#tsunami mob

[bhristsunami]

Ladies and gentlemen.. Kehlani Parrish

Song from the tiktok ⬇️

| prettybhris on IG

[earth222ky]

lani🥵

[havemercyimyoung]

Did a lil sum'n with a fave from my fave. #tsnmi

[btheshewolf]

happy birthday kehlani!!! I've been listening to you for three years now and it has been insane to see how much you grew. your music helped me feel and heal. I'm forever grateful for your albums...i’m wishing you health, fun and all of the good things for your 28th!!! 🫀

[djladydior]

Kehlani's sold out show at Radio City Music Hall in NYC 8.9.22 🌊🧡

[probablyasocialecologist]

“We’re seeing a tsunami of police investigations,” Sfard said. “People who are targeted go through a very frightening experience and even if it ends with no indictments, it’s still horrendous.

“There is a wave of silencing of any type of, not only criticism, but also just compassion.”

Protests in sympathy with Gaza have been dispersed with force and Israel’s chief of police, Yaakov Shabtai, said last week: “Anyone who wants to identify with Gaza is welcome. I will put them on buses now that are headed there and I will help him get there.”

At the beginning of last week, Israel’s attorney general’s office also announced that it had instructed universities and colleges to forward cases to the police of students who had posted “words of praise for terrorism”.

In the wake of the attorney general’s instructions, there has been an apparent purge in Israeli universities. The legal rights group Adalah has reported that about 50 Palestinian students have been summoned to disciplinary committees about their social media posts and some have been suspended from their studies.

Intimidation of both Jewish and Arab Israelis with dissident views has also come from faceless individuals and groups, stirring up hate online.

In one notable incident, the ultra-orthodox leftwing journalist Israel Frey posted a video saying Kaddish (the Jewish prayer for the dead) for the victims of the Hamas slaughter and Palestinian civilians under fire in Gaza.

Soon afterwards, an anonymous user of the Telegram messaging platform published his address, which was shared widely by rightwing groups, and a mob turned up outside, lobbing fireworks at his windows, forcing him to flee with his family. He is now in hiding.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP, hi

I was thinking, if Jungkook and Jimin are together. Why would risk their safety, by doing things like, jikooking non stop in every docu, going on trips and showing the romantic result in the end, constantly flirting during lives, saying things that let us know their families are close, etc. They must know it will harm them sooner or later. Why not be more careful?

***

If you don't mind scrolling back far enough, you'll see an ask from a few days back, of someone frustrated that the wider fandom doesn't 'see' jikook.

And there's your answer.

A lot of people dislike other members to the point they can't stand watching much of any content that shows those members, so their chance of catching on to jikook is already minimal. Also, many people can excuse jikook's actions as fanservice, putting on an act for the job, or fulfilling a persona - all of which are normal for the industry. The cues that people who dig deeper into jikook pick up on, are oftentimes lost in the white noise of whatever else is happening for other people. They don't really 'see' jikook.

Jikook can afford to show their affection out loud. They can add in their butt squeezes into the tsunami of Bangtan ass grabs that happen anyway, but then, after the concert, have it be typical for Jungkook to spend hours on end in Jimin's room (and the kicker is it's been like this since debut). Jikook can have an 'orbiting satellite' situation, in a group of seven tannies who move like a litter of puppies anyway. Jikook can wear queer clothing brands and items with queer symbolism, in an industry that has many idols doing the same as the norm. That ambiguity and plausible deniability is what protects them in a sense.

Some people call this odd, limbo of denial and acceptance that k-pop idols can take advantage of: the glass closet. [ @stormblessed95 has talked about this (perhaps in passing) on their blog before I believe, so feel free to search up "glass closet" or table your ask directly to them. They're nice. :) ]

That said, everything has a limit, and plausible deniability is worth less and less in the age of online mobbing and cancellation.

So I hope jikook are safe, and remain safe. Happy, too.

[meloriri]

thinking about ren. thinking about how he's not the self principled, righteous person others think he is. thinking of how he adores his mask of anonymity, because he doesnt care for himself as a person. as a person, he's whatever other people want him to be. to use as a punching bag, to use a shoulder to cry on, to use as someone to rant to, to use as a friend. he doesnt oppose to it unless its directly affecting other people negatively. but joker; joker is everything about him that he's not, in a sense. a strong backbone, a leader, a strategically sound, skillful person uncaring of outside opinions. someone that follows their heart with perseverance regardless of the consequences. ren IS that person, he wants to be that person, but he cant fathom that being him as a person. he is glad he can live himself as a second person as joker, but glad to be able to stay in his safe, conforming box as ren.

thinking of how he hates society's norm of "minding your own business" and not interfering with other people's upsetting scenarios. he lived his life feeling that way but keeping it in and just keeping to himself, not complaining, not saying a thing. despite that, he knows he hates it, and because of the way others put him down for it, they both tell him he needs to fix his pickiness on morals, and he also repeats it to himself

the love he's recieving; the love he gets from being a people-pleaser---sometimes it humiliates him, it degrades and defiles him. it disgusts him--But not disgust at the person sending love, at himself. For tricking people, for acting how they want him to despite not believing a word he says. despite him actually being rebellious. he is disgusted by his own act of pretending to conform, but he cant defy it.

And once the world is bright, when the world is good; He'll only be left behind as an afterthought. Someone erased from society's memory.

he only yearns for the ideals of other; he wishes to see the way they do, to conform, but he is unable. He wants to fit in, but never can. he burnt his individuality, his opinions, his feelings and his rebellion to an ash, an ash that takes the form of Arsene. the very spirit of his heart, from the ashes of the identity he left behind.

he is unable to understand what love really is, if it's real, if it's honest; if he even actually feels it. this is why he's so monotone even when confessing to his love interests; he still doesnt quite understand. what love is supposed to be, the different kinds of love, how one experiences falling in love. Such a complex is explained by lack of love presented towards him. a lack of attention, of praise, and most of all, of any care. family, friends, anything.

one of the most inspiring parts of his story is how he learns to experience love, from familial to platonic, and understands it; how he uses it and lives by it.

A lynch mob is a group of people to lynch others. The religious society is the self righteous, conforming society. The phantom thieves are the lynch mob; despite not actually HANGING people obviously, it stands as a metaphor for them actively punishing the poor actions of others while the rest of society is against the meddling, seeing nothing wrong with the corruption. in a religious world, joker is portrayed as SATAN. he actively KILLS GOD. to society, he is an absolute evil; someone only there for the joy of destroying others. to himself, its only righteous punishment. stopping corrupted actions of others. like how satan is seen to be truly evil for his betrayal to god (think about some of things god did for a min. like tell ppl to kill their first born sons for him, hitting people with a huge tsunami......) and for being the ruler of hell, without realizing that satan stands for the PUNISHMENT of those who go to hell. hes not there to ruin others life, ren is there to save them by exorcising the evil. despite the way society treats him as person, despite them going directly against his attempt at helping them, he doesn't let it break him. he keeps fighting for people even when they hate him for doing it.

He's putting his ego, his self acceptance in conformity, the mask he's perfectly crafted as someone that anyone can like to the ground. he's putting his greed, his greed to have the ideals of all others, to understand society, along with it. He's finally himself, and he can announce that to his family, to those who wanted him to conform proudly and unafraid, uncaring of their opinion on who he is.

with a newly, fully solid grasp on rebellion, he will stand with his hell, as satan, punishing the evil until the bitter end of it. So he pleads that just for this time, until this end, that the world will go along with him, with their feelings; their own desires to conform, to please others, ripped out of them. To have their original feelings; their values, opinions and lifestyles revealed from the depths of within themselves and shown to the world. These feelings that they were once unashamed of, before being taught to conform, the feelings from childhood.

and at last, with the person he now is, he will finally be remembered. noted by others, and seen. But now seen as who he is instead of who he acted as. Not someone serious, not someone only there to please others; someone entirely unrecognizable. Someone who has come to complete terms with their own rebellion.

could u tell all of this was from bitter choco decoration by syudou?

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to Tsunami Creator's Chapter 168

TL;DR - Cale's group peeks at the jiangshi. Dokgo Ryeong is the lone survivor. Cale and GED meeting.

Soos? LSH = ❌ CJS = ❌

Blood Cult Jiangshis Not much happened at the first part as it was just Cale personally confirming the numerous jiangshi that Raon, CH, and CJS saw. But Heavenly Demon (HD) is back! He sneaked in too and was surprised when the invisible Cale grabbed his arm. The skinship~! 🥰

Dokgo Ryeong If you recall, she is the heir to the Dokgo Clan who once got into an argument with the trash of the Namgung Clan in the inn. Her father, the clan leader, fought the Blood Cult members in order to let Dokgo Chang escape.

Frankly, this part was sad. Dokgo Ryeong witnessed her entire family killed. And now, she was going to be turned into a living jiangshi. However, she remained hopeful that Dokgo Chang would contact Cale and get help.

New Characters We are introduced to the two candidates for the next Blood Demon.

Yoona/Yoon - female with sky blue hair. Described as a cold-looking beauty.

Hoya - male with dark blue hair like the sea. Yoona's older brother and described as having a naive impression.

Both are said to be in the Profound Realm, the highest martial arts rank. Oooh, we have strong enemies! But with how OP Cale's group are, they might end up as mere mobs... 😑

Cale and GED Meeting Last part was the strategy meeting with the key figures of each murim faction.

Good Faction - Elder Ho, Jegal Mi Ryeo, Splitter Saint, Sword Saint, Tang Clan leader

Evil Faction - Sima Dan, Sima Gong, Pinnacle Demon

Demon Cult - Heavenly Demon, Brain Demon

Those above were the only ones mentioned in this chapter, so I'm unsure if there are others. Anyway, Cale got them all puzzled when he talked about his plans to destroy the fortress walls. They were like, how will he do that??? Hahaha 😂😂😂 Everyone, look forward to the tsunami! Those jiangshi will soon be swimming in a wave pool. 🌊🌊🌊

Ending Remarks So much hype for the tsunami in the past chapters... Hopefully, we'll finally see it on Friday's chapter. And if Cale will cough blood, ufufufu~ 😊

[kehlanifenty]

[aroaceswagcompetition]

MASTERPOLL 1

Vylad Ro'meave?(Minecraft) vs Abed(Community)

Phineas(Phineas and Ferb) vs Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)

Remus and Logan (Sanders Sides)vs Aya(I Just Wanna Be Single)

Shigaraki Tomura(BNHA) vs Georgia Warr (Loveless)

Kyle Broflovski(South Park) vs Shadow the Hedgehog(Sonic)

Marco Diaz(Star vs The Forces of Evil) vs Juno McGuff(Juno)

K1-B0(Danganronpa) vs Bubby(hlvrai)

Lydia Martin(Teen Wolf) vs Mihashi Ren (Ookiku Furikabutte)

Alucard(Castlevania (games)) vs Teardrop(BFDI / BFB)

Friday(Hello from the hallowoods) vs Victor Vale(Villains Book Series)

Test Tube(Inanimate Insanity) vs Cerise Hood(Ever After High)

Phosphophyllite (Phos)(Land of the Lustrous) vs Abe Takaya(Ookiku Furikabutte (Oofuri))

Yoo Sangah(Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint) vs Chell(Portal (Valve))

Barry (Pokemon) vs Paul (The Bible)

Ca Cupid(Monster High) vs Mera Chisato (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)

Red Son(Lego Monkie Kid) vs Hearthstone Alderman(Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard )

Onceler(Lorax) vs Hastune Miku(Vocaloid)

Fei Hargreeves(The Umbrella Academy) vs Aled Last(Radio Silence)

Cher(Clueless) vs Asterix(Asterix and Obelix)

Sakuko Kodama5&Takahashi Satoru4(Koisenu Futari) vs Death(Puss in Boots:The Last Wish)

Double Trouble(She-Ra Princess of Power) vs Suitcase(Inanimate Insanity)

Childe(Genshin Impact) vs Patrick Star(Spongebob)

Fujisaki Nozomi(Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!) vs Howl Jenkins(Howl’s Moving Castle)

Mei (Monkie Kid) vs Ichika Hoshino (Project SEKAI)

Kujou Sara (Genshin Impact) vs Abbi Singh (The Imperfects)

Takashi Natsume (Natsume’s Book of Friends) vs Tails(Sonic)

Klavier Gavin (Ace Attorney) vs Chara (Undertale)

Bakugou (BNHA) vs Donatello,Mikey,Raph,Leo (TMNT)

Corey Riffin(Grojband) vs Robin Goodfellow (Na Daoine Maithe *The Good People *)

Katarina Claes (My Next Life as a Villainess) vs Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Tsunami (Wings of Fire) vs Toy Foxy (FNAF 2)

Thalia Grace (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) vs Katsuya Serizawa (Mob Psycho 100)

Zhu Chongba(She Who Became The Sun) vs Ling Chan (The Diviners)

Ruth (Covenant Webtoon) vs Mettaton (Undertale)

Percival King (Epithet Erased) vs PAC Man (Pac Man and The Ghostly Adventure)

Musa(Winx Club) vs Green Oak (Pokémon)

Link (Legend of Zelda) vs Moana (Moana)

Steve Morley (Sex Education) vs Ema Skye (Ace Attorney)

Zim (Invader Zim) vs Dewey Duck (Ducktales 2017)

Sonic(Sonic the Hedgehog) vs Mater(Cars)

Din Song and Li Na Wang (Wish Dragon) vs Floofty Fizzlebean(Bugsnax)

Hiro Hamada(Big Hero 6) vs Ena(The Ena Series)

Espresso Cookie (Cookie Run) vs Jiang Cheng (Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed)

Percy(Legend of Vox Machina) vs Makoto Sunakawa(Ore Monogatari)

Shouto Todoroki(BNHA) vs Rey(Star Wars)

Giorno Giovanna (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) vs Kusanagi Nene (Project SEKAI)

Olivier Mira Armstrong(Fullmetal Alchemist) vs Blanche(Wikidot!Backrooms)

Kusuke Saiki vs Kusuo Saiki vs Kuriko Saiki (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)

[llamagoddessofficial]

So prison au- what if….. natural disaster? I live where blizzards and tsunamis alike (plus earthquakes, avalanches….) are a potential thing, but any kind- something that keeps at least a skeleton (heh) staff trapped there, power out, inmates increasingly agitated, possibly the usual rules are slowly slipping out the window for survival reasons- or because a lot of the staff abandoned the inmates there when the last minute warning came in. What would MC do? Would there be risk of a riot, or would the guys simply casually break out to get to her to make sure she’s safe, get food, keep her warm….. etc 👀 can’t help but imagine she’s the type to try to stay and help even if the place is being abandoned in panic because criminals or not, they’re people, dammit-

OOOOOOOOOo

Mc is one of very few staff members who stay behind. She knows a natural disaster could result in any number of serious injuries and there needs to be at least one medial professional on hand. Most guards and staff, knowing that a total blackout would cause a lot of cell doors to open, decide to save their skin and just make sure the front gates are bolted behind them- but she knows these are still people. She’s not going to leave them to die.

Sans: He thinks it’s very sweet that she wants to stay, very kind of her, proof that she’s wonderful. But he disagrees entirely, he tries his damnedest to convince her to leave and might even get the closest he’s ever been to angry with her. Why should she care about the stupid prison population? She’s better than them. She’s an angel. She’s better than all of them. They’re all criminals, he’s a criminal, she should be making sure she’s safe and saving herself like the others. When it’s clear she’s not going to do that, he settles for making sure she’s safe, and puts himself in charge of resource management.

If he can’t get her out, he’ll just show her exactly how intelligent and useful he is. A well-organised ideal partner who’s calm in a disaster. 

Red: Red is absolutely vital to the safety of any staff who chose to stay. They know it, he knows it... he already has experience with controlling the prison population after all, this is nothing new to him. In fact, he’s in an even better position than before, because there are no guards to intervene; if he or his gang attacks someone there’s nothing to stop him from killing them. The prisoners already respect and fear him and now that’s just increased tenfold. With the majority of the guards having self-evacuated, the remaining staff approach him and, sheepishly, request his help... like approaching a mob boss for protection.

If this situation had arisen in any other circumstance he would’ve demanded a lot of nice things in return for their safety. A protection fee, if you will (old habits die hard). But... he’s acutely aware of Mc’s presence- he’s aware she’s probably pretty frightened right now. He’s aware that what he does in this situation could heavily, and maybe even permanently, affect her opinion of him. So, despite his deep-rooted instinct to take advantage of the moment... he agrees to protect the staff and keep order for free.

He might teasingly request ‘payment kisses’ from her. But that’s more for the sake of lightening the mood.

Skull: Mc’s personal bodyguard for the entire duration of the disaster.

Not wanting him trapped inside his room if something terrible happens, Mc lets him out, under the condition he behaves and does what she says. He never leaves her side; he looms over her shoulder, always within arm’s reach of her and often holding onto her shirt like a lost child. If anyone comes too close or anything seems like it could be a threat he lashes out with his trademark brutality... he’s also very particular about her looking after herself, sharing his Sans-rationed food with her and bundling her up in blankets if she ever falls asleep. The other two skeletons dislike the amount of contact he gets & the obvious intensity of his feelings, but there’s not much they can really do... it’s best to let him have what he needs. Besides- the longer he’s around her, the more lucid and reasonable he seems to get.

For a little while, Mc is the most powerful person in the entire prison without even realising. Sans defers to her, and he controls all the food and water and materials. Red defers to her, and he decides whether her and her colleagues live or die via his chokehold on the prisoners. And the only thing standing between the prison and the force of nature that is Skull is his love for her.

[luciferstit]

Spoilers for the Mob Psycho 100 manga below (Reigen-centric analysis)

So, Reigen was trying to reach Mob in the middle of the tornado. He has no powers, no protection, and no idea what’s going on. What does he do?

He takes off his shoes.

Actually, he first sends Serizawa, his only protector, back to the shop. The he gets his ass handed to him by Mob a few times. And then he takes off his jacket, his tie, and his shoes.

Why?

Serizawa said it himself—inside the tornado, they might as well be inside a blender. And gravity is much stronger in the tornado, making the falls harder and the hits stronger. There’s debris and rubble flying everywhere. Reigen may as well dive naked into a tsunami. Perhaps more than ever before, he needs those shoes.

So why would he undress like that? His clothes didn’t seem to be hindering his mobility. Additionally, any wasted time is another step father away Mob gets, and therefore another step closer Reigen has to struggle.

Well. Mob had really done a number on him by this point. He’s taken more than a few blows of concrete to the head, and the blood on his face shows it.

And it’s only after this that Reigen decides to get a little more comfortable. And even though running after someone while dodging shrapnel and rubble seems like a great time to have reliable, protective shoes, we get half a page dedicated specifically to Reigen holding his shoes in his shaking hand and staring in terror at ???%!Mob.

In Japan, taking off your shoes before committing suicide began as a dramatic shot in fiction and media, but then spread to real-life occurrences. It’s actually quite a well-known phenomenon now. It’s symbolic; you’re taking off your shoes before you enter the afterlife in much the same way you do when entering someone’s house in Japan. If there is a note, it is often left with or on top of the shoes.

Reigen did not believe he was going to survive this. Mob had leveled the city by this point, demolished entire buildings with a thought. In that moment, staring up at the eye of the tornado, completely defenseless and alone, he decided he was willing to die for this, and he took off his shoes and left them with his coat and his tie.

I would actually suggest that his death, or at least his maiming, was a certainty. We all know that there’s no way Reigen could do this. The show plays around with this idea of Reigen having special moves or secret powers, but it’s all a trick, and it would not protect him now. In this exact moment, Reigen is defeated.

If it wasn’t for Dimple holding on to everything he had left to help him, Reigen wouldn’t have made it for sure. Reigen says as much to Mob once he finally catches up to him.

Rushing headlong into certain peril—perhaps even certain death—is something Reigen has done multiple times throughout the series and always in defense of Mob. It’s actually the quality that makes his whole character work.

Hell, Reigen has no fucking clue what’s going on through this entire chapter. You can see it in Serizawa’s facial expression that Reigen just doesn’t understand psychic powers at all. He’s not equipped for this.

He doesn’t have the powers that Mob and Serizawa do, but he works as their boss because regardless of that, he tries his best to help out anyway. When kid Mob first found Reigen’s office, Reigen didn’t have the powers little Mob thought he had, but he tried his best to help him anyway. Reigen walked directly into that Claw branch and challenged those espers in Mob’s place, chose to stay in a room with a possessed girl who shoved her hand through her fathers chest not even an hour before to watch over Mob’s body, and showed up at the top of the Cultural Tower in front of a psychopathic domestic terrorist with a Nerf gun and half a prayer—it’s probably a poetic death, to die saving Mob from himself. It’s what he was prepared for, and probably what he thought he deserved.

I’m scared for the Reigen episode.

[laserpaper118]

"Hey is everything okay? Who're you tryin' to get a hold of?" [2x02]

"How 'bout a flash mob?" [6×16]

From the very beginning, to (almost) the last episode of (what was almost) the last season.

This is how firefighters Diaz and Buckley are portrayed. This is how the writers want us to see BuckandEddie of LAFD 118. Always knee-to-knee, side by side, having each other's backs. That's how the show opens and closes regarding their camaraderie.

There was Shannon (may she RIP) and Ana and Taylor and a lawsuit and a mental breakdown and Daniel (may he RIP) and Maddie being kidnapped and a pandemic and a truck bomb and a tsunami and a lightning and a gunshot and a career change and panic attacks and other things I fail to mention and even things I mention are out of order I know

But that is how unshakeable they are. Once the alarm rings, they are Buck and Eddie. Romance or no romance, that is a strong, omnipresent, reliable bond.

To say nothing of how close they are when they are off duty.

To tide me until season 7 which is 2 days away~~

[loving-n0t-heyting]

Highly evil rhetorical tic among this websites demographic of deliberately eliding the distinction between “is culpable” and “has caused ~real harm~”. You will see someone urge the faintest trace of leniency about some class of nuisances and the response will be “ohhh so you think they don’t cause real harm? Bc they do”. Avalanches and tsunamis also cause real harm, do you want to start putting the water on trial too?

Reason it is evil rather than merely annoying is that it is fully continuous with the characteristic mental disorder of savages who take to advocating and implementing sadistic extensions of the criminal justice apparatus in the United states where previously some degree of mercy had stalled the incursions while convincing themselves this is a pure expression of progressive humanism bc their rhetoric does not align 100% with the ultraconservative lawandorder jagoff who lives sumptuously in their imagination as an anti-idol to fuel their self righteousness and paranoia, a class including but not limited to 1) Californian rainbow-washing shitheads eliminating diminished capacity as a legal category in some fit of misbegotten martyr-cultism around Harvey milk ii) radfem vampires salivating at the thought of putting a 6yo to the chair and c) every single lib frenzy about some judges undue clemency towards a white boy who makes substantial numbers of the pitchfork wielding mob personally uncomfortable

[modern-day-bard]

Worth The Feeling

Content Warning: 18+ This series contains explicit smut, intimidation, and an age gap relationship. Minors, do not interact.

Chapter 18

The next few days were Italian and Javi-filled bliss. The daytime was spent following Dwayne around set, learning his key responsibilities. When he was occupied, my time was spent memorizing the rest of the production assistants' names and how to divvy up the workload. Thankfully, it was so busy on location that I was only able to be distracted by Javi a few times. There was a spark in the air when he was nearby, and I felt tingles across my skin before I made eye contact with him. We always kept it brief, glancing away before anyone would have the chance to spot us. But I always new that initial spark would be nothing compared to the molten look he gave me when we were alone. And each night since my apology, we spent together.

I kept telling Lana I was going on walks, and it was usually during her calls with Mia so she was partially distracted. And it wasn't really lying was it? I was going on a walk, just up to Javi's hotel room slash penthouse suite. Usually when I arrived, we would spare the conversation. The build of being in close proximity to each other while never truly being able to acknowledge how wild that made us was almost too much to handle. I don't think my clothes ever made it past the front entryway.

It is crazy to me that I thought I had had real sex before. I might have technically been performing the act, but that's how it always felt, like a performance. With Javi's warm touch, every lick of the flame coaxed me out of my shell and ignited every fiber of my being. There was nothing to think about except the sensational pleasure we could pull from each other. When we both finally came down from our mingled high, we would spend the next several hours talking about our days, both in the past and the present. We spoke of the parallels of missing home yet being enraptured with the energy of Los Angeles. We learned that we had both tried, and failed miserably, to join track in high school. I learned more about the love for his family, and his distaste for asparagus. And much to his amusement, he learned that I excelled at playing the recorder. He still insists that it is not a real instrument.

We were careful not to spend too long together. I would reluctantly tiptoe out of his room and return to mine before midnight like the smitten, horned-up Cinderella I was becoming. Lana was oftentimes asleep or on the brink of when I returned, which made things easier. For reasons I don't fully want to understand yet, I don't want to tell Lana everything. Her concern the other night about me falling too quickly or getting myself hurt wasn't a place I wanted to go. If we began that conversation again and I had to confront...anything, I was worried where it could take me. For now at least I could commit to living in this Italian, sunshine-filled bubble a while longer.

I walk into our room after another day's work, and my smile falters when Lana is sitting straight up on her bed, staring at the door, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Have you been expecting me, mob boss?" I joke, tossing my bag at the foot of my bed.

"I have something I need to discuss with you."

My stomach drops. I avoid eye contact with her, flopping on my bed and pulling my hair back to put into a ponytail.

"Yeah? What's that?"

"A huge mistake has been made." Lana's curls bounce as she crosses her arms over her chest, giving the impression of a principal scolding a pupil.

"I'm afraid I'm going to need another hint."

Now she tosses her arms up as if it's obvious. "We're more than halfway through the trip and we haven't checked anything off our list!"

A tsunami of relief washes over me, releasing a giggle out of my throat. "I wasn't aware we had a list."

"Yeah, well, we do. It's right here," She points to her head. "And I blame Mia for distracting me every night." Her words don't hold the conviction they were supposed to. "So, I say we choose one of the landmarks within walking distance and go tonight. We only have a few more nights here. What do you think?"

As always, her enthusiasm is contagious. I have a small ache in my heart over not seeing Javi tonight, and I make a mental note to text him to let him know I won't be coming up. However, we are in Italy. And contrary to popular belief, I haven't been exploring the streets of Milan every night.

"I'm in."

One squeal from Lana and one outfit change later and the two of us were on our way to the Poldi Pezzoli Museum. We make it a few blocks before I pull out my GPS app. The streets were beautiful, but my Italian was limited to dessert menu items. I truly had no idea where we were going, and Lana was too busy staring up toward the sky at the architecture, the picture of tourism. Not that I blame her.

"Don't you know the way?" She asks, "You've been walking around every night for almost a week."

I feel my cheeks flush, and I hope the setting sun hides most of the pigmentation.

"You know me, Lan. If I have my headphones in, I'm not paying attention to anything."

Lana laughs lightly, and I breathe my second sigh of relief for the evening.

We take our time walking to the museum. We stop at Teatro alla Scala on the way, basking in the glory of an opera house older than Los Angeles itself. I feel a pang of guilt for not exploring this city more while I have been here.

As we continue toward the museum I realize that we have four more nights in the city. There's both a pressure and a release taking in the sights. A pressure to see as much as I possibly can and experience everything to it's greatest capacity, and also a release of control. For so long, my fear of flying kept me back from experiencing places like this. Not that the budget totally allowed for it, but I feel like if I let my fear go, I would have made moves to make it happen. And now I'm here. I'm in a city that feels like a dreamland with my best friend by my side, and a phone in my pocket filled with messages from someone who makes me feel like it's possible for this dream to continue. As Lana and I peruse the art, creating a healthy balance of cracking jokes and admiration, I feel more alive than I have in months. Possibly in years.

We end the night with wine in gelato, taking both back to our room. After laughing over nothing for several minutes, we both take a phone break. With the wine making its way through my system, I feel more emboldened to text Javi beyond my initial apology for missing out tonight.

Me: Can you explain to me why we haven't been exploring the city together?

He replies not even two minutes later.

Javi: I feel like we were a bit too busy "exploring" upstairs.

Javi: But I didn't know that you wanted to. I'd be happy to take you around :)

I bite back a smile, not wanting Lana to notice.

Me: I like "exploring" with you ;) but maybe we could go in disgsuie

Me: Disguise*

Javi: Disguise huh? Did you and Lana have some drinks by any chance?

Me: Seriously? One type-o and now I'm a lush?

Me: Also, yes.

Javi: I knew it. Pick out a wig for me, and I'm all yours. Wherever you wanna go.

Me: All mine???

Javi: Absolutely.

Most of the time, I think this sort of thing would gross me out. But here I am, sitting on the edge of my bed, swinging my feet like a little kid. I can feel the flush on my face, but now at least I have the wine to blame for that.

I feel Lana's foot nudge mine from the end of her bed.

"What's going on with you, smiley?"

I release a bubbly, wine-induced giggle. "I think that I'm...happy?"

Lana beams, "Well, it looks good on you."

I lay back, placing my hands on my stomach, releasing a contented sigh. It feels good on me too.

- - -

I try to hide my smile the rest of the day after Javi's text the next morning.

Javi: For the disguise?

The text had an accompanying picture of several wigs from the hair and makeup trailer.

Me: Not sure if Norwick would be cool with funding our antics

Javi: I bet you could convince them ;)

I had made it most of the day with my smile in check, now politely nodding as Alice explains the most helpful position for Dwayne to be in and when. I suppose that will be my position shortly. The more I listen to her, the more I realize how involved Dwayne's position is, and how many people there really are working underneath him. I appreciate him a little more for remembering my name, and considering me to take over for him. Though there is so much to learn, I'm liking the idea of organizing the PAs, especially with my recent experience, I can keep them from taking on too much. I also get the opportunity to be under a tent most of the twelve-hour day, which in this Italian sunshine, I'm grateful for.

By the time Lana and I arrive back home, we are both sweaty and exhausted.

"Rock, paper, scissors for the first shower?" Lana asks.

"It's all yours," I say, flopping on top of my duvet.

"Ugh, thank you." She grabs her toiletry bag and shuffles into the tiny bathroom . I close my eyes, trying to calculate how much sleep I've had in the past few days. I feel more tired at the end of today than I have in most of my years of working in L.A. So tired that I almost feel nauseous, and that's without running around as much as usual. Maybe the jet lag is catching up with me.

My thoughts are halted by a quick rapping on the door of my hotel room. I groan quietly to myself before rolling off the bed and making my way toward the door. I'm assuming it's housekeeping, but we had our 'do not disturb' hanger on our door. Javi most likely wouldn't come down now that he knew Lana was here, and he would have at least texted first. I also thought I overheard Alice talking about a cast dinner tonight to celebrate one of our last nights in Italy. Lloyd and Alice were both invited, and I'm assuming most of the cast would feel obligated to attend. Even without these facts, I would still be completely taken aback by who I see standing behind the peephole.

"Hey, Ava," Blake drawls through a sly smile as I open the door.

"Hi Blake...everything okay?" He looks like he's dressed for dinner in black dress pants and a gray button down. Much too fancy compared to the t-shirt and jeans most actors wear arriving to and from set.

"Absolutely. I was wondering if I could escort you to dinner?"

"Oh," I don't think I hide my shock very well, "Thank you, but I believe that's just for the cast. The crew members are all going to bed." I let out a nervous laugh. Why did him coming down here make me so nervous? I had barely even seen him around since the last time we spoke. I didn't feel nervous then. Granted I was motivated by my jealousy over Javi and Emma.

"Really? Well that's too bad..." Blake leans his hand on the doorway. "I had some questions I wanted to ask you."

Something about his smile and his tone is making my already nauseous stomach twist into knots.

"Blake, I don't want to be rude, but I need to be up early tomorrow. Would it be alright if you asked me or another PA those questions then?" I keep my tone bright, but I'm watching his face skeptically.

"That's the thing, Ava. You've already been pretty rude." He presses in the doorway now, and I take an involuntary step back to avoid the space between us growing any smaller.

"I'm sorry?" I almost scoff.

"You've been avoiding me all week. I thought I was going to give you some lessons." He wiggles his eyebrows, and bile rises up in my throat.

"I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but–"

Blake starts laughing quietly. "I don't have the wrong impression. And we're only shooting together for a couple more days." Blake has one hand on the door, propping it open, and the other resting on the frame. I've cowered back so much that he is craning his body down to whisper near my ear. "Wouldn't you want to experience all this place has to offer?"

I want to run, but I worry that would provoke him. I don't smell alcohol on his breath, but he is behaving like all his inhibitions have left him. All that is left is his ego and that rueful smile. So I just stay put, frozen, as he pulls back so that his forehead is almost resting on mine.

"C'mon, Ava. I know you like me in a suit."

"B-blake. You are making me uncomfortable," I manage with a shaky voice.

"Don't be a tease," His eyes heat with anger. His hand moves from the doorframe, and everything in my body screams out at me to run. Where would I go? Could I get past him into the hallway and make it to the stairs? I can't run back into my room. My window is too high to jump from. I feel his lanky fingers wrap around my waist, and I open my mouth. To what? Scream? I'm not sure I remember how. Is that too dramatic a reaction? The look on his face really does make me believe I'm going to be sick.

I have never in my life been so happy to hear the tiny bathroom door squeak open. Lana's confused expression meets my frightened one, and I can tell instantly that she understands.

"What's going on here?" She asks harshly.

Blake is startled backward, his hand leaving my waist to my relief. Maybe he didn't realize crew members have to share hotel rooms.

"I didn't know you had a guest." Blake keeps his smooth tone, but his eyes are searching for an explanation to his behavior.

"I'm not a guest. This is my room," She crosses her arms over her chest,"Do you need us to call hotel services for you or something? We're off the clock." Lana's brow is tilted upward, and despite the fact that her hair is in a towel, she might as well have been an executioner with her icy demeanor.

Blake lets out one, humorless laugh. "No, I don't need hotel services. I was just inviting Ava to dinner."

"Okay, we ate already. I guess you better leave so don't miss your reservations, huh?"

Blake's incredulous blue eyes dart between the two of us, clearly weighing his response.

"I suppose so," He hisses. "I guess I will save my questions for tomorrow." My heart drops to my stomach when he says that. "Have a good night ladies," He says, pulling the door shut behind him.

I slump against the wall, not sure if I want to vomit or cry. Lana stands still in the doorway of the bathroom, gauging my reaction. After a few moments, she moves to peek through the peephole.

"He's gone."

When she turns toward me, all of the iciness melted into concern, my eyes spring with tears.

"Did he–"

"No." I shake my head quickly. "Nothing really happened, he just grabbed my waist."

"But it was scary." She wasn't asking.

I nodded, a couple of tears sliding down my cheeks. "I...I messed up. I flirted with him the other day. Apparently I gave him all of those... ideas." The exhaustion of the day hits me again, the events of the past few minutes adding significant weight, and I sink to the floor. Lana sits next to me, crossing her legs the same way I did.

"Did you tell him to come to the room?" Lana asks gently.

"No. I told him to give me Italian lessons. I said he looked good in a suit." I roll my eyes, more tears forming. "There also was something about getting a drink sometime."

"Did you tell him to touch you?"

"Absolutely not." "Right. So you didn't give him any of those ideas. He came up with that bullshit all on his own."

I nod, keeping my eyes on the floor.

"Do you want to report him? We could talk to Lloyd or the union."

I take a deep breath, thinking it through. "No. We only have to work with him for another two days. He was only here for the location stuff."

Lana wraps an arm around my shoulders, "Okay. If you change your mind, you let me know. I'll go with you. I saw enough to corroborate your story, too."

Now I'm really crying. Lana holds me as I sniffle, and we stay like this for several minutes.

"Lana? There's more...the reason I was flirting with Blake."

"Oh, it wasn't his obviously charming personality that attracted you?"

I chuckle, dropping my head on her shoulder. "Shocking, I know. But no... I was trying to make Javi jealous." I'm glad that I can't see her face sitting like this. "It was super childish and I apologized to him. But Lans there's so much that's been going on. So much I haven't told you. And after that, I wonder if I've been ignoring how dangerous this could be. How much trouble I could get into."

Lana doesn't speak for a few moments, but her arm still remains wrapped around my shoulders.

"I figured. Not about the Blake thing, I had no idea. But somewhere between the wet bathing suit and all of your evening walks I felt like there was something more."

I pull back to look at her. She isn't angry, but she looks just as concerned as she did earlier.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Her smile is kind. "You could tell me now," She says with a squeeze of my shoulders.

I nod, sitting up straight and wiping the tears off my face. We move to the beds and I explain the missing pieces of these past few weeks. My surprise at my own jealousy, my mistake with Blake, my apology to Javi and some of the details of our first time. To Lana's credit, this is the most quiet she's been during any of my stories. She knew some of this, like our first date and how upset I'd been when we took a break. But even through her silence, I can tell by her eyes that she is shocked. When I get us caught up to today, I let out a breath, and wait for her reaction.

"So, to be clear, he is trying to protect your career, right?"

I nod. "And I want to protect his."

"And there isn't any part of you that thinks he's lying to purposely keep you under the radar?"

I resist rolling my eyes, "Not at all. I'm telling you Lana, it's different. He's kind. I just...I don't know, I just know."

Lana considers this, taking her hair down from her towel.

"I meant what I said before. You should be careful, feelings-wise." She sounds like a school teacher, but I can tell she has conceded in whatever further lecture she wanted to give me before.

I smile at her, and she slowly shakes her head. "Ava, leave it to you to choose the most complicated situationship possible as your first post-breakup fling."

I grab my pajamas out of my suitcase and finally head for the shower.

"That's just it, Lans," I say before closing the door, "I don't think it's a fling."

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