had gone missing. The story was actually very interesting to him, and he is surprised to hear that you were raised by boars.

After all, your behavior did not reflect that anymore. Your lessons had trained you to act like and be a proper lady, but you still knew how to fight (as seen when you attacked him while he was in bird form just to bring him to Her Imperial Majesty).

Now, you knew that he was Queen. However, you treated him like a friend and an ally. You also started bringing him shiny things, which made him pick up a book about boars so that he could understand you better. Any friend of the Empress’s is a friend of his, and thus he felt obligated to get to know you.

Kosair

When you first met each other, there was an instant connection. You weren’t like the uptight and proper ladies of the court, and you didn’t mind getting roughed up a little. The two of you often play-fight as a way to show your aggressive love towards each other, and it once ended up in you pinning him by straddling his waist. The shade of red his face turned is incomparable.

The two of you also bond in the fact that you both absolutely despise Rashta. You just thought that she was all bark and no bite, but Kosair knew that she was plotting against his younger sister. Another thing you both have in common: you both love Navier like a sister (in Kosair’s case, she actually is his sister, but anyways).

You have shown him the boar mask that you usually wore in the woods, and you explained that you had been raised by boars after your human mother had died. It would have been a disgusting sight to anyone else, but to Kosair it was as though you were sharing a brooch that was a family heirloom. He listened as you told him about your life and how the pressure of being a noblewoman was piling up on your shoulders. He placed a kiss on the back of your hand and reassured you that it didn’t matter how you acted because he would always love you anyways.

Once it had gotten around that Sovieshu had asked if you would become his concubine, your beloved was incredibly angry. In fact, one would think that he was asked instead of you because of how furious he was. You had to hold him back from throwing hands with the Emperor, which was definitely a difficult task.

#the remarried empress x reader #the remarried empress #remarried empress #remarried empress x reader #sovieshu vict x reader #sovieshu x reader #sovieshu vict #emperor sovieshu #sovieshu #rashta x reader #rashta #navier trovi x reader #navier x reader #navier #navier trovi #empress navier #heinrey alles lazlo x reader #heinrey alles lazlo #heinrey lazlo #heinrey x reader #heinrey #heinrey lazlo x reader #kosair x reader #kosair trovi #kosair trovi x reader #kosair

[andscene-if]

Move over, LIs, I am all about MC here! Big MChead over here and I have QUESTIONS!!

How old is MC?

Do they have siblings?

Did their parents keep them out of spotlight or was MC always around at premieres, red carpets, etc.?

Did MC willingly get involved in their parents' films? Or did they try to avoid appearing in them first before realizing no one else is willing to hire them for (insert reason here)?

Related to #4, did MC have a say in appearing in the family films?

Did MC have non-acting experience, like modelling, singing, backstage work?

Does MC use their normal name when acting or do they have a stage name?

Did they go to a performance/filming school?

Did they act in indie films?

How will MCs that normally wouldn't fit into the mold of a "Hollywood Movie Star" be treated? Like queer MCs, trans MCs, male MCs who are small and/or feminine, female MCs who are muscular and/or butch etc. Or for the sake of the story, will such things be ignored, which is more than fair?

wait, we're kinda in sync cause i've got an MC article queued haha

i imagine them in the 20-22 range, so relatively young

yes, one older sister and their age gap is 8 years, so you had slightly different childhoods. when MC was only 1/2 years old is when things really started picking up in your parents' careers, so you've never really experienced the "struggle life" per se. bc of this age difference MC and their sister tend to clash, especially if you're someone who parties 24/7. but your relationship can improve or worsen even more over the course of the story

they did take you to premiers, events, galas, and such. MC quickly got used to that, because they raised MC at the beginning/height of their career, so that's definitely a world MC knows very well

all their film creds were in their early/mid teens, so i'd say MC was pretty excited to be invited onto their parents' set as a legit actor, just bc i think lots of kids would be. and it was a calculated move on their parents' part to get MC's foot in the door. so, it's not bc people wouldn't hire them, they actually got plenty audition interest, but your parents were adamant on finishing school first + it's not like they were dependent on MC for money

maybe some films they were less ecstatic about, but it's not like they were casted as the lead/main ones. it was kind of like the Apatow family with their kids, where you play a minor role, get your name out there, and then have something to show off your acting experience

they received lessons in the big 3 (modelling, acting, and singing) during their childhood!

you can decide but that doesn't mean the media/public will respect that! (lots of them drop your parents' name when reporting on MC)

nope, the nearest performing arts private school was too far, so they decided on weekly lessons, and a private school within the area, so that their busy schedules didn't put too much of a strain on family time together

yes, a couple, after highschool. some they made with friends, unpaid and for fun, and others they were hired to do. but people don't really care about all that; they hear "nepo baby" and see the family production creds, and immediately stamp you as "undeserving & talentless". so only very few people know of those films in which MC actually performs quite well in

tbh, there might be a few comments here and there, but majorly it will be ignored for story purposes, as it would be very hard to add something unique to every person!

hope this gave much more insight!!

#MC #MC's family #ask

[jedi-order-apologist]

A Magician, Yoda is Not

After a disaster relief mission, Yoda entertains some local children. Written for Fandom Empire Prompt Tables 2024 - Prompt: "Magic"

Read on AO3

“Your assistance has been greatly appreciated, Master Jedi,” the mayor said, with the utmost sincerity. The avalanche had been devastating, overpowering their safeguards and destroying half of their capital city. Rescue organizations and crews had arrived quickly after the request for help had gone out, but even with all their tireless hard work, things would have gone a lot differently without the aid of the Jedi, who could sense where people were trapped more quickly and accurately than the most sophisticated rescue droids, could predict and could lift snow and debris with their minds.

Many lives had been lost in the initial disaster, but so many more had been trapped, their survival entirely dependent on how quickly they could be reached and given medical attention. For many of those people, the involvement of the Jedi was that very difference between life and death.

There were so many more people saved today than the mayor could have ever imagined hoping for.

“You have our gratitude, and our friendship,” he continued, “and if there is any way we can repay you, you have but to name it.”

“Glad to be of service, we are,” Master Yoda said. “No reward do we require. But if offered, your friendship is, then glad we are to accept. No greater reward, could there be.”

A group of young children ran up to them. Not ones who had been rescued – they would still be receiving medical attention if they were – but children who had had family members and friends trapped, or knew someone who did, and had helped in whatever way they could, running comms between rescue teams, bringing food and water where it was needed, etc.

As such, they had witnessed the Jedi’s help as well.

“Show us your magic again!” one of them begged Yoda.

“It was amazing!”

“Please! Do some magic!”

The mayor frowned. They were children and didn’t know any better, of course, but he knew that the Jedi didn’t call their talents “magic”, so it seemed disrespectful to call it as such, even if it might as well have been to his eyes.

“I apologize…” he started to say to Yoda, but the Jedi had a twinkle in his eyes, and made the slightest shake of his head, so the mayor fell silent, and watched as Yoda turned to face the children.

“Magic?” he asked, with a teasing tone. “Magic, I know not. A magician, I saw once. Pull a coin from your ear, he could, and turn a scarf into a bird. Very impressive, it was. Offered his audience a turn, he did. Very bad at it, I was. Better at magic, I think, you would be, than old Yoda!”

The children were unconvinced.

“We saw you!” the first said.

“You lifted all the snow and ice!”

“The wind, it could have been,” Yoda said.

“The wind doesn’t lift up people,” another child said, matter-of-factly.

“Hmph! Say that, you do, but floating, you are!” Yoda said.

The children all looked down, realizing that in fact, their feet were no longer on the ground. They shrieked with delighted laughter, and two of them reached out to spin the third around in mid-air, to the amusement of all three.

“See?” Yoda said, “The wind, it was.”

“No, you’re doing this!” one of the children accused, giggling.

“Know what you’re talking about, I do not.”

“Yes, you do!”

“The mayor knows you’re doing it, too, right, Mr. Mayor?”

The mayor was a little taken aback by the question, unsure how he should respond. It was, of course, obvious that Master Yoda was lifting the children, but it was also clear that he was playing a game with them.

“I’m...afraid this is out of my area of expertise,” he said, finally.

The child pouted at him, but quickly bounced back to cheerfulness as the three of them floated higher into the air. It would have been alarming if the mayor had not completely trusted Yoda to keep them safe.

Slowly, the children were brought back down to the ground, only mildly disappointed to be back on their own feet.

“Thank you, Mr. Jedi! That was fun!”

“I always wanted to fly,” another said.

“Good-bye, Mr. Jedi!”

The three children ran off, and Yoda chuckled.

“Joy,” he said, “for the children, easy it is, to be found. Good, it is, to play. A relief from worries, it is.”

And, well, the mayor, even being of a more serious disposition himself, couldn’t argue with that.

#peppermint writes star wars fanfic #yoda #yoda appreciation #jedi appreciation

[le-sserafims-blog]

🌸 Thankfully, I was able to spend my birthday meaningfully, so came here late 😭😭

Once again, thank you so much for congratulating me on my birthday, FEARNOT 🥹🥹🥹🥹🩷

Wow!!!

I'm 26 years old!!!

I've already been an idol for half my life!! 🤔 LOL

Very surprising...

It's amazing... When I first started as an idol, I never imagined what the future brings. I always thought life was unpredictable, but I've been able to continue this far because of the people around me who always support me. I'm so grateful for that :)

When I was young, my birthday was a happy day when I could receive gifts and eat what I liked. It was a day when I felt like the arrow was pointing towards me, so I always eagerly waited for my birthday feeling excited.

After turning 20, I started to feel a bit anxious about birthdays... 😅

Honestly, I felt a little scared that my time as an idol was getting shorter...lol

And recently, especially this birthday, it became a birthday with a slightly different meaning for me.

I realized that birthdays are not only about receiving congratulatory greetings, but also about being able to express gratitude to the people around me.

It's a bit embarrassing, but for the first time in my life (excluding my school days), I wrote letters to each my family members and gave them as gifts for my birthday this year!

I felt grateful knowing that my family was preparing gifts because we could spend my birthday together with them after a long time. I wanted to express my gratitude to them as well.

As I wrote about how grateful I am for giving birth to me and raising me for 26 years, many emotions have overwhelmed me, so I was writing the letters while holding back tears... 😅

And seeing my parents shedding tears while reading the letters that i gave, I felt a mix of emotions.

At a young age, they've been worried endlessly about their daughter entering this world, living far away where she isn't within easy reach, likely feeling lonely... I felt sorry, but still, seeing my parents shedding tears while sincerely supporting my dreams made me think this way.

Latelt, I've actually been feeling that there would come a time when the effort I keep putting in for myself will reach its limit— like the effort, if it's all just for myself, might exhaust me, reaching some sort of emotional limit. But seeing my parents, I started to feel that maybe working hard for someone else could be another way.

If I think that all my efforts are for myself only, I feel like I might lose strength when I detach from that passion, and it would be even harder when results don't come. But when I think about supporting my parents who sincerely cheer me on, and for FEARNOTs who support me as passionately, and for the members and staff who share the same dream, strangely, I feel energized.

These are just my thoughts, but I believe that to be able to continue something for a long time, perhaps this kind of mindset is also necessary :)

I received so much love from many people on my birthday this year. It made me truly happy to realize that there are so many FEARNOTs around the world celebrating my birthday and supporting me.

The online world continues expanding and may not always spread positivity every day, but I'm still grateful for the internet because it allows me to know that there are people who like me and celebrate my birthday. 😊

I remember my mom saying once on my birthday, "I hope you become an idol who, just like your name which holds the meaning "may good things bloom," receive congratulations from many people.' Following my mom's wish, I was able to become an idol who is indeed loved by many people.

I have experienced many failures and I'm learning various things as a person, but I've come to think that I'm happy with who I am now. Everyone has imperfections and areas where they are still immature, but I believe that's how we can continue to grow.

Im still in the process of learning a lot about myself, and every day, I strive to be a better version of myself than I was yesterday, continuing to reflect and improve along the way.

The world may sometimes be noisy with negativity, but I still believe that there are many happy, positive, joyful, and precious things in this world. Despite its flaws, I still find this world beautiful.

It's not all good, but it's not all bad either.

I wish to be the kind of person in your life who brings even a little bit of positivity and goodness. :)

Thank you for celebrating my 26th birthday with me, and please continue to support me in the future as well. ☺️

#le sserafim #weverse #le sserafim sakura

[aj-lenoire]

just my two cents, because i genuinely enjoy discussing this sort of thing, but i don’t think it’s quite accurate to say, in ballad of songbirds and snakes, that snow was a horrible monster the entire way through—but i don’t think ‘the story of about him him choosing between good and evil and ultimately choosing evil’ is really accurate either

from the very start of the book it’s made very clear that snow thinks the capitol are just plain better than the districts, in every way. he might not be able to afford food, but he’s capitol, so he’s better. the rebels were selfish lunatics and the districts are so savage that the only way to end the war is not to end it, but control it. with the games.

now aj, you might say, that’s just because of the propaganda he was fed, well that’s until we meet sejanus. snow is given an alternative point of view, and he dismisses it because sejanus is stupid, because he’s district, of course he sympathises with those animals. of course he thinks the games are wrong. when sejanus says humans are supposed to protect their children, snow just thinks about how no one protected him, never mind the lengths tigress went to help him, never mind how this is a direct contrast to katniss, who was similarly alone and had to fend for her family near-single-handedly, but she never stopped trying to protect prim.

snow’s main focus throughout the games is lucy gray, obviously, but he is always primarily focussed on making her look good so he will look good. he never really thinks of the other tributes, and the one time he tries to imagine himself in their situation, he “snaps himself out of it” be reminding himself that this is what sajanus is probably doing. he never even really ruminates on how lucy gray, a person he supposedly cares about, will likely die, until she’s in the arena. for most of it he’s just trying to get her to make him look as good as possible with the time she has before the games.

the handful of moments we get of snow where he hasn’t got any of his pretences include when the bombs go off in the arena and when he ruminates on having swan flu as a kid. here, he’s put into stark contrast with katniss more than ever. katniss, who was also a child who grew up functionally an orphan, fended for herself and her family. she went out into the woods to hunt, risking execution. snow, meanwhile, never thought of anyone but himself. tigress brought him home when he had the flu, even though she had it too, and lucy gray saved him in the area, even though she too had grown up in the war and been orphaned by it.

snow only ever thinks of himself, of his family’s name and status and what that means for him. he briefly talks with tigress and she tells him not to look down on those who have to do distasteful things to survive, alluding to the possibility that she sold her body to get food—something katniss admits she would have probably done to feed her family, had she not learned to hunt. she pities the young women who clamoured at thread’s back door, not judges them. snow judges, and in the trilogy we also learn that he abandons tigress eventually—presumably when she was no longer something he could control.

snow has the opportunity, in sejanus, in going to 12, to live among the districts and see them as people, but he never really does. sejanus continues to annoy him, and at every turn, he wants to try and get back, to the point that he betrays sajanus and ends up getting him killed. his brief guilt about the jabberjay is one of the only moments he is shown to care about anyone but himself, but he tells himself nothing will come of it and then he immediately turns to thinking about ‘the chink in the capitol’s armour’ and the chaos that might spread as a result of the rebel plan sejanus has joined.

at the end, when he decides to run away with lucy gray, the moment he realises he can return home consequence free and resume his capitol life, he takes it. he hunts lucy gray like an animal, thinking of how the mockingjays are ‘genes gone bad’. where lucy gray loves them, snow only likes the jabberjays—strictly controlled capitol servants that he understands the use of, not the mockingjays, which are something the capitol made by accident.

the book might seem like snow is being made to choose between good and bad, and maybe in a way, snow thinks that himself, but it’s obvious from the very start—and not just because this is a prequel—that he was only ever going to pick control, pick the capitol, pick himself. such is his conviction that he resolves not to marry someone he actually loves, because he won’t allow himself to be manipulated by it again; it all comes back to control, and he wants to be the one with the power

he doesn’t start off evil, and maybe he doesn’t end evil, but the story is a detailed treatise on how focussing only on yourself, being so self-centred, will lead you to cast aside even those you claim to love the most, to believe anything and everything (and anyone) should be sacrificed in the name of improving your own situation.

#the ballad of songbirds and snakes #coriolanus snow #lucy gray baird #aj abstractions

[01zfan]

I LOVE YOUR NEW CHURCHBOY!ANTON POST

I love the way you write so much, I think I've said it before but just a little reminder of how great you are 🙈

I was about to ask, does Anton usually wear a condom? I mean, he asked her if she wants a child so...

Also, I love the way you described it, I don't know if maybe you thought about it for this chapter, but I've seen sooo many cases of young church couples having children (and I mean pretty young, most of them 17/18), so my other question was, did you? Do you think they'll have a child still being young? I think their parents would be fuming if they did, but I don't think it would make Anton stop being a believer, omg, would their parents make them get married? Because that's what usually happens, I have so many questions for this story, I love it!!!!

hi anon! thanks for being so invested in understanding my faith lol i wrote it as a one-shot and didn't even think about all those things you mentioned. but now you bring it up you got me thinking hard.

in alot of relationships where religion is involved they don't use protection like their form of contraceptive is praying seriously LMFAO. also i kind of imagined both anton and the reader as kind of naive. the whole reason they started sleeping together in the first place was to get a closer relationship with god and understand what faith/worship is. when you really think about it, it's very childish and naive. what the two are actually doing is having unprotected sex under the guise of worshipping god. i see them as two young people who have no tact when it comes to the real world outside of church. they also kind of developed a type of relationship where they see the other as a god/holy figure so i imagine them not even thinking they could get pregnant, or if they did they wouldn't grasp the severity of the situation.

if she were to get pregnant oh their parents would be pissed. i'm not even sure how the parents would find out, maybe someone catches them doing something in the church and word spreads like wildfire. i imagined the readers parents to kind of mirror anton and the readers relationship. they were young couple in the church, the dad following the path of his family by being a bible thumper while the mom became the "nonbeliever" (i considered her to just be someone who wanted out of the oppressive nature of the church). i imagine they had the reader at a young age and got married because of it, eventually divorcing because of belief systems and just the overwhelming feelings the readers mom had in regards to the church.

i come from a town where that was the case alot of the times. teen marriages to cover up premarital sex in a very religious area. i think that anton's parents would sit down with both of them and give them a few choices. either get married and have the baby or get an abortion and never see eachother again. i can see anton's parents leaning very hard into the first choice. anton has a promising future and he can't ruin it by becoming a teen/young dad. i think it would make anton even more of a believer, thinking he's been blessed to be the father of the child. i can definitely see anton having a moment of defying his parents and getting married to the reader. he'd come to her in the dead of night, sneaking her out of her dad's house (because she's on lockdown after he finds out). anton would talk about doing whatever it takes to support his family, how his parents would eventually come around. the reader would nod her head and say okay, anton would take her back home and start planning out their future together.

but anton would be so heartbroken when the reader would leave town. that was something that also happened where i grew up, girls would get pregnant and then be shipped off to some distant relative. i can see her going back to live with her mom, learning about secular life and why her mother never reached out or fought against the court to get custody of her. anton's parents would be relieved you were gone but anton would become a recluse, completely withdrawing from life. he would definitely come to the readers father begging to know where she is. i can see anton writing letters, saying how much he misses her and how he's going to marry her in the future. i truly think the reader would end up having the child and waiting for anton because of the faith she still has in him.

see this is why i have to write one-shots because i'll end up writing a whole screenplay about my fics if i think too much about them. also a song that reminds me of understanding my faith is jackie and wilson by hozier that song is so them forrealllll

#askz #anonz

[youroriginalsublimecupcakestuff]

Ranpo join sheep that the plot , thanks for coming to my ted talk.

( as for the timeline i switched it up a little)

But seriously fukuzawa hesitated too much to take in him after meeting ranpo in the cafe and was late in going back to him and goes back to his job .

Ranpo was left alone and no matter how much he tried he couldn't find a job and when he found one, he was always thrown out because he was too smart for his own good.

A bitter and desperate ranpo ended up in suribashi , surviving by doing odd jobs .

Chuuya met him when he was getting beat up by gangs in the area, he saved him but ranpo acted like a smartass which annoyed chuuya, their shooting match stopped when ranpo's stomach started rambling and chuuya gave him the red beans bun that he saved up.

This first encounter wasn't their last and chuuya ended up bringing him in sheep to shirase disaproval, ranpo questioned everything and critisized all their plans they feel like idiots with him.

What solidified chuuya and ranpo relationship is when he hear the others members of the sheep councils asking chuuya to throw ranpo out , he though that he will accept chuuya is very vocal that their his family after all and the both of them bicker most of the time, for him it just solidified his belief that he could trust no one but himself like fukuzawa taught him once, he was a fool to think that this time, it would be different.

So imagine how shocked he was just when he was about to leave when chuuya defended him and argued for him to peoples that he consider family.

It ended with both of them having a fight and a shooting match and ranpo's crying even if if you asked ranpo the last part was a lie and on this day an inseparable bond was formed.

As for fukuzawa he fell guilty for what happened with ranpo, he tried to save yosano but without ranpo he was too late and mori got to her first.

She's too well hidden, the only persons who can get to her was mori, his ability and his young apprentice even the port mafia boss and his executives don't know where she is.

Mori let dazai see Yosano for three reason :

1) even he can admit that he can't stop him if he want to see her.

2) at least dazai-kun is doing something else than pranking him and trying to satisfy his obssession with suicide.

3 ) and the most important reason he noticed that yosano-kun got her spirit back when she's with dazai-kun.

The two of them are siblings and are always together even if they have differents view which can cause fight like about life and death, their biggest fight where when she saw him shot someone multiple times even if he was dead, she couldn't accept when he can't respect life, which wasn't helped when he disrespected colonel death when he tell her about the opportunity to claim his executive seat which she took even worse than chuuya in canon but they we're a good team and dazai will use his silver tongue to get yosano to get out of her cage.

Fukuzawa fell even mori guilty that he couldn't save yosano, once again it was a child that he couldn't save, but he heard rumor about the bandaged kid who is always with mori and he was always determined to save him.

He met dazai when he was alone and while dazai didn't trust him , he will came back and never told of any of this to anyone especially not mori.

Fukuzawa founded the detective agency because even if he's aware that dazai don't trust him , he want him to know that they're a place for him when he'll always be welcome if he want to go out of the chain of the shadows and also because it remind him of the young boy that he failed.

While not joining him when dazai meet oda he trust him enough that instead of taking him to the port mafia to protect him , he ask fukuzawa to meet him to hire him to the detective agency that he told him about.

When he went to where he was espected to meet dazai, he didn't expect to find the infamous young assassin that he meet on the day that he met edogawa ranpo but he accepted this chance of redemption for them both vowing to himself that this time, he wouldn't fail.

Fukuzawa Yukuchi and Oda Sakunosuke founded the armed detective agency, and to dazai careful instigation who was aware how much Yosano was suffering here even if she found silver lining like in her friendship with kouyou and the flags and how much mori-san sickening obssession with her was causing trouble for her mental health refused to see his sister be broken for a second time, he'll rather gladly live forever that let that happen.

But despite fukuzawa, Oda and Yosano fierce disagreement dazai's stayed he was aware how suspicious and paranoiad mori became after the loss of Yosano and stayed for distracting him .

Meanwhile rumors have been known of the twin kings of sheep, one a terrifying genius who could predict everything just by looking at you once and the other with the devastating power to carry every retalation for those who wronged them, both being rumored of being in possession of powerful ability.

They became too dangerous to be left alone , add to that the rumors of the former port mafia boss ressurfacing in suribashi city who particulary interested Mori Ougai, both the port mafia and the armed detective agency went to investigate and needless to say, fukuzawa didn't expect to see Edogawa Ranpo side by side with the petite ginger haired boy.

It was obvious that he haven't forgotten him , Fukuzawa didn't miss the shocked and angry look on ranpo's face when he saw him.

Nakahara and ranpo made a formidable duo which he noticed even more when they helped with the investigation, which surprised them was also how dazai-kun acted around nakahara and how well ranpo and yosano got along.

But if he was sure of it's that no matter what happen he would not let not ranpo nor nakahara fall in with the port mafia.

When it was finished and after helping them and having a long talk with a furious ranpo, he made clear that the door of his agency will always be open to them .

#bungou stray dogs #bungou stray dogs dazai #bsd dazai #bungou stray dogs chuuya #bsd chuuya #dazai osamu #bungou stray dogs ranpo #ranpo edogawa bsd #ranpo edogawa #bsd ranpo #chuuya nakahara #chuuya bsd #chuuya #nakahara chuuya #chuya nakahara #fukuzawa yukichi #bsd fukuzawa #bungou stray dogs fukuzawa #bsd yosano #bungou stray dogs yosano #yosano akiko #mori bsd #bungou stray dogs mori #mori ougai #bsd #dazai bsd #bungo stray dogs odasaku #bsd odasaku #odasaku sakunosuke #canon divergent au

[inlocusmads]

1 for Nora, 2 for Killian, 5 for the OC of your choice

#1 for Nora:

Nora has precisely one family member who is her uncle Tommy and yes, of course she tells him where she is. It's usually texts and calls whenever they're free and that's pretty much it. Nothing too unique there. If Nora goes to a place where there's no proper cell service, she just ends up emailing him.

Straying away a bit here: Nora's phone calls to literally anyone is so short lol. It's the most precise thing ever, mostly because she kind of grew up in a household where her parents would only phone each other if they were not reachable physically or have some prior need. It's why she texts and talks over the phone in the bluntest possible way because she doesn't know how to carry on a conversation over the phone. It's easier for her to do so in real life, in her uncle's bar or some other meeting point like that, but harder on call because she's just "Hello, yeah, you're well? What happened? Okay. Fine. Bye." and it's such a culture (?) shock when she realizes people do talk more than what happened during the day.

It works out anyway because Nora ends up getting used to longer conversations with Trystan over the phone because they all start out somewhere, but two hours later, they have gone through every topic and her phone battery had already plummeted to 4%.

#2 for Killian:

Have you seen Killian? She loves to do nothing. She loves chilling. Literally her thing lmao. Killian hates initiating things and she's more content in a tavern somewhere, half-asleep and half-drunk with her brother Kade wrestling some guy in a music battle. Part of the reason why she gravitated towards more 'chiller' hobbies such as alchemy and crafts because it doesn't require an insane amount of work out in the open and she could gather up resources handy and make something convenient for herself.

It's why she never wanted to be involved in the whole Ash Empress and Valax businesses in the first place. Just let her be, man, cmon, not that difficult. She's so ready to retire. She's got her brother, a couple of good friends, it's enough. Moving around goes against all her core principles.

#5 for... Nora, again, lol. I'm sorry, I just want an excuse to talk about her some more, if that's all right!

THIS IS THE BEST QUESTION EVER AAAAAH Okay okay I'll add some pictures too.

Nora has, suffice to say a lot of jackets and coats, but most of them are hand-me-downs. She doesn't really spend on clothes - not because she's hip and cool and sustainable like that (okay she is sustainable), but she's very very frugal as a person. Insanely frugal. She doesn't know how 'treating yourself" works, hasn't done that and doesn't have any materialistic aspirations because she's looking for the best deal possible. Not because she's Asian. Okay maybe it is because of that, but you get my drift. Nora does spend on clothes - not like she never does, she does, but it's a rarity and she only gets them if she knows a) the coat is priced aptly to her requirements b) she loves the coat and c) she wears it everyday and uses it and won't just wear it for a one-time affair and it is long-lasting.

Her dad's old corduroy jacket. Something like this:

Imagine a J stitched on the pocket area.

It was Jimmy's old jacket that was a wedding present to him by Alison (Nora's mom) and even after Jimmy outgrew the jacket, he still kept it for good luck. It helped him a lot on police cases (and a lucky charm for Nora during her soccer games) and of course young Nora had her eye on it and the broad shoulders to support it so of course, she took it - probably the only thing Nora took from Jimmy's stash of things after he passed on because some things are just too unbearable to use after intense grief.

And the luck did stay. Nora wears it almost on the daily. There's big pockets to keep her stuff, the material is perfect for New York's weather, it isn't flimsy - Nora provides extra special care to the jacket alone, throwing everything else in the washing machine. Even though her shoulders fit, they're a bit big on her especially on the sleeves but she doesn't mind them. A hallmark of the coat is that it comes with candy wrappers and pens in their pockets, which is why in the handful of times Trystan takes her jacket out for a spin (it fits him so perfectly), he's dismayed to fish into the pockets and get ink stains all over his hands.

2. A maroon blazer

This was Nora's first ever purchase with her first month's salary from the Agency and yes of course she wears it often. It means a lot to her too because it made her feel like a 'professional' and got Mafalda to approve too, especially after feeling like shit during her NYPD years.

She bought it because she really liked the colour and pairs it up with virtually every single shirt she owns and it works.

3. A leather jacket, something like this (but more accurate on the left than the right)

This was a purchase from when she graduated from uniforms to jackets in the NYPD (aka became a homicide detective for a brief period of a year or two ish). She got it from a clearance section and is super proud of her selection because it made her look so cool back in the day - with her cropped haircut, leather jacket, trousers and shoes. It's the piece of youth she hangs on to even though she isn't even that old.

4. Her uncle's old denim trucker jacket

This was Uncle Tommy's really really old jacket that was in good condition that he intended on giving away, except Nora was like "mine" and she ended up giving it to a tailor to have it mended more to her liking. It just has a cool set of buttons and lots of utility options and that's just enough, you know? That's just it to her.

She seldom wears it though, but when she does, she pairs it up with a baseball cap or something and it all comes together in a nice harmony.

And finally, to conclude Nora's top five jackets run through is..

#5: This track-suit/ sportswear jacket and windbreaker:

Nora used to do sports. Now she doesn't anymore, but she still wears them tracks lol. It's really helpful during rainy or windy weathers and a very useful purchase. She wears it pretty often considering it rains a lot sometimes. She has a lot of athleisure wear, but this is her favourite because she loves the colour and it's such a refreshing change from the monotones she wears a lot.

___

Thank you so much for the ask Caro <33

character generator asks

#generator asks #thosehallowedhalls #nora rose #killian clawthorne #askboxed

[midnightstargazer]

Why I Like Regulus Black

Regulus Black is one of my favorite Harry Potter characters, and I want to talk about why. I feel like there's a frequent misconception that people only like him for superficial reasons or in ways that are contradictory to canon, so here's my take on what I find interesting about him and why I think he appeals to me as a character.

Just to be clear upfront, this is not:

An argument that Regulus was a totally good person and did nothing wrong.

A criticism of other morally gray characters or their fans. I am not interested in playing the "only my problematic fave is valid" game.

An attempt to speak for Regulus fans in general. This is my opinion only.

All that being said ...

I like morally gray characters.

Regulus is not the first character I've liked who's done things I would absolutely not condone in real life. I don't tend to like straightforward "pure evil" villains (e.g., Voldemort) except in a "love to hate them" sort of way, but I often end up liking anti-heroes and more nuanced villains.

I also tend to have a very positive view of redemption arcs. That doesn't mean I think every villain can or should get one, or that they're all to my liking. But the potential for one is usually going to make a character more appealing to me, not less. I like the idea that people are capable of growth and change. Of becoming better than they were. And I tend to be pretty flexible on what sort of characters I'll consider redeemable. There are limits, but "teenager who joined the wrong side, quickly changed his mind, and then died trying to back out" is very much on the "not too far gone" side of the line for me.

I'm a fan of the Black family in general.

I don't love all of them, but the family dynamics and backstory are really interesting. Regulus is not even the most obscure name on the family tree who I have headcanons for. Not even close. *gestures vaguely to not-yet-posted WIP about these ladies*:

Sirius and Andromeda are other favorites of mine. I love their narratives of breaking away and taking control of their own lives. Regulus's story is a bit different. He stays behind. He tries to be exactly what his family wants. I imagine both he and Narcissa would be strongly affected by having an older sibling disowned, and all the more careful in their own choices as a result. I almost certainly find Regulus (and quite a few others in the family) more interesting as part of these family dynamics than I would without them.

Getting a bit personal for a moment ...

I grew up in an ultra-conservative area of the United States* and bought into some crappy ideas as a teenager. Not in an intentionally hateful or ignorant way, just in a "most people I know agree on this, so I guess it's true" kind of way. When I grew up, moved away, and went to college, I ended up rethinking a lot of things and forming my own opinions. So the idea of realizing you've been wrong, breaking away, and having to figure everything out all over again as a young adult? I find that super relatable. That's probably a part of why I like Andromeda and Sirius so much.

Regulus, in canon, doesn't do that, or only does it on a very limited basis just before his death. But there's the potential to explore that angle in canon divergence stories. It was very cathartic for me, in my first "Regulus lives" fic, to stick him in a situation where he's separated from the negative influences and slowly starting to question stuff he's taken for granted all his life.

*although my family was actually way more chill than a lot of my friends, teachers, neighbors, etc. For instance, they were fine with letting me read Harry Potter.

How I see Regulus

Now we're getting more into headcanon territory. Regulus is only described second-hand; he never actually appears on the page. So, naturally, fans have interpreted him a million different ways. If I'm going to talk about why I like Regulus, I should probably also mention what my take on him actually is.

I see him as being driven by a strong sense of duty. He wasn't forced to join the Death Eaters, but he knew or believed his parents would be proud of him for doing so and that played a part in his decision. When he chose to turn against Voldemort, he kept it a secret from them in an attempt to protect them (that part is strongly implied in canon).

Despite those loyalist tendencies, I also imagine him being stubbornly independent, trying to take things on alone rather than ask for help. The horcrux is a perfect example of this. He didn't tell his family, any friends he might have had, or anybody on the opposite side of the war. He went after it himself, alone, with just a house-elf for help and without letting anyone know what he was doing. There's probably an element of pride in this, but I'd say also a level of distrust, a feeling that there's no one he can rely on and that he doesn't want to show weakness.

I think it's reasonable to assume he shared the Death Eaters' prejudices and committed crimes for them. But I do imagine him as a lesser evil, so to speak, compared to people like the Lestranges. The way Sirius describes him - an "idiot" who was "soft enough to believe" their parents - is not flattering, but very mild compared to what he says about other family members. There's nothing to imply Regulus was a really cruel, bloodthirsty sort of person, and I find it hard to believe Sirius would be so quick to shift the blame for his choices to their parents if he had been. And there are other signs as well. Kreacher said Regulus believed that Voldemort would "bring the wizards out of hiding to rule the Muggles and the Muggle-borns," which is awful but stops short of what actually happens when Voldemort takes power in Deathly Hallows. And, of course, there's his relationship with Kreacher.

House-elves are a whole other can of worms I don't want to get into right now, but I do think Regulus probably treated Kreacher better than their society would have expected. I'm not saying he was Hermione-level enlightened. He probably didn't see him as an equal or spend his free time campaigning for elf rights. But when the full story of Regulus's death is revealed, it's made clear that he was fond of Kreacher and upset by what Voldemort did to him. He literally drank a potion that caused him extreme agony rather than ordering Kreacher to do it in his place. That doesn't make him a totally good person, but it does hint at a softer side to him and a sort of nuance that isn't typical of the Death Eaters.

He clearly knew what a horcrux was and strongly objected to finding out about the locket, either on the basis of "that's crossing a line" or "actually, the Dark Lord probably shouldn't live forever." Or both. I've seen people question why a Death Eater would have a problem with horcruxes, and I suspect some of them wouldn't. Bellatrix, for instance, would probably be overjoyed to know she was entrusted with a piece of Voldemort's soul. But the idea of horcruxes being repulsive even to many Dark Wizards is actually foreshadowed a bit in Half-Blood Prince, where the author of Magick Moste Evile warns his readers against them. So I do think Regulus was probably not thrilled to find out he was working for someone who had one.

There can be multiple factors in why he did what he did: anger about Voldemort's treatment of Kreacher AND objection to horcruxes AND possibly doubts and second thoughts that had been building up already, since Sirius knew nothing about the specifics but was sure he died trying to back out.

Now, going after the locket on his own, without telling anybody who might have an interest in stopping Voldemort, was not the smartest decision. And I don't see his death as something that should be glorified. I've seen people claim that his redemption arc is more valid because he gave his life, and I disagree with that take and actually find it to be very troubling. Redemption Equals Death can work if it's a meaningful self-sacrifice, but Regulus's death didn't really accomplish much other than getting him killed, and if he had lived longer he might have been able to do more to atone. Like actually destroying a horcrux, for instance, or providing info to the Order.

But still, the fact that he did anything at all is a big deal. The fact that something - or multiple somethings - seemed wrong to him, and given the choice between "a lifetime of service or death," he decided he still couldn't keep serving Voldemort? That's huge. That says something important about who he was as a person. A weird combination of a damaged but not completely absent moral compass paired with an unexpected sense of integrity and courage.

Final thoughts

Most of what I described in the section above is personal interpretation, and there are other valid takes on what might have been going on. But I tried to keep it to just what I think can be reasonably extrapolated from canon, not random headcanons that I'm happy to admit I pulled out of thin air or adopted from fanon.

I see a lot of interesting contradictions in Regulus, and specifically, a lot of positive traits turned bad. Loyalty and dedication towards a family and a cause that don't deserve it. Capacity for kindness that remains so undeveloped it never actually leads him to question his prejudices. The willingness to admit he was on the wrong side and the courage do something about it, but it ends up being a pointless self-sacrifice.

I see him as someone who isn't inherently evil, who could have been a good person if he'd been brought up differently. Someone who might very well have changed for the better and made a positive impact if he'd survived. And yet whose life ultimately amounted to very little. I don't know about you, but that strikes me as a tragedy.

It also screams "opportunity" to the fanfic writer in me. I love "what if?" storylines. I love fleshing out characters who were not well-developed in canon. Regulus has hints of a personality and storyline that I find really interesting, but isn't a main character or developed enough that I feel like the story has already been told in a satisfying way in canon. That's exactly the sort of character I'm likely to end up reading and writing fic for, etc.

#Regulus Black #Harry Potter #morally gray characters #redemption arcs #meta #cw discussion of bigotry

[timetobeaghost]

Oct 7 was definitely horrific but you can't be against what happened to those innocents and then go and act like all of the people the IDF has murdered since then deserved it

Also, if the attacks on Palestine are about what Hamas did, then why are Palestinians in the West Bank (not run by Hamas) also being attacked by the IDF?

There's two bad sides, but one is obviously way worse if you look at the stats from before and after October 2023

If you still need to guess, it's not the one you're constantly meatriding.

It is not at all complicated. Terrorists who slaughter innocents, rape young girls to death and stream it on their phones. For their families and friends. Terrorists who take innocent children as hostage and torture them by showing them scenes of the slaughter of their people and threaten to shoot them if they cry, who burn signs into they skin, so they are marked as the property of their captors. Those are the bad guys. I do not know if you enjoyed any moral education whatsoever. But that is what evil looks like.

You think bombs are also bad? I don't know why you would even need to consider bombs as well in the face of such evil so obvious, Sauron is moping in Mordor all jealous of the black and white reality. But then I guess you would disapprove of the people who continuously throw all the bombs they possibly can on exclusively civilian targets with the declared goal of killing civilians. Start this when there is actually a ceasefire. And this also from civilian areas where 20% of the bombs actually fall on their own civilians. Yeah, I guess that is also a way to see who the bad guys are.

YOU WOULD LIKE THE ISRAELIS TO ACT LIKE THAT? THAT WOULD BE BETTER?

Now the West Bank is where things are complicated. No one knows what is going on. On the one hand obviously terrorism flairs up, as Palestinian wannabe terrorists try to get in on the action and Israelis are right to defend themselves harshly. On the other hand there are losts of hardline asshole Israeli settlers there and they might start trouble in an also emotionally agitated state, maybe even seek revenge. The IDF might then come to the defense of Israeli citizens who actually started shit or at least overreacted. Here we would have to look into the details of everything that happened to know how bad any person acted and whether innocents were hurt or not totally innocents still treated unfairly. It's a mess and a half.

A mess that was also intensified by Hamas STARTING A GD WAR in the absolutely worst way and with the stated goal of killing all the jews. Actions and attitudes like that do tend to cause problems.

A mess that DOES NOT TAKE AWAY from the very clear cut fact, that Hamas, the terrorist jihadist evil government of Gaza, started a total war against Israel and Israel has the duty to defend itself. A duty to defend its citizens from the bombs that fly out of Gaza directed at civilians nonstop. Which is pretty hard to do without using bombs yourself, is it not? A duty to do their absolute best to free their innocent civilians who were taken hostages and are still mistreated by a hateful evil enemy. Which is exactly what they are doing. Should they like... not?

This victim blaming is absolutely despicable, Where somehow, just because Israel has to fight against barbarian terrorists, you try to drag them down to that level. They are absolutely not on that level. You do not have to be perfect to be a victim of terrorism. Obviously. As no country is perfect.

And yet, and still Israel tries to ACTIVELY AVOID killing civilians. Warning them where it's unsafe - which obviously does not help their war efforts. One side Actively tries to kill civilians, one side actively tries to avoid it. It couldn't be any more clear who is the problem.

Just imagine for one second this absolute atrocity, worst terrorist attack in history, and continued attack in all possible ways, happened to the US or even - dear god - Russia or China and not Israel, we would probably not have to worry too much about people living in the Gaza Strip anymore.

#israel #israel hamas war #terrorism is bad #hate to be the one who breaks it to you #idf are heroes #victim blaming #antisemitism #blinds you

[shoefuckerr]

Speaking of Captain, Nana and Marlon, here's my very stupid little au I have that I started making/ thinking abt like last month or something lol. Some of this might not even make sense it's just my little thing I have okay 😭😭😭

We've astablished that Nana and Marlon know eachother in some kinda way. Now, what if him, Nana and Captain used to be friends when they were young! And they used to hangout n stuff yesh nothing special. I also like to imagine that Captain was A LOT like Newton when he was younger just cuz I can sorry not sorry bleugh.

For my age HC's around this time I imagine Nana was 22 when she got pregnant. That came out of nowhere didn't it 😭 apologies. Anyways, and Captain was 20, and Marlon 18/19.

(So in current Canon Nana would be 40, Captain 38, and Marlon 35. Sorry if this is off I know literally 0 maths.)

Speaking of pregnant, Marlon was absolutely ecstatic and when Newton was born he often babysitted him, just cause.

Marlon later moved on because he fully went into the movie business. I also imagine the reason Marlon never even mentions Newton in the game and only really focuses on the titans/oddsock is because he knew Newton and his parents. (This is ofcourse only related to my AU)

Umm I'm just gonna pump my other HC in here or whatever you wanna call that. I like thinking that Newton's talent in his family is art. Maybe when he was small he always drew pics of his dad on adventures or whatever, and you could tell he's got something going for himself.

(Also captain totally has a wall in his airship where he hung up all of Newton's drawings ehem)

The reason I like that idea is because his mum is obviously creative, but he himself has problems with creation. Maybe what his mum has instead of being in that area of creativity, went towards art.

(I also think that Captain is a writer and has written most of his adventure trips down and stuff like that so maybe that also plays into it)

And art just stopped because his mum pushed him to create since she wanted him to succeed. (Also I do have to say the sculpture he made of his parents was quite in the art direction wegeheheh and he seems skilled at blueprints sooooo)

Lol sorry I Highkey hope no one reads this idk why it just embarrasses me 🥴 buhbye :}

(Also you're absolutely rigjt that means my HC age for current Newton is 19. I feel like that's gonna get people angry so please keep your flames by yourself I don't no harm its all fun and games)

#Alternate Universe #au #headcanons #hc #lbp #lbp3 #little big planet #littlebigplanet #littlebigplanet3 #newton pud #marlon random #marlon banjo #captain pud #nana pud #purely my thoughts and feelings

[bogunicorn]

I have a Trevelyan OC who doesn't get a ton of "screen time" even in my PSLs. (I do a lot of writing, just most of it is in RP with my wife and will never see the public light of day.) It's because Ramsay is my main Trevelyan's younger brother, and his job in the narrative is to be unjustly killed during the fall of Ostwick Circle so his sister has a Tragic Backstory. But almost all of my Trevelyan siblings have a continuity where they're Inquisitor, and I wrote one up for Ramsay last year just for fun, and he ended up as this kind of cool, anti-authoritarian mage who specializes in fire and rift magic. I imagine him having, like... will anyone know what I mean if I say Wolverine Energy? Gruff, emotionally guarded, has done and is capable of doing very violent things, but also prone to ending up in leadership roles despite being like "ugh, no, I'm not a role model", would function well with a young girl as a morality pet.

Anyway what I've got stuck in my craw right now is the idea of a Trevelyan/Hawke fic with Ramsay and my red/purple blood mage f!Hawke (a classic Spiky Lady Character named Marsali), probably starting around Hawke's introduction in Inquisition and through the end of Here Lies the Abyss. The Warden companion is Carver, and it's this big heartwrenching thing when they're in the Fade and someone has to stay behind.

(Stuck this behind a read more because I just rambled about mirrored narratives wheee)

Marsali and Ramsay are both naturally wary of each other, they're both these guarded sorts of people, slow to trust. But they're such good mirrors of each other, and if you know me, you know I'm a big sucker for mirrored narratives. Marsali is the daughter of an apostate father and a noble mother; Ramsay is the son of a noble father and a common-born mother. They're both very much like their fathers, much to their own dysfunctions, Marsali because they're alike in personality and intensely close to hers, Ramsay because he's the only one of his siblings with a strong physical resemblance to a man who refuses to acknowledge him.

Marsali tries to suppress a natural talent and inclination for blood magic, but actively chose to learn arcane and force magic - schools of magic that focus on buffs, shields, areas of effect that push people away or slow them down - and only employs her more truly violent and aggressive blood magic abilities when she's backed into a corner or loses control. Her father shares her talent for blood magic and kept her from learning to harness it until she was an adult (long, long after she'd developed bad habits and a complete distaste for it, too late to cultivate true control). Ramsay has a natural talent for destructive magic and instead pursued control of it, turning his gift for violent magic into a useful weapon under the mentorship of a similarly inclined father figure in the form of Ostwick's First Enchanter.

Marsali is a mage protective older sister to a non-mage younger brother (who only didn't join the Templars because fate forced him into the Wardens). Ramsay is a mage younger brother to a protective older sister who joined the Templars to look after him in the Circle. Marsali and Carver's relationship is loving, but it has walls up as she's been parentified, and is often quite contentious and full of bickering; despite effectively being his mother figure, Thayet is much more open with Ramsay, especially after escaping the Circle. They rarely fight. For both Marsali and Ramsay, their sibling is the only family they really have, Marsali because hers is all dead, Ramsay because Thayet is the only one who wants to acknowledge he exists.

Marsali consistently shirks and runs from responsibility to anything bigger than herself, only grudgingly taking up the fight against Corypheus because she feels personally responsible for it beginning - and because of the danger to Carver with the false calling. Ramsay grows into authority and takes well to the kind of big picture responsibilities that the Inquisition demands, and he chooses the life and actions of a hero because it instinctively feels like the right thing to do.

And yet, because of their other-side-of-the-coin sorts of differences, I think they would really understand each other. Like they're just the correct amount of distance from one another to have the best view. Marsali sees Ramsay and understands exactly what it takes to be that sort of person, because she tried to be that kind of person and buckled; Ramsay sees Marsali and knows exactly how much love she has for the people around her, because he knows how difficult it is to care for other people in a world that's constantly trying to tear you away from them, up to and including by killing them.

And, of course, because of how similar Marsali and Carver are to Ramsay and his sister... holy shit choosing between them would be torture. Does he let Marsali die protecting her little brother and force Carver to live with a survivor's guilt that Ramsay couldn't stomach himself? Or does he let Carver do what he would do, stay behind and be the protector for once, knowing exactly what that kind of loss would do to Marsali?

I have an idea of what I'd do, but it's still percolating. I think for this fic I'd do an even split in POV specifically to show the depth of their sibling relationships so that bit in the Fade with the Nightmare feels incredibly fraught and tense.

#bog post #my writing #my ocs #dragon age #hawke #the inquisitor #Trevelyan #ramsay trevelyan #marsali hawke #oh i could do a thing with hawke's narrative #where she only uses her first name when carver is around #bc obviously he doesn't call her 'hawke' and that's an extra layer of guard between her and others #only letting carver - not even varric just carver - use her given name #acting as head of the family (what's left of it) by using her surname with everyone else #while ramsay uses his given name for everyone #but his nickname - ram - with his sister and close friends #because ramsay is more community-minded and more open to building found family #and marsali thinks of family as a vulnerable and finite resource to be treated with special caution

[deputy-morgan-malone]

I think about Morgan in a No-Warrant AU, where everything’s basically the same except the warrant never got issued, the Marshall never came to the County (officially anyway), and the arrest didn’t happen, and she just had to...start living in Hope County, and start working in the Sheriff’s Department, and learn (quickly? slowly?) about how things were with the Project in the County (to the extent the Sheriff’s Department knew about it, or would admit to it) - a LOT.  A LOT.  I honestly don’t know which I’d be more interested in writing, her canon story, or the AU where she’s just trying to live her life, but uh-oh, cult.  Cult who takes an interest in the new Deputy anyway, because they take an interest/hatred in law enforcement officials, they have to be careful what they do around law enforcement officials, they check every newcomer to the County for ‘suitability’ for the Cult.  And she’s just...slowly coming to the realisation of what most other people don’t want to admit.

Some people call them a cult.  Other people don’t, and the Sheriff’s department she’s working for have to try to stamp down on that kind of speech because John Seed will fucking PUNISH anyone who smears the group like that, and the legal authorities in the area for letting it happen, and it only works people up and makes them scared anyway, and the Sheriff prefers to keep the peace.  People talk about being threatened - about their loved ones being kidnapped - and Morgan doesn’t know if that’s real, and no-one’s doing anything about it, or people are just treating this separatist group as a scapegoat and making up lies about them out of paranoia.  She especially doesn’t know when she talks to members of the group about it - particularly the leaders of the group.  She gets a weird vibe - but nothing she could put her finger on.  Nothing she could actually use as evidence, even casually, to anyone else.

They’re upfront about their end-of-the-world beliefs, at least, and the fact they think their leader, Joseph, sees the future and can talk to God.  But as for what they’re actually doing...no-one will give her a clear answer, and it’s so fraught and dangerous trying to work it out.

And things seem more dangerous as time goes on.  And she said she wanted to be a cop, knowing that that could be dangerous, but she specifically chose Hope County because it was quiet and seemed safe, she’s really not supposed to die young, her family would not be able to handle that.  And also she doesn’t want to.  But is that actually a risk?  Or is she just imagining it?  Nancy at work always acts like she’s being insane when she mentions stuff or talks to her about it.  And she doesn’t really want to be kidnapped or brainwashed into a cult either - but is there a risk of that actually happening?  Everyone acts like everything’s fine, except the people who are angry...and she did agree to be a cop.  If there is a risk, she should stay and try to protect people, and not run...shouldn’t she?

It’s something I tried to put across in Direction, very briefly, the horror, the anxiety of that situation...but specifically playing up the horror, in a distilled sort of way, for a Halloween-themed fic.  But I think about the wider situation, the long-term experience of it...a LOT.

#inspired by a similar post on the dash and the thoughts brought up by it #no-warrant au #aus #deputy sheriff #morgan thoughts #hope county sheriff's office #project at eden's gate #nancy #kidnapping tw #murder tw #brainwashing tw #joseph seed #family

[sos-im-bored]

@ofmagicallonging

When people thought of witches, they thought of creepy old hags in houses in the woods, eating children who wandered too far. Eliza thought of that too, but the memories of her dearest nana who taught her magic were not scary bedtime stories but probably the best moments of her life. Eliza had been quite young, maybe about ten when she wandered off into the woods. She partially didn't think evil witches were real and partially wondered if a witch was real if she would be fun. She did find a witch's hut, deep in the woods to the point the woods were more like a swamp and the house was rickety and almost falling apart. The woman inside, while used to making deals with wanderers or using scraps of people for spells found the cold, young Eliza very amusing. Such a cold, indifferent young girl was both heartbreaking and very interesting. Thinking she's make a very good witch in a few years she began teaching Eliza magic, potions and all sorts of things. To Eliza this "scary witch" was her family. The only person who didn't need people to be watching to hug her or only laugh in a fake way to placate others.

Eliza never intended to live out her life hiding in the woods being some old crone to like in bedtime stories. She was a much more... material person. After her parents mysteriously died in a carriage accident, Eliza was left the wealth of her family, even if her father tried to fuck her over. Her father may have been wealthy but he wasn't noble, which was always a problem for him. He wanted her to marry a noble so he could claim a title of some sort. She was never going to do anything of the sort. With a little help form her nana and a little magic she got to keep everything she deserved. And that started her new life.

She lived very near extravagance, expensive things, rare things. The more beautiful or rare the more she needed to have it. Her trading was much more extravagant then her father's, her dreams were bigger. People came from all over to attend her auction houses every month, both the beautiful public one and her other place that sealed the much more amusing things. Eliza lived for people coming to ask for favours, much like her nana. Fun little ways she could trick people into giving away something they loved, even if she didn't want it, just because they did. A little binding spell and no one could ever speak about meeting her, only that others should visit too. Many people came to ask for things, some were boring and simple, others were very fun.

It was early morning when one of her servants woke her up with her favourite thing. A beautiful and desprate woman asking for things. How lovely. Instead of having someone bring her to her office in the trading place she had them bring the person to her house. A beautiful level above her trading and auction house where she could look over the beautiful city. The beautiful mostly glass walls overlooked most of the city with a stunning view of the sunrise and it was obviously a very magical space she lived in. Witch's magic may be frowned upon but other magic was abundant and how could the riches woman probably in the entire continent not have mages build her a room? Even if she did it herself. The guest was brought to a seating area and offered fresh pastries and lovely drinks. Shortly Eliza came out. The woman had clearly just gotten up and not really bothers to make herself presentable. After all, someone had bothered her early in the morning. She wore an almost completely sheer white robe with absolutely nothing but a black and gold delicate body chain underneath. It left nothing to the imagination, but she was not a shy person. She was mostly curious if her appearance would affect her guest. "I heard you needed my assistance." She said with a calm, businesslike smile. She sat down in one of her chairs, crossing one less over the over, "What do you need?"

[the-assignment]

Blog #2 - Race in Get Out & Us

**Spoilers ahead for scenes and plot points in Get Out and Us**

One of the biggest takeaways that I’ve seen in the evolution of Jordan Peele’s films thus far – Get Out and Us – is the intentional Blackness and the subject of race presented throughout both movies – but in entirely different and equally interesting ways.

For example, in Get Out – Race (and racism) are undeniably at the forefront of the movie. It is the catalyst and the vehicle in which the film and plot moves forward, reaches the climax, and ends. From the very beginning, you see a young black man lost and walking down the street of a white, suburban, middle class-esque area. He is then briefly followed by a white car and a full-face helmet clad assailant attacks him, knocks him out, and shoves him in the trunk of his car. Driving off to God knows where while “Run Rabbit Run” plays in the background.

The movie then cuts to Rose and Chris – a young white woman and a young black man in a relationship. At the start, we as the audience can feel tension and hesitance coming from Chris, and the first conversation that we hear, is that Chris is meeting Rose's family for the very first time and he’s worried because she hasn’t told them he’s Black. And right there. Race front in center. Not only prominently in both the characters but the possible consequences of race.

Fast forward through a racially charged interaction with a white police officer – which, no one these days has to only imagine – almost all of us has seen videos – that only gets distinguished because Rose uses her whiteness and her femaleness to thwart the situation. (And almost everyone watching the scene unfold knows that if a Black person tried pulling what she did, they’d be dead or beaten).

I’m not going to rehash every single encounter – either the subtle, “atta boy’s” / “my man’s”, “I’d vote for Obama a third time if I could’s” or the more obvious, like the entire dinner scene conversation – that was race related in some way or another.  

But the awkwardest party in ALL of history… the “BINGO,” the Coagula experiment (the reasons for it!!!), the interactions between Chris and the other Black bodies, the relationship between Chris and Rod, etc. etc., etc.

All of these things directly reflected the idea of race and racism. That, in my opinion, was the point and emphasis on the film. It showed that “well-meaning” and “appreciative” white people are still (and maybe even more) dangerous. That race and racism is not dead – whether people believe it is or not.

Us takes race and Blackness in a completely different approach. Race, racism, white privilege, etc. is not directly the point of the film. Overt racism is not the culprit or antagonist like it was in Get Out.

However, intentional Blackness is still prevalent throughout the film. The main characters consist of a Black family – the Wilsons (shout out to Lupita’s natural hairstyle on the big screen and in a major movie!!) who seem to have reached some levels of success and financial security – enough so that they were able to buy a beach house. And although this is where their terror begins, it is not my main point. Throughout the film the characters being Black is not mentioned / not the point of the film. We simply see Black characters living their lives and a family vacationing during the summer.

However, in some cases it is the microaggressions and the “out of placeness” experienced by the family that highlights their very Blackness.

The family beach scene for example – where they are literally the only Black people on the beach. Additionally, Zora doesn’t get in the water like the other girls her age. The answer to why that is is obvious to any person who also has this consideration – her hair. She wasn’t going to get her unnaturally straight and styled hair wet. (I also thought about the historical significance: the dislike / aversion to swimming / the water is based heavily in slavery and racism – where whites even through acid into pools used by Blacks). The point is, that although race wasn’t said, it was shown.

Just like it was shown when the dad bought a beat-up boat (with no boating experience whatsoever) because he wanted to keep up with their richer (and white) family friends – even though the boat is old and worn.

Just like the dad’s Howard University sweatshirt.

Just like Zora didn’t hesitate to grab the bat – knew exactly where it was and instantly grabbed it when her dad actually asked the son to. (And just like there was no hesitance to use it later when she needed to!)

Just like the dad changes the way he speaks to the unwelcomed newcomers when he’s trying to intimidate them – switching from the polite (white approved) approach he started with, into typical AAVE, complete with a bat when they weren’t listening.

Just like when their white family friends are killed – the first thing the kids ask if whether their car is theirs now.

In Us, it felt like it was showing that while this Black family was inside society, they still weren’t fully a part of society. Their house, car, boat, etc. were smaller than others’ and it was noticeable. They were the only Black people there. They didn’t do the things the others did. Didn’t have the things they did. Etc. And they were still trying to keep up.

But, they were the only ones who had the preparedness and survival mindset and instincts that allowed them to win.

They were the only ones who survived.

So, while Us wasn’t about race, it still was about race.

#blog #assignment #the-assignment #get out #getout #us #jordan peele #ucla #homework