#if it isn't obvious i'm trying to clear out some of my drafts and. well. i love this au so lmfao | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

castle-dominion · 9 months

Text

6x4 number one fan

The misery episode liveblog

I LOVED THIS ONE SM. now that I think about it, it was probably a filler episode where they couldn't afford a million different locations so they had castle stay here most of the time. Like Still the floormine episode, they had one location & spent a lot of time on flashbacks. Still a great ep tho, I didn't even notice until I realized that hollywood works like that.

So yeah here we go babes! & my older bro is here too, hopefully he will be my voice of reason in clipping things. I mean rn he is watching his horror game playing guy so maybe... WAIT HE JUST FINISHED THE VIDEO BEFORE I EVEN FINISHED MY SENTENCE, YAY HE'S STAYING

*whistles* stop her!

Why were they there in the first place?

KB: (whispered) Castle. Are you asleep?

RC: (mumbled) Yes.

KB: Then why’d you answer me?

RC: I’m sleep talking. Also known as somniloquy. Just ignore me.

KB: sighs and drops her head to the pillow.

KB: I don’t know what to do.

That gets his attention. His eyes pop open.

RC: I have some ideas.

Older bro: girl I don't think that being a 14 year old without a job is considered "out of work"

(Bleed what? Bleed grut.)

She can't get her job back?

KB: C’mon, Castle, what are you saying? What am I going to do? Just sleep in every morning and screw around until the phone rings? What kind of life is that?

RC: Mine

Pi: mrs c-to-be

Martha my beloved

Alexis looks so pretty in a skirt

Beckett is so sad gates wasn't calling for her

Gates was probs SO sad when she had to call castle

Corkboard outdoors? Hm

Emma demands to speak to castle I loooove this episode.

No record. Hm.

KB: Well, if there’s one thing you excel at, Castle, it’s talking.

RC, on hostage negotiations: Boom! Believe it’s me now, Emma? Because I could play Richard Castle trivia with you all day. I will crush you.

Emma, ig knowing that's just how richard castle is: ya ok it's u

Castle just made a deal for getting Suki & her mom so yay!

Why aren't they wiring him?

What's your favourite food?

RC: wdym by that?

KB: shut the up. cheeseburgers.

(could clip)

I like how he still has his writer vest lol.

I think my first thought was "she's just a crazed fan trying to see markiplier castle" esp with the "I just want you"

Girl you are holding like five people hostages & u want to be cleared of murder? you're still going to go down for that hun.

Also what jurisdiction is this?

Won't clip the "no cheeseburgers" part

lmao nobody trusts cops hun

Oh poor girl, happy birthday. Oh dear he was going to propose...

Nightly two fingers.

RC: Scotch girl? Me too.

Oh older bro is gone now.

Wow this kid is kind of a dick but he;s either going to save the day or ruin everything.

Clipping Lanie

Ok so I use initials in my quotes, I sometimes even use initials in my fanfiction drafts/plans/outlines so I can ctrl-f them later, & i've gone so far as to use initials for ppl I know irl in my notebook for speed or online when I don't want to give out names, but the girl I'm seeing? Not likely. Unless I'm hiding an affair from my lover. nvm.

JE: Ladies and gentlemen, this is a booty call gone wrong.

Isn't clonazepam an anti anxiety? Oh wait I looked it up, it is also for seizure disorders. aripiprazole an antipsychotic but it is also used for neurodivergencies like autism & tourrette's syndrome in addition to the more obvious schizophrenia. It is also used for mood disorders like bipolar i & depression. Though I may have misunderstood all the words being thrown at me so this information is possibly incorrect.

Oh. Lanie confirms what I just said lol.

(mr drug cop man)

Also wow ryan's cheekbones

Castle maybe give her a hug?

How bad is the difference in texting? I even change my texting style day to day

Mickey nooooooo

Yay sully is still here

Oh I just watched misery! Maybe because mum watched this episode & requested it after hearing it here.

Not to get all derogatory pepperoni but sully shup.

VG: Your little theories no matter how fanciful <3

Maybe SH stands for 'silent habits' if you know what I mean. He did work with at-risk youth...

I like sully's accent

Ah sitting outside for an hour drinking coffee? scoping out a place.

Mickey: boom. I take her out. We end this, and then we meet at the bar around the corner and the first round is on me.

At least mickey immediately ran back to his seat. Tho tbh I feel like mickey COULD take her out, tho maybe not w/o someone getting hurt.

He could be celiac bro

HOW did you find her juvvie record? How did you find her old name?

How did Emma know that they told castle about billy koss?

Emma Riggs: I mean, what is the point of a sealed record when the cops can open it whenever they feel like it.

Older bro: she's right

Me: It is sealed until you commit a crime as an adult, which she did by taking hostages. Also it is sealed from employers, they don't even know you have a record. Unless cops get a subpoena, they KNOW you have a record, but they can't see what is in it. If you don't commit a crime, it remains sealed.

I love this character. She is a great character. Great backstory. If they are suddenly nice to you, there is something going on. That's cops for ya. Esp with a mentally ill person? Yeah.

Castle is so great, talking to her, believing her, even after they keep comin gback with "it was her, there is no evidence of anyone else being here" & "it was her she's killed before"

Of course she keeps track of him!

St Helena's home for children.

Oh no, Ryan had to call & talk to a sister lol.

Castle just has it on speaker phone with Emma.

Angelo's gift to her on her birthday was knowing her bio parents! That is so sweet!

Mickey no! But hey I mean I'm proud of him in some ways.

Except that she's freaked out that she just killed richard castle. & then becks just runs in w/o anything on? ok babe. Reminds me of the bank episode tho. Did esposito have experience in esu? swat training? he always gets the big swat guns. I'd like to know more abt his history. Anyway yeah Mickey is just standing there while she still has the gun & castle is in the glass table? What is even going on?

CHEESEBURGERS!

She dotted the i! (clipping that)

(girl I used to really like castito & I still love ryckett but rystle is just so good)

Beckett accidentally giving orders to her boys

I would say "Not because you asked me to, but because you're right."

Only three days ago?

(btw ryan looks so pretty when he does smart stuff)

I love this kid. opening files, closing files.

(Totally going to gif that ryckett handcuff nod)

& you knew she had a file under a different name? rly?

At least ryan said "he's going to need to call you back" before hanging up the guy's phone

(clippin that)

civilian employee like the records kid, & non-civilian non-employee like castle XD

Where is esposito?

Oh there with sullivan

"His big house for THE big house" would have worked if you put the emphasis in the right place castle

VG: *protecting her boys*

KB: Captain, I don’t have a career to risk. How about I back you up in there?

Oh... I don't think it WAS this dad!

"No, no. Maybe tomorrow."

Wait maybe it is him nvm.

'Yes, and' between rysposito with the "so" & finishing each other's sentences.

Oops again!

Well no, castle, t is NOT over. She is still getting charged with, threatening people.

So sweet he's meeting her! This is genuinely so amazing & I love it a ton!

Aw gates sharing a drink with becks.

MISTER GOLFING BUDDIES WITH THE POLICE COMMISSIONER DOESN'T HAVE HARD FEELINGS ABOUT BEING ACCUSED OF MURDER & HE GETS BECKETT HER JOB BACK? AWESOME!

& then sully disappears lol

Well there was 1x1 when they THOUGHT castle's fan did some murders but then it turned out the brother killed his sister & framed the kid she was working with.

Caskett: *about to kiss*

RC: Whoa. Actually, no. We can’t. Not here. It’s inappropriate. (he looks around) This is the workplace. We’ve gotta be professional.

KB: Ah, well, you know I’m not officially back until tomorrow.

RC: I see

*start making out*

Glad I watched Misery. Actually it was directed by Rob Reiner. Mum just listened to an audiobook with us on the making of the princess bride she started watching all these rob reiner movies like spinal tap (which wasn't nearly as good as people made it out to be imo), when harry met sally, a few good men (which was a drag but if I think about it for 10-30 seconds it was a good movie, just not if I think about it for any longer), stand by me, misery, & others so we probably watched Misery NOT because of Castle & its mention in this episode, but rather because we were on a rob reiner kick. Now we are watching movie versions of Stephen King works. (sorry, I used to love reading but now we can spend two hours as a family just being with one another. If we had any road trips then yeah sure we'd read an audiobook in the car ig.)

Anyway the point I was making was wow I'm glad I watched misery between my first watch of this ep & my second. I got the references this time.

#castle 6x4 #castle 6x4 quote #castle 6x4 spoilers #the misery episode

0 notes

klanced · 5 years

Note

soooooo i was late on asking for the second movie but i call dibs for whenever ur organized enough to infodump it: What Happens In The /Third/ Movie Katie Klanced?

I meant to post this last year but then I got suspended and forgot smh -_-

Anyway it’s been almost a year, so here are a few links to refresh your memory on the masterpiece that is my Despicable Me au. In fact, here’s the tag because I love this au.

In my correct opinion, the third DM movie is definitely the weakest in the franchise, and I pretty much ignored its canon plot and wrote my own. So sorry if there’s a few loose-ends/plot-holes. But this is a Despicable Me au, I am beholden to no gods, no rules.

Roughly a year has passed since the events of the second movie. Coran and Alfor have finally gotten together (they’re either dating or married, I haven’t decided yet). Allura is away at college because I have way too many characters on my hands and I have to sideline out of necessity. Sorry, Allura.

The movie opens up with the entire family getting ready for an award ceremony at the AVL happening that night. It’s about as hectic a scene as you can imagine. Lance is running around without a shirt on. Pidge is wearing three shirts. One is her pajama top, the second is Lance’s aforementioned missing shirt. No one has any idea where the third shirt came from.

When suddenly, the phone rings!

Krolia picks it up, paying only 1/3 attention to the person on the line before she yells that it’s for Coran. Coran limps over, half a chewed shoe in his hand, the other half still on his foot. His right eyebrow is smoking. He is, understandably, a little terse when he shouts to be heard over the background din into the phone.

The screen diagonally bisects, to show Coran on the phone and… Shiro on the other side of the line!

Shiro introduces himself as the new CPS worker assigned to Lance/Hunk/Pidge’s case. Coran immediately has a heart attack and runs to his soundproofed study, slamming the door behind him as Shiro continues to just. Awkwardly talk on the phone lol.

Coran, internally: oh shit oh shit oh FUCK oh shit why now why nowwww oh lord is he calling to take away the kids? is he going to take away my BABIES??

Shiro: sorry for the late phone call sir, i meant to call earlier but i dropped my phone in a puddle and- i mean! the life of a cps worker is just packed hahahahahahahahahaah (WHY are you still laughing you IDIOT) ha-ahem! anyway. i’m the new cps worker, have i mentioned that yet? because i am. it’s just that, after we realized that the kids’ last foster home and agent let a supervillain just walk out with them - uh, no offense, sir! i just meant that, well, supervillains are generally understood to be bad- not to imply that you’re evil of course! Haha of Course Not, even though you were Literally voted the world’s most evil and accomplished supervillain several years in a row, but! That’s neither here nor there. Of course. :)

DM!Verse Shiro is a bit of a nervous doof but he also has a spine of steel when it comes to kids and making sure their living situations are safe. And he is very skeptical of Coran and his parenting skills, which is honestly pretty reasonable considering he’s an outsider looking in.

I mean, someone who was arguably the world’s greatest villain suddenly deciding to move to suburbia with his three (stolen) adopted kids does… seem like a bit of a stretch. And pretty sus lmfao.

Coran and Shiro eventually stutter their way into a productive conversation and arrange for Shiro to conduct a home visit/other CPS survey stuff very soon. Coran politely bids Shiro farewell, hangs up the phone, and has a panic attack because suddenly it feels like all his worse fears are coming true. Because the other shoe has finally dropped.

Life has been so kind to Coran lately, between his loving marriage and his lovable kids. It’s sad to say, but he’d half-expected something like this to happen for a while. Because people like him don’t deserve this kind of uninterrupted happiness.

Alfor quietly knocks on the door and takes in the scene before him. Coran reaches out, and he immediately rolls to his husband’s side.

Coran collapses against him and catches him up to speed. There’s a pause as Alfor pauses, absorbs, and digest the information, before he starts making calming shushing noises.

Insert Supportive Spouse Speech. Alfor reminds Coran that, for all he’s done in the past, he has damn well earned his present life. Alfor can attest to that, as can Krolia and, most importantly, their children.

It also doesn’t hurt that the internationally recognized Anti-Villain League is both a sponsor of and willing to provide a character reference for Coran. That counts for something, and Coran finally calms down.

This is what we in the writing business like to call “foreshadowing” :)

Scene cut to the AVL award ceremony. Krolia and Coran are both being recognized for their incredible heroics from the past year, etc etc, blah blah blah. Their speeches are very true to their character.

At the end of it, Kolivan goes up and stage and announces he’s retiring. Krolia, who knew this was happening in advance and fully expects to be named as his replacement, starts checking her lipstick in her hand mirror- only for Kolivan to introduce a ‘Commander Hira’ to the crowds.

FML, this is exactly the plot to the Spongebob Squarepants movie.

The entire Wimbleton Smythe-Altea Family freeze, mid-applause. Hunk awkwardly puts away his ‘CONGRATULATIONS KROLIA!!!!!!!!’ banner. Krolia shatters her hand mirror in her fist.

Within her first month, Hira makes some dramatic changes to the AVL. One of which is the agency’s complete separation from anything having to do with villains, including its rehabilitation program.

“Once a villain always a villain” essentially. Hira insists that villains are simply too evil to ever truly become good again, and that so-called “former” criminals are simply biding their time until they can enact their revenge.

As a result, Coran is fired. Alfor protests Hira’s decision, and resigns out of solidarity. Krolia calls Hira a bitch and is also fired.

The kids are ecstatic that their dads + aunt are home 24/7 now. Krolia is less pleased. She’s been an active agent for more than half her life, so this sudden and forced turn for domesticity has her clawing at the walls.

One of the sub-plots is Alfor trying to convince Coran to become a superhero, “just like the old times.” (Coran: Love, I was literally your supervillain arch-nemesis).

Coran is hesitant, because 1) He still has low self-value and doesn’t see himself as a hero, and 2) He’s perfectly content to mooch off his billionaire boyfriend and spend his time as a stay-at-home dad.

To take their mind off their sudden unemployedness, Coran and Alfor throw themselves into preparing for Shiro’s house visit. This mainly entails Alfor calming Coran down from an anxiety attack every other hour.

There is a lot of tension in the house.

And then, like magic! An invitation to the biggest supervillain symposium of the year appears, because villain mailing lists are especially evil and refuse to take Coran off their register even though he literally arrests villains for a living.

“So you’re telling me,” Krolia says, and Coran instinctively inches for the door. “That you’ve had an opening into the world’s biggest villain convention, this entire time, and you didn’t tell anyone?”

“W-e-ll,” Coran stutters, slapping blindly behind him for the doorknob, “It just didn’t seem very fair, you know? To ambush them like that, all because of their lazy office workers. That’s not very good sport.”

Krolia and Alfor try to convince Coran that he should go. Krolia is convinced this is the in they need to reclaim their jobs; they’ll infiltrate the Supervillain Symposium, arrest all the biggest bads, call the AVL, rub it in Hira’s face, take a selfie while she’s sobbing in the background, celebrate as the masses drag Hira to the guillotine-

Coran: Krolia I love you, I really do. But you have issues.

Krolia: I happen to be perfectly adjusted for someone in my situation.

Coran is still hmming and hawwing because, now that he doesn’t have to fight villains for a living, he quite likes Not Being In Constant Danger. But then Krolia reminds him that he is both unemployed AND now blacklisted by the AVL, two things which might very well doom him in the eyes of Shiro (and the rest of CPS). He needs to do this if he wants his job back and, therefore, keep his kids.

(…. At some point, Coran shaves off his mustache in a stress-filled attempt at appearing as a better guardian, but no one recognizes him so he has to wear a fake mustache for the rest of the movie)

Coran of course is immediately super gung-ho for this plan and declares they’re leaving ASAP.

The kids of course are raring to go, the adults are vehemently hell no to that idea, and in the ensuing argument everyone forgets that Shiro is coming today.

A series of events thus follows, which can be summarized as:

The adults say that the kids can’t come.

The kids decide that yes, in fact, kids can come and plan accordingly.

The kids are preparing to tail after the adults (after waiting a reasonable amount of time of course (this isn’t their first rodeo) in their own modified plane when they hear what sounds like their babysitter, the Reformed Lotor, coming around the corner.

The kids immediately go into attack mode only to realize, after the dust has settled, that they’ve actually knocked out Shiro.

In their infinite pre-teen wisdom, the kids decide to stick with the plan and load Shiro into their equivalent trunk and take off.

A few moments later, Lotor finally arrives, looks up from his phone, realizes there are no kids to be watched, and shrugs and goes home.

The scene cuts to Shiro groggily stumbling out of the corner the kids have stashed the plane in, only to realize, to his absolute horror, that he’s on an island filled with Supervillains attending a Supervillain Convention.

Hunk: Man… I feel like we forgot something.

*Shiro screaming in the distance*

For brevity’s sake I’ll cut off here, but just know that this is only the FIRST THIRD (IF EVEN THAT) of the movie. I am absolutely off the CHAINS. I still haven’t even introduced Keith yet. I love this au.

#voltron #coran #alfor #krolia #lance #pidge #hunk #alforan #despicable me au #long post #ask #anonymous #katiecanons #if it isn't obvious i'm trying to clear out some of my drafts and. well. i love this au so lmfao #otp: gay dads

64 notes · View notes

londonalozzy · 3 years

Text

Stop Pretending (TFATWS)

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Genre: Romance, Angst

Summary: The reader thinks she's doing a stellar job of keeping her feelings for a certain soldier buried deep inside. Turns out, all it takes is an observant new friend to begin the unraveling of her most precious secret (Spoilers for TFATWS)

Masterlist

Word: Pretence

Definition: A way of acting that is intended to deceive people.

Example: Saying that he's just a friend when he's really the love of your life.

Your POV

Being caught in the midst of war is something that I, (Y/N) (Y/L/N) know all too well. As a war vet, former shield agent, and now Avenger I'm used to being centered amongst conflict. When the fight begins within me though, a battle between what I want and what I think is right, how will I react? Will I listen to my heart, my head, or will the winner be chosen for me?

Delacroix, Louisiana.....

I love my sleep, always have, always will. It's not necessarily the comfort of the bed, the quiet or even the rest. It's the fact that I'm at peace when I sleep. My life has a tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, so anything that will put that off for as long as possible I savor.

I wish it were the same for a certain super soldier in my life. I look forward to going to bed, everything calms down then, and for most people it's the same. For Bucky however, it's when everything starts, the nightmares, the terrors, the seemingly unending darkness. If only I could take his pain away like he has with mine.

For the last few weeks, my life had, for want of a better word, been hectic. Hectic to say the least.

After the eventual defeat of Thanos and the loses we endured as a result, I thought naively that life might calm down a bit, that I'd have time to breathe, to live. How wrong I was.

It all began with John Walker being announced to the world as the new Captain America.

I was baking cookies with Morgan in the Stark family kitchen when it came over the radio. As that latest turn of events sunk in, my first thoughts were of Bucky, what that would do to him. Not even an hour later I had said my goodbyes and was on my way to help him get the shield back.

Since then even more had happened. We'd regrouped with Sam, busted Zemo out of prison which in turn ruffled the feathers of Ayo and the Dora Milaje. We came face to face with Morgenthou and the Flag Smashers, and finally witnessed the man who thought he could even compete with Steve, make himself judge, jury and most significantly executioner.

After that went around the world we knew we had to end it sooner rather than later. It couldn't get much worse than Captain America becoming a murderer. We got the shield back, which was a fight all in itself. Handed Zemo over to Ayo, to try and recompense for the distrust we'd instilled in the people who'd helped us so much. Then we travelled to stay with Sam and his family in Louisiana whilst we waited for Karli's next move.

This is where we found ourselves now, in the eye of it, the calm before the storm.

Waking up in the Wilson households guest room, I was greeted to the golden hue of the rising sun penetrating through the single glaze windows, and the melodic sounds of gulls on the hunt for their morning meal down by the docks.

Actually, no that's not right. What I could hear was most certainly not birds, and it was definitely not melodic. What were those boys doing?

Quickly and quietly I threw on the first clothes I could get my hands on and made my way downstairs towards the noise. What caught my attention when I discovered the source, was not the two youngest Wilson boys playing with our newly reacquired shield in the living room, but the super solider who was blissfully ignorant to it all, sleeping peacefully on the couch in front of them. I don't think I'd ever been so happy.

"Right you two, if you're determined to play Avengers all morning then I suggest you re-assemble in the back yard. You're gonna wake Bucky up," I whispered out in one breath, stepping between the boys, then placing my hands on their backs and tip toeing them towards the door.

"So what if we wake him up? It's gone 10am," Cass questioned in protest, pulling on his sneakers and jacket.

"Exactly! Which is why if you do as I say, I will make you the biggest plate of waffles for breakfast that you've ever seen."

The boys eyes lit up. "Can we have ice cream with it? Mum never lets us have ice cream for breakfast, and I'm sure there's a tub of Stark raving hazelnuts in the freezer," AJ clapped in muted excitement. "Oh, for God's sake.....Yes. You can have whatever you want if you get out of this house now and keep the noise down."

Once the boys were outside, I made my way over to the kitchen, stopping on the way to lean over my favourite senior citizen and make sure that he was still peaceful in his slumber. He'd never looked so relaxed, so at ease. It was a brand new Bucky I'd never seen before, a Bucky that had my heart pounding for him even more than it normally did. Not that he knew any of that.

Half an hour later and up to my elbows in waffle mix, I failed to notice my new friend and host Sarah making her way to my side at the counter, the huge smile on my face not going unnoticed. "What's got you grinning like the Cheshire cat, like I need to ask?"

"Bucky's sleeping. Isn't it amazing?" I spoke softly, bouncing up and down on my feet as I did so.

"And why is that?" She couldn't looked more confused if she tried.

"In all the years I've known him, I don't think I've ever woken up before he has. If his nightmares don't keep him awake all night, they normally have him up before the crack of dawn. I don't think I've ever seen him so still."

"Good answer," Sarah nodded in a hush, understanding why this meant so much to me, but not done yet with her morning interrogations, "Now on to my next question......"

"I'm already not liking the sound of this."

"Sleeping Beauty over there follows you around like a little puppy dog. He hangs on your every word, looks at you like you hung the stars or something. It's pretty obvious how crazy he is about you, so when are you gonna stop pretending that you're not head over heels in love with him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Wilson," I smiled forcefully, making out like the waffle maker deserved my attention way more than the conversation I was being made to have.

This was all Sam's doing, without a shadow of a doubt. He'd tried to have this conversation with me on multiple occasions and I shut him down every time. He obviously hadn't given up like I thought he did, and decided to draft in his sister. He is seriously gonna regret it when I find him.

"Sure you know what I'm talking about. Sam sees it, I don't even know you that well and I see it. The only reason Bucky doesn't, is because he doesn't believe he could ever be that lucky. You're a smitten kitten." These Wilson's are all as annoying as each other.

Knowing I wasn't getting out of this one, I grabbed Sarah by the arm and pulled her right into the corner of the room, trying my best to keep this convo as private as possible. "Look, I'm not pretending.....I'm ignoring. There's a difference."

"Care to explain what that difference is?" Sarah spoke softly, but with a sarcastic air.

Turning to look over my shoulder at the subject of our conversation, making sure he was still safely in the land of nod, I decided to just be honest. Sarah was much like her brother. Once she wanted to get to the bottom of something she wasn't about to give up.

"I love Bucky, more than I've ever loved anyone...and that terrifies me," the rawness of finally being honest making my voice shake, and tears come to my eyes. "Nat was like my sister, and she's dead. Tony was the closest I've ever gotten to having a Dad...and he's dead too. Then there's Steve, Vision, God knows where Wanda is....Everyone I love, either leaves or dies. If I admit my feelings for Buck then I face the risk of losing him too."

"Do you have any idea how crazy you sound right now? He's not going to die because you love him (Y/N)."

Silent tears were falling now. I was revealing my deepest fears to a woman I'd only known a few days, and I'm not underplaying it when I say it was like a colossal weight off my chest, a release I didn't know I needed. "Believe me...I know, but I can't take that risk. I can't lose anyone else, especially not him."

"Let's just say for a second that you're right, that there is some higher power somewhere, set on destroying everyone you love. Do you really think ignoring your feelings is going to make them disappear?" I didn't know what to say to that. "Natasha and Stark died so that everyone could continue living, and (Y/N) you're not living as long as you keep this to yourself. They wouldn't want that for you."

"But what if I lose him?" I whispered with a choked sigh.

"Then at least he'll die knowing how you felt about him. After everything he's been through don't you think he deserves to know there's someone out there who loves him like you do?"

"Of course..."

Sarah's lips pulled upwards in a satisfied smirk, wrapping her arm around my shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze, "then you owe it to yourself, and to him, to tell him the truth."

"Why do all you Wilson's have to be so clever?" I voiced in mock irritation, pushing her away from me and acting like I was annoyed she had gotten one up on me.

"I don't know," she thought aloud and with a cheeky grin, grabbing a plate to start piling on the long forgotten waffles, "I think it might be the sea air or something."

"Nah, it's in the genes," I chuckled quietly, grabbing my jacket and deciding it was time to get this conversation wrapped up. "I'll go find Sam and the boys for breakfast. Clear my head a little bit."

"You promise you're gonna tell him?" Sarah stopped me as I went to push the door open.

"I'll think about it."

3rd person POV

Once (Y/N) was out of ear shot, Sarah couldn't help but start jumping up and down in excitement, clapping her hands loudly as she did so. That went even better than she thought it would, and she was so proud of herself. Sarah Wilson could now add matchmaker to her resume.

"Coast is clear Barnes. You can open your eyes now."

(Y/N) had no idea what she had metaphorically walked into just minutes earlier, entering that very revealing conversation with her overly inquisitive host.

What drew Sarah to come down that morning was the sounds of both the front porch door opening and the smell of homemade waffles wafting up the stairs. As she entered the kitchen she was met with two sights. One being (Y/N), facing the counter and looking very smiley, the other being a wide awake super soldier who was just laying on the couch and staring at her, the sole object of his affection. Sarah could work with this.

Every time (Y/N) turned back in his direction, Bucky would close his eyes and pretend to be asleep again. He had never slept so soundly, so peacefully, thoughts of (Y/N) and his new friends filling his nightmare free dreams.

He'd initially woken to (Y/N) ushering the boys outside because she was afraid they would wake him up. He didn't want to disappoint her by proving her right. Besides, he liked just watching her move around the kitchen, completely unaware he was observing her the whole time. He had no idea about the conversation that was just about to happen.

After (Y/N) had left and Sarah had confirmed so, Bucky sat himself up, his body shaking with adrenaline and a look of complete shock fixed on his face. Had he definitely woken up, or had the whole thing been a part of his dream? Did (Y/N) seriously just admit that she was in love with him?

Bucky didn't know how to react, didn't know what to say as he looked up at a smug Sarah from his spot. All he'd ever wanted was for (Y/N) to feel the same way about him as he did about her. Now he knew that she did.

"You're welcome by the way."

460 notes · View notes

bbq-hawks-wings · 3 years

Text

Chapter 316: BBQ is capable of critiquing BNHA and… Oh boy.

Let's start this off properly, Horikoshi's typical quality of writing has been diminishing in recent chapters, but this week it was so different that it didn't even feel like Horikoshi was the one who wrote it.

To be clear, I'm not blaming Horikoshi for the issues I'm about to bring up. The man is criminally overworked, usually doesn't even get the final say in what makes it in the final drafts, and even in his other rough patches he's still produced decent chapters that hold up amongst the grand scheme of things. This feels like something else is going on behind the scenes, and while I have my suspicions on who/what might be the culprit behind it, I choose not to share it at this time because if I name names some people might go off on a crusade, and that's not what I want.

I just want to be clear that I'm not blindly firing off shots in the dark, but despite my frustrations I want to wait to see if this gets resolved down the line, and while I do I can complain about the specific reasons this chapter left such a bitter taste in my mouth.

Buckle up, buttercups, because we got a lot of points to cover.

Where's the Gun?

Not a literal gun, but I mean Chekhov's Gun. It has always been a staple of Horikoshi's writing and the reason so many of his long-standing plot lines have paid off so well.

Chekhov's Gun is a writing principal that if you see a gun on the table in the first act of a play, it will be used in the murder that happens in act 2. Basically, the author should include details that are relevant to the story and not betray the audience by leading them in one direction and at the last minute pull the rug out from underneath them to go in another direction.

Horikoshi has done this to phenomenal success in the past. Just as one example, he dropped hints about Nomu being human experiments early in the series but held off explicitly stating it for a while. He hinted at the loss of Shirakumo in the main narrative and that he was important to Aizawa and Mic as well as approved it for Vigilantes so when it was revealed that Kurogiri was Shirakumo's body, not only did it narratively make sense but it also pulled in Eraserhead and Present Mic's emotional stakes into the battle with the Doctor, and then when Ujiko reveals he was after Aizawa's quirk the whole time it made the payoff for Mic punching him in the face all that much better and brings the weight of his crimes and the impact they have on the victims full circle.

That's 3 different guns paying off in the long run: the Nomu, Shirakumo, and both Mic and Eraserheads' personal arcs past the loss of their childhood friend and that they could finally finish processing their grief and avenge him in full righteous fury instead of chalking it all up to cruel chance.

He has left details, some particularly innocuously, in plot lines like the Touya Todoroki reveal, Hawks' backstory, Shigaraki's blood connection to Nana Shimura, even with Mr. Compress's backstory, and more. When re-read, these details become more obvious and usually leaves us with a greater sense of satisfaction in the plot knowing that twists and turns were not only planned, but built up to and hinted at for us to find so the payoff is that much better and it feels purposeful instead of just shock factor.

None of that happened this chapter.

Lady Nagant has zero business being in this plotline. She was never hinted about before this arc, and her existence does nothing to tell us about the plot moving forward or the world that they're trying to change. Nothing her existence provides actually has any bearing on the universe or tells us anything we don't already know. But that's not how she was presented.

In the beginning we're given a glimpse of her helping Overhaul escape from Tartarus. The focus on her was odd enough to begin with as a new character, and the fact that she didn't look like she fit the profile of someone who belonged in Tartarus was like a flashing neon sign saying, "Pay attention! This new character is important!!!" She then shows up later with Overhaul in hand to attack Deku out of the blue. We get her talking about how she thought Overhaul might be useful and her disillusions with Hero Society. We catch her mannerisms with eery similarity to Hawks only to find out immediately after she was a senior colleague in the HPSC. Never once to my knowledge has Hawks referred to any of his senior colleagues as a "senpai" - not even his fellow heroes - and when he catches her in midair, he uses the words, "Don't die on me, senpai!" as if she's near and dear to his heart.

The entire character arc is set up for her to have known about Hawks and grapple with her desire to help people and her fear of re-creating what she hated, and this also set up Hawks to be the successor who succeeded where she failed and helped bring her to a place where she could be a hero without guilt again. What actually happened?

They're strangers.

They have never actually met before, and while he seems to know a lot about her, she doesn't even seem to have any idea of who he was - at least as far as being another hero under the thumb of the HPSC. So ALLLL that setup, all that gesturing, and all of the potential themes that would be right at home in an arc like this goes completely out the window.

Her story doesn't tell us anything new. The HPSC bad. We knew that. They're not above throwing innocents under the bus to achieve that goal. We knew that. They preyed upon young hopefuls with powerful quirks with the intent to maintain the status quo. We knew that even if the fact that Hawks isn't the only one now makes more questions than answers. We know that these young heroes can never say no under threat of steep, life-shattering consequences. We knew that already.

So what does Lady Nagant even bring to the table?! The entire "you're just a puppet doing what you've been told" angle is a little tired and out of place in this point and time with actual anarchy in the streets (not to mention hypocritical considering she was a blind puppet following orders and offers zero actual solutions that supposedly fall in line with her heroic nature), and it could have been left to any number of other villain characters who could have executed on the theme better - you know, like Shigaraki who's justification this entire time has been, "hero society doesn't make people safe, it just makes them feel safe" from the moment of his inception.

So from that angle she's unnecessary.

Her presence messes with the continuity of the series as well. If Hawks is supposed to explicitly replace her, that would mean that he wasn't just a fluke find on the commission's part and grabbed to mold into their own special superweapon; and that also would mean that her killing of the former president was before he was discovered which should put her at least in her forties. If this isn't the case, and he was meant to simply replace her in a "special agent" case, that still begs the question of how many more gifted children the commission preyed upon and are still out there.

And maybe the worst kicker for me is that something stinks. The way the art in this chapter is presented, if you completely blanked out the speech bubbles, is the same setup I had before - Hawks reaches out to his former mentor and pulls her from the brink of despair with a moving message about why he never gave up hope in being a hero who could actually make a difference.

Again, this is not what we got. He claims he knows her, and it's implied to have been a deep, personal character witness; but at best he only knows about her from secondhand sources. Even his reasoning as to how he never lost hope doesn't vibe with his character.

We have gotten so many cool one-liners for Hawks, but there has always been a consistent tone and imagery with them.

"Those who can fly, should."

"I don't belong in a cage."

"I'm free of my shackles."

"Can I be a shining light, just like him?"

What we got was, "I'm an optimist to a fault" which was the wording the official release went with and was by far the best iteration I have seen, but even this falls short of being truly in character for him and answering her question properly.

@mikeana made an edit of the titular panels for us Hawks stans this week with dialogue we and a few other friends felt was more fitting not only with the imagery of the chapter itself but internally consistent with the specific expressions Hawks uses in his heartfelt, personal dialogue. I just tweaked it a little bit more to fit what I was going for in our original conversation.

Which brings me to another concern.

2. What's the point?

There was no use for Nagant in the series as she's been presented so far. But more than that, Hawks has no business in this fight to begin with. He literally did nothing to earn this emotional moment, and this should have been Deku's moment.

We were teased in an interview with Horikoshi that Hawks was going to get a special moment as an important end-game character as a "shining light" of hope for others to follow as well as promises for Ochako to have another moment in the spotlight to make a difference.

If this was Hawks' shining light moment, it wasn't necessary, and it does nothing to move the plot forward or develop characters in any true or believable way. It just happened because plot. This should have been Deku's victory through and through, and even he is the reason BOTH Hawks and Nagant made it out alive instead of painting the street below them.

Deku's victory was stolen from him, too. It sours the other promises made to us about other characters moving forward, as well, if this really was Hawks' "Shining Light" moment.

By the way, did you forget about Overhaul? Me too!!! What was the point of getting our hopes up about reintroducing this beloved character with the implications this was a major arc setup to have him scream about pops and then get detained with no clues about what's going to happen to him besides, "Say you're sorry to Eri, and you get to see pops"?!

All this posturing and clumsy narrative flailing only actually succeeded in getting Deku in front of AFO again for plot when we already know Mr. Potato Head could summon, show himself to, or find Deku at any time he wanted. But instead we get this time skip with a bunch of heroes completely mended walking into a big, spooky mansion for AFO to evil monologue at Deku for… *counts*

FOUR PAGES!!!

Only to then give him the "I want YOU!" point over a pre-recorded message and the final nail in the coffin to me that something is off.

3. Ex-pu-LOOOO-SHUN!

It's become almost a game among friends to count how many explosions have happened since the end of the war arc - and specifically fake-out explosions. In the end of 311 we get All Might's car attacked via explosion and Deku cornered by Nagant only for All Might to be fine in the next chapter. In 315 Lady Nagant herself explodes in a blaze of glory to once again not be dead.

Gee! I wOnDeR if aLl the heroes were AcTuAlLy cornered and KiLlEd in that explosion in the mansion!

None of us do. They're fine. We're going to see it first thing next week. The shock has worn off, and it's repetitive and annoying at this point. There is no cliffhanger despite how the framing might try to tell you otherwise.

It's BAD WRITING.

The writing has been moving far too quickly and clumsily with no explanation in sight, and even character interactions are being cut short to the point of them being meaningless and empty.

This doesn't even feel like Horikoshi's bad writing. It feels like someone else is trying to call the shots and rushing him through these final bits of the series, and he's run out of things he's previously set up for months and months to reappear so someone is trying to get Dabi-reveal levels of attention with arcs and storylines that don't have the build-up to result in a satisfactory payoff.

4. At least it can get better... I hope.

Maybe those who share my suspicions or know what particular suspicions I have are with me in believing that this is a temporary disappointment and we haven't seen the last of the writing that's captivated me for years. I don't blame Horikoshi for these glaring faults that all came to a head in this chapter.

It CAN get better later, and I think it WILL- we just probably are going to have to wait for it. Until then, I'm going to enjoy the Hawks panels we got, maybe edit the last few chapters to be more in line with something more like the BNHA I know in a "fix it fic" fashion so I don't groan in anticipation of how long it might take us to get there.

See you all next week, hopefully on a much brighter note.

#she speaks #chapter review #bnha 316 #bnha chapter 316 #bnha manga spoilers

133 notes · View notes

wherestoriescomefrom · 3 years

Text

[Click on the image for the image description. I'm not actually sure how the alt-text works on tumblr though, so let me know if I should add the ID in the body of the post]

maryam here is gonna have me spilling every thought in my brain and then watch how fast the cancel police comes after me. @aliens-correspondent take responsibility for your actions!!

anyway to be honest this is something i'd had in my drafts for a while, because like i said, i have very many thoughts. i thought i'd make a separate post instead of reblogging the ask and adding to it though, it felt more sensible.

i really do enjoy both the book series and the tv show, but very differently!! when you read the book series though, you can actually tell that the author is starting out, especially when you compare it to six of crows. it's got those standard YA writing tropes, a chosen one, interplays with dark and light, weird love triangle with an obvious right answer, one (1) cool and fun girl who is inexplicably mean to the main heroine; you know, the usual things. the book is inoffensive in the way it pulls of these tropes, kinda meh at times. i think the problem with the book lies in the central character, or more importantly, in her framing in re grisha racism.

bardugo actually does something cool with the grishaverse, in that she doesn't try to explicitly frame racism against grisha people along the same lines as real life racism. she makes it clear that the grisha are alternatively deified and vilified, and some of the patterns of discrimination repeat themselves. i've always always ALWAYS hated depictions of magical discrimination that do the "this is a parallel to racism" because it never makes sense. real life racism has no reasons for it to exist whatsoever, but if i met someone who could control water and lightning, i'd be scared. i'd think of them as a superhero if they were good, but i'd very much be a little scared. these representations (things like x-men, or superhero universes) lean very hard on parallels to immigration, homophobia or family friendly racism to make their point, and its always stupid. i like that grishaverse leans harder on witch-hunting parallels instead, its far more logical - this has played out in real life as well. bardugo also weaves some amount of neurodivergence coded traits into her grisha characters - again, things that make sense, given the history of neurodivergence connected to witchcraft and otherness. and it works! the grisha are hunted like witches, and eventually assimilated like gods or saints.

what doesn't always work is alina, actually. bardugo did something super weird with her, with people like mal telling her she should be queen because she would be able to represent the common people. but that's the thing - even within the world of the first book, it doesn't hold up. a lot of the grisha come from small families, and there's this argument that they forget their parents but even that isn't true! zoya goes for the trips across the fold so she can meet her aunt! a lot of them remember their brothers and fathers and sisters. even alina chose the orphanage over life at the little palace all those years back didn't she?

the grisha are supposed to be elite army of witches, glamorous and gorgeous. however, even within the world of the novel everyone who makes up the army are orphans and peasants, and everyone in the country is tested for grisha powers. in fact, the world the darkling has created was explicitly done because he saw how the grisha were hunted and abused. he made them indispensable to the king, made them strong and a powerful faction in the country.

alina's character really suffers thanks to the weirdness in this framing. she's supposed to be the orphan from keramzin who can really reform the army - but she isn't the only one who was lonely and orphaned even within the army. moreover, it's never actually clear what she would like to do with the grisha army - beyond the superficial changes of seating arrangements. there was this one moment where she sees the first of nikolai's flying ships and thinks "yeah this is what i want. magic and tech to work together!" but you don't actually find out how she wants to do it. nikolai does have a vision, and he has ideas to execute it, but alina really doesn't. plus i just. i just never got the sense that alina enjoyed being a grisha.

don't get me wrong, i know her whole thing is about the price of power and how much she starts to hunger for power, but i just. never saw her having fun with her power??? show alina does tho, and that's something that's really cool, but i'll get to her in a moment. here's the bottom line: it never feels like alina has consistent motivations or clear character foundations. i don't even get the sense that she is that committed to ravka really, just that she wants to defeat the darkling because it also means a slow rise of power for her. she just doesn't feel as realised a character because there are hints of what she wants and dreams of but it all gets really overshadowed by the angst she has over not belonging and then by feeling like she's becoming a more terrible person thanks to the entire power thing idk.

which is the second problem. y'all know why people don't like mal? no for REAL do you know? not because he's a teenage boy who's entitled with his crush, that's nothing compared to how manipulative the darkling is. the REAL reason this is such a debate is because the writer fucked up! barudgo kept framing the love triangle as a choice between more power and living a normal life, and that's the whole problem!!! mal himself is at best a little irritating, but no worse than other love triangle heroes. but because this is a YA story where the choice given to young, presumably female readers is to give up your cool powers because your boyfriend feels like its taking you further and further away from him - or unaccountable power, terrible power even with a hot villain to boot. which would you choose? i know which i would and i am fully cognizant of how manipulative the darkling is. that's literally why it doesn't work, because alina has to make this ridiculous choice and it feels stupid even to outline it!! why couldn't she have kept her powers?? unlike the darkling, they were actually natural and not a result of dark magic.

it's really sad because i 100% believe this whole problem is the reason why people seriously overlook how well leigh bardugo wrote the darkling as a VILLAIN. as a love interest, sure, but she just wrote one of the most menacing villains on page and we all forget about it because everyone's busy writing think pieces on whether mal is worse than the darkling. from the beginning, there's this sense of power that the darkling evokes every time he's on the page. the first time he meets alina he acts as an amplifier to bring out her power, he commands people, he commands armies. and the more time you spend with the book, the more bardugo rations his presence: appearing at the right moments, never pushing the boundary and becoming an active villain. yet there's this malcontent about him that's so much in the vibe of the man. he's called the darkling and he promises to rid the world of the fold. he thinks alina is the answer but would rather use an amplifier on her. i think about halfway through, before baghra's reveal - i just knew this man was trouble.

she did such a good job with him!! the darkling we meet is someone who's already at the end of his "you either die a hero or live long enough to be a villain" arc. he was a hero! he saved the grisha, but eventually his quest for power has made him hungrier, with less morals and fewer reservations. he's much crueler in the books, much more manipulative, so much more FUN. the show really missed out, because they focussed on making the darkling human and real - and they really fucked up, because even tho ben barnes did a really good job he was missing a lot of the edge and sharpness of the darkling. naming him early is just one of the problems, giving him the most basic back story is just another. i think the closest he felt to the book!darkling was when alina was attacked by fjerdans, and theres that out of focus shot of him coming with the cut. absolutely chilling. we stan. but thats the last we see of this darkling right up until he makes her the antler necklace and that panty dropping line, "make me your villain." generally i think both kaz and the darkling are a bit softer in the tv show, which is strange but i was so pleased with the changes to alina's character and the casting of inej that i let it slide.

the show does a really good job of giving alina proper characterisation!! i like that they made her half asian (they could have toned down on all the racism a little tho). and the worldbuilding done with the world war era inspired posters was really good!! at least this way all of alina's angsting has a reason. plus they retconned her to make her someone who fights more, against the world she's in and it makes sense. it really feels like even the adult alina just wants to be free. plus MAL, my beloved!! you can actually see his character development from a more timid young boy to someone who has dedicated his life to alina, to making the world a love letter to her specifically. the show fucked up on a bunch of lore things, but on the whole i think the bones of the book were good enough that they could pull of a really GOOD tv show.

the last thing i love about the tv show is how it lavishes attention on things young girls like reading. like it really leans into fantasy fiction in that sense. i never cared much for tolkien but in the last few years i have latched onto female written fantasy like a burr (side note, everyone please read Sword of Kaigen). its nice to see people care so much about women as a primary demographic in consuming fantasy fiction. increasingly, fantasy fiction is becoming more and more mainstream tho, which means i have to suffer through my friends (wrong) opinions on shadow and bone tho.

anyway all i want to know is who is going to be cast as nikolai. please hes my favourite character and he was already ignored so much in his own duology.

#shadow and bone #grishaverse #shadow and bone tv show #shadow and bone book #fandom meta #hello void this is ridiculosity #try not to take me too seriously im just vibes you know #just putting my english lit degree to some use #malyen oretsev #alina starkov #the darkling #general kirrigan #i talk about books for the hundredth time like its a new thing

29 notes · View notes

letsbeoutoftouch · 3 years

Text

Back in December 2016, during a sleepover, my friends and I decided to watch EXO's Chanyeol's most recent movie, "So I Married an Anti-Fan". It effortlessly became one of my favourite movies, so much so that I rewatch it —at least— once a year.

Therefore, when it was first announced that South Korea was going to produce a drama based on the same story, I was thrilled. The feeling only increased when I found out that the male lead was Choi Tae-Joon, whom I loved because of Suspicious Partner. Later (to be more precise, this year), I discovered that the other lead was the one and only Sooyoung from SNSD!

The drama was filmed back in 2018, and it was supposed to air a loooot sooner, but it had a few problems and it finally came out this year. Since I don't like waiting for episodes to come out each week, I waited until it finished airing to watch it... And, today, I finished it!

So, here's my review, fresh out the oven!

· · ·

So I Married an Anti-Fan is a 2021 South Korean drama, featuring Choi Tae-Joon, Choi Sooyoung, Hwang Chansung and Han Ji-Ahn. It's based on the novel "그래서 나는 안티팬과 결혼했다" (So I Married an Anti-Fan), written by Kim Eun Jun and published in 2010.

youtube

· · ·

♡ PLOT:

The story revolves around Hoo Joon (Tae-Joon), a well-known idol, and Geun Young (Sooyoung), a magazine reporter. They meet during an event, where a series of misunderstandings leads them to have a bad impression of each other.

For this reason, when Geun Young loses her job, she's under the impression that it was Hoo Joon's doing and is therefore keen on "reveal" Joon's real character. However, her retaliation backfires, and she attracts a lot of attention as his "anti-fan".

Later, a TV producer approaches them both to star in a reality show. Geun Young and Hoo Joon accept and think to give each other a hard time on set. But, as time goes by, they get to know each other better and better.

· · ·

♡ EPISODES:

It's made up of 16 episodes, running for an hour each (i.e., your typical k-drama).

· · ·

♡ CHARACTERS:

-Geun Young (FL): She's the best character, hands down (I swear I'm not being biased because I love Sooyoung).

For some reason, I've seen a lot of bad comments about this character. I don't truly understand why some people said that she didn't stand up for herself or that she was so-so, when she dealt really well with everything that had happened to her. I'd like to see all those people in her shoes—I bet they'd have cracked up quickly.

Also, she's like the least toxic character I've ever come across in a drama. She waits patiently for Joon to deal with his problems and doesn't jump to conclusions regarding his relationship with In Hyeong and Jae Joon. She lets him do his thing, is an independent woman, and tries to be as little of a burden as she can to the people she cares about. So, props to her!

▫ ▫ ▫

-Hoo Joon (ML): Although I overall liked his character, I admit that if I hadn't previously watched the movie, I'd probably be wary of him at the beginning. But, don't worry: as the story progresses, you get to know him better. He's patient and thinks of other people's feelings and well-being a lot (sometimes, a little too much for his own good, but he's a good boy).

I felt the need to include that there was this one scene where he acts... In a way that I didn't find appealing. Fortunately, he isn't like that all throughout the drama. Also, he isn't toxic like a lot of the male leads in drama-land. If you're wondering which scene I'm referring to, here's a spoiler: *SPOILER ALERT* When he and Geun Young start dating, they are requested to film an advertisement together. In the filming, he acts all "jealous" because the dress she was wearing was too short for his liking. I'm sorry, but she's the only one who has a say on how short a dress she's wearing is—not you, not even if you're her partner *END OF SPOILER ALERT*.

▫ ▫ ▫

-JJ/Jae Joon (SML): Jae Joon is the second male lead, and he was portrayed by 2PM's Chansung.

I'm sorry, but I never could come to terms with this character, not even during the last episodes. If the writers' intention was for me to hate him, they (and Chansung's acting) totally achieved that purpose.

He is incredibly selfish and keeps this attitude up to episode 13/14. Towards the ending, the story tries that the audience feels some sympathy towards him—it is shown why he acted the way he did. Nevertheless, in my opinion, while his past may explain his actions, it doesn't justify any of them. That's why I couldn't bring myself to feel sympathetic or empathetic towards him. *SPOILER ALERT* In fact, I think Hoo Joon was too nice to be there for him in the last two or three episodes. *END OF SPOILER ALERT*

He's also outright abusive. *SPOILER ALERT* I mean, he slapped In Hyeong and broke her laptop ¿?... Even though I didn't like her that much, nothing justifies that kind of violent behaviour. *END OF SPOILER ALERT*

▫ ▫ ▫

-In Hyeong (SFL): She's the second female lead, portrayed by actress Han Ji-Ahn.

Oh, man. I had a hard time trying to wrap my head around this character. I was just going to say that I couldn't stand her because she was always purposely putting a spanner in the works, making everyone's life difficult.

However, as I was drafting this review, I began reflecting on the character and felt sympathy for her. She was in a vulnerable place—leaving aside that she felt abandoned by her first love, she had trouble trying to make her career take off, and she was in a really abusive relationship. It could be argued that JJ and In Hyeon were both toxic to each other, but it was clear that he was the one with the upper hand (he was the CEO of her new agency, which brings a real disbalance of power).

Moreover, it was hinted several times that all she went through took a toll on her mental health (*SPOILER ALERT* she was always taking pills to calm down, and she freaking tried to kill herself!!!!!!! *END OF SPOILER ALERT*). I believe she needed professional help to put herself back together, so she could let go of her past and finally leave that abusive relationship.

· · ·

♡ COUPLES:

Since this drama mostly gravitates towards romantic relationships, I'm including this section.

▫ ▫ ▫

-Geun Young x Hoo Joon: They are your typical enemies to lovers.

In the beginning, their relationship was tainted by a lot of misunderstandings, which led them to hate each other's guts (but, where's the charm in a k-drama that isn't filled with misunderstandings, am I right?). Once they started to spend more time together, they began understanding each other better. In time, they were able to leave their pride aside and got rid of their prejudices (yes, the story gives Jane Austen-ish vibes, so much so that "Pride and Prejudice" is mentioned a few times).

Their chemistry was alright. I would have changed some parts of the script that made a lot of scenes to be super cringey—especially, before some of their kisses (like, what a way to ruin such an awaited moment!).

The thing I liked the most about them was that neither of them was toxic, and they knew how and when to give the other person space. They were sweet, but not unbearable sweet—just the exact amount.

▫ ▫ ▫

-In Hyeong x Jae Joon: I don't know if they can be considered a true couple, but I'm adding them here just to repeat that I HATED THEM TOGETHER.

· · ·

♡ SOME PERSONAL INTERPRETATIONS AND THOUGHTS:

For me, the story tries to show the two sides of the same coin: things that may seem completely different, but are essentially the same. You can see it with Hoo Joon/Geun Young, their friends, and even with Hoo Joon/Jae Joon. Of course, this could be argued—it is just my personal impression.

Also, while the drama condemns some of the toxic fan behaviour, it sometimes romanticises it. *SPOILER ALERT* one fan freaking kidnapped him, and everything was suddenly alright ¿¿ Nuh-uh *END OF SPOILER ALERT*

· · ·

♡ DRAMA VS. MOVIE:

As I mentioned above, there's a prior Chinese movie from 2016 that was based on this novel. It features EXO's Chanyeol, Yuan Shan Shan, SNSD's Seohyun, and Jian Chao.

For obvious reasons, the story is shrunk down in the movie. There are a lot of things that weren't included in the movie, other things were overly simplified, and some stuff was missing and/or changed.

If you want to have a good laugh, then I recommend you to watch the movie. It's filled with non-sensical comedy that, in my opinion, China excels at. However, if you are more inclined towards drama, then the South Korean version is the one for you (you'll laugh, too, don't worry).

· · ·

♡ SUMMARY:

This is, basically, a sweet enemies-to-lovers, famous-person-and-normal-person story. If you like any of those troupes, then you're in for a treat.

It's a really lighthearted story that will make you laugh. Don't expect a complicated plot because there won't be one. It's ideal to have a break from all those dramas where you can't miss a single detail because you'll get lost, or from those dramas which plots are so heavy they end up tiring your mind out.

I loved the cast, and their acting was great (especially Chansung's, because he made me hate his character with a passion, lmao).

ALSO, if you like Sung Hoon (My Secret Romance, Oh My Venus) like me, then WATCH THIS DRAMA, lol. He has a guest role in some episodes!

· · ·

So I Married an Anti-Fan is available on VIKI!

· · ·

If you read the whole review, thank you very much! I hope you liked it.

#so i married an anti fan #so i married the anti fan #kdrama #kdramas #choi sooyoung #choi tae joon #chansung #han ji ahn #review

32 notes · View notes

aries-rising-on-an-aquarius-tide · 3 years

Text

Evocations: XVI

The Chief District Attorney drafts an over-eager redhead with too much to prove, to replace Alexandra within just a few weeks. Liv allows the natural rhythm of the work to sweep her along, pouring herself into it in order to keep the loneliness and the mourning at bay.

Darcie and Alexander check in regularly enough, even after the sale of the apartment is settled, two months after being on the market. She is genuinely touched that they call, but dreads it, too - being forced to sit in her sadness for that brief period every few weeks.

Elliot checks in too, in his own way. For the first couple months he pretends that he is being subtle about it: asking her if she's eaten, glancing at her fridge every time he stops by her apartment, making sure she is the first to nap in the cribs if they have a lull. As Christmas approached, he suggested drinks or pizza outside of work more often. He made it clear Olivia was welcome to celebrate Christmas with his family.

But Liv didn't want company. She didn't want Christmas. All she wanted was her life back, and if she couldn't have that, she wanted to work. So, she put her head down and plodded forward.

It was late in January when the phone call came. Olivia grabbed the phone on the first ring, assuming it was a case about to break. On the other end of the line, though, was Alexander's voice. Immediately, a chill snaked down Liv's spine. The Cabots never called her at work.

"Olivia," Alex's father said quietly, and the knot of tears in his throat was audible, "we lost Darcie."

Liv went stiff in her wheeled chair, fixing her eyes on a pile of paperwork in front of her. She listened to Alexander's soft voice telling her the basic details, all the while thinking of how he believed he had lost his entire family, when Alex was somewhere still alive.

She assures him she will call when she arranges her flight, and ends the call, walking straight into Cragen's office where she tells him she needs time off.

Alex has never been so sick of a winter as she is of that first Winter in Wisconsin. She has three layers to strip out of as she comes through the door at the end of the day, and Sky impatiently dances circles as she does so, waiting for her dinner.

Her job now is at an insurance firm. Not selling it, thank God, mostly just auditing and reviewing applications. Like everything else she has undertaken, the job is easy and she excels. Her skills are painfully underused in the position, and she is already exhausted with it by January.

Tina, her 'sister,' continues to see her regularly. Behind closed doors, they are acquaintances at best; any hope of having a close friend in the woman had sailed very early-on. Alex is, in fact, surrounded by acquaintances - in co-workers, at the stores she frequents, in her neighborhood. But nobody gets close.

Close isn't an option any more. Every time she forgets to respond for a beat to 'Emily,' every time she sees someone new, Alex is chilled through, wondering if she has been found out. She worries about people asking the wrong questions, about strangers who look at her a moment too long.

Is this the day? she has asked herself a thousand times, Is today the day I die?

In the bathroom mirror, she runs her fingers over the scar from her bullet wound, and tries to convince her reflection that she is Emily now. She practices it like daily affirmations, trying to accept her isolation, her loneliness, her confusion.

Once Sky is fed, Alex reheats some chicken soup for herself (she has refused to cook anything but hot meals since the first snowfall), and takes it to the spot where she has set up her desk and PC. She has gotten into the habit of keeping up with the news in New York, and in Dallas where her parents are; in her email are dozens of newspaper subscriptions she uses to keep on top of SVU cases and other tidbits.

A foot rubs Sky absently under the desk as Alex eats her soup and reads. Outside the doors to her back patio, the snow swirls and flutters with no end in sight to the frozen dairyland's stasis. This is when she sees it.

It rolls up on the screen of her digital copy of The Dallas Morning News:

Beloved Wife of Prominent Local Attorney Passes, Community Mourns

Below it, she reads her parents' names . . . her own name, words that she knows are a part of her real life, but at first she can't make them feel real. Again and again, she reads the blurb about the death of her mother, and the recent death of herself.

My mother is dead.

Mom has died.

Alex repeats the fact, continues to paraphrase it, until she rises from the computer and walks back to the kitchen with her half-eaten soup. Laying the bowl in the sink, she stares blankly into the receptacle until she feels the burn of her fingernails cutting into her palm.

When she looks up from her bleeding hands, her eyes land on the telephone, and she briefly considers calling Jack Hammond and demanding that he give her back her old life. To attend her mother's funeral, to be held by Olivia, to feel something again.

In the end, Alex takes Sky to bed under a thick pile of blankets, and her sleep is filled with nightmares where snow falls in Dallas, and she wanders the streets, screaming for her mother, who cannot hear her call.

Olivia has never been to Texas, and cannot think of a worse reason for her first trip there as she touches down in Dallas and embraces Alexander Cabot, who seems diminished without the two blondes who have always bookended him.

She moves into mothering mode quickly, encouraging Al to eat and sleep. She keeps a wary eye on his drinking, and makes sure that he is working through any paperwork Darcie left behind. As parents most often do, the Cabots had originally arranged to leave everything to Alexandra. After the cartel case, some reshuffling had occured, and Olivia is touched and conflicted when she finds out that some of it was shuffled to her.

When he falls into a fitful sleep the night before the funeral, Olivia slips silently, curiously into Alex's teenage bedroom. It is mostly intact: the walls showcase 80s movie posters alongside Feminist icons and clippings of political milestones of the decade.

Liv breathes deep of the ghost of her lover in the space, fingers reverently gliding over academic awards and dusty photos where Alex's smile beams out at her. On the bookshelf, she reads titles one after the other - Rubyfruit Jungle nestled right up next to Little Women . . . Jane Rule, Roald Dahl, Beckett, a gathering of strange bedfellows that brings a wisp of a grin to Olivia's face.

Finally she sits down on the narrow, creaking bed and picks up the tattered stuffed penguin at the pillow. The sigh that pitches from her is swollen with melancholy.

"His name is Shivers," Al tells her from the doorway, and Liv jumps at the sound. He fills the doorframe with his height and heavy sense of his grief.

"Of course it is," Liv sniffs with amusement, giving the flightless bird another once-over.

"You should have him," Alexander furthers.

The amount of restraint that Olivia has to employ to keep from confessing that the man's daughter is still alive is utterly monumental in that moment. She binds it, snuffs it, locks it away again and again. No confession comes, just a smile for Alex's father, and a nod.

The morning following the funeral, Liv flies out of Dallas with Shivers in her suitcase, leaving behind her a dozen yellow roses on Darcie's grave.

In mid-April in Wittenberg, much to Alexandra's dismay, the ground remains frozen. Most of the snow slowly melts, however every now and then, a light dusting of fresh flakes comes down in the morning or overnight, then melts with the climb of the sun.

She has lost weight through the winter months, and the sharp planes of her face in the mirror are painful to acknowledge. No proper mourning of her mother had come to pass; Alex had simply filed the knowledge away as a part of the life she lost, and continued the monotonous plod forward in the strange play she now acted in each day.

Before April gave way to the slightly warmer thaw of May, the insurance firm where she was working threw a social mixer - to break up the long change of seasons, they explained. Tina, who was concerned about Alex's weight loss and isolation, had pushed hard for her to attend, even if it was just to get out of the house for something other than work and errands.

So, on the evening of the mixer, Alexandra found herself at a local drink lounge called Doubles, quietly sipping a Shirley Temple. Her co workers were made up mostly of the usual office-job types: clad in off-the-rack suits, soft-spoken and nerdy, often shy, and unfortunately not very interesting. Alex stayed hugged to the bar, drinking and trying to decide how long she had to stay in order for her escape to be considered polite rather than asocial.

"Mind if I join you?"

The man that belonged to the voice was from the Claims Adjustment department of the firm. Alex had seen him around now and then, perhaps even passed polite words with him - but she couldn't recall his name. She waved her hand in the direction of the stool next to her in reply, and he settled in.

"You don't remember me, do you?" he chuckled, watching for the bar tender to free up so he could order a drink.

"I'm not so great with names," Alex told him apologetically.

"Well, I remember your name - Emily." He had a great smile, and he flashed it at her. "Mine is Greg."

"Thanks for reminding me."

He called to the bartender for a rum and coke, then checked if she wanted a refill, which she declined. "Where were you before Wittenberg?" he asked.

"Tulsa, Oklahoma," Alex told him, pulling from the pool of lies and backstory that she had been taught in October.

"Ah," his green eyes twinkled with amusement, "That explains it then."

"Explains what?"

"Why you seem to disdain Wisconsin winter so much."

"I didn't realize it was so obvious," Alex smirked.

He laughed, wrapping both hands around his highball glass. "Were you in insurance there?"

"No. No, this has been a big change for me," she admitted softly.

"Do you miss it?"

Alex startled. "Oklahoma?"

"Whatever it is you left behind."

The blonde paused, her blue eyes locked on the liquor in her glass. "Yes," she confessed, "I do."

They stayed at the bar, drinking slowly, while Greg asked her innocuous questions that were neither boring nor bothersome. Alexandra could feel herself relaxing, loosing herself from the lonely exile she had been prescribed. Before the evening was over, she even caught herself smiling at him, wanting to laugh at his simple jokes.

When the event began to empty out, she declined his offer for a ride home, and was genuinely surprised when he accepted it without pushing back. Neither did he ask her for her number, or to see him again. Alex wondered on her taxi ride home if perhaps she had misinterpreted a man's intentions for the first time since adolescence.

Her worry was quashed, however, when Greg reappeared at the office beginning of the week, and asked her if she would like to have lunch together. She agreed, and it slowly became a regular thing.

By the time he finally asked her on what could be considered an actual date, Alexandra was anxious at the idea of going back to being alone.

She considered the long winter, in which she hadn't put up a tree or celebrated the holidays. Considered the death of her mother, and the nightmares that had followed, leaving her breathless and shaking. Alex even considered the ring, somewhere back in New York, that might never find its way onto the finger of the love she had been forced to abandon.

Facing down the idea of that isolation for the rest of her life was too much to bear.

Alex said yes.

#law and order svu #svu #olivia benson #alexandra cabot #alex cabot #olivia x alex #cabenson #evocations #hearteyes4mariska #my writing #fanfiction #my fanfic

13 notes · View notes

genuine-wrestleboy · 3 years

Text

all i want is to be your harbor (7/?)

(on ao3) chapter seven: the ugly truth chapter warnings for: blood, mentions of torture, vomit

The carriage comes three days later, at dusk. From your position down-bank, all you can see is the broad shape of it, the single draft horse, the dully glowing lantern hanging at the front. The Duke's timing is impeccable; your repair efforts have made it all too clear that you're working with tools that lived a long, fruitful life before you, and a new hammer and spade, at least, would make a world of difference.

As you get closer, though, the details start to shift sideways into unfamiliarity. Gilding adorns the edges of polished, dark wood, elaborately carved and rigorously maintained. The horse, foaming around its bit, is nightmare black, with wild reddish eyes and wilting roses plaited into its mane. Though the carriage is still, it's also completely empty, no sign of any cargo at all much rather The Duke himself.

Then you hear the voices. From around the outcrop of hill an obvious argument—Moreau, scolded and tense, and another, seething and imperious. Much to your horror, you recognize that voice, too.

“—stupid do you think I am?” Lady Dimitrescu demands, her impeccably pronounced fury raising gooseflesh along your arms. “Did you really think that I wouldn't put the pieces together when the villagers started gossiping about a mermaid in the reservoir?”

“I, I d-don't—”

“What exactly did you think was going to happen, hm? That you would send your little notes to Mother Miranda and take credit for all my hard work?”

Mother Miranda? The mention catches you off-guard. What does she have to do with anything? You know, vaguely, from your conversations with Moreau that the four Lords of the village act under her authority, but you don't really understand how or what that means. Up until this moment you had honestly been unsure whether she was actually a real person. What is this about?

Lady Dimitrescu lets out a groan of pure contemptuous disgust, and you notice for the first time the long shadow she casts into your line of sight, unfurling like a snake about to strike. “Is there even enough functional matter in that misshapen skull of yours to make any use of what you've stolen from me?”

Moreau, shaking audibly, but undeterred. “I'm n-not using her. She came here on her own. And it's, Mother M-Miranda's gift, not yours. You always t-try to take more credit than, you deserve.”

Lady Dimitrescu must respond, you feel the sibilant weight of her voice in the air, but you can't parse a single word of it. Mother Miranda's gift. Mother Miranda's gift. It's like the earth below you has dropped away into some great, bottomless void, and you strain every ounce of concentration to avoid noticing, as if sheer ignorance could keep you suspended indefinitely above the fatal fall.

Moreau's mother and Mother Miranda are one and the same. This whole time—stupid, stupid, of coursethey are, how could you have missed it?

The simple answer: you didn't want to know.

A second revelation, then: Lady Dimitrescu is here for you.

That, at least, gets you moving, again. You creep forward to peer around the hill, to where Moreau stands, facing away from you and towards the striking figure of his unexpected sister. She seems even taller out in the open air, still clad in immaculate white, though this time it's a perfectly tailored pantsuit, cut low in front and tight at the waist. In one gloved hand she holds the ebony handle of a black parasol that effectively shuts out any wan remnants of the day's fading light. Against its concave underside her lovely pale face contorts with anger as she rolls her eyes at something you failed to hear. She seems loathe to look directly at Moreau at all, which is how her half-focused gaze comes to rest on you, clinging to the stone like frightened lichen. In an instant, her expression is knife-sharp and grinning.

“Well, well, if it isn't the little mermaid herself. Out for a swim?”

Thankfully, the fear that spikes through you reels you towards Moreau instead of pinning you in place; you hover by his shoulder, and he puts an arm out in front of you protectively. You're not sure how much it'll actually help, if Lady Dimitrescu insists on violence, but it does a great deal to soothe your nerves anyway. You tangle your hand in the fabric of Moreau's cloak in turn, touch for touch, assurance returned.

Lady Dimitrescu's eyes narrow, ever so slightly.

“What do you want?” you ask, and for all that your throat feels stuck tight with the threat of tears, your voice barely cracks at all.

“You know perfectly well what I want,” replies Lady Dimitrescu, threat simmering low in her voice. “And you should be grateful, that I still have the good grace to invite you back to the castle at all, after your outburst.”

Outburst. That puts iron in your spine. You'd have called it a desperate escape, personally, but then again you suppose you'd been the only one in fear for your life.

“I'm not going back to that torture chamber,” you snap, no patience for her hollow veneer of offended manners.

Lady Dimitrescu tuts sympathetically. “Of course not, dear, we couldn't have that, not with how well you've come along. There's a room prepared for you upstairs, right by the girls'.” She shifts her grip on the parasol, stoops a little to extend a hand in your direction. “Come back with me, and you have my word that you will want for nothing, ever again. Your days of damp and dank will be behind you forever.”

The offer would be tempting, if not for literally everything that had happened to you the last time you'd been under the roof of Castle Dimitrescu. Does she think you've forgotten? That you've forgiven? A caustic laugh bubbles up in your chest, and you tighten your grip on Moreau's cloak, which is when you notice that he's begun, very quietly, to cry.

Not beautiful like the castle is beautiful, you think with a pang. You wonder if he's been half-expecting this to happen all along, a brief brush with something that should never have been, rightfully lost to the lure of splendor and ease. If it feels like terrible confirmation, despite everything, that you were too good to be true. You'd have hoped, maybe by now—but if you need to remind him every day, for as long as it takes, you will. You take his extended arm and tuck yours through it, wind them together. You aren't going anywhere.

“I'll take the damp and dank, actually, thank you.”

Just like that, Lady Dimitrescu's expression shutters closed, lips pressed tightly together. “Daniela will be heartbroken to hear it,” she says tersely. If it's meant to strike guilt...it, distressingly, sort of does. “In any case, this was merely a formality. Mother Miranda will decide your case at the Cathedral tomorrow.”

“What?” you ask, just as Moreau exclaims, “The Cathedral?”

“It did occur to me that you would likely be unreasonable in this matter,” sneers Lady Dimitrescu. She turns to you, disappointed. “Though I did expect better from you.”

“Leave h-her alone,” growls Moreau. His voice is gravel and mud, deep in his throat in a way that would feel almost unfamiliar, if you hadn't spoken to him in his transformed state. “She already, s-said she doesn't want to go, with you.”

Lady Dimitrescu's smile is all teeth and no mirth. “We'll see about that,” she says blithely. She bends to cup your chin between her thumb and forefinger, turns your face towards her. “I'll give the girls your love.”

As she pulls away, you feel her nail graze your cheek, suddenly sharp, and a thin line of blood runs down your cheek like a tear. Lady Dimitrescu wipes it away primly, and licks it from the pad of her finger. Then she gets very, very still. Her tongue rolls around her mouth, and her expression shudders, like something physically crawling beneath her skin. Her eyes snap to Moreau, cold and bright and furious.

“What have you done to her, you wretched, loathsome creature?”

Moreau flinches against you as she looms into his space, bright spots of color high on her cheeks. For a brief moment it seems like she's about to snap a piece out of him with her bare teeth, but she catches herself just in time and settles for a hissed promise: “Mother Miranda will hear about this.”

Like a silk ribbon in the wind, she unfurls back to full height and strides back to her waiting carriage. Neither you nor Moreau move, clinging wordlessly to one another as you hear it clatter away up the hill. Your head is spinning, stuffed overfull of half-clues and incomplete information, a shredded album of waterlogged photographs.

“What did she mean by all that?” you ask into the stunned silence.

Moreau clears his throat. “Which p-part?”

You take a deep breath and play the conversation back in your head. Plenty of it raised questions, you might as well start at the beginning. “That you're taking credit for her hard work?”

A beat, Moreau's fingers clawing anxiously at your sleeve. “She thinks, th-that I see you, the way that she does.”

“How does she see me?” you ask. You have some ideas about that—a prisoner, an object, a toy, something entertaining but ultimately expendable.

Moreau wrings his hands, glancing away, his mouth working soundlessly.

“As, an experiment,” he says at last.

“An experiment?” You think of long, wicked needles, none of the other girls lasted this long, jars of cloudy amber liquid. “About my compatibility with the Cadou?”

Moreau nods miserably. You consider that for a moment, certainly not happy, but also not entirely surprised. You remember, despite yourself, the cold, clinical way Lady Dimitrescu had observed what happened to you in the castle, the rigorous records kept of every reaction. And the day you'd gotten away, the planned meeting with Mother Miranda; the scattered pieces shaken into place, the edges of a greater picture coming into focus.

“Why would she think you see me like that?”

Letting out a low wail, Moreau shakes his head, clutching it like he's in pain. “Because I'm, supposed to. Mother m-made me, one of her Lords, and it's my duty.”

That makes you feel cold, for a reason you can't quite place. “What do you mean?”

Moreau is fitfully quiet for another long moment, his expression slowly collapsing on itself like a rotting house.

“You deserve, to know,” he says finally, almost more to himself than to you. “I should have—I can, show you, w-will you come with me?”

Apprehension flickers lowly in your stomach. “Of course. Where are we going?”

“To my, laboratory,” says Moreau.

It's a further distance than you've been from the mines since you'd first come to call them home, wound up high in the hills and tucked into a secluded corner of the forest past another cluster of long-abandoned houses. The place is in disarray, Moreau apologizing and explaining that he hasn't been here for longer than it took to fetch the odd bit of equipment in months. Despite their shabby state you recognize a couple of long low tables, shelves of books and jars and boxes, an unsettling amount of stainless steel in varying stages of tarnish. It's not unlike what you might have imagined, if you'd tried to picture it, but there's a cold growing anxiety gnawing at you that you can't shake, an evasive expectation that resolves itself suddenly, horribly, when you notice the bent shape of a mangled metal cage.

Instantly you see the flooded cells of Castle Dimitrescu, the hammers and pliers and awls, the bloodstained stone, the hanging manacles. Deep, dull pain throbs in your wrists, a high, sharp ringing in your ears. Moreau says your name from what seems like very far away, and you flinch like you've been struck a blow.

“Why is that here?” you ask, throat tight.

“I—ah, the restraints on, the examination tables don't always—y-you've seen what the lycans can, can be like.”

It's a confirmation you needed but desperately did not want.

“The lycans aren't coming from the factory,” you say, the realization like bile on the back of your tongue. “It's here. From you. All those things Dimitrescu did to me you've been doing here, to other people—”

“No!” interrupts Moreau, hands waving frantically. “She takes from the village, without need, to s-satisfy her cruelty and, her pride. She cares more about her w-wine than her duty to Mother. N-not the same, at all.”

Technicalities. “But you've still infected people with the Cadou.”

“Yes,” admits Moreau. “The o-ones Mother Miranda has brought, to me. Those she thought might, successfully accept her gift.”

“Did they? Did any of them?” It's a desperate, hopeful question, though you couldn't even say what difference it would make, either way.

Moreau's hesitation is deafening. You swallow around the knot in your throat, your face tight and hot with sudden tears. You turn away, hand over your mouth.

“B-but it's better!” cries Moreau, reaching towards you, hands grasping. “It's b-better, to have been touched by Mother's gift, and changed, than n-never to have known it.”

A sob punches out of you, like the cork of a bottle, and a flood of tears follows. He believes it, you can tell he believes it, his fervor and eagerness, and it howls in you, anger and sorrow and a bottomless sympathy that feels like it could swallow you whole.

In your periphery, you hear Moreau cry out, the shuffle of urgent movement, and the unmistakable sounds of him vomiting further down the shack. You realize that you still want to comfort him.

“What's the point of all this?” you ask, voice hoarse. “What is Mother Miranda trying to do? Make more people into Lords?”

“N-no, no,” says Moreau, hoarser. “We are, h-her children, but.” He seems to catch himself, glancing back and forth between you and some unfixed point on the floor, wringing his hands into the front of his cloak. Finally, with a choked sort of noise, “Mother wants, her true child. She was lost as a-a baby, but with the Cadou, she can bring her back.”

It's a lot to take in. You've seen closer than most the sorts of impossible effects the Cadou can produce, but this?

“She can bring her daughter back to life? How is that possible?”

“There's a, special ceremony,” replies Moreau. “I don't know, the d-details of it, but it requires a host—a vessel, created with the p-power of Mother's gift. A perfect vessel, for her perfect child.”

You catch yourself on the edge of a splintering table, the floor tilting drunkenly beneath you. “Mother Miranda is putting parasites in people so she can turn one of them into her dead daughter? Am I getting it right? You really believe she can do that?”

“Mother...would n-never lie, to me,” says Moreau weakly.

Anger swells in you again. “She lied to the people in the village! They all trust her to keep them safe!”

“She does keep them safe!” says Moreau adamantly. “The lycans, don't g-go into the village—”

“The lycans are the village,” you reply. You're crying, again, nails biting against your palms. You want to shake or slap or scream at him. You want to hold and hide against him and never let go. You want to run, turn heel and hold him to his word that he'd never keep you here against your will, hide somewhere quiet and dark until you could believe it's all been a horrible nightmare, unreal and half-forgotten. All those people, turned or killed at the whims of one woman with too much power and nothing but contempt for any human life save her own lost flesh and blood.

And Moreau, better to have been touched by Mother's gift and changed than never to have known it, and no one could say he wasn't changed. Turned, and you know without asking that if there were a chance Miranda might benefit he would still call himself lucky for the chance to die for her.

You hold yourself very still, gripping your elbows tightly. “If she...found someone she could use as a vessel, what would happen to them? Would they survive?”

“Ah—they would, become one, with the source of Mother's gift,” Moreau tells you, that worshipful edge creeping back in to his tone. “It would be, a great h-honor, the greatest that there is!”

“What if it was me?”

Moreau's reverence curdles instantly into despair. Seeing it puts an ache in your chest, but you need to know.

“You said you don't see me as an experiment, but you've been sending her things about me.”

“So she would, let you stay!” he insists plaintively. “So she wouldn't send you b-back to Alcina. I thought, if, if I told her, just enough, I could p-protect you, but—” He cuts himself off with a gurgling groan, all but hurling himself into the corner to be sick again. He stumbles back afterwards, slumps down, the damp wood of the floor creaking ominously under his weight as he falls to his knees. “Now Mother Miranda is, going to see you, and she'll kn-know, she'll know that I've been lying because you're perfect.”

That's enough of a surprise that it nearly resets your line of thought completely. “Lying?”

Moreau yanks at his cowl, teeth gnashing. “I told, told her that you're too unstable to be a s-suitable vessel, that there's, still a chance your body w-will reject the Cadou. Her most, loyal child, and I l-lied, to keep you from her!”

He makes a terrible choking sound, and you swoop down to take his face in your hands. All along, all his devotion and adoration and dedication to Mother Miranda, and he's been lying to her, for you. To stop her from involving you any further in this madness of vessels and ceremonies and death. Not for the first time, you wonder about the person Moreau was before Miranda got to him, what he would say if he knew the future in front of him. It's clear that the years as a healer left their marks on him, the compulsion to help not completely lost, but warped mercilessly in time by Miranda into something to be ashamed of.

“Why are you doing this for her?” you ask softly. “You don't—do you enjoy it?”

Moreau shakes his head. “But if I do well, it h-helps Mother love me.”

“Why does it matter if she loves you?” It's harsher than you meant it to be, your anger overriding the gentle tact you know would be more appropriate.

Moreau glances away, pale eyes damp and searching. “She's the only one who does.”

That hurts. “Do you believe that?” Your voice trembles, your whole body like something being slowly crushed in a closed fist.

“Mother...wouldn't lie,” begins Moreau weakly, and you seize his hands, your throat tight.

“She's wrong,” you tell him fiercely. “She's wrong. She isn't the only person who loves you.”

There's a very weak case to be made, you think, that she even loves him at all.

Moreau gawps at you. He opens his mouth as if to argue the point, then closes it without speaking. He stares at you, something in it like rising courage, wonder over fear.

“Do you remember what I said? What I want for both of us?”

“That we, don't do anything w-we don't want to,” he confirms, still with that wonder in his eyes.

You nod, lifting the corner of your apron to pat at the wet tracks on his face. “Good. If you don't want to do this for Mother Miranda anymore, then don't, okay?”

Moreau squirms, nodding a little, but you won't hold him to a definite answer right now. It's bound to be more complicated than that, and anyway you're not trying to be a new Miranda, bullying him around until he does what you say. And you feel, somehow, like it had been with the fishermen, a distinct sort of surety—or, rather, a lightness in you where you would expect the weight of concern to sit.

You help Moreau to his feet, and he leans heavily on your arm, reluctant to relinquish the contact.

“The Cathedral, tomorrow,” he begins hesitantly.

You press your hand against his encouragingly. “Will you tell me what to expect? If it's less of a mystery, I won't be so nervous about it.”

“You're w-willing to go?” He sounds surprised.

You hum a little. It isn't as though you could refuse, really. You wouldn't put Moreau in that position, and from what you know about Mother Miranda it wouldn't surprise you if she just sent someone else to drag you there whether you were willing or not.

Still. “Actually,” you say, “I'm looking forward to it. I've heard so much about Mother Miranda by now, it's about time we met, don't you think?”

Face-to-face with the woman the villagers worship, the dark hand behind the Lords and monsters they feared, and you expected to be afraid. Mostly, you just feel angry.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” you say, your arm still threaded through Moreau's as you start the long walk back. “For trusting me with this.”

“I should have, done it sooner,” says Moreau. “But, I p-promise, no more secrets. Not, from you.”

A smile pulls itself up from your chest, tenderness straight from the source. She isn't the only person who loves you, so. No more secrets indeed.

Arm in arm in the twilight, you go home.

#moreau x reader #resident evil moreau #salvatore moreau #mother miranda (derogatory)#we'll get to see the rest of the four lords next chapter and i'm VERY excited #my fic

13 notes · View notes

msilwrites · 3 years

Text

(A 3AM Short Story) - (SHORT 1/2) - The Dark Knight

A/N: Hi guys, I have a lot of drafts I've been editing inside the draft folder of my Tumblr page. Sorry that I have not published them, I'm aware I make a lot of grammar mistakes, therefore, just I want them to be written properly, for it to have a strong narrative voice and can be easily understood.

Nonetheless, here is one of them...

Let me add, I'm actually busy updating my other stories, so do standby for that!

Cast -

'Q' is an Original Character

'K' / Kieran Sorensen - Mads Mikkelsen

WARNING: SEXUAL TENSIONS.... you need cold water!

The Dark Knight

Even before Q was known as 'Q', she was first a trainee under 'K' or Kieran, her commanding officer. However, she didn't expect to work beside him after finishing her training and working for the MI6. Neither did she expect that he was preparing her to take over once he steps down. That he wanted her to succeed him.

It all started when she entered the training programme. He had interviewed her for the first time, whilst holding on to the piece of paper which contained information about her background.

A woman who spent her primary education in Dragon School, and a secondary education at top international school in Shanghai, before graduating tertiary in Cambridge. With these, she could've been considered a 'strong candidate'.

"Privileged..." was his reply, upon reading everything. He clearly wasn't impressed. "You're probably very intelligent, but do you have grit?"

She gulped nervously and was thankful enough that she didn't write anything about her grandfather being an admiral or her father being an officer.

She remembered what he had told her clearly the first time, which is why it was a surprise to her that he considered her as a 'successor'.

Her job was something classified, she was not a field agent, but her duty was akin to that of a chess player, a tactician, a strategist and her chess pieces, were the agents under her command. And the playground was the operations she led and handled. And after a long time, she became good at it.

Throughout the years, she slowly got the hang of it, and finally earned the respect of her colleagues and superiors, specially Keiron, who had eventually become fond of her.

Everything was fine until she received a piece of devastating news.

Q's mother had committed suicide and her sister had a breakdown. At first, she couldn’t believe it. She knew her mother would never do such a thing! Didn’t she just remarry a good man who also happens to be wealthy? and had told her that she is in love with her new husband? That didn’t sound like the jovial mother she had often talked to over the phone. But as the details and truth began to resurface, everything became clearer...

As Q dug deeper for the truth, receiving the suicide note, her mother’s diary, the Private Investigator’s report and her sister’s story, one thing became clear; the cause of her family’s ruin was her mother’s new husband; Vincenzo Rosello.

Much to the family’s dismay, the truth was something painful to learn. Q broke down and cried. She considered dropping everything, just to get to her sister.

Her sister Helene, according to the report given to her by the investigator, was locked up in a private mental institution/ rehab in Mallorca and was given medication that had kept her mind blank every day.

Her grandfather and father were willing to do anything to get Helene rescued. But Q knew that if both her grandfather and father made a move, it will cause a diplomatic problem for the country. It was enough pretext for them that they should not intervene or try anything. Besides, the fact that the information was classified and Vincenzo Rosello was no ordinary man, makes it no easy task for her grandfather and father who holds high positions in the government, compared to her, a 'small fly'. So Q talked her family out of it and took it upon herself to rescue her sister, whatever it took.

At first, Q leaks the story to BBC News and CNN through an agent contact in Madrid, believing that public sympathy and pressure would force the country to intervene. However, Kieron Sorensen had done something, causing the networks to retract the news as a hoax.

Q was angry of course, upon learning of what happened. But she couldn't show it, and couldn't let anyone know that it was her who had leaked the information.

She didn't know what was coming for her until Kieron summoned her to his office.

"Ah, Q, please take a seat," Kieron offers, as she closes the door behind her. She had a feeling he might try to pry something out of her, but whatever it was, she decided that she will not admit to anything.

"What did you call me for?"

"Straightforward as always! Well, do you remember the painting at the museum that we saw?" he starts.

She scratches her head and thought how random the question was. "Which painting?"

"In front of the painting where I first handed you your badge," he said.

She suddenly remembered the event years ago, when he had welcomed her officially to the agency, by giving her a gun and badge inside a box, at a gallery, right in front of a painting. It looked more like a transaction between two people instead of a 'welcome' due to its secret, unnoticeable nature.

"Yes... what about it?"

"What was the painting again?" he asked.

"A knight and a lady," was her answer.

"A yes! 'A knight and his lady'! remember what I told you that time?"

"That there is no knight in shining armour to the rescue, that you are your own knight..." she casually mentions.

"And?" asking her to continue.

"That we should not aspire to be white knight, but a 'dark knights'" she rolls her eyes, thinking that this was a waste of time. "If there is anything else, I would like to go. I have a lot more paperwork to do,"

Kieron smiled " I am glad you remember, what is this then?" he pushes a paper towards her, containing the report that was leaked to the networks.

" I do not know what is this about?" she feigns ignorance.

His handsome face twists into a cynical smile. "Oh Q, isn't that your sister in the news?"

"Yes, I can see that, but we have been estranged ever since our parents divorced..." she lied. In fact, she almost communicated with them every day.

"I see..." Kieron folds his hands and takes a long hard look at her, which made her uncomfortable, but she was not going to give anything away. "I just want to remind you not to play the 'Dark Knight' in this situation. I'm not saying it was you who did this but consider the position your family would be in."

"Is that a threat, Director?" she clenched her teeth.

"No, it's a warning..." was his response, followed by a handsome smile, that she had so wanted to punch.

"Duly noted..." was her resigned response.

"I'm glad you understand, we have to always choose and preserve the greater good..."

"Greater good? so you want me to abandon my sister?" her voice was strained, as anger began to rise within her.

"I never said that... What I'm saying is, incidents like this can be considered as something against the agency and the government "

"I am aware of that and don't need you to remind me..." was her curt reply.

"I will not tolerate insubordination, and I will not back you up or rescue you if you continue this," he adds.

"I did not break any rules..." was her firm response, bent on not admitting anything.

" If that is so, you are to take a two-week compassionate leave,"

"I don't need it, I have a lot of work to do," she says, brushing it off.

"It's not a request, it's an order..." was his stern reply. "You're not into step into the office within those two weeks,"

"You can't do that?! I have a lot of work to do, and people who depend on me," she insists. She knew the moment she leaves the office, she will be unable to access some resources needed to rescue her sister.

"That's all taken care of," he said nonchalantly.

She felt her plans fall apart. It was obvious why Kieron was doing this. And that is to prevent her from taking any action, and this made her extremely frustrated.

" You have 2 days to finish whatever you can. After that, surrender your access card and gun before you go..." he adds, which finally broke the camel's back.

In a fit of anger, Q bolts out of her seat and attacks Kieran, pulling his arm forward, and punches his face the moment she had close the distance, which caught him off guard.

But a seasoned combatant like Kieron had recovered quickly and caught her body, swung her into his back and slammed her hard on the table.

Q, flinched in pain, but was not one to give up, countered his attack by trying to lock his arm, forcing him into submission. However, he was able to free himself from it and back throws her, causing her to land on the nearby couch with a loud thud.

But before she could even recover, Kieron had already gone on top of her and held both her wrist above her head, pinning her down the couch in a compromising position.

He leans close to her face and whispers to her ears, "You do that again, I will not be as merciful..."

She felt goosebumps on her neck with what he did. It was no mistake, she was turned on. It was also not a big help that Kieron is a handsome man. She did not want to look at him in the eye, or the feelings that she had withheld inside her, for him, all these years, might just spill...

He drags her back up and buttons the top part of her shirt, which she had not noticed was open. Some of the buttons were gone due to the physical altercation that had happened between them earlier. Her face felt warm as she looked away, as the gesture felt sensual and intimate. A significant other is supposed to do these things, not your boss! And certainly not after a fight!

He stilled her and gently tilted her chin to meet up his gaze. For a moment she was lost in his citrine eyes.

"Don't cause trouble, I would hate to lose you..." he whispered, and it felt more of a warning. "Go..." he turns around and walks back to his table, waving her off.

"Damn him..." she muttered under her breath as she went back to her small office. She had only two days to do her work, in addition to getting whatever resources she needs to rescue her sister. If Kieron thought this setback will discourage her, then he is wrong.

**********

After two days of work, the moment she had reached home, she had finally decided to go off-grid. She knew the moment she had left the agency, Kieron would've probably put her under watch list.

Pushing a heavy bookshelf on the side, the self glided easily despite its weight, revealing a small secret room with a vault inside her apartment. On one part of the shelf, was two fake passports and identity cards she had procured over the years, on one part was a thick clipping of the currency 'Euros'. She takes them and throws packs into her bag, before coming back for the vault, and taking another handphone.

She leaves her handphone on the bedside table and didn't plan on taking it with her to Spain. Kieron surely would use it to track her and she couldn't risk anyone knowing her plans and ruin them.

But before leaving, she messages her father;

'Perseus is coming for Andromeda'

**********

Mallorca, Spain

Q was not surprised that it was raining hard the moment she arrived at Mallorca. It was after one of their coldest seasons.

She wasted no time and immediately embraced her new identity, Geórgia Santos, a woman from Terrassa who will work as the cleaner at the psychiatric hospital where her sister, Helene is confined.

She eventually took on her role well, and immediately gained the respect of the medical staff within a few days of working as a cleaner. She even gained information who are some of the patients, through gossip with the nurses.

By the end of the week, she learned that the forbidden room she wasn't allowed to enter was the same room Helene is solely confined in. Not only because it was guarded. Moreover, thrice a week, a man comes to visit the room and stays there for almost a whole day, and he would ask the staff about his 'prisoner' in the room.

Upon learning the whole truth, she had sneaked in one night into her sister's room and found her in a state any family member would not like to see. Her informer was right, Helene was kept mentally blank every day. She had eventually bribed the nurse and the doctor assigned in Helene's room for information and their silence. According to the nurse she had bribed for information, the ‘stepfather’ would often visit Helene and stay at her quarters for a ‘very long time'.

Flabbergasted, Q calls out the nurse for not doing anything. But the nurse reasons that the ‘stepfather’ is a powerful man and they themselves were afraid to go against him. When she made it known that she wanted to take Helene from the institution and bring her back to England, the nurse and the doctor, though feeling guilty, advised her not to, as Vicenzo Rosello will not allow it. It will put the whole staff in jeopardy.

When she promised a way out, and a way to cripple Vicenzo, so that he would not misdirect his anger. Both of them immediately agreed and cooperated.

"Saint George, has seen the dragon" she sends another cryptic message to her father. What it actually meant is that she had seen Vicenzo.

The messaging window indicated 'typing' for a long time. She knew her father was holding back the anger, he was surely thinking of giving an order to kill. But no, he seems to have thought it through.

"Saint George should not slay the dragon," was his response followed by "Yet...".

Q chuckled upon receiving the message. Oh, the many ways they plan to hurt Vicenzo. After all, killing him immediately is an easy way out. They should torment him every chance they get, after what happened to her mother and Helene.

Unbeknownst to the agency, within her two last days before her compassionate leave. She had forged a directive signed by the agency's head to begin "Operation Persues" a rescue mission that is spearheaded by the SAS that she had developed within a short amount of time as 'Plan B" for her own attempt to rescue her sister.

On the night of the extraction, the moment the power was cut, Q hurriedly rushed to the floor where her sister was confined. The guards were out so she was able to easily enter her room.

When she entered Helene's room, she found her sleeping soundly in the dark, much to her relief. She checks her watch to see how much time she has. She could carry her sister to the nearby coastline herself where a boat is supposedly waiting for them, or wait for the soldiers she assigned to guide them there.

Her plan was to get Helene to Madrid and have her transported via car (as she was not mentally stable) to the south of France where their grandfather was waiting for them.

She felt her hands grow cold, as the clock ticks. The guards will be back any time now, and she has no gun to neutralize them if it comes into an altercation.

Suddenly, there was a sharp sound of a suppressor, followed by a loud thud on the floor. There was a knock on the door before it opened to reveal an imposing figure standing in the door frame, dressed in black night ops camouflage, with a large rifle. A normal person would probably be scared if they see him. After all, he looked like the stuff of 'nightmares' specially with his face covered, and his eyes were night-vision lenses that made him look like a multi-eyed monster.

"She's not stable," she whispers to the man. " I'm afraid of her waking up, and causing a commotion. "

The man nodded in understanding, before signalling another soldier outside of the room to come in.

The other soldier takes out a syringe containing a sedative to calm Helene down, in case she wakes up. In any other situation, Q would be fine, doing it to the target. She had carried out a lot of operation that needed this course of action. But now that they're doing it to her sister, she felt a little conflicted.

Another soldier enters the room and carries Helene out carefully. The first soldier, who first entered the room pulls out a gun from one of his armour's holsters and hands it to her.

"Thank you," she says softly, glad that he was considerate enough to give her a weapon to defend herself.

In a few minutes time, the power will come back, they needed to get to the nearby coastline by foot, as the sound of the car can attract attention this late at night, at a quiet place like this.

The smell of the incoming rain was obvious to her, the moment they stepped out of the hospital, they needed to get to the boat before the rain falls. There were 5 soldiers, and the boat can only carry 5 people, which meant two should stay ashore, and leave in another way.

"I will see you at Bordeaux, give her to the Admiral as instructed..." she says, referring to her grandfather, as she instructs the soldiers and they respond with a nod. She trusted them enough to carry their duty. Moreover, it wasn't the first time working with the SAS.

She watched as the boat left the shore, and turned away once she can no longer see them in the distance.

Turning her attention back to the soldier who stayed behind with her, she realized that it was the same person who first entered the room earlier and passed her a gun. Though she could not see his face like the rest of them, it was his aura that separates him from his team. He seemed like a very seasoned soldier and she wouldn't be surprised if he was, as her guest and observations were often right.

"Thank you for staying behind, I do not know if you have a plan B, but I'll take care of us here, from now on. And we'll be back in London before you know it!" she tries to convince him, but he did not respond and just stared at her. She sighed in resignation and asks him to follow her, as the rain began to fall.

Not far from the hospital was a small cabin she had rented as her temporary quarters.

"Come in..." She opens the door and holds it open for him.

The moment they entered the house, he was met with countless papers, photographs, stuck on a corkboard, and a few, small spy tech, including a laptop. The rest, was just a small kitchen, a small fireplace, bathroom, a queen-size bed, and a small couch, nothing more, nothing less. The small house looked like an operational briefing room, instead of living quarters.

"I'm sorry about the mess, I'll burn them once we leave, go make yourself at home. You must be tired so you can take my bed and I won't mind it, I'll sleep on the couch" she uttered mindlessly, as she started packing some of the equipment for more space. "Besides, I need to forge a few papers here and there to get us out of here, I'll buy you new clothes tomorrow too," she adds, turning towards him, still without a response.

"So, uhh... I don't plan on seeing you in the raw, so... just cover yourself up with a blanket" she sighed, though she meant well, not wanting him to stay in his damp clothes, she felt sorry for the guy. He probably thinks she's a weird pervert now for saying that carelessly. "Sorry, I came unprepared for this part. I didn't know it will rain..." she reasons.

The man finally sits down on the couch and makes himself comfortable, and began slowly dismantling his rifle.

She heaved another sigh, before remembering the gun he has handed her earlier on. "Ah yes, I almost forgot, here's your gun, I-" she paused for a moment and disarmed it, removing the silencer and the bullets and then she felt a certain texture on one side of the gun and saw an engraved quote;

'This is a tool, I am the weapon'

There was no mistake, this was her gun that the agency confiscated before she left for her 2 weeks leave. How did a special ops soldier end up having it?

She looked at him confused. "H-How did you?"

The man's answer was silence and then he took off his night visions goggles and his mask, only to reveal Kieran, underneath the camo.

"Shit..." she muttered under her breath, as alarms started ringing inside her head. This operation was unsanctioned, to begin with, and the only way she was able to carry it was by using her and her father's money, forging signatures for approval and unprofessionally using the companies resources to carry out the rest, which she knew she had distorted the evidence so that they will not find out.

"How... how did you-?" she was lost for words.

"You made a small blunder... that's how I found out..." he says sternly, as he slowly approached her, his expression was cold. She knew what was coming. He was going to kill her in cold blood. It didn't matter if she was his prodigy and that they've been colleagues for a decade, or that he was fond of her. Kieran was first and always a cold-blooded assassin/operative, even before he became the division head. She heard the stories, and she witnessed how cold and cruel he could be. Nor does he take betrayal well. And this unsanctioned operation is considered betrayal in the agency's eyes, and his. And what happens when one commits 'insubordination? if lucky they can get away with getting court-martialed if not, they are 'neutralized'.

Unfortunately, she will be getting the latter.

But she didn't want to die. She wanted to reunite with her family, to finally be there for Helene, after years apart. To finally mourn her mother properly. She didn't want her family to have another person to mourn for. She wants to live, and she will fight to live.

Wasting no time, she throws the gun at his face, as she didn't have enough time to re-assemble everything.

"Fuck..." Kieran cursed under his breath when the heavy metal hits his chests and was followed by the silencer before she made a run for it outside.

*****

The backwoods was dark, and she almost tumbled down, running. Especially now that it rained heavily, the place was slippery. This setback was certainly something she didn't expect. She needed to gather her thoughts and think of a plan C. She did remember that she had kept backup 'necessities' in a locker at the port. She just needed to get there safely and get Kieron off her trail.

However, before she could make her next move. A pair of strong arms wrap around her waist, swung her to his shoulders, and then throws her back down into the ground.

"That's for earlier..." Kieran mentions as he circled around her.

"This is not fair, I thought you were a gentleman!" she says, in spite of the situation.

"I am... I haven't injured you yet, haven't I?" was his playful remark. "Get up!"

She struggled to get up and glared at him. " You think this is a game?"

"And you thought I wasn't serious when I warned you? Remember, every action has a consequence and this is yours..."

She finally gets up and rushes forward to attack him. He immediately blocks her fist, but she kicks his knees, breaking his stance.

He quickly recovers and prepares for an attack, but she had jumped at him, wrapping her legs around his waist, and using the force of her momentum to throw him back down to the ground. She quickly grabs his back leg and twists it.

Quickly wrapping her legs around his, she cranks it the wrong way, pulling it forward, hyperextending it, in an attempt to dislocate and cripple him.

He screams in pain, as she put him into a kneebar submission. However, he quickly counters her move by kicking the back of her knee with his free leg and freeing his other leg out in the process.

Unable to continue the kneebar, Kieron immediately grapples with her once he was free. But she was too quick and got away quickly.

"Not bad..." he laughs.

She tried to catch her breath and glared back at him. She rather escapes than prolong this fight. Fighting against a veteran like Kieron is futile. However, before she could make a run for it, he moves forwards and quickly strikes her in the gut, causing her to lose air and then consciousness.

**********

It was 4 am according to her clock when she gained consciousness once again and found herself with her arms tied up to the bedpost.

The only thing that serves light in the room was the small fireplace, and Kieron was in front of it smoking a cigarette, with nothing but a blanket on, wrapped around his waist.

If this was any other situation, this was a wet dream come true. She had always been curious about the body underneath those sharp custom made, Saville-Row suits and smart apparel he wore to work. He was like those silver fox models that were displayed in GQ and not once did she see him undone and raw like this. Heck, he looked good even when doing violent interrogations.

His body was muscularly lean and well-toned, with scars here and there. In short words, he's damn hot.

She sighs and takes in the sight before her. It was probably the last thing she would see and remember him for before he ends her life.

"Like what you see?" he teased.

"Put a shirt on... you're ugly..." was her rude response.

He laughs out loud and stares at her.

"Just kill me..." she pleads. She was not willing to go through torture and interrogation, and she knew that was coming next.

He gets up and seats down on the side of the bed. "But I'm not done with you yet...." he whispers.

" We can be done in a minute, I will tell you everything. I admit to it. I forged all your signatures for approval, used the agencies resources to gather information and used my own savings to fund this operation. That is all... now... do what you have to do..." she says in resignation. "And do it quick, I don't want it to be painful" she adds.

He takes out a knife and she closes her eyes shut, preparing for what's next. However, to her surprise, Kieran cuts of the rope binding her arms instead, before walking away and sitting back down in front of the fireplace.

"Kieron..." she calls his name whilst rubbing the lacerations on her wrist.

"You're a fool, you know?... I've advised you many times to not do this..."

"The agency will..." she began but he quickly cut her off.

"They're not aware, I've cleaned it up for you..." was his simple response.

"Why-why? you said...-"

"I'm not that heartless that you and others make me out to be..." he says nonchalantly, waving it off. "You're not trained as a covert agent... do you know how worried I was when I found out?"

"Who are you to care? we're nothing but colleagues and your nothing but the heartless department director who wants results! I am well aware that I am just your pawn!" She shook her head. Kieron Sorenson was too cold to even care. " Please save me the pretence..."

He glares back at her and gets back up to approach her. Closing in the distance like a predatory animal and she was his prey.

"Kieron... I-" before she could say anything, he crushed his mouth against hers and much to his surprise, she did not protest or struggle and welcomed it wholeheartedly. Returning the kiss with equal intensity.

He tried in vain to slow down and pull away for them to catch their breath. Only to find her looking back at him with longing eyes.

"Since when?" she asked. Of course, she was confused by this sudden 'confession'. She may admit that she does have a secret crush on the cold-blooded director. But not once did she expect that he had affection for her too.

"The museum..." he whispers huskily, referring to the time he had welcomed her to the agency. She looked so beautiful that day, her head held high, upon proving how wrong he was about her, as she sat beside him in front of the painting. " I wanted to kiss that witty mouth of yours... but that's just unprofessional..."

"You're being unprofessional now..." she remarks.

"I don't give a damn..." he says and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear.

A/N: I think I might have made some grammatical errors. So I'd do soft editing. I'll write Part 2 (SMUT!!!) next after this.

6 notes · View notes

authorofdanger · 5 years

Text

Reason Of Survival Part 2

Genre: Angst

Warnings: Violence, Abuse, And Slight Gore.

Stray Kids Mafia AU

The intense pressure and chill of the shower stung against my body as one of the guards sprayed me down with a water hose. I sat there as still as I could to try to make this go as quick as possible but time seemed to drag on for years before my naked body was wrapped in a tattered towel and I was tossed a clean pair of spandex shorts and a sports bra that were off shades of black.

While I struggled to get my clothes on I could hear Jeongin's screams as he fought against the guards that were cleaning him. "Don't fucking touch me! Leave me alone!" He would just be better off staying quiet and put on an act as if nothing bothered him like he does with me. Now that I think about it I wonder which side of him is the facade? Is it the brave young man that he shows me or is it the scared child he appears to be to the guards? Maybe overtime these two sides will merge into one, or possibly only one side will remain. How will this trauma effect him in a few days, weeks, or even years?

"Move runt," a guard growled before pulling me out of the shower rooms and back into my now cleaned cell where one of the cell doctors was waiting for me. This one was still relatively new to the underground after being kidnapped as she was leaving her job from a small hospital. She appeared to be no older than twenty-three and had long brown hair that was slicked back into a tight ponytail. She always treats her patients with a form of delicacy and kindness that has caused me to firmly believe she is the only good worker here.

"How are you today Y/N? You took a pretty bad beating last night?" I simply nodded my head and sighed "broken wrist and nose, possible cracked ribs, nothing crazy. My cell mate wrapped my wrist but-" "I have a brace you can wear for now," she interrupted while reaching into her medical bag and pulling out a small black wrist brace. "Its nothing grande but it should help right? Mind if I take a look?" I held out my arm to her and sucked in a sharp breath as her fingers ran around the swollen area. "I'm sorry! I'll try to be quick okay?" I watched how she slipped the brace over my hand to cover my wrist and how she had adjusted it to fit snug against my injury. "So this cell mate of yours? He's that new boy they took from one of the rivals?"

"You know about that?" She tilted her head to the side while a slight chuckle escaped her lips. "How could I not? I'm around the guards and upper ground workers all day every day. I know everything I guess." It was then that Jeongin was shoved in with his new attire of a thin black shirt and black joggers that appeared stretched and wrinkled from being manhandled. It wasn't the state of his clothes that shocked me but it was the puffiness and shade turning of his left eye and the way he held his head before slightly stumbling to the ground. I was just barely able to grab him in time to soften his landing and I noticed how I was holding my breath after he tried to squirm from my hold.

"Jeongin what happened," I asked while examining his head for blood where he was holding. "Jeongin? I'm Dr.Park can you hear me?" I let out a small sigh of relief when he said "loud and clear Doc. Dont worry I just had my head bashed into the shower floor and a fist to the face, nothing a little ice cant fix, or sleep." After a few moments of us making sure it would be safe for him to sleep I let his head rest on my thigh and his arms wrap around my leg while I gently scratched the back of his neck.

"You two really have gotten close in a short time frame," she chuckled before making one more adjustment to my wrist brace. "He's a kid Chae-" "Rosè," she corrected. "Anyways Rosè the boy is still young. He doesnt belong in this world."

"You really dont know much about his line of work do you," she chuckled, "dont let his age fool you Y/N. Honestly I think there is more to him then what we can see. Dont worry about him more then you worry about yourself alright? Now rest up for selections, starts in an hour you know?"

*****

It's like being pigs lined up for slaughter. The Boss brought in his best fighters while the rivals brought there's to examine all of us. One by one we were all being drafted and scheduled. I stood as tall as I could and let no emotion graze my face as I was touched and analyzed by other greasy men and women. The women were by far the worst, having no shame in getting into detail about the people they were selecting. One of them was pinning me up against one of her strongest women, the prize for if she won would be to take me as her slave. Another woman wanted me as a fighter of her own after seeing my past records. By the end of it I would end up fighting against three girls and two guys in the ring.

"Hey Red what about that District Nine boy you recently captured?" My eyes shot over to the boss as a warning glance. He knows very well that I am willing to take out a leader if threatened since I've done it once before, giving him the entirety of the dead man's team. "He is not up for debate. You pick the fight with who I am giving available or you can leave," he yawned while leaning back in his chair. Taking a long drink of his coffee I could see the look he was giving me through the rim of his mug, he was watching my every reaction and most likely was going to use it against me.

I pulled my gaze off of him and put my attention back on my opponents. Most of them seemed to be on my level in terms of body size and determination but one was going to be an obvious challenge. At nearly two times my height and his arms larger then my head you could tell his owner put all the eggs in one basket, rightfully so. He was a beast that could kill me in one hit if I'm not careful and the boss knew it. But I knew I was going to win, I had to win! "Let's plan these matches for two days from now. Be here no later then nine, after that its forfeit and I will claim my prize by midnight," the boss sneered, "dont test my patience."

And with that I was taken to the gym area where Jeongin sat patiently between two guards on the bench press. "So this is the punk you are fighting for," one of the other fighter's asked. "What's it to you Lau? Last I checked you only worry about yourself." "Just curious as to see who is putting you in extra shit," he chuckled before going to the weights to work on his arms and core. "Just ignore him Y/N. You know he doesnt mean anything by it," Amber encouraged with a pat on the back. Even though i know she is right there is still a part of me that wants to knock his teeth in but i will refrain for now.

"So how bad is it," Jeongin asked once i got over to him. "Nothing i cant handle. Get up so i can use this." The guards moved away from the two of us and Jeongin moved to sit on the floor and watch as I got to work. My usual routine would be to work on my strength for around twenty minutes, stamina for fifteen, and then a few other various things for the rest of the hour before we would be dragged back to the showers and get fed in our cages.

"I wonder how well you would fight against Changbin," he mumbled to himself as I continued to lift some weights and then moved over to the pull up bar. "Changbin," I asked behind shallow breaths as I pulled up all of my body weight. "He is the main fighter of Stray Kids." "Big dude," I asked but was only responded to by a fit of laughter.

"If you consider around one hundred and sixty seven centimeters in height tall then sure he is a 'big dude,' but to the rest of us he isn't. But dont let his height fool you, the man is a beast." Rolling my eyes I took a small glance around the room to see most of the others were watching us. Some with pure curiosity while others had more of jealousy burning in their eyes. One man in particular gave the most menacing look. "You got a problem Hongbin," I growled before landing on my feet. He let out a tight scoff as he approached us. "Maybe I do. What makes you so special that you dont have to do shit," he asked as he shoved Jeongin back by his chest.

I was quick to get between the two and land a quick blow to his neck, knocking him to his knees. "Fucking touch him again I dare you," I spat, "anyone else got a fucking problem or can we mind our own business here?" All the eyes that watched intensely earlier immediately shot away from us. Once Hongbin was stumbling back to his feet I knew there would be blood in a matter of minutes. His face was red with a few veins showing here and there and his fists were balled. His anger was always quick to get to him ever since he was assigned to the ring, honestly I cant blame him.

His hand found it's way to my throat and he shoved me into the mirror where my head would slam hard enough to break part of the glass. Everyone in the room froze as I let out a small laugh. "You think I wont put your ass in place because of your fighting status," he growled after he took a swing at my face. My already broken nose stung while the rest of my face began to numb letting me know that it was either fight or get my ass handed to me. I was quick with my hands and yanked a shard of glass from the mirror and shove it into his left hand, forcing him to drop me before I kicked him back and swung my leg around to knock him off of his feet. I grabbed him by his scalp and dragged him over to where our weighted belts and jump ropes were and then proceeded to whip him with the smallest rope we had. After a few seconds he was back to his feet and racing towards me but I was able to barely dodge him and throw a weighted ball at his leg.

In a flash I noticed a body leap ontop of him and hit his head hard with a dumbbell, successfully knocking him out. Jeongin shoved the dead weight off of him and gave me a huge grin as he got back up. "Is he always that aggressive," he asked as if nothing happened. Maybe Rosè was right, maybe I shouldn't worry so much about him.

*****

"You two really do enjoy causing problems dont you," boss asked while his guards tied us to the wooden chairs. I know the rules at this point, stay silent and dont look him in the eyes. If you make yourself look small he will go easy on you but the tougher you act the tougher the punishment.

Jeongin doesnt quite grasp this concept and decided to thrash and fight the guards while yelling at everyone in the room. "He started it! She was defending herself! Leave her alone!" A firm grasp yanked my gaze from the floor and into a pair of ice cold eyes. "Seems someone has gotten attached to our little mutt," he spat. His grip grew tighter by the second until my jaw was forced open and painfully pried to its limits. "Maybe you should pay for his constant running mouth." My heart was beating a million beats a minute and I let out small whimpers as he begins to push and pull on my jaw lightly. When he began to get rougher with me i couldnt help the painful cries i was letting out, knowing he was trying to dislocate my jaw in the most painful way he could. My eyes screwed shut and i just prayed that it would be quick and it be my only punishment. "Stop it! Let her go! Please!"

"Maybe I should make you two an example. Untie them and throw him in his cell. She goes in the empty one beside him and I want her hands tied to the ceiling." Finally releasing my sore but intact jaw I felt my body get ripped from the seat and bonds and was being pulled by my hair while Jeongin had to be escorted by three guards. "Why are you acting so small? I've seen you fight Y/N so do it!"

Soon he will understand, there are times to be big and times to be small. Over the years I have learned what to do for each situation and right now I had to be small and pliant.

As we entered our hall I heard the nervous cries and mumbles that bounces off the walls and was harshly thrown into the cell next to the one Jeongin was shoved into. The guards all came in and roughly bounded my hands and hung me to where my toes only brushed the ground. My shoulders were screaming in agony along with the wrist that I injured now even days ago.

"Y/N fight back," he pleaded while trying to reach for me only for a guard to step on his hand. "Stop it Jeongin," I cried, "please just stop." He was only making this worse for the both of us. I was baring both punishments for severely injuring Hongbin and his constant pleading wasn't helping anything.

The boss came in with a few of his favorite tools. His whip, a few knives, and a few things I havent quite seen before. The whip was the first thing he reached for with a crooked grin on his face. "The punishment would have only been ten but since you decided to take on anything for this little nuisance that makes it twenty right?"

"Y-yes sir," i stammered. Leaning my head away and shutting my eyes I took in a deep breath to try and calm my tensing nerves but as soon as the first strike hit there was no way of relaxation. It started on my thighs, and then my back, and finally to my chest. The stinging never left and my vision blurred from the tears I couldnt even try to hold back. My throat was becoming raw from my cries but behind it all I could hear Jeongin yelling like a mad man.

The knives were for the whip's markings that didnt dig into my skin, he loved to mark me knowing that i would always remember the night i received that specific mark. My skin was numbing at this point and I couldn't keep my head up. For a while everything stopped and i believed it was over until a shearing pain dug into my shoulder blade and two guards held me in place. The smell of burning flesh was filling my nose and the slight hiss was barely heard. I was being branded.

When the punishment was finally over they didnt even bother getting the rope off of my wrist but they tossed my limp body where Jeongin sat helplessly. I let out a small cry at the slightest touch, body too sensitive to want any human contact at all. Soon the rope was gently pulled off of me and I was pulled into a shaking embrace.

"Chan where are you," he whispered as I fell into darkness.

62 notes · View notes