#did i turn jack the ripper into a bunny?
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I saw the Capybara ask and I was wondering if we could have Desmond who hangs out with potentially(?) dangerous animals and his ancestors just seeing him fine and not hurt while there is an obvious dead animal a few feet away from them
The Desmond becomes a Capybara idea for those interested.
I'm going to assume you meant that Desmond isn't an animal in this one but a Disney Princess that attracts dangerous animals XD
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âAltaĂŻr! AltaĂŻr!â
AltaĂŻr rushed out of his office at the sound of Kadarâs panicking, almost hitting the younger Al-Sayf when he opened the door quickly.
Thankfully, Kadarâs reactions have been honed by years of training, saving him from being smacked on the face.
âWhatâs wrong?â AltaĂŻr asked quickly, coming off as rude but Kadar panicking only meant it was urgent.
âThereâs a pack of wild wolves!â Kadar had to pause to catch his breathing, âThey surrounded Desmond-â
âAltaĂŻr!â Kadar shouted as AltaĂŻr leaped out of the window, fear gripping his heart as he remembered this was the fourth floor.
Whether it was luck or AltaĂŻr knew a wagon of hay would cushion his fall, Kadar wasnât sure.
He was sure that wagon wasnât there this morning.
Yet he could not do anything because AltaĂŻr shouted at him, âGet backup!â
AltaĂŻr was already running out of the fortress, not hearing Kadar shout back, âHow many?!â
.
Desmond had always shone bright in his Eagle Vision, a swirl of gold and blue that was both vibrant and calming at the same time.
Contrasting descriptions but the most accurate AltaĂŻr could be.
That was why it was easy for him to find Desmond, just outskirt of Masyaf, near one of the ruins that used to be a gate or an archway of some kind.
⌠Sitting on a rock as he cradled a white rabbit in his arms.
âOh, hey, AltaĂŻr.â Desmond greeted with a smile when AltaĂŻr approached him.
AltaĂŻr nodded at him as he greeted back, âDesmond.â
His eyes remained transfixed at the mangled remains of wolves a few feet away with Desmondâs dog, a dog named Connor, sniffing at them and dragging them to form what seemed to be⌠a line?
Even the bear cub that Desmond had found one day, a cub named Ezio, was helping the dog drag the bodies.
âAre you alright?â AltaĂŻr asked instead as he prioritized.
⌠and ignored the weirdness that is Desmondâs âfriendsâ.
âOh, Iâm okay.â Desmond grinned as he showed AltaĂŻr the rabbit in his arms, âOh, this is Jack.â
AltaĂŻr stared at the rabbit with its bloodshot red eyes andâŚ
Its white fur drenched in blood.
Making AltaĂŻr wonderâŚ
If this rabbit was not shivering because of fear but because ofâŚ
Bloodlust.
#yes#itâs a monty python reference#did i turn jack the ripper into a bunny?#maybe#assassin's creed#desmond miles#altaĂŻr ibn la'ahad#kadar al sayf#ask and answer#teecup writes/has a plot#fic idea: assassin's creed#i'm not tagging anyone else#because it's not clear if their normal animals with similar names#or this is a case of the 'ancestors get reborn to animals'
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~â˘Â°~â˘Â°~â˘Â°~â˘Â°~â˘Â°~â˘Â°~â˘Â°~â˘Â°~â˘Â°
Inspo: tiktok; amadis_v
Scenario: You and Mirko go to a club after resting at home with boredom. While you're there, you dance with a stranger.ater you see hawks and make him jealous, he takes you outback for some private time.
WARNING: dom!hawks, jealous!hawks, 18+, oral (fem receiving), semi public s*x, choking kink, brat!reader(kind of)
Gimme More
ăFem!reader X Hawksă
~â˘Â°~â˘Â°~â˘Â°~â˘Â°~â˘Â°~â˘Â°~â˘Â°~â˘Â°~â˘Â°
Y/n sat in her bedroom, waiting for anything interesting to happen today. She had woken up around 12pm, and had lounged in her pajamas all day, watching random shows on tv, and texting her friend Mirko.
The two girls had become friends when they crossed paths while fighting a villain, which lead to Mirko finding out her best friend was a vigilante, and not a hero. The h/c haired girl huffed out in annoyance at how slow her day was going, still waiting on a respond from her bunny hero friend. It felt like years when her phone vibrated next to shed as she mindlessly clicked on the random channels.
MIRKO đâĽď¸
There's this night club, it's called Rosette Flames. Get ready meet me there in an hour or so.
Y/n jumped from her bed, landing on the cold hard wood floor, but she ignored her pain and ran to her bathroom, showering in under ten minutes...and spent the next fifty minutes deciding on what to wear.
Finally she decided to wear a black lace bralette with a powder pink skirt, accompanied by black laced up heels. Her hair was done in messy curls, doing some final touch ups on her make up, going with a natural smokey eyeshadow with cherry glossed lips. Y/n took a final glance at her outfit and make up, before sending a text to her bunny friend that she was on her way, feeling a little bit bad that she would be thirty minutes late.
The two girls walked into the club, their eyes going wide to the size of golf balls. The ceiling of the club was pure glass, letting the silver moon shine through, lighting the dance floor slightly. The DJ stand looked something straight out of a retro movie, the whole place did, the bar was built like a semi circle, the purple lights making it look cyber retro. The dance floor was and LED tiled, as fairy lights hung above the dance floor.
Mirko linked her arm with y/n, a bewildered look on both of their faces at the sight. "Do you wanna dance!" Mirko had to shout over the loud music that penetrated their ears, making her voice come out muffled. The bunny hero took off her jacket waiting for her friend to respond, handing it to the bartender, asking if he could look after it.
Y/n looked at her friend, seeing her wear a white tight dress with red heels. Y/n has said this before, if Mirko wasn't seeing someone, she would try hitting on her. Which would always make Mirko say that of y/n wasn't interested in a certain winged male, Mirko would try making a move on the h/c haired girl. "Lets dance!" Mirko dragged y/n out on the dance floor, placing one hand on her waist as y/n swayed back and forth, feeling the beat of the music vibrating through her veins.
The vigilante had almost forgotten that she was in public, or that she was dancing with her friend at a club. All she could feel was the music coarsing through her body. The girl hasn't even noticed that her friend was dancing with a stranger with red hair, or that a raven haired male was dancing with y/n. She just danced to the music, feeling the male behind her follow her lead.
Unbeknownst to the two girls, the winged male sat at the bar, holding his gaze onto y/n, seeing her body sway side to side, feeling the rhythm of the music. But when the stranger came into view, he felt his anger boil at the sight of them two dancing close together. How the strangers hands roamed her body, or how he held her close to his chest. It made something dark grow in him, he wanted to be the one that would hold her like that, or be the one to be that close to her. He wanted her.
Ever since he talked to Mirko five months about how he felt around her, at first he thought he was poisoned, not being familiar to the whole liking thing. Only for Mirko to burst out laughing, finally telling him after ten minutes of her laughing. That he likes her. He looked at her with a blank stare, waiting for her to explain. The more they talked about her, the more he realised that he did like y/n. He likes y/n.
While Keigo was lost in his own mind, y/n had noticed him sitting there. She had felt someone staring at her, making the girl feel uneasy, but when she saw it was her friend, the guy she had feelings for, she felt at ease. Y/n excused herself from the guy, going over to her friend that was dancing with the red haired male. "Did you invite Keigo?" Y/n had to shout her question out. Mirko looked confused at first, but when she caught Keigos presence at the bar she shook her head no.
But her concussion faded into mischief, the sudden change in her mood made y/n worry a little. Especially after knowing what that look means, it meant something bad or interesting was going down. Mirko dragged y/n back to the stranger, "Make him jealous." Y/n was confused at what Mirko meant by that, not wanting to give their big secret away, so she played along. "Are you both that dense? He likes you! And you like him!." Mirko left her friend there with the stranger once again.
The stranger behind her asked her if she was okay, or that if she wanted to take a break. To which y/n shook her head and said she was okay. The pair went back to dancing, her hips pressed against his, as his hands roamed her body once again.
Keigo felt his anger rise to a wild fire. He wanted to be the one to dance with her like that. He could feel himself getting light headed at the sight of her though, it was very complicated, he wanted to be with her. But just looking at her for a certain amount of time made him toxicated, it made him weak to the knees and fuzzy minded. As he kept staring at her, he jumped slightly when he saw that she had caught his gaze. Not expecting her to look his way, but once she did, he was held hostage in her gorgeous eyes. He saw the mischief hidden in her e/c orbs. Keigo saw as she brought the strangers head down to her neck, as she threw her head back to his shoulder. The sight made him want to actually kill an innocent civilian.
Y/n turned her gaze to the stranger, not really minding his company, but silently preferred the winged males. The h/c haired girl spun around in his hold, his hands going on her a*s, a gasp left her lips when he lightly squeezed it. Tugging her closer to him. The two were oblivious to the looming winged male behind y/n, they were too captivated in their dance that Keigo had to pull y/n to his chest.
Y/n felt herself being tugged to a hard wall, making her look up at Keigos stone hard facial expression, his golden eyes glaring actual daggers at the male across from him. "I think that's enough." Y/n tensed up at his voice, even when fighting villains she has never heard his voice come out that threatening. It made her believe that keigo could most likely kill the male if he really wanted to.
The stranger rolled his eyes at keigo. "Dude we were just dancing, chill out." The stranger went to reach back for y/n, only for keigo to tug her further into him, and side step so she was further from his reach.
"I said. That's enough."
The raven haired male scoffed and walked away. Keigo held his gaze onto the male, making sure he was gone out of sight before tugging y/n from the dance floor. The girl behind him was actually surprised she was able to keep up with his speed. "Keig-" she cut herself off she saw keigo had brought her to the alley way of the club. "Okay...if you're gonna kill me, make sure you don't copy Jack The Ripper." She laughed lightly, trying to bring light into the current situation she was in.
Seeing that he had his back to her she reached for to him. Once her hand came in contact with his shoulder blade, he jumped and spun around in a quick movement. Before she could even blink he had her pinned to the brick wall, his body pressed against hers, trapping her between the wall and his body. Her placed his left hand on her neck, while his right hand was beside her hip. Y/n gasped out in surprise, feeling a fire pit grow in her abdomen at his actions.
"What the hell was that?" He growled out in her ear, his left hand squeezing her neck lightly when she didn't answer. "I won't ask twice baby bird." He looked into her e/c eyes, his golden eyes morphing into a rusted brown, they were practically glowing with rage.
"Mirko..." She gasped out when Keigo lifted her leg up to his waist to press harder against her. "Said to make you...jealo-" she stopped talking when she felt something hard pressing against her needy core. Biting back a moan, feeling his right right hand grip her thigh more.
"Make me jealous?" Keigo let out a harsh chuckle, it didn't sound like his normal go-happy-cute laugh, no. This one sounded empty, and filled with anger. It made a shiver run up and down her spine. "Baby bird, I'm not jealous. I'm pissed." She looked confused but when he started attacking her neck with his lips, she moaned out his name, making him dig his nails into her thigh.
"You let another man put his hands on you. Someone that wasn't me." He growled out in her ear, his left hand squeezing her neck tighter. Going back to bitting her neck, when he heard her moan loud when he reached her sweet spot, he stopped and abused it with all his power.
"What are you...talking about?" Y/n fluttered her eyes shut at his actions, confused on why he would be acting this way. She wanted to keep the innocent act up, finding it kind of funny. Mirko had wanted them to get together in the last three years they have known each other. When in reality they have been doing things like this for three months now.
Keigo used his strength to push her harder to the wall, a small gasp left her lips. "Dont." He unclipped his belt, along with his pants button and zipper, he grabbed her hand and put it in his pants, letting her feel how hard he was for her. "You don't get the right to act innocent right now." He groaned when he felt her rub him, enjoying the feeling of it.
Y/n felt the pit on her stomach grow by the second, wanting to tear his clothes off and let him have her. "I'm not acting, I really don't know what I did wrong." She looked over at Keigo, his eyes darkened, that they almost looked black. He stopped her actions, silently hating it. Y/n tilted her head confused on why he did that. Only for him to drop to his knees.
He lifted her skirt up a bit, seeing her black panties were drenched, "really baby bird?" He looked up at her skeptically, as y/n squirmed when she felt his fingers dance on the material that barely covered her needy area. She had wished she had something to hold onto when he kissed her thighs, leaving open mouthed kisses on her inner thighs slowly edging to her needy core. A loud gasp left her throat when she felt his tongue on her cl*t, a sharp scream when he inserted his fingers. "You mean to tell me...you didn't do anything wrong?" He mumbled against her area.
"Yeah." She could physically hear him roll his eyes at the sound of her soft giggle. She felt herself clamp around him, only for him to pull his finger out, making her whimper at the loss of contact she had with him.
"Why don't I believe you." He glared at her, kissing her hard, letting her taste herself on his lips, while she was distracted, he slammed himself into her, his left hand coming back to her neck. Her moans and his groan was muffled by their lips. "You really expect me to believe that songbird?" He hissed when she touched his wings, knowing how sensitive they were. He brought Her thigh up to his waist once again. Desperate to hit her deeper.
Y/n moved from his wings to his shoulders, needing to grip onto something, as his hips pounded into hers. "Its true~" Y/n barely managed to say that, already forgetting the whole English language, any language at that, the only thing she remembered was his name. So that's what she kept screaming out as his thrust became harder.
His lips went back to her neck, wanting to leave visible marks that she was his, as y/n scratched his back up, almost looking like he had gotten in a fight with a cat. "Keigo! Im...c-close~" she moaned in his ear, making him speed up his thrusts, she could feel herself clamp around him, wanting to finish. Y/n felt the pit in her stomach fade as she reached her high from him.
Keigo kept thrusting into her, desperately chasing after his own climax. Her thighs and hips started to ache in pain from how hard and fast he was going, but his moans and grunts that escaped his throat and collided with her ears made her almost faint in ecstasy. Y/n opened her eyes in time to see his wings flap behind him and flutter as he finished, every time they did it, that was her second favorite thing seeing them flutter to let her know he's done.
"That was--" she stopped when Keigo pulled out of her, fixing how he looks and how she looks, trying to look normal.
"Just wait till we get home song bird." He picked her up and winked at her fearful face, knowing damn well what always comes after that sentence.
NOTE:
I had to have one of my friends write the smut because well, it makes me awkward and cringe.
Also again, thank you amadis_v for the inspiration to write this, hopefully it came out kind of like you imagined. âĄ
#Spotify#keigo takami x reader#hawks mha#hawks x reader#hawks smut#hawks imagine#mha hawks#my hero academia hawks#bnha keigo#keigo x reader#mha takami keigo#takami keigo smut#mirko#mirko mha#mirko my hero academia#x female reader#x fem!reader#x reader
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Chapter II
Seonghwa has experienced so many things through 11 centuries of his life, or simply if you want 1130 years.
He lived through so many wars it's impossible to count them all.
But he never changed. He stayed the same.
Born in 900, during Parhae Dynasty, Seonghwa was the first born son of Park Jiyeon and Park Hyunwoo.
The next heir if you will.
5 years later, in 905, his younger sister, Park Soomin, was born.
The difference between the two is quite obvious. You wouldn't didn't they're related.
Seonghwa is tall, standing 178 cm with broad shoulders, very well built body, blond hair, blue eyes and pale skin.
His sister, however, stands at 170 cm with slim body, tiny waist, long straight white hair, blue eyes and pale skin.
You could easily mistaken them as twins as they do have similar features.
Over the years they have seen people they cherished die, disappear even.
But the two always stuck together no matter what.
Though the centuries they've built their own clan, or coven if you will, and a family.
On November 1st 1210, during the time king John of England began imprisoning Jews, Seonghwa and Soomin met San.
San was 3 months, 3 weeks and 1 day old at that time, the poor boy left out on the open with his parents no where in sight. Despite being a human, and a baby too, Soomin took him in and raised him with Seonghwa.
As San grew older, the boy began to realize that the Parks weren't his biologically parents so a 18 year old San sat them down and told them to explain everything.
Seonghwa and Soomin decided that day that San will know everything, from their birth to them being vampires. They excepted the younger to be afraid, to yell or scream at them for being monsters but San surprised them.
He was calm and patient, letting them explain everything. He sat in front of them quietly, legs crossed as he thought of what he should do. Eventually after a few minutes San made his decision. He was going to stay, with the people who raised him and opened his eyes to the world.
During August 31 and November 9 1888, the time serial killer Jack The Ripper murdered five victims â Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddows and Mary Jane Kelly â Choi Jongho was born on October 12 1888.
The boy was taken in custody by San, who claimed he and his wife (who didn't exist) wanted to have children but couldn't because she was infertile. San took him to the Parks where the young boy was placed in a safe place and heavy protection. While Soomin and San took care of Jongho, Seonghwa was helping inspectors Frederick Abberline, Henry Moore and Walter Answers and Scotland Yard to solve the murders of Jack The Ripper.
They were however unsuccessfull. The murder was never found and the murders were left unsolved.
When Jongho grew into a adult the three sat him down and explained everything to him. The younger was a bit terrified but accepted anyway because these people were the ones who took care of him and raised him.
During August 1915 the Battle of Chunuk Bair happened, it was a World War I battle fought between the Ottoman defenders and troops of the British Empire. During that time Song Mingi was born on August 9. The newborn was saved by Jongho who fled through the battle to keep him out of the war. Jongho took him to Soomin, who made sure he was healthy and had no scratches for wounds.
When Mingi was 2 years old, Jongho lost control. He bit the poor boy, sucking venom into his blood as he drank from him but he was soon removed from the 2 year old. San held him back in his arms as Soomin checked over Mingi, the boy terrified as his parental figure bit him.
Jongho's (undead) heart sank that day, guilt suffocating him as the boy he saved avoided him. Seonghwa told him it's okay, that Mingi doesn't hate him, that he's just confused and terrified. Jongho accepted the oldest vampires words and stayed away from Mingi, however he still kept a eye on the boy just in case.
As Mingi grew older it was time for him to accept what happened and fully turn into a vampire. Seonghwa sat him down and explained everything to him. It took him a while but he accepted and was eventually turned into one. Once he was stable and had more control the first thing he did was confront Jongho.
The older vampire was surprised as the youngest of 5 of them hugged him tightly in a bear hug. Jongho accepted the hug, fully smiling as Mingi forgave him.
"I understand how you felt back then. You weren't a newborn back than but I know you had your reasons." Was what Mingi said.
"I know and I'm sorry." Jongho apologized. Mingi just smiled and patted his head gently, flicking his forehead and walking away with a "See you later shortie."
The 5 of them eventually expanded their clan/coven all over the world, each one of them holding power on 5 continents (Antarctica wasn't counted for obvious reasons).
Seonghwa held high power in Eurasia (Europe and Asia), Soomin in North and South America, San in Australia and Jongho and Mingi in Africa.
In the main cities; Seoul (South Korea), Paris (France), Washington, D.C. (United States), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Sydney (Australia) and Algiers (Algeria) rules are set for the relationships between vampires and humans.
As the years and centuries passed by the technology increased rapidly. In the current year â 2030 â technology developed so much that humans extinct with androids existing in rich countries only.
As vampires have been discovered so have been werewolfs. These werewolfs however are able to shift between a animal large like a four legged dog or a two legged human. The moon does not affect them.
The only thing that has not been discovered is their ranks, something both species are thankful for.
In the early morning of Monday Seonghwa and Soomin head out to meet the Alpha of the Moonlight Pack Kim Namjoon and his Omega mate Kim Seokjin with their pups Hoseok and Jungkook.
"Well today's gonna be a great day." Soomin says, dressed in a black outfit that exposed her skin rather greatly, the clans symbol â a white rose with a red spot right in the middle â fully shown on her beautiful and perfect pale, doll-like skin. Her pure white hair was left down, completely covering the right side of her perfectly sculpted face.
Her older brother, Seonghwa, was dressed in black as well. His elegant and classy grey jacket was placed over a black button up with some of his chest exposed, his black and white tie with different patterns was tied in a knot and placed over the black button up. His black pants were with a loose material and matched with shiny black shoes. His neatly combined ash-blond hair was swept on his right side of his face covering half of his almond-shaped, hooded, mesmerizing crystal blue eyes.
"It appears so dear sister."
"You won't quit being formal will you?"
"No."
Soomin chuckles and shakes her head. After a few minutes of silence the younger female reaches out and holds her older brothers hand, the male giving her hand a light but gentle squeeze.
Soomin lets him and follows him inside the spacious mansion owned by the Kims. She and Seonghwa walked into the living room where the Kims were waiting. Once inside they shake hands with the Alpha, his Luna and their sons. As they sat down on separate couches Soomin observes the family of four.
Kim Namjoon was a tall, short blue haired Alpha male with broad shoulders and body shaped like a true Alpha. His Omega, Seokjin, looked like a true beauty that everywhere wanted with a soft feminine look and purple hair.
Their sons, Hoseok and Jungkook looked like twins. Hoseok was smaller with a small soft feminine look with brownish hair, kind eyes and heart shaped lips. Jungkook was taller and broader with a more masculine look, with bright red hair and bunny like appearance.
Soomin snaps out of her trance and looks at Seonghwa, the older male looking at her in concern. She knew what he was thinking so she lifts her hand up and gently places it on his cheek, tracing a small 'o' on the skin. Seonghwa understood her message and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, his lips resting there as he hugs his younger sister.
"Namjoon expressed that the treaty will be completed tomorrow morning." Seonghwa says quietly knowing enough that she heard him. Soomin nods a little and Seonghwa barely lets her go, grabbing her hand and leading her back to their home.
Within a minute the two vampires arrive and walk in comfortably, immediately knowing where to go. Once in the living room the two give forehead kisses to the three pouty vampires.
Soomin chuckles and sits down on San's lap, the black/white-haired male comfortably wrapping his arms around her waist and letting her snuggle into his chest.
Soomin yawns a few times and snuggles closer, eyes closing as sleep takes over her. San gently lifts her up and carries her upstairs to her room, he walks in and closes the door with his foot. He lays down on the bed pulling her on top and keeping her close.
The older female snuggled closer into his chest, snoring a little. San knew that vampires like Seonghwa and Soomin didn't need sleep but they slept anyway because their mind wanted to.
A knock on the door makes San open his eyes, he raises his head up and looks towards the door."Come in." Seonghwa's ash-blond hair pops in the doorway, the older male smiling gently.
"Everything alright?"
San looks at him and nods."Mhm, she's just sleeping." Seonghwa nods, exiting out of the room and closing the door.
San rests his head on the fluffy white pillow and closes his eyes, sleep overtaking him. He doesn't need sleep either but a few hours of napping wouldn't hurt.
Within the next few days the five vampires set out to help a neighboring pack from Namjoon's pack. The five wear their regular black outfits with black cloaks.
Soomin looks around the pack. Alphas, Betas, Deltas, Gammas and Omegas are everywhere, talking, laughing, running around with no care.
"Well this pack is quite lovely." Jongho comments.
Soomin snorts."Makes me wonder how the Alpha and Luna look like."
Seonghwa chuckles at their antics and ruffles his hair a little."Soomin and I will head inside to speak with the Alpha and his mate, the rest of you can walk around and talk to some of them."
"Yeah and learn something while you're at it." Soomin adds. The trio nod and walk away from the Park siblings.
Seonghwa walks inside the pack house, Soomin following behind him as they look around the pack.
A tall male approaches them, his necklace indicating that he's an Beta.
"Madame Park, Sir Park, the Alpha is waiting for you in his study room."
With a nod from the two siblings the tall Beta leads them to the study room where his Alpha is waiting. The male knocks on the door, waits a few seconds and walks in.
"Alpha, Madame Park and Sir Park have arrived."
"Let them in." A new voice speaks.
The Beta nods and turns around, walking out and bowing. He moves aside and lets them walk in. Once in the door behind them is closed.
"Ah, the famous Park siblings."
Seonghwa chuckles and shakes his head."You are underestimating us Hongjoong."
Soomin raises her eyebrows in confusion. They know each other? How?
A beat later another person walks in, this time a female, her resemblance similar to Hongjoong's.
"Where were you?"
"Outside." She replies.
"Seonghwa, Soomin," Hongjoong gets up from his chair and walks around to the front of his desk, lips twisting into a soft smile."This is my younger sister Byeol."
The red-head smiles at them and waves shyly at them."Hello, I'm Byeol."
"I didn't know you had a sister." Seonghwa says.
"She was on other continent, doing her duties. Plus it never crossed my mind." Hongjoong replies.
While the two converse the two females stare at each other. Soomin notices how Byeol's eyes flickered, her body tensing a little.
"Byeol, would you mind showing Soomin around? I have to speak with Seonghwa." The younger Kim nods and walks out, the older Park following her and closing the door behind her.
"So a sister huh?"
Hongjoong shrugs his shoulders."You never asked and I didn't bother to say it." Seonghwa walks over to him and hovers over him, his face inches from Hongjoong's.
"Stubborn aren't you, Love?" Hongjoong twitches a little from the vampires mesmerizing gaze and nods.
"I think we can change that." Seonghwa pulls him closer and lays him down on his desk, standing in between his legs as Hongjoong wraps them around his waist. Seonghwa leaves soft kisses over his neck, tongue licking the skin between each kiss.
The younger male squirms under him, desperate for friction so he lifts his hips up and presses them against Seonghwa's, the older lets our a quiet moan in his ears and grips his hips tightly."We don't have enough time Joong."
"I know you can make it. Plus I know your clan enough to know they can take care of themselves."
"That is where you are correct Love." Seonghwa picks him up in his arms and speed walks to Hongjoong's room which was connected to the study room. He locks all of the doors and gets back on the bed where the younger is waiting for him.
Hongjoong moves his hips against nothing, moans escaping his pretty pink lips. Seonghwa gets on the bed and begins to take off their clothes, leaving kisses on Hongjoong's skin. Once the clothes are off Hongjoong pulls Seonghwa on top of him, capturing his lips into a heated kiss. Seonghwa lets him and moans softly, kissing back fiercely as he makes love to the male under him.
"Seonghwa-!"
Seonghwa moans as the male under him squeezes around his length, the warm and tight walls of Hongjoong sending him into bliss. Said male bares his neck for him in submission, pretty neck decorated in purples and blues.
"Hongjoong I-"
"You can â agh fuck baby â come in me."
A few more thrusts into the younger male under him and Seonghwa comes, leaning down and sinking his fangs in his pretty neck, he pulls him impossibly closer and sinks his fangs in deeper, drinking his lover's blood and officially transferring his Royal blood in him and marking him as his.
When a Royal blood marks his fated the clans symbol will appear on their neck next to bite mark.
"Seonghwa,"
"Hongjoong."
Seonghwa pulls away and leans down again, capturing Hongjoong's lips into a sweet kiss. The younger returns the kiss and licks his bottom lip slowly pulling out a soft moan from Seonghwa who playfully glares at him.
Hongjoong laughs softly and lets the male tickle him, giggles escaping his lips as his lover tickles him.
"Okay, okay." Seonghwa chuckles and stops tickling him, gently rubbing his sides and kissing his forehead softly."All good my Love?" Hongjoong nods and Seonghwa smiles, laying down on his side and pulling his lover close to his chest, gently kissing the top of his head.
Hongjoong snuggles closer and rests his head on his chest, softly tracing random patterns on the pale, doll-like skin. Despite Seonghwa's body being colder than his Hongjoong finds comfort in it.
He lets out a small yawn and snuggles impossibly closer, eyes closing and falling asleep. Seonghwa smiles softly at his lover and pulls the blanket over them, the black-haired almost purring at the sudden warmness surrounding him.
Seonghwa rests his head on the pillow and closes his eyes, gently running his fingers through Hongjoong's black locks.
He's really the luckiest man on planet.
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So, Iâm going to upload the stuff iâve been up to in the meantime.
Snow White variant 2. Crack. Fairytale parody, I guess.
According to the library shelf usually frequented by the gaggle of the most irritating and incessantly giggly ladies-in-waiting, it was a fool-proof method of meeting a prince charming. Half-way up the hill, Gabriel was willing to reconsider.
Especially with his hair plastered with sweat to his forehead and the coffin swaying dangerously on the rock it was leaning on as he eyed his destination with deep-seated disdain. He should have picked something closer and forgone the dramatically scenic cliffs.
Or, maybe, enlist the oafish imbecile's help as a draft animal to lug the contraption because there was no other thing he had ever been useful but his brutish strength in the most mundane and common tasks like digging the field, bringing the game back home, or wrangling wyverns.
Scratch that, the wyverns were gaining in size rapidly now, and the wrangling went more often than not the other way round, and, what Jack so obviously failed to understand with his lacking brains, one only had to keep consistency. The wyverns had never bothered Gabriel.
There was also that dragon skull Jack had dragged back to the cottage. And all the times he chopped the firewood because someone had to be there to watch out for the moment he would finally put the ax in his leg - definitely the only reason Gabriel ever paid any attention to it.
The current thread of thought focusing entirely on all the ways the buffoon was liable to chop one of his limbs off (and this was the hill Gabriel was willing to die on, except maybe for the one he was standing on now) was cut short by Ripperâs happy barks.
The stinking turncoat passed him again, umpteenth time possibly, and turned around to sniff at a solitary rosebush. The bush passed the hellhound's brief inspection. Ripper turned, raised its leg, and peed. The rosebud bush immediately went up in flames.
Gabriel glared. The beast could at least pretend to be helping. Slowly, he maneuvered around the coffin since pushing no longer worked, grappled with it for a second as it threatened to slide, and started pulling. At last, it moved - no matter the small stone avalanche.
And no matter the small fluffy bunny frightened by it out of its hiding spot Ripper just had for a snack. Good riddance, one less pest for the idiot to gripe about when talking about his tomatoes. That last part Gabriel mimed drawing on years of experience with the stage.
Finally, after another hour of forcefully bargaining with the powers of gravity and proud of his achievement, Gabriel fell to the grass. There was nothing more between him and the kiss the books promised, he only had to regain a bit of his strength to get up.
Ripper, who seemed to interpret his position as the invitation for a different kind of kisses, had provided the additional motivation, and the slobber with the faint sulfuric aroma was not helping the situation at all. Gabriel regarded the coffin with an apprising look.
Everything looked perfect, he even brought a pillow since the narrative instructions usually included sleeping - so some waiting time was warranted. He slid the lid partially off the coffin.
"Stay," Gabriel mumbled at Ripper, who tilted its head with the dumb animal curiosity.
Definitely couldn't be trusted to actually listen to any instructions given but maybe - maybe - it would get distracted with something small and running for its life again. Or go bother the oaf for some scraps. Ripper was getting quite round on the edges, anyway.
Gabriel climbed into the coffin, fluffed the pillow, secured the latch, and found more or less comfortable position (in retrospection, should have thought about some blanket because the hard wood was anything but comfy) with his hands crossed over his chest.
With the sun still high in the sky, it soon became nice and warm, and Gabriel drifted into light sleep easily - only to be woken up by the persistent thumping noise of someone banging on the glass lid. Through the fogged glass the figure made the impression of being agreeable.
Blond and tall, Gabriel groggily thought not stopping to ponder about the banging, at least not until there was a loud crash and he shot up banging his forehead hard on the lid in the process and fell back to the pillow while a hand rooted inside the coffin for the latch.
After the lid had been shoved off to the side, and as the sounds indicated, shattered completely, Gabriel stared accusingly at Jack.
"I have glass in my hair, and you are responsible, you oaf."
Jack only inhaled slowly and gripped the edge of the coffin while leaning down.
Which meant he was going to have one of his unreasonable conniptions about nothing of a matter.
"Airholes. You forgot airholes."
"How did you even get here?" Gabriel pouted, picking the shards out of his hair.
"Your ravens were screaming their beaks off. And there was pecking involved. A lot of pecking."
And without the doubt, the whole flock was sitting on the tree, with Huginn and Muninn on the highest perch available. Feathered turncoats, all of them.
Thinking of it, wasn't it time to replace his coat? That would show them. Gabriel was sure they were all snickering at him under their beaks right now.
"You ruined my kiss."
"You want me to kiss you?" Jack blinked with pure stupid written on his face plain as day.
That flutter in Gabriel's stomach was, without any doubt, the revulsion he felt at the mere thought of smacking lips with the simpleton.
"Absolutely not!"
"Yeah," Jack looked to the side, "that's what I thought. I wouldn't like to kiss you either. Ew," he tacked on at the end. It hurt, a little bit.
"Good!" Gabriel ground out with narrowed eyes.
"Good!" Jack turned and started walking down the slope. Without a moment's pause, Ripper got up and started following him with a noticeable excited skip in his trot.
All the ravens slowly turned their heads to stare at Gabriel.
As soon as Jack disappeared behind the treeline, Muninn opened its beak and intoned: "Idiot."
The rest of the flock joined in. Yes, he really needed that new cloak, right now.
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Escape (Identity V - Inspiration)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BIG BUNNY WONHO!! I made this after finishing a few rounds from Identity V and all I could think is to make something out of this and remembered that today is his birthday!! So I hope you guys enjoyed this, eerie creepy fic. Didnât expect it would be this long!
The sound of a loud siren woke you up, body jerked up in shock as your eyes try to adjust with the darkness of the unfamiliar place. You stood up from your position, dusting off any dust or dirt on your pants before approaching the window, with a vast view of dark, unkept garden, fog and mist covered almost half of the ground and something caught your attention; blinking signages that looks like a street light from far. How did you end up here? All you could remember from tiny fragments of your memory is an invitation to a dinner party in a mansionâ and here you are.
âW-where am I?â You softly muttered under your breath, all of the sudden an echo of scream was heard from below. Eyes widen in shock, you slowly moved away from the window and try not to panic, all of this literally screams nightmare. You quickly ran out from the room, running down the spiralling stair that leads to another dark hallways of an abandoned and torn down mansion.
It wasnât like this before.
You slowly reached to the main entrance, as the mist starting to surround the area. Another loud shriek caught your attention to another side of the room, and what you saw within that second, drained the blood from the top of your head into your toes. You went pale on the view as you froze on the spot, not knowing what to do.
A tall figure, very, extremely tall figure, cladded with bloodied striped suit, face longer beyond normal, with slender, long arms and sharp fingers like a knife built onto its fingers. A top hat that it wore, giving an eerie vibe to it; dragging someone from her leg as she tried to escape.
A red flashlight radiates from its eyes as it looked down onto its prey that right in their grip.
You heard your heart beats fast, and your eyes lowered down to see purple like ray shines through your chest, beating fast just like your heartbeat.
âRun! Decode the ciphers before they got you!â She shouted to you, and the figure swiftly snap its head towards where youâre standing. And in that split second, you pushed every inch of your muscles to work, running away from that place as fast as your legs could bring you. Fear starting to consume you, as you tried to make sense any of these situation in your mind. âWhat cipher?! What code?!â You cursed under your breath as you start to run towards the garden, piles of boxes and palettes scattered around the area. The purple ray starts to dim and it stopped shining when youâre far enough from the mansion. You connected the dots, so whenever the figure is nearby, your heart starts to shine that purple ray once more. So you take a good note for it and start to search an exit.
You stumbled upon an unknown object, perhaps, the cipher machine with blinking lights on top of it. You quickly tried to decode it, even though it makes no sense at all. As you pushed the wrong button, it electrocutes you enough to fall back, and you had to start over.
And it started again,
The purple ray starts to shine, as your heart beats going faster, your fingers typing fast into the machine as the red flashlight starts to show up right behind you.
Heart beats faster than before, and your fingers stopped moving as cold sweat trickled down from your temples. Fear creeped up from your spine, alongside with the sharp finger trails up on your back to your shoulder. Your breath hitched, not even want to turn around to face the figure with your own eyes.
It happened way too fast for you to comprehend.
You screamed as loud as you can, hoping that someone, will hear you, will come to save you from this death gripping on your leg, dragging you to a wrecked seat that covered with blood stains. You tried to kick the hand off from your leg, but it tugged you harshly and bounded you into the seat with a rope, and you can feel your legs burning with the hell fire that ignites all of the sudden. The pain is unbearable and your tears rolled down onto your cheeks, lungs gasped for air and unstoppable screams escaped from your lips.
Until someone dashed from the side, knocking the figure away to the side, far enough for him to quickly untie the bounds. Seconds before the figure stood up, he pointed a flare gun and shot it straight to the figure, making it unconscious for a good few seconds.
âHey, Iâll get you out of here.â
You looked up to face the person who just saved your life, he grabbed your hand and ran with him. His grip tight, afraid to lose you on the run. Both of your hearts shines purple ray as it beats together, red light flashes behind them. âGo, run! Iâll come and find you.â He pushed you forward, and before you dashes through the woods, you take a quick look to him. His plump lips tugged into a reassuring smile, as he distracted the figure away from you. You could see him pushing down the wooden palettes to slow the figure down, and you saw the purple ray fades once more. A few minutes of a long run, you stopped to catch your breath and legs almost giving up on you. A hand slipped to yours, in surprise, you almost shouted but another hand quickly covered your mouth. The guy before, he shushed you softly, âDonât make any loud noise, we wouldnât want it to find us, hm?â He said softly, eyes now looking down to your wound on your right arm. He ripped a part of his long sleeve, and quickly wrapped your wound. âYou must want to know where we are, right?â He said softly, tying the fabric tight enough to stop the bleeding. You nodded, âIâd say, Limbo? But not really, it just feels always like nightmare here. Iâm Hoseok by the wayâ well, if you want to know my name as well. And just now, it was a Hunter, we called him Jack the Ripper.â Hoseok explained quickly, before taking your hand once more and walked away from the spot to a undecoded cipher machine nearby.
âWhy are we here?â You asked in a hushed voice, watching Hoseok decoding the cipher quickly. âThatâs a question that I could never answer,â His eyes never took off from the machine, fingers typing in quickly and a sound of machine clicked was heard and the signage light lit up brightly with a loud siren noise followed. âAnd time to run.â Hoseok grabbed your hand once more, running away from the place. You started to think that Hoseok has already been around here longer than you, judging by how familiar he is with the whole situation in this place. âHow long have you been here, Hoseok?â You asked as both of you run to another cipher machine. âLong enough to beat the ass out of these Hunters.â He smirked, âCome here, help me out.â You nodded and followed what heâs doing, slowly but surely you get the hang on deciphering the codes. You couldnât help but admire how he is very composed despite both of them are trapped in this havoc, and how his build is made to do something like this. âHow many more of this, Hoseok?â You asked softly, as you began to crank the cipher machine, keeping up with Hoseokâs pace. âA little bit more--â He said, brows furrowed as he focused until another click and both of them knew itâs time to move once more.
âOne more. And Iâll get you out of here.â Itâs amazing how his smile never left his face, he extended his hand to hold yours, âIâll make sure youâll be safe. Come on.â You smiled as the sudden wave of assurance swept away your fears. You held onto his hand tightly and ran to find the last cipher machine. He came to you just like how a guardian angel would, perhaps, if this is Limbo, maybe heâs really is a guardian angel? As you went deep in your thoughts, Hoseok knew that he couldnât go as far as you would, he will be forever trapped in this nightmare-- he is bound in this realm. He got no answers to why he canât escape but all he could do, to make sure no one is trapped in this realm. A lone wolf in the pit of hellfire.
âWeâll get out of here, Hoseok.â You tugged Hoseokâs hand, nodded your head to the side, letting him know the cipher machine is on the other side of the tracks. He snapped from his thoughts and his smile widens to see your reply, the confidence that slowly builds in you, he is assured that you will be fine. As both of you reaching the cipher machine. You stopped when the purple ray starts to shine, turning around to see Hoseok, so does his heart shines in purple too. Both starts to beat fast but you didnât stop to reach the cipher machine, determined to get both of you out from this place, you start to decode the cipher. Hoseok joined you, cranking the machine, occasionally looking around the premises to keep both of you out from the Hunterâs range. The red flash light seen between a few meter from them, Hoseok decided to stand guard behind you, âKeep going, when I told you to run, run as fast as you can towards the nearest gate. Itâs on your left.â Hoseok said, knuckles gripped tightly, as bones cracked and turned his fist white.
Sound of leaves cracking nearby, and your heart starts to beat faster, so does Hoseokâs. You gritted your teeth as you kept typing, cranking the machine quickly. When a click was heard in a second, âRun!â Hoseok shouted as he threw himself to the Hunter that dashes to you from the side, him gripping tightly to the bloodied suit of the Hunter, pulling him away from you before it got the chance to slash your back. A long siren echoes through the dark garden, and you could hear the sound of machine cranking from the left, signalling the exit gate is opened. âHoseok! Come on!â You shouted, watching Hoseok struggled to stall some time, you decided to grab a wooden crate and smashed onto the Hunterâs back, making it staggered a little and that second you pulled Hoseok up and ran towards the gate.
âI told you to run!â
âMight as well we escape this hell together!â
âYou donât understand--â
As soon as you reached the gate, your eyes widen as the metal doors are still shut tight, until you saw the little orange box with another cipher waits to be decoded. Hoseok saw the red flashlight behind him, but he is not quick enough. The sharp fingers slashed Hoseokâs back, drawing blood and soaked through his torn shirt. You turned around to see Hoseok wrestle with the Hunter. You froze in fear and quickly saw a couple more people coming towards you. âWhat are you waiting for?!â The other shouted, but then ignored your state and began to type in the code. You saw the flare gun on his pocket, and quickly grabbed it alongside with two flare bullets. The metal gate opened as the ground shook underneath, you loaded a bullet, and pulled the trigger. It shot straight to the Hunterâs face and you watched it stumbled backwards. âHoseok, come on.â You grabbed him by the arm, helping him up and slowly walked backwards with the flare gun still pointing towards the Hunter. âI canât--â Hoseok hissed as he tried to suppress the stinging pain on his back. âYes, you can. Letâs esc--â You turned around to saw the metal doors starts to close, and panic starts to rush into you once more. âHoseok, come on.â You can feel tears pooling in your eyes, Hoseok grabbed the flare gun from your hand and he stand on the ground by himself. You tugged Hoseokâs arm, âCome on, we have to run. Hoseok, please.â He didnât listened to you, he pointed the flare gun towards the Hunter, it already walking towards both of you with long strides.
âGo, Y/N. Just like before, Iâll come and find you, as always.â He looked at you once more, smiling softly to reassure that heâll be okay. âOff you go, doors closing.â He said, turning back towards the Hunter as he pulled the trigger.
You dashes towards the gate, and as soon as you stepped beyond the gate, you saw Hoseok smiled to you, mouthed, âIâll be okay. Donât worry.â and with that, the doors closed.
Because, Iâm their worst nightmare.
#mx writers#Monsta X#monsta x au#monsta x scenarios#monsta x imagines#monsta x wonho#monsta x shin hoseok#shin hoseok#wonho#monsta x angst#kpop au#kpop fanfiction#monsta x fanfic#monsta x aesthetic#kpop imagines#wonho imagines#wonho scenarios#wonho fanfic#hoseok imagines#hoseok scenarios#wonho monsta x#kpop angst#identity v
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England: âThis Earth of Majestyâ
7/26/19 - ENGLAND. The mother to the modern worldâs business tongue. A country within the United Kingdom within Great Britain and none of us can make any sense of what the heck the difference is. This wondrous place is an island Iâd always dreamed of visiting from the first time I picked up The Chronicles of Narnia. Or Pride and Prejudice. Or Harry Potter. The list goes on. From its rich history, its captivating architecture, and the many famous humans that have walked these streets, England is not a country to be missed.
We arrived in London on a Friday evening. The summer in the U.K. is much like Seattle; the sun is fickle and the rain needy. Seeing the countless parks throughout the city, not to mention the luscious greenery throughout the countryside, itâs no wonder it rains so much here. On Saturday morning, we met up with a friend to do a proper tour of the city. For the day, we purchased a âLondon Passâ which gets you into over 75 attractions as well as access to the Hop on Hop Off bus. We swiftly made our way to the top of the double decker, not caring that the open-roof was a bit damp and paying notice to the âmind your headâ signs up the stairs. As we embarked through the city, a man with a microphone prompted us to grab headphones and listen to his countless facts about London.
Did you know that there are actually two Londons? Greater London refers to the American definition of âLondonâ. This is where the Queen hails and is generally what we think of when referring to London. There is also âThe City of Londonâ, a square mile within Greater London that can be easily identified by its dragon statues which guard its borders. The City of London is separately governed, collects separate taxes, enforces separate laws, has their own separate flag, and even elects their own Lord Mayor. Queen Elizabeth isnât even allowed to enter the City of London without permission from the Lord Mayor. Itâs all very scratch-head worthy.
Thereâs a laundry list of sites to see in London. Thereâs Big Ben (currently under construction), Westminster Abbey (filled with famous and infamous corpses), Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge (much cooler than London Bridge), the Churchill War Rooms, Shakespeareâs Globe, and loads more. One would need to devote an entire week to site seeing just to manage it all in. Needless to say, we didnât get to see everything, but we managed to get some good ones under our belt.
Our first stop was at the Tower of London, just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Tower Bridge on the north bank of the River Thames (pronounced âTemsâ). The Tower of London is less of a tower and more of a series of towers that feel more like medieval grounds from something out of a storybook. Within each tower holds its own treasures and stories. There was original armor, crown jewels, the bloody tower (where two princes were believed to have been killed by their uncle so that he could have the crown for himself), prison cells (where names and images have been carved into walls)...and so much more. You could spend all day at this site alone, but we hurried on off to lunch after building up an appetite..must have been all the murder stories that did it. Speaking of murder - walking across the Tower Bridge, we found the street where many Jack the Ripper scenes were filmed. They even offer evening tours of all his murder spots (a big no thank you from me).
The food in England is a journey in and of itself. If you ask for pie, donât expect something sweet. A traditional English-style breakfast consists of toast (seemingly the most important food group), beans, mushrooms and/or tomatoes, an over-easy egg, a hash brown, bacon (which is actually more ham-like), and sausage (tastes more like fake meat to me). We canât tell you how many times we ate the same English-style breakfast, but it really was quite hearty. Brunch will sometimes include all-you-can-drink. And letâs not forget Sunday roast! Tea was also a staple for most, if not all, of our breakfasts - I like mine with two sugars and milk. In terms of stereotype foods, we didnât see a crumpet in sight.
While London is a must-see when in England, itâs certainly not the highlight of the country. We rented a car and made our way north, with our final destination being Scotland. Weâd arranged to have overnight stays in aribnbâs along the way, taking recommendations from our very own Rick Steves. The street signs were comical, seeing ones like âmind the gapâ and âqueues likelyâ. Getting used to the different terminology is a journey of its own. First stop was Stow-on-the-Wold; a quaint little market town with sandy-colored buildings, friendly town folk, and shops around every corner. We still arenât sure what a Stow or a Wold is, but while we passed through, it was clear why it was a place outsiders wanted to visit. After spending a few days in the city, it was refreshing to be in a small town. We managed to only go down the wrong side of the street towards oncoming traffic once, so thatâs a bonus!
Shortly following our pit-stop to Stow-on-the-Wold, we found our airbnb in a place known as Derbyshire, arriving promptly at 3:00 PM. A woman answered the door and greeted us by saying, âyouâre positively punctualâ. She sounded like Mary Poppins and I couldâve swore she was about to break out in song next and a bird would likely land delicately on her finger. That was when I really realized we werenât in Kansas anymore. She took us upstairs to our room in her large, historical cottage. The backyard view reminded me of something out of a Jane Austen novel. I could imagine Mr. Darcy coming to our door by horseback. We had dinner at a local gastropub, just up the street. The server told us about a place to visit the following day, which we promptly agreed weâd do.
The next morning on our way out of town, we stopped by the recommendation from our server; a nature walk toward an abandoned water mill. During our walk, Rob stopped and asked that I take a picture of him in the grass. At the time, I had no idea why. Turns out he was envisioning a scenic view out of Gladiator and just HAD to reenact it. Making our way down a long drive, we saw a flock of pheasants that we thought were chickens. When we finally did make it to the water mill, we took in the beautiful views and imagined what sorts of things must have taken place throughout history here; a common thought through such a historical place. When we thought there wasnât a living soul in site, a couple of women on horseback road passed. Such a slow, easy going lifestyle here.
Our next destination was what is known as the lake district; more specifically, a town called Keswick (pronounced Ke-sick). Keswick was by far our favorite stopping point. It had a German feel with British flavor. Lots of nature, lots of shops, and lots of kind people. This is a popular spot to visit in the summertime for Brits throughout the country. While rain was to be expected, we lucked out for the day we spent there and enjoyed a pleasant nature hike.
The day following our trip to Keswick, the weather took a turn for the worse. We were so fortunate to have such a beautiful day for our one day spent there. After our time in the lake district, our next stop was Scotland. Truly, Scotland is deserving of its own blog, so stay tuned for that next! Instead, Iâm going to fast forward to when we trained back to London.
Weâve gone full circle and made it back to the city. Our train arrived at Kings Cross Station - so naturally we visited platform 9 3/4. After taking our obligatory Harry Potter photo, we decided to try to squeeze in any last minute sightseeing we may have missed. Thatâs how we ended up at the Churchill War Rooms. The underground tour is the original housing spot for Churchill and his men during WWII. They have kept the rooms in mostly the same condition with a full audio tour to really envision what it must have been like during the war. Trying to imagine being trapped down there while bombs continued to go off upstairs was a very humbling experience. For me, having been to the war museums in both Pearl Harbor and Okinawa, seeing the war through the British lens was a new perspective. On one of the original maps in the discussion room, you could even see a drawing of Hitler someone had done. A really remarkable site and I would highly recommend to anyone who visits London. Speaking of sights in London, did you know that all museums are free in the UK? That led us to the Natural History Museum! Among other things.
On 8/3/19, our 5-year wedding anniversary, we decided to treat ourselves to high tea. We had reservations at a delightful little spot in the city. The theme was Peter Rabbit and ohhhh was it good! We had mini-sandwiches, biscuits, jams, and treats to the max. Everything you see was edible, including the flower pots. I donât think I stopped smiling once. When we had finished, we were stuffed beyond belief. Then the server comes over with a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY dessert. We couldnât NOT eat it...so we stuffed our little bunny bellies. Another successful wedding anniversary outside of the states - once an accident, now a tradition. <3
If youâre considering a trip to the UK, Iâd say go Nike and just do it! Some of our expectations were met and others were shattered, but thatâs the joy of travelling. A place is never how you think itâs going to be, but seeking the different is what is exciting. Stay tuned for the next blog where weâll share our adventures in Scotland - my new crush. Thanks for sticking it out and reading along!
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Everything is Alright
//Once again the âI should be writing my long stories but the plot bunnies strike againâ popped up. Iâm sorry not sorry.
Also, Iâve been meaning to write something that deals with the very beginning (or even before) of their relationship; most of my canon fics take place after their relationship has been established for some time, but thinking back, Iâd like to write and explore more of their characterization of when theyâre just starting out, still unsure of how to act/what to do/the awkward moments of your first relationship. That, and I kind of miss Adamâs snarky ways... ^^;; he mellows out towards the end of the series (or maybe itâs because he no longer has to put up with the pretense of being âJack the Ripperâ?)
Fluff b/c I s2g Iâve got too much naughty things going on in my OTHER million-and-one-not-supposed-to-be-long one shots already.
âOy...squirt...â
âAh...e, eh? J-Jack-san...â
A single emerald glared down at her, the white eyebrow twitching with barely concealed irritation. Sio supposed she shouldâve felt a touch more guilty being literally caught red-handed, but the curiosity was too great.
Especially considering what she just discovered.
âWhat, did I say about snooping around my things, hmm?â
âU-Uuhh, y-you said...to not do...that...â
A nod. âCorrect. So you do remember. Then, please tell me, what are you currently doing right now?â
âI...Iâm, looking...at, your guitar. Speaking of which, I didnât know you played guitarââ
ââThatâs not the pointâ!â An aggravated sigh, the young man having to restrain himself from simply giving her a tongue-lashing that would no doubt send her into terrified tears. Which was not what he wanted to do, not when theyâd just barely, sort-of-kind-of (maybe?) confirmed their relationship. âI mean, a kiss is pretty obvious...right? Right??â God, how he wished there was some kind of manual or at least someone else to talk to about âhow to girlsâ (that wasnât Gandhi); saying something like âI love youâ right after their first kiss was kind of jumping the gun...but then again, so was just impulsively kissing her without any sort of pretext or even a simple confession of âI like youâ, now that he thought about it. âGood job, Adam...â
âLook, if I canât trust you to respect my personal space, then Iâm not going to invite you over to my room anymore for video games or whatever.â
âS-Sorry! Imreallysorry! Itâs, it, it was an accident, I swear!â Sio knew it didnât look good, but she truly hadnât meant to peak around; it was only because sheâd (stupidly) flung her jacket across the room, missing the chair and even the bed so it fell into a side crack she shimmied behind the headboard, where her jacket lay over a rather dusty guitar case. Which was how Adam found her when he returned from retrieving a couple of games Gandhi evidently forgot to return. âI, I was just...getting my jacket, really! Itâs not my fault it happened to land over your guitar case...â
When Adam first invited her over to âcheck out some gamesâ and maybe play a few, sheâd been shaking with nervous excitement; inviting her over to his room? Did that mean what she thought it meant?? Adam wouldnât move that fast, would he? But then again he also just, like, kissed me...before I even confessed or anything so...
But she was also intensely curious to learn more about him. The human Adam Muirhead, when he wasnât constantly the embodiment of Jack the Ripper (or even Florence Nightingale). What kinds of mementos did he like to put in his room? Did he even have any at all? Did guys get different rooms compared to girls? Was he in a rock band or something before joining DOGOO?
Another sigh, Adam looking like he both wanted to berate and forgive her at the same time. In the end he simply settled for folding his arms across his chest, trying to look stern but not mean. â...Next time, just please lay it across the chair, all right? No need to be all...bombastic or such. Donât need to impress me or anythinâ...â
Sio blushed with immense embarrassment. Just when she thought sheâd gotten the hang of âacting normalâ, yet another thing would come along and trip her up. Note to self, casually throwing your coat so it landed perfectly on a chair did not work as well in real life as it did in movies. âS, Sorry...Iâll be more careful next time, Jack-san...â
âYâknow, you can just call me âAdamâ now, by the way.â He couldnât help but blush a little, despite his irritation. Giving someone other than his mother permission to call him by his first name, his real name...it was a different feeling from constantly hearing his e-gene moniker, the casual slips of the tongue from other holders notwithstanding. But it was also sort of pleasant, in a fluttery, affectionate kind of way. âAnâ you can drop the whole â-sanâ honorific or whatever; I donât care if you use it or not.â
âAh, o-okay Jaâah iya iya, A...Adam...san,â she added a few seconds later, still unable to get over her cultural preferences. âUm, in, in that case...y, you can call me...just âSioâ too, if thatâs...okay with you...â
His lips quirked into a smile. âActually, think I still prefer âhanninmaeâ...â A pillow came flying off the bed but his reflexes allowed him to dodge it with ease. âAll right, Sio. Chill out, yeh need tâ calm down...â
âHey! If youâre going to be my b, b-b-b-b...boyfriend, then how about not calling me stupid names?â She was pouting but her face was a brilliant scarlet; just thinking of how their relationship changed from merely comrades to boy/girlfriend made her body flush, nevermind saying it out loud. âOh crap! Are we boyfriend/girlfriend now? Maybe I shouldnât have said that...!â It was too late to take back her words, though Adam didnât seem to be affected much, at least from what she could see.
âFine, âm sorry...Sio. That better?â Though his lilt was casual and his demeanor hadnât changed, inside Adam was as nervous as Sioâs ramblings. Did she just say boyfriend? âSo she does think of us as...together...like that...â Instead of trying to further confirm anything however, he opted to just casually act as if they were already an ordinary couple, who were already dating and all that jazz, even if they were actually super-powered, genetically-engineered soldiers fighting invading aliens from outer space using weapons made from the DNA of their ancestors.
Right. Dating. His heart seemed to leap into his throat, causing Adam to swallow nervously. How could it be he had no trouble mowing down a dozen Objects, yet could barely make his voice work around a petite, Japanese schoolgirl? âA-Anyway, did you wanna play games or not?â As soon as that phrase left his mouth he wished he didnât always sound so harsh; it wasnât that he was eternally irritated, but rather after having to be Jack the Ripper, and all that persona entailed, for so long... Sometimes it scared him to think he would have trouble turning off the âJackâ personality, or worse, it would permanently take over. But old habits died hard, and Adam made a mental note to be more conscious of his tone around her. The last thing he wanted was for Sio to think there really was no difference between Adam Muirhead and the phantom killer. âI mean, you do like video games, right?â
Sio nodded shyly, clutching the remaining pillow to her chest. âWhew, looks like he didnât notice...or at least heâs not freaking out about it. Wait, does this mean he sees himself as my boyfriend? And Iâm his girlfriend?â That thought nearly sent her into another frenzy, and so she was quite relieved when he suggested video games as a welcome form of distraction from all these terribly confusing feelings. âUh, y-yeah! I played quite a few games before DOGOO...yâknow, being a loner and all that...â She scooted closer to where the collection of discs lay. âOoh, you have Ikaruga? Iâm impressed; most Westerners complain Japanese shoot-em-ups are way too hard...â
Adam couldnât help but smirk. âHard? Those blokes wouldnât know what hard was until it smashed them in the face...but sure, Iâm down. Havenât played this in a while...brings back memories.â He reached over and plugged in the console, which had gathered some dust while theyâd been busy with Operation Stone Forest. âSo, you wanna give it a go? Sounds tâ me like youâre a fan.â
The controller dropped into her hands and Sio felt a grin curving up her face as the screen booted to life, the familiar beeps and chirps as the game loaded and she started the first round. âFan? I guess you could say that... Iâm into any type of shooter honestly, be it first person or shoot-em-up like this.â She was so engrossed in the neon flashes and button-mashing she didnât even notice Adam slowly encircling her from behind, arms around her waist until she was literally sitting in his lap.
âE-Eeehhh??? JaâA-Adam-san, wh, what, what are you...â She flinched at the sudden heat, barely separated by a thin layer of cotton as she realized just exactly where she was sitting. âOhmygod, Iâm sitting in his lap, and his hands are...touching me...!â A nervous sweat ran through her, Sio unsure of what to do or how to even react. Concepts like âskinshipâ were entirely foreign to her outside of manga or such; the last time sheâd been touched or even held like this was when her parents were putting her to bed as a child. Maybe it was normal for Westerners to be this close casually?
In hindsight, perhaps silently pulling the girl into his lap wasnât the wisest of moves, especially given how the sniper seemed to have turned stiff as a board. Shit. â...Sorry. I didnât mean to freak you out. I just thought it might be nice to...nevermind,â he muttered, hands suddenly pulling away and scooting Sio off his lap. âDonât worry about it.â
Sio put the game on pause, feeling a little awkward herself. âNice to...what? I mean, A, Adam-san...Iâm sure you already know, but I literally have like, zero experience when it comes to this type of...stuff. So, if...thereâs something you wanna do, I mean...Iâd be okay to just, try it. I-I mean, short of anything illegal or dangerousâa-ah, n, not that youâd be the type to do that...!â
Despite the awkwardness, Adam couldnât help but smirk. Sioâs constant spazzing really was too amusing at times. âOy oy, calm down squirt! Itâs all right; Iâm by no means an expert myself...itâs just, I thought it might be nice to...well, hold you,â his face broke into an instant blush. âOf course, only if youâre okay with it.â
Hold me? Suddenly everything she thought she knew about the acerbic, aloof leader of the Second Platoon vanished. If you told her when she first joined that Jack the Ripper was the touchy-feeling type, she probably wouldâve made some quip about him only wanting to get close enough to slash your throat. But as she was quickly learning, it seemed her hunch of âAdam Muirheadâ being different from âJack the Ripperâ was correct. It seemed Adam really was more of a laid back, mellow, and perhaps even a bit shy type of guy. âH-Hold...me?â She squeaked, face burning as well. âL-Like, t-touching and all that...in your lap?â
âWhoa, whooaa, I didnât realize Adam was such a...romantic type of guy?!â
âIt doesnât have to be that close, if youâre not comfortable with it!â Adam was getting flustered as well, now regretting trying to initiate any sort of physical contact so soon. âI just...well, now that I...like you, I kind of...want to be closer to you. Like, hugging or being able to put my arms around you, stuff like that?â He sighed, burying his face in his hands. âYâknow what, forget it; sounds like youâre not comfortable with getting all touchy-feely like this yet.â Actually, he shouldâve guessed the sniper wouldnât be comfortable with it, given how much sheâd freaked out during their first mission in the hurricane together, and that had been strictly for business, âget the job doneâ reasons too.
Oh. Ooh. For some reason it never occurred to Sio there was such a thing as non-sexual physical contact. âDuh, of course thatâs normal; I mean, even best friends do that kind of stuff...god, Iâm such a social noob.â Adam may have been rough around the edges, but he always respected her boundaries and never actually did anything to her. âUnlike some other people I could name...â
âN-No, th-thatâs not what Iââ She fidgeted, unsure of how to get her point across without coming off as even more of a loner than she already was. âI-I mean, I just...didnât think about it that way, thatâs all. Like I said earlier, I...donât even know what itâs really like to have friends, let alone a...boyfriend, s, so...it never occurred to me people actually want to get closer to me like that.â She sucked in a deep breath. âI-I, you just caught me off guard, since I was playing that game, but...â Summoning all her courage as Nobunagun, she looked at Adam directly in the eyes. âI, Iâd...like to try it. I-I mean, the whole, hugging and stuffâif, if thatâs...okay?â Adamâs expression remained impassive this whole time, causing Sio to panic slightly. âOh god, what if he thinks Iâm just some, some...totally, socially inept weirdo?!â
Before her panic could completely override her Adam was already drawing her closer, Sio tensing a bit at the unfamiliar sensation of even being held, but gradually as he settled her in his lap, she realized how warm it was. It wasnât a hug, but rather he was cocooning her almost; her back brushing against his chest while his arms encircled over her shoulders, his chin resting just on top of her hair.
â...This better?â
âA-Ah, u-umm, y, yeah...!â She hoped he couldnât feel how fast her heart was beating, but judging by the faint pulsing against her back, Adam was probably just as nervous as she was. âWhoa, Iâm being held by a guy for the first time...!â Ohmygod I canât believe this is actually happeningâIâm touching a guy...!!â And yet for some reason, it wasnât nearly as awkward or strange as she feared; in fact it was surprisingly warm, and...comforting. Especially given how petite she was, and how tall Adam was, it almost felt like he was protecting her, shielding her from the outside world inside her own little cocoon. âIt...actually feels really nice...like, Iâm safe...â
âItâs...youâre, really warm...â She mumbled shyly, fingers hesitantly grasping around his arms. âWhoa...your skin is so pale...and soft...â
Adam couldnât help but laugh at the comment. Leave it to Sio to defuse even the most awkward of situations with just a single sentence. âWell, I am human, or so I hope...â His own body was starting to relax as well, now that the girl seemed to be settling into the idea of physical touch. Even though he wasnât that much taller than her, somehow her sitting in his arms like this made her seem smaller. âAnd definitely more adorableâ, his brain absently commented, resisting the urge to go all out into an immediate embrace. âNo Adam, gotta take it slow, let her get comfortable first...â Despite witnessing her in action countless times now, for some reason, these newfound feelings made him more protective; the urge to shield her away from harm, whether it was dangerous Objects or over-eager holdersâhe stilled a little as he realized this new idea of being her protector embedding itself in his mind. âI bet the old lady would have a heart attack if she figured out how different I actually am, compared to the Ripper...â
âU-Uh, um, Adam-san?â He gave a slight grunt, gazing a single eye down at her. âItâs not, uncomfortable, is it? I-I mean, I...donât wanna cut off the circulation to your legs or anything since Iâm sitting on them...â
âNah, you donât weigh all that much, truthfully. Though, if you want, you could scoot back a little moreâthere we go,â he sighed as Sio shifted her weight so she was now firmly between his legs, making it easier for Adam to tuck himself neatly around her. âBut itâs...cozier like this, no?â
â...Mmmmmmm...!!â Sio didnât say anything except a high-pitched squeal, followed by extreme nodding. Before, their clothing made for a soft barrier, but this slight change meant there was more skin-to-skin contact, especially how he rested his head against her neck, feeling his breath warm her skin. She was also pressed more tightly against his chest, and her cheeks burned as she discovered she could feel the hard muscles of his chest through their clothing. âDamn, he really is ripped...those muscles feel like solid steel!â Thank goodness she wasnât having a nosebleed, although if she concentrated too much it might actually happen. âHe also smells kinda nice...aahh, what am I doing?! I sound like a pervert, breathing in his scent...!â But it was true that being so close caused her to notice all sorts of details sheâd never thought of before. Like how his clothes actually smelled clean and were free of stains, or how smooth his skin was (except for the small scars here and there from battle) and the unbelievable warmth that emanated from him, despite his paleness. âI mean I know itâs just how he looks, but for some reason I always imagined heâd feel...colder...not warm like this...â Suddenly Sio could understand why people wanted to be closer to each other; not just lovers, but friends and family. The feeling of touch, of being close and the tacit trust between two people... âYou know...for some reason, I feel safe, like this...itâs, pretty comfortable actually...â
His laughter rumbled against her back and again Sio was taken aback by how much she enjoyed the vibrations. âWell, Iâm glad you feel more at ease. Because I like this feeling as well, getting to hold you like this.â Slowly he brushed against her knuckles, until Sio opened her fingers and he laced their hands together, enjoying the added warmth. âTo me, itâs something...special, that I only get to do with you...â
Sio only stuttered incoherently, and Adam realized too late the implications of his words. âOh bollocks; I really need to remember to watch my mouth around her...â Despite the fact Sio was also his first girlfriend, it was harder to remember the girl didnât even have much social interactions until she joined DOGOO, literally jumping off into the deep end from âcomradesâ to âloversâ straightaway. âSorry; I just meant that well, youâre special to me, now.â He sighed and rested against her honey-brown strands, noticing how silky and smooth they were. All the little details that didnât used to matter were reversing now, it seemed: her large maroon eyes, the face he used to think was plain but now was probably the cutest thing heâd ever seen, and the faint citrus-flower scent that was no-doubt her shampoo mingling with what he could only assume to be her scent... âAlright Adam, you can stop being creep now...â
âTh, that tickles actually...!â She giggled slightly as his feather-soft strands brushed against her cheek. âMan, your hair is really soft and fine, too...â Unconsciously she turned around and ran a hand through the strands, before realizing what she was doing. âAh! Uh, s-sorry, I didnât mean to just touch your hair like thatâ!â Her voice died as he gently took her hand before she could retract it, and placed it against his strands. âAh...â
âItâs alright, Sio. I donât mind if you wanna play around with my hair,â he grinned slightly. âYours is quite nice, as well...itâs very smooth...â
â...Th, thanks...Adam-san...â Sio was sure her face was a bright red, but somehow her lips were smiling before she could stop herself. âWow, he actually complimented me...itâs so weird to see him all nice like this. But I like it.â Slowly she reached out, fluffing the strands as Adam looked on curiously, enjoying the feeling of it as she ran her hands through them. âNo offense or anything, but...how come youâre so, well, different now? Is it because weâre d, d...dating?â
Those emeralds narrowed a bit, Sio afraid for a second sheâd said something wrong. âHmm...well, youâre not incorrect. It is true that, our relationship now is...different. Youâre not just another soldier-in-arms to me, anymore. But also...how much do you understand about personality dissociation between holder and e-gene?â
âHuh? W-Well, I mean Saint-Germain told me it was one of the side-effects, but itâs different for everyone...like how Gandhi and Newton are pretty different from Mirza-san and Beckham-san, or even...me, actually, now that I think about it...â The sniper frowned slightly as she recalled those moments of pure bloodlust on the battlefield. âIs that why? You being Jack the Ripper?â
Adam nodded slightly. âSort of. But remember, technically Iâm not Jack the Ripper; my e-gene is really Florence Nightingale. But I canât let that get out, lest I literally turn a centuryâs worth of history on its head. Itâs just too much trouble. And so...I guess, because I have to be so careful about maintaining this lie...sometimes I wonder if I didnât subconsciously adapt this different attitude to better fit in with peopleâs perception of what âJack the Ripperâ should be like. In all honesty, Nightingale herself hasnât had much of an effect on my actual personality.â
âSo...are you saying, that your personality and attitude as Jack...are, created?â
âSomethinâ like that. Canât say Iâm rightly proud of it, but...it is what it is. Anâ so far it seems to be working, so...â He shrugged slightly, although Sio noticed he wasnât looking at her anymore. âI apologize for being so rude with you when you first joined; truth be told, Iâve just had to put up this...front, so to speak, for so long that itâs almost instinct now. I mean, I wouldnât say all of it is completely fabricated but...â
âAdam...â What could she possibly say to that? Realizing you were starting to turn into someone else was scary enough, but forcing yourself to become someone different just to keep a secret? âIs it...really that bad if people find out the truth?â
Those sincere maroons, gazing with concern for his well-being...Adam felt his heart give a lurch as a flurry of emotions heâd never felt before fluttered through his veins. â...I donât know; maybe itâs not quite the disaster Iâm imagining it to be but...well, I also made a promise to her...that I would do my best to not reveal the truth, unless I had to...â
The sniper nodded silently. âMan, you sound...well, so noble,â she blushed in embarrassment. âIâm just kind of amazed that youâre pretty different than my first impression of you...ack, that came out wrong...â
To her surprise there was a barking laugh from the man. âHah! Believe me, Iâm not the âwhite knightâ you seem to be painting me to be. It wasnât what youâd call love at first sight; truthfully, I was kind of annoyed at you, since you were just running around and shooting things without even thinking it through. And there were other quirks that made me...not sure how to act around you. But, you know...I came to learn that you are quite capable and your quirks became more charming than irritating...and my feelings changed somewhere down the road.â He paused for a second, gently stroking the skin around her knuckles and Sio shivered with pleasure. â...When I first realized consciously that, I actually liked you...I didnât sleep a wink that night. In hindsight, getting under your skin is probably not a smart way to make a good first impression, but what can I say? I started enjoying any form of attention you gave me, even if it was negative...â
âSo, so all that...teasing and stuff...you were doing it because you...had a crush on me?!â The look on Sioâs face could only be described as bewilderment. âYeah uh, Iâm no expert in relationships, but you probably couldâve made things go smoother if you were nicer...instead of being sarcastic and grumpy all the time.â She pouted, but Adam only laughed harder. âHey, why are you laughing? Okay yeah, I take it backâyouâre definitely not a knight in shining armor.â
âWell, I did tell you, Iâm not an expert, either,â he shrugged haplessly. âYouâre my first girlfriend; hell if I knew how to go about courting you or whatnot. Besides, like I said...I was afraid to let my guard down too much, especially around others. Until I was sure I could trust you with my secret...I couldnât take that risk.â
âAh, right... Wait, did you just say Iâm your first girlfriend?!â
âYeh, that you are. I guess we are each othersâ firsts...not that I mind in the least; I think itâs more special that way, donât you agree?â
Not knowing what else to say, Sio simply burrowed herself against his arms, feeling very shy all of a sudden while Adam gently laughed and patted her on the head. âMmm...he does smell good; itâs comforting, being held like this...and very warm...â Her eyes closed slightly, Sio basking in her newly-acquainted warmth of being in his arms, head leaning against his well-toned chest. âHuh...I can hear his heartbeat...itâs quite soothing, now that I think about it...â The steady rhythm, combined with the warmth and comfort of his embrace...her head tilted before she knew it, smacking against his arm. âGah! Sorry about that...â
There was a chuckle from the man as he gently rubbed her forehead. âSomeoneâs gettinâ cozy, âey? Donât mind at all; though, if youâre not going to continue Ikaruga, might as well shut it off.â Sio nodded sleepily, Adam reaching over and powering the console down. âDid you want to play anything else? Or...seems like a kip is more up your alley?â
âHey, donât make it seem like Iâm just an otaku who sleeps all day...although youâre not wrong,â she murmured under her breath. âActually, there was one other thing I kinda want to...or, maybe not...â
He gave her a questioning hum. âSomething else? Well, that depends on what you have in mind...â
Sio squirmed around in his arms, embarrassed by her request. âW-Well, I-I mean, I know you probably donât want to talk about it, but...just, that guitar. Itâs yours, isnât it...?â
Adam knew immediately where this conversation was headed. â...Yeh, itâs mine. Anâ let me guess, like most girls who discover their boyfriend has a guitar...you want me to play it for you.â
â....Yes please.â
Despite his initial annoyance at her having discovered one of his âsecretâ hobbies, Adam couldnât help but smile. Nobody else knew about his hobbies or what he did before coming to DOGOO; even Gandhi and Newton only had vague ideas of the life heâd lead before the whole e-gene awakening deal, let alone the rest of the holders. Being able to finally share personal parts of his life that werenât about e-genes and AU weapons with someone else...it was a new, but pleasant, concept he could definitely get used to.
âAll right all right, since you asked so nicely...not gonna bother singing though, that wasnât exactly my favorite; never got used to being in the spotlight.â
âWait, you sing as well?!â
Drat. âShouldâve chosen your words more carefully, mate...â His inner monologue tsked in resigned defeat. â...Occasionally. And before you give me that look squirt, I really mean occasionally!â The sniper didnât seem deterred in the slightest however, if those wide eyes were anything to go by. âI-I mean, I just...itâs, slightly embarrassing just...singing all of a sudden...â
âAww...well, okay, if you really donât want to...but, I mean itâs just me...and, Iâm curious is all. You totally give off the âbad-boy rockerâ vibe; Iâd be shocked if you didnât sing.â
Bad-boy rocker? Adam raised an eyebrow but didnât comment on Sioâs whimsical descriptions. âEr, how about this...Iâll play a bit to warm up, and if I feel like it...a big if...then Iâll...see. Gonna be kind of odd since itâll have to be all acoustic...â
Sio eagerly clapped her hands as Adam reluctantly dragged out the guitar case, hoping he hadnât signed some sort of âdeath by embarrassmentâ warrant. âWell, here goes nothing...â The instrument hadn't been touched since he first moved in, and while there were times he seriously considered shipping it back home for safekeeping, something always caused him to hold back. âBlimey, itâs quite out of tune...hang on,â he muttered while adjusting the strings, the familiar twangs coming back as he strummed a few chords. âThere we go. âS not perfect without an actual tuner, but itâll do.â
âWow, a real acoustic guitar...it looks nice,â Sio complimented as she ran her fingers over the smooth wood. âI always wanted to play some kind of instrument, but Iâm too shy...I donât think Iâd have much talent for it anyway.â
âOy, donât sell yourself short, squirt,â Adam gently knocked her on the head. âI didnât think Iâd ever do the whole clichĂŠ, âjoin a band in secondaryâ deal, but...you never know whatâs gonna happen in the future.â
âAre you saying we should start a band?!â
âAhâuh, letâs...letâs figure that out later, yeh?â Adam hastily pulled the guitar strap over before Sio could get any more wacky ideas into her mind. âA-Anyway...not gonna promise anything, itâs been a while since Iâve played, so...â he blushed darkly, suddenly very concerned with impressing this young lady whom was looking at him with nothing short of amazed admiration.
Though it had been at least a few years since he last did any serious playing, Adam was surprised at how much muscle memory remained. The first couple test chords were just random harmonizing, but as his fingers slide up the fretboard, the melody heâd been working on just before heading off to university seemed to play itself; his fingers automatically stretching to reach the difficult high note that apparently, he was still capable of. âHeh, what do you know...still got it, mate.â As he kept playing the vocals hummed out, and before he knew it he was singing the lines of the chorus:
Tachigare sora wo oyogu kono yume no naka Osaekirenai kanjou ga afuredashite going up Tatta hitori de hashiri tsuzuketeku to shimetemo...
Sio stared in amazement as Adam not only began singing, but in flawless Japanese at that. Of course she learned early on that Adam studied Japanese in school and they conversed in half-Japanese, half-English, but it was still something else to hear him sing it.
âWhoa...th, thatâs...amazing! Wow Adam, youâre really, really good! Especially singing in Japanese like that...you sound just like a real J-rock star!â
Adam felt himself blushing under the girlâs adoring gaze. âA-Ah, um...itâs not really that big a deal...â he muttered, staring pointedly at the guitar. âHonestly, one of my bandmates was an anime otaku, so of course he asked if I could write something in Japanese...â he rolled his eyes, recalling the request their lead singer put in, because not only did Adam play guitar but he just happened to be the only one enrolled in advanced Japanese. âYeh, so uh...that was somethinâ we were tooling around with, but then we graduated before it was finished anâ then shortly after uni started I...had my actual awakening. As an e-gene holder.â
âOh, I see...â Sio didnât say anything more, but judging from his melancholy tone, it seemed Adamâs awakening hadnât exactly been pleasant. She was burning with curiosity at just what happened, but she sensed that was probably a topic for later on. âStill, I think itâs really good; who knows, maybe after the war youâll be a singer-songwriter!â
âHeh, weâll see about that. This is really just a hobby for me, I highly doubt Iâd ever pursue something in entertainment. Too much drama and bullshit, honestly.â Adam carefully unwound the neck strap and put the guitar back into its case. âStill, dunno...maybe I should take it out more often, good way to relax and let off some steam...â While he never considered himself the stereotypical, âemo goth writing angsty songs in his bedroomâ teenager, there were definitely times when music helped him get over the hardest of emotional crises.
Sio nodded warmly. âI vote yes! I-I mean, I...think itâs a good idea to have a creative hobby...n-not because I want to hear your music or anything like that...â The sniper stuttered and looked away, fingers pointedly digging into the rug. â...But if you invited me over whenever you played Iâd be really happy...â
Adam felt his entire body flushing at her statement. Sio really was too cute for her own good, sometimes. â...Sure. Maybe you can help me finish that song...since I never did before joining DOGOO.â He gave her a wink, and the girl broke into another round of blushing and stutters.
âA-Ah, u-uh...I-I was just joking kind of, I know youâre probably really busy and tired from all the battles I donât want you to go out of your way just for me--â
He shushed her with a single finger to her lips. âHush love, I donât mind at all. After all, youâre someone very important to me, now...Iâd like to spend more time together with you that doesnât involve massive amounts of monster guts.â He gave her a small smile and Sio returned it in kind; that shy, genuine smile gracing her face as well and Adam felt his heart skip a couple of beats.
â...Y-Yeah, I...I wanna spend more time with you, too. N-Not just, listening to you playing guitar or stuff, b-but, maybe next time...we can play another game o-or, watch a movie...â
âOf course. We can do all those things as well.â
A new type of warmth flooded her veins, Sio unsure of what the emotion was but she welcomed it. âWow, I didnât think Adam would be such a nice guy...but, he is really kind, underneath Jack the Ripper...â
Next time, she would bring over some of her games and play them with him. For today she discovered many things about Adam, but Adam didnât know much about her, aside from being a military otaku.
Yet, that is.
#documentation#my sweetest one#//i need to stop writing fluff plot bunnies#//uuggghhhh i swear i'm working on divine intervention and love me tonight#//just#//...fluff#//also bonus points if you can figure out the song adam's singing#//hint it's tied to his japanese voice actor
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A.J. Raffles and the performativity of gender
Note: Over the course of #rafflesweek, I will post five excerpts from my masterâs thesis on E.W. Hornungâs Raffles stories. While each part can be read on its own, I recommend reading them in the order they are posted.
This is Part 1.
(Please see the end for footnotes and works cited.)
Introduction: How the English Gentleman Came to Be
[This introduction is a condensed version of a much longer chapter about Victorian roles of masculinity.]
My analysis of A.J. Raffles and Bunny Manders was based on the main concept behind Victorian middle-class masculinity: the gentleman. The original definition of a gentleman (dating back to the late Middle Ages) was a man of aristocratic birth with land ownership. When the feudal system was overturned as a result of the Industrialisation, the emerging middle class not only gained political and economic power but also began to appropriate the gentleman ideal. This appropriation shifted the meaning of what a gentleman âisâ from an inherited privilege (one was born into it) to an aim to strive for, thus making it accessible to non-aristocratic members of society.
The middle-class ideal of a âtrueâ gentleman was based on moral virtues (courage, honour, integrity, self-respect, etc.). However, it was still tied to wealth, as the best means of achieving gentlemanly status was through public school education. Apart from instilling moral virtues into its pupils, public school education also fostered athleticism through team sports such as rugby and cricket. The philosophy behind this was called âMuscular Christianityâ: only in a sound body could a sound mind (and moral character) thrive. Public schools were designed to prepare their pupils for an upper middle-class life: these young men would either pursue a profession (law, military, church) or live off inherited wealth / investments. Both options afforded the gentleman a great amount of leisure: whiling away his days at clubs or house-parties, he was able to display his disinterest in economic matters by eschewing a life of thrift and manual labour.
Victorian middle-class society was strictly divided into a public, âmaleâ sphere and a private, âfemaleâ sphere. The men were supposed to display vigour, initiative, moral rectitude and self-restraint, while the women were expected to be tender, nurturing and submissive. In the 1890s, the gentleman ideal was contested by the newly-emerging role of the dandy. The dandy was a fundamentally theatrical being: he combined lower-class bohemian aspects (dress, lifestyle) with aristocratic archetypes (artificiality, posing, masks). This was based on the ideas of Aestheticism (art for artâs sake) and Decadence - the rejection of social institutions (e.g. marriage) and the embrace of hedonistic self-indulgence. For the Decadents, the meaning of life lay in the intense experience of moments through great passions. The dandyâs performative identity and his ridiculing of morality was perceived as a direct attack on the integrity of the gentleman ideal. As the dandyâs aristocratic attitudes were also associated with effeminacy, his presence threatened the gender stability of the middle-class gentleman as well. Indeed, the dandy would soon be associated with homosexuality, the most famous example being Oscar Wilde.
âYou Must Not Make the Criminal (Gentleman) the Heroâ
By the time the first volume of Raffles stories was published in 1899, the idea of what constituted a âgentlemanâ was highly contested. Half a century earlier, the concept of a âgentleman thiefâ would have been anathema to people like Samuel Smiles, who praised moral integrity and truthfulness as the core characteristics of a gentleman (Smiles 1997: 317). At the turn of the century, however, a writer of stories depicting the idea of the gentleman as âessentially weak and vulnerableâ (OâBrien 2015: 658) did not have to fear censorship or moral outrage any longer.
While there were some critics of The Amateur Cracksman who voiced moral concerns1, the overall reception of the stories by critics and the public alike was very positive. On one level, Hornungâs stories about a cunning and egotistical, public-school educated gentleman pretending to be a man of leisure while secretly robbing the houses of the upper (middle) class, were merely cashing in on the late-Victorian craze for sensationalist stories (both fictional and non-fictional) (Fox 2007: vii-viii). Accounts about âforbiddenâ, immoral and possibly violent subjects were in huge demand by the late-Victorian reader (Seeber 2012: 335); tales about secret identities, guilty secrets and transgressions of moral and social boundaries abounded in sensational journalism as well as in popular fiction and high-brow literature2 (Freeman 2007: 73). A notable nonfictional example was the nationâs fascination with Jack the Ripper. One major thread running through the public discussion at the time was the assumed respectability of the man: for instance, the skillful removal of organs from his victims led the Illustrated Police News to speculate he was a doctor in everyday life (Godfrey 2011: 116). [Even Raffles voices his own theory about the murdererâs identity at one point: â[âŚ] itâs my profound conviction that Jack the Ripper was a really eminent public man, whose speeches were very likely reported alongside his atrocities.â (Hornung 2013: 31).] In a world where a serial killer was believed to be a respected gentleman, the scandalous potential of depicting a fictional gentleman burglar was consequently not that high.
Playing at being a gentleman
While the choice of a criminal gentleman as protagonist may not have been that controversial in itself3, the way in which E. W. Hornung characterises A. J. Raffles challenges the common-held notions about what a gentleman was by blurring the lines between gentleman, dandy and the common criminal. When the reader is first introduced to Raffles in âThe Ides of Marchâ, his status as a gentleman is quickly established. As a boy, he attended a public school where he excelled in team sports, especially cricket (Hornung 2013: 6). As the reputation of a public school during this time4 depended in no small part on the quality of its sports teams (Holt 1992: 82), Rafflesâ performance of his role as captain of the school cricket team can serve as an indicator of his gentlemanly character. This is pointed out by Bunny when he comments: âEverybody knows how largely the tone of a public school depends on that of the eleven, and on the character of the captain of cricket in particular; and I have never heard it denied that in A. J. Rafflesâs time our tone was good, or that such influence as he troubled to exert was on the side of the angels.â (Hornung 2013: 6-7)
After Raffles left public school, he joined the ranks of amateur cricketers, playing in matches both at home and in Australia (Hornung 2013: 47). His being an amateur is another trait that characterises Raffles as a gentleman: âan amateur is as proficient as a professional, but plays the game for its own sake rather than for moneyâ (Green 2003: xxxiv). Spending a great amount of time playing cricket without actually being paid for it implies that Raffles is wealthy enough to not have to pursue actual work. Bunny assumes as much when, desperate for help after signing over worthless checks to the winners of a baccarat game, he visits Raffles hoping to get a loan from him: â[âŚ] I had dared to look for kindness from him now; because I was ruined, and he rich enough to play cricket all the summer, and do nothing for the rest of the year [âŚ].â (Hornung 2013: 3; emphasis added).
However, the true source of Rafflesâ income is soon revealed. Having promised to help Bunny, Raffles drops several hints as to how he will secure the necessary money. When Bunny, overjoyed that Raffles will come to his aid, proclaims that there was nothing he wouldnât do for a friend, Raffles asks: âNot even [âŚ] a crime?â (Hornung 2013: 7). He then proposes to visit a jeweller friend of his in the middle of the night. When Bunny expresses doubts, Raffles assures him he has âthe run of [the] place and a latch-key all to [himself]â (Hornung 2013: 8). As naive as Bunny is, it takes him until he is actually standing in a room above the jewellery shop to realise whatâs truly going on:
âHe had given me a dozen hints, and I had taken none. [âŚ] âA burglar!â I gasped.
âYou â you!â
âI told you I lived by my wits.ââ (Hornung 2013: 10-11)
The reason Raffles gives for leading a double life of respectable gentleman by day and skilled burglar by night is quite illuminating: âWhy should I work when I could steal? Why settle down to some humdrum uncongenial billet, when excitement, romance, danger and a decent living were all going begging together?â (Hornung 2013: 16). In essence, Raffles wants to enjoy the leisure and privilege a gentlemanly life affords without having to endure a boring profession to finance it. Additionally, he pursues a profession that presents him with countless moments of thrill and excitement, which is reminiscent of the Decadent argument that life should contain as many âpulsationsâ and moments of ecstasy as possible (Pater 1980: 190). While Raffles loves playing cricket, turning professional would not be an option for him. The earnings of professional cricketers were not nearly substantial enough to finance a life of leisure (Holt 1992: 290-291). A gentleman was expected to dress a certain way and his apartment had to belong to a respected neighbourhood (Waters 1997: 31); both of these requirements were not sustainable on a professional cricketerâs salary. It is precisely because Raffles plays cricket just for fun that the doors of higher society are open to him.
The status of gentleman was only accessible for people with a certain amount of wealth. While burgling houses certainly provided a way to attain the necessary income, it being a crime went straight against the idea of moral integrity that was so engrained in the gentleman ideal. Thus, while Raffles certainly knows how to act like a gentleman (Larance 2014: 106), he doesnât share the moral convictions commonly associated with the role. While Bunny repeatedly expresses compunction about leading a life of crime, Raffles does not share this view. For him, crime is an exciting game (Hornung 2013: 364). He does pay lip service to it being âwrongâ, but he immediately brushes that aside by saying, âwe canât all be moralistsâ (Hornung 2013: 16). This nonchalant dismissal of moral concerns is also one of several elements in the stories that tie Raffles to the aesthete and the Decadent dandy.
Well isnât this just Dandy?
The Raffles stories abound with references to Aestheticism and Decadence. Firstly, the stories establish Rafflesâ keen interest in art and literature. In âThe Ides of Marchâ, the reader learns that Raffles fills his home with exquisite furniture and heaps of books: âIt was charmingly furnished and arranged, with the right amount of negligence and the right amount of taste. [âŚ] Instead of the conventional rack of war-worn bats, a carved oak bookcase, with every shelf in a litter, filled the better part of one wall [âŚ]. The man might have been a minor poet instead of an athlete of the first water. But there had always been a fine streak of aestheticism in his complex composition [âŚ].â (Hornung 2013: 6; emphasis added)
Bunny also points out several Pre-Raphaelite paintings adorning Rafflesâ walls, naming works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Hornung 2013: 6) and reproductions of paintings by George Frederic Watts and Edward Burne-Jones (Hornung 2013: 381). That Rafflesâ stacks of books arenât merely decorative is apparent in the amount of quotes he readily intersperses in his conversations. First, the stories are peppered with Shakespeare quotes. To name just one example, Raffles quotes Julius Caesar prior to his and Bunnyâs first felonious undertaking: ââThe Ides of March, the Ides of March, remember.â Eh, Bunny, my boy? You wonât forget them, will you?â (Hornung 2013: 8). Raffles also references the works of John Keats several times, especially his poem âThe Eve of St. Agnesâ (Hornung 2013: 15). In âThe Fate of Faustinaâ, the story which chronicles his tragic dalliance with a young Italian woman named Faustina, Raffles quotes two poems by Algernon Swinburne. While Shakespeare and Keats can be readily explained by the classical education Raffles enjoyed during his schooldays, his profound knowledge of Swinburne may be seen as indicative of his âstreak of aestheticismâ (Hornung 2013: 6) â the Pre-Raphaelite poet was much admired in Aestheticist circles (Freeman 2007: 83).
Crime as an art form
Apart from being a consumer of art and literature, Raffles also uses aestheticist ideas to explain his philosophy on crime. In âA Costume Pieceâ, Bunny doesnât deem Rafflesâ plan of robbing a South African millionaire necessary as they still have enough money at their disposal. Raffles is aghast at this statement: âNecessity, my dear Bunny? Does the writer only write when the wolf is at the door? Does the painter paint for bread alone? [âŚ] You pain me, my dear chap; you neednât laugh, because you do. Art for artâs sake is a vile catchword, but I confess it appeals to me.â (Hornung 2013: 20; emphasis added). Many of Rafflesâ schemes are based more on the beauty of the objects he intends to steal than the money he actually gets for them when selling them to a receiver of stolen goods. For instance, after he has stolen a golden cup from the British Museum in âA Jubilee Presentâ, he doesnât sell it, but keeps it on his mantlepiece for days. When Bunny suggests he should melt it down to at least get some money in exchange for the gold, Raffles vehemently disagrees with him: âTaking it was an offence against the laws of the land, Bunny. That is nothing. But destroying it would be a crime against God and Art, and may I be spitted on the vane of St. Mary Abbotâs if I commit it!â (Hornung 2013: 139; emphasis added). Whenever Raffles does have to commit a burglary out of pure necessity â which happens more frequently than he would care to admit â, he considers it âa vulgar sortâ of crime (Hornung 2013: 35)5.
Rafflesâ artistic views are not confined to the objects of his desire but extend to the method of stealing them as well. In âNine Points of the Lawâ, Raffles and Bunny are enlisted by a somewhat corrupt lawyer to steal a painting from an Australian legislator. Instead of being content with simply snatching the painting, Raffles scours all over the country for a convincing fake so he can steal the painting without the legislator noticing it (Hornung 2013: 82-83). When a club of criminologists invites him to one of their meetings in a later story, Raffles realises they suspect him to be the gentleman thief, so in order to get them off his scent, he stages an elaborate break-in that looks as if it took place while he was at dinner with the other club members; the only thing he actually steals, though, is a pair of parliamentary robes, which he returns to the owner anonymously at the end of the story (Hornung 2013: 286-288). Finally, Rafflesâ sense of artistic flair is also applied to his tools. He keeps his drills and skeleton keys in âa pretty embroidered caseâ originally meant for razors (Hornung 2013: 12), and a rope ladder designed by him for the heist at the Criminologistsâ Club is disguised within a cane with a polished knob (Hornung 2013: 287).
This conflation of art and crime was not a concept that Hornung had invented himself. Rather, it was indebted to Oscar Wildeâs theory on âcrime as artâ (Freeman 2007: 76). In several of his works6, Wilde had experimented with a new form of criminal protagonist: âthe gentleman-about-town, exploring the gulf between appearance and realityâ (Freeman 2007: 77). The concept of a gentleman with a dark secret was thus directly indebted to the writings of one of the most eminent Decadent dandies.
The Wilde Card
The link between A. J. Raffles and Oscar Wilde is not restricted to the overall construction of the narrative. In fact, the Raffles stories are riddled with references to Oscar Wildeâs life and his works7. Firstly, there are several parallels between A. J. Raffles and the characters of The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Rafflesâ place of residence, the Albany, is also the place where Ernest Worthing lives while he stays in London (Wilde 2000: 16)8. In âNine Points of the Lawâ, Raffles excuses himself from a dinner obligation with the Australian legislator by claiming he was âcalled out of townâ due to a âsudden illness of [a] near relativeâ (Hornung 2013: 79); this is part of his plan to sneak into the apartment and steal the painting. When Bunny is quizzed by the host on what relative that would be, he confesses that he doesnât know Rafflesâ family because he knows Raffles â[o]nly in townâ (Hornung 2013: 79). This scene is a nod to the concept of âBunburyingâ thought up by Algernon Moncrieff in The Importance of Being Earnest: âI have invented an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury, in order that I may be able to go down into the country whenever I choose.â (Wilde 2000: 19).
Concerning the characterâs personal tastes, Raffles only ever smokes Sullivans, an exquisite brand of Egyptian tobacco (Hornung 2003: 141, note 4). His consumption of this type of cigarette is so well-known that, when he later has to live under an assumed name in London, he is too scared to smoke them for fear of being found out: âI canât even smoke Sullivans, because no one man was ever so partial to them as I was in my lifetime [âŚ]â (Hornung 2013: 122). While Oscar Wilde himself was known to enjoy âconsuming large quantities of expensive Egyptian cigarettesâ (Freeman 2007: 83), the pleasure Raffles takes in smoking Sullivans is also reminiscent of one of Lord Henry Wottonâs aphorisms in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891): âBasil, I canât allow you to smoke cigars. You must have a cigarette. A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied. What more can one want?â (Wilde 1994: 93-94).
There is also the parallel between A. J. Raffles and Oscar Wilde being forced to keep parts of their identity hidden from society: âthe man-about-town playwright who leads a secret life (one that was at the time, a criminal matter), the man-about-town cricketer who leads a secret (also criminal) lifeâ (OâBrien 2015: 660). Freeman adds another level to this when he points out that, apart from being a gentleman thief, â[âŚ] Raffles is already leading a double life in some respects by alternating between the supposedly antipathetic roles of aesthete and sportsman.â (Freeman 2007: 83).
Finally, the parallels between Rafflesâ and Oscar Wildeâs later life, while not exact, are quite startling: In 1895, Oscar Wilde was charged with having committed an âact of gross indecency with another male personâ9, found guilty, and sentenced to two years in prison (Rowland 1999: 76). After being discharged in 1897, he was forced to leave England and spend the last three years of his life as a semi-invalid in France (Rowland 1999: 80). During his time there, Wilde had adopted the assumed name of âSebastian Melmothâ; the name was a reference to Melmoth the Wanderer (1820), a Gothic novel written by his great-uncle Charles Maturin (Sedgwick 1985: 94-95). In a striking parallelism of dates and facts, Rafflesâ cover is finally blown in 1895. Charged with stealing a priceless pearl aboard the SS Uhlan, he manages to evade capture by leaping overboard; as the ship is at this point ten miles from shore, Raffles is believed to have drowned (Kemp/Mitchell/Trotter 1997: 33). Meanwhile, Bunny is arrested, tried for burglary and sentenced to eighteen months in prison (Hornung 2013: 128). Two years later, Raffles returns to London as an elderly, invalid Australian called âMr. Maturinâ and meets up again with Bunny, who has recently been released from prison (Hornung 2013: 122). Raffles spends the next three years in hiding, with Bunny as his only companion, before he dies on an unnamed battlefield in South Africa in the year 1900 (Hornung 2013: 232).
Performance art of the self
While the references to Oscar Wilde are indeed striking, it would do the stories injustice to reduce A. J. Raffles to a mere fictional amalgamation of Wilde and his characters. Displaying character traits, styles and opinions of both the athletic gentleman and the aesthetic dandy, Raffles cleverly subverts both gender roles by exposing their inherent instability: âIn Raffles the effete, passive, superficially charming manner of the dandy clothes-horse is subsumed within a powerful body that is in sly and subversive alignment with contemporary masculine paradigms.â (OâBrien 2015: 661). Once the essentialist notion of a ânaturalâ masculinity is discarded, the character is free to perform his masculinity (and, more generally, his identity of self) in whatever way he wishes.
This makes it notoriously difficult for the reader to get a hold of the ârealâ A. J. Raffles. While society knows Raffles mainly as amateur cricketer, Bunnyâs position as his close friend and partner in crime gives us insight into the more secretive aspects of Rafflesâ life. The reader learns that Raffles is incredibly skilled at disguises, an ability essential for balancing his double life: whenever Raffles has to make business with other members of the criminal class, he turns into âthe professional Cockney villain who, to reduce the risk of blackmail by his receiver of stolen goods, âdrives[s] all [his] bargains in the tongue and raiment of Shoreditchâ [âŚ].â (Freeman 2007: 84). Rafflesâ disguises are so immaculate that he manages to fool Bunny with them every time. In âA Costume Pieceâ, for instance, Bunny is dumbfounded when âthe dark scowl and the dirty clenched fists of a dilapidated trampâ (Hornung 2013: 22) turn out to belong to his friend. Raffles then leads him to the place where he keeps the props necessary for his disguises â an apartment in Chelsea, which he has officially rented as an artistâs studio10. To make his posing as an artist believable, Raffles keeps a canvas in the room: â[âŚ] thereâs the canvas Iâm always going to make a start upon. I tell [my landlords] Iâm looking high and low for my ideal model.â (Hornung 2013: 24). When Bunny first enters the room, Raffles asks him, âLooking for the works of art?â (Hornung 2013: 23). This can be interpreted in two ways. Firstly, he is of course referring to the lack of actual paintings in the room; secondly, the question could also be pointing to the disguises Raffles constructs in here. As Raffles sees his criminal exploits as artistic endeavours, the disguise is a crucial part of performing the art of crime. By transforming himself into the perfect image of a London tramp, Raffles essentially becomes a work of art himself.
A. J. Raffles has constructed his life as a web of alternate identities and disguises. His character is made up of conflicting traits: the aesthetic dandy vs. the athletic gentleman, the upstanding citizen vs. the skilled thief, the charming society man vs. the cunning and egotistical criminal. What part of his identity is presented to society, Bunny or the reader is wholly Rafflesâ choice. This has led Larance to remark that, â[âŚ] because his entire life is essentially a performance piece, it is frequently difficult to know which Raffles is real and which Raffles is the performer.â (Larance 2014: 107). However, the point of the Raffles stories is that there is no ârealâ Raffles. The ease with which the character switches between different gender roles exposes that there is no essential, ânaturalâ masculinity or femininity. As gender is a major constituent part of identity, the performativity of gender implies that a personâs identity is also not absolute, but established through the very act of performing it (Butler 2007: 34). This, more than anything else, makes A. J. Raffles a precursor of modern notions of gender and personal identity.
Footnotes:
1For example, a review in the Bookman reproached Hornung for having written ââthe greatest incentive ever penned to spirited youth to make a brilliant living by the burglarâs artââ.
2Both Robert Louis Stevensonâs Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) and Oscar Wildeâs The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) explored the destructive potential of secret identities and the fragmentation of self.
3A view apparently not shared by Arthur Conan Doyle, who commented on the ârather dangerousâ suggestions of the Raffles stories in his memoirs (Haining 1984: 16). He also claimed to have cautioned his brother-in-law: âYou must not make the criminal the hero.â (qtd. in Larance 2014: 100). This runs counter to Hornungâs claim that Doyle actively encouraged him to pick a public-school villain as the protagonist for a new series (Green 2003: xxi).
4Assuming that Raffles was about 28 years old in âThe Ides of Marchâ, which is set in 1891, he probably would have attended public school between 1876 and 1881, a time when the importance of high-quality team sports for the reputation of a public school had already been firmly established (Waters 1997: 74).
5It is only during his life in hiding, when stealing for money has become a necessity after all, that Raffles changes his mind: âThe older I grow, Bunny, the less I think of your so-called precious stones. When did they ever bring in half their market value in L. s. d.â (Hornung 2013: 131).
6Most notably in The Picture of Dorian Gray, where the painting enables Dorian to indulge in ever more baser exploits while retaining his innocent and beautiful looks.
7A possible explanation for these references can be found in the personal connection that existed between Oscar Wilde and E. W. Hornung. They were friends and close neighbours in the early 1890s, and Hornung christened his only son âOscarâ in May 1895 â at exactly the same time as Wilde was being tried for homosexuality (Rowland 1999: 76).
8The Albany was also the place where Hornungâs acquaintance George Cecil Ives, a cricketer and criminologist, lived (Green 2003: xxiv).
9The Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 had made sodomy punishable by two yearsâ hard labour. This was actually an improvement on the former legal status of homosexuality: up until 1861, homosexual acts had been considered a capital offence (Purchase 2006: 126).
10Chelsea was one of several parts of London where dandies and artists tended to mingle in coffee-houses and restaurants (MacLeod 2006: 33-34).
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