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demonpiratehuntress · 5 months ago

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love me again

OPLA!Sanji x F!Reader

taglist - @kabloswrld

summary - you were a waitress at the Baratie years before you joined Luffy's rag-tag crew. you shared one kiss with Sanji and when you return with them to the Baratie, you find the cook hasn't forgotten. and he wants more

warnings - was going for fluff but this turned out angstier and longer (i got carried away) than i thought. don't worry, it's still fluffy at the end though

a/n - please request more OPLA!Sanji, i am going insane. my favourite is Zoro (as i'm sure you guys have noticed) but i had a dream about this guy. help

"Are you really leaving?"

"I wish you'd come with."

"You know why I can't."

"I know..."

A brief silence settled over you both before gentle footsteps met your ears. When you looked up, he was right in front of you. Your breath hitched, the proximity causing butterflies to bloom in your stomach.

"This is what I've always wanted..."

"I know," he answered softly, "Look at me. It's okay."

You didn't want to look. If you looked at him, you'd be tempted to stay, just like you'd been for so long. Every time you tried to leave, one look from him made you stay. You'd been delaying following your dreams because of how much you'd miss the only man you'd ever loved.

"(Name)."

You slowly looked up, hesitantly. He was offering you a sad smile, obviously trying to be brave for your sake.

"Maybe our paths will cross again one day."

"I hope so," you replied quietly. "Don't forget about me now."

He chuckled, "Forget about you? Never." You raised an eyebrow, and he took your hands in his. "I promise. Let me prove it to you." And then he leaned in, connecting your lips.

How ironic, your first kiss was your last.

"Is it over?"

Usopp glanced over your shoulder at the far end of the ship, stepping out from behind you and sighing in relief when he saw you were not being chased by the Marines anymore.

You chuckled, leaning against the railing, "That was fun, actually."

"Fun?! You and I have very different ideas of fun..."

Nami snorted, agreeing with you, "And you have no idea of fun."

As the sharpshooter protested, you looked up at your captain, who was sitting on his favourite seat - Merry's figurehead. He was sniffing the air, looking both confused and curious.

"Something wrong, captain?"

"I smell food," was his reply.

You grinned at that, not taking him seriously. Luffy could smell food - more specifically, meat - from oceans away. Most likely, there was another pirate ship passing by where someone was cooking.

That's what the crew needed. A cook. You had worked at a restaurant before, but only as a waitress. You knew a little bit about cooking, but just the basics. Nothing fancy or exquisite. So it would be nice for the crew to have someone who could cook elaborate and tasty meals.

"What is that?" You heard Usopp ask, peering into the distance.

You turned to see what he was talking about, and immediately froze. Every vein and artery in your body turned to ice, blood running cold.

"What's a Baratie?"

Oh god. Before you could stop it, dizziness washed over you and you had to grip the railing for support. Well, you tried. You would have fallen overboard if it wasn't for Zoro, who caught you before you could.

"(Name)? What's wrong?" Nami asked worriedly as the swordsman led you to sit down.

There was no way. Absolutely no way. How could you have found your way back after all these years? You might have thought you were dreaming, but your journey thus far had yielded far worse surprises so you knew you weren't.

"I, um..." You didn't know where to begin. "I..."

None of the crew had ever seen you like this before. Even Zoro's eyebrows furrowed, confusion at your sudden timidness. You weren't known for being shy, quiet or easily flustered. You were loud, tough and one of their fiercest fighters. So what could possibly be reducing you to this?

It was even worse when the Going Merry docked at the pier. The familiar aroma and atmosphere of the Baratie hit you full force, and it was making your head spin - not in a good way.

"Usopp, help her!"

You felt a hand grab your arm, and another gently placed on your back, guiding you off the ship. You were so unsteady it was scaring your crew.

But maybe you shouldn't be worried. Maybe he wouldn't remember you. Maybe he really had forgotten, despite his promise not to. You had changed a lot, after all. You never forgot, but you knew him. His gravitation towards pretty girls might have left you in the dust in his mind.

Despite part of you hoping that would be the case, your stomach churned unpleasantly at the thought.

Sitting down at the table you and the others were escorted to helped put you at ease a little. As the others looked around in awe, Nami put a hand on your arm and met your eyes with concern shining in hers.

"Do you want to leave, (Name)?"

"No, no, I..." You took a deep breath. "I used to work here."

"What?" Nami's eyes widened.

"Cool!" Luffy exclaimed. "So you know people here?"

"I...do."

Nami was about to ask for a better explanation, that is until two guys at a table nearby started arguing and got up to physically fight. Another man approached them, and your heart almost stopped.

Sanji.

You ducked under the table quickly hoping he hadn't seen you. Staring at Zoro's swords was more appealing than facing your past right now.

"(Name)! What-"

You cut Nami off when you saw his legs moving towards your table, "Act like I'm not here! Hide me, please! I'll explain later, I promise. Just don't let him see me!"

"Don't worry, I don't bite," came the cook's familiar voice, sounding amused. "Your shy friend there can rest easy."

With a sigh, you slowly sat up and finally looked at the blond. Your eyes met, and his entire body went rigid. His smile faltered, and you quickly dropped your gaze to the table.

Zoro was first to break the silence, ordering for himself and soon Usopp and Luffy chimed in. You still hung your head, remaining silent as Sanji took their orders. He was so stunned by your return that his attempt at flirting with Nami failed miserably, earning snickers from the swordsman and sharpshooter.

"I need the bathroom," you muttered, escaping the table that suddenly seemed claustrophobic and rushing off.

Outside the Baratie, you tried to steady your breathing. You had not been ready for this at all. Your hands were shaking, your body trembling but not from the cold.

You cursed, running a hand through your hair. Trying to calm yourself down was not working at all. You didn't trust yourself to go back inside, to face both him and your crew again. Maybe you could get away with staying out here all night. You weren't that hungry anyway.

"Is it everything it's cracked up to be?"

Your body stiffened, and you refused to tear your eyes away from the Going Merry. This could not be happening.

"Is-is what everything it's cracked up to be?"

You tried to sound calm, collected, and like you were not internally freaking out. You failed significantly, your voice coming out a little higher in pitch than it normally did. The cook stepped up to stand next to you, and he smelled so familiar your body seemed to relax on its own. But your mind and heart were racing at a million miles per hour, the latter ready to burst out and make a run for it.

"Come on, one look and you decide to run away?" He teased. "Am I uglier than I used to be?"

"No, god no," you breathed out instantly, "I just..."

"I get it. It's been a while."

You nodded, slowly feeling calm settle in again, "Yeah. It has." You swallowed thickly and turned to look at him, trying to ignore how he made you feel butterflies all over again. "You're even more attractive, just by the way."

"Good to know," he replied smugly, "So are you."

God the butterflies were unbearable. You were starting to feel nauseous from your mixed emotions, and you weren't sure whether to run away again or pass out.

"I don't blame you, you know. For leaving." He sighed. "You were the braver one between us, setting off to follow your dream. I'm really glad you did, because you look great. Happy, even."

"Really?" You choked out a laugh. "What part of me right now screams happy?"

"Okay, maybe I'm just assuming that," he laughed too, "I saw what a good crew you have, so I thought that they were making you happy. Happier than you were here, anyway." He looked out at the water, glittering under the light of the moon.

"They do make me happy," you admitted, "But Sanji...I was happy here too. You always made sure of that. I just...I always wished I could have both. You and the sea. I never stopped thinking about you."

"Oh?" He turned to smile at you, "No roguish pirates stole your heart?"

"No, it was only ever a flirty cook."

The two of you shared a laugh, reminding you of when you were both younger and he would always try to make you laugh. It's why you'd fallen in love with him.

"i could say the same," he finally admitted, making your heart skip a beat. "This restaurant's seen many pretty women, but none of them have ever held a candle to you." A light blush, so light that you couldn't see it and he was glad, settled on his cheeks. "I saw you in every single one of them."

You gripped the railing hard, his words taking you off guard. They were the sweetest and most romantic words you'd ever heard, and you had to your best not to squeal and kick your feet like a teenage girl.

But you couldn't let yourself fall into this routine again. You were still a pirate, this was a temporary stop and you'd still leave again. And he'd stay, like he always did, like he did the first time you left.

The first tear that fell barely made a splash in the water.

'I'm gonna go," you gestured to the inside of the restaurant. "Before they wonder where I've gone."

And as he watched you walk away from him again, Sanji mentally kicked himself for not asking you to stay again. No, for not going with you. there was no way you'd stay after getting a taste of your dream.

It was just not meant to be.

The rest of the night you hid from him. Every time he would try and talk to you again, you made an excuse or every time you spotted him nearby you slunk into the crowd at the bar and disappeared from his view.

He found it cute how he could still fluster you so easily. Chuckling every time you not-so-discreetly hid behind a random person, he would give up and move away only to try again minutes later.

"You're hiding from me," he finally caught you at the bar, getting more drinks. There were only so many times you could avoid him.

"N-no," you stammered, blushing. "What gives you that idea?"

He raised an eyebrow, asking for a drink for himself, "Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to stay. I already know that answer."

You bit your lip, taking a deep breath, "Kiss me again."

"What?" Surprisingly, he was taken aback by how forward you were about it. "(Name)-"

"Please," you begged, "Just once more. I have a feeling this time I really won't be coming back here. We're heading for the Grand Line, so...if this is the last time I'm going to see you, I want us to say goodbye with a kiss."

He was so conflicted. On one hand, he would never turn down an opportunity to kiss you. On the other...he would be setting himself - and you - up for heartbreak all over again. But if you were really going where you said you were...

His hands found your waist and tugged you to his body, his lips crashing against yours with the force of a heavy tide. He kissed you deeply, fervently, like it was your last day on earth. He kissed you like the world was ending, like he'd never get to kiss anyone ever again. Not that he'd want to, after this. Because you returned his passion, hand gripping his hair and one gripping his shirt. You kissed him so fiercely, it was truly a kiss to remember.

"Be careful," was all he could breathe out when you pulled apart for air.

"I will."

Then the fight with Arlong happened.

You felt a thousand different emotions course through you. Anger, for Mihawk and Arlong hurting Zoro and Luffy, and for Nami's betrayal. Hurt, for Nami not being the friend you thought she was. Sadness, for watching Zoro lay almost lifeless on the kitchen table as Zeff tended to his deep gash. Confusion, for how fast the night had gone wrong.

What had happened?

"He'll be okay."

You looked up at Sanji as he approached you, not noticing you were shaking until he reached out to touch your arm, trying to comfort you without getting too close.

You took a shaky breath, "Of course he will. He's the strongest person I know." You looked down again. "But he's never been hurt that badly before...And Nami's gone..." You buried your face in your hands. "Everything is so wrong right now."

Sanji was again conflicted, but he hated seeing you so torn up so he put aside his own feelings to pull you into his arms, comforting you silently with a hug. It was more soothing than anything you'd ever known, especially since it was coming from him. You had no idea how you'd cope with leaving him again, after all of this.

"Thanks," you smiled softly as you pulled away. "It was really nice to see you again." Your cheeks heat up at the memory of your shared kiss. "I'm gonna miss you even more now."

He just smiled tightly, putting his hands in his pockets, "Yeah, me too. I, uh, I should go help the old man clean up."

You nodded, watching him walk away. It hurt now, but it hurt even more knowing he would eventually move on since you wouldn't be back, and the thought of him with someone else crushed you. Little did you know, he was having the same dilemma, the idea of you with another man making him sick to his stomach.

But you'd both have to learn to live with it.

The next morning, Zoro was still in a coma but the four of you - him, you, Usopp and Luffy - were preparing to leave the Baratie. You offered to sit with Zoro as they prepped the Going Merry for departure, not sure you could see Sanji standing and watching you go.

"I really need you to wake up and knock some sense into me," you spoke to the comatose swordsman, wiping your teary eyes. "You're the only one who won't treat me like a fragile flower, even though I feel like it."

Before you could say more, however, Luffy joined you. He said his own piece to the swordsman, and the two of you sat there for a while before you decided to let him have a private moment with the green-haired man.

You walked to the kitchen, taking a seat and a deep breath.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Usopp sat across from you. "I know how you feel."

"Oh, right," you remembered, "Yeah, it really sucks. I had to leave once before, but this time hurts even more."

Before Usopp could reply, Luffy was yelling for the two of you.

"(Name)! Usopp! Zoro's awake!"

The two of you exchanged looks before scrambling up and to the room, bright and relieved smiles crossing your faces when you saw the swordsman's open eyes.

"I can still knock some sense into you," he spoke, his voice thick and raspy. So was the chuckle that followed.

You laughed and rushed over to hug him, careful of his huge wound. His 'knock' turned out to be a light bonk on your head, making you laugh even more.

A little while later, he was up and about, but you made him sit down. You finally got the courage to come out as the ship was just about to be sent off, and in time to see a familiar cook walk on board with a bag hanging from his shoulder.

"Why are we bringing the waiter?" Zoro questioned, only for you to lightly smack his arm.

"I figured I could follow two dreams at once," Sanji started, moving closer with a warm smile, "Finding the All Blue and...you." He stopped just in front of you. "The old man gave me the push I needed."

You teared up again, this time out of joy, and smiled so brightly your face would hurt afterwards, "Welcome aboard."

Then you wrapped your arms around him and kissed him again, this time slower and sweeter since you would have many other opportunities to kiss him again now. Zoro groaned, but the two of you ignored him.

"Okay (Name), you can no longer relate to me," Usopp huffed.

That made you laugh, and you had to pull away from the kiss to do so. Even Sanji grinned, his hands finding your back and rubbing soothing circles onto it.

After a very emotional goodbye to Zeff, Sanji watched the Baratie fade into the distance before joining you at the front, wrapping his arms around you from behind and earning a smile from you. He matched it as he kissed your cheek.

"Now this feels right."

"Agreed."

"I can't wait to see what this adventure has in store for us."

#one piece #op #one piece x reader #one piece x you #sanji x reader #sanji x you #vinsmoke sanji

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immaturityofthomasastruc · 4 months ago

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Every Episode of Miraculous Ladybug Season 5 Ranked (Part 2)

Part 1

(This site's stupid 30 images per post forced me to do this, so thanks for nothing, Tumblr)

#14: Transmission

I swear, I'm not doing these on purpose. This is just how I've been ranking the episodes.

Like I said in the last part, this episode just did not need to happen. The first half is cheap melodrama between Marinette and Adrien and the second half is a run of the mill Akuma fight with two different heroes. This is the story that seriously warranted two parts this season?

I just can't stand the fact that Marinette and Adrien gave up their Miraculous so easily here. Maybe if it was Season 2, Season 3 at the latest, I'd buy it, but near the middle of Season 5? They honestly view their love lives as more important than the battle with Monarch. If it was anything else like the stress or physical danger, I'd also be understanding, but Tikki and Plagg decide that Marinette and Adrien are so miserable that they need to be happy by losing their Miraculous without a fight. Remember, this was just two episodes after “Reunion”, which showed Joan of Arc was a Miraculous holder. So fighting in the Hundred Years' War didn't get so much as an ounce of concern from Tikki, but teenage angst is too much for her little heart to bear?

Maybe it's the benefit of knowing this won't be permanent, but the issue I have is how much the show draws this out for so long, as if the audience is supposed to buy it. “It's really happening, guys! Ladybug and Cat Noir won't be the stars anymore, we swear!” This kind of plot can work under the right circumstances. All you needed to do is at the very least, make it something they choose to do instead of their Kwamis taking their Miraculous away so we can see them weigh the benefits of giving up life as a superhero in ways that aren't exclusively about their love lives. I'd even buy it if it's something Ladybug and Cat Noir actually agreed on before quitting.

While I can sort of get Alya becoming Scarabella due to her experience with the Ladybug (even if she chose to give up using any Miraculous at the end of Season 4), Zoe getting the Cat just feels like the writers put a bunch of names in a hat and picked hers. The two just don't have as compelling a dynamic as Ladybug and Cat Noir do, because they don't get a lot of time to know each other. Alya and Zoe have almost never interact with each other, so the masks don't really shake up their relationship, because there's no relationship to speak of.

Also, the Akuma here was really forced. We know nothing about this new character while the show acts like we're supposed to know who he is based on some minor hints with Nora calling earlier. While I will give the show credit for arguably giving us the most powerful Akuma of all time due to being both a man and a bear, he's as forgettable as a villain as Kitty Noire is as a hero.

Just about nobody here comes out smelling like roses in this episode. The Kwamis are morons for caring about one ship becoming canon, Marinette and Adrien are selfish cowards for giving up their Miraculous with little hesitation, their friends are ignorant buffoons for thinking some random attempt to get Marinette and Adrien to talk will somehow seal the deal, and Alya and Zoe are idiots for not thinking that they should take off the shiny ring that tracks their every movement. It's a terrible episode, and the only reason why “Deflagration” is ranked higher is because it didn't irritate me as much as this one did.

#15: Determination

And now we're onto the really bad episodes this season.

This episode is pretty much what you've come to expect by Season 5. People keep forcing Marinette into situations she's clearly uncomfortable, and we're supposed to just laugh at her anxiety, because we still have eight episodes to go before the show decides to take her mental health seriously.

What makes this episode really sting for me is that it's Luka and Kagami that are forcing Marinette into these unfunny antics this time. For the most part, they never really stooped to this level and didn't try to force anything with their respective love interests until they had trouble in their relationships that required them to communicate. But now, even though one knows Marinette and Adrien are superheroes while the other is usually very blunt with her feelings (at least, before she became this season's next victim), they're going to try forcing Marinette and Adrien to spend time together even they both know they have feelings for each other and MY GOD, THIS IS SO STUPID! It's just a cheap excuse for more pointless shenanigans that stopped being funny years ago.

Yet somehow, that's not the worst of the Love Square drama this episode. It's here where we learn that Adrien fell in love with Marinette over a season ago, during a scene where she violated his personal space. In addition, Adrien somehow showed no signs of attraction to Marinette until the plot demanded it, and came right after another episode showing him falling for her. Why not make it the fake confession Marinette practiced with Cat Noir in “Glaciator 2”? The kiss Marinette gave Adrien at the end of “Heroes' Day”? I'd even take another umbrella scene callback like in “Mr. Pigeon 72”. But no, it's the statue scene that the writers decided on. It's like they noticed all the criticism Marinette got in that episode and were like “Joke's on you! Adrien actually liked being lusted over like an object!”.

And then the masks come on and make things even more convoluted. Adrien at least got to reflect on the events of a previous episode to explain his new feelings for Marinette, but what caused Ladybug to suddenly fall for Cat Noir after four seasons?

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The writers don't even bother with an explanation for this. Ladybug spontaneously becomes attracted to Cat Noir with absolutely no foreshadowing, buildup, or even callbacks to earlier episodes. The writers either wanted to complicate things one last time before Adrienette became canon, they wanted to bury the Ladynoir conflict arc from last season in the sand, or the most likely option, a combination of both.

The idea of the public turning on Ladybug was an interesting one to take, seeing how she's been universally beloved for the past four seasons. But despite hinting at it in “Multiplication”, this is the farthest is goes, and even then, guess who's behind it? You can't keep raising points against the main characters if it's only Chloe who does it. It doesn't open debate on the story and essentially tells the audience that they're wrong to agree with her, no matter what kind of point she makes.

As dumb as the way it happened was, Ladybug still screwed up and endangered the city by losing the other Miraculous, but we can't actually challenge children by acknowledging that the hero actually did something wrong and needs to grow as a person. We need to use a recurring character as a strawman to tell the audience that only bad people think this way! Way to remove any interesting internal conflict, writers.

The Akuma was pretty weak, just being an older Puppeteer, down to using wax statues like what happened in “Puppeteer 2”. The army of wax heroes could have been interesting, but there wasn't enough time to do much with the idea. The one thing I liked was how the Ox Miraculous' Resistance was used. It felt like an upgrade instead of a core power Manipula got.

This episode pretty much set the stage for a new level of frustrating Love Square drama this season, and it was one of the season's first outright awful episodes.

#16: Conformation

The only reason this episode isn't at the bottom is because the rest of the ones on this list are far worse by comparison. Make of that what you will.

Like most season finales, this one continues the tradition of being better at buildup than actual execution. Gabriel's plan is pretty decent, even if it's just Heroes Day on a global scale. He utilizes his public influence and business skills to plan out a plan to get almost all of humanity working for him. While I don't like the Miraculized, I still think Gabriel being on top works here, especially since he's not going out into the field like the last three finales.

But other than an okay evil plan, this episode is still pretty bad. Marinette being infected with nightmare dust only happens to get her to the Agreste manor because the writers forgot that Marinette learned Gabriel was Monarch last episode. It could have been a decent way to up the stakes by showing Ladybug not being at 100%, but like everyone else, she just fights off the nightmare dust and doesn't have a single problem during her fight with Monarch. In general, the nightmare dust isn't really utilized well, only being an excuse to bring out the Miraculized. It doesn't impact everyone fighting off the Miraculized, and there's no lesson or theme about fear that's conveyed here.

Speaking of nightmare dust, I'm pretty sure the only reason why it was introduced in the first place was to bench Adrien, which is still easily one of the dumbest decisions the show has ever made. While everyone else had no problem resisting the nightmare dust, Adrien is just physically incapable of doing so because of some half-assed character arc the show pretended happened. So either Adrien got a more potent dosage of the nightmare dust, or Adrien's just too weak to actually overcome his fears. “Sandboy”? Never heard of it! The fact that the writers also tried to claim they were being subversive with fairy tale tropes and cliches didn't help, since it devalues Adrien as a character even further. He's not a superhero and Ladybug's closest ally. He's just some damsel in distress who needs to be saved. Let me just remind you, if the genders were reversed, this would not be seen as some bold move, but the same overused cliche trying to be something new.

I already talked about my problems with Nathalie in “Passion”, and the stuff she does here isn't really different. Despite enabling Gabriel for five seasons, the episode has the balls to act like Nathalie always had morals and is appalled by Gabriel planning to sacrifice someone to save his wife. Just remember, “Passion” established that Nathalie had a history as a treasure hunter, so this is like Indiana Jones not knowing what the Holy Grail does. Nathalie only got dumber than in “Passion” because she somehow thought she could take on a supervillain with nothing but a crossbow and a body that already has one foot in the grave. And just like Felix, Nathalie can't even apologize to Ladybug for the aiding and abetting a terrorist thing. Between Nathalie, Felix, and Gabriel, does using the Peacock Miraculous just make you an idiot?

While the buildup is decent, it's just not enough to really get audiences excited for the second part.

#17: Representation

This episode is yet another example of the show's double standards.

Without going into detail too much, this episode came right after “Revolution”, the one that essentially portrayed Audrey taking control of Chloe's life as a karmic punishment. What happens in this episode? We learn Felix's father literally took control of his life and it's portrayed as wrong as child abuse should be. That's why this episode is still better than “Revolution”. It at the very least understands how serious child abuse is, and tries to tell Felix's story with as much dignity as two teenagers in white onesies can have.

With that being said, there's a reason why this episode is as low as it is. The Sentimonster play used to tell Marinette about Felix is just so stupid. The sets and costumes look ridiculous, it's hard to take the story seriously with Felix and Kagami doing all the voices, and most of it is unnecessary since the whole point is to tell Marinette that Gabriel is Monarch... something that the writers decided she needed to find out on her own in the next episode. It comes across less like Felix trying to alert Ladybug to who Monarch really is and more like he's just trying to justify his own actions. Hell, the actual reason he decided to tell Marinette about Gabriel was because he and Kagami were worried about their own relationship being ruined by him. And yet somehow, Ladybug lets him on the team at the end of the season.

The stuff with Adrien was also pretty dumb. It's cheap fanservice that reminds the audience of Cat Blanc when none of the characters should know who Cat Blanc is. You can call him Anticat all you want, but everyone can see that he's just Cat Blanc with blue hair. It's bad enough that this was what all the times Cat Noir almost Cataclysming people this season was meant to lead up to, but this is pretty much the reason why Adrien is benched during the finale.

This episode really shows how desperate the writers are to make people take this show seriously by showing serious topics like genocide and child abuse, as if the show didn't already ignore the horrible implications previous episodes (like the very last one before this) raised and will continue to raise during the season finale. So much of the episode is just dark for the sake of being dark. It's nothing too horrifying for children, of course, but the issue is how obvious it is that the writers are trying to raise the stakes right before the season finale and show how mature the show's writing is. For lack of a better term, it's this show's equivalent to “Ow The Edge”.

#18: Revelation

Get ready for the episode where the writers abandon all attempts to be subtle and create an episode specifically to attack people who think Chloe isn't the most evil character on the show. Because how dare they be optimistic and try to see the good in people! What do they think this is, a kids' show?

While a big problem with the Lila episodes was how stupid the class is, this episode made it so Marinette got to join in on losing brain cells too. Despite outright admitting to neglecting her duties as class representative (as absurd as it is to be in charge of notifying teachers about student progress they should be aware of), we're supposed to agree with her for not telling her teacher about Chloe cheating. Not only does this make no sense since you'd think Marinette would want to see Chloe get punished, but her claiming that all Chloe does is abuse her privileges loses any point to it because Marinette admitted to not doing her job as class representative, making her just as lazy as Chloe and unintentionally helping her through not telling the teachers. And that's not even getting into how many times Marinette has broken the secret identity rule despite also being the one to enforce it the most as the Guardian.

If the episode at least admitted to Marinette having personal issues that prevented her from displaying any form of professionalism towards Chloe (especially since this episode takes place after “Derision”), that'd be fine. Sometimes, people just can't let bygones be bygones and let their emotions dictate how they handle things. If she willingly resigned from her position by admitting she was just as at fault for Chloe getting as far as she did with her cheating, that would have worked. Instead, the episode does the same things it did with Adrien for the last few seasons: Go out of its way to vindicate Marinette's complaining and never even consider the idea of her being wrong in the slightest.

It's also hilarious to see Ms. Bustier act like an actual teacher for once and plan to work with Chloe to help make up her missed work, but portray it as a bad thing because in Marinette's eyes, that's not a punishment. Since the school year is almost over, Chloe will have to attend summer school at best and be held back or even expelled at worst. How the hell does that not count as a punishment, Marinette?

And don't forget how she gets not one, but two separate scenes insulting people for being idealistic and not wanting to write off people as beyond saving, the second one being copied from Astruc's Twittter.

And remember, this was right before a string of episodes where characters were able to change their ways, including Sabrina (Chloe's accomplice), Andre (Chloe's enabler), and Gabriel (Chloe's supervillain contact). How the hell is Chloe the only one being written off as irredeemable when she didn't pull off any of her evil plans without help? You can still punish Chloe. All I want is for the other characters to be punished as well.

But let's talk about the main event for this episode: Lila. In one of the most confusing “twists” in the show's history, she's now an identity thief who lives with three different mothers. Why? Because the writers have no idea how to hype people up for her being the main villain for Season 6, so they think just making her mysterious for the sake of making her mysterious is enough to build her up as a villain. It's like the writers realized Lila had absolutely zero resources of her own, so they felt like they needed to establish her as an evil genius to compensate. “Who cares if there's no logical explanation for how she's gotten as far as she has despite constantly boasting about her celebrity connections in public? We have to make her vague and mysterious, damn it! It worked for Judas Traveller and Kaine, didn't it?”

This episode takes multiple shots at fans and tries to make Lila seem more compelling than she actually is. It feels more like damage control than an actual plot-relevant episode.

#19: Illusion

Want to see the main characters acting like idiots for almost a half-hour? No? Too bad!

So much of this episode's conflict, the characters trying to investigate a possible lead related to Monarch, comes from everyone making stupid decisions. Nino tries to get one of the most influencial men in Paris akumatized, talks about it in public, falls for his trick, and lets him into his secret alliance. This season really cemented his role as the Zapp Brannigan of Miraculous Ladybug with how incompetent he is. If you really want to start portraying Nino as a tactical genius, maybe you should actually show him doing something smart instead of getting outsmarted by obvious tricks.

Of course, the other characters aren't immune to Nino's stupidity either. Marinette, Adrien, and Alya just go along with his asinine plan to get Gabriel akumatized, never question his logic, and ultimately still go along with the Resistance despite how obnoxious their leader is. The worst part is Ladybug not recognizing her own partner being stung by Venom... when they're fighting someone with access to over a dozen Miraculous. I know Cat Noir was born with glass bones and paper skin, but I don't think he literally freezes in terror when he's scared. And of course, Ladybug never questions the tiny invisible men who stunned Cat Noir after this scene.

The cafeteria scene is something that should really be cited as an example of how terrible this show is with acknowledging continuity. You thought there would be some compelling drama discussing the secret identity rule and all the double standards it has? NOPE! It's a funny joke about how confusing the identity stuff is at this point. The fact that Nino somehow doesn't understand the concept of secret identities in this scene is yet another reason as to why he isn't even qualified to lead an anime club, much less a resistance against Monarch.

The idea of Monarch using an illusion to fight Ladybug and Cat Noir was an interesting one, but it still had some holes. For one thing, what if the two heroes can't dodge one of the illusion Collector's attacks? What if they're fast enough to try tying him up, only to dispel the illusion? The entire plan pretty much relies on the fact that Ladybug and Cat Noir are too slow to catch the Collector.

But one scene that has only become more questionable after the finale is Ladybug trying to reach through to the illusion Collector. Like several episodes this season, it comes across like the show is spitting on idealism and wanting to solve problems peacefully because Monarch tricked Ladybug into believing he willingly rejected an Akuma. Remember kids, if someone says they want to change, it's really a trick as part of an evil supervillain's plan to maintain his secret identity.

This episode is like a microcosm of everything wrong with Season 5. Poor morals, characters acting like idiots, shooting down any potential for plot development, and being told characters are right when their actions say otherwise.

#20: Confrontation

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the episode where the writers just gave up.

There is just so much that happens in this episode that the writers cram in. There's Marinette's “final” confrontation with Lila, the battle with Reflekta, Sabrina's redemption, Juleka's character development, Ms. Bustier's character development, Mr. Damocles' character development, and the reveal of Lila's true nature. I don't think I need to tell you that the writers struggle to make all of these plot threads work in less than a half-hour.

First off, Marinette and Lila. The previous episode implied that Marinette let Lila have this short-term victory because she had her own plan to expose her. This episode puts that plan into action. See, she has the genius idea of going along with submitting school application forms to Lila and Chloe with no actual countermeasure in place, waiting for Sabrina to have a sudden change of heart so they can work together to expose Lila and Chloe through a bathroom peephole. This is the kind of tactical intelligence that will be studied in the history books, let me tell you. There's just no weight to Marinette and Lila's final battle of wits because there isn't any. There's no series of gambits or scenarios that actually pit their minds against each other, so you don't get a lot of satisfaction from Marinette's triumph over Lila. It doesn't help that there's more focus on Sabrina than on Marinette, but I'll get to that later. Even the actual payoff is anti-climactic. Most of the class' apology to Marinette was deleted because Mr. Damocles using a Magical Charm shield was just too important to leave on the cutting room floor according to the writers.

This episode really shows just how Marinette's classmates are like NPCs in the Lila-centric stories. They don't second guess Lila's accusations due to their past experiences with Marinette, and as soon as Marinette's name is cleared, they instantly apologize to her and don't even think about how easily they were fooled by Lila and Chloe. The worst example is Alya, Marinette's confidant and someone who was trusted to temporarily use the Ladybug Miraculous last episode, falling for this and not trusting Marinette. My sister in Christ, your friend goes out and saves lives on a weekly basis at least. How can you fall for Lila's story? This is why I think the Lila episodes should have all been set pre-Season 4, so Alya falling for Lila's lies is a little more believable since she isn't already in on Marinette's biggest secret.

I also have to roll my eyes at how melodramatic the talk about everyone's “futures” is. Yes, I don't know a lot about the French education system (If there's anything I'm getting wrong here, don't hesitate to let me know), but I don't get why they're treating their high school choices like such a big deal. Maybe if it was college, I'd get it, but high school? Why can't you just transfer if it doesn't work out? But then again, this is the same show created by a man who thinks school uniforms are a sign of fascism.

THIS IS WHAT THOMAS ASTRUC ACTUALLY BELIEVES.

Speaking of futures, this episode also showed just how little the writers cared about Adrien at this point, with how a supposedly heartwaming moment is him having no plan in life other than Marinette. I know this might seem weird given my problem with him last season was his refusal to think about anyone but himself, but there's a difference between wanting someone to follow orders without complaining and giving them absolutely no motivation outside of their significant other. And once again, if you swap the genders, this becomes sexist as hell.

But the big problem comes in the form of how the side characters are utilized. I don't know why the writers decided to focus on developing characters like Sabrina, Juleka, Ms. Bustier, and Mr. Damocles with five episodes left in the season. This should have been done in earlier episodes, not in the middle of a major story arc. I'm just left not caring about the development because it takes away from the conflict between Marinette and Lila, to say nothing about how little Adrien and Alya contribute to the story.

To me, this episode feels like the writers had no idea how to make Marinette outsmarting Lila into an episode, so they crammed in all these half-assed character arcs to pad out the runtime. While “Revelation” personally upset me more, I personally think this is the worse episode of the two from a writing standpoint.

#21: Revolution

Given how often I've criticized the way Chloe has been handled over the years, I bet you're surprised that this one isn't at the bottom of the list. You'll be even more surprised to learn that I think Chloe is one of this episode's saving graces.

This episode (along with “Derision”) provide an example of the Chloe we should have gotten ever since Season 3 ended: A villain who's allowed to be a threat while still being funny. So much of the past two seasons have done nothing but portray Chloe as nothing but an incompetent joke, but here, near the end of the season, she's in a position of power and is taken seriously. The episode does a good job showing how tyrannical Chloe's rule as Mayor is while still making it funny and in-character for her. She uses her power on frivolous things because she's a teenage girl who doesn't understand the complicated issues that come with politics. It's also why her idea of punishment involves detention, because it's something she's more familiar with as someone in middle school. Of course, even the episode all about Chloe ruling Paris with an iron fist isn't stupid enough to actually let Chloe be a compelling antagonist. No, we need to constantly remind the audience that Chloe is being played, as if we're supposed to see her as nothing more than a pawn even though the show still wants us to see her as an irredeemable monster.

Putting aside that one speck of something interesting, this episode is still incredibly bad. So much of the story is dependent not on how smart the villains' plan is, but rather, how lazy the heroes are. Not only is there not a single moment where Ladybug and Cat Noir acknowledge that the whole reason why Chloe was able to take over as Mayor was their fault, they act as if Chloe abusing her power to make everyone's life a living hell isn't enough of a reason to stop her. What kind of Prime Directive bullshit is this? YOU JUST HELPED SOMEONE LEAD AN INSURRECTION AGAINST A POWERLESS CIVILIAN! HOW IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT?! If there was at least something involving Ladybug and Cat Noir taking responsibility for what happened or at least showing that they played a part in this (especially since they “grow up” in this episode), I'd get it. Instead, because this is Season 5, our heroes are perfection incarnate, and can't ever be wrong. Even when they finally decide to get off their asses and stop Chloe, they didn't know she was akumatized, and nobody seemed to care before Chloe blurted it out, so Ladybug and Cat Noir have no excuses for slacking off.

The final battle is just a joke. Not only is it another excuse to force the Resistance into the plot, it shows Ladybug and Cat Noir unlocking the full power of their Miraculous in the most anti-climactic way possible. Even though they spent most of the episode caring more about their personal lives than actually stopping the obvious threat, somehow, this means they “grew up”. There's no buildup, no explanation, and no catharsis gained from this achievement. All of a sudden, Ladybug and Cat Noir are adults now. There's one decent scene with Adrien, but that's far from an actual explanation. What, did you actually expect an explanation for something this huge? Too bad! We need to have Marinette tell Chloe she's not afraid of her anymore even though she was never afraid of her prior to this season. Of all the things that happened this season, this is the one that makes it clear that Season 5 was supposed to be the end. There is no way Season 6 can happen unless the writers come up with some crap that undoes this, because Ladybug and Cat Noir have essentially unlocked god mode.

But I saved the worst for last, and you all know what it is: Chloe's punishment. I still can't get over the fact that there's actually a scene heavily implying we're supposed to be happy Chloe is going to live with her emotionally abusive mother in the same season that's trying to tell a serious story about child abuse. There's already been so much said about all the horrible things this implies, so I'm going to try and bring up something else. Specifically, how everyone is just okay with this. I can buy Ladybug given all the things Chloe has done to her, but it's pretty odd that Cat Noir, Andre, and Zoe all decide to wash their hands of their association with Chloe as if they never knew her. They don't even feel bad that it had to come to this, and feel absolutely no sympathy for her. Remember in episodes like “Malediktator” and “Queen Banana” that showed Adrien and Zoe still cared for Chloe despite all the terrible things she's done, teaching kids a lesson about trying to show compassion to your enemies? The writers sure didn't, because Adrien and Zoe don't get to say a thing about Chloe after she's defeated. Way to establish connections between characters and do nothing with them, writers!

This episode had so many things wrong with it, and it only got worse the longer it went on, to the point where the ending is essentially condoning child abuse. It's disgusting, but at the very least, it means we're not going to have to deal with Chloe in Season 6.

.....

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#22: Adoration

This is one of those episodes I honestly didn't think would hate as much as I did.

I think of all the episodes this season, this is the one that shows how frustratingly inconsistent the characterization is. Characters will either announce how much someone has changed or will take a complete 180 while the show makes it clear this is how things have always been. Not only does the show say Zoe has somehow changed and suddenly developed feelings for Marinette, but Chloe's view of Sabrina has gotten even lower, to the point where she calls her an underling to her face. Because actually showing character development and changing interpersonal relationships is too hard for these writers. It's like that rule everyone knows: Tell, don't show. That's how it goes, right?

Before anyone gets on my case about this, I'm not trying to say that Zoe having a crush on Marinette was a bad idea. The issue is more how it comes across like the show is trying to earn brownie points with LGBT+ audiences with the reveal. The issue is that this major revelation isn't about Zoe, but rather, Marinette. It's from a Marinette-focused episode all about her heterosexual feelings for Adrien while Zoe's coming out story is nothing more than a cautionary tale to get Marinette to finally try kissing Adrien. I'm not saying Marinette should have dumped Adrien to be with Zoe. The point I'm trying to make is if you want to show something as huge as a character coming out as sapphic, maybe put more focus on that character's struggles than the struggles the straight main character goes through. Maybe instead of being an afterthought in the story, make the episode about Marinette helping Zoe confess her feelings to a girl she likes.

This was also the episode that laid the groundwork for Andre and Sabrina's “redemption arcs”. Normally, I wouldn't mind something like them changing, but it's less to show a character becoming a better person and more to vilify a different character. Andre went from a corrupt politician who abuses his power to please his daughter to an honest politician who is forced to abuse his power to please his daughter. Sabrina went from Chloe's loyal friend who chooses to help her make people miserable to Chloe's underling who is being forced to help make people miserable. Both of them were perfectly willing to go along with Chloe's acts in the past, and as we saw in “Revolution”, being a pawn didn't excuse her from being punished, so by that logic, they shouldn't get a free pass either. It's also strange how this wasn't the episode where Andre and Sabrina officially cut ties with Chloe, considering they already had issues with them. There wasn't really a reason to wait if they already made their issues clear, especially Sabrina. Somehow framing Marinette here is okay but doing it a few episodes later is too much for her?

Also, Lila served no purpose in the episode. Just like in “Collusion” and “Revolution”, all she does is tell Chloe to do things she was perfectly capable of doing in earlier episodes. We're supposed to see her as a mastermind, but I don't get why she has to hold Chloe's hand here. Why can't Lila come up with her own plan or manipulate different people from behind the scenes? It only further highlights the double standards because while Sabrina being a lackey to Chloe earns her sympathy, Chloe being a lackey to Lila doesn't for some reason.

I am getting really tired of the whole “Nobody believes Marinette” formula that every Lila episode relies on (Chameleon, Ladybug, Risk, Revelation, Confrontation). It's the exact same story. Everyone who has known Marinette for the past four seasons suddenly loses all trust in her, only instead of instantly believing Lila, it's Chloe. CHLOE. This is worse than Lila, because she's at least in good graces with other people, but this is the same season that solidified the idea of nobody liking her at all. They seriously take her words at face value over Marinette, someone whose friends know has tormented her for a year at least (Derision)? Put aside how I feel about Chloe, this is a story that depends on trusting someone nobody has any reason to trust, and it makes no sense.

There are just so many minor issues in this episode that pile up enough to really piss me off. It's like a death by a thousand cuts.

#23: Collusion

I normally don't try to get political on this blog unless I absolutely have to, and talking about this episode is one of those occasions.

If you've been around since the early days of this blog, you'll remember that Astruc once compared Chloe to Donald Trump, and not too long after the January 6th attack on the Capitol Building at that.

Even before that thread, Astruc made a joke comparing Trump to Chloe less than a week after the attack.

Whether you agree with Astruc's views on Trump or not, the point is that he kept up with American politics and strongly opposes him. So anyway, let's get to the episode where the heroes let someone lead a small army to storm the mayor's office and force him to resign, which is totally different from what Trump did.

I cannot get over just how confusing this episode is. For a show created by someone who usually keeps up with American politics, this is such a tone-deaf episode. I get that the story is trying to lean into French history, and I'm not sure how far into production the crew was when the attack on the Capitol happened, but given how Astruc was aware of the drama, he and his team should have at least considered the implications this episode could raise. The problem with the discussion around January 6th is that the supporters see it in as righteous a light as Miss Sans-Culotte is. As far as they know, what happened wasn't a violent invasion of government property, but a peaceful demonstration. Sure, none of the talking balloons said “Hang Andre Bourgeois!”, but it still brings similar imagery to mind.

Something that also harms the French Revolution narrative is the fact that all of Miss Sans-Culotte's supporters are helping her against her will. Much like countless Akumas throughout the show's history (Darkblade, Kung Food, The Puppeteer, Princess Fragrance, Despair Bear, Befana, Zombizou, Malediktator, Gamer 2.0, Mr. Pigeon 72, Hack-San, Revelation, Confrontation), Miss Sans-Culotte brainwashes innocent civilians so they can help her cause. This goes against the idea that she's speaking for the people, because her victims don't have a say in this. She's not reenacting the French Revolution, she's reenacting Order 66!

Also, this is something I've neglected to discuss. Why make Miss Bustier pregnant at all, much less akumatize her while pregnant? Outside of her students telling Chloe not to make a scene because the stress caused from dealing that is bad for the baby, Ms. Bustier's pregnancy adds nothing to the story. Seriously, the story thinks Chloe annoying the class is more dangerous for Ms. Bustier's baby than Ms. Bustier herself running around and getting into fights with her baby inside. It could have made for some interesting drama where Ladybug and Cat Noir are hesitant to hurt a pregnant woman, even if she's been akumatized. While the writers do try to work around it by giving her minions to do the fighting (as much as it mucks up the themes of this episode), it still doesn't explain why she needed to be pregnant during this episode in the first place.

Putting aside how unlikable Miss Sans-Culotte is in this episode, you can't even enjoy seeing Andre getting kicked out of office because this is the same episode where the writers really want us to feel bad for him. Look at how sad the rich white politician is. Let's ignore the fact that he's a big part of the reason why Chloe is as bad as she is, has abused his power multiple times, and is all around the cause of his own problems. But even though this is a show that tries to take an anti-capitalist stance (which I'll get to more in “Emotion”), we're supposed to side with one of the biggest symbols of everything wrong with capitalism and political corruption. Even then, Andre is framed for corruption instead of the several instances he actually abused his power, as if they're trying to say he was never a corrupt man. He just loves his daughter. Is that too much to ask for? His daughter herself? Eh, who cares? You really need to support the rich white man. Are we sure this show was created by a liberal?

But the biggest issue is the moral. It's impossible to frame Miss Sans-Culotte storming the mayor's office as a peaceful protest because she's clearly inspired by one of the bloodiest and most violent revolutions in history. If she was supposed to be a violent warrior who needed to learn there was a better way, that would work, but instead, the show downplays how dangerous she is... when she has a guillotine blade for a weapon. You can't claim Miss Sans-Culotte is non-violently protesting Andre's administration when she brainwashes innocent civilians, storms into the building, and demands he resign without any question. Even taking all that into consideration, the moral ends up backfiring because forcing Andre out of office caused an even bigger problem with Chloe taking over, and the very next episode threw the non-violence message out the window.

Whether or not you want to consider the political implications here, this is still a terrible episode with a terrible moral.

#24: Pretension

I've always had issues with Felix, and after the trainwreck that was “Emotion”, let's just say this didn't exactly do anything to raise my opinion of him. Just like his other appearances for the last few seasons, he did absolutely nothing to help Ladybug, focused on only doing things that benefited him, and making everyone's lives worse due to his incompetence. And somehow, this idiot is the one who moves the plot along the most.

The entire conflict happened because Felix kidnapped Kagami without even coming up with a plan. Even when he believes that Kagami is a Sentimonster (I apologize for saying that word Felix hates, but once again, the show provides no alternative to it), he doesn't think of Tomoe being able to track her or command her to leave even at a far distance. He doesn't even try to explain himself to Ladybug and Cat Noir and spends more time running away from everyone who wants to kick his ass. But by the show's logic, he just needs friends, even though his entire deal is that he works alone to get what he wants.

It's bad enough that Felix has to screw up everything he touches, but now he's dragging Kagami to his level. Kagami has cemented her role as Felix's lackey/girlfriend and nothing more. People give Marinette crap for the way the behaves around Adrien in and out of universe, but Kagami knows nothing about Felix, yet a single conversation about his past is enough for her to fall head over heels in love with him. She went from someone not willing to take any bullcrap from Marinette and Adrien to believing Felix's story in a fraction of a heartbeat. This season really likes ruining the few likable characters the show has left.

I also have to roll my eyes at the conversation Marinette and Gabriel have about fashion. For one thing, it's one of the few times the entire season remembers that Marinette wants to be a fashion designer and doesn't really factor into her rivalry with Gabriel. This season made their conflict revolve around how to treat Adrien, not their views on fashion. It feels like they only brought it up to remind viewers that Marinette is still into fashion. Well, that, and also to take a stance on artistic integrity... supposedly.

And on that note, it's amazing how the writers display little to no self-awareness during this scene. The show that embraces sticking to the status quo and rejecting almost any attempt at keeping consistent continuity is now trying to teach children about the importance of being willing to take risks when creating something. This is like Hannibal Lecter trying to promote veganism. I get the message, but the messenger's history is keeping me from buying it. It doesn't help that for a scene trying to point out how outdated certain views are, the show ultimately chooses to take the side of the man with the “wrong” mindset by the end of the season.

The pancake metaphor really confuses me too. It's meant to be a running gag that the only thing Gabriel knows how to cook is pancakes, but A) Nothing is really indicated to show how terrible they are as a metaphor for how bad his outdated views are other than Marinette's verbal assessment of them, and B) We later learn Gabriel used to be poor, so either he never knew how to cook prior to earning his fortune or being rich somehow made him forget basic living skills. I'm just saying, when an episode of Sid the Science Kid manages to better convey someone doing a terrible job making pancakes, you might need to put in a little more effort to show how bad Gabriel's pancakes supposedly are.

Finally, Tomoe. This episode didn't really do much to show her as a compelling threat, given all she did was nag Gabriel and try to shoot her daughter when she didn't even try commanding her to fight back when she was kidnapped. She's nothing more than a female Gabriel and is another example of how overstuffed this show's cast is,

This episode is awful, plain and simple. It took aspects from previous episodes that were already questionable, and doubled down on them while acting like there weren't any problems at all.

#25: Derision

And now we're onto the really, REALLY bad episodes this season. One of the reasons why this post took so long to make was that I wasn't sure how to rank these last three episodes. Thankfully, I managed to find a way to rank them based on the morals are executed. With that being said, let's start scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Ah, “Derision”. You're the only episode that makes the backlash caused by “Chameleon” seem like a pleasant breeze. It's incredible to see just how much negative a reputation this episode has in the fandom. Virtually nobody likes it because it manages to upset everyone with its poor characterization. I'm talking Marinette fans, Adrien fans, Chloe fans, Kim fans, and pretty much every other character's fans. I've only seen a few die hard fans defend this episode, and they're the people on Tumblr who defend pretty much everything done this season.

I have just one question to ask about this episode: Why did it need to happen? We didn't learn anything new that we didn't know already. We know Chloe is mean, and we know Marinette used to be more timid and had no friends. We didn't even need that much of an explanation for why Marinette acts the way she does around Adrien, seeing how it was usually played for laughs

Speaking of which, let's talk about the fact that the episode tries to shame the audience for laughing at the jokes about Marinette's reactions to Adrien. You know, something that was the show's primary running gag ever since Season 1? A running gag the writers ran into the ground by the end of Season 3 but still chose to go with it? Now we're not supposed to have laughed at it, assuming we laughed at it all. Way to insult even the small portion of viewers who didn't get on your case about this, writers.

I only have about two positive things to say about this episode. For one thing, Chloe actually served as a pretty decent antagonist in the flashbacks. Much like in “Revolution”, when the writers actually let her be a villain on her own without being made a pawn, she can be somewhat entertaining. If this was the Chloe we got after Season 3, I don't I would have been as upset at the direction Astruc's team took with the character.

In addition, the thing that saves this episode from being at the bottom is that unlike the next two, it actually understands that what the antagonist did was wrong. They don't make up excuses for what Chloe did and she actually gets called out as a result. It doesn't lead to anything major, but it's something.

Like with “Queen Banana”, there's not much else I can say that hasn't already been said. There's plenty of retcons, the characterization for everyone is off, it attacks the audience, and the message about trauma got fumbled by the show's usual double standards. It's been said over and over again, and it's become a symbol of how much the show's quality has degraded.

#26: Emotion

I think if you've kept up with my reviews of this season, you should know by now that I don't exactly like Felix, and most of the problems I have with him can be attributed to this episode. In fact, for a while, this was going to be my choice for the bottom slot.

It's clear that the writers want to make Felix this wild card who's only in it for himself, but like most of the show's antagonists, they want to show Felix as this devious mastermind... but he's also not really evil, and you should feel bad for him. For most of the episode, Felix does nothing but make everyone's lives worse during his first outing as Argos. He smears his cousin's reputation yet again, tricks his girlfriend into dancing with him, condemns some rich kids for the crime of being rich when he's just as rich, and eventually wipes out all life on the face of the earth. But he's just doing it for his cousin, we swear!

While Felix has understandable motivations for what he does, wanting to free Adrien and Kagami, the way he tries to achieve his goal makes it hard to sympathize with him. If the whole point was that what he did was wrong and that he needs to find a different way, that could work. Instead, we're supposed to see him as this tragic figure who was forced to do terrible things when the episode shows him happily singing while causing chaos. It's the same problem with Gabriel, wanting a sympathetic character to do unapologetically evil things. The fact that he has to be told that genocide is bad doesn't make us want to sympathize with him when he breaks down crying. It paints a picture that he's crazy but the show wants to act like he isn't.

Even putting all the crap with Felix aside, the episode is still unbearable. The stuff with Marinette was poorly executed and was just done to get her involved in the plot, and later become the first one to excuse Felix for betraying her. Other than the dance scene, you could easily just have Marinette swing in as Ladybug when Argos starts his rampage and nothing would really change. The episode tries to make jokes about how unnecessary this is, but as usual, its attempts to be self-aware come across like its saying “What we're doing it wrong, we know it's wrong, but we're gonna do it anyway!”

Speaking of the dance scene, I can't stop rolling my eyes whenever Felix tries to be all “We live in a society” to Marinette. Forget the corrupt politicians, corporate moguls, human traffickers, and despotic rulers of foreign nations. The absolute worst section of humanity is composed of the teenage children of the 1%. Sure, you'd have to break my legs before I'd agree to supervise them at this party, but I don't get why these are the people we're supposed to see as irredeemable monsters. Do the writers think because these kids associate themselves with Chloe, we'll automatically hate them? Newsflash, but if I had to choose between hanging out with some annoying kids and a mass murderer, I'd stick with the annoying kids.

Rewatching this episode was what helped me finally realize just what my problem with the show's anti-capitalist message is. How the hell am I supposed to hate the villains on this show for being rich when several characters are rich or at the very least, are successful thanks to their connections to the rich? Think about it for a second. Putting aside Adrien and Kagami, you have Marinette, the daughter of two of the most popular bakers in Paris and earned the respect of multiple celebrities, Alya, the daughter of a chef who works at a five-star hotel, Nino, someone who got to DJ at a major fashion show, Rose, who is friends with a literal prince, Luka and Juleka, the children of a popular rock star, and Max, the son of an astronaut with access to cutting-edge technology. Somehow, these people are supposed to be poor? They make Monica from Friends look like Oscar the Grouch. It's why I can't take the message seriously. You can't write a story about a class struggle when both classes are shown to be pretty well-off.

The only thing that saves this episode from being at the bottom of the list is the fact that despite committing genocide while singing, Felix at least gets what he did was wrong and makes up for it. It doesn't fix everything else he did in this episode, but that's better than nothing. As for the villain featured in the episode that's at the bottom of this list? If you've been keeping track, I think you know who I mean.

#27: Re-Creation

I'll admit, I'm sort of cheating here. I'm judging this episode more as a finale than an individual episode, but I'm making an exception because the plot is tied to wrapping up all the loose ends this season.

I'm mentioning this because for a season finale, the stakes just feel so low. The fight between Bug Noire and Monarch doesn't have any weight to it because they've barely interacted at all for the last five seasons. These are supposed to be two mortal enemies, but you can't really buy the enmity between them. It ultimately cheapens the moment of Bug Noire triumphing over Monarch in the end... before Monarch triumphs over her not long afterwards, but we'll get to that.

The stuff with the Miraculized doesn't help either. We already know that the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous are in the Agreste manor, so the Miraculized's goal is impossible to achieve. It's never even explained why the Miraculized don't go back to the manor to help Monarch beat Bug Noire, since they should still be able to track the Miraculous. All of the fights with them just come across like filler, and there's no real sense of danger or hopelessness to be found. Whether the Miraculized win or lose is irrelevant. Nothing will happen either way because the important stuff is happening in the Agreste manor.

This extends to the part where all the heroes appear to help. It doesn't come across as an Avengers-esque moment for the climax, because it doesn't change anything. The episode never explains what any of these characters were doing prior to the events of this episode and why only now they're helping out. The United Heroes are the most egregious example because unlike Fei or Su-Han, they're a major organization whose members include the president, and they didn't do a damn thing when Monarch stole all of the other Miraculous. Speaking of, there is no way in hell that Su-Han taught Mirakung-Fu to three random people over Ladybug and Cat Noir, much less that those three people are actual masters after about two months at best. Maybe they got to train in Bunnix's Burrow? After all, she's not doing anything else to stop the end of the world other than sending four people over to Paris. This whole sequence really highlights how bland the other heroes of this universe are. If they're not slacking off when they're needed, they're criminally underdeveloped because there's a slim chance they'll get spin-offs to flesh them out.

But I think the biggest issue me and other people have with this finale is the resolution. In what is easily one of the most baffling decisions the show has made, Bug Noire doesn't defeat Monarch, and Monarch gets to make his wish. I don't care how many times the writers technically say she won because she beat him in a fight. Gabriel backstabbed her at the last minute and got her Miraculous to make his wish. Yeah, he died, but he succeed in achieving his goal, never faced any real consequences, didn't get any closure with his son (much less apologize for abusing him), told Marinette to lie about the monster he was to him, and was turned into a martyr with a statue made of the same things he used to control the world.

This ending infuriates me because it not only makes Marinette out to be a terrible hero for failing to do the one thing she was chosen to do (get the Butterfly Miraculous back), but it also ultimately makes Gabriel out to be a decent person even though he destroyed and recreated the world. All Marinette did was take credit for saving the world, and even then, Gabriel got more celebration in the end. Our hero, ladies and gentlemen! She got outsmarted by an abusive parent and didn't even get a new statue in her honor!

But the most damning thing of all this is the fact that this finale retroactively makes everything that's happened over the last five seasons completely pointless. If Gabriel making a wish wasn't as bad as it was supposed to be, why didn't Ladybug and Cat Noir let him borrow their Miraculous? Why make the stakes this high if you're going to downplay the impact of a madman recreating the world in his own image? Follow-up question: why make the stakes this high if the wish being made is ultimately shown to have huge benefits for society? In an attempt to wrap things up with a happy ending, the writers accidentally made the conflict completely meaningless.

That's why this resolution is the ultimate example of the writers refusing to allow any major changes to happen. If they're willing to treat the end of the universe as less important than Ms. Bustier becoming mayor, why should we assume they'll ever take their story seriously? For God's sake, every character you know and love is essentially dead, and we're supposed to act like that isn't a big deal? That's how you wanted to end the show originally? Then again, at least they tried to resolve something, unlike the Love Square. We still haven't gotten a reveal, and I don't think we ever will at this point. These writers will drag out the story until the show stops becoming profitable, which won't be for a long time.

And with that, I am officially done with Season 5. Honestly, after having to rewatch this season again, I'm not sure if it's even worth giving Season 6 a shot. There's nothing to look forward to, and Lila becoming the main villain isn't really appealing to me. At the very least, I have the movie review to look forward to, meaning I can watch something good for a change.

#immaturity of thomas astruc #iota #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug salt

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scoutswritingcorner · 8 months ago

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Salutations, I was wondering if you could do a Charlastor aka Showtunes (as the young people would call it) x Reader fic/ headcanon either one?

Showtunes!!

Charlastor x GN!Reader

TW:NONE!!

A/N: Before anyone comes at me- I don’t mind writing different ships as long as they aren’t breaking any of my rules, I’m totally down. Now! Another note, while this ship is not canon and I understand canonically Charlie and Vaggie are in a relationship, do not send hate! People are allowed to ship who they please as long as they aren’t hurting anyone or breaking any laws!

-👑 Oh boy- how did you end up with two of the most powerful people loving up on you? Some kinda witchcraft over here /j

-🦌 In all seriousness, you got the happiest most loveable person in the whole world on one side and the other you got Alastor. They both love you in different ways and will gladly show you that.

-👑 Charlie takes the route of physical affection the most, kisses, cheek kisses, random hugs. You name it, she’s got it. Alastor? Does show affection but mostly behind closed doors, the best you’ll get PDA wise is kisses on your knuckles and possibly a cheek kiss, an arm around your waist too if he’s in a good mood.

-🦌 Both are wildly protective of you but know you can handle yourself well, they only step in if it’s a life or death situation. Or if they annoy Alastor too much.

-👑 They both love going on dates with you as much as they can but don’t expect it too often cause running a hotel is hard work and sometimes things don’t go as planned. But they will make it up to you, they don’t want to see you cry or upset. It breaks their hearts.

-🦌 If something upsets you? It’s upsetting them, whilst Alastor is much more used to burying his emotions you can tell he’s pissed by the way his ears flick and his smile stretches larger. Charlie will always take you away to help calm you down and ignore how her horns are starting to show, but if you’re too upset and just need a moment alone to calm yourself down? They will give you space, but don’t expect the person who pissed you off to be alive much longer.

-👑 Going to fancy balls or dances with these two? Oh boy- Alastor slow dancing with you before spinning you off so Charlie can dance with you?

-🦌 Alastor is only truly relaxed around both of you at the end of the day, I’m talking the wide grin falls to a smaller smile and his shoulders slump. He even shows you both his tail. Do not mention it to anyone if you value your afterlife.

-👑 Now if you cook? Alastor will be either helping you or sitting off to the side drinking his black coffee and reading the paper. When Charlie can, she joins in and allows you to teach her how to make your favorite foods or treats.

-🦌 Speaking of treats- Charlie has a huge sweet tooth and will eat any treat you make, be sure she doesn’t eat too much. Charlie on a sugar rush is so chaotic, she’s bouncing off the walls. Alastor doesn’t strike me as someone who likes sweet things but if you ask him, he will try it and give his honest opinion. He doesn’t mean to be a dick, he’s just an honest man. His Mama told him lying is not good for the soul.

-👑 You start singing? Now Alastor and Charlie have joined in on you and you three are an unstoppable force. Especially when they dance with you around the hotel like it’s some sort of musical

-🦌 While Alastor doesn’t sleep, he’ll lay with you both until you guys fall asleep. He’s usually poking fun at the silly things you say when you both are sleep deprived, but he does give you and Charlie forehead kisses as an apology. If he does end up falling asleep? (which is rare), he’ll allow you to cuddle up to him, just don’t move too much.

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel imagine #gn reader #alastor hazbin hotel #alastor x reader #alastor x gn!reader #alastor x you #charlie morningstar #charlie x you #charlie x reader #charlie x gn!reader #charlastor #charlastor x gn!reader #charlastor x reader

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lily-alphonse · 4 months ago

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For the rare pair challenge: my favorite one is Sam/Alex!

unfffff I love this one how HOT would that be 🥵

My brain is scrambled tho because I have shipped them both with Sebastian as the openly gay one to even out the dynamic. I interpret Alex as closeted and Sam as bi/pan but skewing more towards women. Like he's not opposed to getting with a guy if he liked them but hasn't really thought about it kind of thing.

So how would they end up getting together?

Ok, I think I want Alex to be coming back from college. He lost his sports scholarship due to bad grades and was forced to come home, leaving his secret fling in the city at the same time. He's heartbroken, he's dejected, he's wallowing.

A couple of weeks after coming back, Haley decides she's had enough of his moping and they are going to a bar in the little town nearby to see some people from their high school perform. They're in a band now, and getting some minor success playing gigs at local venues.

Alex is totally plastered by the time Goblin Destroyer comes on stage. That must be why time slows when he sees Sam. Why his smile makes him feel warm and his heart race.

"Holy shit," he murmurs to himself. The scrawny class clown he knew in high school looks so different.

Haley eyes him knowingly. "No. Nuhuh. Not him. When I said we were getting you laid tonight I didn't mean one of the few people from Pelican Town!"

"But he's gotten SO hot."

"He's got a mullet, Lexie."

"Mullets can be hot," he pouts.

And then they begin their set, and Alex is certain he must be drunk as hell because he doesn't even like this kind of music but he's dancing along to it and having the best time. He's amazed that Sam can play the guitar and sing at the same time. He's amazed by Sam's voice, the rasp in it seriously fucking with his inhibition. And even when he stops singing, and just shreds a guitar solo, Alex is still awe-struck.

They hadn't been sure they would stay for the whole performance, but then Alex is cheering along with the crowd after their final song, cheeks flushed with exertion and heart racing.

He hasn't thought about his ex in hours. He hasn't thought about how royally fucked up his life is. And he doesn't want it to end. But Sam disappears.

Suddenly the crowd is too stifling. He needs to get outside. He needs to breathe. Haley seems to be having the time of her life pressed up against a wall with a man she met fifteen minutes ago. Alex texts her that he will be outside, and pushes his way to the exit.

It's cold, instant relief. It's quiet too, just a group of smokers chatting in the parking lot. He turns to walk the opposite direction from them, when someone bumps into him.

"Alex?"

Sam.

Teehee this is my most cliffhanger one yet I was really getting into that one. I might actually write it for real. If you'd be interested in being tagged if/when I post the fic, reblog or comment letting me know! (What are we naming this ship??)

UPDATE: I decided to give this a full fic, you can read that now on AO3 it is live as of Oct 3rd "Suckered (Alex x Sam)"

Send me any Stardew Valley rarepair and I will tell you how I would make them work! (Even non-marriage npcs) If youre lucky you may get a mini fic out of it. Check the list below to see if Ive already answered yours

Rarepair Masterlist

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meaninglessrambles · 5 months ago

Text

everything has changed.

ship: spencer agnew x reader.

summary: you move in next door to spencer.

warnings: none!

author’s note: not at all what i was meant to be working on but, hey, when inspiration strikes… kinda went into this with the idea that neighbor!reader may be a recurring character, so if there’s any scenarios you wanna see, let me know.

'cause all i know is we said, "hello" and your eyes look like comin' home.

the first time you meet your neighbor, it’s with a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies and a smile on your face. you’re nervous—desperate, really, to make a good first impression and worried one last minute gathering will ruin it—but damn near giddy at the idea of meeting someone new. always the people person, you look at every introduction as the chance to make a friend.

you knock, confident, loud, and if possible, your grin gets bigger when the door slowly opens and a man appears, angling himself so carefully in the entry way you have to assume there’s at least one pet lurking behind him. “hi! i just moved in next door.”

“hello?” it’s more of a question than a greeting.

you continue on, undeterred. “and i wanted to introduce myself.” which you did—finding out the person whose night you interrupted was named spencer—but that wasn’t your only goal. “there is one more thing…”

“okay…” spencer breathes. he’s not trying to be rude—really, he’s not—but it’s been a long week and he’s tired and you’re far too pretty to just show up at his door like this.

“i’m having a few people over.”

that get’s his attention. “you’re having a party?” with the quirk of a brow, he really studies you now—he’d been keeping strong eye contact until this moment—if you’re not exactly his age, you’re close enough he would have expected you to age out of apartment ragers a decade ago.

“worse, actually,” you admit, almost sheepish. “having some friends over for the real housewives of oc premiere and, uh, bravo really brings out the worst in us.” you just your chin towards the cookies. “these are a bribe.”

“ah,” he nods. “cookies in exchange for no noise complaints.” a pause. “i like your style, dude. i’m no narc but since you’re offering…” he pulls the plate gently from your grip.

well, at least that was one less thing to worry about. “enjoy!” you turn, ready to go back to your place, and give him a quick wave. “see you around!”

“yeah,” he says, “see you around!”

─────────────────────────────

and you do see him around. you give polite smiles and quick hellos when you pass each other in the halls or run into each other in the mail room. but you don't really talk to him again until a week later.

you'd just step into the lobby when you hear a familar voice yell, "shut that door! don't let her out."

you come to a stop right as a big blur of fur comes running right at you, careening off your shins and bouncing back. you don't give the cat even a chance to do it again; with ease, you scoop the feline up, doing your best to be gentle while keeping it restrained.

it's only seconds later that spencer comes into view, curls dishelved, breathing labored and cheeks pink. chasing a four-legged friend down three flights of stairs will do that to a person.

"shit, thank you, seriously," spencer says once he catches his breath, extending his arms so you can give the little escape artist back to her rightful owner. "you're an actual life saver. if she had gotten out..."

he doesn't even need to finish the sentence. while work kept you too busy for a pet of your own right now, you'd grown up with them. losing one was akin to losing a family member.

you reach out, meaning to give a comforting pat on the shoulder, but your hand rests there a little longer than you intended. when spencer's eyes meet yours, for a minute you forget what your intentions even were.

you'd hadn't touched him before—why would you? he's just the guy in the apartment next to yours.

you blink.

once.

twice.

then a distraught meow pulls you back to reality and you shake your head. "no sense in thinking about the what-ifs. just get houdini back under lock and key, yeah?"

the two of you make your way up three flights of stairs. the whole time you're silent, while spencer mutters sentiments ranging from intense frustration to deep relief to the cat who, with his attention solely on her, seems quite content.

─────────────────────────────

when you part ways at your respective doors, you expect this to be the last of it. until spencer shows up at your door the very next day, your plate in hand, with some precariously placed brownies on top.

"hey, uh, just wanted to return your plate and the favor after you thwarted zola's escape attempt yesterday." he's a little nervous, a little on edge. "and don't worry, i didn't make these so they're edible."

"you really didn't have to do that," you assure him, although you're glad he did.

"actually, i'm pretty sure i did. and i still owe you, like, a million favors after this too."

you laugh at that. "you really, really don't. that's just what neighbors do."

"well, still... thank you."

with yet another expression of gratitude, silence falls over the two of you and you can sense with it's arrival, spencer is getting ready to say his goodbyes. before he can, you surprise even yourself by asking, "do you like thai food?"

when you get a nod of the head in affirmation, you continue on. "'cause i've got a delivery coming any minute now and i think i went a little crazy. if you're hungry..."

you've never needed help finishing takeout before, but you decided right then in that very moment, that you would like his company just a little bit longer.

"you got some pad thai coming?" spencer's first reaction is an immediate yes and he has to say something, anything, to sound less eager.

"duh."

"in that case, hell yeah i'm hungry."

that's all you need to hear. you step aside, giving him access to your humble abode and shut the door behind him.

in all the places you've lived, you've never once invited a neighbor over—let alone for a meal. it's about time that changed.

all i know is a simple name, everything has changed.

#spencer agnew #spencer agnew x reader #spencer agnew imagine #spencer agnew fanfiction

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ellaa-writes · 11 months ago

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Henlo!! I just saw ur doctor/medic reader story and i feel like they would all want to hear the absolute crazy cases and gossip from reader

Im a student and i work in a large hospital/shadowing some doctors aswell and someday’s these crazy things happen randomly. In the least expected ways. From getting a sudden code stroke to seeing 🪱🪱on body parts to hospital staffs gossips in the med room. Its so random sometimes.

Imagine doctor reader casually telling the time she caught so and so cheating in an empty room in between 2 codes. And shes so chill about it like shes seen and heard enough but the Kortac officers r eating it up like listening to Nurse John’s podcasts😂

Reader: yk this reminds me of the time i did my trauma rotation in—

Konig: wait! Let me get my snacks and tea👀☕️

Hello!! Thank you <3 This is so silly I love it. Decided to have fun with it. It's kinda gross but hey that's what happens. Lol.

It's going to be a rough day, you thought. Not even 2 hours into your shift you had two concussed idiots sitting in your waiting room. This is gonna be a long one, you started at noon and won't be done till 4am the next morning.

Clutching your coffee you prayed for a miracle, an alien ship or a metor. Either one would do.

Later that evening, specifically dinner time. You were the last to arrive, having to help hold down a patient as another medic stitched up a gash on his forehead.

"I know, I know." you said as you sat you lunch down in front of your chair. Running off to grab a much needed coffee. It was your turn for the over night shift. It wasn't a bad shift, just babysitting the wounded soldiers that are currently being held. Coming back and setting yourself into your spot, digging into your food without a cause to the wind.

"You guys won't believe my day." you started off, slurping down your heart spaghetti. "Some rookies decided to play chicken and now they both have a concussion. And one probably memory loss. Couldn't even tell me his name." you shook your head, recalling the incident. "Than Hutch came in, complaining that he can feel worms crawling in him. I had to explain four times to that dense mother fucker that worms can not survive stomach acid." you stopped to take a big gulp of coffee. "But he wouldn't listen, said it wasn't in his stomach but inside his skin. Ran some blood tests and no hallucinogenic. But he could have fooled me." you didn't realise you were blabbing until you looked up from your plate to see a few of your team members surpressing their laughs.

"What?" you asked, mouth full of spaghetti. "Why don't you chew a bit more." one of them offered. Making the other laugh, "Oh fuck off." you spat. "Anyways, had to give Hutch an xray just to prove there's no damn worms in him." you explained.

"An xray? Does that-" you cut them off. "No, not at all. But it shut him up." they all bursted out laughing. "It reminds me of a patient I had back at the ER. Complaining about his ass itching. The other nurses weren't taking him seriously. Just sent him to the bathroom with some baby wipes." you stopped abruptly, this might not be a good dinner story.

"Oh come on Katze, don't get all shy on us now." König said, you didn't even notice he was there. You also didn't notice the rest of the mess hall getting quiet to listen to your story.

"Oh, well we're eating." you tried to explain but was met with loud booing. "Fine, fine." you yelled back. Wiping your mouth, your food finished, you pushed the tray away from you.

"Ok, so they sent him to the bathroom and he came back later saying he can still feel them."

"Them?" Horangi interrupted, and was followed by shushing. "Damn, sorry. Continue." he slinked back into his chair.

" So they put him in a room, told him to strip from the waist down. Another trainee and myself were assigned to this case along with a RN. She had him lay on the side has she spread his ass cheeks. Like you would a child." you stopped from dramatic affect. Watching as your tream and the rest of mess hall looked on in anticipation.

"We saw nothing. So she took a swab, had me spread this grown man's cheeks as she inserted it into the recum, shoveling out what ever was in side. Still nothing." a few people got up and left and others choking back a gag.

"She wet had him pop a squat over the trash can and cough. Sure enough a worm came shooting out. So did some green chunks, thankfully they were just some cucumbers. Guess the guy stole a cucumber from his neighbors garden not knowing it was infested with worms. He shoved the thing right up and it broke. He was like that for 2 weeks, worms up the ass. Still not the craziest thing I experienced, let me tell your that." you reached for your tray, but König took it for your instead.

"A cucumber up the ass?" Horangi asked. "I've seen people shove all sorts of thing up their butt. Idk what it is or why but it's way to common." you threw your finished coffee cup in the trash.

"Sorry I gotta get back. The results for mister chicken should be in by now." you said you goodbyes and waved to others, rushing out of the lunch hall.

"What a women." König said, hearts in his eyes.

#cod mw2 #könig #konig #könig mw2 #konig mw2 #konig cod #könig cod #konig x reader #konig x you #könig x reader #cod könig #cod konig #kortac

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aranarumei · 8 months ago

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you listed gsnk as an option and my dopamine receptors lit up. What dyou think about mikorin and mayu

ask me about a ship and I’ll give my opinions + classify them as does / doesn’t make sense, does / doesn’t compel me

heyyy surprise for you. yeah i actually was cleaning up my notes app today and realized I'd answered this and never posted this lol. gonna start off with a does make sense, does compel me and continue under the cut.

okay. hear me out. for a period of time I genuinely believe mayumiko was the gsnk duo closest to being, like, romantic. in a sense. horikashi, nozachiyo, and wakaseo have sure got a lot of development since then (in ch 60, kashima avoids hori and we get a REALLY good moment out of it) but like. just one chapter before that, we have ch 59. one of my favorite chapters. and at that point, I feel like the main couples have had their setup and they're really fun and comedic, but there hasn't been much... advancement, in a sense?

and then we hit ch 59, where "mayumayu" (nozaki mayu, who's been conned into posing as a girl) and "mamiko" (mikoshiba mikoto, who's posing as a girl so that he's not a creepy guy commenting on mayumayu's blog, unwittingly using the name of the protagonist of let's love by nozaki umetarou under alias of yumeno sakiko without knowing that he's the inspiration for the character's personality) basically immediately hit it off over text. seriously, past the first couple of texts where there's a bunch of people commenting on it, all they say is that they'll instantly reply to any texts that come their way. what commences is a hell of texting, probably, but it is a LOT of texting that happens. and that's not something that can be empty! both mikoshiba and mayu seem worn out by the amount of time they spend on it, but they don't seem worn out by each other in the slightest, judging by the fact that in ch 89, not only is mikoshiba still regularly checking mayumayu's blog, he's getting texts with extra art and well-wishes for his exams! they talk to each other about their lives! and it's not something that exists only online, too... mayu and mikoshiba are genuinely and obviously good friends outside of their online identities.

I'm aware not everyone sees it that way, but like, to me, ch 59 was like the most outright romantic the series had gotten. so it's very special to me. so is mayumiko! mayumiko’s so fun because they’re both soooo cool and soooo uncool. but while the mayumiko situation is objectively hilarious, the way they're friends is like... surprisingly understated? it's just something that happens and it works for both of them, even when it seems like it shouldn't. like, let's be real, mikoshiba can be kind of annoying, and mayu can be kind of grating. despite that they end up being really comfortable with each other. like. no wonder they could keep up that texting chain. they just click in general.

so we meet mayu in ch 33, and in ch 37, mikoshiba runs into him, and they've got this fun chapter together where miyako both compares them to cats. then in ch 49, mayu gets mikoshiba to lend him his... questionable? sure. questionable manga. calls him mikoto-san. and it just kind of... happens, them being friends. since they both hang out at nozaki's place. it's neat. in ch 64, post-The Incident, mikoshiba's comfortable enough to ask mayu for help with working out. and mayu knows mikoshiba enough to shout out the specific name of the fake high school from one of the games mikoshiba likes (sure, it's a super popular galge, but that's a strange thing to know well! especially for a guy who's traditionally lazy about everything but judo)

then of course we get to the mayu chapters where he's just so. iconic. in ch 76, mikoshiba needs to bring a guy to the mixer and then after nozaki rejects him sakura's like, ask mayu, who's been on the floor this whole time. side note i think its cute that when mikoshiba asks mayu, he calls himself "mikoshiba-nii-san." and mayu rejects him at first (also using "mikoshiba-nii-san" lol), but he ends up going once he's told he doesn't have to do that much work. and then he grills a girl about her boyfriend bc she says he does judo. and then tries to get some guy's number because he's apparently strong. judo freak (affectionate). and then, of course, as mikoshiba's thinking that "ah, they totally think mayu likes guys, but i guess it's fine since he doesn't seem to care" and when he's surrounded by girls mayu jumps in and says "he's mine," just like nozaki's shoujo manga advice had told him to do. love that for them. in ch 81, though it's a pain, mayu goes along with the idea that all the stuff in the back room is his and not mikoshiba's (though maybe he thought it was more of a pain to explain) and when talking about dating sims, mayu says, "well, guys or girls, both are pretty similar." love that guy for real.

then, in one of the moments of all time that make me insane, in ch 94, seo's pinning mikoshiba, and suddenly goes, it's boring without waka (makes sense! he's normally the guy she pushes around like this) and mikoshiba's like. oh! that's right! I haven't gotten a souvenir for mayu yet! (makes... sense...? because. because he's getting PINNED??? and we KNOW that mikoshiba hasn't done judo with mayu because it happens for the first time in ch 135, where after some really nice moments, mikoshiba sheepishly asks if mayu wants to try throwing him around too. it's a weird expression of care and also the fact that they're still friends after this fact, considering the violence nozaki translates it as, is a testament to their friendship.)

also in the extras for that volume, we see mikoshiba got him a smartphone case, which sucks because mayu's got a flip phone (though it's better than the hairpin nozaki got mayu) but then when mayu figures out a use for that smartphone case, he runs to mikoshiba to give him the good news! 'cause mikoshiba was sulking before... they're fun.

i think I've already said this but they really are close. and i think mayu's kinda clingy. in ch 114 when kashima rei asks to talk to him again, he's like, "go through mikoto-san." in ch 128 we find out that mayu shows girls in his class photos of mikoshiba so they make sure he doesn't get caught napping. this begs the question: HOW did this arrangement exist in the first place? because there's no way I can think about it that doesn't involve mayu and mikoshiba being at some level of closeness. and there's no way mayu can get so many nice looking photos of mikoshiba without being close to him. and in that same fucking chapter when nozaki’s making posts for his blog and turns mikoshiba into a girl, people think that he and mayu are dating. like oh my god. even in gekkan shoujo nozaki-san, when the main cast is meant to be a bit older than the canon timeline, mikoshiba and mayu are hanging out together at nozaki's place. and when mikoshiba and nozaki are getting all chummy with miyoshi, mayu walks in and he's like. ah. a challenger emerges (because he presumably wants to be pampered instead). my point is that they're close they just hang out. it's comfortable, which says a lot for both of them.

in ch 59 mayu's friends are like. his type is 1) someone who's stronger than him at judo or 2) someone older who'd take care of him and. mikoshiba's not #1 but he is #2. those two can be pretty sweetly considerate actually. as we see mayu gets dragged into quite a bit of stuff and does it. in ch 101 he actually finishes up the chapter of let's love while everyone's fallen asleep. and in the vol 14 extras mikoshiba gifts a water plant to a guy he barely knows. just because. so I feel like they're both sweet people underneath it all. and extra fact about ch 59 i know you'll feel crazy about. kobayashi (the guy who actually runs the mayumayu blog) calls mayu maa-kun. i am not joking.

anyways to me mikoshiba and mayu are both this weird security to each other. mayu’s someone who doesn’t care abt social graces and mikoshiba’s someone who cares too much. but when they’re weird to each other it’s like they accept everything. and I just think. despite all of the mistaken identity drama it’s like. idk. they just like each other. they just get along well. and for mikoshiba who’s so awkward with girls, this works out well. also the way that in ch 144 his fav ever gacha character is this kind of gloomy and lazy girl… fascinating thing you’re being charmed by. what a taste you have.

so in the end despite all of the wild situations i think it’ll be simple. mikoshiba will think a little too much and mayu a little too little. but they've gotten along well for so long that I think this will go pretty well, too. it'll just be a feeling that grows kind of slowly until it works for the two of them.

#ask #ask game #sunluvclub #mayumiko #gsnk #kiri.txt #my god i said. so much didnt i #in this essay i will

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evil-marco · 1 month ago

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welcome to my blog. here i bitch about stupid people. come one, come all.

short overview: hey i'm marco. im a person with dissociative identity disorder. i use any pronouns, and i'm an adult. if you don't like me, block me! it's not my job to be internet friendly. it's your job to police your internet consumption. peace and love. (i know this sounds sarcastic but i'm being /srs. if you do not like the content tumblr is showing you, curate it. there's no use getting offended over it, or upset. either listen & learn or move on. i genuinely don't care which.)

as mentioned before, i'm marco (or, if you want, apple (not orange (which is a surprise considering the theme i chose))). i have DID. alters will reveal themselves if they want to. as an overview, i have 7-8. i dont believe in emoji signoffs—i have a name and i will use it.

always feel free to send asks about DID or system shit. i love correcting misinformation—if you need help finding good resources, i'm majoring in english and would love to help you find credible ones. i am also down to debate syscourse at any point. don't straight up call me a slur though you will just get clowned on.

i am like your friendly neighborhood spiderman except i'm not friendly or spiderman and instead just really don't like people faking dissociative disorders. that's about it.

no DNI because that's cringe & not how real life works, but if you believe in the following and feel strongly about it, you might want to block me. i also feel strongly about it and i guarantee you i'm more stubborn:

₊　endo systems. tulpa systems. any system that is not disordered. any of that "mixed origins" bullshit. i think you guys should get back into kinning.

₊　people who think you can be a completely binary man and a lesbian. [insert loud incorrect buzzer here]

₊　similarly, people who think you can be a completely binary woman and be mlm [insert equally loud incorrect buzzer here]

₊　those people who take shipping too seriously. do not tell me to kms because i don't ship your favs.

₊　systems who think systems should get special treatment for the sake of special treatment. you do not need pluralkit in every server ever. shut up

₊　people who refuse to debate your beliefs. you are stagnant. one day the world will move on without you and you will be the reason why.

₊　if you're being nsfw in my notifs i'll block you. idc about your blog (so feel free to interact/like/reblog with a sfw caption) but if i have to see it i will avoid it! much love to the nsfw bloggers but not my cup of tea

₊　generally just have common sense and we'll get along!

inbox / askbox are open ! i love education & debates, and will absolutely explain my perspective most things.

#actually did #did #actually dissociative #did system #dissociative identity disorder #complex dissociative disorder

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jenchan-writingmultis · 7 months ago

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Redirected (Zayne x Rafayel)

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦ Synopsis:

Betrayed was the word that described what Rafayel felt when he realized that despite waiting for 800 years for the girl he loved, she fell for another man just like that, he was foolish to think that she would love him. However, it was odd how he started to feel something similar to a guy who also loved her.

Seriously? Is he really gonna give me a chance to love again? Especially when that man is a stone-faced, asshole who's a smartass and way too blunt for his own good. This is the opposite of what he likes! but that doesn't stop his feelings from falling through. Unfortunately. ✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Genre: Fluff/Angst (Slow burn) + Unrequited love Pairing: (Main Pairing): Zayne x Rafayel (Side Pairing): Mc x Xavier

Notes: Hear me out on Zaynel/Rafayne please omg, It's just so good cause they're artist/doctor, and many more, give a chance to this ship. The first chapter, Zayne and Rafayel are still smitten by Mc! This will be cut into chapters, I'll post more soon! Warning: Mc can be seen as a self insert/reader however that is not the main pairing, so instead of using You/Yourself I'm using She/her. If you do not like MLM please do not read it! The main pairing is already stated as Zayne x Rafayel! As the story progresses there is a possibility of adding extra warnings, I'll do that in each chapter. If you decide to continue reading. enjoy and please tell me your thoughts about it if you'd like! I'm the only one beta-reading my work!

Credits: Images came from the official website of Love and deepspace, while the banner is created by me. Masterlist

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

I do not consent to stealing, translating, or putting my work in AI.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

This is insane.

The audacity of his crush to invite someone else to their date was not only insane, but it was also borderline cruel! How could she?

Rafayel grumbled to himself, looking at the food he was eating before shoving it in his mouth and chewing it angrily, they’re currently in Meow café, it all started when Rafayel decided to ask Mc out if she wanted to come by and pick him up to go to the meow café, and she seemed reluctant at first, but he insisted.

“Come on Mc, it’ll be a good date, promise! It’s on me if you agree” he whined, he was bored without her, she was the only reason he’d go out often and he kept complaining to Thomas about the lack of inspiration, which was due to the fact that his bodyguard had been way too busy for his liking, even if he visited their headquarters, he wasn’t allowed inside, and when he asked where she was, they’d tell him that she wasn’t even on duty, so if she wasn’t around where was she going? She wasn’t answering his calls either that day.

If it weren’t for her friend, he would have stayed there under the scorching heat till she came around. “Oh! Mr. Rafayel?” Tara walked to him, holding an ice cream that probably came from the company’s cafeteria. “Who are you?” He tilted his head, looking down at the woman, “My name’s Tara, you must be looking for Mc, right?” He nodded, crossing his arms before he looked at the time “Is she there? Her colleagues told me that she was out, but they didn’t know where” he sighed, it was really hot today, what’s the sun’s deal? Does it want him to die out here?

“Oh, it’s cause Mc got an injury on her hand, it’s not that bad but she needed to get some rest for it cause she can’t use any type of gun or anything that can strain her hand for the time being,” Tara said, licking the ice cream she was eating looking unbothered while Rafayel here looked outright terrified “What?!” he screeched causing Tara to jolt in surprise.

“She’s fine! She called me earlier to check on her things. If you want, I can give you her coordinates, although I was sure she gave you that already, I always see you around with her! And well Doctor Zayne and Xavier!” she shared, for some reason, Rafayel felt like she was doing this on purpose to get him riled up; which worked of course.

“Can I have her coordinates?” he almost looked pitiful in Tara’s eyes before she smiled “Yeah sure, I trust you enough! Mc talks about you frequently!” she grinned, showing him a QR code which he scanned immediately, although hearing what she said made his heartbeat faster. “She talked about me?” He murmured, scratching his cheek “What did she say?”

“Well,” she puts her finger on her lips before going into deep thought, “she said you’re always complaining and asking for her attention, it was frustrating sometimes” and that made Rafayel huff, so she’s been backstabbing him in front of her friends?

“But she does sound fond of you when she says those things though, kind of like a best friend” Tara finishes, putting her phone back into her pocket “It’s rare for her to talk about someone like that ever since you know, that happened” she was referencing about the death of Caleb and her grandmother which made Rafayel frown, she couldn’t be reached during those times and he went to visit her, she was staying in a temporary apartment, and it was a mess. Reminiscing about that made his heart clench, out of everything he disliked, seeing Mc hurt like that destroyed him. He went to at least try to cook something for her, but all he could do was soup, so he decided to just order takeout from a restaurant that specializes in customizable meals.

“I should go now; you can visit her in Akso Hospital! I visited her yesterday and she’s doing great!” Tara snapped Rafayel out of his thoughts before he nodded “Alright, I’ll see you around, thank you Tara” he waved goodbye to her before looking at his phone which pinpointed the location of Mc. “No problem, go get your girl Loverboy,” she said, waving goodbye as Rafayel stood there cheeks up to his ears red. “Jeez.”

During those times he never actually saw who Doctor Zayne was, cause when he visited, it was just Mc being there, and the nurse informing Zayne that there was a visitor, but that guy didn’t bother showing up, well he was busy apparently, which is great for Rafayel! He can spend some time with Mc.

“Mc” Rafayel called out to her, pouting as he went to sit down beside her, who looked alright, she didn’t have anything stabbing her arms, and it seemed like she was about to be released soon. “Rafayel! How did you get here?” she asked, surprised while Rafayel frowned, his face looking sour, “I got your coordinates from Tara, why didn’t you even call me?” he huffed, crossing his arms “Do you plan to hurt yourself without informing me when you get to the hospital? What happened to being punctual with me? What if I needed you for a job and suddenly you can’t cause you got your hand hurt?” he scolded her, and she looked down “Yeah, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize my phone cracked when I was in n109 zone” She explained, playing with her fingers, “I couldn’t reach anyone except for Zayne and Xavier. I’m sorry”

Rafayel felt bad for scolding her before he sighed, gently caressing Mc’s hand before he held it. “It’s fine, I was more worried for you than angry about it.” He placed her uninjured hand to his cheek, nuzzling it and Mc looked taken aback before she smiled, rubbing his cheeks “Thank you Rafayel” He could get used to this to be fair. He liked the attention, the gentleness of his crush, however…

“By the way” he hummed, looking at Mc with an indescribable look, “Tara told me something” he continued, gripping on Mc’s hand a bit before giving her palm a bite, “She said you spent so much time with other people, Doctor Zayne and someone named Xavier?” Mc’s eyes widened before she started giggling “Are you jealous?” she said before Rafayel pouted, letting her hand go. “No! Why would I? You’d pick me either way!” he said, crossing his arms. Seriously, he was super confident during that time, and now look what happened. He didn’t expect that when he asked Mc out on a date, she was already in one with this Doctor Zayne! He was emitting a bad aura which made Mc sigh.

“I told you that I was busy, and I was with someone, but you complained if they’re much more important than you” She was feeling a headache coming to her, and It amused Zayne, considering she was usually the one causing the headache for him, this is interesting. Zayne was expecting a simple hangout with Mc when she got a call from an unknown caller, he didn’t expect it would be the guy that visited her and caused a lot of noise in the hospital back then was now sitting down eating his food angrily, Zayne kept a poker face before he went to eat his portion of the meal. “Nice to meet you, Rafayel” he stated, looking at Rafayel who glared at him “My name is Zayne, you were the one that a nurse informed me visited Mc during non-visitation hours?”

Rafayel sat up straight from that, pointing the fork at Zayne “Excuse you! Nobody stopped me!” Zayne didn’t bother to look at him anymore before he gave Mc some of his vegetables “Eat” he whispered to her, she was going to whine but if she did, it’d be two whiners in one area, no way she was going to do that, so she accepted her fate and begrudgingly takes the vegetables.

“Hey!” Rafayel pouted, looking at both of them, honestly, they looked like a couple, and it made his heart ache. “The reason why they didn’t stop you was because you rushed inside without stopping, the majority of nurses are women and what happens If a fully grown adult man came rushing into the room of a patient?” the audacity of this guy! He’s making it sound like he’s going to physically assault the nurses! “Luckily enough Mc here told the nurses not to call the guards, and to just inform me that someone broke the protocol. You should thank her that you weren’t thrown out.” Zayne stated, finishing the conversation before Rafayel could even say anything.

Rafayel continued to glare at Zayne, honestly now that he sees his fault, it was immature of him to just barge inside, but can you blame him? He was upset and worried for Mc! “I’m sorry,” He said, relaxing himself, and Zayne stared at him “Apology accepted, please don’t do that again." And that was it, end of conversation again, he was expecting retaliation from the guy, but he guessed he was the nonchalant type. Mc doesn’t seem bothered by it, as a matter of fact, she seems to like the silence while she eats. “It seems like you two would get along well!” she said as if the shenanigans that happened just a few minutes ago didn’t happen, “Doctor Zayne already introduced himself, why don’t you introduce yourself too?” Mc went to get a drink before gulping it down, and Zayne was looking at her again. Why aren’t they paying attention to Rafayel much? This hurts his ego.

“I was thinking that Doctor Zayne already knows about me,” he chided, wanting to tease this prick of a doctor, crossing his arms. “Your name was repeated multiple times, and you almost got framed for murder, yes?” Zayne said, wiping the tissue on his lips, elegant asshole. “What? Where did you even hear that from?” He looked confused, isn’t Zayne an outsider?

“Mc and I went to investigate that matter before, so I know about the case” He answered, as if reading Rafayel’s thoughts, it was easy to read the guy, he was like an open book because of his reactions, like Mc. Rafayel looked away awkwardly “Case solved! You don’t need to bring that up,” he grumbled, just how much did Mc spend time with this guy? He heard a chuckle from Zayne, “From what I heard you’re quite a disaster, always attracting trouble, or creating trouble for yourself” he said and Rafayel’s cheeks turned beet red from embarrassment “Shut up!”

“See,” the banter was stopped when Mc giggled “you two do get along!”

“No we don’t,” Rafayel glared at her, words coming out harshly and firmly “I find teasing him entertaining, it is nice to finally put a face to the name, Rafayel, some of my acquaintances are fans of your works” Zayne looked at him, stone-faced, unlike Rafayel, this guy wasn’t easy to understand, everything he says, he states it in a monotone voice, his face remaining neutral, the perfect doctor face or whatever, It’s the polar opposite of him. It makes him worried that Mc doesn’t like him because of his expressions, maybe she likes a guy like Zayne.

Then a phone started ringing, it was a girly ringtone which surprised Mc, looking at her phone she noticed it was Xavier, making her smile unknowingly, “I gotta take this, give me a second” She looked at Zayne who nodded, while she just waved at Rafayel who looked like he was ready to whine about it. Leaving him with this guy? Especially in a café where lovers are usually around? Call him dramatic but this is definitely not something he wants to stay in, when he was about to stand up when Zayne suddenly talked.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, drinking the coffee he ordered, Rafayel flinched before sitting back down “I was going to get water, it’s self-serving here you know.” Rafayel lied, looking away, why is he even avoiding eye contact? This guy has nothing on him. “Mc would be sad if you suddenly left just because she got a phone call.” He hummed, fixing their table cleaning it out of the empty dishes, and asking the waiter to clean it. It made Rafayel confused, but he stayed sat as told. “How about we play kitty cards while we wait?” he smiled. ✦•······················•✦•······················•✦ Word Count: 2,105

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jeonscatalyst · 2 months ago

Note

What the fuck did I just see? Someone's middle-aged mother is literally fighting for her life in the comments section of a TikTok video saying the pic of JK with Jimin's name on his chest is fake and was done by "Jokers" and that she luckily has money and bought the photobook and there's absolutely NOTHING on JK's chest. I have the photobook by the way, and the "Jimin" is right there🤦🏻‍♀

ARMYs who aren't shippers are telling her they bought the photobooks and Jimin's name is 100% there and this Señora is literally like "nope". She's not accepting a thing. It's all "Jokers can't fool us." And the reposts on her account is all theories and "analyses" about Hybe villainizing Tae, Jimin being a liar and making up stories about him and JK, JK putting that orange pillow between him and Jimin to establish boundaries so he doesn't get too close, too touchy. And about how Tae was there behind-the-scenes and how JK was making signs with his hands to tell him he loves him.

I literally never thought it was possible for some people to be so out of touch with reality while appearing normal asf, until I came to know about Taekookers

I'm not ageist and I don't believe it's weird that older people are shipping (the way I see most people say) but this is how it's fucking weird, for people for any age

Some of y'all seriously need to fetch your mothers, try and check what they get up to on the socials or something🤦🏻‍♀. My biggest fear is finding out that my 50 year old mother is writing delusional stuff about her favorite gay couple being hidden by another gay couple and hating on one of those guys for separating her faves.

You know what I recently discovered? Middle aged and older shippers tend to be more delusional than younger ones. This is because younger fans tend to know how to navigate and find real content to watch and get the right information but the older fans don’t and this is not necessarily to say they aren’t tech savvy or none of that but the older ones are just more naive and easier to decieve that young fans who know how fandoms work and how easy it is for people to get manipulated by edits and wrong information.

Most of these kinds of shippers frequent youtube, tiktok and instagram to get their information about the members and ships so what do you expect when all those places are filled with edited videos which intentionally twist things or leave out context? I’m pretty sure that lady didn’t actually buy the photo book but probably just saw other tkkrs posting that tiktok where someone did an unboxing of the photo book. Looking at things from there, it doesn’t look like there is anything on Jk’s chest because you have to zoom in to see. Tkkrs ofcourse don’t want there to be a picture of Jk in the photobook with Jimin’s name on his chest so if there is anything that can “prove” that it was an edit, they would happily jump at it.

#the cult #ship discourse

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wooahaeruby · 2 months ago

Text

Chapter 27: One Eye Open

Chapter Word Count: 5,198

Assumed alcohol consumption and assumed stalking this chapter.

Master List | Prev | Next

It started with a letter placed in your mailbox.

You were coming home from a night out with Jeonghan when you stopped to grab your mail, sorting through the bills as you took the stairs up, stumbling upon an envelope with no return address.

Confused, you read over your typed full name, not even your changed name, your birth name before you changed it, and your address. As you neared your apartment door, you glanced around cautiously, not seeing anything out of place but quickly slid into your apartment. Dropping everything at the front door, you made sure everything was locked and secured before your curiosity got the better of you.

Though hesitant, you ripped the letter open and removed the single sheet of paper within, unfolding it slowly. Staring back at you against the white sheet was, again, typed black words.

We are watching

That had you swallowing down your nerves as you continued to read down the list.

At the top was your birth name, nearly foreign to you after so many years of not hearing it. It was followed by your birthday and age, even going as far as to list your hometown and what hospital you were born in. Your stomach dropped to the floor, seeing your parents’ names printed there as well.

Flipping over the paper found nothing. Once more you read over the information and shook your head to snap out of the unnerving anxiety that coursed through your veins.

“This is some sick joke.” You managed to mutter, running a hand through your hair and crumbled up the paper, tossing it in the garbage. “Probably those fucking asshole aunts that wanted nothing to do with me as a kid.”

Justifying it was your best answer, knowing the guys in SVT were probably the only ones that knew most of this information outside of your blood relatives, along with your job because they ran a background check on you. A small part of your gut was telling you to take it seriously but a much larger part wasn’t going to dwell on it until it became an actual issue.

It would be stupid to worry about it too much, right?

Siyeon had texted you early Friday afternoon, letting you know she needed you at the shop to make sure the dress for the ball fit. Though you did have plans with Joshua, you messaged him, asking to meet later due to Siyeon’s request, which he agreed thankfully due to something coming up at the shipping company.

When you pulled up to the shop after work, you were surprised to see Gahyeon pulling into the spot beside you. You really only knew her from being another 99 liner with Chan, Wooyoung, and them, and you were kinda excited for the karaoke night tomorrow to actually properly talk to her.

“Mouse!” She beamed when she stepped out from her car, seeing you join her towards the front of the vehicles. “Did she call you in for the fitting too?”

“Yeah,” You snickered, following after her and she hurried inside. “You were invited?”

“Mhmm~ Si and I are going this year since Minji isn’t in the country right now.”

Running through the names in your head, you tried to figure out which one of them was Minji…you remember Siyeon telling you what each of their names were but you frowned…

“Which one is Minji again?” You whispered, blanking on the name.

“Our Leader.” She gave you a wink and it came back to you, Countess , Minji. Gotta remember that one…

“Thanks. I’m still trying to memorize some names but I don’t hear them all the time.”

“Nah, I understand. You are coming out with us tomorrow, right?” Gahyeon pulled the door open for the two of you, motioning you inside before you nodded.

“Mmm, Woo wouldn’t let me say no and Chan said he’d throw me in the car.”

“After so long, I have another woman there with me.” She joked and Siyeon was before the two of you in an instant.

One look around showed the store was overall empty aside, no other workers present as Siyeon took your arm.

“You’re here.” There was mischief in her eyes when she looked at you and Gahyeon rolled her eyes. “Let’s get you dressed.”

“Yah, what about me?”

Siyeon waved her off but the youngest of Dreamcatcher only smirked along with Siyeon. You…didn’t like that too much but you were being whisked away quickly to the dressing rooms in the back of the store.

“It’s hanging on the hook. Put it on then come out so I can pin it.” And the curtain was closed in your face.

Turning around, your eyes widened at the deep red gown hanging before you.

From the front, it seemed like a halter top with a golden chain collar holding the bodice up. The neckline was low, reaching the middle of your sternum, definitely intentional to show off your body. The one thing that you were uncertain about was the body style of the dress, it was more fitted, trumpet style that would hug your waist, hips, and legs. You were unsure if you were going to like the fit but Siyeon already put so much effort into it…

You stripped down and took the dress down from the hanger, turning it around, only to chuckle at the same golden chains that went from the back of the halter bow, attaching to the side of the collar chain.

It took a moment for you to figure out how to get into the dress, with the halter top and the low back, you were afraid you’d be showing a little too much but once you managed to slide it on, you were pleasantly surprised.

While it did hug your body, it wasn’t tight and the velvet material wasn’t scratchy, but rather soft and comfortable. Though the bodice was low cut, it wasn’t flimsy to expose you and had decent structure to properly protect and cover you. The surprise you found as you flattened the dress and went to move was the slit cut into the front of the dress. Looking in the mirror around you, it reached just above the knee, but as you moved your leg out to take a step it rested mid-thigh.

With the extra material at the bottom to take in for the heels you pick, you made sure everything was secured before pushing the curtain open, meeting both Gahyeon and Siyeon’s eyes. Standing on the pedestal dressed in a gorgeous navy blue dress with silver star patterns throughout the material was Gahyeon, playing on her phone while the older woman worked. Before her, Siyeon sat on the floor, pinning the layers to hem later, but her eyes lit up at the sight of you in the red dress.

“It turned out better than I expected.” You watched as her eyes ran over your body and you snorted, kicking the slit open some.

“Had fun with that?” Pointing down to it, Siyeon winked.

“That was thanks to your boyfriends .”

“Wait- boyfriends? Who?”

“Little Miss Mouse has Shua and Han wrapped around her fingers.” Siyeon said dramatically, going back to her work on her youngest member’s dress.

“I don’t have them wrapped around my fingers.” Taking a seat on the couch to wait for your turn, Gahyeon rolled her eyes, leveling with you through the mirror.

“You definitely do because whenever Han calls to talk, he can’t shut up about you. Though the Shua situation must have been recent if I haven’t heard about it.”

“Han told me and I just forgot to tell.” Siyeon added.

Crossing your arms over your chest, you gave a huff. “Why am I not surprised that you gossip about it?”

“Because you have Han so whipped that it’s ridiculous.” Siyeon laughed, placing the last pin on the skirt before moving onto the bodice. “Through all the years I’ve known him, I haven’t even heard him talk about the members as much as he talks about you.”

Despite your denial, your cheeks slowly flushed, “He doesn’t talk about me that much…”

“Just because you don’t hear it, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.”

A pout formed on your face and you couldn’t help slouching down in your seat, flustered. Siyeon was quick to get the pinning done on Gahyeon’s dress before the youngest was set off to change. You were pulled up next, seeing the analytical glint in the oldest woman’s eyes, her head tilting to the side.

“What?” You asked but she was walking off towards the back, leaving you standing there with no explanation.

It took a few minutes for her to come back, a short stack of two shoe boxes in hand as she sank down to sit on the floor. Watching her take each told off, you were met with three different sets of golden colored heels. The first your eyes rested on were strappy, ment to wrap up around your calf but Siyeon was quick to move them aside, seemingly not liking them as she gazed at the full outfit. The second seemed more appropriate. These heels, a pair of closed toed stilettos, were similar gold color to the chains of the dress, decorated in a beautiful filigree pattern.

With a simple ask from Siyeon to try them on, you slid the heels on, gazing in the mirrors before you, nodding at the selection. At your feet, She wasted no time in finding the length needing to be cut off, pin after pin placed in the fabric methodically. Gahyeon emerged from the dressing room beside yours and threw herself stomach first on the couch, phone in hand.

“Wooyoung won’t shut up in the groupchat.” She muttered, rolling her eyes, seeing her reflection in the mirror scroll almost endlessly on her phone. “Something about the other 99 liners in his group coming with us tomorrow.”

“I forgot there are four other 99ers in their group…” You pinched the bridge of your nose. “Who all is going?”

“So it’s Woo, San, Yeosang, Yunho, Mingi, Binnie, Yeonjun, Chan, you, and me.” She typed something out quickly, the sound of her nails against the screen was heard. “We tried getting the youngest of Twice but she isn’t in the country either right now.”

“So we are entering into a sausage fest?”

Siyeon snorted before a laugh was bubbling out of her. “You would know, Mouse.”

“Go fuck yourself.” Glaring down at her, you huffed in annoyance. “I didn’t ask to be brought into the frat house that is SVT. Much to everyone’s perception of them, they are still just men . I am not even sure how any one of them survived this long with only a few of them knowing how to properly cook.”

In response, Siyeon only laughed again, finishing the work on the skirt before standing up, checking for any issues in the top half of the dress. She shifted the material of the dress here and there, only taking note to change the length of the chains until it rested just above your elbows.

You were able to change back into your work clothes, handing the dress off to your friend before joining Gahyeon on the couch, taking out your phone to see that Wooyoung did spam the chat just as she said.

“Bruh, does he do nothing else all day but text?”

“Sometimes, yeah. He is my friend but kinda obnoxious.” She laughed, “But hey, he said he is paying so I’m down.”

“Thank god, I’m already at my budget for the week.” You laughed, crossing your legs, taking note of the frown on Gahyeon’s face.

“Your budget? You guys don’t have a company or group card type thing?”

You matched her frown. “I mean, I know they do, I’ve technically used it two or three times, but why should I be using it? It isn’t really my money, I can pay for my own things. I’m a big girl.”

Your explanation only had her looking more puzzled. “That…Okay. Weird. That doesn’t really make sense.”

“How is it weird-” Cut off by your phone ringing, you sighed, seeing the nickname you have for Joshua, Simp #2, pop up on your phone. You answered, still frowning down at Gahyeon who went back to her phone. “Hey, did you just finish up?”

“ Yeah,” He sounded tired. “ Can I meet you at the diner on Tenth? Simple tonight?”

“That isn’t a problem, Shua. I’ll see you there.”

He hummed out in agreement before the line went dead and Gahyeon was back to glancing up at you. “Why is it weird that I don’t use the company card?”

Pursing her lips, she looked to the side than back at you. “Well for one, you are technically in the business . That is just obvious. For another thing, you are dating two of them. You can’t really back out of this life now.”

Maybe she had a point, but at the same time, you were fine with how you were living now. You didn’t need the metaphorical handout, hell you were still partially weird about the car, but that was a separate issue from Seungcheol.

“On top of that, you and I both know that Han is paying for this outfit and everything that comes with it and he paid for the necklace, and the gala dress-”

“Okay- I get it.” You sighed, pushing your hair back from your face. “I’m fine with how I am. I don’t want to overstep my place or anything, okay? I don’t want to bring it up unless I’m really in need of some help.”

Once more, she looked puzzled but shrugged. “As long as you aren’t struggling, okay.”

Gathering your things, you stood up, giving her a pat on the head. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, I’m going to meet Shua.”

She snickered, “Have fun on your date~”

“Tell Siyeon I said bye.”

“Mhmm.”

“Why do you have that look on your face?” Sitting across from Joshua in the small diner, he tilted his head, eyes showing some concern.

Furrowing your brows for a moment, you shook your head. “What look?”

He snickered, reaching across the table with his palms facing up. Slowly, you placed your hands on top of his, letting his thumb run over the back of your hands. “The look where you are both pouting and thinking about something that is bothering you.”

“When I was at the dress shop, Gahyeon basically asked me why I don’t ever use the company card myself.”

Joshua hummed, raising his eyes from your hands to your face. “And why is that bothering you?”

“I…don’t know.”

Honestly, you didn’t know why it bothered you so much. The drive over here was full of the question about why but you couldn’t come up with a relatively good answer for yourself.

“Are you or Hannie bothered that I don’t use it? Like is it a big deal to you that I don’t?”

Joshua moved his head side to side, flattening his lips in thought. “I wouldn’t say I hate that you don’t at least use it. I don’t know Jeonghan's opinions, but I know personally that I’d like it if you let me, us , take care of you, even if it’s just Han and I’s money. It’s one of those things where I know I have the money to provide for you and while I do that currently with certain things, I want to be able to do more if needed. However, I also know that you want to take care of yourself and probably won’t admit you were struggling until you really need it.”

“I hate that you can read my mind with the last part.” Dropping your head on the table, you sighed, giving his hands a squeeze.

“What was said at the shop that got it in your head though?”

“We were talking about tomorrow night when I got out with the guys and ‘Hyeon, Woo said he was going to pay for everything and I joked about how I’m at my budget for the week so I’m happy he was and she asked why I wasn't using the card.” Lifting your head, you peered through your lashes to see Joshua’s reaction.

“If you are struggling, you know we don’t mind.”

Once more, you dropped your head. “I know…I’m not struggling, just so you know. I am within my budgeting, I should hopefully get a raise towards the end of the year, things are okay.”

“I’m not worried,” He traced aimless patterns with his thumbs against the back of your knuckles. “You have a good head on your shoulders. But you know any one of us will help if you need it.”

“Stop being sickeningly sweet.”

“Mm…Nah.” Joshua gave a wink and you rolled your eyes. “That is what boyfriends are for.”

Wooyoung messaged the chat to dress comfortably, nothing fancy, he wanted everyone to be normal , emphasis on normal and comfortable. It’s how you ended up in your favorite stretchy, soft ripped jeans, and a very faded band t-shirt you found at a thrift store a few years ago.

Though…losing rock paper scissors against Chan didn’t make you that upset when you arrived at the penthouse. It just meant you would have one drink and none the rest of the night so you could successfully drive the two of you back later that night. He did rub in it some, bouncing around all happy, bounding down the hall to get something from one of the rooms.

Jeonghan and Joshua were watching something in the living room, both mindlessly on their phones until you walked through the door.

“Wah~ Look at my girl.” Jeonghan was at your side in an instant, encircling you within his arms, tiredly gazing down at you. “As gorgeous as ever.”

“Hello to you too, Hannie.” Placing a kiss to his cheek, you hugged him tightly, trying your best not to get any of the little makeup you wore on the soft sweater he had on. “You look tired.”

“Mm~ Nothing a little sleep can’t fix later. I’ll be okay, love.” His reassurance had you placing a chaste his to his lips, watching the smile bloom on his lips.

Breaking from his hold, you shuffled over Joshua, placing yourself down on the couch beside him, kissing his cheek as you did with Jeonghan. “Hi.”

“Hey,” He looked just as tired as Jeonghan despite getting decent sleep the night before with him staying at your apartment. “Let us know if you need help getting Chan home later.”

“I should be fine.” Snickering, you reached up and booped his nose. “But I’ll call if I need a hand.”

“Mouse! Come on!” Chan, hurrying back into the room, made his way to the door, phone and wallet in hand.

Though smiling, you rolled your eyes, placing one last kiss to Joshua’s lips and standing up. Jeonghan dropped himself back on the couch as you passed him, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

“Sure, dad .” Chan stuck his tongue out, throwing the door open and left down the corridor.

“It’s only going to get worse when I’m the only sober one.” You commented, waving to both of them, following Chan out of the penthouse and down the elevator.

“Oh you know it, unless you call lover boys and have them pick both of us up and your car.” He skipped to your car once the elevator opened, waiting like an impatient child as you unlocked the doors and got in.

Since Seungcheol changed Chan’s job within the group, he had been a lot happier, even energetic. After one of your training lessons, he thanked you, apologizing for not saying anything sooner but you waved him off, saying you were just glad to see him be himself. That also led to him actively reaching out more when you weren’t training with him and begging you to agree to go out with the 99 line even when you told him three times you already were going to go.

The drive over the quiet, both taking the momentary peace to relax before the chaos that was apparently a 99 line get together. Chan’s phone kept going off but he ended up laughing, saying that Changbin got a flat tire and Wooyoung was picking him up. You arrived only a few minutes early, seeing Gahyeon standing outside beside San and Yeosang as you pulled into a spot.

“Guys!” Chan hollered excitedly, beaming brightly as he clasped hands with San, giving a pat on the back as a greeting.

“Woo is going to be late with Bin, Mingi and Yunho should be here in a few.” San grinned, giving you a wave which you returned. “Mouse.”

“Hey, San, Yeosang.” You smiled, feeling Gahyeon link her arm with yours, snickering.

“None of them are on time. Yeojun should be here in a moment too.”

“We can head inside, Woo got us the larger room so we can all fit.”

“Gotta love friends that own a karaoke bar.” Gahyeon fake swooned, pulling you along with the guys following behind.

“Another thing I really shouldn’t be surprised about but I am.” You laughed, seeing San sidestep the two of you, turning and walking backwards.

“Nothing should ever surprise you at this point, Mouse~” San’s wink made you scoff at him with a smile. He led the group along, pushing the thick door open and ushered everyone inside. Gahyeon pulled you down onto the nice, rater plush couch.

“All food and drinks are covered.” Yeosang’s eyes beamed.

“Mouse promised to drive home.” Chan snickered but you hit his arm as he sat beside you.

“Correction, rat boy, I lost rock paper scissors.”

“Ah, just have your boyfriends pick you guys up.” Gahyeon threw in.

“Boyfriends?” Yeosang asked curiously.

You threw your head back. “Not this again!”

Waiting on the rest of the group to arrive, you had to run down the story to Yeosang and San, where Chan would not stop butting in. San was laughing at you with Gahyeon. When Yunho, Mingi, and Yeonjun came in, the room got louder, mainly from Yunho egging on San. It only got worse when Wooyoung and Changbin walked in, sending Chan and Yeonjun into an uproar.

“This is why it’s a sausage feast.” Gahyeon kicked her slides off and hugged your arm.

“Oh, it wasn’t the group of seven guys?”

“You should have seen the first meet up when I joined.” You both watched as the guys shared hugs, laughter filling the room once more. “It was a bunch of wild animals and me.”

“Guess we are the ringleaders?”

“Oh, baby, you wish.” Wooyoung winked, tuning into the conversation. “I’m the ringleader.”

“I want to be the ringleader!” Yeonjun chimed in, throwing his arm over Wooyung’s shoulder.

“Neither of you should be within five miles of a leader position.” Yeosang rolled his eyes, picking up the laminated ‘menu’ from the coffee table between the couch and the TV screen for karaoke. “ATZ would burn to the ground if Hongjoong wasn’t in charge.”

“I could only imagine if Yeonjun was in charge of TXT.”

“Apparently he put a bullet through half of their heads.” You commented, remembering one of his member’s snarky remarks from that gala.

“Can you guys stop bitching?” Mingi flopped himself down on the couch beside Chan, stretching out his long limbs.

“Why am I friends with any of you?” Gahyeon questioned, resting her head on your shoulder.

Rolling his eyes, Wooyoung stared at her unimpressed. “Because you’d be a loser with no friends if you weren’t.”

“Go fuck yourself, Wooyoung.”

“I’d rather have someone to fuck but sure babes.”

Okay maybe you shouldn’t have listened to Changbin and Yeonjun…

Maybe you shouldn’t have taken so many shots because you now really couldn’t drive home…

“Do not sing My Heart Will Go On !” San whined, face bright red, words slurred the more he spoke. “I don’t wanna hear your screeching!”

“It’s just the Toad version!” Wooyoung stumbled to throw his arm around Yeonjun, both giggling as the song was pulled up thanks to Yunho who stayed sober with Yeosang.

Chan was getting up with them, not hesitating as he joined in on the song. It was ear piercing, hearing all of them singing in the worst tone possible to match the infamous Toad version of the song. You and the rest were booing, even throwing napkins – or in Mingi’s case, his shoe – at the three.

Changbin took his ‘turn’, somehow keeping track of the imaginary list of contestants if they wanted to sing. Gahyeon was just as gone, if not more, than you were currently. She was sitting with San, both snickering, faces flustered. You did manage to get everyone a bottle of water, drinking or not, and have them down some between drinks. You did end up texting your group chat with Jeonghan and Joshua, letting them know that you and Chan would definitely need a ride. All Joshua asked when he ended up replying was to call so they could drive over.

You head shot up hearing the first note of the song Changbin put on, a well known G note that many might not know if you weren’t in your emo phase at least once in your life.

“God no!”

“ When I was…a young boy-” Hearing him start to sing, words jumbled together, you were joining in, grabbing Chan by the arm.

Somehow that ended up with a majority joining on, microphones long forgotten as the horrible mix of mismatched vocal keys filled the room. San got up, swaying with each shuffled step but was able to dance around in an uncoordinated fashion that had a majority of you laughing. As more songs were played through, it was evident the energy was getting exhausted the longer the group of you went on. San was half asleep against Yeosang’s side with Mingi mumbling a conversation with Yunho and Wooyoung. Chan was giggly and smiley as he spoke with Yeonjun who was just as gone.

You had found yourself nestled against Gahyeon, feeling her carding her hands through your hair, even braiding a few strands.

You felt happy, the alcohol made you feel warm and your head was a little hazy, but you were genuinely happy. It’s been a little bit since you felt this happy having more friends, being able to be a woman in your twenties, going out and just having fun. The last time was college but it felt like ages ago.

“Channie…” You lifted your head from Gahyeon’s shoulder, seeing the man turn his head to you with wide, drowsy eyes. “Is it okay if we go home? I’m starting to get tired…”

“Home?” His eyes brightened at the mention, “Are you gonna call-?”

“Her boyfriends~!” Yeonjun finished his sentence as you fished out your phone from your pocket.

“Yeah, I’ll call ‘em.” You muttered, pulling your legs close to your chest, dialing Joshua’s number.

It took a moment of ringing before it connected, hearing the tired hum of his voice.

“Can you come get us?”

“ Huh-? Yeah.” He groaned, probably sitting up. You didn’t know how late it was. “ I’ll get Han and we’ll be there in, like, twenty minutes. ”

“Thank you.” He hummed once more in response before the call ended.

You ended up closing your eyes for a few minutes, the couch in the room a pile of limbs and drunk conversation. You swore it was only a few minutes…

“Jeonghan!” Chan’s voice had you rousing from your unintentional slumber. “Shua!”

“Quiet down, it’s three in the morning.” Jeonghan chided, dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants, tired eyes landing on you.

“We were waiting for them to get picked up before we left.” Yunho said, “One of Gahyeon’s group will be here in a moment too.”

“Thanks…” Joshua huffed, looking down to you and Chan with a small, fond smile on his lips. “Come on, both of you, up.”

Chan stood on unstable feet but steadied himself, grabbing his jacket. You…You were another story.

Peeling Gahyeon’s arms from around you, Joshua took your hands and helped you stand, placing his hands on your waist to keep you steady. You shook your head, trying to clear the fog that clouded your brain.

“Where are your keys?” He asked.

“Channie has them.”

“Let’s get you back to the penthouse.”

Nodding in agreement, you bid those awake a goodnight, waving the best you could with your heavy limbs, letting Joshua lead you out. Jeonghan was only a few steps ahead with Chan, listening to him ramble about the night, keeping an arm around the youngest shoulder so he wouldn’t run straight into a wall like he almost did, twice.

Chan and Jeonghan took your car back while Joshua placed you in Jeonghan’s car and trailed behind them. The ride was quiet, mainly because you were tired, and getting you up the elevator was the worst time, seeing as the jolt that started it almost had you falling over.

Jeonghan took the time to get Chan to bed, it was a struggle since Chan didn’t shut up but when he finally managed to slip out, Jeonghan looked exhausted. You were shuffled into a room and pushed to change in the bathroom by Joshua, hearing quiet murmuring as you got ready for bed. When you shuffled out, both were sitting on the bed in two different states of drowsiness. If either of them lied down, they’d probably pass out.

“ ‘m sorry I woke you up.” You sat between them.

“It’s okay.” Jeonghan put his arm around you, pulling you close to his side. He placed a kiss to the side of your head, knocking his head forehead gently against the side of yours. “I’ll let you get to bed.”

There was a pull in your chest, you didn’t know if it was the alcohol earlier or something else, but you grabbed his hand.

“Can you…both stay with me?”

Above your head, Jeonghan shared a look with Joshua from what you could tell before he kissed the side of your head once more.

“Sure, but I call the little spoon.”

“You suck.”

Joshua and Jeonghan got themselves comfortable, letting you fall in between them. Joshua didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around your waist, pulling you snug against his chest. Jeonghan nestled himself between your arms, facing you instead of letting you spoon him.

Tiredly, you placed an arm over his waist, basking in the warmth both brought.

“Go to sleep, Mouse.” Jeonghan whispered, getting his arms wiggled around your middle to keep you close as Joshua did.

You could feel Joshua press his head into the back of your neck, cuddling himself close as he had done many times before when sleeping over or napping. Relaxing in both of their holds, your eyes got heavier, muttering out a goodnight, or what you thought was a goodnight, to both of them before you were out for the night.

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