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carolmunson · 2 years

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good cop, bad cop II: daddy lessons

real brain rot shit. recommended reading: good cop, bad cop part one.

warnings: fem reader, daddy kink, dom!steve, dom!eddie, sadist!eddie (also soft, he can’t help it), brat!reader, sadist!steve (not soft at all unfortch), bdsm aligning punishments and actions, humiliation, degradation, dom training, forced orgasm. female anatomy mention. p in v sex, oral (m and f receiving), angst, face slapping (in like a bad way), severe name calling, some dubcon at the end

but in this realm (at least for me) all violent acts are previously consented to

pls don’t engage if under 18+ cause yikes! (like really, YIKES.)

authors note: this was going one way to start, and then i slept on it and i changed my mind and then i changed my mind again

still a continuation to where we last left off, but a mean steve during the first half gets a little more defiance than he bargained for in half time. steve and eddie bicker like a married couple. a very much ‘anything you can do, i can do better’ take on the night.

and then it took a turn, like a scary turn that i sort of like but oh my goddd????

—

“Daddy’s gonna let you cum as many times as he wants,” Steve stopped teasing you, reaching past your writhing hips to the top of your underwear. You lifted your hips so he could wrench them off of you. Eddie watched them get tossed off the bed to the side, he frowned a little – they were his favorite after all.

“What do you mean?” you asked, a little gasp falling out of your mouth as Steve’s fore finger probed between your legs. Your lips already puffing up, aching for him to touch you more. Eddie’s hands on your chest kept you satisfied enough, but there was always more fun to be had – if you played your cards right.

“I think you know exactly what it means,” he said, pushing your knees further apart and placing himself between your legs. He flattened himself on the mattress, a strong hand pushing one of your legs to the side, using them both to help pull you closer to him.

Eddie pushed your hair back from your face so you could watch Steve start leaving love bites on the delicate skin of your inner thighs. They were sharp and dominant, leaving you wincing in the wake of each one. You leaned back to face Eddie, squirming a little. He looked down at you and then scanned the rest of your clothed body, a little frown poking out at the sight of your battered knees and the bruises on your neck.

Then it hit him, “Wait, wait, time out. Time out.”

Steve immediately sat up and got off the bed, “Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m good,” he said, the reverb of his voice in his chest vibrated against your back. He turned your face to his, “Have you eaten at all since this morning?”

You shook your head no, and you were surprised that the realization, “Oh, no. I haven’t. Yikes. Can we stop? Can I eat something first?” You started scooting off the bed, the subby lilt in your voice dropping out completely. You walked over to the end of the bed and shimmied your panties back on.

Steve nodded as the three of you headed down the stairs to the kitchen, trying to pull himself back into a regular headspace – but Eddie couldn’t stop running his mouth.

“It just really blows my mind sometimes how you wanna be King Steve so bad in this house, but you can’t even do a simple temperature check before you throw her back in the ring,” he complained, “I bet you didn’t even think about it.”

Steve shook his head, “I didn’t, you’re right.” His voice was low, his eyes still glazed over a bit. You caught that look and grabbed his hand, running your thumb across the back of it to soothe him back to moment. Daddy’s need love too, after all.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked you.

“I’d tell you if I wasn’t okay,” you said, putting a hand on his cheek, “I am hungry, but I’m totally okay.”

Eddie was still ranting as he pulled some paper plates out of the cabinet above the stove, “And like, ‘Cum as many times as I want.’ That’s literally my whole thing! How are you gonna just co-opt my whole thing?”

“We don’t have to do this tonight if you don’t want to,” he said, tuning out the other man’s voice. His expression was softer than she’d ever seen it, “We can wait, if you need some time.”

“I rested, I’m gonna eat. It’s okay, we can do it tonight,” you reassured, lifting yourself up on your tip-toes to kiss him, “You’ve got me trained up for this, coach, c’mon.”

Eddie flipped open a new pizza box on the counter, plating up a couple slices for each of you as you and Steve sat down in your respective places. He squeezed your hand gently from under the table before letting go.

“Do you you need three slices?” you asked Eddie, looking at his plate, overflowing with pizza grease and cheese.

“It’s called carb loading, babe,” he replied matter-of-factly, “Look it up. ‘Cause with the way I wanna play with you tonight, we’re all gonna need it.”

“We’re playing the way I want to play,” Steve asserted, utensils clattering, “It’s my scene. You both do as I say.”

“Yes, Daddy,” you responded, folding your pizza in half. You all ate in silence, clear that Steve had a short fuse on him tonight. He hated when Eddie called him out on etiquette in front of you, even if he was right. He couldn’t deal with feeling any loss of complete control over you, and getting called on his bullshit made him nervous you’d stop respecting him.

“Um,” you started, “If…if we’re starting you know, with going down on me. Could uh…hmm.” You opened your mouth to continue, and then closed it, and opened it again, “I’m trying to figure out the right way to ask this.”

“Just ask it,” Steve said shortly.

“If you’re gonna start with going down on me, could um, could Eddie do it?”

Eddie snorted into the cup of water he was drinking, it quickly turned into a full belly laugh, “Oh my Goooodddd, this is the best day. Oh, fuck, that’s gold.”

Steve tried to ignore him, “And why is that, princess?”

“I don’t think you’re bad at it, you’re great at it,” you quickly assured, your voice raising several steps, “It’s just that Eddie, he…he’s just–”

“It’s okay sweet thing, you can say it. I’m better,” Eddie interrupted, looking at Steve while he said it.

“Ed, enough,” you urged, it was so clear he was trying to push Steve’s buttons, and you didn’t want to be the outlet for that. You turned your attention back to Steve, “It’s not that he’s better per-se, he’s just…he’s got a different style is all.”

“You heard it hear first, Steve-o,” Eddie said with a shrug, a new spring of cockiness electrifying him, “I got a different style, and the style is better.”

If there is anything that was true, it’s that Steve fucked you for his pleasure, and Eddie fucked you for yours. Steve was always more likely to steal you for a quickie in the morning before work over the bathroom sink, leaving you sniveling and whimpering with a stinging behind. He’d rut into you after getting belted, still high on power, forcing you to swallow all of his cum. He’d bounce you on his cock on the couch while he watched TV if you started talking to much. It was take and take, always leaving you a little broken and needy for him after.

Eddie worked slow, he loved watching you go completely stupid under him, barely even talking – couldn’t even say your own name half the time. He made sure to take his time with you, making you finish at least two or three times before taking you all the way. It drove him wild to watch you shake and writhe beneath him while he tested your limits, mixing pleasure with pain at all times.

And if anything else was true, it’s that Eddie wrote the book on eating pussy. You’d put yourself in enough embarrassing positions and situations just for a hint of feeling his tongue on you – recalling the time he rigged you up and put you on display in the center of the kitchen table while he cooked dinner, just to feast on you after he finished. (He put that together when Steve was on vacation with his parents though, Eddie didn’t want to share you at all that weekend.)

Steve took a deep breath and let it out through his nose, “Okay Ed, why don’t you show me how it’s done, since you’re so much better.”

Eddie stretched and put his hands behind his head, leaning back on the chair, he tossed you a look, “Baby, go grab my cuffs out of the closet upstairs, please?”

You pouted, “But then I won’t get to grab your hair.”

“Oh, I know,” he cooed, “But I think Steve would like it better with you a little tied up. You don’t wanna mess up his hair would you?”

“That’s enough,” Steve said sternly, getting up so quickly the chair toppled over behind him. He grabbed you by the forearm out of the chair and pulled you out into the living room and up the stairs. Eddie followed quickly behind.

Back in the bedroom, Steve took your clothes off, sparing the skirt. After seeing you in it all day, it felt right to ruin you in it, too. In his own way, he didn’t want you to associate that skirt with Eddie anymore, just him, just your daddy.

Ed emerged from the closet, swinging his cuffs on his fingers and catching them in his palm. He smirked at you, pulling you in close to him by the waist for a deep and slow kiss, “Are you ready? You’re gonna look so pretty, all chained up.” Steve watched from the edge of the bed with his arms crossed while Eddie got you set up. A perfect picture of authority standing over you, veins in his arms pulsing, his brow set and concentrated, there was a steady rise and fall in his chest. He locked his eyes with you while Eddie clicked the first cuff into place.

“Tighter,” he said, “I want it to hurt her.”

Eddie huffed a little, clicking the cuff two more notches, you winced. He made quick work of wrapping the chain between the cuffs around one of the center post of the iron bedframe, and getting your other wrist secured.

Steve kept eye contact with you while you laid there, exposed. .A small hiss came out of your mouth when you struggled against the cuffs after feeling too seen and squirming.

“You know it has to hurt so you can learn your place, baby,” he said, his voice low and husky. He ran this thumb over your lower lip, only for you to obediently take it in your mouth and suck on it. When it was released, he wiped your spit off on your cheek.

“There’s daddy’s girl,” he said, his gaze still hard. He forgot how turned on he got, seeing you tied up, helpless and begging. Maybe Eddie was right, maybe he wasn’t taking his time the way he should have.

Eddie peeled his hole riddled Metallica shirt off and unhooked his wallet chain from his jeans, putting his effects on his bedside table. A true specimen under his clothes, pale skin and a body that looked like it was carved from marble – tattoos littering his chest to cover up the scarring.

“You’re gonna want to take that shirt off Harrington, we’re bordering watersports territory,” Eddie warned. Steve followed suit, spit pooled in your mouth at the sight of his chest. The hair wasn’t for everyone, but this chick dug it, for sure.

Ed got on one side of you, Steve on the other, the lesson has begun.

“So, it’s best to start in a way that gives you the most access,” Eddie explained, pushing your legs up so the length of your thighs laid flat against your chest, your ass a little off the bed, “Open up a little for me, princess.”

You excitedly opened your legs for him, feeling his breath on your thigh. Your heart raced with excitement while being on display for both of them.

“And you know, you can’t just dive in, and from just lookin’ at ya Stevie, I can tell you want to. And I get it, who wouldn’t?” he looked up at you from between your thighs, a purr settling in his throat, “Who wouldn’t want to get right into that pretty pussy?”

His fingertips made lazy circles on your inner thigh. You shivered at the gentle touch, muscle memory making you want to reach down to run your hand through his hair. You rolled your hips even has the metal of the cuffs bit into your wrists.

“Tsk, tsk, so impatient,” Eddie said, placing two fingers in a V over each of your lips, puffing up more with every brush of his skin against yours.

“See, this is why you can’t just jump in,” he said, looking down at you and then over to Steve, “You gotta tease her a little first.” He massaged his fingers over you slowly, the action moving your hood over your clit in slow motion. Your thighs twitched, the feeling making breathy quiet moans spill out of you.

Eddie kept you like this for about a minute, you rolled your hips in time with his touch trying to get yourself off as much as you could, but it wasn’t enough. God, he knew how to tease – everything just so out of reach.

Steve hadn’t spoken, transfixed on you, whining and writhing – he wasn’t sure if he was angry or just more aroused than he’d ever been. Any time Eddie touched you in front of him like this, it was on his command. When he said it was okay. He knew you fucked around without him, and that was fine, he didn’t have to see it or think about it. But this? This felt offensive, like you forgot who you worshipped.

Eddie dipped his head down, “Look at me, sweet girl.” Steve watched as your eyes went from him to Eddie with immediate obedience, his jaw clenched. He reached over and put a hand in your hair, letting his thumb slide over your temple while you mewed down at the other boy in your bed.

Eddie winked at you, putting both hands on your thighs, letting his bottom lip drag over your aching lips resting at the skin just above your clit.

“Pleeeaasssee,” you whined out, tears pricking your eyes, unable to hold back anymore.

“Seeeee,” Eddie said, turning his head to Steve, his hair tickling your thighs like fire, “Already almost crying, your favorite.”

“So when you go in, it’s kind of like…I don’t know how to explain it really,” he explained while using his fingertips to part your lips. Slickness glinted in the low light of the room, Steve’s hand dropped to the side of your neck, thumbing your jugular absentmindedly.

“So pretty,” Eddie murmured to himself. He flattened his tongue, starting at the bottom and gliding it up past your opening before capturing the rest of you in his mouth and sucking with intention. He smirked into the motion while you gasped at first contact.

“Fffffuck!” you cried out, it was the only time you were allowed to curse.

Eddie pulled away, and turned back to Steve, “It’s kind of like how you kiss my neck when you’re feeling a little needy.”

Steve let a little sigh come out through his nose, a whisper of a smile washed over his face, “Watch yourself, Munson.”

“You wanna taste our girl?” he asked, leaning in for a kiss. Steve grunted a reply, taking his hand off your neck and into Eddie’s hair, the other dominantly clutching the back of his head. They were like animals when they kissed, each trying to out do the other.

When they broke apart, Eddie grinned down at you, getting back into position between your thighs, “Daddy must love how you taste, huh?” You nodded eagerly, the cool air hurting you more than helping you as it met with the wetness running down onto the bed.

“So now you can vary it, or keep a similar pace until you want to start getting her ready for more,” he spoke like it was a museum tour, or an infomercial.

“This is her favorite, though,” he said, going back in with his tongue fluttering over your clit. Switching from rapidly from fluttering to sucking, letting out a deep guttural groan while he did.

You let out loud moans, the ones Eddie would open the windows for (our little exhibitionist).

“Yes! YES! Ooh, more, more like that, please,” you cried out, your voice trailing up and octave with every moan.

“She sounds like a porn star,” Steve commented in his normal voice.

“That’s kind of the point,” Eddie said against your thigh, “That’s like, my favorite part about it.” Without warning, he slipped a finger into you, already expertly teasing at your g-spot like you were a new B.C. Rich.

Eddie let out a sharp exhale, “So fucking wet for me tonight, baby girl.” He pushed a second finger in, and your eyes rolled back at the fullness of his fingers in you. He felt you pulse over him and snickered.

“Far she blows, Harrington,” Eddie joked, getting on his knees and leaning over you, his other hand pressing down just above your pubic bone. The pressure building in your stomach released almost immediately, sending a gush of liquid out over Eddie’s hand and over the mattress.

“Fuck, that’s so hot,” Eddie whispered, “You’re so fucking hot.” He wiped his hand off on his jeans, immediately unbuttoning them and abandoning them next to his belt on the corner of the bed. His boxers not helping in any way to hide how hard he was for you.

“Don’t let her wait in between,” Steve commanded, “Don’t let her have time to catch up.”

Eddie nodded, taking his dick out lazily stroking himself while repositioning between your legs. His tongue was quickly gliding back over your pussy, fingers pumping into you while your hips met his rhythm, coming again soon after the first. Eddie didn’t let up, but your insides ached and your legs hurt.

“It h–ooh, it hurss, ah! Oh, ooh,” you were caught in the cross roads, some touches feeling good, some stinging. “God Steve, let me fuck her,” Eddie begged, his chin and cheeks covered your juices. An evil glint flashed in Steve’s eyes as they met yours.

“That’s what you want, right?” he asked you. You nodded, trying to swallow your cries so he wouldn’t catch you slipping too early, but your cheeks were already stained with tears.

Another orgasm shook through your body onto Eddie’s fingers, shorter than the other two. You expected a moan to come out, but instead a full shuddering cry rang through the bedroom. Steve nodded in Eddie’s direction, signaling that it was good to go.

Eddie eased in, wanting to savor how wet you were. Warm and inviting, already spasming over his cock as he’s pushed in slowly. It took you a moment to adjust to him, but you growled at how full you felt when he got to the hilt, feeling his balls at the bottom of your opening.

“That feels good huh, pretty baby?” he asked, steadying himself with a hand on your jaw while he stroked back and forth into you, “You love how this cock feels, don’t you?”

“Oooh, yes, I love how your cock feels,” you repeated back to him, your voice raising to something high and nasally. Eddie gritted his teeth to keep from cumming at the sound. The world seemed hazy around you, only focused on the feeling of Eddie’s cock pumping into you and the pain on your wrists. The ache in your pussy and abs, the backs of your thighs. Your breaths came rapidly as Eddie picked up his pace, using his free hand circle your abused clit.

Eddie’s eyes were wicked, beads of sweat dripping down his neck, some of his curls matted to his face, “Such a fucking whore, such a whore for me.”

Your mouth lolled open, eyes half closed as you let your body bounce loosely against him. Your arms fell slack against the restraints, you were fully going under.

“Such a whore for you daddy,” you mumbled lazily to him.

“Oh, fuck,” Eddie muttered to himself stopping mid thrust at the sound of that word. He immediately getting off of you and pulled up his boxers.

“What did you just say?” Steve asked, anger burning in his face, “Did I hear you right?”

He issued a hard slap across your face, “Back to reality, you fucking bitch, what the fuck did you just say?”

You snapped hard out of your lulled state, your mouth running dry as you realized your mistake. His hands were rough on your face, fingertips digging into the sting blooming on your cheek.

“Is that what you call him when I’m not around? That’s your Daddy, huh?” Steve glowered, his chest heaving. He looked rabid over you.

Steve turned his attention to Eddie, “And you let her? I bet you just fuckin’ love that don’t you. Finally getting to be the big boss.”

“No, no, it’s not his fault, please,” you squeaked out, terrified, “He doesn’t ask me to call him that.”

“I swear Steve, I would never ask her to do that. That’s a hard line for you, we’ve talked about it,” Eddie said, his voice normal, out of the scene. This was going off script.

“Take the cuffs off her,” Steve demanded, rage bubbling inside him. Eddie clicked the cuffs open, starting to go in and start soothing your reddened wrists but before he could, Steve wrenched you up by the hair.

“That’s your Daddy?,” he repeated, pulling you off the bed to your feet, your scalp screamed, “That’s fine.” He dragged you to the end of the mattress and threw you over it.

“Get your ass up,” he hissed. You were shaking, but assumed your position as the end of the bed, on all fours so your feet hung off the edge. You arched your back deep, your forearms quaking. Steve went into the closet silently, the air was filled with tension and the sound of you sniffling.

He emerged with one of Eddie’s belts, the one with the pointed studs on it, the one he said he’d never take out unless you really deserved it. Steve approached Eddie, still in just his boxers, and clasped the belt in his hand. He pushed your skirt up over your belly so it hung off your waist.

“Go ahead, punish her,” Steve said, his voice calm but his face taking over by something evil, “Show her what a good Daddy you are. Put her in her place.”

“Steve…” Eddie started.

“Toughen up, Ed, you can do it,” he said, unbuckling his own belt and taking his jeans and underwear off, “I was gonna finish her off with a spanking anyway, but you know, since you’re running the show here, now. By all means…”

Steve kneeled in front of you on the bed, adjusting to find the best angle of his dick in front of your face.

“I don’t wanna hear you cryin’. You want me to give you something to cry about?,” he muttered, fisting your hair again, “Put this fucking cock in your mouth.”

You quickly did as you were told, immediately putting it as far back in your throat as you could. You prayed that if you just did a good job here he’d cool out a little bit, but this was a very different Steve than you were used to.

“Go ahead, Munson, show me what you can do,” he said, guiding your head up and down his length.

Eddie got behind you, nervous and unsure. He’s dealt you some beatings before but not like this – belts and spankings were Steve’s thing, not his. He wrapped the end of the belt on one hand, and ran the length of it through the other, then folded it in half.

The first strike was weak, you out a little whimper, but nothing that really moved you. You’d had much worse with more tame belts. The second was a little harder, you let out a groan on Steve’s cock. You tried desperately to focus on the task at hand, but the uncertainty and unpredictability of what might happen next made you anxious.

“Come on Eddie, you can do better than that,” Steve cooed, “Come on, she’s still got a lesson to learn today.”

Eddie brought the belt down again on your thighs, but again, it was nothing compared to kneeling on rice earlier that afternoon. Eddie ripped your head off of his cock, you immediately gagged as the tip slid out of the top of your throat.

“I’ll show you,” Steve said, “Switch with me, her dick sucking is boring anyway.”

“I dunno, man,” Eddie said, concerned. Steve got up, and took the belt from him, nudging the other boy back to the mattress. Ed just sat in front of you stroking your hair. Your lower lip wobbled as he degraded you, he’d never said you weren’t good at something before. He was being mean just to be mean.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he whispered in your ear, “You’re doing so good.”

“So Ed, you have to mean it,” Steve said, his eyes were wide, an unhinged smile spread across his face.

“You have to really mean it,” he said through gritted teeth. The belt came down so fast you could hear the ‘thwup’ of it breaking the sound barrier. You saw stars immediately, your whole body lurched forward. You tried to catch your breath but he knocked the wind fully out of you.

“And she can really take a beating, Ed. It’s important to know for the future,” he said, the belt coming down hard again, once from the left and the right. You coughed and sputtered trying to find a breathing rhythm, tears were pouring out of you now.

“And you’ll know her limits over time, y’know?” he explained, “But I’ll tell you, when she’s really bad, she’s rotten.” Steve whipped you with Eddie’s belt recklessly, you knew this pain would last for weeks at this point, you were certain he drew blood. Pain bloomed and bloomed again at every ‘smack’ of the belt hitting your skin.

You turned your head to look back at him, globs of tears streaming down your cheeks, “Ple-ease Steve, stop.”

He lifted the belt again, but you put your arm back to stop him, “Please stop,” you begged meekly, “I’m sorry, please. Please st-st-stop.”

He looked at you and dropped the belt to the ground with a hard thud.

“You’re sorry, hm?” he said, taking a step closer to you, “You’re sorry?”

“Yes,” you rasped out quietly.

“Speak up, baby, I can’t hear you,” he said, pulling you up from the arm you put out to stop him. Your back was against him, you could fell his erection up against your ass and gulped.

“Yes, I’m sorry,” you choked out.

He sheathed into you without warning and it burned. He knew it would, he knew you weren’t wet anymore. You were shaking and scared of him and it drove him insane.

“Love when you cry for me, princess,” he said in your ear, “Fuck, I love when you cry.”

He put one arm around your chest to keep you up while he fucked you and the other fixed on your jaw so you were in the same eye line as Eddie. The slap of his skin against your beaten ass and thighs made you dig your nails into the flesh of his forearm, you were inconsolable. But to your surprised, you started to get slick around his cock, cursing yourself for your body betraying you so quickly.

You choked out a moan, your nipples peaking against his arm.

“Oh yesss,” he growled, his lips lingering against your temple, “Who’s your Daddy now, huh?”

“Mm,” was all you were able to choke out. Your cheeks burned with embarrassment and shame.

“Who’s your daddy, you fuckin’ whore,” he asked again.

“You are,” you squeaked out, sobs wracking you as Eddie looked on in horror.

“Come on, say it all the way, look at Ed when you say it. Who’s your daddy now, baby?” he grinned wickedly, pressing his cheek against yours, keeping eye contact with Eddie.

“You’re my Daddy,” you cried out, looking right at Eddie while he railed you, “You’re my Daddy, Steve.”

You felt warmth pool inside of you, hot and stinging, and his thrusts came to a stop. He shoved you forward on the bed and issued a hard final smack on your ass.

“That’s fuckin’ right,” he muttered darkly. You felt his cum drip out of you as you climbed onto the mattress, crying and empty. You felt used and dirty, it had been a long time since you felt like this after sex. Steve was always so quick to praise you, even half way through, even close to the end.

Eddie got up, “Go cool off, dude, get out.”

“I’m good,” Steve said, lacing his fingers over his forehead, his elbows sticking out to the side. He took a deep breath, “I’m good.”

“You’re not good,” Eddie said in a measured tone, ushering him towards the bedroom door. He picked up Steve’s pants and shirt on the way, tossing them out into the hall. Shoving Steve in the chest out with them.

“Go take a walk, man,” he said, “Come back whenever you’re done with, whatever the fuck this is.” He gestured at Steve’s whole being, and shut the door in his face, clicking the lock. A muffled ‘Fuck!’ rang through the hallway, and the sound of glass breaking crashed a few minutes later.

Things were blurry, you felt exhausted. Tremors of your body protecting itself from the pain inside and outside shook you. Your cheek was squished against the mattress. You felt the bed shift as a now clothed Eddie appeared next to you, you shimmied your head onto his lap.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he said, “I need you to be honest – are you with me right now?”

You nodded, trying to steady your breathing. You felt his warm hand on your back, sliding up and down the slope of your spine.

“Do you need me to let you just lay down for a little before I take care of you?” Ed’s gentle tone made you want to cry again, but you held it in, just nodding yes to his question.

“We’re gonna have to have a biiiig talk about boundaries, later,” Eddie said to himself out loud, “Steve needs some fucking therapy, man.”

#DOM EDDIE MUNSON #DOM STEVE HARRINGTON #EDDIE MUNSON FANFICTION #EDDIE MUNSON #EDDIE MUNSON IMAGINE #STEVE HARRINGTON FANFIC #EDDIE MUNSON SMUT #STEVE HARRINGTON SMUT #STEDDIE X READER #the steddieverse

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talonsandtails · 5 months

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Just watched the sonic prime season 3 trailer and I am so angry at this show.

They had the FIRST GOOD SONIC CHARACTER IN FOREVER in the form of Nine and they’ve WASTED HIM!

I’ve got a lot to get out about this.

So Nine is a character I absolutely adore. I think he’s one of the rare few examples of an edgelord character done right. He also acts as a nice counterpart to Sonic. His character is perfectly set up for some engaging conflict with the situation at hand with some nice character development with some wholesome moments sprinkled in there.

SO WHY ON EARTH DID THE WRITERS CHOOSE TO TURN HIM INTO YOUR GENERIC CARTOON BUTTHOLE?!?

I honestly actually really liked the conflict that was set up at the end of season 2 but was also nervous for the shows plans for nine in season 3. And of course, based on the trailer, it seems nine has been turned into a generic “I wanna rule the world” villain with no chance at redemption given that the show is pulling together all the characters, including the past antagonists, to face off against him.

Just… why???

Sure I get it, people love twist villains. I love twist villains. It’s great when you can make us attached to a character and then have them stab us in the back.

But the thing is that Nine had so much more potential as an ally than a villain!

What makes Nine so compelling is that he’s the angst we always wanted to see in Tails but never got. I was hoping this would be expanded upon, with the writers finally giving Nine something good in his miserable life through Sonic, but it NEVER happened. All we got were pathetic moments of Sonic showing him basic human decency.

The missed opportunity that bothers me the most is the conflict that we saw come to a head in the finale of season 2. This will take me a minute to explain my interpretation of what’s going on between them.

From Nines point of view, Sonic, the only person he thought ever cared about him, is more than willing to throw him away for a better, less broken version of himself. For the duration of the show, Sonic has been treating Nine as a stand in for Tails and not his own person. He isn’t bothered in the least about the fact that reviving Green Hill would erase Nine. Now that’s not to say I think this is intentional on Sonics end. He’s just a complete moron in this show and more than likely the thoughts just never occurred to him. I think it’s pretty likely that Nine realizes this too, but that doesn’t make it any better for him. It probably hurts him even more to know that Sonic’s actions would have led to his death had he not intervened, and Sonic never even realized what could’ve happened. This here is a good example of how Sonic doesn’t see Nine as his own person, by the way. Ie. “you expected me to just go along whatever you said, didn’t you?” I love this quote in particular because of the implications behind it. This is, in fact, exactly what Tails does, so Sonic expects Nine to be the same way.

Imagine a clone of you suddenly showed up one day, but it lacked the trauma or disabilities or whatever you have, and the person you love most instantly abandons you for this better version of yourself. Like you were just a broken toy that was being replaced. This is essentially what’s happening to Nine.

Nine isn’t entirely in the wrong with what he did in season 2. I also don’t actually blame Nine for not understanding Sonic’s point of view here, desperately missing Green Hill and his old friends. Because he HASN’T acted like he’s missed Green Hill. He’s acted like Nine was just another Tails. Had Sonic separated Tails from Nine in his mind, I doubt Nine would’ve turned on him like that. Because Nine does care about Sonic. It’s easy for people to think that Nines just a selfish brat, but he’s not. He’s risked his life several times for Sonic, someone he just met, because Sonic showed him just a tiny bit of kindness. Realizing just how little Sonic really values him hurts, and it’s easy not to see the other persons reasoning when you’ve been hurt the way Nine has.

And yes, Sonic values Nine very little. I 100% believe this. I don’t believe that this is intentional on Sonic’s part. However, as I’ve said, Nine isn’t his own person in Sonic’s mind. Nine is just an angrier Tails, and so Sonic sees the restoration of Green Hill as the restoration of Tails, and not what it really is; the death of Nine.

Had this ever been explained to Sonic at any point I’m sure this would change. But thanks to the writers apparently frying their braincells and serving them up for dinner, now this will never happen.

THIS is why I hate the choice to make Nine a villain so much. Had Nine stayed a protag, we could’ve instead had an interesting and heartwarming conflict that would’ve resulted in great character development on both ends. The writers could’ve had Sonic realize just how much he’s hurt Nine, and as a side note acknowledge how much suffering Nine went through. This is a small nitpick but I wish Sonic would’ve had a convo telling Nine that what he went through wasn’t fair and comforting him. It would’ve been really heartwarming. But anyways, after he understands how he’s been treating Nine he apologizes and Nine finally gets to feel as though he’s truly valued for who he is. And as a result of this, Nine could’ve had character development where he realizes just how much Sonic’s friends in Green Hill really meant to him, and that he couldn’t simply give up and start over with Nine in The Grim. And because he cares about Sonic more than anything, he willingly gives himself up to bring back Green Hill.

Can you see why I’m so angry about having this taken from the fandom? Instead now Nine is just like any other cartoon supervillain wanting to take over the world. And sure his motivations of wanting to create a perfect world because of all the suffering he himself went through is still interesting, but it doesn’t compare to what we could’ve had. Plus, I’m certain this motivation and Nine as a character are going to be completely butchered, because according to the trailer Nine has somehow gone from just wanting to be left the frick alone to work on the The Grim to somehow destroying the entire freaking Shatterverse. 0-100 real fast and it makes absolutely zero sense.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic prime #tails nine #sonic prime nine #shatterverse #sonic prime season 3

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edeluarts · 6 months

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A little analysis of this part in the Odyssey:

Reading time: ~10 minutes

Book 23, The Great Rooted Bed, Fagles' tr-n There he sat, leaning against the great central column, eyes fixed on the ground, waiting, poised for whatever words his hardy wife might say when she caught sight of him. A long while she sat in silence … numbing wonder filled her heart as her eyes explored his face. One moment he seemed … Odysseus, to the life— the next, no, he was not the man she knew, a huddled mass of rags was all she saw.

“Oh mother,” Telemachus reproached her, “cruel mother, you with your hard heart! Why do you spurn my father so—why don’t you sit beside him, engage him, ask him questions? What other wife could have a spirit so unbending? Holding back from her husband, home at last for her after bearing twenty years of brutal struggle— your heart was always harder than a rock!” “My child,” Penelope, well-aware, explained, “I’m stunned with wonder, powerless. Cannot speak to him, ask him questions, look him in the eyes … But if he is truly Odysseus, home at last, make no mistake: we two will know each other, even better— we two have secret signs, known to us both but hidden from the world.”

Odysseus, long-enduring, broke into a smile and turned to his son with pointed, winging words: “Leave your mother here in the hall to test me as she will. She soon will know me better. Now because I am filthy, wear such grimy rags, she spurns me—your mother still can’t bring herself to believe I am her husband.<...>

Telemachus is a precious baby, we've established that.

But he does act a bit like a brat with Penelope a couple times. Of course I don't think that any of that is malicious or that he doesn't love her, but he's still being a bit of a brat.

They both suffered, their pain was similar, but also very different, their experiences and the way they processed it were different as well.

Moreover, at this moment Telemachus has already spent some time with Odysseus. They already had their meeting/reunion and they already cried it out (to an extent. I'm sure there's more crying they'll do afterwards). They even had a father-son bonding activity (a.k.a. the slaughter of the suitors). Telemachus got to know his father at least a little bit over the past couple of days and at this point he processed and accepted the idea of Odysseus being back.

Penelope, on the other hand, was told about it just a moment ago. She can't immediately go "oh, you're saying Odysseus is back? Wonderful, let me greet him", no. Odysseus wasn't away on a short hunting trip or something, he was away for two whole decades, half of that time he was pretty much thought to be dead by most people (the first half wasn't that much better, as he could've still died any time during the war, but at least he wasn't lost, Penelope knew where he was).

Now she needs time to wrap her head around what is happening. We even see her thoughts as she goes to meet Odysseus:

Penelope started down from her lofty room, her heart in turmoil, torn … should she keep her distance, probe her husband? Or rush up to the man at once and kiss his head and cling to both his hands?

She wants to reunite with him, she wants this to be true, but she can't be sure of anything now. They have been apar for longer than they knew each other. Does he still love her like he used to? Is he the man she loved? Is it even the real Odysseus in the first place? She needs to process everything, as well as confirm all the information herself, and Telemachus, at least at this moment, doesn't comprehend that. He's acting quite immature, scolding his mother for not immediately believing and accepting that Odysseus is back.

This is a very interesting detail. First it once again shows us that Telemachus still lacks a lot of maturity, despite having been on his coming of age trip. He's still very young.

Yes, he definitely grew a lot in that short time, but it would've been impossible for him to learn everything at once, he still has a lot of that immaturity left in him, there's still a lot of room to grow and that's completely understandable. We, as people, grow for our whole lives and Tele is doing remarkably well, especially considering his circumstances.

Another interesting thing about this part is that it shows Telemachus', perhaps a bit childish, impatience. He is a kid, who finally met his dad (and his biggest hero), he knows that his mother was suffering and grieving for pretty much his whole life (with things getting a lot worse over the past decade). From Telemachus' perspective Odysseus' return is supposed to solve all their problems, especially since their biggest problem, a.k.a. the suitors, was just taken care of and it wouldn't have happened without Odysseus.

Telemachus just wants a happy family. His dad is back and seems to love him, the suitors are gone, now his parents should reunite, his mother will stop grieving and everything will be perfect. This is something he dreamt of his whole life and it's finally so close, but his mother doesn't immediately believe him. She doesn't immediately accept Odysseus and Telemachus doesn't understand why. He is too preoccupied with wanting things finally to be okay, that he doesn't take time to think about what Penelope must be feeling. It doesn't even occur to him. Perhaps it's also partially the need to be believed and listened to, which is also something he lacked growing up around suitors and being treated as a child, but I'm not diving into that right now.

Odysseus, on the other hand, understands what's going on. He assures his son, that everything will be okay. He pretty much does a more adult version of "mom and dad will take care of this, you go play for a bit". Odysseus understands Penelope's reaction and goes from there. Of course he wants to be in her embrace as soon as possible, but considering everything she has been through, he definitely can't just suddenly grab her and do what he wants. This is his dearly beloved wife and he wants her to take on that role voluntarily, like she did before, he wants her to accept him as her dear husband, like she did before, and for that he has to let her do it at her own pace. He tries to meet her where she's at, to do this reunion on her terms, to assure her, that he is, who he says he is and who others tell her he is.

This is just so amazing and I love their relationship so much (T▿T)♡

I also love Penelope's reaction to Telemachus' words. She doesn't react negatively, she is remarkably calm and part of it is probably the shock from what's happening, but still, she is "well-aware". I think that she knows Telemachus really well, because even though he has surprised her with how much he matured, he's still the same boy, he's still her kid. She most likely understands where Telemachus' outburst is coming from and doesn't get angry, doesn't scold him for his impatience, she reassures him. She lets him know, that he doesn't need to be scared of things falling apart and that she isn't looking to reject Odysseus. She's looking for Odysseus and she hopes she can find him in that familiar and strange man before her. She just needs time, but she will be taking the effort to search for what she's looking for, now that she has a way (she wouldn't have been able to go searching for Odysseus at sea, but now he's, supposedly, right here and she will handle it like the queen that she is).

#the odyssey #this is just my interpretation of this scene #you're completely free to interpret it differently #I wrote this analysis a while ago and now decided to share it here #hope you enjoyed #odysseus #telemachus #penelope #they all care about each other so much and they've been through a lot #just give this family all the happiness #please TT #tagamemnon #greek mythology #the “reading time” mentioned above is how long it took me personally to read this whole post properly #I just find time estimates like this helpful when I'm about to read something long #obviously not everyone's time would be the same #someone might read slower. others might read faster and that's okay #I just thought this might be helpful to someone like it usually is to me #certainly no harm in putting it here)))#odyssey rant

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wri0thesley · 1 year

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Ohohohohohooo! Your recent Alhaitham posts have really given me a lot of brainrot tbh, really thinking of giving up on waiting for Baizhu and just splurging all of my primogems on this man (it's not cheating on my fave if I never said he was my fave hakdflhirshfushf;r). I'm further justifying this temptation by telling myself that if Kaveh is ALSO on his banner, then I straight up deserve to pull for them both lol. Anyway, might I humbly suggest K, I, T for Alhaitham if three is okay?

i am saving primogems but it is HARD. i want to SPEND them. but we've gotta be strong!!! save long and hard enough and all of them will come home <3

Kisses: How do they act around or with their darling?

Alhaitham does not put up much of a front at all; the way he acts in public is very similar to the way he acts in private. He speaks his mind, and others follow in his wake. This is the same way he acts towards you; sometimes he speaks to you like he's talking to someone far less intelligent than him, patronising you as he tells you what he expects and what he's going to do, refusing to elaborate. He's surprisingly tactile - but he doesn't care for all of the build-up to such. He'll grab your hand and expect you to hold it back - kiss you, and expect to be kissed back. He holds himself above you, and you should be honoured that he's seen in you something that makes him want to learn you more thoroughly.

Ideals: What kind of future do they have in mind for/with their darling?

Alhaitham is happy with his life. He honestly just sees his life continuing as it is; he will go to work at the Akademiya, and when he comes home you will fawn over him and give him kisses and let him touch you - and eventually, you'll do all of that of your own accord. You will somehow learn to read him, to know when he wants you to merely sit at his feet and when he wants you to engage in conversation (in which, naturally, you will debate enough for him to be satisfied by the discussion, but eventually concede to his far superior view). In an ideal world, Kaveh no longer lives with him - and perhaps, maybe, there's a family. But not yet. Alhaitham has to make sure that such a thing is done at the perfect time.

Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?

Annoyed, mostly. You're being unreasonable. Alhaitham feeds you and takes care of you, protects you and gives you a roof over your head, provides for your basic needs and gives you more when you've been well-behaved to instil good behaviours into you . . . he doesn't think of himself as cruel. You have a good life! So the fact that you insist on screaming and crying and calling him a monster, shutting him out and flinching away . . . it makes him feel terribly impatient with you. Makes him roll his eyes and grit his teeth and tell you to stop being so ridiculous, as anger builds inside of him. He doesn't really get mad - he thinks that's a waste of energy - but oh, you frustrate him plenty. He has no qualms when it comes to punishments, at least; he delivers them all, disattached and thorough . . . and maybe he enjoys the tears and screaming then, a little bit.

At least then there's a real reason for you acting like a brat.

[yandere alphabet ask game [CLOSED]]

#ask game #yandere for ts #genshin impact posting #nat.txt #i think i would punch him

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obabashut · 1 year

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Just a moment to talk about how TommyInnit is my least favorite character and how the fandom has supplanted their DSMP character over the actual person.

[In this, I am referring to the content creators by their first names, rather than "c!" or "cc!" to illustrate what lines have been blurred. If it looks weird to read, that line has been crossed. I think if I did the normal "!" indicator, it feeds into the confusion more that helps here]

Tom has become the focus of a bit of an argument among his fans over how he has been bullied and manipulated by Clay. If the wording looks confusing, yeah it is. The same confusion one could take away if referring to Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman's relationship as borderline romantic and all you've seen of their work is in "The Hobbit". The DSMP is full of content creators that have their own lives, but are friends and colleagues first. They have over the last 3 years created a world that millions of people have come to enjoy. One of the stories that many have taken to be the "main story" is based around a late addition to the server, Tom's character, TommyInnit. Clay's character, Dream is the namesake of the story's server. Tom messaged him to be a part of the server and after seeing some of Tom's other videos and finding them funny, Clay invited Tom and when he logged in, Tom started his bit. While Tom is kind and courteous, TommyInnit is a fucking menace. As TommyInnit, Tom acts like a entitled brat, bullies everyone he meets and gets disciplined by the adults and goes back to do it again. Tom invites his friends join, including one adult that acted like they encouraged TommyInnit to engage in criminal behavior. When thwarted, TommyInnit and his friends build a fort where they established a nationalist European ethnostate that rebuked the adults of the indigenous population. They went to war and in an incredible bit of character development, TommyInnit gave up something important to him so they could keep the nation they had carved out. And fans loved it. L'Manburg became a symbol and they propped up as a great nation. To this day, mention of it in chat elicits "o7" and has inspired art and music lauding how beloved it has become, failing in seeing how flawed its charter and claims were from the start.

This is also where the community began to really mutate Clay and his character, Dream, into one concept. And part of this is on Clay. At the time, he had chosen privacy, and unlike other folks streaming with facecams, he chose not to stream at all. He could take the role of a villain because it allowed him to maintain that anonymity, not be the focus of everyone's streams and still work on his own channel and growth. When you don't control the narrative, others write it for you. And TommyInnit and his friends called Dream a villain with the sort of delivery that electrified his fans into Dream "antis" and because nuance is lost on some folks, antis to Clay as well. Dream was just as much Clay's identity everywhere else and as Dream's character applied more authority over TommyInnit, the more mutated and monstrous his depictions became. Some were really cool, but Dream was no longer being treated like a human. He was an abomination to be feared and maligned and this carried over into perceptions of Clay.

Currently, I am seeing some folks in the fandom that have completely bought into the unhealthy relationship TommyInnit has with Dream and implying a character's poor judgement should apply to how Tom thinks of Clay. Ignoring any other collabs they have done before. That they are friends and really looking forward to meeting each other. Grieved together with their friends when Techno passed away. Writing their stories together, and have fun doing streams. Tom regularly checked in on Clay when he is going through shit and they talk like normal people, sometimes for hours about their work and their ideas. Have been genuine to each other and know a lot of what fans don't and will likely never know. Being trusted and a confidant, even in the face of the spears of the world. Tom is like this with all his friends. Ranboo and Toby may have their differences right now, but he makes time for both of them. He's a good guy with the understanding beyond his years sometimes. He's learned and grown a lot and it makes sense that he is ignoring pressure to abandon his friends. In his latest lore stream, I think Tom took a jab at his fandom. TommyInnit's hatred of Dream is now obsessive. There isn't any rationality to it. He spends every waking moment thinking about him, stalking and wants to destroy him. Willing to drag others into their obsession too. Tom has learned from Wilbur. How to hold a mirror up to his audience and see if they pass the Mark Test. Many have totally failed, partially because they chose to boycott the stream, because hate Clay so much, but plan to watch it later or read summaries because they missed the point. That's what I think some of that call Tom had with Clay was. How to make folks just a little more self-aware. Tom knows what is going on and has not ignored it. He addresses it everytime he streams and gives fans nothing after they treat him like a child, ignore his agency and try to get him to reject his friends. Those fans treat him the way they accuse Dream of treating TommyInnit. And such an irony is hard to ignore.

#cc!Dream #cc!Tommy #c!Dream #c!tommyinnit #dsmp #fandom /neg #I really did summarize the story in this as if no one knows lol

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levworship · 3 years

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OKAY, I cant get this out of my head. It's usually tsukishima that always has the upper hand against yamaguchi right???? BUT, it comes to Yamas attention that tsukishima is a virgin and yamaguchi takes so much pity on poor tsuki that he offers to help him out. So yama came to you, his cute little girlfriend with this amazing opportunity to help out his best friend. And ofc you say yes..why would his cute little baby say no?

I love you, drink water and eat something you haven't already😤🥰‼️

finally writing again. shocker, i know. also thank you nonster ilysm <3

cw: dom!yams (kinda), mentions of yama x tsukki, reader is cute idk i like her, virgin!tsukki, tsukki being mean in his head, yamaguchi also just a tad bit mean, idk what else?, just a handjob (for now), prob errors

word count: 1054

summary: yamaguchi being the sweetheart he is and sharing his precious girlfriend with his best friend <3

the sight of the two of you always made tsukki feel sick to his stomach. watching his best friend be all lovey dovey with someone who’s so disgustingly sweet as well? it was no wonder he avoided you two at all costs.

he avoided making eye contact with you two even throughout high school. at games, in the hallways, during lunch. but he especially avoided it right now. he was afraid to peer up through the foggy lens of his glasses, because he knew the moment that he did-

he’d be forced to meet you guys’ gazes. those precious smiles still beaming down at him even with the undeniable hunger behind both of your eyes.

tsukishima scowled, turning his head as if he’d found something more interesting to stare at on the ground. when tadashi initially made the offer to him, he simply shrugged it off as bluff. especially since he figured there was no way you’d agree. but...

“come on, tsukki.” the blond flinched when your fingers just barely skimmed the skin of his arm almost as if you were afraid to break him. the harmless action still somehow managed to offend him. were you mocking him? did the two of you think you were better because you just so happened to have sex before he did? he could have sex if you wanted. he didn’t need your help. he didn’t need either of you.

yet, even as those thoughts echoed in his head, he simply couldn’t deny the fact that for whatever reasoning, he still showed up at your doorstep and faced you two with shuffling feet and fading pride.

he tsked once - twice- before he finally grew some balls and turned to look the two of you in the eye. and god did he regret it, because he was immediately greeted by the sight of the two of you pawing at him to rid him of his baggy clothes. the pairs of hands gripping and grabbing at each inch of visible skin had tsukishima’s face flushed an embarrassing shade of pink, adam’s apple bobbing in his throat until finally you two had stopped acting like fumbling teens and stripped him down to his boxers, erection pressing humiliatingly hard against the dampened fabric. it was amusing to him, how even as the two of you managed to lead him into the intimacy of your bedroom, he still held a higher sense of maturity and composure over you both.

at least, that’s how he viewed it in his mind. even a passing glance at him would reveal just how nervous he was. quite literally shaking where he lay.

“remember to be gentle, okay?” tsukishima scoffed at this. “relax tadashi. i am not going to hur-“ “i wasn’t talking about you.” yamaguchi cut him off with a piercing look that sent shivers throughout tsukki’s entire body like never before. since when did the freckled man have the ability to hinder him speechless so quickly? before he could even bother to crack out a weak comeback,

“oh shit—“ he hissed through his teeth when your small hand wrapped itself around his sensitive cock, successfully distracting him. his chest rose and fell heavily as his pretty eyelashes fluttered shut. “wow. you were right tadashi. i barely touched him and he’s already about to blow his load” you shook your head in genuine astonishment.

“has anyone else ever touched you here, tsukishima?”

even despite your sweet tone,, he wanted to bark at you. grab you by your hair and tug with all of his strength. shove you into the mattress and grunt in your ear that he wasn’t going to sit there and take shit from a slutty fucking brat like you. but how could he? how could he possibly let any words out before they melted away from him just as quickly as they’d formed in his mind? how could he think, when your thumb pressed itself against his tip, now red and swollen with reluctant want, and messily spread his precum across his cock. it was sloppy. it was dirty. your slender fingers tugged at his cock with a wet shlick that made his entire body tense with disgust and guilt from just how much he was enjoying your hand on him. he had to bite down on his lip to avoid making any noise. a weak attempt on his behalf to cling on to any pride he had left.

“-he’s long, too.”

the sound of your voice was enough to drag him out of his mind again. how long had you been talking? or were you too busy watching in shocked silence as he quits literally fell apart in your small grasp? were you and tadashi simply talking around him the entire time? he figured so, judging by the way both of you seemed to be almost observing his limp figure.

“mhm. but not as thick as me, is he baby?” tsukki’s stomach twisted when he watched the two of you engage in a sloppy kiss right in front of his eyes. he hated it, the not-so-PDA. or at least, he figured he did. but that wouldn’t explain why watching you two was already bringing him closer to his release than he’d like to admit.

yamaguchi seemed to read his mind somehow, humming when the two of you finally separated. a swift hand moved to grab your wrists. “‘gonna make him cum too soon, sweetheart. hurry up and get on top before he passes out” he chuckled before grabbing a handful of your ass, still clad in the pants you’d been wearing since tsukki showed up at your door.

fuck you. i don’t need you to get on top. you’ll regret talking about me like that when i have you and your fucking boyfriend bent over in front of me.

the violent words once again died in his throat before he had a chance to utter them. he watched you like a fucking horny mutt as you removed your clothes. his eyes remained glued onto your figure through his blurred vision (his glasses had been discarded a while ago), while yamaguchi’s eyes remained glued onto him. his expression was a mix of prideful and just a hint of possession if you stared for long enough. but it was hard to be selfish when you have your hot as fuck girlfriend and undeniably attractive best friend nearly blowing their lids trying to fuck each other.

who would wanna miss that sight?

i may do a part two where they actually screw if anyone is interested.

thirsts and requests for haikyuu and bnha are open.

#haikyuu smut #haikyu!! smut #tsukishima smut #yamaguchi smut #hq!! smut #tsukishima x reader x yamaguchi #tsukishima kei smut #yamaguchi tadashi smut #haikyuu dirty imagine #.chiyo’s works #.chiyo’s works hq

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robininthelabyrinth · 3 years

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Prompt - Wen Ruohan insists that Jiang Yanli come to the Wen "lecture" as well...

ao3

Jiang Yanli tended to deal with stress in one of two ways: cooking and taking care of people. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, the Wen indoctrination camp provided many opportunities for both, although not with the people she might have expected.

Wei Wuxian spent most of his days being valiant and light-hearted, trying to give them strength and courage, and Jiang Cheng followed his lead the way he always did, brave and serious and thoughtful and – well. It’s not that she didn’t appreciate both of them, because she did, but it was only that her own anxiety was more easily dealt with when she could distance herself from her current situation and focus entirely on someone else.

She might have tried to take care of Jin Zixuan, but the Jin sect disciples closed ranks around him, glaring at her as if she were the one who broke off their engagement. Either way, she won’t go where she’s not wanted, and so she backed off and went elsewhere to look for someone that needed her.

Luckily for her, Nie Huaisang was very loud and very vocal and very, very needy.

They made for a surprisingly great fit.

Jiang Yanli had perhaps been forced to step into a maternal role a bit too early – Jiang Cheng had always been a soft child, and their father’s dislike of him had hurt him deeply where it had always seemed somewhat unimportant to Jiang Yanli, and Wei Wuxian was of course a big baby masquerading as a man. Her mother had always been disinterested in playing the mother, more fond of training and discipline, and so they’d turned to her when they were young, and still did today. Back at home, they would often descend to bickering and playing for her attention when she was around, knowing how much she liked it: Wei Wuxian demanding to be called A-Xian and fed spoonfuls like a toddler (albeit one capable of eating extremely spicy food), Jiang Cheng too proud to go that far but somehow managing to lose at least ten years of maturity, always looking at her hopefully to affirm that he did well and to sneak him treats behind everyone’s back.

That was the way she liked it, too. Possibly more than she really should, but it made her feel wanted and useful in a way that her weak cultivation never would.

Nie Huaisang, in contrast, had always been babied - by his father, by his over-protective older brother, by his long-suffering sect that nevertheless indulged him in everything. He’d suffered some things (his father’s death, first and foremost) when he was very young, and it sometimes seemed as he’d reacted to that by purposefully staying that age forever: useless and self-indulgent, spoiled and with a tendency to fuss, an unreasonable expectation that he could just turn his big eyes on anyone in his vicinity and they would immediately feel moved to cater to his every need.

Nie Huaisang, in other words, was just her type.

He was calling her ‘Jiang-jiejie’ within a shichen, putting his head on her shoulder a shichen after that, and kicking up such a dramatic fuss about everything that even Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng – who had come over with threats in their eyes about a strange man, even one of their friends, sticking himself so close to her – had ended up encouraging her to see what she could do to calm him down a little.

After they left, she looked down at his pathetic form and said, “You did that on purpose, you little brat.”

Nie Huaisang looked up at her with an impish grin that somehow still suited the tear stains on his face. “That’s true, but Jiang-jiejie won’t tell on me,” he said, as certain as any child. “Besides, this way we get to spend time together – and if we’re together, my guards will protect you as they do me, and your brothers won’t have to worry so much. Aren’t I smart?”

“Such a thoughtful child,” she praised, and he puffed himself up. “But you shouldn’t mislead your big brothers like that, you know. You could have just told them what you were thinking.”

“But where’d the fun in that be?” he said, and put his head on her shoulder again. “Jiang-jiejie will take care of me while I’m here.”

“Of course,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t punish you if you’re naughty, either.”

She did, too. She made him food out of the terrible provisions they received, she brushed his hair and let him teach her how to do his braids, she tucked him in at night before heading back to her tent, and even sat with him and helped him with his memorization and his chores – and when it was called for, she smacked him lightly on the backs of his hands that he held out to her for the specific purpose, scolded him and made him apologize.

She didn’t have any time to spare to worry about the Wen sect.

It was great.

“Uh, shijie,” Wei Wuxian said after a while. “Are you sure you’re okay with Nie Huaisang? He’s really…sticky.”

“He’s adorable,” Jiang Yanli said.

“He’s taking advantage of you,” Jiang Cheng grumbled. “Don’t think we haven’t noticed how he gets to sit with you in the shade instead of working with us.”

“He sits in the shade because the Nie sect disciples do his share of the work,” Jiang Yanli pointed out. “Just as you do for me.”

“Yeah, but…”

“He’s harmless,” Jiang Yanli said, even though she suspected that if he were pushed to it Nie Huaisang could escalate from brat past menace into actual threat. Hopefully it would never come that. “And it’s good to have company.”

“What do you even talk about?” Jiang Cheng asked. His cheeks were oddly flushed red, and he was averting his eyes – even more oddly, so was Wei Wuxian, who she previously would have said was too shameless to be embarrassed by anything.

“Art, mostly,” she said, puzzled, and even more puzzled when they both flinched. “Recently we were discussing famous landscape artists from the southern part of Gusu.”

“Oh, landscapes,” Wei Wuxian said, exhaling in relief. “That’s all right then. Glad you’re having a good time, shijie.”

“Have fun,” Jiang Cheng agreed, bobbing his head up and down like a fishing bird.

Later, Jiang Yanli narrated the conversation to Nie Huaisang and gave him a stern look when he started giggling.

“Would you care to explain the joke to your Jiang-jiejie?” she asked, and he waved his hands for a moment of time to catch his breath before explaining to her that he had spent most of his time at the Cloud Recesses acting as a purveyor of a very different type of art.

Jiang Yanli rolled her eyes – fondly, of course, she was always very fond of her boys, even when they forgot that she was three years older than they were – and said, “All right, then, and when were you going to share some with me?”

“I was trying to figure out what types of things you liked first!” Nie Huaisang protested, and this was why she spent so much time with him even when her other boys were also here – he didn’t forget that she was the jiejie, the one who took care of him and made the decisions about what was appropriate, and he was the didi. He didn’t assume that being a man was more important than age, didn’t put aside their “games” of caring in favor of a valiant warlike demeanor; he remained, wonderfully, the same. “I’d gotten it down to three – here, you take this one; let me know what you think.” He winked. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out to make sure no one comes by while you’re reading.”

“If it’s anything too filthy, you’ll be punished,” she told him, and he looked so delighted by the notion that she suspected she was going to be getting something very filthy indeed. “Little boys don’t need to be looking at such things.”

“Without supervision,” he clarified, and sat down next to her with bright eyes full of anticipation, somehow even more shameless than Wei Wuxian. “From a qualified adult. Like Jiang-jiejie!”

The artwork was utterly filthy, but it was, in fact, just the sort of thing she liked when she snuck into her mother’s rooms to sneak peeks at books filched from the high shelves – better, even, and Nie Huaisang seemed to have an endless supply of it even though he complained bitterly that he’d only brought the cheap stuff that he wouldn’t mind losing, and that the best of that had been mostly bartered away.

That was what it was for, she discovered. Nie Huaisang was selling pornography to bored Wen sect retainers in exchange for creature comforts – better food, a nicer resting place, leniency when he inevitably failed to complete some chore or another – and using the conversations to elicit information.

Not spying, per se, that was far too serious for someone as determinedly frivolous as Nie Huiasang, but it was nice to know when the Wen sect was planning a surprise inspection in the morning or if it was a good day to put on their worst clothing because they were going to be wading through mud.

“You could be quite dangerous if you wanted to be,” she commented to Nie Huaisang one evening while she was brushing his hair. He was very particular about his braids, but he let her do the brushing and oiling; the repetitive action calmed his anxiety, and seeing him calm down and relax into her care in turn calmed her own. “You’re very good at being underestimated.”

“I think I’m estimated at just about right, actually,” he joked. If it had been Jiang Cheng saying it, he would have been turning a dagger on himself with the words; if it had been Wei Wuxian, he would have been boasting; with Nie Huaisang, it was just a joke. He had the confidence to be openly useless – the surest sign of a supportive loving family, she thought wistfully. “What about you? How dangerous are you when you’re not thinking about how to take care of someone?”

“I’m always thinking of that,” she chided him, and tugged lightly on his braids in chastisement; he shivered and quailed very satisfactorily when she did that. Such a good boy for her, when he wanted to be; a very good little brat the rest of the time. “And you know I’m not much of a cultivator.”

“Neither am I,” he said. “I still think Jiang-jiejie could be very scary if she put her mind to it.”

It was nice that he thought so. Nobody else did – perhaps what was why she’d become so interested in caring for people, in making food that they liked and brushing their hair and taking care of their clothing, the sorts of feminine arts that puzzled her mother and weren’t even necessary for a sect leader’s daughter to know how to do. She did it because it was something she could do that, and after a while it became something she longed to do.

Jiang Yanli loved taking care of people.

And Nie Huaisang was so very good at being taken care of.

Even better than her little A-Xian, if she would allow herself the traitorous little thought – Wei Wuxian liked to play the child for her sometimes, to be spoiled, but he would get bored soon enough, staying only long enough for a few bites of soup and then running off to bicker with Jiang Cheng or to be the brave and chivalrous da-shixiong of the Jiang sect.

Not so Nie Huaisang. He was her little brat all day long: whining and in need of comfort one moment, running too far ahead and in need of a scolding the next, always pushing his luck to see what he could get away with. He was soft, like her; bad at cultivating and good at things like painting and cooking and gossip, feminine things, domestic things, which meant that they had an endless supply of things to talk about that no one else cared about. He made mischief but was obedient, and he thrived under the structure she provided for him, coaxed into doing what he ought and directed away from doing what he shouldn’t.

He was adorable, in a way that she’d never felt about her actual brothers.

Her newest little didi, her A-Sang.

They were, perhaps, growing a little too close.

(But no, Jiang Yanli still maintained the boundaries of being a proper young lady, good obedient Jiang-guniang. Even if she had picked up a very specific pornography habit – but she was never going to tell anyone about that.)

Still, it came as a surprise when they were all in the dark, wretched cave, when the Wen sect threatened them and the corrupted Xuanwu lashed out against the walls to bring down rocks, when one of the Nie sect disciples pushed her behind a rock, shouting, “Take care of Nie-gongzi!” to her as if they really expected her to keep him safe.

“Your men trust me too much,” she said into Nie Huaisang’s hair – his arms were wrapped around her, his eyes watching the battlefield, flicking from side to side as he tracked the course of battle with far more expertise than her. “Don’t you think they meant for you to take care of me?”

“They want you to help keep me from being upset,” he said, and disengaged from her long enough to pick up a fallen sword and throw it with surprising accuracy into the fray – it pieced one of the Wen sect soldiers from behind, breaking their battle line, and the Nie sect disciples overwhelmed them.

It was a masterful stroke, but Nie Huaisang recoiled from his own hand as if he’d been burned by it. His eyes were wide and white all around the edges, old fears rearing up to rend him into pieces from the inside - she knew the look of it.

“It’s all right,” she said, whispering in his ear. “You did well, didi.”

His shoulders relaxed.

Whatever had made Nie Huaisang so very afraid of shedding blood must had hurt him very deeply, Jiang Yanli thought, and the Nie sect knew it. It all made sense now: that was why they indulged him, why they spoiled him, why they allowed him to grow up as useless as he was, even as they feared him falling into danger.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t be dangerous - but he wouldn’t be able to bear it.

(Jiang Yanli was very curious to meet the older brother he spoke so very much about. Nearly as much as she spoke of Wei Wuxian or Jiang Cheng, in fact, and didn’t that say everything she needed to know?)

“You should be careful, Jiang-jiejie,” Nie Huaisang murmured as they watched from their safe place as the battle raged on. Every once in a while, he intervened, each strike perfectly placed to cause maximum damage and showing that no matter how much he whined about training there was still muscle and deadly instincts beneath his skin; after each move, she would squeeze him tight and help him regulate his breathing, suppressing the panic attack he immediately fell into so that it could be postponed until a more convenient time. “I might grow to rely on you, and then where would we be? You’d have no choice but to come back to Qinghe and spend your life there with me.”

It was an offer, she thought in surprise, however gently phrased.

It seemed she wasn’t the only one getting a little too close.

As it happened, Jiang Yanli didn’t have time to respond before the battle finally ended as abruptly as it had started, the Wen sect fleeing the Xuanwu and closing off the exit to the cave, trapping them inside with a ravenous Xuanwu – although one that couldn’t reach them in the corner where they cowered away from it.

The valorous men and women debated what ought to be done next.

The useless ones sat around and waited for their fates to be decided.

Oddly enough, this was the part that began to wear on her. The battle had passed almost without her noticing it, all her attention on caring for Nie Huaisang, but this aftermath - or preliminary, depending on how you looked at it - was utterly agonizing. Watching her brothers ignore her (useless in a fight), think nothing of her (they don’t need her to care for them), no one thought anything of her (what use is she if they don’t need her?) – and then watching them yell at each other and argue and fight without quarter, without mercy, and knowing that she couldn’t intervene, that she was pointless. Her own stress began rising rapidly, her heart beating hard, her breath starting to come short –

“Hey, Jiang-jiejie,” Nie Huaisang said.

She looked at him.

He smiled at her. “I’m hungry. You should make me some soup.”

“Brat,” Jiang Yanli said automatically, and her shoulders slowly came down, calm returning to her heart. He was obviously saying it to comfort her, she wasn’t stupid, but at the same time the request somehow suited her down to the ground and did the trick the way nothing else might have – after all, if her cowardly little brat had enough energy and attention to spare to be begging for food, things couldn’t be that bad. “What type of soup were you thinking?”

His smile widened as he watched the Xuanwu thrashing in the lake, dissatisfied that it could not capture them and rend their bones with its teeth. “Turtle soup.”

(They served it at their wedding.)

#mdzs #nie huaisang #jiang yanli #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #does nie huaisang/jiang yanli have a ship name?#my fic #my fics #making tweaks to my general NHS headcanon #turtle soup #roseunspindle

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gingersnapwolves · 3 years

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The Untamed, a brief summary [Part 4/6]

Part One: Sword Wizard School

Part Two: The Search for the Yin Iron and the World’s Worst Summer Camp

Part Three: The Fall of Lotus Pier and the Sunshot Campaign

Part Four: The Downward Spiral

Ext, Nightless City [Qishan]

The war is over. Everything should be great now, right? Wrong.

Wei Wuxian has slept for three days. Jiang Yanli tells him that Lan Wangji was playing music to cleanse him of all the evil energy for most of those three days and that’s the only reason he’s awake so soon. Lan Wangji comes in to play more for him, even though Wei Wuxian is in the ancient Chinese version of his underoos. It’s cute.

Everyone else is having a serious meeting. Meng Yao has been legitimized by his father after killing Wen Ruohan, and this is a Very Big Deal. His name is now Jin Guangyao.

ENTER BAD TOUCH MAN

This is Jin Guangshan. He’s Jin Zixuan and Meng Yao/Jin Guangyao’s father. He sucks, big time. Everything about this guy is terrible. He’s a misogynist, a bully, and a patronizing piece of shit.

Jin Guangshan is having all the remaining Wens hunted down and killed, including the civilians. Nie Mingjue is cool with this. Lan Xichen says ‘hey, maybe murder isn’t the answer?’ but everyone tells him that murder absolutely is the answer and he shouldn’t worry about it.

ENTER THE HUMAN VERSION OF A CAR ALARM THAT HAS BEEN GOING OFF FOR AN HOUR IN YOUR WORK PARKING LOT

This is Jin Zixun, not to be confused with Jin Zixuan. Jin Zixuan is the former fiancée of Jiang Yanli and a spoiled brat but earning some brownie points as the story goes on. Jin Zixun is his cousin, and he has zero redeeming qualities.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have gone out for a romantic stroll. They find a batch of Wen civilians who are in chains, being hunted down and shot for sport by Jin Zixun. Somehow Wei Wuxian manages not to murder him, but it’s close. They play a requiem for the dead people to help their spirits find rest. ~just couple things~

Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue, and Jin Guangyao swear brotherhood to each other in a cool ceremony that was definitely Lan Xichen’s idea.

Int, Nightless City [Qishan]

Jin Guangshan is throwing a big party since they won a war. Wei Wuxian doesn’t really want to go and spends most of it getting drunk outside. Relatable to be honest.

Jin Guangshan says to Jiang Cheng ‘hey remember when your sister was engaged to my son? That was cool, let’s put that back on’. Jiang Cheng looks like he’s been staked out on an anthill. Wei Wuxian comes in and is borderline rude to Jin Guangshan, saying he should ask Jiang Yanli herself. Jiang Yanli, with a retail smile that rivals Jin Guangyao’s, politely says that hey, her parents just died, her home is in ruins, why don’t they leave her alone for a decade and then she’ll think about it. Wei Wuxian bounces because he’s not a party person.

Jin Guangyao announces that in six months, they’re going to be holding a group hunt in Lanling and everyone’s invited.

After the banquet, Jin Guangshan asks Jin Guangyao how much he knows about Wei Wuxian, especially that cool amulet he used during the battle. Jin Guangyao says he’ll find out and then find a way to get it. I cry about the fact that I liked him a lot more before he started sucking up to his shitty dad, even though I understand why he’s doing it.

Ext, Lotus Pier [Yunmeng]

Our trio goes home and starts to clean things up. Wei Wuxian is drinking a lot, not setting a good example for the new disciples, and still won’t carry his sword. Jiang Cheng – remember, he doesn’t know that Wei Wuxian gave him his golden core, and thinks he can still cultivate – tells him to get his shit together. Jiang Yanli, as always, mediates.

Int, Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

Lan Wangji is also home. He’s studying manuscripts to find music that will help heal Wei Wuxian from the resentful energy. What he has isn’t good enough and he wants to go to the restricted section of the library. Lan Qiren refuses to allow him in, confines him to Cloud Recesses, and basically says ‘forget about Wei Wuxian, he’s evil now’. For obvious reasons, Lan Wangji does not like this advice.

Ext, some city [Yunmeng]

Lan Xichen arrives for a visit, finds Wei Wuxian, and gently reminds him that people are worried about him and he should remember his actions impact other people. Wei Wuxian interprets this as ‘you’re evil and it’s hurting people, specifically my brother’ instead of ‘we want to help you’, and shuts him out. It hurts. He came so close. *sobs*

Ext, Lotus Pier [Yunmeng]

Jin Zixuan turns up to formally invite the Yunmeng sibs to the crowd hunt. He acts like an awkward turtle. It seems like he might have realized he was being a dick this whole time. You know what that is? Growth. However he still says that it’s his mother who wants Jiang Yanli to come, because he sucks at this.

Ext, Phoenix Mountain [Lanling]

It’s the crowd hunt! Everyone’s there. They’re having an archery tournament to determine who will get to go in first.

Wei Wuxian flirts with Lan Wangji and taunts Jin Zixun, who asked for it. But then a bunch of Wen civilians are paraded out in chains to serve as ‘obstacles’ to make things more ‘interesting’. Somehow this does not end with Wei Wuxian murdering all the Jin sect members present. He definitely wants to, but then he looks at Jiang Cheng and remembers that their sect is still weak after the war and they probably shouldn’t piss off the strongest sect remaining.

Jin Zixuan does a fancy shot, so Wei Wuxian blindfolds himself and shoots five arrows at once, partly to show off, but partly because he knows nobody can top that so nobody will be able to shoot at the Wen sect prisoners. Jin Guangyao, who apparently arranged this (presumably because his father likes a little bloodshed as an appetizer), pouts unattractively. I wonder why I ever liked him.

Up on the mountain, Wei Wuxian does a bunch of demonic cultivation with his flute to drive the demons into Jiang sect nets so they can win. Then he decides to chill out for a bit.

Lan Wangji shows up. He tells Wei Wuxian that he has learned new music that should help with the whole ‘full of evil energy’ thing. Wei Wuxian asks who Lan Wangji is to tell him what to do. Lan Wangji responds by asking ‘what do you see me as’, Wei Wuxian replies ‘I used to think of you as my soulmate in this life’, Lan Wangji says, ‘I still am’ and the sound you just heard is my heart exploding.

Unfortunately before they can kiss, they hear other people on the path. It’s Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli. Jin Zixuan makes a pitiful attempt to impress her while she is clearly very uncomfortable.

Even though Jin Zixuan isn’t doing anything worse than inserting his own foot into his mouth, Wei Wuxian jumps in to tell him to fuck off. They argue. Jin Zixuan’s mother turns up and hilariously roasts him for always upsetting Jiang Yanli. You start to like her until she says that Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli shouldn’t spend time together because then people will think they’re having an affair. Jiang Yanli reminds her that Wei Wuxian is her younger brother, but Madam Jin sticks to her obnoxious guns. Jin Zixuan tries to say something nice and actually runs away which is the first time he’s felt relatable in the whole show.

Jin Zixun turns up, hauling his enormous bad attitude with him, and gets pissy with Wei Wuxian for using demonic cultivation to lure the demons into their nets. He’s super rude about it. Jiang Yanli politely eviscerates Jin Zixun in response and it’s super satisfying.

Int, Koi Tower [Lanling]

They’re having a big party after the hunt. The Yunmeng Jiang did well and Jiang Cheng is happy for two seconds before he overhears some people saying that it’s only because of Wei Wuxian’s demonic cultivation and they don’t like that. Wei Wuxian has decided not to go to the banquet because these people suck.

Jin Guangyao, even though he’s now an errand boy for his power-hungry dick of a father, still has a big crush on Lan Xichen, and they have a few tender moments. Other people, like Madam Jin and Jin Zixun, are being absolute assholes to Jin Guangyao, and he’s wearing his best retail smile. I remember why I liked him. But uh oh! Jin Guangyao has made friends with and invited Su She, who you might remember from him betraying all the Gusu Lan who were hiding in the cave. Jin Guangyao doesn’t seem to know these two have history. Lan Xichen tells him not to worry about it but it’s awkward.

Ext, the city [Lanling]

Wei Wuxian is wandering around. He bumps into Wen Qing, who is there looking for Wen Ning.

Int, Koi Tower [Lanling]

Jin Zixun has decided he hasn’t been a big enough of a dick for the day, so he asks Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji to have a drink with him. Lan Xichen tells him that they aren’t allowed to drink alcohol because of their sect rules. Jin Zixun takes this as a personal insult, or at least pretends to because it gives him an excuse to act like a jerk.

Jin Guangyao asks what’s going on and who upset his cousin, then looks at Lan Xichen like they’re a biracial couple at a barbecue and he’s trying to apologize telepathically for what his racist uncle just said.

After a few moments of ‘no really, I just don’t drink alcohol’ Lan Xichen decides this fool ain’t worth it and takes a drink. Jin Guangyao looks like he wants to crawl into a hole and die. ‘U ok babe?’ his eyes say. ‘No I want to go home, this barbecue sucks’ Lan Xichen’s eyes reply. Jin Zixun then offers a cup to Lan Wangji, who stares into the middle distance and forcefully projects the information that he will literally die before accepting a drink from this asshole.

Wei Wuxian interrupts, snatches the cup, and says ‘I’ll drink for him. That’s okay, right?’ even though there’s absolutely no reason it would be since they’re not actually married. He drinks anyway. Then he asks Jin Zixun where Wen Ning is. Turns out Jin Zixun and his lackeys kidnapped Wen Ning and his whole village.

Jin Zixun pretends he doesn’t remember. Wei Wuxian threatens him a lot. It’s super hot if terribly inadvisable. Jiang Cheng is clearly upset that he’s out of line. Lan Wangji is clearly worried that he’s losing his marbles. Jin Guangshan tries to bully Wei Wuxian and fails on every level. After a few minutes, Jin Zixun caves and tells him that Wen Ning and the others are at Qiongqi Way. Wei Wuxian says ‘why couldn’t you just tell me that?’ and leaves. Jin Guangshan flips over the table. It’s awesome.

Everyone begins talking shit about Wei Wuxian. Jiang Cheng is more upset. Lan Wangji says ‘I mean, he wasn’t wrong’ and Jin Guangyao replies with the ‘he’s right but you shouldn’t say it’ meme. Lan Xichen reflects on the fact that Wei Wuxian’s ‘temperament has changed a lot’ as if this is something mystical and strange instead of the inevitable result of severe, untreated PTSD and the fact that he’s discovered massive systemic injustice.

Lan Wangji asks Lan Xichen if it’s okay if he kidnaps Wei Wuxian and brings him back to Cloud Recesses. Lan Xichen tells him to go for it.

Ext, Qiongqi Way [Lanling]

All the Wen civilians have been forced into a labor camp. It’s really awful.

Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing arrive to find out they’re too late. Wen Ning has been killed. (Technically they say later he had ‘one breath left’ but that’s only because Chinese censorship doesn’t allow necromancy to be portrayed on TV. This explanation doesn’t actually make sense, and by and large fandom ignores it. In the book, he’s all dead, and that’s much simpler.)

Wei Wuxian has a complete breakdown and brings Wen Ning back as a fierce corpse (which is similar to a zombie but not exactly the same for xianxia reasons). Wen Ning murders all the guards at the prison (with a little help from Wei Wuxian) and then collapses. Wei Wuxian realizes they are Totally Fucked Now, lets everyone out of prison, and gets out of dodge.

Except Lan Wangji has followed him and is standing in the rain in his way. They have a really haunting exchange where Wei Wuxian asks Lan Wangji to confront the aforementioned systemic injustice, and Lan Wangji tells him if he continues on this path, it’ll be considered a rebellion and he’ll be hunted down and killed. Wei Wuxian says, basically, ‘If I’m so wrong, then you kill me. If it’s you, I’ll accept it.’ Lan Wangji stands aside to let them go. I cry for seventeen hours.

Ext, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Wei Wuxian has brought the refugees here. They ask if it’s really possible to live in such a place. He says he lived there for three months.

Int, Koi Tower [Lanling]

You know, I don’t even remember if we see this, but I assume everyone there is super upset about everything.

ETA: Thanks to the people who reminded me! Everyone’s trashing Wei Wuxian. Mianmian (you may remember her from Turtle Cave, where Wei Wuxian saved her from being burned by Jiaojiao) sticks up for him, saying he doesn’t kill indiscriminately. Everyone pats her on the head and mansplains things to her, so she gives them all a big middle finger and leaves the Jin sect over it. Good for her.

Int, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Jiang Cheng shows up to ask Wei Wuxian what the fuck he thinks he’s doing. Wei Wuxian, who is living in a cave and spent their entire refugee budget on candles, has Wen Ning’s unconscious body covered in talismans. He says he’s trying to restore Wen Ning’s consciousness. Jiang Cheng is pretty horrified and basically accuses Wei Wuxian of desecrating a corpse, and threatens to kill Wen Ning (more/again). Wei Wuxian brushes him off. Jiang Cheng says, heartwrenchingly, ‘If you keep protecting them, I can’t protect you’. Wei Wuxian replies, more heartwrenchingly, ‘Then abandon me.’ I cry for another seventeen hours.

ENTER A RAY OF SUNSHINE

There’s a little boy here about two or three years old named Wen Yuan. He’s adorable and likes to cling to people’s legs.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t like any of this so he bounces. Wen Qing walks him to the end of the trail and then gives him back the comb he gave her (she did pick it up!) earlier. He looks like she kicked him in the balls but doesn’t change his mind.

Ext, somewhere [Yiling]

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian stage a massive public fight. There’s some light stabbing. Jiang Cheng publicly disavows Wei Wuxian and says he’s no longer part of the Yunmeng Jiang. (You don’t actually know it’s staged at the time this happens but you find out pretty soon so whatever.)

Ext, Koi Tower [Lanling]

Jin Zixuan has now realized that Jiang Yanli is bae. He builds her a lotus pond and looks super awkward about it. It’s sweet. He’s doing much better now that he realizes he just shouldn’t talk.

Ext, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Wei Wuxian is a massive ball of PTSD and angst. It sucks. Wen Qing tries to persuade him to leave them there and go home, but he refuses.

Ext, some city [Yiling]

Lan Wangji is in Yiling because he was in the neighborhood on completely unrelated business. No he’s not there to see Wei Wuxian. Stop asking him questions. Suddenly a small child is clinging to his leg and crying. He is discomfited.

Meanwhile Wei Wuxian is buying refugee supplies and realizes Wen Yuan has wandered off. He finds him clinging to Lan Wangji’s leg and insists on buying him lunch. Wen Yuan asks Wei Wuxian to buy him a toy and when Wei Wuxian won’t, Lan Wangji buys him like 15 toys. It’s super adorable.

They have lunch together. Wen Yuan sits in Lan Wangji’s lap. The reason Lan Wangji definitely was not in the area was to tell Wei Wuxian that his sister is getting married to Jin Zixuan. Lunch is interrupted when Wei Wuxian’s talisman signals that Wen Ning is causing trouble back at the Burial Mounds. Lan Wangji has to pay for lunch.

Ext, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Wen Ning is on a rampage. This happens with fierce corpses. Wei Wuxian starts trying to use his magic to calm him down. With Lan Wangji’s help, he’s able to restore his consciousness. Everyone’s really happy.

Wei Wuxian asks Lan Wangji to stay for dinner but he says he has to go. They exchange the world’s most longing look. I resist the urge to climb into my screen, physically manifest in ancient China, and tie Lan Wangji to a tree so he can’t leave.

Wen Yuan asks if he’ll ever come back. Wei Wuxian says probably not. I rehydrate so I can cry more.

Back at the Burial Mounds, the villagers have come together to throw Wei Wuxian a thank you party. It’s super sweet.

Ext, the city [Yiling]

Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli come to show Wei Wuxian her wedding outfit. She’s brought him soup. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian roast each other a little bit, just like old times. However Jiang Cheng is also a bit of a dick to Wen Ning, because he’s still skeeved out by what Wei Wuxian did, and won’t let him sit with them. Jiang Yanli gives him a bowl of soup anyway. He can’t eat it, so he carries it back to the Burial Mounds and gives it to Wen Yuan.

Ext, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Wei Wuxian has planted lotus seeds. He’s still having mood swings and other PTSD symptoms but overall is improving somewhat. He finds out at some point that Jiang Yanli is pregnant and gets really excited about it.

Int, Koi Tower [Lanling]

Jiang Yanli has given birth to a boy they have named Jin Ling. They’re planning his one-month ceremony. She wants to invite Wei Wuxian. The Jin sect is skeptical. Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji back her up, saying that Wei Wuxian hasn’t caused any trouble since going into exile, and this is a good opportunity to try to re-introduce him into polite society. Jin Guangshan agrees. He’s also a dick to Jin Guangyao, who asks to hold the baby, and Jin Guangshan won’t let him. Jin Zixuan points out to his father that Jin Guangyao has been loyal and helpful since joining the sect, and maybe his father shouldn’t be such a jerk. Jin Guangshan reminds him that Jin Guangyao is the son of a whore and says someone with his background can never be in a position of power in their sect.

Ext, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Wei Wuxian receives a letter from Lan Wangji stating he’s invited to the one-month ceremony and is really excited.

Int, my apartment [America]

I’m gonna be real honest with you guys. I skimmed through the next couple episodes while sobbing on my phone and unlike most of the show, have only watched them once. It’s very possible that I’m going to get stuff slightly incorrect or in the wrong order. I’ll do my best but holy crap, I absolutely never want to watch these episodes again. This accounts for any mistakes I’ve made in fic, too, LOL.

Ext, Qiongqi Way [Lanling]

Wei Wuxian is on his way to Koi Tower with Wen Ning. Jin Zixun shows up and accuses Wei Wuxian of having cursed him with a curse called Hundred Holes. Wei Wuxian hilariously says ‘I don’t even know who you are’ because his memory is terrible and also Jin Zixun sucks. Jin Zixun has brought like a hundred guys with them and they start shooting arrows. Wen Ning starts to kick their asses.

Jin Zixuan shows up and tries to de-escalate the situation. He promised Jiang Yanli that Wei Wuxian would be able to visit Jin Ling.

Out of fucking nowhere, Wen Ning murders the shit out of Jin Zixuan. I screamed. Wei Wuxian clearly has no idea what the fuck just happened. Then Wen Ning murders Jin Zixun which is less of a problem. Once all the Jin guys are dead, Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning run the hell away and head back to Yiling.

Int, Koi Tower [Lanling]

Everyone wants to know what the fuck just happened. They conclude that Wei Wuxian lost control of Wen Ning and his violent nature (now that he’s a fierce corpse) caused him to murder a bunch of people. They demand that Wen Ning and Wen Qing surrender themselves to Koi Tower.

Int, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Wei Wuxian has an absolute meltdown, for which we can’t blame him. He, too, has come to the conclusion that he lost control of Wen Ning and that’s why a ton of people are dead.

Wen Qing sticks a bunch of needles in him and tells him that they’re going to surrender themselves to Koi Tower. He hates everything about this but can’t stop them because of the needles. She says they’ll release him in three days, tells him ‘I’m sorry, and thank you’. I can’t see the screen through my tears.

Ext, Koi Tower [Lanling]

The Wen remnants surrender themselves. Jiang Cheng tells Jin Guangshan ‘whoever Wei Wuxian broke, I’ll pay for it, okay?’ but we’re a little beyond that now.

Int, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Wei Wuxian breaks out of his needle-induced coma and hurries to Koi Tower. I clutch my stuffed animal and think, naively, that he’ll make it in time.

Ext, Koi Tower [Lanling]

The bodies of the Wen remnants are on display. Wei Wuxian has another meltdown. He tries to find Jiang Yanli, sees her in widow’s white, and runs away.

Ext, Nightless City [Qishan]

For some reason everyone’s decided to go to Qishan to toss Wen Qing and Wen Ning’s ashes in a volcano, I guess. Mostly they’re just throwing a party for themselves because they killed a bunch of farmers. I hate them.

Wei Wuxian shows up and tells them they all suck. Some rando shoots Wei Wuxian with an arrow. He laughs at the dude, pulls it out, and throws it back, killing him. It’s hot. Lan Wangji tries to talk him down but can’t. They get in a fight. Wei Wuxian raises an absolute fuckton of resentful energy and angry spirits and starts trying to kill everyone there, which honestly seems fair to me at this point. For only the second time, he takes out the amulet made of yin iron that he used during the battle with Wen Ruohan.

Except something weird is going on. There’s a second flute playing and it’s unclear who’s playing it. I’m screaming at my monitor.

Jiang Yanli, who is there because this show doesn’t know what to do with women besides fridge them, gets attacked by a fierce corpse. Wei Wuxian tries to control it but can’t. He starts freaking out again. He and Jiang Cheng manage to save Jiang Yanli from the fierce corpse but Wei Wuxian doesn’t know what’s going on and he’s clearly about to break down completely. Jiang Yanli is still really sweet and gentle with him, even though (she thinks) he kind of killed her husband. Then some other rando tries to kill Wei Wuxian and ends up stabbing Jiang Yanli instead. She dies.

Wei Wuxian – I hate to overuse the term ‘freaks the fuck out’ but when the shoe fits – freaks the fuck out. He breaks the amulet into fragments and then throws himself off a cliff.

Lan Wangji catches him before he can fall, even though he’s been wounded in the battle. Wei Wuxian stares at him for a moment before he tells Lan Wangji to let him go. Lan Wangji doesn’t let him go. Jiang Cheng comes over and for a brief second Wei Wuxian sort of looks hopeful, but then Jiang Cheng tells him to go to hell and stabs downward with his sword. It’s not going to hit him – Jiang Cheng’s eyes aren’t even open – but it hits the rock and causes part of it to crumble. Wei Wuxian shakes Lan Wangji’s hand off and falls, smiling with relief, because this show absolutely wants to fucking kill me.

Yes, our protagonist is dead. Don’t worry, he gets better.

~end of part 4~

#liveblog #the untamed

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kinncman · 3 years

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A LIST OF PLOTLESS TOWN RP-FRIENDLY CHARACTER IDEAS & CONNECTIONS INSPIRED BY MOVIES! (PART 2)

once again, you can obviously spin any of this in any way (platonic, romantic, familial) etc, and not all of these are the exact plots of the movies they are referencing so pls don’t @ me i am but a lowly translator of ideas.

click here for part one.

content warnings for: drugs, food, hospital, light implications to a toxic former relationship

THE LAKE HOUSE // basically, the lake house except nobody is a ghost and everyone is from the same year <3 muse a is an architect who has been living in The House they built. for reasons utp, they are forced to sell it. muse b is the buyer. muse a can’t let go of the house so even though the title has been transferred to muse b, they keep making excuses to visit The House.

LIGHT SLEEPER // muse a is a former drug addict whose job is delivering drugs to high-profile clients. muse b is their ex and also a former drug addict, with whom their relationship fell out bc of the drug abuse. they coincidentally meet again in a hospital when muse a visits a regular client of their boss who OD’d and muse b’s mother is in for chemo/other intense procedures. muse a and muse b reconnect. they both confess that they are now clean and sober. muse b doesn’t believe muse a since muse a admits that they still work for their old boss, but muse a insists that they haven’t used in years. muse b, on the other hand, is a successful business person who’s really cleaned up their act and is nothing like the person muse a knew before (i.e. a Mess TM). despite the feelings that they hold towards muse b, muse a knows that they should keep their distance since they are the reason that muse b started using in the first place and they wouldn’t want to throw any progress away. HOWEVER, fate seems to keep bringing them together in the most inconvenient places and when they least expect it the most; they allow themselves to indulge in old habits (sex, not drugs) even tho they know they’re totally bad for each other. just when they’re starting to become regular fixtures in each other’s lives again, muse b disappears for weeks on end. as it turns out, they were the one who was never clean and sober to begin with.

PHANTOM THREAD // muse a is a highly-renowned fashion designer / artist / photographer who meets muse b and decides that they want them to be their muse (after already having had a string of former muses). being invisible all their life, muse b accepts this new role— however, to muse a’s dismay, they are nothing like any muse they’ve had before in that instead of having their muse wrapped around their finger, muse b has them wrapped around theirs. great for exploring shifting power dynamics!

GRAY MATTERS // (originally a familial and queer relationship but hey whatever floats your boat) muse a and muse b are siblings (or best friends could work, too). muse a gets engaged to muse c and muse b is their maid-of-honor / best man. because muse c and muse b are the two most important people in muse a’s lives, muse a makes them spend the week before the wedding together bUT OOPS muse b realizes that they have feelings for muse c and they share a drunken kiss which muse c instantly forgets about in the morning??? which is #awkward because 1) MUSE C IS MUSE A’S SPOUSE-TO-BE and 2) MUSE B NEVER REALIZED THAT THEY’RE NOT STRAIGHT. so now they’re trying to deal with coming to terms with this newfound attraction that never thought they could have with the same sex on top of trying to decide whether or not to remind muse c of what they did that one night (since they seem to have zERO recollection) and come clean to their sibling / best friend.

LONG SHOT // muse a works for muse b, who is a very powerful exec / influential artist / whatever. muse a is very much infatuated by muse b, who thinks that they are way out of muse a’s league. muse a reveals that muse b used to come over to muse a’s house to babysit them (because lbr, even tho the the age gap might not be that much, a 14 yr-old will be paid to watch over a 10 yr old). what happens from there?

VELVET BUZZSAW // muse a and muse b are rival art curators / music producers who claim that they are the ones who have rightfully ‘discovered’ muse c. muse a and muse b then go through great lengths to try and win muse c to sign over to them. muse c has no plans of defecting to either sides but decide to string them along for the perks (and for the attention). great for exploring a kooky triad of frenemies or a polyship.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE // muse a is a painter / filmmaker / photographer who is tasked with relaunching muse b’s career. muse a thinks that muse b is a brat. muse b thinks that muse a is full of themself.

I’M HUNGRY, I’M COLD // you might wanna try and watch it here first, it’s v short! muse a and muse b are best friends who’ve been on the lam for a long time (for reasons utp) and are now broke bc they blew up all their funds on life’s little pleasures. maybe they start conning people? maybe they try to get a dozen dead-end jobs at once that they suck at so they keep going back to square one? either way, they must decide whether or not they should finally face the music and go home. or maybe they just need to find the means (and a reason) to stay in their current town, and fast.

BABETTE’S FEAST // muse a is formerly the head chef of a michelin-star awarded restaurant who is now working as something else. muse b had one unforgettable (for sentimental purposes, reasons utp) meal in said restaurant which, unbeknownst to them, was cooked by muse a. the two meet in the current setting, several years later, and become friends / lovers / etc, with muse b sparking muse a’s interest in cooking once again. muse a cooks The Meal™️ for muse b, not knowing what it means to them, and muse b finally recognizes who muse a is as they are flooded by memories of that night they first tasted the dish.

CIGARETTES & COFFEE // muse a and muse b are newlyweds who are in town for their honeymoon. however, things go awry on day 1 when muse a blows it all on some stupid, petty thing (in the original, they blew it on a game of craps in a casino when they’ve neVER played craps before and muse b is fuckin LIVID it’s just hilarious and sad) and their relationship is immediately put to the test when they have to figure out how to scrape money to get home (but also maybe kind of fall in love with the place??? and decide to start their family there??? idk)

SUCCESSION (this is a tv show but this particular dynamic is just too damn good not to include) with a little bit of THE PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK // muse a and muse b come from rivaling families (for whatever business, but they gotta be high profile). they meet while theyre trying to be lowkey doing ~~normal people stuff and instantly click despite their families’ tumultuous history, but have to keep their relationship (platonic or otherwise) away from the public eye to avoid raising suspicion from the critics. they think they can help each other’s recoveries by being in each other’s company but all they do is enable each other, further destroying not only their lives, but their families’ reputations as well.

#rpc #rph #rp help #writing help #plot ideas #*

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biotchthatmeows · 3 years

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#tw #suicideawarness #triggering #depression #suicide #substanceabuse

Ah! So suicide awareness month eh. Well I don't know where to burst out exactly because people don't really care about it but ok let's try it here at good ol' Tumblr.

So, where I live we don't have any suicide helpline or any awareness programs or anything at all regarding mental health. I mean don't get me wrong we would adapt western media full fledge when it's Valentine's Day or some other ridiculous thing but no one wants to talk about suicide because it doesn't bring trp and people are already sad and I agree it's true.

But we gotta talk about suicide, man, come on. I am sorry but at least I think I should.

I have never really openly said it but I have given hints many times. But I am openly saying it that I suffer from very severe depression and anxiety plus Bipolar personality disorder. Which means I am either going through maniac episode or depressive episode almost everyday (you can Google them).

And yes, I have tried to kill myself multiple times. And turns out like most things in my life I am not really good at it. Since, I am writing this. Which is why whoever is reading this, I am taking your time (thanks btw).

I was always a little different since my childhood as compared to others. I liked being alone a lot and writing things instead of talking to a person. Because whenever I tried to make a friend I would do something wrong and they go away. So, at one point I stopped trying and I realized something that people around me dont really like me.

Even my teachers kind of didn't like me because I would just randomly ask the most peculiar questions. For example when we were reading *book spoiler* George Orwell's 1984, everyone in the class was worried for the hero when he was being tortured but I asked or told my teacher that 'okay so, his fear for the mouse was bigger than the love for the girl and it okay to betray her?' and everyone was like that was not the point. I am sorry, I got districted and I am sure most people wouldn't get the reference.

Anyway, my point is that I always had and have questions about things when people should keep their mouth shut. At least one shouldn't questioned these things.

But that is still the thing with me, when you or someone makes a prominent statement there should be a reason or at least an explanation behind it but I was called blasphemous for questioning them. And that was fine with me but calling me blasphemous didn't get you out of the position of not able to justify your statement.

So, throughout my life I was called many things, spoiled, brat, weird, drama queen, actress, attention seeker. I can go on and on.

I don't know about rest of the names but I am pretty sure I wasn't spoiled. My parents were never the type to hand over the money because you asked for it. They were kind of people who wouldn't even give you money even when you actually need and beg for it. They would give you the thing instead that you need the money for or you don't get it at all for example school picnics and events or the bag you really really wanted.

So, well when you don't get things. You eventually start doing bad things such lying a lot and stealing stuff. And it keeps growing and growing and even though deep down you know how wrong you are but then you don't know how to stop because you are getting things you want.

Okay, off the topic again. What I am trying to say that I was maybe lot of things that people said but I wasn't spoiled. I was physically abused and eventually realize mentally abused too. And things weren't really okay with me. I won't take it like most people do.

My brain wouldn't stop thinking about them and I was becoming more and more irrational as days goes by. And I was thinking what if I was dead and that would make things lot more easier for me and the people around me.

Eventually, that idea became more and more intense and growing around I always heard people say that if a person kills themself they would never be forgiven and it was the greatest sin ever.

But then those people would also say that not praying is the greatest sin and you won't be forgiven for that ever.

And then not believing in one God is also the biggest is of all sin and you won't be forgiven for that ever.

And then saying hurtful things to people is also the biggest sin and you won't forgiven until that person forgives you.

So, which one was the biggest sin? All of them? Because then those same people would say that God would forgive you for all your sins if you repent and because God is most forgiving. Even more forgiving then your own mother.

So, my curious brain once again started asking questions. For which again I was told that I shouldn't because it was wrong and blasphemy.

Meanwhile, my mental health was decling day after day but no one really noticed because in our society their is no such thing as mental health. Either you are crazy or lazy, hey that rhymes.

I was pretty much deemed both.

Mostly, lazy but then there is a solution for that in our society for as well. Get married! Tada! Because when you are married it fixes everything! And anything.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that I obviously despiced the marriage thing. Because I knew I couldn't do it.

Someone who can barely keep themself put together, cannot handle the responsibility of the marriage and of course I wasn't interested in anyone. I mean of course I had crushes and stuff but unlike most girls/women my age I never went as far as thinking about marriage all the time. Which was happening at that time all around me.

People were keen to get married or getting married.

And I don't know why people thought it's about time I should get married too and everytime the situation like that came along I would have the worst kind of panic attacks. I couldn't eat or drink or sleep and I had to fight and fight to make the situation go away.

But you can't win every time now, can you? Eventually, I was forced into getting engaged and I can't explain how horrible each second for me during that time was. But once got lucky enough get out of it and it was happiest day of entire life. Well just for me of course. Everyone around me was pretty bumped but I was selfish because I got out of it.

And the worst part of the whole thing that bugged me was that guy was honestly horrible. He called me fat and then his family came around to inspect me like a cattle because my family told them I wasn't fat. What a wonderful thing to your child. Really helped my self esteem.

He couldn't even spell aunty right. Yeah he wrote 'unty' and apparently his parents bragged he went and study in Australia. So, if Australians wrote aunty like that, then I suppose I was being a little judgy.

Anyhow, I was so relieved. It was like I could breathe again. But obviously it wasn't the end of it.

Things like that don't don't just end for people in our society. Situations like that kept happening and my parents was getting desperate at this point because duh! I was growing old and who would marry an old girl even when like they 10 years older her.

During the period of my engagement my mental health was at its worse and it was getting worse everyday. I was constantly having panic attacks and one day out pity I was finally taken to the doctor not a psychologist or psychiatrist but just a normal doctor.

Lucky for me that guy prescribed a magical pill which fixed everything, for a while and I loved it. The minute I would take that pill everything would become normal. I would even stopped caring about the engagement thing till that pill lasted.

I didn't know at first what it was but then I figured it out and I would go out buy shit ton of them because it fixed things for a while.

In short I was addicted to vallium and then I found out there are other pills like that such as Xanax and plenty of other and as long as I had money no one cared who they selling these pills too and it wasn't like I was buying them from some shady person. I was actually buying them from legit pharmaceutical shops.

So, whenever situations like those came around or at that any other point I faced problems I would take those pills but then I realized that eventually that they stopped working so I increased the doses for them to work and the doses increased and increased. At one point I was taking a box each day just for a moment of calm. And years went by and so did the amount of pills I was literally throwing my whole month of salary on them.

Then my family finally noticed that something was off because I never had money and I wasn't exactly

buying anything so where was the money going? Also I was sleeping a lot and starting to forget things which was pretty out character for me.

I was confronted and given an ultimatum. So, for a week or more I think I didn't take any pills but then I was taking them for years now and you are not supposed to suddenly stop them. But I didn't know that at that time.

And that was my first attempt to kill myself. But then things happen, bad things, and they kept happening and happening. Finally came a point where no one was to stop me from taking pills or trying to kill myself.

By then I had committed multiple attempts to kill myself. I was self harming long before that but after that it had gotten much worse. And my last attempt was this year but instead of dying I went into a seizure which lasted 48 hours and even after that I wasn't able move my tounge properly and certain part of my body for a month.

That was the first time I was scared of suicide. Because I was not able to do anything on my own. I bit tounge so hard that it bled and broke a teeth. It worse than dying.

I was finally taken to the hospital and a real psychiatrist who finally diagnosed me with my illness.

Yet still, some people think I make things up because I did them in the past but that shit was real and anyone who say I act crazy to get attention, then I swear to you that you wouldn't wish that condition on your worst enemy.

Talking about all this wasn't to let my heart out or anything. I just want to tell you and anyone who understands to realise that mental illness is very very real and it's a nightmare that doesn't go away. That only problem it is not visible like other diseases. It's just like having a cancer but imagine you can't see that cancer.

And being suicidal is not a joke, no one wants to end their lives on purpose. Everyone wants to live.

But just think for a moment from prespective of the person that their brain had been through enough that it thought that life is not worth living anymore. And if it's a sin then they are ready to go to hell because imagine life being worse than hell.

I know this is already a really long post but I needed to bring this up because recently I was having conversation with colleagues about what we should about suicide awareness month and I was like maybe make post to empathize with people who go through this horrible rough path but my colleagues suggested that they should put this religious script which says that anyone commits suicide will never be forgiven and will forever be in hell.

And this was coming from the person who doesn't pray at all. I was like what about you? I wasn't judging him. I was like so you won't go to hell and be there forever?

And he was like I will be forgiven but people who commits suicide they will not be. And he was so confident that he even said that you will see on the day of judgment that people who didn't pray will be eventually forgiven but there is no way for people who had committed suicide to be forgiven.

And I was like okay, wow! Because there is literally no point with arguing or trying to make people like them understand because they won't. And I know many, actually forget many but most people would agree with him. Because they don't even accept mental illness as illness at all and if you are sad/depressed you must not be praying or need to pray more.

But, I pray for those ignorants who make fun of mental illness and suicide and call it attention seekers or actors when it is desperate cry for help.

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ibijau · 4 years

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Worst engagement AU // on AO3 (though this chapter will only be posted there tomorrow)

The last thing Nie Huaisang wants is to go to Wen Chao’s weddings. The second last thing he wants is having to work together with Lan Xichen to show that their sects’ alliance is strong.

Set shortly after nhs and jzx had sex. warning for some implications of rape, and for alcohol use

In spite of the Cloud Recesses’s anti-gossip policy, the news that Wen Ruohan’s second son is getting married in less than a month spreads like wildfire among the guest disciples. Everyone has a theory about the need for such a sudden union, but Nie Huaisang thinks that Jin Zixuan’s idea is probably the right one when he whispers to him that Wen Chao probably just knocked up his fiancée so he’d get to marry her early. It’s common knowledge that he likes pretty girls a little too much, and that his father lets him get away with everything.

That could be the beginning and end of it for Nie Huaisang, but one morning he is called to Lan Qiren’s office at the same time as Lan Xichen. They don’t stay there very long, but when they exit they’re stunned enough that they linger at the door side by side, forgetting a moment that they hate each other. Of course Nie Huaisang knew this would happen sooner or later, it's the whole reason why they're engaged, isn't it? And still…

"Have you ever been to Nightless City?" Lan Xichen asks, something not quite right in his usually placid voice.

"Once, before my father died. Before our engagement, even."

Very soon before talks started between Gusu Lan and Qinghe Nie, actually. Nie Huaisang had been a little young to grasp it at the time, but some years after he found letters about that visit. At the time, Wen Ruohan was looking for someone to marry his second son.

All in all, Nie Huaisang has to admit Lan Xichen isn't the worst spouse he could have been thrown at.

"I've been a few more times than that," Lan Xichen says, before allowing himself a small grimace. "I am not looking forward to going again. Wen Chao might be getting married but he is a horrid lecher, and Wen Xu is… last time I saw him was at a Night Hunt, and he killed someone's spirit dog for barking too loud."

That's a story Nie Huaisang has heard as well. It's not, and by far, the worst rumour going about Wen Xu. And that's without getting into what is said about Wen Ruohan himself.

"Your uncle is right," Nie Huaisang sighs. "We'll have to show that the alliance between our sects is going strong. If the Wens think there's a weakness…"

"That means we'll have to act like we get along," Lan Xichen points out. "Can you even do that?"

"I did a good job of that until I got tired of pretending," Nie Huaisang snaps. "But you… won't it be hard to pretend you don't despise me?"

Lan Xichen gives him a long look, his expression unreadable.

"I don't despise you," he says at last, and it almost sounds believable. It will have to do. "Do you have anything appropriate to wear? I don't suppose you brought anything here for this sort of occasion. If you want, I can try to…"

"Nie Mingjue will be there too, he’ll bring what's necessary," Nie Huaisang cuts him. “Thank you for trying to help,” he adds when he remembers that they’ll need to work together, at least for a bit. Might as well get started already. “But it really wouldn’t do if I showed up in Lan robes anyway.”

“I suppose it’s not appropriate when we aren’t married yet,” Lan Xichen concedes. “Very well. I have a lot to do, I will see you later.”

Nie Huaisang watches him go, a little upset about… everything really. The last thing he wants is to go to a wedding of any sort, least of all a Wen wedding. He also doesn’t want to work with Lan Xichen, and this is an unpleasant reminder of things to come. Lan Xichen will turn twenty in less than two years, meaning their own wedding will follow closely, and they’ve both shown through their actions and words that it won’t be a happy one.

But there’s no choice, not for them.

And at least, Jin Zixuan and Jiang Cheng too will be there, as well as Nie Mingjue, so he’ll suffer in good company.

If it is important to show a united front before Qishan Wen, it is also important not to seem too united either. To avoid this, both Jiang Fengmian and Jin Guangshan separately pick up their sons to head toward Nightless City, while Nie Huaisang travels with Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren until they are joined by Nie Mingjue and go the rest of the way all together. The evening of their arrival in Nightless City, when they are alone in their room, Nie Mingjue reminds his brother that he is in enemy territory and must watch himself.

“Be smart,” he orders. “But don’t let it show too much either. At this point, they’re looking for any excuse to attack other sects.”

Nie Huaisang nods, thinking about that Waterborne Abyss they fought. Wei Wuxian had said it wasn’t normal for it to be there, and Qishan Wen territory is up the river from Caiyi and…

“There’s really going to be a war, uh?” Nie Huaisang realises. “It can’t be avoided?”

“They’re preparing for it. I think… in five years. Ten at most. I’m trying to recruit more people into the sect,” Nie Mingjue admits. “I’ve lowered the criteria, and I’m taking even adults if they show enough promise. We’re going to need all the people we can get.”

Five years is a frighteningly short time. Nie Huaisang will be married to Lan Xichen by then, so at least Nie Mingjue is sure he’ll have another sect to count on. Maybe he’ll have found a wife too. Jiang Yanli is an option again, and Nie Huaisang gets along with her brothers, while Yunmeng Jiang is always handy in a fight. It’s an option worth mentioning to Jiang Cheng, so he can maybe tell his parents. Anything to make sure that Nie Mingjue doesn’t end up alone against the man who killed their father.

Some of his worries must show on Nie Huaisang’s face. Without warning, Nie Mingjue grabs him by the collar and pulls him into a tight hug.

“Don’t worry about that. When war comes we’ll be prepared. All you have to think about is how to make it look like you and Xichen are the best friends in the world so the Wens don’t start thinking there’s a weakness in our alliance. Just make an effort until that stupid wedding is over, alright?”

“I will, but he’d better do the same!”

“You’re such a brat,” Nie Mingjue grumbles fondly. “Just behave yourself. I know I can count on you.”

In Nie Huaisang’s experience, weddings are boring affairs and this one is no different. There are so many guests that he can’t even see the arrival of the bride, which is a shame because he was mildly curious to see how Wen Chao would deal with having to pretend he needs to prove himself worthy of her. With how proud he and his brother are, that would have been quite the show.

At least, while everyone else is distracted waiting for the bride to arrive, Nie Huaisang is free to escape his brother’s watch to go chat with Jin Zixuan in a less crowded spot from which they should be able to catch a glimpse of the unfortunate girl. Before long Jiang Cheng joins them, ostensibly because he’s bored in his father’s company, but mostly because he doesn’t like to be left out. Nie Huaisang feels a little guilty that he didn’t signal him as well to go chat, but he had assumed Jiang Cheng would be too serious to want to watch and gossip on such a day.

They keep the conversation mostly light at first, complimenting one another on their outfits. Nie Huaisang gets teased a bit for not being quite as well dressed as his friends, and starts putting the blame on his brother who didn’t bring any of his better robes, and only one set of hair ornaments. They only drop that conversation when, at last, the groom and his bride walk by on their way to take their bows. It is the bride, of course, that really gets their attention. Her face is hidden by a richly decorated veil, and her dress is of such a shape that it is impossible to say if she is a thick or slender girl, and yet even like this…

“Definitely pregnant and trying to hide it,” Jin Zixuan whispers in the tone of someone who has seen it often. “Very pregnant, even. No wonder they had to hurry so much. I wonder if she tried to hide it from them?”

“But why would she?” Nie Huaisang asked, opening his fan to help hide their conversation. “You think she was scared he wouldn’t marry her?”

Jin Zixuan shrugs, but Jiang Cheng leans toward them.

“Apparently, she’s from a certain branch of Qishan Wen that doesn’t quite agree with their current ambitions,” he whispers. “They are all mostly doctors, and they’ve made objections against some of Wen Ruohan’s decisions. My father told me several members of that branch have been executed for treason in the last few years, and now it’s being led by a girl who’s only a little more than twenty. The bride is her cousin, and I’ve heard the lady Wen Qing was trying to get the engagement cancelled until recently.”

“You think Wen Chao got her pregnant to make sure the wedding would have to happen?” Nie Huaisang gasps.

“You need healers for a war,” Jin Zixuan remarks in a low voice, his face hardening. “And everyone says Wen Chao would do anything to get his father’s approval… though from what I’ve heard, it mustn’t have been too hard for him to harass a helpless girl.”

“Girls really have it rough with engagements,” Nie Huaisang mutters, feeling a twinge of pity for the bride. “Maybe I should stop complaining about mine so much.”

“I’ll buy you a new fan if you can last a day without saying anything against Lan Xichen,” Jiang Cheng retorts, his voice regaining a more normal volume.

“I’ll owe you a favour if you make that a week,” Jin Zixuan adds.

Nie Huaisang closes his fan and glares at both of them.

“I don’t speak that much about him!”

“Tell yourself that,” Jin Zixuan says, patting his shoulder.

The teasing and the casual touch have Nie Huaisang gaping in mock horror. He’s glad that Jin Zixuan isn’t so formal with him since that afternoon where they were so very bored that they fooled around, but to have that familiarity turned against him is absolutely unfair.

Besides, Nie Huaisang really doesn’t speak that much about Lan Xichen. He has better things to do with his time, and…

“Speaking of the devil,” Jiang Cheng mutters. “Guess who is coming this way?”

Nie Huaisang immediately turns around to look, readying himself to be annoyed that what little fun he can expect today is already coming to an end.

Instead he finds himself stunned at the sight of Lan Xichen walking toward them, his hair done with more care than usual and decorated with silver, wearing pale blue robes that give him a youthful air he normally doesn’t get from his boring white Gusu Lan uniform. Most of the time Nie Huaisang is too busy hating him to see it, but at the moment it is hard to ignore that Lan Xichen is, and by far, the most handsome young master in their generation.

“I’m glad he’s engaged to you already,” Jiang Cheng mutters. “Imagine trying to find someone to marry if he were still free!”

“You can have him if you like,” Nie Huaisang retorts between clenched teeth, before forcing himself to smile at Lan Xichen when he reaches them. “Lan gongzi, were you looking for us perhaps?”

“Yes. I’ve been sent to warn you that the young couple has taken the three bows and the feast will soon begin. It would be best to find out quickly where we are to sit, to avoid bringing undue attention on ourselves by being late.”

“If Lan gongzi leads the way, we will follow,” Jiang Cheng replies with a short bow, which gets him a mocking eyeroll from Nie Huaisang the instant Lan Xichen turns away. Even Jin Zixuan seems amused by how polite Jiang Cheng can be when he bothers.

The feast is conducted in a large courtyard inside the palace. Though it is a large space, there are so many guests that it still feels crowded, which made Nie Huaisang wonder if it is done on purpose, especially since Wen Ruohan’s family gets a large space to itself on a raised platform, so they can tower over the rest of them in great comfort.

Much to their dismay, Jin Zixuan and Jiang Cheng find that the seating arrangements have them right next to each other. They make great efforts not to complain about it, but Nie Huaisang knows when they’re all back to Gusu, he’s going to hear about that at length from both of them. It’s fine by him, because he’ll have a few complaints of his own. Not only is he seated far from his friends, he’s also going to spend the feast with Lan Xichen at his side, and not too far from where the Wen Juniors are installed. It promises to be a very unpleasant day.

“I can’t imagine how this could be worse,” Nie Huaisang mutters under his breath as they sit down.

“I can,” Lan Xichen replies just as quietly. “Jin Zixun could be here.”

Nie Huaisang snorts, and shivers theatrically.

“Lan gongzi, don’t speak such horror. I don’t think I could survive something so horrible.”

“Hm. This time, I would protect you,” Lan Xichen calmly replies. “In fact I will, if the need arises.”

Taken aback, Nie Huaisang doesn’t say anything. There isn't anybody paying attention to them at the moment, but if Lan Xichen wants to play up the comedy already, why not. It’s better to get in character right away so they’re not taken by surprise when the time comes.

Food has just been served when problems find them. If Wen Chao has retired with his bride after the usual traditions, Wen Xu is still there, going from guest to guest with a smile that says he’s looking for trouble. Seeing him coming their way, Lan Xichen tenses and leans toward Nie Huaisang.

“They’re probably going to try to make me drink,” he whispers. “People always do when there are Gusu Lan cultivators at a feast, and I think Wen Xu personally dislikes me. Can you help me avoid it?”

“If you try to avoid it, it’ll just make it worse. Isn’t it tolerated to drink at celebrations?”

Lan Xichen nods with uncertainty, before glancing toward Wen Xu who seems to have spotted them.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“It’s not just about the rules,” Lan Xichen confesses in a low voice, fidgeting with the hem of his sleeve. “I react badly to alcohol. Very badly. It might create problems if I have any, more so than if I appear stubborn in refusing it.”

It sounds like just an excuse to stick to his precious rules, because nobody can be so weak to alcohol that even just one cup would be bad. But Lan Xichen does look sincerely nervous at the prospect, and it’s unnerving to see him like that.

“I’ll do my best,” Nie Huaisang promises.

Lan Xichen throws him a grateful smile and sits upright once more, just as Wen Xu and a group of Qishan Wen cultivators reach them.

“I hope we are not interrupting you lovebirds?” he asks, looming over them.

“We were not talking of anything important,” Lan Xichen replied politely. “Wen gongzi, it is a pleasure to see you. I hope you are well?”

“As well as a man can be, seeing his little brother marry before him. Not that I envy Wen Chao, his bride looks like a sow. A feeling you can relate to, I’m sure.”

Nie Huaisang bites his tongue at the insult but manages to pretend he doesn’t understand it. Next to him, Lan Xichen blinks innocently.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Oh, don’t you?” Wen Xu remarks with a grin. “And here I had heard Lan gongzi was so smart.”

“At least Wen Chao’s wife is a cultivator,” someone says behind him. “I’ve heard Lan gongzi’s fiancé doesn’t even have a golden core.”

Nie Huaisang’s hands clench on his knees and he struggles to keep smiling. He knew his patience would be tested, and he knows that the Wens aren’t even pretending to respect other sects anymore, but saying something like that so publicly is just…

“I am sorry to hear such rumours spread,” Lan Xichen calmly replies. “Certain people have taken a dislike to Nie gongzi, and amuse themselves with spreading falsehood regarding his person, which I find very regretful. If you can tell me who shared those lies with you, we are trying to find the source so that we might put an end to it.”

“It’s just common knowledge,” Wen Xu retorts. “Didn’t Nie gongzi fail to pass his exams in Gusu last year? Either he must be a very pitiful cultivator, or your uncle isn’t as excellent a teacher as he claims to be. Or both, perhaps? I hear this year too he had such problems with a student that he simply gave up and sent him home.”

“What school can boast of a perfect success rate?” Lan Xichen gently counters. “If every student always passed, it would be truly miraculous. External circumstances can make it hard for some to focus on their studies, and this is what happened to Nie gongzi. As for the other student you mentioned, his guardian decided that it was preferable for him to return home for the time being, and my uncle could not have stopped him.”

Wen Xu smirks. “Lan gongzi, Lan gongzi… you always have the perfect answer to everything, don’t you? It makes it very frustrating to hold a conversation with you. Maybe I’ll try chatting with Nie gongzi instead. I wonder if he has anything interesting to say?”

Smiling as well as he can , Nie Huaisang brings his hands before him and bows slightly.

“If Wen gongzi wishes it, I will do my best to be worthy of the honour.”

Wen Xu looks him over and shrugs.

“I doubt you’ll be, so I think I won’t bother after all. In fact, I think I’ll go check our other guests now. Ah but first… a toast perhaps? This is an auspicious occasion after all.”

Nie Huaisang glances at Lan Xichen who, in spite of having his fears confirmed, looks perfectly calm even as Wen Xu pours alcohol for all three of them. He does, however, hesitate a brief instant to take the cup offered to him, his hand trembling slightly when he finally does so.

“Wen gongzi, I understand you cannot know,” Nie Huaisang says as innocently as he can, stealing the cup from his fiancé’s hand, “but Gusu Lan rules are against alcohol. Let me pour some new tea for Lan gongzi so he may still toast with us to your brother’s good fortune.”

He does just that, placing a fresh cup of tea in Lan Xichen’s hand to replace the wine he stole. Wen Xu glares at both of them.

“Is it really a toast if it is with tea?” he mocks.

Nie Huaisang smiles. “Wen gongzi, I’m sure the heavens will understand that Lan gongzi cannot break his sect’s rules. Adherence to them is key to their cultivation method, as I understand. Please, do spare Lan gongzi. If it is really essential that three cups of wine be drunk, then I will also take his. As we are to be married, it is only normal for me to bear any burden he cannot take onto himself.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Wen Xu retorts. “Fine, Lan gongzi may toast with tea, if he must. To the newlyweds, may they know happiness and prosperity!”

They all cheer and drink. Nie Huaisang allows himself to relax a little, convinced that Wen Xu will leave them alone now, since they’re not letting themselves be bullied by him. When the Wens still linger after the toast, he realises that victory won’t be so easy.

“Lan gongzi, if you won’t drink, then at least try the dishes,” Wen Xu suggests, looking pointedly at Lan Xichen’s bowl. “Or does your sect forbid that as well?”

“On the contrary, new experiences are encouraged,” Lan Xichen replies, still quite calm, “and I am not well acquainted with Nightless City’s cuisine. Wen gongzi, do you recommend anything in particular?”

“I think this one would please Lan gongzi,” Wen Xu says, pushing a dish toward Lan Xichen.

Nie Huaisang hardly dares breathe as he watches Lan Xichen grab a piece of vegetable from the dish and put it in his mouth without the slightest hesitation.

“Wen gongzi, this is very good indeed,” Lan Xichen agrees.

“Of course it is. Lan gongzi, you should try that one as well.”

A second dish is pushed his way. Just like the first, Lan Xichen doesn’t hesitate to eat some, but the instant the food touches his tongue, Nie Huaisang knows something is different. Lan Xichen’s eyes get watery and he drops his chopstick, hurriedly reaching for his tea while the Wens laugh around him. Their hilarity doubles when Lan Xichen’s eyes widen in shock and he stares down at his nearly empty cup.

“Is the tea not to your liking?” Wen Xu taunts him. “I thought it looked a little bland so I asked my friend to improve it a little. I hope Lan gongzi doesn’t mind.”

On cue, a boy at his side shows off a small jar which he shakes mockingly, making their whole group laugh. For a second, Nie Huaisang wants to jump to his feet and punch Wen Xu’s teeth off, politics be damned. The only reason he doesn’t is because next to him, Lan Xichen laughs softly.

“You certainly got me,” he says, his smile as polite as ever. “Congratulations, that is the smartest way I’ve seen one of us be tricked into drinking. I’ll have to be more careful in the future.”

Seeing him apparently amused by their prank, the Wens immediately stop finding it funny. They tease him a little more, but Lan Xichen takes it all with good humour. They quickly tire of it and Wen Xu goes looking for another victim. As soon as they’re gone, Lan Xichen urgently grasps Nie Huaisang’s sleeve.

“Nie gongzi, help me get away please,” he whispers. “I don’t feel good at all.”

It was just a few sips, mixed with tea, but Lan Xichen seems so concerned that Nie Huaisang doesn’t question it.

“Just wait for me a second,” he demands. “I’ll be back.”

He rises from his seat and scutters over a little further in the courtyard where Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan are trying to not have an argument.

“Jiang-xiong, Jin-xiong, can I ask a favour?” Nie Huaisang chirps. His cheerfulness must sound a little too forced, because they both throw him a concerned look. He smiles a little wider, and laughs softly. “Ah, it’s a small one I swear! Could one of you warn Lan Qiren that his nephew is feeling a little unwell? I’m taking him somewhere a little quieter, but I think his uncle should know.”

He dares not say more, dares not ask for Lan Qiren to come check on them, but hopefully the fact that Lan Xichen needs to remove himself from the feast will be enough to signal that something is wrong. Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan promise to go pass the message and though they start arguing about who ought to do it, Nie Huaisang trusts them to get it done. He returns to Lan Xichen’s side and grabs the hem of his sleeve to pull him toward the exit.

Getting there is a harder task than planned. Lan Xichen, always so steady and elegant, starts wobbling a little as they walk. Nie Huaisang can’t help thinking he’d be enjoying this a lot if only they weren’t surrounded by enemies. If anyone realises that Lan Xichen is inebriated, if they try to take advantage of it to create trouble…

It seems natural to take Lan Xichen’s hand. It’s the most efficient way to guide him and help him stay balanced. And if anyone sees… well, they’re engaged, so it’s no big scandal. It’s just the most practical way to deal with the situation.

Lan Xichen appears to be of another mind. The moment Nie Huaisang takes his hand, he stops walking and stares down in shock. Nie Huaisang braces himself for an unpleasant comment that never comes.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” Lan Xichen says, interlacing their fingers and grinning at the sight.

“You really are drunk,” Nie Huaisang mumbles, pulling to get them moving again.

“I think you’re right,” Lan Xichen replies, nodding once. “Maybe it’s not bad if it makes you be this nice to me. I like when you’re nice. I like holding your hand, also. It’s so warm!”

“Lying is against the rules.”

“It is! That’s why I’m not lying. We should hold hands more often, A-Sang.”

Nie Huaisang nearly trips at hearing Lan Xichen call him like this. He would have fallen, if not for the other boy’s grip on him.

“Saved you!” Lan Xichen laughs.

He sounds absolutely delighted by that idea, making Nie Huaisang wonder just how strong the wine in that tea was. Was it even only tea, if Lan Xichen is so out of it? If the Wens have a whole clan of healers in their midst, who knows what sort of drugs they might have on hand.

By the time he’s brought Lan Xichen out of the courtyard and into a more peaceful area, Nie Huaisang is genuinely concerned for the other boy. It’s just not normal for Lan Xichen to be smiling so much. Neither is the way he grins every time he remembers they’re holding hands. He’s got to have been drugged, there’s no other explanation, and if he still remembers this in the morning, he’ll be furious at Nie Huaisang for letting him act so ridiculously.

Wanting to spare both of them a little shame, Nie Huaisang tries to get his hand back. Lan Xichen doesn’t let him.

“Let’s stay like this a little more,” he pleads. “It’s so nice. You have nice hands, A-Sang. You have nice everything. It’s so hard to be around you, because you’re so nice but so mean. Why are you so mean, A-Sang?”

“You started it,” Nie Huaisang mumbles, glancing around and hoping Lan Qiren will come soon. There’s got to be something very, very wrong with Lan Xichen if he’s saying such stupid things.

Lan Xichen gets very still.

“Oh. I did start it,” he mumbles sadly, tightening his grip on Nie Huaisang’s hand. “I’ve been mean too, right? But I’m not now. I’m trying. A-Sang, why can’t we both stop being mean and just be friends? I really want to be friends. You’re so pretty and talented, we really should be friends.”

He sounds painfully earnest. For a moment, Nie Huaisang almost forgets that it’s only the wine speaking, that Lan Xichen despises him. What’s happening is a lie, but it’s a pleasant one. For years and years, all Nie Huaisang has wanted is for Lan Xichen to be nice to him. He must still want it, because his traitorous heart is beating so hard in his chest that it nearly drowns out the sounds of the nearby party.

It would be nice if Lan Xichen liked him.

And it’d be nice too if the Wens all choked to death tonight, saving them from an otherwise unavoidable war.

Between the two, Nie Huaisang knows which one was more likely to happen.

Before Lan Xichen can babble more nonsense, Lan Qiren finally joins them, clearly concerned. His worry only increases when Nie Huaisang hurriedly explains what happened with Wen Xu.

“I think maybe the wine was drugged actually. He’s acting very unlike himself since drinking it.”

Lan Qiren grabs his nephew’s wrist, forcing him to let go of Nie Huaisang’s hand (Lan Xichen pouts) so that he can check on him.

“No, that was just wine,” Lan Qiren sighs, relieved. “He shares his mother’s weakness. Thank you for your help, Nie gongzi. You may leave, I will take care of him.”

Nie Huaisang nods, breathing a little more easily at the news that nothing dangerous was given to the other boy. It’s a little funny that anyone could be so affected by just a little wine, but Lan Qiren doesn’t seem too surprised. He is surprisingly gentle as he takes his nephew by the shoulders and starts trying to lead him away.

“You won’t punish him, right?” Nie Huaisang asks after some hesitation. “It’s not his fault. We really tried to make it so he didn’t drink anything, but somebody spiked his tea and tricked him. It’d be unfair to punish him.”

“I’m surprised you care,” Lan Qiren states dryly.

“Of course I care,” Nie Huaisang replies after checking around. They are, in fact, alone, but it’s better to be prudent and… perhaps he does care, in spite of himself.

Lan Xichen startles at the answer, and smiles brightly, trying to escape his uncle’s grasp to get back to Nie Huaisang.

“You really do?” he asks. “I’m so glad! I care about you so much, A-Sang!”

Like all the rest, it sounds unbearably genuine in a way that Lan Xichen never is. Nie Huaisang feels his face burn in embarrassment, and is forced to look away. He just cannot handle the bright, sincere way Lan Xichen is smiling at him, as if he were really happy to be near him. As if he really did want to be friends.

Thankfully, Lan Qiren has no patience for his drunken nephew’s antics, and starts dragging Lan Xichen away before he can make more of a fool of himself. Nie Huaisang watches them go. He’s half grateful that Lan Qiren came when he did, because this was really getting too silly, but he can’t help feeling a little disappointed as well. He rather likes this version of Lan Xichen who thinks well of him, and he wouldn’t have minded a little more time with him.

#xisang #worst engagement au #jau writes #it's a long chapter #and one I've waited for a long time lol #featuring: nhs and lxc make a great team #nhs's turn on the 'maybe my fiancé is a multidimensional person' train #this fic's first use of A-Sang #also featuring a lot of talk about a possible war and guess what? Sizhui is there!#kind of XD

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harryhooksgazebos267 · 4 years

Text

Broken Trust~ Part Two

A/n: Thank you so much for all the love I’ve been getting from part one! I hope you guys enjoy the next chapter ❤️

Paring: Bang Chan x reader; Mark Tuan x reader(arranged marriage)

Genre: Mafia au, angst, little bit of everything honestly

Warnings: Cursing, mafia life shizzle

MASTLIST

“Y/n? Y/n did you hear me? I said,” Mark rushed out but you cut him off.

“I heard you but I, I can’t leave. I won’t leave,” You stated, finally breaking eye contact with Chris. A flash of worry went through Marks eyes but he said nothing else.

“Boys, you can take off your masks now,” Chris called out. One by one the eight other men took off their masks revealing faces of the past. Hyunjin, Felix, Jeongin, Changbin, Jisung, Seungmin, and Minho. All of them should have been dead but they weren’t. A wave of confusion, sadness, and a little bit of relief flushed over you. You could feel Mark tense up beside you. The room fell silent as no one knew what to say or do.

“I’m sure you all are confused right now, you must be wondering how the eight of us are here, right? I mean we are supposed to be dead, aren’t we?” Chris asked, looking at Mr. Jinyoung who just gawked at the boys.

“Sadly, that story will have to wait for another time. No, we aren’t here to explain what happened all those years ago. We are only here to simply tell you that you all better be ready because a war is about to break out and you’re either with us or against us. There are scores that need to be settled. Wrongs that need to righted. Christopher Bang is dead. He died when the ones who he trusted betrayed him. He died when the one person he loved betrayed him. I am no longer Christopher but rather, Bang Chan, the leader of Stray Kids.”

This caused the entire room to gasp, including yourself.

“You know, I’ve dreamed of this day ever since I had to “play dead” but now that it’s here....I’m not sure what to say. I don’t want to give too much away, now do I? Where’s the fun in that. Just know that I’m out for blood. No, we’re out for blood and we won’t stop until we get revenge on those who have wronged us. I can promise you that. So be prepared because you messed with the wrong kids.”

And with that the lights went out once again and when they came back up they all were gone, leaving everyone dazed and confused. Leaving you dazed and confused. Chris was now Bang Chan? But that couldn’t be possible, your Chris couldn’t possibly be him. Hell all the other boys couldn’t possible be apart of Stray Kids. I mean they were notorious for being ruthless to their enemies. They never hesitated to end someone life. Those weren’t the boys you knew. Bang Chan wasn’t the Chris you knew. However, the more you thought about it the more it made sense. Stray Kids wasn’t even a thing until a few months after all of their “deaths” occurred. It also would explain the mystery surrounding them and why no one knew exactly who they were or what they looked like. The only thing that was known was thier leaders name, Bang Chan but no one knew who he was. Well, that was until now. But why? Why would they fake their own deaths just to show up a few years later? Something didn’t feel right.

“Come on, let’s go,” Mark called out yet you still didn’t move.

“It wasn’t an option y/n, I said let’s go.”

The car ride back to your house felt long as you the two of you sat in silence. So many thoughts were racing in your head. What did he mean the people he trusted betrayed him? What did he mean the one person he loved betrayed him? He couldn’t have been talking about you could he? You hadn’t done anything to him. All you did was give him your unconditional love. If anything, he was the one that betrayed you. All this time he was alive and he didn’t try to contact you once?

“Y/n?” Mark said, breaking the silence.

“Yes?”

“From now on you need to be more careful, do you understand me? I’m not 100% sure who Chan was talking about when he said he wanted revenge but it’s better to be safe than sorry I suppose.”

“I didn’t do anything though,” you muttered out confused.

“Either way, we are going to increase security around the house. Perhaps you should think about staying in doors for awhile. And if you do leave at least have five or six body guards with you.”

“Five or six? Isn’t that a little much? I highly doubt Chris will do anything.”

“He isn’t Chris anymore y/n, he’s capable of more than you think. Even hurting you.”

“But he would never-“

“He was capable of leaving you wasn’t he? He was capable of abandoning the “one person he ever loved” as if they were nothing, wasn’t he? He was capable of faking his own damn death. He was capable of hiding for two years right? So why don’t you think he’s capable of hurting you? Maybe Chris wasn’t but you bet your ass Chan is. He doesn’t care about you anymore y/n and it’s time you stop caring about a man who is dead. Stop holding on to the past and this fantasy world you’ve created in your head where you and Chris are still in love. Where he still loves you because it’s not real and it never will be. We’re increasing security and you are to leave the house with more bodyguards, is that clear?”

You stayed silent, pissing Mark off.

“I asked a question and I expect an answer.”

“Why do you need an answer, you’re going to do what you want anyway. What does it matter what I say?”

“Watch you attitude y/n. Just because your little prince is back doesn’t mean you have the right to disrespect me.”

You decided to stay quiet for the rest of the ride home. You couldn’t understand why Mark was so pressed. Well, you could but there was no need for him to be so angry at you. Mark also stayed quiet for the rest of the ride. At one point you glanced over at him and saw that his fist was clenched tight as he looked out the window. Once you arrived home you booked it out of the car. You could hear Marks footsteps quickly follow after you but you didn’t stop.

“Y/n,” he called out but you continued walking.

“Y/n,” he shouted a little louder, anger rising in his voice causing you to stop in your tracks.

“Mark fuck off, I’m not in the mood to talk to you right now. Please just let me go to bed.”

“You’re only angry because you know what I said in the car is the truth!”

“And if it is what do you gain from being right?”

“This isn’t about me gaining anything, I’m just trying to protect you,” he yelled back as he ran his hands through his hair in a frustrated manner.

“I don’t need your protection!”

“Yes you do actually, god why are you acting like such a brat? Why am I even getting married to you?” He scoffed out shaking his head.

“Because you don’t have the balls to tell your father no. You act all big and bad until daddy wants something and then you turn into such a yes man.”

“Oh don’t stand there and act all high and mighty as if you’re any better than I am. I don’t see you running to your father telling him to call off the wedding. You’re just as bad and if anything I would dare say you’re worse.You know what, you’re the worst thing that has ever happened to me. You’re ruining my life. I could be back in America right now but no. Instead I’m stuck in Korea babysitting my so called bitchy wife to be. Just your presence alone irritates me, I can’t stand it here. I hate Korea and I hate you.”

Wow. That’s all you could think. You could tell that Mark immediately regretted his words but the damage had already been done.

“Y/n I-”

“Don’t, there is no reason to do damage control. You said what you said and you clearly mean ever word of it. But you want to know something Mark? You can’t always do what you want to do. Life isn’t peaches and cream and sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you plan it to be. If you’re so unhappy tell your father to call off the wedding. I have done absolutely nothing to make you hate me or act as coldly as you do. I’m not the one forcing us to get married so you have no right to claim that I’m the one who ruined your life. You have no right to be angry at me. You can only be angry at our fathers and yourself. Don’t blame all your damn problems on me. Now, it’s 1 am, I’m tired and I want to go to bed so could you kindly fuck off and let me get some sleep?”

And with that you turned your back to him and quickly walked to your room, slamming the door shut. Once you were inside you threw your body on to your bed and let out a dramatic sigh.

“Today has been a great day,” you mumbled into your bed, turning your head to the side. You felt kind of bad for the argument you had with Mark. Sure you knew it was bound to happen but why did it have to be today of all days? You were already confused and hurt over Chris....no, not Chris, Chan. And now Mark? Apart of you knew that Mark was right though. You didn’t know who Chan was anymore. People change and he clearly did. And even if he was the same, what would it matter? You’re engaged, it wouldn’t change anything. Well that is if Mark doesn’t call off the wedding. Even so, the past is the past and it’s time to let old things die, right?

Getting lost in your thoughts you almost didn’t hear the light piano music that began to fill the house but when you did you felt your heart clench a little. Mark used to be a music major, in fact that’s the reason he went over to America. To study music so he could have a career as a pianist. After his older brother, Jae, died though, his father forced him to come back to Korea so that he could take over Jae’s position. That meant he had to give up the one thing he actually loved, music. He was too busy to even think about playing the piano again. The only time he would play it was if he to release stress but even that was rare. You contemplated what to do. You could either stay in the comfort of your warm room and avoid him until the morning oooooorrrrrrrrr you could go at least try to work out the argument you had with him. After thinking about it for a bit, you decided that it’s better to talk about it now. Going to bed angry doesn’t help anyone. You quickly got out of your bed, took off your makeup, and put on some comfy pajamas. Once you were finished you waddle downstairs and made your way to his office. The door was closed but you could hear him play a beautiful song that sounded so familiar yet you couldn’t put your foot on what it was. You knocked on the door lightly but he didn’t respond so you knocked on it a little harder. Still, no response so you just decided to walk inside. Mark didn’t notice your presence right away so you decided to enjoy the music and listen to him play for a bit. He honestly was such a talented musician and in that moment he looked like such a soft boy. For the first time since you had known him, you saw Mark in something other than a suit. He had on a tight black T-shirt with some gray sweatpants and his hair was a mess. He looked so, so calm. So, at peace. You wish he always could be like that. If you could capture this moment you would but sadly you left your phone upstairs. The one time you actually needed it :/. Finally Mark noticed your presence as he jumped and muttered a few curse words under his breath.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scary you,” you quickly apologized.

“Ah no you’re fine,” He quickly rushed out shaking his head.

“No really, I’m sorry. I’m sorry about everything. I shouldn’t have said some of the things I said,” you muttered lowering your head.

“Y/n you have no reason to apologize, if anything I should be the one apologizing to you. What I said today was uncalled for and it wasn’t my place to say any of that. You didn’t ruin my life and I promise you I don’t hate you. I’ve just been so stressed out lately and I just took my anger out on you. I know it might seem like I hate you and I know I’m always so cold to you but I just, I....I don’t know how to express my feelings. It’s hard for me to open up because every time I open up to someone I lose them and that terrifies me. I’m terrified of being hurt. I’m not heartless y/n, I’m just learning to use my heartless. What I said about Chan and you, I, I shouldn’t have said. Like I said it wasn’t my place and I’m sorry. I’m honestly just trying to protect you. I know you probably hate me now but I do still want to go through with this marriage. I promise you I will try to be more open and I promise you I won’t be as cold but please try to understand where I am coming from and understand it will take time for me to warm up to you. Everything I say to and everything I do is only in the best interest of you and everyone else. I know it will take time for us to build our relationship but I’m willing to put in the effort if you are. I’m not asking you to be interested in me romantically but if we’re going to be married, we should at least be friends, don’t you think?”

You honestly felt like crying. That was the first time Mark had been that open with you and it meant a lot. Ever word he said was dripping with sincerity. A huge smile formed on your face as you nodded.

“Yeah, I agree. I don’t want to hate you Mark, in fact I don’t hate you. I don’t want you to hate me either. I want to be your friend and I promise you I’ll also put in the effort to make this work.”

Mark smiles lightly as he nodded.

“Very well then, friends?” He questioned sticking out his hand for you to shake which you accept.

“Friends. Oh and one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“You should wear normal clothes more often. You kind of look like a snack, not gonna lie. I mean you always look like a snack but you know this is different. A good different but different.”

Mark let out a little laugh at that.

“Don’t ask too much of me, I said things would take time. Not everyone deserves to be blessed with my natural visuals. You have to work for that shit.”

“Yeah , yeah whatever. I’m gonna go back to bed now since I’m exhausted, I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well!”

As you began to exit Mark stood up suddenly and called out your name. Stopping, you turned around to look at him.

“Yes?” You asked.

“I, I, I just wanted to say that I, ummm I wanted to say that....you’re going on a mission tomorrow with Seulgi, Irene, Momo, and Chaeyoung so be prepared. Goodnight.”

“......ok?” You said, giving him a questioning look but left after shrugging your shoulders. After closing the door and making sure you were out of hearing range, Mark signed, running his heads through his hair.

“I just wanted to say that I love you even though you don’t love me back. That’s okay though, someday you will and I’ll wait for you. No matter how long it takes, I’ll wait.”

Part three

MASTERLIST

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k-writer1998 · 4 years

Text

Rebel Hours (16/18)

Kwon Jieun always fit her parents’ image of the “perfect” daughter… at least to their knowledge. Away from prying eyes she was like any other girl living life to the fullest doing what she wants. When a little someone named Bang Chan comes into her life priorities are changed, mistakes are made, and her life finally becomes her own.

Fluff

w.c: 1.9k

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

I, in fact, did not go home after that. Instead my body carried me around the busy streets, drowning my ears in the cacophony of the city and taking in every flash of light or subtle movement. Anything to distract from the twisting in my chest and the struggle to breathe. By the time I reached the apartment it was dark and a worried Seungmin turned to look at me from his perch on the couch. He asked something but the question didn’t register in my mind. The only thing I could do was give him a broken smile and a soft apology before I ducked into my room and locked the door. It wasn’t until my body collapsed onto my bed did the tears leak from my eyes. I struggled to muffle my sobs, trying to bury my face into my pillow so Seungmin couldn’t hear. The last things I remembered were endless tears, gentle knocking, fatigue, then black.

Morning blurred into afternoon which faded into evening and jumped into tomorrow yet if anyone asked me what I did I could only recall one thing. My mind fighting the reality that my way of protecting my relationship may have been the one thing that ruined it. By the time Seungmin was back I was safely tucked away in my room, silently sitting on my bed with the lights off. I should text Seunghee before her brother tells her but I don’t want to know her reaction… it’s my fault anyways, no need to hear it again from someone else. Alas I knew better than to keep her in the dark so I grabbed my phone and shot her an explanation text, luckily it was late and it was unlikely she was up. Bzzt. My body stilled at the sound…

To: Daughter

Your father and I have something to say but it's getting close to exams so let us know when.

They were the last people I wanted to hear from. I knew the argument wasn’t their fault but for now I didn’t want to face them. Why did they even confront Chan? What did they talk abo- No. Don’t dwell on the thought, it leads to thinking about him and I didn’t need a new wave of pain to hit. Thankfully the weariness in my bones lulled me into a dreamless sleep. Bzzt. Bzzt. What the? What time is it? Forward to voicemail. Only problem, the caller was persistent. It was forwarded about three times since I woke up before I groggily answered.

“Hello?”

“Yes sorry to wake you but what the hell happened? First I get a text from you then I get a call from Seungmin. What’s going on between Chan and you?”

“... He’s rethinking the relationship…”

“What?! Why???”

“You know that plan I was telling you about? When I said fighting fire with fire I may have meant to threaten them with the press...”

“Jieun are you crazy?”

“I never meant to go through with it,” I hissed, “I needed to get them to butt out especially with the engagement. I didn’t know a faster way!”

“And this ties to Chan because…”

“My parents backed off, the rumor went away, but apparently my parents went to talk to Chan and they told him about it. We argued because there weren’t supposed to be any more secrets and now… I don’t even know.”

“Well rethinking and breaking up are two very different things, so why are you moping about?”

“I don't know I just- He hasn't spoken to me and I'm giving him space so I'm not reaching out to him. I guess I'm just preparing myself for the inevitable and starting on the heartbreak now so I can get over it faster...”

“Hey now. Slow your roll. Nothing is set in stone and I doubt a breakup is coming. Trust me I can vouch for the other boys on this too, he has as much heart-eyes for you as you do for him.”

“I’m just scared, you know I figured out something recently? I love him Seunghee… I’ve never felt this strongly before and I’m scared,” I say weakly.

“He’s just trying to understand the situation. He’s not from our circle so he doesn’t get that we work differently. Plus it is the whole thing that you guys promised no more secrets and although you told him about it, the fact you left out the major details probably reminded him from the beginning. Like your relationship was set back rather than progressing.”

“But he hid when he went after Kyunghoon and I forgave that but to rethink our relationship…”

“There was nothing to lose with Kyunghoon, especially since he was confident in my skills that he wouldn’t get caught. It’s different for you. You went in knowing that there was a strong chance that you could lose your parents and to him, that was a price too big to pay.”

“Seunghee I can’t lose him… I don’t think I can bounce back from this one.”

“Jieun, listen to me. You aren’t losing him, he just needs time. Just calm down a bit and breathe. He’ll call, you’ll talk things out and everything will be better. Just wait.”

“You think?”

“Yes, now I need you to pull yourself together until then. You can’t be a mess when you see him again. Plus Seungmin’s really worried, although he won’t admit it.”

“Okay,” I chuckle softly, “Thank you. You’re the best.”

“Just take care of yourself yeah? I know it’s an ungodly hour right now so go back to bed.”

“Good night, love you.”

“What was that? Hold on, say it again so I can record it,” she teased.

“Stop it, I’m going to bed you weirdo.”

“And the brat is back. Good night.”

I really don’t think I could do anything without Seunghee. After the call my shoulders felt a bit lighter and a whole lot calmer. The next morning I greeted Seungmin, it wasn’t much but he could tell that it was the best I could muster for now. I’ve moved past my shut down and I started to act like a human again. A week flew by with me taking care of myself… enough… and drowning myself in school. There was still nothing from Chan and I needed to stay distracted before I started spiraling again. It was also a week before I answered mother’s text because I finally felt enough of myself to face my parents. After exams they wanted to treat me to dinner, and of course it’s an upscale restaurant. I got dressed up in a plaid dress with a white off the shoulder button-up underneath and headed out. Dropping my father’s name with the host, I was escorted to a private room. They both smiled and greeted me warmly as I took a seat, returning the smiles and greetings. It wasn’t until after we ordered and the food was brought out, meaning there will be no more interruptions, did we drop our fake pleasantries with each other.

“So is there something else I need to attend? Is that why I was called out?”

I know I was being a bit jaded and I shouldn’t but like I said, I was only “enough” of myself… manners haven’t really kicked back in yet. Mother seemed antsy, balling the fabric of her napkin between her fingers and rolling it around. Father, on the other hand, seemed tired with a distant look in his eyes. What was obvious though was there was a hint of guilt in their actions and they should be… or maybe it was me who should be guilty, if I could feel anything other than sadness right now. Mother cleared her throat and my mind zoned back in.

“No, we just felt we needed to have dinner as a family…”

“I’m considered part of this family again?”

“Jieun, you’ll always be our daughter.”

“It didn’t seem that way from our last conversation mother.”

“You know she can be a bit… dramatic,” father added, earning him stink eye from mother.

“Sure… because it was just mother who was saying it,” I rolled my eyes.

“We were just concerned. When you were home you behaved oddly so we thought it was best to look into what you have been up to. The dyed hair, revealing outfits, and the people around you… it worried us,” mother defended.

“Well mother, you should have looked past physical appearances before you made any conclusions on if I was making “concerning” choices in my life. My grades are still impeccable and I had done nothing incriminating or harmful to myself in any way, shape, or form.”

“We realized our haste to judge. When we saw the photos on the flashdrive you looked… happy. We haven’t seen that kind of smile on your face in years. We’ve been trying to sell the image of a happy family that we didn’t realize that we were trying to convince ourselves too.”

My heart softened at father’s words. They watched the flash drive… That means they know about Kyunghoon, but that means they also knew how important Chan is to me. Is this just some game to get me back? Secretly drive Chan away then speak to my desire of wanting everything to work out? Am I making my parents too evil? I don’t know…

“It’s not like I wasn’t happy to campaign with you, it’s just the rules became too much. There were a lot of times I couldn’t hang out with classmates and it was hard maintaining friendships at school. Somewhere along the way happy wasn’t a feeling but an act.”

“The rules can be disregarded and your father’s campaign can be changed but we don’t want to risk your happiness anymore. We’re glad that your major was a choice you made and not something you thought we wanted. We also went to meet Chan-”

“To ruin our relationship?” I cut.

“No! I mean yes we met him to see what kind of boy had our daughter’s heart but we didn’t do anything to harm your relationship. He’s well-mannered and seemed honest with his intentions.”

“If that’s so, what was the reason for bringing up that you practically disowned me?”

Father side-eyed mother who looked down at her hands. Her mouth seems to have caused an unintentional mistake… again. They’re trying and that means a lot, but their intentions are still doubtful in my eyes.

“Your mother got too invested in talking and may have let it slip. Why? Did it cause an issue?”

“He’s a family-oriented person so he didn’t want to be the reason I lost my family. I’m giving him some space to process everything and see if he still wants to be with me.”

“That was never our intention Jieun.”

“Wasn’t it though father? You did it with my last boyfriend,” I bit back.

“... I admit back then I was being childish. I didn’t want your relationship to affect decisions for your future but it was only ever to scare you. We wouldn’t ruin another child’s life. We should’ve put more trust in you but every parent wants to protect their child from making mistakes.”

“Have you thought that of us these past few years? Maybe we should’ve worked on communicating our intentions better because we only want the best for you.”

“Well it didn’t help your case when you got me engaged behind my back.”

My mouth ran before I could stop it. At the word “engaged” father’s jaw tensed and mother’s reserved manner cracked ever so slightly. Kyunghoon was definitely a land mine I wasn’t planning on stepping on so soon but too late. Mother pulled an almost terrifying smile as she spoke through gritted teeth. Oh boy.

#stray kids #skz #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #skz imagines #skz scenarios #bang chan #bang chan imagines #bang chan scenarios #rebel hours #my writing

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gyakutengagotoku · 4 years

Text

GS4 vs AJ:AA - Episode 2, Part 5

Here’s the last court segment of this episode! It’s also relatively shorter than the usual posts, but there’s a lot of dialogue I captured for context, so it doesn’t look shorter. There’s not too much deviation between the source and localized after we covered all the changes made to the Kitaki’s previously.

For once I started earlier today and got through it pretty quickly, but for the sake of a consistent posting schedule, I’ll stick with around midnight PST every other day or so. Seems like the best rhythm for me that I can keep up with.

> Court Lobby

６月１７日　午前　９時５２分地方裁判所　被告人第２控え室 June 17, 9:52 AM District Court Defendant Lobby No. 2

<Trucy> いよいよ、ですね！ゆうべはよく眠れましたか？ This is it, the big day! Did you get any sleep?

<Apollo> あ。うん。ゆうべ、１時にはフトンに入ったから。 Yeah, I went to bed at 1:00 AM or so.

<Trucy> で？　今日は何時に起きたんですか？ Oh? What time did you wake up?

<Apollo> 午前３時、かな。 ...3:00 AM.

<Trucy> ‥‥ゼンゼン眠れてませんね。 That's only two hours, Apollo...

でも、大丈夫。みぬきがついてるし。 But, at least you have me!

<Trucy> ボウシくんだって、いつも見てますよ。 ...And the Amazing Mr. Hat!

<Mr. Hat> いつも見てますよ、キミ。 Here's looking at you, kid.

Originally: "Yes, I'm always keeping an eye on you." (It's supposed to sound supportive, I swear.)

<Trucy> ね。パパ！　今日は、どんな証人を用意してるの？　ガリュー検事！ Daddy! Do you know who Prosecutor Gavin's witness is today?

<Phoenix> さあね。当ててごらん。 Take a guess!

<Trucy> んーとね。小梅さんとか！ Hmm... How about Little Plum?

<Phoenix> あっはっはっ。キモっ玉かあさんか。ハズレだよ。 Ah ha ha! That Sherman tank of a mom? Nope, guess again.

<Trucy> うーん、ザンネン。でも。みぬき、思うな。 That's too bad. You know, speaking of moms...

パパも、早く新しいママ、見つけないと！ You need to find me a new mommy one of these days, Daddy!

<Phoenix> お。コイツは朝からイッポン取られちまったな。 It's barely morning and you're at it already, Trucy!

あっはっはっはっは。 Ah ha ha ha ha ha!

<Apollo> （だから、ウソっぽいんだよなあ、　この親子） (OK, see, this is why I don't buy their "father-daughter" relationship.)

I commented previously that Apollo questioned their father-daughter relationship and legitimately forgot that he also says this, and this time it does match what he originally said. So, my bad.

Also, Naruhodou describes her as "キモっ玉" (kimottama), meaning she got "guts" or "pluck" to her. I appreciate the "Sherman tank", though.

> Courtroom

<Judge> 少なくとも、ハッキリわかったことは‥‥ We did find out one thing for certain.

事件が起こったとき。やはり公園には、被告人と被害者、 There were three people in the park at the time of the murder:

‥‥そして目撃者の３人しかいなかった、というコトです。 The witness, the victim, and the defendant.

<Klavier> ‥‥そういうコト。そこで、今日は‥‥ ...Correct, Herr Judge. And today, I'd like to do something a little new age.

あのザンネンな事件を、外側から見てみようと思ってるんだ。 I'd like to look at this horrible crime... from the outside.

<Apollo> “ソトガワ”‥‥ですか？ The "outside"...?

<Klavier> “凶器の入手経路”‥‥ “犯行準備”‥‥ The acquisition of the murder weapon... The preparation for the act...

被告人クン。ウカツにもゼンブ、しゃべっていたんだよ。 Our poor defendant told all, you see.

‥‥フィアンセにね。 ...To his betrothed.

<Judge> ふぃあんせ‥‥？ His... bee trove?

<Klavier> ‥‥婚約者さ。人生の共犯者ってヤツかな。 ...His fiancée, Herr Judge. His partner for life... with no chance for parole.

<Judge> それでは、その‥‥ いいなずけを入廷させてください！ Very well, you may show the erm... "lucky" lady to the stand.

Once again, the judge struggles with words outside of his language, and Kyouya, being the resident English expert, has to explain. That being said, "bee trove" is suspiciously apt as a metaphor to describe her...

<Klavier> ‥‥それじゃ、キミ。名前と、職業を。 ...Your name and occupation, Fräulein.

<Alita> 並奈　美波と申します。今は、花嫁修行中というか‥‥ Alita Tiala. My occupation... is future wife.

<Judge> ふむう‥‥ いいココロがけです。 Ah, traditional values! I respect that.

最近は、温泉タマゴすら作れないムスメさんも多いですからな。 Too many brides these days can't even weave baskets blindfolded... underwater.

しかし‥‥今日は、検察側の証人として出廷したわけですな？ Yet you're here today as a witness for the prosecution?

<Alita> わたし‥‥最初は、証言したくありませんでした。 To be honest, I didn't want to testify at first.

でも、やっぱり。かくしておくことはできなくて。 But... I couldn't hide the truth.

<Judge> ふむう‥‥やはり、リッパなココロがけです。 Hmm. Honesty! Another admirable trait.

Originally, his "underwater blindfolded basket weaving" standards were about soft-boiling eggs so that the yolk hardens while the white remains soft. They're called "onsen tamago" because these eggs were traditionally cooked in a hot spring, but can be cooked in any ol' pot between 70-80°C (158-176°F). It's one of those old-timey signs that a soon-to-be-wed would be a good wife because she could cook. Now, the only time I'd ever see these eggs is when I don't boil them hotly enough.

On that note, nowadays there are underwater basket weaving Olympics. Thanks, Rio 2016. Maybe Tokyo 2020 (2021?) could include a special event category for egg-boiling.

> 1st Witness Testimony, press 3rd statement

<Alita> ちゃんと管理されてるから、フツウの組員じゃムリだと思います。 Not really, I think. There's a system in place to limit access.

でもね。滝太クンはトクベツ。なんたって。アトトリ息子ですから。 But Wocky's a special case, being the next-in-line.

<Klavier> 少し、甘やかされていたところはあったんじゃないかな。 Perhaps his treatment was a bit too special, ja?

<Alita> たしかに、“おぼっちゃん”なトコロはあったかもしれません。 Well, maybe he is a bit spoiled...

誕生日に、スゴいプレゼントをもらったって話もきいてるし。 I hear he got amazing presents for his birthdays.

ガムでできた“ドス”とか、チョコレートの“花札”とか。 Last year was a switchblade made out of chewing gum and a chocolate gravestone!

<Apollo> （アブナイものが好きなのか、　アマいものが好きなのか‥‥） (Sounds like he has a taste for sweets... and danger.)

Originally, they were a rubber dosu and a chocolate hanafuda card. Danger AND gambling, but the kid-friendly kind!

Though, I can accept "chewing-gum switchblade" here because "ガム" (gamu) can also mean that kind of gum or the gum material of rubber.

> Press 5th statement, present Alita, present chart or sandals

<Judge> ちょっと待ちなさい！ Ms. Tiala!

あなたは“被害者とはなんの関係もない”と証言しています！ You testified that you had no connection to the victim!

<Alita> なんの関係もないわよ。 ‥‥今となっては、もう。 And I don't. Now.

<Apollo> 今となっては‥‥？ "Now"...?

<Alita> だって。半年前に、やめたんだから。もう、無関係でしょ。 I quit half a year ago, didn't I? So there's no connection.

‥‥アナタたち、もしかして。 Let me guess, you're the kind of guy...

コイビトのムカシのコト、ぜんぶ聞かないと気がすまないタイプの、 ...who can't rest until he knows every last detail of his girlfriend's past.

ちっぽけなオトコ、なのかしら？ Am I right?

<Judge> そんなコトはないですぞ！私は、その。 Th-That's not true at all! Why, I...

愛しいヒトの、ちょっとした過去もまとめて抱きしめるタイプの、イキ I embrace the ones I love, past flaws and all, no matte--

<Objection!>

<Apollo> “今はもう”無関係‥‥ それは、通らないんですよ。 "There's no connection now" doesn't fly in a court of law.

<Alita> ‥‥どういうこと、かしら？ Doesn't... fly?

<Apollo> （さすが、キモっ玉が座っている） (She's one tough nut.)

（キタキツネ一家にヨメ入りしよう　とするだけのコトはあるな） (She probably feels right at home with the Kitakis!)

Fyi, the judge responded here because she called them all out, not just the defense.

And yep, here it is again: "キモっ玉". So, a Sherman-tank mom and a tough-nut fiancée; no wonder she fits right in. (I still think "bee trove" is more apt, though.)

> Present more evidence to tie her in but present wrongly

<Judge> ‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ そうですね。私としては ... Well, I suppose I could see--

<Objection!>

<Klavier> おデコくん。キミのたぐっている糸は、真実につながってない‥‥ Herr Forehead. This trail you think you have found, it doesn't lead to the truth.

ついでに、キミの弁護士生命も断ち切ってあげようか？ Nor to a long career in the legal profession, ja?

<Apollo> け、けっこうです。 Gee, thanks.

<Klavier> じゃあ、かわりに。いつものヤツ、やらせてくれるかな。 Perhaps you will allow me to do the honors?

<Judge> ふむう‥‥ まあ。たまには、よいでしょう。 Hmm... Why not? It might be nice for a change.

<Klavier> ‥‥それじゃ。遠慮なく。Ｌｅｔ’ｓ　Ｒｏｃｋ！ Most excellent... Let's rock!

<Apollo> （なんだか‥‥ 　いつもの何倍もクヤシイ） (I'll take the usual penalty next time, thanks.)

<Judge> それでは、弁護人！　もう一度提示していただきましょう。 Very well, Mr. Justice. Try again.

Look, guys, the JP script does have English letters and it has them for a good reason. Kudos to the loc team for that most excellent reference too.

> 2nd Witness Testimony, present medical chart at 4th statement, Perceive at new (6th) statement, present wrong evidence about the "threat"

<Alita> ‥‥その証拠品が、どうかした？ ...Because of what?

<Apollo> え‥‥ Um...

<Alita> アナタ。目はいいかもしれないケド。アタマはクモの巣が張ってるみたい。 The eyes of a hawk... and the brain of a toad.

<Apollo> （‥‥ここで引っこむ　ワケにはいかない！） (Ribbit! I mean, ack! I can't lose this now!)

（アタマのクモの巣を払え！　もう一度だッ！） (C'mon toad brain, one more try!)

Originally, the metaphor was "brain full of cobwebs". So Odoroki tries dusting his attic.

> Press newer (7th) statement

<Apollo> その証言の“ウソ”は、さっき見抜いたじゃないですか！ We already know you're lying about having no reason!

<Alita> わかってるわよ！エラそうに言わないで！ I know you know! Don't look at me like that!

<Apollo> え‥‥‥ Huh...?

<Alita> ヒトをトンでもない目つきでニラんでくれちゃってさ。 Like I'm some two-bit washed up good-for-nothing...

コワかったじゃないの！ You scared me!

<Klavier> ‥‥たしかにね。 ...I concur.

ぼくですら、そこまでアツい目で見つめられたことはないよ。 Even I am rarely treated to such a... hot gaze.

<Apollo> す。すみません‥‥ S-Sorry...

（‥‥そうとうスゴいカオを　さらしているらしいな、オレ） (Maybe I need to do some face training, too...)

"Hot gaze"... Yeah, sounds about right.

Last line was simply: "(...I guess I made quite the face at her.)"

> Present bullet in safe

<Judge> まさか！　それでは、その財産を狙って、その。婚約をしたと‥‥ Nefarious! So she planned to marry him just to get her hands on this fortune?

<Objection!>

<Wocky> イイカゲンなコトを言い散らかしやがってェ‥‥ You keep talking trash about my Alita...

訴えてやるぞッ！このクサレ弁護士がァッ！ ...and I'll sue you, lawyer-man!

<Apollo> ‥‥えッ！　お、オレですか！ ...Huh? Me!?

<Wocky> アンタ、今、言ったな‥‥ Yeah! You said...

オレのみなみちゃんに‥‥ オレのみなみちゃんに‥‥ You said you'd... You'd...

コクハクするとッ！ You'd abuse my Alita!

<Apollo> いやいやいや！ “コクハツ”ですよッ！ Um, I think you mean "accuse"...!

<Wocky> おんなじコトだッ！みなみちゃんはわたさんぞッ！ Same difference! Well you can't have her! She's mine!

It was "kokuhaku" (confess, usu. love to someone) vs "kokuhatsu" (accuse).

<Alita> ‥‥滝太クンさあ。 ...Wocky.

イイカゲン、現実と向かい合いなさいって。 Wake up and smell reality!

<Wocky> み‥‥ミナミちゃん‥‥？ A... Alita-baby?

<Alita> カルテのサイン‥‥ 退院を待って、婚約‥‥ The signature on the chart, the engagement...

わかるでしょ？　フツー。 I mean, come on! It's so obvious.

いくら、頭のカラッポなお坊ちゃんでも。 Even for a brainless, spoiled brat such as yourself.

<Wocky> みなみちゃん‥‥ Alita...

<Klavier> どうやら‥‥ホンネが聞けそうだね。おじょうさん。 Your honesty is like a breath of foul air, Fräulein.

<Alita> まあ‥‥このぶんじゃ、ね。無傷じゃア、済みそうもないし。 Hey, I wasn't getting out of this clean, anyway.

I think I'd prefer if Klavier here used a sound-based metaphor given how his entire character design is based on music. In the JP, he also used a sound metaphor: "It seems... we now hear your true voice, young lady."

Granted, "honne" also just means "true nature", but I like the hidden pun there.

> 3rd Witness Testimony, press 5th statement, point out "another place", point anywhere within the area of attention (double penalty)

<Apollo> 犯人が被害者を撃ったのは、このポイントです！ This is where the killer shot from!

<Judge> そこから、被害者の右のコメカミが撃てないのは、立証済みです。 But then the killer couldn't have shot his right temple.

<Klavier> ボケるには早すぎるよ。おジイさんじゃないんだから。 So young, and already senile. How unfortunate...

<Judge> 私はボケておりませんぞ！ I'll have you know I'm not senile!

事件が起こった日の朝、何を食べたか、ハッキリと‥‥ Why I remember exactly what I ate the morning of the crime!

‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ..............................

<Judge> とにかくッ！　ペナルティを与えます！ Ahem! Penalty!

<Apollo> （‥‥ズルいや） (...No fair.)

<Klavier> それじゃあ。もう一度指摘してもらおうかな。 You seem intent on digging your own grave. Here, have a shovel and try again.

Odoroki suddenly dropping in Kansai accent out of the blue caught me off-guard. (It's his last line here.) Man was so devastated by that double penalty he got sent out west.

10/21/20 edit: Whoops, my bad. That wasn’t Kansai accent and wouldn’t have made sense if it was. He’s just sighing to himself, really, and I mistook that last ‘ya’ as a copula.

> Point to noodle stand, present slippers & bowls

<Judge> わかっていると思いますが。現在、この法廷で‥‥ I would like to remind the witness of her current status.

あなたを完全な“潔白”と考えている人間は、おりません。 This court does not consider you entirely innocent.

<Alita> ‥‥完全にまっ白な人間はおとぎ話の中に住んでるものよ。 Show me an innocent... I'll show you a fairy tale.

<Judge> ‥‥とにかく。 ...In any case.

いつのまにか、弁護側は提示してしまったようです。 The defense has, somehow, made its point.

この証人に、宇狩院長を殺害する動機とチャンスがあったことを。 The witness had both a motive and an opportunity to kill Dr. Meraktis.

<Alita> そんな不条理な“逆転”‥‥ おとぎ話でもお目にかかれないわね。 More fairy tales! This whole trial is a fairy tale!

<Judge> 最後に、一度だけ。あなたに説明のチャンスを与えます。 Then please, pull us back down to reality, Ms. Tiala.

証言をおねがいしましょう。 I'm giving you one last chance to explain yourself.

Her last line here: "An absurd 'turnabout' like that... wouldn't even be seen in fairy tales!"

> 4th Witness Testimony, Perceive at 5th statement, point wrongly

<Apollo> 美波さん。‥‥そこだッ！ ...Gotcha, Ms. Tiala!!!

<Alita> 聞こえてるわよ。大きな声で２回も言わなくても。 I heard you just fine the first time.

なに？　ゴキブリでも出たの？ What, I wasn't aware we were playing paintball.

<Apollo> ‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ......

<Trucy> きわめて冷静ですね。 ‥‥みなみさん。 She's one cool cucumber, that Alita.

<Apollo> （‥‥どうやら、　ややハズしたみたいだな） (...Hmm. Maybe I spotted the wrong spot.)

Originally, she suggested "Cockroach", which iirc is a playground game with a mix of "Hide'n'Seek" and "Tag". For some reason, I'm struggling to find a source online for this, but I swear I remember looking it up before...

10/21/20 edit: Welp, I guess I was overthinking it. She just asks him if he spotted something icky like a cockroach.

> Point correctly, present lamp

<Judge> それでは！　この証人に対する尋問を終了いたします！ Very well! This finishes the cross-examination of this...

<Objection!>

<Klavier> クッ‥‥クックックッ‥‥ Heh. Heh heh heh.

何を言ってるのかな‥‥ アツいギグは、これからなのに。 Not so fast. This party's just getting started!

Ｌｅｔ’ｓ　ｒｏｃｋ，ｇｕｙｓ！ Now, we rock!

<Apollo> ど。どういうコトですかッ！ W-What!?

<Klavier> やはり‥‥ 弁護士というのは、ツメがアマい。 Those spikes on your head are softer than they look...

なぜ、最後までジジツを追求しようとしないんだい？ Or do you not have the stomach to go all the way?

...Come on, loc team, you had one job and you were doing so well with it up to here. At least dress up that "Now, we rock!" a bit with some German or Eurorock flair.

> Present bowls in clinic again or noodle stand, point out the river

<Apollo> そ。そうか‥‥！ Th-That's right...!

事件の起こった、あの晩。成歩堂さんをハネ飛ばしたのは‥‥ That night, the car that hit Mr. Wright...

宇狩　輝夫のクルマ、だった‥‥ ...was that green sports car!

<Judge> な‥‥なんですと！ Oh, yes! I-I'd nearly forgotten about it!

<Klavier> その後、ガレージに戻ったのだから、クルマには、故障はなかったんだ。 Afterward, he drove it back to that garage. It ran fine.

<Alita> ‥‥そのとおり。それなのに‥‥ ...That's right.

その、自慢のクルマを使わないハズがないでしょ？ So why didn't he use his beloved sports car, hmm?

<Apollo> ぐ‥‥ッ！ Urk...!

<Klavier> このムジュンが、キレイに説明できないかぎり‥‥ A glaring contradiction, to be sure.

きみのスイリは成立しないのさ。 ‥‥おデコくん！ More glaring than your forehead.

<Apollo> そ‥‥‥そんなあああああああッ！ No... Nooooooooooo!

The first time I played this part, I found it a lot funnier than I should have because I thought Apollo was screaming about how his forehead was so "glaring".

That's it. I just wanted to share. The JP lines are just the usual "With that contradiction gone, your conjecture won't stand... Odeko-kun!"

> Select "He couldn't use the car", present Magic Panties

<Apollo> そして、オレはきのう。そのときは気がつかなかったケド‥‥ By the way, I learned something yesterday...

ものすごく重要な“情報”を聞いていたんです。 ...A very important piece of information.

‥‥そう！牙琉検事。あなたからね！ ...And I learned it from you, Prosecutor Gavin!

<Trucy> あの！　捜査ですか？ Um, so you were here investigating?

<Klavier> まあね。帰ろうと思ったんだが‥‥ バイクがイカれちゃってね。 And I was on my way home... when my hog gave up the ghost.

<Apollo> バイクが‥‥？ Your hog...?

<Klavier> エンジンがかからないんだ。排気パイプがつまっちゃって。 My motorcycle won't start. A clogged exhaust pipe...

<Trucy> へえ！高そうなオートバイなのに、 Too bad! It looks like such a nice bike, too.

そんなコトでこわれちゃうんですか？ Hard to believe that it could break just from that!

<Klavier> クルマもバイクもいっしょさ。どんな理由であれ‥‥ Cars, motorbikes, they're all the same.

排気パイプをふさがれると、エンジンがかからなくなる。 Clog the exhaust, and they won't run.

<Alita> エンジンが‥‥かからない‥‥ My, how interesting.

"My, how interesting", indeed. It sounds so out of place that I wonder if this was supposed to be a temporary line that they decided to keep in the final draft. For reference, it was just "The engine... was clogged...!?"

> Court Lobby

同日　午後　４時１２分地方裁判所　被告人第２控え室 June 17, 4:12 PM District Court Defendant Lobby No. 2

<Trucy> やりましたね！　オドロキさん！おめでとうございます！ Great job, Apollo! You did it!

<Apollo> ああ、やったな！ ‥‥なんとか、ね。 Yeah, we did, somehow...

<Trucy> 滝太さんも、無罪になって‥‥ Wocky's off the hook...

キレイな身体で極道の世界へ羽ばたいていくんですねー。 ...free to become the gangster he's always wanted to be!

きっと、オドロキさんにカンシャして‥‥ And he has you to thank...

<???> テメエこのヤロウくそ弁護士がッ！ Hey! Attorney-man!

<Wocky> よくも！　よくもオレの！よくもオレのミナミちゃんをッ！ You're gonna pay for what you did to my Alita, homes!

<Trucy> ‥‥まったく、カンシャされてないみたいですね。 ...Or to blame, I guess.

<Wocky> テメエこのヤロウくそ弁護士がッ！ You give my Alita back!

返してくれよ！オレのミナミちゃんをよおおおお！ Stupid pointy-head attorney with a death-wish!

Ahaha, the full list of punk swears. I wonder if the loc team had the choice to use even more colorful words here, what would they have come up with? I mean, sure, Wocky is super childish in a way, but he totes would be that one kid in CoD screaming expletives and something about Apollo's mom.

<???> コラッ！　滝太ッ！ Enough, Wocky!

<Apollo> あ！　常勝さん‥‥ Ah! Mr. Kitaki...

<BigWins> ‥‥滝太。いいかげんに、目を覚ましたらどうなのだ。 ...It's high time you opened your eyes, Wocky.

<Wocky> テメエこのヤロウくそオヤジがッ！ What do you know, old man!

目を覚ますのはキサマの方だろうが！ I think it's 'bout time you opened yours!

極道のミチ踏みはずして、カネ儲けに走りやがって！ Givin' up the life, tryin' to become some kinda businessman!

<BigWins> 滝太ッ！　オマエはなにもわかっとらんのだッ！ Don't talk about what you don't understand, Wocky!

<Trucy> ‥‥そのうち、つまみ出されますね。この調子だと。 ...I'm afraid the guard is going to throw them both out.

<Apollo> めんどくさい親子だな、マッタク。 ...If not in jail. Wouldn't that be a happy ending.

And then he'd throw the same kind of insults at his dad too, but with less about moms, I'd hope.

<BigWins> オマエをこんな目にあわせたのは、極道という生き方のせいだ。 It was the gangster life that did this to you, Wocky.

‥‥オマエを助けたい。キレイなカネで‥‥な。 ...I want to help you, and I want to do it clean.

わかってくれないか。 ‥‥滝太。 Please understand. Wocky...

<Wocky> オ、オヤジ‥‥ D-Dad...

ば。バカにしやがって‥‥ いつも‥‥いつも、こうだッ！ M-Man, I see how it is, old man! Always you looking out for... out for...

<Trucy> た。滝太さん‥‥？ Wocky...?

<Wocky> いいか、くそオヤジ！オレだって。オレだってなあ！ Listen good, old man! One day... One day...

いつか、きっと！キサマをケリオトしてやるんだ！ I'm gonna take you out! Then we'll see who's the O.G.!

どこの世界に逃げてもな！クビを洗って待っておけッ！ You try to hide in your business suit, I'll find you!

テメエこのヤロウくそオヤジがッ！ Stupid ol' geezer!

<Trucy> あ！　‥‥滝太さん！ My! Wocky!

<BigWins> ‥‥コレでいいのです。 ...No, it's as it should be.

<Apollo> オヤジさん！（その目で見つめないでほしいな） Mr. Kitaki! (I liked him more without the puppy dog eyes.)

...Wocky, ya big tsundere. I love this father-son relationship.

And it's contagious. Even Odoroki here is calling him "Oyaji-san" after all the times he was polite.

<BigWins> アンタたちに会えてよかった。 ‥‥ワシは、コトバがニガテです。 I'm glad... to have met you. I'm not so good with words...

やはり。プロに任せるものだね。 But I know a professional job when I see one. Thank you.

<Apollo> そ。そんな‥‥ Who? Me? I don't think...

<BigWins> ‥‥いつか‥‥ Someday...

新製品・《キタキツネもなか》を持って、お礼にうかがうとしよう。 I'll bake you one of our latest... The Kitaki Lime Pie.

<Apollo> （‥‥お菓子屋さんにでも　落ち着くつもりなのかな） (...He's opening a pie shop!?)

Not just a pie shop; all the sweets you could find, with their specialty "Kitakitsune Wafer"! Technically, it's monaka, which is a wafer cake usually filled with asuki bean jam. It's also among the things you can see in the credits (exclusive to the JP version, anyway) when we see this happy family again.

<Trucy> あ！　そうだ。帰る前に、行かないと！ Oh, that's right! We have to go someplace first!

<Apollo> え？　‥‥どこに？ Huh? Where?

<Trucy> “報酬”ですよ！ムギツラさんの！ Why, to claim our reward from Mr. Eldoon!

<Apollo> ‥‥ああ。しょっぱいラーメンか。もう、屋台は戻ったのかな？ ...Ah, salty noodles. Right. He got his stand back already?

<Trucy> そのあとは、みぬきのステージも見に来るんですからね！ Oh, and after that, you can come see my show!

ぼうしクンスペシャル。みぬきからの“報酬”です！ With a special appearance by the Amazing Mr. Hat!

<Mr. Hat> じつはコレ、めったにやりません。 Oh, it's special alright!

<Apollo> ‥‥だから、もういいよ。それ‥‥ Please... anything but him.

Originally the gentleman said: "It is going to be a rare sight, indeed."

Next up, the most infamous episode of this game for its unintentional earworm... Though honestly, I never really found it all that bad. That said, thank goodness SoJ had a skip button for certain scenes, even if I didn’t mind watching them over and over anyway.

#gsvsaa #gs4 #ajaa #turnabout corner #part 5

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