#it's worm wife hour gang

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Chapter 23 - The Connector

"Ohhh, that's so awesome! Really?" Ohma's eyes widened a little, watching his wife, upside down on the couch, her long hair sweeping the floor as she giggled on the phone. "Even the Russian Mafia joined? No way! Ha, that's so cool!" it must have been Inaba she was talking to, otherwise she wouldn't be giggling and gossiping like that. "And you've got the Brazilians too? The Portuguese? The Yakuza also? And a lot of cults and political factions too? The Worm's gonna get annihilated in no time, amazing!" she's been talking on the phone for at least an hour - On face cam, no less. Ohma couldn't hear anything they were saying on the TV. "Oh, okay, okay - Go say Hi to Uri from me! See ya, Sadako-chan!" finally, Kisara closed the phone after nicknaming the Black Phantom after the ghost girl from The Ring. Very smart.

"You talked through the entirety of the film. Film that YOU wanted me to see." Ohma grumbled, playfully glaring at her. "Well, yeah, I did - But! Inaba told be about their meeting with the big powers and how their Anti-Worm alliance went. I have to call Raian and see what he knows also, but all in due time. The Kure clan is pretty busy lately." the man rolled his eyes, snatching Kisara into his arms and taking the phone away from her. "Shut up and replay the movie from the beginning." the girl giggled, doing just that before relaxing in his embrace. "Say, have you heart anything of Koga lately?" Ohma hummed in affirmation. "Yeah, he's with Kano and Rolon, training. On a trip with the Purgatory chairman or something." "Oh, is that so? Maybe we should go on vacation soon, how's that sound?" Kisara grinned up at him. "We just returned two days ago, you disaster woman." he ruffled her hair, amused. "Nothing's to say we can't have fun whenever we want. Not like there's anything holding us back, anyway."

True, there was nothing holding them back, except a lowkey duty to destroy the Worm, if the time arose. With a well-planned scheme and lots of people involved, Inaba and Himuro found Xia Ji, the one who brought Ohma's cloned heart to save him, and tried to subdue him; They failed. With the aid of Medicine Man's tracking device, Akoya and Ryuki found him and tried to take him down - They, too, failed, but Ohma was there to make a deal with the Chinese leader. If he doesn't run away, he won't hurt him - Otherwise, he won't be able to move ever again. Tokita guided Xia Ji to a warehouse, where not only those who tracked him down were waiting, but the Heavenly Wolves also, but Kisara and, of course, the main fighter, Narushima Koga who was waiting for his rematch after what happened months ago when Ji and his gang almost killed him and Yamashita Kazuo. Were it not for Ohma and Raian, they'd have been minced meat.

If Ji wins, he gets to walk away without anyone trailing him. This was Koga's closure, and Xia Ji seemed to want to fight him also, under who knows what pretext. He looked desperate enough, and bloody and bruised to the core - Yet his pride, most of all, was destroyed. Just as expected, the enemy pulled out weapons, but it took no time for the youngster to beat punch him away, throwing away any said blade. Punch after punch, Koga kept beating the feral man down, until he god up, more desperate than ever, and like a spiky wolverine, he began attacking with a ridiculous amount of force, almost reminding Kisara of Wakatsuki's punched. Hold up - With how easily he gets up, and his weirdly ferocious punches... Could he also have a milder Superman Syndrome? What a joke. Every word out of his mouth is a lie, and every deed is an act, yet in all honesty, Kisara and Ohma agreed to one thing, watching the fight - He's stronger than Koga is at the moment. Those martial art skills were truly wasted on that rat man.

Every time Koga knocked him out, Xia Ji got angrier, spewing shit about being the ruler of the underworld and that he'll destroy everything - Was he connected to the head of the Worm, then? Did he have all his power taken away from him? That wasn't the behaviour of a leader, he was far too emotional and distraught, not to mention, a complete and pathetic failure. He appeared dangerous, practicing some techniques from Chinese Wushu schools, turning his whole body into a whip, concentrating his strength into his fingers so that he may inflict the maximum amount on damage at a rapid pace - Even so, Koga had the upper hand, chopping at his wind pipe, punching away the weapon he tried to use as a trump card, and using his Crescent Moon Kick as a finisher, Xia Ji was on the ground, groveling pathetically, begging for mercy though contradicting himself - Saying he won't kill anyone, but in the same breath, denying the worth of the dead.

Finally, Ohma stepped in, stopping Koga from killing Ji, and letting him go - A debt, repaid in full. A mercy undeserved. But if he ever shows his face again, Ohma will kill him himself. Nikaido Ren mentioned that, although they had orders to eliminate Xia Ji, they have been revoked - Ji was no longer affiliated with the Worm, he has no power anymore - Still, they will continue monitoring him every so often.

Since then, Koga continued to train with Ohma and the others, preparing for the Berserker Bowl that will be taking place soon enough. They've got some big names getting to fight in the Kengan x Purgatory joint project tournament, including Cosmo and Saw Paing, but also, some of the so-called supernovas. As soon as Kisara heard Rihito's going to enter the tournament, she cringed, calling Yamashita Kazuo about entering. She would rather die than allow that idiot the chance of winning. He had enough luck to get the easiest matches and find his way to the top. She was gonna crush that hope.

"You're kidding." Ohma looked at her, incredulous. "I never knew you were so petty." "That's an understatement, love." Kisara's smile was poisoned like Snow White's apple. "I've been hating that guy even more with each time he hit on me like the disgusting pervert that he is." Ohma huffed, amused. "Alright, Your Majesty. Go win that crown."

Though she entered that tournament, she hadn't told anyone, so it was a huge surprise for everyone upon seeing the Queen of the Kengan Matches in one of the eight pools. She only fought twice - A win and a loss, both in high-stakes tournaments - Yet both fights were at least two years apart, it was as though she had retired. Not only that, but she was still the CEO of the Hasashi Company.

Pool A: Furusaki Jinsei, Leonardo Silva, Hong Xiaohu, Albert Hiruma Poo B: Sakuragawa Arata, Yurikawa Taiju, Tsukamoto Seishiro, Imai Cosmo Pool C: Ilyukhin Asimov, Death Crow Jr. , Yuge Tsuyoshi, Rihito Pool D: Mark Myers, Pitali Klitschijo, Kim Jang-Gi, Onoda Ikkai Pool E: Kim Seung-Yuop, Aki Saito, Narushima Koga, Funayama Yoshiki Pool F: Kono Haruo, Himuro Ryo, Luca Tyrant, Adam Dudley Pool G: Hasashi Kisara, Nam Nhat, Sawada Keizaburo, Yoroizuka Saw-Paing Pool H: Gaoh Ryuki, Ushiroda Takero, Chiba Takayuki, Tokeshi Kota

Each entrant will fight one match every two weeks, so a minimum of four weeks to determine which single person from each pool moves on to the championship. What a pain in the ass, Ohma agreed with Kisara's statement. They were used to fighting everything, all at once - This was far too lax a schedule.  Unfortunately, each Pool had fights in different cities, so it was rather a drag. In spite of that, Kisara convinced Ohma to go support Koga, whereas Yamashita Kazuo was in Hokkaido with Ryuki. She was fine with Tsuki-san as her supporter. Her first fight was against Sawada, the fighter using dancing at his core. The red head smirked, knowing she will get an easy win. Coincidentally, just after getting Ohma back, she started taking dancing lessons. Why? Because she noticed her lack of grace, caused by all those manly fighting styles she was using, and how in the world could she be a pretty princess dancing gracefully the bride and groom dance, huh? Clearly, she needed some practice, and what better than to learn those pretty Chinese dances she saw in the Imperial Dramas, alongside with some Wushu schools, to add the cherry on top?

Now, now, Sawada didn't have to see her going all out fighting, he wasn't worth her time, unfortunately, so might as well have a little fun, yes? She fought much scarier opponents before, so this should be a piece of cake.  Confident, Kisara initiated the fight, baiting the opponent with a low palm strike, before dodging a chop with her forearm, followed by a kick attempt. Sawada tried to hit her with some roundhouse kicks, but she easily evaded them, before kicking him in the ankle, to make him lose his balance a little. Just as he tried to lunge at her, she went in for a diaphragm kick, an uppercut, ended by an elbow to the back of the head, and a knee in the face, making him fall backwards painfully. Quickly, he got up, jump-leaping at her with a heel strike, but Kisara ducked, swiftly following close behind and kicking him in the butt; As he was down, she hit his head down to the ground with her heel. Not giving him any time to breathe, she grabbed him up, gracefully twirling with two strikes to his vitals, and another palm to his jaw, and another barrage of well aimed strikes. Finally, Keizaburo used his whirlwind strike, which made the fox girl smirk - As he was rotating her way, she swooped to the ground at the single leg supporting him. As he stumbled, Kisara jump-kicked him to the ground, before doing a backflip, hitting him in the head weird her feet - With a graceful pirouette in the air, she landed gracefully on his head, stomping him into the ground into a perfect K.O., as she did a pretty courtesy for the audience.

Hasashi Kisara won.

As expected.

Still, it almost amused her how they still referred to her by her maiden name. Not that it matter, she was still the one and only Kitsune Queen.

Kisara grinned, jumping up and down like a child in front of Takeshi, gleaming with cheerfulness. "Was I cool, Tsuki-san? Was I? Was I?" The man pat her head, humming in amusement. "Of course you were. I told you, you had a real career as a fighter - Not that it's any of your priorities." he said. "Were you so bored that you entered this low-stakes competition? It's not like you." Kisara's smile turned into a mischievous smirk. "I just didn't want to let that blond idiot, Rihito, win." Takeshi's eyes bulged open in shock, only to start laughing.  "You're ridiculous." he shook his head at her.

The outcome of the first match was as follows: In Pool A, Leonardo Silva and Hong Xiaohu won. In Pool B, Sakuragawa and Cosmo won. Pool C, Rihito won, unfortunately, and the Russian guy too. Pool D, Myers and Kim won. Pool E, Koga and Aki Saito won. Pool F, of course, Adam won, and unfortunately, Haruo won against Himuro, only to forfeit because of an injury - What a pity.  Pool G, Kisara won against Sawada, and Saw won against Nam Nhat. At this rate, she's going to have to fight that hard-headed dumbass puppy. Awful odds for her. Lastly, in Pool H, not only did Chiba win, but shockingly, Ryuki lost.

Two weeks passed by past, and Kisara now had to face none other than Saw Paing - And honestly, what a drag! That guy was as though as it gets, and even crazier than the craziest weirdo in the world! Who the hell could break the ground with their head, anyway? Should she use speed, like Rei? Should she use Aikido? No, most of her Aikido moves involve throwing and head or face hits, that's not going to work on his ironman. Agito's style, maybe? But she'd rather not show everyone her Dragon Shot again, just like in the Kengan vs Purgatory tournament. After two years, people might have forgotten she even knows the Fang's fighting style, so better to use that in the later rounds, and keep diverting now - But Saw was not a person worthy of underestimating, he was incredibly strong, and Kisara feared him. She was sure punching a brick wall hurt less than punching him.

"Haha, sorry, Kisara! Can't believe the first time we meet after your wedding is in the fighting ring!" he laughed, pumped up for the fight. "Forgive me but I'll go all-in with our fight!" "And I promise I'll do the same, Saw!" the girl promised him as they both took their stances.

Saw took his usual Muay Thai stance, whilst Kisara got in a basic Kenpo low stance, hoping she was capable of learning enough Wushu techniques to beat him. Saw charged in, delivering two alternative punches before doing a roundhouse kick to her head and a knee to her jaw, as the height difference permitted, and a kick to her ankle - Though it hurt, Kisara managed to block all attacks, using Indestructible. In retaliation, she got in a crouch, sweeping at his feet and charged with a butterfly twirl kick, only to block again two punches coming her way swiftly. Damn, this man is hella strong, she tsk'ed, aiming a jab move similar to Gaolang's, though she knew very well he knew how to counter it.  She couldn't continue blocking his hits, she would soon get too injured to carry on - She had to get on the aggressive at once. 

She quickly did a high kick, followed by a few feint jabs at his jaw, an elbow to the diaphragm, and a fast donkey kick with both feet, driving him further behind. She rolled to the ground, jumping up and uppercutting him, continuing with a chop to his wind pipe and a quick fall to the ground, scissoring his feet into stumbling away. As he got up, she jumped and heel-kicked him twice before hooking her foot to the back of his neck and slamming him into the ground - She followed by grabbing his wrist and elbow similarly to what Hatsumi taught her, and falling to the ground, she destroyed his joint so he'd have less use in his right arm.

Facing again, Saw continued using even that injured arm, fighting through the pain, and they hit each other with new techniques, either blocking them or baring through the brunt of the jab - Either way, Kisara knew she must not allow him the chance of using the Hammer of Burma, or she was dead meat. She had to hit his windpipe somehow and knock him out, and fast, otherwise she doubts she can win with her force.

In a quick sequence of movements, Saw managed to score a punch to her abdomen, knocking her backwards, following with a few more well aimed hits towards her head, a shin kick and an uppercut with all connected, leaving the woman gritting through the pain. "Damn it, Saw." she wiped the blood from her chin, jumping up, only for the Burmese to spring at her immediately with high kicks and an attempt at grabbing, which thankfully failed - Her Aikido was always going to save her, it seems. She quickly grabbed Saw's wrist, rotating with him to change the flow of the motion before pushing him away so she can get going and finish this quickly. 

Kisara got in a low eagle stance, spring up with two strong palm his to the diaphragm - As she was rotating, she grabbed his other wrist, using her elbow to hit him hard, which she repeated as she faced him again, with an uppercut. Still holding onto his wrist, she dove behind him low, kneeing at his lower spine, swiping back at his feet, dragging him to face her, kicking him in the abdomen and palm-striking him away. Instead of falling back, Saw grabbed tightly onto her arm - He was ready to use the headbutt on him, but he didn't have a good enough grip on her. Before he could charge, Kisara held on his forearm, tripping him and getting to his side before instantly karate chopping at his windpipe, making him fall to the ground - To make sure he would get up, she quickly kicked him in the ribs to roll him on his belly and slammed her knees onto his back, immobilizing his joints again.

"KISARA WINS!"

Oh, thank fuck, Kisara breathed out in relief, shakily getting up to her feet. Somehow, that fight was worse than the one in the Purgatory. Maybe. Whatever.  She stumbled slightly walking back to Wakatsuki once again, who gently put a towel on her head, wiping away the sweat and blood. "I never want to fight that monster ever again. How did Gaolang keep up with him all these years, anyway?" Kisara groaned dramatically. "Nah, well, I suppose Gaolang is Gaolang. I doubt I could do that every again though. I'm just glad Hatsumi taught me well enough to do cheap, dirty tricks like that." "A win is a win, don't think too much of it. It was a great fight." he handed her back the phone. "And I filmed everything, as promised." "Sweet! I can't wait until Ohma starts picking apart every mistake I made!" she laughed mirthfully, evidently joking. "Hey, Tsuki, let's go grab Cos and go for a drink, yeah?" "Sounds like a plan." the man smiled simply, waiting for her to get showered, get the medical attention required and change to her civilian clothes before leaving the arena.

From Pool A, Leonardo Silva won. Pool B, of course, Cosmo won with no problem. From Pool C, annoyingly enough, Rihito won. In Pool D, only Mark Myers remained to advance further into the competition. Pool E was easily won by Koga and Funayama. The brawl between Himuro and Adam in Pool F was won by the American who trained hard with Kureishi and Cos. Kisara won and advanced further into the competition from Pool G. And Pool H, well... Ryuki won against Chiba after almost assassinating him. Poor man, he might not be a brilliant fighter, but he's doing well enough for himself. They had to do something about Ryuki before he does something irreversible.

Late into the evening when Kisara finally arrived home, Ohma was already there. He seemed pretty content - Had he just finished a sparring session, maybe? Regardless, she made a beeline to change in her sleepingwear and let herself fall on top of him, exhausted after such a long day. "So, what did you think about my fight? Worth writing in the book of records?" "Hell no." Ohma chuckled. "But considering who your opponent was, you did pretty damn well." he praised her.  "Ha! You're getting mellow. It's almost like we're married!" Kisara grinned, nuzzling in the crook of his neck. "So, three more fights, huh?" Ohma hummed. "You really want to win, don't you?" "Oh, I don't care about winning - But losing means getting beaten up to a pulp and getting knocked out. I don't want a reminder of what happened in my fight with Takeshi, y'know? So - By default, I gotta win to avoid pain. That's enough of a motivator for me." Ohma actually chuckled at her hilarious resolve. "That, and I get a rush of dopamine when I beat Rihito." "You're a menace."  "You won't be coming to the drawing ceremony, will you?" she asked, raising her head to kiss him. "Nope." he smirked. "I and Yasuo are gonna watch from the comfort of our home, stuffing our faces with a ton of food." "Yeah, that does sound like you, alright. You're such men, it's unreal." she laughed softly. "Don't worry, I'll write my autograph on your forehead after I win this." "And Her Majesty's ego is bursting through the roof again." Ohma rolled above his wife, trapping her face between his hands.  "Not only that, but this Queen deserves a little bit of royal treatment, don't you think?" she smirked, her arms wrapping around his neck, pulling him down into a deep kiss. "So demanding." 

With the tournament beginning, Kisara dressed in her most beautiful green hanfu dress, flowing around her as if she was a Spring Nymph, with her hair filled with flowers. She might not be Chinese, but considering the amount of things she learnt from that culture, from fighting style, dancing, history and what not, to the time she spent learning from Agito in the years they were away; There was nothing more beautiful than the awakening of one's soul and the happiness achieved through enlightening. Or whatever Buddha Gautama said - He's the top guy, he knows best.  Might as well become a princess! Buddha might have renounced his titles and luxuries, but she was far too shallow to let go of her hard-earned possessions. And she liked being pretty! Though she'll have to wipe off her make up before her fight, she wouldn't want to look like a Kiss member after a concert, or a wet, trashy raccoon.

"It's time to begin the draw for the Main Tournament!" Sayaka called out from the stage, next to Alisa. "And now, introducing the Eight Berserkers vying for the top!"

One by one, the champion of each pool walked forward on the stage. Pool A: Leonardo Silva Pool B: Imai Cosmo Pool C: Rihito Pool D: Mark Myers Pool E: Narushima Koga Pool F: Adam Dudley Pool G: Hasashi Kisara Pool H: Gaoh Ryuki Everyone was dressed their best, all of them beautiful and shining - Of course, Kisara, the single woman there, was the most glamorous. If people thought the only woman fighter might have stood out the most, they were wrong. Koga, dressed like a fucking pimp, was the single sore spot on the roster. Poor boy truly needed some female influence in his life. With the draws done, the matches were as followed:

Match 1: Imai Cosmo vs Hasashi Kisara Match 2: Mark Myers vs Rihito Match 3: Narushima Koga vs Leonardo Silva Match 4: Gaoh Ryuki vs Adam Dudley

Finally, everyone could relax and enjoy the banquet at their leisure, for on the morrow, the tournament will be taking place.  Regardless, Kisara had a lot of fun with Cosmo and Adam, taking their sweet time laughing and gossiping, catching up and what not. Koga was at the table with all his other supernova friends, Rihito was flirting as always - But Ryuki was all alone, in a corner. Kisara felt like she should try and comfort him in some way, or maybe encourage him, yet she had no idea what to do, so she continued her own fun. After enough pictures taken to commemorate a lovely evening spent, and a flooded social media, they returned home to rest until the tournament.

The Tournament was taking place in the Purgatory-Owned Coliseum, called "The Core", a hundred meters underground. Unfortunately, Nogi wanted to add the pathetic Ringout rule, so Kisara had to pay extra attention to what she was doing. Before the first match could take place, Kisara quickly paid a visit to the manager who was watching from one of the best stands up in the audience. "Hey, hey!" Kisara smiled brightly, flinging around her arms to play with her long sleeves. Though she couldn't wear a pretty dress anymore, there was nothing to say she can't continue wearing her pretty haori or hanfu coats over her equally pretty gym clothes. Gotta be a fashion icon even while sweating to hell! "Oh, Yamashita Kazuo, you've got a friend! You are so sociable, I envy you!" she grinned, turning her gaze to the man who was drinking canned beer with the old man - He was tall and well built, just like a fighter. He had a calm yet almost apathetic or bored look on his face, and he had his messy blond hair kept in a tail. "My name is Hasashi Kisara - Oh, actually, I suppose Tokita Kisara, considering I got officially married recently." The man looked her straight in the eyes for a few seconds, almost making her feel uncomfortable, before he spoke. "Jackie Lee." he said his name. "It's lovely meeting you, Miss Kisara. Your match is coming up soon, isn't it?" Kisara smiled, as if she was sparkling. "Are you Chinese?" she asked. "Oh? How did you know I am a foreigner?" Jackie tilted his head a little in surprise. "Yamashita-san also guessed well. Is it my accent?" "I'm not sure! It's just - I've gotten acquainted with the language over the past five years or so, and I think it has a certain melodicity that Japanese doesn't have. It's like... Like a honeyed mead caressing your soul. Does that make sense? No, of course it doesn't, that was stupid, forgive me." Jackie smiled at the woman, shaking his head. "Don't apologise. I'll take that as a compliment." he said. "I actually think it's remarkable how you picked it up so easily." "O-Oh, I'm glad you think so!" Kisara smiled cutely, bending a little to his level, only for her eyes to widen a little. "Oh, you have such beautiful eyes! I've never seen anyone with Polycoria before! And your shade is truly unique!" "Ahh, you flatter me, Miss." he smiled friendly. "Can I treat you to anything? I wanted to go get more beer for the two of us." the man asked gracefully. "Oh, no, I couldn't ask that of you!" she stammered quickly, not wanting to inconvenience. "Besides, I have to rush to my match. I hope I'll live up to expectations!" Jackie look at her again, almost as if he was analysing every inch of her body, before he smiled again. "Don't worry, it's on me. Good luck with your match, Miss Kisara." "Xièxiè!" Kisara attempted to thank him in his own language, offering a peace sign before rushing back down to the arena so that she can begin her fight. 

To think, out of all the possible fighters, she had to be pitted against the one she was most afraid of! Well, Adam was rather fearsome also, not to mention, they both trained with Kureishi. But Kisara was good at taking down huge guys like Adam. But people her size, specialised in grappling? She was screwed. Her joints and limbs were weak, and she has a low pain tolerance. If she lets him grapple her and gets a solid hold on her, she's as good as done for.

"Pity the two of us have to fight, huh? Frankly, you're the one who scared me the most - Such luck I get, huh?" Kisara chuckled softly, looking at the confident Cosmo in front of her. "I thought the same, Nee-san." Cos rose his hand for her to shake. "Remember years ago, when you saw my first fight? Remember how I said I wanted to spar with you one day?" "Your dream came true, Cos." she chuckled, shaking his hand. "Let's have fun, yeah?" "Hell yes!"

The two stepped away from each other and took their stances - For the first time, Kisara actually did a stance - Cos saw her fight before, there's no use bothering to play the stanceless non-fighter card anymore... At least, not against him. Kisara was the first to throw a lazy feint kick, getting him on high alert before stepping away. Just like in a UFC fight, they assessed each other's every twitch of the body, only for Cos to quickly need to block a fast kick to his head, followed by a feint jab to his chest. "Damn, you're fast, sis!" Kisara attempted another blow, only for Cos to duck and grab her arm, pulling her towards him so he could side-step behind her and punch the side of her face.  "Not faster than you, it seems." Kisara had a pained smile on her face, stepping away from him and keeping her feet first as Cos kicked at her ankle, but couldn't make her stumble. They had an equal exchange of quick jabs to the face before the boy feinted a jab to her diaphragm before crouching for a low-grab, his hands trying to grip tightly on the back of her thighs, but his had got hold in between her arm and ribs and managed to wrestle him away, leaping backwards. Cos might not be an enemy she's used to, but it was the first time she fights someone close in weight with her - She couldn't believe she could actually fight him, what a revelation. Still, her master plan was to throw him out of the ring - There was no other way around it, and with her Aikido, she might just make that happen.

As Cosmo was doing his footwork, he rushed right in front of her, aiming two straights to her face - Unbeknownst to him, as he was attempting a grab, Kisara fell low to the ground, her arms around his thighs, going for a similar grab as him previously, and as he tried to get out of her grip, she used her weight to throw him to the ground, on his back like a turtle on his shell. She was on her feet, between his legs, trying to land a strike but also guard against his kicks - What a fucking standard UFC moment, she thought, remembering all the fights she saw with Ohma when he taught her how to fight against grappling, her biggest weakness on Earth. She landed a sweeping kick to his thighs, looking down at him, before scaring him with a fake attempt at jumping down on him, as though she was Seki doing a fascinating Pro-Wrestling move. As if!

Sike.

She jumped again, one leg carefully in front of her so her knee and thigh would get caught between his legs and she could hold all her weight concentrated on her knee, down on his abdomen, while she landed a nice punch to his face, and rolling away to safety. She watched the boy pant, evening his breath, his back slightly hunched on the ground and his legs up - She remembers a Baki episode, when Yujiro Hanma proposed that the invincible move.  But she had the perfect counter.

Kisara waited for Cosmo to kick his legs in retaliation to a feint from her, so she did a cart wheel, grabbing his legs and rolling him with her - But she couldn't get on top of him, for he wrestled away perfectly. Damn grappler king, his reputation preceded him. "I hate grapplers." Kisara breathed out, making the boy grin and jump to his feet, lunging at her with another few strikes - Once again, Kisara forced another grab by kneeling and grabbing at his thighs and waist from the side, similarly to what Agito was doing, and managed to get him on his back again, her torso against hier crossed shins, and she tried to punch him somehow, but he grabbed her arms and hand. They were in a tight lock and struggling for domination by holding tightly onto the joints.  "Where'd you learn to grappler so well?" Cosmo gritted through his teeth as the woman managed to slip from his grip - That sweat was making her slippery. "I have a husband, you know." she grinned at the implication. "The least Ohma can do to be useful is to be a good practice dummy." somehow, she managed to get up and grabbed at his ankle, dragging him around a little, as if to play and taunt him. She was subtly dragging him closer to the edge, whilst also making her unnervingly close. What a gamble. She only bet on people, not on situations like this.

She allowed Cosmo to get up, not wanting to deal with that annoying ground grappling anymore, only to block a few punches with her arm, using Indestructible - But her thigh didn't work as well for that blocking. When he aimed a kick, she grabbed his ankle, throwing herself to the ground, but Cosmo grabbed her head, aiming a hard punch, getting each other in a tight lock and standing up. He landed a painful knee to her diaphragm and a jab to her face, making her gasp, breathless, and be forced to retreat immediately. That hurt like hell. She had to end it immediately.  

With a few steps took forward as if to scare him, Cosmo stepped back before grounding himself steadily on his feet. Cosmo lunged and attempted a punch to her face, but just like before, Kisara ducked and grabbed at his knees, trying to wrestle him down - She got her head in a suffocating headlock and Cosmo kicked her feet, making her fall down to the ground. Immediately he got behind her, his arms around her waist, getting her up, holding her so tight that she feared losing her breath altogether. Her nails were digging desperately into his hands, trying to break free in some way - The line was so fucking close, if only she could... If only...

As she was stumbling around on her feet, feeling her vision blur rapidly, she fell to her knees, her forehead planted on the ground with Cosmo still holding her, kneeling just next to her. This was it. It was do or die - Whether she wins or loses, it's in this last move.  With her last strength, from that uncomfortable position, she got up, clawing at his hand so hard that she managed to snap away the grip of his intertwined hands, and grabbing his wrist, she dove under his arm, tripping him forward and throwing the both of them to the ground, rolling with him like two children and making Cosmo touch outside of the ring.

"MATCH OVER! KISARA WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINS!!!"

Cosmo's eyes shot wide open, and he looked down at the bloody grin of the woman underneath him. "Sorry, Cos. It was the only way I could win against you." "I can't believe I forgot about the Ringout. How annoying." despite the disappointment, Cos smiled and offered his hand to help her up. "Five years ago, you ran away from Senpai after getting him to the ground. To think you'd trick me like that - What a Kitsune!" "That's the only thing I'm good at, after all." she chuckled, getting up and hugging the boy.  "You better with this, okay, sis?" they fist bumped, making a promise. "You've got it, Cos!"

She left for the showers and was ready to look for her darling, but for some reason, she found herself returning to the manager. Why, she wasn't quite sure - On the other hand, she knew that multiple rounds were definitely not her thing... Not in fighting, at least. For other things, well - It's not like she's the one doing most of the work to begin with.

By the time she got up the stands, she saw that Koga's uncle, Joji, also joined them in drinking. Those three seemed to be having lots of fun and were getting along well. "Hi, again." she gave a brief wave of her hand, and the trio, as if sharing a single braincell, waved back in unison. Jackie, who was towards the edge, patted the empty seat next to him for the girl to join, before handing her a can of coke. "You fought well. Thought you might need some energy to keep you going." Kisara smiled gratefully at Jackie, sitting next to him and enjoying the cold beverage.  "Thank you, Jackie, you're very sweet. I hope we hang around again someday!" she said. "Somehow, everyone becomes friends with Yamashita Kazuo. It's really cool, right?" Jackie nodded in agreement, handing her a plate of sweets. "Enjoy." "Hey, that's too much! You've already got me so many things, I can't --" but the casual look on his face showed her he wouldn't accept a negative answer, and to leave the formalities. "Fine, fine. I'll treat you to something later then." she said, munching on e pocky stick. Coincidentally, Joji and Jackie did the same thing, at the same time. Were they kindred souls?

She took out her phone, taking a winking selfie with the pocky between her lips and sending it to Ohma, texting him about random things as she listened to the old man telling them that Myers was a serial killer pardoned by Idemitsu from his 3000 year prison sentence. He won over two hundred matches with his physical abilities alone, and just in his third year in Purgatory, did he start learning martial arts. "Oh, come on, I don't want to fight a serial killer. I've had it with that." Kisara groaned, leaning back on her seat. "If I knew Rihito would get the short end of the stick and face off against that guy, I wouldn't have bothered entering the competition." she ruffled her crimson hair, pouting in annoyance. "You seem pretty confident that he's going to win." Jackie pointed out. "Yeah, well - I don't give two cents on Rihito. I firmly believe he's the biggest shame of Kengan." she shrugged, bored, looking at his stupid coat with << I'M A SUPERMAN >> embroidered in the leopard patterned material on his back. "The only reason I entered the tournament was to make sure he doesn't win. I couldn't live with the idea of the biggest loser in the world winning out of sheer, dumb luck." "Fascinating resolve." Jackie looked at her with wide, surprised eyes. "You must mean - Ridiculous. Petty. Stupid." she chuckled playfully. "I know, I know. But what can I do? I guess I was a little bored, that's all." "I don't think that matters. As long as you're having fun and enjoying yourself, I think that's all." Kisara looked at the man and smiled, happy that someone was so understanding of her weirdness. "That's a positive outlook, I love it! Thanks!" she hummed, leaning on the side to clink her coke can to his own beer can.

That Myers guy pumped his muscles up with Indestructible and engaged in a barrage of punches, but nothing he received seemed to affect him. There was no way Rihito's finger slicer were going to affect this though guy, Kisara thought, and the two men next to her were munching aggressively on the chocolate glazed sticks. Rihito seemed to be doing well dodging all hits. He must have realised already that the Indestructible, especially used by a newby, was heavily flawed a technique - The sturdier he was, the more rigid - Rihito was attacking his knees until Myers gave out - And he slashed at his face - Uh, mask - With his Razor's Edge technique, making him bleed heavily, and fall to the ground, needing a medic urgently.

"You canNOT be serious! That was ridiculous!" Kisara groaned, slapping her forehead.  "Look at the bright side. You'll get to defeat him in the semifinal." Jackie pointed out. "Well... Yeah, true, but..." she muttered softly. "But Ohma got a scar from him, you know? It's pretty bad, and it still hurts him, with the change of the weather. I'm a girl, I don't like scars. That guy's a menace to fight." "If you know where to strike, you won't need to worry about that." Jackie said. "You've got a good handle on Aikido and Wushu. Grab his wrist after he tries to slash you and knock him out with a good hit to the face." "Glabella, philtrum and chin." Kisara gasped in realisation, earning a nod from the man. "Jackie, you're a genius! If you're not a fighter already, you should be! You'd be the new star of Kengan!" she grinned, newfound vitality energizing her again. "I'm not that good." he dismissed her claim. "But I'm glad I give off that impression."

Next was Koga's fight against Leonardo Silva, and as expected, Silva lunged first ready for a low grapple, only to miss and get  a hard punch to his face. Instead of stopping him, Silva continued him torso-grapple, throwing him to the ground - Only for him to be forced to let go of the clutch. Good work, Koga. Your Redirection Kata worked wonders. Your hard work and dedication bore fruit, after so long.  Koga tried to punch his with the Ironbreaker, but got redirected, thus had to engage in a rush of hits with his opponent. Parry and counter, parry and counter, until Silva found his hand aching like hell trying to hit Koga's forearm. Once Leonardo stopped countering and began ducking, it was Koga's time to realise that his Adamantine technique expired, and his fist was twitching - He got distracted, allowing himself to get tackled to the ground. The two grappled and wrestled, his head kept in a tight rear naked choke.

The only way for Koga to get out of that hold was to bite down on his arm while breaking it with the Ironbreaker, causing Silva to leap away - His bone was cracked and in agony. Ohma was very proud of his student. Koga used his finisher on Silva before following close behind with a flying knee, and punched his down with Ironbreaker once again.

Koga won.

"He's a wonderful fighter." Jackie said. "That's my nephew. As in, my relative." Joji spoke blankly, while Yamashita was cheering, excited. "You might just be fighting him in the finals if he continued fighting like this." Jackie turned his gaze at Kisara. "I like the confidence you have in me." she teased him. "I wonder if I can beat him. I'm already feeling as if a panzer tank ran me over... Though, I don't think he's doing much better anyway." she chuckled lightly. "Still, he's been training hard every day for the past years. I've just been dancing and traveling." she laughed leisurely. "What's life without some fun, huh?"

As Koga existed the arena, he was met with Ohma who praised his wit and craft, even going as far as to suggest teaching him another move before his match against Ryuki. Hopefully, he won't use it on Kisara though, should they meet in the finals - Though, Ohma has the feeling that his wife could easily defeat Koga, considering she is the most familiar with his Niko style and all the people that helped train the boy. That tricksy little vixen always ended up surprising, one way or another - Though, he was very proud of her ground grappling. His husbandry work was well done. How funny. 

Jackie came over with a whole bag of cans and sweets, wearing the same apathetic look on his face. "Thank you so much, Jackie! You can sure poind these back, can't you?" Yamashita was blushing with glee and a little drunk. "I'm just, how you say... Boozing and Schmoozing, you see?" how could he say that with such a straight face? "Jackie, nobody says that anymore. It's not Hip." Joji informed him seriously. Out of nowhere, Yamashita's other CEO friends, Yoshitake and Ken came over with more booze, just as hammered. "Narushima, that's pretty old-fashioned too! Hey, Kazzy! I brought us some good sake!" Ken chirped. "Oh, my word! Who's that dandy over there~?" Yoshitake flirted with Jackie, most likely. "Kenny! Mr. Yoshitake! Let me introduce you! This guy came all the way from China." Yamashita explained as Jackie bowed to them humbly, telling them his name and everyone started drinking. Only Jackie made sure Kisara had a nice and cold coke to drink, as she had to fight again soon, in the semis. Men and their drinks.

The fight between Ryuki and Adam began soon and Ryuki started swinging in a way similar to that of Agito's Formless stance, and in the blink blink of an eye, he was on the ground, attacking Adam - But unlike his past mindless brawler style from before, he was much better prepared, especially in fighting theory, and he hit with a high stick shot, and many other hits and kicks, even easily managing to evade an eye gouging attempt by throwing himself shoulder-first into Gaoh's pelvis, making him fall down. When Adam tried to kick at his fallen opponent, but Ryuki got in a handstand, kicking him away, getting his ankle caught in a tight grasp and twirling him around like he was a toy, and from the friction with the ground, his back was bleeding heavily. "Ah, damn, I know those moves. That damn Setsuna... No wonder Ryuki's so hell-bent on killing. How frightsome." "You seem to know quite a bit about this." Jackie noted. "Oh, yes, well - I got in quite a scary encounter with the man who taught him these moves, you see. Quite very scary. If it weren't for my husband, I don't know what would have happened. He was rather mentally unstable also." Kisara shuddered softly, remembering that day when Kiryu took her away, saying he wanted to save her or something. "At the end of the day, I'm still a girl, you know? I don't like fighting that much, but I like knowing I am safe even if there's no one protecting me all the time." she smiled softly. "You, men, are something else, you know? Going out of your way to get hurt, and all that, just for some adrenaline rush. It's kinda adorable." "Interesting. You say all that, yet you're going to fight again soon, under the pretext of boredom." Jackie could feel a smile tug at his mouth. "Ah, well - You won't see me fight again. I've had it with tournaments, officially." she declared. "But I can't deny, I like learning all sorts of things. And encouraging my friends. I don't like watching them lose, but I like seeing them win and be happy." "And if they die?" his question rang somber. "Jackie... I don't want to think of death." Kisara shuddered, uncomfortably. "I... My husband died in my arms. I mourned him, almost three years." she spoke softly, looking down with a sad smile. "I thought life ended for me also. Well... In a weird way, I've got someone to thank for saving him. He might be an enemy, but he brought my husband back to me. Xia Ji might be a pathetic rat man who killed hundreds of people, but for that at least, I can thank him." "Xia Ji, huh?" Jackie muttered under his breath. "You heard of him? He looks like a weirdo, and he doesn't take care of his hair. It looks like hay." she chuckled at him. "No, never heard of him." he shrugged carelessly. "At least you are happy." "Yeah, you're right." Kisara smiled at him kindly. "I am happy."

Adam continued to punch and kick Ryuki, easily tanking his hits, and even if they did hit, he wasn't all that shaken up. Adam was so used to Cosmo's speed, Ryuki was in slow-motion for him, hence why it was so easy to predict his moves and kick him to hell, following up with a rush of heavy punches to the face and even a stomp to the belly, and kicked him into rolling to the other side of the ring like a soccer ball again and again. 

Adam didn't beat down a fallen enemy - Instead, he waited until Ryuki stumbled to his feet and tried to block a hit, only for Adam to play with him like a rag doll, slamming him into the ground. When he wasn't looking, Adam got a small Setsuna-like attack on his forearm. The flower of carnage has blossomed, and Ryuki was ready to kill. Ryuki wasn't broken yet - He knew was being beaten to hell meant, he was trained by his grandpa after all, and just like Ohma, he had to almost die, to become this strong and resilient.  The young boy took more and more hits, like a Kamikaze soldier, and before he knew it, Adam's latissimus dormi muscle was completely twisted to hell my Setsuna's Rakshasa's Palm technique - It only left the hockey master lack-luster in his attacks.  Ryuki used his assassin fingers to shrike at Adam's neck, knocking him out - He was in a critical condition and needed emergency care. 

With all the drama from the last fight, the four went down to congratulate Koga on his win, and wish him good luck on the semis - Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, the two friends were in a deep argument, with Ohma hiding behind a wall, motioning for them not to interfere. There was no chance to save Ryuki while he was still under the clutches of Setsuna - Surely, Ohma realised that too, as he comforted the depressed manager.

As soon as Ohma saw Jackie however, he looked weirdly at him. "Have we met?" "No..." Jackie almost seemed to hesitate. "This is my first time talking to you." "I see. Sorry, I must've been mistaken." Ohma shrugged, unbothered. "There are a lot of lookalikes out there." as the old man pointed that out, Kisara felt a weird, uncomfortable pang in her heart, as though there was something odd, not only about Ohma and Ryuki and their cloning, but of the Worms, the Connector and all these coincidences going on. "This is Jackie Lee, Ohma. He's Yamashita Kazuo's and Joji's new friend. He's been getting us drinks and snacks all day. He's really cool!" Kisara skipped to her husband, getting on he tippy toes to steal a kiss, her arms wrapped around his torso. "He even gave me an idea on hos to defeat Rihito without getting injured at all. Girls care about scars, you know?" Ohma nodded, smiling down at his wife. "Glad to hear you're having fun." he said. "The intermission is about done. Isn't it time for your match? Why are you loitering about, you little dumbass bookworm?" "I wanted to see my stupid gym rat for a lucky charm kiss." she smiled innocently at him, before stealing another kiss and rushing towards the prep room to change in her fighting clothes.

"The first match of the Semifinals - The Trickster Kitsune, the Queen of the Kengan Matches, Hasashi Kisara! - Versus, The Superman, Rihito!" Sayaka called out loudly. "And, in the second match, The First Eye, Narushima Koga! - Versus - The Dragon King, Gaoh Ryuki!" she continued, waiting for the chanting and cheering to subside. "All four are powerful fighters, but two will be eliminated! Their chances are half and half! Who will be in, and who will be out?!"

< Previous Chapter Next Chapter >

[lyrebright]

Over the past two work days, I got through the last chunk of TMA S1 episodes I had left, and got through the first two episodes of S2.

Those S2 episodes will get their own post about my thoughts, but here I just want to ramble about how I felt approaching the season finale.

MAG033: I actually posted about starting this episode a few days back; I won't reiterate my thoughts on the opening when they're already there in my liveblog tag.

That said: it's still really funny.

The actual content of the statement actually did manage to live up to the absolute banger of an opening though; in a stunning display of memory that I rarely possess I do in fact remember the Lukas family being mentioned and involved in another statement and it seems they are, indeed, just That Fucked Up.

Rumour come out: Does Institue Sponsors Is Spooky?

How badly did I just age my online presence with that.

MAG034: another live statement!

Finally, I have context to the anatomy students I've had mentioned. I've literally had no context except that there are anatomy students in TMA somewhere and my friends stan them, apparently, so this was a big moment for me. Very exciting.

Idk what the teacher's problem was I support these inhuman monstrosities getting an education.

Could've done without the teeth apple maybe.

ANOTHER FUCKED UP BOOKS EPISODE (minus fucked up book?)

omg baby gerard. little shitty teen gerard.

Knowing things I know now from the season finale I am looking back at it like Hmm because honestly outside of 1) baby gerard and 2) the closing statement it didn't really stand out that much to me?

(A friend informed me that Mr Smirke was like a real dude tho so :0)

Speaking of the closing statement: I see you delivery guys. I see you.

I know we literally get it confirmed that these delivery guys are Those Delivery Guys but I sussed it out immediately!! Prommy!! I am very smart.

I was listening to MAG036 as I was doing a second coat on a door frame I'd painted the day before and a little beetle was very determined to crawl into my fresh paint and that did not help my experience with this episode.

Might have enhanced it in a way, though?

Just a solid spooky Ugh from the statement though Jon in the closing statement bringing up Vampire Guy and saying that his female companion seemed familiar...i was not given enough of a description of her in any way to lay claim to that same familiarity so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

spiders. Hmm.

And that table. God. I'll get more into my thoughts about it later. It'll be more relevant around the actual finale.

MAG037: confirmation about the delivery men! Good to have

Gertrude FR What Was Up With You

(The finale has only given me more questions)

Jon's repeated stating of how tired he is across the past few episodes has me ):

MAG038: this episode was so mean

I can't believe this cursed piece of monster furniture literally stole this man's husband.

if you or a loved one has been victimised by homophobic furniture, you may be entitled to

trauma

I'm gonna be upset about this forever.

This is the npc statement I'm choosing to Stay Mad about

God I was so caught up in homophobic ceramics I forgot: hello third mike.

I've been helpfully informed there's only like, four Mikes I need to keep straight, but that is still honestly entirely too many Michaels.

What Jonny Sims has in writing talent he lacks in the ability to name characters things other than Michael (or some variation of)

The ending to this episode blew my goddamn eardrums out I swear

Time for the fun stuff though!

:D

Actually you know what. The finale episodes get their own post. Hang on.

[lucifers-clown]

Bring Her Home.

Lucifer Morningstar x female!reader.

Warnings: Angst, mentions of death, grief. Blood, general angst

Request: Hi i had a request for you can you write reader and lucifer they are married and then reader died and Lucifer with his brothers help him to go to the Haven and bring the reader to life

A/N: God this is pretty sad Christ you guys are mean. I love it though love love love it!

Summary: She died painfully in his arms, and he wasn't going to let her rest in peace.

The case was supposed to be a cut and dry one for Lucifer, no gangs, no loved ones being threatened. But nothing ever goes that way anymore for him anymore. You guys had just returned home from your honeymoon the month before. Your love was strong and bright. When Lucifer returned to work he took up a case where people were being shot in their car. Nothing big, or so he thought, but once they arrested the man that was doing it opened a whole new can of worms.

So as it turned out he was a local gang's biggest hitman, and since Lucifer and Chloe were able to convict him, they were understandably pissed. SO the night of conviction, they wanted to make Lucifer and Chloe pay. That night Chloe was faced with a man attempting to kidnap Trixie but she was able to shoot and disarm the man in time. Lucifer was not so lucky when it came to his wife.

When Chloe called Lucifer and told him what had just happened to her. Lucifer, already on his way home from picking dinner up for the two of you, floored it. He ran faster than he ever had into the club and to the elevator. Shaking in fear as the elevator couldn’t go any faster. He entered the penthouse shaking, afraid for the love of his life.

“Y/N, Y/N PLEASE DARLING Y/N PLEASE” He yelled running through the apartment for you. His heart was pounding out of his chest. He entered your bedroom and the sight he saw brought to his knees.

There you laid, bloodied, gasping for air due to the fact you were dying. Lucifer pulled you into his arms. Inspecting and looking and the wounds, you were bleeding so bad, he couldn't stop it. He held you and kissed your forehead weeping.

“Lucifer sweetheart.” You choked through the blood in your throat. “Lucifer, please don’t leave me.”

“I won’t, I won't, I promise my love.This is all my fault I’m so sorry Y/N i should have protected you my love.” Lucifer cried into you’

“It’s not your fault, it's okay, I’ll be okay, we'll meet again.” You said with your last

breaths. “I love you.” Using the last of your strength you brought him into a kiss.

Lucifer let out a cry of agony as you passed in his arms. His wife, his darling, was dead in his arms. Lucifer cried when he heard the familiar sounds of wings in his house and a familiar man behind him.

“Brother-”

“Leave me! Don’t you see my wife is dead, LEAVE!” Lucifer shouted at Amenadiel.

“Brother, I know and I’m sorry, what father has done is an unfair thing, but I have a solution.”

Lucifer turned to him, bloodied from you, and stared at Amenadiel, waiting to hear his amazing plan.

“I will fly up to the silver city and bring her back for you.” Amenadiel said in a comforting tone. “I’ll bring her back for you since you can’t go up there.”

Lucifer didn’t know what to say, or even knew if he trusted his brother's plan. He looked down at your corpse, and realized he would do anything to bring you back, even trust his brother.

“Okay” he said with a crack in his voice. Amenadiel had never seen him in such a state of disarray.

“Brother you are going to have to give her to me.”

Lucifer, with reluctance, handed your body over to him. He watched as he flew up to the silver city. With wobbly steps he sat on his couch. And let out a few good crys, he didn’t know what he was going to do without you.

Hours passed, it was the early morning around 5 am. Lucifer had stayed up all night, unable to sleep without you. He called out of work, all he could do was wait and see if his brother's plan worked. He saw his brother's familiar wings fly down onto his balcony. Holding his wife’s now life filled body.

He bolted towards you as you bolted towards him. Colliding into a mess of tears and happiness.

“I thought you were gone! I thought it- oh gad your back my love.” he cried into you.

“I’m back, I’m back my love.”

[imagine-that-100]

Good Boy

Description: Matty Healy x Reader (Female) | You get your period just before you’re due to go to an award show with the boys. Whilst the pain never dulls when you’re there, your fiancé’s affection certainly eases it and so do his cuddles when he drags you back home. 

Word Count: 3.2k

A/N: This was requested by @ghostlightqueen​. Hope you enjoy it and I hope the rest of you do to. This is pretty fluffy and it was so cute to write up. Likes and Reblog are appreciated and as always thank you so much for reading x

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“You feeling any better?” Adam asks, after giving you a hug as he joins you back at the table.

You were currently at an award show with the boys that Matty had pleaded with you to come to. You’d not been to one of these events in years and you’d planned not to go to one again.

But this one was a smaller one than the others you’d been to. You weren’t all put on TV at this one and you weren’t in the O2, so you agreed you’d come.

Initially when you got up this morning and saw how excited Matty was to get ready for these awards, you yourself were looking forward to it. You were excited to wear your new teal pant suit that Matty had then designed his own outfit around and you were excited to see your fiancé perform again, even if it was just for one song.

You’d been swamped with work, so you’d unfortunately only made it to one show this tour. But now it was the end of them touring and you had your boys back around you, you were excited to see them up on stage again.

But then an hour before you were due to head off to the awards, your fucking period started.

You sort of knew it was coming because you had that icky feeling in your stomach all day, but you were hoping it was just the sensations you sometimes felt the day before it arrived.

But that was not to be.

You felt awful as the first few days of your period typically left you feeling. The fact you had to go out and wear heels and be nice to people you didn’t know didn’t make the feeling of your insides being scrambled, as you described it to Matty, any easier.

After assuring him you’d be fine after the painkillers had kicked in, you all headed off to the awards. And despite the painkillers barely helping you, you’d had a good night.

You got to see some lovely people you hadn’t seen for a while like the Pale Waves gang and Rome and Bea. You’d become quite good friends with Heather over the years so you always loved seeing her.

And of course, you got to spend the evening with your boys.

They won the award they were up for and they even got an award they didn’t know they were up for, for the Drive Like I Do album. And you had always adored seeing them perform.

Matty had truly grown into the role of a frontman and the way he worked an audience truly astounded you. The way the fans responded to him back when the first album came out astounded you, but the fact the audiences were still just as thirsty for him now made you laugh.

And you knew he loved it and played it to his advantage.

So, after the two songs they were asked to perform were done they slowly but surely made their way back over to you.

“A little, thanks Ad” You smile before sitting back down in your seat.

You weren’t feeling any better at all though, despite taking more painkillers about an hour ago. But thankfully the awards had nearly finished, and you had another lot of painkillers with you to take at the after party.

You knew Matty was excited to go to it as it had been a while since he’d attended one of these events. Especially with all of his friends being invited to come as well.

So, for him, you didn’t mind grin and bearing the pain. Even more so because he dressed himself to match you.

You were in a darker teal pantsuit and you had an orange low cut blouse on underneath it, with a matching pair of orange heels. Believe it or not, the colours did go really well together and immediately when Matty saw you in it he whipped out his casual orange suit, or as casual as an orange suit can get.

He borrowed a teal shirt and he somehow made it work. You probably both looked like muppets with his short mohican and your hair left to naturally fall around your shoulders.

But you both looked fit so you couldn’t care less. He could pull any combination off and always look incredible; you were envious of him in that respect.

But at least you could call him yours.

“How you feeling Sweetheart?” Matty asks coming straight back over to you when he escapes his conversation.

When he caught you routing for painkillers before you changed into your teal suit earlier, he could tell straight away that you didn’t feel well. And he knew exactly the reason why from how you carried yourself.

He was gutted for you because he knew you were excited to dress up for the first time in ages. Matty didn’t mind you not coming, and he said you didn’t have to, but you shot that down straight away.

You knew how much he wanted you there despite him acting like he didn’t. And he was your fiancé so you were going.

“Yeah okay, thank you” You smile and lean in for a quick kiss. “Well done, you were amazing”

He retakes his seat and says, with a concerned look in his eye, “Thank you… Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Promise I’m fine” You lie.

You felt like you were that Mortal Kombat character that had that worm thing bursting out of its chest. But instead of whatever it was bursting out of your chest it was trying to murder your uterus.

Uncomfortable was an understatement and the fact you weren’t drinking was worse. You told Matty you didn’t mind driving tonight as you knew he liked to have a few glasses of wine at these things.

You sort of wish you had the alcohol to dull your pain a bit more but you’d rather Matty have a good time. You’d take Matty’s alcohol induced affection as a distraction over alcohol every single time though.

You adored him so much. You were so glad you were going to marry him.

The day really couldn’t come soon enough.

The fact you were marrying him though was another reason that you didn’t want to ruin his night. Not because you didn’t want to upset him but because you didn’t want to burden him with thinking you wanted to leave when you actually didn’t.

So that was why you kept how you were feeling under wraps. And you managed that into the afterparty but of course when you excused yourself Matty wanted to find you not 2 minutes after you left his side.

He was certain he saw you head out the front. Matty assumed to answer a phone call as you didn’t smoke anymore, and the toilets were in the opposite direction.

So Matty tipsily headed out that way into the foyer of the venue you were in. And he spotted you in that stunning teal suit straight away.

But instead of being stood on your phone looking like an amazingly sassy businesswoman, you were crouched down leaning against a nearby wall with your head in your hands. And that shocked and scared Matty to his core.

He rushed over to you immediately and asked, “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

You head flew up immediately hearing Matty’s voice and Matty managed to take a breath of relief seeing you weren’t crying. You looked fine which confused Matty as he didn’t know why you were leaning against the wall looking like you were in pain.

Oh.

You were in pain.

“Hey” You smile and stand yourself back up on your orange heels. Before he can ask when he gets closer you assure him, ”I’m fine, I’m fine”

“No, you’re not” Matty shakes his head, looking at you with sad eyes.

You nod, trying to persuade him, “I am, I swear”

But Matty knows you better than that.

“What’s wrong?” Matty asks seeing if you’d be honest.

“Nothing’s wrong”

So Matty asks again, “What’s wrong?”

“My stomach is just cramping but I’m fine” You assure him, fixing he lapels on his orange blazer.

“You’re not”

“I am”

“You’re in pain, yes or no?”

“Matty” You sigh.

“Yes or no?”

You give in, “Yes but-“

“Then we'll leave. Just you and me” Matt says taking your hand and pulling you towards the exit.

You pull back against him, “Matty no. It's fine… You wanted to stay with Bea, Rome, Heather... I don’t mind staying.”

“Sweetheart, I literally just caught you crouched on the ground in pain” Matty chuckles, shaking his head at your blatant lie.

“I wasn’t in pain, I was seeing how my suit would fix itself” You tell him and gesture down at the teal material, “Looks pretty good”

“You always look pretty good but I’m not as fucking thick as you think I am.” Matty grins shaking his head at you before pulling you into a hug. “You used to be such a better liar”

“I’ve not got any secrets from you anymore.” You chuckle a little.

“You didn’t need to have any from me anyway.” Matty pulls you into a hug, and he presses a kiss to your head before he says, “You know I’ve adored you since we met, could tell me you buried a body and I’d of kept my mouth shut”

“Speaking of... I might need help moving the body later” You grin, pulling back a little so you're still standing close, your arms hanging loose around his neck.

“See I may believe you, but you’ve got mad period pain so I think we‘ll move the body next week” Matty chuckles, playing along.

You giggle at that and you move away from him so you can both head back towards the party. But Matty grabs your hand, “Where are you going?”

“Back in there” You point back to the doors that the party was hiding behind.

“No we're going home, come on” Matty pulls you back.

“Matty it’s fine, I know you wanna stay” You say genuinely.

You truly didn’t mind staying. You’d certainly had worse period pain and gone about normally.

You didn’t need to leave a party early.

“I want my stunning wife to be, to get into her pyjamas and be comfortable as her ‘insides are scrambling’, as you so poetically put it.” Matty tells you with a cheeky grin, “And I want to make her feel better in any way I can. ”

You tell him honestly, with the most genuine look, “Matty, I don't mind staying.”

“I literally want to go home.” Matty tells you, his eyebrows raised to emphasise his point.

You grin when you quote his lyrics at him, “Do you wanna leave at the same time?”

“Right, that's literally about dying... And I know you’re not that dramatic” Matty says pulling you back into his arms and you half hug half dance your way down the hall towards the car park.

When you get back home you immediately change into your pyjamas per Matty’s instructions. He brought you a drink and painkillers up to your bedroom and once he watched you take them, he went and got himself ready for bed.

After showering and quickly drying his hair he came back into your bedroom to find you lay in the centre of your large bed. You’d left room for him either side of you as you, but you looked so comfy Matty was almost hesitant to join you.

“You look like you feel better” Matty grins seeing you looking a bit better in yourself.

You smile at him, “Definitely feel better now I’m lay down”

“That’s good”

“Think I’d feel even better if I got a cuddle” You suggest with a cheeky grin and raised eyebrows.

“Lucky I’m available to give you that, isn’t it?” Matty chuckles, pulling the covers back to get into bed.

You raise your arms to him, so he knows to come to you. You wanted him close and you wanted to hold him.

If that meant you being used as a body pillow, then so be it.

Matty slotted himself right beside you and he lay his head on the top of your chest, so his head was tucked just under your chin. An immediate surge of warmth came over you when he settled himself in your embrace.

Your arms instantly went around his bare back and as you kept one on his smooth skin, your other instinctively travelled to his hair. It was still warm to touch from the hairdryer he used on his now short locks, and his body was still toasty from the heat of his shower.

It really helped dull the last ache that your period brought to you. Matty was like your personal hot water bottle.

You hum as you close your eyes and hug him a little tighter. “You’re really warm”

“That‘s unusual for me so enjoy it whilst it lasts” Matty hugs you a little tighter then.

You giggle knowing it was true and you do, you even tuck the duvet higher up his back, so he stayed toasty warm above you.

“Matty” You say, still repeatedly running your fingers through his short hair at the top of his head.

You feel Matty hum against your chest, “Yes Sweetheart?”

“Will you do me a favour please?” You smile, your eyes still closed, enjoying the closeness.

“Course.” Your fiancé says, picking his head up from your chest to look up at your gorgeous face, “Do you need me to go get you some chocolate? A McDonalds maybe, I know the twenty nuggets is sort of your comfort food these days”

You grin at him then, “You're adorable, but no.” You shake your head, “You don't need to go anywhere for anything”

“Then what can I do for you?” Matty asks, tilting his head to the side and his gorgeous brown eyes shined curiously.

“Can you stop shaving your curls off please?” You plead with a smile tugging at your lips, “I really miss my curly”

Matty grins feeling you still running your fingers through what locks he has left. “I’m right here, I'm no different because they’re gone”

“I know…” You grin, and you guide his head back down to resting on your chest so he’s as comfy as you, “Just miss messing with your longer hair sometimes”

“I miss you messing with it too.” Matty says lovingly, placing a kiss to your skin “I'll grow it back out for you, I promise”

You giggle a little then as each time he’d cut his hair over the years you’d scorned him for it and he’d taken no notice. You weren't expecting him to actually agree with you now but you were certainly glad he had.

“Thank you, my lovely” You grin. “And thanks for tonight”

“What do you mean? I’ve not done anything?” Matty asks, a little confused.

Your voice slows as you tell him, “Thank you for our cute matching outfits, that was really adorable. And for taking me with you, I'm really glad you won, and you know I love watching you perform. And for coming home and looking after me, you really didn't have to, but I really appreciate it”

“You know I’d do anything for you Sweetheart... And I'd rather you feel better and be in bed with you than stick around at an after party anyway” Matty tells you grabbing your hand that wasn't messing with his hair and he placed a kiss to the back of it.

“You’re far too good for me” You grin before you quickly lean down and place a kiss to the start of his head.

“You’re right, I did just win another award” Matty jokes and he only starts laughing when you hit him over the head playfully.

“I’m joking” He giggles, “I love you”

“I love you more Matty” You say and reach up above your head to flick the light switch off.

After a minute of just silently enjoying the other's closeness, Matty asks you quietly, “What time do you want to go and pick up our child from my Mum‘s tomorrow?”

You giggle at that question and say, “You know I was talking about our child to Y/B/F and she stopped me and questioned it thinking she’d gone into a coma for a year or something and missed us having a kid”

“Has she not heard us call Mayhem our kid since the day we went and got him?” Matty asks a little shocked.

Matty remembered the day you got him, and he’d fully said he was a practice child for you both in the future.

“Apparently not” You giggle, still messing with your fiancé’s hair.

Y/B/F has definitely been living under a rock.

Matty’s chuckles settle after a moment and he says, “Bed’s a little comfier without him laying on me if I'm honest”

“I’d say I’d agree but I'm practically in the same situation” You grin to yourself, still practically stroking his head.

“Aw that's nasty” Matty all but pouts.

“Or is it? He’s cute, you’re cute. He’s fluffy and you’re fluffy when you have more hair” You’re smiling like an idiot as you list all these things off, “You like biscuits, he likes biscuits. You cuddle up to me in bed and so does Mayhem. And you both give me good morning kisses”

Matty picks his head up and looks at you through the darkness, asking, “Is this the part where you say you’re marrying our dog instead of me?”

“I would but the invitations have already been printed and that would be a lot of money to change and update everyone” You joke, and you can see in the dim light that shines through your curtains that his jaw drops.

He gasps, “Nasty bitch”

“Mayhem’s a boy, he can’t be a bitch” You joke, thinking you’re funny.

Matty chuckles, kissing the side of your neck, “I meant you”

“That’s no way to speak to your fiancé Healy” You grin, liking the gentle kiss he placed on your neck. “Especially when she’s on her period”

Matty hums against your neck then and you hear him say, “Don’t cry on me now”

You roll your eyes at that. It wasn’t often you cried over a conversation with Matty when you were on your period, so you knew he was being dramatic. But you knew your man, you could play on the drama and he’d eat it up.

“I might do you know” You sniffle as if you’re getting upset.

Matty giggles into your neck a little then and you're smiling, still playing with his hair. Matty coos, despite knowing you’re joking, “Don’t do that”

You fake another shaky inhale, “I’ll try”

“Awwww” Matty pouts before pecking his way back down your collarbone and onto the top of your chest before resting his head there again.

You play the victim and press on, “What do you say to your poor wife to be who didn’t deserve that”

“Sorry Sweetheart” Matty chuckles before placing another kiss onto your skin.

You just can't stop grinning like an idiot. He literally was just putting in your hands and you loved him for being so soft with you.

“That's right… Such a good boy” You continue with your final dog similarity joke and pat his head.

Both you and Matty just lie there in bed giggling away like fools in love.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You can add yourself to my Taglists in my Masterlist x

[mindofasupernova]

The Inventor Part 3

Kaz Brekker x reader

Description: A killer is on the loose, eliminating Kaz's informants. In a desperate attempt, Kaz meets a certain inventor that has his mind racing, trying to figure out the complex puzzle she is.

When the news of a murder in Von Raske's autumn ball reached Kaz's ears, his breath froze, an icy hand tightening his grip on his heart. Lord Von Raske was a close acquaintance of the Grand Duke Y/LN, fear invaded his mind, a single statement playing on repeat like a broken melody: Y/N had been there.

Dirtyhands had immediately sent Inej to check up on Y/N while he tried to distract himself by finishing paperwork. Two weeks had passed since their secret rendezvous, two weeks since Y/N had given him the list of components that created the poison and in those two weeks, he hadn't contacted her.

The next morning, he and his crows had spent the whole day making inquiries about possible buyers and indentured Grisha acquiring an excessive amount of alloys. No luck. No one knew anything. The only thing he had gotten were another two corpses with the same symptoms.

He had refused to call Y/N despite the little voice in the back of his mind telling him to bring the brilliant inventor, who would surely enjoy an excuse to abandon her royal life for a few hours. Even when there were no new bodies, these whispers urged him to arrange another meeting so he could just hear her chatter about dissections methods as if she were talking about the weather. Kaz shook his head, tossed his treacherous thoughts into a vault in the back of his mind while scolding himself for wanting the company of someone he barely knew.

Kaz thoughts kept drifting back to the inventor, too worried for her safety that he failed to notice Inej's presence in his office until she quietly spoke.

"She's alright, Kaz, but she believes these murders aren't just an act of vengeance against the Dregs. She wants to meet again to share her theories." Kaz glanced up, evaluating Inej words.

If it weren't for the tragedy at the ball, he would have kept thinking some other gang wanted to initiate a war against the Dregs, but now he was sure this was deeper than a petty quarrel.

Kaz nodded, analyzing the spy's face. Eyes dropping down to Inej's hands, she wore what looked liked to be a set of thin brass knuckles, two rings adjusting at her pinkies and index fingers that joined a smooth metal band facing her palm. Before Kaz could open his mouth, Inej answered his unspoken question.

"Y/N made them for me. She told me she'd noticed my chipped nails and slightly blistered hands from climbing flat buildings. She fabricated these, they work as some type of magnet, using the force of momentum and creating friction on plain surfaces." Inej's gentle voice explained, an endearing look as she stared at her knuckles.

"She gave me some truffles to bring back to the club, she thought Nina might like them."

He hadn't failed to notice Inej's troubled expression when he had ordered her to go to the Y/LN Manor. Whether he wanted it or not, the brilliant royal was worming her way into his Crows' hearts.

Kaz hummed in response, "We are meeting tomorrow at 9 in the morning, I'll tell Jesper to deliver a note."

"I'll do it right now. I want to try these." Inej gestured at the brass knuckles and without a word slipped out the window.

____________

Y/N

"Need a ride, doll?" Mr. Fahey called out, opening the hansom's door, inviting Y/N to hop inside.

Yesterday, Inej had silently returned to her room, bearing Kaz's news about the meeting. Y/N's heart thrummed excitedly in her chest, the notion of seeing the Crows again lighted up her day.

Y/N had told Ms. Ghafa she'd investigated around her social circle and that they needed to pay a visit to Mercher Dupont's valet, Dupont's most trusted employee.

"Greetings and thank you, Mr. Fahey" Y/N said politely as she stepped inside, taking a seat next to the Wraith.

"Why are you so sure the valet will have the answers we are looking for? Is he related to those theories you wanted to speak of?" interrupted Kaz, always so straightforward.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Brekker. And they aren't just theories. You see, after the very unfortunate incident at the ball, I took it upon myself to investigate Mercher Dupont's whereabouts in the past two weeks."

"Whereabouts? What does that have to do with his murder?" the raven-haired boy pondered.

"Everything. Someone knew he'd be returning from his secret trip today and that he would go directly to the ball. It's quite obvious actually." Y/N said, watching the streets distractedly through the window as the carriage started moving.

"It's not obvious to me." voiced Jesper.

Y/N turned to look at her confused companions. Kaz frowned deepened when the girl turned to him, waiting for him to show he understood. When she was met with silence, the corners of her mouth tugged upwards, clearly proud she had noticed something the infamous criminal mastermind had not. Kaz didn't share her enthusiasm.

"When Mercher Dupont arrived at the ball he was jumpier than usual, eager to avoid conversation with anyone. It was clear he had traveled outside the country: his skin was tanned, constantly scratching and pulling at his sleeves covering what were likely mosquito bites. His shoe soles were stained with grass and an orange stain, probably jurda, laces had been recently cleaned but messily tied as if he had been in a rush to arrive on time. Jurda, mosquitos, and scorching sun at this time of year, we can only find those three in Novyi Zem." Y/N beamed, words tumbling out of her lips as if her life depended on them.

"Besides, my mother talked with his wife this morning. The poor woman said that weeks prior he'd raced into his hansom, disappearing for two whole weeks and when he had finally returned, he and his valet refused to tell her a thing." the inventor finished, just as the carriage stopped moving.

"Wait, I thought we were heading to Dupont's residence." Y/N interrupted, as the trio jumped down the carriage, a few blocks away from a jewelry shop.

"Tell me, Y/LN, would you like to see what we do for a living?" Kaz asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I did not come here to witness a robbery. Much less to help with your wicked schemes." Y/N retorted, a defiant raise of her head, body betraying her when she stepped out of the carriage as well.

"I thought you'd enjoy participating in illegal affairs since you seem so eager to associate with a bunch of criminals. Where's your sense of adventure?" Kaz taunted with a smug look on his face.

"I left it on the carriage and would very much like to go back to get it." returned the girl, crossing her arms and straightening her posture. "If you believe my willingness to help you indicates I relish taking things from others then, you are awfully mistaken."

"How do you know you don't like it if you've never done it?" Jesper joined in.

"There's nothing like a heist early in the morning." the sharpshooter said, twirling his guns before hiding them in his coat.

Y/N let out an exasperated sigh but followed nonetheless. Kaz Brekker will be my downfall.

__________

Jesper took the driver's place, dismissing the coach, being their "escape driver" as Kaz had dubbed him.

Y/N entered the shop first, a veil covering her face, and pretended to be deeply interested in some ruby rings. She was only there to watch, Kaz had assured.

A few minutes later, Kaz walked in wearing a security guard uniform, where he had managed to obtain one, Y/N had no idea. He slowly prowled to the counter, adopting his role with such grace that it stunned Y/N. When he reached the vendor, he started conversing with him as if they had known each other for years.

Every step, every gesture, every word was calculated. In another life, Mr. Brekker would have made a fine actor. A very charming and talented actor. The thought crossed Y/N's mind before she could stop it. Kaz Brekker was a dangerous man, he'd heard the horrified whispers that preceded his name, a heartless monster that terrified the streets of Ketterdam.

But now that she knew him, Y/N wasn't sure if he was as despicable as the rumors stated. He could have taken her hostage when her identity was revealed, betrayed what she had been doing in Mr. Zhang's shop in hopes of earning money, but he didn't.

Most importantly he had never doubted her abilities when he discovered she was a woman, never belittled her as many high-class men had done. In fact, she could have sworn Kaz was pleasantly surprised when she'd earnestly started the autopsy. His lips barely tugging upwards, when she handed him the list.

Y/N had also noticed how he was always covered head to toe, not a sliver of skin showing apart from his head. She had perceived the way he always avoided touches, careful of not brushing against anyone, staying away from big crowds. It made Y/N wonder why skin contact repulsed him, she wanted to figure out his enigmatic persona and discover the reason for which his heart raced.

"Fire! Fire!" with a startled jump she came back to reality, eyes landing on the blazing curtains near a thin metal drawer that was slowly melting in revealing golden necklaces.

Y/N desperately hoped this wasn't Kaz's plan, by now everyone inside was aware of the fire, quickly pushing to get to the exit. Y/N squinted her eyes at the smoke, looking for Kaz, scared he had been injured during this little stunt. But before she could call out his name, she was being pushed outside.

Y/N hurried back to hansom where Jesper and Inej were already waiting, rapidly swirling around, she almost bumped into Kaz's chest.

"That's your idea of fun?" Y/N questioned, sending a murderous glare Kaz's way, a mask to hide her relief at finding him safe and unscathed.

"Says the person who finds joy in carving corpses open." Kaz retorted, his infamous smirk widening and stepping inside the hansom, closing the door after the two girls. "But it worked, didn't it?"

Y/N turned to look at him in confusion, Kaz's smirk widening when he pulled a pendant from his coat, but it wasn't any ordinary piece, it was THE Pink Star Necklace. This necklace was the source of the hottest gossip, created by a durast master as a gift for the upcoming arrival of a Shu dignitary's daughter.

"Incentive and distraction. I knew this necklace was kept in that shop, I just didn't know where." Kaz explained proudly "The obvious instinct was rescuing the most valuable piece inside."

"That being the necklace, delivered into your waiting hands." Y/N laughed, an incredulous grin at Kaz's ingenuity.

The rumors were true, he indeed had a wonderful mind. The crime of the century without even lifting a finger. She couldn't help her smile, wondering what other tricks Kaz had under his sleeve.

"Very clever, Mr. Brekker. I'm impressed."

Kaz's smug look never faltered but his eyes softened "You've just seen the beginning."

_________

The valet had been lounging outside when they arrived at Dupont's residence. The three crows and the inventor approached, Kaz skipped straight to the point without waiting for pleasantries. After several unanswered questions and the valet affirming he couldn't tell where his master had disappeared to for the last couple of weeks, Kaz looked ready to bash his skull with his cane.

However, before his blood painted the white roses red and Y/N had a new body to examine, she quickly intervened.

"Does Mercher Openheilmer know of your affair with his sister?" and just like that, the valet was desperately sputtering the whole story of his life out.

Apparently, Mercher Dupont had woken him up in haste, ordered him to fetch the carriage, and to drive to Fourth Harbor as if the Devil himself chased after his soul. When they had gotten there, his master had hired a schooner and Captain Wagner's small crew to Novyi Zem apart from that, he knew nothing more.

In a quick bumpy ride, they arrived at Fourth Harbor looking for a certain Captain and his crew.

"Blackmail. Who would have thought Marchioness Y/N performed such ghastly deeds." Kaz mocked, while they walked to Wagner's petit schooner.

"Oh hush, you're just mad I didn't let you beat the valet up."

Kaz raised a hand, gesturing for all of them to be quiet. Heavy grunts and shattering glass could be heard from inside the ship. Inej drew her knives and Jesper pulled out his pistols, each one went their own way while Y/N trailed quietly behind Kaz as they entered the dark rickety schooner.

The captain's quarters were a mess, papers scattered and drawers open, someone was in a hurry. Y/N saw a shiny pistol laying on a coffee-stained desk, it was loaded, she hesitantly grasped it, adjusting her grip like he had seen Jesper do. She had never held a gun before, but any form of protection was welcome.

Swirling back around, Kaz was nowhere in sight, with uncertain steps she stepped into the adjoining room, shakily raising the gun. A burly blond-haired man, Captain Wagner, shoved clothes desperately into a suitcase, he froze and stared wide-eyed at Y/N. The man was sweating, pudgy hands shaking, ragged breaths escaping his mouth, he was terrified.

"I mean no harm, I simply wish to talk about one of your clients, Mercher Dupont." Y/N raised her hands in surrender, daintily placing the gun on the floor not wanting to scare the man further.

The captain nodded, taking a step forward, but before Y/N could utter a word, he lunged at her knife glinting in the moonlight. A surprised gasp left Y/N's lips when the man shoved her to the floor. Captain Wagner pinned her down, knife raised in a direct line to her throat. When his hand dived to meet its target, Y/N desperately raised her hands catching his grip, a poor attempt at preventing the sharp metal from sealing her fate. Wagner pushed harder, merely seconds before her blood decorated the cabin's walls, a crow's head sunk into the plane of her attacker's shoulder, eliciting a broken scream from the man, and with a swift kick to the ribs, Kaz yanked the man off of Y/N. Drawing quivering breaths, Y/N sat up and watched as Kaz pressed the hill of his boot into Wagner's injured shoulder.

"Why did you attack her and why in such a hurry? Why was Dupont so eager to leave for Novyi Zem?!" Kaz growled, rage blazing in his midnight eyes.

"P-Please, I got nothin' to do with Dupont's business," Wagner whined, a sharp cried pierced the air when Dirtyhands shattered his shoulder blade with a quick jab. Y/N tore her gaze away, when she turned to reprimand Kaz about his ways, the animalistic glare he sent her way snapped her mouth shut.

"He hired my crew to get him to Novyi Zem, paid good money if we never told anyone about his trip and the many oil barrels he'd insisted on carrying there." he whimpered, trying to free himself from Kaz's visceral grip.

"If I had known the four members of my crew would end up dead for his secrets, I would have never done it. He said his life depended on the secrecy and when I saw your little friend there I thought she was here to kill me just like Dupont. "

"What did he do with the oil barrels?"

"I don't know, Saints! He brought back a Zemeni man, though. P-P-Please, I have done nothin' wrong."

-----------

No one spoke during their walk back to the carriage, a thick silence hung in the air accompanied by the coopery scent wafting from Kaz's blood-splattered clothes.

Y/N was the first to break the silence, "Where are we headed to?"

"We are going to gather information and you are going back home." Kaz harshly replied, voice dripping anger.

"But-"

"No Y/N, what the hell were you thinking?! How more stupid can you be, lowering your guard down?!" Kaz snapped, black charcoal eyes burning a hole through her head.

"The man was trembling, I didn't want to scare him. I-"

"Kindness gets you killed! What was I thinking bringing down a pampered foolish rich girl who wants to play detective!"

"Kaz, there's no need t-" Jesper started.

"No, Jesper! She's a liability! We could have lost Wagner because she refused to use a damn gun!" Kaz snarled, chest heaving.

It would have hurt less if Kaz had slapped her, his words gnawed at Y/N's heartstrings. And yet, she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing the broken look on her face. Y/N schooled her features into that false look of indignance and serious arrogance she had practiced all her life.

"Very well, Mr. Brekker. It's getting late after all" she stated. Inej's comforting hand fell upon her shoulder, she smiled even when tears threatened to fall and glanced at the bleary world outside.

_____________

Fine, if Mr. Brekker isn't willing to speak anymore, I'll take matters into my own hands. Three days and no sign of Kaz. It's okay Y/N reassured herself, she could navigate the streets of the Barrel just fine.

After they had talked with Wagner and discovered Dupont's unseemly affairs that caused the death of four sailors who were also Kaz's informants, Y/N had traveled to The Exchange and after probing for answers (more like blackmailing dealers with Zia Francesca's never-ending gossip) she had gotten the address to a small house where most of the chemicals in the list had been delivered.

Pulling out a gun she had stolen from her father's collection, Y/N knocked on the door. She had failed to use a gun once and it had cost her honest companionship, she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

The door swung wide open; a sickening smell floated in the air. A scent that made Y/N's eyes water, the scent of something rotten.

Taglist:

@getawayfrommewerewolf, @rika90, @princessleah129, @lady1505

[bananxjin]

Trophy Wife || 8

↦ Coworker!Seokjin x Reader

↦ WC: 8,729

↦ Drama || Angst || Fluff || Slow Burn

↦ Trigger Warnings: One night stand/Light smut in the beginning, Reader cries a lot, Mentions of past abuse, Swearing

↦ Tagged: @lysannnnaa​, @vanillanjin​

↦ Summary: You thought you knew what you wanted – You were sure you knew what you wanted. You thought the be-all and end-all was a loving, domestic marriage with your fiance, Touru Kim; the love of your life, the future father of your children, and the man of your dreams, but things happen. Events begin to unfold, and the relationship falls apart. You see the true colors of your husband-to-be, and you realize that maybe he’s not what you built him up to be. With everything laid out in front of you, you knew the be-all and end-all was a loving, domestic marriage.

Just not with Touru.

✨ Masterlist ✨

**

Early November…

Usually, this was Jin’s most favorite time of year.

Usually.

When the time has finally come for the air to cool down and he can break out all his favorite sweaters. The way there were leaves in varying shades of reds and yellows littering the ground. Or how all the delicious holiday foods were back in season and it was finally justifiable for the apartment to smell like cinnamon and toasted marshmallows. In many ways, Jin believed he romanticised this special time of year.

But for now, things would be a little different. A little more stressful. With Yoongi leaving in another year's time, he and Hobi had no choice but to start looking for their own places since this apartment was way too expensive for the two of them, and they weren’t really interested in rooming with someone who wasn’t Yoongi.

Jin was lucky enough to find the place that he did. Sure, he still had nearly an hour's worth of driving to his second job, but this place was perfect in every other aspect. He’d be a fool to pass up on it. Yoongi and Hobi were ecstatic when they’d heard he signed for it earlier this week, and insisted they all went out to celebrate.

It took some convincing, mostly because it meant Jin would be passing up a bartending shift, but he’d caved in the end. There was some unnecessary debate about where they’d be going to celebrate because Jin already knew the one place that’d stand out above all the others.

HI-Lites.

It was HI-Lites everytime no matter what. It seemed to be the only decent bar within a twenty mile radius. He didn’t mean to complain or seem ungrateful. HI-Lites created a lovely atmosphere for all who visited with vibrant music mixed with the softened glow of neon lights. Velvety plush booths and a stainless steel countertop which the bartender always swore up and down was so clean you could eat off it.

Jin never attempted to.

Not to mention, 90% of the patrons were regulars. It might as well have been its own little community with the way everyone practically knew one another. It certainly wasn’t uncommon to run into an old friend or even a colleague some nights. There were plenty of reasons for HI-Lites to be their favorite bar, but Jin just wasn’t in the partying spirit tonight.

In fact, Jin would argue that he’d been going out of his way to ignore this place ever since he ran into you and your friend that night. He couldn’t help but now associate the establishment with the vivid memory of you looking like something that’d just stepped out of a dream. He caught himself a couple times taking glimpses up towards the bar just hoping he’d spot your figure sitting up there once again, but to no avail.

He felt guilty. Here his friends had been hyping him up all week long and made time in their schedules to spend this time with him, but all he could think about was you. His eyes and his heart would only search for you.

Although it wasn’t like Jin’s crush was a secret in this household. No, his friends were quick to pick up on his little crush and seized every opportunity to tease him about it. That was at least until they realized how familiar the situation seemed to his previous one. Then they changed their tune real quick.

They’d talked to him about it on several occasions, reminding how broken up he’d been over Her, and they didn’t want him to make the same mistake twice. He lost count of how many times they’ve had this conversation. How many times he’s stressed to them that it won’t happen this time. Because even if he did have a chance, he knew you’d never be the type to play such twisted games to get one over on your partner. Or rather, an ex-partner.

“Hi boys!”

“Hi, Mina!” Echoed Yoongi and Hobi’s response in a light chorus.

She smiled, eyeing Jin for a moment longer than she did the others. “Haven’t seen you three in awhile! What’s going on?” She asked, sliding into the rounded booth right beside Hobi. Yoongi, having noticed Jin’s spacey stare, gave a sharp kick to his shin beneath the table.

“Why don’t you tell her, Jin?” Yoongi quipped, giving him a sickly sweet smile. Immediately, Mina’s curious eyes found him.

“Oh? Tell me what?” Jin cleared his throat. “Uhm. We’re celebrating.” He responded vaguely, reaching down to rub his still very sore leg.

“I signed a lease for my own apartment, and I’ll be moving in come the new year.” At this, Mina’s face lit up with her full smile and rounded cheeks. “Wow, that sounds wonderful! I’m so happy for you!” She giggled.

“Let me buy your next drink, yeah? Just a little something to congratulate you with?” She offered. “Oooh, we should all do a round of shots!” Hobi added, giddy at the thought of free drinks.

“I don’t know, gang…” Jin shied away. “Shots sound like a great idea! Any preferences?”

After deciding they’d leave the decision up to her, Mina disappeared into the crowd with a promise of bringing back more alcohol.

“Dude!” Hobi blurted once she was out of ear shot. “Are you fucking blind? Why do you always try to push her away?”

“I’m not trying to do anything.” Jin retorted.

Okay. That might’ve been a lie. It’s no secret that Mina liked him. Every Time she’s caught him here, she’d do everything short of throwing herself into his arms. Anything just to get even an ounce of his attention.

This wasn’t even the first time she’s offered to buy his drink, and she was always flirting with him. It’s been this way for as long as he can remember. And while Jin’s flattered, he’s just never been as interested in her as she was him.

“Ya know,” Yoongi interjected, throwing back the rest of his whiskey. “Your personalities actually match really well. I think you two could really hit it off if you’d just give her a chance.”

Jin rolled his eyes and leaned back into the velvet booth, wondering what he should say this time. Which excuse would he use to worm his way out of this conversation? His friends had been trying to push him into Mina’s arms for the last couple of months. Even more-so now that they knew he needed to get over you, but he was more concerned with hurting her. There was no doubt they’d probably have a lovely relationship, if only Jin just felt the same way…

“Maybe a night alone with Mina is just what you need to get over you-know-who.” Hobi winked. “You can say her name.” Jin tsked. “It’s not like talking about her will-”

“Here we are!” Mina interrupted as she haphazardly placed four shots on the table. “Sorry it took so long! I wanted to let the girls know what was going on.”

“Oh, we didn’t mean to take you away from your friends.” Yoongi frowned. “Hey, what if we moved up to the bar instead?”

“Ooh, yeah! Then it’d be a real celebration!” Hobi laughed. Mina hummed, “They’d be more than happy to celebrate with you guys! But I think I’ll leave the decision up to the man of the hour.”

All eyes were on him now, eagerly awaiting his answer. Was Mina offering him a way out? He really didn’t feel like it was fair for Yoongi to make such a suggestion, not like that mattered now.

“C’mon, Jin!” Whaddya say?” Hobi begged. Jin’s nervous gaze shuffled between the three of them until finally locking eye contact with Mina.

A night to forget about (Y/n)…

Your friends are right; you never really did give Mina a chance. And it’s not like you’re locked into anything, just…

Talk to her.

Mina smiled shyly and tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. Obviously feeling flustered from holding Jin’s gaze for so long.

“Okay.”

And so the trio followed Mina back to her spot where three other ladies were waiting. Jin recognized them, but he couldn’t place any names to any faces.

Jin was sat right beside Mina, and it didn’t take long for their conversation to divulge from the others. Mina had finally gotten her wish. With Yoongi and Hobi preoccupied with her friends, she’d finally had Jin to herself. The conversation flowed easily between them. They talked almost like they were friends long ago and were finally getting the chance to catch up.

Jin was nervous at first as memories of you still lingered in the back of his mind, but as the night went on, those memories became nothing more than a fleeting thought. Jin was finally giving himself permission to let loose a little bit.

One beer turned into two. Then three. Another round of shots just for fun. Maybe one more after that because it tasted pretty good and Jin wanted to savor it this time. He was starting to forget why he’d been so depressed when he’d gotten here earlier. Eventually, the two started a drinking game. He couldn’t quite recall why or even what the rules were, but he was having fun nonetheless.

Then Mina was pulling him onto the dance floor. Her arms were around his neck, and his around her waist. Her fingers tousled at the hair on the nape of his neck, and it was turning him on.

Slowly. Ever so slowly, time had begun to escape Jin. He took a small peek over his shoulder just to make sure his friends were still there, but Mina’s warm hands found his cheeks just in time to bring his attention back to her.

The rest of the world felt so far away. Almost like they were in their own little bubble. Even his own voice was beginning to sound like gibberish in his ears, and he wondered if he was actually doing anything or if he was standing off in the background, watching somebody else have fun.

He had to blink a couple of times. No, he was sure every experience he was having was his own. Clearly some part of his brain was still high functioning. He could only see Mina. The way he was making her laugh at something he’d said. The way they were flirting with light touches and eventually closing the small space between them.

He hadn’t felt this good in a long time.

Then he blinked. And he was in the backseat of an Uber with Mina’s tiny frame pressed into his side. Palming him through his jeans and whispering dirty things into his ear. He could hear the soft moan that came from his lips, and he thought he should’ve been ashamed. But all he could focus on was the way her breath tickled his skin.

He blinked. And Mina was underneath him. Moaning his name and tugging him close to kiss him again. Had she already kissed him once? She must have. Or did he kiss her?

It didn’t matter. All he could feel was the way her pussy was squeezing him as he pumped himself in and out.

Her coal black her was splayed out across the pillow, and Jin couldn’t help sweeping one side up into his palm and giving it a light tug. She arched herself into him, crying out in ecstasy when Jin leaned in to suck blooming bruises into her neck.

God she looks fucking gorgeous like this.

And there it was. As if he’d flipped a magic switch, he’d regained some semblance of clarity. Sobriety. Just enough to feel the guilt come creeping in. She was gorgeous, and this is what she’d been wanting. She’d laid everything out for him and waited patiently until he’d finally take the bait.

His head was starting to hurt. He could feel himself inching closer and closer to coming undone with the way her heat was squeezing him. Jin dove in again, sucking more and more hickies into her skin.

He couldn’t stand to look at her anymore. He shouldn’t be doing this. This scene wasn’t meant for his eyes. It shouldn’t be meant for his eyes. He shouldn’t be enjoying her body as much as he was. It was selfish. HE was being selfish. He knew; he’s known this whole time how she’s felt, and he crossed that boundary.

It wasn’t fair to either of them, but especially not to her. Because even though she’d gotten what she wanted. Even if being with him was making her happy in the moment, nothing was going to change.

Tonight wouldn't mean anything to him.

**

“My parents are hosting a little dinner to congratulate my sister on her engagement next weekend.” Her naturally bubbly voice spoke through the receiver. “They’ve been asking about you, you know.”

He couldn’t stand to hurt her. The morning that followed their evening together, they sat in Mina’s kitchen. Had coffee together and tried to come up with ways to talk about what’d happened the night before. The usual routine for any one night stand.

Mina had been the first one to break the silence, admitting to Jin that she had, in fact, liked him for a long time. “I want to give us a chance.” She said earnestly.

Us…

It took Jin a moment to compose himself. Yoongi’s words of encouragement entangled themselves with his pounding migraine, and Jin couldn’t piece any of his thoughts together. “Mina…” He called out softly after a moment.

“I don’t know that I’m emotionally ready for a relationship. I have a lot of baggage--”

“That’s okay!” Mina reassured him. “I mean… We both still have some things we need to figure out; I know that, but…” She shied away from his gaze.

“Wouldn’t you at least like to try?” She whispered.

It broke Jin’s heart. Enough to finally give in. There was a mutual agreement: No labels on the relationship. Less of a chance for either of them to get hurt, but they wanted to make the effort -- Or rather, Mina wanted to make the effort. Because, who knows? Maybe they’d make a great team!

But Jin had been slacking recently. And he knew it. Was painfully aware everytime her name popped up on his phone or she’d shown up on his doorstep.

“They want to know when they’ll get to meet you.” She continued, reminding Jin that he was still on the phone with her. Jin nodded idly despite Mina not being able to see him. She’d been trying to plan another date for weeks now, but Jin’s evaded all attempts in doing so. Each time with the taste of guilt sitting at the back of his throat.

“It’s Saturday evening. I was wondering if you’d be able to make it.” The lilt of false hope in her voice plucked at his heartstrings. Made it that much harder to turn her down.

You should go. Just to make her happy.

“I really want to Mina, but I have my research deadline coming up soon, and I haven’t touched that paper in weeks…” Technically he’s not lying. But he knew damn well he wouldn’t be working on that monster anytime soon.

“You told me that paper’s not even due until April!” She sighed. “C’mon. You can’t spare just one night?”

Jin frowned, completely understanding her frustration with him. Mostly because he wished he could just learn how to tell people no. Or maybe tell Mina what was really going on. How he really felt. That way it wouldn’t feel like he was dragging her along anymore.

“I’m really sorry, Mina.” He apologized. “I promise you’ll see me soon.”

It didn’t take long for her to end the call after that, giving Jin some time to breathe. The phone fell onto the wooden table with a little more force than he’d intended, creating a sharp echo across the breakroom. Thankfully nobody else seemed to be around. He crossed his arms and laid his head down.

It’d been two weeks. Two weeks since he saw the bruises on your arms. Two weeks since he’d heard your voice. Two weeks since you’d been into work.

He texted you a couple times the first week. Called once just to make sure everything was okay, but it sent him straight to your voicemail.

He hung up.

The only thing reassuring him that you were still employed and above all else, alive was knowing Namjoon and Seulgi had both heard from you regarding every shift since then. He tried asking about you, but they simply told him you weren’t feeling well, and left it at that.

He knew they couldn’t share anything with him beyond that; it was common sense. Other associates’ business was strictly confidential, and really they were giving him more information than they needed to just by saying that. But at least it was something.

It wasn’t until he was back on the floor, going through the motions when he felt like he could finally release some of the tension built up in his chest. It was faint. Hardly something that would rouse his attention any other day, but he’d caught wind of your name being called out by one of the cashiers.

His hands stopped whatever they’d been doing. His body stood completely still. He eyed the doorway of the Men's dressing room. Not so much expecting you to walk through, but god he’d hoped.

There was a chill crawling up the back of his spine. A slight tingle in his fingertips, like his body knew what to expect, yet he didn’t. Looking down at his scanner, he tapped on the screen for confirmation.

6:18 PM

Four hours until closing. It would line up perfectly if you’d just clocked on. An unexpected bout of shyness washed over him. His cheeks. His ears. His neck. Everything felt warm at the thought of seeing you. Even if you wouldn’t speak to him; even if you’d told him you wanted nothing to do with him, just knowing you were safe would be enough.

He swallowed, forgetting what he was meant to be doing. Until he heard the telltale echo of timid footsteps on laminate floors approaching the Men’s dressing room.

He continued to stare holes into the backs of his hands until his vision unfocused. Listening intently to the footsteps until they were echoing off the walls of the tiny room he occupied. Until there was a clear indication he was no longer alone.

They faltered for a moment. As if they hadn’t expected anyone else to be here, but he didn’t seem to scare them off, walking closer until there were on the other side; standing shoulder to shoulder with him, staring at the wall of clothes that would need to be sent back out onto the floor. But nothing beyond that.

So it was you…

His mind eventually caught up to him, and all too quickly Jin realized how fucking stupid he must’ve looked right about now. How creepy it must’ve been for him to just be standing there like statue, his gaze burning holes into the wall as if that would somehow make him move. Make him focus on doing his job instead of worrying about you.

But you didn’t make any attempts to move either. Didn’t speak or give any indication you were even there aside from simply existing in the same space as him.

Out of his peripheral, he could tell your head was tilted down, fingers tightly wound together like you were paying your respects at a funeral. Neither of you moved a muscle.

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. But it certainly wasn’t welcomed either. Jin couldn’t imagine what this scene might look like to a stranger had anybody decided to walk in, but to you and him, this would have to be enough for now. Enough to exist silently in this tiny, enclosed space. Enough to know that there’s no judgement nor urgency to fill the still space between them. Something akin to becoming acquainted with each other again, but for the first time.

There was no animosity. No abundance of energy or need to comfort.

It just Was.

“Hi, stranger.” Finally breaking the silence, your voice melted away any remaining anxiety seizing his bones. Part of that wall had been chipped away, and he could see you again. His lips upturned into the tiniest grin.

“Hi.”

You swallowed, clearly unsure of what to say or how to handle the situation now that it’d been acknowledged. You wren’t even sure there was anything you could say. Now didn’t seem like the right time for it. Like you’d already messed up before you’d been given the chance. Still, you wanted to try.

“I really…”

You cleared your throat. “I really missed you.”

Jin’s stomach lurched up into his throat. He wasn’t expecting that sort of response, but he was relieved to know he wasn’t the only one that’d been hurting for your company.

“I missed you too.” His throat cracked. “How’ve you been?”

You shrugged, tightening your fingers around each other until your knuckles turned bright white. “Not good.” You whispered. “I think…”

Jin finally turned his head in your direction. Just enough to catch your side profile. You didn’t look at him.

“I think I need somebody to hold right now.”

And somehow, that was all it took. Those were the magic words that broke the spell. In one short movement, Jin had your wrapped up in a comforting embrace which you gladly accepted. The glue keeping you together was already thin, and now it was melting away. But Jin’s hug prevented you from crumbling. Instinctively, you held him tighter and he returned the sentiment tenfold.

His chin locked over your shoulder while your face stay buried in the crook of his neck. There were still so many things left unsaid. Unspoken apologies that continued to dangle in the air above you, but they didn’t need to be spoken to be understood.

They’ve always been understood. With patience, the pressure faded away into nothing. Jin could finally breathe again, and so could you. There was never a need for any fear or doubt when it came to your friendship, and you knew. Both of you cherished the other; that much was made clear in the volume of your actions. It was just a matter of time.

Make no mistake, both you and Jin knew there was still so much to be discussed. Understanding that things couldn’t be left like this. Understanding that they couldn’t turn into this every time something went wrong. There needed to be a clear line of communication.

You felt like at this point, you owed it to him. No more keeping him in the dark. No more keeping secrets to protect him. Jin was a grown man. He wouldn’t run away at the first sign of trouble. He’s always been there, and as long as you’d allow it, he’d continue to be there. But all of that would come in due time. There was no need to fill this silence with word vomit.

For now, this was enough. This was more than enough.

And so in the hidden confines of a public dressing room, the two of you continued to share a long, comforting, and much needed hug. Warnth and safety in each other’s embrace.

“Come back to my place tonight.” Jin whispered.

You nodded. You didn’t need to be asked twice.

__

His apartment looked so much more different since the last time you’d been there. Granted, last time you were here, it was completely barren. Unlived for so long until he’d come to make it his own. The futon with the busted leg stuck out like a sore thumb being sat in the middle of the room, but now there was a large tan rug unfolded across the living space with splashes of blue and red, thus creating a deep purple where the two colors met.

Navy curtains adorned the floor to ceiling windows, perfectly shaping around the sliding glass door leading to his balcony. You couldn’t help the low buzz of giddiness in the pit of your stomach. It felt all too intimate standing in his apartment this late at night. Comfortably. Knowing you had nowhere else to be except for Dahyun’s apartment when the night would eventually come to a close.

There was light conversation as Jin led you through the lounge and out onto the balcony. He offered to get you a drink which you were happy to accept. He also grabbed the quilted blanket which lay folded neatly on the back of the couch.

Cool air rushed at your face as you stepped outside, and Jin as quick to wrap the quilt over your shoulders. You quietly thanked him. He flipped on the fairy lights and pulled one chaise lounger just a bit closer to the other. The only thing preventing them from being pushed together was the dark end table between them.

It was a nice little nook cut out just for them. The walls extended away from his apartment, giving them ultimate privacy from his neighbors. Jin handed you a beer before taking a seat on his lounger, facing you. You smiled, mirroring his actions before he handed the bottle opener over to you. The tabs came off with a satisfying pop.

The two of you sipped in silence for a bit. Once again, nothing felt uncomfortable. But rather heavy. You looked out into the night, tracing the silhouette of the city skyline off in the distance. You hadn’t known for sure what would happen when you finally came back to work. How Jin would react or treat you after going radio silent the way you did. Whatever tonight had ended up turning into, you wanted to explain yourself to him. Explain everything to him.

He’s going to run away…

You had to reassure yourself that your anxiety was lying to you. That nothing was going to happen except that you two would sit here for as long as it took. Even if you said absolutely nothing tonight, Jin would sit here with you until he knew you were okay.

You chanced a glance over at him, and he you. A gentle smile adorned his features. “So, are you going to tell me?” He asked softly, setting his bottle on the table.

You smiled back. “I wouldn’t know where to start….” He shrugged, looking back up at you. “I’ve heard the beginning is a great place for that.”

That drew a chuckle out of you. Setting your bottle down beside his, you drew your knees into your chest, and laid your cheek on top of them. You found yourself looking out towards the city once again.

Breathe…

“Touru called off our engagement.” You stated plainly. “He called it off… That last night I saw you.”

Jin nodded in understanding. “We fought really bad. Not just that night, but we’ve… We’ve been fighting a lot these last couple months.” You continued. “He told me… A lot of things the last time I saw him…”

“Like what?” He responded in a hoarse whisper.

You reached for your bottle, taking a long swig of the amber liquid before continuing. “Like how he doesn’t trust me.” You whispered back.

“How he’s been coming in…” You smirked to yourself. “Coming in to check on me.” “At work?”

You nodded. “I think that’s how he recognized you at the restaurant.” Truthfully, Jin had no idea Touru recognized him. Although he recalled Touru giving him dirty looks a couple times back then, he assumed it was because he was blatantly flirting with you in front of him.

“I don’t…” You were choking on your words before you could completely finish your thought. “I don’t want you to think it’s your fault all of this happened.” You coughed. Jin could see the tears clear as day, building up in your eyes. He made quick work moving to your side and taking a seat beside you.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He wrapped his arms around you. You all but clambered right into his lap and he let you. He held you close to him and stroked your hair.

“We have a lot of problems.” You snorted, laying your head on his shoulder. “And we haven’t always agreed on things… Actually, a lot of the disagreements turned into these… These really fucked up arguments.” Your voice cracked under pressure, swallowing around your words so you wouldn’t choke again.

Jin pulled the comforter around your shoulder and held you closer when you began to shiver. “I think this has been a long time coming, and… I don’t know. Maybe I should’ve seen it coming. But I wanted everything to work out.” You bumbled.

“I wanted us to work out. You know, he was my first love, and we’ve been together so long…” Jin’s heart broke for you. He reached out to thumb your tears away. He never wanted to see you like this.

“I just wanted us to work out…” You sniffled, pushing your face against Jin’s chest. Holding onto him like your life depended on it.

Jin frowned deeply, gently rocking you back and forth, hoping to provide any sense of comfort to you. “He’s always been a really jealous person. I don’t want to think he’s done it intentionally, but…” You sniffled again, “He’s run off so many of my friends over the last couple years. I really only talk to Chae and Dahyun now. I mean, I’ve met their friends, too. And I think we get along just fine, but…”

“I don’t have a deep friendship with those girls like I do with Dahyun and Chae. Like I do with you.” You admitted shyly. Jin understood what you meant by those words. Still, his heart jumped at the way you said it.

“And I’m sorry. I feel like these are things I should’ve told you from the beginning, but I guess I was scared.” You mumbled. “I didn’t want Touru running you off next.”

Jin smiled and tightened his hold around you. “Awe, (Y/n),” He cooed into your hair. “Touru would never scare me off. I’m too clingy.”

You snorted. You wiggled around a bit until you were able to free your other arm from the blanket so you could wrap it around his waist, giving him a proper hug.

In the dead of night. The only thing that filled the silence were the crickets and the distance noises of city traffic. Next door, his neighbor was playing an acoustic guitar. It was soft. Faint. But just enough to brighten the otherwise solemn atmosphere. Making the night just a little more comforting.

“Can I ask you something?”

You nodded.

“Did you want to leave nursing school?”

Jin’s voice had barely been above a whisper, and it took a moment for you to respond. He was worried either you didn’t hear him or maybe the question upset you.

“No.” You squeaked. “No, I didn’t want to leave.” You pulled away from him. The tears had calmed down a while ago. Although your cheeks were still puffy and your eyes were pink and bits of your hair were glued to your cheek. Jin couldn’t believe Touru could hurt you like this.

“It was just one more thing for us to argue about. I mean it was vicious the way we fought about my college and everything.” You dug the heel of your hand into your eye, trying to undo the tears dried around your lashes.

Jin nodded in response. “What are you going to do now?” “I’m not sure. Part of me wants my relationship back, but…”

You fell quiet, unable to finish your thought. Your mind had been in such a haze ever since that last night with Touru. No matter how hard you tried, it hurt too much to ever think about. Whether ending the engagement meant ending your relationship. Whether you’d try to pursue something you wanted or wait and see if he wants you back. There was still no clear ending for you.

The familiar lump was forming in your throat once again, but you didn’t want to cry anymore. You’d been messing with a loose thread in the blanket when Jin reached out to take your hands in his.

“Look at me,” He whispered. “You should do what’s going to make you happy. Even if he wants you back, you need to tell him…” He swallowed thickly, his nerves teasing him for staring into your eyes for too long.

“His ambitions aren’t your ambitions, (Y/n).”

You smiled at him, drawing circles into his hands with your thumbs. “Thank you, Jin.”

A smile. A genuine smile from you in who knows how long. And it was just for him. He couldn’t help but think about how beautiful you looked underneath the moonlight like this. Even after just crying over a man who certainly didn’t deserve you. His heart continued to pound against his chest.

He wanted to kiss you. God, he wanted to kiss you so bad, but there couldn’t be a worse time for that. You didn’t need a new relationship or a quick fuck to run to for the night. You needed a friend, and Jin was happy to be that.

The moment was broken all too soon by the light ping from your back pocket. You quickly pulled your phone out to check who was bothering you. “Ah, sorry. It’s just Dahyun checking in on me.” ou sighed, pulling your other hand away from his so you could reply.

“I should probably head out soon. She wants to know when I’m coming back.” You stood into a stretch. The blanket fell away and pooled in Jin’s lap. But he was just as quick to stand up, instinctively taking your hand in his again.

“You don’t have to!” He blurted out. “You can stay the night if you want.”

You frowned for a moment. “I dunno, Jin. Are you sure?” You questioned timidly. “I don’t think your girlfriend would appreciate me being here. Besides, don’t you have classes tomorrow?”

What?

Jin shook his head in confusion. “I only have one class in the afternoon tomorrow.” He sighed. ”As for my non-existent girlfriend, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.” He laughed. “What made you think I had a girlfriend?”

Your cheeks were turning bright pink as you took your spot back on the chaise lounger. “Uhm… I guess someone told me about your crush on Seulgi…”

“Kyla.” Jin sighed and pressed his palm into his forehead, eventually brushing his hair away.

Thump. Thump.

“Wow, you figured that one out pretty quick.” You joked lightly. Jin chuckled, “Yeah. Because she’s the only one that found out.” Slowly, the humor faded from his face. And all that was left behind was worry and maybe a sense of guilt.

“Did she…” He cleared his throat. “I mean. Is that all she said?” Too embarrassed to look him in the eye, you focused your gaze on your fidgeting hands. “Ah. She said she thought you two were probably… Well, ya know.”

“Right.” Jin sighed loudly. “And she might’ve mentioned something about Seulgi’s boyfriend…”

He groaned and leaned back into the brick wall. Rubbing a hand down his tired face, “It’s not what you think.” He mumbled into his palm. He shut his eyes. His face scrunched up like he was in pain, but he wanted to tell you.

“I’d already been working there for like… I don’t know. Almost two years, maybe? Seulgi and I would kind of flirt with each other once in awhile, and it didn’t take long for me to develop a crush on her. But she’s my manager, right?”

You nodded in agreement. “I really, really liked her. But I never thought anything would come about until one day, I was ready to go on lunch, and I could hear someone whimpering in the back offices.” He explained softly. You pulled the blanket back up to your chin, and continued watching him with puffy eyes.

“Turns out it was her. I went back there to see what was wrong; maybe comfort her if she needed it. She told me she’d broke things off with her boyfriend a couple days before, and she’d never get back with him -- Ya know, relationship drama.”

“Yeah.”

“And…” Jin’s lips stretched into a shy smile. His cheeks were turning fifty shades of red, and he had no choice but to look away. “I don’t know… I guess in a heat of the moment thing, she kissed me.” He gulped. “I felt bad. Disgusting. It was weird because I didn’t want her to feel like I was taking advantage of her, but she insisted she was the one kissing me. Because she wanted me.” His voice grew weaker. You could tell by the emotion in his face. In his voice, that this was still something that was hurting him.

“She kept telling me she wanted me. That she had wanted me for a long time, and she asked if I wanted her, too. And of course I wanted her; I’d been dreaming of this moment.” He tugged his fingers through his bangs again. One finger got caught on a knot, but he pulled it through.

“It just felt… Off. That that had to be where we started, and it should’ve been a red flag. I should’ve stopped her, but I didn’t.” He chastised himself. “After that, we started seeing each other outside of work. That’s something she was super strict about, and I could never really figure out why: We couldn’t let anybody know. What we were doing was just between us.”

“Eventually I came to the conclusion it was because of the weird power imbalance or whatever, but…” He cleared his throat. “I kept seeing her. For seven months, we had this back and forth and it felt good. It felt wonderful being wanted by someone… Being in love with someone…”

Hearing him admit to being in love with her stung pretty bad for some reason, but you didn’t let it show. Scooting closer, you took one of his hands in both of yours. He finally looked over at you, giving you a small smile. He clamped his hand gently around yours.

“She would talk to me sometimes about her ex, but she’d never mention him by name. Never said anything that would hint at them getting back together; she only ever complained about what was wrong with their relationship, and I was happy to lend an ear.”

“But I think at some point, I started getting too bold. I was flirting with her at work again; even more so than what we were used to. I’d joke around and try to play with her. I think that’s when she started to pull away.” His voice cracked. “Then one morning… She just snapped at me.”

“During the morning huddle…” You finished for him. “Irene filled me in on that much.” You added, recalling what her and Kyla told you on your first day.

So even the other managers didn’t know what was going on.

Jin nodded. “I was humiliated because she usually enjoyed my jokes, but it was like everything had come to a halt. That afternoon before I left, she pulled me into her office…” He took a deep, shaky breath.

“She told me she hadn’t been honest with me. That her and her ex had one of those on again; off again relationships. And she was getting back together wit him.” He continued. “Because despite everything, he was the one she’s in love with. Is in love with.”

Jin stopped to take another deep breath. It’d been so long since he talked about this, but never in this much detail. He hadn’t realized it would be this difficult. “She thought this time, it was really over because she’d caught him with his ex after they’d broken up last. And she thought she wanted to move on, but…” He shrugged. “She also wanted to make it work.”

You frowned and leaned your head against his shoulder. He leaned his head on top of yours. “I’m so sorry, Jin. I can’t imagine how hard that must’ve been for you.” You whispered, but he just shrugged again.

“So are they back together now?” Jin nodded. “Yeah. Her and Namjoon--”

“It’s Namjoon!?”

He nodded again. “That’s why she wanted to be discreet at work.” He smirked. “Please don’t tell anybody I told you. Our coworkers aren’t supposed to know.”

You furiously shook your head, making a zipping motion over your lips, and even though it was enough to make Jin smile, he still looked so tired. So exhausted. It was like retelling that story had aged him ten years. To Jin, it surely felt that way, too.

“Did… Did you ever tell him?”

Another nod of confirmation. “I had to. I couldn’t handle the guilt.” He sighed. “He listened to me, and I think he understood that I genuinely had no idea they were a couple. He was still angry, though. Shoved me out the door.” A humorless chuckle escaped his lips.

“Namjoon’s never been a violent guy, but I’m positive he wanted to his me that night. It was just a fucked situation all around.” He scoffed. “We went out to lunch a week later, and he apologized, and so did I. Again. and he told me this was something pretty normal for them -- That they’ll break up and get back together, and they’ve cheated on each other and all this other stuff.”

You immediately looked up at him in shock. Safe to say, his look matched yours pretty closely.

“Jesus.” You breathed. “Have they ever heard of couples therapy?” He laughed, “I know right?!”

The two of you shared a knowing smile, but the mood turned somber once again. “But anyway… He said that breakup was really bad for them for so many reasons. I didn’t want him to go into detail about it; I got the idea. But I swore I’d never get involved again because… I mean, I don’t want to. If I would’ve known they were a thing, I never would’ve gotten involved in the first place.”

Your lips downturned into a small pout. So that’s how it happened. He’s not a homewrecker or a playboy. He got caught up in something he knew nothing about. You couldn’t blame him for that.

You leaned into him again. His bicep felt surprisingly warm against your cheek. His head was resting on top of yours once more. “I’m really sorry that happened to you.” You muttered softly. Jin smiled, “It’s been a long time. I’m over it now.”

“But not over it enough to join the morning huddles anymore?” You snorted. Although you regretted it seconds later.

“I’m sorry, that didn’t--” “No, you’re right!” He laughed. “Ah. I think it’s just the humiliation. If Seulgi’s in the morning huddle, then I’ll skip it. Reminds me too much of how I felt that one time.”

“I understand.”

Your gazed panned over to the open drinks sitting on the nightstand. Right beside each other just like you and Jin, and you frowned. You couldn’t help but wonder if Jin had opened up like this to anyone else. If he’d shared moments like this with Seulgi.

He still misses her.

You could feel yourself sinking into these negative thoughts until you felt a raindrop on the tip of your nose. Then another on your cheek. And another. Until eventually, a few sparse raindrops turned into a light drizzle. That’s when you and Jin decided to turn in for the night.

You were folding the quilt when Jin spoke up. “I’m gonna go grab some spare sheets for myself. Would you like something more comfortable to sleep in?”

You made a face at him. “Spare sheets?”

Jin nodded. “You should take the bed; I don’t mind.” He smiled softly. He turned to head upstairs, but you grabbed his wrist, stopping him suddenly. “Actually…” You interjected in a shy tone.

You turned your face away from him. For a grown woman, you were making an awfully big deal over such an inconsequential question.

“I was wondering… Do you mind sleeping with me?” You were met with silence. Not because your question weirded him out, but because you surprised him.

“I promise I’m not going to do anything weird--” “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?” Jin laughed.

You quickly pulled your hand away. “If you don’t feel comfortable, I understand. I just… I really don’t want to be alone right now.”

The heat was quickly returning to his cheeks. Thoughts of you half-naked laying beside him plagued his mind, but he quickly put those thoughts to rest. He reached out to take hold of your hand again.

“I understand.”

He led you up the familiar stairwell, not saying another word. After changing into the clothes he offered you -- And maybe staring at yourself in those clothes for just a little too long -- You finally returned to his room and crawled into bed with him.

You took the side closest to the window while he lay closest to the door. Facing each other, you shoved your hands under the pillow and gave him a small smile. “Well. Goodnight.”

He smiled, shutting his eyes first.

“Goodnight, (Y/n).”

Although hesitant, you followed suit. What you’d forgotten to mention; what you’d hoped would be fixed by having a warm body beside you, were the sleepless nights you’d been experiencing from day one. It took hours of laying there, just waiting for something to happen. Waiting for the intrusive thoughts to fade away. Hours of being on your phone and willing yourself not to look back at old conversations. Anything that would be a distraction to you. Anything that would eventually put you to sleep.

He’s already fallen out of love with you.

What if he has another woman at the house?

Your house…

It’s still your home just as much as it is his. There’s probably another woman laying on your side of the bed right now. Just like you’re laying here with Jin.

You’re no better than he is.

You opened your eyes again as if that would somehow reset your mind. You were surprised though, to find Jin there, watching you.

“What?” You whispered.

“You were making a lot of facial expressions.”

You blushed, shoving your cheek against the pillow. You’ve never been good at hiding how you felt.

“Are you okay?” You asked him, but he furrowed his brows at you.

“Are you okay?” He parroted your question. You shrugged. “As okay as I can be.”

Your eyes shifted down to the sheets. Gently you began scratching your fingernail against the bed, focusing anywhere else so you wouldn’t breakdown again. Judging by the tightness in your throat and behind your eyes, you had a feeling this facade wouldn’t last long.

“Is there anything I can do?” Jin frowned.

After a beat of silence, you finally spoke.

“Will you hold me?”

Immediately, Jin scooted closer and pulled you into his chest. Wrapping one arm around your waist while the other wrapped around your shoulders. “It’s okay.” He whispered into your hair. It felt like you were sucking cold air into your lungs when the sobs finally broke through again. You grasped onto the front of his shirt, feeling pathetic. Why were you crying over someone so selfish? More importantly, why were you crying to one of your coworkers?

Everything Touru said. Not just him calling off the engagement, but from every argument that consequently led up to this. Every mistake you made that pushed him away.

“You’d tell me if you were unhappy, wouldn’t you?”

“I tell you everything, don’t I?”

What a load of shit that turned out to be. How could you not see this coming? Your first sign should’ve been that night he said he didn’t trust you. That should’ve been the first sign things needed to change, but they didn’t.

You didn’t change anything, and now look at where you’re at.

Another sob broke through your chapped lips, causing pain in your chest. “I can’t do anything right, Jin.” You whimpered.

“What are you talking about? You do plenty of things right.” He responded softly, looking down at you. You kept your head buried in his chest, disagreeing with him.

“Hey,” He whispered, stroking the back of your head. You looked up with tears glistening in the moonlight. “You’re doing everything right by just being you, and doing what makes you happy.” He reassured you as he thumbed your tears away. “If he can’t support you, then he doesn’t deserve you. Hell, if he can make you cry like this, then he really doesn’t deserve you.”

A new wave of sadness overcame you and you were shoving your face right back into his chest. “I know you’re right.” You hiccupped. “It just hurts, you know? Realizing it.”

Your speech was broken up between sobs and stuttering between heavy breaths. It killed Jin to see you like this. Seeing the way Touru could tear you apart as easily as he did.

“I know.” He responded, holding you tighter and kissing the top of your head. He lay there quietly, stroking your hair and gently kneading his fingers into your waist while you continued to cry. He wished there was more that he could do. Anything to ease some of your pain, but this was all he could offer.

Ater a minute or so, your crying had subsided. Jin couldn’t tell if you’d fallen asleep or not, but he figured it was worth giving this a try.

“What does a loaf of bread say to his girlfriend before breaking up with her?” The room was silent for a moment, give or take the occasional sniffle.

“You deserve butter.”

At first you didn’t react, and Jin thought you really did fall asleep. Then you pulled away with furrowed brows and a look like he’d just insulted your mother.

“Wh-what?”

He smiled at you. From this angle, you could see his defined double chin. “Sorry. That one was a little crumby, wasn’t it?”

Soon your lips were upturned into a smirk. You let out something between a giggle and a snort. “Jin. Stop it.”

“Wait, wait.” He was giggling to himself before he could even get the next one out. “What did the toast say to the psychic?”

You watched in amusement as he tried not to burst at the seam. “You bread my mind!” He howled with laughter. He was already pulling you back into him so he could laugh into your hair. “What the hell, Jin! That’s so lame!”

“But you’re laughing too!” “I’m only laughing because  you’re laughing!” You argued, clearly laughing along with him. “I’m still sad!”

“Hey.” His giggles came to a halt, and he was pulling away to look you in the eye again.

“What?” You smiled.

“What’s the worst thing about a bread pun?” “Jin, I swear--”

“They tend to get stale!” He squealed. Even in the moonlight, you could see just how pink his cheeks were. The way his eyes creased up before laughing into your hair again.

Seulgi was a fool to give him up.

You playfully smacked at his chest. “What is up with you and bread tonight?” He shook his head. “I dunno; must’ve been something in the beer--”

“Oh my god, shut up!” You laughed, quickly wrapping your arms around his waist so you could hold him too.

Jin watched on in awe at the way you were still giggling at his antics. The way he could feel your arms around him. He knew he was in trouble, but he decided he would put those feelings on the backburner. Kick that can on down the road, if you will. That’s a problem for future Jin to deal with.

“Are you feeling better?” He asked as he rubbed the pad of his thumb over your tears once again. Your gaze waivered a bit. Flickering back and forth between his eyes, to his nose, his lips. Then back up again.

“Yeah, I am.” You sniffled.

“Thank you, Jin.”

[monkey-network]

Splatoon: The Series Final Season Episodes

21 Episodes; Season 3, Season 2, Season 1

Kindred Splash: Pearl reminisce about her childhood and how ink colored up her life.

Wife of the Warrior: A demigod turns to Off the Hook for help with their literal goddess of a wife.

Shortfuse: Marina is for some reason angry and this is causing her to shrink. Pearl looks for a solution before her wife becomes ant sized.

Sauce up Samba: Off the Hook get addicted to a bistro’s new special gravy, so they try to recreate it when the head chef refuses to share the recipe.

The Mermusical (Half Hour Special): Magic helps Marina and Pearl transform into mermaids, giving them the ability to liven up a lost underwater city.

Stuffed Subconscious: Marina becomes real clingy to a stuffed toy Pearl won for her in a crane game, so the latter and the Squid Sisters go to her mind to understand why.

Tsiwt Eugnot: esrever ni trecnoc a od ot si kcab hceeps lamron rieht teg ot yaw ylno eht dna sretsiwt eugnot ni gnikaeps ylno ot meht mood taht sciryl etirw aniraM dna lraeP

Zombie Zoul Train: It’s the zombie apocalypse, and everyone’s making the most of it, whether they survive or not.

The Missing Link: Challenged to make a song out of an apparently universally hated genre, Off the Hook works to make everyone believe that no genre should be left in the dust.

Music Makes You Be: A fan turns to Off the Hook in need of a song to give to his boyfriend, so the two help him write one to shares the best of their love.

The Pearled Piper: Pearl has found a way to summon worms with a certain type of music.

Calamari Swing: Marina has found joy in being a lounge singer.

Speed Demon: The Goddess of the Run comes back once more to curse Off the Hook to run at an increasingly high speed until they can rap at the similar speed.

The Old Inkling and the Sea: The Cap’n retells a story of his fight versus the largest and wiliest zapfish in existence.

Legends Game: Pearl gets into a MMOBA and is considered one of the best in the community, even when she barely does anything.

He’s the Star of the Show: Kirby arrives in Inkopolis with Dedede in pursuit, and Pearl and Marina in the chaotic crossfire.

Dancing the Nightmare Away: Pearl helps an inkling overcome his fear of the dark through music.

Pearlnocchio: A need for a new sound has Off The Hook look to a gang of whales for help, but their stubbornness proves to be a challenge.

Operocky: Marina creates an opera dedicated to Pearl but unfortunately doesn’t have the best actors/singers on board.

The Galactic Groove Part 1: Pearl and Marina accidentally creates a song that manifests into an omnipresent being that opens other dimensions to sing to them all. Off the Hook must blast off to space to stop the musical terror or the else dimensional riffs will collide and destroy the fabric of reality.

The Galactic Groove Part 2 (series finale): Pearl and Marina finally develop a song to stop the musical terror, and gets the help of their other dimensional counterparts. Then again, Marina doesn’t feel comfortable destroying the being outright, so she leads everyone to help the being understand music is cosmically all about.

[junosartsthetic]

What are your opinions on Joseph Joestar? Ive been watching videos on why ppl hate him and I just dont understand why. So can you share your opinion about him?

A Defense of Joseph Joestar

You’ve just opened a can of worms, anon, so strap in for the ride!

I’m going to start this off by saying that I love him with all my heart, but do NOT condone some of the things he’s done. So, without further ado, let’s get started in what I’m calling ‘A Defense of Joseph Joestar’

Alright, we’re first introduced to him in part 2. In this part he is a very excitable and hot-headed teen. In the wiki, which I’m going to be referencing, it says that he “had been imprisoned seven times and expelled once from school for fighting,” and he “has antagonized policemen and mafiosi alike.” Now, I’m not sure about the previous imprisonments, or the details surrounding his expulsion, but I DO know that Joseph, when provoking the policemen, did so because they were roughing up Smokey and treating him terribly, using their privilege to be racist. Furthermore, he fights with the mafia member because he threw racist insults and complaints towards Smokey. 

Obviously, Joseph has a heart, and is a good person, standing up for his friend despite any danger he might face by doing so. These actions are important to note, I believe, because it signifies his kind nature. Yes, though he is a “foul-mouthed individual,” he uses his strength to defend and fight against evil. He’s not the typical protagonist, a total change from the gentlemanly Johnathan, but he still houses the same determination and heart. 

Now, another major thing to note in part 2 is that Joseph gets help from Nazi soldiers, specifically Stroheim. Now, I like the way that Quora user Justin Daluur puts it. “Stroheim and his men were good people. Skilled, helpful, honourable people who are never shown to do anything particularly objectionable, don’t even bat an eye at the black kid hanging around, and who repeatedly risked their lives to save the world. While Joseph started out with some reservations about working with Nazis, Stroheim and his men legit earned his respect.” Joseph was trying to save the world from Kars, who was actively a threat to EVERYONE on Earth. Joseph trusted Stroheim because he saw that he also wanted Kars gone and to save the world.

Alright, moving on to part 3. In this part, the main thing I feel like I need to address is his intolerance of anyone who is Japanese, as he says “I’ll never forgive the Japanese.” This, as he has stated, is because his daughter Holly marries a Japanese man and moves to Japan. As Quora user Sarah Halabi states, “If Joseph really hated the Japanese I don’t think he’d treat Kakyoin and the Duwang gang with alotta respect/love… and Especially bang a Japanese woman.” Now, the last blurb is something I will address during part 4, but for now I’d like to focus on the first thing she says. The first time we see him getting upset at the Japanese is when a Japanese man bumps into him in the airport. And then, mostly in the first few episodes, he gets upset at certain Japanese customs. Now, I think this was just an attempt on Araki’s part to create comedy and mention the fact that Holly is now in Japan and married to a Japanese man. As the part continues, he is shown to care about his grandson AND Kakyoin, who are both Japanese. He doesn’t hate EVERY SINGLE Japanese person, he just hates that his daughter moved so far away. Every parent feels a sense of emptiness and sadness when their children marry and move away. Joseph is a hot-head, as I’ve mentioned. He shouldn’t have been so hateful and ignorant when it came to Japanese people and culture, but he’s definitely far from being intentionally racist. I’m not sure what other discourse you’ve seen, but that’s all I am going to address that is brought up in part 3 because I can’t think of anything else major.

Alright, now part 4 is where things get especially controversial. Josuke Higashikata is revealed to be Joseph’s illegitimate son. Basically, in 1983, before Crusaders but after Battle Tendency, he had an affair with a Japanese woman. Now, this is never mentioned in part 3, but it is a plot point in part 4. There is no excusing the fact that he cheated on his wife. But, off the record, I’d like to say that this was so vehemently out of character that I refuse to believe that Araki was in his right mind or properly characterizing Joseph when he came up with the idea. Anyway, the wiki says that “As Suzi Q got upset that he was unfaithful to her, Joseph added Josuke to his will.” It’s obvious Joseph is still caring and has a kind heart and listens to his wife. Furthermore, Joseph cares for Josuke, and even tries to sacrifice himself via. cutting his wrist to bleed the water red so Josuke can save the invisible baby from drowning. Afterwards, Joseph takes care of the baby, and even adopts her because they never found the child’s mother. 

TLDR: Joseph has made mistakes and can easily be mischaracterized as a bad, racist, selfish, cheating person, but in reality he has done so much good, despite his mistakes. I do not deny the things he has done, though sometimes I wish I could, but I will stand by the fact that I love Joseph and his brilliantly flawed character who is impulsive, stupid, hot-headed, clueless, cocky while also being determined, smart, loving, and so complex that I could talk about him for hours.

[time-to-write-and-suffer]

Gather round, children, and let Eff tell you a tale of today.

My mother and I live in an apartment with a family of 3: a woman, her 6-7 year-old-kid, and a hideous worm man who calls himself a human being.

Today a big fighty fight happened, where the two adults ganged up on my poor mother. It was a fight about hygiene, I believe. Mom was tired of us having to flush after the boy and the worm, because neither of them know how to press a button to make the water go, I guess.

Irrelevant. Given that I suffer from pretty intense social anxiety and always stay away from these conflicts, I should’ve maybe remained out of this one as well. However, I heard them arguing, and it was getting very loud. Like, unusually loud. So I grab my phone, press record, and start filming the argument.

When they notice me, the woman and the worm get very upset. The worm looks at me with the sort of hatred in his eyes that’s only reserved for a “woman” being uppity in a “man’s” presence. He’s a deeply religious muslim man, you see, and often tells his wife to shut the fuck up. Dunno if he’s ever hit her but she’s miserable 99.99% of the time. And he screams at her for maybe 95% of the time. He believes women are beneath him in every way. Oh and he tells his 6-7 year-old not to cry because he’s “a man” and he also makes him do pull-ups. So he can have a ripped child I guess.

So they see me recording this argument, and they both flip their shit. The wife starts trying to pry my phone out of my hands. My mom breaks it off and tells me to stay out of it, taking me back to our room. I stay there and obviously have a breakdown. I also call her boyfriend, because I have nobody else to call, but he can’t do anything. He seems to take my call pretty well though, to his credit.

Anyway, the argument continues without me for a while. They hurl insults back and forward, mostly the worm, who blames feminism for ... things? In general. They both demand to see my phone because I have “no right” to record them. They try to manipulate mom into giving them my phone by insulting us both and saying our relationship is “dysfunctional” because I’m her child yet I do not blindly obey her and thus do not “respect” her.

There’s a lot of insults about how I’m sick in the head and she has me locked up and a bunch of other nonsense. It’s mostly the worm arguing. The wife is now trying to do damage control, but he tells her to shut the fuck up when a man is talking (right after he proudly claimed that he, as the man of the house, “lets” her speak freely, which he defo doesn’t lmaooo).

Anyway, before you ask why we can’t go to the police, it’s because our “landlady”, who owns the apartment, isn’t actually allowed to rent it out. If we were to go to the police, both this family and my mom and I would be homeless. We don’t care much about the family, for obvious reasons, but mom and I are poor and finding an apartment in Stockholm is difficult, especially on short notice.

When mom explained this to them, the worm made a threat. Or at least it could easily be interpreted as such. He said he had “family” and contacts here, and that if we went to the police, something bad would happen. He either meant that, or he meant that they would be safe because of their family and contacts and we’d be the ones who were fucked. I recorded it all but I haven’t listened to the videos yet because I’m still recovering.

For now, things are relatively calm. They need us because they need our money, so the chances of the worm trying to hurt us is hopefully slim. But the worm is extremely violent and insecure, and he continued (I hope only verbally) abusing his wife and presumably traumatizing their child from the sounds of the crying for hours after our argument was over. He had been insulted and enraged that mom stood up to him and had to reestablish himself as the “alpha” and “the man of the house” by taking out his anger on the ones dependent on him, I guess.

So. Ya know. Things are very bad right now. Idk how to sleep knowing I’m in the same apartment as a criminal and a potential violent worm.

[myrainydayloves]

On The Idea of Farms and Family

In which I post the longest fic I’ve ever written. It’s long ya’ll.

In which the gang visits old friends and are forced to help out with the up coming harvest. Featuring: family drama, a taste of angst, hurt and comfort, and more honey than most people could handle. Also featuring @blackquills-wife and her husband Klaus.

Rated T because swearing

The excitement was keeping her up. Tossing and turning as if to warm up for the long day of play tomorrow. Their family and friends were all coming to help harvest honey and fruit and vegetables then sitting down for a feast of fresh cooked food. Zed had been watching her prepare for weeks, making gallons of ice cream, ordering an entire cow from the butcher, setting aside the best ingredients, picking the most beautiful flowers, and cleaning endlessly. 

All with the widest smile on her face. 

Zed could still see the smile even under the bags under her eyes. And now she turned to him and blushed. 

“Have I been keeping you awake? I’m so sorry!” She whispered over the sound of crickets and rustling trees. 

“No, no, Annaka.” He said her name with such reverence, like just letting the syllables out would cause the mountains to move and the sky to break out in rain. “I was just thinking about how I don’t deserve you.”

And he didn’t, or so he thought. He wasn’t human like the rest of them. Zed couldn’t even help on the massive garden they planted for too long without becoming dehydrated and needing a shower. A real human could have tilled along side her, wiping the mud from her cheek-

“Not this again,” she groaned. “Zed, My Prince, I don’t deserve you! You’re the most wonderful person alive! Literally in the whole world! I adore you.”

“Ah But-“

Annaka silenced him with a kiss. “Please. You are my true love. If it’s your personality? You are my match in both art and books, outwitting me without demeaning me. You create comparisons I could never think of. I’m in awe of your brain. And of how you selflessly help others! I fell in love with you all over again when you just donated all your treasured books to the library after it burnt down. No thoughts. Just gave them to the town. And don’t get me started on your looks…”

A single finger traced down his chest and if he was able to get goosebumps, he would have them by now. She let her fingertips roll over his chest, tracing every scar with the wonder of someone discovering stars for the first time. The scent of honeysuckle blossoms from her conditioner filled his lungs as her hair curtained around them when she leaned in for another kiss. 

“Annaka…”

As they laid quietly, pondering their love, Zed slowly moved into kiss her when-

“HEY YOU’D BETTER NOT BE DEEP SEA DIVING IN THERE!!”

A Zapp of electricity killed the mood. 

“Son of a bitch……” she cursed. “You know what? Fuck it, let him hear. I want you-“

“I KNOW YOU’RE AWAKE, ANNAKA!!” Zapp cried again from outside their front gate, banging on the wood. 

“Fucking asshole, WHY ARE YOU HERE!!! I DON’T NEED YOUR HELP UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING, YOU STUPID BASTARD!!!”

“YOU FREAKIN INGRATE!!! KLAUS FIGURED YOU WOULD WANT US HERE WHILE THE BEES WERE ASLEEP!!”

“BEES DON’T SLEEP, ASSHAT-you know what? I’m just gonna frickin’ kill him. I’m just gonna chop his head off and use it for fertilizer. I’m just gonna-“ 

Annaka continued to whisper the other gruesome ways she planned on murdering her brother as she put on her robe. Even when she slammed the door to their room closed and walked towards the front gate, Zed could hear them screaming at each other. 

Family, huh? Were all families like this?

God he certainly hoped not. 

—

Annaka flung open the front gate, nearly smacking her brother in the face with it as it swung out. The Libra team stood happily, but sleepily, in front of her with Klaus already in his beesuit. 

After momentarily wondering where he could have found one that fit his colossal frame, Annaka turned to glare at her brother. All the excitement and joy she had been holding to see him vanished and she was right back to wondering how satisfying it would be to make him eat dirt. 

“Sorry to get here so early,” Mary apologized. “I hope we didn’t wake you up too bad.”

Zapp scoffed. “Oh she was up. And so was fishcake, showing her all the ways it can bend-OW!”

With a soft shimmer, Chain appeared on top of Zapp’s head, still in her jammies. Over the chorus of pained cries from her brother, she asked. “Do you have coffee?”

“Seconded,” Stephan grumbling, still wearing a suit despite the farmwork to come. 

“I’m sure Zed’s already got a pot going. Where’s Leo?”

“Still asleep in the back,” Mary said with a small smile. “He was navigating for us up until about an hour ago when he passed out.”

“Poor thing,” Annaka cooed. “I hope he didn’t wear himself out too bad.”

“He’s so adorable when he’s sleeping, reminds me of my boys,” KK cooed, heaving the sleeping boy over her shoulder like he was a naughty fat cat. 

After a few more greetings, Annaka guided them through the walled front yard. It was done in an almost perfect replica of Master’s old training ground. Everything from the rocks to the meticulously maintained meditation spiral. Zed often trained on rainy days or when there wasn’t much farming to do. Just the memories of watching his smooth graceful movements brought the smile back to her face. 

“This is lovely,” Mary cooed, taken with the koi pond. “Oh my! These koi patterns are beautiful!”

“Thank you, Zed likes to care for them. And they adore him.”

“Glad to see they can recognize family,” Zapp scoffed. 

Annaka punched him in the gut so hard that he fell to the ground looking for air. All without moving a single hair out of place. She smiled brightly. 

“How do you like that, bro? He’s been teaching me some moves.”

“Hate it, thanks,” he groaned from his human puddle on the ground. 

The group stepped over him and they entered the home. It was a relatively small living space. There were only a few rooms: a dining or maybe living area, the door to the main bedroom, and the tank room. They passed through the living space, stopping to set the exhausted Leo on the couch to sleep, and into the garden.

What Annaka liked to call her Garden of Eden.

Flowers bloomed from very vine, fruit swung heavy from trees, vegetables seemed to pop out of the ground to say hello. A stone fountain stood off to the side, water trickling over rocks and down into a stream the feed into the garden. 

“Ah that’s the irrigation system!” Annaka exclaimed. “We pumped it from a near by river and then let it fall over the Stone Mountain to aerate it, and then it flows to specific parts of the garden from the bowl here! Zed designed it! Isn’t it beautiful! Oh...the afternoons I spend in the hammock, listening to the water splash over the rocks...My Prince…”

“You’re still so cute, Anna,” Mary cooed. 

The girls held hands and gazed into the night sky together. 

“Oh Mary, oh KK! I understand how wonderful it is to be married!”

“Yes yes! My Klaus and I are just as happy as you two! Oh joy-“

“Why the frick are we here if this is the whole garden.”

And all the joy was Zapped out of the air again.

Annaka broke from Mary and turned to him. “This is just my private Garden of Eden. Our real farm is acres big.”

“Ah! You’re here! Zapp, the wood got wet from last night, will you come light it?” 

They turned to see Zed poking his head out of the window of an extremely small cottage. Annaka quickly explained that because they burn things like cornstalks and wheat stalks, things tend to get pretty smokey so they built the rooms housing the kitchen and subsequently the heater outside. 

“Course they got wet from your gills touchin’ em, Ariel!” Zapp spat, making his way to the kitchen without complaint. 

She continued to lead the rest of them on a tour, showing them the outdoor shower, her lovingly carved wooden platewear, her huge marble bathtub, and finally the tank room

Their bedroom was plain save the aquarium tank in the middle, except for, of course, the depictions Of Annaka in so many mediums. An oil painting of her artfully sleeping on the bed, a photo of her playing in the tulips, poems framed and hung on walls, sketches of her working in the yard. It was a shrine to her as much as it was also a bedroom. 

“Oh my, this feels…” Stephan stopped himself before he said, ‘fucking weird’.

Mary finished his sentence.  “So very intimate.” She said this over the sound of KK silently weeping and taking photos to send back to her husband. 

“Ah, Yeah,” Annaka responded, trying to shove them out the door while protecting the blush on her cheeks. “He’s certainly added more since I was last in here….” 

By then, Zed was calling them back for coffee served with the hint sunrise. Annaka pushed past Zapp into the kitchen to quickly throw together a decent breakfast, ordering the boys to go set the table under in the gazebo.

—

“Zed! How are you?” Mary cried when she saw him, wrapping him in a hug. 

“Happy, I would say,” he answered, setting plates on the table. “Very happy.”

Stephan couldn’t help a playful, “Yeah, we saw your art room.”

“And it was great! Your dedication to your young wife! Your adoration of her!” KK pressed her hands to her cheeks. “I’ve never seen anything like it! You’re so deeply in love.”

“Ewww gross, you like my siste-“ 

THUMP.

Zapp clutched the back of his head and cried, “HOW THE FUCK DID YOU HIT ME FROM THE KITCHEN! THE MASTER SHOULD HAVE TRAINED YOU FOR THE FRICKING ALLSTARS!!”

“COME HELP ME CARRY THESE DISHES, YOU AWFUL WORM!”

“I’M NOT YOUR SLAVE!! GET YOUR OWN-OW!!!! THAT’S IT!!! I’M ABOUT TO COME GIVE YOU A NOOGIE LIKE YOU’D NEVER BELIEVE!”

“AFTER YOU HELP ME CARRY BREAKFAST!!”

“F I N E!!”

Zapp trudged off to help with breakfast instead of continuing to insult Zed, who sat down at the newly set table. 

Klaus leaned in, still in full bee suit and asked, “So when are we going to get the honey? We should get it before the bees wake up, correct? We don’t want to disturb them.”

“Honey, they don’t sleep,” Mary cooed, petting him. “Don’t worry, the bees are excited to meet you too.”

“What is on the docket though? Assuming it’s not just twelve straight, uninterrupted hours of Annaka and Zapp screaming at each other,” Stephan asked. 

“I think it’s sweet, in a family way,” Gilbert said, sipping the coffee from his mug and finding that it tasted distinctly of chocolate and cinnamon. 

Chain huffed. “I do need my hearing to work, you know.”

Klaus smiled quietly, pulling Mary a bit closer. “My siblings and I never really fought. It’s nice to see how a normal family gets along.”

“Nothing about the Renfro’s is normal,” Stephan mocked in good fun. 

“Here, here,” everyone cheered, clinking coffee mugs with a laugh. 

The siblings in question returned holding breakfast, setting plates upon plates of home friends potatoes that smelled like garlic and spices, thick slabs of pepper crusted bacon, farm fresh eggs still sizzling on a large pan, and loafs upon loafs of bread. (I know it’s loaves but loafs is more pleasing to the mouth) All served with fresh butter and cherry jam. 

Without so much as a “Thanks for the food” the table descended on the breakfast like ravenous wolves. But the sound of silence is the highest compliment you can pay to food, sans pointing at things with your fork and going “mmm!!!”

Annaka kissed Zed when she sat down next to him and fixed him a plate like she’s done every day since they moved here. Without fail, she got up and cooked him a little something, even if it was just roasting some bread, before going back to bed. 

His heart soared when she drank the coffee he poured for her and she hummed, shoulders dropping and back relaxing. 

“Tastes goood buuuut-“ his heart plummeted until she stole his mug and took a big gulp. “That one tastes better.”

KK screamed with delight as he blushed. With that, the table broke into conversation about the harvest, about work, about life in general as the sun lazily crept up the side of the sky. Soon, the farm cats and dogs arose to work: scared off pests and chasing chickens out into the field before coming to beg for scraps at the table. 

All to soon, breakfast was over and the day was set to start. Annaka commanded them like soldiers off to cut down men instead of fruit. She, Klaus, and Mary were on honey duties. Chain and Stephan on fetching fresh water and mushrooms from the forest(she added a small wink at Chain). KK and Gilbert on fruit trees. And finally Zapp and Zed vegetables.

“Why are you giving me the dirty work?” Zapp complained. 

“With your abilities, you’ll be able to harvest the veggies in no time. And take extreme care not to hurt my melons! There are a lot this year and if we harvest them all now, we’ll be eating melon for every meal for a week.”

“K, I heard the first time you old hag.”

“Shut up and go pick my veggies.”

—

To say Klaus was buzzing with excitement was an understatement. He was floating off the ground as Annaka suited up and suited Mary up. 

“You look like the cutest marshmallow,” He cooed.

“Awww and you look like a big white polar bear!” 

Mary had been listening to Klaus talk about bees for a solid month and she loved her husband. But she was ready for a different topic. Despite this, she was practically drunk off his happiness. Fluttering around him like a worker bee did flowers. 

“Okay, let’s go get some frames, boys,” Annaka said, slamming the door to her workshop shut. Despite the door being closed she could still smell the uncapped gasoline and paint Annaka kept in there. Family tradition, she insisted. 

Mary questioned why Annaka was dragging such a huge wagon behind them until the hives came into view. There must have been two dozen hives, all four frames tall, standing in the field. 

After motioning them over, Annaka pried the box lid off and a swarm of bees greeted them. Worker bees buzzed around them for a bit before recognizing Klaus and Mary’s non threatening auras and settling into the box. 

“Now, we’re gonna take the top two boxes of each frame. Bottom two are for the babies and where the drones sex up the Queen. Oh-look! Her highness came to say hello!”

A bee the size of Mary’s thumb buzzed up to gently bonk Klaus and Mary’s hats as if to knight them before returning to her chambers. 

“Better back off my Klaus,” Mary jokes. 

Klaus turned to her. “I understand you’re joking but I want you to know that despite my excitement for the bees, you are equally if not more important to me right now. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They shared a romantic gaze over the soundtrack of Annaka heaving and groaning over the weight of the supers. 

“It’s like 30 pounds a super!” Annaka cried. 

Klaus hugged Mary. “You are my beautiful wife.”

“Oof! These boys are thicc with honey!”

“And you my beautiful husband,” Mary whispered back. 

“Fucking! Sticky and heavy! What a combo!” She heaved, setting the first super in the box. 

The shlop sound of the sticky honey hitting the metal wagon was enough to jar them out of their love. Soon the work began, filling the wagon with four dozen 25 pound supers all filled with honey. 

“And here’s why I need Klaus. This wagon is now nearly 15 hundred pounds. Can you move it for me?”

Like he was pushing a feather, Klaus began to tug the wagon to the shop. 

Mary nearly choked on the smell of the workshop again, all deadly fumes pouring into her nose. Luckily, Annaka quickly dragged the extractor out to them and set up rather quickly, blissfully closing the door to what would knock out a normal person. 

“Okay so we put the frames in the extractor like thiiis. Then you close it. And you spin it,” Annaka taught to Klaus.

“Ah, for how long?”

“Eight to ten minutes for each side. So twenty minutes total.”

The couple stood shocked as she continued to spin it. Despite the agonizingly long time they had spinning that thing to look forward to, Annaka was still smiling. 

Must be the paint fumes, Mary mused silently. 

———

“Another break, Flounder?” Zapp asked, pulling up another arm full of carrots. “Why the fuck are there so many carrots?”

“Lots...of people...who juice,” Zed explained pouring water over his drying skin. “Ahh.”

Zapp stabbed his shovel into the earth, a satisfying thunk mixed with pebbles crushed. His designer jacket wrapped around his waist as he glared at Zed. It was like a cheetah who’s spotted a bird just close enough to take a swipe at. 

“We’re not gonna get anything done with you gasping like a fish on land. Did you really make my little sister do this all by herself, blowfish?”

A stabbed remark that hit so close to Zed’s heart, he felt it break. 

“I-“

Zapp crosses his arms. “Because if I find out my sister was slaving away in this heat while you played Southern Belle on the porch all day, I’m gonna be seriously pissed.”

“My skin gets dry. I-I over-heat because I don’t sweat. She agrees-“

“So you did huh? You just wanted to mooch of my sister’s hard work?”

Zed’s head sunk. He wished he could drown in the shame but...gills. For the life of him, he could not fight Zapp on this. A difficult silence fell between them. 

If only Annaka was here to explain. Or was he relying on her too much? Maybe he was a burden to her. Just a freak show she had to love because she was afraid no one else would love her. Was he taking advantage of her?

He stood up quickly. “I need to go sleep.”

“Sure, sure,” Zapp said flippantly. “Useless crustacean.” 

The tank room was a safe place for him. A place he could still be surrounded by his wife but also be alone to think and meditate. 

Zapp was good at getting under people’s skin. A talent Annaka shared but tried desperately to keep under control. Two siblings alike in more ways than one, he sighed. 

Just as he settled in to sleep, the door opened again, revealing a very sleepy Leo rubbing his eyes. “How long was I out? Is there still coffee?”

“Ah, yes. You can reheat it in the microwave, our stove is rather difficult to use for first timers.”

“Cool.” The door closed halfway before it opened again. “Wait, why are you in here?”

Because Zapp hurt my feelings-

“Just grabbing some air...well water.”

“Okay! I’ll catch you outside!”

“Ah Wait! Leo…” Zapp looked down at the lights on his tank. “Do you think...Annaka...that I’m good enough for her?”

A snort. “Of course, dude. She loves you like...so much. Even when you two were back at the office, she totally loved you. Don’t worry about it.”

“....thank you.”

“Course man.”

———————

Hours later, and I do mean hours, the honey was collected in a couple hundred or so jars. Annaka smiled at Mary, who wanted her arms to fall over, and Klaus, who also wanted his arms to fall off but was more than willing to catch Mary’s arms as well. In a box, she selected a few dozen jars and motioned for them to follow her back up the hill. 

“You guys did great for your first time! I won’t make you deal with the beeswax cleaning,” Annaka chirped. “And you’re welcome to take home as many jars as you want!”

Klaus’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Mhm! They make great gifts! I’ll even give you some of the tiny leftover bottles from the wedding!”

“Thank you!”

“Of course! I’m just glad we got all the supers back on! You both looked be-“

“HEY!! WHAT’S THE WIFI PASSWORD!!”

“IT’S ON THE DOOR!!”

“THANKS.”

Annaka turned back with a small sigh. “Anyways! I just wanted-“

“YEAH ANNAKA, LEO’S HUNGRY!”

The was a barely audible, “I didn’t say that!”

“And off we go to make lunch,” she muttered. “Sorry, Klaus will you carry these jars up for me? I’ll run ahead and get dinner started.”

Without waiting to hear his response, she dumped the box full of jars of honey into his weeping arms. It was like she just placed the world in his aching arms and he was barely able to keep from collapsing out of exhaustion. He stared blankly at the hill in front of him as Annaka scrambled up it. 

She walked into the kitchen to start the fire and found a Leo already trying to light the cornstalks. “Ahh, thank you, Leo. What would you like for lunch?”

To answer her, his stomach growled like tiger, shaking both of them. Annaka nodded with a soft ‘I see’ and shooed him to wash up as Zapp had undoubtedly thrown mud at him while they pulled up veggies. Suspiciously missing though, was her husband. 

Another growl for Leo’s stomach heard across the yard made it clear the matter could wait. 

Quickly, she whipped up some simple burgers with a side salad and potatoes wedges and carried them out to the gazebo where her brother sat looking through her vines of flowers and out into the valley. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” She asked. 

He didn’t turn to look at her. “Yeah…”

“Hey Big Bro?”

“Yeah, Zipp?”

Clicking her tongue at her embarrassing childhood nickname but letting the matter drop, Annaka said, “Thanks for coming. It really means a lot to see you here.”

Leo sat at the table and practically swallowed a burger whole, which somehow did not break the moment. After chugging down the fresh juice Annaka squeezed, he said, “He’s been working hard all month-“

“Can it, pubes,” Zapp snapped, glaring at him. 

Leo only smiled back. “What don’t want your sister to find out you trained all those newbies to watch the city just so you could be here? You should have seen him! We hit a new record, only three deaths this month thanks to this gu-“

“I said, can it!” He stuffed a burger into the younger boy’s mouth before slowly making his own burger. Zapp ignored the happy eyes Annaka was giving him in favor of artfully making a mess. 

“Zapp…”

“Annaka.” The use of her name brought her to full attention as he began looking out into the valley again. “Are you happy here? The middle of nowhere, hard physical labor, and fish brains? Mom and Dad said they’d be happy to have you back home and Master said he could use an extra hand with the new-“

“I would not trade this for anything,” she whispered. “With all due respect to Master and with a due swear words and insults to mom and dad. I am...so...so happy here.”

“But it’s hard!” Zapp snapped, losing all the teasing that usually kept him distant from others. Slamming his fist on the table, he cried. “It’s hard right?! You work your ass off and what can Zed even do around here? You always work so hard and make me look bad! And you found someone who actually loves you verse-“

He closed his mouth and twenty some odd years of emotional distress poured onto the table like spilled fresh squeezed juice. Jealousy was a rotten thing that spoiled all the fruit and vegetables. It crept into a person and decomposed someone from the inside out. 

“Oh!!! Is that Klaus I hear calling me!?” Leo asked as he stuffed burgers into his arms. “Bye!!”

A few moments passed before Annaka spoke, “Remember when we were kids and one of the caster kids tried to bury me alive at some conference. I bled out so much but I couldn’t get the boulders off me. Then, you came and rescued me, took me to the hospital, and then put that kid in the hospital bed next to me?”

“Heh, yeah. Fuck that kid,” Zapp said. 

“That night his dad came to visit us in the hospital. He gave me a bunch of flowers then pulled the curtain around that kid. I..” Annaka looked down. “He hurt his son. Broke a bone, I think.”

“Always knew that guy was bad news,” Zapp mused. 

She laughed, wine chimes rustled in the breeze, and she said, “That’s when I knew I wanted to help people. I wanted to keep them safe-“

“Yeah, I know. You’re moral and upstanding, I should be more like you-“

“Wait,” she said and the pond stilled at her words. Her brother looked up, all the same mess of white hair and stupid face he’d always had and she smiled at him. 

“You help people too, Zapp. We’re alike in more ways than one.”

“No, I don’t...I ruin everything. Ask anyone. You come and you clean up my messes and everyone loves you.”

“That’s because people can’t see past arbitrary values of morality. You sleep around and you drink and you smoke so you must be a bad person. I donate time and money to people so I must be a good person. Neither is true. Those who know you, who really know you, know that you are a kind person at heart. They know you struggle with vulnerability and are willing and able to understand you through your actions.”

She beamed at him. “Everyone loves you, Zapp. And how could they not?”

For the first time in a long time, Zapp felt tears running down his face. Honest tears of relief and of understanding fell from his eyes. His sister crossed the table and hugged him. 

“You’re the best big brother anyone could ask for, Zapp.”

And then he wept.

—————

Zed didn’t fall asleep. He floated there for hours, watching the water pump onto the small fountain in his room. Next to it was a small piece of marble he’d been carving to go on top for a while. It was going to Annaka, skirt all flared out and happy as the water shot up around her like the did in the city. 

He sighed and stared up at the ceiling again. Maybe a bit of training would help? Just to be angry? 

But he hadn’t felt anger at anyone since he moved here. Anger at things sure. Bees that stung me, fruit trees that dropped fruit on his head, and animals he caught eating their plants but not people. Not Annaka.

Not even Zapp. 

His door opened to reveal the man in question still smirking like he hadn’t been crying his eyes out. “Hey, sea urchin.”

“Hello, Zapp.”

The other man pulled a chair up to the tank and stared at the painting and poems and drawings of Annaka that covered the walls. Zed’s stomach churned in fear when he was finally looked at but Zapp only sighed. 

“It has come to my attention,” he said dramatically. “That I might have been too hard on you.”

“Is that an apology?”

“No, god no, of course not,” Zapp scoffed. “But...looking at all these...uhh...all this Annaka stuff...you still don’t think you’re good enough for her?”

Zed paused before sighing again. “No.”

“Well, man up and start thinking you do. Even if you have to fake it, she choose you and you’re stuck with her now.” 

With that, Zapp set the chair back and waved to him over his shoulder.

“...I thought you hated me..”

“Nah...I...you’re good by me.”

“Well you certainly don’t act like it,” Zed pouted. 

Zapp laughed and leaned against the door. “So?”

“I would like your approval to be with your sister. You’re Real approval without Annaka holding a gun to your head.”

They both shivered remembering how that day went. 

“Look dude, am I the one married to you? Do I suck your dick at night?”

“Vulgar.”

“But if you need my approval to sleep at night,” Zapp sighed, lighting a cigar and taking a long breath. After exhaling, he said, “Yeah you got it.”

They stayed like that for a second, Zed drying himself off and Zapp smoking under the watchful frozen eyes of many Annakas. Together they walked back out into the garden where all their friends laughing and talking with Annaka, surrounded by flowers and good food. 

She smiled at them, pushing at each other still, and said, “Hey.”

[truthbeetoldmedia]

The 100 6x02 "Red Sun Rising" Review

Phase 1: Survive. Phase 2: Populate. It seems like such an easy charge to fulfill but this is The 100 and if this show’s taught us anything, it’s that nothing is ever as simple as it seems. Red Sun Rising opens up 236 years in the past (for those trying to track the timeline: The current in show year is 2281, which means that we are in the year 2045 at the beginning of this episode; 7 years before the apocalypse, 3 years after Diyoza launches a terrorist attack in Washington D.C., 2 years after the Eligus III is sent to the Asteroid Colony and 104 years before the show’s own pilot episode), with Josephine (later revealed to be Josephine Ada Lightborne-and that sounds mighty familiar) and Gabriel Santiago taking in the eclipse.

I can’t emphasize enough how much I loved everything about the opening for this episode. While we spent the Season 6 premiere, Sanctum, waking up our main characters and getting them into their places for the rest of the Season, Red Sun Rising sets up the beginning of a mystery that will, I hope, propel the plot for the episodes to come-and it’s all done in a masterful six minutes of screen time. We discover several important facts in this time:

The Lightbornes are a family of 3: Simone (Mom), Russell (Dad) and Josephine (daughter), a makeup exactly the same as Clarke Griffin’s.

Simone is a doctor, Russell is an astronomer and Josephine is a taxonomist (a biologist that groups organisms into categories).

They’ve only found three evolutionary species on the planet when they arrive: Insecta (insects), Rodentia (rodents) and Reptilia (reptiles).

Jospehine names the planet-Sanctum

Gabriel Santiago is a geneticist (a biologist who studies genes and heredity).

The need for sex for reproduction is implied to be unnecessary as there are “embryos”.

They’ve been on Sanctum for 21 days before the first eclipse happens.

Josephine and Gabriel hear a sonic anomaly.

Russell, the first affected by the eclipse, kills his wife, his daughter and several others.

Gabriel escapes.

Josephine mentions to Gabriel “We both know you’re obsessed with me.”/ Mr. Lightborne states “The last thing I need is a broken-hearted geneticist.”

Whew! That’s a lot of information crammed into a relatively short amount of time, and I believe that it’s all relevant to a broader theory that I’m beginning to develop. I’ll get back to that soon enough, but for now, read on below for my review of Red Sun Rising.

On Planet Alpha (AKA Sanctum):

Sanctum doesn’t seem like much of a refuge for our homeless buddies as we crash back into the present day. Within hours of their arrival our group is attacked by locusts, Shaw is killed in a radiation barrier and Emori is stabbing Murphy in a fit of rage. We return to them in this episode, discussing what made Emori fly off of the handle and almost murder Murphy in the process. They quickly discover, thanks to the book found in the school room in the episode prior (written by one Josephine Ada Lightborne-interesting that), that the plants emit a toxin that causes psychosis in most inhabitants of the planet and Emori was likely the first affected because she fell directly into a pile of them early on. Miller’s immediate solution is to...somehow prevent the air from entering the building they’re in and Echo is quick to help him-handing him jackets to seal the open spaces around the door. The tactic is humorous in its absurdity because that’s not how air flow works, but Miller and Echo (and later Murphy) aren’t the science guys so I’ll give them a pass. Eventually, they come up with a plan to use the cuffs located around the compound to secure themselves, and it’s a solid one, I hope they’ll stick to it (can you tell that they don’t?).

I found it interesting that Echo chose to stay with Emori while Bellamy, Murphy and Clarke are together in the school room and Jackson and Miller are in an upper level, but I’ll explain why in just a bit. Everything about Bellamy screams “Dad!” during the time they spend getting situated, from forcing Murphy to put his cuffs on to holding on to everyone’s keys (although he does entrust his own to Clarke). Bellamy seems to have forgiven Clarke for her betrayal in Season 5, notable when everyone else around her is determined to hold on to their (deserved) anger towards her, after learning from Madi-and confirming with Clarke in the premiere of Season 6, that she did indeed call him everyday to maintain her sanity, but he does seem aware that he can’t force the others to forgive her, even as he comes to her aid.

Murphy’s attacks on Clarke have been relentless and it seems that he and Raven are the angriest at Clarke. I hate to say it, because I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but I don’t believe that their anger is unfounded. There’s been a lot of noise in fandom about the fact that Clarke is owed forgiveness (a lot of times the complaints almost read as Clarke being owed deference) because she’s saved everyone’s lives countless times, but there are issues with this idea. As we listen to Murphy begin his listing of Clarke’s crimes, we see that he is not talking about just the issues they ran into in Season 5, when Murphy is shot by one of the Eligius prisoners after Clarke provides intel to them, but reaching all the way back to every sin Clarke has committed against him and Emori, whom he loves. Murphy reaches back to Clarke’s  willingness to force Emori into being a test subject in Season 4, stopping at the last minute when an attack of conscious hits her and her role in his Season 1 hanging (Clarke led the charge when she falsely accused Murphy of murdering Wells, riling up an already unstable crowd of teen delinquents), even as Bellamy steps in to take credit for the latter (“In fairness that was me.”). Murphy even goes so far as to label Clarke’s apparent disregard for the lives of others, he uses the word “disposable”.

Unfortunately for our girl, it’s not an unfair charge. Clarke has often been lauded for her ruthlessness, her willingness to do whatever it takes to save the people she claims as her own, no matter the cost to herself or others. It becomes a central piece of her character during the Season 2 finale when she takes on Dante Wallace’s advice of “bearing it so they (her people) don’t have to, although I hesitate to say that Clarke has ever actually born the weight of the choices that she’s made alone even if she feels she has. Although Clarke usually formulates the idea for the people-saving win each Season, an idea is nothing without implementation (usually handled by Monty or Raven) and execution (usually handled by Bellamy). Usually Clarke’s ruthlessness works in her favor, people are-seemingly-grateful for her ability to make the life or death choices, but in Season 5, Clarke’s “people” have boiled down to Madi and Madi alone after a Season spent ostracized by a combination of choice and force and thus, her actions to save Madi (at any and all costs) pit her directly against her friends-even as they were working to find a solution that saved everyone. It’s a bitter pill for them all to swallow and, although Clarke isn’t the only one who has betrayed people that she cares or will eventually come to care for, the others have had the opportunity to hash out their differences with each other because they’ve spent six years trapped together in space. What else was there for them to do? Now, it’s Clarke’s turn to face the music and it seems harsh and unrelenting because they’ve all ganged up on her at once, but their charges are not unfair and the open discussion of past hurts will hopefully be a catalyst for real development of relationships Clarke has not had the time to build since Season 1.

With all of that said, I still cheered when Clarke finally got fed up with Murphy’s barrage and accepted responsibility-however harshly-for her own failings. Eliza’s delivery of the line: “Is that what you want to hear? That I’m the bad guy? Fine, I’ll be the bad guy. When I’m in charge people die, isn’t that what you said?” is phenomenal. There’s so much anger in the line, but there’s also guilt and grief and pain. In this moment, Clarke is lashing out at everyone, not just Murphy but also Bellamy. Like Murphy she’s still upset about words spoken in anger years ago, back in Season 3 for us, but over 130 years ago in canon (even though for our characters, it’s been 6 years since that moment) and it’s telling that in this moment, where Bellamy is actively supporting Clarke and Murphy is on the attack, Clarke’s anger is reserved for Murphy’s words but her pain is reserved for Bellamy. Perhaps Bellamy’s words-years old-hold more weight for Clarke because her relationship to Bellamy has always been central to her journey and as such it’s harder to shake his truths off.

The argument is interrupted by banging and yelling overhead where Jackson and Miller are chained and Bellamy immediately prepares to head up and ensure everything is OK. Clarke isn’t going to let him go off by himself and after a quick key swap, our resident power couple is charging off to save the day, differences temporarily cast aside. When they rush up the stairs and finally get Jackson to open the door, we see Miller in the throes of a hallucination.I’d previously speculated that the dead bugs in the terrarium were meant to be used as an early warning system in the event of an eclipse,and Jackson confirms that thought process before saying that Miller, in checking out the terrarium had accidentally knocked it over and now believes himself to be infested with bugs. Miller doesn’t want to die like the Grounder Octavia experimented on with the worms in Season 5 and it initially seems as though Jackson is fine and just wants to be released to check on Miller, but as soon as he’s uncuffed it becomes evident that Jackson was caught in Miller’s hallucination from the get go. He finds a knife and makes quick work of stabbing into Miller to free him from the illusory bugs, but Bellamy and Clarke manage to subdue them.

There’s a brief pause and it’s fitting that Clarke is the one who realizes they “have no idea how to survive down here.”. She’s spent 6 years alone surviving in conditions less than favorable, have her small piece of safety destroyed, find a new haven and have it begin to destroy them immediately. They’re both mystified by the idea of joint hallucinations (which is a recognized phenomenon-called Folie a deux or shared psychosis) and, although showrunner Jason Rothenberg has stated the hallucinations are far less important than we believe them to (and I do believe this as we were saturated with psychosis from the first trailer and The 100 traditionally buries the lead), I would love the opportunity to see more episodes of shared psychosis.

Ironically, although Miller and Jackson have been tranquilized and are now out of commission, Bellamy and Clarke are now the bigger danger, both of them are uncuffed and we see Bellamy beginning to unravel as they return to the school room to find Murphy missing. Bellamy-having used his tranquilizer on Jackson-goes down to gather Echo’s in order to decommission Murphy, but Echo (probably wisely) refuses to open the door, instead injecting herself with the tranquilizer when the psychosis starts to sink in for her. This leaves Murphy on the run and our first glimpse of him is huddled on the roof of one of the buildings,clutching a gun and muttering to himself and it’s easy to believe that Murphy has also been affected by the psychosis, but Josephine’s book tells us that “ So few are safe” implying that some people are immune to the effects of the eclipse and I believe Murphy is one of them. Although Murphy has run, it makes sense that he would. Bellamy and Clarke have gone up to check on Miller and Jackson and all the others can hear is screaming and banging. Having been attacked by Emori under the effects of the psychosis and realizing it’s spreading with Bellamy and Clarke completely unchained, it’s logical that Murphy would free himself and hide to prevent being a sitting duck. He even goes so far as to shoot at Bellamy (and Clarke) when he realizes that Bellamy is trying to get into the room where Emori (and Echo) have been chained up, perhaps in a bid to protect her from Bellamy who is spiraling.

When Clarke realizes how out of control Bellamy is, she takes herself off, in an attempt to find another way to subdue him and winds up hearing Abby’s voice crackling through the radio. It’s evident from the beginning that this is the psychosis as we know the radios haven’t been working and there are specific events taking place in space that would prevent Abby from reaching out to Clarke. This is our first glimpse into Clarke’s mindset in quite a while, I’d wager we haven’t seen her this emotionally vulnerable since Season 3, and she breaks my heart. We know that Clarke has been struggling with the weight of her choices since killing Finn in Season 2 and that each additional act she commits only adds to the burden she carries, letting the bomb fall on Ton D.C., abandoning her people in Season 3, guilt related to Lexa’s death, guilt related to almost using Emori as a test subject, and so much more. All of this weight seems to erupt out of her at once, releasing a perhaps long pushed down belief that Clarke herself is the root of the problem, or in the voice of HallucAbby, the toxin. It’s striking to see how far gone Clarke is and when she holds the knife to her throat, even though I know her status as the lead keeps her safe, my heart still leapt into my throat. Luckily, Murphy comes upon her before she carries out the act and it seems that, just as Bellamy getting the insight from Madi into Clarke’s mental state during the six years she was virtually alone has helped him to reevaluate his feelings for Clarke, Murphy realizing that Clarke is hurting and lost and does carry guilt for her actions is what it takes for him to begin the walk down the road to forgiveness for her. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the two of them forge a deeper bond this Season based on their shared experiences with feeling worthless and unneeded (see Season 5 Murphy).

Because Clarke is only a danger to herself Murphy is successful in convincing her (appealing to her logic) to help him save Bellamy before he hurts himself or others. That turns out to be easier said than done. Bellamy is deep in psychosis by the time they manage to begin putting their plan into action and he’s a formidable foe, especially with Murphy already weakened by gunshot and stab wounds, and he’s determined to “keep us safe” even from Murphy. He deals handily with Murphy, almost drowning him before he hears Clarke-desperately fighting the hallucination as she tries to get to Murphy and Bellamy. It’s clear immediately that Bellamy sees Clarke as a threat while mired in his hallucination, stating “Here we go again. How many times have you tried to kill me now?”, before he advances on her. It’s such a turn from Bellamy’s previous behavior with regards to Clarke that it’s shocking. Since learning of Clarke’s radio calls he’s been kind and friendly to her, openly trying to make her feel more comfortable and a part of the group. If we’re to believe that the psychosis has something to do with inner demons (“Face Your Demons” and all that), it’s a hurtful moment when you realize that means Bellamy is not nearly as OK with Clarke’s actions as he’s tried to be, but it also makes sense.

I have a working theory that the psychosis is directly triggered by conversations that you might have had prior to the onset. Miller’s psychosis manifests as being infested with bugs and he expressed guilt in the premiere for the cruel acts he performed under Octavia’s command. Jackson’s psychosis is a byproduct of Miller’s which also fits with the conversation they’d had the previous day where Miller says that “I did things, you didn’t stop things.” This time Jackson is going to stop what’s happening. The trigger for Emori’s psychosis has thus far eluded me (if you can think of it let me know in the comments below!), but Echo’s is clearly brought on by Emori taunting her by calling her a “Good little spy,” who is “always following her master’s orders” as she is besieged by voices (that I assume to be Nia and perhaps Roan), telling her to “bring me her head” and “slit her throat”. The triggers for Bellamy and Clarke are some of the most interesting for me. I believe that Bellamy was triggered by Murphy’s use of the word “disposable” as it relates to how Clarke treats people. We hear Murphy recite Clarke’s crimes going back into Season 1 and it appears that that might have forced Bellamy’s mind to darker times.

Even though Bellamy and Clarke have had conversations about her seemingly dismissive treatment of him and logically Bellamy has even acknowledged that at times she’s had “no choice” that doesn’t mean that he’s actually fully thought out or processed the harm her actions have done him. In each Season there’s an instance we can pinpoint where Clarke has done something that would indicate that she might see Bellamy as disposable:

In Season 1, she closes the Dropship door on both him and Finn (Bellamy later acknowledges that she had no choice, but it might be something that’s still paining him).

In Season 2, she sends Bellamy into Mt. Weather after rejecting his “Inside Man” plan on the premise that he would get himself killed saying “It’s worth the risk”.

In Season 3, she apparently sides with the Grounders after they’ve arranged an attack that has left almost all of Farm Station dead and after Bellamy has just risked his life attempting to save her from Roan.

In Season 4, she holds a gun on him and even fires a warning shot after he decides he’s going to open the door for Octavia, consequences be damned.

In Season 5, she literally leaves him behind knowing that death is an option because Octavia has gone power mad.

In every Season, Clarke has shown Bellamy’s subconscious that she views him as disposable even if we as the audience understand that these actions cost Clarke a great deal. Because they’ve never actually had the time to really sit down and flesh out the actions (unlike the Space Squad with their six years in space) there’s a lot left unsaid between them. Bellamy is determined to separate himself from Clarke, even mentioning when the psychosis first began to sink it’s hooks into him that he “didn’t need her anymore”, which I believe is also a callback to Bellamy himself believing that he does need Clarke, which is strongly evident in 2 instance in Season 4, when Jaha tells Bellamy that he keeps Clarke centered to which Bellamy responds “You’ve got it backwards.” and when Clarke advises Bellamy he needs to be both head and heart and Bellamy says “I’ve got you for that.”. Bellamy has managed over the course of the past 6 years to lead with both his head and his heart, but it’s a burden to carry all of the leadership on his own and I believe that perhaps Bellamy saying “I don’t need you anymore.” is an expression of Bellamy’s own upset that he does still need her.

I believe Clarke’s psychosis was triggered by herself, which is perhaps why she’s only a danger by herself. In that speech I mentioned above where she states: “Fine, I’ll be the bad guy. When I’m in charge people die, isn’t that what you said?”, which aligns with her psychosis manifesting as a voice (her mother’s at that) telling her that she is the toxin, because Clarke had already accepted that herself earlier in the episode. It also makes sense that it’s Abby’s voice-not just because Abby as her mother is someone who we would expect to love Clarke no matter what, but also because the moment Clarke really delved into “Survival at all costs.” was in Season 2. Season 2 had two large scale instances of Clarke deciding that the few are worth the many, the first being when she, influenced by Lexa decides that it’s better to save themselves and allow the majority of the Grounder leadership to perish in the bombing of Ton D.C. (a moment which causes Abby to view her daughter in a horrified light-even if only momentarily) and when she suggest that the only way to save her people is to irradiate the others. It’s after this moment that Abby tells Clarke that “Maybe there aren’t any good guys” a moment reference directly by HallucAbby over the radio. If we are making Clarke delve deep into her treatment of people as “disposable”, Season 2 is a really good place for that. I hope that the exploration of the feelings everyone has for each other and-importantly-giving them all the opportunity to express them and work through them together continues. It’s been an aspect of the show that’s been vastly underdone until now.  (Heather over at TVSource also has some clever ideas about Clarke’s hallucinations-find them here: https://bit.ly/2HiCUk3)

Aboard Eligius III:

Our first moments with Eligius are spent watching Octavia and Niylah spar. Initially it appears they are just training, trying to pass the time now that they’re both awake, it quickly becomes something ugly when Octavia misses Niylah and rams her fist into the interior of the ship-although its obviously painful she keeps hammering into the object until her fist is raw and bloodied. It’s not even close to our first clue that Octavia is severely damaged, nor is it our first clue as to how Octavia deals with her damage, but we’ll return to this because that transport ship that was stolen in the premiere? Well it’s docking, and the four masked intruders immediately gas their welcoming party (Jordan, Octavia, Niylah and Abby), checking Octavia’s hand and realizing that these individuals are not Nightbloods. As descendants of the original Eligius mission to Alpha (also all Nightbloods-as we see when Russell attacks his family),they are familiar with what to expect of the Eligius crew and-although they don’t encounter them-they still proceed with an almost rehearsed ease to take the ship and head directly to the bridge.

They manage to corral almost all those who are awake on the ship into the cafeteria, perhaps not the best place for Octavia to be at the moment considering almost all of her former bunkermates hate her, and Abby realizes they have an advantage-Raven is somewhere out there and, because Raven is clever, she immediately wakes Charmaine Diyoza. Poor Diyoza is still pregnant (“She kicked!”) and honestly-I’m going to have an entire bottle of wine for her this coming Mother’s Day because, wow. The banter between Raven and Diyoza is a gift! Diyoza’s first line of the Season being “How bad is it?” is something that I’ll be chuckling about for the rest of the year. Ivana Millicevic is uniquely talented and she brings an instant excitement to every scene she’s in, no matter her scene partner. Raven questions her decision to wake the former leader of a terrorist group, but she’s also smart enough to know that she doesn’t just need her brains-she also needs a military strategist and Diyoza puts her smarts to work immediately, taking care of two of the intruders (who had thus far been using non lethal force) with a simple but effective ploy-luring them into the cryo bay and stealing one of their weapons. The initial plan works but their foe aren’t fools and realize quickly that something isn’t quite right.

Meanwhile, The Breakfast Club (this is what I’ve chosen to call our cafeteria group) is calmly having lunch (the fact that Monty kept the algae on tap is another clever invention of his and a quirky glimpse into Jordan’s childhood). Jordan is willing to provide Octavia with food but Abby says that “Serving Octavia is how we got into this mess.” which is an interesting way of ignoring her own culpability, as one of the most drastic things that happened under the bunker was the forced cannibalism-something Abby not only suggested to Octavia but also encouraged-because Kane had to survive, at all costs. Octavia is tired of waiting around and decides to kick her way out of the cafeteria-which clearly isn’t very effective and when Jordan points out why, she’s quick to snarl at him-insulting his father.

Thus far, Jordan has been played as a soft-spoken, gentle man, very reminiscent of his father, but the change in him when Octavia insulted his parentage was swift and I was immediately reminded that, while his father loved peace, Harper was his mother and I’m sure she taught her son some tricks. The way he slowly unfolds his body from the bench as he stands up is threatening and it’s exactly what Octavia wants. When Jordan chooses not to engage, she eggs on one of her former followers and he lashes out harshly, slamming Octavia into the stair rail. The others join in and Octavia is brutalized but she seems to be enjoying it. We find out soon enough why-Octavia hoped they’d kill her. It’s what she wanted (in that moment). Unable to die as a hero in Season 5, it appears that Octavia is still determined to die, but unable to do it herself. It’s clear that we’re supposed to begin to feel sympathy for Octavia in this moment. I’m unable to. Octavia has spent years on a downward spiral and was honestly at her best as a character when she was an unrepentant villain. There’s nothing appealing to me about a character who has committed atrocities for personal gain (of her own accord-simply to maintain power) only to lapse into a huge well of self pity when her plan doesn’t work out. Octavia needs to own what she did and begin to make apologies and work to be better or go away. Even as she craves the pain she’s decided is her punishment, she’s unable to inflict it on herself, forcing others to sink to her level in a depraved game of “You’re just as bad as I am.” It’s unsettling and sickening and not a plot line I am actively looking forward to.

Back on the bridge, Raven and Diyoza have managed to temporarily hold the bridge takers at bay by pretending that Raven is one of them. It’s a clear fakeout and they don’t buy it at all as Raven is smaller than the person who’d originally been in the suit. Just as things are getting tense, Madi makes a hell of an entrance, dropping from the ventilation system and shooting one of their would-be hostage takers. There’s an odd exchange here as Faye lays dying. She implores the older woman (who is perhaps her mother) to “take care of” the bodies. The response? “I know. I’ll take care of it.” It’s an interesting statement and one I believe ties into a theory I’m going to share with you all at the end of all this-so stay tuned for this. In the wake of Faye’s passing and severely outnumbered, the lone Sanctum resident surrenders and is forced to take a search party out to find the missing members of the Eligius group. Jordan’s face when they land is perfect-he’s a space baby, just like our original group in the pilot episode and the awe and wonder he expresses at his first sight of land is beautiful and heart wrenching. Our original group didn’t maintain that sweet innocence for long-let’s hope that Jordan gets the opportunity to. Octavia has snuck aboard the transport ship-once again imposing her presence on a group who had no desire for her, with Raven rounding out the group. Initially our Sanctum resident doesn’t want to go with the group-she’s unwilling to leave her family, claiming it’s “not safe for them”. Interesting comment considering they’re all dead now. What other threats can harm them now?

Another offhand comment is made as they walk towards the castle. “The trees have probably consumed your friends.” and I’m sorry but what? We know the plants emit toxins but they’re also eating people? I don’t have time for that. It’s not long before they come across Shaw’s grave and Raven’s reaction is so depressingly minimal. Although she initially tries to run to him, her single tear at seeing his grave is...it’s unfair. Raven has been so beaten down that she is apparently unable to do more than cry silently at the loss of one more person who she’d permitted herself to love and be loved by. She deserves a measure of real happiness.What does she have to do to find it?

Reunited and It Doesn’t Feel That Great...

It doesn’t take them long to reach the castle and the initial panic at finding Bellamy, Clarke and Murphy splayed out in the red dirt (Bellamy and Clarke with legs draped over each others almost forming a heart) is taken care of quickly. It takes a simple caress to wake both Bellamy and Clarke, and Bellamy’s face when he feels the pain in his leg from Clarke stabbing him and then realizes why she’d felt the need to do so-call 911 because my heart is breaking. Now we know that, after the psychosis is ended, you are still aware of what you’ve done. That means those affected will need to talk to each other and hopefully make amends for what they’ve done. Bellamy’s guilt quickly falls to the wayside however, as he notices Octavia there and his “What’s she doing here?” is a reminder to all and sundry that he has in no way forgiven her for her actions last Season and doesn’t seem close to doing so either. Murphy isn’t waking up, and his veins have gone black, perhaps this is the price you pay for being able to withstand the toxins? But before we can deal with that, Bellamy also catches sight of the mysterious newcomer, but before his query about her identity can be answered-a rush of children, climb the stairs towards the castle. They are initially disquieted by the new visitors to their world, but an older girl, Rose, asks a question that sends Clarke and the others reeling: “Are you here to take us home?” It looks like they’ve been waiting on Sanctum for the Earth to be habitable again-they’re going to be massively disappointed when they realize that’s a crapshot.

And now...a Theory:

You’ve already read my theory on what triggers the hallucinatory subject matter of the psychosis (and because it’s not meant to be a huge part of the Season, I won’t add on to it here), but I hinted at another theory-sparked in the first six minutes of the episode, and I am hoping that I’m right, because if I am, The 100 will have really pulled a game changer. Keep reading for what is potentially my favorite theory ever:

When Josephine first tries to get Gabriel to have sex with her, he brushes her off, stating that they have the embryos, clearly stating they don’t need to have sex for population efforts. As a geneticist it’s likely a part of his job to maintain and develop these embryos. We also have Josephine state that “he’s a bit obsessed with her” and Russell state that “he doesn’t need a broken hearted geneticist.” In that same scene Russell also chides Josephine for twirling her hair-the camera even zooms in on her doing it. Shortly thereafter, Russell succumbs to the effects of the toxin and-in a fit of possessiveness, begins murdering the other residents of Sanctum. Gabriel is one of the only ones we see get away. My theory is that, after the effects of the toxin have worn off and Russell comes back to himself-aware of what he’s done, he finds Gabriel and the two of them work together to recreate their massacred colony. I believe that-using genetic material taken from their dead colony members, they introduce it to the embryos, thus creating clones of a sort. I think that Gabriel does indeed develop an obsession for Josephine, if he didn’t have one already, and in his grief is determined to recreate her, down to the quirk of her hair twirling, and that he will keep trying until he succeeds.

I think this is supported by the title of the next episode “The Children of Gabriel” (points to Yana of TVFanatic for catching some hints about this-read more about that here: https://bit.ly/2Ye0gOw) and the label of “Primes” for the founding families of Sanctum. Human DNA is made up of two “primes”, we know DNA to be a double helix, but when unraveled they are two clearly distinct strands, both have distinct sides, one referred to as 3’ prime and the other referred to as 5’ prime. The fact that there is a bowl in front of a picture of the Lightbornes-in which blood has been dropped is another possible clue. Perhaps this blood belongs to the clones of the Lightborne and they perform the ritual of the blood drops as a way to pay homage to their successors. This would also explain how Josephine Ada Lightborne wrote the book Bellamy finds in the school room “Red Sun Rising” in after she’s already died, because she’s been cloned. I also believe this is why Faye’s last words are about recovering the bodies and why our Sanctum Guide is unwilling to leave her family initially-saying it’s not safe. They want to get the bodies back to the lab where the embryos are kept before the genetic material is unusable because they too are clones.

I hope that this is the direction they’re going in, because if it is? We’re talking about a fun and exciting twist that would really help me believe that this new Season actually is a new “book” for us to enjoy. This might have been my longest review ever, which says a lot about how exciting this episode was for me personally.

Random Observations:

Bellamy has a choking kink: He’s now choked the Mt. Weather guard, Echo, Murphy, Clarke, an Eligius crew member and more. It’s getting out of hand sir.

Echo felt forced this episode. It seemed like-because they’d removed her from the main equation early, they felt they needed to have her verbalize her concern for Bellamy by yelling. It came off...oddly.

I’m all the way here for a Murphy/Clarke friendship and I hope that’s what’s going to develop after their shared moments in this episode.

I need all the Jordan Jasper Green. He’s a delight.

Hopefully Diyoza is delivered of that baby sooner rather than later. It’s got to be exhausting being pregnant for over a century.

It’s interesting that Octavia was able to survive walking into the radiation field (and yes, I’m aware she was pulled back), but Zeke wasn’t. Qwhite interesting.

Madi isn’t too pleased about being stuck aboard the Eligius ship, I’m guessing she’s going to wind off sneaking away soon.

Just because Josephine only discovered 3 Orders of life in their first 21 days, doesn’t mean there aren’t more.

Love it or hate it? I’d love to know more-tell me all about it in the comments below.

The 100 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

April’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝.5

[vino-and-doggos]

Time Enough at Last, chapter 2

Read full text on AO3 and FFN

Chapter Length: 2624 words (story length: 4631)

Rated: T

Status: Incomplete (2/3)

Summary: Submitted for your approval: one wants money, women, status, fame, and everything else in the world. The other just wants more time alive, to see his daughter grow, to love his wife for a little longer. Two seemingly different personalities must learn to coexist so that they both can have it all.

Beta-ed by @flourchildwrites, who deserves Starbucks, cookies, and a bunch of other goodies.

Only one more chapter after this!

Maes faded into consciousness again. It was difficult to tell exactly how much time had passed in the cold stone cell that he was locked up in, especially since consistent waking hours seemed to elude him. He could have been here a few days or a few weeks. Time was abstract, an important concept when one was floating in the ether between life and death. At least there was always fresh water waiting for him every time he woke up.

The wounds in his shoulder stopped bleeding freely three or four wake-ups ago. The bullet hole right below his collarbone still oozed gently, especially when Hughes prodded at it, attempting to ascertain the damage. The puncture wound closer to his shoulder didn’t have any discharge at all, now. Mostly, though, he hurt like a son of a bitch. It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe, it hurt to exist; there was absolutely no way to sit, stand, or lay comfortably.

He wished with all of his being that the family photo that he carried in his inner breast pocket hadn’t been left behind in the phone booth. It would give him endless comfort seeing the face of his beautiful Gracia and his darling, smiling Elicia. He would give anything to hug them one more time, or even to see their faces in the grainy photograph he always carried.

The photo had to be left behind though. He could only hope that Roy was putting the pieces together; he hoped he left enough clues.

Without a body, there was no guarantee that the phone call Maes tried to place wouldn’t just be written off, blood be damned. A phone call that may or may not have been heard, and some blood could be nothing more than a simple prank. Someone who managed to get his personal code, pretending to be him. It could happen. But the photo was solid evidence.

His thoughts became stronger, the strongest they’d been since his capture. Hughes contemplated the obvious shape-shifter who wielded the gun. He would bet any money that they had an ouroboros tattoo somewhere on them. Especially since he met the shape-shifter almost immediately after the voluptuous woman with the sharp, extending fingernails. It seemed too convenient.

Above all else, it seemed quite obvious that this group, the ones with the ouroboros tattoos, also knew the damning history of Amestris. The way that the dots connect.

Maes was yanked from his thoughts when he heard footsteps echoing towards him. The shape-shifter of indeterminate gender materialized from the darkness in front of him. Their greenish-black hair swayed as the creature walked, reminding a slightly delirious Hughes of a palm tree swaying in the breeze. Their lean figure belied defined muscles at first glance, and the lieutenant colonel was mesmerized by the way this being looked like a person, but so obviously was not.

“Ready to come with me, Dad-of-the-Year?” they asked, a mocking tone evident in their voice.

Ever the one for flair, Hughes put aside his pain, smiled and said, “Absolutely, kiddo. Where are we going?” in his best excited dad voice. He hoped it would piss the trigger-happy asshole off, and he was somewhat rewarded as the smile dropped off their face.

“Very funny. Get up; Father is waiting,” the shape-shifter sneered.

“Oh, so I was right with the ‘kiddo’ thing, then?” Maes questioned as he struggled to stand, using the wall as leverage and worming his way up bit by bit.

The other scoffed and rolled their eyes as they unlocked the iron padlock on the cell. “Do I need to restrain you, or are you going to behave?”

“I really don’t think I’m in much shape to be going anywhere. In fact, I’m probably going to end up leaning on you quite a bit.” Hughes pushed himself off the wall and used the momentum to propel himself toward the opening in the bars. True to his word, Maes caught himself on the one sent to collect him, knees giving way and weight sagging.

Scoffing, the shape-shifter dragged Hughes down the corridor, as if impatient to get to destinations unknown. And, as Maes thought about it, the muscles that this creature had were nowhere near what he thought would be required to support most of his weight; thinking further back, this was the same individual that carried him from the phone booth to here.

Glancing above, he noticed large pipes that seemed to line the ceiling and spread in all directions. Just ahead at an intersection in the tunnels, the lieutenant colonel could see the pipes become more congested.

The unlikely pair continued gimping down the hall together, Maes leaning more and more on his companion as they went. The adrenaline had worn out almost immediately after getting up, but the lieutenant colonel pushed aside his exhaustion and pain in favor of investigating the cavernous room that came into sight as they rounded the corner. Here seemed to be the nucleus of the pipes.

Standing at the base of the conglomeration of pipes was a man. He was tall, with straight blond hair that fell mid-back and a beard to match. Donning a white robe with crisscrossed sashes adorning his torso, Maes couldn’t help but think that he looked like some sort of prophet.

But, as Hughes understood it, prophets were not ones to look down their nose at their followers. He dug for his limited religious knowledge, something that Maes tucked away in the dark crevasses of his unconscious. His brain was screaming at him to focus on escape, on gathering the strength to fight his way out if need be; Maes tried to quiet the riotous noise and focus on what he could remember, but then the figure spoke.

“Thank you Envy. Leave the human there,” the deep voice echoed.

The shape-shifter replied, “Yes, Father,” and dutifully withdrew its support. Maes’s body crumpled unceremoniously the cold ground. Hughes thought it was somewhat funny that it almost looked like he was kneeling in front of the prophet before him.

Maybe he needed to heed Roy’s advice and get his sense of humor checked.

“How do you know I won’t run away?” Maes asked.

The prophet, who also seemed to be the one that Envy called Father, made a noise in his throat and said, “I doubt you have the strength to make it to the door. But if you believe you do, go on,” he offered with a sweeping gesture towards a door that Maes had not noticed previously. Suspiciously, Hughes cast a wary glance in the door’s direction, but decided against any attempts. He had no clue why he was there, or what he was wanted for, but he wasn’t stupid enough to try anything.

“That’s what I thought,” the man in white said. “You humans are all the same. Weak. Pitiful.”

Maes grunted as a bolt of pain thundered within his body. Through gritted teeth, he forced out, “Quite an interesting statement there. You look human. One wouldn’t think that you speak about your own kind with such disdain.”

“I may appear mortal,” Father started, “but I am far superior to any human. If you saw a bug on the ground, do you concern yourself with its life? With what it thinks, what it feels? Humans are nothing but insects to me.

“However… insects still have their uses. Bees pollinate. Worms fertilize. And humans provide disguises with less suspicion, especially those that already have high-profile friendships.”

Maes swallowed. He didn’t like the sound of that.

“And now that I have both components, let’s attempt what has only ever been successfully completed one other time.”

Turning to the right, the blond cast his gaze upward; Maes followed the angle and, for the first time, noticed a man suspended in the air, swords sticking out of his body at various angles, red electricity occasionally sparking near the entrance wounds.

Hughes was familiar enough with alchemy to recognize the attempts at transmutation. But who was transmuting? And what? Shaking his head minutely to clear his thoughts, Maes wondered if he did die after all, and he was now in some strange sort of afterlife. Was he due to be tortured next?

“Greed. Awaken.” Father watched as the chained and stabbed one stirred.

His eyes were an unnatural shade of purple, and his pupils were shaped like those of a cat’s, Maes noticed. “Well, well… the gang’s almost all here,” the man said with a winning smile, revealing impossibly pointed teeth. “Where are my missing brothers, though? I would love to tell Wrath hello on… proper terms, this time.” His winning smile turned sharp.

“Wrath and Pride are above ground, doing as their told. I would have loved to say the same for you all these years. You have disappointed me for the last time, Greed.”

Hughes felt the ground shifting, concrete grinding against concrete, as a basin filled with a boiling substance rose directly beneath Greed. Dread and nausea filled Hughes’s very being. The feelings only intensified when the dangling man began laughing maniacally. Slowly, the homunculus began his descent into the vat.

“Like hell this is going to work, Dad! You might be able to kill me, but there is no way in hell that anyone has enough greed, enough avarice, to take me in!!”

The lieutenant colonel shook and tried to force the bile rising in his throat to stay down, where it belonged. He had seen a lot of things throughout his time in the military, but this felt inhumane. Before Greed’s head hit the boiling liquid, Father raised his hand.

“Return to me, Greed.”

A piercing scream reverberated throughout the chamber, and Maes finally lost his battle with sickness. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and lifted his head in time to see red liquid dispensed from a series of tubes into a wine glass.

Father lifted the glass, making eye contact with Hughes. “To new beginnings,” he stated as he tipped the goblet and drank deeply.

Maes was frozen in fear. What the hell did he have to do with any of this? At first, he thought it had to do with his knowledge of the country-wide transmutation circle, but now he wasn’t so sure. Even if the two were connected, in what way?

Slowly advancing towards the lieutenant colonel, Father smiled gently. “Do not be afraid, Maes Hughes. You would be a very valuable asset to me. However, I need to make you a little more…” he paused dramatically, looking at Maes’s wounds, “sturdy.”

Before Hughes could begin to process the words, a third eye opened on Father’s forehead. It seemed to cry tears of red liquid, not unlike the liquid that was just consumed by the man in white. The substance congealed as it cascaded into Father’s awaiting hand, not quite hardening into a solid, but not quite staying liquid either.

Lengths of cord shot out of nowhere and forced Hughes into a spread-eagle position on the ground. Father’s hand hovered over the open gunshot wound in his shoulder, and as Maes started to question whether the wound was put there to immobilize him or to give them an available opening into his circulatory system, white-hot pain seared through his body.

The color crimson consumed his vision, first flashing like lightning, then invading in a swirling current of red and black. Hughes’s body convulsed. His joints bent and bowed in grotesque ways; all the while, his tendons tore and healed in an endless cycle of destruction and resurrection. A raw scream ripped from Maes’s throat. Right before he was swallowed by the undertow of red, he could only see the glow of red eyes from the figure in white.

The inferno around him twisted and shaped itself into what looked like a face. A strangely familiar face, with impossibly pointed teeth and cat-shaped eyes, despite the lack of pupils.

“What the hell are you doing here?” the mouth said through unmoving lips. The words which sounded from the phantasm were striated sound as if spoken from a thousand voices at once. “There is no way that you are capable of withstanding the embodiment of Greed the Avaricious! However, if you just hand over your body, I will be sure to take good care of it.”

“If I refuse to hand over my body,” Maes said cautiously, but confidently, “what will happen to me?”

“Well, I’ll have to try to take it by force. And then, if you even survive, you’ll be swallowed into the thousands of souls the Philosopher’s Stone already sustains.”

“I won’t be conscious again if you have to take me by force?”

“No, but why would you want to be?” the face, who Hughes assumed was Greed himself, questioned. “The world is a mess; even you can’t deny that. What in this universe would make you want to see more of it?”

“My family!” Maes answered emphatically, nearly screaming with hysteria. “My wife, my daughter! My best friend…” He trailed off. Quietly, he pleaded, “I just wanted more time.” Thinking quickly, he steeled his nerves.

“Fine then!” he shouted. “Take me! Take my body! I freely give myself to you!”

“Huh?” Greed said. “You’re giving yourself to me?”

“Yes I am,” the lieutenant colonel smiled dangerously. “And, for letting you do so, I won’t lose my consciousness to the Stone. I’ll get to see my darling daughter again.”

“Families are nothing!” Greed countered. “Trust me; I had a wealth of siblings and a father all my own - they did nothing for me. They held me back! And found families are even worse; you trust them, and then they don’t even try to save you. That’s bound to happen to you, too, if you put all your stock in that garbage.”

Maes forcefully shook his head, “You’re wrong! Families are the only thing that makes another turn on this wretched globe worth living. Take me over. Use my body. And I’ll prove to you that you can have it all if you have family and friends willing to take on everything with you.”

An eerie quiet settled within the red and black void as Greed contemplated Maes’s offer. Then, he chuckled menacingly, and Hughes thought for sure he was done for. He began to say a silent goodbye to Gracia, to Elicia, to Roy, and to everyone else who touched his life...

He was interrupted.

“You’re decisive; I like that! And committed, too. If nothing else, I’m almost guaranteed to succeed if you’re outright accepting me! All right, it is done!” the many voices resounded.

A blinding white light opened up and began to swallow Maes; as more pain wracked his body, he heard Greed say, “Let’s see how ready you are to be avaricious!”

His eyes opened to see the last bolts of red, alchemic energy leaving the body. At first, he was staring at the ceiling, but when the cords holding the body down receded, Greed stood and faced Father.

Hughes suddenly realized he was watching the events around him, as though they were happening on a screen. He had no control over the actions of the body that was once his. He could only see what Greed chose to see. But he could hear what Greed heard, feel what Greed felt. And as he stood before Father as an obedient iteration of the one called Greed, Maes felt the bullet lodged in his shoulder eject and heard it land on the floor. In the next moment, a crackle of red energy realigned the bones and tissue that were damaged, effectively healing the body.

Maes could see Father’s red eyes, glowing in the darkness.

And then he heard, “Welcome back...my avarice.”

[linoholic]

Mafia!Taekwoon

 Requested:  Hello! Can I have a mafia taekwoon AU thank you! 💗💗 -Anon

Warnings: Mentions of blood and violence

Pairing: VIXX Jung Taekwoon x Gender Neutral Reader

So this is not only a mafia au but lowkey (highkey) also a florist au

Also, I apologise for my inconsistent writing style. Being relatively new at this means that I am still working out my ‘style’ if ya know what I mean (though I have been doing art since I was born yet still am not consistent in that so who knows)

Jung Taekwoon

alias Leo

is the right hand man of Hakyeon, the leader of South Korean mafia VIXX

known for his cold, stone faced demeanor and quiet personality he is feared by people both in VIXX and those outside of it

he is also the most physical capable people in the gang, being a black belt in many different martial arts

so it’s no stretch to think why people call him the ‘muscle’

Taekwoon has never lead a very comfortable life

his family was never the wealthiest

with 3 older sisters and himself

his father and mother both worked long, hard days in order to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table

Taekwoon did all he could to help out, even as a child

when he was young he took part in many sporting competitions such as swimming and martial arts to try and win the cash prizes to give to his parents

and as he left high school, he got involved in an underground fight club

at first he just went with one of his ‘friends’ as a spectator

and 

but when he realised just how much the fighters earned when they won

he immediately signed up to fight in the matches

and with his previous experience in Tae Kwon Do, as well as other martial arts, he quickly made his way up the ranks

thankfully, he had moved out by then and so there was no questioning about where his various injuries came from

and when asked by his family where he got the money that he gave them from he could easily say ‘his job’ and they would let it go

it was during his fighting days he earned the nickname ‘Leo’

(After the lion, the king of the Jungle, though Hyuk likes to says it’s after the ninja turtle Leonardo)

this was also where Hakyeon found him

one of the fighters had information that N wanted, and so he had gone to the fight hoping to corner the man afterwards

and while he was there he saw Taekwoon and was really impressed by his skills

the quiet man was against a very intimidating looking opponent with muscles where you didn’t know there were any

but he just skillfully dodged the power filled punches thrown his way

and eventually, when his opponent had tired himself out, he threw a series of sharp blows to the mans body, quickly winning the fight

N, deciding that his mark could wait another day, walked over the tall man, having to push his was past a crowd all cheering for this  ‘Leo’

and that is the day that Taekwoon retired from fighting 

and started working as Hakyeon’s personal bodyguard; eventually working his way up to trusted second in command

~back to the present~

now, like I mentioned in the mafia!Hakyeon post, the VIXX mafia mainly works to take down corrupt politicians, loan companies who con innocent people out of their life savings and such

currently, they were working on stopping the CEO of one of these very companies

and this CEO was going to be throwing a massive party for his wife’s 55th

which was the perfect time for VIXX to infiltrate the man’s mansion and steal the contents of his huge safe that held not only gold, jewels and expensive paintings

but also papers which would prove his guilt and put him away for good

as the 6 in the ‘inner circle’ planned how out the heist (too many people knowing the plan meant more chances that word would get out)

they discovered that the easiest way in would be undercover in the companies that were being hired for the party

Hongbin was to be a part of the catering staff

Ken and N on the comms

Ravi managed to worm his way into working with the sound crew

Hyuk, as always, is the get away driver

and Leo, much to the amusement of his friends, was to be working with the florists that had been hired for the event

(they wouldn’t stop calling him Flower Boy, earning them a few bruises each)

it wasn’t hard to get a job there

the old woman who owns the place, Mrs Lee, was the widow of a previous member of VIXX

and so she was aware of the mafia, and actually was protected by them

so when N came to her and asked for one of his people to work there a couple of weeks

she understood that it was for something important and welcomed Taekwoon with open arms, quite literally

(Hakyeon got another bruise when he started snickering at Leo’s embarrassed face)

so two weeks before the party starts and the heist begins Leo heads off to the florist shop to begin his days as a worker

now, of course Leo knows next to nothing about flowers

which is to be expected

so for the first few days he shadows old Mrs Lee as she goes about her day

surprisingly he turns out to be pretty good at putting together bouquets

however, three days in and Mrs Lee has business to attend elsewhere for a week or so

and this, reader, is where you come in

you see, you also work at the florist

but you’ve been in Busan visiting family for the week and so when you get back, you are surprised to see a very tall, very handsome man standing behind the counter flipping through what looks to be the latest issue of GQ Korea

as he looks at you, you simply offer him a polite smile before heading to the back rooms to greet Mrs Lee

Leo, who was indeed reading GQ Korea, looks up at the bell by the door ringing and see’s you walk in

he knows who you are of course

Mrs Lee and her shop are protected by the mafia and so anybody that works there has had background checks done

and while Leo wasn’t really interested enough to memorise any of the information on any of the workers

he does remember names and faces

yours in particular

mainly because you are Mrs Lee’s most trusted employee but also because you looked pretty cute in the pictures he had seen

now, back to you

walking into the back room you are greeted by your boss and surrogate grandmother with a couple of travel bags surrounding her

instead of questioning her on where she is going (you had already known of the trip) you ask her about the man working the counter

“Oh, Taekwoon dear? He is going to be working with us for a little bit. He’s on important business.”

you knew that meant he was part of Vixx

Mrs Lee had told you about her close relationship with N, their leader and the mafia in general a couple of years after you had started working for her you see

much to Mrs Lee’s amusement you were very chill about it all

so you accepted the news that the right hand of the powerful mafia’s leader was going to be working with you for the next couple of weeks

instead simply asking the old woman if she wanted help with her bags

at her agreement you put down your bag, swapping it for the suitcases belonging to the small woman

as you lead her out of the back room she tells you about what will happen while she’s away, putting you in charge of the shop

you both enter the main room and Taekwoon, as you now know him to be called, heads over to the two of you and takes one of the suitcases from your hand

at your thanks he just nods before walking ahead of you and to the taxi waiting for Mrs Lee out the front

she hugs you both goodbye and before you know it it’s just the two of you stood in the cold winter air

you both stand there for a couple of moments before you turn to head back into the warm shop

a couple of hours go by with only the faint sound of the radio playing in the background

and the next few days pass like this

you and the few other workers make conversation while Leo keeps like a shadow in the background

it is now a late Saturday evening

you had just finish a bride’s bouquet for a winter wedding and you were the last one in the store when you heard a small bang coming from the front

you go to investigate, thinking it was the cat that belonged to the people in the flat above the shop

however, the two people who are looking around the room are definitely not a small tabby cat

they are both clad in full black gear looking like the classic bad guy

one of them has a hand resting on a gun on their hip

the other is holding a very heavy looking torch, not that it is really needed in the still lit up shop

before you can duck back into the work room and out of their sight the slightly shorter one meets your eyes and before you know it there is a tight grip around your wrist and you are being dragged into the middle of all the shelves

now, you may be a florist, which has the implication of soft, cutesy, flower crown filled work

but you are far from helpless

what people don’t realise is that florist’s handle many dangerous things in their work

pruners, scissors, knives, things for flowers that definitely should not be ingested by humans

plus, there are the flowers themselves

and it just so happens that you had a delivery of roses that day and hadn’t got around to stripping their thorns yet

grabbing one from the bucket you swipe it across the intruders face

the thorns catch on his cheek, small droplets of blood immediately appearing in the scratches

you wrist is released and you quickly take the chance to run, hitting the second intruder over the head with a metal bucket as you dodge his arms grabbing for you

with both the men yelling out behind you, you quickly make your way back into the work room and lock the door behind you

you rush towards you phone, grabbing one of the bigger pair of scissors on your way

however, before you can call the police sounds of a fight reach your ears and you quickly take cover before the tall workbench

quicker than you can blink the sounds stop and the door is forced open

slow, barely heard footsteps make their way to your hiding place and you stand up, hoping to catch the person off guard

the hand that stops the scissors clutched in your tight grip are familiar, as is the face that greets you

Taekwoon looks into your face before raising an eyebrow slightly and glancing at the makeshift weapon in your hand

you quickly let go of the scissors with a muttered “sorry” and step back, only just realising how close you two were stood

you eyes go to the split lip on his face an you go to get the first aid kit

(they are always needed so there are plenty to choose from)

Leo silently watches you move about, eyes moving over your forms to make sure you weren’t injured at all

you return to the man and motion for him to sit down on a stool

he follows your instruction without complaint

and stays just as quiet when you clean his lip, not even wincing at the sting from the wipe

“Who were they?” you ask him

“Just thieves. Nobodies,” is his reply

“And why are you here?” is your next question

to which he holds up a set of keys, answering your question without words

as expected, there isn’t much conversation between you, much like usual

for the next half an hour or so you sit in the back room, Leo having told you to wait for him while he sorts out the thief situation

you hear a couple new voices talk to Leo, so you gather he called a little back up to get rid of the (hopefully just unconscious) bodies

finally he returns and you grab your coat and bag before leaving with him

you grateful to see that any signs of the short scuffle have been cleaned up, leaving no signs that something had happened

“I’ll walk you home,” Leo tells you, knowing that the last bus to your home has already gone, and you smile at him in thanks

you both continue to walk in silence, the only sounds being that of the night and the slight crunch of the light snowfall that is starting to settle on the ground

the rest of the night is uneventful

you get home, Taekwoon says goodbye and you go about your usual nightly routine before falling asleep, your dreams being unusually calm despite the events from earlier

and just like the night, the morning goes the same

the only difference being that you buy an extra coffee on your daily run to the small coffee shop on your way to work

you arrive at the shop, unlock it and leave Leo’s coffee on the counter for him to find, with a small sticky note with the words ‘thanks again x’ written on it, before going to start working on the arrangements for a big important birthday party coming up soon

you don’t know it but when Taekwoon finds the drink a smile makes its way onto his face

buying coffee for Leo becomes a habit

even when Mrs Lee comes back and you don’t have to arrive as early to unlock the shop you buy one for him

sometimes you leave it for him to find like the first time

always with a small note with various things written on them

facts, jokes, encouragements, sometimes just little doodles

sometimes you stay and drink your drink alongside him, getting to know him a little and filling the silence by talking about your own life when he doesn’t feel like talking

little by little you get him to open up to you over the two weeks

you find out that he likes to read fashion magazines; and that he watches Japanese romance films in his down time

and that even though he is seen as though most stoic of the guys (who he also briefly tells you about) he cries the easiest out of them

he also tells you of his family; his three older sisters and their children who you can tell he adores

as much as he gives, so do you

he learns about your little quirks, about why you decided to become a florist, about any pets you had or wanted

turns out he has a soft spot for both children and animals as you find out when you see him petting that tabby cat in the middle of one of the coldest days so far that winter in nothing but a tshirt and a pink apron with the florists logo on the breast

you almost forget that he is this dangerous mafia member

because to you he isn’t Leo, second in command and muscle of VIXX

he is Jung Taekwoon, the cat faced softy who gets so adorably shy when you compliment for the job well done on the bouquet that a woman wanted for her girlfriend

eventually though, the time comes for the big party

you don’t realise that your time working with Leo is coming to an end

but he does

it suddenly hits him when he sees you working on the flower arrangements for the very party that he is to infiltrate

so the couple of days before the event he becomes the tiniest bit more chatty around you

not enough for it to be out of character for him, but just enough for it to be noticable

when you question him on his behaviour, asking him if anything is wrong, he just denies it

he does it with such a straight face that you drop it, quickly forgetting about it

and before you know it, you, Mrs Lee, Taekwoon and some other workers are stood in the grand foyer of the mansion of a wealthy CEO

the very mansion that VIXX are about to steal from

a tall man with red hair brushes past you, throwing a sorry over his shoulder and a wink at Leo

you see, the five other boys know all about who you are

and they know all about Leo’s budding feelings for you

somehow

and of course they’ll take any chance they can to tease each other

honestly, who gave these guys such responsibility in a powerful mafia?

the party set up goes without a hitch

you, Mrs Lee and the other workers all leave, Leo saying goodbye before leaving without a trace

that night, the big robbery goes off perfectly

the next morning you wake up to see the news of a CEO robbed and disgraced

(N made sure that anybody working for their target got paid before they pulled the heist off)

and you immediately know that this was the ‘important business’ that Mrs Lee had mentioned to you

and this turns your good mood sort of sour

because you know now that there is no chance that Taekwoon will be at the shop when you go to work that day

and much like you were expecting, there is no sign of him

not that day, nor the week that follows

you still buy an extra coffee, just in case

but it simply sits on the counter til it goes cold and has to be thrown

you of course understand that he has to lay low

it is a very high profile and media infested case after all

but you still hoped he would show up

or even just send one text your way

Mrs Lee, your boss, notices your slightly down demeanour despite it being so close to Christmas

a time which you were usually even more upbeat and happy

because even if you don’t celebrate any of the holidays in December the cheer is infectious

so little old Mrs Lee decides that she can’t see her surrogate grandchild sulk any longer and takes action

imagine just how surprised the members of vixx were when an old woman walks into their headquarters as if she owns the place and grabs Leo’s ear, scolding the now blushing man

long story short, she talks some sense into our Taekwoonie

a week after the disappearance of Taekwoon in your life, you get ready and head to work

and like every morning you go into your usual coffee shop

you have just about given up on seeing Leo again, so you order only one drink, your drink

just as you go to pay

a voice from behind you says “We’ll also have a coffee frappuccino please. To stay in”

your eyes widen at the familiar voice and you quickly turn around to see Leo standing behind you

“My treat this time” he says to you, handing over the money to the cashier

as he leads you to a table to wait for your drinks, your start smacking his arm

“You. Are. An. Arse!” you tell him between smacks

he simply let’s you carry on, knowing that his radio silence wasn’t the best thing to do

you then sit down, crossing you arms and pouting a little, making it a point to not look at the man sitting across from you (which is pretty hard considering the visuals he possesses)

and you both continue to stew in silence

that is, until the drinks are brought to your table, when Taekwoon breaks the silence by saying

“Perhaps we could call this our first date?”

now this breaks you out of your mini sulk as once again you stare at him with wide eyes

but you quickly compose yourself and answer with “I have to get to work.”

Taekwoon smiles at your childish behaviour

seeing his face light up and hearing his quiet laugh softens you completely

you look him in the eyes again

“I can’t forgive you straight away you know. You’ll have to apologise for not bothering to contact me or saying goodbye when you knew you wouldn’t be coming back to the florist. I take sorry’s in the form of food, just to let you know.”

you and Taekwoon spend the rest of that day together

you let Mrs Lee know that you wouldn’t be coming into work today

(turns out she already knew about everything, the sneaky grandmother)

and much like your days from the past weeks working, you carry on the conversation while Leo is content just listening, taking in every word that leaves your lips

except now there is no counter separating the two of you, instead you are side by side, arms brushing against each other

more and more dates happen, and soon enough you can officially call Taekwoon your boyfriend

your apartment becomes a sort of safe house for Leo

not in the sense where he can hide from the law there

more like he turns up on your doorstep when Ravi is on one of his hangry rampages; Hyuk is being the evil maknae he is or N is trying to force red ginseng tea down his throat

“It keeps you healthy though!” *smack* “Yah! I’m your hyung!” *another smack*

speaking of the boys, you eventually meet them all

you get along very well with them, and they immediately take to you when you get Taekwoon to wear a flower crown that Ken has been trying to get on his head ever since he started working as a florist

they are all so surprised by how soft and complacent you make their chic Taekwoon

you also end up adopting a couple of cats after Taekwoon convinces you, seeing as his lifestyle doesn’t really allow for pets

so of course all of his free time is now spent at yours

and you couldn’t care less

after all, the more you see of him the better

especially considering his dangerous job where he could be hurt at any moment

but it’s safe to say that you both treasure any moment spent together, whether it’s on a fancy date in a restaurant or sitting at home reading separate books on the couch, with your legs tangled together slightly

and neither of you could be any more content

Ookayyy, so I really didn’t know how to end this as you can probably tell, but it had to end somewhere and it is exactly 02:03am when I am wrting this so this is the best I can do.

I hope you enjoy :)

Reminder that requests are always open and welcomed xxx

[stormycastles]

NPR: How A Shocking Attack Inspired India's Actresses To Fight Harassment

November 4, 2017 | NURITH AIZENMAN

Sayanora Philip (foreground), a singer in Mollywood films, takes a selfie with fellow members of the newly formed Women in Cinema Collective.

Listen here

Every day seems to bring a new high profile case of sexual harassment in American media. It began with accusations against Harvey Weinstein. This week NPR's senior vice president of news was forced to resign over allegations against him.

But this problem is hardly limited to the U.S. For the past several months one of India's major film industries has been made to face up to similar problems in its own ranks after the sexual assault of a prominent actress. In reaction, women movie stars, directors and other film professionals have formed an unprecedented coalition to fight back.

They call themselves the Women in Cinema Collective, and the group includes some of the biggest names in "Mollywood." That's the nickname for the industry that produces movies in the 35-million-strong South Indian state of Kerala in the local language of Malayalam — and which is not to be confused with "Bollywood," the better known nationwide Hindi-language film industry based in the city of Mumbai.

Launched in May, the WCC has been lobbying both the industry and political leaders for a host of reforms — ranging from setting up an official complaints system through which women could report harassment and get justice to the stipulation that production companies must provide such long-denied basics as toilets appropriate for women on set.

Perhaps no one is more surprised at their newfound activism than the women themselves.

"None of us thought we could all stand up and ask for the same thing," says Rima Kallingal, a prominent movie actress. "None of us thought of it."

That all changed on an evening last February, when a Mollywood actress got into a chauffeured car hired by the company producing a film she was working on. According to a judge's summary of allegations made by the state prosecutor, suddenly another vehicle rammed the car from behind. A gang of men jumped out of that vehicle and forced their way into the actress's car. Over the next couple hours they drove around with her as their prisoner, taking photographs and video as they sexually assaulted her.

"I can't even imagine the psychological pressure she went through when she was in that car," recalls Kallingal, who is a close friend of the actress. (As a matter of policy, NPR does not name individuals who are the alleged victims of sexual assaults unless they choose to be identified).

Kallingal believes that, whatever their aim, the assailants assumed the actress would be too traumatized or ashamed at the prospect of the photographs being made public to report the crime.

"That's where she proved everybody wrong," says Kallingal. That same night, after the actress was set free, she contacted the police.

"I still remember going to meet her the very next day," says Kallingal. "How she stood like a rock and was so clear that she was going to come down on every person who was involved in this."

Within days police had arrested several men, including one whom the actress had recognized during the attack as someone who had driven her car during a previous film shoot, according to the judge's summary of the prosecutor's allegations. (An attorney for the man told NPR his client will be pleading not guilty in the case and was not involved in the attack.)

Kallingal says that in India survivors of a sexual assault are often either blamed or pitied as somehow irreparably soiled. So the actress's defiance was a watershed moment.

"She changed the whole narrative with that single act of bravery."

She also inspired her female colleagues to start a conversation they'd never had before. At first they were simply phoning each other out of shock — and to discuss ways they could lend the actress their public support. But the fact that the attack had taken place on a work trip, and, allegedly at the hands of someone who had been employed in the film industry, soon prompted deeper conversations about how safe any of them could feel in an industry that is loosely organized and requires them to show up at all manner of odd hours to remote locations where all but a handful of their colleagues are men.

The more the woman talked, the more they confided in one another about instances of sexual abuse and even assault they had faced on the job.

"It was like we opened a can of worms," says Parvathy Thiruvothu, another top actress. "It was really shocking for everyone once we got together, about 20 of us, that we have been either assaulted or faced the casting couch in the industry over years and we've never spoken about it even with each other. We were all made to believe that it was just us, just that one incident, [that] it doesn't happen to everybody."

The stories they shared ran the gamut: Women getting slapped for expressing creative differences on set. Male actors and directors making lewd comments on set or sending suggestive texts late at night. Directors and male stars or even male crew members insisting that a woman, including not just actresses but support staff such as hair stylists, sleep with them over the weeks that a film was being shot — and docking a woman's pay or getting her blacklisted if she refused. For some women, refusal wasn't even an option.

"I was assaulted," says Thiruvothu. On one of her movies, a powerful man in the industry "would expect me to be in his room to discuss scenes and be physical with me. I was really young at the time, and for him to say 'It's okay, you know, it's very normal' and for me to try to escape — and I didn't. I was forced to be intimate."

What's more, she says, in conversations she's now had with other Mollywood women, they've told her this same man assaulted them as well — and that he's one of a few men who appear to be repeat offenders. "These men are still reigning in this industry as powerful people," she says. "We have our Weinsteins here."

But when it comes to naming them publicly, that's where the parallel with Hollywood ends. Whereas Weinstein's accusers have been greeted with virtually universal support from both their colleagues in Hollywood and the wider public, Mollywood women say they worry the reception would be very different if they were to take on major figures.

"We would be plucked out. We would be hushed down," says Thiruvothu.

And not just because of the blaming and shaming that anyone reporting sexual assault in India may face. In India, being in the movie business in particular can open a woman to accusations of having loose morals, says Bina Paul, a veteran film editor: "It's considered rather taboo to enter cinema." So much so that the first hurdle a woman often faces to joining the industry is her family's disapproval.

Thiruvothu agrees. "Even now as an actor, the way I get comments on social media is that, 'Hey, you sleep around. You're not even a pure woman, you're just a whore."

So when cases do come to light, says Paul, "it's always twisted [as] she was willing to, or she wanted to get ahead in her career."

As for the film industry itself, Mollywood's treatment of the actress who was attacked in February hasn't inspired confidence among the women of the WCC. In July police charged one of the industry's most famous actors with hiring the gang that carried out the attack. According to the judge's summary, the prosecution alleges that the actor, Gopalakrishan Padmanabhan Pillai, who goes by the stage name Dileep, bore a grudge against the actress for precipitating the breakup of his marriage by conveying information about him to his then-wife, with whom the actress was close friends.

An attorney for Dileep says he was not involved in any way. And to the dismay of the women in the WCC, some of the most prominent men in Mollywood have started speaking out in Dileep's defense.

Kallingal, the actress who is close friends with the survivor of the February assault, does not dispute these men's right to maintain Dileep's innocence until he is proven guilty. But she says that by neglecting to simultaneously express concern for the actress they have been essentially conveying that "they stand with him and not with her." Worse, she says, "there are people who are questioning [the actress's] morality, her integrity, her character even."

Thiruvothu and others say this climate explains why few women in India's other film industries — including Bollywood — have come forward through the #metoo campaign that has proven so galvanizing in Hollywood.

"I have friends in every single Indian film industry," says Thiruvothu. "This is not just an issue of [Mollywood]."

How to change the culture of silence? The women of the WCC say they concluded that the first step was to band together.

"We thought our individual voices were not strong enough," says Kallingal. "So we should voice our opinion strongly together, in one voice."

Among their key demands is the establishment of a complaints committee with the power to investigate charges of sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination and to punish the perpetrators with sanctions ranging from reprimands to dismissal — even to legal charges, if warranted.

Indian law actually already requires companies of a certain size to institute such systems. But because the film industry functions more informally — with crews coming together for film shoots for several weeks, then disbanding — the assumption has been that the law does not apply. Now the WCC is consulting legal experts to assess if that's really true, and, even if so, what legal steps would be needed to set up a complaints adjudication system for their industry.

In May members of the WCC also met with the chief minister of the state of Kerala, who agreed to their request to appoint a commission that is now studying the question.

But while addressing harassment is a top priority, the WCC also wants to find ways to remedy a host of other forms of gender discrimination that its members say contribute to making their industry inhospitable to women: unequal pay; a lack of maternity benefits; failure by management to provide bathroom facilities for women on set; contracts that permit movie producers to substitute a nude body double without an actress's consent; and just a general culture of not treating women's contributions seriously.

"In every way they belittle you," says Kallingal.

They're also exploring ways to bring more young women into the industry — state-sponsored scholarships to study at film schools, for instance, or state laws that would incentivise companies to hire more women. And not just as actresses or hair stylists. Right now says Paul, "You don't have women gaffers. You don't have women technical staff. We're so outnumbered. You go on to a film set and there are three women and 80 men."

In addition the WCC is encouraging the industry's professional associations to start training workshops on appropriate workplace behavior. For instance, says Thiruvothu, the men who comment on a woman's body on set, "they really do feel that it is normal to do that and that it's actually a compliment."

But she says it's not just the men who need educating: "The women have been taught to giggle and allow it. We all are part of the problem. We all think it's okay."

Indeed the women say their conversations have made them realize how much they had internalized the view that they should minimize inappropriate behavior by men for the sake of keeping the peace.

Thiruvothu recalls how from childhood, whenever she was pinched or groped — like the time when she was 17 and a man at a shopping mall grazed his hands over her breasts and then just walked past — adults told her it was best not to make a scene.

"That's how society has trained us — to take it all in and implode," she says. "I think we've imploded enough. It's coming out now."

Freelance writer Chhavi Sachdev contributed reporting to this story.

[papermoonloveslucy]

PIANO & VIOLIN LESSONS

January 14, 1949

“Piano and Violin Lessons” (aka “Professor Krausmeyer's Talent Scouts”) is episode #26 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on January 14, 1949 on the Armed Forces Radio Network.

Synopsis ~ Liz takes up the piano to win a radio talent contest. To get even, George starts playing the violin. Who will win?

“My Favorite Husband” was based on the novels Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage (1940) and Outside Eden (1945) by Isabel Scott Rorick, which had previously been adapted into the film Are Husbands Necessary? (1942). “My Favorite Husband” was first broadcast as a one-time special on July 5, 1948. Lucille Ball and Lee Bowman played the characters of Liz and George Cugat, and a positive response to this broadcast convinced CBS to launch “My Favorite Husband” as a series. Bowman was not available Richard Denning was cast as George. On January 7, 1949, confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change to Cooper. On this same episode Jell-O became its sponsor. A total of 124 episodes of the program aired from July 23, 1948 through March 31, 1951. After about ten episodes had been written, writers Fox and Davenport departed and three new writers took over – Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and head writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer. In March 1949 Gale Gordon took over the existing role of George’s boss, Rudolph Atterbury, and Bea Benadaret was added as his wife, Iris. CBS brought “My Favorite Husband” to television in 1953, starring Joan Caulfield and Barry Nelson as Liz and George Cooper. The television version ran two-and-a-half seasons, from September 1953 through December 1955, running concurrently with “I Love Lucy.” It was produced live at CBS Television City for most of its run, until switching to film for a truncated third season filmed (ironically) at Desilu and recasting Liz Cooper with Vanessa Brown.

REGULAR CAST

Lucille Ball (Liz Cooper) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Richard Denning (George Cooper) was born as Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Los Angeles. Plans called for him to take over his father’s garment manufacturing business, but he developed an interest in acting. Denning enlisted in the US Navy during World War II. He is best known for his  roles in various science fiction and horror films of the 1950s. Although he teamed with Lucille Ball on radio in “My Favorite Husband,” the two never acted together on screen. While “I Love Lucy” was on the air, he was seen on another CBS TV series, “Mr. & Mrs. North.”  From 1968 to 1980 he played the Governor on “Hawaii 5-0″, his final role. He died in 1998 at age 84.

Ruth Perrott (Katie, the Maid) was also later seen on “I Love Lucy.” She first played Mrs. Pomerantz (above right), a member of the surprise investigating committee for the Society Matrons League in “Pioneer Women” (ILL S1;E25), as one of the member of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League in “Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress” (ILL S3;E3), and also played a nurse when “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16). She died in 1996 at the age of 96.

Announcer Bob LeMond is not heard in this episode as it is part of the American Forces Network and has a different announcer. 

Gale Gordon (Rudolph Atterbury) and Bea Benadaret (Iris Atterbury) had not yet joined the cast as regular characters.

GUEST CAST

Hans Conried (Professor Krausemeyer) first co-starred with Lucille Ball in The Big Street (1942). He then appeared on “I Love Lucy” as used furniture man Dan Jenkins in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) and later that same season as Percy Livermore in “Lucy Hires an English Tutor” (ILL S2;E13) – both in 1952. The following year he began an association with Disney by voicing Captain Hook in Peter Pan. On “The Lucy Show” he played Professor Gitterman in “Lucy’s Barbershop Quartet” (TLS S1;E19) and in “Lucy Plays Cleopatra” (TLS S2;E1). He was probably best known as Uncle Tonoose on “Make Room for Daddy” starring Danny Thomas, which was filmed on the Desilu lot. He joined Thomas on a season 6 episode of “Here’s Lucy” in 1973. He died in 1982 at age 64.

Conried uses a German accent for the role. Professor Krausmeyer is likely the inspiration for Professor Gitterman on “The Lucy Show.” 

A character named Esther Weiss, a young cymbal player, makes a brief appearance voiced by an uncredited performer. 

EPISODE

George is in the attic looking for his decoy ducks and has found a stack of old National Geographic magazines. 

National Geographic magazine started publishing in 1888 and became one of the most widely-read magazines of all time. They specialized in science, geography, history, and world culture. The magazine is known for its distinctive appearance: a thick square-bound glossy format with a yellow rectangular border and its use of dramatic photography. It was not uncommon for readers to collect and store them, as George has. 

George finds the magazines fascinating, but Liz is bored, except for the car ads from 20 years ago. 

LIZ (reading): “New Cadillac: $1,100.”

The Cadillac Automobile Company was established in 1902, named after French explorer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, who founded Detroit in 1701. The brand became associated with luxury cars, a reputation it still has today. On a 1954 episode of “I Love Lucy” Fred Mertz bought a rundown 1923 Cadillac convertible for the gang’s trip to California, much to the dismay of the other passengers. Even though he only paid $300, Fred was swindled! 

George admires the features of the cars in the ad, rhapsodizing about the isinglass windows, the retractable top, tires that took 60lbs of pressure, but all Liz can think of is the rumble seat!  

A rumble seat was an additional padded passenger seat that popped up from the rear of the vehicle, usually just big enough for two. This led it to becoming synonymous with romantic trysts!  Liz definitely has that in mind. 

Liz reveals that the decoy ducks George was originally searching for were used for target practice at the charity bazaar shooting gallery.  Liz wants to throw away George’s workout equipment, like his barbells. George can’t even lift them off the floor!  George insists she sell her old piano.  Liz plays him a few bars, but George reveals that she is using the player piano, not playing it herself. 

A player piano (also known as a pianola) is a self-playing piano, containing a mechanism that operates the piano action via programmed music recorded on perforated paper. The rise of the player piano grew with the rise of the mass-produced piano for the home in the late 19th and early 20th century. Sales peaked in 1924, then declined due to the advent of phonograph recordings and radio. The stock market crash of 1929 virtually wiped out production

Liz insists that she can also play all by herself and offers to play “Glow Worm” although George wants to hear “The Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto in B Flat Minor”.  Liz starts to play and all that comes out is an out-of-tune rendition of “Glow Worm.” 

“The Glow-Worm” is a song from Paul Lincke’s 1902 operetta Lysistrata. The Piano Concerto No. 1 in B♭ minor was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between November 1874 and February 1875.  On “I Love Lucy”, Lucy Ricardo found her old saxophone in the attic, much the way Liz finds her old piano. Like Liz, all Lucy can play is “Glow Worm” even when asked to play something else!     

Liz has the piano moved down to the living room, and asks Katie the Maid to clean it up. Liz tells her she has arranged to take piano lessons to prove something to George. Although it has just been tuned, Liz’s rendition of “Glow Worm” is just as out-of-key as ever!  Liz is waiting for her childhood piano instructor, Professor Krausmeyer (Hans Conried), to arrive. When he gets there they reminisce about how all she could ever play was “Glow Worm.”  Even back then, Liz claimed the piano was out-of-tune.  

PROFESSOR: “Nobody is hopeless. I can teach anybody to play the piano who has only three qualifications: a left hand, a right hand, and five dollars an hour.” 

The Professor entices her to take five lessons a week so that she can appear on his radio talent contest.  Liz agrees!   Three days later, Liz is practicing “Swannee River” for the talent show. George and Katie lament her non-stop practicing. Katie claims they even got a telegram asking her to stop, signed “The Friends of Stephen Foster”! 

“Swanee River” aka “Old Folks at Home” was written by Stephen Foster in 1851. Lucille Ball attempts to play “Swanee River” on the banjo in “Carol + 2″ in 1966. In “World’s Greatest Grandma” (1986), an un-aired episode of “Life With Lucy” Lucy Barker’s son-in-law Ted sings “Swanee River” while Lucy does a few clumsy shuffle steps.     

George tries to get her to stop, but she refuses. George goes to see Professor Krausmeyer.  George is no sooner in the door when the Professor says he has the hands of an artists. When George says he used to play the violin a little, the Professor urges him to try playing the one in his studio, declaring him to be the next Jascha Heifitz.  

Jascha Heifetz (1901-87, inset photo) is considered to be the greatest violinist of all time. In “Lucy and Jack Benny’s Biography” (HL S3;E11) in 1970, Lucy plays Jack Benny’s mother, getting a call from Jascha Heifetz’s mother, about their sons’ violin playing! 

The Professor enters George in the contest as well, just to teach Liz a lesson. At home, it is George’s violin versus Liz’s piano, with a defensive Katie playing the harmonica in retaliation. George tells Liz that he’s also going to be in the contest. Liz bets him $100 that she will win.

To foil him, Liz glues his strings together. Before bedtime, Liz puts on her protective gloves, but George has filled them with quick drying glue!  Laying out their clothes for the contest, George hides her new dress - as well as the rest of her clothing. Liz locks him in the bathroom and tries to find something to wear to the contest. 

At the radio station, Liz shows up wearing one of George’s suits. Professor Krausmeyer doesn’t recognize her. George suddenly arrives wearing one of Liz’s sun dresses. They argue about who will play first and end up playing simultaneously: Liz’s “Swanee River” on the piano at the same time as George’s “Humoresques” on the violin. 

In “Bullfight Dance” (ILL S4;E23), Ricky proposes he and Lucy do a counterpoint of “Humoresques”, a piano composition by Antonín Dvořák written in 1894 and “Swanee River”. Ricky decides Lucy can’t handle the complexity of the piece and decides to switch the act to a matador routine. 

The Professor declares that they both have won for best duet!  The prize is six months lessons with Professor Krausmeyer!

In bed that night, Liz wakes up George angrily to chide him for smooching Betty Grable in her dream. He says that he was dreaming, too! In his dream she was dancing with Gregory Peck - while he was smooching with Betty Grable! 

Betty Grable (1916-73) was one of Hollywood’s biggest starlets. At the time of this episode, her film When My Baby Smiles at Me was in cinemas.  She would appear with her second husband Harry James on “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” In 1958. Gregory Peck (1916-2003) was one of Hollywood’s most distinguished leading men. His film Yellow Sky had premiered just three weeks earlier. 

Liz smacks him hard and says “Goodnight, George!” 

[shamelessly4shameless-blog]

Another Way (pt 3)

Ian washes the assortment of condiments from his short hair and watches the smears of ketchup and mustard circle the plug before sliding wetly down the drain. His hands are shaking as he runs them over his scalp, the water trickling down the back of his uniform, sliding down his spine before soaking into the tucked fabric of his shirt. He has wedged the bathroom door closed and he’s pretty sure no one tried to follow him anyway but if they come for him now, Ian knows he will likely kill one of them.

It is an uncomfortable knowledge. His mind is a swirling mass of rage, fear and a strange elation that keeps coming and going seemingly without reason or control. Ian knows it is most likely the stress of the hazing but it’s freaking him out. In lucid moments, he can feel that something is going very wrong but then the jittery, invincible feeling worms its way back up into his skull and he wants to do something wild. Last night he wanted to fly. Maybe steal a helicopter or a tank or maybe just fuck up the dorms. He wanted to make a stand and prove a point. Ian had felt like nothing was beyond him and that if he killed one or two of the assholes who won’t leave him alone, everyone would understand, they might even promote him! Private Gallagher is dead, long live Sergeant Gallagher. Maybe General Gallagher!

But that was last night and when he woke up this morning he was just tired and miserable again.

The door bangs hard but the chair holds and Ian drops to the floor, scrabbling backwards until he comes up against the far wall. His breathing is shallow and his eyes are huge, staring forward without blinking. He doesn’t think he has ever been so terrified in his life. Of people, of a place, of himself. Whoever it is decides to try another bathroom because the door doesn’t get tested again. Ian pulls his cell phone out of his pocket it and cradles it in his palms, waiting for his lip to stop quivering. He grips the phone and tucks his chin onto his chest, fighting the convulsive shivers that are running through his body. He’s so frightened it is almost choking him. What the fuck is going on?

He needs help but not the kind Fiona or even Lip can give him. Fiona would storm the gates and drag him out, but she would also be upset and make it a huge drama. Not on purpose but she’d pile the kids into Steve’s car and make a whole damn family outing of his rescue. And she’d see it as a rescue too which is another reason he can’t call.

He can’t call Lip because he used his ID and worse than that he doesn’t want to admit that he has failed. Things have been so weird between them and he loves his brother but Ian doesn’t want him knowing about this. It’s the first time he has branched out on his own and it’s been a colossal fuck up.

Ian dashes an impatient hand under his eye and sniffs heavily. He flips the phone up and presses redial. It rings and rings, then there is a muffled curse, and a snarling voice erupts into Ian’s ear.

“What the fuck do you want, asshole?”

It is so wonderful to hear that voice that Ian almost can’t respond and when he does, his voice comes out in a breathy whisper.

“Mickey?”

“Gallagher?”

Ian nods and then realises that Mickey can’t see him

“Yeah it’s me.”

“Have you been calling? Was that you last night?”

“Yeah I’m sorry I just …”

Ian wipes a stray tear from his cheeks and tips his head back against the wall, leaving a wet print against the pale blue paint. Mickey is in a temper, that much is clear from his tone but it doesn’t matter.

“Why the fuck didn’t you send a damn text?”

“I didn’t think of it.”

“Well I would have fuckin’ answered if I knew it was you.”

“You would? I probably wouldn’t if you called me.”

Ian wonders if Mickey has hung up after the sting of that comment but after a few moments he says

“Where the fuck are you?”

Ian sniffs heavily, wiping his nose on his sleeve

“I’m in the army.”

There is another pause and then Mickey huffs a heavy breath down the line

“Are you crying?”

The concern breaking through the harsh tone is too much and the last of Ian’s fortitude crumbles. He turns the phone away from his face as he goes to pieces, burying his face in the crook of his arm to muffle the noise.

“Gallagher? GALLAGHER? Fuck sake! IAN! What’s goin’ on?”

Mickey’s irate voice drags him back and Ian draws a shuddering breath.

“I’m in trouble Mickey. I fucked up and I think they’re gonna kill me unless I kill them and I don’t want to. I’m so fucking fucked.”

“What? Has some fuckin’ jarhead asshole threatened you? What happened?”

“They just won’t stop. I don’t know what to do.”

Ian is sobbing so hard the words come out in a strained, hiccuping rush of breath and Mickey’s voice hardens back to its familiar gruffness.

“You call your family? Lip? Fiona?”

“I can’t. I just … I can’t call them.”

Mickey mutters a curse that Ian doesn’t quite catch and Ian can almost see the hard-edged, calculating scowl that he knows instinctively is on the other boys face.

“Where are you?”

“In the …”

“Yeah, yeah. The Army. I got that. Where in the country?”

Ian takes a couple of deep breaths and stammers

“Fort Knox. Kentucky.”

“Jesus Christ. OK, I’m gonna have to get gas but I can make that. What is it, like four hours? Five?”

“You don’t have to...”

“I know I don’t fuckin’ have to. Just pack your shit and be ready.”

“It’s not … I can’t just leave. It’s like … illegal.”

“Well it don’t fuckin’ sound like you have a choice. Keep your phone with you and if any asshole tries anything before I get there, shoot ‘em in the face.”

*

Mickey hangs up and sits staring out of the windshield at the rundown old house, his fingers gripping the steering wheel. He glances up at the rear-view mirror, at the dark circles under his eyes and his dishevelled hair.

“Fuck.”

He whispers to his reflection and rubs a hand over his face, hard. He gives himself another few seconds of quietly anxious brooding and then snaps into action. One thing that Mickey will always credit a South Side childhood with is that it forces a person to be able to move from one shitty situation to an even shittier one with pretty smooth transition.

Mickey gets out of the car and heads back into the house, head held high and swaggering like a cowboy in a black and white movie. Svetlana is making herself breakfast and simply cocks an eyebrow at him as he walks past.

Iggy asks if he can have the car, Mickey growls at him to fuck off and judiciously keeps the keys with him while he showers and washes his hair. Kenyatta has left a bottle of cologne on the side and as he towels his body dry and then styles his hair, Mickey’s eyes keep returning to it.

He’s never worn cologne before, but then he’s never gone on a rescue mission before either. Normally when he is going after someone, it is the opposite of a damn rescue so perhaps he can stand to change things up a little.

Mickey cautiously picks up the bottle and gives it a little shake before dabbing some of the musky smelling liquid onto his fingers and patting along the length of his jaw. He once saw an old film in which the leading lady trailed perfume between her breasts to let the leading man know she was down to bang and Mickey figures that if he’s gone this far why not finish the job? He puts a little more of the cologne on his hand and roughly rubs his fingers through his pubes.

He dresses in dark jeans and black tank top but grabs his one decent button down shirt and slings it into a bag along with two handguns and his favourite knuckle-duster. Ian sounded pretty messed up on the phone, best to be ready to fight as well as fuck.

Mickey turns to face Svetlana’s mirror and assesses himself frankly. He can’t do much about the scabbed lip or tired eyes but his hair looks pretty fuckin’ decent and he’s been working out more with his brothers to try and avoid spending too much time with his wife so his arms look alright in the tank.

Overall, Mickey thinks, he’ll do.

*

Ian doesn’t shoot anyone but a couple of hours later, he gets into a fight. It starts with a slap, sharp and stinging across his left cheek as he walks past Stirling and his gang in the mess hall. Ian freezes and then the word ‘Queer’ is said by one of the group and something inside him snaps. He doesn’t remember much, but he knows he made a lot of noise and at some point bit someone’s leg until his jaw cramped.

Rough hands pulled him out of the fray and pushed him backwards and some instinct other than violence took over because suddenly Ian is running. He pushes out of the doors of the building and sprints across the gravel courtyard. The gates are open for cadets coming in from the training fields to get their evening meal and Ian doesn’t hesitate, he takes off down the road, nose streaming blood and snot, everything he owns is left behind, except his cell phone which he clutches for dear life.