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shihalyfie · 4 years ago

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The Kaiser wasn’t very good at being a villain (and that’s the point, actually)

Ken’s journey of redemption is generally well-documented overall, and it was explicit enough in the series that there’s only so much you really need to explain it, but due to the blurred boundary of what was supernatural influence from the Dark Seed and what was Ken’s own emotional problems wreaking havoc, it’s somewhat more difficult to bridge that gap between the Kaiser and Ken, and how they can be the same person.

The easiest way to understand it comes from both directions. One is that Ken, even in his normal element, is much more assertive than he’s often given credit for -- it’s just that the Kaiser is a (fragile) manifestation of that very carefully cultivated to channel that in all of the wrong directions. The other has to do with the fact that the Kaiser is actually really terrible at being a villain, and the persona itself is very fragile and difficult for him to maintain.

Rewatching the first half of 02 shows multiple indications that, for all he seemed to be the stereotype “evil genius”, Ken was forcing himself into the mold. He was never cut out for it from day one. Even from the beginning, Ken’s actual nature as a lonely and inherently kind eleven-year-old child was tearing apart at the Kaiser persona, and the fateful episode 21 was not so much a single turning point for him as much as it was the last straw in a series of things tumbling down for him.

Before we continue: While all of the meta on this blog is only possible thanks to support and input from a handful of friends (whose names will not be disclosed on account of privacy requests), this one in particular arose from a long and extensive discussion with said friends that I am extremely grateful for. As always, I hope I was able to convey your points well.

Well, firstly, it’s important to understand that, much like nearly any other character in this series, Ken’s surface demeanor is a bit deceptive. The Crest of Kindness has the original Japanese name of yasashisa (優しさ), which has a secondary meaning of “gentleness” (lost in translation, but still apparent with the bubble metaphor in 02 episode 23). That also ties into the secondary meaning of “kind” -- it’s not just about being naturally “soft”, but actively choosing to be gentle with others even when you’re theoretically capable of not doing so. (For those of you who have seen Appmon, the entire point of that series was about what it means to consciously and deliberately choose to be kind, and, in fact, quite a few parallels could be made between Ken and Haru...)

The contrast between Daisuke and Ken goes far beyond just the surface. Daisuke’s surface demeanor is abrasive, but he’s not actually very good at being assertive until push comes to shove, and he otherwise tends to bend easily to others or get overwhelmed; in contrast, Ken has a more polite demeanor and for the most part seems non-confrontational, but has much stronger control of his emotions and is more easily able to be assertive than Daisuke is. (Of course, both of them share the common point of being like-minded when it’s something that really matters, but Ken is much better at imposing his will and getting what he wants done before Daisuke ever gets to that point, which is what fuels the whole punchline of Daisuke and Ken’s Shopping Carol.)

So, the point is: Daisuke is kind out of instinct and just “naturally” being so, but Ken is kind because he consciously believes in treating others well and not causing conflict, and not causing pain to others.

That’s not to say that Ken’s behavior is out of suppression or anything! It’s not a case like Takeru, who’s trying to push complicated emotions down while pretending they’re not boiling under the surface, nor is he like Hikari, who’s compulsively pressing her emotions down out of a desire not to burden others. Rather, even as early as 02 episode 26, he’s very straightforward about what his issue is and what he thinks about it. Ken’s “shyness” during the latter half of 02 is largely due to shame and hesitation from not knowing the other 02 kids well, but as the series goes on and as we go into post-02 material, he indicates that he’s perfectly wiling to be vocal about what he thinks without necessarily fighting any compulsion to suppress it. For someone who claims he doesn’t know much about his own heart, he arguably seems to have the best grip on understanding himself compared to a lot of this cast!

So in essence, the main take-home here is that Ken is theoretically capable of being strong-willed and assertive, and is very good at choosing when he wants to be assertive and when he wants to hold back. And he likes seeing people get along, and he wants everyone to be happy, and he doesn’t like seeing people be hurt or hurting others, and under normal circumstances, Ken has very good control of his emotions for the most part and quite a lot of self-awareness. That’s why Ken is the one to get the unique designation of this Crest; everyone in this cast can be said to be generous and supportive of others in some form, but there’s a difference between being a “natural” doormat who defers to others by default (Daisuke being a very good indicator of how this kind of mentality has a flip side of lack of self-esteem and high insecurity, and Tamers’s Takato being a good indication of how “being deferential” doesn’t necessarily preclude you from having tendencies towards selfishness or cowardice), versus choosing to be kind by understanding everything and still being gentle out of a belief that it’s the right thing to do (again: see Shinkai Haru). And it’s why Wormmon says in the 02 episode 23 flashback that Ken’s kindness can be used against him; being “kind” in this way requires a lot of mental fortitude, strength, and guts, all of which are things that could easily be very bad things when applied in the wrong direction.

This means that all the Dark Seed really needed to do in order to turn him into the Kaiser...was make him lose grip on that self-control.

Actually, Ken says it himself in less-than-subtle words in Spring 2003:

…It was revenge. But who was this revenge against? Did I want to triumph over the ones who made fun of me? The ones who looked down on me and used me? But… In the end, it was revenge against myself. I couldn’t do anything but deny the kind of human being that I was.

So in other words, the Kaiser persona was, effectively, a self-loathing eleven-year-old boy throwing a massive tantrum. A lot of the Kaiser’s actions in the first half of 02 are honestly rather petty -- he’s basically upset at the kids spoiling his holiday in 02 episode 6, he attempts torturing Daisuke out of a petty grudge over a soccer sliding tackle in 02 episode 8, and everything to do with expanding his territory and eventually (hopefully?) becoming ruler of the Digital World is frankly very sloppy. For all he’s said to be a genius, his genius only seems to extend to book smarts, and his “tactical planning abilities” never really expand beyond that of a soccer field sort of affair; his way of locking down control on other things is basically just “brainwash it harder” or “whip it harder” and applying harder brute force instead of doing something in the long-term like, say, trying to rule with charisma and recruiting allies.

(Again, bringing Appmon back into this, seeing Cloud in action will give you a much better example of a charismatic human villain who’s actually competent at his job. Or, heck, you can even look back at Savers’s Kurata, who at least was savvy enough to pull strings with people in powerful positions. Or even the Kaiser’s predecessor Saiba Neo from V-Tamer, who may have been openly sadistic but still had the sense to align himself with background power. Really, compared to all of these folks, the Kaiser is downright pathetic.)

Remembering that Ken fell into the Kaiser persona partially as a desperate attempt to become a “perfect person” like Osamu, Ken “imitated” Osamu’s cruelty to him because he felt that was how he could improve himself to become a “strong” person better than him. But the irony here is that Osamu’s “cruelty” was something that he himself never liked, and mainly came from lashing out at Ken due to feeling like he had a lack of control over his own life. So Osamu was never happy in that position, and Ken, who is indirectly pointed out via the bubble metaphor to be even more fundamentally inclined towards gentleness, is probably even more miserable.

Because everything Ken does as the Kaiser is “unfocused lashing out at everyone”, the Kaiser has less control over his emotions than Ken normally would. Takeru manages to emotionally pin him to a corner by confronting him with enough assertion in 02 episode 19 (this is before he punches him), and correctly points out that the Kaiser isn’t capable of winning with words (i.e. ideologically) and resorts to violence as the first thing he can think of. You’d think that if the Kaiser were actually someone with the self-confidence to consider the other Chosen Children beneath him, he wouldn’t even bother giving them the time of day, but Takeru just happening to be a little assertive is enough to make him lose his composure and start falling apart, and a lot of his shaken “insects!” yelling comes from him seeming pretty desperate to cling onto that rather than being all that confident about his natural superiority over anyone. 02 episode 20 establishes that he’s getting himself in over his head by tampering with the powers of darkness he can’t control, and while, on a plot level, it means that he’s misjudged his own capabilities, on a metaphorical level, it corresponds to the fact that even Ken himself is incapable of getting himself out of the emotional abyss he’s in.

And on the flip side, one of the biggest “tells” that Ken is still miserable during all of this is 02 episode 9, where he’s seen ruminating on the “glory” he’s getting in the real world despite having just decided to leave it all behind. The episode prior, after all, had been called “The Digimon Kaiser’s Loneliness”. The media is using him like some kind of “hot topic”, his parents’ affection (in his mind) is shallow and based only on his achievements, and he has no friends (how much of a role Akiyama Ryou played in his childhood is unclear, but either way, he’s no longer around now). With no emotional support coming from any direction in the real world, he’s resorting to at least trying to have some “fun” in what he perceives to be a “game”, and yet he’s still not having fun at all.

If you look carefully at a lot of the Kaiser’s actions during the first half of the series, one thing you’ll notice is that there are multiple indications that he’s not quite up to par to being as sadistic as you’d think he’d be. Recalling that we learn in 02 episodes 20-21 that the Kaiser is under the impression that the Digital World is like a game that he can “reset” and the Digimon in it not real living beings, it has interesting implications of the fact that he’s actually very hesitant to physically harm other human beings -- he certainly likes emotionally toying with them, but even when he’s trying to take petty revenge on Daisuke in 02 episode 8, he goes out of his way to set up a trap with Bakemon to torture him rather than, well, actually using the kids as hostages. That’s a hell of a lot of work to do, but he instead uses this extremely roundabout way to get them out of the picture in a somewhat less harmful way, risking having them escape (which is exactly what happens).

And in 02 episode 19, when Takeru confronts him and he ends up whipping him, you can hear a slight “...gh?” in the Japanese audio for a split second right after that, meaning that the Kaiser is, for some reason, having a hard time dealing with the fact that he just hit Takeru, and he does a very poor job defending himself against Takeru punching him out despite ostensibly being trained in judo. (Seriously, if you watch the animation of the scene, he’s just lying there while Takeru repeatedly punches the hell out of him, because he’s so out of it.) Regarding the Digimon, he’s convinced himself that they’re not living beings, but regarding the human Chosen Children, who undeniably are, no matter how much he might look down on them, he has a suspiciously hard time harming them as much as he could...

On top of that, one interesting question that might come up to one rewatching the first half of 02 is the strange “contradiction” of why the Kaiser ostensibly seems to hate Wormmon so much, calling him an unworthy idea of a partner in 02 episodes 10 and 19, and yet does remarkably little to get Wormmon away from him or off his case (he hates Wormmon calling him “Ken-chan”, yet doesn’t really try very hard to stop him). He could have easily locked Wormmon away in a cage or something if he really wanted to -- actually, there’s the question, why doesn’t he slap an Evil Ring on him? Because in the end, Wormmon is the only emotional support he’s really getting, and so it’s likely he unconsciously doesn’t want to lose that. Recalling that Digimon are fundamentally linked to the inner self, the Kaiser rejecting Wormmon for being “weak” is analogous to Ken rejecting his own self for being “weak” and “not perfect” -- which means that the fact he still keeps Wormmon around is analogous to the fact that Ken hasn’t really been able to bring himself to completely let his fundamental nature go. And, hence, it’s why he gets so initially incensed at Wormmon’s “betrayal” at 02 episode 10 (and yet still keeps him around despite that), and is ultimately emotionally destroyed by his death in 02 episode 21.

Although, actually, if you look carefully at 02 episode 21, it’s not quite Wormmon’s death that necessarily does it -- the turning point where he sheds the Kaiser persona is right before that (and in case you have any doubts, the animation puts highlights in his eyes for the first time in the series right at that point). Wormmon’s death is the first major consequence of his actions that he has to deal with, but what actually brought Ken back to his senses was his own realization that Digimon are living beings, that his actions have had permanent effects this whole time, and that he can’t take back anything he’d done.

Remember that 02 is a series that is largely about moving on and accepting that you can’t change the past, and that you have to move forward regardless of that. Ken’s fall into sadism was only possible by driving him into extremely deep-seated denial -- he was already starting to face the potential reality of Digimon being real, existing beings in the real world an episode prior. He says, outright, in 02 episode 21, that part of the reason he came to the Digital World to do all of this was escapism -- and, presumably, under the idea that any mistake he made could be rolled back and redone, unlike Osamu’s death. But the Digital World is not a place you can reset like a game, Ken will have to live with the consequences of his actions again, and moreover, every single one of the actions he’d been convincing himself were relatively meaningless had caused severe and permanent harm, and the entire thing overwhelms him.

It’s also important to point out that this was probably where the Dark Seed had to work a lot of magic to get Ken to embrace this kind of denial so easily -- after all, it’s established in the final quarter of the series that it does have a tangible impact on personality and puts a damper on one’s ability to feel empathy. In the flashback in 02 episode 23, regardless of whether Ken considered the Digital World to be a “game” or “able to be reversed” or not, he clearly still didn’t care and treated those around him with proper kindness (even if he did consider it to be all of that, it probably wouldn’t have been entirely unlike how a lot of us have a hard time picking rude choices in video games). It’s a very complicated chain reaction of events that allowed this to be even possible, and it was so against his fundamental nature that once the denial broke and Ken reached his limit, he wasn’t able to do it anymore. The Chosen Children’s main role in 02 episode 21 was really just cleaning up the massive mess he’d made in the form of Chimeramon, but as far as the whole thing about the Kaiser’s persona completely falling apart and Ken being forced to confront his own self goes, that was pretty much all Ken and Wormmon, in a series of dominoes that had already been collapsing for episodes on end.

The following episodes have Ken treat the 02 team with a certain amount of detachment, and this is often construed by a handful of people as being reflective of Ken being standoffish of some sort. The fact that Daisuke and Ken are often promoted in franchise materials as “rivals” mainly due to them being in the “protagonist and right-hand-man” position such characters are in might tempt you to think that way, but they are most definitely not!! (Considering that even saying that Taichi and Yamato fit that mold is a bit questionable, and neither Ruki nor Jian quite fulfill the expectations of the role in regards to the genre-subverting Tamers, Frontier, which is explicitly said to be deliberately written to be conventional, is probably the first proper execution of this trope in the form of Takuya and Kouji.) Ken’s detachment from the group at this time in the series is something he actually gives the reason for quite directly: he believes it’s his fault and doesn’t want to burden them with what he considers to be his job, and in the end Daisuke ultimately breaks through to him and they become completely normal friends who get along. “Rival” what?

Ken is, at worst, distant during this point of the series, but he’s actually very straightforward about what he wants and intends to do; it’s just that he’s being a bit blunt about it because he’s still drowning in his shame and not sure how to approach them. (Also, consider the fact he was rather lacking in friends or a support group before all of this; he doesn’t have a lot of experience in socializing, either.) So he keeps everyone at arm’s length, and the reason he comes off as so standoffish is because he’s so assertive! He directly and bluntly makes some very strong remarks about how he believes everyone else shouldn’t be getting involved! Again, when left to his own devices and not being manipulated into by a supernatural evil seed into multiple levels of denial, Ken is very in control of what he wants and thinks, and is even very open about speaking his mind.

That’s even when they’re not good decisions, mind you. Ken starts off the climax of 02 episode 26 being very firm about wanting to suicidally throw himself into the reactor in order to stop it, and 02 episode 30 has him consider himself a burden to the team after the fallout with Iori and try to stay out of it despite them very badly needing his presence, which Daisuke (of all people!) rightfully calls him out for being childish about. But he also listens to reason very quickly and acknowledges the others’ point very easily, with Daisuke reminding him in 02 episode 26 that his suicidal recklessness is actually pretty self-centered and short-sighted of him, since it’ll prevent him from doing anything else to take responsibility for his actions going forward, and Miyako, uh, slapping him in 02 episode 30. (But he comes quietly right away as if acknowledging his own idiocy, and never holds it against her thereafter.)

Nevertheless, the point is: you can see that this kind of assertiveness is the same kind of assertiveness he had as the Kaiser, just channeled in a different direction and for a different purpose. But as the Kaiser, he was angrily lashing out at anything and everything and stepping on anything he could just so he could have a show of power; once he comes back to his senses, he reserves that force for it being something he consciously believes is the right thing to do (regardless of whether it’s actually the right thing to do or not).

Because of the fact Ken spends a lot of the last quarter of 02 suffering and parsing a lot of trauma, a lot of people have tended to pin him as constantly sad and being a soft crybaby, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Despite all the emotional pain he goes through, Ken has a hell of a ton of strength through all of this -- he even flings a well-aimed quip at Oikawa in 02 episode 44 despite being in a completely helpless situation, and in 02 episode 45 he himself is the one who volunteers to open the gate to the Dark Ocean, despite knowing exactly what it entails. That takes a lot of guts, and all things considered, his recovery from being the Kaiser spans only four months and is altogether incredibly fast given what he went through -- it did not take long for him to regain his bearings and get himself back on track. Again, it’s the same kind of “assertiveness” and capacity for action that fuels what the Kaiser did, just better controlled and in a direction Ken knows he actually wants.

This is also why I tend to object to insinuations that Ken would be overly touchy about or traumatized by the mere discussion of him being the Kaiser in the aftermath of 02, because the series itself, multiple times, portrayed him as being very able to talk about his experiences bluntly and honestly, at worst maybe considering it a bit of an awkward topic. He has no problems admitting that it was a thing that happened, especially if it involves discussing it as part of taking responsibility or preventing further damage -- it’s just that he of course doesn’t enjoy it either, and is equally as open about the shame he feels as a result. All of the times Ken loses his composure in the latter half of 02 involve either physical pain being inflicted on him, or a lot more actively vicious invocation of his memories and insecurities, and even then he gets himself back on his feet with a rather prompt amount of speed. Poorly timed of a statement as it may have been, Miyako is not incorrect when she says in 02 episode 31 that he has a certain amount of natural resilience that he carried from being the Kaiser.

All the way back in 02 episode 9, shortly after it was revealed to the group that Ken was the Kaiser, Iori, Hikari, and Takeru all label Ken as someone who doesn’t look like someone who could do something so horrible, and Hikari even says that his smile looks “gentle” (note that this is yasashisou, a word derived from the same root word used for his Crest). So in other words, even all three of them were able to catch on to his actual nature betraying himself even during that awful period of time. It’s still poking through, all things considered.

But we as the audience know he’s putting on that face for the camera, and his eyes are still as dead-eyed as they are for the first half of the series, and when Miyako accidentally makes him laugh during the Christmas party in 02 episode 38, it’s very much framed as probably the first time Ken has been this genuinely happy in a long while. He was never able to be this happy even when “satisfying” himself by stepping on others as the Kaiser.

And that’s why it’s so extremely unlikely that Ken will ever be able to lapse back into the Kaiser persona after the events of 02, even with the Dark Seed technically still inside his neck. He wasn’t enjoying it anyway; the Kaiser persona wasn’t a habit that he fell into out of emotional suppression or even catharsis, but rather him forcing himself into a role he was never comfortable in to begin with. He was never truly satisfied with anything he was getting out of it, and moreover, it took the combination of supernatural influence and a hell of a lot of denial to allow it to get that far in the first place, because of how far against his fundamental nature that was. (Again, for those of you who have seen Appmon: think about what it would take to get Haru to embrace sadism.) Even Osamu wasn’t enjoying being cold; being kind and living your life with positivity is a lot more fulfilling and fun, anyway.

In 02 episode 48, Ken describes the influence of the Seed as “horrible” in retrospect; even if it didn’t involve physical pain and exhaustion the way it did for the Dark Seed children, the entire experience sucked even back then. And while Ken theorizes about the Dark Seed’s influence being countered by the power of love earlier in the episode, when you look at the whole of 02, it’s not just his family’s love -- Ken now has the emotional support of his family, and Wormmon, and his newfound friends, and that’s giving him all of the fulfillment he wanted that putting on a front of sadism wasn’t giving him, and he doesn’t really need anything else anymore.

02 itself is very much about the fact that it’s not a bad thing to rely on the support of others to be happy; the Ken and Kaiser are undoubtedly the same person, but the latter’s existence requires a very specific lineup of events and factors to happen, and one of the massive parts behind that was a severe lack of emotional support or anyone who properly understood him. And by the end of the series, Ken has more than enough strength of heart to accept everything that’s happened and move on, and to stop reaching out to denial and clinging onto the past, and he has emotional support and understanding from a whole new group of friends that thoroughly understand everything he did and went through, and wholeheartedly accept and love him anyway.

He is never going to have a gaping hole in his life like that again.

#digimon #digimon adventure 02 #ichijouji ken #ken ichijouji #shihameta

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hobipaint · 4 years ago

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Sunshine, Inc. - Los Angeles

summary: Every trip for Hoseok is the same. Show them around, take pictures, let them eat, souvenirs, back home. It's easy to smile while doing this, but over the years, he's been on the same route - travelling the world the same way, chasing the sun in one direction. It's only obvious that his awe has reduced. To his surprise, though, there's someone who can rival his disinterest - you.

• genres: fluff, angst

• warnings: mild cursing (like once or twice), kinda unreal depictions of world tours?

• frustrated tour guide! hoseok × frustrated developer! reader, s2l.

• word count: 5.5K

• this chapter was beta read by @hantaev who kept up with me bothering her about the smallest of things so thank you so much you angel 🥺💞

moodboard for this chapter

teaser 《 series masterlist 》 next chapter

"Wakey-wakey, folks! It's a brand new-"

"Oh god, not this shit again." One hand smacked the poor Mickey Mouse alarm clock down the bedside table, a loud groan filling the dark silence of the apartment.

Hoseok had grown used to waking up way before sunrise, giving enough time for his smile to dawn on his face with the first rays of the sun. Years of being a tour guide, waking up early for flights, dealing with angry and disgruntled tourists and making wake up calls at the crack of dawn had prepared him. Yet, after the fifth year of this job and three weeks of a well-deserved break, he didn't want to wake up. Resisting the need to get lost within the covers, away from the cacophony of the world was hard. But jobs didn't care about his beauty sleep.

Fumbling around with his blanket, he pulled it off himself - instantly shivering at the cold that January brought upon him. Whatever had made him sleep shirtless in this weather? He mumbled to himself, occasionally humming broken tunes off the records gifted to him by his parents.

A click, lights on, and Hoseok squinted at himself in the bathroom mirror. Faint lines of exhaustion marred his forehead, small wrinkles around the crinkles of his eyes. High cheekbones glimmered perilously in the white light, lips upturned in a half grimace. A small stubble had collected at his chin in the few weeks he hadn't shaved. He sighed, grabbing an electric razor out of the cabinet along with his toothbrush and toothpaste. There was a lot of work to be done before he could look presentable.

Half an hour later, with a towel wrapped around his waist and a hand towel wiping the back of his neck, Hoseok walked into his closet. He was meeting his tour group for the first time, so semi-formal? Casual? But they were a bunch of corporates, so formal should be fine - no. It would be torture for them to see formal again. Casual it is.

Grabbing onto a pair of jeans, a white sweatshirt, overcoat, the tour agency's cap and sunglasses, he dressed himself while deciding what clothes he would pack at the last moment. His job profile was such that he always kept two suitcases packed - freshly laundered at all times - so all he really needed to pack was his essentials, tickets and maybe a set of clothes for any emergencies in his cabin baggage.

Slipping a packet of BandAids into the front zip of his bag, he pulled out a list of necessary medications to recheck the first aid kit he kept packed, and a list of those in the group who had specific allergens. There were some pollen allergens, one with an allergy to soya and one with an allergy to mushrooms. There were certain dislikes penned down as well, but Hoseok snapped the file shut - he already had enough of a headache.

By 6 A.M., Hoseok looked at his travel ensemble, all neatly laid out in front of him. In three hours he had groomed himself, done his daily recitation to ensure he remembered all the languages he spoke (one language itself can be really hard to recall at the crack of dawn, forget eight), prepared his clothes, skincare, itinerary and slicked a little gel onto his raven hair. Sipping a few sips of his freshly brewed espresso, he allowed himself to breathe after all the work. On his first ever trip, he had gloated on seeing his preparation for a tour - he felt proud of his job. Now, it just became another job on his checklist to tick off.

Hoseok picked his phone up and called his fellow tour guide, Neha. The normally chirpy girl was subdued as she answered, voice low and sonorous. He enjoyed the small talk as he checked off the tourists they had to pick up, learning that Neha's boyfriend would be on the tour as well - he would in the teasing he could subject the girl to later.

At 7 A.M., he rose up from his kitchen counter, elbows tired from resting against the cold marble for so long. He stretched his arms, rolled his shoulders, rolled his ankles, and tried to relax himself. The first jitters had never gone for him; there was always an anxiety of sorts to fulfill the demands of people he had never met before. Passport in hand, he stuffed his pocket with some candies to help with the in-flight pressure and popped a peppermint in his mouth.

Hoseok grabbed his bags and dragged them to the ground floor of his apartment, walking outside to wait for the bus. The sleek white Volvo bus was scheduled to reach at 7:20 A.M., and right as the second hand on his Mickey watch pointed to 12, it turned around the avenue to entertain his lane. Waving to the bus with one hand, he half-ran, half-jogged up till the bus.

The driver turned to him, smiling. "Ready for another trip, young man?"

Hoseok nodded and smiled at him, hoping it didn't look like a grimace. Here's to another trip he didn't ask for.

L.A. traffic in the morning was light, compared to the evenings Hoseok had to stay out with coworkers. Just another bland observation in the many Hoseok made in the morning. Like the asphalt being dark grey. The bus being loud and bumpy. The athletic people always showing off their abs.

Speaking of which, Hoseok had lost his abs, and he was glad that he could eat fries without texting a gym instructor every twenty seconds. Unhealthy, but liberating.

The bus smoothly glided over asphalt, the driver regaling him with tales of his son's wedding. Apparently, Mr. Khan (he learnt that he preferred Uncle, as almost all at the tourism agency called him) had been a driver with the agency for ten years now. Recently, he had been asked to retire - he was, after all, an old man - but he loved his job and kept wanting to do it.

"There's something magical about seeing people be amazed with the same, monotonous things you see everyday," he had said, hands steady at the 10 and 2 o'clock positions. "You know, the air is different, the clothes, the food, the people, just everything. And I love being there to see that. I'm sure you get me, don't you?"

And while Hoseok appreciated the sentiment, he couldn't quite bring himself to share it.

He doesn't remember when this vocation became a job. When it felt like a burden to guide people in places he knew like the back of his hand, rather than an adventure.

"Our first stop will be the Youngs. They're Chinese, fluent in English. Family of five." Uncle informed Hoseok, though he already was aware. He appreciated the reminder, though - Hoseok was too busy focusing on the fog collected on the windows.

Turning onto their curve, Hoseok prepared himself. Putting on a smile, running through English and Mandarin pleasantries in his mind, rubbing his palms to ease the nervousness.

The bus slowly came to a stop, Uncle pressing on the horn to alert them. Five people- the one in a suit seemed to be the corporate worker in his twenties. There was a young woman holding his arm, free hand linked with a child that clutched an orange lolly in their hand. A smaller baby was held in the arms of the suited man, with an older woman fussing over the two of them.

Ugh, they're the family type. Hoseok was familiar with such types- demanding children and parents that spoiled them, assuming tour guides to be babysitters. As much as Hoseok loved children, he didn't want to drag kids as extra baggage with him everywhere. Especially not on a world tour, come on.

The hydraulic gates slowly eased themselves open, with a ramp being ejected from the exterior of the bus. Hoseok jumped out to greet them, help their baggage into the storage of the bus- all while chatting amiably with the family. Chris, as he had introduced himself, was the one to insist that families join the tour when deciding on the dates. Darn him.

His wife and sister, as he had introduced them, climbed aboard the bus and made their way to the last seats; and then, with a change in mind, headed to the second last seats. Hoseok was satisfied with this, at least he wouldn't have to suffer with small talk about how exciting his job must be. Chris, however, gave his sleeping baby- a son, barely a year old- to his wife, and grabbed onto his daughter, making his way to the front rows. It was to greet everyone, he said, and to make his daughter more comfortable.

The five year old simply slurped noisily at her lolly, orange juice (which was just food colouring, but that's an argument for later) slipping down her chin; before she boisterously announced that she wanted to be a tour guide like - she looked expectantly at him for a name, eyes blinking rapidly.

Hoseok smiled while crying on the inside. "You can call me Hobi."

The girl grinned, orange stained teeth with two incisors missing displayed in a large beam.

One down, twenty four more to go.

Hoseok swore he was a peaceful man.

At the Los Angeles International Airport, it was a peaceful morning. Flights were taking off, landing, air crew and ground crew meeting to ensure smooth trips. Those at check in counters were handling web check ins, baggage checks and were giving pleasantries as if they were dolled up robots.

That is, until their tour group walked in.

Having rendezvoused with Neha and her team, collected boarding passes for their flight to London and having resisted gouging his eyes out when he saw Neha and her boyfriend- another corporate hotshot who lived his life in his suit- cuddling at almost 9 A.M., Hoseok felt he wasn't prepared enough for this group.

"Jaideep Singh, nice to meet you," he had introduced himself, one hand wrapped around his partner's waist.

Hoseok smiled, hoping it was a pleasant one. "Hoseok Jung. I'll be your tour guide along with Neha."

"Thank you, but she's going to be all I need," he nuzzled Neha's neck, the latter squirming in happiness as she juggled boarding passes. Ugh.

A couple of squeals were heard, and Hoseok turned to face them. The women who had come without their partners, or didn't have any, had chosen to uwu over every single couple (nice pun Hoseok) they could.

In the plethora of families and couples on this trip, there were roughly ten singles - eight women and two men.

The two men had instantly warmed up to Hoseok, introducing themselves as Taehyung and Jungkook - both just as tired as the tour guide with the mushiness and romance prevailing in the bus. Both were just a few years younger to him, and both came on this trip because it was an all expenses paid trip. Both also believed in travelling with only backpacks - which explained them chilling with coffees as others hustled to find their black bags in a sea of black suitcases. They said they were developers for some hotshot company, and they would go anywhere if they were getting it for free.

Honestly, whoever sponsored this trip was high when they decided on a world tour.

The women had all been on different scales of sleepiness when he first met them, so he wouldn't know much - not that he wished to. Hoseok first had a chance to meet Noor, a quiet, sober woman with a tinkling laughter that he had the opportunity to hear once. She had had her morning espresso already, clutching onto a large Americano as she walked in, plugged in her earphones to sleep and had waited till the first few tourists had come in to wake up and greet everyone.

Samantha was his fifth pickup, and oh god, did she remind him of the typical American tourist. Black, sleeveless shirt, with a low V cut, denim shorts that hugged her lean, lithe figure, sunglasses perched on her nose, head covered in a bucket hat, two large black suitcases lying next to her as she waited with her hands on her hips. The moment she got in, she greeted everyone with a loud "Morning!", engaging in more small talk as she made her way down the aisle to an empty seat. As everyone climbed in, she'd shout more pleasantries to them, obnoxiously going on about herself, her life, the company, the weather, her new socks, the dog she left with her cousin- Hoseok felt like he could write a whole biography on her by now.

Not to mention, she had a fanny pack. Hoseok wanted to scream.

Hoseok had not met the other women, only briefly introducing himself to the remaining six. However, in the split seconds he had seen the women together, they were all talking as if they were long lost best friends (could be a possibility, as they worked in the same field).

And Hoseok wishes he could just stand like them, doing nothing but talking, but he has a job to return to. Unfortunately so.

Having ensured that all the members of his group had checked in their baggage safely, ensured that everything was under the limit and no illegal items were in the cabin baggage (he had to stop three fights, and one of them was over diapers), Hoseok led his group to the security check. There were forty seven people in his group, and fifty three in Neha's, so technically, he got off luckier. But looking at how peacefully Neha handled her group, versus his group's rather frantic process of doing everything, Hoseok wanted to sit and cry.

What in the world made him want to do this job? Babysit a bunch of adults (and a few babies, but he'd ignore them) in their sojourn around the world? He was certain, when he started out, that it was easier than this. Or, that it would ease up as time went on. 23 year old Hoseok was an idealistic idiot.

He somehow managed to get the men through the check, not wanting to go the women's side out of decency. Waiting expectantly, he tried to keep a check on everyone in his group, feeling his eyeballs hurt. Jungkook and Taehyung had made their way over to duty free, having no qualms about spending as much of their salary they could on nonsense 'tourist items' - that, in fact, were scams. Hoseok could speak from experience.

Some families had headed over to pick gifts and chocolates to gift loved ones in other places along the way, while some had been eyeing the alcohol bottles stacked up in one corner. There were some men and women eagerly sniffing perfumes, one of them bursting into a sneeze after every sniff. There were some heading to the lounge ahead, seating themselves and stretching themselves out. Parents took their kids to the large glass windows, noses pressed against them as they pointed out various airlines. Hoseok stared longingly at the gates from the security check, waiting for them to start boarding the flight; he desperately needed a good eight hour sleep before entering the chaos this trip would be.

Once every person had cleared the security check, (with a minor hassle about Gatorade, of all things- Hoseok watched the couple chug four bottles together) they all lost themselves in the duty free. Hoseok had wedged himself between the racks of bookshelves, pretending to browse through fashion magazines - finding them the only things he could bear at 10 A.M. He had had his shorts tugged at by small kids, eagerly screaming for 'Hobi' to show them plushies, and he was scurried off to help find one Winnie the Pooh from a bunch that all looked the same.

Their flight was at 12, and boarding would begin at 11 - Hoseok gazed expectantly at the ticking clocks to move faster. It didn't. Sighing in disappointment - time never moves faster - Hoseok grabbed a bagel and a cup of coffee, stuffing himself with as much as he could before lunch was served on the flight; he would need to have a minimum of two plates for all the energy he would spend after that.

Settling onto a seat, he clutched his ugly, agency given duffel bag close to him, using it as a makeshift tray for his bagel to rest on while he inhaled the rich coffee - the bag was cheap anyways, he could replace it sometime later if spoilt. His arm rested on the armrest as he took a long sip, cursing in Korean and in happiness afterward. "Fuck, that's good."

"I didn't know our guide spoke Korean." Came a sudden reply, Hoseok almost breaking his neck to see who it was. One of the women of the group, who had turned up in the morning in a shirt and denim jeans, with sunglasses inside an airport and what was seeming like a lot of makeup - how do women get the strength? - had seated herself next to him. "Y/N. I'm travelling with you guys, I was part of Neha's group."

Hoseok awkwardly smiled - as well as you can smile with a cream cheese bagel in your mouth. Swallowing it hastily, he apologised for cursing, and took a long drag from his coffee.

"It's alright, curse all you want." You stretched yourself, sneaker clad feet flying into the air. "There's only a bunch of Korean speakers here, and most of us are only here because it's free. The rest are away trying to flirt," she pointed at a man talking to Samantha, obviously flirting with casual touches and sweet words. " And I wasn't interested in this to begin with."

Hoseok took another drag of his coffee, humming.

"You're not hanging out with anyone else right now? No friends here?"

"I'm sitting here because we're seated next to each other on the plane." Y/N shrugged. " I do have friends, but I don't want to chase them while they're with their families, you know."

"I see. Well then, have fun on the trip."

She shrugged again. "I'll try, I guess."

And Hoseok wanted to pry further, but he let it be, downing the rest of his coffee in silence. He couldn't care any more after a point as long as he got his paycheck.

The announcer called for passengers flying from Los Angeles to London; the same, monotone voice Hoseok had heard for years now.

He got up, dusting his duffel bag and setting the strap onto his shoulder, before grabbing the ridiculous flag that he had to carry around -like a baton for a herd of sheep to follow - and told everyone around him to start lining up for their flight. He himself stood near the counter, ready to tick off names and prepare himself for the craziness the next few months would be.

Static cracked over the speakers of the plane, injecting itself into the loud amusement and hullabaloo of the passengers. Hoseok craned his ears to hear the pilot, hoping that the flight was cancelled- along with the trip.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen and enbies, I'm Smith Johnson. I'll be your lead pilot today, along with co-pilot and twin Dwayne Johnson -he asks me to mention that he's not The Rock™ - and our lovely head of cabin crew, Angelina. We will be here for your service throughout the flight to London, the United Kingdoms. Local time is 11:30 A.M., the weather is on the cold side, with temperatures around 55°F. I'd recommend keeping yourself warm, and if needed, our crew has blankets for all passengers.

We will be in the air for about 11 hours, depending on when the ATC gives us an all clear; and I will be more than willing to speed up as much as we can to reduce the travel time. Current time in London is 7 P.M., with an eight hour time difference, so I suggest you don't think too much about it and rest.

The screens in front of you have been updated with 23 new movies, be sure to see as many as you can, but catch some sleep as well. Some time in the air, and our crew will begin serving meals - both pre-booked and options to buy now. Menus will be in your seat pockets, do browse through them. Other than that, I hope you have an enjoyable flight, and thank you for flying with Virgin Atlantic."

As the air hostesses began preparing for takeoff, the safety manual started playing on the screen- first in English, then Spanish, and lastly, French. Having seen it so many times, Hoseok could recite the entire procedure by heart, one eye snapping shut to prepare to sleep.

Of all the seats Hoseok could receive in a plane, he was put in a middle seat. Window meant that you could stare into nothingness for hours, aisle meant that you could judge everyone. Middle seats meant that you were feeling like a bag of potatoes, meant to be tossed around the whole flight. Getting up for someone to go to the restroom, passing trays of food, being an unwanted eavesdropper to unwanted conversations and in short, anyone was bound to be annoyed in that seat.

Hoseok could have switched his seat with the five year old kid next to him - another amongst the crowd of young ones - but the parent, whom Hoseok recalled as a senior person in the corporate framework by his burly, suit-clad figure, had plopped the kid down and raised a menacing eyebrow - universal language for 'take care of him'. Hoseok had zero intentions of taking care of a kid on an eleven hour flight, but it was the job of a tour guide to cater to whatever their clients needed, he thought.

He stared at someone from his group repeatedly pressing the button to call a stewardess over, and then demanding that the meals be given straight away as he was a hungry person. Hoseok sighed at the sight - the flight was yet to take off and his terrors had already begun. The requests turned into a one-sided screaming match, with the man saying that he would lodge a complaint (hell no) and that he was not being given his due service (what even?). The stewardess looked quite awkward, glancing at other passengers apologetically as she assured him service after take off was completed. It still didn't seem satisfactory enough, it seemed; the other cabin crew stood close by to help if things went south. Hoseok got up, gently shoving the child aside to try and resolve the matter. After all, it is the job of a tour guide to take care of all the guests. Make sure they're comfortable. Even if they're all being assholes.

Just eleven hours, he convinced himself. Just eleven hours, and we'll be in London.

Three hours into the flight, and the air hostesses had started lining up trolleys in the aisles of the plane - which meant that anyone with a tingling in their lower regions to pee would have to clench their bladder for the next hour. Aromas of food spread through the air, tenderly cooked chicken breast and mashed potatoes set in one box with a side of bread, butter and packed yogurt. A can of juice was precariously placed in the spot designated for glasses, and you were currently munching on salad, the salt and pepper pitifully left aside.

Hoseok looked on in distaste, his meal wiped out within a few moments of him starting to eat. He was a hardworking man who had to put up with dealing with a good hundred strangers in the morning, of course he had been hungry. The air hostess had been asked to search for another platter for him, hopefully with something other than what he had just wolfed down - as hungry as he was, mashed potatoes were a pass.

His co-passenger - you, on the other hand, were trying everything delicately; fork, knife and spoon all placed neatly at the edge of the tray, picking each to take a small morsel of whatever you wanted to take in your next bite. Within a few moments, Hoseok could build a rhythm for how your jaw would move with each bite, and the wince your lips would form after swallowing all of it.

Gently placing the cover back on the box, you reached for the packet of ice cream sandwiches. To Hoseok's surprise, there had been two - they didn't live long enough to even melt, giving Hoseok a brain freeze as he put both in his mouth at the same time and scarfed it down. You, on the other hand, took a small nibble of one, the other left inside, and rested it on the tissues you had arranged on the plate.

Hoseok sighed. Another uncultured person.

"Is something the matter?" Y/N asked him, eyes giving a mere glance at the tour guide's bright yellow duffel bag with his agency's name printed on it. It looked peaky, to say the least.

"Uh, nothing." Hoseok turned his body away from you, squaring his shoulders and angling himself towards the aisle. The air hostess should be here with his plate any time. "Actually", he couldn't stop himself from saying, "you're supposed to eat the whole thing at one go."

You stared at him, unamused. "Ice cream sandwiches."

"Yeah."

"At one go."

Hoseok nodded, eyes widening, a small smile on his face as if trying to convince you with his actions. "It's the only way to respect its legacy. Have it at one go, feel the power of ice cream."

"Nah, I'd rather not do that." You said, calmly taking another nibble of the sandwich and placing it back. "There's multiple ways to honour ice cream that are not detrimental to my brain."

Why bother asking then, Hoseok wanted to exclaim, but he kept his wise words to himself.

After ten seconds of excitedly bouncing his ankles up and down in anticipation for the food, Hoseok could feel a hand slapping his left shoulder.

The little kid had already seen Zootopia, after Hoseok put it on for him. Luckily, the kid was a quiet one - with occasional giggles in the funny parts and no loud wailing in the sad parts.

(Did Zootopia have sad parts? Right, the part where Nick and Judy become friends again. Moving on.)

"Can you put another movie for me, please?" the kid asked Hoseok, hand coming to fist the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

Hoseok smiled at the kid while tugging his hand away from his sweatshirt - he didn't want creases only three hours into the trip. "Sure. Which one?"

The kid settled on Madagascar after probably five minutes of deliberating, and he thanked him politely before giving a wide smile.

Kids are cute, Hoseok thought. Only when they are well behaved.

The airhostess, Stella - a woman whom Hoseok had seen more times in the past five years than his own mother - brought a plate of baked mac and cheese, salad, an odd-looking yogurt and more ice cream . Beaming at him, she had told him to not ask for any more food - they didn't have any lunch remaining. Oh well.

Hoseok relished the food just as much as he had enjoyed his first meal, wolfing it down as fast as he could. Sweatshirts worked great to hide the bulge of his stomach when he wanted to eat more. He ate to his heart's fill for lunch, then prepared to doze off till they gave dinner - a hardworking man also needs rest.

Whoever decided that mentioning a price range in the likes/dislikes section of a form meant for introducing themselves was okay needed a slap to the face, and Hoseok would quite willingly give them one.

He had had to sit for hours on the end, giving up the idea of sleeping more in favour of 'getting to know the tourists more', aka tour guide torture. Literally everyone at his agency hated this part - why the hell would a tour guide want to know about what lingerie stores a certain tourist preferred?

The company, for better reviews and loyal customers, had decided to add a form for tourists to add certain preferences, likes or dislikes or just any random details about what they would want a guide to know while showing them around.

And the tourists would go berserk.

So far, Hoseok had had to look through the aforementioned lingerie preferences- apparently it's better in Europe? Hoseok wouldn't know, being absolutely uninterested in the quality of a brassiere. There were requests to be taken to amusement parks - which, if they had bothered reading the itinerary, were also included. A certain couple had requested that they be allowed to have their wedding towards the end of the tour, all expenses paid - damn. That was new. Unfortunately for them, the agency had rejected it in their bubbliest, most fake note ever:

Greetings from Sunshine, Inc.! We would like to congratulate you on your upcoming nuptials, and wish you both the best of luck in your life. However, due to budget restraints, we regret to inform you that we shall be unable to hold your wedding for you. However, we shall be glad to compensate the two of you with spa passes in whichever city you'd like - simply inform our guides and avail your voucher! Once again, congratulations on your wedding and thank you for travelling with Sunshine, Inc.

Oh. So they had thrown the responsibility of dealing with them on him? Nice. In the past five years of working, Hoseok can't recall once when he was given vouchers to any sort of thing. Maybe he should pretend to fly with another agency and get vouchers like these from them, while guaranteeing his firing. At least he wouldn't have to deal with lingerie store recommendations, he shivered.

The small kid - Noah, Hoseok had noticed him scribbling onto a colour book - had asked him to put Happy Feet, and then promptly dozed off right when Mumble returned to his parents. The kid had no idea of timing. Hoseok wished he could sleep and be as carefree as this kid- he even got a kit to play games so that he doesn't get bored. He pushed the kid a bit more into his seat, tucking the blanket between their armrests so that it would stay in place, and adjusting his pillow so that it would not ache later. Noah snored softly, in a way that a six year old would typically do. It made Hoseok smile - at least someone was enjoying their rest.

Popping a peppermint in his mouth to replace the one he just finished, Hoseok returned to his papers. The likes and dislikes were just beginnings - the food preferences were next, to be followed by living preferences, pillow preferences, wake up calls, and so much more - to say that Hoseok was excited would be a gross overstatement. Some people took all expenses paid as a statement to demand whatever the hell they wanted, and Hoseok, quite unfortunately, was in a position to fulfill their demands.

Life is extremely unfair, Hoseok thought.

Life is really fair, Hoseok thought - Stella had taken pity on his appetite and saved him two different plates for dinner.

Chicken teriyaki, with mixed vegetables, followed by some blueberry cheesecake, and sushi, with mochi as dessert. Oh, and cold beer. Finally, good fucking food.

Like Hoseok had done during lunch, he wiped the plates out, letting the beer can rest on the tray while handing the empty plates to Stella, beaming in gratitude.

It had been a pretty productive day, Hoseok felt. Nine hours into the flight, and he'd wrapped up most of the work he'd need for this week - sending emails to local guides with the plane's wifi, going through the forms, checking visa validities, the same stuff he'd done for five years.

Everything is the same, Hoseok thought while settling back into the seat. It all is just the same. The bustle, the messiness, the constant questions, the loudness, all of it. Five years, and I'm still stuck in this repetitive job.

Hoseok gazed outside the window - as much as he could without disturbing a peacefully sleeping you. He didn't know what he had been signing up for when he agreed to guiding this tour; maybe, he was so lost in not liking his job that he didn't see the details well enough at first. Maybe there was something new awaiting him here. Maybe it was another few months of boredom in what others considered an adventure.

The lights had been dimmed to suit the mood of the passengers, and it only reflected the one thing Hoseok didn't want to give any attention to - himself. The people next to him had all fallen asleep, and the small kid had used Hoseok's arm as a pillow - surprisingly, he didn't mind it. London awaited, and only there he could - or would - decide how he felt about this whole thing. Right now, he sat idle, running the opposite way to meet the sunshine.

a/n: hi there!! this was the first chapter of Sunshine, Inc. that you just read,, I hope you liked it!! If you did, please leave a word in the comments, asks or my messages - any feedback or reviews will be appreciated. Thank you for your time, and thank you for reading!! 💞💞 Stay healthy and hydrated, loves! also, Eid Mubarak to anyone who might be celebrating today 🤗 - hazel

taglist: @ridreads @vaekth @ggukkieland @kookiestarlight

if you want to be added to the taglist, you can leave a comment or an ask for the same 🤗

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christinesficrecs · 5 years ago

Note

Hey Christine, I hope you are doing fine in these strange times. I wanted to ask you if you happen to know any good fics where Derek is 10 - 20 years older than Stiles. I once read a fic where Derek was Sheriff Stilinskies friend and falls in love with his 18 year old son Stiles. But I can't find it anymore. Maybe you know it. Thank you for everything you do for us.

Hey! Strange indeed. 😱 I hope you are well! I think I might know which fic you mean but the rest I’m totally just guessing at. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I do read older!derek it’s just usually completely by accident.

Also, you could try the big brother tag here and maybe the businessman!derek tag here.

I Just Wanna Be With You Every Day by Brego_Mellon_Nin | 33.9K | Explicit

When his best friend’s son barrels into the kitchen only dressed in a pair of skintight jeans, lean but defined torso on display, Derek knows he’s truly and utterly fucked. Not only is the kid barely eighteen, but he also happens to be the Sheriff’s only son.

Derek makes a vow to himself that he will not seek Stiles out and he’ll get this thing under control.

Wolf Pack: Beacon Original by Beerwolves, fearfrost1211 | 33.1K

When his father landed the Deputy Chief of police position in Beacon Hills, Stiles moved to his new town gladly, embracing the chance of a fresh start. What he didn’t expect was to find himself hopelessly drawn to the gruff Vice President of the local motorcycle gang, the Wolf Pack. Derek Hale, resident bad boy of Beacon Hills, spent his time helping his sister lead the Wolf Pack and working on motorcycles at his family’s automotive garage. Then, one hot summer afternoon a bright-eyed boy walked into his life and turned his world upside down.

How Derek Got His Groove Back by WhoNatural | 4.3K | Explicit

Cora kicks him under the table. “Do you have the hots for the baby lawyer?” she hisses urgently, and Derek blinks at her, feeling his face heat.

“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s young enough to be my--”

“Younger brother,” she cuts in, and shakes her head. “Age difference excuses do not fly with me. Are you gonna ask him out? Derek, you need to do something about that.”

“About what?” he says, frowning, watching as Stiles sits down at a table with a group of older, lawyer-types.

“The fact that you’re both about one drink away from sex in some janitor’s closet.”

Hallways by KeriArentikai | 2.5K | Explicit | Series

The five friends sat at a table in the student union building, laughing over their fast-food lunches.

"Okay," said Jackson, "which prof would you bang?"

"Hale," Erica, Isaac and Stiles all said together. No one was surprised at their answer.

So When Do I Get To Pledge My Loyalty To The Mob? by RedRidingStiles | 10K | Mature

Stiles loses his wallet, someone returns it along with $5,000. Shit keeps coming, Stiles life doesn't make any sense anymore, he's just going with it.

Sideways and Slantways and Longways and Backways by hologramophone | 7.7K

“I called you a slave-driver!” Stiles cried hysterically. “I called you an ogre! I stole all the blue paperclips!” Derek raised an eyebrow at him. “That’s company property!” he shouted, waving his arms madly in distress. Derek ran a hand over his face. “It’s not theft if the vice president of the company gives you permission.”

The Long Way Home by MyChemicalRachel | 19.8K | Explicit

Stiles didn’t plan to sleep with his best friend’s dad. It just kind of happened. And then it happened again. And again. And again…

The Convention by Stiles_Hale_38 | 21.6K | Explicit

Derek is at a convention, no, THE convention. The convention that Alphas meet at twice a year, every year, to pick their omega.

Derek is a very well known Alpha. He's strong, has good ancestors, and has gone through lots of omega training. He knows what he's doing and everyone else knows that as well.

Derek has came to the convention before, but he just never finds anyone. He's not even sure if he wants to.

This time though, this time is different.

Strike Softly (Away From The Body) by qhuinn (tekla) | 34.5K | Explicit

Derek is a bodyguard and Stiles his spoiled, resistant client.

I Hope By the Morning by anynowforyaya | 21.4K | Mature

From the bathroom came sounds of the guy brushing his teeth. Stiles rubbed the fifty dollar bill between his fingers and felt cheap. "Dude, I'm not taking your money."

The guy spat and turned the faucet on. "Take the money. You said you lived in Queens last night? Who the hell lives in Queens."

The fifty seemed gritty in his fingers, but he put it in the back pocket of his ridiculously tight jeans, anyway. That was, like, a five-hour shift at the coffee shop where he worked, Common Grounds, with tips. "And don't call me 'dude,'" the guy continued, turning off the faucet. "I'm not your college bro. It's Derek."

Put Down in Words by paintedrecs | 203.7K | Mature

“Oh,” Stiles said, his voice coming out low and breathy, “fuck me.”

“I don’t think that’s on the syllabus, but we can check to see if there’s a spot open in any of his classes,” Scott said, grinning.

“This isn’t an actual professor, though,” Stiles insisted, unable to resist brushing his thumb over the sharp line of the man’s bearded jaw. He was laughing at something off-camera, the shot taken in three-quarters view, his coat collar casually rumpled and opened to reveal a sliver of a simple grey t-shirt. The whole thing was deliberately calculated to lend him a more accessible feel, and god help him, Stiles was falling for it.

#asks #sterek fics #ficrecs #age difference #older!derek #pattiwantsrain

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s-and-n-writes · 4 years ago

Text

another long day

crimson and bluebell: part two

summary:

Marinette Rossi is tired of everything: from Lila’s constant berating and Madame Rossi’s preferential care of her ‘angel-like’ daughter, to how everyone at school (even Alya) seems to believe her evil stepsister over her.

It’s like she’s Cinderella, except without the fairy godmother and the happy ending. She doesn’t even have a prince.

Or so she thinks.

Between the appearance of a new boy who seems to have captured her heart, and a gala run by her fashion idol Gabriel Agreste, Marinette hopes for an escape the constant ignorance, workload, and bullying she endures, and get a blissful life of her own.

With the help of one tiny god and a meow-velous partner, she might finally get a chance, but not everything is that simple.

They say ladybugs are lucky, so will being the elusive Ladybug bring Marinette the luck she oh-so-desperately needs?

quick links:

< previous chapter | first chapter | next chapter >

| miraculous masterlist | series masterlist |

a/n: so hi again, it’s me, n! im so so so sorry that i didn’t post for a long time, school caught up with me and everything’s getting v stressful these days. regardless, my new year’s resolution is to post more of these, and i’ll actively make an effort to do that hehe, in the meantime, enjoy!

also i’m appalled at the fact that this was 15 pages long and took more than a month to write how are you doing

Marinette had thought that the whole coffee spill, glass breaking fiasco would be relatively easy to clean.

She was wrong.

It takes her all of 10 minutes to clean up the glass, and another 20 minutes to try and clean up the coffee.

Key word: try.

Marinette ends up at school 30 minutes late, the coffee-stained carpet rolled off to the side at home, effectively ruined. She hasn’t even thought about the cracked glass table yet, which she hid by placing a tissue over top of it after Lila left.

Needless to say, all of this puts a little bit of a damper on her day.

As Marinette walks up the staircase of Francois Dupont, the school she goes to, she spots Alya Cesaire inside. Alya is Marinette’s closest friend, and despite having moved to Paris only a year ago, it feels like Marinette has known her for their entire lives.

“Girl, girl, girl…” Alya sighs as Marinette walks through the doors. It’s a free period, and students litter the area. Marinette spots Lila walking with one of her friends on the other side of the school, and luckily, Lila doesn’t see her.

There’s one good thing about school that Marinette adores: she doesn’t have to see Lila. Lila’s always had Madame Mendeleev for homeroom, and Marinette’s had Madame Bustier. Because of this, their schedules never interact, which allows Marinette to avoid Lila for the duration of the school day.

“I’m so sorry!” Marinette pleads, running up to Alya and shrugging her backpack off her shoulder. “There was a coffee spill, and glass broke, and-OH GOD I MISSED THE MATH TEST!!!”

“Marinette, chill,” Alya laughs. “The math test got rescheduled, but Ms.Bustier is pretty mad about you being late,”

Marinette sighs. “That’s a relief,”

“But you still missed a lot of news~,” Alya says, singing the last word.

Alya aspires to be a journalist, so on the occasions that Marinette wasn’t late, Alya would give her anything and everything interesting she’d dug up that week.

"I know, I know," Marinette sighs, fingers loosely picking at her shirt again. The seams stay intact, but Marinette's mind doesn't. The coffee spill and the glass breaking is constantly on her mind; she's not sure what to do.

"Nice shirt, girl," Alya smiles, breaking Marinette away from her thoughts. Alya's good at that, and she notices when Marinette lets her mind wander, something that happens a little too often for her tastes. "Did you make it?"

Marinette bursts into a grin. "Yes! I used that gorgeous thread that Sabine bought last week for my birthday, you know, the one I kept talking about, and it was absolutely amazing! I had to make this! What do you think? Do you like it?"

The shirt is simple; a white base with flowers of varying sizes lining the edge. Marinette pairs it with her old, pink jeans (the fabric for the flowers on her shirt came from some leftover ones she had when making the jeans) and a dark-gray blazer that Lila used to own.

"It's beautiful," Alya smiles, "But hey, I’m more excited for you-know-who’s reaction,"

Marinette rolls her eyes, hiding her face as an involuntary blush rises to her face. "Alya! You know I don't like him like that!,"

Alya grins. "Just teasing,"

“Well, anyways, tell me what I missed during lunch, I’m off to the classroom, before Ms. Bustier comes looking for me,” Marinette smiles, turning and running up the stairs.

“Good luck, girl!” Alya says, waving goodbye and pulling out her phone.

The day passes quickly, and lunch comes sooner than Marinette expects.

She meets Alya outside of Francois Dupont, and they both head to Ville de Soirée, a cafe which isn’t nearly as expensive as the others in the area. They both order their usuals, and sit in one of the booths as they wait for their drinks.

Marinette sighs and leans back. “Ok, ok, tell me,”

Alya, who is most probably on the verge of exploding from her excitement, gears up. “Ok, so you know Nino, right?”

“You mean the boy you’ve been obsessing over since we met him?” Marinette teases. “Oh hey, I might have an inkling,”

Alya blushes, her cheeks tinting rouge. “Shut up,”

Marinette giggles. “Ok, go on,”

“Anyway, Nino texted me yesterday that his parents finally agreed, and he’ll be starting school starting Monday next week!”

��Ah! That’s so exciting! I’m so happy for you!” Marinette laughs. “Now you can actually make a move!”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, I’ll let you play matchmaker when the time comes,” Alya laughs, “there’s also something else, and this one I know you’ll be even happier about,”

The barista interrupts Alya, placing two steaming drinks in front of them. They both reach for their drinks, with Marinette holding the cup in her hand and Alya taking a sip. She grins.

“Nino’s friend, you know, Adrien Agreste, is also coming too,”

She pulls back, looking smug as she tries to read Marinette’s face.

The girl in question sighs, shaking her head. “Who even is Adrien, and why does everyone keep mentioning him to me?”

Alya facepalms, groaning.

“Girl, sometimes I swear you live under a rock,” Alya sighs, shaking her head. “How do you not know who Adrien Agreste is? His ads are literally everywhere!”

Marinette pouts. “Well maybe I just haven’t seen him,”

Alya rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Ohh no, there’s no way you’ve missed him ,”

She pulls up her phone and momentarily scrolls as Marinette waits.

“Here,” she says, “That’s him,”

The photo on Alya’s screen is from last February, Marinette recognizes. She remembers how Lila bought a copy of the magazine it came in, although she wasn’t allowed to see it.

But the boy is familiar. His face is similar to someone’s, but Marinette can’t pinpoint who it—

Oh.

He’s Gabriel Agreste’s son.

Marinette leans back.

“That’s Monsieur Agreste’s son! I should’ve known, how could I have missed it when Madame Rossi told us about him?”

Alya squints her eyes. “Wait what?”

“There’s a fashion show that Adrien’s dad is hosting, and the embassy’s holding a huge event to greet all the fashion officials that are coming. Madame Rossi got us all passes to go,” Marinette says.

“That’s the one my mom’s cooking for! It’s next weekend right? She would not stop talking about it all weekend. I can try and score a pass, to you know, keep you company?”

Marinette gasps suddenly, burying her face in her hands, “Ah! I forgot! I won’t be able to go, since Li— I mean I, spilled coffee all over our new carpet,”

Alya raises an eyebrow.

“Fine, fine, I cracked some glass too,” Marinette sighs, face growing redder. “Madame Rossi’s gonna ground me for sure!”

Alya shakes her head. “Somehow I can believe it. You are the clumsiest person I know,”

She nods thoughtfully, fingers closing around the fox necklace on her neck. “Well I can’t deal with the whole glass situation, but maybe I can help with the coffee stuff? Happens to my mom all the time,”

Marinette perks up. “Really? Would you? Oh thank you Alya!”

Alya laughs. “No problem girl, I’ll come by after your shift at the bakery,”

Marinette pauses. After work would be...when Lila comes home.

Alya has always been a fan of Lila, but despite knowing Marinette, she’s only admired Marinette’s less-than-wonderful sister from afar. This means that so far, Marinette has managed to keep Alya and Lila separate.

Does she really want to risk that?

Weighing in the situation, she sighs. Would she rather have a shot at attending a potentially life-changing event, or safely escape Alya meeting Lila?

Knowing the both of them, Marinette remembers, they’d be a deadly combo.

But Marinette really wants to go to the event so, maybe this time, she might just give in.

“Great!” Marinette says, happiness laced with fear. “That’s...great!

Alya nods, smiling, watching as Marinette giggles.

“Now about setting you up with Nino…”

Alya turns away, blushing, “Marinette!”

Today

Lie-la 😒: sup loser

Lie-la 😒: im going to the mall with my friends after school

Lie-la 😒: if my mom comes in early

Lie-la 😒: you know what to say

Lie-la 😒: type, maribrat. use those lousy fingers.

You: yea, sure lila.

Lie-la 😒: good.

Marinette sighs and pockets her phone. For today, she is safe.

And that’s all she has ever wanted.

Marinette’s day ends with her feeling happier than when it began. Alya’s coming over to wash out the coffee stain, Lila won’t be there when she gets home, and she’s heading to her shift at the bakery!

It’s normal for work to not be exciting to most people, but for Marinette, it always is. Heading to the Dupain-Cheng bakery is always the highlight of her day, and working there is even better. The owners, Sabine and Tom, are like the parents she never had, what with them spoiling her with all the food they give and teaching her how to bake. Customers even tell Marinette all the time that she looks strikingly similar to Sabine, but she doesn’t see it.

In truth, she’s only ever even thought about becoming a designer because of the Dupain-Chengs, and if it weren’t for their motivation, she’s sure that she would be in a much different place right now.

But that’s not what Marinette worries about right now. Despite school ending early and the bakery being right across the street from where she is, she still manages to be late.

She exchanges a quick goodbye with Alya, who chuckles at her frazzled state, and dashes off towards work.

“I’m here!” she shouts, running into the bakery, the familiar jingle of the store’s door’s bell ringing in her ears. “Sorry!

Sabine laughs as she hands a box of pastries to a customer, waving as they leave. “Just on time. Hello Marinette,”

Marinette winces as Sabine holds out her apron. “Sorry again, Sabine!”

Tom laughs from the kitchen behind the store, the sound booming through the bakery. “Marinette!”

“Tom!” Marinette says back, her lips curving into a smile.

Sabine eyes Marinette as she ties the apron behind her, quickly joining the older woman behind the counter.

“So?” she asks. “What’s new with you?”

Marinette sighs. “Not much, not much...oh! Madame Rossi has an embassy gathering to welcome a couple of famous people into France. And not just any people, people who work in the fashion industry!”

Sabine nods, smiling at Marinette’s delight. “And why exactly are these people coming?”

“It’s for the Gabriel event. I don’t know when it is, but apparently Gabriel Agreste is holding a huge gala, something about searching for a fashion assistant?,”

Sabine perks up at fashion assistant. “Marinette, you should enter!”

Marinette gasps. “I couldn’t! There’s no way! I mean, my designs are barely adequate, let alone Agreste worthy!”

Sabine shakes her head. “Everyone knows that isn’t true. Don’t put yourself down like that!”

Marinette blushes. “Thanks Sabine,”

The woman smiles. “Well, anyways, are you allowed to go to the embassy event? It’s a great opportunity, you wouldn’t want to miss it,”

“I mean, Madame Rossi did invite me and Lila, but Lila spilled a bunch of coffee on the carpet, and cracked the dining table this morning. It’s all a stunt, she did it on purpose. She’s blaming it on me, which means I’ll get grounded, and I won’t be able to go, and you know there’s nothing I can do about that,”

Sabine sighs, placing a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “Oh dear. The next time I see Lila, I’ll tell Tom to get that girl and her mother arrested!”

Marinette laughs. “As much as I’d like that, where would I live?”

The rumble of the oven from behind the store dies down, and Tom walks into the main room. The room seems friendlier all at once, his large personality filling the space.

“Here, with us,” he declares proudly. “You’re like a daughter already,”

Marinette giggles, her cheeks growing red. “Alright guys, we’ll see,”

Sabine and Tom laugh as Marinette runs away to help a customer. Their afternoons with Marinette pass by quickly, and while they wish it was longer, you know what they say: time flies when you're having fun.

By the time Marinette gets off her shift, it’s 5:30 in the evening. Paris’s sky starts to fade from its normal cotton-candy blue to a marmalade orange. The hustle and bustle of the busy streets start to die down, and once she texts her address to Alya, Marinette makes her way to the bus stop.

While her time in the bakery is her favorite time of day, her time on the bus doesn’t prove to be too bad either. She likes the quiet silence, and enjoys her time away from the world around her.

The bus is probably her favorite mode of transportation (but her only one as well). When she volunteered to work at the bakery after school, Madame Rossi decided that ‘the streets were too dark at night for Marinette to walk alone’, and she was given a bus pass.

It was a small and random act of kindness that Marinette wouldn’t ever get again. It was also the only gift she ever got from her adopted mother, and despite not being too fond of Madame Rossi, she did treasure the gift.

Madame Rossi paid for her bus rides until Marinette was actually hired at the bakery. It was then that she decided to have Marinette pay her own bills, an action that most certainly helped Marinette for the future.

The sound of tires skidding against the pathway jolts Marinette out of her thoughts. She turns to see her normal bus waiting in front of her, and grabbing her bus pas, waits in line behind a couple others to get on.

That is, until she sees what’s about to happen.

Marinette watches as a man across the street tries to cross. He’s old, as his grayed hair and aged face tells, but his most identifiable quality is the red Hawaiian shirt he wears, embossed with a white hibiscus floral pattern.

Besides that, there’s also a car coming straight for him, and though it’s a little while away, there’s no doubt that he’ll get hit.

Marinette does the only thing she can think of. She runs.

The street is narrow, and Marinette manages to pull the man across the pathway before the car comes. She huffs, turning to the man to smile.

He has an odd look in his eyes, lips curved into a mysterious smile as Marinette quirks her eyebrow.

“Thank you, young lady,” he nods.

“You’re welcome!” she smiles, turning to look at the bus, which has started leaving. “Goodbye and stay safe, sir!”

The old man watches as Marinette just manages to catch the bus, stopping it and shouldering her backpack as she climbs on.

Marinette seats herself as the bus starts once more, and turns to her window to look for the old man.

But by the time she does, he’s gone.

Alya gets to Marinette's house at just the right time. When she reaches, Marinette has done a couple of her chores, cleaned up the living room, and put out the carpet in the first floor bathroom. Against the white rug, the coffee stain is obvious, and Marinette sighs as she inspects it.

How were they ever going to get it out?

There’s a knock at the front door, and Marinette knows it’s Alya. Smiling, the girl heads to the living room to open it.

Alya gasps as she sees the house. From the marble kitchen to the hickory-brown wood flooring, everything is pristine and clean, as if the Rossis live in a mansion.

(They don’t, but the house is still fairly big. Marinette sometimes has to clean it all as part of her chores, but luckily that hasn’t happened in a while.)

“Dang girl,” Alya sighs, “you rich or what?”

Marinette nervously laughs, cracking her knuckles. “Uh, I don’t know,”

“I’m joking,” Alya smiles. “But, random thing, where’s Lila?”

“She’s out. Doctor’s appointment for her, um, wrist,”

“Aw, that’s too bad. Tell her I said get better soon!”

Marinette sighs. She doesn’t like lying, but it’s far better than what would happen if she told the truth.

“Yea. Anyway, how are you getting the stain out? I tried all morning, but it was stuck,”

“Just watch me, girl,” Alya smirks. “Before we start though, you already blotted the stain,right?”

Marinette furrows her eyebrows. “Blotted? What do you mean?”

Alya demonstrates with her hands. “Like, did you take a paper towel and try to get as much of the stain out as you could?”

Marinette nods. “Yeah, that’s why I was late this morning,”

Alya nods. “Ok, so now we just have to make the cleaner,”

Marinette raises an eyebrow. “Make? This is getting a little crazy,”

“It’s really not,” Alya laughs, “I’ve done this a thousand times before. My sisters knock over my dad’s coffee way too much,”

Marinette laughs. “Alright then, show me what to do,”

Alya makes her way to the kitchen, filing through multiple cabinets. “Where’s your dish soap?”

“Bottom-left drawer next to the sink,” Marinette points.

“And your white vinegar?”

“Fridge. Anything else you need?”

“Just water,” Alya replies. “Warm, that is. And two cups of it,”

Marinette nods. “Got it,”

Alya takes out a steel bowl from one of the cabinets. “And can I use this?”

Marinette nods again. “Go ahead,”

“Great,” Alya says, pouring a spoon of dish soap followed by a spoon of vinegar. She waits for Marinette to get the water before adding that in as well, and then mixing. “That should do,”

“Work your magic then,” Marinette laughs.

“Just watch and see girl, I totally will,”

Alya finds a cleaning rag from a drawer in the island, and she runs over to the carpet. “Grab yourself a rag, Marinette, and let’s get started!”

Marinette laughs, and runs over to help. The time passes quickly, and by the time the coffee stain is gone and the carpet is dry, two hours have gone by. Their hands are sore and their legs are tired, but both can say that they had fun.

In the midst of it, Marinette almost doesn’t notice when Lila texts her.

Today

— 2 New Messages —

Lie-La 😒: open the back door

Lie-la 😒: im right by my house

Almost.

“Alya!” Marinette gasps, both sitting on the couch after the carpet was rolled back underneath the dining table. “It’s so late, don’t you have to go at 7?”

Alya tilts her head, confused. “No?”

“Oh well then I must have said it,” Marinette laughs nervously. “Yes that’s right! I’ve got work, haha. Bye!”

Marinette practically pushes Alya to the front door, while Alya looks lost and puzzled.

“Didn’t you already have work?” Alya asks.

“Yep, but gotta save up for uni right? Haha. Haha,”

Alya nods, squinting her eyes as she walks out the door.

“Um, bye? See you at school, girl,” Alya nods, quietly laughing.

“Bye!” Marinette smiles. Once Alya is farther away and out of sight, Marinette runs to open the back door. She can faintly hear the sounds of Lila’s friend’s car pulling into the driveway, so she dashes back upstairs as fast as she can. The last thing she wants to do is talk to Lila, much less be alone in a room with her.

She hopes that Lila won’t try anything while she’s in her room.

Sighing, she smiles when she stops at the attic door, and heads inside.

Before Madame Rossi found her and decided to take her in (how she came to that conclusion, Marinette would never know), the attic was all set to be Lila’s playroom. The entire room was painted pink from head to toe (even the carpet was a light shade of pink). There was a wooden wardrobe for all of Lila’s toys, and a desk with markers, painting supplies, and coloring pencils galore.

But then Marinette came along.

For one reason or another, she was given the attic as her own room. Out went the ideas of toys and tents in the room, and in came Marinette.

Madame Rossi didn’t give her anything. From the age of 2 till the age of 4, she slept on the ground, the lack of a bed present to her each night.

Until Lila outgrew her bed of course, which was then given to Marinette.

It was simple. Since Marinette was smaller than Lila, and slower at growing, she was often given Lila’s old things. All the clothes that Lila didn’t want, Marinette had. From her bed to the old beanbag in her room (one of the only things Lila gave her as decoration) everything was a hand me down from Lila herself.

Marinette sighs, and then flops into the bed. She’s lucky that Lila doesn’t bother if Marinette doesn’t get on her nerves.

Hopefully, until she can get out of this place, she’ll manage without angering Lila too much.

Standing up, Marinette locks herself in the attic, a faint click of the door behind her, and gets out her phone. Opening up Spotify, she starts her playlist, and goes over to the desk.

For the next hour, she does homework and finishes a project, all while sketching out designs for new dresses.

And hey, if she’s lucky, she might just be able to make one for the gala.

Marinette shuffles through her desk drawers, pop music playing through her earbuds. It’s nearly 8 PM and she’s searching for the special gold thread she had bought a couple weeks ago. It cost nearly a month's pay, and she’s been saving it for a special occasion.

With the dress she was sketching, she wanted to know if it was now.

She’s still searching through the drawers on the left side of the desk when she finds a box.

One that she feels might not have been there before.

(Then again, she rarely looks through all her drawers, so there’s always a chance that it could’ve been.)

Marinette feels confused. The box is made of a dark brown wood, and shaped like an octagon. The top of the box is embossed with a red design. Glimmering red circles meet wavy, thin lines, but Marinette is preoccupied with figuring out what the box is for.

In the end, she decides to open it. There can’t be much inside, can there?

Turns out, Marinette is wrong.

The moment she opens it is a frightful one. In that second, there’s a bright flash of light. It swirls around her as Marinette gasps, dropping the box onto the carpet as two solid-black earrings fall out.

That’s not the amazing part of it all though. After a second, Marinette comes face to face with a spotted red creature.

Needless to say, she screams.

“Hi Marinette!” the spotted creature says. “My name is Tikki! It’s nice to meet you!”

“Mouse!” Marinette hollers, “Bug! Bug-mouse! Talking bug mouse!”

Marinette scooches back, her hand grabbing books and papers off her desk as she throws them at Tikki.

“I’m here to help!” Tikki says, dodging the objects. “I’m here to help you!”

“Liar!” Marinette calls, searching for more things to throw. “This must be Lila’s version of a joke ! I can’t believe her!”

She takes her water-bottle from her backpack, and quickly moves to trap Tikki in it.

“It’s ok Marinette, I won’t hurt you,” Tikki smiles. “But if this makes you feel better, then this is ok!”

There’s a pause, and then Marinette sighs and chooses not to answer, leaning back, and quickly grabbing her school tablet off her desk. She points it at Tikki, trying her best to look intimidating.

“Who are you?” Marinette asks, “and what do you want?”

“Like I said, my name’s Tikki! I’m a kwami!” the tiny bug says, (still trapped in the bottle but floating in midair, Marinette notes) “And I want to help you!”

Marinette sighs, lowering her weapon tablet. “Did Lila send you somehow?”

Tikki furrows her forehead in place of her eyebrows. “No? Who’s Lila?”

Marinette bitterly chuckles, standing and throwing her arms into the air. “This. This. This is why you can’t help me. No one can. Anyone who meets Lila thinks she’s an ‘absolute angel’, and no one else knows her. How is someone supposed to help me if no one knows that my problem exists?!”

“Marinette,” Tikki sighs, “I promise you, I can help, if you’ll listen to me. Please let me explain, and then you can decide if you want to trust me or not, ok?”

Marinette pauses, considering the situation, and sits a fair distance away from Tikki, keeping her tablet in her hands.

“Ok,” she responds, facing the little bug. “But you have 5 minutes,”

Tikki smiles again. "And that's all I need,"

quick links: < previous chapter | first chapter | next chapter >

a/n: i resolve to post the next chapter soon lmaoo, thanks for reading! have an absolutely amazing day, you deserve it!

taglist:

i’ll be tagging the people that i had tagged before, along with a couple others who liked the previous chapter for this series. if you don’t want to get tagged, i’m very sorry! just shoot me a private message, and i’ll take you off the tags. if you do want to get tagged, just tell me with a private message or an ask and i’ll add you to the taglist. thank you!

@reddragonofemeraldflame @nomiegnome @18markers @katbab @emmathedestroyer @bluesesameseed @cyborgcandy @karukofox21 @aestheticnpoetic c @magnificentcrapposts @miraculouslylee @lonestarfangirl2014 @lambdaarietis @miraculous-twilight @miraculous-twilight @silver-twilight @emmarosemary11 @whiterosequeen23 @whatschooldoesntteachyou @shaykaleen @itswelphereiamuniverse @seraphichana @ladynoirotphell @tinynuggetofterror @tinkabella256 @coopermaggie

#ml #mlb #fanfic #marinette-dupain cheng #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #adrien agreste #adrienette #adrinette #nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #lila rossi #lila rossi bashing #lila #lila exposed #lila rossi tag #marinette tag #crimson and bluebell

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asgardian--angels · 6 years ago

Text

Some more Good Omens Book minutiae

There have already been some good posts highlighting trivia and changes between the book and show (a couple are here and here) so I thought I’d add in some more that might be useful and haven’t been overdone yet. Ones I think are most helpful are bolded!

Crowley can see in the dark (because he’s a demon, not because he’s a snake)

Crowley does eat (and notes that sleeping is enjoyable after a heavy meal), but on at least one canonical occasion Aziraphale takes Crowley’s portion of food for himself (angel food cake, to be exact, and he does it without needing to ask) so infer what you will about how we never see Crowley with food in the show

Crowley does read, or at the very least it mentions him attempting to calm his nerves by reading a novel

Aziraphale learned magic when he took a class in the 1870s taught by famous stage magician John Maskelyne

Aziraphale takes his tea without sugar

Crowley does not like to shapeshift, because he is afraid he’ll forget how to turn back

It’s not terribly clear but somewhat implied that Nanny Ashtoreth and Brother Francis were NOT Crowley and Aziraphale (they reference a ‘team’ working for them) but that the two did exchange and compare notes on Warlock’s progress frequently. So thank Neil and Co. for the screenplay choices. Additionally, Brother Francis never actually did any real gardening, he just miracled everything to look perfect

When Warlock was 6 years old, nanny and gardener left and were replaced by two tutors, Mr. Harrison (evil) and Mr. Cortese (good)

Aziraphale will employ any means “short of actual physical violence” to discourage customers in his bookshop, including unpleasant damp odors and glowering looks to anyone who walks in

That clunky watch Crowley wears was custom-made to have the time in 20 world capitals as well as the time in Hell, which was always “Too Late”, and whose battery burned out years ago but he never noticed so it kept working

In 1653 Aziraphale added his own annotations to the proof sheets of a Bible published by Bilton & Scaggs Publishing (the same as who published the Nice and Accurate Prophecies), adding a bit about losing his flaming sword (basically the dialogue in the scene of the series where God confronts him at the gate in episode 3), and is now known as the Bugger Alle This Bible, one of a special collection of misprinted Bibles Aziraphale is proud to own

Aziraphale does watch films. This includes one documentary about gorillas making nests. He also makes an Exorcist reference.

For 6000 years Aziraphale thought dolphins were fish

Crowley watched Mary Poppins on TV at Christmas one year

Aziraphale buys his clothes, while Crowley manifests them

Anathema refers to Crowley and Aziraphale as “two consenting cycle repairmen” :)

Anathema’s bicycle is named Phaeton

Aziraphale’s bookshop is situated directly next to another bookshop called ‘Intimate Books’ and he occasionally gets confused customers that wrongly come into his shop

Anathema is British, not American, in the book

Adam has an older sister named Sarah

Aziraphale is the first angel to own a computer

After the non-Armageddon, Adam alters reality to send Warlock on a plane to America, because Adam thinks America is a cool and magical place and that Warlock deserves something good. (We do not find out if Warlock’s life improves, only that he liked England because it was ‘a good place to be an American’)

Crowley was so impressed by how diabolically mundane the warranty conditions for computers were that he sent a stack of them down to Hell’s ‘Immortal Souls’ agreement department with a memo saying ‘Learn, guys’

When Crowley trapped Hastur on his answering machine, he considered taking the tape and playing it in his car until it became Freddie Mercury, but he decided even that was taking it too far

While NOT show canon, in the book the combination to Crowley’s safe containing the holy water is 4-0-0-4, the year he “slithered onto this stupid, marvellous planet” (Neil has stated that the combination in the show is meaningless and was the default for the safe they bought)

In the book, it does NOT expressly say that Crowley destroys the plants he deems failures, just that he leaves and returns an hour later with an empty flowerpot

Crowley’s flat contains a bedroom, office, kitchen, lounge, and bathroom, each “forever clean and perfect” because he doesn’t really “live” there, as well as a fridge stocked with gourmet food that never spoils and the fridge isn’t even plugged in

Shadwell believes that Aziraphale is a Russian spy

Crowley and Aziraphale had both visited Shadwell’s apartment exactly once (and Aziraphale was rather disgusted by the state of the place)

In the book (as opposed to the show) Aziraphale is full aware (and nonplussed) that there’s only a 50/50 chance Heaven would win against Hell in Armageddon, and that it doesn’t matter for humans so much anyways because everyone will be killed horribly as civilian casualties during the war itself (a hilarious and very bitchy speech absolutely worth reading, when he possesses Marvin the TV preacher)

The road to Hell isn’t paved with good intentions, rather with frozen door-to-door salesmen, and young demons go ice-skating down it on weekends

Madame Tracy’s real name is Marjorie Potts

Aziraphale has “neat, copperplate” handwriting

Crowley is an optimist

It turns out, Hastur’s murder of the telephone salespeople prevented a Crowley-esque domino effect of thousands of people getting angry from the calls and passing that anger on and on, thus actually spreading a wave of low-level goodness across London

In the book, the M25 wasn’t actually on fire, but rather an inexplicable glowing combination of “pain and dark light” called infra-black, and was both 700 degrees Celsius and -140 at the same time. The Bentley spontaneously combusted when crossing it.

When Crowley meets Aziraphale-as-Tracy, he does say ‘Is that you? Nice dress’ but the TV version added the ‘It suits you.’ However in the book he also says ‘Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new body?’ :)))

When Adam acknowledges Crowley at the airbase, Crowley feels true terror for the first time in his life, because while Hell could make you cease to exist, the Antichrist could make it so you never existed in the first place

When Aziraphale makes the soldier disappear, he actually was transported back to his childhood home in America where his family lives

In the book, to get them both home from Tadfield Crowley steals a Jeep from the airbase

Crowley and Aziraphale are deadass just referred to as ‘the couple with the bottle [of wine]’ one time

There is no body swap scene at the end, because there didn’t need to be; in the book, the stakes of Aziraphale and Crowley’s Arrangement were not nearly as high. A big deal was never made of it, as they were too unimportant to warrant the attention of their superiors. Retribution never came. While they could get in trouble (and Crowley was threatened many times) for defying orders concerning the Apocalypse, little mention was made of their friendship being a crime. Thus, they never had any real reason to deny being friends, and were much more comfortable with their loyalties and each other. This lack of tension marks the biggest divergence between the series and book, and creates a starkly different (and interesting!) dynamic for the characters in the show.

Just me but I get the distinct sense that book Aziraphale and Crowley are already an old bickering married couple and this explains the distinct lack of pining lmao.

Anyway, I hope these were enjoyable or helpful!

#good omens #aziraphale #crowley #anthony crowley #mine

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lizacstuff · 5 years ago

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Hi, I really enjoyed reading your thoughts about the last few episodes, you always make me feel better about things. Would you mind sharing more about the last episode, both in general and of course what you thought about Edser?

Thank you for the kind words, sorry this has taken so long to answer, I know you sent it days ago, but it’s been a busy week. As I said in another post, I actually really enjoyed this episode. I'll start with the other characters and then get to Eda and Serkan.

First Seline. Of course, she beat everyone to the punch by getting to Serkan before Ferit and Ceren. I suppose props to her for coming clean rather than allowing herself to be blackmailed, but man she was still a selfish snake until the end. I actually thought the most unfair thing was how she swept Ceren up in the people who had hid it from Serkan. What!?!? Ceren found out the day before, told Ferit that as Serkan's attorney she couldn't keep it from him, called Serkan to let him know that Ferit had to talk to him, and didn't see Serkan until that meeting! What else could she have done? She would have been fully justified in defending herself to Serkan on that score. I wish she would have... except it's not the point of this show. The point of this show is Eda and Serkan, so to that end perhaps it was more important for Serkan to think his lawyer had hid it from him, and then for us and Eda to see him get over it quickly in order to illustrate how much more relaxed he is than when we met him. It plays into the themes of change, even if it's more about evolving.

(much more under the cut)

Also, it's typical of Selin and her jealousy to try and get one last punch in and to drag the woman Ferit is now interested into the mess. I like how she tried to deliver a blow to Eda, and Eda was just like, "Whatever, do your worst" and Serkan, instead of getting mad which is what Selin wanted, just found a way to use it to flirt even harder. Then her maneuver with Balca was just gross. She knows as well as anyone that Serkan, despite his public notoriety, is a private person and here she is spilling every bit of his personal business to this woman they all met today. What a betrayal of personal trust. Good riddance to her. I mean, we'll all miss Bige, but I won't miss Selin.

Honestly, I don't think Selin is evil, she's just so selfish, myopic and spoiled that she thinks her hurt trumps everyone else. She thinks she's entitled to lash out, give grief and visit pain upon people, because she was thwarted and didn't get what she wanted. I'm glad that Eda mentioned that it was Selin who sicced the press on them, so even if they didn't prove it, they know. I've seen some criticism that Selin wasn't punished enough for her sins, but I disagree. The holding was her inheritance, her history, her father helped start that company, and she ended by giving up her stake completely, she lost her fiance and the back-up life she imagined with him, she lost Serkan and the life she imagined with him, she also lost Serkan's decades-long friendship, she lost her job, she's leaving the country. That's a lot of losing. She's hit emotional rock bottom, perhaps she'll be able to do some soul searching and figure out why she lost everything (except her money) as she starts over?

The other goodbye this episode was Alptekin, and another good riddance here. His interaction with Aydan was cruel. That's how he ends a 30 year marriage? Yikes. At least it sounds like he left everything to Aydan and Serkan and is not trying to take houses (Serkan needs the Summer House and Mountain House for sexy rendezvous reasons!) or the stake in the holding. His goodbye with Serkan was thankfully better. I mean, he can't redeem himself as a father at this point, but at least that conversation didn't make it worse. I'm glad he admitted to Serkan that he was not a good father, but also went to lengths to say that unlike him, Serkan would be a good father. Serkan would probably say that his father's opinion doesn't matter, but I think it really does, particularly on that subject. It's very plausible to me that Serkan has fears about being like his dad, and specifically being an unloving, perfection-requiring, absentee father like his dad was. It's important for him to hear that it doesn't have to be like that, hopefully Serkan internalized that they are very different men. It was also nice of him to sort of bless his future with Eda, and even after Serkan said they would want nothing to do with him, say he would still always be there if Serkan needed him. It was as good as could be expected as far as the impact it would have on Serkan's emotional state.

Didn't see much of Ayfer in this one, which is fine by me. I mentioned it last week, but WOW, what they've done to the hair, makeup and costuming is something else. For a good part of the series her style was kind of flowy and boho influenced and it worked. She had a bit of a relaxed cool vibe to her. Now they're styling her like an uptight, 90-year-old woman! That green dress was so ugly and WTF was that lampshade on her head? This is a beautiful woman surrounded by fashionable, 20-something girls, how is she getting more dowdy and frumpy by the episode?

I think I'm going to like Divorce!Aydan. She was such an arrogant character when the show began, it's nice to see her show both warmth and vulnerability. You could see she was nervous about running for the head of the foundation, which I wouldn't have expected from the woman we met early on in the series. She's been a joy the last few episodes and this was no different. And I will love her forever for staying true to Eda, and asking for her when Balca offered to be by her side. The Eda/Aydan relationship really warms my heart and I love that she needs her future daughter-in-law. Though I did feel for Seyfi when she didn't let him into the group hug. Poor Seyfi, he's as much a part of the family as anyone! Let him hug!

So, I know I've been very lukewarm towards the idea of Engin and Piril, it's just that they're such opposites it's hard to see how it will work. And they're not opposites like Eda and Serkan are opposites. Eda and Serkan are the kind of opposites that yin/yang each other, and you can easily see them living in harmony, while Engin and Piril seem like the kind that just have incompatible outlooks and lifestyles. However, I do admit that I watched the proposal with a big grin on my face and I might have clapped when she said yes. I guess they at least partially won me over. Engin really tried to go big with his proposal, and if a proposal is going to be played for laughs I'm fine with it being anybody but Edser. As a side note, I hope when Serkan asks Eda to marry him it's just the two of them, I like a private, emotional proposal for my favs. So on to everyone's favorite new character, Balca. Boy, what an interesting one she is. Seems to me if you start a new job and decide you're going to go after your boss romantically before you even meet him because an astrologer gave you two initials... you might need professional help. I'm still not over the fact that this piece of work watched Serkan and Eda's sexually-charged slowdance at the party and still had the balls to show up at his house later that night. So far she's shaping up to be a rather tragic figure. Can you imagine being that desperate or having so little self-respect or dignity? It's impossible for her to have real feelings for someone she's never met, so she's risking humiliation, hurting people, and being fired because she's just that desperate to have a warm body in her life? Yikes. That is pathetic. I'd feel sorry for her if she had shown any sign that she gave a damn that Serkan was already in a relationship for all intents and purposes. Her downfall is going to be SWEET.

Me thinks she'll be just about as successful at driving a wedge between Eda and Serkan as those who came before her. Including Aydan, Ayfer, Kaan, Efe and Selin. But hopefully her insidious presence will drive Eda to decide what she wants and to go and get her man.

LOVED all the Eda/Serkan we got this episode. Starting from the elevator and that kiss. From spoilers, most of us knew the slap was coming, but it still was jarring when it happened. I really don't love any sort of hitting, or any violent act between partners, but I won't ding the characters for it here too much. Eda was vulnerable, discombobulated, and in an emotional whirl. She's trying to maintain distance and force him to maintain distance, all the while being drawn to him on a primal level. I think she slapped him because she thought that's what she should do. They're not officially in that place, they'd established he would be punished if he purposefully broke the contract, and she was vulnerable because of the claustrophobia. As for Serkan, I also don't ding him for doing it under what might not be considered optimal conditions. He knows how she feels, where her heart is, and she was willingly being very intimate there as she nuzzled into his neck. Also he was right that it definitely distracted her and calmed her down. I think she completely forgot where she was.

That being said, the stones on that guy to kiss her again! I love it. He just smirked through her whole angry tirade, like he knew exactly where she was coming from. She was more putting on an act of being angry, because that's what she thought she should do, than actually being angry. That's the confidence of a man who knows exactly where he stands (for all those who get upset that Eda hasn't told Serkan how she feels, this is proof that he really, really knows). For me, this episode was all about Eda's resolve crumbling, but her not being completely ready to let it go. So each time she found herself enjoying time with him and being vulnerable, she would retreat and try to build back up that wall. And she failed spectacularly every time. I think that's why we saw her go from putty in his hands one minute to evoking the contract the next, back to putty. She's trying to stay strong and not let him in, but she just can't do it and doesn't really want to do it.

While they were at lunch she tried to maintain distance, she was a bit snarky and trying to resist his flirting. But once they finished lunch and were on the balcony, she couldn't even pretend to maintain an air of indifference. She was so pleased when he said that his entire life has been a rainbow since meeting her. No pretense, she couldn't hide it. Nor could she hide her pleasure in him turning off his phone in order to have lunch with her.

Deep down, Eda knows it's only a matter of time until they reunite. I think she just needs to be ready to let go of him breaking up with her before she lets down her walls. But when something happens, she's there. One minute they're engaging in pointed banter about her potential punishment, the next she hears that Aydan is not doing well and she's right by his side. No question, no hesitation. When push comes to shove, they're already a family.

I can just imagine what it does to Serkan to watch Eda be there for his mom. With the agoraphobia I think Serkan took a lot of that burden onto himself, with really only Seyfi to help. That must have felt so isolating. But now Eda is right there with him, and they're a team, he has someone to rely on and share the burden with, it must feel so good.

You gotta hand it to Serkan Bolat with the whole three wishes thing. My dude is ingenious. Instead of being upset that she kept something from him, or being passive aggressive about it, he figures out the course of action that will give him something to flirt with her about and excuses to spend time together. Also it gives him the opportunity to ask for the one thing he wants most from her, unconditional trust. Because once she's there, there will no longer be any reason for their separation. It's pretty much the cornerstone of everything. Not to say she doesn't trust him as a person, she does, but I think she's trepidatious about trusting his feelings for her. Trusting that he won't break up with her again, or go back to that inconsistent behavior that she's talked about several times. It makes sense that there is still lingering emotional fallout from the breakup.

"Are you available?" "For you, always." Oh, sweet, sweet Robot. Enough can not be said about how he can make the smallest interaction into something so romantic. He was equally sweet when having her guess the number one thing that benefits him. You know she just melts inside every time he says something like that, and the harder she tries not to show it, the harder she melts.

One thing I didn't get is Eda being a bit relaxed when it came to trusting Efe. Just the day before she learned that Efe tried to blackmail Selin for her shares, and Eda seemed taken aback at the revelation. However, when they discuss him I don't feel like she validates Serkan's concerns as much as maybe she should. I'm going to chalk it up to Eda being a bit off-kilter from Serkan asking her if she wants to work with him more closely. Perhaps she wants or needs that buffer of working for his partner instead of him, so she's not going to poke holes in her situation just yet, even if she realizes there is reason for concern. I did like that she reassured him that if Serkan trusted her, it would be fine. That seems like it will be key when Babbaan arrives.

Is Eda the cutest when she's jealous? I think she's the cutest. So does Serkan. He was enjoying that so much. And I just about died when she scooted her chair over to where she was almost sitting on top of him. The fact that Balca was Eda's own doing, a consequence of some irrational emotions, makes the whole situation even funnier. Serkan can't be dinged at all for choosing her.

I will be watching TV a long time before I get over the fact that this show found a way to re-enact the scene from Ghost. Thank you writers, producers and creatives! I keep saying that I love how this show rarely misses an opportunity, the shippy content and visuals are second to none. The things this show is able to do on such a tight timeline and I'm sure, budget is impressive. I give most of the credit to the actors and their chemistry, but that was also beautifully shot. What's almost better is when they return to the office all hot and bothered and flustered. These two kids are going to have to fall into bed sooner, rather than later otherwise the sexual tension is literally going to kill them.

Speaking of UST, they wound themselves up again when they decided to slow dance in front of their friends and coworkers. Besides Balca, is anyone in their orbit still wondering what's going on with them? Together? Broken up? In-between? Are they still office gossip, or is everyone just like "Eh, that's just Eda and Serkan" and they're all expecting to come in the office one morning to find that they’ve eloped. Along those lines, where was Ayfer? She gets so upset at the idea of them even talking... did she even notice them draped all over each other having eye-sex while dancing? I mean I didn't want her to have some over-the-top reaction but if she had it would have been in line with how she's been the last few episodes. The final scene was so damn uncomfortable to watch, but I'm very hopeful this storyline is going to clarify a few things for Eda and we’ll reap those rewards. All in all, I really enjoyed this episode, and can't wait for the next two!

#Sen Çal Kapımı #sen cal kapimi #edser #serkan bolat #eda yildiz #sckask #sck episode discussion #edser meta #edser discussion #sck 1x22 #asklizac #Anonymous

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xkandy · 5 years ago

Text

Psycho Pass - timeline and why you shouldn’t hate on S3 that much

I’ve been following Psycho Pass ever since the original run of Season 1 back in 2012. I’d like to make you and everyone who disliked S3 understand some things. Hope I structure this well, here goes.

Obviously there will be some spoilers.

First let’s take a look at the releases in the PP universe so far. We have:

Season 1

Season 2

Movie

Sinners of The System 1,2,3 (2 being a prequel)

Season 3

First Inspector

Before I write anything I’m going to stop you and say that nothing tops Season 1. So there,now that we have that out of the way let’s continue.

Season 1

Takes place in late 2112-2113

Central characters are Akane and Kogami and let’s face it, for many Kogami is the one who carried the show, even if some consider him to be a “generic edgy” protagonist I think he’s pretty solid as a character at this point.

Akane has had MAJOR character development throughout the whole season and I’ll never forget how upset some people were that she was a noob. That was the whole point, she is a newbie and a model citizen who trusts the system, her character evolution revolves around coming to the realization that the system is flawed.

Makishima as a villain was phenomenal and not because quoting from books , but because his motives and reasoning were clearly established and he made both protagonists question themselves and the system.

Season 1 is written by Gen Urobuchi , the following seasons (except the movie) are not written by him.

Season 2

Takes place in 2114.

A trainwreck, don’t even want to go here. The disappointment was huge.

I found Mika to be extremely annoying and unbearable with 0 character growth. The only highlights for this season for me were Gino and Akane.

Onwards.

The Movie

Takes place 3 years after the events of Season 1, in 2116.

Nothing of major impact happens but if you love the old cast , namely Gino, Akane, Kogami you’ll enjoy this and I have a feeling this is what they were betting on and wanted to see: the public reaction to the old cast.

The interaction between Akane and Kogami is the highlight (another one being Gino vs Kogami).

It’s clear as day that Akane evolved as a character and Kogami is questioning his past, so let’s say some minor character development.

Sinners of the System

If you enjoy the universe and aren’t too attached to the main cast you will like these, although case 3 is about Kogami so I’m sure it’s the one most people will like.

Case 1 has some minor Mika character development (she still sucks imho)

Case 2 is a prequel that sets up some details about the storyline that will be the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Case 3 is the one you’ll want to watch if you want to see S3/First Inspector as it revolves around Kogami and him coming to terms with his thoughts when he is asked by a young girl to train her as he sees in her a version of himself and where this will lead (girl seeks revenge) .

His story arc regarding Sasayama’s death, revenge, Makishima is complete, it ends here as he decides to head back to Japan.

This triggers the potential for the future series/movies in the Psycho Pass universe to deal with the (possible) unresolved storyline of dealing with Akane once he gets back to Japan, because he will have to face her at one point.

So after Case 3 Kogami is already a complete character , there is no strong conflict or drive for him as the one which had driven the plot of season 1.

We already know everything about him.

Let me jump back to Gino for a brief moment, his first arc concluded when his father died and he became an enforcer, his current arc might be related to what I’ll get to in a second.

Season 3

Alright so here we are,a new season nobody was expecting and 2 new protagonists we expected even less.

Taking place in 2120 , 8 years after the events of Season 1 it follows Arata and Kei in their own CID adventures.

The tone of the series is vastly different from both S1 and S2, most notably :

it feels like those friendly buddy cop TV shows

the violence is greatly reduced, no more “shock value”

the side characters aren’t invested into, they’re just there for being there and plot devices (they’re alright, the new enforcers get some characterization but it’s not season 1 level)

Arata’s “skill” - if you think about it as high level empathy it’s gonna feel less dumb

Being new protagonists, the writers had to make sure we get to like them by offering us details about their past and what drives their motives, I’d say they did an ok job at that.

There’s no room for comparison to Akane and Kogami, those 2 are already established characters who have resolved story arcs and suffered changes.

Keep in mind Akane is 28 now and Kogami is 36, whereas the new protagonists are in their early 20s. They have time for character evolution, it’s easier to write new characters into the universe than deal with established ones such as Akane and Kogami.

Also, we see Kou visiting Akane while she’s in jail, her not being surprised means this may have happened before, which leads to further questions in the storylines that will definitely be explored in the new PP installments to follow:

Details on the incident which caused her to be in jail

What happened when Kogami returned to Japan and how the Sibyl system dealt with this

Kou reuniting with Ginoza, since both work for the hot blonde now

etc, you get the idea

First Inspector

It’s actually not that bad, I’m not going to spoil anything (well...not everything) but I suggest giving it a chance. If you don’t want to watch S3 just read about it and watch this, the most important things to take are from episode 3′s last scenes

Akane is released AS AN ENFORCER by Sibyl and will help Mika

Kogami is sent to get her, there will definitely be a recap between these two

Arata and Kei both have secrets regarding the case they worked on, not gonna spoil anything

Yayoi is alive, and will live with Shion. Just puttin this out there since they’re everyone’s favorite lesbians

Mika is still shit.

Gino is still based as fuck

Also, there is a post credits scene with Akane saying something along the lines of “ let’s talk about the incident that got me jailed “ . This was only in the theatrical release so you can bet your ass we’re getting more PP in the future.

Thoughts

Lastly, what everyone needs to understand is that S1 made PsychoPass become a franchise. A franchise revolves around different characters in the same universe, sometimes the focus is on the OGs , but sometimes it isn’t.

I would like to note here that Gen Urobuchi is responsible for Season 1 (you know, the dude who wrote Madoka and other stuff like that...) and he did a great job writing a compelling story. Did he want PP to turn into a franchise? This I do not know and I have a feeling this might explain his absence from the later installments of the series.

He wrote a complete story in 22 episodes which could have been left at that but seeing how well received the first season was it spawned a franchise.

What I want to say is please give Arata and Kei a chance (S3 protags) . They’re not that bad and they help the franchise stay alive as it seems they were pretty well received in Japan. Would you rather Mika be the main character again?! HELL NO

Now I love the main trio - Akane,Kou,Gino - as much as everyone but at this point they’re so high level it’d be hard to write a series just about them. Make one wrong move and the fanbase will hate you.

Also, this one is for all you Kogami x Akane shippers, I view their relationship as professional only but I’ll be damned if I didn’t scream at those 2 short scenes these 2 had in S3 and FI .Can’t wait to see the interactions between grown up Akane and seasoned peace-of-mind Kogami.

If you’re still here thanks for reading my rant, hope I made sense.

edited to add some stuff

#psychopass #psycho pass #psycho pass sinners of the system #psycho pass season 3 #psycho pass s3 #psycho pass spoilers #anime #rant #akane tsunemori #kogami shinya #ginoza nobuchika #mika shimotsuki #shion karanomori #anime rewatch

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snkpolls · 4 years ago

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SnK Episode 69 Poll Results (for Anime Only Watchers)

The poll closed with 85 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Manga Readers’ poll, click here.

Anime only watchers, beware of spoilers if you venture over to the manga readers’ poll results.

RATE THE EPISODE 81 responses

Another episode with no negative ratings from respondents. MAPPA seems to be doing a fantastic job!

Loved it!

epic

WHICH MOMENT FROM THE PRESENT TIME WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 83 responses

It was relatively close for the top 2 choices that respondents picked, but the scene that caught the most eyes was Eren quickly escalating the conversation with Hange (30.1% of the vote). Right behind that scene was the conversation between the 104th about Eren and what to do about him moving forward. Distant favorites were Hange questioning Eren (14.5%), seeing Historia (9.6%) and the small Levi and Zeke crumb at the end of the episode.

Adult Eren was the best thing.

WHICH MOMENT FROM THE KIYOMI FLASHBACK WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 83 responses

The largest piece of the pie that was chosen (36.15) for the Kiyomi flashback was the moment where Historia agreed to inherit the Beast Titan only for Eren to passionately reject that plan. 24.1% of viewers most enjoyed the moment between Historia and Mikasa. At a tie, 15.7% either enjoyed Hange agonizing over sacrificing Historia, or Mikasa revealing the clan symbol tattooed to her wrist. A small handful most enjoyed seeing Kiyomi and Zeke meet in secret.

Pixis gigantic head. What was that all about?? Lol

WHICH MOMENT FROM THE RAILROAD FLASHBACK WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 83 responses

Nearly 40% of respondents were most thrilled with the moment where Eren confesses to his friends how important they are to him and the subsequent blushing. 22.9% enjoyed the moment prior to that where the 104th were debating on who’s best suited to inherit Eren’s titan. 21.7% enjoyed seeing Levi being visibly irritated about everyone’s height, and 10.8% enjoyed the background moment where Armin was chasing after Sasha.

I loved the train scene so so much!

MIKASA REVEALS THE AZUMABITO CLAN SYMBOL AS A TATTOO ON THE TOP OF HER WRIST. THIS IS A RETCON FROM SEASON 1 WHEN WIT REPLACED THE BRANDING WITH EMBROIDERY INSTEAD. THOUGH THE TATTOO IS WHAT’S FAITHFUL TO THE MANGA (MIKASA’S MANGA COUNTERPART HAS ALWAYS HAD THIS), WAS THIS A GOOD DECISION ON MAPPA’S PART? 81 responses

28.4% of respondents felt that the retcon wasn’t really a big deal, considering that the family symbol had already been alluded to previously in the series. 21.% didn’t care about this detail at all. 19.8% believe it’s a bit of a “yes and no” situation as both faithfulness to the source material and continuity are equally important to them. 12.3% supported the retcon in the name of faithfulness to the source material, and another 9.9% were supportive because they felt the embroidery was “lame and forgettable” anyway.

it was something useless that turned out to be important

We might get to know more about ackerman

HYPOTHETICALLY, IF ONE OF THE 104TH WERE TO INHERIT EREN’S TITAN POWER, WHO DO YOU THINK WOULD BE THE BEST OPTION? 82 responses

More than half of viewers feel that Jean is most suited to inherit the titan power from Eren. Trailing behind him, 22% feel that Mikasa would be the best candidate. 11% feel that Armin would be ideal (possibly due to him already having titan powers) and 8.5% felt that Sasha would have been the best candidate. Only a handful feel Connie is suited to the role.

WHICH “SHIPPY” MOMENT FROM THE EPISODE WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 81 responses

This episode had a lot to give in terms of endearing moments between the characters, so we asked which ones stood out most to you! 24.7% didn’t want to pick just one, and felt that all the “shippy” moments were equally good. 13.6% were swooning at the blushy glance between Eren and Mikasa. 9.9% most enjoyed Sasha and Connie’s increasingly awkward conversation about who’s the bigger idiot. 8.6% enjoyed the sweet moment between Historia and Mikasa, and another 8.6% enjoyed Jean heckling Eren over getting his hand-me-down, only to blush later at Eren’s confession. Relatively even amounts enjoyed all the other moments listed.

Let the shipping wars commence!!!

WHICH REVEAL WERE YOU MOST SHOCKED BY? 81 responses

The largest amount of respondents (38.3%) were most shocked by the revelation that Historia is now pregnant in the present time. 17.3% felt that Mikasa being the descendant of a shogun was the most shocking reveal. 14.8% had already been spoiled on all of these topics, and 8.6% found that Kiyomi’s alliance with Paradis was the most shocking revelation.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE REVEAL OF MIKASA’S ASIAN HERITAGE? 80 responses

The reveal of Mikasa’s asian roots comes with mixed opinions. 22.5% are enamored at the idea of “princess Mikasa.” 18.8% just feel happy that Mikasa is getting some importance and focus. 16.2% didn’t really think much about Mikasa’s asian heritage, but think the detail is kinda neat. 12.5% wish the series had done a better job of reminding the audience of the family symbol beforehand, and another 11.3% felt the opposite, stating that they knew this old plot point would be revisited again someday. 10% didn’t care about it at all.

IS EREN BEING TOO HARSH ON HANGE? 82 responses

Overall, the vast majority of respondents feel that Eren was much too harsh on Hange when they went to visit him in his cell. Though, 20.7% felt that he was justified in his anger toward them.

He could have talked nicely also

well yes as she came to have a friendly chat but he was technically in prison for wanting to protect his friends

Yea he did way to much

Yes and No...he was being a lil extra, but I don't know why Hange came to his prison cell heckling him like that

HANGE SEEMS TO THINK ERWIN CHOOSING THEM AS COMMANDER WAS A MISTAKE. DO YOU? 82 responses

The fandom shows almost unanimous support for Hange as the 14th Commander of the Survey Corps, with 91.5% stating that Erwin didn’t make a mistake in choosing them as his successor. A small handful feel that Hange wasn’t the best fit for the role.

I don't think there was a better option for Commander at the time of Erwin's death, but Hange isn't suited to the role (doesn't mean they won't try their best!)

Hange is definitely capable of leading, but I doubt that's a position they want to be in

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HISTORIA’S PREGNANCY? 80 responses

Historia’s pregnancy came as a huge shock to the fandom. It seems as though it’s hard to feel positively about it with the information we’ve been given so far. 30% solidify that thought by stating they feel just as miserable as Historia seems to look. 20% responded more light-heartedly and stated they just hope this was Ymir’s “big dick ghost energy” at work. 13.8% are certain there’s more to the pregnancy than meets the eye, wanting to wait for more information. 13.7% feel that regardless of the situation, Historia would inevitably have to produce an heir anyway, so it is what it is.

The harshest violence in this manga : putting a lesbian in a non wanted pregnancy.

My heart breaks for Historia. She looks absolutely miserable. Seeing her so happy in the flashback and then seeing her now makes me so sad. Girl deserves so much better :(

DO YOU THINK SHE’S IN LOVE WITH THE FARM BOY? 80 responses

A rather uniform opinion arrives here, with 87.5% stating that they believe Historia does not love the farm boy, in contrast to the 12.5% who do. Happy belated Valentine’s Day!

NILE STOOD UP FOR HISTORIA WHEN THE OTHER MP WAS DISPARAGING HER. THOUGHTS? 80 responses

Nile has consistently been portrayed positively throughout the series and him standing up for Historia is just another aspect of Nile’s portrayal. About a third of respondents stated that their respect for Nile increased substantially because of this. Another third noted that they thought it was a nice detail, but it didn’t really make them care more about him. Finally, another third or so said that they always liked him and appreciated more reasons to do so. A few were indifferent.

WHAT DO YOU THINK, IS THE WINE SUS? 81 responses

Aside from those who were already spoiled about future happenings, the vast majority of anime viewers think that there is definitely something off about the wine that Nicolo offered. 9.9% aren’t sure, and small handfuls either think it’s just a red herring or wish we would not have used the term “sus.”

DO YOU THINK HIZURU TRULY WANTS TO HELP PARADIS, OR ARE THEY JUST USING THEM FOR THEIR RESOURCES? 80 responses

55% of respondents feel that Hizuru is not being honest about wanting to help Paradis get out of their dire situation, instead only wanting to use them as a resource for their unique iceburst stones. 31.3% think that it’s half-and-half, they want to help, but also want something in return for that help. Absolutely no one felt that Hizuru’s primary motivation for coming to Paradis has to do with wanting to aid them.

CONNIE IS FURIOUS WITH EREN FOR HIS REACTION ON SASHA’S DEATH, AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT EREN DRAGGED THEM INTO THAT DANGEROUS SITUATION IN THE FIRST PLACE. DO YOU THINK HE WILL HOLD THIS GRUDGE FOREVER, OR EVENTUALLY FORGIVE EREN? 80 responses

Connie suffered a near breakdown in this episode, courtesy of Eren and Sasha’s death. As such, one wonders what’ll happen to their relationship afterwards. A plurality (43.8%) think that it’s really just up in the air and also depends on what Eren does moving forward. 22.5% believe that he won’t be able to forgive Eren, but will move past it in some sense. Finally, 20% simply think that this’ll forever remain something embedded in Connie’s view of Eren. A select few did state that they believe Connie will forgive Eren in time, however. A couple more were also spoiled about this development’s future.

When Hannes died, Eren laughed as well. This is probably just how Eren is.

Connie is right and he should say it. As far as forgiveness goes, i dont think Eren has passed the point of no return yet, but he's pretty damn close

CONNIE ALSO STATES, “THAT WASN’T EREN.” DO YOU THINK THAT THERE IS SOMETHING WEIRD GOING ON WITH EREN? 80 responses

Eren does not exactly appear to be as he was in his prior appearances and Connie states so. The respondents were rather split when attempting to figure out Eren. Just a little over a third thought this simply was the real Eren, but one who gave into his dark side. 27.5% weren’t sure, but did note that Eren was truly acting differently than usual. 15% thought that he might have been influenced by previous Titan shifters, while 10% believed that Zeke might have taken some control of him. A select few were either spoiled or simply had no clue.

Eren is finally standing up for himself and fighting

The pressure of trying to make the world a better place is driving him mad I guess

I go back and forth on this, because on one hand, yeah, this seems like a really drastic shift. But on the other hand, rewatching previous seasons and seening some of the impulsive/extreme shit he's done and said, his current behavior doesn't seem TOO out of the realm of possibility

MIKASA ARGUES THAT EREN’S ACTIONS WERE FOR THEIR SAKE AND THAT HE ONLY DRAGGED THEM INTO THE ATTACK ON LIBERIO BECAUSE HE TRUSTED THEM TO SURVIVE. JEAN, ON THE OTHER HAND, ARGUES THAT EREN IS NO LONGER THE PERSON THAT THEY KNEW AND DIDN’T CARE ABOUT THE RISK TO THEIR LIVES. WHO DO YOU AGREE WITH MORE? 80 responses

It would appear that the majority (65%) sides with Jean, thinking that Eren doesn’t really care about the lives of his friends any longer, in contrast to the 35% who believe that he still does and he was simply trusting them to survive the Liberio raid.

JEAN STATES THAT EREN IS “SUDDENLY ON BOARD WITH ZEKE’S PLAN,” AND THAT WHATEVER THEY TALKED ABOUT IS “SOMETHING ONLY THEY KNOW.” DO YOU THINK THAT EREN AND ZEKE HAVE THE SAME GOAL? 79 responses

There appears to be next to no consensus on what exactly is going on between Eren and Zeke and why they appear to be working together. 24.1%, the largest chunk of the pie, feel that Eren still doesn’t agree with Zeke’s plan, but is rather using him for his own goal. 4 more options came in at a tie. Aside from the 13.9% that have been spoiled, the others feel it’s either a mix of some of the options presented, or that the Yeagerbros have come up with a plan together that they intend to keep a secret, or aren’t sure how to answer and simply put “I don’t know.” 11.4% believe that Eren, left with no other options, has fully agreed to Zeke’s plan - but that Zeke’s true motives are still yet to be seen.

I’m excited to see all the reasons behind Eren’s sudden change and his true motives.

We need to find why eren acting like this and am i the only one who saw trouble coming because of him

IF EREN HAS ACTUALLY TURNED HIS BACK ON HIS FRIENDS, WILL MIKASA CONTINUE TO DEFEND HIS ACTIONS AND PROTECT HIM? 80 responses

Mikasa has shown unconditional loyalty throughout the series toward Eren, but are his current actions enough to shake that loyalty? 41.3% don’t seem to think so, believing that Mikasa will ultimately still support Eren in whatever his future actions may be. 32.5% think that she may continue to stick by him, but don’t want to say for sure. 26.3% feel certain that Mikasa would ultimately choose her other friends over Eren if push really came to shove.

ARMIN INSINUATES THAT SINCE PARADIS NOW HAS ACCESS TO SERUMS, THE MILITARY WILL TRY TO HAVE SOMEONE MORE “TRUSTWORTHY” EAT EREN TO TAKE HIS POWERS. DO YOU THINK HIS HUNCH IS RIGHT? 79 responses

Few, if any, militaries in the world tolerate insubordination and the Paradisian one is no exception. The majority (67.1%) believe the military will attempt to have Eren fed to a more trustworthy individual, in contrast to 10.1% who believe that they won’t. 22.8% simply aren’t sure.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS THE POINT IN THE FLASHBACKS THIS EPISODE? 80 responses

This episode’s flashback was received rather positively, but this series does not include any flashback for no reason and this one is probably no exception. The majority (60%) believe it’s there to showcase the glaring difference between Eren’s current and former demeanor. In contrast 35% think it’s there to reiterate the idea that Eren still loves and cares for his friends. A select few also noted that perhaps it’s there for exposition/angst or were simply unsure.

It just gets better; the flashbacks are definitely important to show Eren's progression and his seemingly contradictory actions, but I definitely feel like the emphasis on how much he cares for his friends is more important than it currently seems.

LOOKS LIKE WE’RE GOING BACK TO GABI AND FALCO NEXT WEEK. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT? 80 responses

Many are looking forward to seeing Gabi and Falco’s Bizarre Adventure, with 77.6% giving it a rating of 3 or higher. Are you a proud member of the Gabi Gang? Wow! Let us know!

Gabi sucks

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

People who spoil, dig a grave and crawl in it and die please

Awwwww why are Levi and Hange not included in the "shippy" moments? I like how Mappa balances out the heavy and light stuff and showed how different Eren is from before and how it makes people keep on thinking if he still really care for his friends, but the previous episodes have been better for me, maybe just because of the content. I did not really fell good seeing the scene of Eren and Hange. I think he couldn't be like that had Levi been there. Also, I think farmer boy is the real father. Isayama just didn't see the importance of revealing it and what with only 2 chapters remaining and people still really curious about it, this chance has come up.

Kind of slowish. I appreciate the big plot points, but I always want to see more of Levi.

Again, back to not knowing what the fuck is going on...so many flashbacks and plan details. Imma still watch tho !! Thanks MAPPA for the food <3

Eren is hot (lmao sry but he didnt really catch my interest UNTIL this episode)

Honestly loved it,like i loved every other episode,i just hope that no one else dies but i know they will

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 76 responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

#snk poll #snk polls #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #snk #aot #snk s4 #snk spoilers

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pineappledols · 5 years ago

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Credit to gif owner!!

Mask shopping with Xavier and Elijah

Summary- it’s the time of the month where Xavier and Elijah are bored with their current masks and think that they need new ones.

A/n- hi, i don’t know anything about writing so please don’t make fun of it too much. Feedback would be highly appreciated. Thank you so much for reading! If you have any more recommendations feel free to ask them! Love you. Also i might make this a little series if you guys like it so please let me know! Also if you happen to be my sister please keep scrolling

Y/n was working, sitting at the kitchen counter staying away from all of the madness that was the construction. Her sons Xavier and Elijah were getting picked up from school by their father Grayson and their almost 3 month old sister Liana.

Xavier and Elijah happen to be 4 years old. They were born on May 28th 2016. Their parents happen to both be 20 years old, Grayson 4 months older than his girlfriend y/n. Y/n and Grayson had Xavier and Elijah when they were 17, they started dating in high school giving them the title of “ high school sweethearts”, or what Ethan likes to call them “high school lametarts” but now they mostly joke about that. Although y/n and Grayson did not go to the same high school they happened to live next door to each other.

The front door opens and in comes 2 pairs of running feet with a loud “ MOMMY!!!” From both brothers. The boys throw their backpacks on the floor Grayson following after them with Liana fast asleep on his chest. “ Hey boys! How was school” y/n asks her sons now getting up to hug and kiss her boys. “ it was good!” Elijah responds with. Grayson now coming back over to give his girlfriend a kiss and a hug, “ hey baby” he says to her “ hey honey” y/n replies back with. “ mama, we have problem. “ Xavier says making y/n and Grayson look at him immediately.

“ what’s the problem bud? You didn’t say anything in the car about a problem.” Grayson asks Xavier. Elijah now on the seat next to his mother looking at her computer. “ we need new masks” “ new masks?” Y/n now looks at them with a fake serious face. “ yes” the twins responded with. “ didn’t I just buy you guys new masks? The ones you guys were wearing today?” Grayson asks again. “ yes! But now they aren’t cool anymore and they need an update!” “ an update?” Y/n asks. “ Yes!” The twins responded.

The out of date masks the boys were talking about were last months “in style cool masks” words that they overheard their uncle use when he was talking about his new mask his girlfriend was talking about. “ what kind of update do your masks need?” Grayson now sitting next to his sons asks. “ they need to be Halloween themed! Since you know it’s now Halloween!!” Xavier exclaims! “ Yeah! Right dada?!!” Elijah asks his father who is now looking at his girlfriend with a “ he’s got a point look”. The baby monitor now showing a loud crying Liana. Grayson gets up to go make sure his daughter was okay but also he didn’t want to deal with this discussion since he spoiled his boys with the masks they were currently wearing to school.

“ i don’t know babies, daddy just got you guys masks and i don’t think they need an update yet.” Y/n tells her sons. “ please mama?” Her sons now looking at her with the most adorable puppy eyes she’s ever seen. A trick they got from their father. “ Okay okay let’s just look and see if you guys REALLY want new masks. “ “ yay!” Y/n looks up ‘Halloween face masks’ on google and has her sons gather around her computer. Elijah finds his “ dream” mask first- cute little black mask with adorable ghosts, skulls, spider webs, words, lightning bolts and moons. “ that one please mama!!!” Elijah tells y/n.

“Okay baby let’s get it into a new tab so we remember.” Y/n makes a new tab with the link of Elijah’s new mask. Next it was Xavier’s turn to pick out his new mask. Y/n keeps scrolling through the different types of face masks until Xavier tells her to stop. “ that one mama! I love that one please mama!!” Xavier tells y/n. “ okay baby you sure this is the one you want?” Xavier nods. Xavier’s mask was a classic pumpkin and ghost mask.

After a few seconds thinking and remembering how excited her boys were when their masks came in and wanting to show them off to everyone they knew, y/n decided to buy them but only when her sons were napping. After a long day of school and mask shopping Xavier and Elijah were tuckered out and fell fast asleep.

Later that night while y/n and Grayson were cuddling and rewatching Grey’s Anatomy Grayson looked at his girlfriend with adoring eyes and asked her a simple question: “ you caved didn’t you?” “ yup big time. “

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mingtiddies · 5 years ago

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prince!seungkwan

genre: fluff, tiny bit of angst, prince au

word count: 1762

warnings: none that I can think of???

a/n: HI GUYS i’m so sorry for posting and leaving for 8567 days and then posting again and repeating the cycle ejfhejkrh, i have stuff prepared and series planned but i usually like to finished them before starting to post, but then i post anyway and have to make you wait bc i don’t have the inspiration to write

BUT ANYWAYS enjoy seungkwan’s au hehe

● “NO GIRLS ARE DIRTY” - prince seungkwan at 6 years old

● his parents were already tired

● seungkwan was a good boy, the best boy even

● except when it came to talks of marriage and spending his life married to a girl

● it was a mistake on his parents’ part to have told him when he was a kid

● but lots of kings and queens from neighboring kingdoms had done it and it had gone well

● but not for seungkwan

● he refused to spend time with his wife to be and even went as far as to drench the poor girl in milk

● growing up, seungkwan refrained from doing stuff like this (because he was a grown man now)

● but he never stopped fighting his parents on the matter

● his parents ended up giving up on setting him up with this girl he never even called by name

● he was a bit harsh

● but he hated the idea of having his life set out for him and not having a say in it

● moreover he didn’t even wanna get married, not until he was at least 30 years old and his mom scolded him saying he'd be too old by then

● and so without having ever announced that seungkwan would get engaged to the daughter of a king of another country, the poor girl left the palace

● and for a while he thought that his parents had abandoned all together

● boy was he wrong

● here you come

● brought in by his parents

● they thought your calm personality would help soothe seungkwan’s, they found you so polite and nice

● seungkwan, a grown man, 20 years of age, suddenly went back to his childish ways in an instant

● stomping his foot and everything

● looks mad mad

● when you witnessed this, you thought ‘oh great’ what did the Boos had gotten you into

● and you disliked the way he talked to his parents so much

● so when the introductions were done, his mother thanks you for being patient with his tantrum

● seungkwan really thought he could get away with it because the moment you yelled at him to catch his attention

● he got scared, like for his life scared, but only for a second

● because you don’t really look intimidating

● until you opened your mouth to yell at him some more

● “QUIT ACTING LIKE A CHILD YOUR PARENTS ARE DOING THEIR JOB AS KING AND QUEEN PARENTS”

● and then he got scared again

● because why were you yelling at him??

● and when he raised his voice at you to say he didn’t want to get married

● hmmm, big mistake

● “OKAY AND? WHAT ARE YOU FIVE? YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO TAKE OVER THE KINGDOM”

● and he was so appalled by the way you talked to him

● to him, a prince

● when the door opened and a staff came in he was shocked

● “did you not hear that?”

● and the staff got flustered because what was he supposed to hear

● his mother came in and he asked the same question

● “SHE GOT MAD AND SHE YELLED AT ME”

● his mother gave him a look and turned to you too but you smiled and waved your hand

● seungkwan appalled times 73273

● “WOAH”

● can’t believe what happened

● it went on for way too long

● seungkwan tried to find ways to sabotage the announcement (which happened the day you came to the palace)

● and he kept throwing tantrums

● there was no way you would take his shit ever

● no one would believe him when he’d say you yelled at him and you found it so funny

● threatened to record or film you

● always forgot to do it

● his parents were preparing the engagement party and really wanted your input and your personal taste to make it your engagement party

● so you were about to hold a meeting for it

● but suddenly an emergency came up and it turned out that seungkwan had let guard dogs on the loose inside of the palace

● as well as two horses, who were panicking

● meeting cancelled

● seungkwan happy

● but you knew it was him

● as soon as you were alone you yelled at him again about being a brat and sabotaging days of hard work

● he just stared at you, the usual look gone from his eyes

● and he realized that fuck you’re kinda hot when you yell at him

● he blurted it out loud and you hit him so hard he screamed

● you tried so very hard to find him redeeming qualities

● which wasn’t hard at all because for every dumb thing he did he had two qualities to make up for it

● you watched him take umbrellas to all of the staff working outside

● you watched him helping the kitchen staff with carrying stuff

● you watched him be a good son to his parents

● things actually started to change

● you didn’t really notice it because seungkwan was still annoying and he didn’t because he still tried to be annoying

● but the staff did

● he didn’t throw tantrums anymore

● an actual first

● he still fought his parents about marriage but his arguments lacked something

● he was doing it out of habit

● i mean he had fought against it for his entire life since he’d learned he was going to marry someone

● he started teasing you, poking at your sides during dinners and trying to embarrass you (just a little)

● you started nagging him for messing with you and everyone thought it was cute

● they still had no idea you how much you yelled at him for being a pain in the ass

● that’s when you started to feel uneasy

● why were you even here when he clearly didn’t want this

● (that’s when it all goes downhill and his parents are stressed as hell)

● you had yet another meeting but you didn’t feel like going because well, you knew seungkwan would sabotage it again

● truth is you didn’t have the heart to handle any more of his childish rants

● you didn’t have the heart to get rejected so blatantly again

● so when seungkwan found you almost hiding from staff and told you about the meeting

● he laughed

● “i can’t believe the roles switched, you know we have to be at this meeting y/n”

● and it ticked you off

● so bad

● “WHAT’S THE POINT ANYWAY?”

● cue seungkwan was shocked

● you had yelled at him before (many many times) but why did this feel different somehow?

● you cut him off before he could align two words (that scared him a little) and yelled again

● he did think it was odd

● his (nth) mistake was to believe you needed some time off because you were just in a bad mood

● “just release a statement saying we broke off the engagement”

● hmm, big mistake part 876

● because when seungkwan came back from the meeting, he couldn’t find you

● was very calm about it until he found out your room was empty

● you were gone gone and you would not be coming back

● you told your family you were only here for a few days, not telling them the truth and hoping seungkwan would release that damn statement so you could be free and start to move on

● you forgot your phone still had notifications on for Breaking News from the palace (which everyone in the kingdom was supposed to have on)

● after two days or so, you got a notification from seungkwan’s kingdom (finally reminding you it was still on)

● the notification barely let you know what it was about and it was about your so called engagement to the prince

● you swiped it off your screen

● you didn’t get out of the palace for days

● your parents didn’t mention the news because they thought it was just a way to publicly and officially announce the engagement

● because to them it was official the minute they sent you to his kingdom

● on seungkwan’s end

● haha

● boy

● after 5 days he still thought you were gonna come back

● most of his prince friends told him (seungcheol first)

● tried to break it down to him gently on the 3rd day but prince seungkwan wouldn’t listen

● “it’s been 5 days, i don’t think she’s gonna call”

● “it’s y/n, she always has something to say about what i do”

● so they shrugged it off

● you opened the breaking news article on the 7th day after its release

● (you got seungkwan anxious now)

● you rolled your eyes because why the hell did he go and announce it himself publicly when he could have gotten the press to release a handwritten royal announcement

● but that’s seungkwan we’re talking about

● and the video was just seungkwan in the press conference room, with no reporters in front of him

● so ?????

● but boom

● there it is

● a proposal video

● after literally 5 seconds into the video the prince is on one knee and officially asks for your hand in marriage, because he’ll be damned if you’re not the person who completes him and the only person he’d cave in for

● and the entire kingdom is holding their breath for the announce of your official engagement announcement

● after a week prince seungkwan does think he messed up bad

● so when you showed up two days later, he felt so confused and relieved at the same time

● worst feeling ever

● “i hate you so much i hope you know that”

● “i kinda hate me too”

● “you sabotaged days of hard work and probably hurt feelings”

● “yeah that was childish”

● “i know it was an arranged marriage but you hurt my feelings”

● “i’m so sorry y/n”

● “you actually recorded a proposal video to release it as breaking news”

● “ah, that was a bit much, wasn’t it?”

● “i can’t believe i’m here to say yes”

● “yeah i- wAIT WHAT”

● your wedding was set for the year of prince seungkwan’s 25th birthday

● you had the wedding organizers get back the ideas for the engagement party and chose themes that fit the two of you better

● the two of you didn’t try for children until it felt necessary

● although seungkwan loved children, he didn’t think he was ready for such responsibilities

● so you only did it to have an heir

● it took so little time for the two of you to fall in love with the little princess you had created that you even forgot having children was never part of your plan

● you also got to find out that prince seungkwan wasn’t just whipped for you, but also for his little girl

● but that’s okay because so were you

● (she was spoiled)

seungcheol ║ jeonghan ║ joshua ║ junhui ║ soonyoung ║ wonwoo ║ jihoon ║ seokmin ║ mingyu ║ minghao ║ seungkwan ║ vernon ║ chan

#seventeen scenarios #seventeen imagines #seventeen bulletpoint #seungkwan #boo seungkwan #seungkwan imagines #seungkwan bulletpoint #prince!seventeen #prince au #prince!seungkwan #svt #svt imagines

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fluffy-marshmallow-heart · 6 years ago

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A Twist of Fate ch.35 -Epilogue

The Elementalists au

Beckett x MC (Oriana)

Words: 2171

Series Master List

Complete Master List

I'm sorry to say that this is the end of this series! I have been writing this for about a year now, and it's difficult to let it go, but all things must come to end. Thank you all for reading, commenting, reblogging, and just falling in love with Beckett and Oriana. They are my OTP, and this has been my favorite series I've ever written. I do have another in the works though, and you can also catch 20 Seconds of Courage still going. Love you all, and thanks so so much for the support on this journey!!!

This AU is set after everyone graduates Penderghast, and Beckett and Oriana were never friends. Fate, however, may have a different plan for them.

One Year Later

“Beck, come on, I don’t want to be late!” Oriana shouted up the stairs to her husband.

“Just grabbing a couple more things! Be right down!”

She rolled her eyes before pressing a kiss to the head of their baby girl. “Your Daddy insists on bringing every little thing when we go out. He’s so silly, isn’t he?”

Their baby cooed and Oriana’s heart melted every single time. “Okay little one, we might as well get you in the car.” She was about to open the door when Beckett came bustling down.

“Ready! I think I got everything.”

Oriana rose an eyebrow as she saw him carrying the already overstuffed diaper bag, a swing, five stuffed animals, a play mat, and three more blankets. “You sure you managed everything? You’re not missing the bottles?”

Beckett’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, I forgot the bottles!!” He dashed into the kitchen.

“Yes, very silly indeed.” Oriana murmured, turning and walking out the door to Beckett’s SUV. Almost as soon as they found out they were expecting, he researched and raced out to buy two brand new vehicles, rated excellent in safety and style. Naturally, she thought that was overkill, but he couldn’t be convinced otherwise. They had extended their lease and in the new year were going to move into their new house, that they were having built on the land Beckett had shown her, with the trickling stream surrounded by flowers. They both loved their current neighborhood but needed a bigger space for their growing family, and often visited that place whenever they needed a break from life. Their daughter, Eliana, was born in June on a beautiful sunny day. Beckett had insisted on a name like Oriana’s, meaning the sun.

“Eliana means daughter of the sun. It really can’t be any more perfect. You’ve always been my sun, Ori.”

Oriana had made fun of him at the time, but she adored the way he thought. Their daughter was beautiful with auburn hair and golden eyes, the spitting image of Oriana.

It was going to be their first Christmas as a family, and they were headed over to Dave and Melissa’s house for a Christmas Eve brunch. As soon as Oriana finished buckling Eliana into the car seat, Beckett came rushing out, opening the passenger door for her, out of breath. She couldn’t help but notice that not only did he bring the bag of bottles, he also had two more bags filled with books.

“Beck, we’re only going to be there a few hours…”

“We must read something to her every hour, Oriana, she loves books and I intend to keep it that way.” He huffed before turning around and putting everything into the trunk. “Honestly, how many times do I need to say this.” He muttered under his breath.

“I heard that.” She called out.

“Good.” He replied, closing the hatch and getting into the driver’s seat. “Can’t have you forgetting how important it is.” He teased, except he was completely serious.

Oriana laughed, leaning over the center console and kissing him. “You’re such a dork.”

He just shrugged. “You love me.”

“I do, don’t I?” She giggled.

The drive to Dave’s was uneventful, and before long they pulled into the driveway. “Looks like everyone’s already here.” Beckett observed the cars already in the driveway.

“Shocker. I’m sure the others only brought 5 bags, and not 10, thus cutting their time in half.” Oriana joked.

“Ha ha, very funny. Come on, let’s go.”

Oriana grabbed Eliana while Beckett grabbed everything he’d brought. Ringing the doorbell, they could hear the cheerful laughter of their friends, as well as the other kids running around. Dave and Melissa’s son had just started walking, and he was always getting into things. A minute later, the door flung open.

“Aaaahhhhhhh they’re here!!!!” Shreya shrieked, jumping up and down in excitement. “Eeeeee let me see my little munchkin!!!!”

Oriana laughed as she handed over Eliana into the arms of her best friend. “It’s good to see you too, Shreya.”

“Come on, everyone’s in the living room!”

The four of them walked into the living room where Dave, Melissa, Zephyr, Tom, Jessie, and the three other kids were.

Tom gave a cheeky grin. “Hey guys! You finally made it! Beckett, you sure you brought everything you need? I don’t see your kitchen sink in there, and I really think you’ll need it, because Dave here doesn’t have one. And he certainly doesn’t have two.”

“You laugh, but a portable sink actually wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Beckett mused, carefully setting everything down in a corner. “It would actually be pretty convenient to wash her bottles on the go, and also spray her down when she explodes. I think I’ll look into that idea.”

Tom blinked. “Uh…you know I was kidding, right?”

“A lot of great thoughts start as jokes.” Beckett replied. “But anyways, I’m happy to see everyone.”

“Eliana’s first Christmas. I’m so excited. We’re coming over tomorrow right?” Zeph cooed, taking one of Eliana’s fingers and shaking it as she gave a toothless smile.

“Sorry, Zeph, but after we have our own little Christmas, we’re going over to the Harrington’s.” Oriana chirped. “Maybe New Year’s you can come.”

Beckett leaned in, wrapping his arms around Oriana’s waist and kissing her cheek. “If we still have space left after my parents spoil our little princess.”

Beckett couldn’t even begin to explain how happy he was. When Zeph and Shreya returned from their trip abroad, Oriana made sure to introduce them to the group. They fit right in, of course, they were both so outgoing and easy to get along with. Beckett couldn’t remember why he was never friends with them in college. Seeing Oriana so happy, they welcomed Beckett with open arms. Shreya even cried. Since then, everyone hosted dinner once a month, a potluck where everyone would bring a dish. It was a new tradition, one that Beckett couldn’t imagine not having anymore. His life was so different now. He never felt lonely, and he had a support group he couldn’t live without.

Even his parents had come around about Oriana. When Beckett first announced that they were married, they completely cut off communication. But then one day, when he came home from work, Oriana was sitting at the kitchen table with his mom, dad, and sister. Apparently, his wife had written each of them a personalized handwritten letter, professing her love for him, and that he saved her life on more than one occasion. She told them all about what Beckett had been doing since graduation, and invited all of them over for a sit-down chat, but never told Beckett. He would have been mad, furious even, if he wasn’t so completely awed at the fact she did that, laid all her feelings bare and let his family decide what to do. By the end of the night, everything had gone so well, they announced their pregnancy. Mrs. Harrington immediately latched onto Oriana, thrilled she was getting a grandchild. His father hugged him for a long time, telling Beckett how proud he was of him for forging his own life. And Katrina immediately began talking about a baby shower.

After they left, Beckett cried that night in happiness, amazed with the beautiful woman he was proud to call his wife. She was able to mend the rift between him and the rest of his family simply by being honest and straight-forward with them. She asked for nothing except a chance to show them the life they made, no more and no less, and he would be forever grateful. He hadn’t even realized how important it was to have their support until he received it.

As he looked around the room now, his heart was practically bursting. How did I even get here? How did I go from having nothing…to having everything?

He looked at his wife, who had taken back their child and was swaying Eliana with the beat of the soft music playing in the background. He looked at Dave and Melissa, who were now trying to comfort their son, whom had run into a table and was now crying. He was unsteady on his feet, but adored Tom and Jessie’s two kids, and always tried to keep up with them. Eliana was always watching the other kids, and it was obvious she wanted to join in. Beckett couldn’t wait for the day that she could. She was nine months old now and trying to crawl. It was only a matter of time. Shreya was showing Jessie fashion items on her phone, and Zeph was helping Tom bring out the wine. The other two kids hadn’t stopped running.

Oriana caught his eye from across the room and winked, smiling brightly. She really was his sunshine, and he was so proud to be with her. He sidled up to he, bumping her hip lightly. “Hey beautiful.”

“Hey handsome. You doing alright?”

“Of course.” He answered. “Just thinking about how we got here, to such a good place.”

“I still have my dark moments.” She murmured quietly.

“You do. But they’re part of who you are, and so I love them too. Besides, the main cause is no longer able to try and worm his way back into your life.”

Oriana beamed at him, and he couldn’t help but grin back. They’d come such a long way. He found his thoughts wandering once more, back to the previous winter, Before Eliana was born. She’d received a call from a lawyer who was representing a young woman pressing charges against Chase for rape. It was the same type of situation Oriana had been in. She’d been drugged and used by multiple men, all under instruction of Chase.

Oriana barely spoke for days, crying, and blaming herself for not doing something about him sooner, and now he’d hurt someone else the way he had hurt her. There was no light in her then, and she was barely keeping it together. Eventually Beckett was able to get her to open up, and she agreed to be a witness for the prosecution. She wasn’t the only victim the lawyer had managed to find. There were several more girls who found the strength to put Chase away for a long, long time because they banded together and told their respective stories. Each one a bit different, each one hurt by the same men. Chase wasn’t the only one who went to jail. And because of that, no one had to look over their shoulders anymore. Chase and his friends were locked up and wouldn’t be released in their lifetime. Each received the maximum sentence of twenty years per rape, and they were found guilty on all five of the girls who testified. The judge denied the appeals due to the heinous nature of the crimes. As it turned out, one of the men had secretly taped each incident. It was shocking to see and hear, and Oriana was a complete mess, even refusing to be in the courtroom when the videos were played…but it was undeniable proof, and without it, it’s possible they would not have been convicted. Oriana still kept in touch with the other four girls, and Beckett was so relieved that she had found even more support. She had support in all aspects of her life, more than just Beckett, even though she claimed he was enough. He believed her when she said that, but it didn’t change the fact that having others who have shared your experiences, no matter how horrible, is a comforting feeling. If there was ever a time Beckett couldn’t help her, he knew without a doubt she had so many people who cared for her that at least one of them would be able to help her through the moment.

They were happy. Their friends were happy. Wrapping his arm around Oriana’s shoulder, he saw her eyes turn to gold, and a soft glow emanate from her body. The first time he’d ever seen it was their first date. He hadn’t known it was possible for a person to glow, but then, Oriana wasn’t like anyone he’d ever met before. He was thrilled to call her his own.

Oriana set Eliana down on a chair so she could wrap her arms around Beckett’s neck, kissing his lips sweetly. “I love you, Beckett Harrington. Even with the 10 bags you insist we need for every outing.”

He kissed her again. “And I love you, Oriana Harrington. The love of my life. My heart has always belonged to you, you know.”

“I know.” She said slyly. “Actually…I think I always knew.”

“I’m so proud of you, Ori, truly. You are a remarkable human being.”

“And you, sir, are a sap.”

Beckett let out a hearty laugh. “But I’m your sap.”

Oriana placed a hand on his heart, smiling. “Yes. Yes, you are my sap.”

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7-wonders · 6 years ago

Text

M A S T E R L I S T

*denotes smut

+denotes completed series

Updated 10/23/20

Michael Langdon

Series

+As Above, So Below--Your average, mundane life as a college student is flipped upside down when the man you thought you knew as your next-door neighbor turns out to be the God of the dead. When Michael lures you down to Hell, everything that you thought you knew about the world is proven wrong.

+Shatter--Your coven is at war with the Antichrist, who has sworn to bring about the total destruction of the world. The only problem is that your mortal enemy just happens to be your boyfriend, Michael Langdon. After the coven decides that your relationship can't stand, Michael takes action.

Mad Love--A normal evening of studying quickly goes wrong when you’re kidnapped. Things somehow manage to take a turn for the worse when you find out why: to be the bride of the Antichrist

Oneshots

And God Made Eve to Bear the Curse (vampire!Michael)*--Michael wants one thing, and one thing only–to drink from the oasis between your thighs.

Chord Progressions--In the post-apocalyptic world, you find music to be the only thing that makes living in an underground bunker with a bunch of spoiled rich people tolerable. The time finally comes for your interview with the mysterious Cooperative member, Langdon. Will you find your way to salvation? Or will there be more questions than answers?

Bathe Me In Blood*--After your numerous questions, Michael invites you to observe as he conducts one of his rituals. The turn that it takes is a welcome surprise for both parties.

Late-Night Reading--Your new friend Michael (aka the Antichrist) asks you to read to him one night after he has a nightmare.

Ride It Out--The end of the world is terrifying, even when you’re the Antichrist’s lover.

Driver’s Ed--Michael really wants to learn how to drive a car.

A Sanctuary Within the Sanctuary--The end of the world is more difficult to deal with than you had anticipated. Michael, appreciative of how you’ve stuck by him, decides to show you his thanks.

Practice Makes Perfect*--Michael wants a baby. You want a baby.

In the Clouds*--After a heated argument leads Michael to show you who’s in charge, you float off into the clouds.

Baby Love--You find out you’re pregnant, and now comes the hard part: Surprising Michael.

Sacrificial Lambs--What you thought was just going to be an event to meet the members of Michael’s Satanic church turns into a ritual sacrifice, followed by your unofficial ‘dark’ baptism. As any normal person, you don’t take the murders of two innocent people well.

Hurt--After an intense fight, Michael inadvertently causes what he does best: Hurt.

Sweet as Cyanide--Michael makes his final decisions for the Sanctuary, and leaves you with a cryptic warning about the upcoming Halloween party.

Without a Word--You’ve always been the light to Michael’s dark, the one who makes everyone smile instead of the one who scares people with a mere glance. Michael has never seen the clouds that lurk inside of you, threatening to spill over and ruin your carefully-constructed image.

Twilight, Eat Your Heart Out (vampire!Michael)--Pondering your own mortality is never a good long-term solution, especially when you have to compare it to the immortal vampire you’ve found yourself entangled in a relationship with.

Family Man--Michael brings his family along to the last Outpost after realizing that he’s not willing to sacrifice his loved ones for his father’s plan.

Lost In the Shadows--As a naturally curious person, the odd mannerisms of your elusive new boss pique your interest, making you determined to figure out who, or what, he is.

Thinking of Sin (CAOS!au)*--Michael, having fully embraced his title as Antichrist and heir to the throne of Hell, invites you to join him as his father’s church, the Church of Night, celebrates one of their most sacred holidays: Lupercalia, the festival of passion.

Creature of the Night (vampire!Michael)*--Michael indulges one of your secret fantasies on Halloween.

Heaven & Hell Were Words to Me*--A surprise takes a turn that should be sickening, but instead only serves to draw you even further into the web that Michael has woven.

Labyrinth King!Michael headcanons

Vampire Michael Musings

The Thrill of the Chase--Your path once again crosses with Michael’s, this time under much more dire circumstances. Life and death, specifically yours, has suddenly never been more prevalent in your mind.

Marry the Night--Outpost 3 has never been quiet. When you awake and find that, for the first time in months, there’s nothing but silence, you’re determined to get to the bottom of it. Soon, you’ll wish that you had stayed in bed.

Warm and Real and Bright--A Tangled!AU, with Michael as a dark Flynn Rider and reader as Rapunzel.

Duncan Shepherd

Series

Love Me Now+--Meeting Duncan’s family for the first time, you’re faced with the glaringly obvious facts: You don’t belong.

Part One | Part Two

Memento Mori--When being in the wrong place at the wrong time lands (Y/N) in the blood-stained hands of D.C.’s most notorious crime boss, Duncan Shepherd, she finds herself unexpectedly in his debt. Perhaps owing the dangerous man a favor would be more torturous if he weren’t so engaging.

Beauty and the Beast!Duncan Shepherd AU

Wilted Roses Smell Just as Sweet--How Duncan came to become the monster that he is when he and reader’s paths cross.

This Place of Wrath and Tears--Jim is missing, and nothing can prepare you for what you stumble upon in your quest to find him.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Wooing Your Prisoner--You begin to resign yourself to life in a prison cell, when things somehow manage to become even stranger. Alternately, Duncan deals with his staff and fellow prisoners having hope for the first time since the curse was placed on his home and everyone in it.

This Cruel Trick of Fate--A quick blurb from Duncan’s POV.

Down the Rabbit Hole--You make a decision about your stay at the enchanted manor, but at what cost?

Oneshots

Gala Blues*--At a political gala, you’re ridiculed and objectified by some of Duncan’s colleagues. A fight ensues between you and Duncan, continuing to a standoff that can only end in one way.

Kiss Me Through the Phone--The Republican jerk who follows you on Twitter turns out to actually be kind of nice. You’re more than content with him just being an internet acquaintance, but plans change when it turns out that he’s going to be attending the same event tonight as you.

Come Out and Play*--Your boyfriend, Duncan, has a few tricks up his sleeve to help you relax after the stressful day you had.

From the Desk Of...*--The mandatory class you’re forced to take this semester is enough to make you consider dropping out of college. The only thing that makes it bearable is your teacher: Professor Duncan Shepherd. He’s smart, handsome, witty, and, not to mention, twenty years your senior.

Like an Animal* (werewolf!Duncan)--Duncan finds himself in big trouble when he gets trapped in an elevator with you the night before his shift and in the midst of his heat. (Werewolf!Duncan Shepherd)

Service With a Scribble--Duncan’s a dick to a cashier, and (Y/N) decides to get back at him with a healthy dose of kindness.

Violent Delights* (incubus!Duncan)--Accidentally summoning a seductive incubus leaves you between a rock and a hard place, but do you really want out of this as much as you claim?

As the World Falls Down--You’ve stood by Duncan through thick and thin, but when the true intention of the app he’s been developing is revealed, everything crashes down around you.

Inside Out--After one too many instances of Duncan being the token stuck-up rich guy, you’re ready to show him how the rest of America lives by taking him through a day in your life.

All the Time In the World--Life has thrown you a few curveballs lately. Between absolute chaos wreaking havoc at your job, being too busy to sleep and your schedule not meshing with Duncan’s, you’re stressed beyond measure. So stressed, in fact, that you don’t notice you miss your period until you’re two weeks late.

Duncan Shepherd NSFW Alphabet*

Jim Mason

Oneshots

Kiss of Fire*--You only want what’s best for Jim, and that includes staying clean of drugs. Jim, who’s been bottling up his true feelings for so long, finally snaps after he finds out you flushed his stash.

Half of My Heart--Jim was supposed to be better now. After his psychotic break, you and Medina had made sure that it was impossible for him to slip back into his old habits. But the morning comes, and so does the realization that he’s been lying to both of you.

Xavier Plympton

Truth or Dare--A oneshot of Xavier being dared to play Seven Minutes in Heaven, and you’re the one that the group chooses to go with him.

Still Lovin’ You--You’re smoking weed with Xavier in the back of the infamous Vanta-C when things get a little steamy.

Shot Through the Heart--Being a ghost, you could handle. Your boyfriend killing people? Not so much.

Welcome Home (Sanitarium)--After two years, Xavier returns to the spot where he nearly lost his life...and where you did.

Cum On Feel the Noize*--Xavier has ideas on how to spice up your boring shift.

#masterlist #michael langdon #michael langdon imagine #michael langdon imagines #michael langdon x reader #Michael Langdon x you #duncan shepherd #Duncan Shepherd imagine #Duncan Shepherd x reader #jim mason #Jim Mason imagine #Jim Mason x reader #xavier plympton #xavier plympton imagine #xavier plympton x reader

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sparklyjojos · 5 years ago

Photo

THE SAIMON FAMILY CASE recaps [1/13]

These will be full recaps of the latest JDC book, The Saimon Family Case (彩紋家事件) from 2004, which is a prequel taking place in the late 70s. While it’s a prequel, it can be read without any knowledge about the series. (It does spoil one death from Carnival at the end, but I feel like everyone already knows about this particular one).

It won’t be obvious in the recaps, but the book consists of seven parts seven chapters each (similar to Maijo’s Tsukumojuku) with two additional parts at the end.

The novel is light in terms of content warnings (for a murder mystery, anyway), but small kids WILL die in this, and we’ll be talking a lot about a specific type of systemic xenophobic violence near the end.

See that big family tree above? Save it somewhere for future reference. Believe me when I say you will need it. (Also, as always in the recaps, family name will be given first, Japanese-style.)

Well then—has everyone found their seats? Is everyone ready to witness the most splendid illusion?

Let's start the show.

PART 1

A note at the beginning informs us that soon 20 years will have passed from the end of the famous Saimon Family Murder Case, often called the “Crime Revolution” because of its impact on the future of similar complicated incidents. The details of the case have been hidden from the masses, but the time will soon come when everyone will learn the truth.

It’s the very last day of the year 1999. The mysterious first person narrator of the framing device is an older gentleman attending a New Years celebration in Las Vegas with his wife. They watch a fairly young blond magician perform close up magic for the guests. The magician borrows a 10,000 yen bill from the narrator, seals it in an envelope, sets it on fire, and it suddenly turns into a rose in his hand. When the narrator is asked to check his wallet, inside he finds a bill with the same denomination and serial number, but of a noticeably larger size… among a few other stunning differences.

“Happy New Millenium!” the magician exclaims.

This little illusion awakens memories from that case in both the narrator and his wife. As the world heads towards the new century, they are the only people left who were so closely involved in those tragic events of old.

It's September 19th 1977, and the entire Saimon family celebrates the 99th birthday of their old matriarch, Saimon Tamako. The celebration takes place on a performance stage next to the family's main residence in Tsuwano, Shimane Prefecture. Tamako’s daughter Akiko pushes the matriarch’s wheelchair towards the stage.

A perceptive guest may notice two other old women in the crowd who look astonishingly like Saimon Tamako, though they are a little younger (97). These are twin sisters called—if you can believe it—Tsukumo Tamako and Tousen Tamako. The three Tamakos look near identical, and in fact once used that similarity for their magic acts: all secretly shared the single stage name of Soga Tenju. That was decades ago, of course. The Tamakos no longer look like the beautiful young woman (actually women plural) known from her most famous illusion, Courtisane and Bell.

Once Akiko and Tamako take their place on the stage, all the lights suddenly go out for just a second, and in that brief darkness two things happen.

One: the red-and-white stripes of the celebratory curtain decorating the stage suddenly turn into black-and-white stripes of a funeral curtain.

Two: Saimon Tamako dies.

Saimon Tamako is ruled to have died of natural causes, not unusual at her age, and the curtain changing color must have been just someone’s attempt at a distasteful joke.

However, the threat of something darker going on still seems to lurk in the background. There’s a lot of people with bad intentions in this world. As part of the Saimons, Akiko is well aware of that. She recalls what she knows about the family's past.

Back at the beginning of the 20th century, Saimon Tamako made her living performing magic with a traveling circus group. Eventually she met a rich man, married him, and with his financial help established the Soga Tenju troupe.

Of course, the magician Soga Tenju was actually three women, all looking identical, all having similarly unclear pasts and wandering with the same group, all being called simply Tamako because no one even knew their real names.

It happened that three rich men of Tsuwano, who all have been friends—Saimon Taishin, Tsukumo Taigen, and Tousen Taikun—fell for the same “Soga Tenju”, and upon discovering the secret behind the magician decided to marry one member of the trio each. Since this was the era it was, the women didn’t really have a say in the matter. (Akiko hopes for more emancipation in the future and feels sad that she probably won’t live to see it; she’s over sixty herself.)

The tendency for similar names came with all sides of the family, it seemed. The three rich men were themselves a little weird, and that shared “Tai” in their names was something they added intentionally to show their bond. Their respective firstborn children—Tsukumo Haruko, Tousen Natsuko and Saimon Akiko—were given names referring to haru (spring), natsu (summer) and aki (fall). Since the Tamakos were so similar looking, their daughters also looked close enough that one could mistake them for triplets.

Akiko herself has three sons—Taishi, Akio, and Takayoshi—but now that they are all adults, they no longer feel so close to her, especially the youngest Takayoshi, who never felt inclined to stage illusion and broke all contact with the family. He didn’t show up for Tamako’s birthday and even now, a month later, hasn’t contacted them yet.

On October 19th, Akiko is busy sewing new props for a magic routine, the Five-Ball Cascade, in which juggled balls seem to change colors between red and white in mid-air. Remembering her times as the young magician Soga Tenshuu, she attempts the act just one more time. As she throws the balls in the air, she feels a stabbing pain in her chest and suddenly sees familiar faces in the balls—her mother, her husband, her sons—changing from white to red, like a bloody cascade. As they fall to the ground, Akiko does too.

A month later, on November 19th, a few members of the Saimon family are combing the Tottori sand dunes in search for young Saimon Yuuta, who went missing the previous day after announcing he’d like to show them something at the site. Everyone’s on edge; it’s barely been a month since Akiko's death.

A rope is found sticking out of Umanose, the famous “horse-back” dune, and several people pulling on it manage to unearth what looks like a giant card—four of diamonds—and Yuuta’s corpse tied to it.

Not even a few years have passed since JDC’s founding when young detective Ajiro Souji and his wife Mizuki take part in Saimon Tamako’s tragic birthday celebration.

The couple feels at home in Shimane, both because Mizuki was born in the prefecture, and because Ajiro has been friends with the Saimon family ever since receiving their help during the Ajiro Family Murder Case—the experience which prompted him to create JDC in the first place.

That case, as usual, was solved by his grandfater Soujin and mentor Shiranui Zenzou [and if you want to know more about it, read Carnival]. Both of them are splendid detectives, but decided young Souji should be the one to become JDC’s representative instead.

...but we keep saying "JDC" here, and the truth is the tiny group doesn’t call itself by the fancy English name Japan Detectives Club yet. It goes simply by Nihon Tantei Club and occupies the third floor of an office building filled with boutiques, clinics and the like.

Aside from Ajiro the representative, the staff consists of six office workers and twelve detectives (not counting Soujin, who is almost always out on business). The detectives are divided into the Shiranui Section and Kirigirisu Section, named after their respective leaders. There is some tension between the sections: the Shiranui part puts more value on past experience and doesn’t approve of choosing young Souji as their representative, while the Kirigirisu part praises his potential and thinks of the organization’s future.

So far Nihon Tantei Club is pretty unknown, no dramatic and giant solved cases to their name, and everyone has a strange conflicting feeling: at once wishing for the peace to never end and wishing for the inevitable tragedy to just happen already; to just get to the point where what should be unusual becomes the new normal, because everyone knows deep down it has to happen one day.

On November 22nd, Kirigirisu Tarou as usual takes the train to work, thinking about how the world will inevitably change as the new century comes around—though, of course, he can’t be sure he will actually get to see it, as nobody knows what will have happened in over twenty years.

Maybe he’s mulling over the passage of time and worries about the future so much because he's a man without a past. Kirigirisu lost all his memories to head injury a few years ago, at the same time when he was wrongly accused of murder. Fortunately, he was proven innocent thanks to both Ajiros, could begin new life as a detective, and even found a wonderful wife called Kano. He would love it if this usual everyday life could continue indefinitely… although without crime, a detective like him would be out of a job. For now he wants to focus on helping the Ajiros as he can.

Kirigirisu arrives at the office, which is mostly empty this early in the morning. Well, except for the delinquent detective Raiouji Rokenrou, looking just like you’d expect a punk named after rock’n’roll to look like (sunglasses, a lot of hair gel…) and taking a nap on the couch. Apparently Ajiro Souji had a long meeting with him about something last night, and now wants to talk to Kirigirisu.

Ajiro Souji is a sharply dressed 29-year-old man, easy to mistake for a normal office worker in the crowd. (Kirigirisu always flinches a bit seeing his elegant tie; he himself has a strange phobia of wearing anything around his neck, which he suspects has to do with an unknown event forever hidden behind his amnesia).

They each light a cigarette and have a friendly conversation. Ajiro mentions that he recently tried to switch to cigars, but alas, it seems that it’s still “too early” for him to appreciate them; about forty years too early, according to grandpa Soujin. [Seeing as Ajiro is a huge cigar fan in most of the series, grandpa miscalculated by at least two decades.]

Soujin is a thin man of short stature who hardly looks like someone in their seventies, although his hair is just as white as his usual suit, with just a black bowtie breaking the color. He always gives off the air of a mafia boss, his sheer power of personality taking hold of everyone around. Soujin apparently feels constant wanderlust, so he almost never shows up at the office. In fact, Kirigirisu hasn't seen him in over two months now. Who knows what he’s doing.

But back to the situation at hand, Ajiro wants Kirigirisu's help. For the next few days, they will investigate a case together in another prefecture, Rokenrou taking care of Kirigirisu’s section in his absence.

The case surrounds a strange series of deaths. First, Saimon Tamako dying (seemingly) of old age on her birthday on September 19th. Second, her daughter Akiko suffering a (seemingly) accidental death on October 19th, when a misplaced sewing needle stabbed into her heart. And third, a very strange but (seemingly) accidental death of another Saimon family member that has just happened on November 19th. Ajiro and Kirigirisu are to investigate whether or not the perfectly spaced string of incidents may be an act of serial killing.

The case is of personal importance to Ajiro. After all, the person who requested their services is the same man that helped solve the Ajiro Family Murder Case: Saimon Ryuusui, known better as the great magician Soga Tensui.

(The third person narration swaps here to a completely different font, and informs us helpfully: but ah, before the two detectives could head to Tsuwano, they would go to Yamaguchi first, to watch the magic show of the Saimon family, a marvelous experience that Ajiro has already had a few times because of his friendship with the family, and that Kirigirisu would witness for the first time.

And from the very moment they were invited to see the show first, they felt uneasiness settle inside them. Only much, much later would one realize just how deep the hidden meaning of the show really was, and that solving all its mysteries was crucial to solving the Saimon Family Murder Case.

You could even say that the show itself, filled with so many wondrous mysteries to solve, was the true Saimon Family Murder Case. If so, then the magician Soga Tensui could be defined as its culprit—and if so, then Ajiro and Kirigirisu have just walked right into a marvelous illusion indeed.)

[>>>NEXT PART>>>]

#sparkly reads the saimon family case #maijo and jdc stuff

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