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charlottesbookclub · 10 days ago

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time after time – chapter four (armitage hux x reader)

time after time masterlist

Summary: Hux forms a new plan to ensure that his meeting with you goes correctly this time

Warnings/Tags: gn!reader; set pre-TFA; time loop; brief description of a medical appointment; references to psychiatric care; references to depression and related symptoms; reading of personal and medical files without the subject's knowledge; super brief suicidal ideation if you squint; as always, let me know if I've missed anything!

Words: 2838

Author’s Note: I don't have a ton of comments to make on this chapter, but please do peruse the tags/warnings because I do reference some mental health stuff in this one! ❤️‍🩹 I'm excited to get back into Hux having another interaction with the reader! the question of course is: will he fumble again? (yes, but in a new and different way! 😌) I hope you enjoy! 🥰

Hux had always believed it took three times to become familiar with something. This fourth time, the sight of the med bay ceiling was far too familiar. He barely gave the medics time to loom over him before he was out of the door, completely ignoring whatever they might have been saying to him. He called Mitaka via coms. He had to know if the lieutenant remembered anything, although Hux seriously doubted he would. It seemed that he alone was trapped in this nightmare.

“General? Is everything alright? Did something go wrong at medical?” Exactly the same as before. Hux sighed.

“Lieutenant, do you recall our conversation from last cycle?” A beat of silence on the other end of the line.

“About the supply chains, sir?” Mitaka asked then, uncertainty quavering in his voice. “I haven’t had time to confer with our agents yet, but—”

“Never mind, Lieutenant,” Hux interrupted, “thank you.” He clicked off the call.

What Hux needed now was a plan, he decided as he reached his quarters. All this desperate scrambling about wouldn’t get him anywhere. The idea of you stubbornly remained in his thoughts. Maybe he would feel steadier if he went through with the meeting and could clear you from his head. It was no doubt the lingering fear that he had botched the previous two interactions that kept you in his mind. If he could complete the meeting cordially and satisfactorily, he could turn his attention to other matters.

But there was so much time until then. And your persistent presence in his thoughts meant he wouldn’t be able to focus on anything productive during that time. Unless, of course, it pertained to you. How much did he know about you, really? Very little. He could easily use this time to acquire some more information about you, information that would no doubt confirm that you were someone in whom he could maintain a professional disinterest. Filled with new energy, he turned to the data screens on his desk and pulled up your personnel file.

Aside from basic biographical details, he found a list of accolades from your academy days and an impressive academic record. He had been correct about half-hearing from Mitaka that you did recruitment in the field. There were records and field reports from each of your planetside deployments. He hummed to himself in interest as he read the reports you had personally authored; they were professional and well-written. Various official letters from commanding officers commended your work and applauded your abilities to communicate across various cultural and linguistic barriers. He skimmed their contents until one in particular caught his eye. Although it celebrated your work in the field, the writer – a former supervisor – found you unsuitable for assignment to a Star Destroyer. Hux raised an eyebrow and read further. It referenced a report from psychiatric. Deeply intrigued, Hux pulled up the psych file, so curious to know more about you that he barely stopped to consider whether he should continue.

The psych report was a short one, with no flagged indicators of immediate risk. Hux read through its recounting of an observation period and interview that were undertaken two years previously when you had been reassigned to a Star Destroyer after years in the field. The attending psych medic clinically recorded a depressed mood that resulted in lower energy and productivity than your previous documented levels. They had prescribed stims, but the required dosage ended up being higher than they could justify when your presence was not immediately required on the ship and they could better conserve those medical resources by simply deploying you to the field again. The interview section was a brief summary of a conversation with you that had been written up by the psych medic. It didn’t record many of your actual words, but a few key phrases jumped out immediately: “isolated,” “adjustment difficulties,” “lethargic,” “decreased productive output,” “lonely.”

Hux leaned back in his chair, fingers pressed to his lips in contemplation as those words echoed through his mind. Something in his chest felt strange, almost a little strangled. When he forced himself to take a deep breath, it quavered on the way out of his lungs. His memory helpfully presented him with a selection of images of you: honest eyes, nervous fidgeting, shrinking away from him, sobbing in the turbolift. Isolated. Lonely.

He pushed himself out of the chair forcefully, sending it skidding across the floor. Pacing to his large window, he rested his forehead against the cold transparisteel. The stars blinked back at him from the darkness. What in the galaxy was wrong with him? This was no way to act about someone he had barely met. Certainly it was unfortunate that you were experiencing such… unpleasant symptoms, but your condition was not unique. He was sure that others suffered from feelings of isolation, although Hux was too consumed with his work to be able to empathize. Perhaps if he met with you as planned and showed some professional courtesy, he could help to facilitate a more successful transition than your last. Yes, that was it. He would go through with the meeting as he had planned, which would serve the dual purpose of finally banishing the persistent thoughts of you from his mind and easing your transition to the Finalizer.

As though on cue, his reminder about the meeting pinged from his datapad. Hux retreated from the window into his refresher. He splashed his face with cold water and tried to ignore the lingering tightness in his chest. He combed a new layer of gel into his hair, adjusting it to perfection. Donning a freshly pressed uniform and shrugging on his greatcoat, he left his chambers with his intentions set.

Despite his steely determination for an entirely normal and professional meeting between potential future colleagues, Hux made the mistake of letting himself assess you as he approached your table. His motivations had been to simply take stock of your comportment, but his wandering thoughts betrayed him. Just as he had the first time he saw you, he couldn’t help but remark how good you looked. In your uniform, of course. How good you looked in your uniform. It was perfectly tailored to the shape of your body. As a proper uniform should be, he reminded himself. There shouldn’t be anything unusual about that. Forcing himself to look elsewhere, he noticed that despite the stiff set of your shoulders, your fingers were drumming nervously on the table. He was certain you were unaware of this, because he got the distinct impression that you would have made yourself stop if you had known. You kept reaching over to tap your datapad screen, as though checking the time. Transferring his gaze to your face, he noticed you mouth was turned down slightly at the corners into not quite a frown – more of an expression of concentration? Maybe even of anxiety? Hux couldn’t quite parse its meaning. What he was becoming more and more certain of, however, was that he would prefer to see you happy. Because it would ease your transition, of course. Because it would make you more productive in your duties, obviously. Hux attempted to clear his mind of these cluttered thoughts as he approached the table. Always a quick learner, he voiced his greeting more softly this time:

“Captain?” His quieter words were rewarded; rather than startling at the sound of his voice, you turned to look at him more naturally, catching him in your focused gaze.

“General!” Your small exclamation still sounded a bit surprised. Anticipating that you would rise to greet him, Hux instead slid into the seat across from you, encouraging you to remain sitting. What had he gotten himself so worked up about? This would be simple – just like any other meeting with a fellow officer. That was the last coherent thought he had before he met your eyes across the table. Kriff, he really was going to faint again. A beat of awkward silence pulsed between the two of you before you hesitantly broke it, averting your gaze and momentarily allowing Hux to regain his balance.

“Thank you so much for meeting me – I know you must have a full schedule. I uh… I just really appreciate you taking the time to meet… with me.” Your words were faltering but absolutely genuine. Hux could sense it in your tone immediately; it was something rare to hear amongst the officers that usually surrounded him.

“Of course, I’m happy to meet with any new transfers to the ship,” he offered his best attempt at a smile, but was certain that it came across as tight and stiff. He wanted to kick himself. His words did have the blessed and cursed effect of bringing your eyes back to his though, and the sincerity brimming in them was enough to make him feel a little lightheaded. You returned a small smile of your own. How could you be practically glowing in the harsh lighting of the dining hall? Now he was lightheaded and queasy.

“I ordered us both a caf. I—well… I wasn’t sure what you drank.” Mercifully, you diverted your attention to the cups on the table. Hux wanted to shake himself by the shoulders and rattle some sense back into his clouded mind. What the kriff was wrong with him? The stress of the unusual circumstances of the past few days was clearly starting to affect him.

“I usually don’t drink caf at this time of the cycle.” You rushed to apologize, but Hux kept going, certain he wouldn’t be able to hear your soft, nervous words without losing his senses again: “but it’s no matter – I have tea back in my quarters.” You murmured a soft “oh” and nodded. Your hands fell into your lap. Hux got the distinct sense that you were trying your best to keep them still. He cleared his throat.

“So… how can I help you?” A perfect question – very professional, and it could even generate some actionable items. Hux was quite pleased with his returning sense of surety.

“Oh—um…” you passed a hand nervously across your face and let out a small breathy laugh. Hux’s vision went a little blurry around the edges. “I’m not sure actually. I was friends at the academy with Lieutenant Mitaka’s older sister and I suppose they thought—well, the two of them set this up really. I think they wanted me to have a connection with someone here.” Hux nodded, but most of the coherent thoughts had flown from his mind. In his silence, you kept talking.

“To be quite honest, I don’t think I’m doing this right. I mean—is this too informal? I’m actually not used to being surrounded by this many other First Order personnel,” you gestured vaguely to the room at large, but Hux’s eyes never left your face, taking in every small shift in your expression as you spoke. “In the field I was mostly talking to local populations and it was… very… different than this.” You tucked your hands under your legs then, as though you were suddenly aware that other officers didn’t gesticulate as much as you had been. Your eyes found his again, which did little to help his desperate attempt to generate thoughts. “Maybe you could tell me what the expectations are here? That would be helpful as I… adjust.”

Oh, thank the stars! The universe had some pity on him after all: reciting information and protocols he knew by heart was just what he needed to dispel the odd sensations that had plagued him since he first saw you. Without hesitation, he launched into a recitation of the various rules, regulations, and even unspoken expectations that governed life aboard the Finalizer. He tried to lose himself in his conveyance of information, resisting the urge to monitor your reactions or even look at you too closely. From the few glances he allowed himself, you seemed to be listening with interest, nodding along to his words. As he wrapped up his remarks, he decided it was best to leave while he was ahead. After all, he had accomplished both of his goals: he was able to provide information that would facilitate your transition and he had conducted the meeting with enough professional courtesy that he could consider it satisfactorily completed, finally putting you from his mind.

“I hope this provided some comfort as you adjust to your duties aboard the Finalizer,” Hux concluded, “I’m afraid I have another commitment now, but you are welcome to contact me if you have any further questions.”

“Yes, thank you, General. This was very helpful,” you responded, although your bright sincerity from earlier was slightly dimmed. Hux did not permit himself to analyze this further; he needed to end the meeting before his intermittent ailment overtook him again. He stood from the table and you echoed the motion, though your posture wasn’t quite as crisp as it had been before. He had to stop noticing these things before it drove him to distraction.

“I’m certain I will see you around the ship, Captain,” Hux commented, inclining his head toward you in a departing gesture. You simply nodded in response, meeting his eyes. Realizing the danger he faced in lingering longer under your gaze, he turned swiftly, but not so quickly that he missed the something that was plain on your face. Your expression was unreadable to him in that split second, despite the fact that it was not veiled with any attempt at pretension or deceit; things that Hux was all too accustomed to deciphering in the faces around him. This uncertainty quickened his steps as he whisked out of the dining hall and back to his quarters.

Hux was not a man who tolerated failure. That’s why he planned, why he prepared – so he wouldn’t risk failing. So how had this perfect plan failed so spectacularly? The meeting had gone almost as he had imagined. He had experienced moments of that strange recurring illness, yes, but overall he felt he had comported himself with great professionalism. So why the kriff were you still on his mind?

He slammed his fist onto his desk and considered bringing his forehead along with it. This meeting – done correctly this time – was supposed to have brought him closure and allowed him to focus on other things. It was having the opposite effect. Thoughts of you filled nearly every part of his mind, replaying even the most minute of your actions, running your little laugh on repeat, reminding him constantly of your soft eyes. Maybe he did need to be sent to psych – he felt like he might be losing his mind.

And then there was the question of the expression on your face as he turned to leave. Without even meaning to, he was picking at the problem of it as though it were a new starfighter design rather than a fleeting look from someone he barely knew. And that was another thing that ate away at him as he sat alone in his quarters, tormented by thoughts of you: he hadn’t asked you anything about yourself. You had mentioned your work in the field; he should have asked more. No he shouldn’t have – what was he thinking? It had been a professional meeting – he had made sure of that – there was no need to get to know you better than necessary for cordial interactions. But the not-knowing gnawed at him. He wantedto know more. No he didn’t – he couldn’t. Any longer of looking at you across the table, hearing you speak, listening to your laugh, watching each gesture – any longer and he would have lost what remained of his reason. But why? He buried his face in his hands, nearly ready to cry in frustration.

In this midst of these flurried thoughts, the part of his mind that had been puzzling at the question of your last expression rushed forward with the answer: you had been disappointed. Kriff. Why did he work so hard to discover answers that he didn’t want to know? He paced to the window, the weight of this realization heavy in his chest. Why were you disappointed? He let himself fall against the transparisteel, savoring the cold press of it against his skin. He idly wished that it might give way and relieve him of the spinning chaos of thoughts that he could not seem to clear. He walked himself back through the whole interaction, exerting great effort to not linger on the images of you. This replay confirmed to him that the meeting had indeed gone mostly to plan – he had done admirably despite brief bouts of whatever illness still seemed to be affecting him. So why were you disappointed? And even more perplexingly, a small voice reminded him, why did it matter to him that you were disappointed? Despite all his logical thinking and reasoning abilities, this was not a question he could answer.

#charlotte writes #time after time (hux x reader)#armitage hux x reader #general hux x reader #hux x reader #general hux fanfic #general hux fanfiction #armitage hux x you #general hux x you

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great-master-airplane · 8 months ago

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[A scene from fyosiglai play until dawn, a hypothetical sequel to Bad Decisions

A link to the scene they're playing in Until Dawn. Warning for typical horror game violence! ]

“Well, that’s not an obvious death trap or anything,” Sigma muttered as he listened to the girl onscreen try to call out to the disembodied voice leading her the wrong way. “Just keep following Sam.”

Nikolai didn’t react at first, so Sigma glanced over to see if he’d dozed off. They’d been playing this game for a while, and he didn’t even want to think about what time it could be. Instead of snoozing, Nikolai wore a strange expression on his face, one that Sigma recognized as his I’m-about-to-do-Something-Stupid grin.

Immediately, Sigma’s stomach dropped.

“Nikolai, no.”

“Aw, but Sigma! What if that’s our friend down there? We have to investigate!” Nikolai insisted, his innocent tone completely at odds with the manic glee that brightened his eyes. He clicked on the decision to investigate the voice, and Ashley moved forward on the screen.

Sigma tried to stay calm as he watched Nikolai fearlessly march his character toward the voice, accompanied now by the jerking sound of someone or something pushing against a locked trap door. His heart lurched each time the wooden door did, frantic and violent, and Sigma’s attempt to swallow his nerves only ended up with the sour taste of anxiety clinging to his tongue.

Nikolai paused in front of the door, taking a moment to snicker gleefully to himself. He turned his gaze toward Sigma, his smile mean and vicious, and Sigma had an immediate flashback to their playthrough of The Quarry, particularly the moment where Nikolai ‘convinced’ Fyodor to open the trap door even though it was the most obvious death flag in the game.

“It’s clearly a trap,” Sigma tried again, already resigned to poor Ashley’s fate. He was honestly surprised she had survived this long with Nikolai controlling her, but this seemed like it would be a particularly brutal way to go. “That’s not Jessica. You know that.”

Nikolai hummed to himself, rocking from side to side as he completely ignored Sigma’s plea to save Ashley from an unfortunate end. He clicked the button, and his character bent down in front of the trap door. “But it could be, Sigma! What if we’re killing poor Jessica by leaving her to die here?”

“It’s not Jessica!”

“It sounds like her!”

“You know these creatures can mimic human speech! It’s not her! Fedya, please tell him!” Sigma turned to Fyodor, expecting support from the least likely source.

Fyodor yawned, and Sigma could read clear boredom in his violet eyes. He seemed utterly impassive from within his blanket burrito, too tired for Nikolai’s nonsense or Sigma’s pleading. He likely didn’t care what happened here, likely hadn’t cared for a while, but maybe he would see reason and stop Nikolai’s antics before they got another one of their characters killed!

So when Fyodor leaned his head forward as though to listen to the voice and make a formal declaration, Sigma wasn’t sure why he was so surprised by the result.

“I think Nikolai’s reasoning makes perfect sense. That could be Jessica, or it could be a monster. We will never truly know unless we open the door… correct?” Fyodor’s eyes glittered with mischief, and his mouth curved into a devilish smile the moment Nikolai began cheering from the other side of the couch.

“Guess not! Let’s open the door!”

“Are you kidding me?!” Sigma grumbled, jostled back and forth by Nikolai’s incessant bouncing. He faced the screen again, his teeth caught between his lower lip as he watched Nikolai happily undo the latch to the trap door.

The door opened, and all went quiet. Then the creature burst through the opening, and Sigma yelped in time with Ashley. He watched in horror as the monster grabbed the girl by the face, but the screen cut away before he had to see her head ripped off. He still had to listen to the crunch, the thud, and he covered his eyes to keep from seeing her disembodied head falling into view.

“Oospie! Guess it was a trap!” Nikolai practically howled with laughter, and he kicked his feet out in unrestrained glee at the carnage he had caused.

“What do you mean, oopsie!? Of course it was a trap! Ugh! How is this game both better and worse than the other one?!” Sigma wailed, not looking at the screen again until he heard the trap door close with another resounding thud.

“Really? I thought The Quarry’s death scenes were so much better! More blood! More violence! And we got to chop somebody’s arm off!”

“I did like the werewolves better,” Sigma admitted as he hesitantly returned his attention to the screen.

The point of view had shifted to Chris now, so Nikolai happily handed the controller over to Fyodor, entirely oblivious to Sigma’s tired glare. Undeniably pleased with himself, he snuggled up to Sigma and began to cover the side of his face in a plethora of chaotic kisses.

“Aw, don’t worry, Sigma! I’m sure that won’t happen again!”

“It better not!”

“Listen to Kolya. Do you truly believe that this game would try to trick us with the same scenario when we just saw what happened to poor, sweet Ashley?” Fyodor teased as he followed the same path that Nikolai had.

To the same intersection. To the same pause, the same voice, the same decision—

Sigma sighed, defeated, as Fyodor’s click the option to investigate the voice. Nikolai’s feral giggles returned, and he leaned forward in anticipation of yet another gruesome decapitation.

And as Chris lumbered toward his own death, Sigma wondered why he’d agreed to play this after all the horrors he’d endured last time. Why had he expected this to be any different? Why hadn’t he learned his lesson?

“After all, what fool would make the same mistake twice?”

#bsd #fyosiglai #doa trio play until dawn #more horror game aus!!!#this one may never end up fully written but the scene popped into my head and i couldn't resist~#just another game where poor sigma has to deal with the consequences of his boyfriends' actions

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nerdwholikesnerdythings · 3 months ago

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Hello, please remember it's not over, please remember to have hope.

That being said, multiple sources say that now, after the election, MAGA (make America great again) has admitted that project 2025 was the plan all along.

I've heard people, young teenagers, preteens, 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 say that they would kill themselves if trump won. I've heard more say that they want to or are going to now that he did.

Now, me personally, I am Latinx (I am half Salvadorian and half really white), LGBTQ, I have anxiety, depression, ADHD, and am anwoman. A lot of my friends or people I know are people of color, trans, gay, mentally ill, and other minorities.

If you are a Republican, it's not too late to admit that you might be wrong, we will accept you with open arms if you wish to join our side, we are accepting of all.

If you are a Democrat, don't give up, continue supporting, they want us gone, they want us broken, we CANNOT let them win. Even if you can't keep on protesting, even if you can't keep on going, even if you feel like you can't continue living. Remember what you are living for, remember what you were protesting for, remember, and get back up. Even if you can't continue protesting, continue to live, live and be yourself, even if you are only living to prove them wrong, it still helps.

If you voted for someone other than Trump or Harris, if you didn't vote as an attempt to protest, if you are a minor who CANT vote, if you are unsure of who you should've voted for, if you have been trying to stay out of this. It isn't too late to choose freedom, it isn't too late to support others, it isn't too late to start. Everyone supporting helps, everyone being themselves helps. Doing nothing doesn't change the results, something small like having voted for someone else won't change if trump or Kamala had the most votes.

If you voted for someone other than Kamala because you don't like her, or because you don't agree with her, because of something else. I don't like some of the things she wants to do either, I know my aunt doesn't, I know that you might HATE some of what she would do, BUT we need to focus on the GOOD things she would do. We need to find a way to get her or someone else into power, even if we don't agree with everything they do. Like Misha Collins said, we need to get someone like her into power and then protest about what they are doing.

We can't protest if we don't have a way, we can't protest if we don't have the rights.

We will not be defeated. No one can change who we are, especially not old crusty white men. Wear your flags with PRIDE, I know I will. It's not too late to stop them.

I am a minor and before this, I tried to stay out of political and controversial stuff, so I'm sorry if some of this information isn't correct. Please don't hate, if you don't like this post then scroll past, block tags, but please don't hate.

And if you do hate, I might give a rude reply. I may be kind but I am NOT above self defense.

#stop trump #not supernatural #project 2025 #stop project 2025 #kamala harris #kamala 2024 #yucky trump #trump hates america #trump hates women #trump hates minorities #lgbtqia #lgbtq community #lgbt pride #lbtgq #lbgtq rights #misha collins

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kime11e · 1 year ago

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Happy New Year to anyone who follows me on Tumblr! I'm an Australian who lives in Sydney, and LOVES all things Michael Sheen. It's 1:30am 1/1/2024, and I'm not particularly keen on crowds and loud noises so that's why you'll find me typing up this blog instead of celebrating 2024 I confess that if you follow blogs like @ingravinoveritas or @problematicwelshman, I am the Aussie Anon who happened to see Michael Sheen everyday for an entire month at my work. I would share my observations on MS while he was in Sydney to rehearse and perform Amadeus. I also have a selfie to prove it:

Yes I am under the emoji. I also saw Amadeus 3 times. My last time Anna Lundberg was sitting right behind me, where my friend was game enough to speak to her where I didn't. ANYWAY what brings me here, right now, in this instant on New Years is due to a pretty petty and possibly inane thing that Anna repeatedly did while she was in Sydney, and something she posted just now. She uses the New Zealand flag when referring to anything related to her, and her family's time in Australia. New Years last year:

Also her current Insta Story!

Look, I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of backlash for this, people saying who cares!? However Anna, as someone who is in a relationship with Michael Sheen who is a fierce and proud Welshman, and is the mother of 2 of his children. She should be delicate about using the CORRECT flag that represents a country. ESPECIALLY when in the same breath she mentions an Australian icon which is the Sydney Opera House. The SOH has been the home of Australian Art, Innovation and in a massive way Indigenous Representation (albeit the SOH was designed by a Dutch person) I don't see any excuse for using the wrong flag when referring to Australia. Especially in a world when we're learning more about expression of identity. I don't care if she has baby brain, or thought that New Zealand and Australia were one and the same because they're "Down Under". Or she thinks the flags look the same (they really don't) Or she has no time! It's no excuse to not Educate yourself! Ask questions! Yes we make mistakes but when you're representing yourself and your famous partner, you ought to take care! Yes you're human, and you have emotions, fallacies, but c'mon! You're letting yourself down!

I don't respect the Australian past of colonialism, and I wouldn't expect New Zealand to respect the same. But this flag represents us today as separate nations. Also in no way was Amadeus a duel nation production. I know the producer that's why I was able to see the show 3 times. I am losing so much respect for Anna Lundberg and I try sometimes to give her the benefit of the doubt, because let's be honest she ain't in a loving relationship save for her children, and I think Michael respects her as a friend, and mother, so it can't be easy. But it really begs me to question, how long can he tolerate the lack of self awareness? Lack of awareness in anything but beyond her bubble!? If any one responds to this please be diplomatic and tactful.

#michael sheen #anna lundberg #no self awareness #awkward #lets use the correct flag to represent a country #I am australian #welsh seduction machine #please take care of how you represent a national treasure #please don't come for me #not gospel #just an observation

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serendertothesquad · 3 months ago

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Seren's Studies: Odd Squad UK -- "Should Odd Acquaintance Be Forgot" Episode Followup, Part 1

Cue the kazoo trumpet! Our second part of our three-part finale is here!

Might as well jump right into it, so let's get going below the break.

(And just as a fair warning: like "Odd Ones In", this will be a multi-parter. Could be five parts, could be eight. Just bear with me.)

(A post-editing note: I was informed that Leonie is, in fact, a girl, and not a boy like I thought. I'm keeping the LGBTQ+ theory because we've already gotten gay triangle villain and they could extend that to child villains too, but keep in mind that Leonie is a girl and not a boy. That's my bad.)

Ohhhhhhh it's a Tasha episoooooooooooooooh nooooooooooooooooo.

Whatever happened to Mark writing it? Tim? Adam? Can we get one of them on here to send this season/series off with a bang?

"Another quiet day in the office."

She says, like she didn't just have to deal with three child villains.

A few- A FUCKING FEW WEEKS AGO??????

Oh, rest in pieces, you beautiful timeline. God is deader than deader than dead. It doesn't even make sense for the Terrible Three because they already have a plan and already have the shapes and it makes little sense for them to wait this long to enact it!

Now, see, if any character in this entire scene were Odd-Squad-savvy, they'd feel this like a red flag shoved in every bodily orifice. You'd have to have the IQ of a goddamn rock to think that the Terrible Three would willingly turn themselves in even if they didn't gather up all the shapes. (Which they did, but these agents don't know that.)

Hell, Orli is somewhat Odd-Squad-savvy! She should call Ozzie and Captain O both out!

"We locked them in the interrogation room."

One of the things that sucks ass about not having any sort of one-way listening device in there. You had that, you could easily listen to what they were saying and figure out their evil plan.

*slams table exactly three times*

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

...Oh. Okay. Well, good. Glad someone here still has a working brain.

Now can you bop Orli's forehead and tell her that she could've had a [insert the UK's equivalent to V8 here]?

*long sigh*

Now why the fuck are we ping-ponging from smart to stupid?

Furthermore, can I yo Opie out of here because she is not helping the situation.

I WILL ASK AGAIN.

MAY I YOTE A CHILD.

MAY I YOTE A CHILD TODAY.

CAN I THROW ONE PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE.

I'LL PAY THE MEDICAL BILLS JUST LEMME THROW HER-

"I didn't give them anything dangerous, just the Goodnight-Sleep-inator."

Which, in those kids' hands, can be a viable weapon. Let's not forget what happened when Opal used the Nap-inator, and later the Slightly-Longer-Nap-inator, on Star Wipe, William Ocean, and Cardboard Carl in "Follow the Leader". Same effects, differently-named gadgets.

"Now, what's wrong with you? Lobotomy?!"

"...Appendicitis."

"Yeah?! Hahaha, no, Opie. Sweet Opie. No, you need a lobotomy."

"But...my append-"

"NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR INFLAMED APPENDIX. Orli...give me the IV needle, please..."

Honestly, this "I have a visual" joke is almost as unfunny as that bit in the beginning of "Odd Together Now" when the shields were at 001%.

Okay, so...the security computers here contain oddness, and these three shapes, when put into the correct slots, release it.

Do I have that stupid right?

Onom once again displaying his absolutely amazing insta-teleport skills, even in a time of crisis.

Man's got a gasping fixation so bad you'd think he's got asthma or something! Haha...haha...

...Aaaaaah...

...Oh God, wait a second-

"We have containment units here and all over town!"

Okay, here in HQ I can understand. But...out in fucking town?

I'll once again reiterate that I did this much better with The Adventures of Peaches and Mandy and sending odd stuff to The Odd Side, which is an alternate world that can be accessed by a gadget-made portal and not...y'know...something any random Joe can open in town.

Please make it make fucking sense.

...No. No, actually, I can buy this. Given how many sub-basements there are? I'd believe 100. In fact, the number almost seems too small!

(Also, this is 100% an iPad. Home button's a dead giveaway. Welcome back, Apple products in Odd Squad!)

I don't know why bro's surprised here. In the beginning, he got help from one agent and one agent only. Not a whole mass of them. Not anyone like, say, the Mobile Unit, which has four agents but still. No, no, he got only one. How did he think that would impact this precinct having less than 100 agents in any capacity? Going by that one OddTube Season 2 video (and don't ask me which, my mind is blanking), I'd think 100 agents is a base standard, a minimum number!

Though I can appreciate the parallels with Orli being the only employee in Niagara Falls bar her Director.

...Partly rescinding previous statement, because the point still applies but I paused before she finished with "...with us today".

If 100+ agents can't solve all that oddness in "Odd Ones In", that's either a failing on the Academy's part or a massively-shared skill issue.

She fights the high seas, but the high seas always win.

(Alternatively: "I fought the high seas, and the high seas won.")

I was about to make a comment on a third party before I sat on it for a minute and went "okay...if it's Captain O, maybe it's okay".

...Oooooooohhhhhhhhh.

That...doesn't really surprise me. Again, even without looking at spoilers, I probably could've pieced two and two together. Kids? Probably not. Me? Hell yeah.

As...opposed to telling the story right here? Is she worried someone's gonna skedaddle in when she has less than 100 agents?

That's silly, right? Right.

it's the end of the world as we know i-

*a pained scream through gritted teeth*

Okay, I can appreciate the 4chan Anon figures in the ba-

...Oh shit. That's one reference I'll regret making.

Coming from Orli, "we're in a hurry" sounds less like "we have to find what floor they're going to" and "we only got 7 minutes of episode left".

Clearly Ozzie didn't get the same training from the previous Director that Olive did, and really, if he had, it would have taken away so much hassle.

Running through five bosses in the span of a very short time, though, because of these three, is fucking insane. Again, we've seen that Directors can be meticulous about choosing their successors, which these four...weren't. Ozzie, at least, is somewhat justified because he likes helping people and he's got drive, so whoever his previous boss was made a fairly good choice in selecting him as a successor. But being a Director means that you really shouldn't quit because of a few bad apples in your employee base. Not many bosses in real life quit because of a few employees; most deal with the problem (in this case, perhaps by firing them) and remain in their position of power.

And speaking of, I hope this story ends with Ozzie firing their asses and yo'ing them out onto the streets. Make it be realistic, please.

I...okay...now, see, the booth and the fish and chips shop could have easily not been a thing if the HQ were entirely underground like we've seen in the past.

That being said...if they were a handful, how the fuck did they graduate from the Academy? What boss looked at them, pointed, and said "I got three empty slots, I want these ones"?

(That's a rhetorical question. The answer is "a very stupid one.")

THEY GAVE THE "RESKINNED" OHLM THE OHLM NAME SCHTICK????????

TASHA WHAT IN FIVE MILLION LEVELS OF F U C K ARE YOU SMOKIN' HONEY. STOP IT. STOP IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-

Ohhhhh...it's ironic because he's a villaaaaaaaaaaaa- look guys, it was either this or comment on how a bit of LGBTQ+ got in my reskinned Ohlm.

(On to Part 2!)

#seren's studies #odd squad #odd squad uk #odd squad pbs kids

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system-of-a-schizo · 7 months ago

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About Me

I'm Echo and I'm a 19-year-old, suspected partial DID system. I prefer nameself pronouns (Echo/Echo/Echo's/Echo's self) but it/its and they/them work just as well.

I refer to myself collectively using first-person pronouns as I am one whole consisting of several parts. Collectively using a singular alias is just easier for me to express while maintaining the privacy of the system.

Extra Info:

INTJ-T, 6w5 • Scorpio • Black • Trans-masc • My banner is the Voidpunk flag and my profile picture is the partial DID flag that I put the schizophrenia spectrum symbol over using ibisPaint • My username is based off the band System of a Down

About the Blog

This is a blog intended for me to go on rambles regarding Complex Dissociative Disorders and systems but I'll also have some off topic rambles too along with posts that may not be rambles at all. I'll tag my CDD and system-oriented rambles with #sysblur, my miscellaneous rambles with #schizo-posting, and my non-rambles as #non-ramble.

Rambles may be on personal experiences, something I saw that sparked some thoughts, something that I'd been thinking about for a while, abstract concepts or theories, hypotheticals, whatever. The ones tagged with #sysblur will all relate back to the topic of complex dissociative disorders and/or the experiences of being a system.

Some rambles may consist of the mildest, most lukewarm takes you've ever seen while others may be hot or controversial (will be tagged as #hazardous). With this being said,

Please Know That...

I will never make a post with ill intent. I am neurodivergent and suspect to have schizotypal personality disorder so I often struggle with properly expressing and discerning intentions and the way I process the world around me often deviates from what's considered "normal". Please be patient with me.

I am not pro- or anti- anything. I remain neutral on most controversies as I agree and disagree with different points on each side and having to choose one or the other often results in an episode.

If I've done something wrong, don't hesitate to let me know! I try my best to stay educated and open-minded but I'm not perfect and will make mistakes. Shoot me a private message or anonymous ask or something and I'll correct myself how I see fit.

Content Warnings

Some rambles may be related to trauma as this is a trauma-related disorder. I will try to provide the necessary warnings for stuff like abandonment, social isolation, physical abuse/trauma, psychological abuse/trauma, sexual topics, substance abuse, mental illness, medical negligence, etc before getting into each ramble.

#neurodivergent #schizospec #sysblr #traumagenic system #partial did #schizo-posting #hazardous #non ramble

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thesevenwondersofawitch · 2 years ago

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Watching Picard season 3, episode 1. The Next Generation.

(Contains Major spoilers for the ep)

The music is so chill, tho I DO want to set the world on fire

Awww, pretty flowers

Uhhhhh, the masks are kinda random 👀

Interesting, one of Picards logs is playing 🤔

OH IT'S BEVERLY!!!

Wait oh found them?!

Oh no what happened to the crew member?🤔

OH HOLY SHIT

NO BEVERLY SHE'S BEEN SHOT

NOOOOOOOOO

Ngl, it's giving Ranger vibes

She's so badass I can't even I'm screaming

She just came out of the fog like a freaking angel of war

Oh noooo, she's bleeding

Is ANYONE gonna let the crew dude out?

OOOOOOOO SHE'S TRANSMITTING HER MESSAGE FROM THE TRAILER

LARIS! I THOUGHT SHE WASN'T GONNA BE IN THIS SEASON I'M SO HAPPY

Are they talking about his past relationships?

They're talking about a painting 😂😂😂

YEAH GEODRDI MY BABE

He runs a museum? Wasn't expecting that, but good for him😂

Awwww, Laris won't let the guy pack up Picard's painting

Ohhhh, so they're going on a trip, I thought they were going over his Will 😂

*sees the flute* I'm gonna sob it's fine

"I am not a man who needs a legacy." Dude you totally are that type of man😂

When I see that record player all I can think of is Q

Computer: "Unable to determine the location."

"Thanks for your help." I do not think that he was thankful for the help😂

OH MY GOD IT'S HIS OLD COM BADGE

I'M SCREAMING

I have literal chills

OH NY GOD IT'S BEVERLY I HAVE SO MUCH CHILL

"And Jean-Luc. No Starfleet. Trust no one." I'M SCREAMING OH MY GOD

I love Laris and Picard's talks by the fire

Dude, you've seriously haven't spoken to her in over 20 years? For shame dude

Oh, she cut everyone off😅

"You even tried to be Lovers, didn't you?" Man, I picked the absolute worst time to take a drink of pink lemonade, I nearly choked cause I couldn't help but burst out laughing 😂😂

I love how Laris is fully behind the fact that Beverly isn't paranoid

Picard: "I'll be back in a few days, maybe even less."

Laris: "Maybe even more."

Me: Or maybe he won't be back at all, and he'll die before you can ever see him again.

Oh fuck, she's gonna save him a seat😭 imagine if she's sitting there waiting for him only to get news he's died.

Their first (on screen) kiss!

I love that Guinan seals souvenirs😂

"That's 'Galaxy Class' to you young lady!" Riker is offended 😂

"Deanna and Kestra will appreciate the time away from me." Oh no, what happened (what did ya do Riker)

Picard totally wants to ask what happened but is holding his tongue, tho I wish he wouldn't cause I wanna know

WHAT HAD BEVERLY SO TERRIFIED!

So she cut off Deanna, Will AND Geordi as well, that definitely raises red flags since she was close with Deanna

RAFFI

I KNOW THAT WALK IT'S TOTALLY RAFFI

Oh God, the Daddy kink still lives? I hate it.

Nooo, Raffi's getting drugs😭

"My girlfriend left me." NOOOOOOOOOOOO

PLEASE LET THIS BE HER COVER 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I'm thinking it's a cover since she's really trying to get info

Who's the Red Lady? BEVERLY? SHE HAS RED HAIR! COULD IT BE ABOUT GOING AFTER HER

Oh, I would greatly like to kill this dude for hurting Raffi

OOOOOOOOOOO SHE IS UNDERCOVER YAY

I'm so proud of her for dropping the drug instead of using it😭

"I'm not sure about this plan."😂

"It's not a plan, it's a ruse." Same old Riker😂

THE TITAN

THAT MEANS SEEVVVVVVVEEEN!!!!! OH, I remember it from Lower Decks 😂

"The First Officer, on the other hand, I think you'll recognize." SEVEN

SEEEEVVVVVVVVEN!

(Actual footage ^ of the Saffi Fandom)

"Captain Shaw prefers that I use "Hansen," Admiral"

Oh hell no, I hate this Captain with a burning passion now cause how fucking DARE HE

The way that Picard paused to correct the one guy's posture and badge 😂

Oh Seven totally doesn't like the Captain 😂

*Ensign grins at Picard* Picard to Seven:"Is there something wrong with that Ensign?"

"Ensign La Forge, eyes on your station." I'M SCREAMING

Oh God, Riker is totally embarrassing her by bringing up her Nickname from the academy. If Deanna was there, she'd totally hack him and say: "Will!"

Seven's face when Picard said she should take the ship out😭 she was like a lil kid trying to hide how happy she was😭

*Picard tells Seven something way out of date in regards to flying then ship*

Seven:"It's all automated now."

Picard:"Oh... Of course." *Clears his throat awkwardly* "You're going to be a Captain before you know it, Commander Hansen."

Riker, grinning: "Excellent recovery, Admiral."

Picard: "Shut it, Will."

This Captain eating has me uncomfy

Dude, Picard was definitely not expecting this guy to be an ass

Riker looks like he would like to beat up the Captain 😂

Oh. Wow. I really hate this guy

Seven just watching the convo between them is a mood

Picard really should've done his homework on what stations were open

Seven is so helpful

Oh wow, he's even more of an asshole than I expected.

Honestly, I'm kinda shocked they're not gonna just knock the Captain unconscious and take control of the ship, saying that the Captain isn't feeling well😂

Seven watching Riker and Picard go has me wondering what her plan is🤔

AWWWWWW RAFFI'S GRANDBABY😭

"Good morning sweet girl"😭😭😭😭😭

Raffi's lil smile 😭

Raffi looks so done with her handler

Awwww, my poor babe, she's so tired

Did she just get discharged from Starfleet? Oh, just pulled up into from her file

"You are a warrior." The way Raffi's whole demeanor changed has me thinking she was brainwashed and this was saying was the trigger word to activate her

It would totally make sense since we know Worf fights her at one point

WHAT IF HE'S HER HANDLER

Oh my god, Riker and Picard are sleeping in bunkbeds 😂😂

Seven summoned them! Yay

Oh what is she planning

"You're gonna tell me what the hell you two are really doing here of I'm about to throw both of you out of an airlock and never look back." Aw, this reminds me of Voyager Seven😊

SHE MENTIONED JANEWAY!!!! I'M SCREAMING

Oh damn, Seven should go back to the Rangers, cause honestly I just want her to be happy and she doesn't seem to be.

Did she throw the Captain out of an airlock

Awwww, she ignored orders and brought them to the edge of federation space

I love how Seven followed her instincts

"I like that Seven." Same, Will, same.

The way everyone looked back as the Captain kinda fired Seven, they like her better

I feel like I should have an idea who Rachel Garrett is but I'm blanking

OH SHIT

Raffi's trying to get through to Starfleet, but it isn't working 👀

Oh I hope my babe doesn't witness an attack cause that could really traumatize her

OH NO

OH MY GOD, I HAVE CHILLS

The screaming of them is horrible 😭

She just witnessed a huge tragedy and wasn't able to do anything, that would definitely mess a person up

WAIT

Her son's family doesn't live in District Seven, do they?

WHAT IF THAT'S WHY SHE TRIES TO HAVE A FIGHT

"So long as we don't have to move or shot we should be fine." Me😂

The fact that Picard made Beverly a playlist instead of giving her flowers 😭😂

Wait wait wait

WHAT IF BEVERLY STOLE THE STUFF TO PROTECT IT AND WHOEVER ATTACKED HER STOLE IT AND USED IT TO ATTACK STARFLEET

Oh fuck, what the heck happened to her nose? It looks Alien

"Number one she's here" not me thinking his Dog was about to come running with a wagging tail😂

DUDE (Me to the guy who's holding Riker at gunpoint)

Does Beverly have another son?🤔

HOLY SHIT I WAS RIGHT

Wait, were they after him?🤔

I wonder who his dad is🤔

Wonder if his older brother ever showed up to take him to baseball games in the past 😂

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THAT'S HOW THEY END IT? OH COME ON

The older trek music has me so happy

If you'll need me, I'll be screaming and reading as much fanfic as I can until the next episode.

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deuterosapiens · 2 years ago

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It is twelve-twebty-three in the morning and I have "finished" House of Leaves. When I woke up, aware that this would be the session where I put the book aside, I became incredibly aware that there would be no way to talk about it without those dastardly quotes. It feels disingenuous; though it is correct, to a degree, to say that I've reached the point where the Record is done, and all that is left is appendices.

So, the entire Navidson Record has been read. Johnny's footnotes. The Whalstoe Letters from the appendices. I skimmed over the bits and pieces at the end, and followed the notes to whichever references came up, as they came up.

I did not read any of the poems, and there are likely other nifties that I've missed. Describing the final pages of this thing feels a bit like talking about completing in video game terms. You can go for one-hundred percent, or you can just experience the story and shelf it later. For this reason, I say I "finished" it, but didn't finish it (no quotes).

Preamble (pre-ramble?) aside, House of Leaves.

Early this morning, while speaking with a co-worker, I came up with what I felt was a satisfactory description of my feelings for the book: it's a bit like drinking absinthe. There's a very strong reputation to the spirit, just as this book has a reputation: both are mysterious, typically described in elite terms. And so you have this preconceived notion (House of Leaves is impossible to read, it will drive you mad, it's not for the faint of heart; absinthe is hallucinogenic, you'll experience an otherworldly psyche trip), and you build it up in your mind to be this major experience, this huge thing, and you're left a bit disappointed because it's nothing like what everyone tells you it's like.

But House of Leaves, unlike absinthe, at least left me with a pleasing taste in my mouth (actually, I'm eating a bag of græy Skittles, so it might be that). Once you realize what the book is, what it's trying to do, it becomes incredibly straightforward. Er, relatively speaking.

Johnny Truant's sections, in the beginning, did very little for me, though I found them far more desirable than any of those moments where Zampanò drags about physics (describing echoes, the chemistry of the house's walls). This guy is screwed up. I thought Raskolnikov needed therapy when I read Crime and Punishment. Johnny is broken in a way that I was so not ready for. There are not enough drugs in the world to fix this man.

So, there are a few beautiful moments here that just really caught me, and I regret a bit not flagging them. There's a line whose formatting I will not try to replicate, when discussing the potential history of the house, where colonists are wandering, starving, that was wonderfully unpleasant (reminded me a bit of The Jaunt, "It's eternity in there.") There's the story with the dog that I could have lived my life without reading. Halloway's madness was also wonderful to watch unfold.

It's been described as both a love story, and a horror story. Stephen King compares it to Moby-Dick. I feel like there are right ways to read it. And there are wrong ways to read it. Realistically though, it's far more approachable than I would have suspected, and quite a bit more pleasing. There are enter sections I skip when I re-read Notre-Dame, and I believe if I ever read it again, I'll take a similar approach. Perhaps I'll go through the entire book and only read Jonny's footnotes, or I'll only read Zampanò's manuscript. Perhaps I'll skip the Whalstoe Letters and see if reading through without that insight affects my experience.

At the end of the day, or beginning, early morning, whatever, it's an enjoyable read. A lot of work went into crafting this strange tome, and I'm glad I've given it the respect it deserves (you know, once I stopped letting Tears of the Kingdom distract me and actually read the bloody thing).

After this though, and coming off the back of my Philip K. Dick reading, I think I need something normal. Without any substance abuse, or madness, or any thin græy veils masking and disguising what's real. I had intended American Prometheus, but I don't think I'm really up for that. I need something light, a palate cleanser. I recently purchased a beautiful copy of The Neverending Story. Perhaps that will make for a good re-read.

Gives me an excuse to jam out to Lamahl.

#house of leaves #reading #rant #tired rambling #book review #i was not emotionally prepared for this

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jynxeddraca · 7 months ago

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Well, I had a fun week last week. I had to fire my general contractor. He got BIG FUCKING mad about it too.

Long story short: I put my foot down about a basic requirement expected from him for insurance purposes and in response, he told me I was being played by insurance and perhaps I should find a different contractor if I wasn't going to listen to him. To which I said something to the effect of: "Yeah, okay. I'm just going to do that. Have a nice day" and hung up on him. 51 nasty text messages later I have dodged a bullet, walked away with hard-learned life lessons, and now have to find a new contractor.

My grief is your learning. Here are some red flags:

They show up the morning of a disaster, and they show up really fucking early.

Bonus if they are not even local.

Double bonus if they show up with contracts or try to talk to you while you're on the phone with other emergency contractors.

They keep talking up how great their services are.

Bonus if they bring up really expensive projects or projects for important people they've done work for.

They talk constantly about fighting insurance for you because insurance will "screw you over" and "play games" with you.

They give your contact information to previous clients so they can tell you about how they think the contractor is because the contractor thinks that you're doubtful of them.

They insist on helping you with things you didn't ask for their help on in the first place.

Bonus if they don't actually show up to help when they say they will.

Double bonus if they give you wrong information about something they agreed to help you with and you have to locate the correct information to send them.

At any point you feel like you are being talked down to or lectured.

They claim insurance isn't talking to them but insurance says they have. Especially if insurance says the contractor is calling every line they have as often as - oh, say a random, pulled from the air example - 6+ calls a day.

Now for some good practices:

Get at least three estimates before you pick anyone. If someone is being really pushy about being hired - they are not the one, ditch em.

Get as much in writing as you can. Even if you don't think it's important, get it in writing where possible.

If something is not in writing, say for phone calls, keep a running record of who did you talk to, when did you talk to them, and what did you talk about. Again, even if you don't think it's important, write it down.

Keep receipts. All of them. Same thing with all emails, text messages, etc. Do not delete them. Back them up or at least put them in an email/physical folder that you can look through later and hold on to it.

If someone is resisting giving a written estimate even after examining and taking measurements, they are not the one and you should ditch em.

Be clear if you haven't used an contractor before because sometimes how they like to do things aren't obvious and they won't necessarily just tell you that you've "broken contract". Example: Part of their job is scheduling trades to show up and even if they have given you the number of someone they're subcontracting, and have told you to call them previously, they may be upsetti-spaghetti that you scheduled someone they gave you contact information for. Ask me how I now know this :]

Do not sign ANYTHING without taking the appropriate amount of time to fully look over and understand it. Do not cave to stress telling you something is urgent - it may be urgent, but it's more important you sign something with as clear a head as possible and with as much understanding as possible. If they try to rush you, they are not the one.

Contracts can be amended, any changes you make you initial and date next to the change and let the other person know.

Someone threatening legal action?:

Do note: I am not a lawyer and the following bullets are my opinions. For actual legal advice, please talk to a lawyer.

The moment someone brings up anything about legal action against you, you shut the fuck up and communicate ONLY in writing as necessary from that point on. Save everything. Screenshot if you must. Do not accept calls.

It would not go amiss to immediately get a lawyer as well.

I don't care how much they blow up your phone, email, TikTok, whatever, with insults, complaints, rants, if they're insulting you or other people: Do not engage unless you absolutely have to.

If you have to engage without a lawyer, keep all comments neutral, short, and to the point of why the communication is necessary. Otherwise, if possible, communicate through a lawyer.

Example for necessary communication: a statement like "I have sent 'x' as agreed upon, here is the tracking number" but then you shut up and do not engage in casual conversation or swap insults no matter how you feel.

Again, even if they are throwing insults, let them and do not respond to anything they say. The more heated they get, the worst it will look for them if something does go to court.

#personal #post-tornado life #I'm stressed #but my electricity is on #and I have called so many people #but once I get estimates #I can finally start moving forwards

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jackaycola · 3 years ago

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POV: you are insane (part one/?)

Anyway, the Pornipliers have a grip on me.

( If I did something wrong with the flags please let me know/correct! )

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immaturityofthomasastruc · 2 years ago

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IOTA Reviews: Miraculous World: Shanghai – The Legend of Ladydragon (Late 2000 Follower Special)

DISCLAIMER: I am not of Chinese ancestry, so I may not understand some of the content featured in this special. If anyone reading this is familiar with Chinese culture in any way, I strongly encourage you to speak up and either give your opinion on this special or point out anything I get wrong when discussing Chinese culture.

Back in 2021, I watched a video analyzing, of all things, Thomas the Tank Engine, specifically it's failed rebrand in a desperate attempt to salvage ratings, Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!. The premise was that Thomas himself would go on adventures in other countries, meet foreign engines, and learn about other cultures as a way to appeal to international audiences. Sure, it had other problems relating to the writing and new format, but one of the more noticeable points made by the creator of the video, The Unlucky Tug, was that for a show trying to focus on representing different cultures, a lot of the international episodes felt very... stereotypical with how the culture was portrayed to the point where it bordered on being offensive. Yong Bao, the Chinese engine, was fascinated with tigers after encountering one taught him to be more courageous, to the point where his tender has an emblem of one on it. Lorenzo, the Italian engine, loved to sing opera, and would even do so while on the job with his coach. Nia, the Kenyan engine, had her paintjob styled after the African flag, has no real personality outside of mentioning she's from Kenya to remind the audience, and was a blatant marketing attempt to make the main cast more diverse.

Where exactly am I going with this? In general, the international episodes were poorly researched, and in response, The Unlucky Tug said “When you think of a middle-class, westernized, white person writing a story about India, this is basically that, absolutely surface-level”. If that isn't a good way to describe the representation of other cultures in Miraculous Ladybug, I don't know what is.

Look, I've gone about this ever since I started this blog, but the way this show chooses to portray different cultures isn't that good. I'm not familiar with a lot of them, but even I know about some of the stereotypes associated with cultures like the Japanese being unreasonably strict, African-Americans being in tough street gangs, or Chinese people being masters of Kung Fu. There's also the fact that whenever Astruc gets backlash from people of color regarding the portrayal of certain races in the show, he gets very defensive, and at one point, ended a close friendship as a result.

It's stuff like this that is why I was very hesitant to review this special. I don't really know a lot about Chinese culture, so I was worried I would either get something wrong, or misunderstand something in it. With the New York Special, it was more about American “culture”, as little as we saw of it by focusing on very obvious things associated with America, like hot dogs, the Statue of Liberty, and brushing off what we did to the Native Americans in the past, so it was easier to talk about.

The point I'm trying to make here is that I might screw up a little on this review, so if I do, please don't hesitate to correct me or explain something I missed, like a cultural touchstone of China the special gets wrong. Although, I'm probably going to make one or two bad jokes about Chinese culture either way.

With all that being said, let's finally get into Miraculous World: Shanghai – The Legend of Ladydragon

First off, let's talk about the continuity of this special. According to the Miraculous Ladybug wiki, the fact that Gabriel is only Hawkmoth in this special, and the fact that Ladybug's form doesn't change when she uses her Lucky Charm later on, this takes place between Seasons 2 and 3. Why exactly did they set it then when the previous special was set between Seasons 3 and 4? There isn't really anything done with setting it in this specific timeframe, and I'll get to how it could have been done later.

We open on the night of a magical eclipse in the past, where the guardian of a mystical cave, Wu Shifu, was growing desperate to protect something, as his Kung Fu students who speak perfect English weren't willing to stay and help him. Man, if only there was a team of superheroes he could get help from to deal with whatever he needs to defend this cave from.

???: What had become of the ancestral values? Courage? Honesty? Loyalty? A mysterious stranger was doing all he could to force the master to sell his school. Someone clearly wanted to take over the land upon which it was built.

Just imagine if that guy genuinely had no idea of what the school was hiding, and only wanted the land to build a parking lot or a McDonalds on it.

Just when it seemed like Wu had nobody to help him defend this sacred place, not even having a family to pass on this responsibility to, conveniently, a baby was left in front of his school. Seeing an obvious chance, Wu decides “Hey, I bet I can be even more immoral than the entire Order of the Guardians combined!”. Yes, the baby would be taken in and would be trained to become the next Guardian of this special's MacGuffin, but with how the scene was framed, it made it seem like Wu immediately saw this orphaned baby and wanted to raise her for the sole purpose of replacing him when he retires. Even Shifu waited a few years until he started training Tai Lung. By the way, how exactly did Tai Lung turn out when he was groomed to be a very important warrior by Shifu again?

Oh yeah...

Over the years, the girl, named Fei, would be trained by Wu in the ways of Kung Fu, and was eventually made his successor, being given a bracelet that was connected to the cave. Unfortunately, the same group of thugs that tried to buy out Wu's school killed him and left Fei an orphan once again. To make things worse, the bracelet was stolen from Fei in her sleep. I'm guessing Wu is regretting a lot of his choices watching this Heaven right now.

After Fei vows to protect the cave by herself during the next eclipse, which is tonight, we get another Miraculous World opening sequence, only instead of a more orchestral rendition of the show's theme song, generic Chinese music plays over the credits. Let's be honest, a more accurate way to open these specials would be something along the lines of this, because it's pretty much what the writers were going for.

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After the credits, we learn that it's Summer Vacation in Paris, and that there were a lot of activities planned for Marinette to do with her friends, even a picnic with Adrien in attendance. But while she delivers a birthday present for her Uncle Wang to the post office for her mother on the day of said picnic, Marinette learns Adrien is somewhere else at the moment.

Marinette: Save me a seat next to you-know-who, please, I'll be there as fast as I can.

Alya: But don't you know? I thought you knew.

Marinette: What? What am I supposed to know?

Alya: Adrien's gone to Shanghai!

Marinette: Huh?! There must be some kind of mistake! I always know what's up with Adrien! His five first names and every corresponding name date, his yearly schedule, even his shoe size! If there were anything to know about him, I would know it!

Alya: Well, he didn't know either. He told Nino that the opening of his father's shop in Shanghai had been moved up at the last minute.

Marinette: Shanghai?

Ugh... here comes the cringe...

Okay, I'm sorry if this is beating a dead horse at this point, but it's really creepy that Marinette knows this much about Adrien. I get it, it's a cartoon, and they're trying to exaggerate a schoolgirl crush for comedy, but with how often Marinette says she knows this much about Adrien, it just makes me uncomfortable. How does she even know this much about Adrien anyway?

It turns out that the reason Adrien is even going to Shanghai in the first place is because Gabriel is after the very thing Fei is charged with protecting, the Prodigious. Supposedly it was a prototype that was abandoned in favor of the Miraculous, but other than a single line from Nooroo explaining that, we don't really get a lot of details on why this was created. It's just another magical artifact that could easily be replaced by another lost Miraculous, and doesn't even flesh out the idea of what a Miraculous is, despite them both being Chinese in origin.

Another thing that's kind of confusing is that Gabriel says that his plan to get the Prodigious has been going on for fifteen years, with a later scene confirming that he was the one who ordered for Wu's murder... when Emilie has only been in her coma for just under a year at this point. Why is Gabriel being tied into the backstory for Fei when he didn't have a reason to be evil while she was still a baby? Also, why is Adrien even coming along with Gabriel? The whole reason he was sent to New York in the last special was specifically to keep him away from Paris while he executed his plan, and now, he's risking his safety for this?

Back at Marinette's place, we get one of the more controversial parts of this special, Marinette lying to her parents about caring about her uncle's birthday in order to get an excuse to go to Shanghai to see Adrien. Okay, what exactly is her plan here? Is she just going to surprise Adrien like what Rebecca did for Josh in the pilot to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? How does she even think Adrien will react to this? And what about Paris? When Marinette got ready to leave for New York in the last special, she made plans with Cat Noir about what to do while she was away. What is she going to do now? In fact, does she even know Cat Noir isn't in Paris right now?

But then things get even dumber when we learn that Marinette's parents, Tom and Sabine, had saved up money for a family trip on the off chance that Marinette wanted to go and connect with her culture more. This just raises so many questions. How long have they been saving up money for? Has Marinette never thought to ask about her culture? Why didn't Tom and Sabine bother to teach Marinette anything about Chinese culture before this moment?

This whole plotline really highlights the problem with the representation in this show. So many media outlets, and even Astruc himself make a big deal about the main character of Miraculous Ladybug being a biracial girl, but the writers rarely do anything with it. “Kung Food” already showed how clueless Marinette was about Chinese culture to the point where Adrien, someone who was learning Mandarin Chinese, had to explain things to her. Now we have this special where once again, Marinette is shown to be oblivious to her own heritage just so she can be in the wrong here. If the point of the special was to have Marinette come to terms with how little she knows about her own culture, and how it's okay to not know a lot about her Chinese heritage (sort of like Carlton in that one episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), I'd be a little more understanding. Instead, this special shames Marinette for not caring about her heritage while doing nothing to actually educate her on it, because most of the special is focusing on the actual conflict that has nothing to do with this plotline.

And I'm not saying Marinette needs to be completely fluent in Mandarin or know everything there is to know about Chinese fashion. My family on my mother's side is Irish, and while I wouldn't say I know a whole lot about the culture, I at least know the basics because of what I learned from my grandfather, who was very proud of his heritage. If there are any followers of color or biracial followers reading this post, I encourage you to give your thoughts on this aspect of the special and Marinette's lineage through reblogs, replies, or asks, as I want to see how your experiences differ from Marinette's.

But the biggest problem I have is that of all the reasons Marinette could have gone to Shanghai, this was what the writers chose to go with. They didn't have Marinette go to a family reuinion with Sabine, they didn't have Marinette go to check out a fashion show there, and they didn't have Marinette's class go to Shanghai on a field trip for a made up “Chinese-French Friendship Week”. They seriously thought the best way Marinette could go to Shanghai was chasing after Adrien for no real reason other than because they can't think of any motivation for Marinette to do anything that doesn't involve Adrien.

Also, I should probably mention that when someone asked him about this part of the special, this is where we got Astruc's infamous “Marinette has to make a mistake in every episode” explanation.

Hey, Astruc? May I offer a word of advice? If Adrienette is the ship we're supposed to support, DON'T FRAME STUFF MARINETTE DOES TO GET CLOSER TO ADRIEN AS A MISTAKE. HOW HARD IS THAT?

In fact, not even halfway through rewatching this special, I thought of a different reason for how and why Marinette could go to Shanghai that not only takes advantage of the timeline, but also expands on the lore of the show: A few weeks after the events of “Heroes' Day”, Master Fu realizes that the battle with Hawkmoth is only going to get harder now that he has a new ally, so he suggests going to Shanghai with Marinette to see if there is anyone who can help decode the Grimoire to boost their chances, or find someone who is at least familiar with the Miraculous and the Order of the Guardians. The reason Master Fu brings Marinette is because he believes his story about the Miraculous will be more credible with an actual Miraculous wielder by his side. Cat Noir will still be made aware of this, but will stay back in Paris in case Hawkmoth and Mayura try anything, with the plan to contact Ladybug if things head south while Ladybug uses the Horse Miraculous to teleport over there.

Marinette and Master Fu look for Wu, but only find the ruins of his school Fei made her home in, realizing she's pretty much their only lead now. This is also a chance to have Fei bond with Master Fu, as the two come from similar backgrounds, since they're both the last remaining Guardian from their respective order. So while Master Fu would help Fei learn about the Prodigious, Fei would give Master Fu the notes her adoptive father had on the language the Grimoire is written in. If you ever wanted to follow up on this in Season 4 or a sequel, have an episode where Marinette takes the Horse Miraculous to Shanghai to talk to Fei about how to deal with all the stress when she's pretty much the Guardian now.

There. In just two paragraphs, I came up with a plot that expands upon the overall story, portrays the characters in a respectful way, and doesn't rely on Unfunny Marinette Slapstick or her simping over Adrien.

But instead, Marinette goes to China to visit her Uncle Wang, who is conveniently much more fluent in English than he was in “Kung Food”. Wang says it's so it's easier to communicate with his niece, but it's not clear if he practiced specifically for Marinette's visit, or if he was planning to do it the next time he saw Marinette at all.

The next scene is pretty much Wang telling Marinette a little about her mother's side of the family, and how Sabine was originally named Xia Bing before she moved to Paris. From what I've looked up, this is something Chinese people do when moving to another country, but the reason is unclear. While Wang starts preparing dinner, Marinette uses the excuse to look for a secret ingredient to look for Adrien. Because yeah, a teenage girl walking all by herself in a foreign country where she can't speak the local tongue is perfectly fine.

As for Gabriel, he goes to the ruins of Wu's school and discovers the location of the Prodigious cave behind a waterfall. Of course, it'll be twenty minutes before he actually gets to do anything, because of this special's second act.

Meanwhile, Adrien himself is walking around with his bodyguard and is asked for a picture with some local kids his age, giving him a chance to remind the audience of how fluent he is in Mandarin. Okay, again, I'm not expecting Marinette to be fluent in every form of the Chinese language, and I'm not saying Adrien is wrong for learning the language at all, but I still think the writers really should have thought things through instead of making Adrien more knowledgeable about Chinese culture than the girl with Chinese ancestry. Although I will give this special credit, as Adrien isn't the one to explain Chinese culture to Marinette, avoiding one of the biggest problems I had with “Kung Food”.

While Marinette walks through the city, we get to see Fei again, as she gives a little monologue about some pseudo-philosophical stuff, because why wouldn't the Chinese girl try to be a young Confucius?

Fei: I'd like to see people as people, think of them as stories: their smallest pleasures, their greatest joys, their disappointments, their successes. That's how my adoptive father would have wanted me to see them.

While Fei is someone who wants to see the good in people, she's fallen on hard times, so she has to resort to stealing valuable objects from others in order to get the money she needs. Naturally, she decides to steal a small ring from the French tourist who has a tough bodyguard behind him. Unfortunately, Fei decides to steal Marinette's phone, Miraculous and the coin purse she uses to hide Tikki instead.

It turns out that Fei is actually stealing stuff for a local criminal named Cash in exchange for information on who killed Wu. Of course, Cash doesn't give Fei a lot of money for what she got, and goes on about how society has changed to focus more on financial needs, because I guess we're going for a “capitalism is bad” message now. Cash gives Fei the idea to bring Marinette to him so he can sell her stuff back to her, but not before shoving Tikki into the claw machine.

Okay, I like the idea of Marinette losing her Miraculous and needing to adapt, but this whole plotline just breaks a lot of the show's continuity. Earlier episodes have shown that if the Miraculous is taken off, the corresponding Kwami disappears from this physical plane (Origins, Feast), and while Marinette has lost Tikki before, it was only because she still had her Miraculous, and therefore, couldn't use it until she reunited with her (Princess Fragrance, Kwamibuster). And another thing, why can't Tikki just phase through the claw machine while nobody's looking and fly back to where Marinette was staying? This whole subplot is pretty much there to add to this special's runtime, because nothing is really added here.

While Marinette struggles to find her way back to her Uncle Wang's restaurant, she is chased by some of the guys Adrien was with earlier. One of them found Marinette's Kwagatama necklace, but in typical fashion for this show, she assumes they're thugs and runs away with Fei in tow. Meanwhile, Adrien goes out to look for Marinette as Cat Noir, as somehow, Marinette's disappearance has made the local news.

Marinette gets to know Fei a little more, not knowing she's the reason she's in this predicament in the first place, but her kindness does get Fei to feel more guilt about how far she's fallen. I actually like this, as unlike most instances of this trope, Fei isn't just a hardened criminal who was touched by Marinette. She genuinely has morals, and she hates the fact that she has to compromise them in order to survive. It's a nice take for this special.

Fei takes Marinette to the pawn shop, where Marinette finds her Miraculous, but Cash tells her to cough up ¥100,000 for it, which amounts to $15,000 for American viewers, and is just over €14,000 for European viewers. Of course, Fei does the smart thing and switches the earrings for a pair of lookalikes and bails with Marinette. Naturally, Marinette thanks Fei for helping her get her Miraculous back.

Marinette: You stole my earrings?

Fei: Weren't you the one who wanted them back?

Marinette: Yes, but not like that! Stealing is wrong. That seller paid a lot of money to buy my earrings from whoever sold them to him! If he can't sell them back, he'll have lost all his money!

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Wow, ungrateful much? Okay, I get it, stealing is wrong, but it's not like Fei stole the latest copy of Bonestorm for Marinette. Marinette had lost one of the most important magical artifacts in all of existence, and all she can think about is stealing being wrong? I think when the only thing capable of de-evilizing Akumas is on the line, stealing is okay, guilty conscious be damned.

Cash realizes the ruse and sends some of his goons after Marinette and Fei, but when the three guys from earlier arrive, Marinette and Fei take advantage of the distraction and run away. Meanwhile, Cat Noir decides to call Ladybug for help finding Marinette. And before you ask, no, it's never explained if Cat Noir told Ladybug where he was going, and vice versa.

The writers finally remember Gabriel exists, as he prepares to akumatize someone to take on the guardian of the Prodigious. He also sees Marinette and Fei, but never questions why this random girl would be in the sacred temple at all. Just when Fei is about to tell Marinette the truth, Cash shows up and tells Marinette instead, meaning we get the standard “liar revealed” cliche that nobody likes. In his frustration of being scammed, Gabriel transforms into Hawkmoth (because I guess nobody heard him shouting “Dark Wings, Rise!”), and akumatizes Cash into King Cash.

King Cash has a pretty decent design. The armor is detailed, and the golden skin is animated very well thanks to the higher budget for this special. His powers are pretty much a knockoff of Style Queen's, with his fan blades having the power to turn whatever they touch into a gold statue, though we never actually see it happen.

Marinette transforms into Ladybug and calls Cat Noir to let him know about the Akuma. Speaking of, Hawkmoth meets up with King Cash at the door to the Prodigious, while Fei tries to stop the two supervillains, which goes about as well as you'd expect. Fei gets thrown into a well for her troubles, and thankfully, Ladybug does the heroic thing and puts her personal feelings aside to save her.

As the eclipse grows closer, Hawkmoth goes into the cave and gets the Prodigious, with the guardian spirit, Mei Shi, attempting to test him. Hawkmoth, doing arguably the smartest thing in the entire special, orders King Cash to turn Mei Shi into a gold statue, but before he can do so and get away with the Prodigious, Ladybug and Fei intervene. During the skirmish, Fei grabs the Prodigious, causing it to activate, transforming her into Ladydragon.

I'm... honestly not sure where I stand on this suit. I think it has a decent color scheme, but not much is really done to evoke the dragon or animal motif. I'm also pretty sure the yellow patch in the middle could be a reference to the yellow and black jumpsuit people associate with Bruce Lee, but that's just a guess on my end. I don't know, I just thought since the Prodigious glowed a lot of colors, there would be more of a rainbow color to the suit, instead of just looking like a scrapped design for Ladybug herself. It's not bad, it's just... forgettable.

But let's also talk about the little controversy this suit stirred up initially. Originally, Ladydragon had golden blonde hair when transformed, judging from the trailers. This naturally attracted allegations of whitewashing, something that the show was no stranger to thanks to Rena Rouge and Pegasus.

Thankfully, the design was changed to give her a more vibrant red head of hair, though with how quickly the change was implimented, you have to wonder if Ladydragon was meant to have red hair from the start, and what we saw from the trailers wasn't even close to the final draft.

While Ladydragon struggles to adjust to her new powers, she soon realizes she has some new friends to deal with. These are the Renlings, magical beings who embody several virtues of humanity. Yeah, remember the two or three times this movie talked about virtues, and every time, the discussion amounted to “Don't be a dick to other people”? It was actually building up to this very moment.

But I'm sure you have other questions about this scene, like...

Where did the Renlings come from?

Why is the Prodigious more dangerous than the Miraculous?

How can Ladydragon talk to the Renlings while transformed?

Why are the Renlings all bound to the single Prodigious?

Who even created the Prodigious, and why?

How are the Renlings and Prodigious connected to the Miraculous in the first place?

Has there been anyone else who has used the Prodigious before?

Why exactly was Fei chosen by Lao Shi to wield the Prodigious?

Why was the Prodigious sealed away instead of being placed under the protection of the Order of the Guardians?

How is Lao Shi connected to the Prodigious?

WHERE THE HELL DID THE PRODIGIOUS EVEN COME FROM?

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This was honestly where the special lost me. With New York, I was more angry at the terrible attempts to tease the Love Square, but I had hopes for this special, as it takes place in the same country the Miraculous came from. You could have done more to establish the history of the Miraculous and Prodigious, but instead, this just came out of nowhere. We still know absolutely nothing about either, yet the show still wants us to act like the origins of these sacred magical artifacts the show is named after isn't important information.

Ladydragon has the ability to transform into various animals depending on the virtues they supposedly represent. Well, they say that, but she doesn't really struggle to transform into any of the other animals, with the exception of the dragon, which represents justice. Since she wants revenge on Cash for ruining her life, she can't access that form. So basically, this special ruined the idea of Hawkmoth getting the Prodigious, because now, we know he wouldn't be able to do a damn thing with it.

When Ladybug is cornered by Hawkmoth and King Cash, she notices Cat Noir hiding out. Using her already summoned Lucky Charm, a basketball, she deflects King Cash's fan so Cat Noir can Cataclysm it. Of course, since we have about ten minutes left, Ladybug doesn't immediately de-evilize the Akuma and takes the time to do a pose with Cat Noir for the trailer.

Hawkmoth then sends his Akuma towards Mei Shi, and even though he is supposedly an emotionless guardian, he somehow gets akumatized into Yan Luo Shi because Fei was focused on revenge... because even though she was already chosen by the Prodigious, that means it's perfectly okay to endanger innocent lives. I'm starting to see why the Guardians abandoned the Prodigious and their stupid guardian.

Yan Luo Shi has a pretty cool design. I like the way he's framed at this fearsome titan. Granted, his motivation to kill as many people as possible until Fei gives back the Prodigious kind of makes him look like a massive hypocrite.

Hawkmoth immediately realizes the problem with bringing Adrien along as he orders Yan Luo Shi to not destroy the city, only to get vaporized in the process. Maybe you should have left him in Paris, numbnuts. In fact, shouldn't this mean he would automatically be de-evilized if the Butterfly Miraculous was vaporized too?

After recharging offscreen, Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Ladydragon try to stop Yan Luo Shi, but Ladybug says that for some reason, only the dragon power of the Prodigious can reach the magic orb containing the Akuma inside him. Cat Noir tries to do what anyone else in his situation would do, use his Cataclysm to break open Yan Luo Shi, but because the plot wants to show off Ladydragon, he's vaporized too.

Ladydragon runs away and blames herself for what's happening, as if the crazy stone statue isn't the one to blame, detransforming to Fei so she can cry. Ladybug detransforms as well and talks to her as Marinette, but when the two are endangered, Fei manages to save Marinette using the power of the dragon... which is pretty much the same elemental powers the Dragon Miraculous has. Riveting.

Marinette transforms into Ladybug again and summons her Lucky Charm, a giant vase. She jumps in, and Ladydragon uses the dragon's elemental powers to shove the vase into Yan Luo Shi's mouth, so Ladybug can free the Akuma. Wait, you're telling me that evilized objects can be broken without using Cataclysm? I can't believe I forgot that.

Ladybug de-evilizes the Akuma, Mei Shi apologizes for his rampage, Ladybug uses Miraculous Ladybug to fix everything, Mei Shi says the Prodigious is in good hands with Ladydragon before disappearing, later reveals his true form resembles the Kwamis, Ladydragon takes Cash to the proper authorities, and Ladybug and Cat Noir pretend to fly back to Paris in their Cosmobug and Astro Cat forms.

Back at Uncle Wang's restaurant, Marinette, Adrien, and Fei are having dinner, while Fei reveals that she can play the accordion. Ah yes, one of the most important lessons in learning kung fu: playing the accordion. Wang offers to adopt Fei, and just when Marinette finally tries to learn more Mandarin, everyone in the room laughs at her for saying something wrong. Because isn't it funny that a girl who doesn't know how to speak Mandarin doesn't say something right in Mandarin? And so the special ends with Adrien offering to teach Marinette Mandarin back in Paris, but just like the fact that Gabriel canonically hired an assassin to kill someone, we're never going to follow up on any of that.

While I think this special improved in some areas, it's still very disappointing as a whole.

The smaller cast of Marinette, Fei, Cash, Adrien, and Hawkmoth lead to a lot more character focused scenes, mainly between Marinette and Fei. I like how more focus was given on the origin of Ladydragon, especially after how divorced Eagle's debut felt from the New York Special. The actual animation was still very stunning, and some of the best in the show's history. The city just feels so alive here, and the lighting is so creative. I also like how they didn't focus too much on the Love Square, and kept the plot centered around Fei and Marinette. Granted, it made Cat Noir seem like a bit of an afterthought, but they still gave him relevance in how they stopped King Cash.

Of course, the negatives sadly outweigh the positives. Despite the entire plot starting thanks to Marinette caring more about seeing Adrien than her own culture, there's never really any closure to that plot thread. Other than a single scene where Marinette learns a little about her mother, and the ending, Marinette never really learns more about her culture. Sure, part of the plot hinges on Marinette mistaking people for thugs thanks to not speaking their language, but not much is done to teach Marinette, and by extension, the audience about Chinese culture. Again, I'm not saying Marinette needs to be completely fluent in Mandarin, but for a special marketed as Marinette going to China, they don't really focus more on the culture of the special's setting. Of course, I'm still glad it focused on the main plot with Fei, but I just think they could have done more, like have a few more scenes talking about the virtues that would later become more important once Fei gets the Prodigious. And hey, at least the representation wasn't as offensive as earlier episodes.

The Prodigious itself just didn't get enough explanation to warrant an entire story around it. The writers could have very easily done more to explain the origins of the Miraculous and their connection to the Prodigious, but they settled on doing absolutely nothing instead. It's just a really powerful MacGuffin with no negative downsides other than the user struggling to use it for a few minutes. Seeing how anticlimactic the drawbacks are, what was even the point of it being built up as so dangerous when all that happens is that you can't use it in a certain state of mind? It takes away a lot of the stakes to Hawkmoth getting the Prodigious, because now, we know it would be completely useless in his hands thanks to all of his crimes. Why not show more consequences to Fei using the Prodigious? Maybe if she tries to transform using a certain virtue, it hurts her or knocks her out of her transformation? Maybe Mei Shi can turn into Yan Luo Shi as a result of Fei trying to use the Prodigious for revenge as a result of his connection to the Prodigious? Do something to explain just what makes this artifact so dangerous to use. Is the danger only from Mei Shi, given he freaked out after Fei gave into her emotions once?

Something that also bothered me was the way the writers kept Fei from learning Marinette's identity as Ladybug. I get why she couldn't find out at the beginning, but as they bonded as friends and as the special went on, it just got ridiculous. Ladybug can know who Fei is, but not vice versa? They seriously have Marinette detransform in the middle of a chaotic fight with Yan Luo Shi to talk to Fei, when it would make no sense for Marinette to get to that building in the first place, much less with the giant stone warrior destroying everything. Would it have really killed the writers to make an exception to the identity rule seeing how Fei is from another country, and therefore, someone who isn't at risk of being akumatized? Marinette at least has Cat Noir and Master Fu to support her at this point. Besides the Renlings, who does Fei have? Maybe having Marinette be more honest about how her first time as Ladybug went could have helped motivate Fei to try again. The point I'm trying to make is that while the drama with Cat Noir is understandable, Marinette and Fei's bond could have been handled a lot better without the identity shenanigans.

The climax just felt pretty tacked on got the most part. It was already pretty stupid of Ladybug to somehow forget to de-evilize a recently freed Akuma, but it felt like the writers wanted a giant monster attack to spice things up. Not only do we barely know anything about Mei Shi, his anger at Fei is barely hinted at given how stoic he is. Markov at least displayed enough sentience to show emotion, but Mei Shi didn't even seem that angry before being akumatized. Cat Noir also felt like a last-minute addition, given how little he really does before the climax, and even then, all he really does is help Ladybug defeat King Cash. It was bad enough that Adrien's presence drove the plot, but they didn't even have him do anything worthwhile to justify him being in China other than because Cat Noir needs to be everywhere.

Overall, this special is just disappointing in a lot of areas. While I was more frustrated with the New York Special, this special just underwhelmed me for the most part. I just don't see the point in putting so much effort into making these specials when nothing actually important happens in them. There's no character development, there's no major worldbuilding, and there's certainly no plot progression. These specials are the definition of filler, and I can't believe we have to deal with at least four more of these.

THE BIGGEST IDIOT OF THE SPECIAL IS... MARINETTE

Putting aside her motivation for going to Shanghai in the first place, she didn't even tell Cat Noir where she was going when that was a major plot point in the previous special. Yeah, she thought Cat Noir was still in Paris, but even Adrien had some semblance of a plan when he left Paris in the New York Special. Marinette also seriously thought it would be a good idea to walk on her own in a city where everyone spoke a language she couldn't understand, and later had the gall to shame someone for trying to steal her Miraculous right after she got them back, thinking the shady thrift shop owner would be bankrupt otherwise. And during the climax, she not only failed to de-evilize an Akuma for no reason and risked her life going into the crossfire of an Akuma just to give Fei a pep talk when all she had to do was talk to her as Ladybug. It's kind of sad that she did more reckless things in this special than Hawkmoth, who gets the silver medal for the sheer idea of bringing Adrien along to a place with a dangerous artifact instead of keeping him safe in Paris like he's done for his other plans.

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sundaybee · 2 years ago

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One More Time (Julieta x Fem!Reader) Pt 4

As always I am not a native Spanish speaker, so if I butchered a sentence or word let me know so I may correct it.

This one ended up being super long so I hope it’s something you all find worth reading.

Part 4 of 20

Pt 5

I did not make the gif.

Things to note: Julieta is a widow. Reader is 30. Talks about depression early on.

Please don’t tear it apart too harshly!

You were forced to close for a short while so that you could run and get sugar for your afternoon cookies with Julieta. She liked the chocolate chip cranberry ones the best so you made sure you’d always have them available for her.

As you walked to town with your basket you spotted the woman working her line. You couldn’t help but smile as you watched her serve and smile at each person. She was clearly in her element.

“Señora Madrigal!” You called out, waving when she turned to see you coming. She smiled as you approached, admiring the way you walked towards her.

“How many times do I need to tell you to call me Julieta?

“Hmm one more time.” You teased, earning an eye roll.

You took note of her long line not fathoming how so many people could get hurt or sick so frequently.

“I won’t bother you. I just wanted to say I need to get some things for our cookies so feel free to take your time.”

“You could never bother me.” Julieta said with a smile.

You could feel the rising blush tickle your cheeks and you quickly looked away. Julieta found the act endearing and made the choice not to tease you.

“I’ll see you shortly.” Julieta added and you nodded silently before quickly fleeing. Julieta smiled watching your departing form and couldn’t wait to finish up this line and get back to you.

——

Ding

You had just put the cookies into the oven when you heard the familiar bell above your door. You quickly went to greet Julieta.

“I just put them in the oven they’ll be ready-“ you had begun your conversation prematurely and paused when you saw that it wasn’t Julieta in your doorway but Luís, with a massive bouquet.

“Are you making me something?” He asked and you scoffed crossing your arms.

“Never again.” You hissed.

“Come now, don’t be like that.” He said and walked towards you but you held your hand out to stop him.

“Why are you here?”

“Did you think about what I said?”

“I already gave you my answer.” You replied coldly.

This man had chosen your darkest hour to betray you. His sin cut into that open wound so deeply you never thought you’d be okay again, but you were and he would never have the power to drown you like that again.

He frowned and stepped closer.

“For you. I had Isabela Madrigal make them for you.”

Your stomach flipped. It felt wrong on every level that Julieta’s daughter made these. That she made them for him to give to her and not her mother.

“Find someone else to give them too. Camila perhaps. Or maybe all the women whose beds you’ve frequented.”

You weren’t foolish. You knew the man’s reputation and it wouldn’t have surprised you if his infidelity went further back than when you discovered him in bed with your friend. You had been so blindly in love that you looked past the obvious red flags.

“Amor, they are for you and only you.” He cooed.

This romantic charade he was putting on honestly made you sick. Taking the bouquet you slammed it on the counter so you could get right in his face.

“Listen here, you are worth less than the dirt I stand upon. You broke me in a way I never thought I would recover from.” You said, pointing a finger in his face.

“I was already suffering so much grief and you went and made it even more unimaginable. I was going to marry you and you betrayed me in the worst way possible.” You were walking towards him as he backed away from you.

“So no. No second chances. Get out of my store and do not return. Do not approach me on the street, do not show up at my house, stay away!” You hissed as his back pressed up against the door.

“Just wait and watch amor. You’ll be mine again.” He said, seemingly ignoring everything you said before he exited the shop.

Growling in frustration you turned on your heel and grabbed the bouquet off your counter and tossed it in the trash. It was a shame Isabela had made something so beautiful to only end up in her garbage can.

You returned to your break room and removed the cookies too cool for Julieta’s arrival, but the woman never showed.

——

When Julieta stood outside your front window watching Luís offer you her daughter’s bouquet she felt her heart ache in a painful way. You were young, beautiful, and kind of course you’d have suitors.

In that moment Julieta became hyper aware that despite getting together for the past month and a half she knew very little about you. All she knew was that your parents had died and that you ran this shop.

Julieta mentally kicked herself for never asking you questions about yourself. It had always been about her. Her depression. Her family. Her work. Her husband.

Her heart jumped into her throat the second you seemingly accepted the bouquet and she couldn’t watch anymore. The woman turned on her heel and quickly departed. She couldn’t be a witness to this.

“Mom? Are you okay?” Mirabel asked when her mother came through the door earlier than expected.

“Sí, just a headache. I’m going to go lay down for a bit.” Julieta said before quickly vanishing to her room.

Mirabel frowned, something was definitely wrong.

#julieta madrigal #julieta madrigal x reader #julieta x reader #julieta x fem reader #reader insert #Encanto #One More Time

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plan-d-to-i · 3 years ago

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Hey plan!

so i'm seeing again tweets about how wwx is bad at naming things 👁👄👁 so i'm gonna ask who really named his sword "suibian" because as far as i remember it was jfm who chose that name right? like he named it "suibian" because wwx said "whatever" as in wwx assuming jfm would decide the sword's name himself since wwx can't find a good name. am i remembering it correctly? 😅 please do correct me if i'm wrong though. i'm just tired of seeing posts that wwx is bad at naming like he didn't just name his flute chenqing, his inventions stygian tiger seal, spirit-attraction flag & compass of evil, and jin ling rulan to be called bad at naming 🤦‍♀️

Why is he bad at naming things? Suibian "whatever" is a cute name. The sword obviously fucking vibed with it and with Wei Wuxian bc it went and pulled a one in a million and sealed itself when he died. 95% of the people in this fandom just steal the names MXTX came up w for her characters and slap them on their cringe self inserts. It's hardly like they're coming up w cutting edge names for shit...🌝.

Seeing the sword, Wei WuXian first hesitated. He quickly replied, “Thank you.”

Holding the hilt, he slowly pulled it out. A pair of eyes were reflected against the snow-white blade. Wei WuXian stared at the pair of eyes for a while before he put Suibian back into its sheath again, “It really did seal itself?”

Lan WangJi grabbed the hilt of Suibian as well. He pulled out, but it didn’t move at all. Wei WuXian sighed. He patted the body of the sword, I knew that Jin GuangYao didn’t dare make things up without any basis… So it really did seal itself. I just happened to have run into something amazing that only happens once in ten thousand years.

LWJ thinks it's cute too bc ultimately he echoes that conversation when WWX comes back to life:

Quietly, he said, “Hanguang Jun, help me ask what this place is, what it’s used for, and who built it.”

Lan Wangji was a master of the qin language. He did not require any time to think before his steady and reliable hand plucked a couple of pure, clear notes. After a moment, his guqin’s strings sounded a couple more times on their own. Wei Wuxian asked hurriedly, “What did it say?”

“I do not know,” Lan Wangji said.

“Huh?”

Nonchalantly, Lan Wangji repeated, “It said, ‘I do not know.’”

“…” Wei Wuxian looked at him, suddenly remembering how, many years ago, they had had a similar conversation about “Suibian.” He rubbed his nose, speechless. Lan Zhan’s grown up too much. He’s even learned how to make me choke. (22)

As for the name of the sword it's discussed in Chapter 16:

“You don’t need to say it, I know,” Wei Wuxian said solicitously. “You want to ask me why I named it this way. Everyone asks me whether there’s some special hidden meaning behind it. But actually, there isn’t any. It’s just that when Uncle Jiang bestowed the sword on me and asked me what I was going to call it, I couldn’t find a name I was happy with, even though I came up with more than twenty of them. I thought I could just let Uncle Jiang name it for me, so I told him ‘whatever!’ Who knew those two characters would really be on it when it came out of the furnace? Uncle Jiang said, ‘Given how things are, why not just call it Suibian?’ And actually, it’s a pretty good name, right?”

Finally, Lan Wangji managed to squeeze a word out from between his teeth. “…Ridiculous!”

Wei Wuxian lifted his sword onto his shoulder and laughed. “You’re really far too boring. The name’s hilarious. It’s great for messing with little fusspots like you. Works every time!”

JFM obviously ultimately made the call. I'd say it was at most a cute collaborative effort. WWX saying "whatever" 🤝 JFM appreciating a good dad-joke opportunity, and getting WWX's free spirited nature (NOTE NOT! saying JFM is WWX's dad, just that this is dad joke energy. WWX is not adopted- gotta clarify jokes for this fandom). Damn ppl will really try to shit on WWX for anything eh?

#mdzs #answers #Wei Wuxian #Jiang Fengmian #suibian

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rcksmith · 4 years ago

Text

The Agreement part.2 — Kaz Brekker

Resume/Masterlist

Couple: Kaz Brekker/ Fem!Reader.

Warnings of series: Convenience/arranged marriage, swearing, mention of fight, mention of death, mention of desire, fluff, sensual, mention of post-traumatic stress.

Warnings of chapter: swearing.

Word count: 4k

A/N: I hope you guys like.💖

English is not my first language, so I so sorry if have a mistake.

Requests are closet. Love you ❤️

— — — —

“What?!” Your exclamation came out louder than intended, and perhaps sharper than expected.

The salty sea breeze came through the window once more. The smell of salt and ocean invaded the room and for a second it felt like being in a ship's cabin at sea.

Kaz looked at you as if you were some child. Or someone deaf. But if he was swimming in acidic thoughts, he didn't say them.

"Think carefully." His voice was firm and explicit, the ones men use to convince women of something. “You want freedom, don't you? Live your life without having to fulfill a man's whims or your father's expectations. You wants to be able to snow on a ship without having a date to go back and make your own destiny. You want just needing to care what new adventure knocks on your door and what promise of wonders life awaits. It is not?"

How did he figure it out so well in such a short time? Was he too shrewd or were you too transparent?

You nodded, unable to say anything. Perhaps out of perplexity at how Kaz read you so easily. Or maybe the way he looked like an overpoweringly beautiful fallen angel in the moonlight.

“And the only way to do that is to get married.”

You frowned. “As I recall, Brekker, I came here just so I wouldn't have to get married.”

“And it's a stupid plan.” God, you wanted to kill him. “You asked me to have the Dregs take you to the harbor without your father's spies noticing. But it turns out your father's spies already know you're here.”

Your breath was lost somewhere between lungs and nose.

“Since you arrived, the noise from the Crow Club downstairs has become less shrill. And this is not typical criminal behavior. Either they have adopted good manners or someone they know they should fear has joined the Club.” Kaz sat more relaxed in the armchair behind his desk, his dark blue eyes locked on you. “I would bet on the second option.”

“So I came here for nothing?” You were starting to get angry at his beating around the bush. Because you knew it was manipulation. Brekker was laying the groundwork and you understood that.

“I did not say that. Turns out you can never get rid of your father. Not when he's a man with the purchasing power able to buy an entire country. There will always be someone who will recognize you, someone who will find you. And for the right price, the whole world is capable of being bribed. You would run away only to be chased by other spies, other people wanting the reward your father will give to whoever brings you back home.”

Very early on, you realized that Kaz Brekker was capable of crushing dreams as easily as crushing an insect. His destructive power was colossal and you saw all of your desires floating under his palm. Waiting just for him to brutally clench his fist and crush them.

But that's not what he did.

“You'll only get what you want if you follow his orders.” The breeze came through the window once more, ruffling her charcoal hair. “But if you can't defeat your enemies, change the rules of the game.”

“And is that where marriage to you comes in?”

“See it.” His body leaned very gently across the table towards you, it was a millimeter and ridiculous gesture, but it felt like him standing a breath away from you. “What you need is to get married. But marrying someone who doesn't give a damn about what you're going to do, and don’t have expectations of you. Someone who is not interested in home life, family life or Any other things you can offer other than money.”

Any other things you can offer. The night breeze this time was accompanied by an impure, almost obscene scene of the fallen angel in front of you on a bed of black duvets and caustic weather. A moment when the ends of his black hair brushed your forehead and your nose, moving back and forth as followed the rhythm of his hips and…

The sea breeze was gone, taking the obscene image with it and bringing back your common sense. For a second you wondered where that came from! You hadn't been in his presence for more than two hours and the entire compilation of what it was like Kaz Brekker, so far, had frightened you and attracted you in an absurdly dangerous way.

"And are that you came, I suppose." You hoped your voice couldn't give away your impure thoughts from seconds ago. “Do you want us to form an alliance where you receive my dowry and in return I am free from my father's demands and can do as I please with my freedom?"

“Alliance is a very strong term for what we are doing here.” He was succinct, “I would tell you to look at this as a business transaction. A marriage document is still just a piece of paper. And nothing else. Don't get carried away by sentimentalism. Things only have feelings if you want them to.”

Kaz was right, you knew that. For all your belief in true love and the many books romance novels you devoured, you still understood that a marriage could very well be seen as a business translation. It are a sad, cold way to see something so beautiful, but it still true.

“I have no interest in anything other than your dowry and you have no interest other than freedom. So what I'm proposing is something very sensible and objective. When we get married, your father will set you free, and you won't have any husband to please or any other crap. I don't want and don't expect anything from you, I don't care if you're sailing to Ravka or venturing on The Fold.”

“Do you want the money out of greed or despair?”

Kaz took a second to get a better look at you after that sneaky question. You had asked the correct question amid so many banalities and he realized that you were more cunning than you looked.

If he wanted to know your secrets, you also wanted to know his.

“A bit of both.” He was sincere.

“And what do you intend to do with my father's industries? Because you would win them too. And any misdirection could end up reducing my father's empire to nothing, and I don't want him to see the thing he loves most in ruins.”

Brekker heard the feelings in your voice. There was a hidden pang of hurt, but a lot of determination and honesty. You loved your father and understood him, even if you didn't agree with his principles. You had a fair and upright nature and were able to move mountains to get things done the way you thought was right. That was a red flag for Kaz. You were a good person. And he not.

He could never promise you things that go back to a good guy. But he could promise you honesty and justice. Kaz Brekker would never take something from someone the way it was taken from him so many years ago. He was a monster. But never in the same category as Pekka.

“I have no interest in having an empire doomed to fail.” His eyes were serious. “My motivation has always been greed. Why would I sink the company that is capable of making me such a rich man?”

He would have to be an idiot to let such a lucrative business go. And Kaz Brekker was anything but an idiot.

“Would you let me do anything I want?”

“I have no interest in what you don't or do.”

You hesitated for a second, as if remembering another detail. “My father doesn't believe in divorce, and even if he did, I would be pressured to remarry. Do you understand that we couldn't divorce?”

“I have no desire to marry again. And you might as well get other men you want without making a fuss, without your father finding out.” Always rational and objective. Without any inclination to the heart's desires. “There is no room in this world for feelings. Much less in this agreement. If you fall in love with someone you will have to be content with just relating to them, not getting married. And it seems like a small price to pay for so many benefits.”

It was the perfect plan. Did you know that. It was rational, objective and cunning. Something advantageous for both without costing too much. But why did you feel that something could go very wrong? You were a romantic person and you knew you could see things where they didn't exist. The truth was, you would have to leave your heart completely out of the picture.

Just a business transaction.

Brekker seemed to see a hint of hesitation in your eyes.

“It's very simple, Ms. Y/L/N.” That voice that gave you goose bumps hovered in front of you. “You marry me and you still have your freedom, because I don't give a damn about what you do after.”

“20 million from Kruges. Rich.” his eyes gleamed with a deep glow.

“And how do I know this isn't a trick?”

“I don't promise lies.” His firm face was serious “I won't give you happiness, Y/n. Much less love. Love doesn't exist in Kerch. But I will give you freedom, independence, a comfortable life that you are accustomed. And it seems to be much more than you have now.”

You knew you could be making a deal with the devil. Selling your soul to that man with the face of a fallen angel and the aura of Lucifer. But what choice did you have?

You couldn't go back if you sealed that deal. That man would be bound whit you, even by a piece of paper, for a lifetime. Was it worth the price? You didn't care for your father's press to want to be in the management and you had a lot more money than twenty million Kruges. What would you be missing? Your chance to marry one day whit someone you came to love? But if you came home without someone one day from now your father would marry you to a gargoyle. And the way out to flee no longer seemed a viable option.

Yes, it was worth it.

Seeming to see from the glint in your eyes that you've made a decision, Kaz Brekker, Bastard of the Barrel, reached out a leather-gloved hand toward you. His eyes sparkled with a mysterious spark, the scent of male cologne with a hint of danger lurking around the room. And for a moment, you felt a shiver go up your spine and the feeling that your life had just begun.

“Agree to marry me?” He said.

The feeling was that you were about to embark on the greatest adventure of your life. You didn't know what that little stunt with Kaz Brekker awaited you. But you would find out.

“Yes.” You took his hand in a firm, intense handshake that held a million secrets.

A satisfied, victorious smile came to his lips. And whenever Kaz gave him that expression, it felt like seeing the fallen angel that was the reason so many humans sinned. The clouds in the sky shifted, moving out of the moon's path and making the distilled rays of light shimmer more brightly. His black hair and white skin were graced with those bundles, and for a second his beauty was overwhelming.

You held your breath.

Brekker continued to say something, but you couldn't pay attention. Your heart began to race, the moonlight following in his footsteps as Kaz got up from his chair and went to fetch some papers from across the room. You couldn't tear your eyes away from him. His body was taller and thinner than you deduced when he was sitting down. Kaz had long, slender legs beneath black straight-cut pants, his chest was broad and his waist was narrow. For a second, you felt like running your hand over the contours of his body.

You shifted your attention forward abruptly. Focusing eyes on something else.

That was the curse of handsome men. They fooled women and made them daydream. With his underworld god beauty and mysterious aura with a touch of danger, Kaz Brekker was overwhelmingly attractive. And your blood reacted to that. Any woman would have reacted the same way.

“And we'll have to leave tomorrow morning…” he sat opposite you again.

“Sorry, what?”

You turned your attention to his words, not remembering half of what he said seconds ago. Kaz looked at you intently this time, squinting his eyes millimetrically, as if he was trying to guess which paths your mind had wandered in for the past two minutes.

“Your deadline is the day after tomorrow, isn't it?”

"Yes." You got back to the core of the problem once more. “The trip to my house takes a few hours. Half a day if it's raining.”

Kaz had his eyes on the papers in his hands, maybe they were maps or documents, but you didn't feel like craning your neck to see what it was. Leaning over to view the papers meant getting closer to Brekker, and two hours in his presence was enough for you to understand that nothing good would happen if you got any closer. Or maybe you didn't trust your own feelings and emotions.

“This will have to be done very discreetly.” He didn't look up from his papers. “If any rumors about our deal reach the wrong people, your father will hear about our plan. And that meant you will being forced to marry someone else, and me without my money. Does anyone know you're here because you planned to run away?”

You shook your head. “No. I didn't get to tell my friends. But now that the plan is different, I intend to tell a friend that…”

“You can't tell anyone.” Kaz lifted ocean blue eyes to you in an electrifying look that made you shiver.

“And what is supposed to say to my friends?” You felt a pang of indignation.

“That we are in love.”

This time, your breath was gone. The phrase was like pouring gasoline on an old, flammable woodpile. And you were afraid of what might be the match that would set off a fire.

Kaz noticed your reaction and was amused by it. “Just say some nonsense about falling in love with a criminal. It wouldn't be the first time a rich little girl has fallen in love with the bad guy, and I guarantee it won't be the last.”

“And you won't tell anyone about the truth too?” You wanted to change the focus you.

“I don't have to answer to anyone.”

This time you gave a smug smile and crossed your arms in an insolent gesture. “So everyone will think the infamous Kaz Brekker, Dirty Handes and Ketterdam's most dangerous gangster is in love with a rich little girl?”

Kaz narrowed his eyes at your teasing.

“It won't be the first time that the man with a bad temper and dangerous soul falls in love with the little girl. And I'm sure it won't be the last.” You said.

You were provocative, witty and stubborn. You would always hit at the same height and loved to show people that could very well play their game. Brekker unraveled this perfectly. You weren't the kind of woman who would be peaceful, serene, and calm. You wouldn't be like Inej. You would not take his orders and his taunts in silent, contained rage. You were intense. And that was a danger.

Why did he get the feeling you were so much more than he imagined?

“Let's go to your house tomorrow morning. Nine in the morning.” He changed the subject. “I'll go with you and we'll get married.”

"My father must be preparing everything by now." You sighed. “He takes his promises very seriously and I have no doubt that, when I returns, the ceremony scene will be set in the party garden.”

Partly you were relieved about it now. Planning a ceremony are intense and personal. You never really thought about getting married, but you always imagined that if one day it happened it would be the man of your dreams. And you didn't know if you would want to organize a fake wedding. There were certain things that were inevitable to keep the heart from breaking.

“Better yet, the faster the better.”

The two of you discussed some more details of the plan in the next few hours. It was agreed that Kaz would pick you up at nine from your hotel tomorrow, in an elegant hired carriage (which you obviously would be paying for) and the two of you would go to your house in Kerch. For all intents and for all people, the truth would be that the two of you were in love. It was such a typical cliché that it wouldn't be the least bit hard to believe.

And after a while, you two could already show yourself to the world as a couple who barely saw each other. Rich society was full of them: marriage with coldness and distance, where the man has his bets and lovers and the woman her travels and her jewelry. Your father would surely understand and leave you alone. After all, he had gotten a son-in-law to inherit his empire. A young son-in-law with blood for business who would make your father extremely satisfied. However, now the two of you had to look like a couple in love. And the reality of the situation was a secret that only the two of you would take with you to the tomb.

But, that night it was difficult for you to sleep. Anxiety, restlessness and fear gnawed at you like cunning mice, rolling you from side to side in bed, whispering in your ears millions of futures where everything could go wrong. Where not even Kaz Brekker's plans could free you from the clutches of one of your father's suitors.

When the clock struck seven in the morning, you jumped out of bed with unsettling, restless energy. You didn't like feeling helpless and waiting for Brekker to show up was exactly the definition of a princess in trouble. You had to do something.

- -

“What do you mean to get married?!” Jesper choked on his breakfast, and Nina nearly spit out all her orange juice.

Kaz rolled his eyes and continued sorting through the documents on the large round table. He was going to be gone for a few days at most and needed the people he trusted most to take care of business while he was gone. There were a lot of robberies to do and Kaz spent the night crafting and modifying plans for options where he wasn't involved. He had made a list of what needed to be checked at ports and what needed to be resupplied at Crow clube.

The plan was to marry you when they arrived in Kerch and return to Crow Club the next day. Kaz knew he would have to bring you, the two of you would have to stay together until your dowry was delivered to him. After that you could go on any adventure you wanted.

But dealing with the Crows was being more exasperating than Kaz could have expected.

"I didn't even know you had a girlfriend!" Wylan was in shock.

"Nobody knew!" Nina and Inej had their chins on the floor. Matthias was the only one who didn't seem to care so much.

"I didn't know the affairs of my private life were your business." Kaz didn't look up from the papers he kept in folders for the stupid ones.

"But you never said anything." Inej said.

"It was the intention."

"It's with Y/n, isn't it?" Jesper had bright eyes and a gleeful gambling smile stretched across his lips.

Kaz looked up at the boy with chocolate creamy skin, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

“She spent hours in yours office last night.”

"Oh my Santis!" Inej, Nina and Wylan exclaimed at once, eyes wide.

"The daughter of the richest man in Kerch." Wylan said.

"YOUR DOG!" Jesper clapped Kaz on the shoulder with an open palm, a loud laugh echoing and joy filling his voice.

Kaz suppressed the urge to look at the spot where Jesper had touched him. It had been years since he'd gotten over the most brutal aversion to touch, when the mere thought of getting close to someone made him tingle and dizzy with imminent fainting. At 28 years old, Kaz Brekker had proven to be greater than the demons and weaknesses that haunted him, wanting to see his downfall. A man who wanted to defeat Pekka could have no weaknesses. And he prided himself on almost have none of them.

However, offhand gestures made him look at the spot where he had been touched. The sensation brought was not unbearable or nauseating, but strange. And when the situation was skin to skin in a touch that caught him off guard, the feeling was unpleasant. Like a splinter under the skin.

It was easier with people Kaz felt comfortable with, but it wasn't something he cared about. He forced himself to overcome the most brutal aversion just to be a man without weaknesses, no chance of being defeated in a torture, no chance of being defeated by a faint. No for to touch someon.

“I thought you didn't know her in person when I warned you yesterday.” Inej tried to contain her little smile.

“It was the intention. You guys forgot the definition of secret…”

"Boss." One of the employees had entered that exclusive room. "There's someone here wanting to talk to you, Sir." He looked apprehensive.

Kaz frowned. The crow club had no movement at eight in the morning.

"Who is?"

"I think…"

"Will you please let me through!" The female voice sounded outside the room.

Jesper and the rest of the gang were wide-eyed, mouths opening in amusement and bewilderment. Kaz was catatonic. What the fucking hell were you doing there?!

"What do you mean I can't talk to your boss?!" And you continued. “I spoke to him yesterday...Don't give me these arguments, my dad tells his employees to tell people exactly that...I swear if you touch out about me again I will...”

"Fucking hell!" Kaz came out from behind the counter, crossing the living room and opening the door.

He came face to with that scene. A short girl who argued with a bouncer who was triple her height and size. Kaz knew the man was arrogant and macho, and had probably nudged your temper. He would have been amused by the scene if he wasn't abgry that you didn't follow his explicit rules.

“Ray.” Kaz glanced at the bouncer, a steady gaze that made the brute immediately back away from you.

You even gave the man an angry look before heading towards Kaz.

"What are you doing here?!" He whispered angrily.

"I couldn't wait." You wiggled your fingers, a tic of anxiety. “I could barely sleep. It was lucky I didn't show up at six in the morning.”

“That's not excuses. We have a schedule!"

“But I couldn't wait!" You whispered too. “It's visseral. I can't just sit there and wait!”

What an insufferable creature!

"Well, you'll have to learn because…!"

"What are you two whispering back there? “ Jesper's voice interrupted the discussion in whispers.

The two of you turned to the troupe standing in the doorway of the Crow room. Playful, mischievous smiles were plastered across their faces, and you felt your cheeks blush. Kaz and you looked at each other, and in that second of silent complicity, the two of you finally stepped into the roles of partners in crime.

Tagged: @aleksanderwh0r3 @thedelusionreaderbitch @hi-there-x @mell-bell @glowingatdawn @subjecta13-thefangirl @itsnotquimey @thatchampagnebitch @lamoursansfin @lostysworld @s3xymoonman @is-it-really-a-secret

#kaz brekker x you #kaz brekker x oc #kaz brekker fluff #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker fanfic #kaz x reader #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker x y/n #kaz brekker #shadow and bone reader #shadow and bone imagine #shadow and bone #freddy carter x y/n #freddy carter x you #freddy carter fluffy #freddy carter imagines #freddy carter x reader #freddy carter

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