#Wonder Woman breaks box office records

[galadriel1010]

Not to overthink about this or anything, but the consequences of some of Phryne's decisions are hilarious and genuinely life changing in ways that the show never touches on.

Phryne flies to England. In doing so, she becomes the first woman to fly solo between the two countries. The real first woman to fly between the two countries was Amy Johnson. Yes, that Amy Johnson. She was a complete unknown when she set off from Croydon, and only started attracting attention when she was in Asia and on schedule to break the record for fastest journey. When she eventually reached Darwin, she received over 500 telegrams, and a crowd of over 30,000 people welcomed her when she arrived in Melbourne. Shell received so many complaints about her route from people who wanted her to visit their town that they had to put an announcement in the paper that it was nothing to do with them.

Miss Fisher is not an unknown. By the time she leaves Australia, she is the daughter of a Baron and the niece of one of Melbourne's more respectable matriarchs. She has directed a box-office breaking film after investigating the murder of its much-loved star, organised a tennis tournament and investigated the murder of a rising tennis star, and additionally been involved in the investigation of the murders of a hugely popular and successful football player, a noted theatre actor, a well-known French artist and a racing driver.

It's no wonder she had Frederick Burn outside her house. She was already a celebrity, before she set off on such a ridiculous endeavour. She's the sort of woman who gets featured on stamps, and in ranges of inspirational books for little girls. She has almost certainly been a Barbie.

The personal life section of her Wikipedia is just going to be a list of notable men she was rumoured to be engaged to and then Jack, at the bottom of a 10,000 word essay about all the other ridiculous shit that she did, and it will double in length when the Official Secrets Act expires.

[kuni-is-daddy]

Thinking about Scara making us rub his cock with our pussy until we both cum

DOM! BOSS SCARAMOUCHE X FEMALE BODYGUARD READER.

100 followers special AHH OMFG TY.

PURE FILTH.

Juicy stuff: Grinding,Recording, at a desk :<, Yandere themes

Featuring: CHILDE, he's your bestie in the start :) had so much fun writing Childe in this KKLMK I LOVE HIM❤️❤️😩

1.2K WORDS.

amazing art credits! Scara masterlist Part 1 of Boss scara.

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT.

Stillness, Silence. The complete opposite of thunder. And that was his mother, The raiden shogun. God of thunder. Rumors spread around the elaborate 'Gakaden' company that once again her excellency has cancelled another meeting with her son. Its been 200 years since he's last seen her, heard her voice. Scaramouche was only able to rejoice in the sweet sent she left from each letter that was sent in her fluid handwriting.

"Y/n Y/n!" Childe said while tapping your shoulder. "Ah! Childe!! you scared me. Dont sneak up on me like that!" you nudged his shoulder in return. "Hah hah. sorry comrade~ anyway. Did you hear about scara?" you closed the book, bookmarking where you left off. "Yeah our Excellency is quite the busy woman. At least now i can catch up on my book" you smiled. "Why'd you ask? Is everything okay?" You gave a concerned look and the ginger then laughed at you. "Well the thing is.....IM GOING BACK HOME!!!" he took out a picture of teucer and the rest of his siblings. They we're wearing christmas sweaters while holding a 'welcome home' sign. "oh shit really!? your going back to snezhnaya? Thats great childe! how long are you going to be gone?" "hmm probably a month or two. Scara said we needed a break." Childe said "We? what do you mean by we?" You looked at him suprised. "Soo...You dont know gurly?" You gave a straight face. "No- I dont know GUrLy" "Scara is giving us a month off from work. He said something about wanting time to himself and-- I dont know the rest. To be honest, all i know is that we come back next month on the 30th." You scanned the room to see your fellow co-workers organizing their desks and holding boxes in their hands. "Seriously!? Thats great! That means i can go back home and-" Suddenly. The intercom rang with a short beep.

"If Y/N L/N Is still present in the building, Please report to Lord Scaramouche's Office Immediately!"

You tilted your head at the request. "Oooo did you get in trouble y/n??" "No? Or at least.. I hope not." You got up and placed your book back on your desk. Sighing at the sudden realization you we're gonna be by yourself without your 'best friend' for another month. "hey hey.. Cheer up okay? Its only a month and besides. WE CAN ALWAYS TEXT!!" childe waved his phone in your face, your sad expression then turning into a happy one. "HEY THERE GURLY-" "YOU LOOK WELL" "CARE TO EXCHANGE.." "NOTES?" The both of you giggled and then hugged eachother one final time. "Im gonna miss you so much ajax~" "of course, The one time you say my name its when im leaving-."

The intercom rang again. "Y/N... L/N.... REPORT TO LORD SCARAMOUCHE'S OFFICE IMMEDIATELY." now with a more nervous tone then ever. "God. Wonder whats going on over there they need me so bad." "Well..Ill be seeing you Comrade. Take care for me okay?" He gave you a kiss on the forehead, ending it off with you two doing your signature handshake as he walked out of the company.

While climbing the many floors you eventually made it to the 13th floor. Your master's office. You slowed down your stroll in the long cold dark hallway at the sound of pleads and yells. "P-PLEASE LORD SCARAMOUCHE.. I DONT KNOW WHERE SHE IS. I ASKED THROUGH THE WHOLE BUILDING TWICE, HAVE MERCY-" It sounded like the woman on the intercom. "Twice? I said bring her to my fucking office. Not call her, Not ASK around for her. Bring her. But you cant even do your goddam job." you put your hand against the doorknob, conflicting weather you should intervene or not. "Your nothing. Do you know that? Nobody special. I dont care about your family, Your kids, Or your life. Under me, Your just someone i hired for my mothers sake. Just a worker. Replaceable like the rest of the humans in here." You turned the doorknob, hoping to intervene in what sounded like the potential murder of your co-worker. She was being held by her throat, hovering over the balcony while scara held his signature katana in his other hand. "KUNI- STOP!" he turned his head immediately at the use of that name. The woman fell, gasping for air while recklessly running for her life out of the building.

"Hm. So you are here, Close the door." he dropped his blade in its stand and walked towards you. You closed the door, making sure it was locked and immediately turned your head. "Kuni? What the hell was that? Why did you try to KILL that woman??" He rubbed his hand along your shoulder. "Does it realllyyy matter baby? I can just hire a new one you know." he scoffed. "Kuni. Humans arent replaceable. You cant just KILL someone like that." "Mhm..Your right. Cant replace you and that sexy body of yours~" He grew closer to you, Placing your hand against his tie. "W-well..You wont have to worry about me. Or Ajax leaving..Anyway..Why did you call me in here- Master." He pulled away at your change in tone. If theirs one thing that drove kuni crazy about you, is how persistent you we're with work. Still managing to stay perfessional. He sat back behind his desk, Clicking his pen with a laid back expression. "Not in a good mood today pet, Was hoping you could change that f' me~" The balcony door was still open a bit behind him, the warm summer air breezed through the room. Making you tug at your own suit with how hot it started to feel, How intimidating he looked from across the room as you stood at the door. "O-okay..Where do you want me to go master? Do you want to go out to eat? I just have to get my case and-" he sighed and began unzipping his pants.

"Come here and ill show you~" You we're nervous at how intimate he sounded but reluctantly walked towards him. He looked you up and down, noticing how similar your outfit was to his. How your hips curved around the belt. "Want you to sit..Right here..." He rubbed his hands against his thighs, Motioning for you to sit. "B-but we shouldnt do it here- theirs people still working kuni-" He sucked his teeth at your remark. "You think i fucking care Pet? dont want to make master more mad do you?" "N..no..I dont." You closed the blinds to the balcony, remembering how you almost witnessed another womans murder infront of your eyes.. over you. You faced scara and blushed. Turning your head away while stripping each piece of clothing off of you until you wore nothing but lacey black lingerie. "God..You look so hot in those.." he groaned as you hovered over his cock. positioning your pussy right against it, "Grind on daddys cock. Fuck yes~" He threw his head back as your hands held onto the chair for stability.

"A-am i doing good for you master...?" he pressed his hands against your ass, slapping them as they made contact "AH~" "Hell yeah.. Your doing so good' want you wet for me." He shifted his hands towards your underwear, slowly making them shift down so he could see your clit. "K-kuni! what are you doing.." "Ugh~ turn your head back up- Wanna feel your clit rubbing against me" He pulled your underwear down, Repositioning you so your clit rubbed against his big length, Teasing you as your hole ached for him to be inside of you. "Master~ Your so big..hah..." "Yeah you like that pet? Like how good it feels against you?" Wet stains started to emerge on his pants as you grinded faster against him, Chasing the burning feeling he gave you. "K-kuni~ Feels so' good~ Please..fuck me.." you shifted your grip away from the chair, now tightly holding onto him instead. "Mmm dont think thats good enough love, Beg for it." Begging. Kuni always made you beg and scream for him, He loved hearing how desperate you we're for him to fill you up. To claim you as his. Watching as you cried in frustration when he'd pull out just when your about to cum. "K-KUNI~ PLEASE M' SO CLOSE" "Shit~ keep moaning like that, cum for daddy, cum for me. and ill fuck you. Fuck~ hah...bounce those tits for me. You look so fucking good~" he slowly pulled his phone out, Recording how your tongue stuck out for him and your tits bounced. How you looked like a dog in heat. "Fuck..Thats it y/n Dont stop, dont fucking stop." "AH~ K-KUNI M' GONNA CUM~ KUNI!!!!!!!!"

Your juices squirted all over kuni's pants as he came at the same time as you. You looked up to notice him recording you and covered your face in embarassment. "Mmm... is my little slut embarassed? god look at the fucking mess you made." He let his phone fall down on the floor. Roughly grabbing you and placing you against the desk. "K-Kuni! Dont be so- MMM~" he tied his tie around your mouth. Throwing his clothes onto the floor and picking up his phone once again. "Shit...Cant get enough of you y/n~ love how this pussy is all mine~ are you mine pet?" you nodded your head with no hesitation.

"Fuck yes. Im gonna break you."

[hailsatanacab]

DPxTheOffice

"He's gonna sell it all 'cause he's Danny Phantom"

that's so fucking funny, i hate how much i love this!! i have made it way too long, rip to my five sentence rule - there's such a goldmine of content here lmao

👻

"I'd say it's been going on for... about a month now?"

"Two months," Sam interrupts. "It started just after your parents came in, remember?"

"Oh, Ancients, yeah, them. I can't believe I forgot that."

"Yeah, dude, it's thanks to them that this all started!" Tucker's practically vibrating in his chair, far too cheerful about the whole thing.

"Yeah," Danny sighs, looking directly into the camera. "Thank you, Mom and Dad. Thank you very much."

"Danny's parents are ghost hunters, which, as you can imagine, got Michael very excited. And very into ghosts. He accused Meredith of haunting him the other day, now he keeps spraying her with holy water and yelling 'Begone, foul spectre!' He's really taken a liking to Danny's parents."

"Can't imagine why."

"Yeah, and then—then—" Tucker dissolves into laughter, wheezing as he tries to catch his breath. "Then he brings in that personal trainer! In her yoga pants and crop top, with a pilates ball and everything! Sends her over to—to see Meredith, and then—oh Ancients—then when the woman leaves and Meredith is still there, he locks himself in his office and blasts the Lord's Prayer!"

"We think he mispelt exorcist. Hired someone in exercise instead."

"Exorcists are all phoney, anyway! And PTs are only slightly less phoney, so make sure you do your research and get someone that actually knows what they're doing before you commit, kids." Danny says, pointing down the camera. "That's how I got so jacked."

Both Sam and Tucker share a look before bursting into even more laughter. With a soft smack on his arm, Sam can't help but tease, "Please, you're 5'4" and look like you'd break your arm if you ever picked up a ream of paper. No wonder your sales are so low."

"Wow, that's so rude. I can't believe you'd do me like that. I'm 5'4 and a half, thank you."

"That's right, babe, and we love you for it."

Their laughter peters out and the trio slowly pull themselves upright in their chairs, remembering the cameras and the story they're meant to be telling.

"Honestly, thanks to these guys, the past few weeks have been a nightmare."

"Now who's being rude? At least this is one of those fun nightmares that you can laugh about later."

"Nope, this is a normal nightmare that everytime you think you've woken up from, you get back to work and see your boss dressed up in a hazmat suit that your parents sent him and realise that actually, maybe the real nightmare was the work colleagues you made along the way."

"Oh. Yeah, that sounds about right, sorry, Danny."

Tucker puts him on the shoulder and stays silent for a grand total of five seconds before turning back to the camera with an ecstatic grin on his face and a deep breath.

"Anyway, everytime one of us goes into Michael's office, we sneak something off his desk and blame ghosts. Sam's hidden some speakers in the ceiling that play recordings of her crying on a timer."

"I should have been an actor. I also got some of the warehouse guys in on it, so everytime Michael goes down there they'll throw a box or two around and make some ghostly moans. Didn't even ask why, they just agreed."

Sam's back to looking very proud of herself. Danny's back to cradling his head in his hands.

"Is that why Boxy's been about lately? Guys, seriously? I need to sleep!"

The only answer he gets is a shrug as Tucker turns back to the camera.

"Oh, and I've also installed a script on his computer so that whenever he types the word 'ghosts'—or 'goats', again, he's not really great at typing—his screen starts getting all staticky and closes down. He shrieks everytime, it's so funny!"

"I wonder if he'll go with a different PT to exercise his office next?"

"We should suggest P90X—your office ghost free in three months or your money back!"

Sam and Tucker are both burst into laughter, sinking deeper into their chairs as Danny just shakes his head. It takes a solid minute for the two to calm down, and more than one pointed question from the producer to get them back on track.

"Where's it going? Does it really have to go anywhere? Can't the joy of the bit be destination enough?"

"I wish it would go away," Danny groans, still not lifting his head. "I get enough of ghost hunting in my free time, I don't need it here, too."

"I've changed Danny's employee file to list him as deceased just to see how long it takes Michael to notice."

"Seriously? Tucker, really? That's—"

"Genius, Tuck. And then we can be all: 'Michael, what are you on about? Danny's been dead for three years!' I can't wait to see his face!"

"You guys know that Dwight's going to actually try to end me if he finds out, right? Pretty sure Dad slipped him a Fenton blaster before he left."

"You know what they say," Tucker says, grinning directly down the camera, "'Gaslight, Ghost them, Get pranked, boss!'"

[supeskenobi]

Reddit User u/aambro flagged this article from 'Columbus Business First' (unfortunately it's behind a paywall) which stated that the new 'Superman' (originally titled 'Superman Legacy' ) movie:

"is expected to receive more than $11 million in tax credits. Superman: Legacy projects it will hire 3,254 Ohio residents, according to the application. The film’s total eligible production expenditures for the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit were nearly $37 million, or a little more than 10% of the film’s total budget of more than $363.8 million."

The user then asked the film's director James Gunn on Threads as to whether or not this was true and that the budget was $363.8 million. Here is Gunn's response:

Yet this does not appear to add up.

Over on r/boxoffice, user u/SilverRoyce posted this to the subreddit. They, through the usage of public records, have proven that the movie will be made with a total production budget of around $363.8 million; as seen here:

This means that the movie would have a budget of roughly $270 million+. Now this doesn't include other tax breaks from other places they may film, nor does it include the marketing costs; which would probably be another $100 million+ in total, bringing the total budget to around $463.8 million+. Nearly half a billion for one movie!

Now here comes the tricky part. Breaking even. For the unawares (and include myself in this particular category), breaking even is when a movie makes back it's budget, plus an extra 2.5%. Anything above this is considered a profit. If the budget 'Superman' is around $270 million then it would require $546.75 million in order to break even; and that still isn't taking into consideration the overall production total plus marketing.

If we were to take the $463.8 million into consideration, this would give us the mind bogglingly absurd number of $939.6 million in order to break even.*

So let's say that the movie needs to make $546.75 million in order to break even; is this even possible given the current state of Hollywood? Movies such as Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (both movies I personally enjoyed), underperformed at the global box office in 2023. Has Hollywood learnt nothing from movies having overinflated budgets underperforming last year, or are they that arrogant that they think it was a one off?

This also fails to take into consideration as to whether or not the general audience still cares about a wider DC Cinematic Universe given that the last eight DCEU movies released between February 2020 and December 2023 (Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom), were all box office bombs; and given how poorly Warner Bros. Discovery handled the end of the DCEU and how Warner Bros as a whole handled the overall DCEU. It's a reboot of a movie universe, very few people cared about by the end of it all.

Kickstarting a brand new DC Cinematic Universe with a movie that is looking like it will cost $463.8 million in total, is either an incredibly ballsy move or a ridiculously braindead move; and I honestly cannot tell which it is.*

Of course none of this takes into consideration either A) Discovery selling Warner Bros to another studio, or B) Zaslav not playing his old trick of writing the movie off for tax purposes.

Now the latter of those two options isn't likely, but let us, for the moment, entertain this train of thought.

Currently the movie is set to receive $11 million of a total of $37 million in tax breaks from the State of Ohio. Assuming they eventually take the full $37 million and take the full offered tax breaks from other states, plus whatever they got in a tax write off, say roughly $40 million, (the cancelled movies: 'Batgirl' costing around $90 million in its tax write off, 'Scoob! Holiday Haunt' whilst no official number has been given we can assume it would've been around $40 million as was its budget, as the potentially scrapped 'Coyote vs. ACME' costing $30 million in a tax write off; giving us the Median of $40 million) the studio would be lucky to make $100-$110 million in a tax write off; or roughly 27.49% to 30.24% of its budget (not accounting for marketing).*

Now I will freely admit to having but little care in this movie and the larger DCU as a whole. I mislike James Gunn as a filmmaker and have little faith in him delivering a DC Cinematic Universe I'll enjoy. Yet he is not my main concern. My main concern lies with the studio itself. With how the DCEU was handled, the abuse the actors faced on the set of the Justice League reshoots, the constant studio interference, the belittling of a paying section of their own audience etc. has left an incredibly sour taste in ones mouth that refuses to go away.

Given Mr Zaslav's penchant for cancelling projects at a frequency that would make the CEO of Netflix envious, one has to ask the question 'Will this new DCU ever see the light of day?'

I know but little of Hollywood accounting, yet even as someone who cares little and less for this new DCU; I am somewhat concerned that Zaslav might be trying to kill this new universe before it ever has a chance to live!

Is this all because the studio is about to be sold off? Or is it because Zaslav is an incompetent buffoon, who is surrounded by lackwits and lickspittles? Or is it something else?

TL;DR: The new Superman movie is going to have a total production budget of '$363.8 million before marketing costs are factored in, despite most movies with inflated budgets that were released last year underperforming at the global box office.

*1) It should be worth pointing out that this number is ridiculous even for the current state of Hollywood Blockbusters underperforming.

*2) Also it bears note that Warner Bros have also poorly handled their other big IPs such as Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter (see turning 'The Hobbit' into three movies and the entire 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise and the upcoming Harry Potter TV series).

*3)I accept I could be completely wrong about this.

[kylofrk]

GRETA GERWIG BREAKS RECORD FOR 2023 OPENING BOX OFFICE, MOST SUCCESSFUL OPENING BY A FEMALE DIRECTOR, AND FOURTH LARGEST OPENING DAY EVER!!

We know Noah and Adam are very proud.😻😻😻😻😻😻

[somecutiewithabooty]

In recent years, the film industry has seen an impressive surge in the recognition and success of female directors. Their work spans a wide range of genres and styles, showcasing unique perspectives and storytelling prowess. Here are ten notable female directors who have made significant contributions to cinema:

1. Greta Gerwig - Known for her authentic coming-of-age story in “Lady Bird,” Gerwig has emerged as a leading voice in Hollywood, blending humor, heart, and keen insight into the human experience.

2. Jane Campion - A respected filmmaker with a career spanning over three decades, Campion is celebrated for her poetic visuals and nuanced performances, particularly in her Oscar-winning film “The Piano.”

3. Nora Ephron - Ephron left a lasting impact with her smart, witty, and heartwarming romantic comedies like “When Harry Met Sally” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” capturing the complexities of modern love.

4. Agnès Varda - Known as the “mother of the French New Wave,” Varda’s films often tackle subjects ranging from feminism to social justice, leaving a profound legacy on cinema.

5. Amy Heckerling - Heckerling made her mark with iconic comedies like “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and “Clueless,” capturing the pulse of youth culture.

6. Mary Harron - Best known for her work on “American Psycho,” Harron creates thought-provoking films that resonate with audiences, making significant contributions to cinema.

7. Patty Jenkins - With “Wonder Woman,” Jenkins broke box office records and became a prominent voice in the superhero genre, known for combining emotional depth with thrilling action.

8. Jodie Foster - Transitioning from a child actor to a director, Foster has made her mark with films like “Little Man Tate,” bringing a deep understanding of character development to her directorial work.

9. Lynne Ramsay - Ramsay is recognized for her bold storytelling and distinct visual style, exploring psychological themes in films like “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”

10. Julie Taymor - Renowned for her innovative approach to theatre and film, Taymor has directed projects like “Frida” and the Broadway production of “The Lion King,” pushing creative boundaries.

Additionally, the 2024 Oscars highlighted the achievements of female directors with three films directed by women—Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” and Celine Song’s “Past Lives”—nominated for Best Picture. Triet also received a nomination for Best Director, marking a significant moment in the Academy Awards’ history .

These directors, among others, are not only breaking barriers within the industry but also inspiring future generations of filmmakers with their groundbreaking work and unique visions.

[agentcable]

Mouse (2021) Ep. 8 Recap

Ba-Reum's intuition confidently leads Moo-Chi to uncover the mystery behind the knots. He confidently follows his instincts despite experiencing unfamiliar flashbacks. During their investigation of the suspects, Moo-Chi and Ba-Reum confidently identify a man who stands out. Meanwhile, Kang Duk-Soo, recently released from prison, confidently continues to search for Bong-Yi's whereabouts.

If you want to watch the series for yourself, stop reading! This post contains spoilers to the storyline.

Years ago, a little boy released a mouse into a snake's enclosure. Against all odds, the mouse killed the snake. The boy reached in to retrieve his tiny furry friend, but the mouse had escaped and found itself trapped under the shoe of a slightly older girl. The boy demanded his mouse back, but the girl warned him that he would end up like the snake if he let the mouse live. The girl casually crushed the mouse under her shoe while the boy watched.

Ba-Reum recalls this scene as he looks at the mouse in Han Seo-Joon's hand. Later, when he meets Moo-Chi outside, he informs him that Seo-Joon neither tied the knots used to bind Detective Park's daughter nor taught anyone how to do it.

Upn returning to the prison, they discover that Seo-Joon killed a mouse and disposed of its body in a grate. Moo-Chi is appalled, but Ba-Reum calmly points out that the knot is tied to the right. Upon reviewing his old surgical records, it is evident that he also tied sutures to the right, despite being left-handed.

Hong-Joo examines the old Head Hunter cases, which remind her of her role in procuring the victims. Han Seo-Joon brought the victims to a safe location and killed them. He made young Hong-Joo tie them up.

Moo-Chi and Ba-Reum visited the site where Song Seo-Joon as attacked and kidnapped decades ago. They learned that the taxi driver dropped her off and that she called her brother. However, the place where the car accident was staged was a bit of a distance. Ba-Reum concludes that a woman would not have followed a man off the road. Therefore, there must have been someone else for whom she let down her guard - an accomplice.

Local precinct notes indicate that a man saw a car with a man and a little boy on the road. However, the police did not find it significant enough to report. The clumsily-made knot used to tie Seo-Joon could be explained by the presence of a young child. It is important to note that Han Seo-Joon did not have a son yet, and no boys were reported missing at that time.

Moo-Chi realizes that both recent murder victims had some sort of connection with their killer. Their CCTV footage shows Kim Min-Joo getting into a car with someine, and Hong Na-Ri appears to have let her killer in without a struggle. Ba-Reum disagress, thinking that the killer wanted to enjoy the process without being caught, so he wouldn't pick someone he knew. Frustrated, Moo-Chi decides to start over and pulls out the evidence box. Upon inspection, he realizes that it has been tampered with. After reviewing the security footage, they visit Hong-Joo at the station. Hong-Joo, who was recently reinstated but has not yet received an assignment, has an office filled with photos and information about the killings.

Hong-Joo walks in and immediately tenses up. However, she manages to greet Ba-Reum pleasantly. He stares at her, wondering why his chest hurts all of a sudden. Ba-Reum goes to the hallway while Moo-Chi confronts Hong-Joo about breaking into the evidence room.

She admits that she was at Hong Na-Ri's house when the guys were there and wanted to see the knot they'd mentioned. Hong-Joo believes that Kang MJ is not the only recent murder victim. She thinkgs that Kim Young-Hee was killed earlier while at a dog park with her dog. Only the dog was found, dead and hung from a tree, and Young-Hee had disappeared. The police believe Young-Hee ran away, but Hong-Joo did her own searching and found a similar knot a distance away, which she kept. Moo-Chi demands that Hong-Joo turn overr the knot. However, Hong-Joo will only agree if he promises to share all the details of his investigation with her. Moo-Chi thinks she has another reason for this request.

Later, Ba-Reum asks Dong-Goo if he ever had feelings for Hong-Joo. Dong-Goo is surprised and spits out his drink. Dong-Goo says that Ba-Reum was always loyal to Bong-Yi, who Ba-Reum still can't remember. Ba-Reum is still disturbed by his memories of the mouse. He looks around his house and finds only his old bird cage. When his aunt comes over, he asks her about the bird, but she abruptly changes the subject. She is making cheonggukjang (fermented soybeans), which used to be Ba-Reum's favourite. However, now he reels at the smell, and she notes that his tastes have changed.

Moo-Chi spent a year in Evidence Management before begging Detective Baek to let him work on the new murder case. Detective Baek caves and earns a big, weird hug upon seeing Moo-Chi interested in something after so long.

Ba-Reum looks for clues at his old home and remembers feeding the bird and watering his plants. He also recalls seeing a shadowy figure in the garden late at night, but the memory flits by so quickly he doesn't see much. As he leaves, it starts to rain, and memories of the night he found Bong-Yi on the bridge flood back. He remembers Halmoni asking him to take care of Bong-Yi if anything happens to her. However, he has no luck finding Bong-Yi herself. After her grandmother died and he changed, she dropped out of school and disappeared.

On his way home, he comes across a pregnant cat. He takes it home and prepares a nest for her kittens in a cleaned-up birdcage. This gives him an idea, and he calls Moo-Chi to Hong Na-Ri's place. They notice that the living spaces of the victims are run-down, but the bars on the windows are brand-new. Upon investigation, they discover that the new bars are installed by volunteers to protect women living alone in high crime areas. Ba-Reum recognizes Na-Ri's building from some stickers through a window at the volunteer office.

The guys ask Hong-Joo to help by interviewing the volunteers, saying that it's for a documentary. Ba-Reum requests a second interview with several volunteers, during which he pets a dog and obsrves how the volunteer pets it. Woo Hyung-Chul was the only one who petted the dog under its tail, just like Ba-Reum did. However, dogs generally dislike being touched there, so it is likely that he was only imitating Ba-Reum and pretending to like dogs. Hyung-Chul is left-handed. His exaggerated gestures during the interview indicate that he may be pretending to be philanthropic. He was also the former lawyer of Kang Duk-Soo, Bong-Yi's attacker. However, he dropped Duk-Soo as a client once he realized he was guilty.

After being released, Duk-Soo approached Hyung-Chul to find Bong-Yi, but Hyung-Chul refused to disclose her current location.

Moo-Chi invites Ba-Reum to join his team, recognizing his unique ability to understand psychopaths. Ba-Reum accepts the offer with excitement. They collect hair samples from a white dog at the volunteer center to compare with the hair found on Kim Young-Hee's headband.

The team discovers that Hyung-Chul installed window bars on the day of at least one of the murders. They visit Hyung-Chul's office and find him with a teenage girl. Apparently, he provides free consulting services for runaway teenagers. Hyung-Chul appears guilty until Shin Sang confirms that he has a solid alibi, and the dog hairs do not match.

During the investigation, one of the other volunteers becomes the center of attention when his cell phone is tracked in Hong Na-Ri's neighbourhood during her attack. However, he claims to have been at a carpenter shop making a toolbox for a friend and pleads with the detectives to check his friend's phone as he sent him a photo.

Ba-Reum eventually discovers Bong-Yi's new address while searching for the names of other women who have requested window bars. Ba-Reum went to see Bong-Yi, but she did not answer the door. She was tied up inside, fighting off the killer.

Ba-Reum did not hear their struggle, so he left a note for Bong-Yi and turned to leave. However, Bong-Yi managed to free herself and chased the killer out of her apartment. In his escape, the killer crashed into Ba-Reum outside. When Ba-Reum saw Bong-Yi chasing the killer, he realized what was happening and went after the killer.

Meanwhile, Moo-Chi goes to Hyung-Chul's dark and empty house. He notices a white dog in the yard and peeks inside the doghouse. There, he finds a bundle of clothes and a bloody knife.

Hyung-Chul returns home, and Moo-Chi holds a gun on him. However, Hyung-Chul is not the killer. The real killer turns on Ba-Reum, punches him, and Ba-Reum flies into a rage. He fights the killer and strikes him repeatedly. He stops when he suddenly remembers hitting someone else in the same way. The killer stands up and towers over Ba-Reum, but Bong-Yi appears out of nowhere and kicks him down.

Later, Moo-Chi hurries to the hospital to see the killer's face. It's Woo Jae-Pil, Hyung-Chul's father and a former detective. He admits to killing the three women and Detective Park's young daughter, Hyun-Soo, years aog. Moo-Chi pulls his gun on Jae-Pil and demands an explanation, requiring physical restraint.

Moo-Chi rushes to the ER to check on Bong-Yi upon hearing that she is there. He fusses at her for disappearing and sits with her. Meanwhile, Ba-Reum goes outside to contemplate the strange memory of hitting an unfamiliar man who seems familiar. He returns to find that Bong-Yi has checked herself out. As it starts to rain, Ba-Reum remembers that Bong-Yi is afraid of rainy nights. He catches up to her just as she has a flashback of the night she was attacked. Ba-Reum holds an umbrella over her head. He apologizes for taking so long to remember her. Bong-Yi steals the umbrella and walks away, but then invites him under it with her.

Duk-Soo sees the news report of the attack on Bong-Yi and the killer's capture. The news mentions the neighbourhood she lives in, giving him an idea of where to look. His mother lives in that area. She tells him not to come, sounding nervous. This tips off Duk-Soo that Bong-Yi must be there.

Moo-Chi and Detective Baek must inform Detective Park that they have found his daughter's killer, who happens to be a former colleague. Detective Park rushes to the hospital to plead with his old friend to deny the accusation, but Jae-Pil shamelessly confesses to the murder of Hyun-Soo, not the Head Hunter. He explains that he found her during the search, as she had escaped from Seo-Joon along with her brother. However, Jae-Pil was envious of Detective Park's higher arrest rate and took pleasure in witnessing his devastation over the loss of his children. Instead of returning, Detective Park's daughter, Jae-Pil murdered her, fully aware that Seo-Joon would be blamed. When Detective Park attempts to strangle him, Jae-Pil does not resist and even screams for death. Fortunately, Hong-Joo intervenes and pulls Detective Park away, allowing him to weep on Detective Baek's shoulder. Hong-Joo is alone in the room with Jae-Pil. She asks him why he lied about killing Hyun-Soo. He stares at her in sudden recognition.

Bong-Yi asks Ba-Reum to find her grandmother's brooch, which was taken by Yo-Han. Ba-Reum heads to the evidence room but cannot find the brooch. Instead, he discovers pictures of Song Soo-Ho, the man he remembers punching. Soo-Ho is the brother of Head Hunter victim Song Soo-Jung and one of Yo-Han's assumed victims.

Meanwhile, Hong-Joo returns to Soo-HO and Soo-Jung's home to watch their mother in the garden. Upon seeing her daughter's bracelet on Hong-Joo's wrist, their mother attempted to catch Hong-Joo, but she quickly fled in her car.

Ba-Reum, curious about the situation, confirmed with Moo-Chi that Song Soo-Ho had been severely beaten before being burned to death. He then questioned his surgeon about why he was remembering things that someone else hat done, to which Doctor Park casually explained that his injury was causing him to confuse details he had read about the murders with his own memories. Ba-Reum inquired if this could also happen with childhood memories, and the surgeon confirmed that it was possible.

Ba-Reum's prescription is adjusted by the doctor. He recognizes it as the same medication that mukbang victim Jo Mi-Jung was taking. The medication was supposedly for treating anorexia, but Ba-Reum learns from Mi-Jung's mother that she suffered brain trauma from a bike accident, and the medication was actually treating that. Doctor Park was also her doctor. Ba-Reum asked Doctor Park if his heightened sense of smell could be from the surgery. Doctor Park replied that there is only one way that can happen, but we don't hear what it is.

On his way out, Ba-Reum ran into Bong-Yi and told her he was seeing his surgeon. However, Bong-Yi frowned because Doctor Park wasn't the man who operated on Ba-Reum a year ago. When she smothered Yo-Han back then, she stopped just short of killing him and hid when the surgeon came into the room. She heard the surgeon say that Ba-Reum muts live, and Yo-Han must die. The surgeon that Bong-Yi remembers cannot be found in the hospital directory. Ba-Reum asks Doctor Park, who insists that he performed all three of his brain surgeries. After Ba-Reum leaves, aware of Doctor Park's lies, he calls someone and ominously says that Ba-Reum suspects something.

Meanwhile, Moo-Chi reports an armed assailant in the hospital and goes upstairs to kill Jae-Pil himself. He then gets locked up so he can kill Han Seo-Joon. However, it was too late. Soo-Ho and Soo-Jung's mother had seen his story on television and mistakenly identified Jae-Pil as her daughter's killer. She had entered the hospital, stolen a scalpel, and slit his throat. Moo-Chi quickly assessed the bloody scene and took action.

He grabbed the scalpel, covered himself in blood, and pleaded with Detective Park, who was also present, to let him take the blame so that he could bring Han Seo-Joon to justice. Upon the arrival of the police, Moo-Chi confesses to the murder of Jae-Pil. Detective Park acknowledges that this confession makes Moo-Chi a bad person as he is taken away.

Bong-Yi recalls that Ba-Reum's surgeon had a large scar on his right cheek, similar to Han Seo-Joon, a neurosurgeon. Ba-Reum wants to confirm if Seo-Joon is the one. Unfortunately, there are no recent pictures of Seo-Joon. However, Hong-Joo conducted an unaired interview with him. Ba-Reum convinces Hong-Joo to let him watch the interview and secretly takes a photo. He sends it to Bong-Yi, who confirms that Seo-Joon performed Ba-Reum's surgeries. Bong-Yi talks to Ba-Reum on the phone. She doesn't notice Duk-Soo getting off the bus following her home. He has a wicked grin on his face.

Ba-Reum is shocked and goes to the prison to ask Han Seo-Joon what he did during the surgeries. He demands to know if Sung Yo-Han's brain was implanted inside him.

[idolskpop]

Song Joong Ki Initially Turned Down Movie Role Opposite Park Bo Young for THIS Particular Reason

Song Joong Ki and Park Bo Young are two of the most popular and talented actors in South Korea. They have starred in many successful dramas and movies, such as “Innocent Man,” “Descendants of the Sun,” “Vincenzo,” “Space Sweepers,” “Reborn Rich,” “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon,” “On Your Wedding Day,” and “Collective Invention.” But one of their most memorable and iconic roles was in the 2012 movie “A Werewolf Boy.” The film tells the story of a feral boy named Chul Soo (Song Joong Ki) who meets a lonely girl named Sun Yi (Park Bo Young) who teaches him how to love and live as a human.

(Photo : tvN's Official Instagram) The movie was a huge hit, breaking box office records and becoming one of the highest-grossing Korean films of all time. It also received critical acclaim for its touching plot, beautiful cinematography, and impressive performances by the lead actors. But did you know that Song Joong Ki almost missed the chance to play Chul Soo? And that Park Bo Young had to overcome many challenges to portray Sun Yi? In this article, we will reveal some behind-the-scenes facts and stories about how Song Joong Ki and Park Bo Young became the stars of “A Werewolf Boy.”

Song Joong Ki’s Initial Rejection

Song Joong Ki is known for his versatile and charismatic acting skills. He can play any role, from a charming soldier to a ruthless lawyer to a heroic astronaut. But when he was offered the role of Chul Soo, he hesitated and declined. Why? Because he thought that the role was too easy and boring. He said that he was arrogant and ambitious at that time, and he wanted to show off his acting skills with more dialogue and expressions. It was when I began doing lead roles in dramas. It was a time when I had the desire to do well, and had the arrogant thought, 'I don’t even have a line of dialogue.' He revealed this during a talk at the Actors House as part of the 28th Busan International Film Festival, where he shared various stories from his 15-year career in the industry. He said that he received the script again two months later, and he changed his mind after reading it. He felt goosebumps and regretted his previous decision. I read it and got goosebumps. I thought, 'Why did I decline this work?' He realized that the role was not easy at all, but rather challenging and demanding. He had to convey his emotions and thoughts through his eyes, gestures, and sounds. He had to act like a wild animal, but also show his innocence and curiosity.

(Photo : KOFIC) A Werewolf Boy still | Park Bo Young, Song Joong Ki He decided to accept the role and work hard to prepare for it. He studied animal documentaries, practiced martial arts, learned sign language, and lost weight. He also spent a lot of time with Park Bo Young to build chemistry and trust. He said that he was grateful for the opportunity to play Chul Soo, as it was one of his most meaningful and rewarding roles. It was an honor to be able to act with Park Bo Young. She is an amazing actress who can express everything with her eyes. She helped me a lot during filming. I learned so much from her. He also thanked the director, Jo Sung Hee, for trusting him and guiding him. Director Jo Sung Hee is a genius who created such a beautiful story. He gave me a lot of freedom and confidence as an actor. He is like a brother to me. He said that he still cherishes the memories of filming “A Werewolf Boy,” and that he often wonders what would have happened if he didn’t appear in the movie.

Park Bo Young’s Struggles

Park Bo Young is known for her cute and lovely image. She has a sweet voice, a bright smile, and a bubbly personality. She can play any role, from a strong woman to a bride-to-be to a mutant fish. But when she was cast as Sun Yi, she faced many difficulties and hardships. She said that she had to overcome her own limitations and fears to portray Sun Yi.

(Photo : Park Bo Young Instagram) One of the challenges was her voice. She said that she had vocal cord nodules, which made her voice hoarse and weak. She had to undergo surgery before filming, but she still had trouble speaking loudly and clearly. My voice was not good at all. I had to shout a lot in the movie, but I couldn’t do it well. I felt sorry for Song Joong Ki, who had to listen to my voice all day. She said that she also had to change her tone and accent, as Sun Yi was from Gangwon Province. She said that she practiced with a dialect coach, but she still made mistakes and felt embarrassed. I had to speak in a Gangwon dialect, which was very hard for me. I had to repeat the same lines over and over again. I felt like I was ruining the movie. Another challenge was her appearance. She said that she had to look older and more mature than her actual age, as Sun Yi was a mother of two in the present-day scenes. She said that she had to wear makeup and costumes that made her look different from her usual self. I had to look like a 40-year-old woman, which was not easy for me. I had to wear a wig and glasses, and put on some weight. I felt like I was losing my identity. She said that she also had to express a lot of emotions, such as sadness, anger, fear, and love. She said that she had to cry a lot in the movie, which drained her energy and affected her mood. I had to cry almost every day. It was very exhausting and depressing. I felt like I was living in a dark world. She said that she had to rely on Song Joong Ki and the director for support and guidance. She said that Song Joong Ki was very considerate and caring, and that he helped her relax and have fun on set. Song Joong Ki is a very kind and warm person. He always made me laugh and comforted me when I was tired or stressed. He was like a real brother to me. She said that the director was very understanding and encouraging, and that he helped her improve her acting skills and confidence. Director Jo Sung Hee is a very gentle and humble person. He always praised me and gave me constructive feedback. He made me feel like I was doing a good job. She said that she was proud of being part of “A Werewolf Boy,” and that it was one of her most memorable and meaningful roles.

The Legacy of ‘A Werewolf Boy’

“A Werewolf Boy” was released on November 30, 2012, and it became an instant hit. It attracted more than 7 million viewers in Korea, making it the most-watched Korean melodrama of all time. It also received positive reviews from critics and audiences, who praised its story, visuals, music, and acting.

song-joong-ki-turned-down-movie-park-bo-young The movie won several awards, such as the Grand Bell Award for Best Director, the Blue Dragon Award for Best New Director, the Baeksang Arts Award for Most Popular Actor (Song Joong Ki), the Korean Film Actor’s Association Award for Best Actress (Park Bo Young), and the Korean Association of Film Critics Award for Best Music. The movie also gained international recognition, as it was screened at various film festivals around the world, such as the Toronto International Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, the Udine Far East Film Festival, the New York Asian Film Festival, and the Fantasia International Film Festival. The movie also inspired a musical adaptation in 2014, starring Park Hyung Sik and Yoo Seung Ho as Chul Soo, and Ivy and Ock Joo Hyun as Sun Yi. The movie also left a lasting impact on the fans, who still love and support Song Joong Ki and Park Bo Young. Many fans hope that they will reunite in another project someday. The movie also touched the hearts of many people, who related to its themes of love, friendship, family, loyalty, sacrifice, and hope. “A Werewolf Boy” is not just a movie. It is a masterpiece that transcends time and space. It is a story that will make you laugh, cry, smile, and dream. Subscribe to IDOLS KPOP for exclusive updates and captivating content. Read the full article

[denimbex1986]

'The Barbenheimer phenomenon just keeps going. To wit: there is so much energy happening at international box office turnstiles that Tuesday’s grosses on Warner Bros’ Greta Gerwig-directed Barbie and Universal’s Christopher Nolan opus Oppenheimer were down just 1% from Monday. The offshore gross through Tuesday on Barbie is now $258.5M with global at $472.6M.

As for the Cillian Murphy-led Oppenheimer, it saw a less than 1% dip from Monday to Tuesday, adding $16.1M in 78 offshore markets. The international cume c is now $130.8M for $238M global

Breaking down Monday, Barbie dolled up a $31.9M gross from 69 overseas markets, off a single percentage point from the record-breaking Monday.

In the Europe/Middle East/Africa region, Barbie has already surpassed the lifetime total os The Meg, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Ready Player One, Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla. In Latin America, the doll is the No. 3 Hollywood movie of 2023 after just six days.

Looking at individual markets, the UK had the biggest Tuesday ever for Warner Bros; gross to date is $34.7M.

Mexico is the next biggest market with $29.1M through Tuesday, a 16% dip versus Monday, followed by Brazil at $23M (-19% from Monday). Australia, at $17.M and 2% over Monday is next with China and France both at $13.6M, each with good holds.

Meanwhile, Oppenheimer is continuing to fuse with audiences offshore as well. Mid-weeks through Tuesday account for 34% of opening weekend.

UK/Ireland added $2.7M on Tuesday with 28% market share for a cume to date of $19.3M, which is 8% above Dunkirk and over 2x Interstellar at the same point. Midweek gross is equal to a 39% share of the opening weekend – is in line with the same days’ share for Dunkirk, and above Interstellar, The Dark Knight Rises, and Mission: Impossible 7.

France added $1.4M on Tuesday with 20% market share (in admissions) for a cume to date of $9.4M, which is 56% above Dunkirk and 26% above Interstellar at the same point. The mid-week gross is equal to a 35% share of the opening weekend, which is above the same days’ share for Dunkirk, The Dark Knight Rises and Mission: Impossible 7.

Germany added $1.1M on Tuesday (25% market share) for a running total of $8.8M, performing well ahead of Interstellar and more than double M:I7 at the same point, having already overtaken the lifetime of Dunkirk. The Monday-Tuesday total is equal to 32% of opening weekend, higher than for Dunkirk, Interstellar, and M:I7.

Australia added $800K on Tuesday for a running total of $7.9M, which is 48% above Dunkirk and over 2x Interstellar at the same point. Mid-week gross thus far is equal to a 24% share of opening weekend, in line with the same days of Dunkirk, just below Interstellar, and above The Dark Knight Rises and M:I7.

Mexico added $700K at No.2 on Tuesday for a running total of $6.2M. Having already overtaken Tenet, the film has now surpassed the lifetime of Dunkirk. Performance to-date is +14% above MI:7 and more than double Interstellar and Dunkirk at the same point in release.'

[voiceless-terror]

I mean, I don’t believe in the predictive power of dreams, obviously, but still, it’s a deeply unsettling thing to find. I had Tim look into it, as I don’t entirely trust the others not to have written it as a practical joke and slipped it into the archives. - Episode 11, Dreamer

Jon stares down at the paper in his hands.

He’s had many an unkind thought towards Gertrude, his predecessor, the woman responsible for this mess and the current bane of his existence. She’s been the topic of most of his grumbling as he sorts through piles of nonsense and decaying cardboard boxes. He’s got no love lost for her, but that doesn’t mean he’s happy she’s dead. Or, specifically, to have a statement apparently predicting it through the medium of some prophetic dream. Ridiculous. He wants to feel detached, unaffected, but he can’t help the sickly sense of dread that creeps up his spine and lingers in his throat. 

It was your face and the expression upon it was far more fearful than any I had seen in eight years of wandering this twilight city.

Jon doesn’t know Antonio Blake and has no reason to believe him. But he’s known something’s wrong for a long time now.

He’s never admitted it aloud, never within his assistant’s hearing range, but he can feel it, as foolish as that sounds. This miasma of wrong, of being watched, of becoming...something else, that happens every time he records a statement. Despite the academic detachment he aspires to, he does attempt to empathize with each statement-giver and get into their mindset. But what he’s doing here...it’s different. He can visualize it so perfectly, the terror in their words sticking in his throat and setting his own heart pounding, as if he were the one experiencing it and not just regurgitating it to an ancient recorder. He’s always had an ‘overactive imagination,’ as his grandmother would say, but this is relentless in its manifestation. The fear is real, not imagined. Each statement draws him further and further away from the safety he used to cling to, where the only real cases were few and far between and the most sinister things lurking out there in the world were books and the monsters within them.

And as much as he wants to linger on the false accounts and take comfort in tearing them apart, his hands automatically seek the real ones, the right ones. It’s frightening, the ease with which he finds them nowadays. Perhaps he’s a better archivist than he thinks. 

She died and you’ll be next, something whispers to him. He’s being dramatic, as he’s wont to do, but it feels true. Every statement that doesn’t record correctly, every follow-up he has to qualify with an ‘I would dismiss this, but-’ is starting to add up. His nights have become restless. He often lies awake regretting that he ever took this job, that he left the relative safety of research for a position he’s not sure how to fill, his only reassurance Elias’s occasional emails that he’s ‘moving in the right direction,’ whatever that means.

Jon assumed he’d be more removed from the dangerous aspects of the job that research entailed- following up, going to locations, field work. And it’s true, he has assistants to do that for him now. Dependable, for the most part. And while he should feel safe in his tiny office with nothing but dust and paper and cobwebs (good lord, the cobwebs) he feels more unsettled and exposed than ever. He once joked he’d die of old age before getting the archives in order. But now a stroke sounds much more pleasant than whatever happened to Gertrude. If it’s true.

Perhaps it’s a joke, he thinks. Planted by one of the others, designed specifically to unsettle him. Well, it worked. 

It wouldn’t be surprising. He’s...not had the best start. The promotion was a surprise, but not wholly unexpected; he knew he’d been on Elias’s radar, though he wasn’t expecting it quite so soon. He’s young and unfortunately, it shows. The way he stutters through department meetings, talking about digitization while the others, all of whom have at least a decade on him, shoot pitying looks. He stays later and later, the desire to show some sort of progress even as he discovers more mess by the day. The permanent scowl that now graces his features becomes his armor as he walks the halls and feels himself becoming the uptight, unlikable curmudgeon everyone believes him to be. The one time I measure up to expectations, he can’t help thinking.

A joke. There’s a comfort in that. At least it’s familiar.

But it didn’t record to the laptop, his traitorous mind supplies. It's a bit sad he would prefer it to be a mundane attempt at bullying rather than a real expression of the supernatural, but he supposes it’s par for the course. There were many nights as a child he wished for the same thing, for that boy to go back to taking his lunch money and the occasional beating or two instead of…still, he dismisses it from his mind. You don’t know there’s a correlation. Follow up. Disprove it. 

He’s interrupted from his musings by a knock on the door and the vague outline of Martin through the frosted glass. “Come in,” he calls, attempting to inject some irritation in his voice to cover up the shakiness. “Did you need something?”

“Ah, I finished my write up for the Herbert case, was wondering if you had anything else for me?”

His hand hovers over the statement on his desk. He opens his mouth but then closes it, thinking better.

“Can you send Tim in, actually?”

______

“Sorry boss, I couldn’t find anything on this Antonio Blake fellow- well, at least with the details he provided, which were next to none. Proper spooky, though.”

Of his assistants, he trusts Tim the most with this sort of thing. 

On a surface level, it wouldn’t make sense to some. Tim can be loud and gregarious: the typical, charming extrovert. But he’s not unkind and he’s a hell of a researcher, especially when something grabs his interest. He digs into statements and doesn’t let go- not unlike Sasha, though he’s a bit better at empathizing and handling things...sensitively. Easily attuned to Jon’s moods, Tim’s always been willing to lend an ear whenever he gets too in his head about cases, helping him talk things through or on several memorable occasions, go down the rabbit hole with him. He’d taken the statement from his hands with an easy smile, though his face grew serious with the nervous look Jon shot him.

And if Tim couldn’t find anything, well. Maybe it was a prank after all.

He sort of wanted it to be true, frightening as the implications were. Because then it would mean this terrible, heavy feeling on his shoulders was real, and not just the byproduct of his own mediocrity. He doesn’t want to be scared, he doesn’t want to be in danger, but at least it would provide a real reason for panic, and not just his own inability to measure up.  He doesn’t want to prove them all right, collapsing under the stress of a job poorly done and so easily crumbling at a stupid, made-up statement, targeted as it may be. 

“A joke, then.” Jon says, rubbing a hand at his temples, trying not to let the hurt seep into his voice. Tim makes a commiserating noise.

“You know how people are, the institute isn’t exactly popular. You remember last Halloween, when-”

“Yes, I don’t need a reminder.” Jon sighs. He’d rather not relive that day, stressful as it was. “But that wasn’t quite what I was thinking.”

Tim stares at him for a moment, uncomprehending. Jon continues, attempting to make his hands busy as he pointlessly shuffles papers.

“It’s rather pointed, isn’t it? I doubt someone off the street would create such a detailed account of the death of an...archivist as opposed to the usual ghostly drivel.”

A look of pity flickers in Tim’s eyes and Jon has to turn away. “I don’t really think anyone here would-”

“Really? You don’t?” Jon lets out a mirthless laugh, rubbing a hand across his face as he stares down at his desk. “I’m not blind. Or deaf.” The derisive snorts if he goes off on ‘needless tangents,’ how Rosie pretends to be busy whenever he approaches Elias’s office, the way his name badge still reads ‘researcher’ after months of asking for a new one. He’s basically become a pariah.

“Jon, did someone say something to you?” The words are carefully chosen and he’s leaning forward now, making as if to stand up and god forbid, do something comforting. It’s not that Jon doesn’t want the comfort; he craves it more than anything. But he’s gone without for so long he doesn’t trust himself not to break at the gentlest of touches. Being on the receiving end of Tim’s protective streak is nothing new, but he shouldn’t need his assistant looking out for him like he’s some sort of helpless infant. 

He snorts derisively instead, covering up the insecurity and hurt with a sardonic, self-effacing smile. The kind he knows Tim hates. “They don’t need to. I’ve walked in on conversations, I’ve seen the way people go quiet, the looks they give me-”

“Hey,” Tim’s voice is low, like he’s dealing with a frightened animal. Jon wonders how he looks, if Tim’s going this soft. “Don’t listen to them, alright? You inherited a mess, we all did- but we’re doing our best, yeah? Study and record, like Elias said.” Jon doesn’t dodge the hand that finally lands on shoulder, and he’ll deny to anyone that he leaned into it. 

“Study and record.” He repeats listlessly, slumping back down into his seat. He’s let himself get too worked up, acting like a child instead of a boss. He’s not sure when he started wearing his heart on his sleeve, but Tim’s always been good at reading him. Though he’d rather people think him an arrogant ass than the seething mess of insecurity he truly is. 

“Atta boy.” The pat to his shoulder is purposefully light, devoid of Tim’s usually friendly force that sends him stumbling forward. “Now get out of here at a normal time, alright? We can grab lunch tomorrow. Just the two of us, if you like.”

Jon makes a noncommittal grunt, though the thought is nice.  He entertains the idea for just a moment, remembering their occasional outings back in research. Tomorrow he’ll make his excuses. He hasn’t been much of a friend as of late, and he’s not sure he deserves the kindness of company.

“And if there’s anyone that needs a stern talking to from me, I-” Tim wags a finger and Jon rolls his eyes, ignoring the pang of warmth the words send through his chest.

“Don’t, please. It’s fine.” It isn’t. “But...thank you, Tim.”

“Course.” A wink and a sloppy salute to lighten the mood, and Jon feels the tension in his posture ease minutely as Tim shuts the door behind him. 

He lets out a breath and reaches for the tape recorder. He’s wasted too much time already.  

Be careful. There is something coming for you and I don’t know what it is, but it is so much worse than anything I can imagine. At the very least, you should look into appointing a successor.

Good luck.

He fights a shiver as the man’s voice leaves him and the last vestiges of that twilight world fade back to his dimly-lit office. In his follow up, he tries to play it off as a joke. A bit of hazing for the new boss. And yet the uneasiness still creeps into his voice, and he ends another tape on a stilted, half-believed note.

If this is genuine…

Jon prays that it isn’t. 

And like most of his prayers, it goes unheard and unanswered.

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32165071

reblogs > likes

[soramei]

Intentional - Part 2

Pairing: Bang Chan x Reader (she/her)

Summary: Landing your first real job at JYPE was something short of a miracle. You were prepared to face the new struggles of this elusive career whilst moving to a new country, however, nothing could have prepared you for him. Will stolen glances, secret touches, and hushed nights spent in the recording room ever be enough for the both of you?

Genre: idol!bang chan au, forbidden relationship, coworkers to eventual lovers, slow burn

Warnings: none right now, eventual smut,

Word Count: 5.2k

Masterlist

A/N: o my god i did not expect so many people to have read the first part… even if only one person reads im still happy :D anyways heres the second part (i swear bang chan wont just be a side character later on hhahaha)

The insistent beeping of the alarm on your phone was what first woke you up from your dazed sleep. Your head still pounded from the night before, and frankly, you were ready to get fired for an extra five minutes of sleep. Tapping the ‘cancel’ button on your phone, you flipped over head down on your pillow to find the beautiful dreamland you were in. However, after just five more minutes, the triggering beeping of your backup alarm took you out of your slumber again, this time really waking you up. 

You trudge towards your bathroom, still dreading the day, on your way to take a shower. Thankfully, the steam from the warm shower combined with the fragrant smell of your conditioner slightly woke you up and dampened the aching in your head. 

Being drastically more awake than before, you made your way over to your kitchen to prepare breakfast. You opened the fridge, mind blank, just staring at the empty shelves. I seriously need to do some grocery shopping, you thought before grabbing an egg. 

You struggled to turn on the stove, not knowing which knob correlated to which burner. Turning a random one, you flinched when an excessive amount of fire appeared. However, after an embarrassingly long amount of time, you finally figured out the stove. Why are there still gas range stoves when electrical stoves exist? You wondered. 

You looked at the sad cooked egg in front of you. 

Was this really how you were going to live from now on? You cursed your whole family for spoiling you so much back home. Sure you were grateful for being able to live with your family for twenty three years, but the consequences of your mother making a fuss when you tried to cook for yourself was really showing now. 

You were about to dig into your lonely meal when your phone buzzed all of a sudden. Taking a quick peek at it, you saw Na-eun’s name flash up. You beamed with joy. Although you already worked up the nerve to be the first one to contact her, you were thankful she did first to break the tension. However, there was a small — microscopic even — part of you that wondered: what if that were Bang Chan?

You unlocked your phone. 

Na-eun: Hey! I know it’s kinda last minute, but do you wanna meet for breakfast?

Na-eun: There’s a café five minutes away from the building. 

Na-eun: ^-^

Smiling to yourself, you quickly typed a reply.

Y/n: Sure! My breakfast looks too sad to eat… 

Y/n: ^-^

In a flash, you stuffed your egg into a plastic tupperware container and put it in the empty fridge before booking it out your door, making sure to carefully enter the passcode to lock it before running to the staircase. You almost tripped over the stairs going down as you tried to sprint and text Na-eun at the same time. Checking the maps app on your phone, you told her how long it would take for you to arrive at the café. 

Na-eun: Do you mind if I bring my roommate? She keeps complaining about how boring it is at home haha.... 

Na-eun: She’s really nice though! ^^;

You happily agreed since you weren’t in the position to turn down another potential friend. Already two potential friends? You were so excited. 

There was a bounce in your steps as you made your way down to the subway. Scanning your card, you made your way to the big group of people on the platform and waited for your train. Taking the subway was so new, yet refreshing. There was something exciting about seeing a brand new set of people board the cart every stop, it was almost like refreshing your Instagram feed over and over again. 

After just a couple minutes more of waiting, your subway came. You naturally found your way in by shuffling along with the flock of people and found a good place to stand. 

You surveyed your cart. Some high school students, a few elderly, and many many businesspeople dressed in attire very similar to you. They all seemed to be busy on their cellular devices, so you quickly pulled yours out as well, eager to blend in. Your little Tamagotchi friend was happy to see you. 

The sound of the automated woman’s voice was what drew you out of your concentration, as she announced that the subway would be stopping at your destination next. When the subway stopped, the sea of people rushed out in a big tidal wave and you just went along with the flow. 

The map posted on a big pillar in the station was difficult to read at first, but after embarrassingly asking a station officer, you were confident you knew where you were going. The station was big with many interwoven hallways, each connecting to a different location. It had a couple shops and convenience stores located along the sides where students running late could buy some bread or tired businesspeople could inject their early morning dose of caffeine. 

You weaved your way through the long halls, confident that you could remember how you got out the right exit yesterday. Finally, after passing by many familiar stores and signs, you eventually made it above ground at the right exit. It was a cloudy September morning, the wind flew past you at just the right speed to elicit a slight shiver. You curse yourself for not bringing a jacket in your rush to the café. The streets were busy with cars zooming by, but it was nowhere near as congested as the subway traffic.

You started following your phone’s GPS to the marked location, and after a couple minutes, you spot the café. You immediately recognized it as a chain café as you’ve seen a few more of these scattered around the city as you got around. This one, however, appeared to be larger than the others (presumably because it was near so many big name companies) as it had three floors in total. 

You texted Na-eun, telling her you’ve arrived. She let you know that they were both in one of the booths on the second floor, so you decided to order before heading up. Walking over to the cashier, you scanned their massive menu, trying to find what you were looking for.

“One mango juice, please.” You politely ordered. “And also a slice of the red velvet cake.”  

After you had paid, you waited patiently, hands folded in front of you for your food. Because it wasn’t busy in the morning, it wasn’t that long until one of the baristas handed your food to you on a tiny plastic tray and you started making your way up. You reached the top floor and scanned your eyes around the room to find a familiar face. 

“Y/n!” Na-eun waved.

You waved back and made your way over. She was in the booth, and there was another girl sitting beside her. 

“Y/n, this is my roommate Yoojin.” She smiled at you and made a gesture towards the smaller girl sitting beside her. She was a fluffy haired girl. Her appearance was puppy-like, with her wide eyes and a large smile that was almost too big for her face. 

“Hi Yoojin.” You said as you sat down. 

“Hi Y/n! Na-eun told me about you yesterday. It seems like you have similar jobs.” She looked back at you with wide eyes. “But I think you got luckier because you actually get to interact with the idols.” 

“I think both of us are lucky to even be working there,” you chuckled, “plus, I don’t actually get to be working directly with the artists. I could only wish.” You joked. 

“Still extremely lucky, Na-eun told me she saw Bang Chan and Felix from Stray Kids at your building’s cafeteria yesterday.” Her hair bounced. “Finally, now I can say I’ve indirectly met famous people.” 

You and Na-eun both laughed. Although Yoojin looked the same age as you, there was something about the way she acted that just seemed so precious and innocent — like a little sister. How old was she anyway?

“Yoojin’s younger than me by a few years,” Na-eun said as if she read your thoughts, “She graduated university a year early. Top of her programming class. She knows everything about technology; one time, I stupidly forgot the passcode to my P.O. box and she cracked it for me in less than fifteen minutes.”

“Stop it.” Yoojin whined, looking down and playfully hitting Na-eun on the shoulder. “I told you before that I don’t like it when you talk about me. Let’s talk about Y/n instead. Na-eun told me you’re not from here, what do you do at JYPE then?” 

“I’m an assistant to help market some of the artists in China.” You leaned in a bit. “Actually, to be honest, I’m working on a secret project and Bang Chan from Stray Kids is technically part of the team.” 

Both Yoojin and Na-eun’s eyes widened. “No way, you’re so lucky.” Yoojin said. “Why can’t you have a job like that?” She poked at Na-eun.

“Get your own job first,” Na-eun smirked, “then we can talk about mine.”  

“Hey! I do have a job.” Yoojin clenched her jaw, looking at her plate and avoiding eye contact.

“I’m not sure if talking to people online all day counts as a job.” 

“Whatever.” Yoojin swirled her fork on her plate, stabbing at a piece of her cake. The scraping of metal on ceramic made all of you wince. 

“Anyways,” you started, trying to change the atmosphere, “did anybody watch the first episode of that new drama?” 

The two girls seemed to have a mood switch, looking relieved to start a new conversation. They gladly added their input and opinions on the new drama, talking about both the plot and the actors. Time passed by twice as fast as the three of you sat at the booth talking about the most random things. However, it was soon time to go to work for both you and Na-eun. 

“Hey, before you leave, could I get your number?” Yoojin asked. “We should hang out again sometime.”  

You gladly typed your contact into her phone, excited to hang out with Yoojin again. She was so full of energy, it reminded you of your university days. Not to mention that fluffy curly hair. It was so cute. 

You and Na-eun both made it out of the café and walked side-by-side over to your building before parting ways at the elevator corridor. It was a miracle that you managed to arrive at your cubicle in time, without getting lost. There was a pile of papers on your desk; they were the files you worked on yesterday. You remember that yesterday Manager Chen marked some improvements that could be made to the papers, but you checked your email just to be sure. 

Hello Y/n,

I put the documents from yesterday on your desk for some final edits. I’ve also added a few more. Could you finish them all by the end of the day?

Best, 

Manager Chen

You flipped through the stack of documents, and sure enough, there were about five more letters that needed to be worked on. Feeling determined, you gritted your teeth, got out your pen, and started to do your job. 

There were more corrections to make than what you expected, plus, you wanted to make sure your work was perfect this time. You skipped a trip to the cafeteria for lunch and ate something from the vending machine at your desk instead. You tried your best to work diligently, but because of your inexperience, it was taking longer than expected. You lost track of time as the hours passed by. 

“Your team is working hard today, Manager Chen.” A voice came from across the room. You looked up from your stack of documents to see Manager Kim walking over towards Manager Chen, who was standing casually outside her office doors. 

“What can I say, I keep them busy.” She replied. “Are you heading home now?” 

“Yes, and so should you.” Manaker Kim stopped at your cubicle, putting a hand on the wall. It was cat-like the way he looked at you. “Y/n, you’re working hard. Are you going home now? I’ll give you a ride.” 

You couldn’t head home now, not with the amount of work you still had with the new letters Manager Chen added to the pile. “Thank you for the offer, Manager Kim, but I’ll stay later today. I need to finish this work by today.” 

“Let her be, Manager Kim, you know how new employees are.” Manager Chen nagged and crossed her arms. “Come, I’ll walk you to the parking lot.” 

You bowed at both your managers and stretched your back before getting back to your work. The black lines of both languages started to blur into one as you strained your eyes to hold a tighter focus on the documents. It wasn’t until two more gruesome hours later when you finished your work. You did a long deserved stretch of the arms and checked the clock for the time, praying that it wasn’t too late. Thankfully, with the time being only eight, it wasn’t that dark out. You took a quick peek at your phone to check your notifications before leaving the office. 

There were only two texts sent fifteen minutes ago. Both from Bang Chan. 

Your chest tightened when you unlocked your phone. 

Bang Chan: Hey, I know it’s a bit late, but I have some ideas for the project and I was thinking we could meet up to discuss them

Bang Chan: Only if you want that is…

Your brain was in jumbles as you thought of what to text back. There were a couple staff that wrote you emails about their ideas for the project, but none of them asked to meet in person. And now, the first person who asked you to have a meeting in person was Bang Chan. Whom you rode back to your apartment drunk with. On your first day at work. And now you missed his work-related text by fifteen minutes. However, even though it was late, you still felt like you needed to take his ideas in. After all, like Manager Chen said, you know how new employees are. 

Y/n: Hi, sorry my reply is late… Are you still free? 

You anxiously stared at the blue-lit screen of your phone, jumping in and out of the text app waiting for a reply. After less than a minute, you saw the little dots at the bottom which indicated that he was typing. It disappeared for a moment, only to come back less than a second later. Your thumbs started unconsciously fiddling with one another in front of your phone screen as you waited for what felt like eternity. 

Bang Chan: It’s alright haha 

Bang Chan: There’s a cafe about 5 minutes from our building, wanna meet there? 

You immediately knew which café he was talking about as you conveniently hung out with Na-eun there this morning. You texted Bang Chan back, letting him know that you would be there as soon as possible. You grabbed your bag, along with your trusty pen and notebook,  before leaving your desk for the elevators. The elevator ride was unusually fast as it was already well past working hours for most people.  

Once you were out of the building, you made your way down the familiar sidewalk, passing by the familiar street shops as you felt the bite of the wind against your face. The sky was becoming dim as the sun made its descent, but the illumination coming from the streetlamps helped guide you there. After five minutes of a brisk walk, you saw the familiar sign of the café. You also saw a familiar person standing outside the door, dressed in all black, with his head down looking at his phone. 

You tried to make your footsteps slightly louder the closer you got to him in order to make your presence known. It seemed to have worked, as Bang Chan heard you and turned his head up. He immediately gave you a boyish grin, putting his phone in the pocket of his hoodie and pulling his face mask down to his chin. 

“Hey,” You waved awkwardly, “did I make you wait long?”

“Not at all.” Bang Chan said as he held open the door, “Let’s go in, it’s pretty chilly today.” 

You thanked him and walked inside. You both made your way to the cashier and looked up at the menu, deciding on what to buy. 

“I think I’ll get an iced americano.” Bang Chan said. “Are you getting anything?”

“Hmm. I might get the mango juice.” You decided and lined up behind Bang Chan, waiting for him to order first. 

Bang Chan walked up to the waiting barista. “Hello, I’ll get an iced americano please.” A second passed. “Also a mango juice.” 

Your eyes widened as you silently tried to stop him from buying your drink, feeling embarrassed that Bang Chan — who was essentially your coworker — was buying your drink. He didn’t seem to notice your quiet protests, as he pulled his card out of his wallet and quickly tapped it on the pin pad. After he was done paying, he turned around and tucked his card back in his wallet, giving you a smug grin. 

“I’ll pay you back later.” You insisted, embarrassed once again that he was doing something for you. 

“Of course, of course.” He casually replied and stood beside you with his hands in the pocket of his hoodie. “I’ll wait for our drinks. You can go find a table.” 

You nodded and left to find a table on the first floor. Surprisingly, there were more people there at night than when you were there in the morning. Some people had their textbooks out to study, some were quietly enjoying a book. Some were on dates. 

Finally, after weaving through many fully filled tables, you found an empty one near the table. You sat down, taking out your pen and notebook to prepare for Bang Chan’s ideas. Not long after, you saw Bang Chan walking around, turning his head left and right to look for you. You caught his eye as you waved at him to come over. He strolled over and put the tray of drinks down on the table, placing yours beside your notebook. 

“So,” You took a sip of your delicious mango juice, “do you wanna get started now?” 

“Sure.” His usually friendly face turned serious. It seemed like he took his work seriously. “So I was thinking, we need to film some content to start promoting our debut right? How about we film content for the Mid-Autumn Festival? It falls on the same day as Chuseok, so we can use this as a small promotion for our debut.” 

You nodded in agreement. Although this idea would be a little last minute to carry out, it was a great opportunity to promote their group in order to gain more popularity before their debut in China. “This is a great idea Bang Chan,” You hurriedly jotted down everything he said, “did you have more to add on?”  

“We could make several episodes of this content. I was thinking we could camp in the mountains and maybe cook some food, make mooncakes.” 

“All of this is really good, we have three weeks until the actual Mid-Autumn Festival. If I rush this idea to Manager Chen, we could have one week to plan it, and two weeks to film and produce it.” You beamed, glad that you could be involved in a potential big production. 

You and Bang Chan kept discussing his idea for content, and as time passed, your conversation turned more casual as it eventually evolved into topics unrelated to work.

“So, why are you having coffee this late anyway?” You tipped your chin towards his glass. 

“There’s this part of a song I’m working on that I just can’t get perfect,” Bang Chan noticeably clenched his jaw, “I wanna figure it out before I leave.” 

“Do you usually stay up late to work?” You asked. 

“I can’t sleep anyways, so I might as well work.” 

“Insomnia?” You questioned. He shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his coffee. A few seconds of silence passed. “You know, my mom made me pack some of her special tea before leaving. She said it was for jet lag, which is weird because there’s only a time difference of an hour here.” You rambled. 

“Oh?” Bang Chan tipped his head. 

“I could give you some tomorrow.” You said. Your eyes wandered everywhere except to him. “If you want.” 

“Really, you’d do that?” His eyes widened as he stirred his coffee with his straw. 

It may have been your subconscious need to make friends, or just the fact that you mom gave you so much tea for your non-existent jet lag, but you gladly offered your mom’s solve-all remedy. “Of course, anything for a friend.” 

He blinked a couple times. He stopped stirring his coffee. “Thanks.” He looked at you with a slight grin. 

“Plus, this way I can pay you back.” You teased. 

“Okay, fair enough.” He chuckled. A dimple appeared on his cheek as his smile widened. “But seriously, you don’t need to worry about paying me back for anything next time.” 

Next time? You wondered. Of course he would have more ideas for his own group. You wanted to roll your eyes at yourself. It seemed like, despite his easy-going personality, that he cared a lot about not only his job, but the boys he worked with. His work ethic inspired you and made you want to work just as hard as he did. Except you definitely couldn’t stay up as late as he did. 

The two of you kept up the back and forth that was established, talking about whatever came to mind, with a few sprinklings of work-related conversations throughout. You talked about your first day impressions and how well you were adjusting to life in a new country, and he retaliated by sharing his own experiences of moving across the world. You were so enraptured by your riveting conversations that you easily lost track of time. It wasn’t until you had already spent minutes playing around with your straw in the empty glass that you finally remembered how late it was.

“It’s kinda late, I think I should get going now.” You said as you checked your phone for the time. 

“Are you taking the subway?” He asked as he started gathering the empty glasses. “It’s pretty dark now — I could walk you there.”

“It’s alright. I don’t wanna take time from your work” You said, gathering your notebook and pen. 

“It’s no problem, really, it’s just a five minute walk.” He stood up with the tray of empty glasses in one hand and pulled up his face mask with the other.

The two of you left the café and walked the short distance to the subway stairs.  There, you parted ways and you started your trek home. Taking the subway at night was vastly different from morning; the morning rush was filled with rows and rows of busy people, whereas the night train had a completely different feeling to it. There were actually available seats, to begin with. You found an empty seat and took out your phone to kill time. You checked your missed notifications.

Yoojin: Hi Y/n!! ^-~ Today was so fun, we should go again sometime! 

You smiled at the little text from Yoojin, visioning her wide smile stretch across her face. Texting a quick reply back, you were about to put your phone back down when another notification popped up. 

Unknown: Stay away from him. This is a warning.  

A flash of panic rushed through your body making your chest tighten. Your heart was coming out of your chest, the beating was so hard you could hear it even in the running subway. Completely fixated on the bright white of your phone, your eyes strained from the light. Adrenaline filled your blood, and in the spur of the moment, you quickly blocked the number and deleted the text chain. It had to just be a prank text, after all, you have gotten pranked through text multiple times before in your past. 

You put your phone down slowly, turning your head to survey your subway cart for any suspicious acting people. There was only a grandma with her cane and a few middle school girls comparing their new lip tints. Your thumbs naturally started fiddling with each other. Your eyebrows knit together as you clutched your bag tight to your body for the rest of the subway ride. 

The walk back to your apartment was done carefully. You chose the side of the sidewalk with more light as you kept your senses open, trying to remember the face of every person that walked past you. Although it was more likely than not that the text was just a prank, you were still somebody living alone with very few connections in a new country. Your legs quickened at the thought and you hurried your way back.

Arriving at your apartment door, you carefully entered your lock combination and slammed your door shut, double checking that it was locked. Your home was dark, with only the moon casting long shadows on your furniture. You quickly switched your light on. You tried to put this text to the back of your mind as you got ready to sleep, but it loomed, feeling like a shadow cast by the moon. The shadow in your mind stayed as you closed your eyes, waiting for your sleep to chase it away. 

The next morning, you woke up to the obnoxious beeping of your alarm. You sleepily sat up, getting ready to perform your familiar morning routine. Everything felt like routine, so monotonous that the text from last night was completely forgotten. You opened the fridge and ate your suspicious egg from yesterday morning. 

Before leaving, you suddenly remembered to bring your mom’s magical tea. You rummaged through the cupboards until you found the ridiculous packaging your mom insisted on using. 

The route to work was already starting to feel familiar as you mindlessly made your way from your quaint apartment all the way to the opulent blue building. You entered the office and sat at your desk, checking for new emails. After nothing of immediate importance came up, you got out your notebook and started to type up your notes from yesterday. 

You were in a trance. The repetitive task of reading and typing completely hypnotised you as hours passed by without you even noticing. What broke you out of your trance, however, was the voice of your boss. 

“Bang Chan.” Manager Chen called out. You looked up from your monitor and peeked up from your cubicle to see the familiar hair of a certain man you knew. Assuming he was here for a meeting with Manager Chen, you went back to your hypnotising work. The walls of your cubicle were too high for him to see you anyways — something about eliminating distractions to maximise work efficiency. 

You hit ‘enter’ on your keyboard to start a new paragraph when all of a sudden, you spotted an object appear on your desk from the corner of your eye. 

A bottle of mango juice. 

Quickly turning your head around, you were met with Bang Chan’s back. He was already making strides towards Manager Chen, but something about the sway of his broad shoulders and the way his right hand stretched open told you that it was him who gave you this little bottle of happiness. You unscrewed the lid and took a sip before getting back to work.  

Thankfully, the gift you received was enough sugar content to keep you working efficiently for the rest of the day. You had finished all your work and could hopefully pitch Manager Chen the idea by tomorrow. You found your mom’s tea in your bag while gathering your stuff, remembering your promise to Bang Chan. 

Y/n: Hey, I have my mom’s tea — I could give it to you right now?

There was a reply almost immediately. 

Bang Chan: Sure ^^ I’m in a practice room on floor X right now, I’ll wait by the elevators. 

You made your way over to the elevators and tapped your nails on the package of tea whilst silently waiting for an elevator to arrive. The silence, however, was promptly cut off as your phone started to ring. It was from Yoojin. She probably wants to hang out soon, you thought as you happily answered right away. 

“Y/n!” Yoojin yelled into the phone, she sounded worried. 

“Yoojin, is there something wrong?” You frowned, concerned for the girl. 

“I-I was in the parking lot near your building, a-and I fell down the stairs.” She sniffed. “I think I sprained my ankle or something — I can’t stand up. It hurts so much.” 

“Oh god, Yoojin, do you want me to come help?” You were in the elevator by now, already pressing the button for the main floor. 

“If you’re not far, I don’t want to trouble you.” You heard sounds of her wincing. 

“It’s no trouble Yoojin,” You exclaimed, “your ankle is much more important now. I’ll be right there.” 

“Thank you Y/n.” You heard her sniff again through the phone. 

You bolted out of the elevator as soon as it reached the main floor, stuffing your forgotten package in your bag. Ignoring the looks of confusion of the people you sprinted past, you located the parking lot building as soon as you left the main doors of the JYPE building. Your chest burned and your breaths were heavy. 

You were worried for Yoojin. She seemed like such a sweet girl that it pained you to even imagine her hurt in any sort of way. With her fluffy hair and wide eyes, it made you feel like you were helping an injured puppy. 

Your legs felt like concrete after a while of running, but you finally made it to the parking lot building. Entering the parking lot, you looked for any sign of a staircase where Yoojin said she fell on. There were none. 

“Excuse me, where are the stairs to this parking lot?” You asked the parking lot attendant, assuming it was just hidden somewhere. 

“There are no stairs here,” He said, “if you want to get to the second floor, there is an elevator over there.” He pointed to the other side of the lot. 

You thanked the man and ran to the elevator, hoping Yoojin wasn’t too hurt by now. You’ve experienced injuries like these before whilst playing sports back home, they hurt like hell. Your breathing was staggered by the time you reached the elevator, however, you didn’t give up and kept looking around trying to find the girl. There was nobody. You were about to call Yoojin again just to make sure you were in the correct place, but a voice interrupted you. 

“Y/n.” 

It was Manager Kim.

[socially-awkward-skeleton]

WIP Wednesday

working on another far cry fic, here's the start:

St. Francis Veteran's Center, the home of the trials, a place that should have been considered off limits to her - his newest judge. Kit hated that thought, that with the turn of a key and the first few notes from the music box, she became entirely his.

Only his.

She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel of the Peggie truck she had taken a few miles back after a fire fight. The conditioning had become harder to break these days, her rage flaring more often now with little effort. The smallest thing could light the fuse and she’d be about ready to explode. It was all well and good when she could put it to use taking care of the chosen and the hunters, but when it was something as simple as Hurk calling her “legs” that would send her flying off the handle she knew she was coming undone. Jacob had gotten under her skin, into her head, and she had no means of escape. She was a prisoner and there was no one coming to save her.

Everything inside her told her to turn tail and run, to get the heck out of there. Stay far, far away. But despite the logical side of her brain listing every terrible reason not to go there, the reptile brain, the part that controlled fight or flight, the part Jacob Seed had dug his fingers into, refused to listen. It hadn't been so awake since her days overseas. But Jacob lit something fierce in her, a fire she couldn’t extinguish. The inferno of anger that wanted to kill, that enjoyed the war, the part of her she fought so long and hard to suppress. That hunger to tear things open with her nails and her teeth. The lust that filled her when it was all over and she ached for his approval, for his touch.

Only him.

To the rest of Hope County she was the Deputy, the woman who was liberating them from the control of the Seeds. But to him she was a weapon, his tool, his judge. His dirty little secret. One of the first things Hurk told her were the rules placed upon the Peggies: no liquor, no drugs, no parties, and most of all no sex.

Jesus, no wonder that man was so damn wound up.

But there was no way someone like Jacob Seed could stay strong on that rule forever. Every man has his breaking point, and she was bound and determined now to find it. She took a few deep breaths and climbed out of the vehicle. Her gun strapped over her shoulder, pistol in her holster, knife in her boot. She hoped it was enough to show she came in peace. She was sure Jacob would see her coming. He had cameras set up all over this place, monitors to watch all the coming and goings. She had to hope he’d call off his attack dogs, both literally and figuratively.

She climbed the hill up to the gates, Peggies crowded her. Their eyes narrowed, guns raised at her. She could hardly blame them. She’d taken out so many of their numbers now she was practically Hope County’s very own bogeyman. Over the speakers, she could hear one of Jacob’s recorded sermons on strength and the cull, suddenly stop. She couldn’t help but smirk.

“Let her through. The judge has come home.”

His voice echoed across the training barracks, it sounded tinny. His normal gravel was missing. That didn’t stop the tightening in her abdomen. She was practically Pavlov’s dog now at the sound of his voice. She wasn’t quite sure whether he even needed the music box to control her now.

--

She was led up to his office, her arms held in place by two chosen soldiers in red balaclavas. Their grip was tight upon her, her skin rubbing against their rough gear. She couldn’t help but wear a stupid lopsided grin on her face. The idea of having armored guards bringing her to him seemed so formal, so staged.

She was shoved into the office, both guards stationing themselves at the doors. Jacob waved his hand to shoo them away and without a word they left. He didn’t look at her, his back remaining turned. He hunched over his plans and dossiers on the Whitetail militia, he appeared tense, even from behind.

Kit wasn’t sure whether she was being reprimanded or if this was a new game, seeing how long she could wait in silence, how patient she could be, how good she was. She shuffled her feet and cleared her throat.

“You’ve got some fucking balls just thinking you can come here.”

Her eyes fell to the floor as her smirk took over her face. She wanted to look sorry, but she wasn’t.

“Thought you’d want to see me.”

He rolled his eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. He tossed the file in his hand down on to the table, rubbing at the bridge of his nose.

“Oh Jacob, you gotta stop taking things so seriously.”

Her heavy footsteps were louder than she had hoped, so much for being stealthy. He turned and looked over his shoulder. His brow knotted, eyes narrowed, he was annoyed. She was in for it now.

“Stop taking – you took out an entire garrison along with those damn whitetails,” he quickly turned around to face her. His restraint was slipping, “Tell me how I’m not supposed to take that seriously? I have Joseph breathing down my neck. I’m supposed to bring you to him.”

She stepped a little closer, one foot step at a time, being careful about the lengths of her strides, being careful not to get too close.

“Then do it.”

He snorted quietly through his nose, shaking his head. She really did have some brass balls on her. No fear whatsoever. She was dangerous to say the least.

“How much of an idiot do you take me for, Deputy?”

“Oh, Deputy is it now,” she questioned while edging ever closer towards him, close enough to touch, her hands gripped the material of his old military jacket, “What happened to kitten?”

She looked up at him, doing her best to give him her most innocent puppy dog eyes. The man was a wolf, but surely he’d have a soft spot for a little innocence. As innocent as she could get at least.

“Not sure you deserve the pet name after pulling this stunt.”

[dwellordream]

“By the early 1920s, the older generation of physicians who insisted that athletics would damage women's fragile bodies had largely been discredited. Nonetheless, concern that women's participation in vigorous exercise programs, competitive sports, and other forms of strenuous physical activity would undermine "natural" gender differences lingered through the rest of the decade. After all, sport had developed in the nineteenth century as a male preserve, a domain in which men expressed and cultivated masculinity through athletic competition.

Women's assumption of such "manly" activities therefore continued to unnerve many contemporaries who questioned the social consequences of their unprecedented exploits. How could a woman who "on the stroke of six [o'clock] . . . jumps out of bed, throws herself on her bicycle and races like a newspaper boy out to the tennis court or the gymnasium, and then arrives at the office at nine, completely out of breath" possibly retain her femininity, wondered some observers. Could women who participated in "mannish" activities such as soccer and boxing be truly womanly outside the sports arena? 

And was it not possible that unrestrained physical activity might really, as some critics suggested, cause young women to "shake off a part of their sex and acquire a considerable part of the robust and rough assurance of a masculine being?" For those who harbored such concerns, the media's endless fascination with extraordinary female physical feats did little to alleviate their worries. Throughout the postwar decade, newspapers and magazines reveled in stories about women, both from Denmark and abroad, who broke gender conventions as soccer players, wrestlers, hammer throwers, long distance runners, motorcycle drivers, sharpshooters, and parachute jumpers. 

Photographs of female firefighters, bus drivers, ditchdiggers, and construction workers only added to this carnivalesque display of female modernity that simultaneously announced the arrival of a new type of physically active woman and the collapse of distinct male and female preserves. Equally popular were stories of female accomplishments that seemed to throw into question men's physical supremacy. When, for example, the young Danish-American swimmer Harriet Mille Carson managed to cross the English Channel in record time in 1926, while "the first-class male swimmer" against whom she competed had to "give up due to wind and waves," she did so under intense media coverage.

And the following year, when the seventeen-year-old Edith Jensen became the first person ever to cross the Sound between Denmark and Sweden, only one day after a male swimmer had failed to reach that goal, the press once again touted young women's stunning physical strength and endurance. While most ordinary Danes probably found such spectacular female feats more exciting and entertaining than threatening, those who participated in the public debate were generally troubled by such activities. In their minds, these were examples of the worst aspects of women's physical activities—vulgar in their competitiveness, excessive in their aim, unfeminine in their vigor, and immodest in their public display. 

Instead of promoting stronger, healthier female bodies, such activities, they feared, would ultimately undermine women's physical well-being and, rather than making them more beautiful, might make women mannish and muscular. It is therefore hardly surprising that many contemporaries felt that some guidance was called for lest young women slip entirely out of control and lose themselves in unhealthy competition and damaging excesses. Even advocates of female exercise were often uncomfortable with young women's enthusiasm for strength, speed, and record-breaking. 

While interested in promoting physical freedom and athletic enjoyment for women, the vast majority of them were also committed to preserving gender difference, and they saw competitive strife as an unfortunate and eccentric American phenomenon that threatened to ruin not only "the sound Danish tradition of women's exercise" but also women's physical health and femininity. In response to charges of masculinization and out of concern about women's health and well-being, they therefore began to articulate a philosophy of female athleticism that defined proper physical activities for women as fundamentally different from those of men.

Women, they argued, should carefully choose only those forms of activity that suited their constitution. Exercise should not exert, and it should never "develop a woman's body so that she becomes too muscular." Besides, women should not engage in competitive sports. Not only might frenzied competition lead a woman to loose her composure and "aesthetic appearance," but it also brought out aggressiveness and other "most unfortunate character traits in a woman." Rather than athletic prowess and bodily strength, the development of soft and harmonious feminine bodies ought to be the objective, and women should therefore confine themselves to the "feminine" category of pleasurable exercise and physical fitness, leaving "masculine" sports to men.

Female physical educators, including exercise instructors, gymnastics teachers, and physical culture specialists, were particularly adamant in this stance. By the 1920s, these women had for decades been striving to develop specifically female exercise programs. Criticizing nineteenth century traditions of gymnastics and physical exercise for their masculine bias, their emphasis on disciplining and strengthening the body, and their stiff, militaristic bent, they insisted on the importance of acknowledging gender difference and cultivating exercise systems for women that were not a "blind imitation" of men's. Instead of strenuous drills and apparatus-based gymnastics that developed muscular strength, they encouraged light floor exercises, rhythmic movement, and figure training that called forth physical expressions of women's feminine nature.

According to its advocates, specifically feminine exercise programs had numerous advantages. First, they took place in gender-segregated spaces and made it possible for women to exercise under the guidance of female instructors without exposing themselves to the lewd gaze of male spectators. Second, in contrast to competitive sports and masculine styles of gymnastics, which were deemed "too brutal and therefore [threatened] to ruin the harmony of the female physique," the new styles of exercise offered physical activities that were designed to preserve and enhance women's "figure and feminine grace" and make them "supple, graceful and rounded in form and movements."

Typically described as relaxing yet invigorating, such exercises allowed women a measure of organized physical expression without violating their femininity. Third, and perhaps most importantly, these forms of physical activity did not seek to "turn women into athletes" or encourage them to become "unappealingly emancipated," but allowed each woman to develop her body to its fullest aesthetic potential. A harmonious, fit female body, radiating health and "natural" feminine beauty, was the inevitable result of such proper exercise. 

Considering their emphasis on style over strength, physical attractiveness over athletic accomplishment, and gender segregation over mixedsex companionship, it is not surprising that advocates of the new exercise systems met with widespread support even among many former critics of women's physical activities. By advocating new forms of moderate physical exercise that promoted health and fitness along with feminine beauty, female physical educators had clearly managed to stake out a culturally legitimate position. Edged between modern sports and conventional physical restraint, they proposed a compromise that merged athletic enjoyment with activities suitable for female bodies and psyches. 

While physicians, physical educators, and other interested parties debated these issues, young women continued to pursue a variety of physical activities. Some paid scant attention to the words of authorities, delighting in many of those exact activities that most horrified contemporaries. Amanda Christensen, for one, was never deterred from her love of competitive bicycle racing. "I knew, of course, that girls were not supposed to do that," she conceded, "but that never stopped me. Why should people tell me what I could do?"

Most young women were much less assertive and self-confident. While they were enthusiastic about sport and physical exercise, they were also concerned about how their participation in different activities might be perceived. As one young woman wrote to an advice columnist, "I want to have fun, but I am not sure whether it is appropriate for young girls to play hockey." Despite the desire to have fun and take part in what were perceived as "modern" activities, she and many other young women did not want to violate too many cultural norms, and they were unwilling to risk too much social ostracism. 

Besides, most young women were as concerned about their femininity as were other contemporaries, and despite their interest in physical exercise they did not want to risk appearing "mannish" and unattractive. Not surprisingly, many girls and young women therefore responded positively to the new forms of exercise advocated by female physical educators. From the early 1920s, both devoted sports enthusiasts and women who had never before participated in organized physical activities flocked to exercise classes. According to Jenny Okkels, "We all took exercise classes." 

Regitze Nielsen agreed. "Any young girl took exercise classes back then," she recalled, adding with obvious delight that "it was so much fun, such camaraderie." Part of the appeal of exercise classes for young women lay in the very qualities stressed by advocates of physical exercise. Clearly, the cultural respectability of such activities enabled even cautious young women to engage in various forms of female physicality without exposing themselves to charges of improper behavior. Within a wholesome atmosphere, apart from men and under the supervision of female instructors, they found welcome opportunities for pleasurable and fun-filled physical activity. 

Moreover, the particular forms of exercise promoted by female physical educators in the postwar decade offered young women a chance to reshape their bodies in ways that simultaneously set them apart from older generations of women and fit their perception of what constituted a "modern" physical style. Key components of this coveted style included physical self-confidence, a graceful feminine body language, and a certain "natural" ease—all characteristics that female exercise instructors strove to teach their students. 

Aja Packness, who participated in exercise classes during her youth in the 1910s, recalled, for example, how she and her classmates learned to "swing and sway and twirl so we looked like butterflies. We learned rhythm, graceful poses, and arm movements, but first and foremost we learned to behave freely and unconstrained. I am to this very day grateful to Miss Schjellerup [the instructor] because she taught us to walk freely across a dance floor where many people were watching us. And we learned to sit properly on a chair—not shyly out on the edge." 

Because many physical educators adhered to the philosophy that "each individual [is] endowed by nature with a personal rhythm," exercise classes also encouraged the pursuit of individuality and personal expression, both factors young women associated with female modernity. In addition to these appealing qualities, the enthusiasm that many young women displayed for the exercise classes sprang from the legitimacy they seemed to grant to sensual pleasure and the pursuit of physical beauty, an undertaking that nineteenth-century moralists had often criticized as evidence of female vanity and self-absorption. 

Physical educators idealized the healthy, harmonious, physically fit female body, and they were never sparing in their praise of "the beautiful sight of many young, slender female bodies engaged in rhythmic exercise." Many of them actively encouraged women to pay attention to their appearances and to take pride in their efforts to attain "cheerful, agile and healthy" bodies. Of course, the praise bestowed on those who strove to be physically fit entailed an implicit critique of those who failed to do so, but even as they enforced a new set of standards for what constituted an attractive appearance, advocates of women's exercise and physical culture nevertheless succeeded in claiming for women the right to take new kinds of pleasure and pride in their bodies.

In the course of the 1920s, then, the tension between young women eager to explore new forms of physical activity and older contemporaries concerned about the consequences of unrestrained female physicality gradually faded as physical educators managed to develop new forms of female exercise that were sufficiently feminine to deflect charges of improper masculinization and, at the same time, sufficiently exciting and physically gratifying to attract large numbers of young women. Although some female athletes continued to excel in competitive sports and to upstage men in spectacular feats of performance, the fact that the majority of young women turned their energy toward feminine exercise seemed to quell much of the opposition that initially surrounded women's forays into the sporting world.”

- Birgitte Soland, “Fit for Modernity.” in Becoming Modern: Young Women and the Reconstruction of Womanhood in the 1920s

[lovely-laurent]

behold: part 2 of the murder trial fic. i feel like it focuses a lot on the *trial* part but dont worry im getting to the good stuff. slow burn, baby.

Concept: laurent is a prosecutor, Damen is a defense attorney, and Jokaste is accused of murder.

tw: references to murder, graphic depictions of crime scenes.

part 1 -- ao3 link

**

“Let the record show the presence of the jury, the defendant, and all counsel.” Judge Vannes gave Laurent a pointed look. “You may call your first witness.”

“The state calls Penelope Fotos.”

Penelope, a young Akielon woman, came out into the courtroom. She was sworn in, and took a seat in front of Laurent.

Laurent gave her a stoney look. “Can I have your name, please?”

“Penelope Fotos.”

“And did you know a man named Adras Leos?”

“Yes.”

Laurent asked the young woman several questions, eventually establishing to the jury that she was a friend and potential girlfriend to the victim. She explained how they met, the nature of their relationship, and detailed the handful of dates the two of them had gone on. She also detailed how she had discovered the body the day before she and the victim were supposed to go on a business trip to Patras, where they would be staying at a five-star resort at the expense of the victim’s employer. It was successful enough. Penelope was well-spoken, though very nervous. Occasionally, she would go into more detail than necessary, or misunderstand the question, to which Laurent would politely, yet sternly, redirect her focus to the matter at hand.

“And while you were there,” Laurent asked, referencing the funeral, “Were there a lot of people there?”

“Yes,” she said.

“And was there someone there by the name of Jokaste Dimakos?”

“Yes.”

“Is she in court here, today?”

“Yes.”

“Can you point her out for me, please?”

Penelope looked at Jokaste. “She’s sitting at the end of that table, wearing a blue shirt.”

Laurent looked up at Vannes. “Your honor, may the record reflect the identification of the defendant?”

Vannes nodded. “Yes.”

Laurent asked the witness about her interaction with Jokaste. “How did she approach you?”

“She came up to me and asked, ‘Are you Penelope Fotos?’”

“At any point, did she say, 'I'm the one who killed Mr. Leos?'"

“No.” She visibly stiffened, eyes looking down at her hands. It was typical for a witness to become uncomfortable under Laurent’s straight-forward, direct approach to matters as grim as the death of a loved one.

“Did she ever tell you why she was there?”

“No.”

“I don’t have anything else, thank you.” And with that, Laurent took his seat for the defense team to take over.

Damianos, the lead defense attorney, was a very tall Akielon man. He was tanned, with dark hair and dark eyes. Laurent had heard of him before the trial. He was esteemed in Akielos, where he had practiced law for several years. People hailed him as justice-driven, but Laurent found it hard to believe. It was hard to call someone “justice-driven” when they were spending their time getting admitted murderers out of spending time in jail.

But maybe he was biased.

“Good morning, Ms. Fotos,” Damianos said, shifting through his papers as he stepped up to the podium. His voice was good-natured and pleasant, which was ridiculous. If he was going to try to get a cold-blooded killer free, he should at least sound passionate about it.

“Good morning.”

Damianos picked up on various questions Laurent had asked, going into more detail and nit-picking things Laurent hadn’t dwelled on. Many of the questions had nothing to do with the victim, or Jokaste for that matter. Though, it wasn’t exactly surprising. There wasn’t much the defense team could do to try and wash clean Jokaste’s image, even less they could do with someone who didn’t even know her.

It wasn't all bad. Damianos was horribly handsome, and watching him was fun enough to make up for the pointless examination. His face was relaxed, hiding any tension he might have felt from the pressure of a doomed defense. His demeanor was personable and sympathetic, a stark contrast to Laurent’s cold edge. And his muscles. Those were worthy of a trial all on their own. Surely, it was criminal to come into court with a jacket that tight around his biceps. At one point, Damianos raised up his arm to fiddle with the projector, making his muscles strain against his jacket. Laurent wondered, if at least briefly, what he looked like without a shirt on. Probably like the guys he used to drool over when he was a teenager.

He must have been drooling again now, because the lead detective, Jord, who was seated beside him, leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Are you paying attention?”

“I’m always paying attention,” Laurent whispered back, looking down at his notepad and scribbling down a note. It wasn’t a very meaningful note.

“And it’s your testimony that Adras Leos never said Jokaste Dimakos was a stalker?” The question was pointed, and for once, his tone was forceful.

The witness stuttered, caught off guard by the inflexible question. “I don’t--- I don’t recall him ever saying it. He might have, I don’t remember if he had said it at that point. The only time I ever recall hearing her name was after we found him--- his---” Eventually, she gave a weak nod and stopped talking.

“I have nothing further, your honor.” Damianos gathered his papers and went back to his table. Laurent’s eyes tracked him as he sat back down.

“Re-direct?” Judge Vannes said, looking at Laurent.

Laurent stood and went up to the podium. He slammed down his pad of paper and looked the witness in the eyes. She squirmed. “The victim had told you the stalker was a female, correct?”

“I-- Yes.”

“And did he ever tell you what this female stalker had done?”

Damianos sat up straight "Objection, it's hearsay."

Judge Vannes considered, but eventually said, "Overruled"

Laurent raised an eyebrow at the witness.

“She had slashed his tires several times, she had slashed the tires of a girl he was dating before me, she had sent her threatening emails. Um, she sounded dangerous. She would hack into his emails and read his messages and break into his house.”

“I have nothing else, thank you.”

Judge Vannes glanced over at the jury box. “Do any members of the jury have any questions for this witness?” A pause. “I see no hands. You may step down. The state may call their next witness.”

Penelope stepped out, and was promptly replaced by Laurent’s next witness, who was sworn in and took a seat.

He made eye contact with him from his place at the podium. “Can you tell me your name, please?”

“Huet Babin.”

“And who do you work for?”

“Arles police.”

“And what do you do?”

Huet Babin went on to explain that he was a patrol officer, and that he responded to emergency calls. Huet answered Laurent’s questions in very few words. He didn’t linger on any detailed explanations, but instead allowed Laurent to ask a follow up question. Their dialogue was quick-paced as he explained how he had found the body, how the victim appeared to have been there for a couple weeks and suffered a deep neck wound, several stab wounds, and a gunshot wound.

“I’m going to show you a couple of photos.” Laurent held up a photo. “Please take a look at exhibits 175, 176, and 177.”

“Yes.”

“What are they?”

“They’re photos of the body at the crime scene.”

“Are they true and accurate depictions of the body as it existed on the night of June 19th?”

“Yes.”

“I move for the admission of exhibits 175 through 177.” Laurent briskly handed the photos to Damianos.

Judge Vannes looked at Damianos. “Any objections?”

Damianos peered through them. “No objections, your honor.”

“Exhibits 175, 176, and 177 are admitted.”

Laurent went on to discuss the photos with the officer. He would put each photo up on the projector and ask, “What is this?” to which the officer would explain. The photos were of the crime scene. Particularly, where the body was found, which was the shower stall in the bathroom. Laurent asked about blood found at the scene, to which the officer explained that there was no blood on the body or the stall, but was instead blood on the sink, in the bedroom, and in the hallway. Laurent asked about the layout of the house, to which the officer explained.

When he was done with his questioning about the crime scene, he concluded by saying, “I have nothing further, your honor.”

Judge Vannes looked over at Damianos. “Cross examination?”

Damianos pursed his lips. “We have no questions for this witness, your honor.”

Of course they didn’t. What could they have possibly talked about?

“Do any members of the jury have any questions for this witness?” A pause. “I see no hands. You may step down. Ladies and gentlemen, we will take the evening recess at this time. Please be back in the designated area at 10:30 tomorrow morning. You are dismissed.”

The members of the jury walked out, meanwhile Laurent packed his papers back into his briefcase. Jord stood and flattened his suit jacket. “Goodnight, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Have a nice evening,” Laurent said, voice flat. He looked at his phone, the old photograph of Auguste lighting up the screen. He had several text messages from Nicaise, though none of them were very meaningful. They were mostly complaints about the paperwork he was paid to fill out, the phone calls he was paid to make, and how dreadful the life of a paralegal is. Laurent rolled his eyes. He took another second to look at the picture of Auguste before he locked his phone and put it back in his pocket.

[secretsofthedarkestkind-arch]

Elena starter for @storieswrittcn​ (this may or may not have gotten away from me, Remember you said you like novella. I also took part of the ramble part one but altered it also)

We are outsiders Living inside a broken world We are outsiders And I know sometimes it can hurt But it gets better yeah we'll make it through We'll stay golden when we're black and blue We are outsiders But we're not hiding anymore This is who we really are

It had been fifteen years since she’d seen either of her brothers face to face. Fifteen years since Lee had spoken to the eldest. Fifteen years since she had thought of Mystic Falls, thought of all the ghosts that lurked within the town's shadows. Lee Salvatore had made it a habit to push anything regarding her brothers, that town, or their past to the deepest recesses of her mind. She had built life after life without them, embracing the warped gift of eternity. She hadn’t truly looked back after she’d transitioned. Finally able to become who she really was without the suffocating opinions of the church, her community, or her family.

It wasn’t an easy journey. Slow in it’s progression. Lee’s aunt had always told her she was a soul gifted before it’s proper time; her sexuality, the way she was born, her passion and skill when it came to art, her desire to see the world. None of it fit in the 1800’s. But as times changed pieces of Lee started to belong. Each change brought new opportunities, allowing Lee to start to put herself together. 

She was still an outsider, still judged--but what else would you expect living in a broken world? What didn’t fit into the neat little boxes of people’s minds, what didn’t fit the societal norm, was still given so much hate. The only difference was now there were those who fought for equality, unafraid to use their voices to promote change. Those people gave Lee hope, gave her strength. Finding those people throughout the last 145 years had shaped her.

Lee Salvatore was still an outsider, but she was also so much more. She was an artist, one with more alias’ than she could count on both hands. She was a college graduate, several degrees tucked away in a safe. She was a traveler, passports filled with stamps and a mind filled with memories she had never imagined to have. But most of all, Lee was finally able to look in the mirror and accept the person she saw; the youngest Salvatore was who she truly was. She held no more self hate. No more whispers of ghosts past haunted her. She was an outsider, but she wasn’t hiding who she really was anymore.

While Lee had taken the road of self discovery, her brothers’ hadn’t. They’d been living in a siblings quarrel, at least Damon was. Stefan suffered at every turn at their brothers hand whenever they fell into each other's orbit or Damon specifically sought him out. Lee was drugged into it whenever Damon crossed too many lines, risking their exposure to the world. 

Stefan had called her no more than seven hours ago asking for her help. There was a trail of bodies leading straight to town, ‘animal attacks’ that couldn’t be explained were catching the eye of news outlets. She hadn’t even known Stefan was back in Mystic Falls. When Lee asked him why he couldn’t just leave, he explained there was something holding him in Mystic Falls that didn’t allow him to--something that could finally give him a sense of belonging--and refused to believe the attacks were Damon. All he wanted was for Lee to be there with him, help keep the spotlight off their kind. The vampire might loathe her brothers, wanting nothing more for them to be miserable, but she wasn’t going to allow Damon to out them. 

Which is why Lee was driving down the main strip on her motorcycle. The town was busy; teens scattered across the storefronts trying to enjoy their last hours of summer vacation. She came to a stop at one of the only stoplights in town, rolling her shoulders dreading whatever was to come when she reached the boarding house. The youngest Salvatore felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand, a shiver going down her spine, every nerve ending coming to life in a way she hadn’t experienced in years. Lee let her head turn to the right, following the pull of whatever was happening.

‘What…” The lithe form of a brunette teen who was walking beside another girl was at the center of her focus. “Turn around.” Lee knew the brunette couldn’t hear her words. Her plea was answered as she turned, eyes almost searching. Those eyes, that’s what did it. “Who are you?” A horn from behind her snapped Lee out of her trance, for a nanosecond the two locked eyes. The vampire’s eyes hidden behind her aviators. The next Lee was pulling off, possibly faster than she should have been. Now she had the true answer of why Stefan refused to leave. 

----

Lee placed a few notebooks, her sketchbook, and a few pens into her satchel--the one she’d had since she was a teen; a gift from her aunt she’d never been able to part with. She glanced up at the ceiling hearing Stefan’s footsteps on the roof. A sigh left her lips, why had she agreed to this? She was roughly 160 years old and able to enroll herself in a Small Town America High School. It was ridiculous; a complete stalker move. There had to be other ways for Stefan to get to know this girl, if that’s even what he was truly hoping to do. For how Stef had explained the situation, Lee could tell he was only doing this because of Katherine.

Subconsciously her thumb started to play with the band of her daylight ring. She was thankful for the chance of life Katherine Pierce had given her but there was so much Lee wished was different. Shaking her head to break out of her thoughts she moved toward her closet to get dressed. Lee scanned through her options, To be me or be who society thinks I should be? It was a debate she hadn’t had in a long time. To make this work she couldn’t disturb the waters between her and her brothers too much. A short laugh left her lips, that was a joke. The three couldn’t be in the same room without starting something. As it was right now, it was just two of them. With that thought in mind Lee grabbed an outfit that would be her. 

Guys white wash skinny jeans that weren’t too tight to show her tuck, a grey and white hooded baseball tee that had a pocket on the left chest, her grey vans, and her black leather jacket she’s had since the 90’s. She finished the look with a black watch. One more look in the mirror and she was pocketing her phone with one hand and slipped her satchel over her shoulder with the other.

She knew Stefan would already be off. His stalker-like tendencies being on overdrive since the ‘animal attack’ last night after Lee had arrived. She ignored Zack who was in his office and headed to the garage, she wasn’t going to run to the school. There wasn’t anything wrong with arriving in style.

-------

Stefan met her in the parking lot. Lee took her helmet off and ran her fingers through her hair, glancing at her brother, her own sunglasses covering her eyes. “Why do you always insist on dressing like that?” He asked, judgement clear in his voice. 

“This is me Stefan. You know that. Let it go. You asked for my help so take me as I am or I get on this bike and leave.” She told him. Lee wasn’t going to put up with his judgement. The world had given her enough of that. Plus her brother had already had his fair share of giving her judgement when they were younger. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Lee stated, “This is definitely traveling into creeper status.” Stefan didn’t answer, just turned to walk through the crowd of students covering the lawn reconnecting after a summer away. She moved into step beside him, she knew they stood out; leather jackets, both well built and confident in their strides, the aurora of not giving a fuck rolling off them both. 

They finally found their way to the admissions office, standing shoulder to shoulder. Stefan handed over the file that was supposed to hold all they needed but Lee knew was missing more than a few things. She wondered which of the two would compel the woman. Stefan could but where all he drank was Bambi and Co blood who knew how long it would last. Lee sighs, she’s ready to make the move when something behind them stops her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, her nerves firing up again, and she felt that pull to turn around. She also could feel a warm buzz in the air, a witch.

“Hold up. Who’s this?” The first female says, the witch.

The secretary’s voice brings her back to what’s in front of her, saying exactly what she knew was coming. “Your records are incomplete. You’re both missing immunization records and we do insist on transcripts.” Lee glances at Stefan out of the corner of her eye. The last transcripts she had were college one's back in the 1980’s. She hadn’t done high school since the late 70’s and that was only to get into Yale. Their art programs the top in the country. 

Thoughts of the past make her miss her chance, Stefan is taking his sunglasses off, “Please look again,” Lee adjusts her satchel hoping Stefan can do this right. “I’m sure everything you need for both of us is there.” Lee chews the inside of her lower lip, her free hand moving to remove her sunglasses just in case. 

The secretary looks back down, “Well you’re right.” Lee tucks her sunglasses into the collar of her shirt as the woman looks back up at her brother. “So it is.” Stefan-1, Humanity-0.

“Thank you,” Stefan, ever the polite one, says. As they turn to go, Lee glances over at her brother’s schedule. Seems they have all but one class together--Lee has art and Stefan a creative writing course. That works.

“You’re welcome,’ The secretary says, her eyes landing on the two teens in the hall. “Ahh! Miss Bennett, Miss Gilbert I’m glad you’re here. Do you think you could show our two newest students around?” She stands up from behind her desk to walk around to the siblings. “This is Lee and Stefan Salvatore. I think they both have a few classes with you both.” Lee takes in who she now know as a Bennett witch, why the magic felt warm. She gives the teen a charming smile before the pull is to much, her head being forced to turn to the brunette beside her. The vampire takes her in, all she can see is someone new. Lee doesn’t see Katherine when she looks at her. “Hi,” The charming smile turning into a much softer one. “I’m Lee.” She offers her hand to the girl.

[imaginesforjohnnydepp]

A Conversation

for @kindalollipop

You and Johnny had been friends forever, practically since you were just starting out as an assistant director to Tim Burton during the filming of Edward Scissorhands, your first job since graduating college. It was your dream to direct a movie, ever since you were a kid. As a child during the holidays, you’d grab the camera, yelling directions at your cousins and siblings, although if someone asked them, they’d say you were bossing them around. Eventually, you directed your first short film during college and decided to move out to Los Angeles in the hopes of getting a directing gig, but no one was really hiring female directors in the early ‘90s. Fast forward a few decades later and now you’re an Oscar winning director, breaking box office records.

You and Johnny stayed friends through the years and you even directed a movie Johnny was in. You were by each others’ side through everything and thick as thieves, so it was no surprise to your friends and families when the two of you started dating a few years after Johnny’s divorce from Amber. You were in your home office sitting behind your computer desk getting ready for your interview. The movie you directed was set to premiere on a streaming platform due to the pandemic; the interview started out the same as any other, questions about the film, why you chose to accept the project after a few years away from the industry (you took some time off after being overworked and brought a nice little cottage in a rural area far away from Los Angeles). Then came the question that stopped you short.

“How’s your relationship going? You and Johnny Depp have been together for a while now. Do you think you’ll get married?” Yes, you and Johnny have been together for two years now, you love him so much and yeah, you’ve thought about what it would be like to be married to him, but after three failed marriages, you doubted Johnny would want to go through it again a fourth time. You felt your face getting hot and quickly ducked your head as you figured out how to answer. “Way to dive right in,” you joked. How to answer this without sounding desperate to get married.

“Johnny’s great, everything’s fine the way it is. He’s a wonderful man and I’m grateful to have him in my life,” you answered. You hoped that it didn’t sound too rehearsed. While Johnny had been married three times and has kids, you haven’t been married once, something your mother loves pointing out whenever you visit; she once had a very successful career as a wedding planner, and it was her dream to plan a wedding for each of her children, which she did. She just never planned one for you. You were the only one out of your siblings not to get married or have kids.

But that was fine with you; you got to dote on your nieces and nephews. After a few more questions about the movie and jokes between yourself and the journalist, you were let got and the screen turned black; as it was shutting down there was a knock on the door. Johnny poked his head in. “Lunch is ready if you’re hungry.” You smiled as you followed him to the kitchen, and the scent of grilled cheese and tomato soup greeted you.

The two of you ate in silence and the question from the interview kept playing in your head: “Do you think you’ll get married?” Should you bring it up? Turns out you didn’t need to. “How’d your interview go?” “It was okay, up till a point.”

Johnny raised his head and looked at you in confusion. “Did they make you uncomfortable?” he asked. “Not really. They just asked if we were getting married, that’s all.” You saw the way his mouth hovered over his sandwich. He took a bite and chewed, as if fishing out what to say next.

“What did you say?” The question had thrown you off guard, and you weren’t quite sure what to say. “Well... at first I didn’t know what to say, I wasn’t expecting it at all, but I told him that everything’s fine and that things are fine the way they are.” And things are fine the way they are, you and Johnny never talked about marriage, so you just assumed that he gave up on the institution of marriage altogether. “Y/N..” he started.

“Really Johnny, it’s fine. If you don’t want to get married, then we won’t get married. What matters is that we’re together. I understand.” You’ve seen what divorce has done to your brothers and sisters, seen them get married young only to get divorced a few years later and them warning you not to get married right out high school or just because you were pregnant. They also remarried and got divorced again. Your niece Nicole is already on her second stepfather, and you’ve seen how having three different fathers has taken its toll on her. Kids get attached, and when the relationship ends, they mourn the loss of the step-parent they grew attached to.

You didn’t want to put Lily-Rose and Jack through that, even if you did know them since they were babies. Johnny reached over and grabbed your hand, his thumb rubbing soothing circles. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” “I’m okay Johnny, really.” He knew how important marriage was to you and he couldn’t believe that you were going against everything you ever said in support of marriage just to be with him.

“Yeah, it took us over twenty years to get to this point, but it was worth it. Johnny, I wouldn’t be saying any of this if I didn’t believe it.” It was Johnny’s turn to smile, and you could see the toll the last week had taken on him. And it was true. You loved him, and have since the moment you met him. You’d take him anyway you could have him.

a/n: this is a work of fiction and it should not set the tone for real life. NEVER give up the things you really love for someone else, man or woman, who isn’t willing to meet you halfway. if that person really loved you, they would never ask you to give up anything that is important to you. that is all. PLEASE find someone who shares the same values as you, and don’t settle just because you love them.