#also you never know when they may become a collector's item

[stairset]

I'm quitting my job soon and getting an actual full time job that actually pays well which is good cause my habit of impulse buying expensive things is returning

[operafantomet]

Hi there. Idk if this question has been asked before, but where do they find the fabric for the mandarin coat?

I'd say there are as many answers as there are versions of the costume. But some pointers:

Many of the early versions were made with partly antique embroidered textiles from the Qing dynasty. These were a popular collector's item in the 19th and 20th century, to the point where some of them were never intended for use in China, they were made as souvenirs. The original design by Maria Bjørnson suggests antique Chinese fabrics, with a hem showing the classic water-and-mountain motif, the collar being a cloud collar usually seen in women's attires, and the hat a decorated winter hat.

Even if all these costumes are made from scratch rather than bought, I thought it could be interesting to compare it to a similar authentic Chinese robe - without the collar - dated to the 1890s and sold by Augusta Auctions some years ago:

This robe has a badge - an insignia of rank and position of a Mandarin official in the Qing dynasty. These were used both on the chest and back, and the bird or otherwise animal told onlookers all they needed to know, if the person was a civil or military employee, and how high up in the system they were. The badge is not featured in Bjørnson's design, but it has showed up in a few costumes. Maybe most proninently in Michael Crawford's original West End costume, which Bjørnson would have supervised:

To my eye it looks like many of the elder costumes (up until c. 2005) used a lot of antique or vintage fabrics, but used on a new base. Details to look for is distinct gold couching, re-used badges, special dragon embroideres, antique collars and tabards, fringework etc. I am quite convinced some of these are antique or vintage details, like the China blue tabard with water and mountain motif used by John Owen-Jones in West End c. 2002:

The cuff and details on one of the original Australian robes, and continued to shine in the World Tour up until 2015 or so:

The tabard of the Swedish/Danish version, first made in 1989 and still in use in 2019 (maybe not too visible in the stage photo, but definitely when seen up close backstage!):

As a contrast, newer costumes tends to be brassier and bigger, with less embroidery and more appliquées and trims. It looks to me like they mostly rely on new fabrics and materials, maybe with some elements of elder embroidery. This collar made for Ben Lewis in West End is a good example:

And the recent German version, here seen on Mathias Edenborn in Hamburg. It's a costume I got to study up close and I couldn't spot any particular details that looked old:

And this Broadway robe with what looks like a very new firefly pattern brocade and embroidered gold trims appliquéed on:

So why this change? I guess it depends on what is available. Qing textiles has become more rare on the open market, and more expensive. Elder textiles are also more fragile, while new textiles will handle wear and tear, dry cleaning etc. better. Some of these costumes are used on stage up to eight times a week, after all.

Due to the fragility of elder textiles, they may have to cover the embroidery with fine mesh. This dulls down the effect and makes the costume heavier, so it's not always ideal. Better then to use new stuff. Here's an early 1990 West End one covered with mesh, to protect the embroidery:

A last aspect is of course that by using elder textiles you may put specific meaning-bearing motifs on which ideally shouldn't be there. The beautiful embroidered Indian fabric with elephants and swastikas - in India a symbol of the sun and good luck - which appeared in an unfortunate Danish Elissa skirt is a good example. Luckilly the costume crew knew what they were doing by including the five bats - for good luck - on this Broadway Mandarin robe:

If you plan on making your own costume, I would say: Create the base of a Chinese brocade (silk or synthetic) with predominantely black or dark blue base and polychrome pattern. As an inspiration, here's the robe, collar and tabard - fairly undecorated - in making for Scott Davies (top) and Ben Lewis (bottom) in West End, with photos generously shared by head-of-costume Ceris Donovan:

For the back: Go for a main motif, and build everything around that. And layer! Gems upon trims upon embroideries upon fabrics. The more structure, embroidery, couching and details the various materials has, the better. And then add some on top of that.

Note that it varies if a production do both the robe, cloud collar and tabard. Some production only do two of these, some do all three. But whatever the case, the costume with hat should create angles, texture and lines that makes him stand out from the previous scene, where he wore black and white and tight-fitting clothes.

In West End I think they source it in the many amazing fabric shops in Brixton and Soho, including Borovicks, as well as antique dealers. For Broadway I know a lot was bought in the fabric district in NYC. Other productions may be equipped with fabrics and trims from these, or they may source their own materials locally. I also noticed that the Chinese (left) and Japanese (right) productions tend to use more red and purple fabrics for their versions, which I would think was also locally sourced:

So yeah. As many answers as there are versions out there...

[mauveberries]

look, all i'm saying is that if tom/voldemort did not have a prophecy that tied them together, they would never get together organically.

tom is the type of guy who needs to find something REALLY interesting in whoever he is going to pursue. this is why, in canon, we don't see him with anyone, simply because he couldn't care less about any of them or any of their feelings.

he's a collector of significant items. (locket, cup, ring etc.) these items are extremely significant to him and only due to this, does he spend time actually working to get any of them and place them in a [debatably] safe area with safety measures.

later, we can infer from the text that he pursues bella only because she serves him well and he grew fond of her due to her devotion and pureblood aristocracy (and maybe perhaps because of her gorgeous looks.)

and like, if he hadn't met bella, he probably would have died without a 'partner' at all.

the only reason voldemort 'pursues' harry is because harry is a threat to his life and he is obsessed with the prophecy. if the prophecy isn't there, the key connection between him and harry is non-existent and hence, tom would simply not put in any effort to get to know harry. it's as simple as that, unless you are going to go the ooc route where harry becomes a death eater.. blah blah blah, which is fine, too.

and you might argue, well, hey, what if tom falls for harry because of his personality? to which i would reply is extremely unlikely, due to tom favouring superficial qualities over things that truly matter. as we see with the objects he collects to turn into horcruxes, they are very flashy and ostentatious things that give no real value unless you sell it. (except the locket.) you may say that they are very valuable because they remind tom of hogwarts.. this may be true, but he doesn't really value the things the objects remind him of. for the gaunt ring that's supposed to reprsent family, he killed his remaining family in his fathers side, and he framed his uncle on his mothers side. the only things of value to him are the objects themselves.

just like that, he probably wouldn't look at personality first, when choosing a partner, the first thing he notices if whether they are a means to an end. in the extreme case of bella, he probably loved her unyielding devotion to him and his cause because it helped him acheive his goals. it also helped that she was a black, she was beautiful and that she had wealth and high status.

but harry... harry doesn't have any of those. and harry wouldn't want any of those.

without the prophecy, tom would view harry as a semi-intelligent, not-so-studious quidditch player who has, like, three friends because he sucks at communicating and would want nothing to do with him even if harry tries pursuing him. (in hogwarts era tomarry aus)

tl;dr: without the prophecy, tomarry/harrymort would not happen, and never will :(

[loafgeto]

OKOK I ALREADY SAID THIS FOR GOJO BUT JJK MEN LISTENING TO KPOP.

geto: definitely listens to solo artists the most, like dpr ian, dean, iu, eric nam and bibi. if it was to be groups, he’d definitely listen to le sserafim or (g)i-dle (gg) and exo (bg). he listens to them when he’s studying, walking to his class, driving leisurely in his car or when he’s cooking. he’s not a hardcore stan like gojo or yuji, but he definitely likes the genre!!

gojo: literal twice, fifty fifty, and newjeans fan. he tries to collect all of the albums and gambles for photocards. he will listen to them everywhere and anywhere, sing their songs in the shower, scream at the top of his lungs in the car, you name it. the biggest fanboy ever !! he will definitely get floor or VIP tickets for concerts with how rich he is.

nanami: acts like he doesn’t listen when he actually does. his stoic expression gives people the impression that he hates k-pop, when he’s literally listening to red velvet’s “russian roulette”. he collects several albums, only because of the concept photos and so that he can listen to the CD’s on his cd player (yes nanami would most definitely still have a cd player). he listens to any group, wanting to explore different songs and concepts. he also listens to underrated artists

toji: he’s most definitely forced to listen to kpop songs LOL. forced as in he hears them everywhere he goes, in the store, restaurants, even the public restrooms, literally cannot escape them because of how popular it has become. but he’s been liking newjeans’s “omg” because, IT IS A CATCHY ASS SONG. he cringes at how he likes it, but he can’t deny how good it is. he’d probably assassinate someone for money to go to a concert and sit there like 😐🙂 the whole time while everyone else is screaming

choso: likes EVERY single damn group. ask him about any group and he knows, even the underrated ones that you probably never heard about. he’s a collector for sure, most definitely has a room dedicated to all of his albums, light sticks and other kpop items. he will go to every kpop concert near him, he may become broke, but not as broke as toji. he appreciates each and every artist, listening to their songs daily and keeping track of comebacks and shows.

sukuna: he hates it. ☠️ (unless someone can defend him)

yuji: same as his brother choso, LOVES and KNOWS every single group. but he’s a hardcore girl group stan, and he will literally talk about any group when you ask him. he knows boy groups, but he isn’t as strongly interested in them besides their songs. he learns the choreographies and makes sure he knows every word of the lyrics so he doesn’t sound too gibberish when he sings.

megumi: same as nanami, looks like he hates kpop when he listens to it. he listens to it when he’s studying or relaxing. he’s definitely a seventeen fanboy, he loves their different concepts and comebacks, like megumi sets a timer each time they have a new comeback. if it’s a girl group, he’s definitely a dreamcatcher or red velvet fan. he’d also be the type to like day6 and the rose.

[godesssiri]

Thrifting Philosophies 2

Gross is Good

Part of thrifting is that you have to be willing to pick up something that’s dirty and/or damaged and figure out how to clean/repair it. Googling while in-store is a good idea so you can see if the item can be cleaned or repaired and how difficult that process will be so you can make and educated decision on if it’s worth it to buy this one, sometimes things are a simple fix sometimes they’re not. With some things the way to clean or repair it is obvious and with others it takes a lot of research, and you may need to seek advice from an expert or pay an expert to do the work. If you come across something you absolutely love and have no idea how to repair it then seek out people online who also love those items, collectors have a wealth of knowledge and they're always generous with it, there will be someone who can tell you how to repair your item - you just have to find that someone.  Sometimes you can bring something fully back to life, I adore wooden treasures because it’s just a matter of a bit of elbow grease and patience to make them glow. I collect seashells, and little wicker peacock chairs that I sit my plants in, and they both often arrive at the thrift store covered in decades worth of dust in all the tiny crevices, again elbow grease and patience work wonders. Or can you live with the damage? Does it matter? Does it actually add to the object? I’ve got a beautiful Italian brass tortoise trinket box, the hinge is broken, the shell lifts off completely rather than swinging open as it was designed to. But you can’t tell that from looking at it and it still functions as a trinket box, I’m happy to live with the damage. I’ve got a lovely figurine of an elephant with a monkey riding on her back, her tusk is broken but I don’t care because that just tells me this old lady has lived a life before she came to me, it feels right that she's missing a tusk. Sometimes wear and tear doesn’t affect the beauty of an object and sometimes it just adds to the history and gravitas of an object. There are times you know you're never going to be able to repair something, it’s just a matter of preservation. I’ve spent ages researching the right kind of leather treatment to safely preserve the covers of my lovely antique books. I know I’ll never get them looking perfect but it’s not about making them look new, it’s about treating them before they crumble to dust and the spine cracks if anyone tries to look at the pages, and preserving them so they survive for another hundred years. I'm also teaching myself how to repair fabric spines that are pealing away and reattach loose covers. There are times when you need to educate yourself in order to become the custodian of an object and learn to take care of it properly so that future generations can enjoy it too.

You are inevitably going to find things in a thrift store that are dirty, broken, scuffed, stained, damaged. People have gotten rid of them for a reason but that doesn't mean they're junk. That just means you need to do a little work in order to own something truly special.

My previous thrift post

[zealousobservationsoul]

The Biggest Problem With replica bags designer, And How You Can Fix It

My best friend instructed me one other day that she obtained herself a bogus bag.​ She reported that it had been just an affordable a person much too! Once i heard that, I was like, "What?! You simply acquired a phony bag?" She seemed to be all enthusiastic about it, though.​

I remember going for walks in the markets of Hong Kong 1 time and currently being intrigued by the many wonderful replica bags on sale.​ Becoming an avid lover of designer merchandise, I had been promptly drawn to them.​ I recognized how intricate they appeared and the eye to element was nothing in need of impressive.​ I needed to talk to around to discover more but I was not positive if it was legit or not so replica bags I just retained it to myself.​

Little did I recognize that These reproduction luggage had been basically highly regarded and widely accepted.​ All people needed a piece of luxurious while not having to pay back the significant cost tags.​ I could see why folks have been starting to be so directed to it.​ It was as if the bags had been an extension of their personality, allowing for them to express their taste and course immediately.​

The widest choice of duplicate bags appeared to occur within the spring.​ Each individual corner of the marketplace experienced a variation of sizes, kinds, and costs.​ The shopkeepers ended up satisfied to reply all my queries and I even managed to choose up several exceptional parts.​ The intricate ending and premium high-quality definitely shocked me.​ I could not believe that the level of expertise that was set to the baggage though the positives unquestionably outweighed the negatives.​

I took my duplicate bags home and applied them on several occasions.​ I'm able to confidently express that I acquired my cash's well worth concerning use and good quality.​ I felt like 1,000,000 bucks every time I placed on a completely new accessory.​ It created me a whole lot much more self-confident and complemented my apparel in a means that only designer goods can.​ I've now come to be to some degree of the collector and never ever skip a chance to speculate in a new replica bag.​

The secondhand marketplace of reproduction bags has long been developing massively over the past couple of years and This may be an incredible location to get them at a cheaper price.​ There are numerous devoted Web-sites and apps for buying and marketing large-end reproduction baggage so It is turning into much easier to uncover lovely pre-cherished items.​ I've managed to choose up some wonderful discounts from thrift retailers way too.​

Due to their flexibility, my duplicate bags may changeover from day to night time appears to be effortlessly.​ There is one thing quite luxurious about having a piece of great Italian craftsmanship that will elevate any outfit.​ Regardless if I'm in a very rush and only have time to pick out a handful of extras, I am sure that my duplicate luggage will constantly make the Reduce.​

Among the best matters about reproduction luggage is they do not have to suit into a certain model or craze.​ You'll be able to style them any way you prefer and express yourself in ways that actual designer bags won't be able to.​ As well as they occur in many different shades and resources so I'm usually spoilt for preference.​ I'm also surprised to seek out that they're a lot more durable than genuine designer baggage in particular scenarios.​

I now understand why so A lot of people are so keen on reproduction luggage.​ They're affordable and trendy and really suited to day to day use.​ No matter whether you're a maximalist or perhaps a minimalist, there is a replica bag to choose from for everyone.​ You can not go wrong when you put money into a piece of significant-end craftsmanship that oozes with allure and sophistication.​

At first, I did not realize why she was so content over it.​ I suggest, doesn't she know that pretend items do not have the exact same high quality as being the authentic kinds? I had been stunned that she didn't Feel two times about it.​ I surely told her to reconsider her conclusion.​

But then, she began to clarify to me why she desired to purchase the fake bag.​ She said that the first bag she wanted was as well high priced and she was seeking a much less expensive one particular.​ Now, I kinda comprehended her.​ I suggest, we've all been there suitable? We wish a little something really nice but the value tag will not suit our funds.​ This is why A lot more persons are turning to fake luggage.​

But that is not all.​ My Good friend also mentioned that some of the faux luggage she uncovered online appear better still than the original ones.​ I used to be like, "Which is surely not true!" But she insisted that it had been correct and showed me a few pics.​ I gotta say, the pretend types did search very good.​ I used to be beginning to improve my thoughts about phony baggage.​

And then, amongst my other pals chipped in.​ He said that buying a faux bag may not be this kind of negative notion since it's less costly, and that the standard of the fake could possibly be nearly as good as the initial types.​ That's when I began to definitely see why people today get phony baggage.​

Obviously, I'm nonetheless not certain that It can be okay to buy fake goods.​ I mean, It can be nevertheless a counterfeit item and i am from the thought of supporting the those who steal other brand names' patterns.​ But I am able to now realize why persons would Select fake bags, specially when their budget is tight.​ I suppose everything boils right down to your own preference.​

[sunflowerdaisybee]

Hello! I read the collector hc and can't stop thinking about that.

May I request a c!Dream x reader, where reader is a collector, have a whole room of collection, when Dream first saw it he acted curious about collecting and asked a lot of questions, reader taught him all the knowledge that he need.

After that Dream asked reader to help him build a huge collection museum, which is very far away from the SMP and it's underground, full of blackstone. Reader have no idea why Dream want to build this place like this, they drown in Dream's sweet speech and honeyed words, they promised not to tell anyone about the base, because Dream is their only friend. Dream is also convinced Reader won't tell anyone because reader is a neglected member in the SMP.

But when the final disc war happened, Reader saw everyone went to the portal and thought something serious is happening, so they followed, they end up standing in the base seeing Dream and Tommy Tubbo in a middle of something. Reader have no idea what's going on, until Dream laughed and said "(y/n)! You also helped me built this place! We are friends, we're bonded to each other, why are you standing there against me? Come here..."

I wasn’t too sure where to go with this one so I kinda just winged it, I hope I got everything and you like it! <3 Also sorry for being gone, I was busy all weekend and had work today, I also have work tomorrow ;~;

Summary: You never loved that place

Pairing: Dream X Reader (P! or R!)

Pronouns: No specific pronouns used, does say Darling though

[A/n]: Requests are closed, please check back later <3

Having only one friend never bothered you, you found ways to keep busy and keep entertained. Dream was all you needed anyways, the perfect piece to the puzzle of your life. So when he stumbled into your home and into your collection room, you weren’t surprised to find him amazed.

“This place is amazing!”

“Yeah, and this is only a few month’s worth of things. I’d have a lot more if I had a bigger place for them.” You both stared fondly at all the items, Dream occasionally asking questions.

“What if we made a bigger place? We could build a great big museum, for just the two of us.” Dream turned to you, waiting eagerly for your response. He knew you would say yes, you’d want to collect more, and because he was your only friend you’d do almost anything for him.

“I’d love to, but where would we? And how would we?”

“You leave that up to me, all I need from you is everything you know. If you’re willing to share, that is, I’d love to learn.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Dream led you through a long, underground tunnel, you began to wonder. He had told you that he was taking you to the museum, but why would he keep it hidden underground? You knew that it was only supposed to be for the two of you, but why keep it so far away? 

“Hey Dream, where exactly are we?”

“Ah don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

“But where are we?”

“Look for yourself.” Dream stepped aside, allowing you to see the large Blackstone museum. It was empty, but only for now. Dream didn’t want to start without you.

“I built it down here so that no one would find it, and it’s empty because I didn’t want to start without you.” Dream slowly wrapped his arm around your back, watching as you gazed around the secret building.

It had taken months to fill up one of the large display cases. You and Dream had spent countless nights searching for and bringing back different things to add to the museum. It had become a safe haven for the two of you, Dream always luring you in with sweet words whenever you seemed hesitant. You only seriously considered leaving him one time.

You had seen many running about, all heading in the same direction, prompting you to follow them. Which led to you, standing behind Tommy and Tubbo as they faced Dream, who noticed you first.

“(Y/n), my darling! Why are you standing with them? Come and stand beside me, defend the place you love and worked so hard for. You don’t want it to all go to waste, do you? All our hard work wasted.” 

His words almost made you vomit. Was he really asking you to fight children? For a place you never loved? For a place he made you love? 

“You bastard.”

Taglist: @joyfullymulti @minty-ghast @rokkyy @stupid-dummyfroppers

[dreamgrlarchive]

Pretty Girl At Home Library🦋

As I’m sure we all can agree, all this free time we’ve had has had to be spent doing something, right? I’ve implemented an hour of reading daily into my self improvement routine. It’s added to my confidence, and my hobby list. I don’t think a girl can truly become her highest self without expanding her mind and the information she already knows.

Here I’m going to share my reading collection with you all and some of my favorites. All of these books can be found on amazon.com ✨

Beauty: all of these have taught me new techniques for my regimens. and have also taught what I need to STOP. so far my personal fave is the Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual. I’m super into makeup and cosmetics and this book leaves nothing out. it elaborates on skincare, tools, skin types, careers. if you’re even semi interested in makeup or esthiology, I recommend this. ♡

Inspo and Fashion: as a fashion student I’m always trying to learn techniques, find inspiration for looks, and I love to hear the journey of another woman who was once like me. all of these books have a great aesthetic, offer really nice fashion tips, quite literally are meant for fashion students, or inspire me heavily. The Fashion Design Reference and Specification Book is a MUST for anyone who wants to pursue a career in fashion. it’s literally all you need. it’s extensive but an easy read and any fashion icon deserves this book.

Self Help: in the TREND of becoming your highest self, a lot of people are taking in potentially harmful information, and focusing on the wrong first steps in general. in order to become exclusive you have to know in your heart, underneath the voice and dresses and heels that you are untouchable. it’s more than just dainty jewelry and Louis Vuitton handbags, two things I love. it is definitely easier said than done but to truly reach your full potential you have to try. getting to know yourself and integrating positive traits in your person should come before you listen to a YouTuber tell you how to dress in order to appear worthy a womanly existence. (in no way am I saying these women are giving bad advice, I watch some of them even, but they are giving advice on the additives, and the embellishments) no handbag, heels, or makeup look will convince anyone, ESPECIALLY NOT A MAN, to like you if you don’t know that underneath it all you are truly high value. your soul is high maintenance and cannot be impressed with bare minimums, not just your exterior or bank account. Je Ne Sais Quoi hits all facets of this, truly. it teaches confidence, personal style, healthy habits, charm, and just overall excellence. if you take nothing from this part of the post, please go buy this book. also Style Your Mind is amazing. it’s almost like guided journalling. it’s fun and easy but when you go back and read what you wrote, you learn much about yourself, even some hard truths. this is a crucial step to self acceptance and improvement.

Love and Spirituality: these books have honestly been maybe the most interesting part of my readings. this may be because I’ve never read books like these, and new experiences tend to stand out. these books focus on healing and channeling positive energies we all hold within us or teach us the tricks of the trade when dealing with men. I personally am a HUGE fan of The Power of the Pussy and Heal Thyself. the first one is a true no nonsense book on these men out here. you might even get your feelings hurt reading some parts. consider this growing pains and it’s also overall entertaining. the latter being a book heavy on spiritual routine and AMAZING recipes to serve your soul. let me tell you I love the recipes in this book, they’re so flavorful and feel amazing going down. it may be the placebo effect but I just feel like I’m doing my body a favor every time I read something in this book.

Miscellaneous: overall, all of these are really fun reads. if you’re into my aesthetic and want something light and entertaining, you HAVE to buy this Clueless book. I love it, I literally read it in my Cher narration voice. it’s a true collector’s item. or if you love astrology or are even a little interested but don’t understand really, check out The Complete Guide to Astrology. this is how I learned my houses and planetary signs. learning my planet signs was so fun and interesting. 100% recommended.

Extras:

Dream Girl Journey Readings

www.luxegirldiaries.com How to Find Your Signature Style

@babyphat05’s website www.sheissobougie.com features many printables and articles that are well put together and useful.

www.manifestationbabe.com Manifesting Type Quiz Results, Five Step Manifestation Process

[systemdump]

Ellie was a collector. If you asked her, she would produce a mundane answer that would only satisfy those in their bubble of small talk. Oh you know, comics, pins, cards. They’d nod, respond with nothing but recognition in something so trivial in another’s life, and proceed to talk about how terrible work colleagues are, or who announced their pregnancy recently.

Ellie enjoyed being a collector - she thrived off the items that she stacked neatly on her shelves, tediously placed in a manner of disorganised chaos that felt cluttered but homely. It was her stuff; and there was so much of it. Joel would sometimes wander in after his long shifts, scrutinising her framed collector cards, or her signed editions of Savage Starlight. He’d ask So where’d you get this one? And Ellie would recall the time she found it in an abandoned thrift store, hidden inside a beaten tomb, or wedged between a moth-eaten couch. They held joy mostly, not just from Ellie, but from times before their position on her shelf. Dog-eared pages of children previous, reading those words that she devoured all those years ago, clinging to every last period. In a world where fungus was just a plant, and the biggest thing you had to worry about was what dress you’d wear to impress your crush.

So yes, Ellie was very happy with her stuff and the accumulation of it over the years. Joel may complain, telling her he doesn’t like the clutter. But she supposes he’ll never get it. Not really.

Dina gets it.

Ellie reasons she isn’t just a collector of things. A comic can be held in your hand, scratchy paper underneath your calluses as you flick the pages. You can wear enamel pins, stick them to your backpack or to your cork board - whichever you prefer.

Ellie also likes to collect memories, and those are harder to maintain.

It has become a sworn oath that she never divulges her last collection. It’s special, in that all the collectables are unique, no two the same. She keeps them in jars, warm in her palms just behind her mind’s eye, glowing colours of stained glass. She feels selfish for confining them, torturing herself with hindsight and she rewinds them again and again, the tape of the cassette becoming worn.

Dina’s smile, her dimples, Dina’s hair and eyes. Washes of honey brown and indigo purples. The music in her voice, how it rings in Ellie’s ears hours after she’s stopped speaking, her name on the top of her tongue. Her glare bright as the embers of the campfire as Cat snakes her arm round Ellie’s waist. Dina’s breath against her cheek as she leant in to whisper in her ear, the gold fleck in her irises, the scar on her forehead. All this, whilst the pain in Ellie’s sternum would grow unbearable.

Ellie wasn’t stupid, she’d known that for a long time now. The prolonged suffering she subjects herself to is nothing short of cruel, and yet her collection always lays in arms reached, tucked into the corner of her heart. It was all too easy to return time and time again, reliving those brief moments when her hopes were lifted from the ground, only to plummet back down.

It didn’t matter that she knew what she was doing, it still hurt all the same. Sometimes she’d lay in bed, overwhelmed with the boxes and boxes of jars, vibrating with energy, buzzing static that became too loud to ignore. The pillow would soften her sobs and will the world to make her normal, to just let her be like everyone else. Her inner monologue would babble to itself, angry at other girls her age, at those in love. Happy. Straight.

Because that’s what she is in, right? Love. With Dina.

The chances of reciprocation was slim - there was no point sugarcoating it. Dina loved Jesse. They are her best friends. And that’s all it will have to be.

Maybe Ellie didn’t enjoy being a collector after all, so the dust gathers thick on her shelves. And she lets it.

[thelovelyghostwriter]

Some of my favourite female characters in fiction

This list is not exhaustive and while I do have other characters that I find charming and that I love, I have noted these characters because in my opinion, they have struggled and/or there is a certain analysis to their personalities. 

Please take note that some of the characters are not morally good or have done questionable actions. This is not to discuss or say they are role models, but rather to write up what they represented, their role in the story or simply their personalities. I’m not here to justify the character’s actions.

Remember that a well-written characters do not have to be morally good. 

Also, a lot of them are from memory and the analysis aren’t well-structured. 

Let’s dive in:

1. Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby

Daisy, in my opinion, is incredibly misunderstood and unjustifiably hated among the readers. Her betrayal to Gatsby is indeed vile and it did upset me, I definitely think that she is materialistic, shallow and hurtful.  

“I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”

Daisy did shit on Gatsby [trying to avoid spoilers here].  

However, I do like to note that I think part of her materialism and shallowness is because of how women were in the 1920s. They did not have any freedom or agency. To Tom, she seems to be a trophy wife for him to keep; and to Gatsby, he only liked the idea of her, he wasn’t in love with her. To everyone around her, she was an item, a beautiful doll to be possessed, rather than a person. I think that’s why she turned out like that. 

She's materialistic because men around her sees her as an object. Nonetheless, Daisy is still “careless” and hurtful; and I think this stemmed from the life she had led that were a compilation of choices that were made for her. Her betrayal towards Gatsby is what makes her character rather disappointing to most readers. The whiteness in her dress as described in her first appearance? It’s not innocence, but rather a void and jadedness. 

2. Neon Nostrade from Hunter x Hunter

Yet, another girl in our list that loves to be hated by the fandom. Though honestly, most of her haters are Chrollo and Kurapika stans who gets jealous because Chrollo got to hang out with her and Kurapika works under her. Also her repulsive hobby - although this is actually what makes me like her. 

I have addressed this in my other posts before, but let me just copy and paste them (and modify a bit):  Her upbringing and exploitation by her dad makes her materialistic and emotionally detached. This materialism and detachment is manifested in the form of her hobby as a dead body parts collector. But other than that, she’s really a normal girl, just sheltered and spoilt. The money she spends are even from her talent Lovely Ghostwriter, her father will be nothing without her. So I don’t see an issue with her spending them on shopping etc. 

In fact, I would argue that she bathes in materialism to fill the emptiness that she has. Her father is more concerned with her ability and power, she has no friends and is guarded 24/7 by employees.

All the times she threw tantrums and the way she talks… it’s a different speech pattern altogether when she interacts with Chrollo - which may suggest that the whole spoilt attitude is exaggerated to gain attention from a father who is indulgent in terms of material gifts, but not in terms of affection and time for her.

When Eliza cried, she was willing to forgo bidding the auction physically. Yes she did not care about the bodyguards because she is more focused on the living and the present (Eliza) than the dead.

The reason why she didn’t seem fazed when Dalzollene and the others died is because a) they were her bodyguards, it’s their job to put their life on the line to protect her, b) she mentioned to Chrollo that her fortune-telling is for the living, she likes to live in the present and doesn’t believe in the afterlife.

Neon is more focused on who is alive, rather than the dead (which also represented by her hobby of dead body parts collecting). She focuses on the present, unlike her clients who likes to know their future or people who dwell in the past. Kurapika on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He dwells on the past and likes to focus on his dead clan rather than the present times with his friends (which is completely understandable).

Another significance is that her fortune-telling ability is very useful and helpful, she says that she wanted to make people happy with it; but however, it is commercialized and used as a means of power (knowledge of the future = power) by her father and pretty much everyone around her. Just like how she objectifies dead people by collecting their parts, the people around her sees her as a tool due to her fortune-telling abilities, rather than see her as a person. Even Kurapika chose to get employed under her, for his own agenda (he is bound to meet dead body parts collectors at some point). 

She treats people like objects because people see her as one.

Of course, collecting dead body parts is a pretty fucked hobby; but what she represents and her role as a minor character is what makes her an outstanding minor female character in the show. 

Yes. She has traits that are not your typical role model, but neither are other hxh characters. She’s not independent, naive, can’t fight, in need of saving, uncaring at times and spoilt. She is far from so-called “strong female character” that we often look up to. She is a character with bad traits which is a result of being a victim. But that’s what makes me love her as a character in hxh. It reminds us that there are girls out there who has lack of freedom and control over their own fate; and their only way out is through materialism and detaching themselves from people. 

In fact, she might be even relateable to some people more than other female characters because there is vulnerability in her character.

3. Hua Mulan (Mostly the Chinese 2009 film, though the most well-known is the Disney 1998 animated film)

There has been various adaptations for this character, with the Disney Animated version being the most prominent.

However, my favourite one is definitely the Chinese film Hua Mulan: Rise of A Warrior (2009). It portrays the horrors of war and the suffering it brings, nationalism, camaraderie among the army - all while giving us the admirable Mulan climbing up to the ranks of being a war general.

I highly recommend this adaptation. I know the Disney Live Action 2020 version did not receive good reception, and we honestly did not need one because this 2009 Chinese film does the job well (I like their soundtrack though). It's not really well-known because it's a Chinese film (which is hella ironic because Hua Mulan is a Chinese character? Lmao).

"Today we will stain the battlefield with our blood. Behind us is our homeland. If we have to bleed out our last drop of blood, if we have to become bleached bones in this desert, we must defend it to the death! We must let the Rourans know we Wei warriors will never surrender and will never compromise! Soldiers may rebel against me, generals may leave me for dead, but I, Hua Mulan, will never betray my country!"

Generally, I either have an issue with strong female characters because they are just shallow (meaning they are only physically strong, often viewing rudeness, misandry and independence as strength). I like female characters who are so much more to that.

Mulan, in this film, not only showed her badassery in fighting the war for more than a decade, but we also see how much she struggled. Everytime her comrades die, her heart gets broken. Yet she has to learn how to pick herself up and become the leader that they need. She dislikes war, she dislikes the bloodshed; yet she fights for her country.

To me, a strong female character is not just a feminist icon or someone who can fight. In fact, a female character doesn't need to be someone capable of fighting, what makes her strong is to be able to overcome turbulence with determination.

I think this is something that is lacking in recent "strong female characters" - showing us their strength through perseverance.

As for the Disney's counterpart (talking about the 1998 film here), it is less morbid but we also see her trying her best to make her family proud and protect her country. Like the song Reflection and Loyal, Brave and True, she struggles with finding her purpose and her role in her family.

"The greatest gift of honour, is having you for a daughter."

4. Blanche Dubois from A Streetcar Named Desire

It's been years since I had analysed Blanche, but among all the 6 books that I had to study for English Literature, A Streetcar Named Desire has been my absolute favourite.

I think what struck me in this book is not just the style, but Blanche's vulnerability. Her actions are definitely not morally good: she misrepresents things, she lies, she even had sex with an underage student. She's paranoid, mentally unstable and prissy. Which was why, her polar opposite character, Stanley, is so annoyed with her.

After her husband's suicide, we see Blanche relying on the company of men to fill the void of her loneliness and misery. She is also concerned about her beauty fading with age - I find that highly reliable. It sounds incredibly "vain", but beauty does play a part.

Based on Evolutionary and Mating Theories among humans, appearance in women are especially important (also for men but not as much as women). Of course, there are other factors and traits that people find attractive, but Blanche's concern is valid here. She needs to find a husband to escape from her financial troubles; and her age, beauty and chastity plays a huge factor in her search for getting a man in the setting she was in (which was Mitch in this case). Ironically, these are the very traits that she has "lost" and so desperately tries to hide it.

Her ending is truly a devastating and upsetting one. [Will not talk about it due to spoilers]

"I've always depended on the kindness of strangers."

5. Haibara Ai/Shiho Miyano from Detective Conan

Perhaps one of the girls that is a wasted potential. In a series where the characters are mostly flat, she's arguably the most multi-faceted (but somehow I had heard that she no longer has the same complexity as she used to have - it's been a while since I followed this series).

But I remember absolutely loving this character.

Her background story is really unique in the show and one that is embedded within the Black Organisation plotline (why her character was dropped... Forever frustrating for me).

From the moment she was first introduced, we see Conan taking an immediate distrust towards her. A guy who is a detective who had been catching criminals - yet one ex-syndicate member stands before him. The one that actually helped to develop the APTX4869 that changed his life.

Yet, we see that it wasn't entirely within her control. Both her parents were syndicate members and when her sister tries to get both of them to leave, her sister dies.

Ai starts off as seemingly cold, pessimistic and avoidant. But as her arc goes on, the iceberg around her melts. We see her quirky sarcastic replies, her taste for fashion and she genuinely desires to be happy. Her relationship with Conan developed into a beautiful one - to the point where Conan trusts her with anything and they would risk their lives for one another.

Yet, we also empathies with her impending jealousy and heartache. The boy she has fallen for already has someone else. What's more, the girl is genuinely kind and is a splitting image of her sister. After Ran saved her from Vermouth, she quickly warms up to Ran as well.

She's also the key to developing the antidote for Shinichi to be back with Ran - an almost painful metaphor for her to give him away (he never belonged to her in the first place). Yet, she doesn't really stop them from being together (even though in some cases she appears jealous or phrase ShinRan's reunion as a word of caution).

I definitely think she is the most compelling character in Detective Conan because of her character development and the struggles she faces. It's definitely upsetting that her character has been neglected.

“Don’t judge people from the outside. Like any rose has thorns, the more the person appears nice on the outside, the more you should doubt the inside.”

6. Misato Katsuragi from Neon Genesis Evangelion

Who is the best female character in Eva? Asuka or Rei? My answer will always be Misato, Risato is a close second (I wanted to analyse Risato, but I’m trying to keep it to one person per series). Misato is one of the 90s anime babes. She definitely captivated many people’s heart. 

I must say though, I have a soft spot towards female characters who has some sort of daddy issues (why I like Neon Nostrade). It’s been a while since I had watched Eva, but I’m going to try to remember why I like her. 

I think the concept of Hedgehog’s Dilemma has been echoed throughout the series, and all the characters seem to struggle with emotional attachment towards people. I actually like to phrase the Hedgehog Dilemma as “Avoidant-Fearful Attachment Style” - wanting connection with people, yet not being able to do so out of fear of being hurt. 

For Misato, when I initially first watched Eva, I compared her a little to Blanche Dubois in how they cope with loneliness - their sexuality. I remember being confused with her interactions with Shinji, who was half her age. At times, she serves as his guardian/mother figure; but at some moments (I think it was sometimes after Kaji’s death), she tried to seek comfort with Shinji by attempting to initiate sex (which Shinji rejects). I remember coming across a comment somewhere that Shinji and Misato’s relationship is somewhat like Humbert and Dolores (from Lolita) - can’t comment on this as I only read the first chapter of the book. 

It makes me think that she uses sex as a way to cope and the only way she can connect with people (and it’s superficial), which doesn’t work for Shinji because she needs to be her guardian (and ultimately fails to be purely his guardian once she crossed that no-no boundary). 

Another thing to note was her backstory about her dad. There seems to be a dissonance, given that she resented her dad for not spending time with her due to his work, but he ended up sacrificing her life for her. I do think it’s a bit of guilt (because resenting her dad but he saves her - these two contradicts one another). It’s clear that her issues to connect stems from her backstory regarding her father. 

It’s interesting how she compares Kaji to her father. I do think she loves Kaji, but “reminds him too much of her father” (as to put it simply). There is this... stereotype that we find someone similar to our opposite-gender parents, no matter how shitty they were towards us. I believe that it is because we tend to stick to something that is familiar to us, even if those type of people aren’t good for us (I think to break this cycle is to practise self-awareness and know what is good for us). 

Anyway, Misato is a character that I really liked (as all the characters in Eva) because they highlight Hedgehog’s Dilemma that stemmed from their parental issues. Maybe I have not watched a lot of anime, but female characters with issues with their fathers are not as explored deeply as male characters and their parental issues. A lot of times, female characters (especially in shounen) serves as a romantic interest and yes they can have really sad backstory, but not issues towards their father and how it affects their relationship with other people. So far, the only ones I had seen is Mukuro (Yu Yu Hakusho), Misato and Neon Nostrade. 

7. Disney's Cinderella

First of all, she has been a victim of abuse since she was a child. It's not easy for her to escape her predicament. Where can she go? It's not that easy.

Boy. I hate how much people remember Cinderella wrongly and attack her for being "backwards", which is actually factually wrong.

Cinderella always get flack for using the Prince to "escape" her predicament when "she can do it herself".

I say that's bullshit. I actually came across a youtube video: Cinderella Stop Blaming the Victim [please check it out for more in-depth analysis]

Despite all that, she's doesn't internalize it. She knows she doesn't deserve to be treated this way, and she does to a certain degree stand up to them (whenever the cat makes her tasks harder). She knows when to fight back and restrain herself because it might endanger her life.

After years of suffering in this domestic household, she remains kind, compassionate and hopeful. Which is not an easy feat. The problem is, these traits are often seen as feminine and synonymous with being weak. But it is actually, in fact, signs of strength. The mental fortitude she has to remain kind after all she went through is a sign of strength.

The Fairy Godmother only appeared when she was losing hope - take note that she ends up crying because her stepsisters tore her mother’s dress (which is the most disturbing scene in the film). 

Even I had remembered this wrongly - one crucial fact is that... She did not want to go the ball to nab the Prince. That was her stepsisters. Homegirl just wanted to chill. She did not even know she was dancing with the Prince!

When Lady Tremaine locked her up to prevent her from reaching the Prince, it wasn’t the Prince that saved her. She and her animal friends got her out of the room, and proceeded to prove that she was indeed the maiden that had danced with the Prince. Her marrying the Prince was only a fitting end to her because it provides her a home and an escape from an abusive household; however, it was her resilience for holding onto fate and being mentally strong, and her initiatives partially contributed to her happy end. The Prince is more like a passive character. 

I highly think that people tend to brush her traits - e.g. compassion, having fate, being kind is listed as feminine. However, it is far from being weak, which most people would deem it as. But that is definitely not true. 

“No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish can come true.”

8. Mikasa Ackerman from Attack on Titan

Mikasa is either a hit or miss among AOT fans. Some people like Mikasa because she is physically strong and her loyalty to Eren is admirable. On the other hand, some people think she’s clingy and her being physically strong makes her a Mary Sue. 

Whether or not you like Mikasa, there is a fact that she is not a Mary Sue. The definition of a Mary Sue is a female character lacking in weakness and seems perfect. 

She is physically strong, yes - I believe that Isayama wanted to distribute traits to the trio. Even Hannes has said it in S1. Armin represents intellect, Eren represents grit and Mikasa represents strength. So her being physically strong makes sense, and Isayama also provided an explanation for it (being an Ackerman). 

However, this does not mean she lacks any weakness. Arguably, her loyalty to Eren is both a liability and her strength. This “weakness” has been highlighted by her dilemma between her loyalty towards Eren and her belief that mass genocide is wrong.

[I won’t go into details about the manga parts that have not been animated as of 2021, can’t spoil it too much]. 

[yandere-society]

A Christmas Catastrophe

Pairing: Yandere Collector Yoongi x Collector YN

Synopsis: YN’s always been a collector. She’s always had the desire to possess any and everything she’s set her heart on. So when she finds an item she’s been wanting for over a year, she jumps at the chance to finally have it, unaware of the trap that’s been set just for her . . . 

Word Count: 2422

Warnings: Yandere themes, Blood, Murder

Admin: @chimchimsauce​

Request:

AN: This turned out way different than I was expecting it to, but I hope you enjoy it! It’s also pretty fucked up so . . .

Collecting is in YN’s blood, she’s sure. Ever since she was a small child, she was drawn to items she found interesting - rocks, bouncy balls, figurines, etc. But as she got older and her pockets began to fill with money of her own, YN’s collecting habits skyrocketed. Common items that anyone could obtain just wouldn’t cut it for her anymore. She set her eyes on things that were rare - things most collectors could only hope to set their eyes upon in real life. It’s caused her to get quite the following online in niche collectors communities. People message her to try and buy items from her collection but she never accepts, not even when the amount of money they offer is astronomical.

Half the appeal of having something is the fact that other people want it.

But collecting rare and expensive items is not easy. YN spends countless hours every week scouring online marketplaces and thrift shops to find the items that she has on her wish list. Her constant hunt for things has taken her to a variety of places - she’s driven hundreds of miles to go to estate sales, taken flights to attend conventions, and once even dated a guy who was related to the original artist of a piece she wanted.

She was successful every time. There is no feeling as satisfying as the first time holding an item she’s been searching relentlessly for. But it always fades quickly and she’s on to the next thing, the desire to possess and collect overtaking her once more.

YN has done some pretty crazy things in pursuit of her collection, but non as crazy as this. It had taken YN over a year to find this one item she was looking for - a misprint of a novel written by an author who died two hundred years ago. Based on what people think, there are only about a thousand of them in existence. YN read the re-edited version of the book and found it rather dull, but there are people who are willing to pay over ten grand just to have it.

When she finally found one for sale, YN was quick to buy a plane ticket to fly halfway across the world to pick the tome up. She’s never been this far away from home, but the thought of getting the book pushes any anxiety she may have out of mind. YN has no idea why or how this book ended up in South Korea of all places. But she’s even more surprised by the fact that it somehow landed in a small second-hand shop in a back alley of Seoul.

Thankfully, when she called last week to have the book pout on hold for her, she found out that the owner speaks English very well, so she won’t have a problem communicating with him.

YN looks at her phone, following the map through a labyrinth of abandoned alleys. Snow is falling gently, reminding YN that today is Christmas. Usually, she’d be at home celebrating with her family, but she was more than happy to drop them for a chance to get this book.

A bell rings when YN pushes open the door to the small shop, the warm air hitting her face and knocking away some of her chill. The shop is crowded with tall bookshelves stuffed to the brim with a variety of random items - most of which are covered in a thick layer of dust. It’s clear that no one really comes here and YN absently wonders how it’s still in business.

“Hello?” she calls out.

No response. 

YN huffs. She hopes this Yoongi guy she’s supposed to be meeting hasn’t blown her off, especially since she had to take the longest flight known to man to get here.

She makes her way through the shop, feeling like a bull in a china shop with how carefully she has to avoid random piles of merchandise and the occasional broken item crushed into the worn floorboards. 

YN makes it to the back of the store where a small desk is pushed against a wall, a thin, somewhat ghostly looking man sitting behind it. His eyes are unfocused and earbuds are plugged into his ears. He doesn’t even register her presence originally. YN has to tap the desk right in front of his face to get him to focus.

“Oh,” the man says, pulling his earbuds out, “You’re that girl here for the book, right? YN?”

YN nods, trying not to let her annoyance show.

“Yeah, that’s me,” she says.

“It’s in the back,” he says, “Follow me.”

He rises and YN is shocked by how . . . pale he is. He nearly looks sick and YN thinks she can see his veins even under the terrible light.

“Are you feeling okay?” she asks him as he steps out from behind the desk.

“What?” he asks her.

“Nothing,” she says, retracting her statement.

It really isn’t her business. As soon as she gets the book, she’s going to leave anyway so it doesn’t matter.

The man looks her over and something about his gaze makes her stiffen. It’s uncomfortable. His eyes are almost lifeless, brown but dead like frozen mud.

He’s so creepy. 

He turns without another word and behinds to walk to the other edge of the store where YN assumes the storage room is. Even the way he walks is weird. His footsteps are too heavy, loud in a way that’s unnatural. He barely lifts his feet, but she can almost feel each step in his ribs.

As soon as YN has the book and pays, she’s leaving, never to return.

Yoongi pulls a set of skeleton keys out of his pocket, taking one and inserting it into the ancient lock on the door. The mechanisms groan, nearly refusing to open. The door does unlock when Yoongi applies a bit more pressure to the key and he steps inside, becoming YN to follow her.

It’s pitch black inside, making YN’s heartbeat speed up astronomically. An icky feeling wells up inside of her, the same one that appeared whenever she had to visit her great aunt and go down into her creepy basement. 

YN’s senses are hyper-aware. The air is stale in here, laced with a scent she’s never experienced before. It almost makes her gag but she forces herself to hold it in, not wanting to be seen as rude. A yellow light turns on overhead, flickering before finally staying lit. Yoongi is closer to her than she’s like him to be, but his back is turned, looking at the shelves built into the room. Even these are stuffed to the brim, absolutely filthy and covered in grime.

“The book is in good condition like you said, right?” YN asks him.

She’s going to be pissed if he pulls out a book covered in rat droppings and cobwebs.

“Of course,” he says, like it’s obvious. 

YN doesn’t quite believe him. Yoongi moves deeper into the storage room, YN following him. There are a variety of things in here that pique her interest - small items that float in murky water, a collection of old stained knives, and a snow globe bigger than her hand. She reaches out to touch it, curious about the scene inside of it, but Yoongi smacks her hand away before she can touch it.

YN brings it to her chest protectively, startled.

“Don’t touch that,” he hisses out.

“Sorry,” YN says.

“It’s in the very back,” Yoongi says.

YN swallows, following after him as he gets even deeper inside of the storage room. She looks at the snow globe over her shoulders, looking at the fake snow that’s swirling around even though she never got to shake it. 

This whole experience has been really unsettling, so when Yoongi stops and pulls a perfectly preserved book off the shelf, YN nearly sags in relief.

She reaches her hand out for it and Yoongi places it in her palm.

“You’re quite the collector, huh?” he asks her, his fingers still wrapped around the book.

“Yeah,” YN says, gently trying to pull it away from him.

His grip tightens. 

“So am I,” he says, smiling at her.

His teeth are incredibly straight and perfect, a complete contrast to the rest of his sickly and generally unkempt appearance. 

“That’s nice,” YN says, “Can I have the book now?”

“You know, I think the rarer an item is, the better it is for collecting.”

YN nods, agreeing and trying to decide if she should just cut her losses and run. But she’s looked for this book for over a year now and she finally has it in her grasp. She can’t give up yet.

“What do you collect?” YN asks, hoping that indulging him in conversation will get this experience to fly by faster. 

“Figurines, mostly,” he says, “Though everything else in this shop is mine as well, none of it holds my attention for very long. My figures, though. I adore them.”

“I like figures too,” YN says, all of the hairs on her body sticking straight up.

“Really? Would you like to see my collection?”

“No thank -”

“It won’t take long at all!” Yoongi says, suddenly insistent, “I’ll show you and then we can get you checked out, okay?”

Yoongi pulls the book away from YN entirely, practically dangling it in front of her. All the warning bells in her head are going off, but her desire to have this book has her internally soothing herself. Plenty of collectors are weird or just bad at speaking to people. He’s probably just the same as them.

“Okay,” YN says after a moment.

Yoongi gives her that perfect smile again and then turns to walk back the way they came, stopping in front of that snow globe. He picks it up and the entire shelf groans, sinking inwards and to the side to reveal a hidden pathway. A draft wafts up and tousles YN’s hair.

To hell with it. This is too far. Just as YN turns on her heel, preparing to run, Yoongi’s hand grasps her wrist, his skin cold as ice.

“You wanted to see right?” he asks her.

YN’s never seen a man so creepy. Everything about him is off.

“I changed my mind actually,” she says, wetting her lips and trying not to panic as those dead eyes follow the movement of her tongue, “I don’t really need the book.”

“Nonsense,” Yoongi says, dragging her inside, “You simply must see it.”

He’s surprisingly strong to look so sick. YN digs her heels into the floor but Yoongi has no problem dragging her inside. The door shuts behind them and Yoongi pulls her crying and screaming through another maze of pitch-black hallways until he steps foot into a showroom. 

Everything in here is impeccable. The floors shine and the lights overhead are bright. Her attention is immediately brought to the dozens of life-sized figures he has, each of them different. There are men and women, figures of all shapes, sizes, and ages. It looks like a creepily realistic wax museum.

YN doesn’t want to know why Yoongi has these figures. All she wants to do is go home.

“Please let me go,” YN says, tears streaming down her face.

“Let you go?” Yoongi asks her as if he’s genuinely confused, “Why would I let you go? You’re the final piece before my collection is complete.”

YN’s blood turns to ice. She turns her head to look at the figure closest to her, noticing the way its skin is too lifeline to be made of wax.

“Please no,” she begs him, trying her best to fight him off.

Just as she swings her free hand at his skull, he drops her and pushes her harshly, sending her straight to the ground, her skull smacking into the floor. 

Her ears ring and the bright lights overhead blur her vision. She feels nauseous as she raises her hand to touch the blood seeping from her scalp.

“Damn. I’ll have to make sure that gets cleaned up,” Yoongi mutters to himself, annoyed.

YN is terrified on the ground, but the blood on the ground makes her look like an angel, one surrounded by a halo. Yes, she really will be perfect, the very last piece of his collection.

He’s been following her for years, countlessly one step behind her as she snatched up several of the items he wanted for his own collection. It pissed him off to no end until he couldn’t stand it anymore. Even the thought of that smug smiles she always wears in her YouTube videos sent him into an outrage, one that landed him his first figure.

It was an accident, of course. The woman in his store had been there and accidentally knocked over one of his shelves, crushing her underneath it. 

She could have been saved, probably, but he’d never seen someone with a face like hers, so completely one of a kind, something he knew that YN would never be able to possess. 

And so a new obsession started. He would lure people he thought were interesting into his shop and lock them deep inside of it, propping them up on giant doll stands when they submitted to him.

It made him feel so powerful.

But YN was still out there, still always one step ahead of him. And so he laid this trap, ecstatic to finally have her in his possession. 

Yoongi leans over YN, watching as the light slowly starts to fade from her eyes. It’s the prettiest thing he’s ever seen, a true Christmas miracle. He can’t resist sinking to his knees, watching as confusion and fear swirl in her eyes. For once, his own gaze isn’t clouded, clear as a night sky, dark and absent of stars. 

Her blood smears on his fingers but he doesn’t mind, taking YN’s face in his hands tenderly and painting her lips crimson. He kisses her then, sucking her final breath into him, stealing it and her life away.

For an hour he just sits there and looks at her, completely mesmerized. She looks so beautiful in red that he decides to dress her in it, carefully pulling a red dress over her forms. She’s heavy in his arms when he picks her up and takes her to the spot he’s saved just for her, a plush red couch where she looks like she’s lounging peacefully, her lips smudged with her own lifeline.

And finally, his collection is complete. 

[fanficshiddles]

Triple Threat, Chapter 6

Loki was heading to Knowhere with the real Loki, Bruce, Wanda, Natasha and Thor.

Darcy had wanted to go too, but Loki flat out refused to let her go. In-case it was dangerous, which it probably would be. He didn’t particularly trust the Collector, who they were going to see.

‘Wait, so you’re telling me that it’s possible for me and… the other guy, to become one at the same time?’ Bruce asked, eyes wide in surprise.

‘It sure is.’ Loki nodded. ‘Strength and size of the Hulk, but with your brains.’

‘That sounds terrifying.’ Wanda said.

‘Yeah, it really does. Please don’t do that, Bruce. I am NOT sharing a bed with Hulk.’ Natasha said, glaring at Loki.

‘Perhaps not the best idea if you and Nat are… dating.’ Loki laughed.

Loki told them all about more of his reality. The real Loki was sitting at the back, not really caring to hear about it. Wanda noticed and went over to sit next to him.

‘Are you ok?’ She asked him.

‘I’m fine.’ He said in a clipped tone.

‘You’re clearly not. Are you still annoyed at him for kissing Darcy?’

‘Of course I am.’ Loki hissed, but he sighed as he looked at Wanda. She was just trying to be friendly. ‘Apologies. I am just not happy there is another me going around, kissing my girl.’ He growled.

Wanda gave him a sympathetic smile and patted his arm. ‘He probably doesn’t want to be here just as much as you don’t want him to be here. But maybe you could both learn from one another? You are the same person, to an extent. You both tried to take over Earth, just diverted on different paths afterwards. You both redeemed yourself in the long run.’

Loki just grunted in response. She was right, but he didn’t want to admit it.

‘Or are you just jealous that you never thought of pulling the pranks he did when he arrived here?’ She grinned.

Loki narrowed his eyes at her. ‘They were pathetic pranks, I could do so much better.’ He huffed.

‘Course you could.’ Wanda laughed and went back to the front of the ship.

Loki stayed where he was, but he listened in to Loki’s stories until they arrived on Knowhere. Everyone was on high alert as they made their way to the Collector’s museum.

‘What exactly are we looking for?’ Loki asked Loki.

‘It’s a tracker that will locate every stone. But as far as I am aware, the Collector doesn’t know that. Or else he would have them all by now. So it needs to remain that way.’ Loki said firmly. ‘It looks like a necklace, it’s a gold chain with a diamond on the front. It can perform basic healing powers, too. So we need to hope that’s all the Collector thinks it is.’

Loki nodded. ‘Do we have a plan for buying it from him?’

‘I’ll go in alone. Well, with you under a guise as a guard. Everyone else, wait outside so he doesn’t wonder why I’ve taken an entourage with me. If anything goes wrong, I will send a signal for backup.’ Loki said.

‘Who put you in charge?’ Thor frowned.

‘This is my mission. Or do you have a better plan, brother?’ Loki sneered.

Thor looked at Loki. ‘Do you trust him, brother?’

Loki looked at Loki then back at Thor. ‘I do.’ He said, albeit reluctantly.

‘Fine. That’s good enough for me.’ Thor nodded.

Loki transformed into an Aesir guard, then he and Loki went into the museum while the others remained outside, on alert. They tried not to look too conspicuous while people passed by on their daily business.

As the two tricksters walked into the museum, Loki kept looking straight ahead, acting like a proper guard just escorting Loki. Loki looked around casually, hands behind his back and taking dramatically large steps as he studied some artefacts.

‘May I help you… Asgardian?’ Came a voice from the back of the museum.

Loki looked up and saw the Collector wandering down towards them, with a female from a different race behind him.

‘Ah, Collector.’ Loki grinned charmingly. ‘I am looking for a specific item, a necklace with healing properties, as a gift for my fiancé. I was told by some good associates that I’d find it here.’

The Collector raised an eyebrow and turned to the female behind him. She was wearing the necklace.

‘This, necklace?’ The Collector asked.

‘That’s the very one.’ Loki nodded. ‘How much do you want for it?’

‘It’s not for sale.’ The Collector said quickly, putting a finger up. ‘But I am sure I have other, beautiful jewellery that would be suitable for your fiancé.’ He motioned to a glass display behind him.

‘Everything has its price. I have gold and many credits I can give you.’ Loki offered, pulling out a small pouch that was filled with gold.

The Collector looked slightly intrigued, but shook his head. ‘No. As I said, not for sale.’

Loki clenched his jaw. ‘What would you want in exchange for it?’

The Collector frowned, looking at him warily. ‘Why are you so desperate for this necklace?’ He asked, moving in closer to Loki, into his space and glaring up at him.

‘Like I said.’ Loki growled. ‘I want it for my fiancé.’

Loki stepped in and put his arm out, to get the Collector to back up from Loki. The Collector glanced at the supposed Aesir guard and stepped back a bit.

‘As I said. It is not for’ He was interrupted when suddenly Hulk came bursting into the museum, roaring angrily and charging straight for the group.

With the Collector distracted, Loki quickly grabbed the necklace and ripped it off the female, thrusting the pouch of gold into her hands in return. The two Loki’s then teleported outside to Thor, Natasha and Wanda.

‘What the heck happened?’ Loki asked as he transformed back into himself.

‘A passer-by accidentally bumped into Bruce, he was already feeling anxious and antsy so Hulk just exploded.’ Wanda said quickly.

‘Get back to the ship. I’ll get Bruce.’ Thor said as he swung Mjolnir round and flew into the museum.

The team heard Hulk roaring and some explosions and loud bangs. They didn’t bother waiting to see what was happening, so they rushed back to the ship as quickly as they could.

‘Did you get the tracker?’ Natasha asked as they boarded the ship and she got it started up.

‘Yep. Hulk’s distraction was actually rather helpful.’ Loki said as he held up the necklace. Then he waved his hand over it and had it disappear for now.

‘Let’s get off this planet.’ Loki said as he closed the ships door.

‘Without Thor and Bruce?’ Wanda asked, looking slightly distressed.

‘They will catch up with us.’ Loki said and he joined Natasha at the front of the ship.

Natasha took off, they got up into the sky and started heading away from the city. But she didn’t break through the atmosphere yet, they gave Thor a chance to catch up. And luckily, he did. Just before they gave up hope.

Wanda opened the hatch underneath the ship and Thor flew in, carrying Bruce, who was wearing nothing but Thor’s cape after changing back.

‘Any trouble?’ Loki asked.

‘Just get us off this planet.’ Thor growled.

At that point, the Collector’s ship came up after them from behind.

‘Hold on!’ Natasha said as she steered the ship on and headed towards the nearest jump to take them back to Earth.

They managed to get away in time, only just. Both of the Loki’s helped by shielding the ship with their Seidr, to help keep the Collector from following them.

The team were all relieved when they got back to Earth in one piece. The rest of them were waiting in the kitchen for their return.

Darcy was so relieved to see that Loki was alright. She rushed straight to him, to the right one, and hugged him. ‘Glad you survived with your good looks still in-tact.’ She grinned up at him.

Loki chuckled and gave her a squeeze. ‘Would you not sleep with me if I wasn’t as good looking?’ He raised an eyebrow at her but with a smirk.

‘Hmmm… Probably not, unless your body was still as smokin’ hot as it is.’ She teased, making him chuckle again as he reached down and gave her bum a cheeky squeeze.

‘Eww. Get a room you two.’ Tony grimaced. ‘How did the mission go? Did you get the tracker?’ He asked, looking at Loki.

‘We did indeed.’ Loki had the necklace manifest in his hands and he held it up to show them.

‘It’s a necklace?’ Darcy frowned.

‘Well done, gold star.’ Loki drawled. ‘It also has healing properties for the wearer, and locates all the stones… with a little help of some magic.’ He headed to the island in the kitchen and placed it down as he took a seat.

The others all gathered around to watch.

Loki closed his eyes and put a hand over the top of it. He concentrated for a while, his Seidr energy growing, then the diamond on the necklace started to shake and there was a small beam that spouted up from it. Like a hologram, it was a map of the entire Universe.

There were seven glowing red dots in multiple places.

Steve frowned. ‘Why is there seven? I thought there was only six infinity stones?’

‘There is, six of them are your stones from your reality, hopefully where they should be. One of them is the reality stone from my reality.’ Loki said as he concentrated on the map.

‘That’s Vormir, so that will be the soul stone. There’s Asgard, where I’m assuming the space stone is?’ Loki looked at Loki and Thor.

Loki nodded.

‘That’s where we’ve just been, at the Collector’s museum, so there’s your reality stone.’

‘What? Wait a minute. Are you telling me you were within reach of the reality stone?’ Tony snapped.

Loki glanced over his shoulder at him, annoyed he was interrupting. ‘Yes. But before you say it, no. The reality stone from your timeline is not what I have come for. I need the one from mine.’ He grumbled at him then continued. ‘That is Xander, so if I recall correctly, that should be the power stone. The mind stone, well.’ He motioned to Vision who was stood opposite him.

‘And there is another on Earth. In New York?’ Loki looked around at the team.

‘Doctor Strange should have the time stone.’ Tony confirmed.

‘Alright. So that just leaves…’ Loki trailed off, looking slightly confused.

‘What? Where is the reality stone?’ Darcy asked, looking at the hologram but she couldn’t quite make it out the same from where she was stood.

‘This map shows it’s… it’s just hovering in space?’ Loki said, just as confused as the rest of the team.

[tf2-hmmm]

TF2 headcanon: borrowing their items

Scout:

Is unexpectedly lenient with anything the team asks to borrow from him.

“Huh, an extra shirt? Yeah I still got some spare. Hold on, lemme find some in my room.”

This man has a lot of siblings to share with. His ma definitely taught him to share. As long as his item returns in once piece it will be fine to him.

However, he is also the type of sibling who expects everyone to agree with anything he borrows in return.

Also take note that he is okay with anything the team borrows except for his prized baseball collection merchandise.

He once lost one of his collector’s item to Pyro in the furnace.

Has a hard time keeping track of the last person to borrow his things.

Soldier

When anyone borrows from him, he expects his item to be returned immediately.

Tends to be impatient and ask when the borrower will return his things.

Is able to keep track where his items went.

During battle, you can borrow any of his weapon (heck even his own clothes), but never his rocket launcher. (Zhana is an exception to this rule)

The team rarely borrows from him. His things tends to be bloody, but he does try clean it during spare time.

Pyro

It took years before someone had the courage to borrow their comics. Since they trust their teammates, they will happily lend it. Hopefully someone will have the same interest with them.

In rare occurrences, the Spy may need their lighter.

One time they accidentally included the collector's item of Scout in the furnace. For the rest of the week, the arsonist couldn't dare to look at him in the eye.

There is a 50% chance of them losing/burning the item they borrowed.

Do not lend the item to them if it is flammable and important.

Demoman

Has a telephone set up in his own room. His mom once requested Pauling to remind Demo to call her on a daily basis.

The base only has two working telephones: one in demo's room and the other in the team's meeting room.

Occasionally, someone from the team may need to borrow his phone.

The phone is just behind his room's experimental explosives and his box of alcoholic bottles.

"Aye, just give meh a knock and I can lead yea der."

If the phone from the meeting room is in use, Soldier may borrow his phone to call Zhanna.

Heavy

He is okay with lending anything (except for Sasha).

However borrowing the same item repeatedly will lead him to think of that person being irresponsible. Be prepared for his short lecture.

Borrows Pyro's comics and reads it in his past time. Sometimes, he writes his own book review and sends it to them.

Has his own collection books, but most of it is in russian language.

Engineer

90% of the time, it is mostly Medic borrowing his colored pen and chalk. His red pen is Medic's favorite in particular. For what reason does the Medic need the red pen for? To this day, he still does not know.

Knowing that his pen and chalk are being used a lot, he always buys them in bulk. His backroom now looks like a bookstore.

At one point he considered making a pen/chalk dispenser solely for Medic.

The enemy Spy once borrowed one of the colored pens he kept and used it to draw on his corpse. Also may or may not have stolen his precious colored pen.

The 10% is the other members using his toolkit for various reasons.

Medic

Never lends anything related to his experiments like chemicals. Those things are too expensive to be replaced for him. But if his members strike a good deal he may reconsider.

Has a bad habit of borrowing Engie's office supplies. He tends to forget where he last placed his own pen. He left it inside Heavy during the operation.

May or may not let them borrow his things depending on his mood. Do not bother when he is busy.

For every borrowed item, the Medic will want some favors in return.

Sniper

Is the only member to have the complete set of kitchenwares/utensils found in his van.

During team building, he voluntarily brings his spare utensils for everyone.

Has an interesting story for every plate given by his adoptive parents.

Nope, his van's driver seat is off limits.

Spy

For someone who has both money and luxury, he still is the member with the least belongings. He has the bare essentials. (But his wardrobe and car aint cheap)

There is almost nothing the members can borrow from him. And no, he will never let anyone touch his car.

One time Scout received an emergency call and becomes desperate to borrow some cash for the emergency treatment of his sick mother. That same day, a suitcase filled with the cash equal to the amount his mother needed was mysteriously placed on his bed.

Won't admit to lending the team some cash.

[parablesoftheone]

Ginko and Adashino: a study in Daoist perspectivism

Huizi said, “I am not you, to be sure, so I don’t know what it is to be you. But by the same token, since you are certainly not a fish, my point about your inability to know the happiness of fish stands intact.”

Zhuangzi said, “Let’s go back to the starting point. You said, ‘Whence do you know the happiness of fish?’ Since your question was premised on your knowing that I know it, I must have known it from here, up above the Hao River.”

—Zhuangzi: Essential Writings, pg. 76

It would be criminally neglectful to talk extensively about Mushishi without discussing Ginko and Adashino’s friendship. Apart from Ginko himself, Adashino is the most frequently recurring character in the stories, and he and Ginko obviously share a connection that goes well beyond trading in mushi-related goods. 

In contrast to Ginko’s other significant relationship, this one is not with someone who shares his degree of centeredness. Adashino’s focus is markedly external, his habits of life and outlook very much out of line with the teachings of Lao Tzu. Most obviously, he stockpiles a wealth of mushi-related treasures and is always on the lookout for more, while Ginko’s possessions are pretty much what he has in his backpack. The storing up of wealth and possessions, the Dao De Jing warns, can only bring grief: "Amass a store of gold and jade,” it says in verse #9, “and no one can protect it.” And indeed, Adashino’s storehouse is invaded with dire consequences no later than the tenth episode of the first season. His insatiable desire for interesting items persists nonetheless, leaving him open to a level of emotional excitability Ginko never displays even at his most distressed.

(Still, a man’s gotta protect his property...)

This is hardly the only particular in which Adashino and Ginko are decidedly unalike. S2 E8 "Wind Raiser” especially develops their differences. When Adashino takes credit for Ginko’s cure, Ginko completely ignores it; when Adashino speculates about what the young man Ginko advises will do, Ginko responds with a laconic, “Who knows?” These simple interchanges point toward their fundamental contrast: Ginko’s mindset is Daoist, and Adashino’s is (mostly) not. In accord with multiple verses of the Dao De Jing (#2, #10, #30...), Ginko doesn’t care a damn about who gets credit for his work; neither does he care to speculate about future events, preferring to “move with the present” (Dao De Jing #14). His focus is centered; Adashino's is outward.

Given these divergent values and the fact that Ginko reguarly cheats Adashino—of which Adashino is well aware—an observer might wonder why these two have anything to do with each other, much less why they’re such good friends. 

But their bond makes perfect sense through a Daoist eye. 

Daoist perspectivism

To the Daoist mind, contrasts and differences are part of how the world functions—and this includes differences from the Daoist mind. Zhuangzi not only teaches followers of the dao to not disdain non-Daoist values but hold “perfectly to the differing allotments of things” (Zhuangzi: Essential Writings, pgs. 70–71); his own closest friend Huizi is a man with whom he trades debates and criticisms throughout the Zhuangzi (pgs. 8, 38, 112...). This worldview doesn’t seek the exclusion of others—the Daoist idea of “oneness” means that opposing views and forces are inherently one, without being made to unite or agree.

Along with this embracing of contrasts comes a firm belief in perspectivism: that anything that can be affirmed from one perspective can be negated from another and vice versa, and that each person and creature’s nature and experiences determine what is right from her/his/its own perspective. "The embrace of the same viewpoint,” says the Zhuangzi, “comes simply from being in the same position” (pg. 101).

Just as Ginko understands that the natures of the mushi are rightful parts of the world whether they’re valued by humans or not, he also understands the validity of differing human viewpoints. Though he scolds Adashino for the trouble his collection causes, he doesn’t consider him lesser or unworthy of friendship because of it, or because of any other contrasts between them. Through all the disparity in their values, they share a connection—and in true Daoist fashion, their differences are likely what brought them together in the first place. Ginko gathers mushi-related items, and Adashino wants them. Ginko has no desire to collect things or haul them around, so he’s happy to sell... if not always honestly.

Which raises the next point about their relationship: Ginko’s shady business ethics. 

Perspectivism applies here too. As Zhuangzi tells us, “whatever might be [from some perspective] strange, grotesque, uncanny, or deceptive” (pg. 13) can be affirmed as right from another view, and this certainly applies to Ginko and Adashino’s exchanges. To an outsider, they’re questionable as all get out—but it’s not an outsider’s view that matters. Both Ginko and Adashino freely choose to associate with each other on their current terms, because that choice makes sense to them. Adashino knows from the start that Ginko isn’t always on the level—from his first appearance in S1 E5 “The Traveling Swamp,” he’s questioning Ginko’s story about the green sake cup. And as Ginko points out, Adashino is under no obligation to buy from him—he chooses to, knowing the odds, and continues to choose to. And we can see in “Wind Raiser” that Adashino values even the more questionable items Ginko’s sold him; he’s held on to all of it, even the stuff he's probably guessed is junk.

Whether this arrangement makes sense or seems right to an outsider is irrelevant. Ginko and Adashino accept each other as they are, and the only ones who need to validate those choices are themselves. 

So, for all their differences, do Ginko and Adashino have anything in common? 

In fact, they do—and one significant value they share is the very perspectivism that shapes their relationship. We can see as much in “The Traveling Swamp,” when Adashino asks Ginko why he’s so determined to save Io from becoming a mushi. 

“If the girl said she wanted desperately to live,” he says, “I’d understand. But she wanted to become part of the swamp, right? That might be her happiness... Sometimes that’s the way it is in this world, though it sounds cruel...”

Adashino’s statement points to the path along which he and Ginko connect: No less than Ginko, Adashino is open to another’s perspective, even one that he acknowledges sounds terrible. He fully understands that “rightness” for one person is not the same as “rightness” for another.

Ginko’s reply underscores that he shares this value. In S1 E1 “The Green Throne,” he made a human a mushi because it was her choice—despite his own assessment that becoming a mushi is a terrible fate for a human. He seeks to prevent the same from happening to Io, not because he doesn’t value her choice, but because his observation of her has convinced him that she doesn’t understand what she’s giving up—that she’s making her choice without full knowledge. 

Interestingly, in this sense, Ginko and Adashino’s exchange is reminiscent of one between Zhuangzi and Huizi. Crossing over a river with his friend, Zhuangzi comments on the happiness of the fish below. Huizi protests and asks, "Whence do you know the happiness of fish?” In his frequently smartass fashion, Zhuangzi replies that he knows it from the position where they stand, above the river, watching the fish (pg. 76).

Not simply a play on words, this exchange is an illustration of Daoist perspectivism. Zhuangzi’s point is that, while we truly can’t know the perspectives of anyone other than ourselves, we must proceed from our own—including our observations of what may or may not make others happy. Not able to consult Io on the matter, Ginko has to proceed from his own observations, which lead him to believe she still cherishes human feelings.

Like Zhuangzi and Huizi, Ginko and Adashino both know that perspective is individual, and they respect the choices others make from their own. Adashino respects that Io may, after all, want to become a mushi, and Ginko respects that, in his assessment, she probably doesn’t—just as, in Renzu’s case, he respects that she does. 

By this same principle, they respect each other’s natures, Ginko accepting that Adashino is an outward-focused, obsessive collector of things, and Adashino accepting that Ginko will occasionally chastise him or sell him a bad coat. 

On these multiple levels, their relationship is one of Daoist perspectivism. And in the same way that Ginko can guess what Io’s happiness might be, we can “know” from observing them that Ginko and Adashino value their relationship just as it is—with no need for any foundational “rightness” other than their own choices.

With all that said, there is another kind of rightness to their friendship. In their contrasts to each other, Ginko and Adashino fit together. This is even signaled visually: Adashino's light-reflecting monocle signifies the yang within his yin, just as the tokoyami in Ginko's opposite eye is the yin within his yang. Like Ginko and Tanyuu, Ginko and Adashino form a Taiji, interlinked and corresponding through their similarities and their differences alike.

[365days365movies]

May 1, 2021: The Prestige (2006) (Recap: Part One)

What’s that old Arthur C. Clarke quote again?

Not that one, although that’s...that’s fantastic, and I need to know more context to that conversation. But no, no, not that. The other one.

Not that one, although that’s...horrifying. Let me explain something first, then. Clarke was the author of the classic science-fiction novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, which definitely didn’t go on to become one of the most widely regarded films of all time. Anyway, he was a big-shot in science fiction, and was even knighted for his prominence in pop culture in the UK and across the world.

Fellow famous sci-fi author Isaac Asimov is well known for three rules of robotics, but Clarke has three rules of his own. A futurist, his laws describe conjecture about scientific development in the future of out societies. Those laws are:

When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Magic, huh?

God, I love Weird Al. Anyway, as a child of the ‘90s, I am well-acquainted with the boom of stage magicians that appeared during that time, and during the early 2000s. David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear, David Blaine coughed up a live frog, Criss Angel freaked minds; lot of stuff back then.

And yet, despite other recent magicians like Penn and Teller or Dynamo, the greatest age of stage magic isn’t even CLOSE to the 90′s. No, no, to really see magic in its heyday, we need to go back to the late 1800s and early 1900s, to the days of the stage illusionist. 

Obviously, the first person that comes to mind is Harry Houdini, a man whose feats have lasted the test of time, and may have led to his death. Not only did he get buried alive, not only did he escape from a straitjacket in chains underwater, NOT ONLY did he hold his breath inside a water-filled milk can inside of a wooden chest repeatedly for FOUR YEARS, but he was also the greatest enemy of spiritualists and mediums everywhere!

Yeah, despite being a stage magician, Houdini was OBSESSED with exposing those who claimed to be actually supernatural. After all, as a showman, he was interesting in exposing tricks that were meant to defraud the innocent public. Dude was awesome, is what I’m saying. He died from a burst appendix, which miiiiight have been caused by a student who punched him in the stomach after asking if he was actually resistant to abdominal damage. Yeah, not a great death. And he wasn’t the only illusionist to die of tragic circumstances, but that’s a discussion for another day. Because of this is sci-fi month...why am I talking about magic? Well...imagine a lighter.

Now image that you went back 5,000 years, to any civilization, and showed them a lighter. The ability to create fire with seemingly nothing but your bare hands? You’re basically a wizard! Fire from no visible fuel? TEACH ME YOUR WAYS, O SORCERER OF THE FLAME!!! And that’s just a goddamn lighter. 

What about a light bulb? Light from energy you’ve harnessed from metals and from the air itself? Jujube! A camera? With the ability to capture a moment in time in the form of a tangible image? WITCHCRAFT!!! A smartphone? A FUCKING SMARTPHONE???

And so, in celebration of the blurring of magic and science...why not start this month with an unconventional form of science fiction, huh? Something that blurs magic and science in a way that’s indistinguishable. And so, I can FINALLY watch a movie that I’ve wanted to watch for YEARS!

I am so excited, and this is a hell of a way to kick off the month! Why this? Well, I’ll explain that later. But for now...LET’S DO THIS.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Recap (1/2)

There are three acts of magic.

First is “the pledge”, where the magician shows something normal. Then, there’s “the turn”, which is when the ordinary becomes extraordinary. And finally, there’s the act of bringing the show full-circle; bringing back a disappeared object, in a new way and with a new technique. That final act, the showmanship, the establishment of the mystery, is called “the prestige”.

So is told to us by John Cutter (Michael Caine), keeper of canaries and stage engineer to magicians, via narration abut magic. Intercut with that narration, and with a disappearing canary trick, is the presentation of an act being performed by Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman). In it, he turns on a machine using electricity, with lightning bolts flying freely. He steps inside of it, and disappears.

Meanwhile, coming from the audience, a man pretends to be part of the act, and goes backstage and underneath the machine. There, he witnesses Angier fall through a trap door into a water tank, unable to get out, panicking and drowning. Which is just super fun to watch, lemme tell you! And that is where the story starts.

The man from the audience was Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), who is quickly put on trial for the murder of Angier. A rival of his during the 1890s and early 1900s, Borden is sent to jail, and sent to death by hanging. This is as his young daughter watches on. In court, Alfred testifies against Bruce Wayne on how he murdered Wolverine, because this is all I could think of the entire time. Anyway, the court asks for more details on the trick that killed Angier, called “the Transported Man”. He refuses to divulge it publicly, but agrees to tell it to one of the judges in secret.

In prison, Borden’s visited by a representative of a wealthy collector of items, Lord Caldlow. He asks if he will sell him his most prominent trick, the “Transported Man”. But Borden also refuses, as it’s HIS trick. Still, in response, the man gives Borden a journal of Angier’s’, and asks him to think about selling the secret. And from there: flashback!

Angier is on a train, heading to Colorado Springs, where he’s surprised to see that the whole town has electricity. His plan is to go up the mountain, which is closed for scientific experimentation. Which isn’t ominous at all! That completely banal revelation is followed by a walk up the mountain in the fog, past a fence that says no trespassing and LITERAL WARNING SIGNS.

There, he’s greeted by Alley (Andy Serkis), the assistant of the estate’s owner. Apparently, said owner made a machine for Borden, and Angier wants to learn the secrets. Another flashback, and we learn that Borden and Angier, rival magicians now, met a long time ago at the show of another magician, both volunteering to tie up the female assistant, Julia (Piper Perabo). Which would be creepy out of context, and then is creepy IN context when Angier kisses her thigh. Ew.

Anyway, they drop her into a tank, with a pretty stereotypical trick. After the show, we also learn that these two men are actually working for the magician, Milton (Ricky Jay), which makes that thigh kiss less creepy. Talking to Cutter and Julia, Borden mocks Milton’s trick, noting that the old magician won’t even try something like a bullet catch. Cutter mocks this idea, and asks if Borden has any better ideas. It’s around this time that Cutter suggests seeing Chung Ling Soo. Huh. I won’t say anything about that until later.

Or right now! And, uh...oh shit, this is extraordinarily awkward. Here’s the thing: this is NOT Chung Ling Soo. I know this for two reasons. One, Soo didn’t really pretend to be crippled, as Borden and Angier suggest. Wasn’t really his bag. But something that IS interesting about the guy is how he died! BULLET CATCH TRICK!! Yup! He tried the bullet catch trick, and he died when the bullet actually fired at him! Yeah, awkward.

And you know what else is awkward, and really different from this story? Chung Ling Soo was...not Chinese. Even a little bit. His real name was William Ellsworth Robinson, he married his assistant, cheated on her with another assistant, never divorced and still married his new assistant illegally, etc. He was an interesting guy. Ignoring, y’know, the whole disgustingly shitty yellow-face thing. Different times, unfortunately.

Borden’s frustration with an act he considers boring and obsolete erupts during one of Milton’s shows, where we see him KILL A BIRD, FUCK ME MAN. Yeah, I get it, Borden, this is terrible! This coincides with meeting a young woman and her nephew, who is also upset to see a bird die in front of him. The woman is Sarah (Rebecca Hall), and the two start a romance. Meanwhile, the romance between Angier and Julia is a straight-up marriage, making that thigh kiss fare more understandable. And, the two are about to have a baby, to both of their delight! Nothing bad will happen now!

We flash forward to the future, where Cutter is showing the judge what’s what with the device. He claims that a wizard built it, and that the machine can actually do what magicians have only pretended to do for years. They also look at a tank, and Cutter reveals that the tank has a terrible history, especially for the two magicians.

Flashback again, to a night of yet another show. That night, Milton and the group go through with their trick, as per usual. However, Borden decides to make it a little tougher and more exciting by tying a different knot this time. And unfortunately...Julia can’t untie it. They try to get her out in time, but alas...it’s too late.

Julia dies, and Angier blames Borden, who isn’t even entirely sure if he tied the knot that killed Julia...allegedly. Not a big fan of Borden right now. The act is over, and Borden decides to split off and do his own act, calling himself “the Professor”. Now having a child of his own with Sarah, he decides to do a bullet trick, with the help of new stage engineer, Fallon. But this is a tricky trick to perform. And the understandable mental breakdown of Angier causes its own problems.

See, during one of Borden’s shows (which is going TERRIBLY), a disguised Angiers shows up and loads a REAL bullet into the gun for the trick, and BLOWS OFF TWO OF HIS FINGERS FUCK ME!!! Borden’s not exactly happy about this, but he recovers quickly. Shortly after, Cutter finds Angier at a bar, and offers him the opportunity to make a new show of his own. Reluctantly, he accepts, and takes up the moniker “the Great Danton”, a name that his late wife suggested.

With a new bird/cage trick, one that lets the bird LIVE (THANK YOU), they’re almost set. But they also add a new assistant, in the form of...Black Widow. I mean, sorry, Olivia Wenscombe (Scarlett Johansson). Yeah, um...Wolver, Alfred Pennyworth, and Black Widow are working together in competition against Batman. Also, Gollum is in the movie, too. God, what’s next, David Bowie?

Anyway, the show is on once again, and Angier asks for some volunteers in the audience. But, uh oh! One of them is Borden in disguise, and he sabotages the trick in front of EVERYBODY, breaking an audience member’s fingers, and killing the bird, completely fucking up Angier’s career, in revenge for his fingers. Oh, also, MOTHERFUCKER YOU KILLED HIS WIFE (maybe)!!! Doesn’t justify Angier shooting off your fingers, but you could’ve just let bygones be! No wonder you’re rivals in the future! Batman’s a dick (which, given Christian Bale, isn’t that surprising).

Well, since his trick, Angier’s fucked. They’re kicked out of the theater, and in need of a new act. Cutter suggests that Angier goes to the upcoming science exposition for ideas. And yes...that’s where the science fiction angle starts in. See, like Clarke said, any science that’s sophisticated enough LOOKS like magic to audiences who don’t understand it. And Borden has the same idea, as he also heads to the expo. 

It’s there that a presentation of a massive electrical generator is being held, with the machine having been invented by...Nicola Tesla! YO!

I don’t think I need to tell anybody about Tesla at this point, but he was a brilliant physicist and inventor from the early 1900s. His legendary Current War with Thomas Alva Edison for the current to be used by the United States (Tesla’s DC vs. Edison’s AC) is the stuff of science legend...and is a conflict that the far less charismatic Tesla lost. Still, his mastery of electricity (such as the above Tesla coil) is remembered today. If you want to go sightseeing, check out New York! In Niagara Falls, he’s got a massive statue overlooking the falls; and in Bryant Park in NYC, you can sit on the bench where he fed his beloved pigeons. Yeah, he loved pigeons, which I respect.

Anyway, the expo’s shut down due to presumed danger of the exhibit, possibly spurred on by Thomas Edison and his PR team. Which is pretty accurate, not gonna lie. Still, the experiment interests both Angier and Borden. Still, Angier doesn’t do much with this information. Right now, anyway.

Flash forward to Angier in Colorado Springs, and a group of men from Edison’s employ are there for some reason. But undeterred, Angier heads back to Tesla’s lab, where Alley shows him a gorgeous sight: lightbulbs dotting a field, making a gorgeous grid of light. He reveals that the source of the electricity is 15 miles away, as a testament to Tesla’s scientific genius. Stellar.

A great place to pause. See you in Part Two of this Recap!

[jjk-anime-horray]

Meetings and Misfortune

Dazai Osamu x reader x Oda Sakunosuke

Series Summary: While Dazai finally gets over the death of his friend and moves on with his life, he has to watch him unnaturally return into the would, and now he has to watch him turn twisted and into everything he hated in a way.

Chapter Summary: Dazai finally reveals to the agency the situation they are dealing with, but their important meeting is interrupted by a public incident.

Trigger Warnings: Emotional trauma, mentions of extreme violence, mentions of emotional distress, mentions of illegal activities, and strong language.

Previous Chapter: Needed Connections

"Dazai, so you are saying that the usual agency's level of vigilance may not be against your undead associate if they choose to attack us, and the new unknown group radicals I presume." Voiced the president in his authority laced tone after Dazai finished explaining to the agency the new situation they are in.

"Not maybe, will not be, everyone should travel in at least teams of two, the unknown group we do not have any information on, other than the fact that they can raise the dead an control them, whether it's one person with the ability or one person with a necromancy ability and another one with a mind control ability, I have no idea. We do know that we could very possibly see more revived assassins in the coming times until we find the ability user or whatever is resurrecting them."

"Alright, everyone pay attention!" The president doomed, but mostly at Ranpo eating snacks in the corner. "I am going to make it official that everyone stay in a group of two or more at all times for everyone's safety for the time being, the groupings will vary from day to day based on daily assignments, but it's going to be a new rule that you cannot leave the building unless you have a partner with you. Dazai and (Y/N), shift your investigation to work on finding the new radical group, everyone is dismissed."

With that everyone rushed to go to various activities and investigations, but not without an eerie uncertainty that wasn't present before. Whatever it was is was definantly keeping you on edge, and you had a feeling that something it wasn't going to go ideally today at all, but you didn't know why, the classic hunch.

"Hey Daz, do you have any ideas where to start with looking for this new group, I have one, but it's something neither of us are going to like."

"If you mean anything other than asking the port mafia if they've had any rival groups show up than no, but it's quite the possibility that we could ask mutual-boom...... Did you hear that (Y/N)?"

"Yeah I did.....Do you know where that came from? It was kind of faint so maybe it was someone dropping something like a BUZZ BUZZ...wait a second Yosano just texted me."

Check the news. Was all that flashed on your phone's screen, and now you're curious so you check the news app, but the headline was far from pleasant.

BOMB SET OFf BY UNKOWN ROBBER GROUP AT BANK TO ESCAPE, MORE DETAILS TO ARRIVE SHORTLY.

"Oh shit, Dazai I know where we're heading next."

-----

"Well this is definantly not what I wanted to do today." He said staring at an computer, occasionally making a little clinking sound.

"You never want to do anything Dazai." You said as you were going through they bank's filing system.

The two of you were currently going through the bank's resources to find out what exactly the robber's stole. When you got to the crime scene it was blatantly obvious that this was not the usual heist considering that once you got there the two of you were told that no alarms were set off during the thieves stealing process. Meaning that they got in undetected. What was even weirder is that no money was actually stolen. The current bank you were at also offered an high-end, state of the art security vault to filthy rich buyers, with that being said the robbers most likely didn't use the bomb to escape, but to get into the vault instead.

So, the two of you were figuring out what they stole because clearly they went through a lot of trouble to get to it, and it had to be something more than just high value considering that the vault looked completely full, and all the items currently resting in it were family heirloom jewelry, paintings, and almost virtually anything a rich person would want to keep safe.

But, due to the bank's privacy policy there is not master list of all of the items in there, instead they kept in portfolios of the buyer's, so they two of you had to cross check every item in there until you figured out what was missing. While Dazai was checking the security footage, you were checking the items.

"Do you see anything on the security feed that hints to who these guys are?"

"Unfortunately the group of three were smart enough to have their faces completely covered, so the answer to that would be no. Also unfortunately there is no feed useable after the bomb was set off, but given the fact that they didn't bring any bags with them means that they stole something that could fit in their pockets. Maybe like a flash drive or something."

"Actually not a flash drive." Is all you said to cause your partner to turn around, then you elaborated. "It was a key, but unfortunately the buyer paid the bank extra money to keep their name anonymous, so we don't have any leads from that."

"Well, we know what the key looks like or do we not?"

"Yeah, there's a picture right here." You hand him the file containing all the information given about this key.

Unlike most keys it has two heads meaning that it's meant to unlock two different things. They key itself is made out of silver, engraved with some sort of writing all over it but you don't recognize it. It's also tarnished, meaning that it's probably very old along with pretty beaten up.

"It's kinda funky looking, wonder if someone shoved it down my throat it would kill me or not." With that you give your partner a classic glare. "Or not."

"Uh huh, that's what I thought, it does say that key was previously owned by a private collector, while it doesn't say their name, it does say their gallery if you could even call it that is 'Baroque.'

"Wait.....that's the auction that a bunch of filthy rich people go to quarterly, and some of the port mafia go there as well, but how are we going to even get in it's by invite only. We definantly not on the list, and last time I checked it's in about a little less than a week, do you have a miraculous plan. We could always steal someones invite....."

"We aren't going to steal anything! I have a plan, but it's stupid, and it would be a miracle if it worked."

"What might that be?"

"Ask Chuuya to see if he's willing to take me as his plus one."

At this point in time Dazai was the one staring at you, but not in they death glare way, in the way like did you literally just say that to my face sort of way.

"I'm so betrayed (Y/N)."

"Well do you have any better ideas?"

Truth be told he didn't, and he knew that his rival did have an invite because he saw him go to that auction in the past. He knew if he asked he would most definantly be killed in a matter of seconds, but you actually had a slim chance of actually convincing the short red head to help you, even if it's only temporary.

"Do you have any tips before I go Daz?"

"If you want the annoyance to actually give you a chance, you should bring some high-end wine as a bargaining chip."

While nodding in agreement, you stood up, and rushed to find the port executive. Walking into what would most likely become a complete disaster, but it's the only shot you got.