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mariacallous · 18 days ago

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On a dead-end road that climbs out of the tiny city of Jenkins, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Eastern Kentucky, there stands a large warehouse with a mint green roof. It shares the road with a few other businesses, but is otherwise surrounded by an expanse of open fields and tree-lined slopes. Inside, the warehouse is stacked high with racks on racks of computers—thousands of them. But none have ever been switched on.

The warehouse is owned by Mohawk Energy, a company cofounded by Kentucky state senator Brandon Smith in 2005, originally to resculpt landscapes disfigured by coal mining. After lying dormant for a period, Mohawk was reincarnated in 2022 when Smith struck a deal with HBTPower, a company then owned by Chinese crypto exchange Huobi, which wanted to use the warehouse for a bitcoin mining operation.

Under the deal, Mohawk promised to fit up its warehouse with the necessary power infrastructure, operate the equipment, and funnel any bitcoin produced to HBT. In return, HBT would pay Mohawk a monthly hosting fee, a cut of its mining revenue, and the associated energy bills.

Smith says he hoped the arrangement would generate tax revenue and create jobs for former coal miners, who could be trained as repair technicians. The coal industry departed Jenkins long ago, the reserves depleted, leaving people in search of work. More than a third now live below the poverty line, per the latest census data. “I liked the idea of going from one type of mining to a new type,” says Smith. “I thought, now in Eastern Kentucky we are going to have our time—we’re going to catch up and play a part in the tech future.”

But after a promising start, the relationship between Mohawk and HBT soured and then fell apart. “Nothing has ever been turned on. It’s a fascinating, almost Willy Wonka–type atmosphere when you walk through,” says Smith. “It has turned into a disaster.”

In November 2023, HBT brought a lawsuit in federal court, alleging that Mohawk had breached its contract on several fronts, including by failing to install the appropriate power infrastructure and secure certain power subsidies, and attempting to sell off the mining equipment. “Ultimately, the source of the current dispute is Mohawk’s basic failure to comply with its obligations, not only in a timely way, but at all in many regards,” says Harout Samra, a specialist in international dispute resolution at law firm DLA Piper and representative for HBT.

Mohawk sued HBT in return, contesting the various alleged breaches and claiming that HBT is delinquent on more than $700,000 in rent, labor, and fit-up costs. The company is also seeking damages relating to the loss of income over the term of the contract and the inability to bring a new tenant into the facility while the equipment remains on-site. “Huobi simply made a bargain it believes now is a bad one, and wants to get out of it without paying the funds it owes,” the filing states.

The legal conflict, which remains unresolved, is just one in a series of fights between Chinese companies and the owners of industrial facilities in the rural US over failed bitcoin mining partnerships. What looked to facility owners in Kentucky like an irresistible opportunity to tap into a new line of business in an otherwise fallow period has turned into a nightmare. They claim to have been saddled with unpaid hosting fees and energy bills worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, with few options for recovering the money. The Chinese parties have been left equally displeased. “HBTPower obviously regrets that this opportunity has ultimately played out the way it has,” says Samra.

The bitcoin mining game—a race between computers to win the right to process a bundle of transactions and claim a crypto reward—is dominated by large corporations that own and operate industrial-scale facilities. But in 2021 and 2022, smaller-scale operations began to proliferate in the US countryside wherever there was available power, including in Kentucky. “A lot of mom-and-pop shops opened up,” says Phil Harvey, CEO at Sabre56, a firm that consults on crypto mining projects and operates its own facilities. “Appalachia has always been a good source of power.”

These small facilities were plugging a gap in the market. A ban on crypto mining in China had left businesses casting about for a new home for their many millions of dollars’ worth of mining equipment. “A lot of wealthy Chinese businesses were affected,” says Harvey. “Every minute these machines are down, they are losing revenue.” Meanwhile, as the price of bitcoin ballooned—and the profitability of mining along with it—mining firms and investor groups began to hoard large quantities of bitcoin mining equipment of their own, says Harvey, without considering where they might deploy it.

In an overheated market, holders of mining equipment jumped into hosting arrangements at short notice with owners of small facilities, some of whom had no prior experience and insufficient expertise, who agreed to install the equipment and run the mining operations on their behalf.

But the haste with which these hosting relationships came together, in the name of striking while bitcoin was hot, says Harvey, set many of the partnerships up for failure. There was limited due diligence conducted by parties on both sides, delays in kitting out facilities and deploying equipment, and disputes over payment terms, he says, among other points of friction. “It's a snowball effect where everyone just ends up getting pissed off with each other,” says Harvey.

Though the American market proved more expensive and bureaucratic than some Chinese businesses expected, says Harvey, problems were also caused by the hubris of facility owners, some of whom found themselves in over their heads. “It’s no joke running a [bitcoin mining] operation of any kind of scale,” he says. “Just because the Chinese are tough to do business with, doesn’t mean they are the ones in the wrong. I would say that blame is equally shared.”

The law firm acting for Mohawk in its dispute with HBT, Anna Whites Law Office, has represented multiple owners of small facilities in Kentucky in similar legal conflicts with Chinese partners. The cases differ from the Mohawk situation, says attorney Anna Whites, founder of the firm, but share a common thread: “We saw a pattern that [companies with ties to China] would ship in machines with uncertain provenance, mine very heavily for three months, then run without paying the bill,” she claims.

Some of the cases settled out of court; Whites is unable to supply the details for reasons of client confidentiality. But others continue to drag on.

Biofuel Mining, a company formerly co-owned by Smith, is involved in legal tangles with two companies that Whites believes to be run out of China: Touzi Tech and VCV Power Gamma. Although both are incorporated in Delaware, per SEC filings, they conduct business in Mandarin and cannot be reached at their listed US addresses, Whites claims. “It's pretty standard for the foreign entities from any country to get a short-term office so that they have less scrutiny from US investors and government agencies,” she says.

In both cases, Biofuel claims, the firms shipped equipment from China to its hosting facility in Eastern Kentucky, then walked away with the bitcoin produced, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid energy bills and hosting fees.

Biofuel reached a settlement with Touzi in early 2022 for $60,000, but despite having handed back the mining equipment, it claims not to have received the sum it is owed under the agreement.

In the still-unresolved spat with VCV, Biofuel received permission from the Martin County Circuit Court in Kentucky to sell off the mining equipment, claims Whites, to recoup a portion of the funds it is owed (she has not confirmed the amount), but she alleges that no damages have yet been awarded. VCV has stopped responding to communications, she claims.

Biofuel has since dissolved, put out of business by the failed hosting ventures. “I literally lost my house—I lost everything. It financially ruined me,” says Wes Hamilton, former Biofuel Mining CEO. “I’m just so frustrated about the whole thing.”

WIRED contacted VCV and Touzi for comment, but did not receive any response.

There are few financial recovery options for companies like Mohawk and Biofuel. The situation is made more difficult, as in the Mohawk case, if they are dealing with so-called special purpose entities. Because they are set up by their parent companies for a single specific business venture, these entities need not be concerned about their long-term ability to operate in the US.

“It certainly can be more difficult to recover damages from a non-US counterparty,” says Kim Havlin, a partner in the global commercial litigation practice at law firm White & Case. “There is certainly a risk that an entity that doesn’t need to be in the US may just ignore the case.”

Even if the Kentucky facility owners win out in court, it could be difficult to collect any damages awarded. “A judgment is essentially a piece of paper. Any judgment needs to be turned into assets or cash in order to be valuable,” says Havlin. If the opposing party refuses to pay up and has no US assets to collect against, sometimes that isn’t possible.

Almost a year after the dispute began, the Mohawk case is stuck in legal limbo. In a setback for Mohawk, the presiding judge recently denied its motion to dismiss HBT’s complaint, on the basis that it had failed to sufficiently back up its argument. The judge also pushed Mohawk’s countersuit into arbitration, a forum for resolving disputes privately instead of in open court. Non-US parties tend to prefer arbitration as a way to “remove a home forum from both sides,” explains Havlin. “You can pick an arbitral seat in neither country as a means of creating a neutral playing field.” A parallel federal court hearing is set for December to consider whether an injunction should be imposed on Mohawk, preventing it from selling off the remaining HBT equipment in its possession.

Smith has given up on the idea of recovering the full amount he claims to be owed. “We’re at the point that it’s almost silly to even be arguing about breaking even,” he says.

In an interview with PBS that aired in September 2023, touting the Mohawk Energy facility, Smith said he hoped to prove that not every business that blew into Jenkins would abandon the area. “I’ve stood at their ribbon cuttings, then watched them leave. I’d like to do something to let people know that not everybody is like that,” he said.

After the relationship with HBT collapsed last year, Smith faces the prospect of Mohawk becoming yet another false start. With the facility inactive, the company has been forced to dismiss the former coal miners brought on as technicians. (It is unclear how many people it employed.)

The Mohawk facility was perhaps never set to revitalize Jenkins in the way Smith hoped, anyway. “I would say that a rural community benefits very little from a bitcoin mining facility. In terms of job creation, it’s minimal in a lot of cases,” says Harvey, the consultant. “It's certainly not the savior to a dwindling community.”

Nonetheless, Smith remains hopeful of salvaging the crypto mining project, with a new partner. “I’m hoping that this gets settled in the way that it should and that somebody comes forward and lets us go through with the vision that we wanted for this region,” he says. “I hope every day that maybe some big company will see that there's a place ready to go in this part of the country.”

Otherwise, Mohawk’s dalliance with bitcoin mining will become a cautionary tale. “It was very hurtful to see these families lose their income. We were one of the biggest payrolls in Jenkins,” says Smith. “It adds insult to injury that I’m sitting here arguing in court.”

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pensivegreen · 3 months ago

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CH 2: Echoes of Darkness

Whispers In The Dark

Aaron Hotchner x BAU!reader

Note: not canon, diverges from storyline. Slow burn. Also, my first time attempting to actually write.

TW: typical criminal minds description of crime and criminal behavior

WC: 1.3 K

Ringing begins to pull you from sleep.

“Hotchner” Hotch states answering the intrusive noise. Naturally, he has a deep voice yet layered grogginess adds a deeper timbre that nearly has you groaning out involuntarily. You begin turning over to stare at your boss, noticing that the early morning light is just making its way into the room.

Hotch lay on his back with an arm behind his head and the other cradling the phone to his head. A course of hums rattle in his throat as the phone call progresses. “I understand, I’ll inform my team and head out”.

You continue to stare at Hotch waiting for an explanation for the unexpected wake-up call. He drops the hand from his ear onto the mattress letting out a heavy sigh. Hotch’s head pivots to look over at your curled-up form in the other bed, just being able to make out your open eyes from dawn's arrival.

“They found another body.”

You hum out in understanding, “he is picking up the pace and showing off”.

“It seems that way,” Hotch moves, sitting on the bed with his feet flat on the ground. Rubbing a hand across his face in what you perceive as stress, “you go ahead and get ready first I’ll call everyone and fill them in.”

· · ─────── · ୨୧ · ─────── · ·

Everyone gathers in the conference room at the station as Lieutenant Cook explains the details of last night's crime scene. Another girl has been found in a nearby park, fitting the same pattern of violence that has been troubling the team for weeks. The atmosphere is tense as the team listens intently, aware that the pressure to catch the perpetrator is mounting.

Rossi, who has been poring over the case file boxes, suddenly perks up after reviewing the new crime scene forensics. “Guys, listen to this,” he calls out, breaking the heavy silence. “The same type of fibers were found at every crime scene.” His revelation sends a ripple of realization through the room, providing a potential lead in their investigation.

Reid, who has been working on creating a geographical profile for the offender and the crime scenes, looks up with renewed interest. “Let me integrate that into the profile,” he says before dialing Garcia. “Garcia, I need you to help pinpoint potential locations. We’re looking for textile buildings that match this geographical pattern.”

After a few moments of computing, Garcia replies, “Reid, I need more information to narrow it down.”

Rossi interjects, “Garcia, look up companies that use the same material the fibers are made of. We need to find out any places locally that might be dealing with these specific fibers.”

Moments later, Garcia’s voice comes back excitedly, “Got it! There are three warehouses in the area using the same materials found at the crime scenes.”

“Morgan, Y/N, and I will each take one warehouse to canvas. Our main objective is to question the supervisors about their employees.” Hotch is already getting up before everyone can agree. “Prentiss and Rossi I want you to go over all the victimology again. Look for any possible connections between the victims that we might have missed. Focus on their routines, social circles, and any recent changes in their lives."

He turns to Reid next. "Reid, you continue working on the geographical profile with Garcia. Use the information about the fibers to narrow down potential areas where the perpetrator might be based or frequent. Make sure to cross-reference with any known locations of interest we've identified so far."

· · ─────── · ୨୧ · ─────── · ·

The industrial area is eerily quiet considering the gravity of what you are investigating. The desolation and stillness only add to the tension, making every sound seem magnified.

Arriving at the location assigned to you, you are surprised to find not a large warehouse but a small, nondescript carpentry business. The building is unremarkable, blending seamlessly into its surroundings. The sign reads “Handcrafted by James.” The name seems innocent enough, but you're well aware that appearances can be deceiving. Stepping inside, you are greeted by the owner, a middle-aged man with a warm smile and a polite demeanor. His calm and friendly nature seems almost out of place.

“Good morning. How can I help you?” he asks, his eyes twinkling kindly. There is no hint of malice or deceit in his expression, which makes you all the more wary.

Introducing yourself and explaining the situation briefly, he welcomes you inside. “Please, have a seat,” he offers, motioning towards a small seating area. “I am going to grab a water, would you like one?” His hospitality is disarming, almost making you forget the danger you might be in.

You nod, trying to maintain a professional distance despite his disarming kindness. “Thank you, that would be nice.”

As the man heads to the back of the workshop, you begin scanning the room. Your eyes take in the rows of sharp tools, meticulously organized on the walls. Various pieces of wood are in the process of being shaped, each one a testament to the man's skill and craftsmanship. However, what catches your attention is an unsettling number of leather bindings scattered around the workshop. They seem out of place in a carpentry shop, raising questions about their purpose.

A chill runs down your spine just as you begin to piece together the potential danger. Dangling on the wall in front of you is a handful of charms, the exact ones found at every crime scene. Before you can react, a sharp pain explodes at the back of your head. The world spins and your vision fades as you fall to the floor. The realization sinks in—the man holds a blunt object in hand, and you are now caught in the web of the unsub.

· · ─────── · ୨୧ · ─────── · ·

Hotch makes it back to the station, finding everyone rummaging through papers. Glancing around, someone is missing.

“Where’s y/l/n?”

Everyone’s heads shoot up and their hands still as the team gazes around the room.

“I haven’t heard from her but I figured she was in contact with you,” Morgan ascertains. Y/N was known for sometimes ignoring everyone but Hotch. She could get too wrapped up in her thoughts not wanting to lose her train of thought. Hotch was always the trump card, not just because he was her boss but also because he had a unique way of breaking through her focus when necessary.

Hotch's eyes narrow, sensing something is off. “She was supposed to check in,” he states, his voice betraying a hint of worry he rarely shows.

The team quickly mobilizes, tracing Y/N’s last known location to the small carpentry shop, “Handcrafted by James.” As they arrive, the eerie quiet of the industrial area heightens their anxiety. Hotch’s heart pounds in his chest, a mix of professional concern and personal dread gnawing at him.

Entering the shop, they call out but receive no response. The place seems deserted. Moving further inside, they notice signs of a struggle—a large piece of hardwood lying on the floor, tools scattered, and then, the unmistakable sight of blood on the floor. Hotch’s breath catches as he spots Y/N’s phone lying abandoned nearby. The realization is immediate and harsh: she’s been taken.

Rossi kneels to inspect the blood, confirming their worst fears. “It’s fresh,” he says grimly.

Hotch stands rigid, his jaw clenched tightly. Inside, a storm of emotions rages—fear, anger, guilt. He feels responsible for not being there, for not anticipating this. His mind races with thoughts of Y/N, alone and in danger. He let her down just like Elle. Just like Haley.

Morgan places a reassuring hand on Hotch’s shoulder, sensing his internal turmoil. “We’ll find her, Hotch. We won’t stop until we do.”

Hotch nods, his resolve hardening. “We need to move fast. Garcia, I need you to track any recent activity from the owner of this shop. Reid, update the geographical profile with this location. Morgan, Prentiss—start canvassing the area. Someone has to have seen something.”

As the team springs into action, Hotch silently vows to do whatever it takes to bring Y/N back safely. The weight of his responsibility feels crushing, but he channels it into determination.

#aaron hotch fanfiction #aaron hotch fic #aaron hotch hotchner #aaron hotch x reader #aaron hotchner #bau team #criminal minds #slow burn

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nattaphum · 1 year ago

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MILE PHAKPHUM BEHIND THE SCENES OF HIS SUCCESS WITH BOF 500 IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ELLE MEN.

KANOKPORN C.

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

UPDATE US ON YOUR LIFE, YOUR WORK AND YOUR INTERESTS.

Mile: Now i’m an actor of Be On Cloud. As for what i’m interested in now, I would like to have more time for music. In the past, fans may have seen me playing some music and making some songs. I stopped doing it 5-6 years ago, so I would like to revive that because music is what i love the most. Music is charming. Music is a friend. When we’re happy, it can stay with us, when we are suffering, it can stay with us. But most importantly, music allows us to capture various moments. This is the coolness of music. Let’s suppose we listen to something. And we may think of someone, think of some moments of life, it's nostalgia. Some people or some moments can be recorded through music so each person has different memories.

TELL US THE ATMOSPHERE AND IMPRESSION OF GOING TO THE BOF AWARD CEREMONY.

Mile: the atmosphere is that everything was fast. And we didn’t stay very long, just 3 hours. At first, I was excited before going but I didn’t create a picture in my head. I like to do this, i like to challenge myself to face whatever is presented in front of me. I didn’t create a picture in my head and that’s a technique to manage the excitement. We went there to enjoy ourselves. That night was a very fun night. Some people may plan to do 1 2 3 4 but that day I didn't think of anything. When I arrived to the event, i just let myself go. It was fun. And then I met people I didn't expect to meet and i liked them very much.

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE FIRST TWO THAI ACTORS ON THE BOF 500 CLASS OF 2023 LIST?

Mile: I was glad to know I made it into BoF. When we knew the details and found out that it was for both of us, we really felt that our work or the way I and Apo present ourselves was understood. The important thing is that our team 'Be On Cloud' has grown to the world. It feels that we’re growing step by step. To be honest, I appreciate being 1 in 500 of BoF, but i will not be excited nor i will be bragging about this because i know that way ahead, there is still room for improvement. But thanks to everyone.

WHAT DID GETTING TO DO A WORLD TOUR GIVE YOU? AND WHICH TOUR IS THE MOST IMPRESSIVE?

Mile: it gives you that type of experience that money could never buy. It’s experience in the fashion like we said earlier, or the world tour going to play concerts. Going to the World Tour, we were able to see the energy of all the fans. Each person is not the same. Touring allows us to meet groups of fans from many countries. Sometimes we had some technique problems. We were impressed because it made us realize that errors can happen all the time, even if it is a very big stage with a strong team behind.

IF YOU HAVE TO BUY A WATCH,HOW DO YOU CHOOSE IT?

Mile: First of all, it has to be “love at first sight' inside of me. It doesn't matter what type of watch but I have to love it, there must be a certain bond. I choose watches using my feelings. It looks a bit like i’m flirting with the watches (smiles). Secondly, it has to be a rare watch. Rare, the word 'rare' is my weakness. Some watches I liked a lot, that were not rare, I didn’t buy them.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE YOURSELF WHEN EVERYTHING IN LIFE IS MESSY OR SOMETHING IS NOT AS YOU LIKE?

Mile: Seriously, I will treat my emotions by, playing music, exercising, or doing anything that feels comfortable. I’ll do anything that distracts me from the reason why i’m suffering. I’ll change the interest, change the atmosphere, i’ll take myself out of there and for a while, i will have an overlap of ideas. And then i’ll finally deal with the idea that it’s bothering me. I retreat myself of one step to look at the problem in a second moment.

AT WHAT AGE DO YOU LIKE YOURSELF THE MOST? 10, 20 OR NOW THAT YOU’RE STARTING TAPPING THE NUMBER 3?

Mile: I think the number 2 is the period that I have tried everything i wanted to do. The number 2 is a period that i like. But it's a period where i learned a lot. Actually, i didn’t need to be responsible for things or the results that came from my decisions. If anything that you do, does not affect anyone, you can try it all. So you don’t have to be very careful. But i’m not sure… I may answer the number 3 but I just entered the number 3 and i’m gonna be here for a long time.

THINKING OF THE FUTURE, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO INVEST IN, TO MAKE YOUR OWN VALUE?

Mile: First of all is knowledge. But if it is an investment related to myself, I want to invest in real estate. I think the property has the highest potential.

NOW THE SPOTLIGHT SHINES BRIGHTLY ON YOU. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THE DAY THE LIGHT WILL NOT SHINE ON YOU ANYMORE?

Mile: It's good to change the atmosphere (smiles). It’s what I learned when I had a lot of problems. It was in my 20s. At that time, i have experimented a lot. Because there were a lot of problems, both that i created myself and not. It made me learn one thing, which is important. Life is uncertain. Therefore, if we do anything, one day it will change. It’s the nature of this world. We must be born and get extinguished. When we understand this concept, when things get worse, we can manage ourselves.

EXPRESS THE FEELING OF WORKING WITH FRANCK MULLER AND ELLE MEN

Mile: I'm very happy. I like the watches very much. And I feel that shooting for a watch is something that i wanted to do for a long time. As for Franck Muller, I already knew the brand and i was interested. Because their watches have a unique character. The more I see this collection, the more i think it is very outstanding.

WHY DO FANS LOVE YOU SO MUCH?

Mile: I think because I'm not far from being myself. It's impossible for us to be ourselves 100%, no matter what industry we are in. But we should be honest with what we feel as much as possible. Both behind the screen and on the screen. And I think I am a person who understands people and that includes understanding myself.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY TO THE FANS BEFORE LEAVING?

Mile: I want to thank them again. Because I'm not sure if every time i say thank you, everyone receives that message. Because fans are not just in Thailand, not just in Asia. There is South America. There is a lot of Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan. Because the popularity of Asia has expanded a lot. Therefore, what i mean is fans around the world. So I want to thank anyone who came to read this. Fans treated us well from the first day until today. 99% cute as before. Thank you to everyone. They’re part of our happiness. We are happy and happy to be part of their happiness.

#pls read the following tags #kinnporsche #mileapo #mile phakphum #mile x franck muller #i used google translator to translate this interview but the translation was a mess so i had to fix every single sentence #it took me soooo long but mile is worth my time 💚#i know my english is far from being perfect #so please if you see some typos or mistakes or sentences that a native english speaker would never use #let me know #i don’t get offended #on the contrary i appreciate it a lot because i like to learn new things #thank you 🙏🏻#this interview is very cute #i loved every part of it #the question about watches ajdkskdkf #RICH DUDES PROBLEMS

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cirilla-fiona-riannon · 2 years ago

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Kicho's Main Story Ch. 11 Part 2 Dramatic

These translations are not intended as a replacement for the game. Please support cybird by buying their stories. SPOILERS under the cut. Expect mistakes.

Thanks to Ranmaru’s directions, we arrived safely at the camp.

Despite being surrounded by soldiers, Nobunaga consented to a meeting to discuss the situation.

Nobunaga: “Is everyone here?”

Kicho & Kennyo: “...........”

Mitsuhide & Ranmaru: “..........”

Masamune & Ieyasu: “..........”

(The air is so heavy that I feel like I’m suffocating.)

(But the fact that we had a chance to talk like this is truly a miracle.)

Seven people were gathered in the tent.

Hideyoshi, Mitsunari, and Keiji were staying behind in Azuchi.

As I looked around to see how everyone was doing, my gaze collided with Ieyasu, who happened to be looking at me.

Ieyasu: “What?”

Mai: “Um, long time no see. How have you been?”

Ieyasu: “You should be worrying about yourself, not me.”

Ieyasu: “Do you realize that you’re now a hostage?”

Mai: “Right.”

Masamune: “Well, you did well for a first-time spy. You made it back alive.”

Masamune: “So, what is it that you want to talk about by taking her hostage?”

Masamune: “You’re not suggesting you’re gonna lend us a hand now, are you?”

Kicho: “That’s right.”

Ieyasu: “Ha?”

Ieyasu: “What’s the traitor suddenly saying? If you're joking, it's not funny.”

Kicho: "I'm not joking."

Kicho: "I'm here to help you end this rebellion."

Kicho: "Taking Mai hostage was just to create this situation."

Nobunaga: "Oh? You too, Kennyo?"

Kennyo: "Yes. Unprecedented rebellions are spreading across the country, so if we don't stop this, Japan will turn into a land of chaos.”

Kennyo: "But I'm not going to become one of you. This is just a one-time thing."

Kicho: "We're going to need more men to deal with this."

Kicho: "I came here to bring about a more certain outcome."

Masamune: "Wait. You're the one who brought this on in the first place."

Masamune: "Are you going to destroy your work just like that?"

Kicho: "That's right. I have to fix it because I caused it myself."

Ieyasu: "Heh. You suddenly had a change of heart."

Ieyasu coldly stared at Kicho.

(If your enemy suddenly starts talking like that, anyone would be suspicious.)

(But I want them to know it's not a lie.)

As I frustratingly watched, Mitsuhide broke the tense atmosphere.

Mitsuhide: "Lord Nobunaga. I have a suggestion."

Nobunaga: "What is it?"

Mitsuhide: "Why don't we first let her report about the infiltration?”

(Me!?)

Ranmaru: "I agree. Lady Mai knows best what really went on here."

Ranmaru: "It's not yet too late to decide whether these people meant what they said after hearing her out."

Nobunaga: "Oh?"

Nobunaga: "Then Mai. You speak."

Mai: “Okay.”

(It's a big responsibility. But I gotta get my act together.)

Mai: "Just as Mitsuhide had told you, I didn't get much information."

Mai: "That's why, for now, I'll tell you what I saw and felt."

I took a deep breath, and in that instant, many things came flooding back into my mind.

Facing this era for the first time, having trouble, and thinking about questions with no answers, I finally arrived at...

Mai: "I'd like you to trust these people."

Mai: "I can say that because I voluntarily became a hostage."

Ieyasu & Masamune: "----!"

Mai: "And I want both Kicho and Kennyo to believe in you guys, too, just for this moment."

Mai: "I know that none of you here are enemies."

Mai: "If crossing paths makes us enemies, then sharing the same goal at least makes us allies, right?"

Kicho & Kennyo: "..........."

Nobunaga: "We’re not enemies, huh? Is that your conclusion?"

Mai: "Yes."

Nobunaga: "All right. Then the three armies will now make a temporary agreement."

Nobunaga: "A truce and a joint effort to quell this rebellion."

At Nobunaga's words, the tent became as silent as the night, all eyes blazing like the sky burning in the morning sun, nodding as they looked at the single path that had appeared.

(With this...!)

Nobunaga: "It's almost dawn. Let's move on to the war council immediately."

(Hmm. I hope they received it.)

Fidgeting, I walked around near the tent.

Before the military meeting began, Kicho entrusted the Oda soldiers with the whereabouts of his men and a message for them.

(The enemy's strength decreases as our strength increases.)

(I hope they can somehow make it in time.)

Mai: "Ah!"

In the distance, some small black shadows appeared.

(Thank God. They're here!)

Kicho's subordinate 1: "Lady Mai! You're safe."

Mai: "Yes. Kicho is now in the tent at the military meeting."

Kicho's subordinate 2: "See, I told you. I knew it was from Lord Kicho."

Kicho's subordinate 1: "Well..."

Kicho's subordinate 3: "It's only natural to be suspicious when someone from the Oda army suddenly gives us a letter."

Kicho's subordinate 2: "But those are special characters, taught only to us in case of emergency."

Mai: "Special characters?"

Kicho's subordinate 2: "It's understandable that you don't know since you just came recently. Here."

Mai: "Are you sure? Thank you."

(I'm so proud of Kicho for preparing that kind of thing in case of an emergency.)

(I'm sure I won't be able to read it, but let's look at it just in case.)

I gently unfolded the small piece of paper and一

Mai: "T-This...!"

Kicho's subordinate 1: "Can you read it?"

Mai: "Y-Yes. Somehow."

(It's Gyaru-moji.)

[Gyaru-moji is a style of obfuscated Japanese writing popular amongst urban Japanese youth. As the name gyaru-moji suggests (gyaru meaning "gal"), this writing system was created by and remained primarily employed by young women. Like the English phenomenon of the SMS language, it's most often used for sending text messages.]

(So he learned this stuff in the future!?)

I try imagining it, but I can't picture Kicho using it.

(Oh, but it might be the best cipher for a large number of people because you don't have to learn a new language from its grammar. And the people of this era would never understand it.)

Kicho's subordinate 2: "How? Did you learn some of it?"

Kicho's subordinate 3: "Come to think of it, aren't you learning about something before?"

Kicho's subordinate 2: "Oh, right."

Mai: "Yes."

(It's actually kuzushi-ji, but that’s not important now.)

I folded the letter back, then the tent's entrance swung open.

Kicho: “You’re here.”

Subordinate 1: “Lord Kicho!”

Kicho: “Where are the others?”

Subordinate 3: “They’re already on their way to their respective destinations.”

Subordinate 3: “I think we can get more than half of them by dawn.”

Kicho: “I see. Even if some couldn’t come, it doesn’t matter as long as we conveyed our intention.”

Subordinate 2: “Yes, sir.”

Mai: “Um, Kicho. What happened to the war council?”

Kicho: “We’ve reached a consensus.”

Kicho: “We’ll gather the generals of each platoon and further discuss the plan.”

Subordinate 2: “Is this the joint operation with Nobunaga and Kennyo you mentioned in the letter?”

Kicho: “Yes.”

As soon as he nodded, his subordinates’ expressions became tense.

Subordinate 2: “But why all of a sudden?”

Kicho: “It’s a result of facing myself. Everyone makes mistakes, and I was one of them.”

Kicho: “That’s why I think you should have the opportunity to correct your ways.”

Subordinate 2: “Huh?”

Kicho: “This is a war-torn world, and anyone who gets in the way must be dealt with, but for this moment, I’ll let you choose.”

Kicho: “Where would you go? Are you going to leave and return to your hometown? You can do whatever you want.”

His men: "-----!"

(Kicho...)

In the silence, their shadows cast by the moonlight swayed with confusion, but they never left.

Subordinate 1: "Of course, I'll follow you."

Subordinate 1: "I came here hoping for the world you want."

Subordinate 2: "Me too. The Japan you are looking at is the world we seek."

Subordinate 3: "Likewise. I have no objection."

All the subordinates vigorously nodded as they spoke.

Kicho: "I understand."

Kicho: "Then, first of all, let me explain our plan. Our team is in the tent over there."

Kicho’s men: "Understood."

(Thank God they didn't fall apart or anything.)

Looking at everyone's back, I patted my chest in relief, but my stomach suddenly grumbled.

Kicho: "Hmm?"

Mai: “S-Sorry!”

(I can't believe I'm feeling hungry when we're just getting started!)

Embarrassed, I shuffled out of Kicho's gaze and heard him chuckling.

Kicho: "Pfft."

Kicho: "Come to think of it, you haven't eaten or even had water."

Kicho: "Why don't you grab something to eat and take a break."

Mai: "Eh, but..."

Kicho: "Don't worry about us. Then, see you later."

He patted my head and walked away.

(Even if he tells me not to worry, I do because I care about them.)

(Oh, right!)

Mai: "Excuse me for interrupting."

Holding large trays, I peeked inside the open tent, and everyone turned to look at me.

(Mitsuhide is here too.)

(I guess that means they're working on the same plan.)

Kicho: "Is something wrong?"

Mai: "Yes, I made you guys some food, if you don't mind."

Mai: "It's just a simple miso soup, though."

Mitsuhide: "Oh? This is something of a treat in this situation."

Kicho: "Yeah, let's eat."

Kicho’s men: "Yes, sir."

As Kicho and Mitsuhide urged them, everyone's faces grew calm as they looked and fetched the still-steaming bowls.

(It's times like this that food is important.)

(Besides, there is a saying that we should eat from the same pot.)

Kicho: "Mai. Sorry for the trouble, even though I told you to take a break."

Mai: "It's fine. I hate sitting still. Also, you guys really need this since you're moving around."

Kicho: "I see. Then, let's eat."

Mitsuhide: "It's been a while since I've eaten a hot meal on the battlefield."

Mai: "Don't they make soup in places like this?"

Kicho: "No, it's not like that. This guy just doesn't care about food. He'll eat anything as long as it fits in his stomach."

Kicho: "Other soldiers cook meals like this."

Mai: "I see. You know a lot."

Mitsuhide: "He was originally from the Oda army."

Mai: "Right. It's been a few years, yet you're getting along pretty well."

Kicho: "You think so?"

Mai: "Yes. You two are similar in some ways."

Mai: "Not necessarily in terms of appearance, but, for example, in terms of being a spartan."

Mitsuhide: "Spartan?"

Kicho: "It's a term that refers to harsh and strict teaching."

Kicho: "I see. I made you do something harsh, huh?"

Mitsuhide: "Weird. I don't also remember doing something like that."

Mai: "You're unaware of it!?"

(Maybe I was just being naive.)

(I guess it's normal in this era, or maybe calling them spartan was rude, especially since they did it out of good intentions.)

Mai: "Um, I take it back. You two are..."

Mitsuhide: "Mai."

Mai: ".........."

Mitsuhide suddenly moved closer to me and smiled like a fox.

Mitsuhide: "Let me ask for future reference."

Mitsuhide: "What other aspects of me do you feel are similar to Kicho's?"

Mai: "Um..."

I compared their faces, moving my eyes frantically.

(Oh!)

Mai: "You both take good care of me and are kind."

Kicho: "What?"

Mitsuhide: "Are you sure you're not talking about Hideyoshi or Mitsunari?"

Mai: "Nope, those two certainly are like that, but in a slightly different way."

Mai: "I was going to retract my earlier comment about you guys being spartan because you guys weren't just being strict. You were also being considerate."

(Thanks to that, I was able to do more.)

Mai: "So, thank you for sticking with me till the end."

Kicho: "I never thought you'd thank me."

Kicho: "For me, I think it was your own effort that made it possible."

Mai: "But nothing starts without a good teacher."

Mitsuhide: "Oh? You were a pretty good student yourself."

Mitsuhide: "You almost get knocked off by a spirited horse, and you eagerly admire the scenery that you can't hear a thing."

Mai: "That doesn't sound like a compliment."

Mitsuhide: "What are you saying? It's my highest compliment."

Mitsuhide: "The more of a handful a kid is, the cuter they are."

Mai: "-----!"

Mitsuhide chuckled and patted my head with his other hand.

Mai: "Um..."

Kicho: "Wait."

Mai: "Whoa!"

Kicho intervened and swatted Mitsuhide's hand away.

Kicho: "That's enough. I'm telling you, Mai and I are already lovers."

Kicho: "Even if we have some similarities, we're still different people."

Kicho: "More importantly, I don't have the same taste as you to mess with other people's stuff."

Mitsuhide: "That's outrageous. I was just praising my beloved student."

Kicho: "I didn't see it that way. That's why I stopped you."

Mitsuhide: "I see."

Mai: "W-Wait! Let's get along, okay?"

(They were just getting along fine earlier, but now they're suddenly arguing.)

Kicho: "Don't worry. I'm just removing the pest before it gets on you."

Mai: "Pest? It's just a misunderstanding."

Mai: "Mitsuhide intentionally says things with these kinds of implications."

Realizing what Kicho was about to say, I hurriedly shook my head and looked at Mitsuhide to ask for his agreement.

Mai: "Right?"

Mitsuhide: "Well, I don't know. I'll let you be the judge of my true feelings."

Mai: "See, I told you."

Kicho: "..........."

Kicho sighed and turned to me.

Kicho: "Fine. If you say so, then here's what we'll do."

Something to keep in mind.

You're too optimistic in some areas, but I now see that as your strength.

Therefore, you don't have to fix it. However, you should still handle it reasonably.

You don't have to think too hard. I will be there for you from now on.

If there's a bug or pest (guy) lingering around you, I'll get rid of it.

I'll get rid of it asap, but some pest approach cleverly, so be on your guard.

At any rate, you can be who you are. Leave everything to me, and remember, I'm fascinated by you.

I'm grateful for the feelings you've given me. I love you.

-- Kicho

Previous Part╏Masterlist╏Next Part

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen kicho #ikesen kichou #ikesen jp #ikesen #ikesen spoilers #ikesen ieyasu #ikesen mitsuhide #ikesen translations #cybird

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lady-morrigen · 5 months ago

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Im sorry that person feels someone is copying them but it's an odd way to handle it. Me and my mutuals have been periodically copied or 'echoed' since Season 1 aired. We either deal with it privately or unless forced to, go public with proof to get it reported and removed. We don't vague post about it and make polls. Maybe that's how she processes it, I don't know. We are all trying to make the fandom a better more transparent place but vague posting is creating an atmosphere of paranoia and anxiety.

I'm saying this because I have had at least three mutuals come to our server in the past twenty four hours panicking if she means them as they have written recent fic that explored similar femme/tropes/themes to hers which are common ground in the fandom. One of them is threatening to quit. She nearly quit after the last debacle feeling there's no trust in the fandom.

We all have this fear we accidentally imbibe someone else's story when reading/writing because it happens which is why I avoid reading stuff similar to what I am writing at the time. There has to be clarity and proof when accusing unless she obviously has her own reasons for disclosure which I respect. Forgive me for being annoyed but that's what I feel.

ok so, my understanding is that it was handled privately where the person they’re referencing admitted that they were basing the things they wrote directly from op’s masterlist. they tried to handle it privately and directly and it got nowhere.

now, i have a sneaking suspicion you know all of that, but in case you didn’t… there ya go.

if you and your fellow server members feel anxious or paranoid when someone calls out plagiarism/ripoffs/whatever, then maybe you need to step back and take a look at why that is.

i understand being annoyed. we’re annoyed too.

#idk i just think we should be more mindful #the ‘everyone does it’ and ‘there’s always inspo taken in fic’ excuse isn’t really an excuse #this is the last i’m gonna speak on it tbh #y’all would be all up in arms if it was happening to anyone but one of us #anons #answered

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pettytiredandjewish · 7 months ago

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you know one thing ive noticed that irks me is that how hamas supporters always tend to attack on israeli supporters like the latter will be minding their own business on social media and just have a simple israeli flag in their bio; and then out of nowhere you have all these self-righteous so-called pro-palestinians who are really just hamas supporters attacking and calling all types of curses to those israeli supporters just because of the israeli flag. however has anyone ever seen an israeli supporter go to a so-called pro-palestinian's page and attacked them for having a palestinian flag in their bio? NO.

Oh I’ve noticed. The amount of hate messages that I’ve seen pro pal people post on random Israel or Jewish blogs/social media pages (who are literally minding their own business) is ridiculous. I’ve heard that it’s really bad on TikTok. I guess a whole bunch of pro pal and anti Zionist people started spamming someone on TikTok (mind you- I don’t even think this person was even Jewish (I could be wrong)) about how she was silent on the whole I/p conflict. It got to the point where she deleted her account and maybe her other social media pages too due to the constant harassment. This whole thing is just really fucked up.

To be honest I have never seen Israelis/ Jews harass pro pal and anti Zionist pages. When there is disagreements happening- Israeli/jewish bloggers are polite when handling the pro pal and anti Zionist crowds. We stay on track on the argument/ we’re polite but not too kind (because we can only handle so much bull shit)/ we try to guide them to resources that backs up on what we are saying/etc… when I handle them (because they really love to start things with me lol) I did try to be kind to them, but obviously that did not work out. So I’ve stopped being kind- I’m polite. I’ll admit that I do have a mouth on me and cuss words so slip out (but in my defense- I was raised by a dad who had a mouth of a sailor- tbh he could make the sailor look like a saint- and a mom who was raised in both the city and country. Combine that together and you get me lol)

But for the pro pal and anti Zionist crowds it’s totally opposite… like holy crap- and I thought that the pro trump people were bat shit crazy. They are constantly stalking and harassing Israelis/jewish people and their social medias, creating lists, full on spewing antisemitic shit/ etc… they really do terrify me.

It’s really scary that they’ve ramped up their hate. With what’s been happening in college campuses all over the world. If anyone is still in college- please stay safe. Your safety comes first. If you don’t feel safe in an area please leave. If you don’t feel comfortable by yourself, ask someone to go with you. Make sure that you have your phone on you and that it’s charged. Take self defense classes if you can or even watch self defense videos (basic moves can and will save you if you are in danger). If you are going out- make sure you tell someone and even give them your gps location. Document everything too- just in case you need to fill out a police report (even if the police doesn’t do shit, creating a paper trail will help you out). If things gets really bad and you need to drop out of college or switch to online- do it. Don’t risk your health and safety when dealing with those fuckers. To those pro pal and anti Zionist crowds who are participating in these violent protests or see no issues with it- y’all need to fucking open your eyes. You are creating a dangerous atmosphere for everyone and making things really worse.

#jumblr #antisemitism #leftist antisemitism #fuck antisemitism #fuck hamas #anti zionism = antisemitism #to my jewish and Israeli friends #y’all are amazing #i love you #and please stay safe #to the pro pal and antizionist crowds #stop harassing Jews and Israelis #just fucking stop it #it’s not helping palastine #you are making things worse #y’all I’m so tired of this shit #the jews are tired #please leave us alone

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faulty-writes · 5 months ago

Text

Hello, fans and or followers. I decided to create part two for my Taishiro Toyomitsu AKA Fat Gum Model AU story. I hope you enjoy it. The first part can be located here.

[ A week after meeting Taishiro, Madam President gives you another order and despite wanting to spend more time with him, you find yourself questioning your feelings again. This only escalates when you find out Keigo plans to meet with Taishiro too. ]

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, and the subtle hint of cinnamon and pastries accompanied it. Outside the charming little shop, Katz Caffeine Coffee Café, in the heart of Esuha City an arrangement of tables and chairs were aligned in neat rows on the cobblestone surface.

The furniture added a calming atmosphere to the shop as it was crafted from rich, dark wood, and each table was topped with a crisp white tablecloth embroidered with delicate floral patterns that only enhanced the beauty of the nearby cherry blossom trees that swayed gently in the breeze.

Their small pink petals floated through the air which was alive with the gentle melody of birds chirping. Patrons sat comfortably in their seats, enjoying the warm weather and the gentle golden rays of the sun beating down on them as they sipped away at their cups of coffee or tea.

The subtle crunch of them biting into their selected treats and the gentle murmur of conversation made you smile as you took a sip of your coffee and gently placed it back onto the provided saucer. A soft clink sounded, and you propped your elbows on the table, folding your fingers together to rest your chin on top of them.

Across from you sat Taishiro. Unlike the last time you met, he was wearing a casual outfit that consisted of a bright orange shirt with white letters across it. The top left side had an “F” on it, while the bottom right side had a “G.”

In addition, he was wearing a sleek black short-sleeved jacket over the shirt, with his agency’s logo on the right side of it. He was also wearing dark green cargo shorts with black sneakers. His bright blond hair, though somewhat messy, swayed gently in the faint breeze and a few strands gently touched the base of his forehead.

His eyes matched the color of his hair and beamed with happiness as he fixated on you. Granted you were used to people staring at you as it was a normal phenomenon when you were a model and while anyone else would be flattered knowing they were attractive, too many eyes made you feel like a piece of meat being gawked at.

However, unlike you, Taishiro received judgmental glances and you had witnessed them firsthand when the two of you were standing in line earlier and the few stares that were directed your way because you were with him. It’s like they expected you to be with ‘another beautiful person’ not someone of Taishiro’s structure.

It was all so stupid in your opinion. Why did beauty even matter? Taishiro was a model all the same, be it in his own division, and one who sought to make a difference and someone who on top of everything else, had a kind heart.

As cheesy as it sounded, that’s what made him beautiful. Luckily you weren’t going to say any of that out loud and he had already proved he could handle stares, even the hateful kind, although you couldn’t imagine having to deal with it daily.

Of course, this only served as a reminder to you how biased the world was, and how models were seen as Gods or Goddesses when they were just normal people. Flesh and blood like everyone else. Then again, some of them were more deceitful than others.

And deceit was why you had asked Taishiro to meet you at the coffee shop. Despite Madam President having ordered you to, she didn’t necessarily influence your decision, you had wanted to see him again regardless. Of course, you didn’t expect it to be so soon after the party.

‘That party was about a week ago, wasn’t it?’ Well, it didn’t matter. ‘Now that we’re certain Toyomitsu is going to cooperate, The Public Modeling Commission has a date set for the launch of the plus-size modeling division.’ Right…that information was yet public, the only people who knew of it were those working in the modeling industry.

Madam President was planning to use her models and other models that agreed such as Enji Todoroki in a fashion show. Walking in a fashion show was a dream held by most models when they got into the industry, and depending on the company and potential a model had they could make this dream a reality.

Participating in a fashion show required a tremendous amount of practice. You’d have to spend months, maybe even years forming the perfect walk, the ideal strut, the perfect movement on just about any small surface that would utterly prepare you for that runway.

This was because, in addition to the normal stress that came with modeling, the company’s reputation often relied on how well its models performed. If they tripped, misplaced their footing, or fell, it was likely to reflect badly on the company.

In other words, a model’s mistakes are also the company’s mistakes and a sure-fire way to end your modeling career altogether. Of course, as hard as it was to believe, you were once a new model under The Public Modeling Commission and had spent countless useless hours practicing your walking.

Again, that was the reality of the industry. It’d eat you alive, so you had to adapt, grow thicker skin, and do whatever you needed to keep your career alive. These stakes were doubled when you were under the watchful eye of Madam President.

Oh, but let’s not forget one crucial little detail. The fashion show was under false pretenses. It wasn’t just to show off the latest fashion trends, it was to reveal the newly made plus-sized modeling division The Public Modeling Commission would now have.

You couldn’t say if the best or worst part about the upcoming debut was that Taishiro would be the first plus-sized model to walk down the aisle and would be the one to reveal the plus-sized modeling division. You shuddered to think how the audience would react to him, let alone the big news.

Still, if The Public Modeling Commission wanted to keep up with the changing times, it was necessary to begin employing plus-sized models. ‘We’ve organized a schedule for him. Until then, ensure he follows it and teach him what he needs to know.’

The stone-cold look in her eyes never bothered you until that moment, but you knew better than to disobey, so you agreed to follow through with your orders. “I’m mighty glad ya asked me to come here,” Taishiro said with a bright smile.

“After last time, I was worryin’ that I might’ve rubbed ya the wrong way,” he admitted, chuckling nervously and your heart fluttered. However, Madam President’s words echoed in your head, ceasing the smile from coming to your face.

‘And Y/n don’t disappoint me. Personal feelings do not matter in this industry.’ Your chest suddenly felt heavy, and painful, as if someone stabbed you through the heart. ‘Right…I have to follow orders…’ you thought, noticing that Taishiro’s eyebrows were knitted, and a look of concern and care shone in his eyes.

‘But what good is that if you lose out on the chance to...’ You grumbled and glanced away. ‘No, I can’t think about that.’ He leaned over the table, “Are ya alright?” He asked. “Uh,” you panicked, for a short moment, before shaking your head. “Oh, y-yeah I just…have some things on my mind,” you replied, hoping he’d buy that excuse.

“Hm…” his eyelids lowered, and his gaze shifted to the table where your hand rested. “I just…” Around a pretty lil’ thing like you, he wasn’t sure if he could get away with this, but hell…anything is worth a try. He took a breath, despite the butterflies squirming in his stomach.

He lifted his hand from the table, his fingers trembling as he slowly hovered them over your hand. “I was worried about ya,” he said, although his tone was a bit shaky. Regardless, he placed his hand over yours. Slowly, as if not to scare you. “Hm!?” Your eyes widened, his hand was so warm and rather large.

‘He could easily crush a skull if he wanted to,’ you thought. While you wanted to pull your hand away, you instead forced a smile on your face. You needed to get his cooperation again, especially if you were informing him about the schedule Madam President made.

The Public Modeling Commission tended to do things differently than most modeling agencies. “Oh, there’s nothing to worry about I jus-” you paused when you noticed his eyebrows slanting and a hint of anger flash in his eyes. ‘That’s surprising,’ you thought before glancing away.

He wasn’t actually angry with you, but just like last time, he noticed you were faking happiness. That smile of yours wasn’t genuine, and yet again, he couldn’t help but wonder what exactly made you put up such a façade but how could he ask that without insulting you? He tapped his foot against the ground, contemplating.

His gaze remained on you, the fact that you were refusing to look at him now made him a little sad. “Hey,” he said, his grip on your hand tightened ever so slightly. You frowned, knowing you couldn’t ignore him and so you turned your glance back on him.

Once he was sure he had your attention, he tried offering you a smile. “Are ya happy?” You knit your eyebrows in response, what was he trying to get at? Your opposite hand curled into a fist which rested on top of your thigh. ‘Is he referring to the expression I was wearing just now or something else?’

Honestly, in situations like this, one had to be careful just like when modeling. One wrong move and everything could collapse. ‘Maybe it was my smile, was it not perfect?’ you shuddered to think all your years of training were going to waste in a matter of minutes in Taishiro’s presence.

‘Then again, he knows the modeling industry, he must recognize the faces we have to put on sometimes.’ Damn, this was getting complicated. But from the beginning, you were always putting on a façade, and that feeling only increased over the years.

‘But if it weren’t for Madam President’s involvement, I would still be modeling for scumbags that offered me whatever amount of money they deemed appropriate,’ your throat tightened. Still, you knew you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself.

Because of that Madam President saw potential in you, even if the circumstances of her finding you were beyond human reasoning. Still, that beckoned whether you were willing to give it all up one day but that day wasn’t anytime soon.

‘Sorry Toyomitsu, I know you’re an honest guy but…’ you tilted your head, forcing your eyes to soften and your cheeks to relax. ‘I’m not that honest,’ a giggle passed your lips. “Yeah,” you replied, absolutely beaming with a sudden wave of happiness as if the sun had blessed you with the ability to shine as bright as it.

“When I’m with you, I’m the happiest I’ve been,” why those set of words left your mouth wasn’t known to you now. ‘That’s the reaction most models who actually eat and are friendly get. We break the illusion society holds over us. That we’re perfect little porcelain dolls.’

You reached over, placing your opposite hand on top of his. ‘Some of us are lucky enough to be broken porcelain dolls.’ You never really thought of yourself as being broken, if anything you had fixed the parts of you that were. But still, the easiest way to distract someone was to compliment them.

Granted, Taishiro wasn’t conceited, but he was still a human being, and buttering him up had already proven effective. His eyes widened, and his heart skyrocketed, pounding fiercely. Your touch sent tingles through his body and like you predicted, his question was forgotten.

Instead, he was now excited and optimistic that he was getting closer to you. Yeah, maybe it was still silly for a big fella like him to think he could catch the interest of a beautiful person like you, but still, he’d follow the feeling for as long as it carried him.

“But I’d like to discuss business if that’s alright with you.” Mostly you just wanted to get it over with. “Huh?” He blinked and leaned back, looking confused before he chuckled. “I was also figurin’ that’s why ya asked me to meet ya here.”

Although, he couldn’t be that disappointed. Any excuse to spend time with you was worth it. “Well, I did want to see you again,” you replied, he had to know that. Even if he had left you confused about your feelings before you had your priorities straight today or so you hoped.

“But unfortunately, I’m also on Madam President’s orders,” you said, pulling your hand from underneath his. “In fact,” you said while reaching for your phone, “she has some suggestions that might help you better prepare for the upcoming debut.”

Unlocking your phone, you carefully navigated to your files and opened a document. “Madam President, I’m sure you’ve heard, is very particular and has suggested a few things for you to do,” you explained. “Heh,” Taishiro chuckled, “is that right? Well, I’d sure be glad to do what I can to help,” he replied with a smile.

“That’s good to hear, but I’m not sure you’ll entirely like the first suggestion,” you stated, leaning your elbow on the table, and resting your cheek against your hand. “Oh?” he asked, and you nodded. “Yeah, apparently she wants you to either follow a certain diet,” you resist the urge to gag.

This was yet another example of how stupid the modeling business was. “Or join one of the models under The Public Modeling Commission for required gym sessions,” you stated, shifting your attention from your phone to him. “Sorry, I know it’s kind of stupid.” What would a plus-sized model need to follow a diet or exercise for?

Well besides their health if they choose. Either way, you didn’t judge. In fact, you and Keigo tried to skip most of the assigned exercises or training sessions that Madam President required all her models to go to. “Exercise, huh?” Taishiro said although he didn’t sound all too thrilled.

“Yeah,” you replied with a snicker, “maybe you can even join me for an exercise session.” Of course, you were only joking but you should have known better. The idea of spending more time with you must have fascinated Taishiro because he smiled and leaned over the table again.

“I’d love to.” You froze, wait…what did he just say? “Um…excuse me?” you asked, giving an awkward chuckle as you waited for him to say he was just kidding. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. “I said I’d love to join ya at the gym,” he stated before patting his stomach.

“Although I’m afraid I can’t go promisin’ I’ll be able to keep up with ya,” he laughed. “But I’d sure be delighted to see what ya can do, and of course to spend more time with ya would be a pleasure.” Seriously what is with this guy!?

“Uh, okay,” you replied, placing your phone on the table. The likelihood that he’d be able to put aside an hour or two for a gym session was unlikely today as you were more than certain that Taishiro had a busy schedule. Not to mention he had three interns to tend to at his agency.

The Public Modeling Commission, however, had a provided gym on site that the models could use at their discretion and you could always schedule a gym session with Taishiro later. ‘Hm, that might work,’ you thought before shrugging. “Alright,” you said, once again trying to put on your best smile.

“I wouldn’t mind that, I’m not sure if you’re aware but The Public Modeling Commission has a gym on-site,” you explained, “although it’s strictly for the models belonging to The Public Modeling Commission, I’m sure you’ll be considered an honorable guest,” you concluded.

“Well,” he chuckled softly, “that would be a downright honor,” he smiled, and you couldn’t help but faintly smile in return. Granted seeing others happy always puts you at ease, it seemed to have a slightly different effect with Taishiro. “Great,” you said, glancing back at your phone.

Your only obligation today was a scheduled photo shoot with Keigo which was good considering that once it was over you would be exhausted. Although you were supposed to report back to Madam President once this was over, you had your suspicions that Keigo would ask you about it during the photo shoot and inform her as well.

In a way, you were happy about that considering you weren’t sure how long the photo shoot would take or if you had the patience for her today. “We can start tomorrow if you’d like, or uh if you’re free.” He nodded. “That sounds lovely, I have a meetin’ with Takami anyway,” your body tensed up and you almost dropped your phone.

“Ah!” Quickly grabbing it, you pinned it against the table with the palm of your hand. “Uh…” you swallowed before looking at Taishiro whose eyes were wide with concern. “Are ya alright?” He asked, and you nodded frantically in response.

“Y-yeah, heh, just surprised,” you said chuckling. “Didn’t know you knew Takami…” you tried to keep a respectful tone, but in the back of your head you couldn’t help but wonder ‘Did Madam President give him the order to do that? Just who is she trying to get closer to Taishiro, me or him!?’

It didn’t sit right with you, and once again you were reminded that in this business, you needed to watch your back but those who were kind enough protected others as well. In that way, it made sense that Keigo wanted to meet with Taishiro, or rather that he was ordered to.

Much to everyone’s disbelief, although he worked directly under Madam President, he had a soft spot for protecting others even if certain orders were unethical or against common morality. That’s why he always put himself on the line and was the first to carry out her orders unless she had someone else in mind, like you.

You didn’t feel sore that Keigo was more favored by Madam President, even if the two of you began your modeling careers around the same time. It was almost funny thinking you had known him since the two of you were little, but that didn’t stop the strange churning in your stomach thinking about his meeting with Taishiro.

“Heh, heh, yeah,” he said, breaking your paranoid thoughts. “Hm?” You looked at him and briefly wondered how he could be so cheerful all the time. “Madam President insisted on meetin’ him and well, I just can’t say no,” he explained.

“Y’all have been kind to me so far.” You nodded, briefly wondering how many other models he had met under The Public Modeling Commission. More than likely he had heard of most of them, and Madam President could be slowly introducing everyone to him to help increase the expectations she wanted of him.

Yeah, that made sense because she was a sneaky bitch that way. “Mmhm,” you replied, trying to mask the frown on your face although you knew that wasn’t wise. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow then?” You asked, standing up from your seat suddenly.

Taishiro smiled, although he was a little disappointed that this morning’s pleasant breakfast had to end, he did have an agency to run, and three of the best interns to help. A soft chuckle passed his lips before he grasped the arms of the chair and grunted as he stood up.

“Yeah,” he replied, “I gotta get back to my agency anyway, but it was still a pleasure havin’ breakfast with ya, and I hope to see ya again real soon, ya hear?” A smile tugged at the corner of your lips, but you sank your teeth into your bottom lip, trying to prevent it from growing.

“Uh,” you cleared your throat. “Y-yeah, I…I’ll see you later,” you said, somewhat ashamed that you hesitated with your words. You tried to play it off, and quickly swallowed down the rest of your coffee, placing the empty cup back onto the saucer before you swung your bag over your shoulder, and waved him goodbye as you walked away.

However, you couldn’t help but notice the heavy feeling in your chest, almost as if an anchor was attached to your heart, pulling it down to the depths. You slapped the sides of your face. ‘Stop it,’ you reminded yourself, ‘ and focus on the mission or you’ll never hear the end of it from Madam President.’

You lowered your hands and took a deep breath to regain your composure. You stiffened your shoulders, like someone preparing to venture into war. Turning, you lifted your arm and waved Taishiro goodbye again. “See you later!” you called before continuing down the sidewalk, trying to ignore the fast pace of your heart.

Why were you feeling nervous now, and what was this warm sensation coursing through your cheeks? You sighed and threaded your fingers through your hair, hanging your head low. “Urg,” you said, watching your feet step along the sidewalk. “I really need help.”

Frowning, you lowered your hand from your hair and walked to a black car parked on the side of the road. As usual, Untenmaru stepped out and opened the door for you, “Hello, Y/n!” he shouted. Like always he was dressed in a black shirt and white tie, with a vest that hugged his figure and white gloves covering his hands.

“Hi,” you half-heartedly greeted before climbing into the car. Your lackluster reaction made him raise an eyebrow, and while he was tempted to ask what was wrong, he shut the door and shook his head. You had requested him to escort you to breakfast with Taishiro, the same fella you were worrying about before.

But from what he knew, the collaboration was agreed upon and a fashion show was in the works. Then again, he also recalled from your last conversation that you were worried about your career and the success the collaboration would bring or so he assumed.

“Young people and their problems!” He huffed before walking to the driver’s side. The engine roared to life as he pressed the button located near the steering wheel and a soft clicking echoed as he engaged the turn signal. He adjusted the rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of you slumped in the backseat.

He knit his eyebrows, noticing your frown and clenched jaw. Not to mention your eyes appeared dull, filled with a distant look. Just what the hell happened? He grumbled before checking the sideview mirror and pulling into the street.

Propping your elbow against the inside of the door, you cradled your cheek in the palm of your hand and sighed as you looked out the window. That frown was still evident on your lips and the source was the unfamiliar, light, and bubbly feeling that lingered in your chest yet you also felt angry and the source of this anger was Taishiro.

‘What is it about him that…’ You grit your teeth, and sigh again, pinching the bridge of your nose. Maybe it was because he was sweet, and kind like an innocent child even when he knew the horrors of the modeling industry. Hell, the modeling industry initially destroyed his career when he was younger.

‘After a while though, fame, and fortune don’t mean much if people only come to ya ‘cause you’re pleasin’ to the eye.’ Those were his exact words. He got so sick of being popular and desired by his fans and admirers because of his physical appearance that he turned to food as an escape.

Even after he was publically shamed because of his weight gain, lost most of the said fans and admirers, and was effectively roasted by every social media app, site, and news channel possible he still rose above the challenges of the modeling world.

He dared to show the world that plus-sized models were just as, if not more beautiful and successful than average-sized models. Of course, this might be why The Public Modeling Commission was interested in him as they only had one other model that was truly unique.

Although people continued to disrespect Taishiro because of his size which still pissed you off. You growled softly and placed your hands in your lap. ‘How can he still see the bright side to this career after all that?’ Your fingers curled inward, and you felt the pressure of your nails digging into the palms of your hands.

You recalled the way he looked at you, with such happiness and it only raised the question of, ‘How can he see me in such light?’ If he knew about your past, that would change in a hurry. Of course, you always refused to answer questions about family when doing interviews and only a few models you worked closely with knew why.

Then again, it was more likely that he’d find out you were only acting in a certain way with him to gain his favor because of Madam President’s orders first. Then after that, he’d resent you. If you were being honest, that wasn’t something you were looking forward to.

You grunted, and leaned over, threading your fingers through your hair. ‘Damn it, why am I thinking so much!?’ This never happened before! Your frustration must have been evident because “What’s going on back there!?” Untenmaru exclaimed, making your head snap up in shock.

You blinked and your lips were parted as you stared at him. Dumbfounded wasn’t the ideal look for a model. He slanted his eyebrows, letting his gaze linger on you for a few seconds before shifting his eyes to the road.

He tightened his fingers around the steering wheel and pulled the corner of his lip up, snarling. “You’ve been frowning and sulking since your meeting with Toyomitsu!” Your heart fluttered at the sound of his name and once again, your cheeks rose in temperature.

Your hand pressed against your chest. ‘What the hell is this feeling even?’ you wondered, and even if you knew the answer, you shook your head and tried to come up with another explanation. “I…I just…” He scoffed, “What happened between you two, huh!?” he demanded.

“N-nothin-” you tried to lie, but your façade wasn’t going to trick Untenmaru who snapped back, “Don’t say nothing when it’s clear on your face!” He huffed, “You kids really can’t admit when you’re feeling down, huh?” Your eyes widened, and a lightning bolt-like sensation coursed through your body.

Your heart felt like it was being weighed down by the sensation of burning hate, no…was it hate? You knitted your eyebrows and glanced at your lap. Your fingers dug into the front of your shirt, and the hand resting on your thigh curled into a fist.

Despite your throat tightening, you parted your lips and before you could register your words, you snapped, “I’m not feeling down!” Your eyes widened again, and you clasped your hand over your mouth. You could only imagine the look on Untenmaru’s face and swallowed thickly before lowering your hand.

“I…I mean…” you inhaled, letting out a long sigh. What were you even feeling? “I just…” you clenched your jaw; Taishiro didn’t make you feel down. Maybe…conflicted. He was a nice guy, but you had your orders, and you knew better than to disobey them.

But were your personal feelings getting in the way and was that acceptable? Were you willing to let those feelings ruin the success you had clawed your way out of hell for? You closed your eyes, knowing that getting your thoughts jumbled up wasn’t ideal. “Just what?” He replied as you let out another breath.

Your stomach churned, and the strange sensation of butterflies lightly fluttered as you looked at Untenmaru. Your lips pressed out into a thin line and your eyebrows slanted. “What…” you could hardly believe you were going to ask this, but he had given you wise advise before.

“What would you do if…if you had to choose between your career and your f-feelings?” Your question surprised him because he wasn’t expecting that to come from you. Then again since meeting Taishiro, something was off about you. Maybe you didn’t realize it yet, but even he could see something was brewing.

His eyes shifted to you again, taking note of your almost desperate and confused expression, like a child contemplating their first crush. His glance shifted back to the road, and to the large building coming up. He needed to do this quickly.

“You kids really only care about success, don’t you?” He asked, his voice somewhat cold and it caught your attention. “Huh?” You replied, raising your eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?” You demanded, crossing your arms.

“Everyone has their own reasons for doing what they do, you can’t possibly understand what it means to-” he slammed on the brake, making you grunt, and frantically press your hand against the back of the passenger seat to prevent yourself from completely falling off onto the floor.

Once you regained your composure, you growled and lifted your head, glaring at him. “What the hell!?” You screamed, your face twisting with a snarl, although he was unaffected by this and narrowed his eyes as he stared at your reflection in the rearview mirror.

“There’s more to life than success!” he shouted; his voice eerily echoed in the confines of the car. Your face softened, and you raised your eyebrows, in shock at his words. He sighed, and quickly turned the steering wheel, guiding the car to the side of the road where he shifted it into park.

Then he turned, looking at you and finding some amusement in your strange expression. Sometimes all it took for him to get through to someone was to dose them with a shot of reality. It was an effective method, especially for the younger folk like certain hot-headed blonde modeling interns who worked under Enji’s agency.

Though he didn’t know exactly what your problem was, he knew enough to assume that it related to Taishiro and how you felt about him versus your career. He had always known you to be level-headed. Yet there was a hint of defiance, like Keigo you tended to break the rules or bend them to your liking.

Yet, since meeting Taishiro, a certain light shined in your eye that wasn’t there before. Then again, he could be completely wrong. Either way, he was going to say what he wanted to and what he assumed you needed to hear.

“Feelings are a part of our existence, and go beyond careers,” he stated. “Guess that might not matter to a kid like you. Your career is all about you and appearances, isn’t it?” Your eyes widened, and a strange absence filled your heart.

Your lip quivered, and you sank your teeth into it before pulling it into your mouth. That heavy feeling in your chest slowly turned to anger. Maybe he has a point. Modeling was all about one’s appearance. But…you never thought beauty necessarily mattered.

A growl rumbled in your throat as you lowered your head and your hands curled into fists. ‘That’s right…’ you thought, ‘Taishiro is a model all the same. He’s someone so different that it’s beautiful.’ You weren’t sure if you could say the same about yourself, maybe being deceitful made you ugly.

Regardless you weren’t going to be labeled as something you weren’t. “T-that’s not true,” you said, anger clear in your tone despite your stutter. He lifted his head, and his eyebrow raised as if he were skeptical of your response.

You noticed his expression and swallowed, attempting to force yourself to continue speaking. “I…never thought beauty mattered,” you replied. “Is that right?” He narrowed his eyes at you, “Then why are you acting this way after you see Toyomitsu?”

His question made your heart race, but the last thing you needed was for him to know how much the question affected you. You hoped your demeanor remained unchanged as you said, “He’s…made a difference, and above everything else, he has a kind heart.”

Your fingers dig into the soft texture of the car seat. “No matter what happens to him, he just…keeps smiling,” you pressed your teeth together, a certain coldness in your eyes as you kept looking at Untenmaru. “So…that’s your opinion on him?” He asked, his head tilting to one side.

Your eyes widened, ‘Shit.’ You pressed two fingers to your mouth, ‘I didn’t completely think that through when I said it.’ But it didn’t make it any less true. You grumbled and lowered your fingers, again shifting your attention to Untenmaru. The silence between the two of you was suffocating.

Your lips trembled and didn’t respond when you tried parting them. Instead, you nodded and shifted uncomfortably. “Then embrace your emotions,” he replied. ‘Embrace my…’ like a puppy dog being given instructions, you tilted your head to the side. “Uh…what?” you asked, only to receive silence in response.

The soft melody of birds echoed among the gentle snapping of the car door when Untenmaru waved you goodbye. “Uh, heh…” you looked at him from over your shoulder, returning the gesture half-heartedly before turning to the large building in front of you.

It stood tall among the trees, and its glass panels reflected the sun. Large revolving doors made up the entrance, and the columns enhanced the sense of sophistication that was associated with the modeling industry. On the very top of the building was a sign that read ‘Public Modeling Co.’

As one can imagine, The Public Modeling Commission was wealthy, and as such they had buildings scattered around Japan, and each building had a certain purpose. This building was used for summer or spring photo shoots and was located just on the outskirts of the city to prevent any trouble from the media or paparazzi.

It was a little ridiculous, in your opinion, but you supposed those who had all the power in the world could do as they pleased. You looked over your shoulder again when you heard the car pull away from the sidewalk. A frown painted your features as you turned back to the building.

‘Your emotions guide you to your connections.’ Your gaze shifted to the ground and traced the cracks in the pavement. ‘If you focus on that more than your career, you’ll feel true fulfillment.’ You latched onto your lip. Why were you even thinking about his words?

What did he know about feelings? About how it was so difficult to not fall under their spell, lest you ruin your career or anger a certain woman who could ruin your life with the mere snap of her fingers if she so pleased? The image of Taishiro came to your mind, and a soft hitch of breath escaped you.

Your tense shoulders suddenly dropped, and your heart pounded in your chest like the moment after a scare. You grumbled and curled your fingers into the front of your shirt. ‘What is going on?’ You swallowed heavily and shook your head.

“Maybe I…” you lifted your hand, threading it through your hair. “I just need to focus on work…” you concluded before once again looking at the building. “Yup...okay,” you said, as though you were giving yourself a pep talk. This was the only thing you needed to do today and after, you could do whatever you pleased.

As the sudden burst of light fades, you blink your eyes rapidly. Although after years of modeling, this was something you were used to. The room was bathed in a soft glowing light, heightening the already bright hues of the summer pool photo shoot you had agreed to partake in with Keigo.

There’s a slight hint of excitement in the air, but you didn’t share such enthusiasm. Rather you were only interested in gathering more information from Keigo who was currently wearing his famous smirk. His chest was bare, revealing his sculpted physique and his unruly, feather-like hair had a windswept style.

In addition, he was wearing a pair of black swim trunks, with golden patterns along the sides. “Alright, set up for the next shot!” The photographer shouted. Typically, in the modeling industry, one wasn’t afraid to show their body or to get up, close, and personal with another model.

You supposed it helped having known Keigo for years, but something made you a little uneasy when you stood in front of him. He smiled and leaned over, whispering “Hey there,” into your ear. You knew he was just teasing you, and unlike most, you didn’t squeal in happiness when in his presence.

Rather you rolled your eyes, trying your best to ignore the growing knots in your stomach. However, when his fingertips grazed along your sides, you recoiled slightly. “Hm?” He paused, lifting his eyebrow with a suspicious glint in his eye.

While you could sense the growing tension in the air, you tried to ignore it. “Come on, get into position!” The photographer exclaimed, growing more impatient by the second. Keigo looked at him, his eyes holding a cold expression before his fingers grazed your sides again.

Unlike before, you didn’t tremble at his touch and so he continued. Allowing his left hand to slide along your left hip, and his other gently took hold of your right hand. However, he paused when he heard your breath hitch and yet again, raised his eyebrow.

The two of you had done countless photo shoots before, and he could only conclude that something was wrong. He leaned to the side, gazing at your face. Your eyes were wide, your lips pressed out into a thin line, and your stare fixated on his hand which continued to cradle yours.

“Y/n?” he asked, hoping that you would respond. Instead, the photographer shouted, “I said hurry up and get into position!” making Keigo turn his head. “Yeah, hold on a second,” he replied, waving them off before refocusing his attention on you.

However, it appeared you were still fixated on his hand. “Hm,” he hummed to himself and noticed the distant look in your eye. It was like you were remembering something, but what? What could you possibly be thinking about when you held his hand?

He moved closer to you. “Hey,” he said, his voice deep and slightly raised. You remained unresponsive. He tightened his grip on your hand and tugged it forward while exclaiming, “Y/N!” He felt some satisfaction when you jumped and looked at him in shock.

A few seconds passed before you blinked, and your eyebrows slanted. “What was that for?” You demanded, stomping your foot against the floor. “So, I have your attention now, eh?” He replied, his tone slightly higher and it was clear he was teasing you again.

“H-have my attention, what are you-” Your graze shifted to your conjoined hands, and you snarled. ‘Damn it,’ a small feeling of embarrassment washed over you, and your cheeks felt the slightest bit warm and painted the skin of your face a light pink.

Your throat tightened when you realized that holding Keigo’s hand brought the memory of Taishiro placing his hand over yours just a few hours ago. Your lips pressed together, and you clenched your jaw. ‘But why…’ you thought, your gaze now shifting toward the floor. ‘Why am I thinking about him?’ It made no sense.

You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. ‘Your emotions guide you to your connections.’ You frowned and exhaled. Your gaze focused on Keigo before shifting the photographer impatiently tapping his foot against the floor. “Mm…” you latched onto your lip.

‘If my emotions are guiding me to my connections then…’ you turned back to Keigo. ‘Does that mean I want Taishiro to be part of those connections?’ It was hard to say, but you couldn’t worry about it now. ‘Right…focus on work.’ Once again you forced yourself to smile.

Only this time, you felt a subtle pain almost as if your skin was getting tired of being shaped and molded into that common façade you put on. Despite this, you gave an awkward chuckle. “Sorry, I was lost there for a moment,” you half lied, “let’s continue.”

You sighed and pulled the edges of the bathrobe closer to your chest, happy to be covering the awkward bathing suit you were required to wear for the photo shoot. You turned around a corner, eager to head to your dressing room and change into some real clothes.

There were various photos framed on the walls that made up the short hallway. Most of them were of older models who have since retired, like Toshinori Yagi, others depicted models when they first started out their careers, yet one made you stop in your tracks.

Your eyes widened and a shiver coursed down your spine. You pressed your lips together, glancing over your shoulder. The distant sound of chatter and the metallic clinks of equipment being moved were heard, but nobody appeared to be following you.

You turned your head back to the wall, and the large photograph that depicted two smiling children. Butterflies began to form in your stomach the closer you stepped toward it and the children’s faces came into focus. Apart from the smiles, a church was behind them.

Its white coloring made it stand out among the various hues of confetti that floated through the air as if some sort of celebration was taking place. The lighting in the photo was slightly off but added to the overall happy atmosphere that one got when looking at it.

The young boy in the photo had ash blond hair and his eyes were closed. He was wearing a black suit and tie and was holding onto the other child who was cradling a bouquet of flowers and had white ribbons in their hair.

Your heart raced as the memory came flooding back to you, and despite your shaky hand, you gently brushed your fingertips over your younger self. ‘This was one of the first photo shoots I did after Madam President took me under her wing.’ You glanced at the younger face of Keigo.

This was also around the time you first met him, and although there were moments you couldn’t stand him, even back then, he seemed to be considerate of your feelings much like he was today. A gasp came when a hand pressed over yours, causing you to jump.

“Something on your mind there?” A familiar voice said, and you growled. That feeling of nostalgia and wonder was replaced by annoyance when you turned to Keigo. His golden eyes seemed to be looking straight through to your soul and unlike you, he didn’t feel the need to put a bathrobe on, not that you cared.

Despite attempting to jerk your hand away, he applied just enough force to keep it pressed against the oversized photo. Then, he turned his head, taking in the younger faces of the two of you. A soft inhale of breath came before a light chuckle filled the air.

“This was shortly after we met, yeah?” he asked, ignoring your glare. “To think all of that would lead up to this,” he said, although you caught the subtle sadness in his tone and knitted your eyebrows. “Yeah well, speaking of...” you replied, extending one of your legs and forcefully pulling your hand back.

Keigo read your movements and stepped away with exceptional speed, allowing his hands to hang by his sides. “Why did she assign you to have a meeting with Toyomitsu?” the question left your lips before you could stop yourself and the feeling of regret came seconds later.

Pressing your fingers to your lips, you closed your eyes briefly. Why the hell did you go and say that? You certainly weren’t possessive of Taishiro; you hardly knew the guy. But that didn’t change that Madam President ordered you to get closer to him first, and you had done that.

You had also gotten him to agree to contribute to the collaboration and launch of the plus-size modeling division. The latest order from Madam President was for you to convince him to partake in the recommended exercise routine and you had done that too.

So, did you feel superseded? Why would he have a meeting with Keigo? Why would she even order Keigo to speak to him when you already had him hook, line, and sinker? You grumbled, and curled your fingers inward, feeling the slight tickle of your nails pressing against your palms.

You exhaled and stepped closer to Keigo who was surprisingly quiet. Locking eyes with him, you asked, “What is she planning to have you do to him?” One reason you were happy you had gotten assigned to gain Taishiro’s favor was that you weren’t looking to hurt or harm him.

Granted that would be the initial ending to your story with him or so you assumed. While you knew Keigo wouldn’t attempt to harm him either, the question remained as to why Madam President hadn’t entrusted you to be the one to teach Taishiro the ropes?

He blinked in response, and for a moment, you wondered if you had stumped him. But his laughter indicated you had not, and he stepped closer to you, resting his hand on your shoulder. “Aw,” he said, leaning closer, “are you jealous?” You growled, and grabbed his hand, throwing it off your shoulder.

“Okay fine,” you said, turning your back to him. If he wasn’t going to give you a clear answer then, “I’ll figure it out on my own,” you replied and resumed walking down the hallway. Keigo shook his head before tapping his chin. He would have told you, but the answer was obvious.

He was ordered by Madam President to meet with Taishiro, and whether you liked it or not wasn’t going to change that. Although his meeting was only going to involve giving details about what to expect on the day of the debut, maybe organizing a meet and greet with the other models. It didn’t matter.

And as you’d come to find out, he’d be acting supervisor to Taishiro to ensure he was completely ready on the day of the big debut. “Mm…” there was still something bothering him, and it was the same feeling he had gotten the night you first met Taishiro.

If his intuition was correct, he hoped you’d have the strength to handle the consequences. “Hey!” A loud and feminine voice shouted, and seconds later he felt a hand grab his shoulder. “What’s up?! Haven’t seen ya in a while!” He turned, seeing the bright and slightly intimidating face of Rumi Usagiyama.

She was the 5th most popular model in Japan, and like Enji Todoroki, had her own agency but worked with The Public Modeling Commission on a contract basis. It was easy to see why she was so popular in the modeling business given her tan skin and memorizing red eyes with long eyelashes.

Her hair was the color of freshly fallen snow, and she had a slender but well-defined body. However, there was something that set her apart from the other models. This was because she had a prosthetic left forearm and right leg which made her a famous worldwide icon for the amputee population.

It was almost frightening to know that she had lost her limbs during a violent raid that broke out during a fashion show runway a few years back. It was even more frightening to know that it was planned by a group of criminals who had something against The Public Modeling Commission.

Since then, there have been more security measures taken and extra members of the police force were required to attend such events. Still, it made him wonder what would occur on the day of the plus-sized modeling debut. But there was no use worrying over something that had yet to happen.

“Good to see you too, Rumi,” he greeted cheerfully. “Heh,” she smirked and lowered her hand to her side. “Heard ya finally got that big boy on your side for the new modeling division,” she commented. “Yeah, well Y/n was the one that convinced him,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

“Oh, pretty face convinced him, huh?” She replied, chuckling. “They always did have that kind of talent,” she commented before looking back and forth. “Where are they anyway?” He gestured toward the hallway with his head, “Just finished a photo shoot together, and they hurried back to their dressing room,” he explained.

“Ah,” she shrugged before turning around. “Maybe I’ll talk to them next time,” she smiled, “I just wanna know more about that big boy, heard he was pretty famous a few years ago!” She chuckled and waved Keigo goodbye.

“See ya later!” She exclaimed, and he nodded in reply. “Yeah, see you later,” he replied, giving her a half-hearted smile before looking toward the hallway. He took a step forward, intending to go to your dressing room and make sure you were okay.

However, a subtle vibration made him halt and he looked down, sighing softly. Reaching into the pocket of his swimming trunks, he pulled out his phone. He didn’t bother to see who was calling because it was obvious, at least to him.

“Hey,” he answered, his tone lackluster. “Yeah, mmhm. We just finished the photo shoot,” he slipped his opposite hand into his pocket and glanced down the hallway one more time before walking away. He could always catch up with you later, the two of you were never too far apart from each other anyway.

“Don’t worry, everything’s going according to plan,” he said, passing by several photographers and props that were being used to set up the next photo session. “There was no trouble at all,” He stated, pushing open the front doors before stepping outside.

He glanced around, taking in the serene surroundings despite Madam President’s voice echoing in his ear. “Yeah, understood. Bye,” he said before hanging up. Sometimes she was a little too much, you’d think after all his years of dedicated service she’d learn to trust him.

Yeah, yeah, maybe he did things a little differently but the assignments she gave him were always completed. Still, he knew he needed to make sure everything went smoothly with Taishiro tomorrow before he handed him off to you.

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#taishiro x you #taishiro x reader #toyomitsu x reader #bnha x you #bnha x y/n #bnha x reader #bnha x fem!reader #bnha x male reader #fatgum x reader #fatgum x you #fatgum x y/n #faulty writes: taishiro toyomitsu: model au series

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nautiscarader · 9 months ago

Text

Broken plates,broken promises

Wendip + Mabcifica, G, Ao3

Wendy Corduroy took another look at the décor of the room she was in, trying to absorb all the intricate details, even those covered in shadows created by subtle, atmospheric lighting.

"Wendy?", Dipper's slightly concerned voice brought Wendy back to her date. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh,yeah, sure.", she replied quickly, "I'm just flabbergasted how much work Mabel and Paz have put into this business."

Dipper followed her eyes, admiring the restaurant teeming with people, enjoying their meals.

"The best fancy restaurant in Falls."

"You mean, the only fancy restaurant", Wendy smirked. She wasn't exactly wrong. Aside from Lazy Susan's, where Pacifica took her first steps, there was only a pizza place,a sandwich shop and a hot dog stand, operated by very handsome rotweiller, catering exclusively to other canines.

"You sure I did not break any fashion rules?", Wendy asked suddenly.

"Wha-? No, you look gorgeous in that dress."

"Even if I ditched the fake belt for the utility one?"

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

Wendy smiled.

"Well, it is my only dress,so it's not like I had much choice."

"Ah", Dipper suddenly sat upright and corrected his tie "S-Speaking of that, you will be getting one more soon…"

"What do you-"

But it was too late for Wendy to stop her boyfriend. By the time he stood up, her heart was already racing, and when he dropped to one knee, she lost all the air in her lungs.

"Wendy Blerble Corduroy… will you make me-"

CRASH!

The two jumped in place, startled by sudden noise coming from the kitchen side. And as theirs, and everyone else's attention has be directed to the source of the noice, all they could see was Mabel Pines with tears in her eyes.

"YOU DIRTY CHEATER! YOU PROMISED!"

"Wha-what do you mean?", Dipper raised his hands in defensive gesture.

"YOU KNOW VERY WELL WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!", Mabel kept roaring.

"What the he-"

The kitchen door opened, and Pacifica became frozen in place, as she tried to comprehend the situation,looking from Mabel,to the broken plates, to Dipper proposing, only then realising that every guest was looking at her.

"Er, we apologise for the commotion, I assure you there is nothing to-"

Paz paused for a moment.

"Actually, no,I take it back. WHAT THE HELLIS GOING ON?"

"He did it a day earlier!", Mabel complained. "And he didn't tell me!"

"I thought you'd notice! You deal with reservations!, Dipper countered, "And all the seats were taken for tomorrow, so I had to book today!"

"And who do you think booked all those?!", Mabel roared, " I made sure so that all our friends can have dinner tomorrow!"

"You haven't told me about it either!"

"Dipper, what part of 'well-planned surprise double proposal' is too difficult to understand?"

"Double proposal…?"

Mabel turned her head as Pacifica's quivering voice interrupted the argument.

"Oh, shoot.", Mabel started frantically looking around, until she spotted a colorful dessert on a nearby table.

"You haven't tasted this cupcake yet, right, sir?" Mabel addressed the astonished gentleman.

"N-No", he replied, unsure what was going to happen next.

"Great, we're gonna make you a new one"

Mabel quickly snatched the pink treat from the plate and faced her girlfriend, before dropping to one knee.

"Pacifica Northwest, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife, preferably with huge, opulent AND DOUBLE WEDDING?", she threw the final words at her brother, still also on one knee.

"Alright, geez, Mabel, I'm sorry!"

Pacifica could not stop tears from running down her cheeks. She accepted the cupcake at the same time as emerald ring went onto Wendy's finger. The two couples were lost in long kisses, while the room erupted with cheers.

"I think that calls for champagne on the house, eh, Northwest?", Wendy addressed Pacifica from across the room.

"YOUR house, you mean", she snapped back, "You owe us for the plates. And the cupcake, Corduroy".

Pacifica threw her a cocky smile before licking some of the frosting from her lips.

#wendip #mabcifica #nautiscaraderfics #wendy corduroy #dipper pines #gravity falls

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clothyume · 9 months ago

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Astraea's Atelier: Epilogue 3

Epilogue 3

Summer

Shu: Fufu. Create to your heart's content, Kiryu. Art is not something that can be forced upon you, but something fun.

You only have one life, so you want to spend it doing nothing but having fun.

Chiaki: Yup. That's true, but in order to survive, you have to work properly too.

That’s time, Kiryu. I can hear some noise outside– The filming crew for the travel show we’re supposed to be appearing on has probably arrived.

Kurou: That’s true. That’s a shame, it was just getting interesting.

Leo: Wahaha☆ You don’t have to stop working! It's not the film crew, it's me!

Kurou: Tsukinaga. Where the hell did you go?

Leo: Eh? Are you angry, Kurou? Did I do something wrong?

Kurou: No, I’m not. However, if you could just get used to locking doors, we could have avoided such a complicated situation–

Leo: Lecture me later! Moreover, your strategy is to cover up the culprit’s work to provoke and lure them out, right?

It seems to have been a great success!

Chiaki: What are you saying?

Leo: Wahaha! Is ‘What are you saying?’ All you can say? I’ll call you what-you-saying space man!

No, the culprit really has been lured out!

While I was staked out by the atelier, I saw someone wandering around.

If we hurry, we can probably catch them. What’ll we do? They looked delicate, so it wouldn’t need four of us to attack!

Shu: Hmph. How many times do I need to tell you, leave it to the police to arrest suspicious people.

Anyway, eventually the culprit won’t be able to stand it and will step in, telling us not to tarnish their work any further.

If you don’t have that kind of guts, if you don’t have the will to protect your work–

Once again, I will reject such foolishness.

Shame on you, mock artist.

However, hopefully the culprit will step in soon. I want to spark artistic discussion, even through the night.

This time I will examine this great body of work in a better light, and give it a fair evaluation.

To welcome you into our heaven as an irreplaceable being who can create beautiful and valuable things.

Leo: Hmm〜... But until we hear the story from the person themself, it’s all speculation.

Shu seems to think the culprit is an artist.

What should I do? What if my theory from last night is correct, and all the works lined up in the atelier were placed just to make Shu horny?

No matter how you look at it, the face of the person wandering outside looked like a maiden in love.

Shu: If that’s the case, I’ll call them a fool for creating works with such an ulterior motive, and have them arrested.

I’m not good at fighting so I’ll leave it to Kiryu, who prides himself on his strength, and Morisawa, who is an ally of justice, to deal with it.

Chiaki: Hmm, but we’ve got work.

Kurou: That’s right. If you meddle with someone else's love story, you’ll get kicked into hell by a horse, so we freeloaders will quickly excuse ourselves.

Shu: Wait. You know by now that I’m not good with such topics, so are you going to abandon me?

You’re going to leave me alone? At least you’re still on the side of justice aren't you, Morisawa?

Chiaki: I feel weak when you say that, but the reality is that this sort of thing is a job for the police…♪

Leo: Oh! The culprit has finally arrived! So, why are they here? I’m excited~!

Shu: W-Wait! I have provided you with meals, lodging and other things, haven’t I? And you’ll just leave me like this!?

Perhaps this is my retribution as an ungrateful person who once denied the culprit’s work!?

Kurou: Haha. Now that’s unusual, Itsuki with a face this panicked.

Chiaki: Ah, I hope we can see something just as interesting in the next country! The travel programme has only just begun!

Shu: Wait, you two! Don’t give off such a happy-go-lucky atmosphere! The case hasn't exactly been resolved!

Leo: ♪~♪~♪

Shu: Don’t hum an ending theme! Tsukinaga…!

#enstars #ensemble stars #shu itsuki #kuro kiryu #chiaki morisawa #leo tsukinaga

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twentiethcenturymoviesandtv · 2 years ago

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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Genre and Themes

At first glance, indeed, even at second glance, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington doesn’t seem to really lend itself to a specific genre the way The Goonies or The Princess Bride did. Whereas those films positively dripped with the atmosphere of an adventure or fantasy film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is considerably more ‘real world’ than that, without necessarily heading into ‘slice of life’ territory.

If story is the backbone of a film, the underlying solid base, then genre is the trappings, the flavor, the seasonings the writers get to play with to create their final dish. Some stories automatically come with pre-packaged genre, as it would seem, stories like Frankenstein seem little suited to be anything other than a sci-fi horror film, after all, but most, and indeed some would say all stories have the capabilities of remaining solid in their identities, even with a completely different genre than we’re used to.

In the case of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, however, there doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of ingredients to mix.

Officially, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is labeled as a ‘political comedy-drama’, an eclectic mishmash of styles that doesn’t necessarily rear its head too often in the realm of film. Political films tend to be more true stories like All the President’s Men, or thrillers like The Manchurian Candidate. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is neither. However, that isn’t to say it’s not political.

The entire world of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is politics. It lives and breathes the inner workings of American bureaucracy, without either exploiting or sugarcoating it.

It is, at its core, an anti-politics political film. There is no pleasure that the film derives from exposing any corruption, nor does it take pains to pretend that corruption does not exist. It freely paints the politicians and the non-politicians as people, dealing with consequences to their actions: from Senator Paine, the tarnished hero, to Clarissa Saunders, the cynical, worn-out tool of Washington. The focus of the story is not so much on the inner workings of the state and country as it is the people that perform them, that manipulate the cogs of the machine to their own benefit, and those who stand to prevent it.

It’s not a very technical film. You don’t have to have a degree in law in order to understand the film, or allow it to resonate, and that, perhaps, is what makes it so special.

The ‘political’ slant of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington isn’t in the process that Saunders outlines to Jefferson in order to get his bill passed. On the contrary, the bill itself is a minor incident, the catalyst that forces the corruption out into the open. The story isn’t about the bill at all, nor is it even about the plot of the other politicians: it is about the politicians themselves. There are no parties mentioned, no real figures portrayed, no accurate historical events referenced: and yet something about this film did strike a chord in the very real Washington D.C.

Upon Mr. Smith’s release in Constitution Hall, DC dissolved into uproar about the film’s portrayal of American politics, to the point that Alben W. Barkley, the Senate Majority Leader at the time, remarked that it: “makes the Senate look like a bunch of crooks”.

In other words, something about this film struck some people, mostly the people in Washington, the wrong way. And yet, even at the time of its initial release, audiences, the Mr. Smiths of the USA, adored it for a reason.

At its core, chiefly, yes, Mr. Smith is a film about politics, and even history. Every fiber of the movie vibrates with patriotism, with love for America, and with pride in democracy. The film is not a condemnation as such as it is a warning: ‘we will lose what we have built if we think only of ourselves.’ It is a perfect combination of both a celebration of America’s past, and a concern for the future, a notation of the path the nation’s leaders seemed to be going down. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a story about big P Politics, all right, but it is not a scowling, scolding film, pointing an accusatory finger at the little p politicians, the fallen white knights. It is instead a film that holds up a figure of a person who knows on what the country was founded, and believes in it so strongly enough that he forces a change, even if it’s a small one.

And the film is also pretty funny, too.

The genre of ‘comedy’ tends to bring to mind slapstick or wordplay classics, and in the 1930s, the ‘comedians’ definitely had their specific brands: the Marx Brothers, the Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, and others were taking cinema by storm. Audiences, especially in the middle of the Great Depression, desperately wanted a laugh, and even though there were no pratfalls in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, there is a wry sense of humor about it, particularly near the beginning.

Early scenes in this film play almost like scenes from a ‘fish out of water’ comedy, with Jefferson Smith having no idea how to function in the new, fast-moving, cynical climate of Washington D.C. Other characters, such as Saunders and Diz, exist as quip-generating machines, full of the fast-paced, witty dialogue characteristic of films of the time. Many of the more comedic sequences in the story come about through direct conversation between Saunders and Smith and the subsequent clash of ideas and personalities.

So yeah, Mr. Smith is a pretty funny movie at times. I must admit though, it’s hard to make the argument that it’s a comedy.

Smith’s plight is not comedic, at least, not more than halfway through the story. He is not a comedic figure, nor are most of the characters around him. While one could make the argument that the initial conceit of the story is comedic, I am hard pressed to agree that the story remains a comedy throughout. If anything, the throughline of tragedy seems clearer, notably in the character of Senator Paine.

Paine is what Smith could have been: a noble figure broken by greed, by corruption, by fear, turned into another cog in someone else’s profit machine, willing to throw countless people under the bus for gain. By the end of the story, he is not only guilty, he is convicted, ashamed after being forced to confront what he has become. His story nearly ends in suicide, and it certainly ends in the ruination of his career, after having thrown away belief in all of the words he is so used to spouting. He is the warning thrust up before contemporary Washington’s eyes: the white knight tarnished by greed.

Smith’s story, though uncorrupted, is similarly bleak: unbelieved, unheard, and unable to get the word out, he ends the film exhausted and crushed after hours of seeming futility. The film’s happy ending does not come as a result of all of his hard work, but through the guilt of Senator Paine driving him to confess. Smith does not reach the climax of the film like a comedy protagonist does at all, but like a tragic hero.

And yet, this film isn’t a tragedy either.

So what is it?

I have a theory: that a film’s genre can be best solidified through a few major checkpoints: its themes, and its characters, specifically its protagonist.

The themes of Mr. Smith are obvious ones: duty to one’s country, certainly, but honesty above all. The liars are the villains, and the heroes tell the truth. The story is built around good morals and simplicity, with the center of virtue being Mr. Smith himself.

In another era, Smith himself may have been a knight in shining armor, risen to his position from peasantry to achieve noble deeds. As it is, in 1930s America, Smith is an ordinary man in an extraordinary position: an everyday guy elevated to the position of senator.

Of course, the intention was never to give him any real power, but nonetheless, power he wields. And it’s his decisions on handling that power that set him apart from the other characters. He behaves very much like a normal person, an average citizen in a political jungle with very little navigation. There is no hero’s journey here: if anything, Mr. Smith finishes the story as a broken, more cynical character rather than a triumphant hero. The victory is in refusing to compromise your principles, no matter the cost or circumstance, and there is no dragon to slay here: just men, corrupted by power.

In other words, it’s a drama.

While there are many forms of ‘drama’ in the broad spectrum, typically, the term ‘drama’ means that a subject is more dramatic than humorous, with a primary element of the story being conflict, but not necessarily of the physical kind. It’s a story with more of an emphasis on who the story is happening to, and why, with less concern for what exactly is happening.

Such is the case for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Mr. Smith is a story about real people, people you or I might know, from the virtuous Jefferson Smith to the cynical Ms. Saunders, to the corrupt, but still human, politicians, some malicious, some merely led astray from their previous values. This is not a story of ‘heroes vs. villains’, this is a story about the ‘Right Thing to Do’, and the people with the courage to do it.

And that’s most of its appeal.

Capra’s passion is for people in this film, the everyday, the ordinary, the ‘Little Guy’ who becomes, not a dragonslayer, but a man with the opportunity to truly do some good, faced with tough decisions. It’s a story full of heart, sprinkled with humor, and loaded with humanity as it views, through very human lenses, the world of politics through a protagonist who’s meant to be a fish out of water.

That is Mr. Smith’s legacy.

The story isn’t groundbreaking. The cinematography isn’t breathtaking. The writing isn’t jaw-dropping. But the people, the characters, live and breathe on the screen as people, characters that the audiences love, and cheer for. We root for these people because of the drama of the situation, and the time and care that the film takes to delve into them.

That, more than the politics of the situation, is the reason people return to this film again and again.

And that, the people, the characters, is what we’ll be turning our attention to next time.

#Mr. Smith Goes to Washington #Mr. Smith Goes To Washington 1939 #1939 #30s #Film #Movies #Political #Drama #Comedy #James Stewart #Jean Arthur #Claude Rains #Edward Arnold #Thomas Mitchell #Frank Capra

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rallamajoop · 2 years ago

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On Resident Evil 7

So in the interests of completionism, and because I am now officially that invested in the Winters family saga, I bought and played Resident Evil 7.

It was, as expected, much more survival-horror than RE8. Aiming is slower, ammo scarcer, inventory space even more limited, and enemies that much more bullet-sponge-y. It is also absolutely scarier – both in the tension-and-gore sense, and in the horrible-things-happening-to-normal-nice-people sense (which gets to me far worse). But then, slasher horror is generally much less my thing, so as much as I absolutely appreciate the work that went into building this game’s aesthetic and villains, it’s just not so much an experience for me as the high gothic horror of RE8.

Where finishing RE8 had me racing back to explore new difficulties, DLC and challenge modes, I just didn’t have the same drive to spend more time in the world and gameplay of RE7. As far as I’ve come in this genre, my stomach can only take so much before it all just becomes a bit unpleasant. This is not a fault of the game: I can fully sympathise with anyone who loved RE7 and was disappointed RE8 strayed so far in new directions – it’s just a very different experience.

That said, the two games do share more than you might think.

Both have their extended spooky openings to build atmosphere before the actual danger starts, punctuated by a big moment where someone Ethan trusted apparently turns on him to horrific effect, and where Mia apparently ‘dies’ (but not really). Then there’s a big cutscene where you meet the family of bosses you’ll be dealing with, which Ethan spends restrained and/or tied to a chair. You’ll be helped in your quest to navigate each boss’s territory by a mysterious ally (Zoe/the Duke), though mostly just via advice. And in both games, the last member of the boss family you'll face is a greasy, showboating SOB* who delights in taunting Ethan over speakers and making him run or fight for his life, and who’s actually not as loyal to the alpha-villainess as she thinks.

Towards the end, you suddenly find yourself playing as that-traitor-from-the-start, who gets to use a machine gun. You'll also get your chance to stop by a lab to read some documents explaining WTF has really been going on all this time. Finally, you discover that the creepy old lady you’d been seeing around the place was really the final boss all along.

We end with Chris Redfield and Mia in a helicopter, and the sinister insinuation that the company supplying all the guns and money to fix bio-terror outbreaks might actually be up to no good (that two different companies play this role in the two games isn’t really a sign of good continuity). The end, cue credits! (And remember to take a drink if any of this same stuff happens in RE9!)

But as much as RE7 has in common with its sequel on paper, I came away from it a lot less satisfied ‒ and not just because it's less my kind of game. Sure, the the final boss fight with Eveline has all the hallmarks of something completed at the last minute to meet a deadline – but the final Eveline section at least wraps up properly. The bigger problem is that by then, we’ve spent so much time setting up for a big boss fight with Lucas (psychotic Baker son, mad inventor and jigsaw-killer-wannabe) that never actually happens. Ethan escapes without ever actually facing Lucas directly.

We’re given so many reasons why Lucas should be a big deal: unlike his originally-nice-and-normal parents, Lucas was a killer long before being infected. He’s slipped Eveline’s control, and has even been working with the company that created her. But this last, potentially huge plot point really only exists as an excuse to have a few significant documents lying around for background on Eveline herself. Look, I did not even like this guy (I could not even get myself to play through the DLC he's in), and I still feel like he was done dirty.

The boss fight with Lucas has instead been saved for Chris Redfield’s DLC chapter – but it doesn’t really deliver there either. There, Lucas is apparently selling research data to some sinister, unnamed party, but we never learn what or who – it’s a sequel hook the actual sequel had no interest in. Otherwise, he murders a few redshirts (because what’s Chris Redfield going to do with himself if he’s not losing people in the field?) then morphs into a utterly-generic big-mutant-monster for the boss fight. It’s all the kind of generic faff you could find in any RE game.

We do also learn that those Umbrella-branded helicopters are being run by a ‘new’ Umbrella that claims it’s reformed, and is trying to make up for the mistakes of the past by funding anti-bioterror operations, and that Chris is working for them despite not really trusting them… and now you know as much about the subject as you’ll learn in the whole DLC. More setup with no real payoff.

The other major plot point the game just leaves hanging is Mia. I love the big reveal that she used to work for the company that created Evaline, the whole section where you play as her – but it leaves so many more questions hanging. How did Mia end up working for such evil people? How did she justify it to herself for so long? Were blackmail or threats involved? And most of all, how’s Ethan going to react to finding out? He’s asking those questions out loud just a few scenes before the Mia reveal, and yet, the ending is in such a rush to tell us he’s happily starting over with Mia that it all falls through the cracks. (I mean, there’s some lovely horror potential in the idea of all those secrets still lurking under their relationship, but if that was the intent, it’s woefully underplayed.)

Speaking of Mia, I do think the game could’ve stood to make it a lot more obvious a lot sooner that the Bakers are, y’know, not her real family. We don’t know jack about Mia going on, but Ethan should at least react when she starts talking about ‘Daddy’ – a line or two to the effect of, “What are you on about? Your Dad’s from Texas – I've met the guy!” or something would’ve gone a long way.

Zoe’s story is similarly done dirty by the ending: whether you save or abandon her, she just vanishes afterwards and is never mentioned again. Resolution has (again) been left for the DLC.

I did like Zoe’s prequel DLC: hot damn does it deliver on the story, atmosphere and horror (seriously, it delivers so hard on that last point that I do not think I could sit through it again). Seeing the Baker family as they used to be, pre-Evaline, just drives home the tragedy so much harder, and I love that Zoe got a little more time in the spotlight. But the “End of Zoe” DLC reduces her to a MacGuffin, with nothing more than a “and eventually Chris’ people find and cure her” tacked on at the end to wrap up her story. GDI, she deserves better!

The big problem plaguing both Mia and Zoe is that I just don’t think the game’s big ‘choose who to save’ decision moment works: it just doesn’t pay off. Save Mia, and she and Ethan will get separated in the swamp, you’ll play through her flashback sequence, and she’ll be alive at the end. Save Zoe, and she’ll get nabbed by Eveline again anyway, and Mia will still wake up in the same place in the swamp for the same big flashback sequence. Sure, you’ll also have to fight and kill Mia when she becomes possessed again – but her death is given so little emotional weight that what’s the point? Either ending leaves us with all those loose threads and unfinished stories.

The whole issue is a pretty classic example of what I call the Schrodinger’s Character problem: if an NPC can be simultaneously alive or dead, then neither outcome can have any real impact on the plot. Our hapless NPC just has to sit in their box, somewhere out of the way (presumably in some state of awkward quantum superposition ‒ though hopefully they at least get to pet the cat). Similar problems can comes up in any branching narrative where the branching is more a gimmick than a feature. Sure, devs may intend to fully develop both possibilities, but that’s twice as much work as just ignoring any inconvenient differences, and thus the first thing to end up on the cutting room floor come crunch. And that’s never more glaring than when Schrodinger’s Character is the PC’s wife (or brother – Deus Ex was terrible this way too), and the game can’t even be arsed to give them a proper half-a-cutscene to grieve before putting them right back on the horse again. Nor is saving them all that much more satisfying when it makes so little difference.

I also can’t help feeling RE7 really missed a trick with Zoe, when you finally see her face for the first time and she’s just… completely normal. Up to then, she’s been this mysterious voice on the phone who seems to know exactly what Ethan’s been doing at all times, but never intervenes in person. Add in the fact we know she’s infected, and it all feels like it’s building to a much bigger reveal, right? Like, that she’s mutated to the point Ethan’s liable to lose his shit if he runs into her without warning – or perhaps even semi-embedded in one of those mould-walls, where she’s able to feel what’s going on all over the house through the mycelium network. Or at least that she’s been holed up in some sort of underground surveillance bunker full of tinned beans and bottled water, physically unable to leave without Evaline getting her. There’s so much they could’ve done with the reveal!

To be clear, I don’t think the game’s failure to explain Zoe’s weirdness is a serious flaw: her phone calls are wonderfully creepy and effective, and that’s so much more important to horror than clear explanations. But not doing more with her still feels like a missed opportunity.

None of this is to say RE8’s ending was flawless by comparison: there are dangling questions and clunky sequel-hooks there too (what went wrong with the ceremony? Why were Miranda’s powers ‘leaving her’? Why are we suddenly teasing the idea the BSAA has gone bad when we haven't heard about them all game? etc). But the greater story felt finished to me in a way RE7 just didn’t. Plenty is left mysterious, but Ethan’s character arc is functionally complete.

On the whole though, there’s still plenty to recommend RE7 as an experience. The atmosphere was everything it needed to be, the old videos and creepy phone calls were solid little mechanics, and I kind of adored the design of Lucas’ horror-escape-room puzzle. I love the subtlety of burying an explanation for how Ethan's able to reattach his hand (and even his leg goddamnit I had no idea that was a thing that could happen until just recently!) in the middle of a document you won't pick up until the endgame, and which many will miss. Seriously, there is some great material in this game.

The villains all live up to the enjoyably campy extremes of the RE series at its best – but it was Marguerite who stood out for me, and I think it’s a crying shame she’s mostly relegated to the middle-chapter between the big events that are Jack, Lucas and Eveline. Nothing against the rest of them, but creepy little girls, dominating father figures, and jigsaw-killer-wannabes are all a dime a dozen in this genre: how many gleefully-revolting, middle-aged mother figures can you think of? That’s rare enough to be really memorable.

Ethan is, unavoidably, a somewhat flatter character than he gets to be in RE8 – he just doesn’t get the opportunity to react to so many things he so obviously should, and that’s very much a script issue (his voice actor does a fine job with what he’s given). Even so, some of his snarky conversations with Zoe are a delight, as is every other time he gets to express his frustration with the whole mad situation.

By contrast, Mia is so much more complex than she gets to be in RE8, where she’s honestly done pretty dirty. And having now played RE7, I’m retroactively a little disappointed that RE8 wasn’t about Ethan and Mia getting to be some kind of awesome battle couple (unconducive to horror as that might be): they’re both kind of badass when they actually get the chance.

So, yeah. At the end of the day, RE7 and RE8 make a very weird little duology. It's well worth checking out at least a Let’s Play of RE7 or a compilation of cutscenes if you loved RE8, just for backstory. But it’s not a game really designed for the same audience – and for me at least, just a much less satisfying experience overall.

*Considering how far apart they are on the fangirl-bait scale, I feel sort of like I ought to apoologise to Heisenberg and his fanbase for even comparing him to Lucas Baker, but I'm sorry: on paper, they do have rather a lot in common.

#Resident Evil 7 #Resident Evil Village #Ethan Winters #Mia Winters #Zoe Baker #Marguerite Baker #Lucas Baker #meta #Resident Evil

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